Never Will Please Everyone

There it was, the decision that Islana could live with, and now that everyone had been warned executing anyone else who attempted to murder her would be less on Sister Locust and more on the criminals themselves. She could see some didn’t agree with the decision, others understood it, but it did not matter what the redhead did someone would always be unhappy with any decision made. This was true for those within her as well. So, she just needed to go with what she thought was right.

The things the men were left with were symbolic but likely only to the leader herself. The clothes on her back, a cloak, and a water skin were what the young woman had on her when starting on the pilgrimage. She had Kaithak. The men have a much greater understanding of the desert than the redhead did. The symbolism in it would be left with the Sister alone.

Back to the oasis and the woman returned to the tent of Amastan with her trusted advisors, guards, the Sk’elep, and Katihak with her. She was exhausted but sleep was not in the cards. A few members of the Sept arrived and offered to make a new pavilion and some clothes. Neither would be as elaborate as what had been made in Gra’askt but would certainly do, Islana thanked them and accepted the offers. The weapons master arrived and mentioned that he was working on a new bow and kit for her. She asked that he also make a second bow - less elaborate than the first. The woman was really tired of losing bows with no backups.

Word came that a group of volunteers were digging through the remains of her now burnt-out pavilion and trying to see if anything could be salvaged. Islana doubted it and realized she was getting a little too used to losing everything.

Agizul, Izdärasen, and of course Amastan, as it was her tent, were invited for breakfast with the Sister. She sent a guard to get the breakfast but it would take some time which gave everyone a little breather before needing to be there for that first meal of the day.

In the meantime, the volunteers had found her box with hair items, surprisingly untouched. They had also found a few of the steel tips from her arrows. While they were still looking that alone was more than Islana had expected.

Amastan helped the young leader put her hair into braids with the ribbons intertwined in them. It had become the new Sister Locust’s signature look. One that she was always grateful to have help with.

Breakfast time approached and all invited showed up just in time for the meal to be served. After some small talk had commenced, along with eating and drinking some tea. Islana spoke up, “I want to know more about the Herald of the Maelstrom. Would there be more willing to believe I am the true Sister if there had been a new one appointed?”

Not that a month would have been enough time for such things but the old man’s words last night did have the redheaded leader wondering. She clearly already knew a number of things about the Herald but felt like there was more, more that the Sisters that were now a part of her were not giving up. As for Tamazzalt, he had not spoken much about the Herald or tried to find a new one.