Rowena closed her eyes and tried in vain to imagine she was somewhere else. But each jeer, each smack of the paddle, brought her right back to reality. In her mind, the paddling seemed to last forever. (Patreon)

But in reality, it lasted just under an hour. By that point, the soldiers, who had been amused at first, were starting to feel very uncomfortable. This, of course, is what the sorcerous sisters wanted—to make Rowena an example and a warning about the price of failure in their army. Then, Selena willed her levitation to stop, dropping the sore knight face down in the dirt. As she climbed to her hands and knees, she saw her soldiers mocking her. She would never enjoy the same respect from those troops again.

“Rest well, troops!” Fiona ordered, “Tomorrow we march!” She opened the door to the inn and turned back. “Make certain that the commander’s army is ready. Tomorrow will be a big day. But send her to us before letting her dress for the occasion. With that, the sisters went back into their headquarters.