Chapter 55: A Thief's Way
The dirt path curved sharply along the edge of a ravine, flanked by gnarled trees that clawed at the sky like old regrets. The day had turned to ash—the sun smeared behind clouds, the wind gaining bite. Odi walked with her hood up, her steps slow but steady. Each movement ached, and not just from travel. Her thoughts were a mire of doubt, failure, and the bitter weight of what still had to be done.
Pete, on the other hand, was talking.
Still.
Endlessly.
"And that's when I realized," he said, gesturing with dramatic flair, "that I'd been using a map of the wrong kingdom for two whole days. Two! I'd been charming squirrels in enemy woods. They were probably spies. Fat little walnut-smuggling traitors—"
Odi grunted, the faintest of chuckles escaping before she caught it. Pete didn't seem to notice.
"—and you know, I think one of them winked at me. Probably a shapeshifter. Had that look."
