Micum and Thero were waiting for them downstairs, dressed like Seregil in plain clothing borrowed from among the other ’faie living at Mirror Moon. A laden cart stood outside the front door, and Alec climbed in and took the reins. The others mounted their horses, and together they set off for the oracle’s cave.

They stopped outside the sacred grove. Alec went ahead to make sure they were alone.

“I’ll go see to the tunnel while you bring the supplies up,” said Thero.

By the time the others had emptied the wagon of a week’s worth of food and other supplies and carried them to the first cave, Thero had widened the tunnel for Micum and there was a considerable pile of new sand in the painted cave. Alec helped move the supplies down there, then bid them farewell. Seregil followed him up to the outer cave, wrapped his arms around him, and held him tight.

“Take care, talí.”

Alec hugged him back, breathing in the clean smell of his lover as he committed that and the feeling of their bodies pressed together to memory. There was no way of telling when they would be together again.

Or if.

That possibility hung unspoken around them as they shared a kiss.

Seregil stepped back, holding Alec by the shoulders for a moment. “Shoot straight, talí.”

A shiver went up Alec’s spine. Seregil had said those same words to him the first time they’d fought a dyrmagnos. “I will.”

“Luck in the shadows, Alec.”

“And in the Light.”

Alec’s heart ached as he shouldered his heavy pack of food and set off for the palace. He didn’t let himself look back.

Mika couldn’t sleep the night Master Thero went away with the others. He hadn’t wanted to stay alone in the big room without Master Thero, so the housekeeper let him sleep with Vhadä in his little room upstairs. Vhadä wanted to talk and joke around, but Mika’s heart wasn’t in it.

“Why are you so worried about your master and his friends?” asked Vhadä. “They’re just up there exploring the caves, right?”

“I guess so,” Mika replied. He didn’t like lying to his friend.

“What’s it like in Rhíminee, living with the wizards?”

Mika described what it was like, leaving home and living in Thero’s tower, but soon realized that Vhadä had gone to sleep while he was talking.

So he lay in bed, counting his breaths, counting Vhadä’s, counting stars outside the window, until he finally fell into a restless doze.