A day after leaving Corello, our small wagon rumbled slowly across wide grasslands. The horses that pulled this wagon were something else. They were almost twice as big as horses back home, they had pure black eyes, and they were strong, unstoppable beasts. We hardly stopped for water, bathroom breaks, or for the horses to rest. They just kept moving.

  Rolling green hills stretched on every horizon. The air smelled fresh, like wild herbs instead of city musk. I could almost forget I was in a strange new world—if not for the voidblood brand on my chest and the knowledge that we were heading toward a place called Ash.

  At the back of the wagon, the blond teen crouched over a small metal cube, fiddling with its edges as if trying to unlock a hidden compartment. He caught me watching, then glanced away, cheeks coloring slightly.

  “Is that some kind of puzzle box?” I asked.

  He shrugged, eyes still glued to the artifact. “An engine part, maybe from one of those old flying machines. I stole it from a research vessel at the docks,” he mumbled. “Just some leftover tech from the old Atlumu Empire, or so they say.” He huffed in frustration. “Anyway, it’s useless if I can’t get it open.”

  It took everything I had to not ask about that empire, the flying machine, and old ancient tech. I loved all those things, and at that moment I felt cursed to stay composed. Instead, I gave a half smile. “I’m Erik, by the way.”

  He let out a breath. “Silas,” he said, rolling his shoulders as though the name was a burden. He set the cube aside and dusted off his pants. “Corello’s duke sold me. I was a dock slave, no family.” He gestured to the brand on my chest. “What about you?”

  I swallowed and shook my head. “I had, uh . . . family issues.” There was more than I could explain right now, especially with a second mind stuck in my head, but it didn’t seem like the time to drop the whole portal-hopping thing. “That’s in the past though. Here we are now, shipped off to the Cinders. Let’s hope it doesn’t kill us.”

  His laugh was short, humorless. “I hear getting there is half the problem. The path leads through the Dark Woods, and they say all sorts of beasts and monsters prowl under those trees.”

  A shiver ran down my spine. “They wouldn’t just send us in there defenseless, would they? Isn’t there some sort of guard service for recruits?” I forced a smile to hide my nerves.

  “I hope so. But it’s not like the monarchy has had mercy for voidbloods in the past.”

  I dug my nail into my thumb. “Maybe we’ll survive if we stick together?” I knew that sounded cliché, but I also knew that if I was going to survive in a fantasy world, I needed to have allies.

  “Sure,” Silas murmured, retrieving his puzzle cube. “No sense dying alone, right?”

  I nodded grimly.

  On the second day of the second week that we left Corello, the wagon driver—a silent, hooded man—stopped near a small inn that stood before a tall, dark forest. Weathered wood swung on a sign that read:

  THE LAST INN

  Voidbloods Welcome—Your Last Night Should Be a Good Night!

  It made me uneasy, but after days of stale bread and cramped sleeping spots on a moving wagon, I was eager to rest in a real bed.

  Oh god, I can’t wait for a real mattress. I can’t believe I’ve been in this world for over two weeks and still haven’t had a proper night’s sleep.

  ‘Maybe it will even be better than my own back in Corello,’ Fern thought.

  Silas hopped down first and I followed him. The driver grunted after we got off, wordlessly jerked the reins, and rolled the wagon away, leaving us on the dusty path. A warm breeze rustled the inn’s sign overhead.

  “He sure had a lot to say,” Silas muttered, brushing stray hay off his shirt.

  I laughed and clapped Silas’s back as we made our way in. The last week or so had brought us closer together. I told some simple dad jokes from Earth that cracked him up, and he told me a little more about the country we were in, Stylos. He even drew a rough map for me so I could see where we were headed. I was lucky to have met such an easygoing kid. Silas was smart, in a tech engineering way, but was nervous about the danger of the Dark Woods. I told myself that I would have to look out for him because of how useful his skills could be, but the truth was he was a nice kid. I didn’t want to see him die.

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  He’ll make a good ally, I’m sure of it. What do you think, Fern? Would you be friends with this kid?

  ‘I mean . . . I guess so? But are friends what we really need right now? He’s right to be worried about the Dark Woods, Erik. It’s filled with monsters.’

  Look, I am not going to worry about that now. We need to focus on the present, like getting some real food, I thought, pushing the door open.

  A wave of scents greeted me: simmering stew, woodsmoke, and something tangy that might’ve been ale. The inn’s common room was modest but cozy—tables scattered around a large hearth. A bald, muscular barkeep manned the kitchen and bar, stirring a steaming pot. He caught sight of Silas’s mark first, then mine, and flashed an easy smile.

  “Welcome, kids,” he said, setting out two wooden bowls. “Don’t worry, you’ll find no trouble here. My two sons are voidbloods, so I know how rough it can be. Hungry?”

  My stomach growled at the question. “Starving,” I admitted, sliding onto a barstool next to Silas. “Thank you.”

  While the barkeep ladled stew, I glanced around. A trio of older figures occupied a corner table by the hearth. One was a huge frog-man, broad shouldered with braided white hair hanging off his amphibious head. Another was a tall, brown-skinned woman in scuffed leather armor, a black shield propped beside her. The last was a pale man sporting a long, inky beard. They talked quietly, ignoring the rest of the room except to glance at us now and then.

  Cinders? I asked Fern silently.

  ‘Likely,’ he replied. ‘You did say we would need an escort to Ash, and that sign basically says this is the final stop. They have to be here for us.’

  I tried not to stare, but the frog-man gave a sudden croak of laughter, causing the woman to groan and toss a small pouch of coins onto the table. He smirked, patting the coins as if he’d won a bet. Their dynamic felt casual—maybe they had seen hundreds of voidbloods pass through here before.

  The barkeep slid two steaming bowls of stew in front of us. Rich aromas of beef, carrots, and potatoes made me salivate. Silas mumbled a thank-you and dug in fast, each spoonful devoured like it was his last meal. After days of stale rations, it might as well have been.

  “Heading to the academy, I take it?” the barkeep asked quietly, wiping his hands on a rag.

  Silas nodded but didn’t pause his furious eating. I swallowed my stew, savoring the warmth. “Yes, sir. We were sort of thrown on a wagon and just dropped off here. Is there someone to meet us?” I asked.

  The barkeep jerked his chin toward the trio at the table. “That’s them, presumably. Not sure if you’ll be leaving tonight or at dawn, but it’ll be soon.”

  My spoon wavered midair. “Tonight? But we just got here—”

  He shrugged sympathetically. “The Cinders run on their own schedule. Sorry.” He lowered his voice. “If you want my advice, stay close to them when you cross. The barrier beyond these lands blocks magebloods, leaving beasts that feed on unlucky souls to grow unculled.” He leaned in closer. “I won’t scare you with details, but I’ve heard mention of giant insects, undead . . . you name it. Don’t stray far from your escort, and you might make it.”

  “Wait, barrier?” I asked.

  “Long ago, before anyone knows, there was some sort of barrier put up on the edge of the Dark Woods. It encircles the northeastern part of the country and Ash, where you boys will be heading. No need to worry about magebloods there, but beasts . . . aye, beasts and more you’ll have to worry about,” the barkeep said.

  Silas’s knuckles whitened around his spoon, but he forced a shaky grin. “Okay, so we can survive if we stick together and stay close to them, then, right, Erik?”

  I mustered as much confidence as I could. “Right.”

  Clank. The inn’s front door rattled against its latch as footsteps pounded on the porch. Silas and I exchanged a glance. No one else seemed to notice—until the door swung open with a crash. A cold gust of wind swept in, along with the metallic tang of blood.

  A man stumbled across the floorboards, robes in tatters. Crimson stains spread across his torso, and deep gashes marred his arms. He staggered two steps, eyes rolling wildly, before collapsing. The horrifying stench of fresh gore nearly made me retch.

  My chair scraped the floor as I stood, heart hammering. “What—”

  Silas clutched my sleeve. “H-he’s still alive,” he whispered, voice trembling, as the man let out a faint gurgle.

  Then, behind him, a girl about our age strode in. Long red hair framed her face, and she wore a metal glove tipped with razor claws that dripped blood. Her eyes were hard and as crimson with fury as her hair. She glared down at the collapsed man, then flicked her gaze around the room. She looked at the barkeep, then at me, as if weighing her next move.

  “Get this pervert off my boots,” she said in a low, furious tone. She rolled her shoulders, seemingly disgusted. “He tried to grope one of the girls back there.” She pointed behind her with the metal-clawed hand.

  I swallowed, my mind spinning. Everything about her posture radiated anger but also adrenaline. The robed man moaned softly, spitting blood onto the floor.

  Before I could process a response, the leather-armored woman from the corner table appeared at the girl’s side in a blur. She grabbed the red-haired girl’s clawed wrist, ignoring the blood.

  “Easy,” she said coolly. White frost came out of her mouth like she was standing outside in the middle of winter. Her glowing blue eyes narrowed. “Don’t need you carving up the furniture. Who are you, and what’s going on?”

  A tense hush settled over the inn. The barkeep stood frozen, ladle still in hand. Silas’s breath came in ragged gasps. I watched the red-haired girl’s face twist, uncertain whether she would lash out or back down. She looked about as ready to fight as a cornered animal.

  The girl tried to twist herself out of the leather-armored woman’s grip, but it was useless. The girl’s tunic opened up slightly, revealing the top of the voidblood brand she had on her chest.

  “Ah, I see. Hey, Captain, the rest of the kids are here,” the armored woman called out to her companions still sitting at the round table.

  What the hell just happened? I thought, heart racing.

  Fern sighed quietly to me. ‘Whatever it is . . . I have a feeling we won’t be getting to sleep in that nice bed after all.’