Jack chuckled, low and rough. "Fair enough. I'll hitch my carriage and take you to Granny Maera's."
"Finally! I'm so tired," Rose sighed in relief.
"Wait for me outside; I'll get the carriage," Jack instructed.
Clara directed us back outside, alongside Merhh, onto the street in front of the lumber yard, which was better suited for carriages and waiting people. I tugged on Father, who still carried Astraya, seemingly without breaking a sweat.
"Dad, what could his brother have really done?" I whispered to him, not wanting Clara to overhear.
He turned, smiled, and patted my head. "Look at you—worried about your old man, huh? Don't be. I'd never find myself in that kind of mess… though, one can never truly tell." He chuckled softly. "If I really think about it, it could be anything. The Hippocratic Oath lays out what we Manomancers must never do—things like unequal transmutation, and worst of all, unequal human transmutation."
