Chapter 20: Arriving at Vintross
"You weren't thinking of leaving without your guardian, were you?"
Riku turned with a smile already forming.
From the mist stepped Lila, cheeks pink from the cold, her braid tied up in a loose knot. She carried a small satchel over one shoulder and wore a travel cloak that had once belonged to her brother.
Riku chuckled. "Let me guess... official village escort?"
"Official 'make sure the city doesn't steal you away' task force," she replied, mock serious. "Sanctioned by absolutely no one but myself."
Lysaria gave a soft, amused sigh. "And here I thought this was going to be a quiet trip."
Together, the three climbed aboard the cart, and the lone horse, nudged by Riku's light command, began the slow roll down the gravel path out of Elowen.
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The night before their departure, Riku had given Barou a small, polished sigil stone — a flat disc etched with runic glyphs and set with a single mana channel.
"This will let us talk, if something comes up," Riku had said simply.
Barou had examined it without suspicion. After weeks of impossible blessings, he had learned that Riku's "miracles" were best received without too many questions.