The HA! caught everyone's attention, including Trevor's, who glanced at the source and took a moment to take in the small halfling. He turned his attention back to the High Priestess. There was only one person in his life he would call mother and this person was certainly not that person. With crossed arms and a straight back, he listened to the explanation. Becoming more powerful did not sound bad, but he rolled his eyes at "how to interact with noble company". He knew perfectly well how to interact with them.

When it was time to draw numbers he came forward, grabbed one of the papers and examined the number. Then he glanced at the tables and his eyes rested on the weapons. It was very unlikely he was here for something else. Question was, how would he use it? At least he had some time to figure it out, as he would go second. He turned to look at the eggs. How was this test even supposed to do anything? Those things didn't have eyes. Finally, his eyes moved over all the people gathered. He did not feel like mingling, small talk or any of that. This testing and the potential death if he failed kept him focussed, pleasantries were just a distraction now. He waited patiently for the testing to begin.

Mother Dula waited for the bowl to be emptied, then she leaned over and scooped it up. With a formal air, she set it underneath the table with the dragon eggs, then turned back to the crowd. She let the people take in their numbers, then gestured for silence. When that did not work, the loud clong of the drum was more than enough.

”It is time to begin.”

A group of priests and guards pushed the crowd up against the walls. Some more readjustment meant that food tables were pushed up against the walls. The testing tables created a semi-circle, with the eggs at the open end. Mother Dula stared out at it all, then nodded her approval. Her voice filled the room, ”Who has drawn the first slip?”

Mother Dula’s gaze cut across the crowd. She did not wait for a response when her gaze landed on Gwynn. Her lips curled into a small smirk. A gesture to one of the tables sent several men scrambling to bring it to the center. The table was, perhaps, the most sparse. It contained only two items. A blade and a brilliant, green crystal on a golden stand. The blade was slick with some sort of liquid. Perhaps a poison.



”Come. Introduce yourself.”

Gwyn watched the shuffling of tables with amusement.

“Who has drawn the first slip?”

She didn’t even get a chance to raise her hand before Dula make eye contact with her and smirked. Gwynn recognized this smirk as the polite equivalent of grabbing a snack to watch somebody make a fool of themselves. Gwyn flashed her eyebrows at Dula acknowledging her gaze with a similar amusement thinking to herself *I know something you dooonnt*. One of them was going to end up being wrong and the other would very much enjoy it.

Dula gestured and more funny table shuffling ensued. The fact that no objects had fallen off of these tables yet was almost more impressive than the dragon eggs.

“Come. Introduce yourself.”

She walked up to the table and faced Dula.
“I am Lady Gwynn-Theophania Saven of the house of Cairnrel. Daughter of Theophania-Morgan Saven”. She had recited it often to various nobles.

She looked down at the table and sarcastically muttered to herself in her native tongue, “ah yes! The classic green rock and drippy knife”. It hadn’t occurred to her that Dula might actually recognize the language she spoke in. Her village was among the few that still spoke it however it did see continued usage when performing magic. This meant that there was a good chance Dula could recognize it, but only understood the phrases and words used in rituals. It was incredibly unlikely she would understand the full language, and impossible that she knew the village specific dialect and accent that Gwynn spoke in.

Mother Dula’s smirk faltered. Then her eyes narrowed. She stepped off of the stage and moved to the opposite side of the table. Mother Dula’s stride was slow and measured. Her gaze trailed over the human with unhidden disdain. ”Ah… Lady Gwynn. I have heard much about you from your family. All good, I assure you.” Despite her words, her underlying meaning was sarcastic. ”Let’s make this quick, shall we?

All of the sudden, Mother Dula’s face turned stoney. To the average person, they would only be able to read cold indifference. Pure neutrality. In fact, it became almost impossible for Gwynn to connect and understand Mother Dula as she had before. Almost. Mother Dula spoke in a cool, neutral tone, ”This stone is imbued with magic. It is rather weak, but it is capable of showing when one is telling the truth.” The priestess scooped up the blade and looked it over. ”This blade is laced with black-adder venom. It will kill you in an instant if it so much as breaks your skin. Now tell me… do you sense any aggressive intent?”

It took much more concentration than Gwynn was used to, but she could sense Mother Dula’s meaning. As if Gwynn was slipping into the cracks of Mother Dula’s psyche. The priestess had lied. The stone was not enchanted. It was hardly more than green quartz. There was something more though, hidden behind those sharp, emerald eyes. It was impossible to make out until a wave of energy rushed through Gwynn. She could see it, just beyond a crack in Mother Dula’s visage.

The real threat was not Mother Dula. It was the monk silently approaching from behind.

When mother Dula flattened her expression Gwynn did the same.

“This stone is imbued with magic. It is rather weak, but it is capable of showing when one is telling the truth.” The priestess scooped up the blade and looked it over. ”This blade is laced with black-adder venom. It will kill you in an instant if it so much as breaks your skin. Now tell me… do you sense any aggressive intent?”

It took much more concentration than Gwynn was used to, but she could sense Mother Dula’s meaning. As if Gwynn was slipping into the cracks of Mother Dula’s psyche. The priestess had lied. The stone was not enchanted. It was hardly more than green quartz. There was something more though, hidden behind those sharp, emerald eyes. It was impossible to make out until a wave of energy rushed through Gwynn. She could see it, just beyond a crack in Mother Dula’s visage.

Gwynn tossed the rock behind her hitting the assailant in the chest knocking the wind out of them.

“No but I am sensing a stick up your ass. You should probably get that checked out”she said in an expressionless tone.

“One, if you’ve only heard good things about my host family then you must not be very good at reading the news you do get. Two, that’s not how black adder venom works”

She wondered if she ought to tell Dula she already knew a couple individuals who had already begun to bond with dragons. She decided instead to smile at Dula brattily and knowingly. “So” she yawned “what happens next”

There was a loud grunt of pain from the monk who just barely managed to catch the crystal. He stumbled away, holding his chest. Mother Dula watched him go, her neutrality falling to a frustrated disappointment. Then her gaze turned to Gwynn. Disgust. She was disgusted by the human’s bratty behavior. ”You are rather troublesome.” she hummed, ”Very well. There is one last thing I must ask before I allow you to present yourself to the eggs. You must answer truthfully. Would you lay down your life for the sake of your people? Give up everything you are and will be for the sake of hundreds of thousands that you will never know?”

She was glad to be bothering Dula.

“Yes” She answered simply and honestly. She wasn’t interested in explaining further. She had a duty to her people that she has always fully accepted. Of course dying was not something she planned on doing.

Previously

Baker knocked on the door to Leith's quarters in the back area of the library where the scholars stayed. Leith looked up from the letters ve was transcribing -- Raelyn had found them pressed between volumes of some of the older collections, and they were very old and fragile, so it was vitally important to ensure that they were carefully copied so that the copies could be added to the letter collections -- and carefully put down ver pen to open the door.

"Yes?" ve said softly, stepping back to let Baker into the room. What could this mean? What do you need? Ve waited patiently for Baker to address them, slowly circling the table and sitting back in ver chair. Leith kept ver eyes on Baker expectantly. Could this have anything to do with the strangers who had come to the library only a short time before?

Baker cleared her throat. "It seems you have caught the eye of some rather important people," she said, prompting a slight questioning noise from Leith. "They want you to go to the capital, to share your talents there."

Leith frowned. There were a million questions in ver mind. Who was they? Why did they want ven in particular? Ve had been aware that ver solution to the cipher in Andrean manuscript 224 had been of some note, but certainly not of enough note to warrant being asked after. Ve took a second, waiting under Baker's patient gaze, to formulate at least one question into proper speech. "Why?" ve finally asked. The simplest question -- and hopefully the one that would get ven the most solid answers.

In the Room

Through Dula's entire speech, Leith watched her with wide, frightened eyes. Guards and an unexpected voyage had been bad enough -- ve had been unable to relax for even a moment from when the guards had first gathered around ven, purportedly to keep ven 'safe' through the trip to… this island? This wasn't where Baker had said ve would be going. Or why. Leith's hands hurt from so much clenching and unclenching, but, like Thesson had taught ven, that nervous tension would need to go somewhere.

Dragon eggs… It seemed so implausible. All of it -- or at least, what Leith processed from the barrage of information. From the threats to the claims that they would become magic, of all things… ve almost felt like mirroring the harsh, frantic laugh of the halfling lady. Though that would draw attention to ven, and already under the threat of death if ve didn't get… chosen by a dragon? that wasn't something ve wanted to risk. Nothing made sense anymore, and Leith wished that ve was back in ver little library study, copying those letters, or reading about dragons and ancient, awakening threats. Yes, learning about things that way sounded much better than whatever they were about to all try with the dragons.

This is an island. I could maybe swim away if it came to it? Though ve wasn't particularly fast, and the ocean around the island was both a far cry from the swamp where ve had grown up and terrifying in its own right. Ve took a few surreptitious deep breaths and tried to still the urge to run -- that would just get ven into trouble. No, the dragon eggs were real, and there, and strange and fascinating all at once. Compelling enough that Leith momentarily didn't feel lost and confused, and instead felt almost drawn to the eggs. Ve checked the paper in ver hand. Ve was sixth. With a deep breath, ve watched Gwynn's test -- what exactly was the priestess testing her on? -- and waited for the next person to step forward for their test.

Mother Dula’s eyes trained over Gwynn. A silent tension rose between them. Then Mother Dula lifted a hand. All at once, a pain split across Gwynn’s skull. It was as if an ice spike had been driven into her skill. The air around Mother Dula’s hand trembled. She closed her hand into a fist and the pain doubled.

”You’re surprisingly honest. Very well. You may present yourself to the eggs.”

Mother Dula stepped away from Gwynn and gestured to a set of steps that led up to the stage. The pain subsided slowly, leaving Gwynn’s legs wobbly. She could taste blood on her tongue. Despite it all, the eggs beckoned.

Gwynn stood there with her hands clasped behind her back maintaining eye contact with Dula.

Pain!

Gwynn had just enough time to react to her minds warning though the reaction was hardly a decision of her own as a memory of her grandmother gently whacking young Gwyn with a cane and a reminder of "your composure young lady!" swept through hef mind. Gwyn clenched her hands tightly behind her back and sent all focus to keeping that tension. The pain hit her and she clenched her teeth. The pain doubled but no reaction was visible on Gwyn's face to give Dula the satisfaction she was almost certainly hoping for.

”You’re surprisingly honest. Very well. You may present yourself to the eggs.”
Her eyes fell to the table and her face broke into a smile with a small laugh. The pain that had been inflicted upon Gwyn was largely Dula checking Gwyn for honesty, some of it though was just Dula being upset. It was childish. Anyway enough of messing with this woman. Now there were things to do of actual importance. Her legs were wobbly, her bad knee was only complaining louder, she was exhausted, and she was hungry. She was being held up by strength that was not hers and she was grateful for it. She reached into her bag, undid the clasp that held her cane folded up, and pulled it out. Her face became respectful and reverent and she walked up the stage to kneel in front of the eggs. She paused a moment to listen to the eggs and spoke in her native language, "I believe one of you has seen interest in me yes?"

Boats... When had been the last time Rothros had been on board of one of them ? He honestly could not remember. When he had seen a ship or other naval vessel in his past, it had most often been from a perspective no other seaman of the land would have liked to ever witness: keel first. And more often than not this had happened with the firm intention of letting the decks on top of that keel plunge into the sea below indeed. Of all the persons on board, he and another Undine he had spotted previously had all reason to have the least fear of things sinking, but one could never know...

He didn't even know what all of this was for yet. He personally had not even heard of this island before -- which in itself was a bit of a remarkable oddity already. His kind preferred building cities in coral reefs and not just on the bare sea floor for various reasons, the most important ones being ease of construction and finding more food. In times of growing population, scouts were usually sent out to find new reefs or other places of interest and this had happened in the past often enough so they would have stumbled upon any island long ago already, wouldn't they ?

It almost felt a bit like a conspiracy...

----

At least it was no Phospholite conspiracy it seemed, so much Rothros could tell rather quickly after their arrival on shore. The thought of jumping back into the ocean and making a run for it should things turn out of for the worse had crossed his mind, too. It could only be pulled off reasonably well while not having ventured further inland however, so the Undine male remained extra cautious for the time being. At which point his mind actually transitioned from distrust and caution to believing the words of those welcoming them -- he couldn't tell himself after the fact anymore. Maybe the revelation of humans having royally screwed up and quite literally so had shaken his thoughts to their foundations enough for them to just topple over onto the other side ?

And somewhere deep inside, Rothros felt angry. So there had been dragon eggs around all the time. A power that could have been used for all kinds of things like, for example, eliminating those in the ruling class that wanted this pointless war to drag on and on. Or just to give everyone back that tiny bit of humbleness that they might not actually be the pinnacle of beings on this world ? Oh what a foolish set of thoughts that was! By now the trenches between the various factions were far too deep and it would need many more bodies to fill them. It wouldn't work that easy way he imagined and, last but not least, it was the dragons chosing them and not the other way round...

But just what had King Rosmund done exactly ? Rothros would have really liked to hammer just about everyone that hadn't been on board the ship about this, but at the same time he felt like already not liking any of the potential answers. It had to be something powerful, something rather unknown or others before him would have done it already ? Or something that had become possible just recently ? Like dragons suddenly willing to bond with more mortal beings, for example -- an eerie similarity between their situation and that of the king, wasn't it ?

Did at least somebody here have any real idea about what they were fiddling with ? Or did everybody just want to keep going, but not being the one accidentally pulling the plug ? *

Mary T’ashar

“First!” A strangled whisper escaped Mary’s lips.

There wasn’t time for anything else, before Mary could force her brain back into motion to ask further questions, Lady Gwynn was called forward to begin her trial and Mary left reaching her hand out, silently pleading for the young woman not to leave. But of course, Lady Gwynn never did let fear (or sometimes common sense) get to her, and the young woman rather impressivley strode with her jaw set to her trial. The Guards and Priests then worked like frenzied ants under the glowering gaze of their queen, Mother Dula, pushing Mary to either side of the atrium with other participants and furniture alike.

Even from the sidelines watching Lady Gwynns trail was…an experience; the air between Mother Dula, high upon her stage, and Lady Gwynn, examining the items on her trial table, damn near rippled with the contempt the pair had for each other. The cryptic test did nothing to calm Mary’s worries or the questions spinning in her skull. She focused her gaze upon Lady Gwynn, watching the young woman intently with several silent prayers to the Moon and Sun she would succeed. Mary didn’t even notice the Monk stalking Lady Gwynn until the young woman had struck the Monk hard in the chest and Mary’s heart suddenly leapt into her throat with a little yelp. But it seemed however that Lady Qwynn had passed her test and Mary let herself breathe again.

Mary meanwhile found the ordeal had illustrated to her the nature of this place, and the hidden dangers that could be hiding around every corner, and she looked over her shoulder at the brick walls behind her.

Now I’m just being paranoid. She chastised herself. Jumping at shadows and imagined dangers when I should instead focus on the real ones, right beside me!

Her gaze slid away from Lady Gwynn approaching an Egg, Mary surprised herself with a small pang of jealousy, and to the Dwarf beside her. He wasn’t much taller than her but the gold eyes she could just make out from his dazzling red hair and beard did lend themselves to his overall imposing figure. Interestingly, he wore gems of a similar red inlaid into his clothing, suggesting to Mary he was someone of wealth or at least fairly high standing. Could he be friend or foe? There was only one way to know.

“So, what do you make of this all then?” She asked the dwarf quietly. Her mouth was uncomfortably dry, and her voice shook under the effort trying to sound calm, as if she didn’t see someone try to stab another person right in front of her. “Any thoughts on what your trial could be? My only hope is it doesn’t include a murderous monk.” She forced out a quiet laugh that was as convincing as she was tall.

There was that tension in the air again. As if the storm that had started outside of those clay halls had gone entirely silent. Gwynn was drawn forward to the egg furthest stage left. It was, perhaps, the smallest of the eggs, though it still rivaled a halfling in size. The scales of it were slowly pulsing with heat.

That heat seemed to transfer to Gwynn. It started in her toes and danced up her body. Each wave held the warmth of a hug. Her heart was filled, and was her stomach. Aches and pains were temporarily swept away in a sea of blissful comfort. The world similarly seemed to melt away. Before Gwynn realized what was happening, she was floating in a distant, sweeping purple ocean. Twin suns glowed high above and seagulls could be heard far away. In the sky, a long serpent danced. It leapt between clouds and let out a low, rumbling call.

The massive, serpentine figure dove down and landed gently on top of the water. It walked upon the purple ocean as if it were flat ground. Its paws barely made a ripple. The beast was difficult to look at. Unlike the rest of the world, the serpent was foggy. It was difficult to make out much more than the beast’s vague shape. As if one was looking at it through a fogged up mirror. It lowered its massive head, easily twice the size of Gwynn, and settled it on top of the water.

Hello little one. The voice seemed to come from all directions at once. The beast certainly did not open its mouth to speak. You have come from rather far away… And proven yourself of great interest since the moment you entered the room. My child has taken great interest in you… and for that, I will grant you a gift. A prophecy. It may be about anything you wish… though, if you would prefer, I could simply tell you of your future.

To the outside world, there was a swirl of energy. Of light. Then, all at once, Gwynn disappeared. The crowd murmured in concern. Mother Dula blinked, but seemed otherwise unconcerned. She turned back to the rest of the crowd. ”Number two, step forward.”

Gwyn closed her eyes with relief as the pain and exhaustion left her body and she felt the sun on her face.

Wait

The sun?

She opened her eyes and she was surrounded by purple water. A lot of it. An ocean she supposed. If it wasn’t for the strong sense of calm the endless nothing surely would have put her into a panic. There was a low rumble and she looked up to see a giant serpent. It dove down and landed in front of her on top of the water. She looked at it stand on the water and put her hand on top of the surface of the water. “Huh”, she pulled herself out of the water and sat on it cross legged. The serpent was blurry and squinting made nothing clearer.

Hello little one.

She learned her head and torso forward in a small bow. “Hello”
Being in the presence of such an ancient and powerful being was comforting for Gwyn rather than intimidating.

You have come from rather far away… And proven yourself of great interest since the moment you entered the room. My child has taken great interest in you… and for that, I will grant you a gift. A prophecy. It may be about anything you wish… though, if you would prefer, I could simply tell you of your future.

Gwyn sat in silent thought. She had questions she wanted to ask the dragon unrelated to prophecy. Her mind drifted back to her home and working with her mother. She wanted to return to that. This adventure was a step in returning home. She wanted to know if she would return home to serve her community when this was all over. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. She was terrified of the answer. If it was no…
She didn’t know how she would live with that. It would drain all life from her. A tear ran down her face.

The first test didn't do much to convince Muzkane that all this was real. Sure the eggs definitely weren't stone but an island full of humans giving another human a test that seemed to rely solely on intuition? That was way too easy to fake and rehearse. Sure the other tables seemed to indicate different, but in his mind it wasn't unlikely that all this was either an excuse to get them trapped on the island for some reason or if dragons were real set up to ensure that all the Phospholites failed.

As he thought the Halfling standing next to him seemed to have similar suspicions given her question."... It seems a bit too convenient that the very first test is something that could easily be planned ahead of time. He didn't know if that was a satisfying answer to her but she also wanted to know more about he thought his test would be. "Easy, see those sculpting supplies?" Muzkane pointed to one of the tables as Gwyn walked up to the eggs. "Those are clearly meant for me, I'll just use my own tools th.. What the?!

Before Muzkane could finish his sentence Gwyn disappeared and it seemed Dula suspected or knew it might happen as she just called the next person.

Trevor had watched the test intently. Even without being able to use magic or any of the sort, he was able to tell more had happened than the words spoken, but other than that the test has seemed mild. He narrowed his eyes at the disappearance of the participant. Was this part of it? It was hard to tell and Dula didn't show any obvious signs one way or the other.

Then he was called forward. Good, he didn't feel like waiting. There were many things he could say about Dula, but he appreciated she didn't waste any time. So he wouldn't waste hers. He stepped forward.

"I'm here, what do I need me to do?"

The first test was… reassuring, if one was looking at silver linings. The human—Lady Gwynn-Theophania Saven, how fancy—succeeded. It wasn’t impossible. That is, if she wasn’t some ploy to lull the rest of them into a false sense of security. Her contempt for the speaker—High Priestess Dula, how pretentious—seemed real enough. Good actress, if not. Gwynn’s confidence was striking; how she could stand before a crowd and betray not even the slightest glimpse of worry, Skagi had no idea. He was a performer, sure, but this was hardly a scenario one could rehearse for. They straightened up, hoping their posture conveyed some sense of composure.

Then Gwynn disappeared.

Oh. Of course. Yes, of course, because this was magic and dragon eggs and apparently those can just zap people out of existence. Or the immediate area, anyway. Strangling anxiety to the floor of their throat, Skagi tried to reassure themself that this was all completely normal, all part of the test. He glanced at Dula’s unbothered expression. Perhaps this being part of the test was worse, actually.

Then, as if nothing had happened, the warrior—Trevor, was it? He had already half-forgotten in the chaos—stepped up and said, “I’m here, what do you need me to do?”

Gods above. Talk about a mercenary attitude. They crossed their arms and watched Trevor intently. Hopefully he wouldn’t disappear. Actually, hopefully he would. They didn’t think they wanted to know what would happen if someone didn’t pass the test, which, based on the number of people here… someone certainly would.

The massive beast lowered its entire body onto the surf. Its body bobbed up and down with the gentle waves. Gwynn could feel its gaze diving straight into her soul. It was scanning her. Sizing her up. Despite that, it showed no signs of aggression. When Gwynn did not respond for a moment, it readjusted to settle its head on its paws.

There is no pressure, young one. We have all the time in the world to make our choices. Soon enough, your lifespan will be extended to match the length mine once was. Then minutes and days will seem ever so miniscule. As will most other mundane things. Ah… but I suppose that may take a while. I forget that one does not become aware of their agelessness immediately. It has been many years since the War of Darkness wiped out our kind.

---

Though she did not say it, Mother Dula was glad to see someone enter this with a practicality that rivaled the frustrating brattiness of her last testee. Unfortunately, it was another human. She let out a sigh through her nose.

”Your urgency is appreciated. I will not mince words with you, wise one. Present yourself before us and tell us your name. Then we will get started. At that point, you will choose your weapon and prove yourself before the eggs.”

The table that had been dedicated to Gwynn was moved by two monks and quickly replaced with the table full of weaponry. Everything from spears to bows to swords and daggers. It lacked any form of armor. They were, most certainly, real weapons. The blades were sharp and the spear tips sharper. Unlike before, the two monks that moved the tables did not step away. Instead, they stood on the opposite side of the table to Trevor. Their hands were behind their backs. One was human and the other an Undine. They wore no armor but they were easily the most muscular and toned monks around.

“Oh” she said, not fully processing the implications of what was said. She did process that the dragon was in no hurry and thus she would ask her other questions.

“In that case I have some questions” she paused to look around at the strange landscape, “Where are we? And will we be meeting again or is this our only moment to talk?”, if it was her only meeting with the dragon it would be good to learn as much as she could now.

Mary T’ashar

Mary toyed frantically with her fingertips as the Dwarf spoke. His idea that this whole thing was somehow rehearsed did pull her gaze to him with a frown caught between puzzlement and surprise. The idea didn’t sit right with Mary, not wanting to think the Lady Gwynn she had known, even only distantly, had grown into someone who could get mixed up in…whatever this was. There was also the fact that Mary was a washer woman and the Dwarf, following his finger to a tabled covered in tools she only vaguely recognised, was a sculptor, there was simply no reason to go through all this effort to trick them into anything.

And then, in a flash of light, Lady Gwynn vanished.

In a stunned stupor Mary frantically blinked away the spots from her vision where Lady Gwynn had been just a moment before, and found only empty air. Mother Dula, standing above them all, simply asked for the next.

“Shes’ gone.” Mary whispered to the Dwarf. “Where did she go? H-h-how, how did she do that? Lady Gwynn passed her test didn’t she, then where has she gone?”

Herb lore. Scrying bones. Potions. Lights in the air and changing colours of flames, those were the magics Mary was familiar with; parlour tricks and subtle ways of reading the world. The closest she had come to any more powerful magics had been many, many years ago during her military service, and none she remembered could make someone disappear without the target being killed in a big ball of fire.

Mary wanted to step forward, wanted to shout, wanted to demand to know where Lady Gwynn had vanished to. Her entire being seemed to buzz with a mix of trepidation and, almost just as alarmingly, excitement. She made to step forward but the clink of armour drew her eyes to a nearby guard who simply shook his head and pointedly lay a gloved hand upon the pommel of his sword. The message couldn’t have been clearer for her to not interfere.

The second participant was another human and his test worryingly looked to be another fight. The number in her hand silently threatened her.

“As much as I wish otherwise, I fear this is all too real. What number did you draw?” Mary’s voice came out as a strained squeak as she opened her hand and revealed the crumbled paper with the number 3 on it. “That woman, Mother Dula, mentioned benefactors didn’t she. That we had been recommended for all this. Think any of them knew what they were getting us all into?” There was an edge of anger beneath the shaking fear.