“I can,” Kaelen said.
He didn’t wait for Elder Sterling to respond. He simply tucked his hands into his loose hemp sleeves, turned on his heel, and walked straight out of the sweltering forge.
Behind him, Elder Sterling’s mouth worked soundlessly, his gray eyebrows bristling in disbelief.
“Vance!” the elder barked, waving the ivory scroll in the smoky air. “You can’t simply walk away from a three-seal decree!”
“The path goes uphill,” Kaelen called back over his shoulder, not bothering to turn around. “Walking is quite easy.”
The Dean has three fire seals on gold cord, Kaelen thought. I have an aching back and eight hours of sleep to catch up on. The Dean can sit in his high tower until noon.
The cool mountain air tasted clean after the sulfurous heat of the Earth-Fire anvil.
Mina and Barnaby followed close behind, their footsteps light on the gravel path. Behind them came Sera Thorne, her stride smooth and silent. The newly reforged Storm-Pike rested across her shoulder, its silver-blue steel humming with faint ripples of cold lightning.
