"I could come back?" 

"Even if you got him to leave of the absolute worst of his foolhardy plan, it's still not safe." 

"I...will think about it." 

Not that she's going to lie, about Lann, to Lann's face, where Seelah and Anevia can see her do it, that's just ridiculous, but she can do some thinking about the rest of it. 

Wenduag is not exactly SATISFIED with this, but she will quit while she's ahead. 

They run across some more Arthropods of Unusual Size. Spiders, this time. 

Lann and Wenduag seem to be totally onboard with plan: Eat What You Kill, Even When What You Kill Is Giant Bugs. They are somewhat more practiced and less haphazard about packing up dead giant bugs to bring places. 

UUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH

They reach the village without significant further incident.

It's smaller than Rivertree or Odd's Hollow, and somewhat more focused on fishing than either of those two riverside villages, along with not having any real agricultural capacity. As a result of the latter, it's, well... also much poorer. And smellier. 

Camellia made a DIRE mistake when she didn't immediately veto venturing into this sty. 

"How...quaint." 

...Lusilla is pretty sure Camellia is being rude, but she has...no idea what kind of rude she's being. 

Lann either does not perceive Camellia's rudeness or elects to ignore it as he brings them to a scarred, elderly-looking Neather in concealing but obviously patchworked robes. 

The chief looks at them and shakes his head tiredly. "More uplandersh...the end timesh really are upon ush..." 

"Chief Sull!" Lann protests. "We found the angel's sword! And the person who can wield it." He points at Lusilla. "She had a vision, and now the angel's sword is...inside her, somehow. Gather the tribe! Anyone who can hold a weapon. The young ones are still alive, we can go save them!"

Lusilla is...glad Lann is explicitly limiting his exhortation to people who can hold weapons? Although she's not sure why he thinks the children are definitely still alive, instead of just, like, hopefully still alive, given Wenduag's emphasis on how dangerous the place is. 

...On the other hand, given how much difficulty he's already said he's had persuading this guy, maybe he's just pretending to be more certain he is, because anything less would be an excuse to continue not going. 

"Ah...Lann, alwaysh dreaming, alwaysh talking. You're too hashty, too hashty for your own good. It'sh going to get you in trouble." He eyes Lusilla. "An uplander with the angel'sh shword...that'sh too good for ush. Our kind don't have good thingsh happen--there'sh alwaysh a catch. Lann trushtsh people becaushe he likesh to believe. Ishn't that right, Lann? I'm the chief, I don't work on faith. Show me the shword." 

Wow, this guy is--worse than Brin, Rivertree's miller. Maybe Lann is an optimist, maybe Lann likes believing in things, but you know what? 

So does Lusilla. 

She pulls out the sword and lights it up. 

Tears run down the old chief's face. He doesn't even notice, gazing at the warm light of the sword. Dozens of other neathers stop what they're doing to stare. 

"Sho it'sh true...the angel...did not forshake ush, no...he came...back from the dead he came, to shave our children." 

WELP. 

Sheeeee's going into the Shield Maze. She'll have to drop the others off on the surface first, of course, but--she absolutely does not have it in her to not go on the rescue mission after that sentiment is expressed to her face. 

Lann smiles at her, grateful and a little relieved. 

Wenduag's reaction is approximately the opposite. 

"See these fishermen and these hunters, these husks of men and women?" she spits. "Their blood will be on your hands!" 

Lusilla rounds on her. 

"Husks? You use a word like that, and denounce me for wanting to give these people hope with the same breath?" 

"You think there's hope if they're all dead?" 

She throws her hands up. "So I'll keep them from dying! Problem solved." 

Snarl. "You think you can?"

"I survived a hit from Deskari." A hit he royally fucked up, but still. "I am the child of a night of blood and fire, and of my mother's desperate and unconditional love. And I will not stand by while people tell themselves that salvation is too good for the likes of them." 

"When everyone here dies, it won't be my fault." 

"You're too much of a pessimist, Wendu. We're not on our own anymore."