Grey stepped through the portal first with Brad slung over one shoulder, Elowen and Mauve beside him, while the others filed through behind them in a much quieter procession than the one that had entered the Instance.
Elowen hadn't said much since they left the Culling ground, but she wasn't the only one. Nobody had. Even Xerchen had been strangely silent, and Grey couldn't decide whether that was because everyone was exhausted, processing what had happened, or finally beginning to appreciate how handsome and heroic he was.
Probably all three.
Waiting for them on the other side were the Pope, The Immovable, and another elderly woman Grey had never seen before.
