That meant Prin was not as advanced in her male-dominated mage studies as she would like to be. All mages were men, or they had been in the past. Prin was both a sorceress and mage but lacked a proper teacher for the mage studies. However, she had studied sorcery nearly every day, and Maude had kept her focused. Her skills had increased as quickly as any apprentice learning a new trade. She did not yet possess the skill level of Maude, or even that of Sara, but the last five years had brought about many changes in the weak and innocent girl of twelve or thirteen who had arrived at the port of Gallium.
And all that didn’t count her daily bouts with the combat master, the array of weapons she’d mastered, and her ability to fight.
Re-crossing the mountain pass to reach the kingdom of Wren was her first obstacle. It was a natural choke point, therefore a perfect place for her enemies to set up camps and wait. They would halt all travelers and make certain she was not with them. She might try to disguise herself, but there would be outlaw mages waiting there too, and even rogue sorceresses at every turn. She couldn’t possibly return home that way.
“I need to see maps of Wren,” she cried, leaping to her feet and rushing inside, leaving Brice in the garden.
Maude heard her calls for maps and lazily pointed to a cabinet. Prin threw the door open so hard it banged against the wall and slammed closed again. She pulled it open again, slightly softer, and found a ceramic bowl the size of a keg filled with rolled scrolls she’d never noticed.
She ignored the maps of Cindra, Phloem, and Sandra, all cities, and nations far from Wren, some of them across unknown seas. She located one labeled Indore, but it only showed the streets of the city. Prin called louder, “I need a map of Wren.”
Maude stood and placed her knitting needles aside. “I know a man in the market who sells maps.”
“You don’t have to go,” Prin said. “I will.”
“A nice stroll in the market will help my old blood flow unless you need a map this second.”
The front door opened and a man entered with a flourish—the combat instructor who refused to allow them to become friends enough to even learn his name. He wanted them to hate him as they learned to fight. During his instruction, he often injured them, but he insisted no quarter given because of friendship. Over the years they had grown used to his gruff manners and the beatings he dealt as he taught them. Prin and Sara even became fond of him when they realized how he’d only increased the danger level of the lessons when they were ready.
Not knowing what was transpiring, he snarled as he rubbed his hands together in mock anticipation, “Who’s ready to learn a few hard lessons and wear new bruises?”
“Not today,” Prin said.
“No fighting for two days in a row? You’ll grow soft and weak.”
“I need to go home. My enemies will be waiting to ambush me, so we’re planning the best way to get there.”
He calmed and walked to the tea service, where he helped himself to a cup. “Maude explained all that to me a long time ago. I’m sorry this day has arrived. Would you like my input?”
“Yes. Please.”
“Ah, an uncommon display of good sense from you, Prin. Do not travel the paths they expect. Having said that, they will also think the same way, and they’ll watch the least-traveled ways even more intently.”
Prin threw her arms into the air in frustration. “I cannot travel the ways they expect or the backroads. So, what do I do? Fly?”
He spooned in three measures of sugar and so much cream the tea turned tan. “If you can fly there, especially while invisible, that would be my suggestion. Aside from that, please allow me the courtesy to share my years of experience without that sharp tongue of yours interrupting.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Prin,” his voice was softer, “this is what I do know. Hundreds, if not thousands, have hunted for you over the last five years. We’ve encountered a number of them. They will guard the heavily used pathways, and those less used. But you have solved the same problem here in Gallium and will do so there.”
Maude’s lips twitched, and then she smiled at the combat instructor and said, “Go on.”
He paced the room, tea cup in hand, a large, battered, ugly old man with a wooden foot, but each of his movements told of experience and training. He carried the delicate cup with two gnarled fingers as gently as if he were twenty and holding a gold coin. “Here in Gallium, you hide by blending in with the city, not by trying to hide from it. That action would instantly attract attention, much like traveling on the backwoods paths to your home.”
Prin scowled. “You’re suggesting I walk on the King’s Road and right through the gates of the King’s Palace?”
“I am.”
Maude cackled, and said, “I agree.”
“Huh?” Prin managed to grunt.
Sara nodded her agreement. “You are Princess Hannah of the Kingdom of Wren, the rightful heir to the throne. Eighteen years old, blonde, and everyone in the kingdom knows you’re returning and they will be watching for you. But what do they not know about you?”
“When I’m returning?”
Four people laughed while Prin tried to find the humor in the situation. Maude turned to the combat instructor. “Tell her before she gets angry.”
He said, “A warrior uses the weapons at hand, as I’ve tried to teach you. Your best weapon is that you are a sorceress, and you have lived with a master sorceress who was your teacher. Between the two of you, I’d think you can devise several spells that will allow you to walk unseen on any road in any kingdom. But, I am no sorceress and know little of magic.”
Prin started to smile and stopped before it fully formed. She said, “You’re right, all of you, but this is a good example of me not thinking of myself as a sorceress. I still think like one without magic. I use it to serve me in my studies, and when I want to avoid housekeeping or cooking, but not for what it is intended.”
Maude said, “Right on all counts. You must begin thinking for yourself and not rely on Sara or me. I am not going to Wren with you, but I hope to visit in the future. I am certain you will become an outstanding ruler for your people.”
Prin said, “Sara and I will figure out what to do.”
Sara shook her head. “No, Prin. I’m staying here to study with Maude. She has so much to teach me, and I have so much to learn. I thought you knew.”
The revelation took Prin totally by surprise. The two of them were like sisters. No, they were more than sisters. She felt betrayed. Angry. After a few deep breaths, understanding began to come. There had been many hints in the last year, but Prin had ignored them.
Going home without Sara presented a thousand additional problems, and loneliness started to sink its claws into her throat before she took the first step. Prin couldn’t speak or find the words she needed. Sara had every right to remain and study with Maude. Sara had given up a large part of her life helping Prin and placed herself in danger more times than Prin could count. It was not fair to ask more of her.
But she had to try changing Sara’s mind. “I thought you were going to be my royal sorceress.”
Sara said, “Would you want a second-rate, half-trained sorceress to serve a Queen? But, this choice is not about that. It’s about you. There are rumors of us traveling together. Two women will be more suspect than one, an increased danger you don’t need.”
The combat master said, “And you must understand that any who obstruct your passage will pay dearly. Five years of my training has turned you into a warrior of the highest order, and even more important, you appear to be a helpless young woman. By the time an enemy realizes your skill, he will be dead—and so will the two men at his side. You really are that good.”