If you only knew, Ludo thought. “As do I, Your Majesty,” he lied. “I’ve tried passing through walls more than once and only achieved bumps and bruises.” But I have passed through fire and emerged unscathed, he added in his head.

That earned him a full-bellied laugh from the king and a modestly amused snort from the crown prince. “Just take the men with you. I’ll sleep better knowing you have protection.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty.” He bowed in the king’s direction first, then toward the prince. “Your Highness.”

“And stop for a bath, man, you smell like a tavern floor.” The prince’s kohl-lined eyes landed on him with the strength of a challenge. “Tell me you didn’t sleep outside.”

“None of the rooms were available. A bed of hay is more comfortable than you might think.” Without further delay, Ludo headed for the exit, catching the final few words offered by Tomas to his father. “Are you certain bringing in the Ghost is necessary? The Fire Eater is infamous, but he’s still only a man…”

It was the first thing the prince had said that Ludo had agreed with. Cainan was just a man. And all men could bleed and die. Well, except maybe himself, that was.

Three

Soraya

The Rocklands, Lostwood, Finfalla

Soraya took a moment to kneel beside the glowing pool, staring into its golden surface. Ten years ago, it hadn’t been there. She remembered, because she’d been six name days old, and her father had escorted her to this very place on the edge of the Rocklands. They’d spent the afternoon climbing rocks and pretending to be famous explorers. Upon the precipice of one of the towers of stone, they’d gazed out over Lostwood’s vastness and she’d felt so small.

Ever since that day, she’d longed for the chance to venture past the rock border and uncover the forest’s mysteries. Now that the day had arrived, a mix of excitement and trepidation roiled inside her.

“More godsblood leaks every day,” Shim grunted, his voice a deep baritone that almost made it sound like he was growling. Her companion had stopped further ahead, waiting patiently. The sun painted his limbs with a golden hue matched by his eyes, which were the same color as Soraya’s. He exuded a calmness and certainty that helped quell even Soraya’s fluttering heart. She’d known him her entire life, which meant she was accustomed to the cobralike hood that grew from the base of his head and curled over his scalp like the brim of a hat. Beneath the layer of sunlight, his skin itself was a patchy mix of red and black, except, of course, for the dozens of tiny, golden leaves that marked his cheeks. Soraya had some of those leaves, too, though not nearly as many. Eighteen, to be exact, a higher number than her father by two. “Are you ready?”