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I wrap my cloak tighter around myself. It’s cold, but at least we don’t have to deal with snow or wind. I pat the horses as they drink their fill then tie their leads to a low-hanging branch so they can eat the dry grasses as we rest.
A small leafy bush with thick, dark berries catches my eye. We had several behind the house in Littlemire. Kathrine used to call them night berries because when they are ripe, the red is so dark it’s nearly black.
My mouth waters, remembering the things mother used to make with them. She would send Kitty and me with bowls to pluck as many as we could. Then she would spend the day making pies and jams. I tried helping once, and ended up making a mess of things, dropping half a dozen eggs on the floor.
I squat near the bush and pluck a handful, popping one berry in my mouth at a time. It’s juicy and sweet. Perfect. Certainly more appetizing than the teek bread alone. I alternate between bites of bread and a few berries. When I finally finish the bread, I guide the horses back to camp.
Cassius waits for me in front of the fire, staring into the flames. Wordlessly, I take a seat next to him. I remove my gloves with my teeth, then rub my hands together, soaking up the heat. When my fingers finally thaw, I reach inside my pocket and pull out the map, spreading it flat on the ground to study it in detail.
“We will go around the foothills and enter the forest from the south,” Cassius says.
My head whips up. He gazes straight ahead into the distance.
“No. That will take time we can’t spare. We go through the mountain pass.”
Cassius looks at me as though I’ve sprouted a second head. “No way in the Otherworld. Clara, I know you’re worried about time, but we don’t know what the pass holds. It’s uncharted. We can’t take that risk.”
“Where else would it lead?”
“To a wall of rock or perhaps a sharp drop off into a ravine. There are countless paths that lead nowhere, it is a labyrinth inside there. No one who has ever ventured in were ever heard from again.”
I stand, folding the map and shoving it back into my pocket.
“You are being reckless, Clara.” His words are sharp. He rises and steps in close, waving his arms out to the side. “Everything about this is—”
“I know!” I shout, clenching my hands into fists. Then softer, I repeat, “I know.”
“Then why don’t you use your head?”
My cheeks sting from a mixture of frustration and cold. “It may not seem like it, but I am trying. I have to do this, but…” I swallow the lump in my throat. “What chance do I have of making it, if you all doubt me at every turn?”
Cassius presses his fingers to his temples and rubs small circles, muttering under his breath. “You are right. I don’t know what’s going on in your head, but I trust you,” he says. He holds his palm up to keep me from interrupting. “But I need you to be honest, and tell me everything.”
Everything.He wants me to tell him how I learned about the oracle and how I know exactly where to find her.
But that would mean admitting everything about Varin, which I won’t do. Lying to him doesn’t feel like the right option either.
I avert my eyes, focusing on a spindly-looking plant with wispy leaves. “I can’t do that.”
“Clara…”
“I can’t tell you everything, so please don’t ask.” I shake my head. “But I will tell you what I can.”
He steps in closer and smooths a hand over my head and down the length of my hair. “What have you gotten yourself into?”
I try to smile but can only manage a rueful uptick of one corner of my mouth.
“Will you compromise to go around now, and if we see a way through from within the forest, we will take the pass on our return?” he asks.
I press my mouth into a tight line and think about it. He’s right. If the way in is like a maze, then it could cost us more time.
“Yes,” I say.
“You should rest now, little bird,” Cassius says.
I reach out, resting a hand on his forearm, and wait for him to meet my gaze. “I’m sorry.”
His brows crash together in confusion. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”
