White Road

again. To understand what Sebrahn is and what he can do, then you must understand what the man was trying to create, and how.”
    “Which means getting that book,” Alec said.
    “Well then, it’s like my friend said. You’ll have to find it, won’t you?” said Tyrus.
    Alec and Seregil exchanged a look and Seregil shrugged. “The dragon did say we
might
not die if we go in that direction.”
    They spent the night at the cabin and took their leave the following morning.
    “So it’s Plenimar now?” said Micum as they rode along the snowy trail. “How in Bilairy’s name are two ’faie going to go back there without being captured or killed?”
    “Well, we can’t just walk into Riga,” Alec admitted, riding along with Sebrahn. “We’re obviously ’faie with no freed-man’s brand or collar.”
    “The collar is no problem. We can have those made,” Seregil noted.
    “Would your uncle make them for us?” asked Micum.
    Seregil thought a moment. “He would, but he’d want to know why. I’d rather my family doesn’t know where I’m headed. I want to spare them that, especially Adzriel, and I don’t want to leave any trail behind if someone comes looking for us. Collars will be easy enough to find elsewhere.”
    “And the brands?”
    “That may be a bit harder. Too bad we cut out the ones we had, eh, Alec?”
    Alec grimaced. “I wish you’d thought of that at the time. But they were Yhakobin’s mark, anyway. That has to be well known around the Riga slave markets, and anywhere between there and the estate. People would take us for runaways.”
    “Thero can probably do some sort of transformation—”
    “No one would remark on a master and his own slaves passing by, though, would they?” asked Micum, grinning. “I speak Plenimaran as well as you do, Seregil. Alec’s no good at it, but I’ll do all the talking, anyway.”
    It was a good plan, Seregil had to admit, but still he replied, “No. Not this time. You’re
not
going.”
    Micum gave him an exasperated look. “Not this again!”
    “You’d never pass for a Plenimaran, any more than Alec or I could.”
    Micum ran a hand over his chin stubble. “I’ll cut my hair, grow my beard, and let it be known I’m a northlander trader. I’ve met some who owned slaves.”
    “We can manage without you,” Seregil said bluntly. Whatever they did, it was going to be damn dangerous. He didn’t ever want another friend’s blood on his hands.
    “And Kari? She’ll flay us alive the next time she sees us,” Alec put in.
    “She’ll understand. She always has.”
    Seregil wondered if Micum had ever really understood the tension between his friend and his wife, back in their wandering days. As good as Kari had always been to him, and to Alec, Seregil always caught that same old flash of dread and resentment whenever they showed up unannounced.
    “I’m going with you, and that’s final,” said Micum.
    Seregil started to object again, then shrugged and pulled his cloak closer around him. “It’s not like I can stop you, is it?”
    Micum gave him a knowing look. “Swear it, Seregil. I don’t want to wake up tomorrow and find nothing but a note again.”
    Fair enough
, he thought,
given past history
. And it wasn’t as if he hadn’t already considered just slipping away. Leaning over in the saddle, Seregil clasped hands with Micum and gave him the pledge even he would never break.
“Rei phöril tös tókun meh brithir, vrí sh’ruit’ya.”
Though you thrust your dagger at my eyes, I will not flinch. “There, are you satisfied?”
    “I am. Now, what route?”
    “It will be a hard trip to the coast this time of year. The road we took here will be impassable now. But if we stick to the main roads where there are way stations, we should be able to get through to Chillian in three weeks or so, and take a ship from there.”
    “To where?” Alec asked.
    “Silver Bay?” suggested Micum. “It’s a few days’ ride north of Rhíminee. A lot of travelers go through there. I doubt anyone will pay us much mind. That way we can avoid the city altogether. There’s not much out there but a few farms and inns. We can meet up with Thero somewhere. We’ll need him to find Rhal for us, assuming the Plenimarans haven’t captured him yet.”
    Alec and Seregil had been traveling in disguise when they’d first met Rhal, who’d been a Folcwine River captain then. Seregil was passing as a gentlewoman named Lady Gwethelyn, with Alec playing the