Janelle's Pov
The third day began with rain.
It was not heavy, only a thin grey drizzle that soaked through the canvas and made the whole camp smell of wet wool and woodsmoke. Mara and I packed the tent in silence. I had slept badly again, and the cloak was heavy on my shoulders. It had kept the worst of the cold off me, but it had not kept the questions away.
I had made a promise to myself the night before, so I started keeping it.
The first thing I noticed was how many people were watching me. It had always been easy to go unseen in the castle, and I knew exactly how invisible a servant could be. But out here, on the road, I felt eyes on me that did not slide past the way they used to. One of the guards, a broad man with a scar through his eyebrow, looked at me twice while I loaded the water barrels. When I met his gaze, he looked away too quickly.
The second thing I noticed was that Corin was nervous.
