“I will not turn back now,” Aloisia said. “Not when we have already come this far. Not when truth is in reach.”
The hawk cried behind her, from its perch atop a standing stone.
“The huntress is right,” Oda said. “It is insane. But it is also better than all of us walking into a trap. And better than returning empty handed should we turn back now.”
“Then you’ll permit me to go?”
“No!” Kaja protested. “Do not agree to this.”
“I don’t think it wise for Aloisia to go alone,” Inari added.
Aloisia shrugged. “Any other ideas are welcome.”
Ludin scratched his chin. “We could accompany you to the border. Whilst you go forth to speak with them, we will hide within the trees to ensure you are safe?”
“It’s still risky,” Oda said.
“So long as we are on our side of the border, it should not be a problem. We would not be trespassing.”
“That actually sounds like a plan,” Aloisia said.
Oda pondered for a long moment, her eyes darting between Ludin and the huntress.
“Well?” Aloisia pressed.
“Fine. You may ask them for entry. We will accompany you to the border. But I will not promise you aid should things turn south. You enter their territory of your own accord and suffer the consequences alone.”
Aloisia gave a nod. “Agreed.”
“Agreed.”
TWENTY NINE
Afterabriefbreaktocatchtheirbreathandfilltheirstomachs,theycontinuedtowardstheLavaldHills.Thehawkgaveacryandbeatitswings,soaringhighabovethem,onceagainleadingthewaytowardstheirdestination.
The Vale of Poppies was not a place Aloisia was familiar with. Though Oda had agreed to allow Aloisia to go, the guard still looked tense as they made their way through the forest. As did the others.
“I still don’t think you should do this,” Inari said, not for the first time.
“What else can we do?” Aloisia asked. “I will not turn back now. Not when there are still answers to be found.” She glanced at the canopy. The hawk drifted just ahead of them. If she needed a sign they were on the right track, that they needed to continue onwards, then the hawk was enough.
“What if it’s a trap? This whole thing?”
Aloisia shrugged. “Then it’s a trap. I can hold my own in a fight.”
“Ordinarily,” Kaja interjected, “I would agree. But right now, you are injured.”
Aloisia narrowed her eyes at the huntress.
“This is dangerous, Lis.”
“And what about any of what has come before this has not been dangerous?” She raised a brow in a challenge.
Kaja did not seem to have an answer.
Inari sighed. “I hope we find the answers you believe will be within the vale.”
“I hope the clans will let us in,” Aloisia said. Glancing upwards again, she twirled one of her braids. The mountain clans were not on the best of terms with the empire, the peace between them tenuous. Even setting foot in their land could be enough to throw the balance off.
