AN HOUR LATER, WE WERE ready to leave.
Lucian disappeared outside to tell the others that the camp was on the move.
Dymitri and I stayed by the fire, trading stories. He had never been south of the mountains, and he wanted to know everything about what it was like to grow up in green, peaceful valleys, where life wasn’t a continuous struggle for survival.
In return, he told me more about the kingdom of the north.
“Damon’s father was happy, once.” He twirled the stick in his hand, which he had been using to poke at the fire, as he considered his words. “His mother... she wasn’t born here, in the north. Did you know that?”
I shook my head. Curiosity burned in my chest.
“Damon’s father saw her one day, when he was visiting the southern kingdoms to sign a trade deal. He carried her off.”
