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to the brighteroranges of dawn. “What am I to do now?”
    Last night, after the guarder fled and Alant discovered his red glowing eyes had caused the man’s fear, Alant ran away from the one place he thought he would be safe—his home. It was long into the eve before sleep crept up on him. He had spent much of that time thinking of how to reach his papa, Tanin Cor. Certain the guarder had sounded the alarm that some minion of evil lurked on the road, he could not just walk into town. He could try and catch his papa with the work detail in the morn. Yet, that would bring just as much, if not more, attention to himself.
    And my glowing red eyes. What did the Elmorians do to me?
    Hiding near the edge of the road in the hopes that he could catch Tanin’s attention on his way to work the fields had been abandoned as well. Each fielder group was accompanied by guarders who kept a sharp eye on the surrounding area, ensuring their safety. Although, not much threatened life this close to Hild’alan, the occasional nasty creature was not unheard of. So, the guarders always kept an eye out for danger. The last thing he needed was one of them skewering him on the end of a spear.
    The realization that he had spent the night outside the protective walls of Hild’alan washed over him. Glancing around, he suddenly felt very alone and vulnerable. This brought back memories of the prior day, and his brush with death.
    Has it been just one day?
    A tremor of fear ran through him at the memory of his last few moments on the Isle of Elmorr’eth, in the Chamber of the Chi’utlan. That, too, had occupied his mind for much of last night. How had it happened? One moment he stood in the center of one of the greatest cities on all the Plane of Talic’Nauth, the next he woke up just outside his home stead thousands of leagues—not to mention an entire ocean!—away.
    It is impossible!
    Still, he was here. Home. Of that, he had no doubt. And here, he had to overcome his next obstacle. Somehow, he had to speak with his papa.
    Yet, even in broad daylight, he could not walk into Hild’alan with any hope of success. Strangers were rare this far north of Mocley, and no one could walk into the stead without being questioned by the guarders at the gates. And he could think of no way to get his papa’s attention while he worked outside without being seen. He had no idea how he could manage this since he could not afford to have anyone see his glowing red eyes.
    Motion on the gravel road caused his heart to leap into his throat. Dropping to the ground, he cursed himself for being a half-blind fool. He listened to the sound of footsteps on gravel coming closer.
    What would someone be doing outside and alone this early in the morn?
    The lands surrounding the stead were safe for the most part. Yet, experience taught most locals to err on the side of caution. Almost every turn of the seasons or two, someone lost their lives within sight of the walls of Hild’alan.
    The Plane is a dangerous place, especially this far from a large city.
    That thought struck him as odd. He had not realized he had been away from home long enough to see the place he grew up in as being small.
    The footsteps drew nearer. The closer they came, the more certain Alant became that just one person approached.
    Mayhaps it is the guarder from last night?
    That thought struck him with fear. He refused to imagine what might happen to him and his red eyes if he were discovered. People did strange things out of fear. He had never heard of anyone with red eyes before, and knew the people of his stead would—
    “Alant?”
    The whispered call not only cut off Alant’s train of thought, it sent a quiver down his spine from the sheer fact that someone had called his name. However, he thought he recognized the voice.
    “Alant?” A heavy sigh came from the man on the road. “Ah, Tanin. What are you doing, man? You have gone mad!”
    Standing up, Alant was just in time to see his papa turn