Forterran cleared his throat, behind her.“Best you get going,” he grumbled as he grabbed the chains from the floor and stuffed them into a small sack.
Halitha spun.“You knew,” she accused him.“You knew, all this time, you knew and—”
“Remember,” Forterran was clearly ignoring her, talking to Ritathan.“You are still bound by the terms of your contract and Guild membership.”
“I am,” Ritathan confirmed.
Halithe huffed at being ignored.
“Don’t do anything I have to kill you for,” Forterran warned, handing the other mage the leather sack.
“I won’t,” Ritathan said.
“Wait.We’re going?Where are we going?”Halithe asked, confused and happy and dying of curiosity.
“Mother, if you would,” Forterran said as he stepped back.
“Mother?”Halithe wondered.
A small, wizened, white-haired woman stepped forward.Her face was so wrinkled all Halithe could see was the old woman’s brilliant smile and two glittering eyes in their depths.Everyone parted before her as she moved toward them, serene and regal.
“My thanks, Ila,” Ritathan said.“Would you care for them for me?”He offered her the birdcage.
“Of course,” she said, her wrinkles deepening even further as she took the cage in one hand and lifted the other.Halithe’s skin prickled as the air changed, cooling and churning.
A great circle of white appeared, with gossamer mist swirling within, large and glowing, like curtains blowing in a breeze.
“Wait.I want to know—” Halithe started, but Ritathan shook his head.
“No time.”He took the leads of the horses and started through.“Come,” he said, as he disappeared into the whiteness.The animals followed as calmly as if they were going out to pasture.
Halitha walked closer to the portal, then hesitated.She trusted him, she did, but this was happening so fast, and she wasn’t sure—
She felt a solid push on her back and stumbled forward, into the glow.
A rush of dizziness, followed by the crunch of leaves underfoot, and Halithe found herself in a clearing in the woods.She stood, blinking in the dim light as the portal closed behind her.
“Take a moment,” Ritathan said.“Just breathe, and the disorientation will pass.”
Halithe did as he said, drawing in gulps of air much colder than that in Edenrich.“Where are we?”she asked.
“Within Athelbryght.”Ritathan responded.“For good reasons that I will explain later.”He held out a leather satchel.“Obeda packed you a bag.You might want to change into something a bit less formal.”
He turned his back.“Don’t dawdle,” he said over his shoulder.“We don’t want to linger here.If memory serves, there is a good inn just down the road.We should reach it before dark.”
The satchel held tunic and trous of a rust color, with heavier shoes to replace Halithe’s slippers.There was a breastband, and underthings, and moonpads and combs and soap that smelled of flowers.There was also a small pouch of dried leaves that she stared at before blushing hot.Fine young ladies of noble blood didn’t use babysbane.
She shoved everything that wasn’t clothing back into the satchel, took off her cloak, and started to untie her lacings.“I could have changed at the Guild,” she complained.But her words lacked sincerity.Hewas alive, and here, and suddenly the world was so much brighter.“It would have been warmer.”
“The less time spent there, the less gossip to be had,” Ritathan said.He was so calm, so serene.
Not Halithe; she was tingling with excitement as she undressed.“Could he really level Edenrich if he wanted?”she asked.
“Forterran?”Riathan was so matter-of-fact.“Of course.”
“Did you really challenge him?”Halithe was breathless as she yanked off her underskirts.
“Yes,” Ritathan responded.“It’s almost a rite of passage.Focus on what you are doing and listen.”
