“Praise Kolyat.” he said in response to the news. “Get me two men and feed them. They shall be sent to guard this woman and her garden from any who would disturb her. I will speak with her when I am done here.”<br/><br/>He spent more time ordering the troops and making sure that the commanders of nearby units would follow his lead with the order he was bringing to the ranks. The defeat, on the whole, was a good thing. The screams of the wounded and the dying would teach those still alive the value of obedience. Soon, he knew, his authority would start to be challenged. People were obeying him because he was clear headed enough to give orders, but there were others in the army who considered themselves higher ranking and he knew he would be challenged eventually. Those that he felt were acting in the interest of the attack would be given the respect they were due but there were enough petty tyrants even among those who weren’t recently converted that Thane knew he would need to put someone in their place, and soon.<br/><br/>Once he was ready, he had himself brought to the old woman. He had a pleased smile on his face as he walked up to her and asked her what she knew. The men he’d sent ahead were from his own unit, and they would obey him without question if he decided that this woman was wasting his time and would need to be made an example of. “You have my oath that if your words ring true, none of the faithful will lay a finger upon you or your garden.” he said, “And if you would see the wisdom of Kolyat for yourself, I shall gift you with a copy of the holy texts. Now please, tell me all that you know.”