I don't know what I expected, certainly not a welcome party, but the mountainside is desolate. It strikes me how vulnerable I am, alone in the open, though undoubtedly I was just as in danger in the mine. The prickling at the back of my neck, the sensation that I am being watched, is stronger than ever. I imagine I hear footsteps in the brush but convince myself that it is just the wind's stirring.

Never have I wished more for Tiva to find me something to eat than in this barren and inhospitable environment. I pluck berries from a bush, praying that they are edible. When I survive the afternoon, I allow myself to hope for the best.

My pockets are emptied of grit and rock dust to make room for sustenance. The handful of glimmering stones I have managed to collect will be the last to be left, though I make up my mind that they will be, if necessary. I have been poor for every day of my life, and I don't need to weigh the value of tangible food against an imagined fortune.

I don't know how much farther there is to go, but it can't be much. I am nearly at the peak.

For the first time, I wonder if Kari was wrong. We have seen no one, nothing. Not a single sign of civilization save a long-abandoned mine. I look around me at the range of mountains and wonder if it is possible that she has chosen the wrong one. If all of this was for nothing.

When my morale reaches a low point, I sit and eat. My lungs are starting to adjust to the air, but it is still a chore to breathe. I bring up dirt with my hacking coughs. I toss a few berries to Wart, but he ignores them in favor of pinecones. Just watching him eat makes my gums hurt.

Without warning, a cloth covers my face. After living so long without it, I do not surrender my sight easily. I flail, all elbows and knees, in attempt to break free of my assailant, but the arms that envelop me may as well be iron. I yell for Wart to help me, but all I hear above my own shouts is an unfamiliar purring.

I sprawl helplessly as I am tossed into what I can only imagine is the back of a cart. Every jolt is a lightning bolt of pain through my arm, and I almost pass out from the shock to my senses. Someone binds me loosely, taking surprising care to avoid the broken wrist. I can feel Wart squirming against me, that strange rumbling still emanating from deep within him. The useless fool.

I am jerked to my feet and land hard on the ground, held upright by two pairs of strong arms. The blindfold is removed, and I finally get a proper look at my captors. They seem as startled by my green eyes as I am by theirs.

This must be Inte.

It is my first sight of the place, but I am welcomed like a long lost brother. And, for all I know, I am. My arm is fitted with a heavy, metal gauntlet to keep it straight. It isn't the height of medical technology, but it is the best they can do on such short notice. Anyway, who am I to be choosey? I thank them for the courtesy, and they pat me jovially on the back. I wince against the gesture.

Rumors of their wealth, at least, are true. So, it appears, is talk of their war-like tendencies. Stockpiles of swords and armor are sifted through in order to find a cuff to suit me. Each is encrusted with jewels, undoubtedly mined from beneath their very feet.

Here, the gems are useless for their commonality. Emeralds and rubies the size of my fist are treasured for nothing more than their interesting color. Locals laugh at the castoffs with which I have unnecessarily weighted my pockets. I am given sapphires and diamonds with the easy amusement with which adults grant pennies to children.

We eat roast pig and toast our fortune with goblets of rich wine. It is the closest I have ever felt to being a king. Even in the crowded dining hall, though, the others' absence is impossible to ignore. When I ask after them, looks are exchanged.

I note with uneasy triumph that I was right: we have been watched from the moment we waltzed into their foothills. My party has encountered several obstacles, some natural, some of Intean origin. I am told that they are currently on an impassable path. That these people have taken such pains to fortify their city against intruders is not lost on me, but I ask them to make an exception. I know Kari, and she will not admit defeat. She would sooner starve. That everyone else might starve along with her is of no consequence when her honor is at stake.