"You knew the Herald." Of course she did. But there's a hint of wonder in Vasran's voice, acknowledging it out loud.

She lets out a harsh sigh, then. She could have been here so much sooner, if she hadn't been following her fellow mages around.

"The people I followed from the Circle were such fools." Speaking ill of the dead gnaws at her insides a little, but it would be worse not to speak at all. "We were never going to find freedom in the wilderness. Only a new kind of hardship."