We ride all through the day and into the night slowing our pace only once to let the horses drink. Lei rides ahead of us, the epitome of elegance as she guides her movements to each rise and fall of the horse as it canters through the night.

After the first few uncomfortable hours, I managed to settle into a rhythm. Much to my distaste, it required letting go of all my inhibitions and matching the movements of Killian's body. He was right; once I stopped resisting, it became a much more pleasant experience for all three of us. Including Fluffy who, contrary to my earlier hesitations, I've grown to like over the course of the journey.

The strength in each stride, the silence and grace in which she moves through the bush--it demands respect. And atop her back, nestled against Killian's chest, I feel safe from the outside world. A false sense of security covers me, as if Ereon's men could walk straight past us without blinking an eye.

Killian slows Fluffy to a walk several hours after the sky has fallen completely dark. It's a clear night, stars speckling the sky, but it's often those that are the most bitterly cold. Lei halts up ahead, waiting for us to catch up, the horses walking side by side.

She eyes Killian sideways, expression giving away nothing. "What's wrong?"

"We're at the meeting spot," he says, gesturing to the large trunk tipped over the pathway. "They must be around here somewhere."

Lei narrows her eyes as she scans the landscape. Killian leans forward to pat Fluffy's neck, his hair brushing my cheek on the way past. I shudder, mirroring Lei as she narrows her eyes at the trees.

"My my, what a bloody beauty she is." The voice accompanies a large smack on the rump of Lei's horse, sending it up onto its hind legs while Lei yelps and manages to stay on.

Fluffy stumbles backwards and I press myself closer to Killian, heart leaping at the sudden intrusion. It's only once Lei's horse has calmed that I see the figure standing in the trees laughing.

Lei scowls. "That was not funny, Merid."

The man steps out from the shadows and into the moonlight. He raises a hand to the horse's nose. "She deserves a compliment."

The hood of my cape blocks half my view, but from beneath it, I can see the side of his face in the distance. Silky silver hair glimmers beneath the moon.

"Where is everyone?" Killian asks.

Merid glances towards us, his eyes resting on me briefly before he looks at Killian. "Hello to you too, Killian. Polite as ever." He rolls his eyes when Killian doesn't respond. "This way, come on."

He turns to lead us through the trees off the side of the path. We're only walking for a few minutes when the warm glow of flames flickers through the gaps in the trees. A low murmur reverberates through the ground, and dark silhouettes loiter around the orange glow.

My stomach tightens, shoulders tensing as we get closer. Lei said they were scouts from Torinne, keeping an eye on the area to report on any changes with Ereon's guards. But the initial knowledge that they're shifters sets me on edge, despite the fact that I'm currently pressed tightly against one.

A warm hand splays across the top of my thigh, causing me to tense further as Killian's mouth ducks to my ear. "Relax," he murmurs, "nobody here is going to hurt you."

I don't say anything; I barely move, even as his thumb brushes gently where his palm rests on my thigh, moving in small circles as we break through the last of the trees and into the clearing. There are at least 10 others, men and women, gathered around the fire. They continue their conversations, offering fleeting glances toward us. I imagine we're still shrouded in shadows, mostly concealed from their view.

Merid secures Lei's horse to a branch as she dismounts, cursing him beneath her breath. Killian shifts from behind me, moving to dismount. The absence of his body immediately invites the icy air in, and I sink further into my cape as Killian offers me a hand.

I'm not foolish enough to refuse it. Not after what happened when we stopped at the creek for a drink and I fell face first into a puddle trying to dismount myself.

I wobble once on the ground, standing awkwardly behind Fluffy as Killian secures her to the tree. Merid peers behind Fluffy at us, glancing at Killian and then me. He doesn't look much older than me, his silvery hair slanting over his forehead and covering his left eye. In the dark of the night, I can't tell what colour they are.

His eyes drift across my face. A goofy grin overtakes his face as he holds his hand out towards me. "I'm Merid. It's nice to finally meet the Cloud Piercer."

I frown, the label bringing a sour taste to my mouth as I ignore his hand. "My name is Freya."

"Right," he says, that goofy grin not leaving, even as he realises I'm not going to shake his hand. "You know, in all the rumours about what you were like, nobody mentioned how pretty you were."

I flush.

"Don't let that fool you," Killian chimes in from behind. "She's more lethal than she looks."

Merid glances me over once again. "Oh I'm sure."

I shift awkwardly from foot to foot, not quite sure how to respond. I'm immensely grateful when Killian steps past me to smack the side of Merid's head, causing Merid to let out a loud, bark-like laugh. I follow both of them around Fluffy's side, keeping my eyes on Killian as we approach the fire-pit.

Four fallen logs have been dragged over to surround the pit in a square, accommodating most of the people. Lei's already amongst them, and soon after Killian is pulled into the cluster, each of them stand up to greet him like an old friend.

I stand awkwardly on the outskirts, my eyes flitting between Lei and Killian. It's times like these when I wish I was more like Cadence. She could waltz into any social situation and be at complete ease.

"How was your trip?" Merid asks me, coming up to my side.

"It was fine." I wrap my arms across my chest and turn to look at him, but he's watching Lei as she moves around the circle.

I step forward to settle on the edge of one of the logs. It's the emptiest of the four, but still, the girl on the other end turns to face me. "Hey," she says, a warm grin spreading across her face. "I'm Aelin."

"Freya."

She's pretty, long red hair braided down her back, her face dotted with freckles. "How long have you all been here?" I ask.

"We've camped out here for about a month," she says. "We move every so often, but never too far from Veymaw."

"You've been watching Veymaw all this time?"

"That's where you're from, right?" she asks. I nod.

If they've been watching the village for more than a month, how much did they already know about me? Did they see me going to the forge at night? Did they see me training with Casimir?

A thought registers in my mind, from the same place where Killian's betrayal burrows, but I dismiss it. Killian came to Veymaw to find more information on Samu, not because he already knew who I was. The only reason he found out who I was is because I blabbed about it to him in the forge thinking he was a deserter. That, at least, I know is true.

"Is everything... okay there?" I ask. "In Veymaw, I mean?"

She flits her gaze away, as if checking if anybody is around. "I don't know that I'm supposed to talk about this with you."

I shuffle closer, mustering my softest smile. "I won't tell anybody you did."

"Ereon's guards patrol everyday," she says, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Nothing violent yet, but..."

"But what?"

"But I wouldn't give it long before it turns that way. We had a run in with a group of guards a couple of days ago. There were only three of them, but we had to take them down, or they'd alert the others of our presence here." She widens her eyes. "It won't be long till they find the bodies."

They'll blame somebody in Veymaw. The thought delivers like an icy wave.

She continues talking, but her words zone out as panic overtakes my mind. Ereon's presence in Veymaw should not come as much of a shock, but it instills a terror inside of me I haven't felt since I was in the Palace. I know how it goes. Even before the recent events, the shifters used any reason they could to hurt those of us in Veymaw, to remind us of what they could do.

Aelin brushes a strand of hair behind her ear, casting a fleeting glance across the fire pit. "That rebel group--"

"The deserters?" My eyes zero in on her. "Have you heard about them?"

She frowns, looking slightly surprised by my interest. "Uh, yeah, we keep an eye on them too."

"And?"

"And nothing," she says, "they've been mostly quiet. Hiding, I suppose, since the king may suspect it was them who took you."

I sink into the log, letting my disappointment spread throughout my body. It was a long shot, by all means, that she'd know anything about Casimir. At least there's some consolation in knowing there haven't been any major incidents. That must mean he's okay.

"Well I say this is a cause for a celebration!" Merid's voice draws my attention as the murmurs mute. He stands afoot the fire. "Lei, welcome back." She raises her cup to him. "To our commander Killian, we're honoured to have you." A couple of other cheer, including Aelin beside me. "And finally, Freya, our Cloud Piercer." His eyes meet mine. I don't smile, the nickname grating on me once again. "We welcome you with open arms."

The crowd raise their cups and shout a cheer before swigging their drinks. I cross my arms over my chest, huddling closer to the fire as the flames lick in the air. Aelin asks me a few more questions about Veymaw and what it was like to grow up there. My answers are half-hearted, and she eventually turns to talk to the girl next to her while my mind wanders elsewhere.

The mood in the air is jovial but I can't seem to engage in it. I glance towards Killian who, every time he gets up, gets pulled into another conversation. There's a layer of warmth between these people, their interactions and conversations. And though they all smile and greet me as kindly as Aelin, an irrevocable loneliness settles in my stomach as I observe their interactions.

They have a community. People to call home. It makes me miss my people so much it hurts. And the knowledge of what the guards may have in store for them sets me on edge.

"Hey, you don't still have that dagger on you by any chance, do you?" Lei plops down next to me, the liquid sloshing in her cup.

I cast a sideways glance at her. "Why?"

"Cause Merid is three more inappropriate comments away from getting it in his thigh." She shoots a glare at him from across the fire pit, where he's talking animatedly to Killian. "He does my head in."

My lips twitch into a smile. "He is... interesting."

"That's one way to put it," she snorts, taking another sip of her drink before holding it out to me. "Want some?" I shake my head and she finishes the rest in one mouthful.

"Is it really such a good idea to be drinking before tomorrow?" I ask.

She grins. "Another great thing about being a shifter. No hangover."

I glance across the clearing towards Killian. He also has a cup in his hand, but I haven't seen him drink from it yet, and I've been watching him plenty.

"So," Lei says, turning to face me, "tell me, is it as bad as you expected?"

"What?"

"Shifters, Torinnians, us," she waves her hands in the air, gesturing to those around us. "You tried to stab Draigh only a few days ago and now look at you, drinking and laughing with us like old friends."

I'm not drinking or laughing, but I don't point that out.

"You're alright," I say softly.

And I mean it. I like Lei. She's rough around the edges, but there's a genuine kindness that I see in her. She couldn't be any further from what Cadence is like, and yet, there's something about the way she looks at me that reminds me of Cadence. Warm. Kind.

"And what about Killian?"

I pretend to think it over before confirming my thought with a nod of the head. "Killian can rot in hell for all I care."

She laughs, and I can't help but join in. "I knew I liked you."

"I thought you two were friends."

"Oh we are. Killian and I grew up together, I have no choice but to love him," she says. "But you're smart enough to avoid the trap that is Killian Li."

My smile fades as Lei continues her drunken ramble, pointing out the way so many of the crowd seem to gravitate towards Killian like he's their sun, hanging onto his every last word, vying for his attention. It makes me sick to my stomach. I've either been very convincing, or Lei isn't very perceptive.

But as I watch Killian from across the fire pit, I know I'm no better than those she mocks. I wasn't immune to his trap, either. I walked straight into it.

It's a couple of hours before I feel like it's acceptable to excuse myself. A few people have already filtered away, sifting off through the trees. Some have fallen asleep around the fire pit, while others continue to laugh, their jovial conversations filling the air.

Their perceived comfort feels unsettling as I move away from the crowd. The knowledge Aelin shared about the guards, Veymaw, what might happen, fills me with a deep dread.

And as I drift further away from the fire and the paranoia seeps in, it's harder to convince myself that the moving shadows between the trees are just figments of my imagination.