Bernadine Bloomhaven buried her mother at dawn, then unfolded the map her mother had pressed into her hands the night before. One town was circled in shaking ink. Her mother had called it the place where the truth lived, the truth of the noble blood she swore ran in Bernadine's veins. But Bernadine had never left Hennyville. She did not know a single road out. She walked the market with the map hidden in her corset. Merchants shrugged when she asked about the town. One old woman spat and said the roads past the hills belonged to bandits now. No caravan would take a lone girl. Bernadine felt the daggers strapped to her thighs. Steel was not the same as knowing which way to walk. A small purple creature landed on a fruit cart and stole a glowing gold fruit. Furred, winged, its long tail whipping, it darted between the ornamental trees with their pink and purple leaves. The cart's owner shouted. The creature flew straight to a man crouched at the market's edge and dropped the fruit into his palm. The man laughed and rose. He was tall, an elf, with curly hair and blue eyes. A longsword hung at his hip. A longbow crossed his back. He wore a green tunic and a brown traveling robe worn thin at the hems. He fed the fruit to his winged companion and looked at Bernadine like he already knew her question. "You've been asking about the far roads," he said. "Word travels faster than you, girl." "I need to reach a town beyond the hills." She drew the map halfway from her corset, then stopped. "My mother said the truth of who I am is there." "Aldric Silverleaf." He tapped his chest. "I've walked those roads more times than I can count. The bandits know my arrows." He glanced at her thigh guards. "You carry blades but no map of the country. That gets people killed." Bernadine's jaw tightened. "Then guide me. I can pay." "With what? A dead mother's coin?" His voice softened when he saw her flinch. "I don't want your money." He whistled, and the purple creature settled on his shoulder. "I want to know what's in that town worth dying for. You tell me the truth, and I'll walk you there." She studied his face. She had no other road, no other guide, no one left. She pulled the map free and showed him the circled name. Aldric's smile faded. He stared at the ink a long moment. "I know that town," he said quietly. "And I know who rules it. If your blood is what you think it is, they will not welcome you. They'll hunt you." Bernadine folded the map and slid it back against her heart. "Then we leave before they know I'm coming." Aldric shouldered his bow. "We leave at nightfall. Pack light. And Bernadine—once we start walking, there's no coming back to Hennyville."