Chapter Eleven
We spent the next three years on Admon’s estate. I say ‘we’, but Admon was often away on business of his own, sometimes for days at a time. Where he went, I could not say. When I did see him for my lessons, he was quiet and introspective. I tried to draw him out, but he seemed lost in his own inner world. I didn’t dare ask him directly what he was spending so much time on.
With Admon becoming more withdrawn, I found myself growing closer to Tashidi. The elf was always friendly with me, and I enjoyed his dry wit. As I became older and progressed in my studies, he began to treat me as a respected equal—a status that I enjoyed. Tashidi was a skilled fighter with a formidable ability for recall and stealth, so I considered our equal footing high praise.
I had worked hard to e
