Ekatarina was silent for a moment, her white eyes distant as if consulting spirits only she could perceive.
Then she nodded slowly.
"The spirits suggest this detour serves larger purposes. Very well. But we make this quick—every hour we delay is an hour the White Seraphyne have to adjust their plans in response to your movements."
"Agreed," Jorghan confirmed.
Citrangada smiled with satisfaction, then called out instructions to Aetheus to take them to her territory.
"Northeast corner, Rudanavs territory. The spire mountains near the Herculan border."
The creatures adjusted their flight path smoothly, their multiple pairs of wings beating in a new rhythm as they banked toward their revised destination.
*
As the carriage flew northeast, the landscape below gradually transformed. The relatively flat plains around Colloniel gave way to rolling hills, then increasingly broken terrain marked by erosion and ancient geological upheaval.
