“Are we agreed then?” I asked, looking at each of my friends’ faces. Seeing Rurik’s scowl, I added, “Don’t worry. You can keep your weapons handy. And we’ll double the watches.”

That mollified him slightly, and when we told the Hemlock leader—whose name turned out to be Orj—our decision, I got the impression their group had also been having a similar conference for traveling procedure and defense. So, we all set off together, the air heavy with wariness but also with a sense of solidarity. There was comfort in numbers.

We spoke little to our new companions at first. When we settled down to camp for the night, a bit of the tension lifted. Each group offered up food, and there’s something about a shared meal that encourages friendliness, particularly among the gentry with their strong ideas about hospitality. The soldiers in our group—though always on guard—had the easiest time bonding. When your life involves constantly being shuffled to new situations and fighting with those you don’t know, I think it becomes easier to make friends where you can.

Unsurprisingly, each party contributed its own people to the watches. Mine was later in the night, and as I spread out my blanket near the campfire, Alea—the woman with the falcon—came and sat beside me. The bird sat on her shoulder.

“Spots is surprised you aren’t sleeping with him,” she said.

It took me a few seconds to dissect that statement. First, I realized Spots must be the falcon’s name. Then, I thought she meant the bird wanted to sleep with me—until I saw her gaze on Dorian.

“Ah,” I said in understanding, staring at the opposite side of the fire. Dorian caught my eye and smiled. I quickly looked back at Alea. “No.”

“Isn’t he your man?” she asked curiously. “It seemed like it from what I observed today.”

I didn’t recall Dorian and I doing much more than our usual chatting while traveling, but maybe others saw things I couldn’t. “He used to be,” I admitted. “But not anymore.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Why ever not? He’s very attractive.”

“He is,” I said, a bit more wistfully than I intended. “And smart and powerful and resourceful.” I thought about it a moment more. “And kind.”

The bird made a couple of clicking sounds. Alea tilted her head to listen and then nodded. “Spots says he sounds like an ideal mate and can’t understand what your problem is.”

I laughed. “It sounds like Spots has a lot to say about romance.”

She shrugged. “He sees things we sometimes miss. Often, his view of the world is much simpler than ours. That’s why he has trouble understanding your comments.” She murmured something to him that sounded like squawks, and the falcon flew off into the night.