Kit simply stared at her for a moment, but the tension eased out of her shoulders. “Hadathmet,” she said, nodding slowly. “I see. And your ‘sister’? Is she the same as you?”
“She is.”
Then suddenly, a look of deep concern came over Kit’s face. “Oh gods, she’s not… Is she the one in the square?” She’d dropped her voice to a mere whisper, and it was no surprise that she’d already heard of the ‘demon’ the warriors had captured. Gantalla felt tears fill her eyes, but she brushed them away, blinking quickly.
“Yes. I can’t leave her there.”
But Kit’s face fell at the news. “How in the world do you expect to be able to-”
“I have help,” Gantalla interrupted her. “That’s all I can say for now. But I need a necklace for her once we get her out.”
“And what will you do after that?”
“Leave town. We’re heading for Palashran. To get away from the gate.”
Kit nodded. “Not a bad idea. I have a gem I could give you.” She took a key out of her pocket and unlocked a drawer on the desk, taking a necklace out with a black gem dangling from the middle. “But let’s talk price. These don’t come cheap, but not because I’m trying to profit from desperate people. It takes blood, sweat and a small fortune in bribes to get these through the gate. How much do you have?”
Gantalla pulled out the bag of coins Nalyx had given her and spilled them onto the desk. She counted them quickly. “Twelve silver coins.”
Kit winced. “Oh, that’s a fair bit less than I usually do this for.” It wasn’t an outright refusal, but it also wasn’t looking hopeful. Then Gantalla remembered her own purse of coins, earned from her work at the hospital.
“I have more,” she said quickly, pulling out the purse and emptying it onto the table. There were fifty copper coins inside. Gantalla hadn’t been buying anything extravagant, but after paying for her food and board at the hospital, along with a couple of sets of clothes, that was all that was left.
Kit stared at the pile of coins, a frown furrowing her forehead.
“Still not enough?” Gantalla guessed. Where on earth could she get more money from at such short notice?
“You said you’re heading for Palashran?” Kit said, and Gantalla nodded. “Then maybe we can make a deal to cover the rest of the payment.” She looked at Gantalla shrewdly. “There’s a witch who lives in Green Vale. It’s a little over halfway between here and Palashran. She owns a pub with a small hotel above it. Plenty of travellers coming and going, if you get my drift?”
Gantalla nodded. Rather than a mere hotel, it was likely a boarding house for people escaping from Chalandros.
“The pub’s called the Black Hound. The witch’s name is Lucia. Give her this.” She held out a large stone, and as Gantalla took it, she realised it was a huge chunk of obsidian. It was about the size of her fist, and if worked carefully, it was big enough to make at least ten necklaces. “I’m in regular contact with her,” Kit went on, a warning note in her voice. “And I will find out whether or not she receives this.”
“I won’t let you down,” Gantalla promised. Delivering the gem was a small price to pay for freeing her sister.
“Once you’re settled in Palashran, write to me and let me know where you are. Because this is the final part of the deal. On occasion, I may send travellers your way. And I’d expect you to show them hospitality and to help them out in whatever way you’re able.” She levelled a stern frown at her. “Our kind have to stick together.”
Gantalla nodded. “I couldn’t agree more. But how many of us are there?” Since arriving in Minia, she’d seen nothing that would have hinted at the presence of more of their people.
“About a hundred, here in town. Plenty more, spread out over the countryside.”
Gantalla’s jaw dropped. “I hadn’t realised there were so many.”
Kit shrugged. “They try to keep a low profile. For obvious reasons. But we have networks, trading gems and information and helping each other out when we can. It’s the only way we’re ever going to survive. So do we have a deal?”
“We do,” Gantalla agreed.
“Well then, let’s get down to work.”
Kit sat down at the table, setting the gem in front of her. Then she reached up and undid the clasp on her own necklace. Her hair rippled, then changed to a deep blue colour, while her previously brown eyes flickered to a bright amber.
She held out her hands, muttering to herself, and Gantalla watched as swirls of magic spilled from her fingers, disappearing inside the gem. A few minutes later, she was done. She stood up, handed the gem to Gantalla, and swept the pile of coins into the drawer.
Then she replaced the necklace around her throat and reactivated it, and Gantalla did the same. With both of them once again disguised as humans, Gantalla turned to the door. But then she remembered the other thing she needed to do here.
“Just before I go, I should tell you that… I saw Mintesh on my way through the gate.”
Kit’s face suddenly went pale. “Oh gods, she’s alive?”
