“Don’t worry, little Speck. I’ll use you as the toothpick when I’m done.”

The two begin to punch each other, and as much as I want to enjoy the show, I can’t. Not yet. Not with so much uncertainty and our very lives hanging in the balance.

“My father told me many stories about The Florian Wood,” I say calmly, rising to my feet. The two quit quarreling and turn toward me. “Some stories are about the tribes that live here. The Tribe of Black, the Tribe of White and the Tribe of Brown. Then, there’s the Tribe of Many Colors. Heretics, my father calls them.”

Torr spits a wad of saliva on the ground. “Color-coded tribes? In a haunted forest where no animal dares to live? Braze, this is a little hard to believe.”

“No less believable than gods who curse kingdoms and mist that eats flesh.” I counter back.

Lin’s brows shoot up, and he nods. He knows I’m right.

Torr shakes his massive head. “It’s because of that mist that I can’t believe it,” he says. “You mean to tell me there are multiple tribes that have survived it for this long?”

“Well, if the childhood stories of the tribes are to be believed, most horrors of the Wood come out at night. Maybe the tribes have found a way to outrun them. We did.”

Torr contemplates, then says, “Even if what you say is true, and tribes do roam these lands, what then, Boss? How many days will you have us search to find them? How long can we go without food before you lead us back home?”

I run my hand through my hair. “The journey home takes several days. Even if we start now, we’ll be too weak to make it. Our best chance is to find a village.”

“Or a noble,” Lin says so quietly I almost don’t hear him.

“What?”

Lin crosses his arms. “I said we could rob a noble.”

“A noble? Here? Guard almighty, Braze. I think we’ve lost him for good. His small body couldn’t keep up with his insanity,” Torrent mocks, flipping a long lock of hair from his face.

Lin glares at Torrent. They appear on the verge of another quarrel.

“Lin, what do you mean?” I ask slowly.

His eyes flare in anticipation of sharing his idea. “I didn’t mention it before because it means trekking dangerously close to the Deep Kingdom’s border. And with the Princess with us, I didn’t want to risk any of their troops rescuing her. Or anyone possibly recognizing Braze.”

“Spit it out, Speck.” Torrent grunts impatiently.

“Before we left, someone in the Smoky tavern shared that Tawdrey Lannex would be traveling from Aeradian to Verdana through the Florian Wood in five days. I only half-listened because we weren’t going to be anywhere near Aeradian. But after our all-night ride, we must be near their border. And the time is right. The real question is why Lannex would take the Florian route? Why not just send a messenger to brave the river? Baelliles doesn’t prevent Aeradian’s people from crossing our border. We do, however, always check what they carry with them. So, if Lannex opts to travel through the Florian Wood, then….”