My heart stutters.Does he know?How could he? He doesn’t even know my name, much less the true extent of my powers. Although…that fugitive in the borderlands recognized me. Could word have travelled this far?
My gaze catches the hilt of his sword, emerging from the folds of his cloak like a dragon’s head.
If he’s heard of me, I don’t think I’ll walk out of here alive.
I swallow hard and find my voice. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Don’t you?” His brow arches. “As long as you carry the Order’s talisman, you can call your Rhyfelwr to you. He’ll kill anyone in his path to reach your side.”
Osian.The name scrapes through my chest. Tears sting my eyes before I can stop them.
“He’s dead,” I whisper.
The truth is a jagged blade. Despite what I told Osian, a part of him is forever gone. His heart no longer beats. His lungs no longer draw breath. Whatever powers him isn’t life. It’s that darkness within me, mirrored in our starless sky.
The stranger’s expression softens. “Oh. I didn’t realize that. I’m sorry to—”
“You couldn’t have known.” I look away, blinking back the tears. “But now that you do, you must understand that I…well, I’d really rather travel alone.”
A long moment passes.
“All right.” He palms the hilt of his sword. “But at least let me accompany you out of these hills. I meant what I said about the rebels. They’ve been causing trouble all along this road, and it’s not safe to travel alone.”
I don’t argue that I survived the journey here just fine without his help. If this will satisfy him, if it means he’ll leave me in peace afterward, I’ll take it. I just have to tread carefully and not let anything important slip.
“Which direction are you headed?” I ask.
“I’ll go wherever you go, until we’re beyond the area the rebels like to hunt.”
I press my lips together. Should I lie and say I’m heading south, then backtrack once I’ve shaken him? That would mean returning to the inn for another night, or camping out in the cold, in hills crawling with rebels. He’s really cornered me, and unless I’m imagining things—and I might be—the darkness in his eyes tells me he knows it.
I clear my throat. “I was told the road goes north, then east along the coast. It’s a roundabout way of reaching the borderlands.”
Areallyroundabout way.
“The borderlands?” He laughs softly. “It’s like you’re asking for trouble.”
“The borderlands, and then beyond. I figure the Kingdom of Gelyn is the only place outside the Order’s control. Even if they discover I’m there, they can’t come for me.”
“Well, it seems like you’ve got it all figured out.” He steps back from the door, waving me forward. “After you.”
Right. That wasfartoo easy.
I tighten my grip on the strap and warily cross the room, ducking beneath the stranger’s arm. A rich scent hangs around him, leather and…rowan blossom? That can’t be right.
I start down the stairs. He follows silently, but I can feel him hovering behind me. It’s like he doesn’t want me too far ahead and he’s afraid what I might do if I’m out of his sight. Whatever he says, it’s clear he doesn’t trust me. I doubt he intends to let me head east alone once we reach the coast.
The back of my neck prickles.Who is he?I fight the urge to glance over my shoulder and size him up again. We’re so near the tower, and his behavior is…strange. Once more, I can’t help but wonder if he could be the exile I’ve been sent to find.
Except the exile is trapped behind wards, and the Order’s records describe him as unstable and feral, with a monstrous face and a neck inked with the traitor mark. This man might be dangerous, but he’s none of that.
He could be a rebel, despite his claims, or a spy from the Kingdom of Gelyn.
Whoever he is, I don’t trust him, either.
As we pass through the empty taproom with the scent of woodsmoke and spilled air saturating the air, I’m aware of himat my side. The innkeeper sticks her head out of the kitchen door. Her eyes narrow, and another voice murmurs from within, their words too soft even for my elven ears. She nods at whatever they say.
“Thanks for the room,” I call out.
