Doubts

The Grove was chaos.

Druids lined the paths, forcing the tieflings to head for the gate, shouting over children’s cries. The refugees resisted where they could, but wooden clubs and summoned vines **** them forward in stumbling lines. The smell of sweat, fear, and crushed hopes—and herbs—hung thick in the air.

Then Kagha appeared.

She strode out from the sanctum, her ceremonial robes streaked with blood, her viper coiled tight about her shoulders. In her hand glinted a dagger, its tip darkened crimson. Her wide eyes burned with purpose wrapped in anxiety. “Enough!” she barked, voice cracking across the grove. “Stop this at once! The tieflings stay.”

The druids froze. One still had a child by the arm, who tore free and bolted back to their mother. Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Kagha had ordered this eviction herself—hours ago. Now she stood there commanding the opposite.

A tall druid stepped forward, voice wavering. “But… Archdruid, you told us their removal was urgent. We obeyed your word.”

Kagha’s jaw tightened. “Don’t question me. The Grove shows mercy. The order is rescinded.”

The druids hesitated, exchanging uneasy glances. Then, shame-faced, they loosened their grips, stepping back from wagons and children alike. They withdrew slowly, the guilt of their obedience etched in their posture. Mothers pulled little ones close, muttering bitterly under their breath.

The tieflings didn’t cheer. Their suspicion hung heavy. First threatened with exile, now commanded to stay—the druids’ sudden reversal felt more like madness than mercy. Voices rose sharp and bitter, demanding an explanation.

I stepped up beside Kagha, trying to quell the tension. “This is not madness nor is it a trick. Kagha has been playing a dangerous game. A group of Shadow Druids meant to usurp the Grove. She feigned loyalty to draw them out. My companions and I defeated them, but it was Kagha’s hand that **** them into the open.”

Gasps stirred. Kagha’s gaze snapped toward me, her dagger clenched tighter. I didn’t mind her. “Her cruelty, her ruthlessness—it was all necessary to convince them she was one of theirs. That’s why she has been acting so deranged. She had to sell it, and she really did.”

The druids lowered their eyes, nodding slowly. Kagha gave me a look, clearly not appreciative of my choice of words, but sank her face, playing the part. “It is true. I did what I had to do for us to survive."

One of the younger druids frowned, uncertainty plain on his face. “She… risked the Grove for a ruse? Such recklessness is not fitting for an Archdruid.”

“True,” I agreed. “But it was necessary. And it worked. The Grove endures because of it.”

The oldest, and perhaps not the wisest, among them lowered their staff. “Then… we follow. For the Grove.” The others echoed a subdued accept.

“Back to the sanctum,” she ordered sharply. They obeyed with little more than murmurs, shame still weighing their steps.

Before following, she paused close enough for only me to hear. “Meet me later. There is more to discuss.” Then she turned on her heel, the druids trailing after her, leaving us alone among the tieflings. Still anxious, they whispered to each other, eyes scanning toward the druids with open distrust. Their faith in their so-called protectors was broken.

Only Zevlor stepped forward, his greatsword clanking at his back. His black-crimson eyes fixed on me. He closed the gap, and without warning, wrapped me in a crushing embrace.

“You saved us,” he said fiercely. “I don’t care how. Kagha’s schemes, your words, divine whim—it doesn’t matter. You kept us from **** on the road, and for that, we owe you everything.” His grip was comically tight, my ribs creaking under the pressure, and the bruise Lae’zel had given me yesterday made it all the more unbearable.

I **** a strained grin, ignoring the ache as best I could. “Glad to be of service,” I managed. At last he released me, smiling broadly, and the tieflings’ whispers quieted. Their doubt didn’t vanish, but it mellowed.

Once we’d slipped out of earshot, Shadowheart exhaled through her nose, rolling her eyes, but not entirely disapproving. “That was some performance. Even I almost bought it.”

Lae’zel studied me a long moment, then gave a sharp nod. “Clever deceit—no one is dishonored. Sufficient leadership.”

[Lae'zel: Approval +1]

Karlach smirked, her infernal glow pulsing faintly. “Soldier, you’re like some shady tactician out of a spy tale—cloak-and-dagger, tricks on tricks. Are you sure you shouldn’t be a rogue?”

I shrugged, “There was no need to expose her note to the others. Kagha’s already with us—and desperately so. Better to keep her on our side than shame her before the Grove. She’s the resourceful type.”

Shadowheart raised a brow. “Resourceful? More like treacherous. She turned on the Grove, then again on the Shadow Druids. Just make sure her daggers stays in front of us, and not in our backs.”

Lae’zel lifted her chin. “If her blade points toward our foes, I care not where it’s been before.”

Karlach chuckled under her breath. "Yeah, if it swings our way, I’m lopping it off her wrist. No hard feelings.”

“For now let’s use her strengths, keep our eyes on her, and hope she’s finished changing sides for a while. Besides, she doesn’t really have a choice does she?”

The three of them answered with nods of varying enthusiasm.

I returned my attention to the tieflings and found Zevlor watching us expectantly, a question hanging in the air, unspoken yet pressing: What happens now?