Swallowing, I glanced back. Forlaith—and their priests—decreed women lesser than men.
But they still carried holy blood. Should a lower-born man—a Stormborn or Earthborn, for example—dare attack a Solheart woman?
Forlaith would feed him to the dogs.
What was one of the Empire's elite doing here? A woman, alone, no less?
A bird's caw pierced the sky. High above, on a willow's branch, a crow with a missing talon perched.
Its beady eyes dug into my soul.
My heart rose into my throat.
"Mare!" Liam called from ahead.
Dragging my eyes from the crow, I felt my breath hitch.
There it was, again. Shadows, blanketing the sky, smothering the stars and moons. It rose like a high wall, promising doom to anyone who dared cross into the nether realm.
Would I see shapes dancing behind the veil, as I had in Galasvar?
I prayed to every god I knew—Aenir's ancient saints, and Forlaith's great Solathair—that I would not.
Sprawling fields of water-grown plants covered the wetlands. A beautiful crop that sprouted silver-blue flowers caught my eye. Several Muirashin farmers dressed in simple, baggy tunics, worked the fields.
Oblivious.
The town itself was quieter than expected—wooden buildings topped with three-tiered roofs clustered in uneven streets and squares. Muddy roads and the occasional bridge crossed between them, weaving around willows and plants covered in dew.
It felt like a dagger had been plunged into my heart, to think of this place being torn to pieces.
Undefended. Forgotten, at the edge of the world.
The great wall erected along the Ceorthan Shadowlands border stood tall, a blur from this distance. But it would not hold back the tide if Galasvar’s fortified defenses had not.
Reese turned his horse around when we passed through the gates. "Who's in charge here?" He snapped.
"The garrison captain." Bláth nodded her head east. "In the barracks."
"Mare." Reese turned to me, his voice far softer than when he'd addressed the Solheart. "Stay with Bláth. Make her tell you everything she knows."
"Easy enough," I said. "Take Liam, would you? Keep him out of trouble."
"Wouldn't I be leading him toward the best marks?" Reese smiled at me before riding off.
Liam shot me a parting glance and followed.
Ferris rode to my side—his elk was a beautiful spotted doe. "To the south, then?"
"Yes," I said, driving my steed forward.
I kept my gaze fixed ahead as we rode through the town. Several villagers paused and watched us pass, but I didn't look.
Disdain and outrage. That's what I'd see in their eyes.
Maybe a spot of wonder, for the Solheart among them.
Swallowing my fear, I chanced a glance around. A few women watched us, varying in age from young mothers to wrinkle-creased elders. They gathered around buckets and barrels of soapy water, washing clothes and blankets.
