Luckily, we don’t die.

The Destiny slows to an awkward crawl, and when she finally runs out of momentum, she comes to a rough stop just inches away from the motionless riders.

Before I can even process what just happened, Isolde is storming out the door. I follow, poking my head out into the rain self-consciously.

“What is wrong with you?” my sister shouts at them. Something feels very wrong here.

Cautiously, I hop down the stairs. “Isolde...” I warn.

“Hey!” Isolde’s boots splash mud as she stomps forward, ignoring me. “I’m talking to you. You could have gotten us all killed!”

The two figures dismount with a long, flat stretch of road still between us, silhouettes stark against the far-off trees and rolling mountains. Their horses immediately trot down the hill and out of sight, but that doesn’t seem to bother the riders: they’re fully focused on us.

My mind runs through a quick list of all the people we’ve pissed off in the past twenty-four hours: Wildline Manor’s enchanters, the Auremore city guard, Leira Wildfall herself.

But it isn’t any of those people.

“Hello there, changeling. Imagine running into you here.” I know Raze’s voice instantly.

Isolde’s back goes stiff. I know she’s thinking the same thing I am. How did they find us? How did they beat us here on horseback?

“Hand over the compass.” The taller figure takes a step forward, towering over Isolde with the easy, muscular grace of a lioness. The outline of a quarterstaff balances perfectly in Olani’s hands.

Isolde pauses. I imagine the trace of a cocky smile on her face, even though I can’t see it with her back to me.

“What compass?”

Self-consciously, I bury my hand in my skirts, nails digging into my palm.

“We don’t have time for this,” Olani snaps, talking more to her companion than to us.

He acknowledges her with a slight nod, still studying us from the shadows of his hood. “Whatever you think it’s worth, I can pay more. Just give it back.”

Isolde looks at me. I shake my head, trying to still my trembling hands with the familiar fabric in my grip. It’s a good offer, but it’s one we literally can’t accept. I can’t get rid of this enchantment, no matter how much I want to.

But they don’t seem to know that. They must not have seen the metal dissolve into silvery ink, sink into my skin, and shimmer under its surface. They think we still have it in our pouches or the folds of my dress.

I don’t know what they’ll do when they find out that’s not the case.

chapter ten

“I’m afraid that giving up the compass is no longer an option,” Isolde says. “Now let us pass.”

I try to act like it’s already settled, taking half a step back to the wagon. I’d drag her with me if I could, but Isolde is already on high alert, preparing for a fight.

“We can’t do that,” Raze says, almost apologetically—and I know he means it. They’re planted solidly in place, and even if we could get back to the Destiny without being attacked, they would just catch up to us again.