Chapter 69. Walk or Bite

We didn’t take the tray.

We didn’t draw either.

The First Luna set it on the grass like a hostess who had all the time in the world and none of the hunger. Steam curled. Leaf sneezed and tucked himself behind my calf, tail down, eyes bright.

“Walk,” she repeated, as if she were offering weather.

Kael’s fingers brushed my spine—one press at the base, a steadying here. I stepped to her left so he’d have my right; Syra and Neris flanked the path like they’d been born there. Orla fell in behind, hands loose, mouth already shaping small precautions.

We took the road that didn’t belong to any court. The trees grew too evenly here; their shadows followed us. The First Luna matched my pace without looking down.

“You made Ashfall hum,” she said, conversational. “That took nerve. Or ignorance.”

“I’m trying to get rid of one with the other,” I said.

A small pleased noise. “You think in trades. Good. It’s the only way to live long enough to