Mira looked from Cole to Jace and back. The only sound was the gentle clomping of the walking brick. “No. He doesn’t have to always get his way.”

“I kind of do,” Jace said. “Want to know the secret? You don’t bluff.”

Cole thought Jace had been kidding before, but something about the way he said it made him really wonder. Of course, that was probably the point. “Mira,” Cole repeated.

“Cole’s right,” Twitch murmured.

“And the grasshopper is back in the contest!” Jace cried.

Twitch glared, lips compressed, but said no more.

Bertram leaned forward. “Might want to stop speaking now. Up ahead is a stretch where talking could prove problematic.”

Everyone fell silent. Leaning out the window, Cole peered ahead. The path had mostly straightened. About a hundred yards forward on his side, partly obscured by lesser vegetation, he saw a soaring tree with a trunk wider than the autocoach. The path went right by it. He could glimpse others beyond.

“Big tree,” Cole said, pulling back into the compartment. “Really big tree.”

“Liam might just be messing with us,” Jace said. “You know, playing a joke on the new guys.”

“You know it’s serious,” Mira said.

“We’ll find out soon,” Jace said.

If Cole thought he could knock them unconscious, he would have. But Jace was bigger than him and already had his golden rope in hand. Cole considered getting out his Jumping Sword. He might need it when the bears showed up.

“Please, Mira,” Cole urged.

“All right,” she sighed, exasperated. “Fine. You win, Jace. Have your last word, and let’s live to get killed in a more surprising way.”

Jace’s grin widened. He held out a hand to Mira and nodded once.

“That’s it?” Mira asked.

Jace nodded again.

“You just wanted me to say that you could win,” Mira said.

Jace gave a slower nod and pointed at her.

“You’re so chivalrous,” she said dryly.

Jace shrugged.

Cole made a zipping motion over his lips and then buttoned them. The others nodded.

Cole watched as they passed the first big tree. The trunks only grew thicker after that one. The path continued to wind. Some of the trees looked wider than Cole’s house. The grooves in the bark were deep troughs. The path weaved a slalom course through the towering forest. Between the surreal trunks, fragile ferns grew among expanses of dark soil and mossy boulders. The colossal trees filtered the sunlight, transforming the world beneath their layers of unreachable limbs into a twilight realm.

The steady clomps of the walking brick provided the main sound. Faint clomping reached them from the trailing autocoaches. Despite the rough path that had grown weedy in places, the autocoach itself made little noise—a slight creak when they hit a bump was all. Otherwise the ride was surprisingly smooth and quiet, especially when Cole contrasted it against the jolting and rattling of his slave wagon.

The atmosphere under the trees felt close and silent, almost like all of nature had paused and was listening. Cole supposed it might feel that way because he knew about the giant bears.

As minutes passed, Cole relaxed enough to feel a small temptation to shout something. He tried to think what would be funny. “I win the contest!” was up there, but his favorite was “Bears are wimps!” Of course, he said nothing. Aside from wanting to live, any loud noise in these imposing woods would feel out of place, like screaming in a church.

He thought about his Jumping Sword, wishing he had retrieved it when he had the chance. Although, technically, it was only talking that would trigger the bears, he didn’t want to risk the extra noise of digging through the storage compartment, just in case.

“Hello?” called a voice in the distance.

Cole looked across the coach at Mira. Her eyes were wide.

“Hello?” the voice called again. “Anyone?” It was a man, his voice muffled by the trees, like he might not be as far away as the first cry had sounded. What came to mind was some hunter or hiker who had lost his way.

Jace squeezed Cole’s arm and shook his head sharply. Twitch brought an urgent finger to his lips. Mira nodded, both hands over her mouth.

Cole knew they were right. This had to be a trick. And besides, if it was real, the guy had already sealed his fate.

“Please!” the voice called again, a bit fainter, as if heading away from them. “Help! Somebody!”

Soon the woods were silent again. Cole watched and listened, wondering if he might notice a sign of one of the giant bears. He knew it would freak him out if he saw one, but he couldn’t resist looking.

“Hello?” called a new person from the other side of the autocoach. This time it was a woman, her voice hoarse. “Anthony? Where are you? Say something!”

“I wanted to show my grandnephews some of the sights in Sambria,” Bertram said. “My grandniece as well. No laws against that I hope!”

Cole went rigid at his words. Bertram was a semblance, so he was free to talk, but the unexpected response startled him. Jace was covering a laugh. Cole remained too tense to find it funny.

“Is somebody there?” the hoarse woman called out. “Please! I’ve lost the road!”

Mira was shaking her head. They were all in agreement to keep silent.

“Please, answer me!” the woman called, her ragged voice dripping with despair.

“I’m afraid we’re just here on holiday,” Bertram said brightly. “I’m getting on in years—call it a last hoorah.”

“Please, help me! Someone! Anyone!”

“I’m not feeling my best today,” Bertram apologized. “Better stay coach bound, I’m afraid. Aging joints and what have you.”

The woman’s pleadings faded behind them.

The trees remained enormous. They heard a couple more people calling for help, different voices, one male and one female, lost souls roaming the forest. The distant cries were faint enough that Cole partly wondered if his ears were playing tricks on him.

Finally the trees began to diminish in size. They were still huge, but most of the trunks were now smaller than the autocoach, and none were as wide as a house. On Cole’s side, a deer ambled beside them, keeping pace. Cole watched the graceful creature, wondering how long its curiosity would last.

“Greetings,” the deer called to him in a male voice. “Are you good people lost?”

Cole watched the animal in stunned silence.