Her clothes were soaked and she was freezing, but she knew if she were going to make it in time she would have to travel swiftly. She’d hated to leave Aislinn behind, but had to for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which was the same reason she’d come to them under false pretenses in the first place. They would never have trusted her otherwise and if she were going to help Aubrey defeat Saralia, she couldn’t take that chance. Now, it seemed she had no choice but to reveal her identity. She was a Shade, there was no deception in that, but Aubrey and Aislinn had been the only ones to see her outside of the Crimson Stair. Humans naturally made all sorts of incorrect assumptions about those around them and she had counted on it to make her seem like she’d belonged there. If Aubrey thought about it long enough, she’d realize that Given had never actually been acknowledged by the others. More than a little incensed that Aislinn hadn’t listened to her when she’d tried to lead them away from Koldavere, Given frowned.
