Free Shadows of the Realm (The Circle of Talia) by Dionne Lister

as nice."
    The woman smiled. "It's the least I could do. I have a feeling your journey may be a long and dangerous one. I only hope you and your girls get where you're going safely. Enjoy the food , and good luck."
    After she left , they sat down to a hearty breakfast of pancakes with fresh butter and honey. "Mmm. This sure beats the watery porridge we've been eating." Bronwyn shoved in another mouthful. After breakfast they transferred the rest of the food from the basket to their packs. There was a fresh loaf of bread, fruit muffins, jam, biscuits, and fried potato cakes. There was some cooked bacon that Avruellen put in Corrille's bag. Along with the dried fruit, porridge, and small piece of cheese, which was still in Bronwyn's bag, they would have enough food to get them to Bayerlon.
    Before they left, Avruellen warned her charges: "Without trying to scare you, I need you to be watchful. If I ask you to do anything, anything at all, I expect to be obeyed instantly. No one goes out of my sight, at any time, for anything. We do everything together from now on. Do you understand?" It was a rhetorical question; they both nodded. "Good. OK. Let’s go."
    Corrille narrowed her eyes, and Bronwyn could see she resented being told what to do. In a way, Bronwyn felt too old to be treated like a child, however, she knew deep down that her aunt must have a reason. In fact, she had noticed Avruellen was jumpy, always turning her head this way and that—not her usual demeanor. 
    After they set out, Bronwyn noticed Flux was also acting strange. One minute walking with them, the next ranging out to the side, behind or ahead, and they went for hours at a time without seeing the fox. Bronwyn worried. Whatever had upset her aunt must be important. She hoped it was something they could cope with. Her philosophy of not worrying about anything until it happened was hard to uphold in the present circumstances. She hoped it wasn’t too long before she set her eyes on Bayerlon. 
    In the distant Third Realm, a barren wasteland where the Gormons waited and cultivated their hate, what passed for laughter shrieked forth from the creature. Its watchfulness in the Second Realm had paid off. Stupid humans . One fool had led him to the other. Before long he would know them all, and when it was too late for Talia, they would know him. He grated his scaly palms together, careful not to cut himself with his own claws. Two of his High Priests had already travelled the ethereal corridors to Talia. Even now they were adjusting to clumsy human bodies. Soon, soon. It would all be his, soon.

     
     
     
     
     
     
    8
     
    The sun's rays warmed the castle walls. Clear winter light played around the queen's chambers, drawing out subtle pink and orange hues within the stone. 
    "What do you think, Sarah?" Queen Gabrielle held up a newly embroidered vei ,l and Sarah paused in her effort to arrange her mistress’s hair. Pale pink and blue flowers traced a delicate path around the edges of the material.
    "It's beautiful. Verity will love it."
    "I hope so. Now all we have to do is find her a husband." The queen smiled. Sixteen was a little young to be married, but as her daughter would one day be queen, she had already started the search for a suitable husband. Plenty of noble (and otherwise) families had offered their sons, but so far Gabrielle was not convinced someone better couldn't be found. 
    "What about you? I hear Petro is back in the city."
    Sarah blushed and hurriedly finished the braid she was working on. "Yes. I saw him last night, actually. He’s leaving again in a few days. I doubt he'll ever ask me." 
    The queen's lady-in-waiting was thirty and had never been married. She was a beautiful woman, slightly built with long, blonde hair. It wasn't as if no one had ever been interested; she was just too shy. The one man she had developed an affectionate relationship with was Petro, the travelling salesman. He went from town to town, city to city,