She faltered at his rebuke. “I’ve never been out in the woods before.”

“Never?” Tristam’s surprise showed in his voice. “I spent my entire childhood in woodland just like this. My family’s manor is out in the forest.”

“I can tell.”

“Tell what?”

“That you’re comfortable here.” She couldn’t put it into words, but he moved differently. Even in the past hour, the tenseness had left his muscles—a tenseness that she hadn’t noticed until it was gone. He stood taller, though he’d already been head and shoulders above her. He was more self-assured, and it seemed as if a weight had lifted off him.

Tristam gave a quiet smile. “You should come out here in the fall. The leaves are beautiful when they turn.”

Kyra didn’t respond. A faint impression was forming in the back of her mind, of walking through a similar forest. Or rather, of being carried, the way Flick carried Lettie. There was something threatening about the memory, and she shook her head to clear it.

They continued in silence as Tristam looked for signs of the Demon Riders, occasionally examining a snapped branch or kneeling to look at footprints.

“The last time I saw the Demon Riders,” said Tristam, “it was at night—I think they may travel after dark. I see some fresh tracks, so we can stay here overnight if we can find cover.”

The forest was mainly devoid of underbrush, but they found a patch of bushes where a tree had fallen. Tristam showed Kyra the types of leafy flexible branches they needed to make a shelter, and they spread out to gather materials. Moving around the forest was different from walking in the city. It was almost impossible to take a step without landing on a dry leaf or crackling twig. Kyra scowled at the noise and made a game of stepping softly. After a while, she started to get the hang of it—a trick in the way she placed her foot and shifted her weight.

After some hours of work, they had an impressive shelter. Bushes made up three walls, and Tristam had woven branches in the gaps. Beneath the cover of night, it would be easy to miss.

“Did they teach you this in knight training?” Kyra asked.

“No, I used to do this as a boy, before I became a page.” Tristam stepped back to examine his handiwork and gave a satisfied nod.

“So you lived near the forest?” she asked. “Is the rest of your family still there?”

“My father, mother, and my younger sister are. My two older brothers are road patrol knights, so they don’t spend much time at home. They monitor the forest roads far from the city, mostly trade routes. Perhaps it’s because we live where we do, but my family’s always been drawn to the road patrols. We like being away from civilization.”