Once the decision was made, Lucien turned his attention back toward the village.
The tax collector would not return for several days.
That gave them enough time to prepare.
Luke, Cienna, Lucien, and several of the younger villagers might soon be gone at the same time.
Lucien did not like leaving the village weaker because its most capable people had decided to visit the capital together.
He had already begun thinking about what needed to change when the exhaustion of the previous night finally caught up with everyone.
The village had fought through a raid, spent the rest of the night clearing bodies and repairing the worst damage, then spent most of the following day speaking with the tax collector, paying taxes, discussing the ledger, and deciding who might travel to the capital.
By late afternoon, even the most stubborn villagers were beginning to slow.
