I slow as we enter the forest. A mixture of fear and awe twists deep in my stomach as we ride between trees taller than Haven is long. They create dappled shadows on the loamy floor. A myriad of birds call out our passing, and even the rustling of the leaves sounds like a symphony.
I lean over Happy's side and run my hand through a thatch of vibrant, purple blooms. They coat my fingers in fine, violet dust. This place is like magic. Even the smells are different. They're crisp and earthy, with a faint hint of roses.
Technicolor flowers sprout between shrubbery of emerald and ruby, while streams of water bluer than the Laplands' coast trickle past underfoot. This looks so different now that I'm not running for my life through these trees.
I try to peer through the trees, but their boughs are too thick to see through. I know the nobles' village is just outside forest, and beyond that, is the prison. My ears buzz and every part of me is on edge. My hand keeps straying to the knife at my belt.
Surma holds up a hand, and we all come to a stop. She slips silently from her horse in one fluid motion.
"We'll camp here," she says, tying her horse's reins to a nearby tree branch. She goes to work on the saddle bindings, freeing them from her horse. Her horse's chest inflates and deflates with a relaxing breath. Surma tosses a saddle bag over her shoulder and pulls her flame-colored scarf from her neck, twisting it between the gloved fingers of her free hand as she walks off into the trees.
Rogue walks up beside me. He's already off his horse and on the ground.
"Lean over," he says, "I'll catch you."
My stomach flutters. I let go of Happy's reins, and lean. I fall right into Rogue's arms. He looks down at me, smiling, and I don't ever want to forget this moment.
"Hey," he says.
"Hey," I say.
Rogue presses a feathery kiss to my forehead, before setting me down on my feet. He unbuckles Happy's bindings and lets the saddle bags drop. He picks them up one by one, and I gently pull Happy up to the tree, tying up his reins next to Surma's horse.
Happy nuzzles the side of my head. I give him a quick hug, then let him go.
I lean side to side on each leg, stretching my thighs. Thanks to Rogue's salve and the strips of silk, my legs haven't chafed anymore against Happy's side. They're still red, but at least they're no longer raw.
The moon is high in the sky, the Goddess watching over us. She casts enough light to see by, and I take the tent materials from the saddle bags, lying them out in preparation.
"We won't have a fire tonight," Rogue says. "We're too close to the prison. I wouldn't want anyone to spot the smoke and come running."
"Then what will we eat," Sani moans.
"There's dried meat and some cheese," Rogue offers.
"An' berries!" Sailor adds. He's already picked a handful. They sit fat and purple against his palm.
"What is the plan for tomorrow?" Dem asks. He buries a tent pole deep in the ground.
"Well Mira here said she knows where the keys are." Rogue slings an arm over my shoulders. I tuck into his side.
"She's Mira now?" Sani scoffs and rolls her eyes. She picks up a tent pole and buries it into the dirt as well.
I have trouble keeping the massive grin from my face. The good thing is that Sailor's beaming for me.
I calm myself down and sober up. "Only the Key Master and the warden have a set of keys for the dungeons," I say. "We know where Alani will be tomorrow—the warden's box during the Moon Day duel. We can disguise ourselves as nobles and sneak into the arena and get close enough to Alani to take the keys from her."
Rogue nods. "And then Surma I want you to disguise yourself as well and walk through the prison's front doors demanding to see the warden. I trust you to use discretion if you're not allowed a private audience with Alani."
Surma bows her head.
"And what do we do?" Sani asks. She sinks another tent pole into the dirt.
Rogue considers this. I had thought she might be the one to attend the duel. I don't think I'm ready.
"You come with Mira and me to the arena. We'll need all the help we can get navigating our way to the dungeons once we have the keys."
"We can try the skylight," I say suddenly.
Rogue turns to look at me and I feel his ear brushing against my temple. The skin tingles beneath my hair. I want him to do it again.
"The what?" Rogue asks.
I clear my throat. "It's how I escaped. There's a skylight that leads down into the dungeons. We can use that, then we don't have to worry about sounding an alarm if we actually enter the prison and move about."
"Pardon me for saying, but if that's where you escaped, then won't that area be patrolled? Just in case it happens again?" Surma asks.
She makes a good point.
"Sailor and Dem. I want you two to secure the area. Once we have the keys, we'll come to you, drop down, and begin bringing the prisoners up one by one," Rogue says.
"Do we have rope?" I ask.
"Of course we have rope," Sani snaps. She points to the ropes being slung from tent pole to tent pole. If we tie them together, they may just be long enough to reach the dungeon floor.
"Thank you for pointing that out," I say neutrally.
Sani yanks hard on a canvas and it thwaps against the wood.
"James," Rogue says.
James's tail wags at the sound of his name.
"I want you to howl if something goes wrong with Sailor and Dem. Then we'll know not to come this way."
James nods, fleck of spit landing on the leaves between his paws.
Rogue slips his arm free from my shoulders and claps his hands together. "Good," he says, "now that that's over with, let's feast."
Sailor unwraps bundles of dried meats and cheeses and sets them down before us. Rogue reaches into his saddle bag and pulls out rolls of hard bread, ripping off chunks and handing them out.
Dem and Sani finish with the tents and come sit across from us.
"I hope now that you're Mira you don't think you can get out of takedown duty tomorrow morning," Sani grumbles.
"I won't," I say. I take an aggressive bite of cheese and snap my teeth together. My jaws vibrate.
We eat in relative silence. Every now and then bits of conversation from the nobles' village float over the trees, but nothing we can truly make out.
Rogue and I sit cross-legged on the forest floor. There's a hot space between our knees. I nudge mine closer to his until it touches.
He smiles at me around his bite of bread.
"Stop," Rogue hisses suddenly. We all fall instantly quiet. I bring my hand to my hip, my fingers poised over the hilt of my blade, listening.
Rogue holds a finger to his lips and raises another in the air. Surma's eyes narrow, her ears cocked to the sound, and then she smiles.
The faint, slow croon of a bow dragging across strings sounds from the other side of the trees.
Sailor hops from foot to foot, barely containing his excitement.
"It's a Moon Day band!" he whisper-shrieks.
Sani clamps her hand over Sailor's mouth. "Do you want to get us killed?" she hisses in his ear.
Sailor shakes his head, looking as if he wished the earth below his feet would suck him right through.
"It's alright," Surma says, patting Sailor's shoulder. She gently pries Sani's hand from Sailor's face.
"That's actually good," Surma says. "If their celebration is so near to forest, then it may mask external sound."
"Extraneous sound," Sani mumbles.
"I beg your pardon?" Surma asks.
Sani pushes off from the tree trunk she was leaning against. "You said 'external' sound. It sound be 'extraneous' sound."
"I apologize. This isn't my mother tongue."
"That's obvious," Sani grumbles under her breath.
Rogue rises, but Surma holds up a hand.
"We have all had a long journey, and we are all tense. Please, let's just celebrate," Surma says. She looks up toward the Goddess.
Rogue watches Sani a moment more, then breaks into one of his toothy smiles.
"Of course. Let the festival begin." Rogue bends at the waist and doffs an imaginary top hat with such grace it's evident he's worn one before. The thought makes me laugh.
Sailor takes my hands in both of his and leads me around the clearing in a jaunty jig I'm convinced he's making up on the spot.
The music from the other side of the trees comes faster and faster, and Sailor spins me faster and faster, and the world whirls past in splashes of fiery red and cloudy white.
I'm laughing so hard I'm shaking, and Sailor is giggling right beside me, collapsing against me as we both lose our footing, tumbling down to the thorny floor below.
Through tear-stained eyes I see Sani staring down at us.
"Idiots," she mutters, with a shake of her head.
"You're just jealous we can still have fun!" I whisper-shout after her. I turn back to Sailor, but see Rogue's slender-fingered hand there instead.
"May I have this dance, my lady?" he says.
I place my hand in his and let him help me off the ground. The music slows, and I sink into Rogue's arm, pressing my face against his chest. We sway together to the slower beat of the music, but I'm sure Rogue knows more steps than just this one.
And we'll try them all tomorrow, I think. I squeeze my arms around Rogue.
"Oof," he says, "you'll break my ribs."
"Ah, you're a healer. You'll know how to fix them," I say. I feel for his scars beneath his shirt. I touch everyone I can find.
Tomorrow I'll kiss these, I think, and I hold him tighter.
And this moment, right now, this feels like home.