"With you?" Alain said. "Always."

* * *

Jason complained.

The easiest part of the trip had been in the Urth flier, things that Jason called screens showing images of the outside world zipping past as if they were windows. Kira had sat in one of the seats, a strap fastened across her to hold her in place. As the flier's hatch had closed, glowing symbols and marks had appeared before Kira as if inviting her touch, but she kept her hands in her lap. An odd humming sound and a slight vibration were the only signs of whatever power the flier was using as it zipped through the sky.

"What do you think?" Jason asked as soon as the flier settled on its course.

"I prefer flying by Roc," Kira said.

"A Roc? You mean a giant, mythical bird?" Jason said with a brief laugh.

"Yes. I rode one up to Danalee once."

"Uh, yeah. I mean, for real."

"So do I," Kira said.

Jason had given her a troubled look, but afterwards stayed mostly silent with worry until he set the flier down just outside of Sima's Crossroads, the predawn darkness hiding them from sight. After Jason entered some new commands in the flier, it rose back into the air and darted off in a different direction.

Kira led them into the town, waiting impatiently until a store opened, then leaving Jason in an alley while she hastily bought some clothes, including spares and a pack for Jason to carry them in. After he changed again, she buried the old Mage robes in a refuse container. So far, everything had gone as she had hoped.

But Jason complained. About how uncomfortable his new clothes were. About how badly his new shoes fit. About how far they had already walked. About the food that Kira had purchased from a sidewalk stall for breakfast. About the way the water tasted. About the way the air smelled. Jason complained.

Kira, having spent the morning battling increasing worries and self-doubts, finally snapped. Just before they entered the train station, Kira shoved Jason into an alley, locked a fist on his shirt, and pinned him to the nearest wall. "Knock it off! I'm beginning to think that saving millions of lives may not be a worthwhile trade-off for having to spend another moment with you!"

Jason glowered sullenly at the ground. "Okay."

"And stop saying okay! Nobody says that here!"

"Okay!"

"Did you do that on purpose?"

To her surprise, Jason took a moment to answer, and began smiling as if he couldn't stop himself. "No. But it would have been funny if I had, wouldn't it?"

"No," Kira insisted, but found herself unable to stop from smiling as well. "You could try being funny more often," she added, releasing her grip on his shirt. "If you do, I think I might someday be able to tolerate you, if I don't kill you first."

Jason grinned. "That's the nicest thing any girl ever said to me."