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Finally, I could see him.
He had a crimson beard that covered almost half of his face. His clothes were dusty like the other man’s, but there were golden lines on his coat that made him look more important. He was staring angrily at Mom.
“You think you can fight us, woman?” he asked, stepping into our house and pushing my mom off his way. “You cannot. You can try to hide her, but we will find her. I can sense your fear. She is inside the house.”
The other man stepped in too. My mom didn’t try to stop them again. I could only see the back of her head, but it seemed odd that she did not even move an inch. Nor did she speak.
“Should we call a unit to search the house, sir?” the man with the clean-shaven face asked.
The man with the crimson beard stood in the middle of our house and looked around. He did not reply for a long moment, but the other man did not push.
“No need,” he said. “She is too young to hide her thoughts.”
He looked straight at the wall I was hiding in.
Chapter 1: Feremir
The night sentry watched me as I approached them, but they did not raise the gates. I walked as confidently as I could and stopped when I reached them.
“Who are you?” the guard who had spoken had a slim face and a slight mustache that made his face look younger than he was. I assumed the opposite had been his intention.
“I am in the divination guild,” I replied. “Feremir.”
“Where are you going?” he asked.
He was suspicious. I did not blame him.
Supper had finished hours ago. We were almost reaching midnight, and here I was, trying to leave the palace and enter the city.
“I need to go out,” I told him.
The guards exchanged a glance.
“Why won’t you wait until morning, boy?” the other guard asked, taking a step toward me. He towered over me now, and the urge to back away grew stronger at once.
But tonight was important. I could not risk being turned away.
“That does not concern you, soldier,” I said, using my best authoritative voice. “This is diviner business.”
There was a short pause in which they exchanged another glance. For a second, I thought my act had worked.
