“Princess Klia’s orders,” he told the guard. “Kordira, I don’t think there’s much more you can do for her. Thank you for all your help.”

She gave him a surprised, almost hurt look, then took her leave.

Seregil felt a pang of guilt as he watched her go; she’d helped him a great deal, and kept her head when others might have jumped screaming from the carriage. Against his better judgment, he was beginning to trust her, but not enough to reveal what he was up to now.

Key in hand, he made his way up to the anteroom of the library, praying the wooden box was still there. It was, with the heavy golden arm ring still in it.

But this was only the beginning of the thread he meant to follow. Asking around among the servants, he learned that the arm ring had been brought to Toneus by a workman named Lemiel, who’d supposedly found it somewhere in the old palace. Thero’s vision in the lower cave and the traces of dripstone still clinging to it said otherwise.

Chapter 23: Beyond the Help of the Four

THEIR chance came two days after Mika had come to this plane. Rhazat had kept the boy with her most of the previous day, showing him a few spells and treating him like a little doll, something to be played with for her amusement. She was cordial to Klia, but there was a coldness in those blue eyes when their gazes met that boded ill.

The following morning Klia woke before dawn and gently shook Mika awake. “Let’s see if our hostess has served breakfast yet.”

They pulled on their boots and made sure they weren’t leaving anything behind, then went down to the dining room. Food was laid out, as usual, but there was no sign of Rhazat.

They ate quickly, taking in all their bellies could hold and drinking a pitcher of cider between the two of them. Then, with pockets stuffed with more food, they set off, as she and Phania had a few days earlier. This time the streets were busy with people going about their dreary business, but Klia sometimes felt someone looking at her just a little too long.

“Come on,” she said, taking Mika’s hand and hoping to blend into the crowd of townspeople and traders. They hurried to the gates, which stood open, and no one challenged them as they went through with the crowd. As soon as they were outside they followed the river road upstream. Mika pulled his hand from Klia’s, clearly too old for such indignities out in the open.