The sentence struck somewhere deeper than the words themselves, and Phei's thoughts immediately seized upon the one thing Eira had mentioned without intending to give him another idea: the ring. The Spiritual Bond Ring would have created a direct connection between him and Althea, something that did not depend upon geography, history, lingering traces or whether the world itself still remembered where she had gone. His thoughts accelerated so violently that even Eira felt the change.
"That's it."
[What?]
"The ring. If I'd marked her with it, I could've followed the bond regardless of whatever the hell is hiding her."
[Master, how? You never met her while you possessed the ring.]
"I know, but that's not the point. If the ring could've done it, then the important part isn't the ring itself. It's the connection..."
