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“As I’ve told Raven,” she continued, “we are not accustomed to outsiders, and those who come here have been known to threaten our people and our homeland. But I have a feeling in the coming months, we, like all the other tribes, are going to need strong allies if we are to stand against a common enemy.” She took a sip from her goblet, tucking away the shadow of worry that had crossed her face. “But let us not speak of that now. Let us enjoy the food and the bramble wine and the company of great friends on this sacred night.”

While the room swirled with conversation and merriment, Raven and I cautiously nibbled at the food on our plates. It was too loud to talk to her across the table without shouting, so I remained silent. I scanned the long table to look for any sign of barbecued human flesh, but every bowl and platter seemed to be overflowing with vegetables, fruits, and grains.

As the evening wore on and no spears were thrust at my chest and no threats were made to roast us for dinner, I slowly released my fear that the Bramblemen wanted to harm us. If they did, they probably would have done it already. That didn’t mean I trusted them. It only meant I might have more time to figure out how to get us out of this place. If we didn’t leave soon, we wouldn’t make it to Askeland before the new moon.

When the savory dishes were pushed aside and replaced by colorful fruit tarts and bowls of pudding, the Bramblemen began taking turns standing up and reciting jokes, to the delight of everyone at the table—except me.

“What do you call a Brambleman who’s been reincarnated?” The man speaking was sitting up on his knees, all eyes on him.

There were murmurs in the group. Next to me, the queen shrugged her shoulders.

“Thornagain.”

A mixture of groans and laughs echoed across the room. The queen was laughing heartily. I never would have guessed that bad puns would have delighted this strange tribe. Maybe it was the sweet bramble wine—that I’d purposefully avoided to keep my head clear—that had transformed this drudgery into hilarity only in the ears of the drinkers.

Across the table, I watched as Skyler leaned over to whisper something in Raven’s ear. They both laughed, her eyes sparkling as they always did when a smile touched her lips. He’d been glancing sideways at her during the entire meal. Was it just my imagination, or were they sitting even closer together now? Their elbows were definitely touching. Their heads were tilted toward one another.

Tension rippled through the muscles in my back. My fingers twitched, longing for my staff to swing at his face first and ask questions later.

I’d warned her the bowman was dangerous, but I hadn’t told her the real reason for it. She didn’t know that other people were after the map, and by not telling her, I’d left her exposed, vulnerable.

I’d delayed long enough in telling her the truth about our journey to Askeland. It didn’t matter if she never looked at me the same way with her piercing blue eyes or never touched me with her soft fingers again. She deserved to know the truth. It was the only way to keep her safe now—and to keep others from getting the map or the stone. I needed to get her alone so we could talk.

Skyler reached over to put a piece of fruit tart on her plate, insisting she try it. She smiled as she ate it, licking the berry sauce that was running down her finger. He smiled back at her.

I balled my fists, feeling the heat rising to my face. I wanted to strike that smile right off his pretty face.

I needed to get her away from himnow.

35

Raven

As the feast came to an end, the room dimmed as the candles along the walls faded out. The stars above grew brighter. The Bramblemen slowly trickled out of the hall, taking their full stomachs and laughter to bed with them. Eventually, only a few Bramblemen remained, along with the queen, Jeddak, Skyler, and me.

I glanced across the table to Jeddak, my heart still swelling with relief that he was alive and unharmed. I had lost so much in my life recently; I couldn’t bear to lose him too. I wished the queen had sat us together so I could talk to him and feel him close to me. Being near him made me feel steady and safe in this unholy place.

Something was wrong, though. Jeddak’s jaw was set, his eyes narrowed to slits. But he wasn’t looking at our captors, he was staring at Skyler.

I knew that look. I’d seen it on his face moments before he’d attacked Meat in the mine.

Skyler didn’t recoil from Jeddak’s icy stare. By the look on his face, Skyler seemed to thinkJeddakwas the only threat in the room. They glared at each other, mutely daring the other to strike first in some silent battle they were waging.

Jeddak had warned me that the bowman might be dangerous, and I had every reason to believe him. Skyler had been following us, hiding in the shadows, and turned out to be friends with this shifty tribe. At the same time, he was a Zavien. Like Sora, he seemed to know me. But despite my efforts to extract more information from him during the feast, he hadn’t revealed anything since Jeddak arrived. By now, I was restless and eager for this celebration to end so I could speak with him.

If I could stop the two of them from coming to blows first.

Without realizing it, Queen B’kara declared an armistice at the table when she pushed a goblet in front of Jeddak.

“A gift for you, Master Kovak,” she said.

“What is it?” Jeddak asked, distrust in his tone as he eyed the offering.

“It is the nectar of the bramble flower. It will make you immune to the bramble’s poison.”

“It’s what saved me from the endless sleep,” I said, not mentioning that it was Skyler who’d first given me the bramblefruit after I’d been poisoned.

Jeddak didn’t touch the goblet. “This gift has a price, doesn’t it?”