“I wish you’d take this seriously, Chandra,” Luti said. “But if you don’t think they were personal enemies of yours, and considering we haven’t had a goblin attack here in many years… I think we can guess who sent them.”
“Who sent…” Chandra realized what she meant. “You mean the oufes? They can sure carry a grudge for little guys.”
“Yes,” Luti said. “Even though it was, of course, only a small portion of the forest.”
“No, no,” Samir said, sitting in Mother Luti’s private workshop in the monastery five days later. “Not all the woodlanders. There’s some ill feeling about the fire among other factions, of course, but it’s only the oufes who are calling for your execution, Chandra.”
Samir, who looked more harassed than usual, had made the trip up the mountain that day to update Mother Luti and Chandra on the situation in the Great Western Wood.
“Only the oufes,” Chandra repeated, shifting her position to stretch her sore leg. The claw wound was healing well, but it still ached a little.
Luti said, “I suppose we can regard that as good news.”
“Actually, it’s one particular tribe of oufes.” Samir added wearily, “A big tribe.”
“Presumably the tribe in whose territory the fire occurred?” Luti said.
“Yes. I’ve tried reasoning with them. To explain that Chandra was fighting a ghost warden who had invaded our lands to spy on us.” Samir sighed. “But you know what oufes are like.”
Luti said, “Not amenable to reason.”
“Not really.” He shrugged and added, “To them, the forest is sacred. What happened in the woods that day has offended them deeply. Imagine what the Keralians would do if some came in and set your monastery on fire… Okay, bad example, but you get what I mean.
“They insist that nothing less than Chandra’s death will atone for the destruction of the forest. They’re calling for her assassination.”
“We supposed so,” Luti said, “since as of now there have been three energetic attempts on Chandra’s life.”
Samir said, “And since those attempts failed, this morning the tribe increased the size of the reward they’re offering for her death.”
“What sort of reward do oufes offer?” Chandra said with a frown. “Most of the killers I’ve met aren’t so keen on pussy willow trees.”
“Well, I wouldn’t know what they are offering,” Samir said. “But you’ve seen the caliber of assassin they are attracting.”
“Thank goodness for small mercies,” Luti said dryly. “Even so, we must resolve this matter.”
Chandra said, “Maybe if I talked to them-”
“No,” said Luti and Samir in unison.
Chandra blinked.
Samir said more gently, “Oufes don’t leave the forest, so they certainly won’t come here. And if you entered the forest, my friend, there’s nothing I can say or do that would protect you from the tribe’s wrath. Not in their current frame of mind, anyway.”
“I can handle a little oufe wrath,” Chandra said dismissively.
“And burn down more of the forest?” Luti said. “No.”
“Mother Luti is right, Chandra,” said Samir. “While the tribe remains this angry, I feel sure that a confrontation would only worsen the situation. We don’t want that. Especially not at a time when cooperation between the monastery and the woodlanders is vital.”
“So what’s the solution?” Chandra said in frustration. “I just keep fighting off the assassins that come after me every day or two?”
“No, of course not,” Samir said. “We must find a way to resolve this matter peaceably. You mentioned there were other attacks?”
“Yes,” Luti said, “and you know about the goblins. But there was also a very large man with an axe outside the walls of the monastery. Luckily, he was more accustomed to chopping wood than people or he might have hurt Brannon.”
“Brannon was attacked?” Samir repeated, clearly horrified.
“Perhaps not intentionally, but he was with Chandra when the idiot tried to take her down. Then, most recently, an archer sent a few arrows from that rock outcropping near the west wall. Fortunately,” Luti said, “the archer had poor aim and lacked stealth, so he didn’t survive even until midday. But what next? How many attempts on her life must Chandra endure? And how long before someone else gets injured in one of these attacks? Or even killed?”
“That’s an excellent point,” Samir said with a nod. “I will appeal to the tribe on the basis of justice. If they persist in their quest for vengeance, they could be responsible for the death of an innocent person. Even a child!”
“Will that argument sway them?” Luti asked.
“Not immediately,” Samir admitted. “Empathy is not an oufe characteristic.”
Luti shook her head in exasperation. “Oufes. Even the smallest spark left unattended can make a fire.”
“Have patience for now,” Samir urged, “and give me time. I believe I can persuade them to call off these attacks. Oufes also tend to have short memories.”
Luti sighed, then nodded. “All right, Samir. I have faith in your leadership and your powers of persuasion. We will try to be patient. Meanwhile…” She frowned down at her folded hands.
“Meanwhile?” Chandra prodded.
“Meanwhile, inform the tribe that Chandra has left the monastery.”
Samir shook his head. “If I tell them a falsehood and they find out, then I will lose-”
“It’s not a falsehood,” Luti said. “At least, it won’t be by this time tomorrow.”
“I’m not running away!” Chandra said.
“Of course you’re not,” said Luti. “You are, at my request, leaving on a mission on behalf of the monastery.”
“I am?” Chandra said suspiciously.
“Yes. A mission that only you can accomplish.” Their eyes met. “We’ll discuss the details later.”
A mission that only you can accomplish…
Did Luti want her to planeswalk? Chandra’s curiosity was kindled, but planeswalking wasn’t something they could discuss in front of Samir, so she nodded in acceptance of Luti’s statement.
“So…” Samir looked from Luti to Chandra, then back to Luti. “If I tell the tribe tomorrow that Chandra has left the monastery, I will be speaking the truth?”
Luti nodded. “And if you think it will help cool their rage, tell them Chandra has been sent away as punishment for what happened. That’s not our way here, of course, but I rather doubt that oufes know-or care-what our ways are.”
“Tell them I’m being punished?” Chandra was insulted. “I don’t want a bunch of oufes thinking-”
“Does it really matter what oufes think of you, Chandra?” Luti said impatiently. “If it means these disruptive attacks cease, so be it. I just want to resolve this matter as quickly as possible, so that we can give our full attention to dealing with the Order!”
Chandra shrugged and folded her arms. She didn’t like it, but Luti had a point, so she let it go.
“And speaking of the Order,” Luti continued. “Killing that ghost warden has attracted Walbert’s attention.”
“What?” Chandra said in surprise.
“How do you know?” asked Samir.
“The soldiers from Zinara who saw you in the forest,” Luti said to Chandra, “reported what they saw. And the tale was carried all the way to the ears of the high priest of the Temple.”
“To Walbert?”
Luti nodded. “I received a letter this morning from Walbert himself, brought by courier.” She gestured to a sheaf of papers sitting on the table next to her. “A long letter.”
“What does he want?” Chandra asked.
