I pretended to be sleeping when Tievel returned to the tent. He sat beside me for several long minutes, smelling like smoke and winter air. It was a challenge to not roll over and ask if he was all right, but after having time to cool off—physically and emotionally—I wanted to avoid discussing what happened between us. Or picking up where we left off.

Sleep claimed me before he laid down, and when I opened my eyes again, the space next to me was empty and cold. I didn't change my blouse or skirt, pausing only to brush out wrinkles and dust. The ghost of Tievel's searing caress washed over me as I tucked my shirt in, and I took an extra deep breath to compose myself before stepping outside.

"Look who is finally awake," Tievel said while he hitched the horse to the cart.

Yoko brushed past me and took the tent down, never once sparing me a glance. Astreia handed me a wedge of cheese and a piece of bread. Whatever thoughts clouded her mind the night before appeared to have evaporated. Once more, a teasing smile shaped her lips, and she winked at me before dousing the fire.

Through the forest canopy and beyond the overhang, I could see nothing but endless blue sky. It was as if the heavens denied the winter storm ever existed. Only the crunch of ice and snow beneath my boots proved it had happened.

The prince patted the horse's red rump before crossing the clearing to place a kiss on top of my head. "Sleep well?"

"I actually did." I fully expected to be plagued by nightmares after passing Friedesh, but somehow escaped them. It didn't mean they wouldn't come, but for now, I was grateful for the chance to recharge.

"I always sleep better after," he said, pushing a strand of pink hair behind my ear.

"After?" I choked out, bits of breadcrumbs spraying across his chest.

Brushing them off, he arched a brow and smirked. Gone was the serious man who'd pulled me from the prisons. Once more, he was the playful boy who smoked Kanna and drank Goblin wine all day. The boy who won my heart with his charm and humor, and some of the apprehensions about what transpired between us last night faded away.

"After a climax," he answered, tapping my nose. I rewarded him with the blush he sought. "I will endeavor to make sure you sleep soundly every night."

"Time to get on the road," Yoko shouted.

"I think I'll walk beside the cart for a bit," I said as Tievel clambered into the back.

Astreia jumped down from her seat next to Yoko. "I think that sounds like a good idea. I bruised my bum jostling on that hard seat all day yesterday."

Yoko frowned as she gathered the reins. "Fine. Just don't slow us down. We need to reach the Crossroads before dark if we don't want to waste an entire half day."

"Why would we waste a day?" I asked Astreia as we walked.

"The only safe time to travel through the Lightning Pass is at dusk. If we don't make it to the Crossroads by this evening, it'll mean missing the window of opportunity, and we will have to wait half a day."

"Oh." It was a pitiful response, but I didn't know what else to say. The longer we journeyed together, the more ignorance I revealed.

"So," Astreia said after a stretch of silence. "Are you all right?"

"What do you mean?" I squeaked out.

I'd rather gnaw off my foot than talk about what transpired between me and the prince last night, but I should have known better. Astreia knew what was going to happen last night the moment I refused a place in her tent.

"Just be careful."

"I am being careful," I snapped, slightly offended. She shared her body freely, but I spent one night with a man, and she wanted to treat me like a naïve child.

"No, you're not. You care for him and that complicates things."

"We both care for each other."

She drew in a deep breath and released it in a huff through her nose. Cutting her eyes at the cart, she lowered her voice. "Tievel cares only for himself. Two days ago, he was ready to behead you. Now, he wants to bed you? I fear he has decided you are a better tool if you are a compliant one, and he is capable of persuading you to go beyond your heart's desires."

The nerve she struck was raw and inflamed. It was the same one the Reaper had poked at the other night. I'd always considered myself a level-headed individual. It was a necessity for someone who was determined to keep their head on their shoulders in Edresh.

But hadn't my head tried to talk me out of last night for the same reasons Astreia spoke aloud? We had been friends for many years, and though she was betrothed to Tievel, she had no feelings for him. Her warnings didn't stem from jealousy.

But what did she know? She could not see beyond Tievel's parentage. He was more than his father's son, just as I was more than a Deathsinger. Could she not be happy that I was finally free to take pleasure in the man I loved?

"And not long before that, he had his tongue down my throat in his bedroom," I snapped. "Oh, did I finally tell you some bit of information you didn't know? Tievel has never made his desire for me a secret. Last night was simply a natural progression of that desire."

Astreia slid her hand into mine and squeezed. After a moment, I returned the pressure, acknowledging what she was trying to say without words. She genuinely believed she was protecting me, and I couldn't fault her for that.

"I hope for your sake, you are right. He may be able to conjure fire at the snap of a finger, but his true magic comes from his silver tongue."

"I hear you, but it's not that way between us. I promise."

"Good." A heartbeat of quiet. "Was he at least as good as I've heard?"

"Oh dear gods," I breathed, slapping my hand over my ears and bursting into laughter, but inside, I was grateful that some things never changed.

Astreia and I gave up on walking not long after I refused to divulge details of my encounter with Tievel. Slick patches of ice glazed the road, and we slipped often where the snow was thin. We climbed into the cart with pink cheeks, wet bottoms, and lighter hearts.

Yoko set a punishing pace, only easing up when our horse needed a break. Tievel laced his fingers through mine, and it was clear he wanted me to cuddle beneath the blankets with him; however, I kept as far as his outstretched arm would allow, choosing to lean over the side of the cart and watch the world pass by.

From time to time, my breath would catch when my eyes snagged on shadows, but they never proved to be more than that. The Reaper promised he would be nearby, and I was half afraid he would attempt to kill Tievel without my help. He wielded the double-bladed scythe with wicked precision, but Tievel was a High Elf. The powers at his disposal were enough to overwhelm armies.

"I think we're going to make it," Yoko announced after stopping to let the horse drink from a stream winding through the steep path.

Using the break to stretch my legs, I asked, "Why do they call it the Crossroads?"

The soldier scratched the horse's head and stared at a space between his ears while she replied, "Because the road diverges into two paths. One goes around the mountains. It is longer, but much easier to traverse. The other takes you to the Lightning Pass."

"So named because a magical storm causes lightning to strike every few moments along a stretch of land a sixth of a league long," Tievel explained.

Astreia propped her chin on her palm and stared at the pass. Sunstruck mist clung to the peaks, hiding it from our view, but we were close enough to hear the rumbling of thunder.

"In Estrellum," she said with a dreamy tone, "We believe the storm is the remnant of the magic used to create all the worlds. That this is where the universe was born."

"That's a children's story," Yoko said.

"Blasphemy," Tievel added. "Estrellum nonsense."

"Oh, I suppose you believe your stupid island is where the universe was formed?"

Tievel shrugged. "Makes more sense than a mountain top, but that is not what I'm referring to. It's the idea that there are more worlds out there than ours."

"What about humans? We have loads of myths about them," I chimed in.

"Just that. Myths."

Astreia and I frowned at Tievel. Yoko threw up her hands. "I'm actually in agreement with the prince for once. If humans existed and could come into our world, why haven't we ever seen one?"

"There have to be other worlds out there. Behind the Shroud is the land of the dead. We call the place between life and death the Other Realm. Why couldn't there be portals to other places?"

Yoko rolled her eyes. "It doesn't have to be so literal."

Wishing to slap her, I said, "I certainly hope it's literal since we're racing across the country to light these portals."

Astreia crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Well, we'll just agree that you're both wrong. Regardless, it doesn't matter how the storm came to be. We have to get through it quickly enough that we won't be struck."

Stooping over the stream, I washed my hands and splashed water on my face. The frigid liquid shocked away some of the exhaustion creeping in. Catching my disheveled reflection, I used my dampened fingers to smooth the flyaway hairs around my face. One in particular was stubborn, and I dipped my hands back into the water, the ripples fracturing my face. When the surface calmed, Tievel's reflection hovered next to mine, and just behind him, a bit of amber light flashed.

"What is it?" Astreia asked when I jumped up and spun around.

"N-nothing," I said, covering my shock with a cough. "Got spooked by the thunder."

As if on cue, a booming rumble shook the sky and rattled the trees. Yoko steadied the horse as it whinnied in fear, and Tievel gripped my elbow as if afraid I might fall.

"We're too far for it to be that strong," Yoko said.

"They're closer together than normal, too," Astreia added when thunder sounded again, this time softer.

They all started talking over one another, making plans for getting through. I edged away from the group and crouched behind a tree, sucking in gulps of air as the Reaper's warning that something wasn't right replayed in my mind.

"It's just a coincidence. Nothing is wrong," I whispered, gripping the slender trunk of the tree in front of me as the world quaked.

But what if it wasn't? What if the stillborn children and the lingering spirits were just the beginning of something worse? Something had consumed the Light of the World, and now the magic in the pass was acting strange. If Astreia's story was true, and that magic was from when the world was formed, what would happen if it disappeared like the fire in Friedesh?

I prayed we wouldn't find out.