They reached Coppertop without further incident. Aidan had a very loud and vociferous argument with the dwarven king and his council, who hadn't particularly liked him since he'd become a vampire, but eventually he convinced them to collapse the tunnels.

They didn't stick around to see it done, though. They needed to reach the southlands. They made the trek up over the pass to Snowcap easily enough in the warm summer weather. There they waited until they could catch a ship to Porttown. With Littlespark they could not longer make the ocean crossing by air, she was too heavy to carry that far, and asking a baby to stay quiet without food or rest for a day and a half was impossible. As impatient as she was, though, Flame was also glad of the chance to sit still for a time and make certain that Littlespark hadn't been harmed by contact with the demon. But she didn't even seem to remember it.

Eventually a ship departed for Porttown with the little family on board. The crossing took only a few days, but they had to wait in Snowcap for nearly a week before there was a ship leaving for the south. They were both impatient, wanting to get to the Tower and get the matter settled. But from Porttown it was nearly a week on foot to reach the Tower.

They arrived at last, and went straight to the throne room. It was mid-afternoon and Tara was holding audiences. Ordinarily they might have had to wait hours, but Flame claimed the privilege of the Queen's Own to see Tara immediately. They approached the throne. There was no need to genuflect or bow, Tara had never been fond of such things. Aidan was holding Littlespark, so Flame stepped forward and quietly told Tara their problem. "We need to find somebody who knows about demon magics. I know they're illegal, but surely there's someone who at least has some knowledge of them?"

Tara nodded. "There may be. You should speak with Jordanis. He is the best mage in the kingdom, and he's made a study of nearly every sort of magic there is. But Flame... one more day won't hurt. You're tired. Go, rest. Your rooms in the castle should be ready for you. You can speak with Jordanis tomorrow."

Flame sighed. She wanted this done with, but Tara was right. "Yes your majesty."

Tara chuckled. "Your majesty now, is it?"

"You're giving me royal commands." Flame smiled. "But I'll go rest. And thank you." She and Aidan left the throne room and threaded their way through the maze of castle corridors to the wing where the Queen's Own all had rooms. Flame smiled to see that her own was indeed ready. Some alert servant, no doubt, had noticed her arrival.

They all three were exhausted. It had been a rough journey. Even Aidan, who didn't tire quite the same way that Flame did, was worn out simply by the need to be out during daylight for nearly the whole trip. The bed there was big enough for them all. Littlespark was already dozing in Aidan's arms. Moments later all three were sleeping soundly.