Book Two: Chapter 111

“No. The barrier Ratu made is still holding.” She let out a sigh. “I couldn’t sleep last night, so I went for a walk in the back. At least a few of the centaurs there have been missing for a decade or more, and more than a couple are kin. It was tough seeing someone you knew so many years later, frozen in time.”

“I wonder if it could be reversed?”

She shrugged. “Maybe, but that doesn’t mean the harm isn’t already done. These are people who have families that have moved on without them. It’s hard to imagine exactly how these people will simply return to the tribe without disruption. But that wasn’t all.”

“Oh?” His mouth was full of the best blackberries he had ever eaten.

“My aunt was out there.” Zel’s lips formed a grim line. “When it was discovered that she helped me escape, they sent her into exile. It’s very rare for the tribe to flat out execute one of their own. It’s also very hard to be an exiled centaur. Your only choice is to climb the mountain and av