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the window, she guessed that this floor was lower than the library floor. The library floor saw the tops of trees, while this floor had its windows obscured by the forest's highest branches.
    The floor was circular, like most of the other Tower floors, with several doors leading off from it. It reminded her of the floor she had first found herself in, though significantly lower.
    Cathel wasted no time, walking briskly away from her and heading towards one of the doors directly across from the tapestry. Her eyes widened, and she turned towards him sharply. He paused for a brief moment, glancing over his shoulder at her.
    "You might want to find Varra," he said dismissively, pointing off to his right. "That's her door over there. If she's not there, she's probably two floors down, in one of the alchemy labs. She should be able to help you prepare for the trip."
    The words were cold, but the edge in them was not directed towards her. She stared after him, then took a few decisive steps forward, catching up with him. "Hey, wait a minute," she said. "You can't just leave me like that. What the hell happened back there?"
    "I thought you spoke plain Common," said Cathel, shooting her a look over his shoulder. "Didn't you hear? I'm to escort   you into the Edgelands, like a good little boy."
    "That's not what I meant," said Rae, scowling. She tugged on his sleeve as he attempted to walk away from her, keeping her in front of him. "What happened up there, between you and that Alyan?" She saw him tense at the mention of the name and his green eyes blazed, his mouth drawing into a tight line.
    "That's none of your business," said Cathel, yanking his sleeve out of her hold. She didn't step back, but she didn't step closer towards him either, simply watching. He stepped away from her and let out a frustrated sigh, running his hand through his hair so quickly that she thought he would pull a chunk of it out by the roots.
    "Look," he said. "I'm sorry. I know. It's not your fault. You didn't know any better. Just…please. Don't ask. Go find Varra and get ready. I don't want to spend any longer here than absolutely necessary, and if we're going on a suicide mission, we might as well be decently prepared."
    He didn't say any more than that, but the look he sent her held a silent plea as he walked back to what she assumed was his room in silence. She watched him go, lowering the hand that had grabbed onto his sleeve. She certainly wasn't a stranger to needing space.
    She left Cathel to his thoughts, turning around in search of Varra.
    Cathel's fellow mage wasn't in her room, so Rae took that to mean that she was in the alchemy labs. Having no idea how to work the tapestry—and considering her most recent experience with casting magic hadn't been her proudest moment—she decided that the best course of action would be to take the stairs.
    The first floor she passed looked mostly empty, although it had several glowing runes on the walls that she would have stopped to examine more closely had she not been in a hurry. The next floor had more of the same runes, but this one actually had doors leading away from it.
    She found Varra inside the second door, standing over a work bench. Rae watched from the door as she separated out several bundles of plants, laying them out neatly in front of her. Her fingers were dusty with chalk, and she had drawn several symbols around her cutting board, a pot of water bubbling merrily to her left. She seemed engrossed in her work, so Rae watched her for a few moments before clearing her throat to get her attention.
    Varra jumped, looking over her shoulder with wide eyes. When she saw Rae, she relaxed slightly, smiling as she put down the plants in her hand.
    "Hello, Rae," she said. "What can I do for you?"
    Rae stepped into the lab, letting the door swing closed behind her. She wasn't really sure how to go about this. She had spent most of her life observing people, so she knew how to read their moods, but she