Minutes after getting into town, and I’m already very much over that I have to bunch up my dress to keep the hem out of the muck on the street. Skies alive, I miss being in clothing that’s meant for agility. Ellian sets the pace next to me, one hand on her basket and one on her own skirts.

“There’s a market just ahead,” she whispers. “It’s always my first stop. The people there see and hear everything.”

I avoid the gazes of the humans lining the streets, especially the soldiers. Even after all these years, Ellian seems only slightly more at ease than I am. She’s evaded their detection for so long. My being here could ruin it for her for good. Lowering my head submissively as she suggested, I follow where she leads.

In the humans’ city, there is no music, just the steady sound of humans conversing with one another, and the clicking of gear on their horses’ saddles. Women in dresses like my own walk in pairs or beside their men, their arms linked. At any moment, I expect to hear the shout of someone sounding an alarm, but the townsfolk are wrapped up in their own business, and no one pays us any mind.

It’s a relief when Ellian finally turns and we enter a tiny market. Here and there, a rooster crows madly, and dogs bark as they dart between the legs of vendors and customers alike. The sight of the latter makes me tense—but these are not hunting dogs. From the looks of the ribs showing through their fur, I could outrun them even in my human form, bunched dress and all.

After talking to a shopkeeper and purchasing a pair of woolen socks, Ellian takes my arm, pulling me aside.

“That man saw them bringing three strange men in yesterday morning. They were placed in the custody of General Marchess.”

I swallow. “Do you think they’re alive?”

“Yes.”

I want to grab Ellian by the shoulders and hug her. “Where?”

“Somewhere in the fort,” she replies. She swallows. “But…”

A cheer rises up from the distance, followed by the low groan of the humans booing.

“What’s that?” I ask.

“What I feared,” she says. “It sounds like it came from the arena, which means he’s fighting them.” My heart lifts—Leonodai can handle battle—but Ellian shakes her head. “It’s not like that, Rowan. The general only sends men to the arena when he is done with them. He’ll be the victor once the others are dead.”

“Let’s go,” I say, but Ellian hesitates. Isla. She’s risked so much for me already. I know where Ox and the others are. I can take it from here.