“The ritual will take a few days to prepare. I’ll lead it, but I need you four to learn your parts,” he said, looking at Kinsley, Mariyah, and another man Tythonnia knew only by sight. “Once open, Shasee and the others will cross over and secure our foothold.”
Cross over? Foothold? What’s happening? Tythonnia wondered. She was unsure of what secrets rested inside the book, but for the moment, she remained quiet.
“How long can you keep the door open?” Shasee asked.
“A few hours,” Berthal responded. “Anything permanent requires much more preparation and a secure location to plant the gate.”
“Gate?” Tythonnia blurted.
“I’m sorry, my love,” Berthal said as he squeezed her shoulder and pulled her to his side. “You were sleeping and I didn’t want to wake you. The book you brought us is a gateway to a bottle realm, a stronghold.”
It was Mariyah who jumped in with the explanation. “Highmage Gadrella built it for the Black Robes, in case they ever needed a place to hide,” she said excitedly.
“It’s a place the wizards would never find,” Berthal said with a broad smile. “Gadrella hid it so well even the Black Robes won’t find it without the book and the key. There we can recruit and practice and live until we’re strong enough to resist the orders. They wouldn’t even know where to start scrying for us. You found us our sanctuary,” he said.
Following the excitement of the morning’s gathering, everyone went about the preparations. For some, that meant learning their spells, while for others, it meant honing their control over the Wyldling magic or simply helping around the camp to keep food on the plates and the children out from underfoot.
Berthal wanted to spend more time with Tythonnia, but there wasn’t time to spare. In distraction, he almost walked away when Tythonnia grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into the tent.
“I don’t think we have time for this,” he said with a playful smile.
Tythonnia tried to return his grin but couldn’t. His expression changed as well.
“What is it?” he asked.
It was far from an opportune time, but she didn’t want to lie to him either.
“When I left the wizards behind,” Tythonnia began, “I vowed that I’d stop living a lie. No matter how comfortable.”
Berthal took her hand and urged her to sit next to him on the bedroll. His eyes never left hers; his concern never wavered. He was committed to her; she knew that. That’s what made her decision so difficult.
“Am I a part of that lie?” he asked gently.
She nodded. “I’m sorry. You’re a wonderful man, and-I–I care for you, but not the way you want me to. I can’t-I don’t love you.”
Berthal was quiet, a mixture of love and sorrow in his eyes.
“Gods, Berthal, you’re a good man. And kind. And generous. You’re the best thing I’ll take away from all this.”
“But it’s not enough,” he said softly.
“No, it isn’t,” she said.
“Then I’m happy for you,” he replied and swept her into his embrace.
Tythonnia hugged him back fiercely and simply held him until the tears had been washed from both their eyes.
They arrived in a small flash of light that pushed wind and grass away from them. Everything returned to normal a moment later, leaving Ladonna and Par-Salian standing in a clearing of flattened grass where the camp had once stood. Strung over their shoulders were travel packs; they wore their broken-in trousers, tunics, and cloaks from their last expedition. Ladonna, however, had clothed herself in more bejeweled rings, a thin tiara, and stone-studded choker.
Immediately, the two wizards examined their surroundings for any sign of a direction that the camp might have taken. After a half hour’s search, however, Par-Salian kicked a stone and threw his hands in the air.
“I can’t tell where they’ve gone. Can you?” he said. “Damn it. The only person who could have tracked the camp’s movement is with them right now.”
“They likely covered their tracks. Berthal’s smart,” Ladonna said. “If we’re lucky, they used magic to hide their physical trail.”
“Perhaps,” Par-Salian said. “We don’t have much choice.”
Par-Salian thrust his fingers together then apart. “Mencelik sihir,” he called.
Ladonna was familiar with the spell, the ability to perceive magic or its lingering effects. Par-Salian’s skill with the arcane meant he was better suited for the task. She also knew Berthal would have anticipated all the ways he could be tracked, including scrying and other magics, and he would know in advance all the ways to counter them. There was a reason the Wizards of High Sorcery had to use the three of them to find him.
Par-Salian’s grim expression suddenly changed, however. He spied something and began running for a birch tree.
“This way,” he cried.
The tree was young and pried of its bark by bored children. Had the camp remained any longer, they might well have cut it down for firewood. It had survived, and Par-Salian was examining something on its smooth trunk.
“What is it?” Ladonna asked.
“It’s … an arcane mark. It’s showing us the direction they left in!” he said excitedly. “There, back to the Vingaard Mountains.”
“That doesn’t make sense!” Ladonna said. “Why take all this effort to conceal themselves and then leave such an obvious marker?”
“I don’t know. Maybe for stragglers? Or maybe … someone was following them and marked the route. The highmage said they were sending scouts here. Perhaps one of them-”
“No … they searched and said they found nothing, the idiots.”
“They should have used-”
“Par-Salian, my love, it doesn’t matter. It’s a trap … to ambush whoever we sent after the renegades.”
“This is far too obvious,” Par-Salian said. “But we don’t have much of a choice, do we? Tythonnia is in trouble, and unless you have any other ideas …” he said, trailing off.
Ladonna looked around, trying to figure out their next step. But Par-Salian was right. They had few options left and time was of the essence. “Let’s summon the horses,” she said. “Look for obvious landmarks, places we might find more marks, though if they’ve gone into the mountains, I suspect they’ll follow the path of least resistance with all those carts.”
“Are you all right?”
Tythonnia wiped away an errant tear with the heel of her palm, and nodded at Mariyah with what she was sure was probably a pitiful smile. Mariyah returned the smile enthusiastically, however, and walked alongside Tythonnia as she made her way through the camp.
“Quick to rise, slow to melt,” Tythonnia said.
“What was that?” Mariyah asked, brushing away a lock of black hair.
“My father said it’s how I smile. You also have it … quick to rise, slow to melt.”
Mariyah beamed even more widely, and Tythonnia couldn’t stop the laugh from escaping.
“There you go,” Mariyah said. “You’re much prettier when you smile. You’re certain you don’t want to talk about it?”
Tythonnia considered it before deciding. “Not right now but … would you … like to take a walk? I’d like the company.”
Mariyah nodded enthusiastically and Tythonnia was surprised at how uplifted she felt being around the other woman, somehow nervous and comfortable at the same time.
CHAPTER 16
The journey was two days long, the sunlit hours spent riding up the foothills of the Vingaards and the short nights spent studying the spells lost and catching a couple hours sleep.
Luckily, it wasn’t hard for Ladonna or Par-Salian to find the renegades’ route. They found a few hidden arcane runes planted on obvious landmarks, such as an alabaster column broken by age, the last corner of some ancient building, or a mountain hemlock tree growing askew. They were also rewarded with some visible signs of passage, such as horse droppings, a spent campfire, or flattened grass. Upon reaching the steeper slopes of the Vingaards, the trail became more a matter of deduction. The carts limited the mobility of the renegades, meaning some paths were likely taken.