The draasin resumed his search for the hatchling, but with every day they failed to find her, Tan had a growing concern that they would not reach her. He still didn’t know what could have happened, especially if what Asboel said about her need for connection to the land was true, but he would not give up hope. The growing possibility that kaas had devoured the hatchling made maintaining that hope difficult. When Tan reached the city, there was a certain pall hanging over it. Tan wondered whether it was him, or had something really changed in the time that he’d been gone. He had changed. Honl had changed. The understanding that something needed to be done about kaas was there, driving him with an urgency that he might not have had before. A soft, steady music played in the center of the city. The sound brought a smile to his face. It had been months since the minstrels dared play, since they had any reason to play. Ever since the attack, the evenings had been calm and quiet, with people preferring to return to their homes rather than remain out in the city and celebrate.
