Eyan and Thea slept soundly that night, and after half a day’s walking, made it to a fishing village where they were able to acquire a small raft. It threatened to go topside as they boarded and still reeked of fish an hour out of town, but the travel downriver was swift and the weather was fair. Princess Thea gawked at seeing so many people at once after so long in the wilderness with her grandmother. She waved at groups of travelers on the road like a queen in a royal parade waving to her subjects. They took turns rowing, talked about frivolous things, and went forward with high hearts.

Every now and then, when they were camped, Thea would hear the caw of a crow and call out to her grandmother instinctively, or hear the rustling of some simple travelers and prepare to defend against witch hunters. One night, when camped in a thicket on the eastern riverbank, a group of armed men – two humans, an elf, and a dwarf – appeared on the other side. Without thinking, Thea began preparing a spell to catch unawares. Eyan woke up just in time to stop her, pointing out that they were likely simple adventurers, and that they didn’t seem to carry any of the typical witch hunting implements. Thea settled down. She was used to being careful, but without her grandmother by her side she felt naked in the world, her threat assessments were inconsistent, off balance.

She came to rely a great deal on Eyan for this, who was far less jumpy around town guards and treasure hunters. In turn he relied on her for his confidence. In the absence of Frederick, she was a comforting presence, someone who knew him and accepted him where few others ever had.

On the fifth day of their river journey, the duo reached Silverwall. The walls, true to the name, shone brilliant in the morning sun, crafted from a glittering stone that was as durable as it is beautiful. As a neighboring and allied kingdom to Minhold, it would be easy for Eyan and Thea to simply announce themselves and have things worked out for them from there. Indeed that’s what Eyan was about to do as they approached the guards right outside of the royal keep before Thea pulled him back into an alley.

“Good morning, gentlemen, may I introduce mysel- Ow!”

“Shhh.”

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Okay? So what are we doing?”

“I’ve been thinking.

“About?”

“About Minhold, and my father. I don’t want to go.” Eyan’s heart caught in his throat, and his face must have gone snow white because Thea continued, “Don’t worry, I’ll still go through with it, but I want to arrange everything from your home in Benold.”

“Why?”

“I told you I don’t want to be used. I intend not to be, but if I run back into his clutches, I’m not sure I can avoid that.”

“So we arrange passage there instead of Minhold, simple.”

“From Silverwall? As soon as we announce ourselves, messages will be sent between the court wizards, and they’ll wonder why I didn’t come straight to Minhold. Benold is on the way to the mountain. Say we return there and we can say we came straight down.”

Eyan gave it a thought and agreed. He apologized to two now very suspicious royal guards and walked away with the princess. The knight spent the last of his coin buying rations, getting rooms for the night, and booking passage with a caravan that was headed to Benold the next day. The journey would be another five days, and then they would be at their journey’s end.

The tavern with the lodgings Eyan had paid for was just outside the city’s walls, which glimmered elegantly in the moonlight. Subtler than the bright beacon they were in the daytime, but more enchanting. The tavern and surrounding area was bathed in the silvery reflections of the city, lending it a dreamlike look where one could almost be dissuaded of the notion that they were fully conscious. Bidding each other good night, they went to their rooms. Eyan looked out the window in his room, which gave him a view of the road into Silverwall. Not many people were traveling at this time of night, but there was the occasional carriage or lone wanderer.

A particularly ornate carriage rolled along the cobblestone just after the sun had fully set. Its intricate engravings and gold trim were accented by the silver aura of the walls, making it appear almost spectral. A dim lantern swung inside with the rumbling of the wheels on cobble, illuminating the faces of two men: one older, one only just introduced to manhood. They appeared to be arguing, and their voices, though muddled, carried out beyond the confines of the carriage and into Eyan’s room. No amount of focusing could divine for him what they were saying, but just before they entered the gate, the young man shouted up front the driver and the carriage came to a halt. He stepped out of the carriage, said a few more words to the older man, and slammed the door. From there he approached the nearby stable, banging on the door until someone answered. The older man called out to him from the carriage, leaning his head out the window to no avail. The stable’s door opened, the young man tossed a coin purse into the answerer’s hand, who pointed to one of the horses. Without a word more, the young man saddled the horse, mounted and was off. When he was well and truly gone, the old man gave an order to the carriage driver and they continued into the city.

In her room, Thea was restless. Back amongst people in large numbers for the first time in a long time, she knew she didn’t have to rely on magic – couldn’t, even. But still the urge was there. The window in her room faced the rolling fields of grain, the fertile land outside of Silverwall was used for farming and grazing. The tall grass blew in the wind, making waves like an ocean of liquid silver. Peering out as far as she could, Thea saw a loose bloodhound. The animal unnaturally crept its way from beyond a fence into the tall grass. It disappeared. For a minute, she saw nothing else. Then, suddenly, a disturbance in the field. A flock of birds flew frantically out of the silver ocean. A few seconds later, the hound emerged with a crow in its mouth. She had to hold back her compassion, stop herself from using a spell to save the dying bird. Watching intently as the dog began to eat its catch, she felt a sickness in her stomach, just as it bit into the crow’s torso. A sight headache as it cracked the bird’s neck. When it was done eating, for naught but an instant, Thea thought she saw the bloodhound lock eyes with her, as far away as it was. Then the dog promptly scampered off into the woods, not to be seen by Thea again.