The Story:
On the Way to Crowns

"Wake up!" Rhillan hissed. "Wake up!"

With a start, Kauria opened her eyes to the dim light of her cell. Rhillan was kneeling over her, shaking her awake. He was looking at her oddly; indeed, he had been watching her intently since he talked to Lady Miraussa. Outside, she could hear the noise and talking of a large crowd, which was odd.

"What's happening?" she asked. Fleeting memories of a dream haunted her; she shivered.

"I don't know," Rhillan answered, "except the fact that you kept moaning about 'Henison'...you were going to attract the guard's attention." He moved back, while she sat up.

"Stop looking at me like that," she told him more sharply than she intended. "You've been doing that since yesterday."

"You're real named isn't Talle, is it?"

"No," she admitted wearily, "it's not."

"What is it then?" Despite Kauria's request, he continued to study her face.

"Does it matter?" she asked. "It's not as though Talle didn't suit me."

"You've never been taught any of your country's history?" Rhillan suddenly changed topics, looking very puzzled.

"No, I've told you before that those stories are banned." She was annoyed; he knew that just as well as she.

He leaned back against a wall, considering that. "Come on," he coaxed. "What's your name?"

Kauria sighed. "All right," she said, "if you're going to persists, it's Kauria."

He nodded slightly. "How long have you had-"

They heard the sounds of keys being inserted in the door lock and anxiously watched as a guard opened the door. Early morning light flooded in, as did the accumulated conversation of at least a hundred different people; he jerked a hand at the two. "Come with me," he ordered and they hastily obeyed.

Outside, the road was crowded with people; carts filled every available space. It appeared as though every trader in Farlin was lined up to travel somewhere together. It was toward the crowd they were lead.

Kauria saw the Captain near the edge of a crowd, talking to a tall woman, possibly no older than Rhillan. She was dressed finely, and Kauria could only assume that she was the Lady Miraussa.

Miraussa broke from the conversation and intercepted them. "Rhillan! Rhona! It's so good to see you both." She smiled, giving no indication that it was the first time she had seen Kauria. She glanced back to the Captain. "It seems the Emperor wants all traders to come to Crowns for the New Rule celebration."

The guard cleared his throat impatiently. "Yes, yes," Mira said. "Just follow me."

Miraussa quickly explained what had happened. "It took a while to convince the Captain over there," she said, "but I received custody of Rhona, providing I take her to Crowns and turn her over to the Emperor."

Kauria shot a glance at Rhillan, but he didn't notice.

"Rhona, of course," Mira continued, "must be constrained at all times and watched over, but, Rhillan, you can walk freely." She smiled sardonically. "They don't want you."

'Constrained', Kauria soon found out, meant that she would be bound inside a cart and not allowed to walk on her own. Mira couldn't stay with her, as she was needed to lead the group to Crowns, but Rhillan offered to ride a steed along the cart.

"What did she mean by turning me over to the Emperor?" Kauria hissed at Rhillan as the journey began. "I'd rather just die now, given the choice."

"She won't turn you in."

"How do you know that?" Kauria asserted. "Why should she care about me?"

"Because," Rhillan answered quietly, "she also is a Magic user."

Kauria stared at him. "How did you know I'm one?" she demanded. She felt her pocket quickly; the piece of bark Gedry gave her wasn't there!

Rhillan smiled. "You dropped a piece of Magic Bark," he told her, secretly taking the piece from his pocket. Mira had given it back to him.

"She's willing to do this just because she's a fellow Magic user?"

"Don't worry," Rhillan assured, placing the bark in his pocket. "She's risked a lot just by defying the Captain and claiming her responsibility over you. Don't you see? She's responsible for everything we do while we're in Ajir." Rhillan waved his hand to signify the Rhenry traders. "And that includes you now. You're supposed to be my sister."

That silenced her a moment. "What would happen if I ran away?"

Rhillan shook his head sadly. "Then I doubt Mira will have to worry over us anymore."

Everything was going relatively well at the head of the procession. Mira kept her distance from the Captain, but she made sure to know where he was at all times. Torrel's men couldn't be trusted at any time.

She kept thinking to what she was going to do when they arrived at Crowns. There was no question, really. She would have to turn the woman over, or they wouldn't hesitate to kill her. Or worse. She shuddered at the thought of becoming a mindless Dark Star, as other people she knew had become.

Mira was an expert at smuggling people outside of Ajir. She had already agreed to smuggle one man out, a former empirical spy, looking for someone. She mistrusted spies, but the young man had an easy way about him: and honest presence. Then she discovered that access to Carul was forbidden. She wondered where the spy was now, but he easily assumed the role of a Carullian trader that she doubted she would recognize him. It was amazing with the speed he had disappeared, as though he had vanished.

Yet their luck had just run out, and Mira couldn't risk her activities being discovered. It was one woman, Mira argued, to continue the escape of so many more. The argument did little to ease her guilt. Rhona, or whatever her name was, was innocent of everything except that she had Magical talent; Mira herself had the same "crime", but talent was not something you had a choice over.

Her thoughts were interrupted by someone approaching her horse. Rhillan paced his mount alongside Mira's, with an anxious, but excited, expression being suppressed.

"What's wrong with you?" Mira asked quickly. He glanced about to make sure no one was in hearing range.

"Do you remember the legend of the Star Pendant? And Henison?" he asked. Mira nodded, not understanding.

"Of course. I've heard several times."

"But only because you've traveled with Carullians?" Mira frowned. "Where else would I hear it? It's outlawed this side of the border."

Rhillan jerked his head back to where Kauria's cart followed behind them. "Because she just had a nightmare about being chased by Henison. I had to wake her up before the guards noticed her mumbling."

"You're joking," Miraussa blurted, unbelieving.

Rhillan shook his head.

If she knew about Henison... if she was... that put a new face on the situation. She quickly recovered from the shock. "Could that be why Torrel is making such a large fuss over making sure she's brought to Crowns?" she asked quietly.

Rhillan nodded. "That's my guess. He wants to know where the Pendant is."

Everything had suddenly doubled in complexity. Mira felt she was going to have a headache. "So I can't turn her in," she sighed. "There is no way we can let the Emperor have the Pendant."

He blinked, frowning. "Don't tell me you were even considering turning her in. You can't do that."

"I can't now," Mira replied succinctly, avoiding an argument. "Does she know? Did you tell her?"

Rhillan shook his head. "No, I didn't think there was any reason."

Mira raised an eyebrow. "I would think," she said slowly, "that it is much better that if a person is going to save a country, that she should know beforehand."

He smirked. "Well, true, but you wouldn't want to pressure her, would you?"

Just then, they noticed the Captain watching them intently and Rhillan quickly fell behind.