Given who he arrived with, and that those two wouldn't kidnap so much as a mouse against its will, Alanna drew her own conclusions, sliding her sword into its sheath to touch the ember stone at her neck, under her armor. What have the Gods been doing this time? Of course, the Gods kidnapping someone and dropping them on Daine? She sent a quick prayer to the Goddess in her mother guise to watch out for the kid, especially if he had drawn the attention of any of the trickster Gods. The Graveyard Hag had already rolled her dice once with Daine. No reason to think she wouldn't drag her about again. But she was one of the few who knew that Kyperoth looked in on her husband, so this could be his doing. And the problem with trickster Gods is that trying to figure out why they did anything led only to madness.

She felt badly for the kid, and stung by Jon's words, she had tried to teach him, but she didn't have Sklaw or Corrum's way. She could hardly teach her own children, and they knew to mind her. How was she to teach this one? Again she missed Liam. He would have known how to teach the kid. Or if they were here, Buri and Tayet. But she'd be skinned alive before anything short of a royal summons would bring her back to Corus while the King's law said she couldn't go near Keladry of Midlean.

As he walked, a small songbird attempted to land on his shoulder, singing happily.