“Shocking. I never have either, but I’d like to one day. My mother used to go on and on about it. Said Solarii wine tasted like drinking the stars. It was something her brother had told her once. I never met him, but I guess he was from Kingfall. My mother grew up in Chrysallis, Odin’s capital city.”

Ludo was surprised by this revelation. Back in Kestrel she’d said her mother had spent most of her life in southwestern Finfalla, but he never expected the earlier portion of her life to be in a completely different part of the world. “And your father? You mentioned before he’s from Stormeye, right?” Ludo kept his voice even, as though it was just a natural question that anyone would ask.

“Yes.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

“And your parents…they died from the Plague?”

“I lied about that. Just as you keep lying about how you lost your eye.”

“And you your leg. I doubt you’ve ever fallen from a horse in your life.”

“I haven’t. Though I have been bitten by one.”

“I vaguely remember something about that. Should we be honest with each other?” Ludo wasn’t certain what that meant—not yet—but it felt like the right thing to ask.

“No.”

“I can live with that, as long as we’re both hunting the Fire Eater for the same reason. To kill him.”

“We are.” The words seemed to thunder in his ears.

“Good.”

They walked on.

Bryony

Their own shadows were growing before their very eyes, lengthening with each step, turning them into giant monsters.

“I’m sorry we didn’t find Oath,” Bryony said, surprised that she actually meant it.

“It’s alright,” Ludo said with a shrug. “It was always a longshot. That’s what I get for trusting a magical door filled with visions of a goddess.”

“Seriously. And here I thought you were a pragmatist.”

“So did I. Still, let’s give it another hour before making camp, aye? Tomorrow we’ll angle more northward to ensure we don’t miss Comman Dur.”

“That’s fine.” Ludo moved ahead of her, choosing the left side of the next hillock to skirt as though already steering them more north than south. His next footfall made a crunching sound, like he’d stepped on a raw egg. Compared to his usual soft trod over the lush grass, the sound stood out like a dog’s angry bark. “Stop,” Bryony commanded.

His momentum carried him for another few crunching steps before he stopped, turning to look at her with raised brows. “Why? What’s the matter?”

“Don’t move.”

“Why? Did you spot a snake or something?” As his eyes roved the thick grass, his feet shuffled about a bit.

“Ludo, you need to stop right now—”