We traveled quickly, considering we were on foot. The journey might have been pleasant if not for Yoko's increasingly sour mood. I found myself drawn to Dante as we walked, and it did not take much for us to reminisce about our childhoods. A single blue flower or chattering bird could spark a memory that would send us down memory lane, and every time I returned to the present, I found my lover watching me with turned down lips and cold eyes.

Over the last few days, the dense forest had thinned, giving way to the prairies that made up the central portion of the country. In the springtime, they would stretch on as far as the eye could see, edged on one side by the West Mountains and blanketed in wild flowers. It was always a joy to see the riot of color when we came out of the cold white world of winter in the mountains.

"Oh," I shouted, my toe catching on the edge of a paved road and pitching me forward.

Dante laughed and caught me before I landed on my face. "Careful there. I'm still constantly amazed by your grace."

"Shut up." I laughed, punching him in the shoulder. "One time. One time I knocked over the cake at the Harvest cotillion, and you won't let me forget it."

"Only because my mother was the one who commissioned that cake, and for three moon cycles, she went on and on about how you ruined it."

"How many times will you tell that story?" Yoko muttered, stepping onto the road and tapping her toe on it. A small crack spread, joining the hundred others splitting the road.

Ignoring her barb, I crossed my arms beneath my breasts and jutted my chin forward. "This is the main road into the capital city. If we follow it, we can be in Radia in just a few sun cycles. From there, we can make it to the West Mountains. To Starfyre."

Hands on her hips, Yoko frowned. "The road looks like it's running north. Why would we go that way to go west? If we cut across the fields here, it's a direct shot, and it takes us back through the forests. Slower walking but more coverage brings more safety."

"Not in those woods," Dante said, a hint of childlike fear creeping into his voice. I didn't blame him. We both grew up on the stories.

"That's the Grim," I explained to Yoko. "Think of the horror stories you heard about the Vesper, but worse. And true. Soldiers used to patrol the outskirts frequently. To keep elves out of it. Kelpies have control of the water in the woods, and closer to the mountains are the Wraiths."

Yoko's pointed ears tensed. "Wraiths?"

My skin prickled. "Spirits that somehow escaped the final judgment. Their one goal is to find a compatible body to inhabit, and those that aren't compatible, they eat. They re-enter the world through Vyta, but ancient magic keeps them contained in the Grim."

"And you haven't thought to mention them until now?"

I shrugged. "Honestly, I'd forgotten about them. They were scary, but Mother said we were safe from them."

"My family's estate was near the Grim. We lived closer than anybody else, but that was because it was our duty to guard it," Dante explained. "Mostly they were quiet. Wraiths fade the longer they go without feeding, but every so often, one manages to eat something. Usually a Kelpie if they were lucky enough to find an old or lame one. Then they wail, and it makes your bones ache."

Shivering, I cleared my throat. "So, no. We can't cut across. We will follow this road through Radia and into the mountains. It will take us around the Grim, and directly into the pass leads to Vyta."

"Fine." Yoko strode ahead, her silky black hair swishing around her chin.

"Would you like me to talk to her?" Dante asked.

He scratched at his chin. What had been stubble was now a thick beard, and it suited him. When he looked at me, his green eyes were troubled.

"No. I should talk to her. I've been putting it off, but that's selfishness on my part."

"Is now really a good time? Wouldn't it be better to wait until after Vyta was relit, and you reclaim the throne? She shouldn't have to carry the burden of that knowledge."

I exhaled and pulled back my shoulders. "Yoko's smart. She already has the knowledge. I think she's just waiting on me to be honest about it."

It took me several minutes of brisk jogging to catch up with her. Years of marching with the Royal Guards gave her a stamina that I envied. Though, while I'd never been out of shape, I had to admit the weeks of traveling across the continent had done wonders for my stamina and figure.

"Yoko, wait up."

She didn't slow. "We're losing light."

"No," I snapped, grabbing her hand and yanking her around to face me. "We're losing one another. You have to stop pushing me away."

For a second, her mouth opened and closed like a fish, and I could see her emotions flicker across her face. Anger. Hurt. Denial. Finally, acceptance.

"I'm just trying to do it before you push me away."

"What do you mean? I wouldn't do that."

"Yes, you will. From the moment I realized who he was to you, I stopped being naïve about this thing between us. You are a queen, and I am a soldier."

"My father was a low elf. My mother chose him."

She cast a bittersweet smile at the ground. "And if that was all that stood between us, I could have hope. But I can't give you what you need. An heir. Dante can."

I'd been right. She'd known all along, but she was wrong about one thing. "That doesn't mean we can't be together. Queens take lovers all the time. Dante and I would be together only to produce an heir, and—"

"I don't know, Astreia." Yoko dropped my hand and wiped a tear from her cheek. "I spent my entire life being looked down upon for being weaker and for being different. My father tried to hide me away."

"I would never."

"Wouldn't you? Are you telling me you would let me stand beside you before your people?" Silence stretched between us. "No. That's what I thought. I love you, and I believe you love me. But if that's the life that you expect us to have together, then it won't be long before I'm not the woman you fell in love with. It will destroy me."

Dante crested the hill. Yoko hurriedly cleaned her face and started walking again. When he passed by me, he paused, but I waved him on. Right now, I needed to be alone and process what had just happened.

The sun sank lower in the sky. Yoko's confession replayed in my mind, and I wished desperately that I had not hesitated to reassure her. Estrellum was not the same as the Sea Court. Here, we believed love was love, but what people professed and what they accepted were not always aligned. And as their queen, I wasn't sure I could live by the same rules. Would my people accept her as my consort? I didn't know the answer, and since it was clear not everyone would be pleased that I had returned, I had to be careful.

A bird called, and I looked up. The sky was dark but for a sliver of orange light at the horizon's edge. In the distance, I spied the flicker of firelight, and I quickened my pace to catch up to my companions.

Only the road came to a dead end over the hill. A small cabin sat between two trees. A cozy glow filled its windows, and smoke spooled lazily out of the chimney.

I froze. Was my memory that faulty? I'd been sure the road we were on was the primary thoroughfare. And where were Astreia and Dante? They wouldn't have wandered too far from here once they realized we were on the wrong road.

The front door's rusted hinges squealed as it opened. A young elf stepped out, her eyes scanning the area as she wiped her hands on her apron. "Oh dear. You went left at the fork, didn't you?"

"The fork? I don't remember any fork in the road," I mumbled. At least, there were no forks in the road this far out and this close to the Grim. Further ahead and closer to the capital, there were several smaller roads that branched off from this one.

She tilted her head to the side. Her tufted ear twitched. "It must have been a while since you came this way, then. It's been almost eight years since my father paved the way to our home. Said he grew tired of beating back the bushes every spring."

"Oh." That would explain things since I'd been gone for over a decade. But newly paved roads didn't really fit the picture of despair that Mafta had painted. "How far back is the turn? I need to get back to my friends."

"It's some distance back. You really shouldn't travel in the dark. I'm sure your friends will turn back for you once they notice you're missing."

"I'm sure I'll be fine if I follow the road." A tantalizing scent wafted out of the house, and my stomach gurgled loud enough I was certain all of Estrellum had heard it.

"Well, why don't you get a bite to eat first? It'll be just as dark later as it is now, so you might as well have a full belly."

"I don't know..."

"Nonsense. It's nothing special. Just a root stew I whipped up with vegetables from my winter cupboards."

"Does it have garish beets?" I asked, my mouth salivating at the thought of those tender red buds. I hadn't eaten one since they took me to Edresh, and I missed the crisp, tart flavor.

She laughed. "Who would make a root stew without garish beets?"

My feet moved on their own accord toward the cabin. "I suppose one bowl won't hurt."

"Good. I'm Lira."

"I'm..." I bit back my name, recalling Mafta's reaction. Tugging my sleeves down to ensure my arms were fully covered, I said, "I'm Yoko."

"Welcome to my home, Yoko. It's been a long time since I had company."