Nevara
The wind bit harder out here—sharper, colder, untouched by the cozy glamour of the palace walls.
Our transport had dropped us off at the edge of a dense stretch of highland forest before sunrise. Fog still clung low to the ground, curling like fingers around our boots as we stared down the first waypoint on our map.
Hopkins was already bitching.
“This map is a joke,” he muttered, flipping it upside down and then back again. “What kind of bullshit grid doesn’t have elevation markers?”
“Maybe the kind that assumes you can use your nose,” I snapped, pulling my pack tighter.
He shot me a look. “Did I ask your opinion, Laurent?”
“No,” I said sweetly. “But you’re lucky to get it. Usually, I charge for expert guidance.”
Jones snorted from behind us. “Damn, she’s got claws. Didn’t k
