We might miss the monotonous tundra when we reach the Forsaken Kingdom, Corinne conveyed.

Nobody seems to know many details about it, Rachel replied.

Ferrin knew more than the Amar Kabal, Corinne agreed. At least he had heard rumors that the disease was transmitted by worms.

Ew, I just stepped in a squishy spot, Rachel complained. You really feel it in these moccasin boots.

Be glad it’s summer, Corinne replied. Kerick said this whole area is under ice and snow for most of the year.

We have land like this not too far from where I lived back home.

You lived in an icy place?

Sometimes. Washington was more rainy than snowy. Huge trees, lots of moss.

That I can imagine, Corinne assured her.

I bet. But not too far north from my home there were reindeer and tundra.

Do you think we’ll be attacked by the walking dead?

Rachel had been trying to avoid dwelling on it. She considered the question. We should definitely expect trouble. There has to be a reason nobody goes there. Farfalee told me a small river forms the unofficial northern border of the kingdom, and they’ve never seen the walking dead on this side of it. We shouldn’t have to worry until then.

How do you kill something that’s already dead?

Nobody knows enough about them. Ask Jason. He’ll have an opinion.

Wait a moment. Rachel could see Corinne talking to Jason, but they were too far ahead to hear. He says you chop them up into little pieces.

But what if that infects you with the disease?

Jason leaned close to answer Corinne quietly. She laughed. You let Nollin do it.

Ferrin and Nedwin were the first to spot a walking corpse. Ever since they’d lost Andrus and Delissa, Ferrin had contributed more with the scouting. A few hours after the group had forded the Agwam River, Ferrin and Nedwin returned to the delegation and reported a lone woman limping their way from the south. Rachel had felt uncomfortably alert since crossing the northern boundary of the Forsaken Kingdom. In a way, it was a relief to end the anticipation. Based on the description, the undead woman did not sound like a major threat.

“We should study her,” Drake recommended. “Approach her and see if she can listen to reason.”

“And when she attacks?” Ferrin asked.

“We see how hard she is to take down,” Drake replied. “The information could become extremely relevant.”

“The corpse is coming directly toward us?” Farfalee asked.

“She can obviously sense our presence,” Nedwin affirmed. “Despite her injured leg, she’s hurrying along a perfect line to intercept us.”

“He’s right,” Ferrin agreed.

Kerick folded his arms. “If we’ll have to face her sooner or later, might be best to get it over with, confront the abomination on our terms.”

“We must neutralize her from a distance,” Halco said. “No close combat.”

“That still may not sufficiently protect us,” Nollin cautioned. He turned to Ferrin. “How certain are you that the disease is transmitted by worms?”

“I heard a rumor. I’ve never personally been to the Forsaken Kingdom, but Maldor has long taken an interest in the plaguelands. He considers the plague the greatest potential threat to his domination of Lyrian. If it ever spread, the disease could destroy all of the kingdoms on the continent, regardless of their power or politics. Research has been quietly conducted. The rumor is probably credible.”

Nollin folded his arms. “Setting aside opinions about rumors, what I hear is that we lack certainty on the matter. This sickness obliterated a mighty realm! We know the condition to be dreadfully contagious. Mere proximity to an afflicted person might spawn infection. For the sake of the mission, some of us should keep well back.”

“Like those of us without seeds,” Aram muttered.

“We’re unsure whether the amar will be immune to the malady,” Farfalee said.

“The amar could not regenerate an undead body,” Nollin asserted. “But the amar could be incapacitated by the disease. The safest course for an infected member of the Amar Kabal would be a quick death to reduce the risk of exposing the seed.”

“What if one of the rest of us becomes infected?” Corinne asked.

A troubled silence settled over the group. Farfalee spoke. “If the disease manifests, we would need to accept that the afflicted person had become a puppet controlled by an illness.”

“How will we know if we catch it?” Rachel asked. “Or if the disease has taken hold?”

“A sudden craving for blood and brains?” Jason guessed.

The joke fell flat, earning uneasy smiles instead of laughs.

“You may not be far from the truth,” Farfalee said. “I imagine some of the symptoms will be evident. We’ll need to remain vigilant—pay attention to how we’re feeling, keep a sharp eye on one another. Nollin is right that some of us should go to extreme lengths to keep our distance from the walking dead. That core group needs to include those whose presence we most need at Mianamon, namely Corinne, Rachel, Jason, and Nollin.”

“And you, Farfalee,” Nollin added.

“Halco and I will do everything in our power to keep the key members of the delegation uncompromised,” Kerick asserted.

“Any threat to Jason will have to pass through me first,” Tark vowed.

“I am under specific orders to protect Corinne and Rachel,” Nedwin said.

“I am here to do whatever is needed,” Drake pledged.

Farfalee glanced at her brother, a flash of pain and concern in her eyes. “Unwelcome as such a discussion may be, it does provide a practical hierarchy.”

“What of our bold displacer?” Nollin asked.

“He wants everyone to live,” Ferrin said tactfully. “Himself included.”

“Same with the smuggler,” Aram inserted.

“I believe we all understand what needs to happen,” Farfalee said. “Five of us have pledged to help ensure the survival of the others by any means necessary. But of course I want all of us to survive this passage through the Forsaken Kingdom. Aside from an examination of this diseased woman, our goal will be evasion. I agree that we need to investigate the effectiveness of projectiles against her. Hopefully, these unfortunate plague victims can be slain from a distance.”

Ferrin and Nedwin led the delegation to a hilltop that offered a view of the infected woman coming toward them. It was hard to apprehend details from a distance, but she was clearly limping. Her body was emaciated, her clothes tattered, her hair matted and filthy.