Chapter Two
The pale, winter-bare trees of the Bone Forest sailed by beyond the windows as Konrad’s carriage made its way, at inadvisable speed, due north. He’d told his coachman to hurry, and the man had taken the order seriously. Wheels spun and slid on the snowy road and the three occupants endured the journey with white-knuckled grip upon their seats.
Konrad sat in grim silence. He knew he was disturbing Nanda and alarming Alexander, but he could find nothing to say to reassure them. A knot of steel had his stomach in a vice, and breathing had become challenge enough. If his fears were correct, nothing he could say could prepare Nanda for what lay ahead.
The moment the coach slowed, Konrad flung the door open and jumped out. He sank up to his ankles in powdery snow, and spared a mom
