Chapter Eight
Although I was caught up in my studies as a novitiate, I never forgot about Tahlia. We did not go to the Imperial City often over the next three years, but I tried to find an opportunity to meet her with each visit.
Her family remained unaware of my existence, and Tahlia and I were careful not to be seen together. For all her tearful pleading, her father remained adamant about her betrothal to Zamir. Since her subsequent rise in status would put her above her few merchant-class friends, she gained little sympathy from them. Most had either turned jealous or fawning, making her feel isolated and alone. I had become the one person she could confide in.
I had also managed to keep our friendship secret from Admon. It was not always an easy thing. If Admon and I went to the mar
