“And you think I can?”

I shook my head, unable to speak.

“We came into this world together, Nor. And that’s the only way I plan on going out. Do you understand me?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Good.” She pulled me to her, and for the first time in my life, she didn’t feel small in my arms. It wasn’t my job to protect her anymore. We would protect each other.

19

“Come with us,” I pleaded as Adriel helped gather my belongings from her cottage. “Please.”

She glanced at me over her shoulder. “I would only slow you down. I’m not a natural horsewoman, Nor.”

“We’re not going to travel fast. And your knowledge would be invaluable on the road if anyone gets sick or injured.”

She glanced at Foxglove, who was licking his outstretched hind leg, one ear flicked toward us. “Who would take care of him?”

“He’s been taking care of himself just fine, from what I can tell.” The cat came and went when he felt like it, sneaking in through a cracked window when he wanted shelter and warmth. Even when he slept on my bed at night, I got the sense it was because he desired somewhere soft to rest and a hand to pet him, not because he needed companionship.

“And what if I don’t make it back?” Adriel asked. She was convincing herself not to come. I’d seen the same tactic in Zadie a hundred times, when I tried to get her to go diving against Mother’s wishes. But I had a knack for knowing when to leave her alone and when to push just a little harder.

“Bring him with us,” I said.

She turned to look at me, her blue eyes wide with incredulity. “What?”

Fox slowly lowered his leg mid-lick, his pink tongue still partially extended, as if he was keen to hear this explanation, too.

“He can ride in a basket behind your saddle. He’ll like it.”

She laughed. “He’ll hate it.”

“Fine, he’ll hate it. But if it convinces you to come with us, it’s worth it.”

She sat down on the edge of my bed. “Why do you want me to come so badly?”

I could have said that I wanted her help with the book and understanding the blood bond between Ceren and me or reiterated that I thought she would be useful on the road. But I genuinely cared for Adriel, and I knew she wasn’t happy, despite her bravado.

“Because,” I said, coming to sit down beside her. “I think you and I met for a reason. And I don’t think our journey is meant to end here. You’ve never felt accepted in Galeth. I know what that’s like. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned from everything that’s happened lately, it’s that we don’t have to accept things just because of where we happened to be born.”

She was quiet for a moment. “Wave child,” she said finally. “That’s what they call you, isn’t it?”

I nodded. “The Ilareans do, yes.”

“We were called all sorts of things by the Galethians. I’ve heard people refer to me as the Hedge Hag when they think I can’t hear. They learned to put up with those of us who remained because we were useful to them, but they never fully accepted us.”

I nodded in understanding. “Oh yes, I know all about that. We Varenians were never good enough to come to land, and yet somehow we were good enough to marry the Ilarean princes.”

She gave a wry snort. “Tell me, Nor. What did you hope to find when you left Varenia? I imagine with your limited experience in the world, you couldn’t have had any idea what to expect. But what were you hoping for?”

I sighed and leaned back on my elbows. “I told myself I wanted adventure, to see things that I’d never even dreamed of. But it was about more than that.” I touched the scar on my cheek absently. “After I was injured as a child, I could tell that I had lost value not just as a potential bride, but as a daughter. My father always made me feel loved, but my mother... I wanted to prove to her, to everyone in Varenia, that I was worth more than my appearance.”

Adriel’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “All that over a tiny scar?”

I nodded. “I tried to contribute to our family by diving deeper and more often than most girls. But all my mother saw was my salt-dried hair and dull skin. When Zadie was injured and couldn’t go to Ilara, I asked to go in her place because I thought I could make a difference. But the village accused me of deliberately hurting her for my own selfish aims. And when I found out what Ceren was doing to the Varenians and tried to warn them, they ended up banishing Sami for conspiring with me. The entire village despises me.”

“Then why do you want to help them?” Adriel asked.

“They’re still my people,” I said weakly.

Adriel cocked her head, clearly not satisfied with my answer. “And?”

I should be angry with them, I knew. They had turned their backs on my family and nearly killed Sami. But despite everything... “I suppose I still want them to accept me.”

Adriel was quiet for a long moment.

I tucked in an errant sleeve on the folded tunic beside me and placed it on top of my small stack of clothing. “Adriel, I don’t want you to do anything you aren’t comfortable with. I just want you to know that I would love for you to join us, if you want to. If not, then I will hope we meet again, in this life or the next.”

She glanced at Foxglove, who had returned to sunning himself in the window. “I can’t bring a cat on the road, Nor.”

“No. I suppose not.”

“I’ll ask one of my customers to look after him for me while I’m gone. Just promise me that you won’t leave me behind.”

I leaped up, toppling my stack of folded clothing, and hugged her. “Never.”

* * *

We joined the rest of our traveling party at Fort Crag that evening. Roan seemed surprised to see Adriel with me, but he didn’t question it. There were eleven other Galethian soldiers, their mounts saddled and ready, waiting outside the fortress. Sami, still learning to ride, had been loaned Duster, who was so wide and cushiony that Sami said he felt more like a sofa than a horse.

Roan looked powerful atop a stocky, muscular gelding with a golden coat, dark mane and tail, and a dark stripe down his back. I could tell immediately this was a special animal, one that seemed far more fitting for a commander than Duster ever had. I wondered if he rode Duster just to show that he didn’t need a fancy horse to be the best rider in his region.

“I’d like to go over a few ground rules before we set out,” Roan said. “First, Nor, Zadie, Sami, and Adriel should be in the center of our group at all times. If I ever find one of them riding first or last, I’m going to make sure your next few days of riding are incredibly uncomfortable.”