I shook my head. “I’ll go, if it means protecting you and everyone here.”

He clucked his tongue. “As if I would ever let you do that. We’ll find another way,” he repeated. “Mother is letting me accompany the diplomatic party over to Auster for the negotiations.”

He turned to look at the cloak. “You’ve been busy,” he said. “What is this?”

“A gift,” I said. “For you.”

He pulled off a glove and pressed his fingers lightly against the dragon at the center.

“It’s warm…,” he marveled, sensing the power woven into it. “But how can I take something like this into duels? I would never want to ruin it.”

“All the more reason to be careful when you fight,” I said. “Let me get scissors and a needle to hemstitch it.”

I worked quickly, feeling his eyes on me the entire time.

“When are you leaving?”

“In an hour…”

“An hour?” I said, folding the cloak across my arm. “I thought it would be another few days, at the very least!”

“The Sorceress Imperial wants to move quickly,” he said. “I think a part of her still hopes these negotiations will break down.”

The thought came to me suddenly. “But they don’t have to. Do you still think they’ll agree to peace if I’m not part of the treaty?”

“It’ll depend on a number of things. The queen has prepared a list of terms and concessions that they might agree to, but I’m still concerned.” North ran a hand through his hair. “They’ve lost their king, not their armies or their alliance to Saldorra. It won’t help that we won’t give them the one thing they truly want.”

“What if you can’t give it to them?” I asked. “What if I were dead?”

North looked horrified.

“Figuratively dead,” I clarified. “They couldn’t hold it against you if I had been killed in the avalanche as well.”

“But where’s the proof?”

I bent down to pick up one of the longer pieces of thread I had cut away. I smoothed my long hair back, tying it in place. Then the small scissors were in my hand, cutting through my hair before North had the chance to stop me.

“Don’t—!” he said, but I was too fast for him.

“This was all Dorwan needed to convince them I was their goddess,” I said, pressing the bundle of hair into his hand. “How do they usually bury their dead?”

“They don’t,” North said. “They use funeral pyres.”

“Then tell them you did that when you found me on the mountain,” I said. “Tell them you did it to honor them.”

“When did you get to be so clever and devious?” he asked. He brought a hand up to my much shorter locks.

“I suppose I’ve been spending too much time with wizards,” I said.

“I have a favor to ask of you…,” North began hesitantly. “And you certainly don’t have to. It’s just a stupid old tradition for luck.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“Will you come with me to the tents?” he asked. “A wizard is supposed to ask his lady to arm him. For luck, I mean. After that you’ll go back up to the castle with the other women.”

“Of course,” I said, taking his hand firmly in mine. “I’ll come wherever you need me.”

North and I twisted to the outer banks of the Lyfe. I held his hand tightly as we navigated the hundreds of colorful tents that housed the wizards and laborers.

“All right,” he said. “Come on, we don’t have that much time.”

The supply tent North was assigned to was empty by the time we arrived. Trunks of armor and weaponry were stacked in the center, and though candles had been lit to compensate for the gray winter sky, the tent was still fairly dark and cold. North solved both problems with a simple flick of his old red cloak.

North and I said nothing as I slowly unknotted his cloaks, catching them before they could flutter to the ground. I handled each piece of the black leather armor with care, making sure it was in its proper place. North helped me with the arm and leg pieces without a word. I could see my own miserable expression reflected in the surface of the mirror across the tent. I fastened the last piece of armor with trembling fingers.

It was all over too quickly. I gathered his old cloaks, folding them in their proper order, and clipped the new cloak in their place. The vibrant colors I had chosen were dull in the poor light. His hand came up to take mine, but I wasn’t finished.

I lifted the thin silver chain from around my neck and placed it over his head. The braided silver slipped beneath his armor, out of sight but still there.

“Keep this for me, all right?” I asked. Astraea would protect him when I couldn’t.

I stood on my toes again, bracing myself against his strong form, and pressed my lips against the smooth skin of his cheek.

“For luck,” I explained.

“Thank you,” he said.

I waited until he had disappeared completely from the tent before moving. I sat down heavily on the bench, my face in my hands, as anger, love, and fear all fought to rise up inside of me.

The tent flap banged open. I brought my head up, and there was Wayland North.

I was on my feet in an instant, but he had crossed the distance between us in two long strides.

“What—?”