“I’m sorry,” Kihrin said. He’d had his own problems at the same age, of course—that business about being gaeshed and sold as a slave came to mind. Yet he couldn’t help but notice Janel had a familiarity with the battlefield many soldiers in the Quuros army couldn’t hope to match. Jarith Milligreest had once offered him a military commission, just because he’d been willing to fight one demon. What would he say to a woman who’d fought hundreds?

What would Jarith have said, Kihrin corrected. Past tense.

“You’re sorry? You had nothing to do with it,” Janel replied.

He hoped that was true.

Janel’s Turn. The road to Atrine, Barsine Banner, Jorat, Quur.

Why slaughter a whole town and then freeze it? Demons could’ve hunted those slain souls in the Afterlife. But demons never passed up an opportunity to travel to the Living World, even if only by proxy. Except those demons had then been trapped by the ice. What did that accomplish?

That upsetting question lurked over a deeper chaos within me.

The flames I’d summoned.

I kept hearing Tamin’s words. We were both witches.

Preoccupied with my thoughts, I almost didn’t notice when we arrived at the falls.

“What’s that noise?” asked Brother Qown as we rode our horses down the main road.

Oh yes. We’d found horses again.

When Tiga Township had been attacked, the town’s workhorses had run. Not all of them. I’d been forced to put down demon-possessed horses as well as people, but we Joratese have never locked away our horses unless we’re sheltering from storms. Once the town lost its icy layer, we’d picked up tack and harness before coaxing some of those horses to return.

Sir Baramon looked surprised at Brother Qown’s question and clapped the Vishai priest on the shoulder. “Haven’t you ever seen Demon Falls before?”

“Demon—” The priest blinked. “I thought we were still a day away.”

“A few hours at most,” I corrected.

“But should we be able to hear it even now?” He seemed flummoxed by the implications.

I clicked my tongue and coaxed my horse forward. I’d decided to call her Ash Flower. While she was never meant to be more than a farm horse, I found her sweet, if a bit anxious. She deserved someone who would feed her carrots, call her beautiful, and take her out for gentle rides. Not me, but I promised myself I’d find her a worthy companion in Atrine.

We crested the rise. I halted Ash Flower while I waited for Brother Qown to catch up.

He did, questions still sharp on his face. I pointed.

He followed my arm with his eyes, and then his jaw dropped.

“Demon Falls,” I said.