Evelina's POV
We followed what remained of the road deeper into the forest.
Caspian stayed half a step ahead, moving branches aside whenever they crossed our path and holding them until I'd passed. The first few times I thanked him.
By the fourth, I stopped because he wasn't acknowledging it anyway, and because noticing every small thing he did for me was becoming an irritating habit I had no intention of encouraging.
The forest thickened as we went. Old trees crowded closer, their roots splitting sections of the road and lifting stones that must once have lain flat.
I kept looking down for more of them, partly because I wanted to understand where we were going and partly because I no longer trusted the ground enough to put my foot anywhere without checking first.
"How old is it?"
