The briefest look of surprise crossed Aurelles face, there and gone again in a flash. She must have known after the attack by the darkmaw that he would risk himself for her, but then, this was a cruel world. Maybe it was hard to believe that someone like Greave could stand against danger. He was hardly his brother Rodry, to kill any who threatened his love.

His love… when had he started thinking of Aurelle as that? Long enough ago that Greave couldnt even remember when hed started.

I am so grateful that you came with me, he said, holding onto Aurelle tightly. It means more than I can say that you would choose to be by my side.

Where else would I be? Aurelle asked. This… this is where Im meant to be.

Again, Greave felt his heart swell with love he hadnt known was possible until he met her. He looked up at the city, which sat at the top of a path from this small harbor, reached by flights of steps that wound their way up, moving back and forth. From here, he could see gray granite walls around some of the city, the spires of towers poking up above like the fingers of some gigantic stone hand. One of them would be the library.

We need to hurry, Greave said. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can find a cure for Nerra.

He had to believe that there was such a thing hidden away there; that his sister could be helped. He grabbed his belongings and stepped down from the ship. Instantly, the world seemed to sway. Aurelle tumbled against him, but seemed to catch herself with perfect grace.

What is this? she asked.

The writer Yarrin suggests that our bodies become accustomed to the movement of ships, Greave said, so that on land again, it seems to be moving for several minutes. He posits the idea of a fluid filled sac in the inner ear that… It occurred to him that he was lecturing her. Sorry.

You dont need to stop, Aurelle said. Being interested in the world is part of what makes you who you are.

They set off together, arm in arm only partly for the stability it provided, making their way up the long staircase that led to the city. Eventually, Astare stood before them. Some of it had sprawled beyond its walls, in the way of cities, low wooden houses spread out in a scattering along the sides of roads leading south and east, shops and workshops spread out among them so that the exterior of the walls seemed busier than the interior. There was only so far that the outer city could spread though, because hills stood around it in a second kind of wall, cut through by passes.