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Rohan tried to pop his neck before following Farah to the next tree. It had a crick from his long, uncomfortable night sleeping on the sofa. He’d had several of those now. He’d made the decision not to sleep in the cozy bed. Not that Farah missed him. She’d probably slept through the entire night without noticing he wasn’t there.

He wobbled on his next landing and lifted his arms to the sides to find his balance. In that time, Farah had gained ground. Or branches. He’d known he would fall behind, but he hadn’t thought it would happen so quickly. There was no use struggling to catch up. She was too nimble, and he was as gangly as a baby. Yet he managed to hold his own.

He swept his gaze to the next tree, gauging the distance he needed to jump. The limb hadn’t moved beneath Farah , but she weighed nothing. It would likely bend under his weight. That meant he had to leap sooner. All of this went through his head in a split second as he moved around the trunk and took two running steps across the branch before vaulting himself into the air.

This time, he landed solidly. They couldn’t run flat out in the trees. That saved his stamina for jumping. Especially the big gaps. He noticed that Farah avoided some he probably wouldn’t get across. If she wanted to be rid of him, all she had to do was make him believe he could cross a section and watch him fall to his death.

But she didn’t. Just as she hadn’t let him die from his head injury or be found by those men.

He gripped the next trunk to move around it and scraped his palm near his thumb. Rohan winced and shook out his hand. He looked ahead to where Farah had paused, waiting for him. She squatted next to a trunk and gazed out at the rainwood. It wouldn’t matter how many times he saw her in her element, it would always make him pause and stare.

Rohan hurried to catch up. She straightened and continued as soon as he reached her. They were high enough in the canopy that most birds were below them. A few were curious enough to venture up to see what they were doing, but somehow, he and Farah never startled them.

She diverted around a group of dark-furred coorodas resting in a tree along their path. Some were sleeping, others eating. The ones that were awake watched him and Farah with interest. He knew little about the animals, but they were as skilled in the trees as Farah .

They moved past the primates with ease. Farah didn’t slow. She must have known something he didn’t. He was breathing heavily, his limbs tiring, when she finally stopped and sat against a large trunk. The bark was smooth beneath his palm as he lowered himself to the limb and leaned back. He drew out a water flask and gulped half the contents, rubbing his forehead against his shoulder to wipe the sweat away.

The mountains were in full view now. He watched the strong wind around one of the peaks drag snow into the air, then looked to the side toward Farah . Her eyes were closed. His gaze dropped to her mouth as memories of their kiss assaulted him. With an internal curse, he yanked his attention away.

After another five minutes, Farah got to her feet. She didn’t even look his way before setting out again. Time ceased to exist. It was only the tree he was on and the one he needed to get to, over and over again. Sweat ran down his back and into his eyes. There was no time to look up and see where the sun was. There was only the next branch.

It was only by accident that he looked up in time to see an arrow aimed at Farah . She leaned back and sideways to avoid it, but it put her off balance. Rohan dove as she toppled to the side, landing on his stomach atop the limb to grab her hand. The branch swayed, and the leaves rustled. But no more arrows flew in their direction.

He looked down at Farah . Her eyes were locked on him as she dangled. Rohan felt her slipping. He had to get her up before he lost his grip, but he didn’t know if their enemies were waiting to strike. Slowly , after he’d hooked the toe of his boot onto a part of a broken limb, he pulled her up.

She never made a sound. Not when she saw the arrow or when she fell. Nor , he realized, had she used magic to stop her descent. He moved onto his knees when he got her close enough and could finally sit her next to him. That’s when he saw the slice in her sleeve by her left shoulder. She had gotten out of the way, but barely.

“ Where are they?” he whispered.

Her face was pale as she shrugged. She shifted so she was against the trunk. “ We can’t remain here ,” she mouthed.

Rohan looked across the limb she had been on to the next tree. If they stood, they would be exposed. But if they remained, they would likely be found. He pointed down. She shook her head. He pointed up. She followed his finger and stared for a long moment. Her nose wrinkled as she met his gaze. Those were their only choices, and she knew it.

Her head suddenly snapped to the side. He followed her gaze but saw nothing for several seconds. Then he made out someone moving toward them.

“ Keep going,” she whispered. “ I’m going to wait.”

And attack. It was a good plan. Usually , he led the assault, but this wasn’t his territory. He got to his feet, and she rose with him.

Farah moved closer to keep her voice low and said, “ Keep going straight. I’ll catch up. Don’t stop. Keep moving.”

It felt wrong to leave her. The argument died on his tongue when he saw their attacker getting closer. Rohan raced across the limb and jumped. He waited to feel the sting of the arrow puncturing his flesh, but nothing happened. He landed and moved on to the next limb. His ragged breathing kept him from hearing anything behind him, and he wanted to stop and see if Farah had defeated their foe, but he didn’t.

He didn’t slow until his muscles began to weaken, and he tripped. His legs trembled as he made it to the trunk and pressed his forehead against it. He looked over his shoulder. Someone was following. If it wasn’t Farah , he needed to prepare for a fight in the trees.

Rohan turned to wait. As the figure drew closer, he saw Farah’s mussed hair and a smear of blood on her cheek. He eyed her when she halted before him, looking for injuries.

“ We can’t stop,” she said in a low voice, even as she bent over and braced her hands on her knees.

“ Are you hurt?”

She briefly closed her eyes and shook her head. “ I surprised her, but she was a fighter. We’re nearing the river. The Masters have many spies in the area.”

“ Did she recognize you?”

Farah straightened. “ Maybe . I didn’t ask.”

“ I take it we’re crossing the river?”

“ Not the usual way.”

Rohan frowned in confusion. “ You mean we’re not swimming?”

“ This river’s current is much too swift for that. Large portions of it are nothing but rapids before it feeds into the Ever Reaching River . There’s a bridge everyone uses. It’s really the only way across.”

Now , he understood. “ There’s another way.”

“ Apparently . Jothi told me how to get there. It’ll be dangerous, but it will keep us away from others.”

“ Lead the way,” he said with a sweep of his arm.

Farah moved around him. As she did, he saw a tear in the back of her shirt. Her clash with the other Wood Elf must have been brutal, but she had come out the victor. It either proved her strength or her ruthlessness. Somehow , in all of this, Rohan had forgotten where he had found Farah .

It didn’t take them long to reach the river. He heard the rushing water before he saw it. She didn’t take them directly there, though. They deviated to the right at a sharp angle. She took her time looking into the trees and across the ground before jumping to the next branch. It allowed him to peer through the limbs and see the wide river spilling into a small waterfall. The water churned wildly before it surged onward.

He heard voices and looked down to see a group of elves walking beneath them, headed toward the river. Rohan met Farah’s gaze. They waited until the group was out of earshot before continuing on for another thirty minutes. Then they began their descent.

The river had appeared imposing from the trees, and it looked even more so from the ground. He grew more dubious about the plan as Farah mumbled under her breath while looking for something.

“ Here ,” she called and waved him over.

Rohan followed her out of the trees toward a grouping of boulders. The river was so loud an army could be barreling toward him, and he’d never know it. Farah disappeared from sight before he reached the boulders. He frantically searched the water, thinking she had fallen in.

“ This way!”

He swiveled his head at the sound of her voice and saw her through a narrow slit between two rocks. It was an impossibly tight squeeze. He got wedged in, not able to move either way. The boulders gripped his clothes and pulled, tearing them and scraping his fingers. Rohan wouldn’t be stopped now, though. He kept trying to squeeze inside. Farah grabbed his arm and pulled. Together , they eventually got him out.

“ This had better be the way,” he told her. “ Because I won’t get through that again.”

She twisted her lips. “ I guess we’ll find out.”

They went around another boulder and found themselves at the river’s edge. The bridge was a strip of rope that hung over a constricted part of the river. The narrowing only made the water rush quicker.

“ Tell me there’s another rope somewhere,” Rohan said.

Farah shook her head. “ Looks like that’s it.”

“ That isn’t a bridge.”

“ I wouldn’t have called it that, but it’s a way across.”

Rohan looked to either side of them. The tapering river helped to shield them, but so did the boulders rising on either side. It was the perfect place to cross if you didn’t want to be seen.

He gripped the rope with both hands and entered the cold water. It was over his knees in two steps. It coursed around him, soaking him from the spray and surge. The deeper he got, the stronger the current became. It didn’t help that the river bottom was rocky. He fought to stay on his feet and not get his boots twisted between the rocks.

When he got halfway across, he looked back and saw Farah already in the river. He moved carefully, placing one hand and foot after the other, occasionally slipping on the slick rocks, until he reached the opposite shore. Relief filled him as he turned to check on Farah .

She was having a difficult time. The water kept sweeping her legs out from under her. The only reason she hadn’t been dashed away was because of her grip on the rope. He watched as she unsuccessfully tried to get her feet onto the bottom. There was only one way she would get across. Him .

Rohan removed his bag and gripped the rope once more.