Chapter 25

• The next day was packed. After sword practice, I was bathed and led to the cabinet room for an introduction to Abberdin's history and a long lecture on its geography. Something in the class stuck with me though.
• On coming here, Sigrid, the warrior that'd led me through the portal, had said there were seven cities in Abberdin. The Elder had only mentioned six, and when I asked of the seventh he had grown pale and tried to steer the conversion away from it. I made a note to ask Ysmay about it. She seemed the only one in the kingdom that was forthcoming about close-liped matters.
• After the cabinet room came the library, and after a lengthy lesson on languages I was fitted into a riding habit and escorted to the ranch. Sebastian waited for me at the mounting block. His hair was loose today, the midnight black locks framing an expressionless face. His presence only brought forth the scene at the library. You know, the one he plainly told me I was a means to an end.