Yay! New chapter! Everyone give me three hip hip hoorays! Or not well, whatever. New chapter. Be happy.

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Departure

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Even from a hundred yards away, Kel could see the small group of people congregating by the North Gate. She whispered, "Go faster" to Peachblossom, who upped his pace to a quick canter. As she rode closer, she narrowed her eyes and tried to figure out just who was there to see her off.

Picking out a towering figure, she grinned. Of course Raoul would be there, and the small figure close to his side was Buri. Kel also recognized the King and Queen and Alanna. They were all that had come to see her depart, although she had a hunch that the only reason more people hadn't come was because the whole thing had been kept very quiet.

Kel slowed Peachblossom to a walk as she approached the only other people on horseback. She looked at them out of the corner of her eyes, aware that they were probably doing the same to her.

She recognized one of the two men; she had worked in close quarters with him a few times, although they had never actually had a conversation. Evin Larse was tall — over six feet — and possessed shortish blond hair that was halfway to light brown. At the moment, he was talking to Buri, and his voice was a pleasant one: even, deep, and humorous. When he grinned at one of Buri's comments, he revealed a smile that was rather lopsided, along with a chipped lower tooth.

Kel had never seen the man on the other side of Evin before in her life, so she assumed he must be the mage — Coel Revin. He was tall as well, putting him at least three inches taller than Kel, and had longer, raven black hair that curled gently around his face. His skin was pale, paler than almost anyone she had seen before. Coel glanced up at her approach, staring at her with eyes the color of the sky after all the light has almost fled — dark, dark blue and as deep as the spaces between the stars, so deep you could almost fall into them. Kel blinked, taken aback.

"Kel!" Raoul cried, his dark face breaking into a grin. "For the first time in your life, I thought you were going to be late!" Coel gazed down at his horse again, and Kel ripped her eyes away.

"Glad to see you didn't place any money on it," Kel retorted. "You should know by now — I'm always on time."

Buri chuckled.

"Now that you're here, Keladry, may we begin?" The king's voice cut through their good-natured conversation. Kel looked at him, a blush staining her cheeks. She hadn't realized there was anything that needed to be started. She nodded quickly, and caught a glimpse of Raoul hiding his smile.

The king unrolled a scroll he had been carrying. "Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan, Gold Circle Adept Coel Revin, and Commander Evin Larse, you are about to embark upon a quest for the good of your country and the people in it. Can you handle that responsibility?"

"Yes," answered Evin and Coel, with Kel a beat behind them. She felt the blush raise higher. Why didn't anyone tell me it was going to be so formal? she thought passionately.

"I bless you with the power of the Crown, and send you forthwith to fulfill your duties as subjects and trained fighters of Tortall. May Mithros and the Goddess be with you as you journey."

"Thank you, my liege," said Evin and Coel, and again, Kel was a little bit behind.

Raoul stepped towards her, and Kel took that to mean that the ceremony was over. He moved next to Peachblossom, saying, "You behave. I have to say goodbye." Turning his coal-black eyes upwards to Kel's face, he continued. "Well, Kel, I'd wish you good luck, but by now I know you don't need it. You're too good to need luck. Just don't get yourself killed." Kel nodded solemnly without cracking a smile, but humor danced in her hazel eyes. They gripped arms, and Raoul moved away from her.

Alanna strode up to her. "Please, Kel," she began softly. "If you find what killed Numair, I want it — or him, or her — destroyed. Kill as many people as you have to, but if something exists that is that powerful, it has no right to continue." Kel blinked, surprised by the vehemence in the small woman's voice, and she gripped arms.

Beside Kel, Buri was speaking softly to Evin, giving her own farewell. With a frown, Kel noticed that no one was speaking to her other companion, Coel. She nudged Peachblossom forward the few steps and said, "Don't you have anyone to see you off?"

He glanced up at her again, and Kel caught a flash of some emotion in his eyes that she couldn't place. "No."

"Didn't they have time to come? Your parents, or–"

"My parents are dead," he said flatly, without feeling.

Kel blinked, taken aback. "Oh," she said hesitantly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Coel replied steadily. "They were weak bastards."

And with that, he kicked his midnight stallion into through the North Gate.

Kel stared after him, completely flummoxed. She watched his mount trot away, hooves kicking up little puffs of dust on the dry road.

A loud, metallic clang sounded behind her. Kel strained, turning around in the saddle to face the outside of the North Gate.

She swallowed, feeling suddenly and inexplicitly apprehensive. There's no turning back now, said a small voice in her head. You follow this to its end, or die trying.

Melting back into her surroundings, Kel became aware of a set of hoofbeats matching her own. She stifled a gasp of surprise – she hadn't expected anyone so close.

Evin Larse grinned his crooked grin at her and extended a large, bony hand. "Evin Larse," he said cheerfully. "I don't believe we've been formally introduced."

Kel gripped his warm palm. "Keladry of Mindelan," she responded, cracking a hesitant smile of her own. Evin didn't try to test her strength, as so many men did, and his bright blue gaze was unchallenging but intelligent.

"I see we've got ourselves an antisocial companion," Evin remarked, gesturing to Coel. He seemed unruffled by that realization. Kel let out a nervous giggle, then immediately bit her lip and frowned – she had never felt the need to titter before. Why should she start now?

Kel and Evin rode together, exchanging polite conversation regarding their mutual friends. Coel continued to ride ahead, hunched over and radiating hostility.

After about half an hour, the group fell into an uncomfortable silence that continued for several hours. The strain of not making a sound almost thickened the air around the group until it was hard to breathe.

Dust floated up into Kel's throat, and she coughed, a loud, harsh noise after the deafening silence. Both men jumped. Evin looked at her with his bright blue eyes wide open, almost as if he was surprised she was there. Coel deliberately turned around slowly and fixed her with a withering glare. Kel tried to meet his eyes in her best Yamani Lump face, but to her horror she discovered she couldn't keep her eyes flat any longer.

After Coel turned around, Kel tried to get her brain around this new development. Why, she thought, am I suddenly unable to hide my emotions any more? The answer came to her in a flash. She had been living in Tortall for over nine years now, and she hadn't seriously used her Yamani Lump face since the end of the Scanran War. Her skill of unreadable eyes was gone, although a blank face was still easy for her to put on.

Kel swallowed. This could make things very difficult.

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Gah. There you are. It's taken me weeks and weeks to get this up, and I still don't really like how it ended, but it seems like all you people have been waiting long enough and deserve a little tidbit. There will be more coming, and however much I would like to say "in the near future" I really don't think that would be prudent, seeing as how it probably won't be. But oh well! Enjoy life.

Teehee.