Finn contemplated. There were so many things to be done. The Peacekeeping officers scattered to take up their battle posts as Riley waited for her answer.
"I need to go back to the Shermans' first. I'm going to add these herbs to the others from the bag and then they must be scattered from the top of the wall surrounding the city to create a barrier on the ground. No magic will work inside the barrier. It should protect us all from magical attacks." Finn explained, beginning a quick walk as soon as she'd begun talking.
"What else?" Riley said, taking it all in stride.
"And then I need to get out of the city." She turned to him urgently. "It's very important that I do so, and please don't try and stop me." She explained her reasoning on how to break the curse, and her hopes that her theory was correct.
"That's... a lot." Riley thought as he kept up a steady pace next to her. They reached the Shermans' door. "I'll help however I can."
Finn nodded, satisfied he wouldn't stand in her way. A commotion was happening up the street, drawing her attention.
"Get out of our way or I'll... I don't know what I could do that would hurt you, but it would be something!!!" Mayra was screeching at someone.
"Injured Klain soldiers should be treated first before some prisoner-of-war. Leave him outside on the street until our heroes are taken care of." The soldier spoke authoritatively, blocking a stretcher from coming near the Shermans' home. The bearers obligingly moved to the side, laying the occupant on the street before taking the stretcher back towards the direction they'd come.
"You MONSTER!" Mayra continued screaming at him. "How DARE you!"
The man shrugged as he walked away, and Mayra rushed to kneel next to the man on the ground.
"Please, Phillip, hold on! I'm getting help!" She cried. Finn and Riley froze, and then Finn broke into a run.
"Father!" She screamed. The man was very badly injured and unconscious, but seemed alive. She saw a heavily bleeding wound on his abdomen. "Mayra, quickly, get inside and make sure there is water boiling. I have a little tea left."
Mayra sprinted off and Finn gestured to Riley to come stand watch over him, putting pressure on the wound.
"Don't let him die. I'll be back as quickly as I can. Father, hold on. Please!" She paused a moment longer, but feeling the urgency of getting him help, ran inside the house.
She almost tore out a drawer retrieving the tea, and had to take a deep breath and slow her hands from shaking so that she could follow the instructions precisely. The tea was delicate and would not tolerate abuse or shortcuts.
She painstakingly checked the temperature, counted the seconds, and the number of stirs, and judged the ratios as closely as she could with her mind close to panic.
She walked slowly back outside, careful not to spill a single drop. Riley looked up at her from the ground anxiously, and she knelt beside her father's limp body.
"Father, can you hear me? I need you to drink something," She said, but to no response.
"Riley, please help him sit a little and open his mouth." Her friend obligingly lifted the elder man's form and used himself as a wedge to prop him up, then held his mouth slightly open for Finn to pour a little tea into it. With his other hand he did his best to keep pressure on the wound.
Finn closed her father's mouth, hoping he would swallow involuntarily. After a few seconds, she stroked his throat gently, trying to provoke a response. She almost rejoiced when it worked, but reminded herself the task wasn't complete.
Slowly she coaxed drop after drop into him, and suddenly he convulsed. Riley almost flinched away but held the man steady.
"Father?" Finn asked again. His convulsions slowed and his eyes opened.
"Serafina?" His voice was hoarse and his eyes a little clouded. "Are... are we dead, together?" Tears overflowed.
"No, no we're all right. We're fine. We're alive and Gabe's alive and it's all going to be ok. You're in Klain, you're safe." Her tears joined his.
He took a deep breath and his expression turned to surprise. "I'm not dead?"
Riley helped him to sit all the way up, and Phillip raised his hand to stroke Finn's cheek. She shook her head through a tearful smile.
"Then why are you crying, Sweet Pea?" He asked softly.
"I'm just so happy you're all right," She threw herself into his arms and he held her like he had when she was a little girl, before her mother died and she had to be strong. She clung to him, and Riley started to back away to give them some privacy.
"Riley!" Phillip suddenly exclaimed as he turned to look at who was behind him, then paused in confusion at the sight of the uniform. "What are you wearing?"
"I'm a corporal now, in Klain's army. It's a long story." He admitted sheepishly.
"I see. Well, you took care of my daughter, so I can't hold that against you." Phillip squeezed Finn a little tighter.
"Well, it wasn't all me, Sir, you see, the primary reason for Finn's happiness and well-being would be her fi-"
"Riley! Will you hush up this minute and go get the herbs for the barrier!" Finn suddenly pulled back from her father and glared at him.
"I was GOING to say, her fierce courage and strength of character. You've raised a good daughter." Riley raised one eyebrow at her as his expression danced with humor.
"Oh?" Phillip was confused by Finn's strong reaction as well as her angry face. "Is there something I need to be told?" He was used to Riley's teasing, but he sensed something underneath it.
Riley simply turned on his heel and went into the house, whistling softly in his nonchalant way while Finn glared daggers at his back.
"I'm.... I found someone. I'm engaged." Finn smiled at her father, hoping he would take the news in stride.
"Pardon me? You're.... and was he going to talk to me about it first?" Phillip was very protective of his daughter and didn't particularly like this sudden turn of events.
"To be entirely fair, you were unavailable for discussion," Finn hedged, and Phillip didn't have a good answer for that.
He stretched his muscles, feeling oddly good for being almost dead a few moments ago. "What happened to me?"
"I gave you some magical healing tea. Come, come inside. It's Roland's parents' home. They'll be very busy right now, being a doctor and nurse, but you'll love them when you get a chance to meet them." Finn insisted.
Phillip was very confused and had a lot of questions, but the joy of his daughter being all right overshadowed the rest for the moment. He could deal with this 'Roland' later. He stood shakily and discovered he was stronger than he expected.
Finn came under his shoulder to support him as he walked, but he hugged her there more for comfort than because he needed help walking.
"Is Gabe inside?" He asked hopefully.
"No, Gabe is staying with the Fae in their world until the war is over. They'll take good care of him." Finn assured. Phillip grew more confused every time his daughter opened her mouth. Maybe he should refrain from asking her questions for a while.
Riley opened a door into a nice home, and Finn walked him inside. She sat her father down at a nice kitchen table, where Mayra was laying out some food for him. Suddenly, Finn seemed anxious.
"I've got to go, Father, but I love you very, very much. I'm not sure when I'll be back. Maybe not for days or longer." She grimaced at leaving him so quickly after finding him again.
"I just got you back," Phillip echoed her thoughts, "and you're rushing off somewhere?"
"I found a clue that might help stop the war," Finn explained quickly, "I've got to go now. The sooner I can stop it, the more lives might be saved."
"My daughter, always running straight into danger to be a hero," Phillip raised a hand to stroke her hair back from her face. "You're so dirty... what have you been doing?"
"Oh, I was in some tunnels and there was a cave-in." Finn grimaced. "I wasn't hurt."
"You mean when the explosion hit?" His eyes widened, "You were underground?"
"Explosion?" Finn's eyes widened.
"Yes," Mayra cut in, "That evil queen apparently showed up out of the Darkness and shot an arrow at the wall. She exploded it to let the wolves and soldiers invade. Peter told me about it," She briefly recounted the boy-warrior's account of the battle.
Finn's mind spun rapidly, her plan morphing as she absorbed the new information.
"Father," She said, looking at the sandy-colored uniform of the Rhone that he wore, "I need your help with something. Riley, you too, if you don't mind."
"What do you need?" The younger man observed the calculating look on his friend's face with trepidation.