8
Naveen clutched her blankets tighter as she huddled around the fire. Here she was, hiding from the empire by a fire in the snow. The long winter was the worst time to try to hide. It was too bloody cold. White breath fluttered from her mouth as she rubbed her hands together. A few inches of snow had fallen the night before. At least it wasn’t full-on winter yet. It was only going to get worse the further south they traveled.
The shoemaker, Cederic, shuffled over to Naveen. He didn’t appear to be cold in the slightest. Naveen glared at him.
“Are you cold, miss?” he asked her.
“It’s Naveen. Don’t call me miss.”
“Sorry … Naveen.”
“Yes … I’m a bit cold. I’m not used to the south. I’m from the north. It doesn’t get as cold up there.”
“Are your feet cold?” he asked.
She smiled. “No. Th
