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“His craft is fearsome to many,” I admitted. “Not to me.”

“What we fear is when gifts of the gods are not used how the gods intended. When greedy folk twist and corrupt.” She tilted her head toward Kael. “Such things impact us all. Unfettered may be peaceful folk, but should these corrupters defeat you, they will come to us.”

“So you help to avoid future battles.”

She smiled. “Wouldn’t you? We are bold. Warriors if we must be, but we prefer a life of peace, where we can be free.”

“Does no one lead here?”

“We have what is called our Lawspeaker. Like a king in your lands, but he lives in more humility, guiding and serving our clan. He keeps our peace and our laws.”

“He sent you?”

“He took counsel from the seemódir. She is an elder who guides us on our fate.”

Like Vella falsely claimed to do in Skalfirth. “I knew an Unfettered woman who had been captured and sold. She was a seer and looked after me as a girl.”

The woman hummed. “Sold? I do not know any of my folk who would stand for such a thing. They would rather greet the gods. If she remained to look after you, then you must have mattered to her a great deal. Rarely does my clan show much affection to outsiders.”

“Again, you are here helping us.”

She grinned. “I assure you, little one, I would much rather be warm in my bed right now. But fate has other plans.”

The woman said nothing more and led us down the backside of the Night Ledges.

Roark took my hand, keeping close to my side. Thane was in better spirits without the bitter whip of the canyon winds on our faces and had taken up taunting Auki about his fear of piercing holes in his ears.

Thane tugged on the bones pierced in his lobes. “I’ll do it for you, fearsome Dark Watcher. What is your task again? Running with the damn wolves? But, oh, you pale at a small hole in your ear.”

Gunter laughed. Even Auki chuckled.

Strange, wonderful, unbelievable—Dravens and Jorvans and Myrdans all walking among Unfettered Folk as allies.

Fadey was horrid and vicious, but did he know how fiercely his greed was uniting enemies?

The moon was high when we reached one of the roads leading to the village. The air was absent of the hint of brine from the long and short seas back home. Instead, each breath was cool and crisp, with the taste of sweet grass and smoke.

Vine-wrapped gates I’d not noticed from above encircled the village. Unfettered lands were made of tall, grassy meadows and slender, crooked trees. The valley was wide and deep, expansive open grounds with a few distant forests.

The woman and her crew led us alongside a dark, winding river. Odd stalks of grass with vibrant blue berries grew in the water instead of on land. Pale petals surrounded the fruit and seemed to glisten in the moonlight.

Throughout the river other people stood knee-deep in the water, harvesting the berries.

“Heila root,” the lead woman called over her shoulder. “Our most valuable crop in the River Clan.”

My heart jumped. Nivek had spoken of this clan.

“The berries can sustain a man for a month without meat or grain,” she went on. “The roots are strong enough to weave into rope, and the blooms can heal the blood, bones, and dire wounds. You may see forms of it in your blood crafted tonics and spells.”

“Only blooms under moonlight,” said another Unfettered man. “Harvested in the sun, it will wilt.”

I had not realized I’d paused to watch the men and women picking the strange stalks until Roark tugged on my hand.

Watchguards lined the gates in narrow towers lit by torchlight. They wore heavy cloaks made of bear and fox pelts. Their faces were smudged like they’d rolled in ash, with black and white paint streaked down their eyes, cheeks, and chins. The guards were armed with spears and blades that reminded me of scythes.

“Keela,” a guard shouted down. “You’ve returned with visitors?”

The woman tossed back her hood. “I found the souls the seemódir saw. Open the gates.”