Chapter 26

Right. Away. That clears it up. I hug Eirik closer to my chest, protecting him against the biting wind. Eirik doesn't mind the cold as much as I do, but I still keep him close.

Ursha remains unyielding as we stride down the road and toward the wall. My stomach plummets. Away. She's taking me out of the village.

Why?

I mean. That's what I want, of course. But… But…

I didn't even say goodbye to Thorn.

The thought makes me jerk in surprise. That's absolutely not on the list of things I should be worried about. Thorn is keeping me prisoner. Kind of.

"Isn't it dangerous to leave the village?" I ask. "Just the three of us?"

Ursha's voice sounds like she's smirking. "The Wolfbone Clan only attacks at night. Bunch of cowards, the lot of them. Besides, I'm strong. I can keep Eirik safe. And we won't go alone."

My forehead sinks with a frown so deep that I almost can't see through my narrowed eyes. I even stumble in the snow.

I don't miss the little detail that she has no plans on protecting me if they attack. There's something else, too. The way she says it, all casual...

They do deal with raids often. But why? In my world, people battle for land because the land is worth something. But here, it doesn't look like they have anything of value. Of course, what is valuable changes from culture to culture, but...

We cross the village in mere minutes, approaching the tall palisade wall with a tower and closed gates. She finally slows down once we reach them.

Ursha exchanges a few words with the guards. They don't look happy, glancing between Ursha and me, but none of them dare question her. I see I'm not the only one who thinks she's impressive. They all diminish an inch when she looks at them.

I can relate.

Ursha strides back to me as the guards open the gates. She plucks Eirik from my arms. "Pick up your pace. I'll keep the prince safe."

Eirik squirms as Ursha pulls him up. I'm so surprised by her sudden move that I let her take him without resistance.

Also… I had almost forgotten that he was a prince. I stare at the baby, trying to reconcile this information. He gurgles happily, oblivious to the sudden tension. He sticks a hand to his mouth while he holds one of Ursha's braids with the other.

The way Ursha refers to him is strange. She's gentle when she touches him, but the way she talks about him is almost… professional. She didn't say I'll keep my son safe or anything like that.

The prince. Sounds strange.

I swallow hard, pushing down the myriad of questions. Now's not the time. Ursha's already striding ahead, Eirik safe in her arms. A small group of guards follows me out.

I hurry to catch up, my mind reeling. What if Ursha is not his mother? She could be Thorn's second wife. Thorn could be a widower. In a village constantly under attack, that wouldn't be strange.

We leave the gates behind and step into one of the prettiest sights I've ever seen. A large expanse of the greenest grass ever stretches out to the very border of the woods, with only a beaten road cutting through it.

The forest back home loomed. Here, it just rises. The sunlight soaks through the green leaves and creates a tapestry of shadows on the ground. I had forgotten how beautiful this forest is compared to the one we have back home. The place is vivid and cheerful instead of those gloomy woods.

Ursha motions for the tree line. "Go on. Lead the way."

I stare back at her, my fingers curling around my backpack strap. "To the portal?"

She blinks twice. "Of course. Isn't that what you want? Go on. Let me see that portal."

Swallowing, I scan the trees, my heart in my throat. Where was it? Where was the portal?

When I arrived, it was night. There was the moon, yeah, but it was still very dark. I remember having to walk, but I went around in circles for a while, following the sound of Eirik's cries. There was a bush, maybe waist-height?

Oh, no. This might be my one chance to go home, and I don't remember how to get there.

I push ahead, ignoring the branches tugging at my clothes. Ursha wants me to fail because she's assuming I'm lying. That means I must find the portal.

Have I passed this bush? No. This way? It has to be here. It has to be.

My pulse quickens as I search, seesawing between trees in search of it. I can barely catch my breath as my eyes scan the scenery for the split tree or the clearing where I found Eirik.

Anything.

But the further we go, the more my hope dwindles. There's no massive ash tree with a gash down the middle, a dark entrance, and a raven.

My heart sinks as I slow down and stop. My breath condenses in front of my lips and my legs hurt, but the urge to lie down on the snow almost blinds me.

Behind me, Ursha snorts. "Giving up already?"

My blood boils.

I whirl around, my fists clenched. "I'm not giving up! I'm just... I'm just lost!" My gaze flies over the trees again. "Of course I'm lost. I stumbled out of a tree into different woods during the night and ran after a baby orc. I wasn't keeping up with the path." My jaw tightens. A tremble shakes my arms. "I'm lost."

Ursha raises an eyebrow. "Mm. How convenient."

I grind my teeth together. She thinks this is all a ruse. That I'm just pretending, biding my time until I can betray them or whatever.

I open my mouth to argue, but what's the point? She's already made up her mind about me. And I might have ruined my one chance at going back home.

There's no way I can escape her now. And where?

There's nowhere else I could escape. Nowhere to go.

No home.