I linger at the balcony, my fingers tightening against the cold stone. For the first time, I consider abandoning everything—culling the Dead Wood, regaining my place in Evewyn, stalling war between the kingdoms. Spinner’s End is close enough to the eastern edge of the Dead Wood that it wouldn’t take long to reach the Nuvalyn Empire. If, by some miracle, Saengo and I managed to escape without being maimed, we could find our way to the coast and board the first ship away from Thiy.

And then what? We would be free, but at what cost? I could never ask Saengo to leave behind her family and home for me. Besides, Evewyn is my home, too, one of the few things I’ve ever been able to lay claim to. I’ve always been prepared to defend it.

Fleeing could never be an option for either of us. If Saengo is now tied to my magic, then I have to make sure we still have a home in Evewyn. I’ll have to meet this Kazan Hlau and learn how to use my craft against the trees.

The shamanborn probably studied under mentors who shared their craft, but there’s no one like that for me. How do I learn a craft that no one knows anything about? And how do I do it in two weeks? My failure with Kendara is still a fresh reminder that I am only a girl with no true name, and I have never once lived up to anyone’s expectations, except in disappointment.

“Give me a moment,” I say to my guard. My nails scrape against the stone as I turn away from the balcony, heading for the stairs that will take me down into the courtyard.

There’s a rudimentary palisade up ahead, little more than misshapen posts running the perimeter of the castle grounds. I hadn’t noticed it when we arrived. An open gate leads to the white drapery that shuts out the trees. On closer inspection, the gauzy material is exactly what I suspected: more webbing. It circles the entire castle.

Spinner’s End resides within an enormous spider’s nest.

I dance my fingers over one of the white posts that form the palisade and then pause. The material is neither stone nor wood, but it’s quite smooth. Leaning closer, I rub my thumb along the side of the post. A faint vein-like texture ambles across the surface, bearing a striking resemblance to the talisman around my wrist.

They’re troll bones, I realize, taken aback. I finger the talisman, more curious than ever how Kendara came by it. Drawing a deep breath, I nod at the guard glowering at me.

She leads me back inside and then down several corridors and a set of stairs. At last, we stop at an open set of double doors with ornate silver knobs.