Bariyan considered that. Martin hardly had a good track record here: a few small successes still overshadowed, even in Bariyan's mind, by the man that Martin had killed in Assyria. And Martin's track record back home hardly looked any better.

So Bariyan could understand wanting to keep Martin out of the way. In the end, hadn't that been what he'd meant to do? Not that he'd succeeded. His failure to do so was why they were even here, right now.

"Well," Bariyan said, brushing snow off his sleeves, shaking his own thoughts off. "It appears that you have all the time in your world now."

He could not help but still sound bitter about that. The state of his own world and the things he'd left behind still weighed heavily on his mind. But that was not up for discussion, and never would be, if Bariyan had any say about it.

"So...." Bariyan cocked his head to the side, giving Martin a sidelong glance. "Do you think you can save her?"