"You are certain of this?" asked Magus Urapius, his brow creased in confusion and worry.

  "I am," Iarius told him. "It is not unprecedented. Crodian the Younger spent years living among the tribesmen of Senori before they were annexed, and his writings and expertise were vital in maintaining a smooth assimilation. And of course the writings of the traveling scholar Mirkus Polatio were vital in Emperor Extanian's military campaigns against the Anadeshu. The Empire has a long tradition of scholars embedding themselves among barbarians so that Remura may learn what it can."

  "Be that as it may," said the Magus, "I am still reluctant to grant your request. We would be entrusting your life to a barbarian mercenary, of all things."

  "Yes," Iarius agreed. "We would be entrusting my life to Nessalir the Red. But have we not entrusted my life to her already? Has she not proven her ability to ensure my survival even in circumstances which saw the deaths of Pilus Opaedes and his men? She knows this savage land far better than any of us, and has more than proven herself capable of surviving it. Think of what I may learn for Remura, to say nothing of what she is; a rare specimen that I may observe and study."

  The Magus stroked his chin, and his eyes unfocused as he fell deep into thought. Iarius determined he should press his point:

  "Do you truly believe I can be of better service here than with her?"

  "No," said Magus Urapius with a sigh. "And the mercenary has already offered to work as your bodyguard in the Northern Lands. She did a great service to Remura in slaying those bandits… None of us had imagined they were numerous or organized enough to wipe out a century. Their leader's head will serve as a warning to these other barbarians and help keep order as they learn the ways of civilization."

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  Unrolling a scroll of parchment, the Magus penned a quick letter to the Governor, and sealed it with wax and his Magus' ring. "Very well," he said. "I shall approve your study. Please present this to the Governor's Office for your official approval and papers. Nessalir the Red shall be henceforth employed as a bodyguard and guide by the Acadaemium, and you, Iarius ex Maritoris, shall live among the barbarians and record your journeys. You will be expected to return to Paeliig once a year to deliver your work. May you walk always under the light of the Crow, the Horse, and the Wolf."

  "You as well, Magus," said Iarius, taking the letter and bowing. "Thank you."

  He left the Magus' office and stepped into the bright light of the midday sun. It had been three days since he and Nessalir had returned to Paeliig, three days since she had presented the head of Jeskar to the Governor, and told her false tale of how the bandits had slain the whole of Equine Centuria. There had been a moment, after her payment, when Iarius had been tempted to reveal the truth of what had happened; how they had aided the bandits in their flight, and how Nessalir had, by herself, stood against the Remuran calvary on her own two feet and slaughtered them all.

  Yet he had said nothing. In his silence, Iarius had condoned this deception and betrayal, and in doing so he had become a deceiver and traitor himself. Out in the mountains it had been easy to justify his treachery as being necessary for his survival. But now, back as he was within the safety of Remuran civilization, such justifications no longer applied.

  He should have spoken out, should have revealed Nessalir's betrayal of Remura. But among those brigands and barbarians, he had beheld a nobility and community that he had never before experienced in all the Empire. To betray the trust of Orla and Nessalir seemed unthinkable.

  So he walked, a traitor to his people and his nation, through the streets of Paeliig, and his steps were propelled by a rising eagerness within him—an eagerness to see all the wonders that these Northern Lands had to show him, and a joy at the knowledge that he would behold the wonders in the company of the warrior, more fierce and more beautiful than any other, known as Nessalir the Red.