Serali's parents agreed without hesitation. "I hadn't thought that you would go learn magic, but I would have said something about you going to the city myself, one of these days," said Falio. "You don't really belong here."

Serali hugged him. "Oh Papa, I may not belong to the rest of the town, but I certainly belong to you."

She spent the next day saying her farewells and getting her things in order. She went to visit Breck and say goodbye to him, and he handed her a steel-tipped walking stick. When Serali saw it she asked Breck how he happened to have such an appropriate thing on hand.

"I always knew you'd be moving on someday, child, and I figured that since it was likely to be on short notice I'd better have this made already. Though you nearly caught me by surprise, I finished it only last month."

She laughed and hugged him. "Everyone seems to have been expecting this but me."

"Well, I imagine you were expecting it too, only you just didn't know you were."

She thought about that. She had pictured living here her whole life often enough, but the picture seemed less real than her dreams and fantasies had been. She frowned, trying to think that through, then shrugged and smiled at Breck. "You know, I think that you're right."

"Well, never mind all this, you need to be off girl!"

"Goodbye Breck."

"Goodbye!"

She packed up her few possessions easily enough. She had her new walking stick, her lute, a few changes of clothing, and an assortment of useful or pretty odds and ends, mostly things she'd been given by her family on her various birthdays. She also packed away a jewelry box that Breck had made for her just the year before. She had been delighted with it, because it had a very clever secret compartment in the bottom of it. The box held her few pieces of jewelry and an assortment of other small things, but the secret compartment was filed with little golden scales. I guess I did know I would be going, she thought to herself, half amused, or else why would I need this? There's not much need for dragon scale here, and certainly little need for such elaborate hiding places.

She smiled at the thought and put everything in her pack. Picking up her new walking stick, she headed for the center of the village. The sun was just touching the bluffs to the north with light as she reached the inn. Janus was already in front, his own pack on his back and his walking stick in hand.

Serali first went inside, to say goodbye to her parents, who had gotten up early to start work. With some tears but many smiles, they wished her well. Going back out front, she greeted Janus cheerfully.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning indeed, Serali. We're off on a grand adventure."

"Adventure? I thought we were just going to the city?"

"And quite an adventure that will be! Do you know how far off Barona is?"

"No, why?"

"Well, Getrel may be able to make it there and back in a month, but he has a fine team, and goes faster than we can walking. For us it will take three weeks at least on the journey. Perhaps longer, if we run into trouble."

"Trouble?"

"Don't worry." He smiled reassuringly. "It's quite unlikely, and if anything should happen I'm very much capable of taking care of it. The trip will go fine. But the shorter it is the better, and if we want to make the next good camping place by sundown, we'd better be off."

Swinging his staff and whistling cheerfully, he set off down the road, Serali trailing behind, as her parents waved farewell from the front of the inn. She turned back and waved once, and then they were out of sight, and there was nothing ahead of her but the road.