Four days.
It had been four days since I watched the carriages disappear into the Iron Throat Pass.
Two days spent at the Eclipse Keep, tying up the final loose ends with some people and ensuring my departure was as unobtrusive as my presence had been. The remaining two were spent on the road, pushing deep into the wild, untamed foothills south of the barony.
I was searching for a secluded spot to have a breakthrough.
And I found it in a shallow cave, hidden behind a thicket of thorny frost-brush. With a grunt of effort, I rolled a massive, moss-covered stone to block the entrance, the sound echoing dully in the confined space. That should deter any curious beasts. For anything or anyone more perceptive, I wove a simple illusion over the entrance, a suggestion of unbroken rock and shadow that would make any glancing eye slide right past it.
Settling into a cross-legged position in the center of the cave, I closed my eyes and cast my senses outward.
[Pulse of the Unseen]
