“What if…” She swallows hard. “What if we die out there? Before we find the Woman of the Woods? Before we find Torr and Lin and Lorna?”

A valid question. One I’ve known the answer to for a long time.

“You were right in the tavern when you called me a coward,” I say. She opens her mouth to intervene, but it’s vital I say this, so I quickly resume.

“I have been a coward, Sparrow. For a while now. For as long as I can remember, I’ve run from my destiny to be a King. I’ve lived in fear of my father’s expectations. I’ve visited my mother in secret, pouring gifts and money on her as if they’d make up for lost time or heal her troubled heart. I got involved in Torrent’s and Lin’s affairs, and eventually, Lorna’s, too, because I wanted to live apart from my world forever. And for a time, it worked. I was free of responsibility, and I found a new family to share my life with. The crown grew smaller and smaller in my mind.” I pause for a moment, shaking my head at how I’d honestly believed I could outrun who I am.

“When I saw you again, that all changed. Everything changed. Even after all these years, in my heart, it was like only a day had gone by. You were the same Little Sparrow. The one who’d punch a boy in the face for name-calling and break the rules for a laugh. It scared me. Terrified me, really. And so, like the coward I’ve always been, I hid. But I’m so tired of hiding, Idalia. I can’t do it anymore.”

A lone tear slips down her cheek. Oh, to be able to wipe it away. What I’d give to wipe away every tear she’ll ever cry. I finish softly.

“I’m prepared to lose my life in that Wood as long as you’re by my side. It’s better to die together than to live apart.”

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Idalia

Stepping over the invisible line that separates The Wood from Aeradian is a very foolish thing to do. We should be smart and contemplate all the horrors we’d already faced. But time has a funny way of making us forget.

“Are you ready, Little Sparrow?” Braizen’s question cuts through my thoughts.

I’ve just enough resolve left to smile. “After you.”

I motion him across the threshold. His boot strikes the Florian path, and just like that, we are back in the hell we’d barely escaped.

Night draws near; the speckled sunlight wanes above the dense tree canopy. Braizen walks ahead and holds his bow ready at his side. I turn my palms out, unsure of what I can do if trouble appears, but nonetheless, I’m prepared.