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Farah finally stopped shaking at some point during the hour of constant downpour. Partly because Rohan was beside her and put off a lot of heat. She hadn’t even tried to fight sleep. She jerked awake when her head began listing toward his shoulder. Things felt different between them now. Rohan’s hostility had been tempered, but even she had to admit that’d happened before they reached Amberstar .

The main cause of the shift was likely their openness regarding their sisters. However , there was also an awkwardness that hadn’t been there before. That was probably all her. She had kept him at arm’s length, too afraid he might want to talk about that kiss.

And desperate to talk about it.

She looked at her hands to see they were nearly healed. The herbs had also returned much of her energy, which would make traveling for the rest of the day easier. They should leave now, but she couldn’t make herself say the words or get to her feet. The silence was comfortable, the sounds of the rain and the river soothing.

Yet she couldn’t stop thinking about Nitya . Seven years was a long time. Being in Mortham broke people. Even if her sister survived the compound, years spent enslaved could have broken her. On the slim chance Nitya had held on and lived, she wouldn’t be the Nitya Farah knew. Her sister had died the day she was taken. In the back of her mind, Farah had always known that. Even if she couldn’t admit it.

She was terrified to return to the fort, afraid of what she might become. But she had failed in her mission. Returning and doing what she had been sent to do might bring others peace and give the DIA an advantage in taking down the Masters . She wouldn’t have much time there, though. If she stayed hidden, she could have years, but the places she needed to go to for information meant tripling her chances of being discovered.

She looked at Rohan . His head was back, his eyes closed. He appeared peaceful. It was an illusion—the same kind she created daily. Inside , she fought against the onslaught of remorse and regret. Rohan no doubt felt something similar. For him, it was about more than Lata . It was about dozens of his people.

When the rain finally tapered off, and the skies lightened, there was no longer a reason for them to tarry. For every hour she didn’t reach Durga , others would be taken. That meant more lives on her head. There were already too many.

“ How do they feel?” Rohan asked when she curled her hands into fists.

“ There’s only a slight pull.”

“ The storm has passed.”

She climbed to her feet and looped her sack over her head. “ Shall we?”

He said nothing as he stood and settled the strap of his bag across his chest. She looked back at the alcove as she walked away. It might be the last scrap of peace she ever had.

They had to climb to get over the rocky section. The chances of being spotted grew, which meant they had to stay low. Their green clothes stood out against the pale stone, but they would be back in the forest soon enough. Rohan once more proved how adept he was in navigating the treacherous rocks. He showed her how and where to place her hands and feet and what to look for as she made her way up and then back down. The boulders were slippery from the rain, but they both managed to get down without any injuries.

“ Where do we go?” Rohan asked when they hurried into the forest.

“ South . If we follow the river, we’ll come to Carapid Lake , which turns back into the tributary again. That feeds into the Ever Reaching River that flows straight to Rannora .”

He grunted. “ We just follow the rivers, then?”

“ Once we get to the Ever Reaching River , we’ll have to decide whether to stay on this side or cross to the west.”

“ What difference does it make?”

She looked around to see if anyone was around as she stayed near the trunk of a tree. “ On this side, we can head south now, but we’ll need to cross three rivers and their lakes. If we cross the Ever Reaching , we only have the west side of the rainwood to deal with.”

“ That makes it sound like an easy decision, but since you didn’t already make that choice, it tells me there’s a reason.”

“ Crossing to the west will bring us close to Silver Falls , where the Asavori Rangers gather.”

“ And they are?”

She kept forgetting that while he lived on Shecrish , he was isolated from the goings-on of their world. “ Elite warriors. As far as I know, the Masters haven’t infiltrated them.”

“ But you don’t want to take the chance.”

“ They’re the best of the best for a reason. If even one of them is part of the Masters , and I go into their known territory, I’m just asking to be found.”

Rohan’s brows drew together. “ They don’t leave that area?”

“ They’re everywhere, but the Silver Falls is their home base.”

“ I see. What do you think? The Rangers or the rivers?”

Farah glanced at her hands, remembering the rapids. Both options were treacherous. Crossing the rivers would expose them. At least the trees would help them hide. “ Let’s chance the Rangers .”

“ All right. Lead the way.”

She had memorized the map of Shecrish as one of her first assignments as an agent. Durga had blindfolded her and had an agent take her into the rainwood. Farah then had to make her way back to Rannora . While she knew which river was which, she didn’t know much about the waterways themselves: like where to cross or which areas to avoid.

Farah climbed a tree and moved toward the top as she had done since the start of her journey with Rohan . Most Wood Elves preferred the middle areas of the trees. Remaining higher gave them an ever-so-slight advantage since elves would be focused lower. They needed every bit of gain they could muster.

She waited for Rohan to catch up. The more he climbed, the better—and faster—he became. Soon , he moved through the trees as easily as a Wood Elf . She watched his shirt tighten across his back as he used his arms to haul himself onto a branch.

“ I’m here,” he said, slightly out of breath.

She turned west and studied the trees ahead of her. The river would stay on her right this time. They were close to the shore, which meant she needed to take them deeper into the rainwood to keep out of sight. There was a tribe of Wood Elves nearby. They were generally easy-going, but that didn’t mean she wanted to run into them.

“ Ready ?” she asked over her shoulder.

“ Ready ,” Rohan replied.

Farah scooted around the trunk and quickly brought them deeper into the forest before turning west. The river eventually turned into a lake. It was one of the smaller ones, but it still took hours of travel before it became the river again.

She paused when she spotted a carriage and horses below her on the road. Just in time, too, as some Wood Elves came down from a nearby tree to speak to whoever was inside. They waited until the carriage was gone and the elves had returned to the trees and moved away before they continued.

The river took them southwest. She spotted where the river merged with the Ever Reaching as the light of day faded in the sky. They had traveled through the trees before at night, but they were coming up to hirch trees now. Their limbs weren’t as wide. Or as sturdy. That meant going slower. Even for her.

Farah didn’t like the looks of the trees ahead. They might support her, but they wouldn’t hold Rohan comfortably. She stopped against a trunk and turned to wait for Rohan . He landed on the branch easily and made his way to her.

“ What is it?” he asked.

She jerked her chin to the trees. “ They’re not stable. We need to descend and go the rest of the way on land.”

He looked past her through the trees to the merging rivers. “ Where do we cross?”

“ I won’t know until we get there.”

“ In the dark?”

She shrugged. “ The night will shield us.”

“ If we go before the moons rise.”

He had a point. Farah nodded and made her way down the tree. It was either cross where the rivers merged or before the river flowed into the next lake. Otherwise , they would have to trek around the lake before making their way back to the Ever Reaching River . It would simply take too long. But she couldn’t force things, either. Their last crossing had proven that.

With her feet on the ground and Rohan beside her, she crept to the next tree. Bit by bit, they made it closer to the edge of the rainwood. The sound of the water grew louder the nearer they got. She soon learned why when she saw a dramatic waterfall where the two waterways converged. Her heart dropped. Had they traveled all this way only to have to double back?

“ Look there,” Rohan said, pointing past her face.

She followed his finger and saw the rope bridge over the waterfall.

“ That’s our way across.”

The trees grew to the river’s edge, keeping them covered until they stepped onto the bridge. A short walk across, and they would be back in the safety of the forest. Shadows already enveloped much of the area as the sun was too low to shed its light upon them. Farah started to move forward when Rohan’s hand caught her arm. She turned her head to him.

“ Let me go first. No one is looking for me. If someone comes out, you know to find another route.”

She shook her head. “ I’m not leaving you.”

“ You won’t be. We’ll meet outside the city.”

It was a good plan. “ All right,” she reluctantly agreed.

Rohan cautiously walked from the tree line to the bridge. He set his hands on the ropes on either side of him and began his trek across. He made it to the other side without incident. She waited as he headed into the trees. A moment later, he popped back out and waved her over.

She sent up a prayer to the gods as she put her foot on the bridge. The scrape of the rope against her palms made her raise her hands slightly above them. The bridge swayed a bit with her movement. She glanced down at the water rushing violently over the side of the waterfall to tumble hundreds of feet into the lake below. Her steps quickened as she glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one followed. She no longer saw Rohan . He must have decided to wait within the forest.

She hurried off the bridge and into the rainwood, where she found Rohan standing between two trees with an odd expression. He looked more aggravated than worried. It was the only reason she wasn’t immediately wary.

“ What’s wrong?” she asked as she stopped before him.

“ We should’ve stayed on the other side,” he replied.

The hairs on the back of her neck rose. She whirled around and found a Sun Elf wearing the distinctive long, white gown and golden belt of a Reader . In the next instant, Asavori Rangers surrounded them.

“ Hello , Farah ,” the Reader said.

Farah looked into the elf’s copper eyes. “ Who are you?”

“ Savita . I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to help.”