Collecting Cennerun was easy enough, as was convincing him of my intent to leave without delay. In practically no time at all we were making our way out the front doors of the cathedral and plunging into the city streets.

I had thought, at almost the last possible moment, to go to the kitchens to collect rations for the road. This, Cennerun waved off as being unnecessary.

"I have plenty of provisions and no appetite for them myself," he assured me. "I only wish to return as quickly as possible."

Just as I was about to draw in a breath of relief at having escaped so neatly and without running into Coult, I heard his familiar voice call my name from somewhere behind me. Feigning deafness, I hurried on across the square without even pausing.

''I think someone is calling for you," Cennerun commented, although he did not break stride either.

"I don't want to speak to him," I replied briefly.

"Aeri!" Coult called after me again, his voice much closer now than it had been before. "Wait! I want to talk to you!"

"Maybe we should stop?" Cennerun wondered aloud. "He'll catch up sooner or later. There will be a delay at the stables when we stop to pick up the horses."

"No!" I hissed, my mind frantically racing, trying to come up with a plan. I had one in a moment.

"You stop and get the horses," I commanded Cennerun. "In this press of people he probably can't even see me and is following you anyway. I'll just make my way out of the city and you can catch up to me on the road."

"Alright," Cennerun agreed easily. "Should I say anything if he speaks to me?"

"No, I don't think he'd pursue me out of the city. Just ignore him."

We fell silent after that exchange, working on making our way through the bustling city streets. Since I was small, it was easy enough for me to avoid most obstacles and I soon left even Cennerun some distance behind. Two swift glances back made it clear to me that Coult was indeed still following.

Moving at a pace that was just short of a run, I made for the city gates. The crowds thinned out as I went and by now I was too afraid to look back and see whether or not I was still pursued. If Coult did still follow, he was no longer calling my name.

Just as I reached the gates, I sensed rather than heard someone directly behind me. A large hand, familiar in its size and weight, settled on my shoulder at the same time a most beloved voice reached my ears.

"Aeri, please."

Although the hand on my shoulder did nothing to restrain me, I stopped in my tracks, staunchly refusing to turn around. "There is nothing to say, Coult. Let me leave in peace."

He stepped closer. I could feel the warmth of him and the loose folds of his clothes brushing against my back. "I am sorry, Aeri," he breathed, voice low and intimate against my ear.

I shook my head. "You were only being honest."

"But I –"

"No!" I interrupted, spinning violently to face him. His hand dropped from my shoulder and hovered uselessly in the air between us.

Looking on him for the last time, I took a step backwards. My eyes drank in his strong face, the smile lines gathered around his mouth and eyes, and the long black hair which was not tied back for a change and so framed the whole in an unruly sort of way.

"No," I said again, more quietly this time. "Goodbye."

"Will you let me speak at all?" Coult tried again.

I turned away in answer, wishing with every particle of my being that I could simply disappear. It was only when I heard Coult gasp that I realized I had done something.

"Aeri? Are you still there?"

Realizing that I must have faded away, I thanked the Light silently and on noiseless feet made the escape that had been granted to me.

By the time Cennerun caught up to me along the main road I was visible and in full control of my features. With little fuss and no chat, I swung up into the saddle of the horse he led for me and we continued on at a much more rapid pace.

I was familiar with horses thanks to my upbringing but it had been quite some time since I had last been in the saddle. I concentrated on re-acclimating myself to the rhythm of the animal's movement and in this way managed to keep my mind off of Coult.

After a few hours, we broke to eat lunch and this seemed to signal the beginning of a somewhat stilted conversation.

"Did your trainer catch up with you?" Cennerun asked cautiously, watching me closely for my reaction.

"Yes," I answered briefly. "Why?''

Cennerun's mouth twitched at the corners. "When I passed him in the street, he was looking around and calling your name. For a moment there I wasn't certain if I should stop for you, assuming you were in the area, or if I should just keep going."

"Oh." I looked away. Unable to think of anything to add, I decided on a change of subject. ''How long will it take to get back to your family's farm?"

"Two and a half or three days." Cennerun shrugged. "It all depends on how hard we can push."

"Which, I suppose, depends on me and the horses?"

"Yes."

"Well, I will do my best to keep up with whatever pace you decide to set. Assume I'm fine unless I say otherwise."

"Thank you," Cennerun said, sounding relieved. His mood, which had already grown noticeably more calmed since last night now relaxed even more. Of course, it was still a far cry from being cheerful.

"Of course." I nodded briefly. "I understand the urgency. Can you tell me any more about your mother's illness? How long has she been sick and what are the symptoms?"

Cennerun briefly acquainted me with the facts, such as he knew them. From his description of the malady, I could discern that it was a slow, wasting sort of sickness, but beyond that could make no guesses.

''Well," I said, moving to remount, having eaten my fill, "the sooner we get there, the sooner I will know if I can help."

"I am certain you can," Cennerun replied. His voice utterly lacked conviction, belying his words, and I repurposed within myself to do everything I could to help.

Pushing hard, we made it in just under three day's time. The farm was as I recalled it to be, although it lacked the cheerful air it had carried in the fall. I thought this perhaps had more to do with the almost tangible anxiety that blanketed the place than it did with the bleak colors of late winter.

We reined up next to the house in the dooryard and slid wearily from our horses. Cennerun gathered up the reins and tossed them casually around a wooden post.

"Let me show you to her and then I'll take care of the beasts."

I nodded my assent and followed him into the house, which was little changed from what I remembered. He took me upstairs and down a short hallway to a room whose door stood slightly ajar.

"Mother?" Cennerun called out in a low-pitched voice. "Mother, I'm here. I've brought Aeri."

Pausing at the threshold of the door to allow my eyes time to adjust to the darkness of the room, I wondered vaguely where everyone else who lived here might be. I supposed that Cennerun's father might be out working his fields, but thought that his younger sister must surely be somewhere nearby. As it was, the place felt deserted.

Shrugging this off mentally, I moved cautiously into the room, following the indistinct murmuring of Cennerun's voice. He was helping his mother to sit up in bed and I peered through the darkness to get a look at my patient. At first I could scarcely believe that the emaciated woman who was struggling to sit up and trying pitifully to greet me and thank me all at once was Cennerun's mother.

Not bothering to waste time on niceties, I immediately searched out my wellspring of heating, tapped into it, and sent a gentle stream of comfort through the sick woman's body.

Despite my emphasis on shadow magic, I had still received a comprehensive training in the healing arts. I might not be as strong as other healers were but I was capable of making a quick diagnosis. I still visualized illnesses in color and the rapid scan I performed told me immediately that Daela's entire body was overcome by those internal growths I had previously seen in others on rare occasions.

I sat with her for an hour or more, scarcely noticing when Cennerun took his leave to deal with the horses. Only when Daela was resting comfortably and I thought it likely that she would sleep for a time did I leave the confines of that darkened room.

Rather unexpectedly, I found Cennerun in the kitchen, putting together some type of savory soup for the evening meal.

"How is she?" Cennerun asked immediately upon seeing me.

"She's resting quietly and seems to be more comfortable now," I answered. "But the sickness is all through her. It's nothing I am able to cure and I may not be able to do more than ease her passing. I am sorry I do not have better news."

Despair flickered quietly in Cennerun's eyes before he closed them, shutting me out from whatever he might be thinking or feeling.

"I am glad I did not allow myself to hope for a full recovery then," he said in a dull voice.

My heart wrung with compassion, but I couldn't begin to think of anything to say that might bring comfort. Had I known him better, I might have offered him a hug. As it was, we were still too wary around each other for me to do anything more than murmur, "I'm sorry" again, this time so quietly that he might not even hear me.

When the hazel eyes opened again I felt almost as though the pain I saw there struck me a physical blow. For what seemed like an eternity, we regarded each other from across the room, not saying a word.

I was the one to break the silence at last, clearing my throat and asking, "Where are your father and sister?"

A corner of Cennerun's mouth tilted upwards sardonically. ''Dead. A fever carried my sister off three years ago. My father died just after the harvest last year. His heart, we think."

I stood aghast, not having a single thing in mind to say. Nothing in the world could be adequate to the loss he had suffered. When his mother died - not even if - he would have no one.

"In case you're wondering," Cennerun said next, mockingly. "You were also correct regarding Aurelia. We hardly speak any more, although I was able to prevail upon her to check on Mother while I was gone."

My eyes filled with tears as I looked at him. Four years ago he had been vibrant and content. Now, however, although he remained as physically beautiful and strong as ever, he seemed to be a mere shell of a man, a shadow of something greater.

It seemed that time had a funny way of improving one person's lot while simultaneously decimating all that someone else held dear.

"I didn't want to be right," I said at last, weakly. It was hardly the main point of the conversation but I felt the need to deflect the implied blame.

"I know," Cennerun said tiredly. "Forgive me. I am not myself these days."

"I understand."

Another awkward moment passed and then was glossed over by his offering me some soup and my accepting. I ate hastily, not daring to say anything more, and then returned upstairs to keep vigil over Daela.

The next five days passed by painfully slowly. Cennerun and I avoided each other as much as possible; this was not difficult since he spent most of his time working. The farm was not overly large but it required all the time he had and that of two other people besides.

I spent the majority of my time with Daela. She slept constantly when I had chased the pain away long enough for her to do so. Without discussing it with Cennerun, I additionally took the household chores upon myself as I had time, taking care of cooking and cleaning along with tasks such as gathering eggs or occasionally milking the cow.

We each felt into our roles quickly, so that by the second day I almost felt like one half of an old married couple, always knowing precisely when to have a meal ready and on the table.

On the sixth day, we buried Daela. Cennerun dug the grave while I prepared the body. I watched as he tenderly laid his mother in the earth and then knelt down in the dirt and sobbed.

Leaving him to the privacy of his grief, I went back inside and cleaned everything thoroughly. My own heart was heavy with grief - both for Cennerun and for myself.

I should leave the next day, having done all I could, but I had no idea of where I might go or what I might do when I got there. I ached to return to the cathedral and my idyllic life of studies, but my pride was too great to allow me to face Coult again.

Coult. The mere thought of him filled me with an unbearable longing that would never be satisfied. I wondered if this hollow feeling would haunt me forever.

Cennerun came inside just as I finished putting food on the table. I gave him his space as he washed his hands, splashed water on his tear-stained face, and then sat down at the table. He made no move towards the meal; I rather doubted he even realized it was there.

"You should eat something," I said at last. It was the first time either of us had spoken in all that wretched day. His hazel eyes refocused and he slowly helped himself to some chicken and some bread. He left it sitting on his plate, untouched and untasted.

"I don't know what to do now."

His admission seemed to surprise him more than it did me. Having found his tongue though, he kept talking; mostly to himself, I thought.

"I don't want to stay here. Markham - Aurelia's husband - has expressed an interest in buying the place. Maybe hiring some hands to help. I'd sell it in an instant but I have nowhere else to go."

Not entirely sure he even realized I was still there, I sat down across from him quietly, completely at a loss as to what I might say. I certainly had nothing to offer him in the way of ideas, having been wrestling with the same problem myself for the past several days.

"Well," Cennerun said abruptly, standing up and lightly slapping both of his hands down on the table. "I don't need to make any decisions yet. The first thing I need to do is escort you back to Stormwind. We can ride out in the morning."

"I'm not going back to Stormwind," I said quietly.

Cennerun jerked his head around to look at me so quickly that I imagined he must have caused his neck considerable trauma.

"What do you mean you're not going back to Stormwind?"

"Just what I said when I told you I wasn't going to talk to my former instructor any more."

"Well, where do you plan on going?"

I shrugged, a most eloquent answer. "I haven't decided yet. But you need not worry. I'll be on the road tomorrow morning and I won't trouble you for an escort."

But he was already shaking his head in a decided fashion. "I can't allow you to wander about the countryside alone!"

"You can't keep me from doing as I choose," I pointed out, more amused than anything else. "Besides, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Cennerun snorted and opened his mouth to say something I would no doubt dislike hearing. Standing up hastily, I threw out a hand in an imperious gesture to forestall whatever he was about to say.

"I have been training for the past four years in shadow magic. I could bring you to your knees if I wanted to – which I don't at present. But please, don't press me on this. You have your own life to look after without worrying over mine when I'm determined to be contrary in any event."

I softened the speech with a smile and, much to my surprise, other than a grunt of dissatisfaction, Cennerun had nothing to say. Quietly making my escape while it still seemed possible to do so, I stole away to the room I had been using and gathered my meager belongings together in preparation for an early departure on the morrow.

Then there was only sleep and what proved to be my last night in a real bed for quite some time.