“That’s why I’m not a Hand,” Narika said with a smile. “They all quickly learn not to pack more than necessary, I’m told, but I take forever to get myself together.”
Miryo smiled and tried to figure out how to broach the subject of Ashin.
“Do you have any further questions before you leave?” Narika asked.
Well, that made it easy. “I was wondering, actually—do you happen to know where Ashin-kasora has gone? Satomi-aken told me she left not that long ago.”
Narika looked thoughtful. “I’m not certain. She travels so much, and she’s not my Key. She might have gone up to Askavya; Geike was saying there had been some troubles up there.”
Askavya was due north. Miryo sighed. “Thanks.”
Narika gave her a curious look. “Were you hoping to talk to her? I can try to spell to her, if you’d like.”
“No, thank you. That won’t be necessary.”
“Are you traveling toward Askavya?”
“No, I was thinking of heading east instead.”
“Does something draw you there?” Narika’s ears all but pricked.
Miryo shrugged helplessly. “I honestly don’t know. It doesn’t seem wrong, so I guess it’s as good a direction as any.”
Narika looked disappointed; Miryo supposed she had been hoping for some great revelation. “Very well. I would offer you a searching spell, but it would be confused between you and your doppelganger. You’ll have to trust instinct.”
Let’s just hope it’s doing something worthwhile for me. “I will. At least until I have something better.”
“Very well. I suppose I should let you go; you’re losing valuable traveling time, and if I keep talking like this, you won’t even make Samalan before nightfall.” Narika followed Miryo out of the stables into the early sunlight, where the Cousins waited with saddled horses. “Goddess go with you, Miryo. Travel swiftly, and return to us soon.”
“Thank you, Narika.” Miryo was surprised when the witch hugged her, but she returned the embrace. Then, before anything else could delay her, she mounted and turned her horse’s nose toward the road. She did not look back toward the students’ hall.
Trees enveloped them a few minutes into the journey. Miryo and the two silent Cousins rode through green shade dappled with pale, sharp morning sunlight. She let her horse choose its own pace; the road was well-built, but the rocky mountain soil here made for poor footing, and she had no intention of laming her horse on the first day out.
The ride was quiet and soothing. Given the Cousins’ habitual unobtrusiveness, she felt almost as if she were on the road alone, with no one around save rabbits, squirrels, and her horse.
“Miryo!”
Eikyo materialized out of the bushes so suddenly that Miryo’s horse almost reared. Her friend had the bridle in a heartbeat, though, and she soothed the animal with a soft word. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you like that. I was just practicing moving quietly in the woods.”
Miryo smoothed her hair back with one hand and shook her head. “I’d say you don’t need much more practice.”
Eikyo eyed the Cousins, who were sitting impassively on their horses, and edged closer to Miryo. “Did you ask Narika?” she said in a low voice.
Miryo nodded. “She thought maybe Askavya, but she wasn’t sure.”
“Are you going to go north?”
“Not without more confirmation than that. If it’s just one hunch against another, I’ll stay with my own.”
“That’s probably good.” Eikyo gave the Cousins another sidelong glance and lowered her voice even more. “Do you—do you want me to come with you?”
She didn’t even have to think about her answer, but she did, just to be fair to her friend. It didn’t change. “No. This is… it doesn’t get more personal than this, Eikyo. I’m only taking the Cousins because I have to. Besides, you have your own test coming up.”
“Not for a while. You won’t be gone that long, will you?”
“I don’t know.”
Miryo’s words fell more heavily into the silence than she’d meant them to.
“And don’t follow me, either,” she added firmly, to quash any rebellious ideas lurking in Eikyo’s head. “I mean it.”
Eikyo looked unhappy. “I just wish I could help you somehow.”
“You can,” Miryo said. “Pray for me.” She shook her head when her friend laughed. “I’m serious. I’m going to need it.”
Eikyo sobered up and nodded. “All right.”
“Thanks.” Miryo leaned down from her horse and gripped Eikyo’s arm. Her friend squeezed hard, still looking worried.
“Goddess be with you,” Eikyo said. Then she released the bridle of Miryo’s horse and stepped aside so she and the Cousins could pass.
They rode through the day, stopping briefly to eat and rest the horses, and came into Samalan in the late afternoon. The town, which sat just on the Currel side of the border, was a natural stopping point for people traveling to and from Starfall. It had taken a rare collaboration on the part of the Fire, Water, and Void Rays to keep the prices in Samalan fair; too many merchants saw it as a golden opportunity to gouge all who passed through.
But thanks to the work of Miryo’s sisters, she was able to find lodgings for the night at a reasonable price. The Primes had given her a purse of money as well as a pack-horse laden with supplies, but she had no idea how far she had to go. She could, of course, ask for more should she come to need it, but Miryo was determined to put that off as long as possible.
One of the Cousins saw to the stabling of the horses while the other took their bags upstairs. They had dinner in the common room that night. Miryo hardly received a second glance from the other patrons there. Witches might be an unusual sight elsewhere in the land, but in Samalan they were commonplace.
The reverse was not true for Miryo. She was twenty-five years old, but the world outside the halls of the witches was nearly as alien to her as the moon. She’d studied the domains in excruciating detail—their histories, their peoples, the ways of life in each place—but that was not the same as going out into them. Not the same at all.
Miryo couldn’t imagine trying to learn everything she had to know to be a witch without isolation and intense study. Still, looking at the prospect of now having to face a world she’d never seen, she was inclined to seriously question the teaching methods of Starfall. Farmers, herdsmen, weavers, carpenters, merchants—such people were strangers to her. It was enough to make her want to choose the Void Ray, just so that she could spend her days talking to witches and Cousins, who were familiar.
The thought made her glance at her two silent companions. I’d almost feel better if one of them would ask me where we’re going, or say something, Miryo thought. I hope I adjust to them quickly; somehow I never noticed before how silent they are. Mother’s mercy, I don’t even know their names. I assume they have some. I should fid out. Except it would feel weird to ask; at home Cousins are about as noticeable as the furniture. They’re the perfect servants—except this silence is getting on my nerves.
“We’re likely to be traveling for a while,” Miryo said abruptly, causing the Cousins to look up from their food. “And I don’t even know your names.”
They exchanged swift glances. Miryo wondered suddenly if Cousins had any kind of society, if they relaxed together when they weren’t serving the witches. She had absolutely no idea.
“I am Kan,” the taller of the two said. It was the first time either of them had spoken since Miryo had met them this morning. “This is Sai.” The shorter Cousin nodded, but said nothing.
Miryo nodded back. “I’m Miryo.” The Cousins glanced at each other again, then went back to eating their food. “We’ll be going east at first,” Miryo continued, determined to get some kind of conversation started. “I think we’ll take the coastal road. We might have to change our path along the way; I don’t really know.” She wondered if Satomi or anyone else had told them what she was doing on this journey. Whether they knew or not, she wasn’t about to broach the subject in the common room of an inn. “Is there anything we need to buy here?”