[Fayura listens closely, taking a sip from her coffee as Daylight speaks. Her Jewel is dark enough that her metabolism is too fast for the caffeine to really effect her, so as soon as the cup is empty, she pours another.]

It's possible. Were any of the witches on the manifest Black Widows?

[Her speaking voice is suddenly fragile. Brittle. She holds herself carefully as she speaks.]

We would need to know which group specifically attacked the caravan, and it's true that a mercenary lord hungry for access to a Black Widow would have the most luck attacking one of the caravans. They're easier targets than a city. But consider that witches—that women weren't the only ones missing.

[Her eyes harden, her expression chilling.]

Consider that a broken witch can have only one child after she's been broken. Consider that it takes generations to breed the ability to wear a Jewel into a landen Blood line. [She drinks her coffee now so she has a moment to collect herself as pain and fury well within her.] Consider what that means for people who live hard and lean and desperate, who use their fists to control instead of the rule of law.