She found Pleysia and the young woman sitting alone amidships next to a pile of stores, once again deep in conversation. It was exactly how she had found them several days earlier, so deeply engaged it was as if no one else existed. She paused for a moment before approaching them, trying to imagine the nature of the relationship. On failing to do so, she walked over, whereupon, as before, all conversation came to an immediate halt.

“Pleysia,” she greeted the Druid, nodding wordlessly to Oriantha. “You promised you would explain to me the reason behind Oriantha’s selection for this expedition. Now is the time.”

Pleysia sighed heavily and nodded. “I don’t suppose I can put it off any longer. I hope you won’t be angry with me, Mistress. Oriantha is a powerful and accomplished shape-shifter. She was born of a shape-shifting father and a magic-wielding mother who fell in love just long enough to conceive her before parting. None of it was meant to happen, but happen it did. And while the father disappeared and has not been seen or heard from since, the mother stayed close and saw to it that Oriantha was raised as she should be—even though she wasn’t able to do this herself. Over time, Oriantha’s shape-shifting ability began to manifest itself, and it became clear that she was gifted with both shape-shifting skills and select uses of magic.”

She paused. “I had hoped to bring her to the order to apply for admission sometime in the next few years—even though I fully expected you and the others to refuse her. The order has never embraced the practice of allowing members of one family to serve the Druid Order at the same time.”

Khyber nodded slowly. “Because the presence of one puts too much strain on the other and endangers them both. You are her mother, aren’t you, Pleysia?”

Pleysia nodded. “Yes, Mistress.”

“How is it that I’ve never even known she existed?”

“I’ve never discussed her with anyone. I kept that part of my life private. When I came to the order, I left her with my mother. She was five years old then. My mother raised her. I barely saw her during that time. I didn’t know when I came to Paranor that Oriantha would inherit both her father’s talent and my own. I suspected she had some ability, but did not realize how gifted she was. I should have been there to train her, but by then I had committed myself to the order and could do little. Mostly, she trained herself.”

Khyber regarded her in silence for a moment. “You have broken the rules by bringing her on this expedition, Pleysia. Why did you do that? You knew it would be dangerous for her. Why did you choose to bring her to us now when you could have waited for a better time?”