Another three days passed with them staying in the old keep house. Danae and Pasha took the risk of going into town the morning after their candlelight memorial to procure food and better blankets for the younger people. And the risk was worth it, as the arrival of warm meals and fulfilling rest lifted some of the gloom and harsher edges of their attitudes.

            Kevza continued along much as he had been, spending time out in the gardens in the mornings, and haunting his old guest room in the afternoons, making plans on what they might do once it was time to move on. They would take their cues from the Coven, who hadn’t been dealt such serious damages to their main Keep and had the means to monitor the situation that Kevza and his team lacked.

            And on the morning of the fourth day after the vigil, as the lot of them were outside practicing their respective skills, another messenger bird whirled into existence, dropping a letter into Natavali’s hands. The Magus broke its seal and they all held their breath as his piercing gilded eyes tracked the content inside, not knowing which way it might tilt things.

            With each passing moment, the subtle tension in Natavali’s shoulders ebbed, and he lowered the letter with a small sigh. “We’re being called back. They think it’s safe enough for us to go. We’re to leave today.”

            At once, the Magi stopped so much as the pretense of practice, turning to one another to whisper in excitement and relief.

            “Are you still coming with us?” Natavali asked, drawing attention to where Kevza stood supervising a sparring round.

            “…I owe it to Lynette,” he said after a moment. “Besides, we don’t really have anywhere else to go right now.”

            “About that…” Danae said, gesturing him over as the mages started chatting again and dropping her voice. “Our plans have changed slightly.”

            “What do you mean?” Kevza asked, matching her tone.

            “I won’t be going to Domen,” Pasha announced. “I have family in Brunedswhik that will have been affected by this. I appreciate you offering a place to stay, but I need to make sure they’re alright.”

            “Noa and I won’t be joining you either,” Xavi said, crossing his arms. “We both have family in Hillhaven, and Noa’s asked me to go with him and deliver the news about Nidi.”

            “Are you sure?” Kevza asked. “The roads that way could still be dangerous.”

            “It’s a risk we have to take,” Xavi said. “It’s our families out there.”

            Kevza nodded slowly. “I understand. But be careful, alright? Stick to good roads and let us know when you arrive. Danae and I will be going with the mages and staying in Domen to help the Coven investigate things until the guilds get back in order and we’re given the command to go elsewhere.”

            “You’ll be the first people we notify,” Pasha promised. “And when this is all over, we can form back up.”

            “Right.” Kevza nodded. “Well… the mages are heading out today, so we better get what little gear we have in order.”

            Kevza let the others file into the house first, trailing slightly behind.

            “You doin’ alright, Kevza?” Danae asked, trailing back with him.

            “I haven’t been back to the Keep in years,” he said softly. “I’m not sure what to expect.”

            “Then don’t be expectin’ anything,” she said, punching his arm softly. “Then there’s no way to be disappointed.”

            He offered a weak smile and followed her inside, still feeling like there was a pile of ice and stone sitting in his chest.

***

            Kevza made a point, hard as it was, to look back up the hill at Master Draan’s house as they were going around the last bend in the road, watching as the tall trees moved in, hiding it from view. It had always been a safe haven before, and it had been again, for both him and Natavali when they needed it. He was sad to leave it empty once more.

            And it was hard, at the fork in the road, when Pasha, Xavi, and Noa turned to the south. To their families and a fate that Kevza would not have a hand to play in. Hard to say goodbye. Hard to say he was sorry to a boy who had lost his brother while under his care.

            And harder still to turn northward, two guild-colored specks in a sea of mage black and gray, setting one step in front of the other and returning to a place he’d been avoiding for the better part of a decade.

            But the thought of Lynette, kind and heartfelt, waiting for his farewell, kept him from turning back and fleeing. She had remembered him. She had thought of him. She had looked for him when he was too ashamed to reach out to anyone.

            And now, he was the one who would be remembering and thinking of her, unable to reach her even though he wanted to.

            Domen Keep rested along the most northwestern point of the continent, and with each passing hour, Kevza could feel the air changing. The heat lessened and the trees grew taller, their bright leaves exchanged for the needled sprouts of the Hethaan Mountains that rose in the distance, their summits capped with snow in perpetuity.

            He was still glad they hadn’t established the Coven all the way up the mountain.

            Their first night found them camping out beside the road, a fire keeping them warm through the night as they slept on the soft grass under the stars. The second night, though, they were fortunate enough to find room at a wayfarers’ inn, Kevza and Natavali sharing a large room with the young men, and Danae looking out for the girls through the night.

            “We’ll reach the Keep tomorrow,” Natavali said, sitting down on the bed next to Kevza’s. “Hopefully before too far into the evening, if we can get some horses from the stables.”

            “The innkeeper said people have been coming through trying to get all over the continent,” Kevza said, looking over the map he had spread out on the mattress in front of him. “It’ll be difficult to get enough for everyone.”

            “Even if we have to double up, I’ll feel better once we’re all behind the wards and have some steadier walls around us.”

            Kevza nodded. “I agree. And it will be good for your kids to have some familiar ground and friendly faces.”

            The fact that he himself was not looking forward to the arrival meant little to him. He had nowhere else to go right now, and even if he were to stay in the town of Domen instead, the Keep would still be a looming presence he couldn’t escape. And if the choice had to be made, he knew Danae would go with him wherever he chose, and he would not risk putting her in a place without strong protections.

            He only had to make it long enough to see her safe behind the wards. He was brave enough to do that, at least.

***