Illnyea didn’t want to be self-centered but she thought maybe, just maybe, that the world had decided to bless her steps so her life could take a new, brighter direction.

  Her sister Priscilla had turned over a new leaf and actually talked to Illnyea instead of just dismissing her with a sharp insult, even if… even if what Priscilla revealed now that she was willing to speak made Illnyea’s stomach turn over and question many aspects of her life and family. Illnyea had never doubted that her parents loved her, even when they made decisions about her life she didn’t agree with and they argued.

  But Priscilla’s voice that night was like broken glass, brittle yet sharp enough to carve its way into Illnyea’s mind so she could never forget those harsh truths about the world.

  In that moment, Illnyea had finally understood why some people left their family home without plans to ever return.

  She wanted to grab Priscilla’s hand and run, leaving it all behind without a second thought if it meant Illnyea never had to watch Priscilla’s green eyes grow dull with tears, never had to hear the hollowness ringing in Priscilla’s voice when she said being yelled at was better than being ignored, never had to watch the bitter resignation that she was unloved settle over Priscilla like it was a well-worn coat.

  Illnyea was filled with a vision of her and Priscilla running through the open gates as their parents yelled uselessly behind them and the brightness returning to Priscilla’s eyes, the softness returning to her demeanor, like when they had been kids before Priscilla had turned suddenly cold and distant. (But maybe it wasn’t so sudden considering what Priscilla had said…)

  She had shook off that instinct and those thoughts, half surprised that the urge to run away took hold of her so strongly when she had never entertained such ideas before.

  Illnyea had just enjoyed the strange but oddly thrilling conversation with Priscilla as they talked that evening. It was a short conversation, but it was longer than any other they had in years that hadn’t ended in screaming at each other.

  Even that screamed argument over what was the right way to live one’s life was a year ago now, as Illnyea had pulled away from Priscilla since then, trying to protect her heart like Sulaiman told her to, ignoring the pointed barbs Priscilla tossed her way casually when they came across each other.

  Remembering that Illnyea had given up on Priscilla filled Illnyea with guilt, wondering if only she had reached out before this, had truly taken the time to listen to Priscilla instead of assuming the worst, that they may have been closer.

  It was a useless thought because you couldn’t change the past, and Illnyea just tried to enjoy her present.

  But as Illnyea tried to fall asleep that night, her mind looked toward the future, returning to the idea of running away with Priscilla like a ghost does to the place where its bones were buried, a magnetic pull that kept tugging at her that was impossible to resist. It even invaded her unconscious, filling Illnyea’s dreams of blurry visions of her and Priscilla fighting side by side against a foe that filled Illnyea with dread. When Illnyea awoke, the details of the dream slipped past her fingers like rushing water back into the hazy world watched over by the goddess of dreams Nozai.

  If someone asked Illnyea why the idea of running away clung to her thoughts like sap, she couldn’t begin to articulate why. It was oddly seductive, a little like tasting sugar for the first time and you couldn’t get enough of the way sweetness bloomed in your mouth and knowing you’d never be the same. It was easy to crave and picture, and Illnyea barely had to strain to let her imagination paint a vivid picture of what the future could hold if only she took the chance.

  Illnyea just had to open her mouth and speak the words aloud if she wanted to make it a reality, and, well, if Sulaiman was to be believed, talking was something Illnyea didn’t struggle with.

  But proposing such a thing took bravery.

  Illnyea hesitated, almost knocking three times at Priscilla’s door and chickening out each time. It wasn’t until Illnyea reminded herself that Priscilla said they could talk in the morning that her knuckles finally rapped against the wood.

  Priscilla had seemed receptive to the idea of traveling together when Illnyea plucked up enough courage enough to ask, and the idea took over Illnyea’s fantasies, keeping her company as she got ready to travel with the caravan. She’d have to have a talk with Sulaiman when she was back, of course, and ask if he would give Priscilla a chance. Illnyea thought she could convince him if she promised Priscilla would be on her best behavior (hopefully Priscilla would agree) and gave Sulaiman a few cream buns to sweeten the deal.

  And once Sulaiman was on board they could figure out where they wanted to go first, maybe they’d go to the capital, maybe they’d go visit the confederacy, maybe they’d leave the continent entirely to visit the famed library of Toleraan! Illnyea had a decent allowance saved up and they could live off that until they got into the steady cadence of earning enough coin to fund their travels with bounties and quests from the adventuring guild.

  It was a dream within reach – all Illnyea had to do was help the caravan move along as fast as possible so she could start making it reality.

  Rudy, who was in charge of the caravan, had been as taciturn as always even when Illnyea tried to strike up a conversation like her mother urged her to. Her father’s most trusted senior merchant believed that there was no room for small talk because each wasted word was wasted effort that could be used to make more gold. Illnyea understood that some people were quieter than others with Sulaiman being her best friend, but sometimes she wondered just how she was supposed to learn something from a man who found any reason to pawn her off onto someone else.

  (A part of Illnyea that was carved with broken glass wondered why her mother sent her on this mission at all, if it was an act of deliberate sabotage to keep her away from Priscilla. Illnyea tried not to listen to that part of her, reminding herself this caravan was planned out months in advance.)

  Illnyea didn’t let Rudy’s reticent nature get her down though because she was nothing if not stubborn. Sulaiman said that trait of hers would get Illnyea into trouble one day, but Illnyea was certain she could handle anything that came her way.

  Illnyea decided to put that advice Priscilla gave her to work and focused on figuring out what Rudy wanted so she could get what she wanted.

  At first, it seemed that the only thing Rudy wanted was for her to leave him alone, but Illnyea wasn’t going to give up that easily. She was good at getting people to like her, so Illnyea aimed not for Rudy, but his assistant Eileen first, charming the tired looking woman by offering to help double check their inventory to make sure nothing had been left behind. It wasn’t a hard task but it was time consuming, and Eileen was extremely appreciative that Illnyea could take that off her plate.

  Illnyea helped with a few other jobs Eileen needed for the next few days, laughing with the older woman and asking about her family (Eileen was a single mother of two and her children stayed with her parents when she had to travel), before Illnyea thought Eileen would be willing to speak candidly with her.

  “So,” Illnyea said after swallowing the bite of her sandwich, “do you think Rudy is going to ignore me the entire trip?”

  Eileen choked on her drink, and Illnyea patted the woman on the back to help it pass.

  “I wouldn’t say he’s…” Eileen faltered, likely remembering how Rudy hadn’t even acknowledged Illnyea when he had passed by them to get his own lunch.

  “Well, he has a lot on his mind right now,” Eileen said.

  Illnyea perked up, sensing she was getting closer to her goal.

  “I don’t want to be meddlesome,” Illnyea lied because this entire conversation was her meddling, “but is there anything I could help with? I joined this trip to learn a bit more about the business from Rudy but you know…”

  Eileen winced as Illnyea trailed off. Eileen glanced around, before leaning in to speak in a much softer voice.

  “You already know this from doing the inventory,” Eileen said, “but we’re transporting silk that had been imported from the Aizur Coast. We had buyers lined up when we first ordered it, but that contract fell through when the company went bankrupt. If we can’t sell our stock when we get to Harosaw City, Rudy’s ledger will be in the red for this season.

  “But don’t worry,” Eileen said hurriedly when Illnyea’s eyebrows raised in shocked concern, “the Thornewoods will be fine since the profits made by the other senior merchants should balance the books. But it does mean Rudy might be a little too preoccupied to teach you much on this trip.”

  Illnyea nodded slowly with wide eyes, biting her lip to keep from grinning because she got exactly what she wanted.

  Now, using that information proved to be more difficult, but Illnyea had learned some strategy from Sulaiman, despite his belief it went in one ear and out the other, so she developed a plan.

  Said plan relied on Illnyea making a nuisance of herself.

  Illnyea had quickly figured out Rudy’s habits over the past few days. Each morning, he brewed a cup of tea, carefully tipping a small amount of the dried leaves into the teapot for one. He would take a long sip of the tea and then sigh contentedly. For the next few minutes, he would delicately sip the tea at the edge of camp, before writing something down in the yellow book he never let leave his side.

  During the day, Rudy would travel at the front of the caravan, watching the road before them with stern expression and speaking to nearly no one if Eileen wasn’t nearby to ask a worried question or the guards experienced no problems. So far, they had encountered just a few monsters that weren’t deterred by the incense burning on each wagon, and each time, Rudy shrank back behind the protective shield of their guards.

  In the evening, Rudy would have another cup of tea. Then he would collect his dinner and go into his private tent, which he wouldn’t emerge from until the following morning.

  Illnyea decided the best time to approach Rudy was when he wouldn’t be able to get away easily. Eileen was easily convinced to let Illnyea travel at the front of the caravan and Illnyea had her opportunity.

  She pulled her horse alongside Rudy’s shortly after they took a break for lunch. Rudy gave Illnyea a brief glance, his rust colored eyes narrowing before looking pointedly away. But Illnyea would not be deterred that easily.

  “Sir,” Illnyea began, opting for a more formal address, “I was wondering how the negotiations will go when we reach Harosaw City.”

  “That doesn’t concern you,” Rudy said, his words clipped and cold.

  Illnyea kept her smile steady with the same force of will that allowed her to bully Sulaiman into being friends with her. “They do concern me actually, sir, because the reason I’m traveling with this caravan is to learn how to be a better merchant by watching a master at work.”

  Rudy’s top lip curled upwards in a sneer.

  “I work best when I am not being pestered by insolent children,” Rudy said, deigning to look at her. She was taken aback by the hostility in his voice but Illnyea couldn’t just give up.

  “Sir, if you give me a chance, I can–”

  Rudy cut her off with a scoff. “The only reason I allowed you to join is because I was assured by Cian you would be well-behaved and stay out of the way.”

  That… that stung, to think her father would promise that when her mother had told Illnyea to learn all she could, and how was Illnyea to do that if she wasn’t supposed to speak?

  (The part carved by broken glass whispered, so, it was sabotage, after all.)

  Illnyea pushed away the hurt, hoping to keep it out of her eyes as her smile froze on her face.

  “I understand that things may be more difficult than expected with the bankruptcy, but I know I can help find someone to trade with–”

  “Ha!” Rudy barked, the sound full of aggravation, before turning his horse abruptly to stare daggers at Illnyea, causing the entire caravan to halt. He sat high in his saddle, head tilted at a contemptuous angle.

  “Listen here, girl,” Rudy growled, voice grating against her ears as it dripped with disdain, “I don’t know who filled your head with outrageous lies, but I won’t have a child speak to me with unearned confidence. There is nothing you can achieve that I cannot, and any attempt you do to ‘help’ will only ruin what progress I’ve made. When we arrive in Harosaw City, you are not to be anywhere near the building when I begin negotiations.”

  “Sir,” Illnyea tried to begin, mind scrambling for a way to dig herself out of this pit, but Rudy groaned loudly, cutting her off.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “Are you dumb, girl?” Rudy asked and Illnyea couldn’t help but glaring at him. It seemed Rudy didn’t much like that because he barked, “If you’re so insistent on being defiant, perhaps the graveyard guard shift for the next three nights will give you time to cool your head.”

  Illnyea’s mouth dropped open. The graveyard shift was the third shift, the worst one where your sleep was interrupted on both sides.

  “What?” Rudy shot, lips curling into a cruel smile. “Going to complain like a child?”

  Illnyea bit her lip to keep from saying anything and just shook her head stiffly.

  “Then scat to the back of the caravan.”

  Illnyea fought back the urge to cry as she did as Rudy ordered.

  Maybe the universe wasn’t quite on Illnyea’s side as she thought it was, Illnyea thought glumly, poking at the ground with a stick as she kept watch. The other guards gave her a wide berth after waking her up roughly from sleep, apparently not keen to earn Rudy’s ire as well. The entire caravan was giving her wary looks these past three days, even Eileen, though the woman’s gaze was tinged with pity that made Illnyea ashamed. No one talked to her, not even the cooks when she got her food for meals, and Illnyea had eaten alone at the edge of camp so the lack of socialization didn’t hurt quite so much.

  Despite the good advice Priscilla had given her, Illnyea had gone and botched it all up. Even though she knew what Rudy wanted, Illnyea wasn’t skilled enough to use it to her advantage and only dug herself a pit she saw no way to get out of.

  Illnyea yawned widely, her ears and jaw popping as she tried to rub the sleep from her eyes. She hadn’t gotten enough sleep these past few days and it was starting to wear on her.

  It’d be hard to fill the hours until she was relieved of duty.

  (If she was relieved, whispered the broken glass, Rudy was petty, forbidding the guards from taking the fourth shift because he wanted to see her break. But she won’t break, not so easily.)

  Illnyea sighed, finishing her pitiful dirt drawing. It was a stick figure representation of herself, Sulaiman, and Priscilla, though the only real differences between them were how long the torso was and the hair. She drew them holding her hands and imagined the three of them traveling to the famed Wellspring.

  But even Illnyea’s fantasies fell flat as another yawn shook her.

  It was going to be a boring night, Illnyea decided as she leaned back on her hands, and she’d try her best to stay awake so Rudy couldn’t find any fault with her.

  And that was the moment a distant scream of terror reached Illnyea’s ears.

  (In another world, Illnyea would be sleeping at this time because she had never annoyed Rudy into giving her the red eye guard shift. The guards on duty wouldn’t break rank to investigate the sound because that was not what they were paid to do.)

  (But in this world, the moment Illnyea heard someone scream, she was off and running and the guards were forced to quickly follow, else they allowed their boss’s boss’s child to die. That was a big no-no, no matter how much she annoyed their boss.)

  Illnyea ran quickly through the brush, leaping over exposed roots as blood pounded in her ears. She kept a firm grip on her sword, remembering Sulaiman’s advice to never let her weapon leave her hand as Illnyea crested a hill.

  A wagon had been knocked onto its side, the canvas covering torn to shreds and the contents spilled carelessly across the ground. Part of the wagon was burning, as was a decent amount of the brush and trees around the area. Nearby, a woman was lying bleeding on the ground, pressing a hand against her stomach to stem the bleeding while a man had his hands raised to fight off a pair of large, red bears with thick hides who bellowed at the man from either side. He was pinned in, destined to die quickly and the woman soon after if no one interfered.

  Illnyea took it all in with a quick glance. The beasts had to be red dire bears, as confirmed by the patch of ground near them catching on fire out of nowhere.

  The man said something and whipped his hands forward – ice crystalized from the air and shot towards the bears. But before it could make contact, the ice melted, and the man swore, sending another ineffective shot nonetheless.

  Illnyea slid down the hill, keeping a hand against the ground as a plan formed in her mind. She wasn’t as good as Sulaiman was at coming up with plans that maximize the chance of success, but Illnyea had always been better at thinking on the fly. (He’d say because she was always getting into trouble, but that's besides the point.)

  As the closest bear took a lumbering step forward, it found that the ground had sunk and it let out a pained noise as it fell forward unevenly. Then its back paws sank ankle deep into the ground, just as Illnyea launched herself forward, using gravity to her advantage.

  Her sword met its target, sinking deep into the side of the bear’s neck, right past the edge of its natural armor. Illnyea yelped as her shirt caught on fire and jerked back, her blade sliding out cleanly as the bear’s body hit the ground with a heavy thud.

  But the fire didn’t stick around for long, a sprinkle of ice forming above it and quickly melting.

  “Hope this helps,” the ice mage panted, wiping sweat from his brow. “These things are the worst fucking matchup for me.”

  Illnyea gave him a grin, feeling far more confident than she probably should when an angry bear was roaring at her from just seven feet away. But she had a battle-high that made her blood sing and the battlefield was one of the few places that Illnyea felt like she truly belonged. There was something right about the weight of a sword in her hands, one that made Illnyea feel like she could do anything she set her mind to.

  “I could use some back up,” Illnyea said, readying her stance as she turned to face the other bear.

  “That, I can do,” the ice mage said. “What do you need from me?”

  “Distract it,” Illnyea ordered before she sprinted forward, closing the gap between her and the bear as icicles were sent towards its eye. Even as the ice melted, momentum carried the rapidly heating water forward so it hit the target, momentarily blinding the bear.

  More fires sprung into existence as the bear snapped wildly with its jaws.

  Illnyea dodged it nimbly, sliding under a swing of its claws to carve a long, bloody slash against its stomach.

  The bear reared back in pain, which was perfect as Illnyea brushed her fingertips against the ground. Massive earthen spikes broke through the ground behind the bear before Illnyea launched herself at the bear again, using the earth to put more force behind her as she tucked her shoulder to body-check it.

  The bear tilted backwards, roaring and promising vengeance.

  But the roaring stopped abruptly as spikes burst through its stomach. Its heart rested on one of the spikes, beating weakly for a few moments before sputtering out.

  Illnyea was breathing heavily as reality of her victory caught up to her and that brought a vicious smile to her lips.

  “WOO!” the ice mage said, rushing over to pick up Illnyea and twirl her around. “Fuck yeah! We survived and that was so fucking awesome!”

  Illnyea began to laugh as she was twirled by the mage, letting a “Woo!” of her own into the night.

  “Mishra, stop show-boating, and help me,” a weak female voice said and Illnyea was abruptly dropped to her feet. The ice mage, Mishra, spun around and knelt next to the injured woman.

  “Marsha!” Mishra said, frantically examining the woman’s stomach.

  “Stop panicking,” Marsha snapped, “and get me a healing potion before all of them are burned!”

  Mishra searched the wreckage frantically before letting out a triumphant sound, holding up a shimmering purple liquid. He hurriedly gave it to Marsha, who drank it quickly and let out a long sigh of relief, the skin over her stomach starting to slowly reknit itself.

  Illnyea was just about to ask what happened when the clanging of metal armor behind her stopped her. She held back a sigh, some of her adrenaline filled cheer fading as Illnyea turned around.

  The guards had finally caught up and were panting under the weight of their armor.

  But instead of the dismissive gaze that had been turned towards Illnyea the past few days, there was something almost like respect shining in their eyes.

  “Mishra, help me up,” Marsha said and Illnyea’s attention was drawn back to her once more.

  “You shouldn't move until the potion has enough time to work its way through your system,” Mishra fretted even as he complied.

  “I won’t thank our savior while lying on the ground like a dud!” Marsha snapped.

  Illnyea hid a smile as she knelt next to Marsha and said, “I’ll just meet you on your level, so don’t strain yourself.”

  Marsha gave her a long evaluating look before nodding, pausing Mishra’s attempts to help her stand.

  “I’m Marsha, and the fretter is Mishra,” Marsah said, gingerly pushing herself into a sitting position. “We were on our way to our first assignment from the Royal Crimson Tower when these imbecilic bears attacked us. My talents lie in enchanting rather than offense and Mishra… well, he’s only good with ice.”

  Illnyea blinked in surprise as Mishra gave an indignant squawk. She had never met wizards who had the king’s official blessing before, and for some reason, she had never imagined they would be so personable or so young. Mishra and Marsha looked to be in their mid-twenties at most.

  “I’m Illnyea!” she said, unsure why she didn’t include her family name but trying not to think too hard about it. “I’m traveling with a trade caravan and we’re on our way to Harosaw City!”

  Mishra and Marsha exchanged looks and then looked at the remains of their wagon.

  “Any chance we can hitch a ride with you to the city?” Mishra asked, wringing his fingers. “Once we’re there, we can find our own way.”

  Illnyea hesitated, before something like spite took hold of her. Rudy thought she was useless, but this would prove Illnyea was anything but – securing a connection with the Royal Crimson Tower was something that the Thornewood Company had never accomplished before, though Illnyea had heard her mother speak of it wistfully before.

  “Of course,” Illnyea said, smiling widely. “We’d be honored to travel with such distinguished wizards.”

  Illnyea’s luck was on the up and up once more!

  They briefly helped the mages salvage what they could from their wagon before heading towards the caravan’s campsite.

  When she returned with Mishra and Marsha, the guards who followed Illnyea’s wild sprint helping carry Marsha, the camp was in a tizzy. Apparently one of the guards who was left behind sounded the alarm, so everyone was awake and no one was happy about it.

  Rudy was sneering when Illnyea came to a stop in front of him, her chin raised defiantly.

  “You abandoned your post,” Rudy hissed, ignoring the pair of mages entirely. “Such insubordination–”

  “Saved lives,” Illnyea cut in, jaw set stubbornly, “and I’d do it again without a second thought.”

  Rudy seemed taken aback by her refusal to just take his ire and turned his sneer towards the mages, who were dressed in dirty, disheveled clothes. Illnyea saw the instant Rudy decided their worth and the way his eyes went even colder.

  “And you brought along useless baggage to take up our limited resources on top of insubordination,” Rudy said sardonically. “I hope you don’t mind sharing your allotted meals with them.”

  Illnyea could understand that sometimes people were rude because they’re stressed or sad, but this outright cruelty Rudy showed disgusted and baffled Illnyea in equal measures.

  But Illnyea saw an opportunity here – one that might make the rest of this trip so much smoother. If there was an added bonus of embarrassing Rudy, well, Illnyea wouldn’t complain.

  “I apologize, honored wizards,” Illnyea said quickly, bowing her head. “Please do not take offense from our caravan master’s careless words.”

  Marsha drew herself up to her full height, casting off the guard’s help to glare down her nose at Rudy.

  “It is only because of Illnyea’s heroic actions,” Marsha said, her low voice projecting over the clearing for all to hear, “that the Royal Crimson Tower will not lodge an official complaint against this merchant company or punish those who deemed us ‘useless baggage.’”

  Watching the blood drain from Rudy’s face as he realized just who he had insulted was delightful for Illnyea, filling her with so much joy and schadenfreude that she couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she said, “You are most magnanimous, Wizard Marsha.”

  Marsha gave an imperious wave of her hand, brushing aside the compliment.

  “Now, is there anyone else who would like to insinuate that dear Illnyea was wrong to risk her life to save ours?” Marsha asked, glancing over the now dead-silent clearing. “No? Then if it’s not too strenuous on your ‘limited resources’–” Rudy flinched and looked at the ground, “–then could we get some water and a place to rest until you leave in the morning?”

  The other members of the caravan did start talking with Illnyea again, some of the guards complimenting her fighting skills and Eileen giving a half-hearted apology, but everyone seemed wary of getting too close to the mages in case they drew their ire.

  Mishra and Marsha were delightful company to keep on the long road, more than making up for the fact no one else approached Illnyea, and Illnyea tried to not feel too smug when she saw they clearly favored her over Rudy, who had tried and failed to develop a friendlier business relationship with the pair of mages after such a disastrous first impression. Marsha had just stared at Rudy with the gaze that reminded Illnyea of a dead fish until the man took the hint and retired to his tent.

  It turned out the two mages had been paired together for training from a young age.

  “It’s just because our names are similar,” Mishra complained, “and they didn’t want people asking, ‘oh do you mean Mishra the ice mage? ‘oh do you mean Marsha the enchanter?’ The tower is so damn lazy, haaa.”

  Illnyea giggled as Marsha dryly said, “They just mumble mm-sha and they’ll be pointed in our direction.”

  Marsha spent every spare moment she had with that fancy orichalcum pen she had engraving runes into the saddles, bridles, wagons, basically anything she could get her hands on, claiming that her life was expensive and Illnyea had saved it, so it was a natural repayment. To Illnyea, it seemed excessive, but she wasn’t going to say no when Marsha enchanted her sword scabbard to automatically clean her sword when it was sheathed.

  Marsha’s enchantments meant they reached Harosaw City much faster than projected, and when Illnyea opened up about wanting to see her sister sooner, Marsha had tacked on enchantments that allowed them to travel over rough terrain with little problem.

  “Make sure to spread the greatness of my name when you get home,” Marsha said with a sharp gesture that had her chin length hair flopping about, “and we’ll consider the debt even.”

  “Spread my name too!” Mishra said, standing on his tip-toes to sling an arm around Marsha’s shoulders.

  Marsha scoffed, pushing Mishra off her. “Don’t piggyback off of my success.”

  “Your success is my success as we’re partners!”

  The two fell into practiced squabbling that made Illnyea smile, even as she had to push away the sadness at saying goodbye. But it didn’t have to be a permanently goodbye, Illnyea reminded herself as she watched the mages walk away, as Illnyea’s travels would surely bring her by the Royal Crimson Tower to see her friends once more.

  Illnyea decided she didn’t want to spend any time with Rudy once they reached the city and only left the hotel they were staying at to eat at local restaurants and do a little sight-seeing.

  Illnyea had never wanted to be a merchant, but this trip just solidified that belief. If being a successful merchant meant being like Rudy, she wanted no part of that lifestyle if it’d warp her own beliefs of right and wrong. In fact, Illnyea didn’t actually think that Rudy was that great of a merchant, not when he was so quick to cast judgement and use his supposed power to belittle those he deemed beneath him.

  But it seemed the deal was finished quicker than expected and Eileen came to Illnyea’s door to inform her. Illnyea didn’t dislike Eileen, but when Eileen followed Rudy’s lead to ignore her, it had soured Illnyea’s perception of the woman. Still, Illnyea listened politely when Eileen talked.

  “We’ll be adjusting our route back home,” Eileen explained, “as the enchantments done by Wizard Marsha will allow us to take a more direct route, cutting down on our travel time.”

  That sounded like a fantastic idea to Illnyea, so she readied herself and mounted her horse when she was told, falling in step with the caravan.

  Luck had to be with her as all the circumstances aligned so Illnyea would be able to get home even sooner than she thought. Who knows, maybe traveling through the Heinlein Fens would give her a fun story to tell Priscilla when she saw her again!