Chapter 31

In a crowded Kenta port town, Acker keeps his hood up while leading the group at a distance. Jo, still shackled and flanked by Fredrich and Irina, is warned not to scheme. Jo quietly presses Fredrich on how he infiltrated her mother’s forces; he explains a years-long insertion through tavern gossip, stolen uniforms, and careful name-dropping.

At a livery stable, Wells finishes loading supplies. The group pairs up: Irina mounts with Acker, and Fredrich lifts Jo onto another horse and rides behind her. They leave town into flat, wintry country, the silence sharpening Jo’s resentment and jealousy as she notes Irina’s ease against Acker and questions the worth of Acker’s claimed oath-bound love while she remains a captive.

With temperatures dropping, Acker and Wells set a tent, Acker driving stakes with his gift. They forgo a warming flame to avoid detection. Cramped together—Acker, Irina, Jo, Fredrich, and Wells—Jo fights the cold and sleeplessness. She quietly asks Fredrich about the sedative tea and his shielding; he admits limits against natural elements. Eventually, Fredrich shifts to share body heat, and Jo grudgingly accepts the comfort.

Jo slips into a vivid dream-memory of swimming with Kai at the grove, their hopeful pact to escape together sealed with a kiss. The vision warps into Acker accusing Kai of using her; the water turns to blood as corpses in uniforms from every territory surface. Shackled, Jo sinks, tasting copper, while Acker wades toward her in fear.

Acker’s distant shouts—“Wake her!”—bleed into reality as Fredrich shakes Jo awake. She jolts up, nauseated and trembling. The group is rattled; Acker sits with his head in his hands, breathing hard, yet still cannot bring himself to look at Jo, leaving their bond strained and unresolved.