They hadn’t seen their friend much over the winter, but Isola, who was a year older, had been finishing up her own mandatory year as Watcher. Now that Leelo had done it herself, she wouldn’t blame Isola if she spent an entire month hibernating. Watching was both boring and exhausting all at once.

Leelo followed Sage into the trees, the soles of her shearling-lined boots quickly becoming mired in the mud and dead leaves left behind by the melting snow. She hated this time of year. Everything was dirty and drab, even their clothing. She wouldn’t wear the bright, beautiful dresses her mother made until the spring festival.

Sage stopped to pluck a branch of red holly berries from a bush, quietly murmuring a prayer of thanks to the woods that provided so bountifully for Endla. As Watchers, it was their duty to protect their home from the merciless outsiders who had destroyed all but this, the last of the Wandering Forests. “We have to finish making our crowns. You haven’t even chosen a theme yet.”

Leelo sighed. “I still have time.”

She had always loved the spring festival, but now she clung to the days like a child at her mother’s skirt. The sooner it was spring, the sooner her little brother, Tate, would be leaving, unless by some miracle his magic emerged before then. Whenever she thought of Tate out there among the outsiders, she wanted to cry. Because if she wouldn’t be there to care for him, who would?

They left the main trail and made their way to Isola’s cottage, where Sage knocked briskly on the door. Nearly a minute passed before it opened a few inches, revealing Isola’s sleep-swollen face and tangled hair.

“What is it?” Her words came out as a croak, clearly the first she’d spoken this morning.

“We’re sorry.” Leelo ducked her head, already retreating. “We didn’t realize how early it was.”

“It isn’t early,” Sage said. “Isola is just lazy.”

Leelo nudged her cousin with her elbow, though Sage had never been known for her tact.

The girl blinked a few times, trying to rouse herself. “I didn’t sleep well, that’s all. What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be Watching?”

Sage shrugged. “Our shift ended. Nothing was happening, anyway.”

A shadow passed over Isola’s gaze. “Nothing ever happens, until it does.”

It was such a strange thing to say that Leelo wondered if something had occurred on Isola’s Watch, something she and Sage had never heard about. It was entirely possible an outsider had attempted the crossing without all the younger islanders knowing. But any successful breach would have been announced. Outsiders caught by Watchers were always given a choice: the Forest or the lake. Either way, they were never heard from again.

A low voice called Isola’s name from inside the cottage before Leelo could ask what she meant.