Her father said the world everyone saw was an illusion, one that could be changed by those with the skills to do so. As she recently had in a minor way. But the changes Mages made to the world illusion were temporary, fading away as if they had never been when the power that fed them died.

But Kira's world had just changed, she realized, and would not return to where it had been. The shadow that had dimmed her life had lifted. Maybe it had never really been there. Maybe she had seen only the illusion of that shadow and let it dim her life. But it was gone.

She blinked in the sunlight, staring at the world about her.

"Colonel," Mari said, "may I ask the loan of four mounts? We need to meet the ship from Urth in an area south of the city."

"Certainly, Lady. We would be honored to assist you. And further honored if you would allow this troop of cavalry to escort you to your meeting."

"The honor would be ours to have such soldiers acting as our escort," Mari said with a smile.

As they were waiting for the four horses to be brought to them, Kira turned to her father. "Petr is here. At the market outside the walls."

"We will have to visit once our other tasks are done," Alain said. "Petr helped you reach the city?"

"Of course he did. He's a really great person." Kira paused. "Do you remember when I complained that Mother wouldn't let me be my own person?"

"I recall hearing that many times," Alain said, looking at her with a trace of a smile.

"I guess I did complain a bit. It wasn't the same thing, Jason," she added to him. "Anyway, Father, you and Mother would always ask me who I wanted to be, and I didn't know. But now I think I do."

"Then I am happy for you. As is your mother, who never tried to make you be anything," Kira's father added.

"I had to realize that for myself," Kira said. "Oh, Mother. I'm sorry."

"For what?" Mari asked.

"A lot of things."

"Me, too. New day?"

Kira grinned, recognizing the reference to her mother's campaign to overthrow the Great Guilds, to allow change in a world where change had once been forbidden, to bring a new day to the world of Dematr. "Yes. New day. For us."

* * *

It was well they had the cavalry escort, since the crowds lining the streets to cheer the daughter, the Master of Mages, and to Kira's continuing amazement the dragon-slaying daughter of the daughter, would have otherwise blocked their progress completely.