With the counsel meeting adjourned, the companions gathered in Sevhalim's rooms to discuss their next move.
"Rea is not stupid," Iksthanis said, "and our assumptions may be wrong. There are other roads to Jana Val, and she may bypass Tal P'Nir entirely. Someone should go after her. Track her. Even if we cannot hope to catch her up, at least we will know where she has gone and send word if things should change."
"I agree," Sev said quietly. "We must plan for the worst, even as we hope for the best." He stood at the tall windows, his hands clasped behind him and his back to the others as he gazed out over the darkened valley. "Zenír, what does your second sight reveal?"
Galen looked to the thin man at Iksthanis's side, but Zenír's unfocused gaze remained troubled, and he slowly shook his head.
"It remains dark, Omalan. However..." He reached for Iksthanis's hand, and the larger man grasped it, his gaze lowered in modest embarrassment.
At the long pause, Sev turned from the windows to look at them. "Yes? You've finally admitted your feelings for one another. What of it?"
"I believe our place is here," Zenír said, his expression easing. "A vision once showed me a future in which 'Thanis and I lived in happiness, in a place of great beauty, removed from the world. From what I have heard described of it, I believe that place is here."
"You want to stay, then?" Sev asked. "What if you're wrong, and the Order sends an army?"
Iksthanis shook his head. "Wrong or right, a wise man knows when to rest and when to fight. I am not fit to fight, Sevhalim. I will be a burden to you; I will slow you down and jeopardize your mission. I would give my life for you, but to accompany you further now would be a disservice, not a boon. My wound may be healed, but my strength is not recovered. If, however, the Order sends soldiers to the Haven, by that time I will be ready, and I will be here to defend it."
Sevahlim was silent for a long time, but at last, he nodded.
"Very well. In truth, I have been thinking the same thing. Galen will remain here as well."
"What?" Galen had been sitting beside Behn on the edge of the bed, and now leapt to his feet. "Why?"
Sevhalim frowned. "Because you are the p'yrha, and whether or not what we have learned here is true, you must be protected. I am no longer the best suited to do so. The Hands here will guard you, and even if I fail to stop Rea before she reaches the Order, the Haven itself may be the safest place in Sakkara — at least for now. Besides, once they break through to the Dweller realm, Anira and the others may learn more about the Heart of Sakkara — what it is and how it works, and who knows what else. This is the best place for you to be."
"You really trust them, then?" Obi asked. "Anira and the others?"
Sev nodded. "They are good people. They did not have to save Iksthanis, but they did. They did not have to bring us here, but they did. Anira did not have to share what she knows with Rea and me, but — to her detriment — she did. We can trust them to do the right thing, and as long as that is also our intention, we can trust them to help us."
"The 'right thing' isn't always something everyone agrees on, though," Obi pointed out. "A few days ago, you were convinced the 'right thing' was to bring Galen to the Order."
"The 'right thing' is that which does the least harm to the greatest effect," said Sev. "The Order teaches us that, which is why we... why I must discover the truth."
Obi raised his brows. "Oh yeah? And what if it turns out the 'right thing' is to sacrifice the p'yrha, after all?"
Sev's expression hardened, and he looked away. "Then you will discover the limits of my altruism. In the meantime, you're our best tracker, besides Rea herself, so you should get after her as soon as—"
"I'm not," Obi interrupted.
"What?"
"I'm not the best tracker after Rea. She is." He nodded at Triss. "Better, even."
Sev frowned. "True as that may be, I can't ask—"
"I'll do it,' Triss said, rising from where she sat on Behn's other side. "But you're right — we should move fast. It will be easy enough in all this snow, but if more falls, or it melts, we'll lose her."
"Triss..." Galen shook his head, sinking back to sit beside Behn, but Triss just gave him a cheeky grin.
"Hey, you know what they say in Dern: don't send a sword to do an arrow's work. I got the skills; might as well use 'em. Besides, something tells me this is important, Gale — not just for you, but for all of Sakkara. If you think the Order isn't pulling strings in Thryn, you're dead wrong. I want to find out what their game is."
"I think I should go, too."
Thinking he must have heard wrong, Galen turned, but it was indeed Behn who had spoken.
"Behn? What do you mean? Go where?"
"With Obi and Triss." He turned to Obi. "You'll be passing through that town you mentioned before — Lastiff, right?"
"Presumably," Obi said. "It's right inside Sakkara, on the other side of the southern pass. It's the horse-breeding capital of the empire. If Rea wants a fast ride, there are few better places to secure one."
"I know," said Behn. "My uncle lives there. He breeds Sakkaran cloud-racers."
"He does?" Galen gaped. Cloud-racers were a coveted breed — fast and strong, with unmatched endurance. "You never mentioned that before."
Behn shrugged awkwardly. "It never came up. I don't really like horses, and my uncle's a bit... unusual. Point is, if I'm with you guys, he'll probably lend us some."
Triss looked doubtful — Behn had struggled to keep up in the snow, and they hadn't been in a hurry then — but Obi grinned.
"Now we're talking! With cloud-racers, we might even catch up to Rea before Tal P'Nir. It would certainly give us an advantage if she went some other way."
After a slight hesitation, Sev nodded. "Very well. Obi, Triss, and Behn will track Rea. Travel fast and light, and be on the lookout for barrowlings until you're well away from here. Get a good night's rest; you'll leave at dawn."
"Wait a minute. What about me?" Galen asked indignantly. "I'm not just going to sit here while my friends risk their lives. I'm going, too."
"No," Sev said firmly. "You'll stay here, where it's safe, and—"
"I can handle myself!" Galen argued. "I might not be a warrior, but—"
"It's not a choice!" Sev snapped.
Galen shut his mouth, silenced by surprise; then he laughed and shook his head.
"You know, I almost forgot. After all this time, I'd almost forgotten that you kidnapped me against my will. And if the townsfolk hadn't tried to kill me and burned your ship, I'd probably be in Jana Val by now, where you'd have handed me over to the Order, duty complete, and never given me another thought again. I almost forgot we aren't friends." He lifted his chin. "So stop me if you want, but you'll have to stop me by force. Otherwise, I'm going with Triss and Behn."
With that, Galen stood again and strode from the room, and from thence down the hall to his own, where he shut the door at his back with a bit more force than necessary.
He paused for a breath, trying to gather his scattered thoughts. He hadn't meant to go off like that and felt childish in the aftermath, but he was tired of being pushed about like a piece on a board. It was his life, and if his friends were going to risk theirs trying to save it, he felt he ought to at least do his part.
And then again, this wasn't even about him, anymore. This was about the Order, and Sakkara, and however many p'yrhas — or maybe the plural was p'yrha, too — had come before him, and however many more might come after. He couldn't just—
The door clicked open at his back, and he turned and found himself face-to-face with Sevhalim. The other man's expression was cold and hard as stone, and Galen's heart leaped like a startled rabbit in his chest.
"What do you want?" he asked, turning away to hide his surprise. "Will you tie me to the bedposts to keep me here?"
He heard Sevhalim's throat click as he swallowed.
"No. I'm here to apologize."
"For what?"
Galen crossed the room and sat on his bed. Despite his words, it did not, in fact, have posts. It looked as if someone had been there and made it fresh, and it smelled of lavender. Suddenly tired, he kicked off the light slippers he wore and flopped back to lie on the soft coverlet, staring at the ornately carved ceiling overhead.
Sev stayed where he was for a moment, then approached slowly and sat at Galen's side.
"For everything," Sev said. "Not all of it is my fault, but I'm sorry for what's happened to you, and I'm sorry for my part in it. And I'm sorry for..."
He stopped and shook his head, and Galen sat up again.
"For what?"
Sevhalim turned towards him with a much different look than before. Warmer, and softer, and a little bit pained.
"My judgment is clouded, Galen," he said, his silver eyes flashing as they skipped between Galen's own. "You are not merely my charge, or my duty, anymore. I have come to care for you... as a friend. That's why I want... why I need you to stay here and be safe. You've barely recovered from your ordeal, and striking out upon the road again so soon, at the pace that the others must set..." He shook his head. "It is not the path for you."
Galen frowned. "The others are your friends, and have been so for far longer than I, and yet you send them into danger readily. Is it because I am so weak? Because I am not a warrior? Because I—"
Sevhalim cut him off with a quick, light kiss upon the lips, leaving Galen silent and stunned. Quickly, Sev rose and turned away.
"Forgive me. You see, I love my friends dearly, but I do not care for them in quite the same way that I have come to care for you. I don't expect you to return these feelings." He shook his head. "But please — give me your word you will stay here with Iksthanis and Zenír. I won't rest easy until you do."
Remembering to breathe, Galen inhaled and blinked. A swarm of thoughts, chaotic as a cloud of butterflies, obscured his mind, and he found himself speaking in reply.
"You have my word," he said, hardly moving his lips, which still tingled with the touch of another's breath.
Sev nodded and started for the door. There, he paused once more, but did not look back.
"Thank you," he said, quietly. "I will not trouble you again. Rest well."
He left, and for a long time afterward, Galen sat on his bed as if turned to stone. When at last, his thoughts settled, he found that something strange and new and light had taken up residence in his heart, and with it, a new certainty settled over him.
He would keep his word: he would see Triss and Behn off in the morning and would remain at the Haven — for now. But one way or another, he resolved nonetheless, he would not be left behind.