Chapter 11 - Dancing

He wasn't sure where Vera had acquired the suit itself, since it was something he was sure Mekin would never have worn. It was tight across the back and in the arms, suggesting that the person who'd worn it last had not been as well-muscled as Ullden liked to keep himself. As a result, Ullden found himself sitting up straight, with posture that would have made his schoolteachers proud, instead of his usual lean to one side. He was afraid that if he moved too quickly, the jacket would split down the back. He felt like the deep puple color of the jacket made him stick out, despite the black pants, gray shirt, and silver trim. The shirt fit him well enough. If he could just get rid of the jacket itself, he'd be fine.

It came as no consolation that the girl had to be just as uncomfortable as he was. He'd learned her name, Jetha, but had yet to meet her directly. Vera had gone to talk with the girl's teacher earlier in the day, a wizard named Nordithet. Later, there'd been a meeting with Vera, Nordithet, and the wizard Odinous who'd shown up the evening before.

Odinous was from the nearest order of wizard scholars. They were older wizards, who'd finished their years of travel and teaching and had retired to a life of studying magic and it's effects on the world. There were "towers" of these wizards here and there, placed strategically about the country. Ullden had visited one once, to find that they usually weren't actually towers at all, although there was often one central tower within the group of structures.

This wizard had been making things difficult, and there was some obvious tension between the arrogant, overbearing Odinous, and the somewhat stubborn Nordithet. Odinous had brought details of premonitions that he and others of his order had done about the upcoming war. They too, had seen Jetha, Ullden, and others in their visions. Odinous had been sent to ensure certain things occurred according to what the order felt was necessary. It was Nordithet who'd been keeping the girl out of sight, stating repeatedly that he had matters under control. While Vera seemed to have taken Nordithet's side in the matter, Odinous seemed as if he wanted to put Jetha through some series of "tests" to make sure she was ready. None of them, however, could agree on just what it was the girl was going to have to do. Ullden had the impression that Vera and Nordithet were working out details behind Ordinous' back.

Odinous had obviously not approved of Ullden either. Then again, he didn't seem to approve of anyone really, so Ullden wasn't letting himself be bothered by the man. He'd had the unfortunate chance to be present while the wizard gave the Duke a sound berating for requesting assistance with the coming Elar invasion. Not that the Duke likely hadn't deserved it, in Ullden's opinion. Duke Radrek Lagenz seemed inclined to think the world owed him a great debt merely for existing, so Ullden doubted the request had been anything less than a demand. No one, including the Duke's wife Elsa, really seemed to care for the man. By the end of the previous evening, Ullden had been wondering what kind of death Vera had seen for the man, and somewhat guiltily hoping it was a brutal one.

He could see Jetha from his seat at the side of the room. He tried to smile and look friendly whenever she nervously glanced over his way - Nordithet had made it clear that she knew him from a premonition spell of her own. She was barely more than a child, but someone had tied her up into a corset and dress to try and make her appear older, more mature. He noticed the girl's mother, introducing her to young men and seeing to it that her dance card was full. He knew that the mother had no idea what was coming. Nordithet had taken the time a few hours earlier to have a long discussion with Ullden, asking questions and giving him some information on Jetha. Nordithet seemed to be judging Ullden's character before he sent his charge off with a total stranger on some mysterious quest. The wizard had indicated that the girl's father knew some of what was coming, but the mother would be the difficult one. Just watching them now, Ullden could tell that he was right. Jetha was training to be a wizard, but her mother was still lining up suitors in the hopes that the girl would reconsider and increase the family's social ties to other wealthy families.

He gave the girl credit. While Nordithet had indicated that she could be both stubborn and rash, she seemed to handle herself well amongst the crowd of socialites. He imagined the clothes were as uncomfortable as his own felt, but she glided along behind her mother, smiling and nodding as she talked to everyone that she was introduced to. He noticed that there were a few individuals her own age for whom the smile seemed genuine. Otherwise, the smile was pasted on her lips, like most of the others in the room. Ullden wondered how they could all tolerate each other. They had to know that it was all a polite facade. Nearly everyone in the room seemed there to try and secure some beneficial arrangement or other. The Duke's son coming of age seemed just and excuse to hold the gathering, rather than the reason for it.

The dinner before the ball was announced, and the thick wooden doors to the dining hall were opened to the sound of trumpets. Ullden stood up from his seat, taking care not to stretch so much that he might tear the jacket. He wondered how he was expected to dance in the damned thing. Then again, he didn't expect to do much dancing. This crowd was likely to dance a lot more formally than he was accustomed to on any regular basis. He'd grown used to sweeping women off their feet in bars and inns with his ability to keep up with the dancing, but dancing with titled ladies was another thing entirely. He really only knew a couple of the dances that were likely to be used that night, and expected to spend most of his time sitting off by himself. He wished he could have just avoided attending the party at all.

They moved into the dining hall and people took seats. Most sat relatively close to where they had sat the night before. The wizard Odinous was seated at the Duke's table, which had caused some shuffling around of seating arrangements. Someone at the other end of the table had been bumped off. Ullden wasn't sure who that couple had been, but the end result had been an empty seat next to the foreign wizard. It almost seemed as though the seat was empty because no one wanted to sit there.

Once everyone was seated, servers wearing masks of different animals brought out dinner. The man serving his end of the Duke's table wore a cat mask, black with white whiskers. Duke Lagenz was clearly sparing no expense, but to Ullden it seemed unnecessary.

He couldn't complain about the quality or quantity of the food, though. He had never been in the habit of dining on expensive fare, but he had stayed at some particularly nice inns, and knew enough to be able to tell good food from bad. he admitted to Vera that this was, in fact, good food. She merely nodded, seeming unimpressed.

Vera herself looked more splendid than he'd ever seen her. Of course, he had never seen her dressed fancy before, and was unaccustomed to seeing her display much bosom at all. Her hair was done up with long ivory pins and she was even wearing makeup. Ullden had caught the Duke staring at her on more than one occasion already.

Dinner was brought out all at once instead of in courses. Once everyone had food, the center of the room filled with entertainers. Jugglers juggled and acrobats leaped and tumbled. There were mummers and dancers, and all moved around a central group of musicians. Ullden looked around at the spectacle, and at the number of people present, and wondered if he'd ever been paid as much at one time as this party had to be costing. He was pretty sure the answer was no.

Despite the lively entertainment, however, the meal itself seemed to crawl by. He knew no one at the table, save Vera, well enough to make much conversation. The gentleman who sat to his right side was friendly enough, but they had already found out the night before that the prosperous local orchard-owner and Ullden had absolutely nothing in common. The man had mostly gotten to sit at the Duke's table because he'd been named as Elsa's godfather when she'd been born, being close friends with her family. Ullden knew nothing of orchards, and though the gentleman was polite enough, he could tell that the man had little interest in mercanary work either. Other than the occasional agreement on a dancer or song, they had little to say to one another.

Vera did talk to him some, however, and the two did some reminiscing on days past that helped pass the time. At one point he realized that she was hardly eating the food that was placed in front of her and asked her about it. She leaned over and answered him in a quiet voice, obviously intending for no one else to hear.

"There are enough refugees here in the city that food is becoming scarce for them. I can't just sit here, enjoying this lavish display of wealth and self-importance while people are starving just outside the keep's walls. I also know that Elsa has made some quiet arrangements that the uneaten food from this affair will be taken out to some of the less fortunate of the refugees. I've eaten as much as I care to." As if to emphasize the point, she pushed her plate slightly away from herself and took a sip from her wineglass instead. "While the Duke's son is a good young man and deserves to have his coming of age celebrated, one would think the Duke would show more conservation during such difficult times. I find the whole thing to be vulgar, especially knowing what a miser the man usually is. He's using this party to secure those with a military background. He wants them to make their stand here, in order to save himself. So he's showing off, to make them want to come here over other possible locations. If it hadn't been the boy's birthday, he would have found some other excuse, I am sure."

While she kept the smile on her face, he heard her frustrated sigh. Thinking about what she had said, he found that the excellent food suddenly didn't taste as enticing to him anymore and he pushed his own plate back a bit as well. It wasn't long before one of the servants saw them and the plates were wisked away. During dessert, he watched Vera as she ate a small portion of the delicate pastry before setting it aside as well. While he had to admit that it tasted good enough to wolf down in just a few bites, he followed her example, thinking of some of the hollow and desperate faces he'd seen in getting here. He wondered how long it would be before things would return to some level of normalcy again. He suspected it was going to be a hard winter for everyone.

The last of the dishes were cleared away, and Ullden envisioned hungry masses outside suddenly being offered ornate pastries. He imagined one or two at least would look at it suspiciously before wolfing it down. Part of him regretted eating so little of it, but the feeling didn't last long.

Servants came in and moved some of the tables back towards the wall, making more room in the middle for dancing. The musicians took up a spot at one corner. More came and joined them, and they started a slow, sweeping tune.

The duke and his wife stepped out and danced the first dance. It was slow and complicated. To Ullden it just looked boring. There were not too many steps, although the order was not always the same.

"You're on the girl's dance card. It's the sixth dance," Vera informed him, "not counting this one, of course. I'm sorry there hasn't been a chance for more proper introductions already. Unfortunately you won't have a great deal of time to get to know her before taking her away from here."

"Dance card?" he asked, and she gave him a look as though he had asked how many times during the day the sun rose.

"Yes. Dance partners are pre-selected. This is not dancing in a tavern on a late evening. This is formal. I have also taken the liberty of arranging dance partners for you for the second and fourth songs, as well."

"You've what?" he asked, taken aback.

"You're going to be dancing with the girl before you've met her parents. We need to establish your presence here first. The two ladies you'll be dancing with are ladies that Jetha's mother will be aware of. She will be noticing who those ladies dance with. It will show, to her, that you are a member of society, and not just someone invited here by mistake."

"Vera, you know how much I enjoy these events..." he protested quietly.

"Oh, of course," she said with a sly grin. "And I fully intend to enjoy tonight as well. The fun hasn't even started yet." The knowing look on her face was far from reassuring.

She reached a couple of fingers delicately into the bosom of her dress and withdrew a slim folded card of paper with a small satin cord attached to it, and Ullden raised an eyebrow, suddenly wondering what else she might be keeping in there. He took the card when she offered it to him and saw lines marking the number of formal dances that were to be done that evening. There were four lines filled, spaced apart, and with Vera's own name as the last one he was required to dance with. He recognized the card itself as something that most of the guests had been writing on here and there throughout the reception before dinner.

With a sigh, he stuffed it in his jacket pocket after memorizing the name and dance number of the first woman he was supposed to dance with. He spent the time before that watching the other dances, hoping that the ones he would have to do would be somewhat similar in nature. All of Vera's planning would backfire if he looked clumsy and awkward on the dance floor.

By the second dance, he suspected that Vera had known what would be played for the dances as well, when planning which ones he would participate in. They were all ones he'd either seen or even danced before, and less complicated versions of them were done in some of the inns he'd stayed at. He managed to keep step and not embarrass himself by stepping on his dance partners, although neither of the women seemed overly impressed with him. He kept his small talk during the dances to a minimum, mostly encouraging them to talk about themselves. It seemed to work well enough, but the two dances seemed to each take forever. He had to remind himself not to drink too much wine in between them.

Then it came time to dance with Jetha, and he made his way to her location on the dance floor. She had turned to speak to another girl her age between the dance and didn't notice him take the place of her previous partner until she turned back as the music began. She had already put a smile on her face and raised her hands in the proper position for her next dance partner to receive them when she saw him standing there. He watched as the blood drained entirely out of her face and her smile faded. For a moment, he was afraid she was about to bolt off of the dance floor. He quickly took her hands and pulled her into the dance steps, trying to give her a warm smile.

"You'd think with all the commotion it seems to be causing, they'd have thought to introduce us before now," he said. "I'm Ullden. But you probably already know that."

She nodded, and he let her take a moment to get herself together again.

"I'm Jetha," she finally said. "But I'm sure you knew that too."

They both danced in awkward silence for a moment. He wasn't sure what she knew--whether she knew less than he did or more.

"I'm not completely sure how to handle all this," he confessed. "I don't know the whole story of what's going on, and I don't know how much you know."

"Well, I had these--"

"And here might not be the best place to talk about it," he suggested, stopping her. "Why don't we just take a moment to talk. Whatever you might... have been told about me, I'm not someone you need to be afraid of. I'm here to keep you safe, ...I think. You'll have to forgive me, this isn't really the best setting for me. I'm more comfortable in taverns or out in the wild. I belong in armor, not in... this."

"I used to dream about parties like this," the girl said. "I dreamed that boys would choose me for dancing, that they'd be all flattering and like the boys back home. I'm used to boys that get a little shy around girls they like. They aren't as intimidating when they're like that."

"The boys here are nothing like that. I suppose they're young men and not boys, but... Between Mother picking all my dances for me, and everyone here seeming so... pompous? I guess this isn't what I expected. I don't even know why I'm telling you all this. I don't even know you."

"When you get home," he said, "maybe the boys there will suddenly be such a refreshing change..." He trailed off, remembering that as far as he knew she wasn't going straight home. He couldn't promise that she'd even ever get home. You will get home, he promised her in his head.

"I don't think I'm going home again after the party," she said, as if reading his thoughts. "There's a lot Nordithet hasn't told me. And even if I do go back home, it may not be for long. My father has been suggesting that my mother and I take my younger brother and head north before the war reaches here."

She paused for a moment, looking worried, and he searched for something he could say that might reassure her it would all work out. He realized he had plenty of experience reassuring mature women of their beauty and coaxing them into bed, but had absolutely nothing to draw upon for reassuring a frightened girl. She was only barely of marrying age, which was not an age he ever even looked at, much less spent time conversing with. He'd never seen himself as the "fatherly" type either, so he wasn't sure exactly what all his role as "protector" really entailed.

"How bad is it really?" she asked, breaking the silence. "The war, I mean. Father has been sheltering us from having to worry, and well... It's not an appropriate topic of conversation to speak of with young ladies, which means I can't get anyone else here to really tell me much at all."

He nearly laughed aloud at the look of frustration that crossed her face and knew in that moment that the two of them would somehow manage to be friends after all. He had been somewhat concerned that she would be too rooted in her training as a "lady" to be able to make the adjustment to traveling with him. Still, he continued making mental notes of a few personal habits he had when camping that probably would need to be changed while she was with him. When traveling alone, there were some things that he did however was most convenient.

"It's pretty bad," he told her honestly. "I've heard a lot of tales that sound pretty unbelieveable, and some that sound pretty certain. The Elar are taking ground faster than anyone would think possible. People say that they are summoning demons and that they leave them behind with just a handful of soldiers to guard an entire city. It's the amount of time they occupy a city before they move on that I find amazing. Why the people don't just take back the city from them is beyond me. While I've heard tales of priests and scholars being killed, those that have escaped seem to say that they are leaving the people alive and forcing them to submit to their religion. It doesn't sound like they are being enslaved, however, so why they don't just take back what's theirs after the Elar are gone...?" He shook his head. "It doesn't make sense. One demon can be defeated. It's not easy, but it can be done."

"Have you ever killed a demon?" she asked him.

"Not alone," he admitted. "However, I was part of a group of soldiers led by a couple of priests who went and dealt with a demon. It had been plaguing the nearby towns, taking their children from their beds at night and feeding upon them. It had some creatures it used to guard it's lair and I killed several of those myself in the process of getting to it. It was mostly the priests that did the killing of the demon, however. My sword alone didn't seem to do damage to it fast enough. It could heal itself nearly as fast as the soldiers and I struck it."

Her eyes had grown wide at the story and he hoped he hadn't just given her something to have nightmares about that night. He went to change the subject, and ask her about her training with Nordithet, when there was a tap on his shoulder. He turned to find a young man, only slightly taller than Jetha was, looking at him with an irritated, arrogant expression that made Ullden want to dunk the boy's head in the nearest punchbowl and hold him there for a moment.

"I believe I have the next dance with Lady Jetha," the boy said. His tone of voice suggested he was all but clapping his hands for someone to haul Ullden out of his way. Ullden kept himself in check, realizing the song had ended.

"Thank you for the dance, Ullden," Jetha said, pasting her "social smile" back on her face. "However, young Lord Ecknid here is next on my dance card."

"Of course," Ullden said, bowing to Jetha. "It was my pleasure, to be sure."

She curtsied back to him before turning to "Lord" Ecknid and beginning the next dance with him. Ullden moved off to the side of the room again and grabbed himself a glass of wine from one of the roaming servants, having to keep himself from knocking it back in one gulp.

He stood by himself and watched people dance. Some people talked while they danced, most, it seemed, did not. The girl, Jetha, looked bored half the time and worried the rest. Oh, she was putting on the appropriate expressions, but he thought he was already starting to learn how to read her.

"Excuse me, my lord," Vera said teasingly behind him. He turned to find her looking up at him a little, grinning a mischievous grin. "The next dance is the last one, which means that in just a moment you're mine for a few minutes."

"It seems I'm often someone's..." he joked.

The last dance was one he didn't really know, but he faked his way through it. Vera was silent for the first half or so of the dance. Then, as if triggered by some cue he couldn't detect, she started as though changing topics in an already occurring conversation.

"The wizard that arrived last night... I overheard a conversation between him and our host. He's planning on seizing Jetha in the morning and taking her for some tests. He'll take her a considerable distance from here. In the wrong direction. They'll plan to hold her for weeks--by which time it might be completely too late. I've spoken with Nordithet, the girl's wizard tutor, and we have to act."

"Do what, exactly?" he asked.

"Smuggle her out of here in the night. Cover as much ground as you can before daybreak. Nordithet says that he can cover your tracks, at least for a short while."

"What about her parents?"

"That we will have to leave up to Nordithet, as well," she explained.

"Do you trust him?"

"Yes, I do," she said as the song ended. She curtsied and he bowed, and they joined in the clapping of the dancers around them.

The Duke made a brief speech, thanking everyone for coming and saying a bunch of other things that Ullden didn't really bother paying attention to. He found himself seeking Jetha out in the crowd with his eyes instead, wondering how she would react to the news. Frankly, he was starting to get damned sick and tired of everyone making plans for him. A part of him was relieved at the prospect of leaving them all behind and being allowed to make decisions for himself again. While he trusted Vera herself, his trust did not always extend to her visions and she seemed to be more invested in them than in the past. If it hadn't been for others having had similar things to say about premonitions of their own, he wasn't sure he'd be so willing to let them plan so much of this for him.

He saw Jetha listening politely to the Duke's speech, and Nordithet slipping quietly in behind her. The wizard leaned down and said something in her ear. She nodded, although her expression didn't change and neither of them made any move to leave the party yet. Ullden turned back to hear the Duke wrapping up the speech and he clapped when everyone else did. There were a few words of thanks spoken by the Duke's son as well, before the Duke and his family retired for the night. The musicians continued to play, but in a more subdued manner, and the dancers and other entertainers cleared out for the night. While some of the guests wandered off towards the rooms they had been assigned or out of the keep to inns within the city, most broke into small groups and began talking. Ullden noticed that it was mostly the women and children leaving, while the menfolk gathered in groups of familiar faces and began finding smaller areas to sit down in. Conversations of the war sprang up all around him, and he declined on a few polite inqiries from people suggesting he join them. Instead, he followed Vera, who beckoned him as if flirting.

They went back to her rooms, and stood in the sitting room for a moment while she lit some lanterns and candles to bring more light into the room. After a moment, there was a gentle knock on the door and Vera let Nordithet in, followed by Jetha. Jetha looked a little surprised to see him there, but he noticed that she no longer looked afraid of him at least. Vera, on the other hand, seemed to make the girl nervous. Vera suggested they all sit down, as Nordithet moved around the room, chanting quietly and casting some sort of spell. When he was finished, he joined them on the delicate-looking chairs.

"What was that spell?" Ullden asked bluntly.

"It will allow us to speak for a short while withough having to worry that anyone might overhear us," Nordithet answered. "I do not trust Odinous. He is the type to have set listening spells. Knowledge is power to wizards like him, and he will be less than pleased when he hears what we've done as it is. I'd prefer not to have to deal with him before then, however. He is an elder wizard and deserves at least some measure of respect, despite his assumptions here. Nonetheless, this spell will fool any that he may have set without raising any alarm. We only have a short time to speak, however. I only have so many of these spells prepared for today, and I will need them later as well."

"Could he have overheard anything with these spells during the ball?" Vera asked worriedly.

"Unlikely," Nordithet answered. "Between the music and the conversations, he would have just gotten too much to make sense of if he used a spell there. He would have had to do his eavesdropping the old fashioned way - by being close by. Instead, he spent most of his evening sitting at the table and refusing all dance requests." Nordithet shrugged, shaking his head. "I think our plans are still safe for the moment."

"So... what are these plans?" Jetha asked tenatively.

"We'll need to get you away from here," the wizard said. "You'll need to leave as quickly as possible. Ullden here will take you to a church where you will ask for Father Marus Rolin--we're pretty sure he's the priest fom your vision. We're hoping that he'll know what to do from there."

"Mother will never tolerate me just dashing off--"

"Then you mustn't tell her," Vera interrupted. The girl's eyes were wide. She was clearly frightened, and Ullden could imagine how this must suddenly seem too big for her.

"But!..."

Ullden leaned forward. "It's never easy, leaving loved ones somewhere," he said, hoping he was being soothing. "But as much as it won't seem fair, even saying goodbye to them will put them in danger. Sometimes, the loving thing to do is to just leave. Trust me. I know all about leaving," he said regretfully.

"But!..."

The next time it was the wizard that interrupted her, "I'll be preparing a bundle for your spells and for your wizardry. I'll send you off with spells to learn. I'm afraid you'll need them. I had hoped for more time to get you ready. You've learned well so far, but you'll be on your own."

"Wait, you aren't coming with?" she asked incredulously.

"No Jetha, I cannot. I am not in your visions. Nor am I there in the spells I have done to try and puzzle out what your visions mean. My place seems to be with your family. Someone must stay behind and protect them from the Elar, don't you agree?"

"But!..." Jetha's eyes were welling up with tears. "I'm not ready to be a wizard on my own yet! You've said so yourself, plenty of times!"

"While you still have much to learn before you will be considered a true wizard amongst others who hold that title, I have hopefully given you all the tools you will need to arrive there on your own. I have known this day was coming, Jetha, though I did not know why or when. Some things have only revealed themselves recently, but the first moment I saw you I knew there was a reason I had to stay and become your teacher."

"You will get the chance to say goodbye to your father, Jetha," Nordithet added. "While he always hoped this day would never come, I have kept him informed over the years of the things I have seen coming for you. He will explain to your mother what has happened, and convey your goodbyes. I spoke privately with him earlier to warn him that it would be soon, so he is expecting this."

"We must not take too much time discussing this," Vera cut in. "The longer we wait, the more chance that Odinous will discover our plans. You will take my horse, Jetha. She's a calm enough mare so you should have no trouble handling her. The horses will help give you a head start on any pursuit that Odinous might send after you. Watch for people from your visions, girl. They are the ones meant to go with you on this journey. I believe it is important for you to gather them together. If you leave one behind, you may not succeed in the end."

"Succeed at what though?" Jetha asked. Ullden could hear a desperate edge in her voice. Her hands were clasped together and her knuckles white with tension.

"We don't know exactly, Jetha," Nordithet answered. "You and the others will have to try and figure that out as you go. It may be that you need all six of you together before the true purpose of your quest will become clear. It is my belief that you will need to cast a spell. A powerful one. More than that, I cannot be sure on."

"You must pack only what you can carry," Vera added. "Beyond that, the horses will need to carry food and other supplies that I will gather while you are packing. Take only what you absolutely need, Jetha. I doubt you'll be attending any formal dances on the journey, for example, but you might want sturdy boots if you end up needing to do some walking."

"I will help you pack," Nordithet assured her. "And both Vera and I have made copies of our notes. Perhaps they will help you both to determine what it is you need to do. I suspect this priest, Father Rolin, will come up with different ideas as well. He may need to be convinced, however."

Nordithet took Jetha and left Ullden and Vera alone. They both sat for a while in silence. Dancing candle flame lit Vera's eyes, much like the time they had first met. He couldn't swallow away the feeling that he wouldn't see her again. She didn't look up at him, which did not help.

"I wish I knew more about what was coming," Vera said quietly. Neither of them said anything right away. Eventually Ullden let out a concerned sigh.

"Well, I hope you aren't expecting me to be able to tell you. I hardly know what's going on, let alone what's coming," he joked, hoping to ease the mood a little. She smiled and looked up at him, although there was an unshakeable sad look in her eyes. He wondered what she knew that she wasn't saying. He wondered how far off the Elar were. He suspected she had heard the news of what they were doing to people like her. He was worried for her, too, but he knew better than to say anything about it.

"So what do you know about this priest?" he eventually asked.

"Oh, Radrek sent a messenger off to their church reminding them that in his opinion they were obligated to be sending priests to support his army. Father Rolin was the one who spoke to the messenger. The description he gave when he got back matched the brief image I'd seen in a dream. From what I understand he's a wise man, although he puts little stock in what I do. I'm used to that from priests, though, so that by itself isn't unusual."

"But I don't know why him. I hadn't heard of him before. He isn't the highest ranking priest. There are plenty of others that ought to be able to handle whatever's coming up. Then again... Well, no, I guess I can understand why you."

"Oh?" he asked. "I've been wondering 'why me?' for some time now."

"If I knew there was trouble or hardship coming for me," she said, looking sad again, "I can't think of anyone else I'd want nearby."

Ullden was suddenly overwhelmed with a desire to do just that - keep Vera safe somehow. He tried to think of ways to convince her to come with them, at least for a while, to get further from the Elar.

"Vera, I..." he began, not sure what he could say to get her to come with him.

"We mustn't waste time here," she interrupted him. "You should get your things packed and ready to go."

"Vera..."

"The spell is ending. Look," she waved her hand around the room where the light mist that had formed from Nordithet's spell was beginning to dissipate. "There's no more time to talk. Gather your things and meet me at the back entrance to the stables when you are ready. I need to gather the other supplies that will be needed." She stood up and brushed off her skirts in a businesslike fashion as the mist finished dispersing. "Until later then Ullden," she finished, gesturing towards the door.

"Yes, Vera. Until later." Ullden stood up and headed to the door, frowning. While he understood the urgency, he didn't like how things were turning out so far. His mind was filled with worry for Vera, yet he had already promised her he'd go with Jetha. As they parted ways in the hall, he found himself sighing in frustration. He hoped he would start feeling like he at least had some control over the course of events again once he was back on the road.

Once inside the room he'd been staying in, he made quick work of removing the uncomfortable suit and getting into his own clothes and armor. Once he'd gotten the rest of his belongings tightly packed up again, he draped the long, thick cloak he had over himself, making the armor a little less obvious to a casual glance. It was long enough to mostly conceal the sword on his belt as well. He slung most of his bags over his shoulder and grabbed up the last one in his hand. He left the suit, and it's purple velvet jacket, lying in a crumpled heap on one of the chairs. He knew he had no real use for it himself. Then, after taking one last look around the room to be sure he hadn't forgotten anything, he headed out, closing the door behind him.