Aurelius might have complained about Ulrica’s callous disregard for the inconveniences he’d endured for her sake, but he wasn’t a lackwit. Only a fool throws obstacles into his own path. Instead, he checked the sky as he calmly recoiled his rope. “Can you run?”

“Fast and far,” Ulrica snapped. “Try to keep up.”

Bark and bite, with bristles besides. Aurelius couldn’t wait to see if the girl’s confidence was justified. He accepted her answer with a nod, but made no move to put their temp...