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“What was that thing?”

Amaria’s hold tightened on my wrist for a moment before dropping away entirely. It was Heath who answered.

“An urgul, my lady,” he said. His gaze moved from me to the group ahead of us and then to the trees we rode through in a seamless dance that didn’t seem to distract him at all. “Rabid beasts who ravage and kill without much discretion, especially in the winter when food is scarce.”

Reuben twisted in his saddle where he rode in front of Hugh, beside Tabitha. “We are lucky we stayed as one unit,” he said. “An urgul pack is lethal more times than not.”

Elise nodded even as she reached into the saddlebag by her hip and pulled out one of the small jars on a leather strap they used for flashlights.

“The prince made the right decision in requiring we continue to Wolfrest together,” she agreed.

The jar shone with a bright flame the next moment, the light emanating in a wide circle at least a few feet across. She handed it to Tabitha with a whispered instruction I couldn’t understand. Reuben pulled two similar jars from his own bags—the flames flickering to life just as quickly—and then handed them to one of the guardsmen. A few others did the same, retrieving jars from various bags and then passing them to those that hadn’t grabbed one. By the time the sun had truly set and the sky had turned a deep blue—the first time I’d seen it without clouds covering most of it—everyone had a jar looped around their horse’s saddle. Amaria reached over and settled one on the small horn of Elyssian’s saddle with a small smile.

The combined glow was brighter than some streetlights, warm and welcoming against the dark expanse of the forest surrounding us. A sensation too similar to awe to be comfortable filled my chest, squirming like a swarm of monarch butterflies on their yearly migration through Phoenix. I tightened my hands enough that my nails cut into my palms, sharp pinpricks of pain that had the uncomfortable sensation dissipating.

“We’re not stopping?” I asked.

It was a dumb question. We clearly weren’t, but we hadn’t ridden after sunset since leaving the beach. I glanced up at the dark sky, stars littering most of the open expanse. Both moons were visible, too, the larger of the two only cresting over the trees while the smaller one was already high in the sky. Even knowing I wouldn’t find them, I searched for the constellations I’d known since childhood.

Amaria nodded. “With urgul prowling in the area, it would not be wise to camp another night beside the road.”

Heath continued, “We’re not far from Wolfrest, my lady. We’ll continue the next hour or so until we arrive there and so give the entire group a true day of rest before continuing toward Starguard. While our own mounts handled the retreat fine, those carrying supplies will need the extra time.”

I bit my tongue before I could ask another question, shoving down that thick curiosity that was doing its best to drown me.

“Wolfrest?” Monique asked.

I tore my gaze away from the stars I didn’t recognize. Monique had barely moved in the hours since we’d fled the strange beasts, her cloak wrapped tight around her. She’d let go of the reins as soon as Hugh had grabbed the thick rope now attached to his own horse’s halter.

I couldn’t blame her. It was colder than yesterday, like the clouds had kept the cold at bay. The bite of it cut through the thick sweater of Callum’s I wore overtop the fur-lined pants and heavy long-sleeved shirt. My own fingers were numb, but I kept tight hold on the reins anyway, Callum’s stern words still ringing in my ears.

I’d never once wanted to follow instructions like that, like my very bones needed to obey him. Was it some kind of magic he possessed? A murky memory of the beach, shortly after we’d left Magefall, materialized in my mind. When he’d told me to breathe and look at him, it had felt the exact same. Some intrinsic part of me needed to do as he asked.

It had to be magic. It had been a long time since I’d done anything ordered of me without a very good reason—like sharp blades or the risk of getting fired.

“It’s a small town nestled in the foothills of the Staslid Mountains,” Hugh said in a clipped tone. She frowned, and her shoulders rolled in. Joseph pressed his nose into Hugh’s hand. Hugh blew out a breath. When he continued, his tone was softer than before, like he was talking to a spooked animal. “It’s the last true town before crossing the mountain range into Senona. There is an inn there that should have enough room for us and the appropriate accommodations for the horses. It’s the traditional place participants stop on their way home from the Rite.”

The group fell into silence after that, the only sounds the heavy breathing of the horses and the metallic clinking of the guards’ armor. I tightened the cloak around my face as a wind kicked up snow and tucked one hand into the thick fabric of Callum’s sweater, trying to get feeling back into my fingers. The pricking pain as they warmed was almost as bad as the lingering headache I’d dealt with the last few days while going over the pass.

Despite Heath saying we were within an hour’s ride of the town, it felt like we rode forever. Exhaustion wore on me, my legs aching and my eyes burning. My ankle and temples throbbed in equal measure. When small pricks of light broke through the inky darkness in front of the group, I sucked in a ragged breath, wordlessly praying it wasn’t some new consequence of the head injuries.

The trees disappeared all at once, a solid line that gave way to a small cluster of buildings on either side of the road we followed. Most of them I could only see the outline from the glowing fires of our group flickering over them or small candles burning in the front windows. The largest, though, had a warm light emanating from most of its windows spanning three floors.

The pack horses at the front of our group slowed and moved to the outside of the road. Hugh rode past them, Joseph asleep in his lap. One of the guards went with him. They stopped in front of the large building that, logically, must be the inn he’d mentioned. Joseph slowly shook awake and then hopped to the ground. Hugh dismounted a moment later. The guard held open the door of the inn, ushering him inside.

Once the door closed, Joseph shifted. Between one minute and the next, his form changed, rolling over him like one long wave. As the rest of the group slowly approached the inn, Joseph pulled clothing from a saddlebag, sliding into a set of black pants and a brown sweater that was a bit too big on him. Not a moment later, the door opened again and several people rushed out, large jars of fire and lanterns in their hands. The bright light had the throbbing in my temples worsening, and I squinted against the sudden wash of it.

Everyone around me eased out of their saddles, quietly grabbing saddlebags and adjusting their cloaks while the newcomers held reins and lead ropes. Even with my ankle seemingly healed completely, I didn’t attempt to get down from Elyssian on my own. All I needed was to do it wrong, make a complete fool of myself, and injure something else that would make the next portion of this journey uncomfortable.

“Amethyst?” It was Reuben’s soft, warm voice. There was a light touch on my elbow. “Are you well?”

Carefully, I shook my head. When I finally convinced myself I could open my eyes, the lights seemed even brighter. I grimaced as I focused on Reuben. His brow was furrowed, his lips pursed. His hair was pulled back, and he’d lowered his hood in the last bit of the ride, revealing the sharply pointed ears that were unadorned—in direct contrast to Elise and several others who had the long red hair and green eyes and that fire magic. Part of me wanted to know why he was different, but I kept the words from forming.

“My head hurts. The… the light, I mean. The lights are hurting.”

Reuben’s frown deepened. He moved his touch from my elbow to the spot just above the translation tattoo. That sparking energy pulsed under his fingertips again, burning white hot as it reached the tattoo. I held back a scream by force of will alone. My nails cut into my palms, and Elyssian shook her head as I accidentally pulled too hard on the reins still in my grip. My vision blurred out behind a bright white light that made me want to cry. I sucked in a ragged gasp when he dropped his touch.

When I could finally see again, Reuben was even more worried, his lips tight and his eyes full of concern. He glanced toward the inn. I followed his lead more slowly just in time to see two new people walk out from the building. They paused a few feet away, both of them dropping into quick, neat curtsies.