Give your life. She’d taken the life of every friend she’d ever known. Not all. Not Frando, her second foster-father. Not Tall Magna back in Ethro. But few enough were left. Would she have given her life for theirs? For her first foster father, Neris, yes. Without question or hesitation. Like a dog. The words sounded pejorative, but it was evident that she had some thinking yet to do.
“A thegis is more,” the man went on. “A thegis, that’s a life companion, even beyond friendship. I feel what Santra feels, know what she wants. She feels what I feel, knows what I want. We understand each other.” He let his hand settle on the dog’s neck where she lay by his side, and she pressed into it. “No human can match that.”
“Is it magic, then?” She knew it was. She could see the gold thread clearly n
