“There is no reason for you to go,” Ruth was saying. “None.” “He is my grandson!” “I know that!” Ruth said. “And that’s why you should stay here, so in case things go wrong, you can help him later. Or simply be here when he makes his way home. I am the one who should go.” “Too many people depend on you here,” Molly hissed back at her. Alida sat up. In the daylight, she could see into the next room. The women were sitting at the table, teacups in their hands, glaring at each other. She slipped from beneath her blanket, then out the front door. It was a beautiful morning, the sun just coming up. Alida could smell the roses. She walked around the side of the house, thinking furiously. Ruth and Molly were both wrong. Neither of them should go. Gavin needed his grandmother alive and well, and Ash Grove needed its healer. And they were both old women. The castle was huge. What if they had to run up and down tower stairs? Whoever went would have to sneak around the castle for a long time to find out where Gavin was.
