“My mother wore a lot of rings, like you,” she said. “You look like my mother, excepting your eyes. And you sound like her, when you talk.” She took a deep breath and stared at the food in her hands. “He’ll be camping in the forest tonight, and he’ll be looking for me again tomorrow. I don’t know how you’ll find him.”

“We found you,” Po said, “didn’t we?”

Her eyes flashed up into his and then back to her food. “He’ll have his personal guard with him. They are all Graced. I’ll tell you what you’ll be facing.”

IT WAS a simple enough plan. Po would set out early, before first light, with food, a horse, the bow, the quiver, one dagger, and two knives. He would work his way back into the forest and hide his horse. He would find the king—however long that took. He would come no closer to the king than the distance of the flight of an arrow. He would aim, and he would fire. He would ensure that the king was dead. And then he would run, as fast as he could, back to his horse and to the camp.

A simple plan, and Katsa grew more and more uneasy as they talked it through, for both she and Po knew that it would never play out so simply. The king had an inner guard, made up of five Graced sword fighters. These men were little threat to Po; they always stood beside the king, and Po expected never to step within their range. It was the king’s outer guard that Po must be prepared to encounter. These were ten men who would be positioned in a broad circle around Leck, some distance from him and from each other, but surrounding the king as he moved through the forest. They were all Graced, some fighters, a couple crack shots with a bow. One Graced with speed on foot; one enormously strong; one who climbed trees and jumped from branch to branch like a squirrel. One with extraordinary sight and hearing.

“You will know that one by his red beard,” Bitterblue said. “But if you’re close enough to see him, then he’s most certainly spotted you already. Once you’re spotted they’ll raise the alarm.”

“Po,” Katsa said. “Let me come with you as far as the outer circle. There are too many of them, and you may need help.”

“No,” Po said.

“I would only fight them and then leave.”

“No, Katsa.”

“You’ll never—”

“Katsa.” His voice was sharp. She crossed her arms and glared into the fire. She took a breath and swallowed hard.

“Very well,” she said. “Go to sleep now, Po, and I’ll keep watch.”

Po nodded. “Wake me in a couple of hours and I’ll take over.”

“No,” she said. “You need your sleep if you’re to do this thing. I’ll keep watch tonight. I’m not tired, Po,” she said as he started to protest. “You know I’m not. Let me do this.”