“I, too, am curious about your disappearance.” Juran said mildly. Zuran spat into the fire, surprising Elein. The two of them were so much alike, reflecting each other’s temperment as well as face, that he hadn’t realized that they could hold different emotions. It was something to ask them about later.

“Are you listening to me princeling?” Sahlina asked, punctuating her question with another shove. “You can’t just leave us to bleed for you when the fighting gets too rough for your liking. We aren’t your servants and I, for one, have no intention of dying for you.”

“Peace, woman!” Elein cried. “I can’t tell you where I went because I don’t really know. One moment I was about to be trampled, the next moment I was falling into darkness. The Deep Dark, Neff called it. Maybe you can get her to tell you more about it.”

“I doubt it.” Neff said. There wasn’t anything in the small wizard’s voice to indicate a threat but Sahlina seemed to take it as one, deflating slightly until her feet brushed the rocky ground.