“Or by whatever comes after,” he added. “It never ends, really, does it? You overcome one obstacle, one evil, one enemy, and another steps into the unoccupied space. I think about that. We persevere, but it isn’t ever really over for us. Not even for those who don’t want any part of it. The Elves are a perfect example. They want no part of the human world, no part of its evils, of the demons and once-men and all the rest. They just want to be left alone, and so they isolate themselves and stick their heads in the ground so they won’t be seen.” He made a vague gesture. “You can see where it’s gotten them.”

“They seem to be doing something now,” she observed.

“That’s so,” he agreed. He glanced back. “Too little, too late, perhaps? Time will tell.”

They had gone about three miles when he stopped, looked around, and moved into the shadow of a small cluster of conifers that fringed the mudflats they had passed onto. He found what was left of the trunk of a fallen tree and sat down.

She moved over and sat beside him. “I’m winded.”

“You’ve done well. I didn’t think you would get this far without resting.” He reached over and patted her leg affectionately. “I think you’re ready to make the trip upriver to your friends. We’ll go in the morning.”

“I would like that, Larkin.” She gave him a genuinely warm smile, not caring that he couldn’t see it.

“You’ve done a lot for me, mi amigo. You took risks for me when you didn’t have to. You’ve been a good friend.”

Larkin laughed. “Did I? What was I thinking?”

She laughed with him, and then she rose and stood looking off into the distance, across the river to the cliffs beyond. “I need to try something,” she said quietly. She glanced back at him. “I need to see if I can summon the magic.”

He looked puzzled. “Why wouldn’t you be able to?”

“I don’t know. I just know I have to be sure.” She hesitated. “I lost something back on the mountain. My life, almost, but something more, too. Something of myself. It’s hard to explain, but I won’t feel complete until I know I have the magic to command. I won’t feel whole.”

He brushed idly at his shock of wild black hair. “And how will you test it?”

“I only need to make certain I can summon it. It won’t take a moment.”