The West was filled with liars and spies. Bri insisted that she kept the night watch; she and Carys were both on high alert during the day. Between the two of them, there was always at least one loyal guard around Lina. Still, after finding that traitor in the castle, she understood even more why Delta was so frantic for her to come. The best way to stop this threat was to cut off the head of the snake. If Augustus Norwood fell, then his witch hunters would stop—stop the flow of Norwood’s coins and see how many of them remained loyal then.

The air cooled as they ventured farther into the forest, the clouds that clung to the High Mountains in the distance providing a welcome reprieve from the scorching sun. Inland, the terrain changed from red rocks and spiky shrubs to moss-covered stones and swaying trees. The buds of spring greened their bare branches, the promise of new life peeking out from every stem. Soon the forest would be covered in the first flowers, the heavy spring rains coaxing them alive once more.

A white-breasted crow cawed overhead, and Bri shifted on her mount, her muscles tightening. Of course it had to be the ominous sound of crows and not the twitter of songbirds punctuating their silent travels. If the Goddess of Death walked out of the fog right then, Bri wouldn’t have been surprised.

A fine sheen of mist blanketed their skin, the weather turning sour as they continued their trek. The canopy above provided protection from the worst of the rain, but they hadn’t worn enough layers to shield themselves from the wet conditions.

Bri wiped damp hair off her forehead. “How much farther?”

“Less than an hour now,” a guard called from up ahead.

Bri scowled, wiping the droplets dotting her forearms.

“At least we’re finally cool,” Carys said, smirking at Bri. Little curls of wet hair escaped her braid as she wiped her face with the collar of her tunic.

“Can’t take the heat?” Bri jested.

“Please,” Carys snickered. “I grew up in the South. It’s not the heat, though the sun does seem harsher in the West. It’s the thin air that makes it so onerous.”

“You’d rather the humidity of the South?” Lina mused, still looking everywhere but at the two of them, and Bri wondered if she was thinking about what had transpired between them.

We. She hadn’t elaborated on what that meant, only that it meant something, and Lina had seemed . . . angry and pleased at the same time, as if she were mad at herself for what was building between them. Bri studied the Princess, wishing she could read her expression, dying to know the thoughts swirling under that sharp face.

“Yes, I suppose I would prefer the humidity.” Carys smiled at the frown on Lina’s face. “Though the West is lovely to visit . . . for brief periods of time.”