Chapter 25
“You’re leaving?”
Alara stood at the entrance of Ser Stratford’s manor, clothing bag hanging from her shoulder and the boots she had started to appreciate hanging in her hands. Mr. Stratford had met her at the entrance, a rare occasion, dressed in a suit that spoke credit to the noble lineage he neglected to portray most of the time. The man looked weary as if he had been holding meetings and late-night conversations for a day or more, but he had greeted Alara pleasantly enough if only to tell her the news just after.
“My number has been called up,” he said. “Two months of mandatory service a year, and the local lord has decided that will begin in just a few days. I knew the man was fickle, but he usually gives more advance warning than this.”
“But the trials don’t start unt
