The convoy set off once more.
On this broad road paved with glowing moss and smooth white stone, the Haiti Duchy's new but rather ordinary black carriages looked utterly out of place.
There was no mud, no broken timber scorched by war. Even the air was filled with a cloying floral fragrance that grated on the nerves.
A hand in a lace glove yanked open the carriage curtain.
Caroline leaned out and glanced behind them.
The oppressive black clouds over the Ironwood Line had long since vanished beyond the horizon, replaced by stranger sights.
Giant ferns wound along both sides of the road, while unknown birds trailing rainbow tail feathers occasionally swept overhead.
"No matter how many times I check, that direction is north."
Caroline withdrew into the carriage, tapping her folding fan irritably against her palm.
"Veylin, we're heading deep behind enemy lines. That 'pass' Duke Raging Wind gave us might keep the forest rangers from turning us into pincushions, but that doesn't mean we can stroll into their capital for a sightseeing tour."
Veylin sat opposite her, still holding his leather-bound notebook.
As the carriage advanced, the light streaming through the window ceased to be natural sunlight, becoming a dreamlike magical glow tinged with pale violet.
"The duke is a soldier through and through."
Without looking up, Veylin traced a winding, upward curve across the page with his quill.
"Soldiers care only about strength and threats. To him, humans are weaklings unworthy of an alliance. You can't persuade a stone. We can only go around it and find the hand holding it."
He closed his notebook and pointed toward the outline gradually emerging outside.
"The Evergreen Council isn't a united front. The front lines bleed while the rear indulges itself. As long as that divide exists, there's room