Greg's eyes flew open even as he shot up to his feet with a gasp. It took a few seconds of looking at the wooden walls around him and the intricate runes drawn on them for his mind to register that he was back inside the airship. This was the room where the stasis formation, as he'd come to call it, had been carved. The last time he'd been here, the runes had been glowing gently taking barely any mana from him after he'd activated the formation. Given how brightly they were glowing now, they had probably been drawing mana from him for the entirety of the three months that he'd been back in Ethavel. Greg hadn't been able to feel it when he was in Ethavel, now that he was here, a part of him realized that he'd never left the room. He had no idea if it was his mind or his soul that had been roaming the streets of Ethavel. Whatever the case, his body had remained behind acting as a battery for this formation. Greg could remember being shocked at how little mana the formation took from him

With the women, however, anything they said could be taken at face value. You didn't have to second guess yourself or question their intentions. They weren't trying to get anything up on her or gain some benefit by being associated with her. It was a case of not knowing you were missing something until you encountered it. The simplicity of their conversations, not to mention, the warmth with which they engaged, always made the time spent with them that much more enjoyable. Of course, while she did enjoy their company, Calyn never lost sight of her goal. From time to time she'd bring Roka up in both subtle and not-so-subtle ways. She didn't try to hide her interest in the young man. After all, if she could win over his family, she'd have them in her corner when she finally went for him. "You don't have to worry, I promise you won't be disappointed by what he has down there," his mother answered with a mischievous glint in her eyes, catching Calyn completely off guard. "Mother!" Tayan