He looked over at the autocoach. He didn’t want to abandon Mira. This gave him a real reason to stay with her. It would also give him time to see if he developed any shaping powers. If he could help Mira weaken the High King before he charged in to save his friends, maybe Mira and some of her allies could assist him in return.

Cole folded his arms. Did he want to go after his friends on his own? Or would he rather face Carnag with Mira? Either option could lead to failure. Either could get him killed. Neither path would be easy, but staying with Mira felt right.

“Sticking with Mira makes sense,” Cole finally said.

“I agree,” Declan said. “Your interests are aligned. You need each other. Help her succeed, and you’ll triumph as well.”

Cole was almost too scared to ask his next question. “What are our chances? Can we beat Carnag? Could we win a revolution?”

“Your chances are small,” Declan said. “But great movements have started small before. Take it one step at a time. You have more power than you know. So does Mira.”

Cole nodded pensively. He felt like he should keep Declan talking. There had to be more questions he could answer. Cole knew so little about the Outskirts, and Declan knew so much. But his friends were waiting in the autocoach, and the questions refused to form. “The Wayminders are in Creon?”

“And elsewhere,” Declan said. “But they come from Creon. The least of them knows more about traveling beyond the five kingdoms than I do.”

Cole searched his mind for anything else he should ask. He knew he would kick himself later. Nothing was coming, and they needed to hurry.

“I can see your anxiety,” Declan said kindly. “Relax, my boy. You’re here. You can’t change that all at once. Take it one day at a time. Learn as you go. You have many knots to untie, but you won’t unravel them all today. How well did you understand your old world? How it originated? Its deepest mysteries and secrets? I know the Outskirts feels foreign, but you don’t need to understand everything about a world to live in it. Stay close to Mira. I wish you well.”

“Thanks for the advice,” Cole said. “Watch out for the bad guys.”

Declan gave a small wave. “We always keep watch.”

“Enjoy your quest,” Lyrus said, placing a large hand on Cole’s shoulder. “I envy you.”

“Thanks, Lyrus. I’ll try to be brave.”

“I have no doubt,” the warrior approved.

Feeling he had kept his friends waiting too long, Cole ran to the autocoach and jumped inside. He sat on the bench beside Twitch and Jace, opposite Mira and Bertram.

“Go,” Mira said as she leaned forward and closed the door. Smoothly, the autocoach began to move.

Chapter 24

THE QUIET WOOD

“That was quite a talk with Declan,” Jace said. “Have you decided when you’re ditching us?”

Mira looked unsettled by the blunt question. Cole could tell she didn’t want him to go. He wasn’t eager to leave. But she had Jace and Twitch, while Dalton and Jenna had nobody.

“I’m with you guys at least until Carnag,” Cole said. “My best chance to help Jenna and Dalton is to weaken the High King. And that means helping Mira. Let’s get her powers back. We’ll figure out our next move after that.”

“There’s no guarantee we’ll defeat Carnag,” Mira warned.

“I know,” Cole said. “But I don’t think I’ll have much chance trying to take a couple of slaves from the High King on my own.”

“That’s true,” Mira said.

“Your father made the laws that allowed those people to come for us,” Cole said, trying not to let his tone get too heated. He was mad at her father, not Mira. The High King had wrecked her life too. “He owns my friends according to those laws. Declan wants us to overthrow him. I like that idea.”

“It’s hard to imagine,” Mira said. “He’s clever and brutal. Still, this could be the first step in that direction. When my mother sent us away, she promised that one day we would return and inherit all we lost.”

“First things first,” Jace said. “Let’s try to escape in one piece.”

When they reached the edge of Declan’s sanctuary, Liam appeared in the window and asked Mira to halt the autocoach. The vehicle came to an even stop, and the kids climbed out. Ahead, the path disappeared into a mossy forest. Cole was surprised to see two other autocoaches behind them.

“What’s with those?” Cole asked, nodding at the carriages.

“Declan had some extras on hand,” Liam said. “He decided it might confuse your pursuers to send a pair of empty autocoaches in different directions. If you ever cross paths with one again, they will answer to Mira. Otherwise they’ll loop through a long preset course.”

“Smart,” Twitch said, nodding in approval.

“He does have centuries of experience,” Liam said. “I’ve sent Mango ahead. She will report back to you periodically, but especially if danger approaches.”

“Any trick to these woods?” Jace asked.

“Not getting out,” Liam said. “The autocoach will do the work. Don’t let the easy exit fool you. If you try to backtrack to this place, with or without the autocoach, it’ll just lead to frustration. You’d have a better chance braving the cloudwall again.”

“Once was plenty,” Mira said.

“After you’re through, you’ll notice the trees get bigger,” Liam said. “That’s the Quiet Wood. Don’t speak until the trees get small. You might hear some strange sounds. Say nothing. Not to one another, not to any creatures you see, not to yourselves. The semblances who prowl the Quiet Wood are attracted to speech from nonsemblances. Talk, and they will hunt you down.”

“You tell us this now?” Cole exclaimed.

“Now is when you need to know it,” Liam replied calmly. “Why do you think I came to see you off? For a second farewell? In the direction you’re heading, it’ll take an hour or more to pass through the Quiet Wood. When the trees return to normal size, you’re clear. You shouldn’t have trouble if you keep silent. Most people stay well away for obvious reasons.”

“What kind of semblances would attack?” Jace asked.

“Imagine giant bears that hunt in packs, and you’ll have the basic idea,” Liam replied.

“Are you serious?” Cole cried. “What’s with this place?”