Assassin's guild. Liz paled at those words. She was sure that Bastian meant the words to be reassuring. But they weren't. She nodded and pulled her hand back. She had been stupid to question him. Of course he knew better than she did. She worried that she would cause more problems for him than anything. She wrapped her arms around herself. No more questions. She would follow him. It was better that she didn't know anymore than necessary.

These caves might save time but they couldn't follow the trail from down here. Could they. She wondered. Liz accepted Bastian's hand because she feared she would get lost in the dark if she didn't. She was silent as the fog closed around them. She shivered. The fog wasn't natural. It couldn't be. Again she wondered how she ended in such a complicated world.

She was a sheltered human girl. She knew she had been taught to tend to the ends of others. She had healing skills. She could saw and cook. She had been raised to be the perfect hostess to some sophisticated man. But then her father had gotten into trouble and rather than paying the price himself he had framed Liz knowing she would never stand up for herself. No she would never be able to stand up for herself or anyone else.