A last gasp of rain spat over them, but the weather was moving north, flinging itself against the rising hills. They’d have better weather tomorrow.

Simo came up beside her. “Are you sure we’ll reach shelter before dark?”

“We’re almost there. Keep your eyes open for swalters. I thought I spotted one.”

He didn’t even blink to hear this news. “Yes, there are four pacing us.”

She gave him a look of sharp surprise.

For the first time, he smiled. “I’m surprised you saw one at all. They’re usually impossible to see among the trees. You have keen eyes.”

“And you, considering you saw four?”

“I didn’t say I saw them. If there are four, there is likely a full family group scouting us.”

“There are known to be several unaffiliated packs roaming the Moonrise Hills. But I’ve never seen one in this area before.”

“That’s why I’m troubled by their interest.”

“Do you think they might attack us?”

He shrugged noncommittally. “How far to the temple?”

She pointed. “Do you see the crag up ahead? The dead tree? That’s the turnoff for the Heart Temple.”

“I’m surprised the tree hasn’t been chopped down for firewood in this Heavens-forsaken place.”

“It’s a Heavens-sent tree. There’s a local story that the pure-water spring was discovered because two journeying venerables witnessed a lightning strike that petrified the tree, as with a bolt of magic. They took it for a sign that they should explore off the path, and thus found the spring below.”

Simo shot her a skeptical look and, to her surprise, strode ahead. When Elen and the rest of the party reached the tree, he was already standing before it, with hands on hips, staring as if he, too, had been petrified with wonder or confusion. The tree was stone, in the shape of a stately old oak. It was impossible to imagine anyone could have sculpted a tree down to the detail of each lobed leaf and irregular striations of bark, much less that there could have been a boulder large enough for it to be hewn out of.

The haunt walked past Simo and rested a palm against the trunk.

“Your Highness, are you sure that’s safe?” Simo asked.

The haunt raised his other hand to command silence. Closing his eyes, he seemed to be listening. Wind swirled around the crag, growing colder as the clouds cleared off. The star known as Evening’s Watch glimmered into view above, warning of night falling fast upon them. The moon hadn’t yet risen in the darkening east.