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Talmaddis.
    “Even after I saved your life twice? You’re a hard man to please,” Talmaddis said dryly.
    I winced, remembering my fall, and the plummeting pullwheel station. “Right. Uh. Thanks for that.”
    “You can thank me by refraining from anything foolish.” Talmaddis passed his hands over his face. “Especially tonight. I warn you, I won’t be in a forgiving mood if I’m roused from my bed to drag you back to camp.”
    “Don’t worry,” I told him, truthfully. “I’m not even sure I can make it back to the barracks.” Better anyway to wait until the latest crew of mages returned to Tamanath before I tried again for some kalumite, no matter how frustrated the delay left me. Far easier to fox one mage than a horde of them.
    “Nevertheless, you’ll understand if I insist you hand over that glowlight charm.” Talmaddis stuck out a hand.
    “You want it, it’s yours.” Copper wasn’t hard to come by, not with half the chipping crews wearing the weak little glowlight and sharpening charms considered legal here. I slapped the charm into his waiting palm. “Trust me, all I want right now is sleep. Stand over my cot all night if you like, so long as you don’t wake me ’til the day bell rings.”
    I moved for the barracks, but Talmaddis gripped my shoulder. “Hold a moment.”
    A magelight bobbed toward us over the mudflats. As it got closer, the holder proved to be the scar-faced female mage I’d seen before. Mud smeared her uniform and her graying hair was fraying loose from its braid, but her walk remained as rigidly precise as a soldier on a parade ground. She dipped in a perfunctory bow.
    “Talmaddis, we’ve received orders from the Council.” She brandished the jeweled gold band of a message charm at him. “Captain Jevardanos and the others are to remain and assist in returning the mine to normal operations, but you and I are to take him”—she jerked her head at me—“back to Tamanath, without delay.” She shifted to face me, and rattled off, “Devan na soliin , the Council wishes to review your sentence in the light of your assistance in the rescue effort.”
    “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I snarled. I wasn’t so dumb as to believe that little campfire tale. With Ruslan clawing at their door, the Council surely wanted both me and Kiran right to hand. Shaikar take the Council! Planning a getaway from the mine had been tricky enough, but in Tamanath I’d be buried up to my ears in mages and wards. Though in Tamanath I might get to see Kiran. Maybe I could help him, find some way to ensure the Council didn’t throw him to Ruslan to save their asses…I squelched the thought. Best thing I could do for Kiran was to escape the Council’s clutches so they couldn’t use me as leverage anymore.
    I rounded on Talmaddis. “Can’t I get a few hours sleep before you two spell me off to Tamanath?” I needed a chance to think. My brain felt like cold sludge. My only certainty was that I’d never escape the Watch in the heart of their power.
    “Unfortunately, we won’t be returning via translocation spell.” Talmaddis sounded wearier than ever. “A spell of that magnitude requires far too much power to be cast here. We’ll have to travel overland. So yes, I think it wise to get some sleep before leaping on a horse.”
    I perked up as I recalled the maps I’d seen of Alathia. Tamanath was some ten days’ ride from the Cheltman mines, along a road that traveled a maze of sandstone gorges and verdant forest, and passed within a few miles of the border gate at Loras. Maybe I wasn’t so screwed as I’d thought. Even mages had to sleep sometime, and where there was sandstone, there was kalumite.
    Talmaddis turned to the scar-faced mage. “We’ll leave at dawn. Aiyadaren, please inform the minemaster we’ll require three horses and a pack mule; and tell Captain Jevardanos I’d take it as a great favor if he could spare someone to sit watch on the barracks for me until morning. I’d