The Northern Alliance did not send an army as expected; they sent three high judges, draped in heavy gray robes, accompanied by a single representative from the Down Pack. They chose a neutral clearing in the pine forests right on the river border, a place where the spray of the rushing water choked out the scents of territory lines.

The air was damp and cold, but Nila felt none of it.

Kaelen had refused to let her walk to the clearing. He had carried her on his stallion again, his massive arms locking her against his chest, his chin resting against the top of her head. Even now, as they...