I remembered now. There was magic in these waters. There had to be, for nothing else could have healed me overnight. Something in her Endrean blood either couldn't, or shouldn't, access the magic.
"How'd you know about this place?" I asked.
"I didn't. I stumbled upon it, almost literally, last night. I thought I'd use the water for a drink and to clean us both up. But the magic started working on you almost immediately."
"And how are you alive ... in here?"
"I don't know that either. I feel the spirits around me. They're curious, and divided on what to do with me. There's definitely an agitation from my presence, so if you're able to walk, I think I've tested their patience long enough."
Without a second's delay, I stood and left the water, to my surprise, drying off immediately. My clothes were burned in places and torn in others, but no worse than Kestra's. From here, I could see her shivering, unable to benefit from the water's power. Hopefully, walking would warm her, especially after we got out of the forest and into the sun. Here, the shadows ruled, memories of those who failed to get out.
I took Kestra's hand, lacing our fingers together, and hopefully sending the message that I wanted to stay with her, no matter the consequences. We faced some difficult choices ahead, and not only because she was Endrean. If everything I suspected was true, we had only touched the surface of the problems waiting for us.
She allowed me to hold her hand, but the walls she kept around herself had risen again, thick and formidable, as if she'd said too much last night and regretted it. Getting anything more from her would've been hopeless, except I had a plan. There was one thing she cared about more than her secrets.
Darrow.
I fine-tuned this idea for almost an hour of walking until we saw the first break in the trees through which we could leave the forest. By then, her shivering had stopped, and hopefully her defenses had softened. On our final step from the forest, I said, "I propose a game. I'll make a guess. If I'm correct, I get to make the next guess. As soon as I'm wrong, the game ends."
She glanced sideways at me, unimpressed. "Why should I play?"
"Because if I guess wrong, you win, and you'll want the reward." I squeezed her hand, knowing full well that losing this game would get me into serious trouble with the Coracks. "We have a chance to get to Silven before Tenger does. If you win, I'll release Darrow to you, without any further conditions."
Kestra stopped, tears welling in her eyes. "You'd do this for me?"
My smile widened. "If I lose. But I warn you, I'm a good player."
She nodded and took a deep breath. "All right, go ahead."
"Darrow is a Halderian."
She shrugged, obviously relieved that the first guess was relatively mild. "To have gotten close enough to pull off my rescue, Darrow must be part of their clan. I think he intended to explain everything at the inn, before we returned to Woodcourt. Darrow must've arranged for the Halderians to meet us there. They'd give me the key to the diary and then once we were at Woodcourt, Darrow could have sat with me to read it. But when you and Trina brought me to the inn instead, Thorne became suspicious. That's why they attacked."
That was my theory too, more or less. A harder guess now. "The Halderians kidnapped you because you're Endrean."
She stopped walking, weighing her answer. "I don't know that."
"You said they tried to kill you. No one would hate an Endrean more than the Halderians."
Her fingers stiffened in my hand, as if she was trying not to make this a fight. "Yes, they made their feelings perfectly clear. But they only told me I wasn't a Dallisor."
I tilted my head, trying to work that out. "You've known that for three years?"
"I didn't believe them! I thought they were trying to divide me from my family. When I asked Darrow about it, he became angry, and I never asked again. But what does it matter if they want to kill me for being a Dallisor, or for being Endrean? Either way, I get the same welcome party."
We began walki
ng again, finally getting enough distance from the forest to see the first blades of grass. I no longer had her hand. This game would only get more difficult, for both of us. Knots were forming in my stomach, warning I was about to stumble upon a guess that would separate us forever.
"Guess number three: Darrow saved your life. Which is why it's important for you to save him now."
"That matters, of course." She looked over at me. "You must release Darrow."
"Why?"
She shook her head. "If you don't know, then--"
"What is Darrow's importance?" As soon as I spoke, the details came together in my mind. "Darrow is a Halderian. You think he might be able to claim the Olden Blade."