Chapter 68

Netya spent the morning in quiet reflection, letting the wind whip through her hair and rattle the beads of her talisman as she sat on the rocks gazing out across the plains. Perhaps it was through doing such things that Adel had earned the respect of the other seers. How many burdens had the den mother taken on her own soul to ease the suffering of others? Was that why she sometimes seemed so cold and heartless?

Netya tried to imagine such a life, wondering whether it was a path she too would have to take one day if she hoped to achieve the wisdom of her mentor.

She was chilly and numb by the time she noticed Caspian sitting down next to her. He did not speak, but merely joined her in her silent vigil as the pair of them sought out the solitude of their own thoughts.

“I wonder,” she said at last, “whether there will be any room left in my life for pleasure, if I am to become a seer.”

“There is a reason few women are suited to that calling,” Caspian replied.