I thought our entourage was large coming here with four contingents from Suata, but apparently, other Primors under Lord Emil were joining us along with their contingents and retinues, and we were now a troop of over two hundred people going to Baemardis. Probably well over that number, as we now had a supply train behind us and a forward unit that left hours before dawn simply to put up tents for our nightly stops.

I and my retinue now traveled directly with Lord Emil, and I was thankful for Lord Boian's presence, which had headed off the more probing questions from Lord Emil about Uncle John, Lauretti, and others of the Realm. I recognized a couple of the names as older cousins, and the others I didn't know at all. Apparently, the Covali family had been quite active here at one time, though my parents' names weren't mentioned.

This had been going on since our meeting after supper that first evening. I don't think I told Emil anything I hadn't already told Boian, and Ellie managed to stay quiet and demure most of the time when she joined us in the meetings, which again was something new for Emil and Lady Ralu.

Oana confused them. Lord Boian had added 'of the Realm' to her title as Ellie's Companion. Oana in turn kept her promise to keep her clothes on, which relieved Boian to no end. She also joined us for breakfast each day. Like Ellie sitting to my left, a child at the table like this wasn't done, but now it was. Maybe we'd start a fad, but I doubted it.

What would've been an easy two-day trip on horseback was now going to be four since everyone wanted to be there when Ellie and I touched this Golden Scroll. Were they going to cheer when we didn't die, or maybe hope that we did fry, or whatever it was supposed to do imposters? Or was it like our swords, that didn't do what legend said they should?

With no air conditioning or running water, staying in tents wasn't much different from staying in buildings except we might have better ventilation with the sides rolled partway up. We were into the middle of September, so maybe some cooler weather would be coming, but there wasn't much relief from the heat yet.

There's an Army saying that a friend told me that was so true this morning. Hurry up and wait. We were up and fed the next morning before dawn, ready to go, yet it was mid-morning before we nudged our horses into a slow walk.

The day was uneventful. Despite the crowd of people, I still expected Sobecks to charge out at us. Ellie did too and kept riding up to me from Lady Ralu's entourage every hour or so to talk, and we sometimes passed Oana back and forth during these. I had to chuckle. Apparently, a girl-child riding with Lord Emil's...well, my retinue actually, but he was leading it...was a new thing, too.

After an afternoon exchange of Oana back to Ellie, Lord Emil sidled his horse next to me. "That child saved the day in a battle?"

"She did," I replied, nodding. "After a big Sobeck disarmed me, she used my blade to slice its ankle so I could finish it with a dagger thrust into its neck. I'm pretty sure it would've taken me out shortly otherwise. It was skilled and intelligent and would've taken out Lord Boian and Maid Elexus. They were having problems with their own foes as it was."

"She handled your sword and survived?"

"She did."

"So, she is of the Realm?"

"It definitely appears that way." Boian had coached us to be somewhat noncommittal but to indicate that she must be from some bastard line of one of my relatives.

"You said it was an intelligent Sobeck?"

"Definitely seemed that way to me, compared to the ones I fought in the next battle. It felt like a human opponent, not something wolf-like."

"Boian has said similar things in the past. You will be mentioning this to Crown Lord John of the Realm."

"I will definitely be mentioning this to Uncle John, Lauretti, my parents, or any other family members who show up. I'm sure your son has mentioned how clueless we are about all of this."

He nodded, then chuckled. "And how, at times, you aren't quite as clueless as you two appear."

I grinned. "We weren't told about this place, but we were trained to protect ourselves, and our world has had similar forms of government to what you have here, so we know a little bit about those. That really is a discussion for another time with more privacy."

"And so, since you knew nothing about this place before showing up here, why do you think your uncle sent you here?"

That's something I'd given a good bit of thought to over the last few days. Moving us to some semblance of safety was the priority, I was sure, but Uncle John seemed to have multiple reasons for doing a lot of things, some of which didn't become obvious until much later. I was pretty sure this was one of them.

"I would say that we're like your tent people and their contingents...your forward unit. We're here to...herald...to announce that Uncle John and others of the Realm will be coming here...that this place has been ignored for too long, and that is to be rectified."

That got a smile out of Lord Emil, so I continued. "The initiatives that were put forth by Uncle John, Lauretti, and others need to be looked at to see what progress has been made. Speaking of which, Lord Boian has told me of a couple of them, but I'd like to know what other initiatives were started, preferably with some that have continued on, so I don't look like a Debbie Downer when I discuss the schools. Tell me that they did continue with at least part of what the Realm wanted."

"Who is Debbie Downer?"

"Umm...I mean I want to have some good things to say as well as the lack of continuing Lauretti's education initiative.

"I'll have to think on that, Lord Kevin, but there are some that have continued, maybe even in the way intended. We'll get you briefed on those over the next few nights."

"Maid Elexus, too," I added.

"Of course. Will Maid Oana be in attendance, too?"

"I think we can turn her over to Maids Mara and Sorina."

"There's also another matter that may come up, concerning Maid Elexus. Her age is eighteen, I understand."

"It is." I wasn't sure what this was about.

"Is she betrothed to anyone?"

"She isn't." Jonathan had been her latest boyfriend...of sorts. That hadn't lasted very long. Neither had Jake. Sofia and Hannah had each lasted a few months. Then there was Sam. She'd been my girlfriend last school year until she dumped me, but she and Ellie hung out a lot over the summer. I didn't know if that went past friends or not and really didn't want to know, though with Ellie, it probably had. For someone who wasn't a social creature, she seemed to be able to turn up girlfriends a lot more easily than boyfriends, or maybe she was just pickier about boyfriends.

"Then you should consider that she will be of great interest to the young lords. She can have her pick of suitors."

"With the way we arrived and the trauma that's happened thus far, I doubt seriously that she'd be interested in marriage for quite a while, but I will talk with her." I gave a quick laugh. "I suppose I should include Adrian in that list, though. He does brighten up whenever she's around."

Lord Emil looked back at Adrian, who was riding behind us. "He's what, sixteen or so? A little young to know his own mind, and Maid Elexus could marry better."

"I suppose that's true, though any marriage here would be to someone not of the Realm, so would it matter that much if it were the son of the Regent or the son of a cavalier?"

"That cuts, Lord Kevin."

"That was a serious question. I wasn't being flippant."

"Ah...I think I see. Does it matter, and how?"

"Yes, and since Master Adrian is my squire and will continue in that position, does that matter, should he put himself...um...forward as a suitor?" This was getting uncomfortable. Aside from me talking marriage for Ellie with Lord Emil, I still wasn't sure even how to talk about this, and I probably just put Adrian out as my favorite.

"In many ways, it matters not at all, Lord Kevin. She is free to choose any suitor that takes her fancy." He chuckled lightly. "It's rare, but not totally unheard of for a high-ranking Maid to take even a commoner, though that would be scandalous in the extreme. Even the choice of a cavalier or his son would be unusual. What could they offer such a great lady as your sister?"

Oh, you have no idea, I thought. You don't know Ellie at all. "I would think that in such a marriage, or even a Burgrave's son, they would become a...consort to my sister since she would be a Lady of the Realm."

"You may be correct, Milord. None of the Realm's Maids have married here, and those of our Maids who did marry lords of the Realm left with their lords. Realize that there were only two such ladies who married into the Realm to my knowledge, so even that was rare. Mistresses were more common to leave with their Realm Lords, though."

"This is all hypothetical, Lord Emil. She will say no until we have things more settled. After that...." I let that drop off because I really had no clue what was going to happen or if we'd even get settled here.

"True, true," he agreed with a laugh. "But let's not forget that your arrival has made you the most eligible bachelor, and marriages have happened with our ladies. Trust me when I say that you can have your pick of our most beautiful blossoms."

I closed my eyes a moment, and Sorina came into my mind, lying on the trail, opening her robe, but not like a blossom. Take her to my world, and we could get everything fixed. Or here, I could live with her healed scars. And what was I thinking?

"Lord Kevin, are you already betrothed?"

He was frowning at me as I took a deep breath.

"No," I replied. "I got nothing. But the thought of girls wanting me because of what I am and not knowing a thing about who I am is unnerving." I took another deep breath. "Always being on their best behavior when I'm courting, so I won't know who they are until it might be too late."

"You sound like one who has experienced this already."

"In a way," I said. Things had gone well with Sam since I'd met her at a Christmas party, but she started acting weird after our Spring Break trip and dumped me right after my last final exam. Sorry, Kevin. We're over, Kevin.

I think Ellie would've told me if they'd become an item. I'd be pissed, but at least I'd know, and Ellie wasn't good about keeping her relationships secret anyway. "Life was different back home than here, so it's hard to compare."

"That's what Boian said. No Realm, no nobility, no rulers. Everyone common, or is it that nobody is common? He was rather confused about that aspect of it."

"Everyone's equal, though some do seem to be more equal than others, and we were going to discuss this later. Remember?" I did manage a smile when I said that, though it was annoying. I wished I'd never said anything to Boian about this.

"Very well, Milord," he replied with a chuckle. "I do forget myself sometimes." He reined in and dropped behind me.

And why is Sorina in my head? Because I could have her when I wanted? Because she is so scared and frightened, or because I saw her take down that Sobeck with only her dagger? I know that last is part of it, that she impressed me with her charge to save Mara, but there was more. Her blue eyes, with that dark outer edge to her irises. They'd been in my dreams, and now in my thoughts

She'd smiled at me when we stopped at lunch, even though she looked tired. She really shouldn't be traveling like this, but she had gotten to Lord Emil's and continued on now. Ellie said she was healing well with Doina taking care of any spots of redness that tried to start up. Mara's head didn't hurt now, Stefan's slash was healing nicely, Adrian's limp was lessening, Oana's face hadn't been bandaged for a few days, and that was going to scar, as was that rip on her back. At least her face cut had been glued back, so it'd probably be a thin white scar like Lauretti's.

Sorina's scarswouldn't be thin. Even with them, she'd make someone a wonderful wife, and withthe clothing they wore here, whoever she married would be the only one who'dever see those. Except I knew that I would see them first. I was sure that oncethe bandages came off, she'd find some way to show me those partially healedscars. When she did, I was sure I'd be kissing them, and anywhere else shewanted me to. And whatever else she wanted me to do to her.