How to explain? “The Lily showed me a map of the area. Like your sketch, but in my mind.”

“And you trust this?”

“Yes. And we need more toxin. It’ll only be a short detour.”

“But Prince Ryne—”

“Will be very happy to be able to eliminate more dead soldiers with the toxin we collect.”

Hogan glanced at Odd.

Odd shrugged. “Just so you know, she’s going whether you agree or not.”

“You can wait here if you want. We’ll be back by sunset.” I hefted my pack.

Hogan tried again. “Prince Ryne ordered us to stay together.”

“Then come on—you’re wasting time.” I strode north. “Besides, what can happen? We’re in the middle of nowhere.”

“Now you’ve done it,” Odd said, catching up to me. “Never invite danger.”

“How’s that inviting danger?”

“Asking ‘what can happen’ is a challenge to fate. It’s like asking fate to throw something our way.”

“That’s a silly superstition.”

“To you.”

Uh-oh. Had I hurt his feelings? I glanced at him. Instead of wounded puppy dog, his expression remained serious. I remembered Odd was from Ryazan Realm. “Is this a Ryazan belief?”

“No. Soldiers don’t tempt fate. We don’t brag or boast, which is different than being bold and aggressive. We aren’t cocky, just confident. Well, the good ones are.”

“But you brag all the time at camp.”

“About stupid stuff, not the important things. You’ve never heard me come back from a patrol and brag about how many enemy soldiers my squad killed. Or how we ambushed them while they slept.”

True. He’d bragged about stealing the last cookie from the mess tent or about dumping Ursan in the mud during a training session. Actually he’d never seemed to tire of teasing Ursan over that one.

“I understand and I’ll be more careful in my...word choices from now on,” I said.

“Thank you,” Odd said.

We walked in silence for a while. While Odd and I moved with the sounds of the forest, Hogan didn’t. He needed the silent training. The afternoon sun warmed the air and drove off the damp chill. Tipping my head back, I enjoyed the heat of the sunlight on my cheeks. We’d been overnighting in the tunnels for the past two nights. I hoped Ryne’s new infirmary location wasn’t inside a cave.

After an hour, we reached the Death Lily. It grew among a dozen Peace Lilys, the largest cluster I’d seen since I’d been harvesting the toxin.

I dropped my pack and approached. It snatched me in one quick gulp. Impressive. Pain jabbed my upper arms. Then I broke free from my body, flowing into the roots of the plant and joining with its soul.

Joy and contentment pulsed over my arrival. I smiled. Death Lilys didn’t get many willing visitors. It wished to help me and it showed me its entire network of Death Lily plants, offering the toxin sacks from them all. A generous gift. Committing as many to memory as I could, I concentrated on the locations.