Edna shook her head at Old School Striking King, who was beckoning to her. Then she smiled, gave the clasped-hands salute the Undead had taught her, and waved: thanks, but no thanks.
She couldn't stay at Sanda King's Mushroom House right now. There were the others to consider, especially those mages from Quesenta. The Undead weren't about to invite them into their Alchemy Huts.
Even if they weren't close, she was their captain. She couldn't abandon her teammates and enjoy herself.
It was only one night. She could rest once they reached Long Saddle Town tomorrow. Even if the place wasn't on the best terms with Aglaia's lord, Edna didn't believe the Habel Family would dare attack her on their own turf.
Life was a lot easier when you had a powerful, conscientious leader watching over you.
Especially now, when few people could cast Ninth-Circle Spells, Aglaia's lord—who could kill dragons with his own hands—seemed all the more formidable.
Edna chose not to stay beside the stream. Instead, she stood on a small hillside.
The view from above was excellent. She could see everything that happened.
She could see the alchemical mage lying in the grass, entranced by a Rainbow Flower. She could also see the mages and their attendants sneaking out of the safe zone, drawn by the Ice Crystal Flowers beneath the ice.
Edna turned toward Leonard, who was circling a Vanda Tree not far away. "Leo, what are you doing?"
"Ah! I didn't expect to find a Vanda Tree outside the High Forest," Leonard said wistfully. "The people from Nature Tower who've traveled abroad all say these trees are nearly extinct across Faerûn."
Edna looked at the thirty-meter tree, shaped like an oval lantern, without understanding. "Don't Vanda Trees grow quickly? And aren't they quite hardy?"
"Elves