I look at him. "Tonight?"
"Tonight," he says, his tone grim.
He moves as he speaks, pacing once before continuing. "My troops for you are in the Avanki Desert. You have a sworn commander, Wyn, and a general named Trophi. They are trustworthy, but they will need time."
"Once ready, they will travel at lightpace."
"At what?"
He exhales. "It is a form of magic used by Avanki warriors. When used on their horses or even their own bodies, it cuts days off travel time. You cannot use it now. You are too weakened by the pregnancy. Later, perhaps."
He continues without pause. “Between here and Shalvar, the fastest route is underground. I have a ward I have been loosening for months. For this exact moment.”
Something in me stills at that.
“I told you from the beginning that the child could not be born here. Now that I know there are two, this is even more true,” he says. “I planned your exit before you ever arrived. The only thing missing was your blood. Both of yours.”
He nods once toward Syle and Enovar. “Time was limited, but once you gave it, the three of us were able to prepare a path through the wards. It will hold long enough for you to cross.”
Something tight in my chest eases before I can stop it. No one has ever planned for me like this. Not the Baron. Not anyone. Uralish does it without making it something I owe. Without trying to take anything from me.
"Alarnans have always feared invasion since geographically they are the closest to Thrykis," he says. "There are underground escape routes. They are warded. Mostly safe."
He looks at me directly. "There are three safehouses. You will stop at each one. They will give you the location of the next. You will give them the password Northwood. They will give you coordinates."
His voice lowers slightly. "Each safehouse is warded against the undead. Use as little magic as possible. They are drawn to power."
"The Avanki troops will meet you at the third safehouse."
"The first is below the surface. There are paths in the underground tunnels." He pauses, as though making sure we are paying attention.
“The second is in an abandoned village,” he continues. “It was overtaken once. Now it is mostly empty. The safehouse is well protected. The undead there can move during the day, but they prefer night. Leave at daybreak.”
He looks between us. “The safehouses are people I trust. That does not make them safe. The borderlands are unstable. Threns will be searching, and even those not looking for you may still turn on you for what you carry.”
His voice lowers slightly. “The outer regions have been cut off for years. Villages still exist, but barely. Trade is scarce. Provisions are scarce. You will be seen as opportunity.”
He looks between us. “Trust no one until the Avanki stand in front of you.”
He turns and murmurs something to Syle, who nods and disappears.
Uralish continues. "By the time you reach the third safehouse, you need only rest. You will stay two days. Once the Avanki arrive on the second day, there will be no need for safehouses or anything else. They travel fast, and moreover they have lightcraft."
Colsar looks doubtful.
Uralish glances at him. "There will be thousands of them. All with lightcraft. The undead will not go near them."
Colsar's expression tightens. "What about the Morraks?"
Uralish exhales slowly. "That is the one thing I do not know. There have been no sightings this week or last."
He looks between us. "If you stay here, someone will come for your life. If you stay here and give birth, your children will be at the center of the same Thren conflict when they come of age. And if you stay here, whatever allowed the deathmage in may happen again."
The door opens.
Syle returns, a small vial in his hand. He places it into mine.
Uralish's voice lowers. "I hope you do not have to use this. If you are bitten, drink it and deliver as quickly as possible."
