Chapter 38

At departure, Acker arrives calm and confident with two horses, explaining most mounts stayed to help disperse the camp. He pairs Beau with Hallis and climbs behind Jovie, guiding her hands on the reins as they leave the diminished encampment and pass the ash-white remains of the Dark Forest Jovie burned.

They canter across open grassland, then slow through a rocky ravine that forces Beau and Hallis behind them. Acker admits he paired them partly to be with Jovie. Their tension softens as Jovie presses him about secrecy: Acker says he sensed their bond since childhood, knew for certain at the stone wall, and later through involuntary visions of her drawings. They compare limits of their mental link and plan to seek answers in the capital, noting matches weren’t chosen historically—Wren twisted that into control.

They emerge into a shallow valley awash with tall purple flowers and distant snowcapped mountains. Hiding from Beau and Hallis’s bickering, Acker shares strawberries and cheese bartered from a soldier. Jovie marvels at the view and childhood snow she doesn’t remember; Acker mentions Maile beyond the peaks. Their quiet grows intimate as they rest side by side, fingers intertwined, setting aside unresolved grievances.

Hallis’s shout wakes them as weather shifts. A sudden sunshower drenches the group, interrupting a near-kiss between Jovie and Acker. With tempers frayed—especially Hallis’s—Acker calls an early camp and promises an early start, while Beau needles Hallis about needing a wash.