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Vansa had no inkling that anything was amiss until the late morning, when she began to think that surely they had traveled far enough to make camp and begin the rites of Zardeenah. But she said nothing, because it was not her place to question her mistress.At noon Aravis Tarkheena stopped and dismounted in a little clearing, motioning Vansa to do the same. But instead of telling Vansa to make camp, she unearthed some food from one of her saddlebags: cheese, figs, flatbread, and a small flask of wine. At that point Vansa knew for certain that something strange was going on. One did not drink wine during the rites of Zardeenah.Vansa glanced up, stealing a glimpse of her mistress’s face before submissively lowering her eyes again. “O my mistress, am I to be told what we are doing here?” she asked.“Yes, I suppose we must discuss it now,” said Aravis Tarkheena. “Know, then, that the idea of marriage to Ahoshta Tarkaan has made the world appear dark in my eyes, and so I have decided to go where I need not submit to the marriage my father has arranged.”Vansa began to tremble. The tarkheena might or might not get away with this, but whether she did or not, Vansa would be punished, perhaps put to death. The tarkheena took a document out of her saddlebag. “Can you read?” she asked.“A little, O my mistress.”“This document is your manumission. It is complete except for my signature.” She gave the parchment to Vansa.Vansa could read better than she let on, and after scrutinizing the document she saw that it did indeed appear to be her manumission. Of course, it could be a trick—forged, or missing some required seal. Or perhaps her mistress did not intend ever to sign it. She handed it back.“Look at me,” said the tarkheena, and Vansa, after struggling for a moment against years of training, raised her eyes to look at the tarkheena’s face.“I swear by Azaroth, and Hahatoth, and the great god Tash, that I will free you if you help me. If you wish, you may remain with me until I reach my destination. I cannot tell you where it is, but when we arrive there you will be freed. I warn you, it is a long journey, and we may not succeed. So if you prefer it, I will free you when we reach Azim Balda. I will then take you to any temple you choose, that accepts women as acolytes, and pay the fee for you to enter the temple. All you must do is go quietly with me as long as we are together, and swear never to betray me. Do you understand?”Vansa fell to her knees and clasped her hands together. “Yes, O my mistress,” she said. “I swear by Zardeenah and Azaroth and the great god Tash and any other god you care to name never to betray you.”Her mistress nodded. “Good.” She paused. Vansa did not know what to do next. “You may get up. And you need not look at me if it makes you uncomfortable,” the lady said. With relief, Vansa lowered her eyes and stood.“After we have eaten, you will ride my horse and I yours,” said the tarkheena.Vansa's suspicions, which had been allayed, flared again. Everybody in the household knew that Aravis Tarkheena never rode any horse but her own, the mare she called Dagger. Then the lady added, “We do this because I know my horse will not run away with you,” and Vansa understood that this was a precaution to prevent her from trying to escape before they reached the city.But the lady need not have worried, for Vansa had already resolved to go to the Temple of Azaroth when they reached Azim Balda. She did not think the lady would break a sworn oath, especially one that called on several powerful gods. Once Vansa was an acolyte, then in the unlikely event that Kidrash Tarkaan traced her to the temple, she would be protected from his wrath. And in a few years she would be free to choose whether to serve the god for the rest of her life, or to leave the temple to work in the city for wages, or even to marry.Only a fool would refuse such a bargain, and Vansa was not a fool.