“Not much gets by you, Avry.”

“But my sister—”

“That’s different. She’s your sister. We all have blind spots when it comes to family.”

I felt a little better.

“And there was one positive thing from all this,” he said.

“Hard to believe.”

“I know, I’m a bit shocked myself. But I figured if you came back for me, who you hate for all the right reasons, then there’s hope you’ll heal Ryne, who you hate for all the wrong reasons. In fact, I’m quite certain your own quick intelligence will change your mind.”

I huffed. “Quite certain? You sound like Belen.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

We caught up to Belen, Loren, Quain and Flea the next night. They had been en route to the training camp. Belen demanded an explanation for our delay.

“We ran into a bit of trouble,” Kerrick said.

Flea looked around. “Where’s Noelle?”

“She changed her mind,” Kerrick answered for me. “Let’s get moving.”

Glad to have my knapsack, I used my blanket as a cloak. Kerrick took the lead, heading northwest through the dark woods.

As we traveled, Loren walked next to me. “I’m assuming there’s more to the story than a bit of trouble,” he said.

“Not much,” I said. Even following Quain, I felt as if I would trip over an unseen root and fall at any moment. I missed the connection to the forest.

“Uh-huh. So where’s your cloak, what’s with that cut on your forehead and why aren’t you glaring at Kerrick anymore?”

“My sister has it, I fell and I’m saving my glares for the next time he pisses me off.”

Loren grinned. “That won’t be long.”

I agreed. Although I did wonder why he didn’t tell them about the ambush or the whipping. And why was I reluctant to mention it? I kept many of Kerrick’s secrets. Why? No immediate reason sprang to mind. Perhaps I could use them as leverage. Something along the lines of if Kerrick didn’t do X, I would tell the others about his magic. Except, it wouldn’t work. As I’d just seen, he wasn’t the type to cave in to threats or demands.

We stopped near dawn. Lying low during the day and traveling at night would be our new routine. Loren built a small fire. I sat as close to the flames as possible, trying to drive out the cold that had settled deep in my bones. My muscles ached, and the healing cuts on my back itched like crazy.

“What’s the plan?” Belen asked Kerrick.

Everyone had gathered close to eat Loren’s squirrel soup.

“We’ll stop at Zabin and purchase a few provisions.” Kerrick tapped his spoon against his lower lip.

“But you said the bulk of Estrid’s army was camped outside Zabin,” I said.

“They’re camped east of the city. As long as we avoid them and not linger in town, we should be fine.”

“Then what?” Belen prompted.

“Then it gets a bit…tricky.”

Belen glanced at me as if I knew what Kerrick meant, but I was also in the dark.

“Tricky how?” Loren finally asked.

“Estrid will soon know Avry’s not dead. And what Estrid knows, the mercs and Tohon will also learn,” Kerrick said.

“So that bit of trouble was Estrid’s people discovering Avry’s miraculous survival?” Belen asked.

“Yes.”

“Then we need to get to the mountain pass before they do,” Belen said.

“That would be the logical next step.”

“I sense a but coming,” Quain said.

“But,” I said, “everyone knows that’s the next logical step.”

“Right. Estrid’s and Tohon’s mercs will head to the pass,” Kerrick said. “And there are two possible outcomes. We reach it first and we’re chased over the Nine Mountains. The pass is treacherous in good weather. If we rush, we could fall, and these past two years are for nothing.”

“What’s the second outcome?” Belen asked.

“Estrid or the mercs reach the pass first and we’re blocked.”

“We might as well wait for spring,” I said. “Then we have a few different routes to choose from.” Ugh, more time spent with Kerrick and his men all trying to change my mind about Ryne.

“Wouldn’t that be obvious, as well?” Loren asked. “Estrid has plenty of soldiers. It’ll be three months until the snow thaws, she could block all the passes.”

“Not if we’re already hiding in the foothills,” Kerrick said.

“I think I’d rather take my chances crossing the mountains in winter.” Quain voiced what I’d been thinking.

“I remember a certain gentleman who hugged the cliff climbing down into a hundred-foot-deep ravine. I wonder how he would fare climbing a steep icy path that’s only a foot wide with a two-thousand-foot drop on the right and a sheer rock wall on the left?”

Quain looked queasy. He swallowed his next comment.

“I don’t like hiding in the foothills, either,” Kerrick said.

Quain and I said, “But…”

Kerrick gave us a wry smile. “But it’s our best option at the moment.”

We arrived in Zabin early the next morning. Located northwest of Grzebien next to the border between Pomyt and Vyg, the town was bigger than Grzebien. I tucked my blanket back into my knapsack before we entered the town’s limits. As we headed toward the center, the sight of so many people in the streets was overwhelming after spending so much time with just the guys. Unfortunately, uniformed soldiers and robed acolytes also walked among the citizens.