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"You know something dark is coming," she said. "Is it your kin… from what you sensed in the cavern? Are they behind all of this?"
He had no answer.
No… something more, beyond them. And I have made other… arrangements, which I hope will come through, in the interest of your well-being.
He cared for Leesil and Magiere-they were his charges and deeply woven into the path he followed. But Wy
Chap laid his head in her lap.
Almost instantly, Wy
Long past midnight, Leesil lay in the warmth of their upstairs bedroom, holding Magiere against his chest.
"A good day," he whispered.
"The best," she agreed. "Right before the ceremony, I panicked a little. But everything was perfect. I'm glad we waited to come home for this."
He tightened his hold on her. He didn't want to say more, but it finally slipped out.
"You know we can't stay."
She was quiet for a moment. "I know. We can't give the orb to the sages. We can't risk Most Aged Father's anmaglahk coming for it… here or in Bela."
"I've thought about that, too," Leesil answered.
Magiere pulled away and propped up on one elbow. The last remnants of white lilacs still clung in her black hair.
"So now what? I'm not giving up on our life here."
Leesil shook his head. "Me either. I overheard Tilswith talk about getting Wy
"You think he's sending Wy
Leesil shrugged. "We'll find out in the morning, but getting the orb off this continent would go a long way to masking our trail, wherever we end up."
"We'll have to catch a ship out of Bela," Magiere added with a sigh.
Leesil nearly groaned at the notion of more seafaring. "I've been thinking a lot about the idea of home lately."
"And?"
"Home is just wherever you are."
Magiere rose on her hands and knees, like some pale predator next to him, and looked him right in the eyes.
"No, it's right here… where we want it!" She leaned so close that Leesil felt her breath on his mouth. "But it'll have to wait… again."
Magiere pressed her mouth hard over his.
Nine days later, Wy
Osha was going home, but not by any of the ships in the bay.
Wy
Far out off the harbor's northern point, the glint of silken sails sprouted high above the waters. It was larger than any elven ship Wy
Somewhere out near the woods of the northern point, a skiff and crew would be waiting for Osha.
Wy
Perhaps Osha feared what waited there, or hated it and was all the more eager to face it. His i
She pulled out a small paper-wrapped package and held it out.
He looked down at it, and before he could ask, she was explaining.
"When you reach home, find Brot'an and give him this… to him and no one else."
Osha's eyes widened. Wy
"Do not let anyone else see this," she warned. "If you ca
Osha slowly took the package, and Wy
Not of the ways of the Anmaglahk, but rather the ways of his people that Sgaile had held dear above all else.
Osha nodded and tucked the paper bundle into his tunic.
Wy
"I… I…" Poor Osha had always had difficulty expressing himself with words.
"I know, it is all right," she said. "Go."
He turned, heading along the bustling docks toward the city's north side.
Wy
How many times had he come for her, stood between her and harm? Simple Osha was not so simple. Even next to Sgaile's unshakable honor, only Osha among his kind and his people had learned to look at her for who she truly was-and not some savage human to be feared and hated.
Wy
Osha turned suddenly at the tension on his cloak and dropped his eyes.
Wy
"Do not forget me," she whispered.
His long arms wrapped about her.
It was foolish, stupid, and something she could not stop. Magiere's warning meant nothing against the pain. Wy
Clumsy and awkward, she found his mouth with hers, and pressed hard.
Chane and Osha… and she would never see either again.
Wy
Magiere faced into the wind as the captain called to leave harbor. Leesil was already hanging on the rail like a dying man. The seasickness was all in his head, since they hadn't even set sail, and she knew the worst of it wouldn't hit him until tomorrow.
The orb was locked away in their cabin below.
She was determined to protect it, but was still repulsed by its effect upon her. And Leesil would've been in his bunk already, but he didn't want to be near it either.
Chap latched forepaws on the rail beside Wy
News that Wy
Magiere had no idea where she, Leesil, and Chap would take the orb. All they could do was get out of Most Aged Father's reach. So parting from Wy
Leesil staggered over to join Wy
A rush of memories filled Magiere's head, from the day she and Leesil had first set foot in Miiska, first saw the Sea Lion… to the first time in Bela when she'd felt Leesil's mouth on hers.
She remembered Chap crouched beneath a table in the sage's barracks, growling as Wy