Chapter 20

The first night in the barrens, they camped in the shelter of a dozen twenty-foot-tall stone pillars arranged in a semi-circle.

“What do you think they were used for?” Ellerie asked Bobo, gazing up at the nearest column. It was too evenly shaped to be natural, but there were no markings on it to suggest its purpose or origin.

“I have no idea. Shelter from the wind, or perhaps they were once part of a larger structure? The rear wall of an amphitheater?”

Corec was close enough to have overheard them. “Hildra said there were a lot of old ruins scattered around the barrens,” he called out from where he was casting mage lights around the camp. “No cities that she saw, but she hasn’t gone all the way through.”

Ellerie nodded. He’d already told her that, but Bobo hadn’t been part of the conversation.

“Interesting,” Bobo said. “I might do a bit of digging just to see if there’s anything else.”

“Not too close to the stones,” Ellerie warned. “Let’s not have one falling on the camp.”

“Indeed.” He headed for the wagon that held all their tools.

There was a flickering near Corec and then Leena suddenly appeared. She stumbled and he reached out to steady her. She was always a bit disoriented immediately after Traveling.

“Thank you,” she said to him, then swung her travel pack off her shoulder. “Fresh-baked bread and dried apples,” she told Ellerie. “I can go again if you want. I’m feeling fine, and most of the shops in Aencyr stay open late.”

“You’ve gone twice today already,” Ellerie said. Leena had brought back a large bag of oats for the horses during their midday break. “Maybe we should take it slow. The wagons are still full.” They’d filled the wagons with bales of hay, which were too big and heavy for Leena to carry, but they’d gone light on the rest of the supplies. Their plan was for Leena to supplement those supplies as the wagons’ loads grew lighter.

Marco had seen her arrive, and came over to join them. “Did you make it in time to cash in the letter of credit I gave you?” he said. He’d asked Leena to stop by the Senshall office while she was in Aencyr.

“I did.” She handed him a coin pouch. “I got there just before they closed the doors for the night.”

The man nodded, counting out the coins in his palm. “This’ll cover what we spent on the wagons. I had no idea that this Traveling was possible. How would you like to work for the Senshall Trading Company when we return to Aravor? We’re paying you four silver a day now. I can promise eight silver when we get back. You’d be stationed in Tyrsall, running messages and smaller packages to ... wherever you can reach. I’ll even guarantee daily pay whether we have something for you that day or not.”

Leena hesitated, tilting her head to the side. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ve got some things to take care of first. Once that’s done, I’m not sure what will happen, but I’ll have duties in Sanvar for part of the year.” She glanced at Corec, then turned back to Marco. “If I have time, I’ll consider your suggestion.”

“Please do. We’d be happy to have you with us. I’m sure Varsin would agree.”

She nodded.

After Marco had wandered away, Ellerie raised an eyebrow. “Duties in Sanvar?” she asked.

“There are twelve Travelers serving the empress at all times, spread across the empire. My uncle, Rohav, usually serves for four months out of each year, but with so many Travelers dead, I should help too.”

“But you think you might work for Senshall the rest of the time? I mean, after we deal with those men?”

Leena looked at her curiously. “No; I was just being polite. If Corec needs help, I’ll do my best, but otherwise I should remain home with my brother. Besides, I know how much Travelers can charge for their work. It seems Marco does not.”

Ellerie nodded, an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach at the thought of the Sanvari woman returning home. Impulsively, she made a decision.

“If we haven’t figured out how to deal with those men who attacked us by the time we find Tir Yadar, I’ll stick around until we do,” she said.

“I can’t ask you to do that,” Leena said. “It’s not your fight.”

“Corec thinks they’re after all of us, but even if they aren’t, I’ll still help. You’ve helped me, and I’ve already promised to help Corec figure out a way to deal with Prince Rusol. We’re stronger as a group.”

Leena nodded. They’d told her about the red-eyed men Rusol had sent after them. She’d already been familiar with the prince’s name from her time in Telfort.

Ellerie may have made the decision on an impulse, but the longer she thought about it, the more certain she was. These people had become her friends, and returning to Matagor while they were still in danger seemed wrong. What was in Matagor for her anyway, unless Boktar decided to go back? The only reason she’d been there was because it was a major center of learning ... and because it wasn’t Terevas.

The big question would be what to do next after finding Tir Yadar. Or, perhaps, if they failed to find Tir Yadar. Corec wanted to return to Aravor and then go on to Four Roads, but Leena’s problems were more pressing. Ellerie suspected that Corec would do what he could to help Leena, but if the threat from Rusol continued, he might be pulled in another direction. Regardless of what happened, Ellerie resolved to accompany the Sanvari woman. She wanted to help them both, but if it came down to a choice, Leena needed the help more.

Treya leaned back against the tall stone column, staring out into the quiet night. She’d begun her journeying nearly a year ago and had grown accustomed to the sounds of the wilderness at night, but here, there weren’t even crickets to interrupt the silence. During the day, a few birds had flitted between the scrawny bushes that dotted the landscape, but they’d flown away once the sun dipped down below the horizon.

Treya was assigned to the first watch shift for the night, along with Razai, who was on the other side of the tents, and Josip, who was circling around the camp. Ever since the attack outside Tir Shar, Corec had assigned three people per watch shift, but he liked to switch the shifts and the partners around, claiming it was to keep everyone on their toes.

When Josip shuffled past during his next circuit around the camp, he nodded to Treya. He was rubbing his left hand and grimacing.

“What’s wrong?” she called out quietly, not wanting to wake the others.

He approached her. “It’s nothing. My knife slipped yesterday and I cut myself, and it’s bothering me a bit.”

Treya frowned and held out her hands. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I’ve never been to a healer before. Never saw the need. Besides, they cost too much.” He showed her his hand, which had an ugly slice across the palm.

Treya sighed. Some people were superstitious about magic. She grabbed his wrist and examined him with her healing senses. “You know I don’t charge anything, and now you’ve waited too long. It’s gotten infected.”

“Infected?” He looked worried. “Can you do anything?”

“Of course.” She closed her eyes and focused her attention on killing the infection, then sealing up the injured flesh. It didn’t take long. She let go of him, opening her eyes. “There, it’s done. Go wash that off—soap and water.”

Josip stared down at his newly healed palm. “Thank you,” he said, flexing his fingers, then making a fist. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.” He looked up at her. “You’re ... umm ... you’re really pretty. Would you like to take a walk around the camp with me?”

Treya blinked in surprise, not sure how to respond. Josip stared at her sometimes—most men did—but she hadn’t expected him to ask to spend time together. He was twenty years older than her.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “That’s very sweet, but the oaths I took when I joined the Order of Mystics don’t allow that sort of thing.” She hated lying, but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Would it be better to tell him that she simply wasn’t interested in him? What purpose would that serve other than to hurt him? It was unlikely Josip would realize she was lying. Even in Aravor, hardly anyone knew about the Order of Mystics, and he was from Cordaea. He wouldn’t have any way to know that mystics didn’t take oaths.

“Oh, uh, I guess I’ll go then. Sorry.” He turned and went back the way he’d come.

Treya winced. She’d handled the situation badly, but she wasn’t sure how to handle it well. For some reason, turning a man down wasn’t covered much in concubine training. Maybe that meant there wasn’t a good way. Concubines had it easier—the negotiations were always handled through the chapter house. Concubines had a limited right of refusal, but they didn’t have to refuse right to the man’s face. The negotiators could handle that for them.

Luckily, the problem hadn’t come up very often since she’d begun her journeying. Most men looked at her, but she’d grown accustomed to that and could ignore it. There hadn’t been any other incidents since she’d dealt with Des and Arnol shortly after she’d left Tyrsall for the first time.

There wasn’t really much opportunity for the situation to arise. She spent all her time traveling with the same group of people. Boktar wasn’t interested in women, Bobo would rather argue with her about politics, and Nedley, who was closest to her in age, was frightened of her.

It didn’t help that Treya had completed most of the Three Orders concubine training, and she couldn’t stop herself from evaluating any man she met through those eyes. Even if she had been interested in Josip, it would have been hard to take him seriously as a suitor. Marco might be acceptable to the Tyrsall chapter house—he held a high-ranking position within the Senshall Trading Company—but Treya was even less interested in him than she was in Josip.

Unfortunately, while she had a good idea of what she didn’t want, she wasn’t sure what she did want. Perhaps Shana was happy spending much of her time alone, but Treya preferred having friends and companionship. Did she want something more than companionship? After spending years pushing back against the idea of becoming a concubine, she’d assumed she’d never have a relationship, but Enna had proven it was possible.

Treya hated that her first instinct upon meeting a man was to judge his wealth and status. She’d grown up with the benefits of concubinage drilled into her head, but sometimes the entire concept seemed little more than an excuse for rich men to bed women other than their wives in a socially acceptable way. Certainly, concubines were trained in other skills that could improve their patrons’ lives, but it wasn’t as if those skills couldn’t be provided in some alternative way. The entire notion of concubines seemed outdated and wrong, and yet, underneath it all, the idea was still somehow exciting and romantic. Not that Treya would ever admit that to Renny.

But what did it all mean? Treya had done her best to push all thoughts of men and relationships aside when she’d chosen to become a mystic, but was that really what she wanted? If everything went well, she hoped to stop traveling soon. Perhaps it was time to seriously consider her future.

“Have you decided on Four Roads for sure?” Sarette asked.

She and Corec were walking together as rearguard at the tail end of the column, scarves covering their mouths and noses to block the dust being raised by the rest of the group. Directly ahead of them, Nedley was leading seven of the horses, all loaded down with too much gear for anyone to ride them. The other six horses were helping the mules pull the wagons, which were being driven by Razai, Bobo, and Marco. Boktar and Josip were at the head of the group, serving as the forward guard.

“It seems like the best choice, at least for now,” Corec said. “But I’ve been doing some thinking. When I bonded Leena, I didn’t ask her for anything in return. You’re the only person I insisted had to come along, and I shouldn’t have. When we get back to Aravor, if you want to return to Snow Crown, you can. You don’t have to go to Four Roads with us.”

It took Sarette a moment to connect all the pieces. She and Corec fought well together, but outside of fights and sparring sessions, there’d always been some distance between them, and now she realized why. “You’re worried about our agreement?” she asked. “It’s always seemed fair to me.”

“Fair or not, you shouldn’t be the only person forced to stay with us. The others are here because they want to be. Except for Leena, but I’m hoping she’ll stay until we figure out how to deal with those men who came after us.”