“That’s my point,” Gavin said. “If we pass south of the river, one of two things happen. Either Ash passes us by, in which case it’s a straight race to Lissen Carak, and we have all the advantages; think of the fortified bridge on the river, and the magicked gate. Right? Or he follows us south of the Cohocton.” Gavin waited a moment to let that sink in. “Then we’ve won. In fact, we’ve won clean, and even if he kills every one of us, he’ll lose ten days doing it and have to march all the way back here to cross.”

Tapio gave Muriens half a smile. “You alwaysss planned thisss, man?” he asked.

Gavin allowed himself one of his brother’s smug looks of triumph. “Yes,” he said.

Tapio nodded slowly and looked at Tamsin. “It isss brilliant,” he said. “Why has Asssh not consssidered this?”

Gavin looked off to the east. “Maybe he has. Geography is a harsh reality. He needed to defeat us at Cornfields; maybe that’s why the wardens took such a foolish risk.” He shrugged. “Mayhap Tamsin and Gabriel are taking up all his time.” He turned his horse. “Listen, I don’t know why he’s missed it; but unless he has some terrible trick under his black wings, we can buy our people four days free of death, unless he comes against us directly.”

The grammarian nodded. “I can make that cost him,” he said. “And I can reach the queen, or perhaps Harmodius, if Ash leaves us space to breathe.”

Tamsin showed her fangs.

“Predators like their prey to be much smaller than they are,” she said. “Predators do not like to be hurt. He is like a giant cat. He will want us divided, fearful, and weak, before he pounces.”

Gavin pointed across the fords. “Whereas if we retreat across Cohocton, we will be well rested and strong,” he said.

Tapio allowed himself a smile. “You give me a little hope,” he said.

Arles—The Red Knight

Ariosto landed neatly inside the castle courtyard. A dozen very thin men were re-laying flagstone in the yard and as many more were repointing the damaged stonework from the siege, and there was scaffolding running all the way up the great tower that dominated the ancient fortress and the hill on which it stood and the plain of Arles below it.

Gabriel had kept his eyes on the scaffolding during Ariosto’s descent. He no longer spent every takeoff and landing in a state of mortal terror, but the spiraling, leaf-fluttering drop into the courtyard had been especially insane.

Show off, Gabriel thought.

There she is! Ariosto sent. And sure enough, Blanche emerged from the doorway of the tower in a dark blue gown with ermine at the tips of the sleeves and the collar. She looked at him, and he had eyes for no one else; not Kaitlin coming behind her, not Michael.