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“Changelings? Yes. He preferred it that way. Any true dark elf might have gainsaid him. He liked to be the master of his mound.”

“Did they all have a necklace?” Helena asked from the bench.

“Yes, but not all were amber. Some were wood, some metal, some stone.”

“How did he decide?”

“Whim, mostly.”

“Was he cruel?” I asked.

Lilja nodded. “He didn’t ever hurt me, but he kept me.”

“Why?”

“We served him. Made his food. Filled his cup.”

I pulled her closer. “You’re free of him now.”

Alma pointed up ahead. “There it is. The village with the inn.” Lilja and I both straightened so we might see better. Lights did indeed glow in the dark.

Soon the forest was replaced by houses. They looked as idyllic as in Norstad, with snow on the roofs and golden light in the windows. We stopped in front of the inn. With two floors, it was the largest building in the village. A stable boy came out, and Alma handed him the reins and a coin from her purse. “Feed them well. We have a long journey tomorrow.” She handed him another. “And this is for you. There’s another in the morning if you take well care of them.”

The boy bowed, promising he would do exactly that. We walked along the shoveled path to the inn’s door. The place was nearly empty. There weren’t many travelers on Christmas Day. They had plenty of empty rooms, and I got us two. At a table in the back, we ordered the dish of the day, which turned out to be pork roast with potatoes and gravy.

“What’s the plan for tomorrow?” I asked Alma as we waited for our plates. She was the only one of us who had been to Dalarna.

“We’ll continue north. According to the map, there’ll be another inn for the next night, but then villages will be scarce. Then, I suppose, we hope Lilja recognizes Alfrun’s mountain.”

“I will,” Lilja said. “I just need to see it.”

We didn’t linger at the table. We were all far too tired for that. Lilja’s and my room was blessedly warm with an oven in the corner. I set our shared suitcase down next to the bed, then lit the candle next to it. When I turned back around, Lilja was there, wrapping her arms around me. She tipped her face up, and I kissed her.

“Selma,” she whispered, “can I see you without your clothes on?”

That was the exact question I hadn’t dared ask her.

“Yes.”

“I’ll take mine off too, then. If you’d like?”

“I’d like that.”

Removing my clothes was the easier task, and I slowed myself so that I wouldn’t have to stand there awkwardly and wait while she took off her stockings and garters. My breath caught when she pulled off her chemise and she stood naked in front of me. The light from the candle flickered across her skin.

I was about to pull her close when she pushed me onto the bed and straddled me. It was quite a bold thing to do. She was different after Alfrun’s visit, more decisive but more affectionate too, and my throat tightened at the thought that it was desperation, the expectation of losing me, that had made her braver. I pushed the thought away for now. This wasn’t the end between us. I would do every damn thing I could to make sure it wasn’t.

I put my hands on her hips and slid them up over her waist and her ribs, hesitating with my hands on her breasts. “Can I touch it?” I asked.

“Yes.”

I ran the tips of my fingers over the symbol on her chest. It felt as smooth as the rest of her skin. “Did it hurt when he did this?”

“No. Still, it was the worst moment of my life. He changed me.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I didn’t used to look like this.”

“What did you look like?”

“I don’t remember. I just know I looked different.”