Since their escape from Raessa, Obrett and his three companions had maintained a relaxed but nonetheless active vigilance against the possibility of pursuit. Making frugal use of their supplies, they rode due East, crossing one of the tributary rivers that made up the Hotiari, the grand river that cut across the middle of the Nine Duchies, eventually resulting in Lake Eskebeth, the Reedswallower, and the Iscuan Delta far to the South. Obrett only came to realise how far from home he actually was when they crossed the shallow ford. The clear water running with abandon bore none of the trademark sluggishness of the great river at its lower points. Despite his homesickness, he felt a certain joy at crossing the river. It was as if an invisible boundary had passed. In fact, once they were over
