It had been two days since Devvyn and Aela had registered for the Gauntlet Trials. The Trials were in a week, and staying in Eternis to wait for them to begin was more than they could afford, so they returned to Golden Fields that day.
Aela’s siblings were happy to see them return, but Devvyn’s neighbour, who had been entrusted with their care, looked even more relieved. Devvyn could understand. The children were angels compared to some of the other kids he’d been around, but they were still children, and that meant they had a reserve of energy that never went dry. The neighbour was an elderly gardener who mostly puttered around in his garden, and he knew the children must have been a lot for the old man to handle on his own.
There had been no word from Maelis in the short time they’d been away, and Devvyn was starting to feel slightly worried. Maelis had never been away for so long without his knowledge; he probably shared some of the blame because of the argument they’d had before she left.
He put it out of his mind as Aela called his attention to her latest circuit. They were currently in their old school field in the Lower City; it was the best place to set up the mini-Gauntlet they used to train. No one would bother them without cause, and it was quiet and peaceful.