A little guilty about being unable to see Rierdan wake up and leaving Dukiel and Anerias behind, Zach, Nessa, and Violina set off toward the Systine Duchy, where the Labyrinth of Syst was waiting for them and twenty-one other Ticket holders.
Initially, the three of them rode inside the carriage. Nora and an attendant from Violina's household sat up front and steered the horses. Yanael and Alzara rode on Nessa's Millipede as it walked next to the carriage.
The southern coast, where the Labyrinth was located, was a little closer to the central part of the Empire, where the Academy was, so it wouldn't take as long to get there as it does between Zach's home and the Academy. But they were still looking at a week's worth of travel. Someone had made a big Empire after all.
