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came to life. It was late already. Her father had not come to her until the household had begun to settle for the night. That meant that it would be no more than an hour at most before midnight. There was no time to sit and stare into space. No time to contemplate the monumental changes that were about to occur in her life.
    With care, she began to sort through her clothing that was neatly folded in a trunk at the bottom of her bed. She noticed the unfamiliar gown at once. Ninia’s work. How would she be feeling about all this? The girl depended on her. The idea of being separated, even for a short time, would terrify her. But Anniana couldn’t think of that now. Her father had put too much into this plan for her to sabotage it with her worries.
    Sticking precisely to her father’s instructions, she got to work selecting items that she would take with her. Items she needed. Items that meant something to her and that might disappear if she left them behind.
    Mementos. A beautifully carved whalebone comb and a pair of emerald and gold earrings with matching pins her father had given her for her coming of age day. A tiny portrait of her father. A stylus she had used since she was a child. A necklace of shells her brother Gaius had made for her one year at the beach. There were three bracelets of carnelian, amethyst, and garnet, one for each of her last three naming day anniversaries sent to her by Gaius from wherever he was stationed at the time. A tiny piece of amber Vali had given her after one of his many trips to the marketplace for her mother. He said it was the colour of her eyes and explained where amber came from and how it could have small creatures or plant life frozen inside it. Her piece had a tiny bubble in it. She had always loved the feel of it in her hand; soft, warm and smooth…
    By the time her father returned, she was dressed and packed. When he saw her ready, he nodded his approval and led the way to the front of the house. All the slaves were abed. Everything was in darkness. The only sound was their sandaled feet on the tiles of the atrium. The air was so heavy as to be suffocating. They had no candle, depending on the moonlight from the open roof of the atrium to guide their way.
    The door groaned on its hinges as it opened and her father looked around in concern. But, though the sound was deafening to them, it was probably not enough to disturb any of the people asleep deeper in the house.
    On the other side of the door was a giant silhouette looming over them. Anniana caught herself before she cried out. Even her father gave a little grunt at the unexpected sight. But he quickly recovered and nodded at the intruder.
    The man in the doorway was backlit by moonlight, making his features impossible to see. This man seemed bigger than she remembered; taller and broader in the shoulders. But when he spoke softly to her, she recognised his voice immediately, and her fear of him evaporated.
    ‘Little mistress, are you ready?’
    ‘Yes Vali.’ She turned to her father at her side and wrapped her arms around him. He was her height and she could rest her cheek on the top of his shoulder. He seemed so frail in her arms now. Not like the strong man she always took him to be.
    ‘Be safe, little lamb, until we meet again,’ he whispered into her hair, his voice breaking.
    ‘I will miss you,’ she whispered back. ‘But don’t worry. Vali will take good care of me. Thank you for not giving in to mother this time. I know what it will cost you.’
    Then he was drawing back from her and thrusting her gently toward the giant in the doorway. A warm, rough hand took her bare arm, and drew her down the front stairs. The door behind her closed with a groan. The shadowed street lay empty before her.
    ‘Come. Watch your step. The cobble stones are uneven and deceptive in the moonlight.’ His arm wrapped around her, supporting her unsteady steps. Unaccountably, the fear and grief of the last hour was suddenly gone.