The road to Aethelburg was a study in contrasts. As they moved east, the land grew greener, more orderly. Fields were plowed in straight, unnerving lines. Trees grew in perfect, symmetrical rows. It was the opposite of Veridia’s chaotic, overgrown decay. This was a landscape that had been tamed, subdued, and stripped of its wild, illogical beauty.

Traveling with Mara was an education in itself. She was a walking, talking paradox. She could calculate their travel time to the minute, factoring in