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We were circling in on something, like birds swooping lower and lower around a landing place.

I glanced around the sparsely furnished schoolroom. “Perhaps before your lessons begin for the day, we could find a quiet corner at the public house and talk? My friend could meet you as well.”

She shook her head quickly. “Don’t be ridiculous. I can’t go into the public house.”

“Why not?”

She gestured toward the window. “The townspeople don’t like me. They call me a witch. They tolerate me when it suits them, and some let me teach their children, but that’s the limit of their acceptance. And as I’m sure you can understand, I don’t want to attract attention by gathering several of us together.”

“Is there somewhere else we can go to talk?” I asked.

She picked up the broom again. “Come back with your friend and bring the figurine you mentioned. I will consider the two of you and decide whether I can help you.”

xxv

I RACED BACK TO THE INN TO FIND ISMENE. SHE WAS eating breakfast alone in our room, as Pollux was already at the stable, preparing our horses and carriage. When she heard what I had to tell her, she put down her spoon and grabbed her scarf. I picked up my bag, and we hurried back outside.

When we entered the schoolroom, the woman was waiting for us, perched on the edge of the table. She assessed us in silence for a few seconds like a teacher sizing up two new pupils.

Finally, she said, “Every once in a while, women like you make their way to the woods near this village looking for something, but they don’t usually stay at the public house. They’ve been sleeping in the woods, frightened and dirty, and they’re desperate for guidance. You two, on the other hand, look better taken care of than that.”

“We haven’t been taken care of at all,” I said, instantly indignant. “We’ve made our own way here, and it’s been a hard journey.”

“Not as hard as some, I think.”

I was about to argue, but Ismene put a hand gently on my arm. “We’ve heard that we can follow the moon’s path to find the place we’re seeking, but we don’t know what that means.”

The woman got to her feet, went to the window, and peered out. Then she turned back to us. “Most women who make their way here seeking refuge are coming from the west, down from the mountains and through miles of forest. There’s a path marked by symbols that can be seen by someone who knows what to look for.” She put her hands on her hips. “But you didn’t come here from the west. From what I saw, you arrived in a carriage from the south, in the company of a man. You’d never find the path arriving that way.”

“Our journey out of the mountain city has been long and complicated,” I said stiffly. “Give us a reason to trust you, and we’ll share our story.”

“All that matters to me is whether I trust you. I’ll tell you this much: My name is Portia. I was born in the mountain city and trained at the Schola Morum. I was a tira and then a full courtesan at Casa Aeris before I found a way out.”

“I was an apprentice at Aeris also,” Ismene said excitedly. “I was sent away to Panpirion to entertain the Imperator, but I’ve run away from him.”

“Ismene,” I cautioned, “we shouldn’t say too much.”

Portia leaned forward. “You have been living with the Imperator?”

Ismene’s mouth tightened. She glanced at me. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have shared that.”

“And you fled here?” Portia sounded alarmed. “Did anyone from his court know your destination?”

“No,” I said quickly. “No one knew where we were headed.”

Ismene twined her fingers nervously.

“What of you?” Portia turned to me with suspicion. “Were you also at the Imperator’s court?”

“No. I was taken out of the mountain city by a wealthy nobleman, but he’s not here with me.”

Her eyes narrowed between the edges of the palla that covered her face. “Surely he will come after you.”

“He doesn’t know I came here.” I felt an ache of guilt at the thought of Sebastianus.

Portia looked fixedly at us. “Our refuge has stood undiscovered for centuries. What if you were followed?”

“We’ve been here for several days already,” I said. “If we had been followed, I think our pursuers would have made themselves known by now.”