Lucidity was slow to return to Suthe the next morning. Frowning at the crick in her neck, she squinted and rubbed at her eyes, only to realize she was on the edge of something and about to fall off. With a gasp, she flung out her arms, but the movement only rolled her the rest of the way, and she landed on a wooden floor with a solid thump.

"Ow-w-w," she groaned, taking a moment to lie in self-pity before sitting up and rubbing her arms.

Confusion slowed her movements, and Suthe looked around, piecing together the events of the previous day. For some reason, she was still in Fai. She had fallen asleep on the sofa in Seolosu's apartment, she belatedly realized, and that had been what she'd just fallen off of.

Stumbling to her feet, Suthe made her way over to the dictionary on the dining table and flipped through the pages thoughtfully.

The door to Seolosu's bedroom opened with a slam, and Suthe jumped as the general poked her head out, ruffled hair adding to her bewildered expression. When she only saw Suthe in her living area, however, she seemed to relax, and slowly stepped out, lowering a dagger that Suthe belatedly noticed was clutched in the general's hand.

"Sorry," Suthe began, not sure how much of her words Seolosu would understand. "Did I wake you?"

Rather than reply, Seolosu approached the table and gestured for Suthe to pass the dictionary.

Today. Must. Leave.

Solosu then pointed at Suthe, to make her message clear.

Suthe nodded, a nervous lump forming in her throat. The general had been more than kind in allowing her to stay the night. But would her magic work today, or would she still be stuck in Fai? She couldn't depend on Seolosu's help indefinitely. Suthe knew the general must be busy with her own work, and was already kind enough by not reporting her and Ulsper's whereabouts—wherever Ulsper actually was, now...

"Oh!" Suthe turned to the table as idea came to her, then looked back up at Seolosu. "Do you have a pen and paper?" She mimed writing, hoping her question would make sense.

It did, thankfully, and Seolosu brought over the requested items. Suthe took them with thanks, then cast her gaze to the paper, a thoughtful frown creasing her brow as she thought over what to write.

Alaera,

I hope you are okay – I want to thank you again for all your help while I was visiting Sylterra. But I need to ask for your help once more. I'm in Fai now, and the man I left with is missing. I'm okay, but I think he's in danger. Please make a visit to Forgeborough – there's a man named Calatar, with red hair. Tell him that his friend is in trouble. He should know what to do.

Suthe

She was careful not to mention Ulsper's name, or anything about the Twin Blades in the letter. As it was already, the fact that it was written in Montese might be enough cause for suspicion for anyone who might be checking Alaera's mail. But Suthe only knew Alaera's address, not Calatar's, and so she would need to ask the woman of this one final favor. Perhaps the fact that Alaera worked in the diplomatic office meant that she often received letters in different languages, and this letter would be overlooked in any postal inspection – it was the only hope Suthe could cling to. If Seolosu didn't know about Ulsper, asking for Calatar and Marrene's help was her last resort.

Suthe folded the letter and wrote Alaera's address on the front before handing it to Seolosu.

"Can you make sure this is sent in the mail?" she asked. "I—here," she dug around in the pocket of her coat before her fingers brushed against something cool and circular. Suthe withdrew her fist to find a few Andilirish coins resting within. "I'm not sure how much it will cost, but..."

The general nodded, sparing Suthe any further explanation, and picked out two brass coins from Suthe's palm.

"You go, now," Seolosu said.

"Yes, yes, thank you – I'll try. Just give me a minute..."

Suthe cast a last glance around the apartment, then closed her eyes, picturing the hotel room in Sang Bur. It would have been nicer if she didn't have an audience, but she had a feeling that Seolosu already knew what she was, and what she was capable of. Perhaps Ulsper had told her—it would explain why she didn't seem terribly confused about Suthe's sudden appearance the previous night.

Were Saer Lon and Nem Koel worried about her absence, Suthe wondered. Or had they not woken up yet and realized she was missing? Saer Lon had drunk a bit the night before, after all...

The room twisted, or perhaps it was just Suthe's ability. It was such a sudden, unsettling feeling that she was tempted to open her eyes, but she scrunched them tighter. She needed to get her destination just right this time. She had been fortunate to not be seen in the majority of cases when she suddenly appeared in a new place, but the incident from the night before was a warning of what could happen if she were to be seen using her talents. She had to appear in the hotel room in Sang Bur. Anywhere else would be too dangerous, in more ways than one.

At that thought, it felt to Suthe as though the floor suddenly gave way beneath her. She let out a surprised shriek, but the sound was swallowed up. She fell through a nothingness so disorienting that she couldn't even tell if she was upside-down or rightside-up.

Then there was a light, and a loud bang – someone screamed, but it wasn't her.

Suthe cracked her eyes open, and was a bit confused to find that everything was on its side. Also, everything hurt. She tried to move, but, just like that morning, realized she was on the edge of a surface, and rolled off before she had a chance to stop herself.

Once again, she landed on the floor, and –

"Ow."

"Suthe!"

Nem Koel was crouching next to her in an instant, helping her sit up. "Where were you? What happened? Why did you just suddenly – what was that?"

Suthe blinked up at Nem Koel, scowling as she rubbed her sore shoulder. She had landed on the table, it seemed – well, rather, above the table, then fell on the table, and then fell off the table...

Suthe's frown deepened as she thought over her trajectory. She had only ever appeared on solid ground when she transported herself before. Why had it been different this time? And what did it mean for future instances? What if she had appeared in between two rooms, and got stuck in a wall? She had never thought of it before, but the full horrors of what might happen if something went wrong made Suthe's eyes widen in alarm.

"Suthe? Suthe, hello?"

Nem Koel was waving a hand in front of her face, and Suthe sucked in a breath when she finally tore herself form her worries.

"Sorry. What?"

"What? That should be my question!" Nem Koel exclaimed. "Where were you?"

"I...went to Fai. Accidentally," Suthe began, wondering how brief of an explanation Nem Koel would accept.

Nem Koel stared at her for a long moment before finally shaking her head and turning away. "You know what? I don't think I'd understand anyway, but I guess it's something to do with magic. Come on. We're going to be late. Saer Lon was almost out the door when you suddenly...poofed into midair and decided to grace us with your presence. Do you realize how worried we were?"

Saer Lon, Suthe realized, was standing just by the door to the room, and lowered her hand from the door handle when she saw Suthe looking.

Suthe grimaced and used the corner of the table to push herself to her feet. "I'm really sorry. It was an accident. But I'll try to not do it again."

Nem Koel grabbed a pile of turquoise fabric from the bed and tossed it at her. "Here, get dressed – hurry! We're going to be late!"

It was a dress. Suthe let the fabric unfold, and it rippled towards the ground in a wave of shimmering satin.

"Don't spend all day staring at it – quickly!" Nem Koel ushered Suthe behind a changing screen in the far corner of the room. "Let me know when it's on and I can help you with the ties at the waist."

Her head was still spinning from all that had happened that morning, but Suthe did her best to focus. There was so much material that it took a bit of time to figure out how to put it on, and by then she could hear Nem Koel pacing impatiently on the other side of the changing screen. At last, she finally managed to figure out the neckline and the long sleeves, and, after giving her hair a pat down to make sure nothing had caught and pulled on any stray curls, she timidly poked her head around the screen.

"Hurry!" Nem Koel pounced as soon as Suthe was visible, dragging her out and working on the ties below the bust that wrapped around to fasten at the back. A matching cape with small golden flowers embroidered along its hem went around her shoulders next, and Nem Koel tied the ribbons fastening the front of the cloak in a similar fashion.

"And here – earrings. Let's go!"

Suthe only had the briefest moment to admire the gold-and-pearl ornaments before Nem Koel was dragging her towards the door. The entire time, Saer Lon had merely watched the two of them, either too ambivalent or too hungover to help, Suthe didn't know.

The three women clattered down the steps of the inn, and Suthe was painfully aware of how they were drawing several glances from those in the reception area as the trio hurried towards the door. Whispers rose up like ripples in their wake, and Suthe wondered if perhaps it was best that she couldn't understand what they were saying.

"What would you have done if I hadn't shown up?" Suthe asked once they were outside, jogging a little to catch up to Nem Koel.

Nem Koel shrugged, her gaze focused on Saer Lon leading the way ahead of them. "Said you were sick, and tried to reschedule? I don't know. What's important is that you're here now. You remember everything from last night?"

Suthe struggled to put an earring in one ear as they moved, careful not to drop it. "Yes, I think so." She didn't miss the glance Nem Koel shot out of the corner of her eye.

"Either you do, or you don't, Suthe," she said, moving so that a fisherman didn't hit her with his pole. "If there's anything we need to review, you need to let me know now, before it's too late."

"Right." With the first earring secured, Suthe moved on to the other one. "Sorry. It's just, things have been so rushed..." Maybe she shouldn't have taken the time to write that letter earlier this morning?

Nem Koel's expression softened a little. "You said it was an accident," she said. "So it can't be your fault. But I'm just a bit anxious now that our plan was almost thrown off. I'm sorry I've been rushing you."

"You had a right to be – I was late, after all!" Suthe checked both earrings again, just to be sure, before lowering her hands. No sooner had she done so then Nem Koel thrust a matching turquoise drawstring purse into them.

"To look every bit the refined noblewoman," Nem Koel answered Suthe's silent question in the form of raised eyebrows. "Now, don't act so surprised. We're nearly here."

It was only at those words that Suthe finally took a moment to look around. They were walking alongside one of the many canals in the city, flanked by the characteristic white buildings with blue-tiled roofs and cerulean shutters. But one of the buildings on this street stood out from the rest, with four columns painted in a rich red flanking its blue double-doors, and white fabric banners inked with dark blue calligraphy waving down from the balcony on the upper story. Someone had spent a lot of money on this place, that much was evident.

"That is where we're going?" Suthe asked, her voice tapering to a whisper.

Nem Koel's lips thinned as ahead of them, Saer Lon marched right up the bone-white steps of the building. "So it would seem."

"For a member of an organization that prides itself on secrecy, this doesn't seem like a very secret place to meet to me," Suthe muttered.

"I'd have to agree, but..." Nem Koel tilted her chin to indicate the passerby. "Look around. You and your fancy clothes fit right in, in this place. I'm the one who stands out now."

Suthe glaced at a passing couple, bedecked in flowing silks and dangling jewelry—much different from the fishermen and peddlers near the inn where they were staying. Nem Koel was right – this place was much more affluent. She could only hope that it meant they were on the right track.

~~~~~~

Hiiiiii.  I'm sorry for the quality of this chapter, it is not up to my usual standards, but I needed to just post it so I can move on.  I'd been dragging it out for too long already and since this whole story needs a rewrite anyway (oh, the inconsistencies!  The horror!) I figured I'd just share what I have for now.  Writing struggles, y'know?  Anyway, hope you all are staying safe and sane.  And as always, thank you for reading!