I nod, trying to absorb every detail.
Liana, seeing my overwhelm, steps closer. “Come, my child. We’ll prepare you to leave. It’s going to be all right.”
I nod again and let her lead me.
But she doesn’t take me to my old room. Instead, she brings me deeper into her home, past the kitchen, and to a small side chamber I rarely entered. I freeze in the doorway, my breath catching.
So many of my things have been brought here. My clothes, my scrolls, my shoes and boots—they are all neatly folded and tucked away.
I step forward on unsteady feet, running my fingers over the familiar fabrics, the worn scrolls I’d been studying. “Why do you have so many of my things?”
Liana straightens. “They only gave us three days, but Lord Vann insisted that you wouldn't want to return to your room for a while.”
I swallow the lump in my throat, forcing myself to focus. I can’t afford to fall apart now. Instead, I reach for one of the scrolls I had been reading, running my fingers along the edges before my gaze drifts toward the clothes. I see a fur coat, leather leggings, gowns, everything.
“Arlet, what do you want to take?” Liana asks from the closet.
“Mostly clothes, I think. A knife. A dish. Something to start fires. A bedroll? And perhaps a few preserves,” I respond. She exits the room and I dress quickly, putting on woolen socks, pants, a woven tunic, a brown fur coat, boots, and finally, bearskin gloves.
When Liana returns, she nods at my attire. “Very wise.”
Then I grab an old pack, beginning to stuff it with the assembled bounty. Liana moves quickly but methodically, tucking a few extra items neatly into the bundle. I notice her leave a few more times, but think nothing of it in the flurryof packing.
After a few minutes, she reappears at my side. “You need to go slow. Drink water. And don’t forget?—”
“I’ve survived worse,” I cut in gently. “I know how to be outside. I know how to live in the cold.” I’d done so in the slave pens.
She presses her lips together, then nods.
A heavy silence settles over us.
Then, without thinking, I embrace her.
Liana isn’t a woman who takes easily to touch. She stiffens for a moment, caught off guard, but after a breath, her arms wrap around me, holding me close.
When we part, her eyes soften, but her voice is steady.
“You cannot leave without ahlumrynna.”
I recognize the term immediately—a Parting Ceremony.
The Enduar Wise Woman presses a cool stone into my palm, a small citrine crystal wrapped in silver wire. It hums against my hand.
“Our gods will watch over you, my child. And we will miss you while you are gone. Come home quickly. Come home healed.” Then, she takes back the gem, and my throat burns.
“I’ll miss you all,” I whisper.
"Your loss will be felt for many. Now come, I will escort you to the exit."
The city is silent. Sleeping. We move through the council district, past the houses of people I’ve loved.
My pack is heavy, but I grit my teeth and bear it. Reaching the edge of the space, I see the steps of the Enduar Palace and keep going. It takes time to cross to the tunnel that will lead me out of the city, and every step feels like I am ripping myself apart.
Liana walks beside me the entire way.
When we reach the tunnel entrance, I see two guards. Do they know what I've done? Will they take me away?
I start to speak, but Liana lifts a hand, stopping me.