Nialdaman told the last of his story. Everyone listened as they quietly made their way further up the mountain. At times the trees surrounding them cleared as they went, and Kella had an unobstructed view down the mountain they climbed. But she couldn’t appreciate the beauty of those breathtaking scenes. Her thoughts stayed with the end of the story Nialdaman was weaving.

He had returned to Perrin’s keep, unaware of Brit’s death. He saw that the crowds of people who once bustled around the keep had stilled. They’d all left to the city below, and only returned if summoned. Nialdaman discovered that Perrin’s erratic behavior was getting worse, and that it frightened most of his servants away as well.

Nialdaman entered the keep and searched for Brit, but he could find her nowhere. Th...

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