Riani had awoken from her trip to exile with some surprise. She was alive. Her head ached from the process that
she had experienced in the portal. The first thing that felt was the cold. It was a deep chill in her bones.
She was in a forest, it was probably about midday judging by the sun.
The note was still in her hand. She was eager to read it. Eager for anything that might make sense of what had
happened to her, or help her here. The note was short and to the point.
“You will find at the Northern edge of the forest a place of Sanctuary for a while.
Some people work for your permanent removal.
Some may find you and help.
Defend yourself as best you can.
We cannot guarantee the secrecy of your location for long.
You are worthy.
S "
“But why?” she thought. I am no threat to anyone here. It can’t be because of Terin, Getting found guilty had
automatically cancelled that arrangement, leaving him in the market for a new fiancée. Perhaps to have her
exiled, yes, but to have her “permanently removed“, killed? Maybe to weaken Gerard? Why? She had never fully
understood court politics, but it seemed unlikely. Why not simply discredit Gerard some other way? If someone
could do this to her, they could easily have done something to him. Maybe just one enchantment spell on him to
have him wandering around in love with someone inappropriate, like the Duke’s wife or daughter. That would
have had him safely out of the way much more quickly and with much less fuss than this. Her talent couldn’t be
the reason either. She wasn’t particularly gifted. She had had to spend longer than the average student
practicing her Spellings, always she had been placed towards the lower end of average in tests and assessments.
She tried to remember what it had been like to be the woman betrothed to the Duke’s nephew. To have flatterers and
admirers and friends and fun. To have servants and baths and clothes and weapons classes to attend just
because she liked them. ”A good thing I did like them” she congratulated herself on her foresight…
and of course, to not have to think about a court case that she had mainly considered to be amusing… right up
until the point where she was found guilty.
She was sitting up on the ground reading and rereading the note when she sensed that she was being watched. She
attuned herself more consciously to her surroundings.
“peace brother” she whispered in a low voice, sensing an animal close by.
The wolf was a dull silver grey colour, its eyes regarded her with suspicion and curiosity.
She let her senses reach out to the animal. If she could not peacefully leave this wolf’s territory, then anything
else that she might plan was irrelevant.
Then she felt herself touch the nature of it. She smiled, realising her mistake, and sent out another message,
“peace sister, no harm to you or your young from me”.
The wolf sniffed at her pack, and then at her feet. Riani sat quietly allowing the investigation.
Satisfied that Riani was neither prey nor predator the she wolf backed away and sat down several feet away from
her, still watching her, but Riani sensed no suspicion now.
She felt within her permission to leave in safety. She quietly stood up and backed away.
She felt something else, another animal, larger, but a further away. Perhaps a bear.
Something in her mind, the she wolf possibly, confirmed that it was. She backed out of the area and then turned
towards the North. She had not known which direction was North before the contact with the she wolf.
“Thank you sister” she whispered, gratefully.
The tower had been visible at the edge of the peninsula from the forests edge. Crossing the fields she had seen no
farmers, but she could see that a perhaps a mile away from the tower lay some huts. She could perhaps get food
from there. It would do no good to be noticed as a newcomer though. She practiced in her mind the Forgetting
spelling. If anyone sensed that people here knew about her, they might also be put into danger. It was best to
ensure secrecy as long as she could here, and hope that whoever “S” was that he and his colleagues could do the
same back home for a while at least. It couldn’t be Magemaster Sol. He had looked at her with such hatred
that it still made her cheeks blush bright pink in remembered shame.
If only she could have convinced Gerard of her innocence, he was in danger too. She was no-one really, this had all
been done to discredit him. It must have been. She knew that his rise in the Duke’s Court had been fast and
not universally popular. He had abandoned her to save himself. That much was obvious. She felt betrayed by
her own brother. She had been set to marry Terin, she didn’t love him in the way of books and stories, but she
had always been betrothed to him. If Duke Arrin hadn’t have insisted upon them waiting until next Midwinter
on the advice of his mage advisor, they’d have been married by now. That was like losing another
brother in a way. Terin was gentle and kind and they liked each other a lot. Who would want her now? She felt
tears rising, and tried to think of something else.
It wasn’t difficult to distract herself with practicalities. Where was she going to sleep? The tower was an obvious
magnet to her. Strong and safe looking. It must be the sanctuary that the note had mentioned. She had
walked towards the village, her knife in her belt and her eyes scanning for any sign of danger. She was very
hungry. She also realised that if it was a magnet to her, then also it was likewise for anyone looking for her.
Couldn’t be helped. She could only deal with that problem once she had food and somewhere to rest for the
night. So that had been her priority, and eventually the need for safety had led her to the tower.