Sebastian

they'd talked quietly among themselves. So he couldn't express any doubt, couldn't afford to admit he was no longer sure where they were.
    Harland had entrusted him with this task. He alone had the means of bringing Belladonna out into the open, where the Wizards' Council could deal with her. He wasn't going to fail Harland or the council, not when Harland had all but promised him a seat on the council as acknowledgment of this accomplishment.
    One act to wipe out a mistake made thirty years ago. One act that would be the perfect balance of the other.
    "Wizard Koltak." Dalton, the guard captain, brought his horse alongside Koltak's. "Are you certain this is the way to the landscape you need to reach?"
    "Why do you ask?" Koltak said, hedging.
    "It looks familiar, and that troubles me." Dalton looked up, even though the trees that crowded the road blocked the sun. "And I don't think we're heading south anymore."
    Before Koltak could think of an evasive response, a guard scouting up ahead shouted and raised an arm to attract attention.
    Dalton kicked his horse into a canter, heading for the guard. Koltak's horse followed, leaving the wizard no choice but to cling to the saddle, since he lacked the skill to control the animal.
    It was a pity Harland had considered the details of this task so well and had overruled Koltak's riding in the comfort of a carriage. A horse and rider lent more credence to the story of urgency than a carriage and driver.
    He saw the logic in that, but it didn't make his body ache any less.
    When its companions were in sight, the horse slowed to a walk, allowing Koltak to gather the reins again and provide the illusion of being in command.
    Dalton stared at the large stone that stood like a sentry where two roads met, then swore softly.
    As Koltak looked at the stone, a sick feeling filled his belly and rose up to clog his throat.
    "Well," Dalton said when Koltak reached him, "there's nothing more we can do today. We'll start out again at first light tomorrow and hope for luck on the roads."
    At Dalton's signal, two of the guards headed down the east road. The captain looked at Koltak, shook his head, then followed his men.
    With the sting of failure heating his face, Koltak followed Dalton, trailed by the other two guards.
    The road that had seemed to go on and on perversely became shorter. Far too soon, they rode out of the trees and looked on the open land—and the steep northern side of Wizard City.
    "This can't be," Koltak muttered. "It can't be. We rode south. We can't end up on the northern side of Wizard City."
    "Sometimes Ephemera is as perverse as a woman," Dalton said. He let out a gusty sigh. "We'll have to find another road with a bridge that crosses over into a different landscape."
    "But the road south was the way to the landscape I need to reach!" Koltak protested.
    Dalton looked annoyed, then smoothed out his expression as if suddenly remembering he was dealing with a wizard. "There's no way around it, Wizard Koltak. Right now the south road just circles back to the city. We'll try again tomorrow. Maybe strike out across country, see if we can find another bridge.
    Many's the time when a bridge between landscapes isn't set in an obvious place, especially if it's a resonating bridge, and there's more of them than the stationary bridges you'll find on well-traveled roads."
    Koltak waited until they reached the northern gate before broaching the subject that had weighed more heavily on him as the city loomed nearer and nearer.
    "Perhaps it would be best if I remained at the guardhouse tonight," Koltak said, keeping his gaze fixed on the space between his horse's ears. "It would save time if we're to be on the road again at first light."
    Dalton remained silent a moment, then nodded. "It would be more convenient. In fact, it's probably best to stay at one of the guard stations in the lower circle. The lodgings may be rougher than you're used to, and we'll probably have to share quarters, but you should be able to have a bed to yourself."
    Koltak winced at the thought of making do with rough lodgings when he was so close to his own comfortable rooms, but he nodded agreement. Then he glanced at Dalton and wondered if the man's expression was a little too blank. Had the captain figured out the real reason he didn't want to go up to the Wizards' Hall? Was that why the suggestion had been made to stay in the lower circle?

    If he returned to his own rooms, Harland would know he'd failed