gaze. “I find it strange that Ceren would say something like that to the woman who tried to kill him, of all people. It almost makes me wonder if you didn’t have something to do with this.”
“Mother!” Talin wheeled Xander around to face her. “Nor would never dream of hurting Zoi. You’re frightened and overwhelmed, understandably. But if you can’t learn to differentiate your friends from your enemies, you’ll never be able to help Zoi. Not just now, but when she becomes queen.”
I was grateful to Talin for defending me, but this wasn’t just about the fact that I would never hurt a child. “I spent quite a bit of time connected to Ceren,” I said to Talia, “through no choice of my own. I do know him, whether I want to or not. And I also know that we don’t have time to waste on petty accusations when every moment, Ceren is getting farther away from us.”
I doubted Talia was capable of looking chastened, but she pressed her heels into her mare’s sides and took off down the road toward the ocean. Talin and I followed at a reasonable canter. I didn’t want to wear Titania out when we had a lot of ground to cover.
“I know you’re frustrated,” Talin said to me after a long time had passed in silence. “But I wish you could be more understanding with my mother. She’s been through a great deal.”
“We all have. And I have supported your cause because I believe you wouldn’t do anything corrupt or selfish. But I can’t say I have those same convictions when it comes to your mother.”
Despite my anger, I was afraid I’d gone too far and Talin wouldn’t answer. But finally, he looked at me. “I know she isn’t perfect, Nor. I know she’s made mistakes and her methods for building an army were questionable at best. But I still believe in her cause. I still believe Zoi belongs on the throne and Ilara will be far better off under a female ruler. We’ve all seen how well things have gone with men running the kingdom for hundreds of years.”
He wasn’t wrong, and someday Zoi might make an excellent ruler. But in the meantime, I wasn’t sure Talia was all that different from Ceren. Would a woman who had been prepared to endanger the lives of all Varenians really see to it that they had somewhere safe to live? Would the united, stable Ilara so many had dreamed of really become a reality?
When we reached the River Ilara, I was hopeful we’d find some sign that Ceren and Zoi had come this way. While we dismounted to let the horses drink and rest, Talin went in search of information from the soldier at the nearest bridge.
“Go on, girl,” I said to Titania, releasing the reins so she could drink. I estimated we were farther north than when I had first gone to Ilara, but whether we were as far north as Riaga was impossible to guess.
“No one fitting Ceren’s description has crossed the bridge today,” Talin said when he returned. “But the soldier thinks it’s entirely possible Ceren crossed the river during the night. There are places where crossing is relatively easy on horseback.”
Talia mounted her mare and started toward the bridge. “Come on, then. We’re wasting time.”
We crossed without incident and followed the road through Pirot, where we were soon surrounded by pine forest. There were plenty of fresh hoofprints in the soil, but that meant little, with such an oft-used road. It was late afternoon, and the sun was already beginning to set. I was starting to worry that my guess had been wrong after all.
Suddenly, Titania tensed, her ears pricking forward in alarm. I raised a hand, signaling for Talia and Talin to stop.
“The sun will be down soon,” a voice said in the distance. “We should stop for a few hours, get some rest.”
The man who answered was clearly in charge. “We’ll ride until we reach Old Castle,” he said. “We can water the horses at the river.”
I recognized the stubborn tone immediately. Without explaining myself, I urged Titania forward through the trees.
“Someone’s coming,” a female voice said. “Arm yourselves.”
“It’s me! It’s Nor!” I came around a bend in the road to find a dozen crossbows trained on me, but I was too happy to see who was holding them to worry.
“Nor?” Roan leaped from Kosmos’s back and hurried toward me. “What in the world are you doing here?”
“It’s good