Two hundred miles from Meraki to Ismere. On a good road, with a light carriage, you might cover sixty miles in a summer's day. But the road to Ismere is not a good road. Beyond the border of House Ashford, the pavement ends. There are bogs that swallow horses. Fords that turn to ice overnight. Forests where the frost never leaves the shadows.

Our plan was simple: fourteen days, eight hours of travel each day, fifteen miles on a good day and fewer on a bad one. Mildred handled the logistics—inns, messengers, the map. The coachman handled the horses. The two guards handled anything that might come out of the trees.

I handled the worrying.

The first night, we stopped at a small inn still within House Blackthorn's territory. The inn was warm. The food was hot. But I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about the trunk—the one that held the books I had written myself. Everything I remembered from my past life. Everything I knew about agriculture, medicine, law, engineering. Everything I planned to use to transform Ismere.

Fifteen years, I told myself. The original plot runs its course in fifteen years. You have time.

But time has a way of moving faster than you expect. I learned that in my first life.

The days that followed blurred together. Wake at dawn. Ride until noon. Break for an hour. Ride until dusk. Inn. Sleep. Repeat. Mildred knitted. I stared out the window. The landscape changed slowly—from industrial towns to farmland to forest to bog. The roads grew worse. The carriage jolted harder. My body ached in places I didn't know I had.

On the eighth day, we crossed into House Ashford's territory. On the tenth, we passed Fort Elio—a fortified city older than the empire itself. I wanted to explore it. I didn't have time. On the twelfth, the paved roads ended.

On the thirteenth day, just a few miles into the unpaved wilderness that led to Ismere, the horses stopped.

"My lady," Mildred said, her voice low. "Stay inside the carriage. Do not come out until I return."

She climbed down. The door closed. The silence was absolute.

I waited.

She did not come back.

After a considerable amount of time had passed, I drew back the blinds. It was almost dusk. We should have arrived at the inn by now, but we had stalled for way too long, and I couldn't see Mildred or the coachman.

"Bram?" I yelled out for one of the guards.

"Yes, my lady," he answered.

"What's going on? And where is Mildred?"

"We lost a horse..." He trailed off and fell almost silent. "It's being handled, so don't worry yourself. Just stay inside and keep yourself warm," he answered.

Outside, the wind blew mercilessly. Bram leaned on the door, clutching his cloak as if his sole determination was to keep me inside. The white frost covered the ground, reflecting the rays of the setting sun.

This was not good. Nightfall drew closer with every second. These woods were infested with wolves, and the thick, slippery ice alone could cripple a horse in broad daylight. Manoeuvring at night with a carriage attached would be impossible. There wasn't enough room for all of us inside, and I could not let my coachman and guards bear the cold for the night.

The darker it got outside, the higher my anxiety rose.

"Come inside," I said through the door. "Call Victor too," I said faintly.

"That's improper, my lady. Victor and I are just fine," Bram responded. "Mildred is almost here."

I heard movement outside. Victor had been standing guard at the rear of the carriage. Now he appeared beside Bram, both of them huddled against the door.

The hours rolled by. It was completely silent and dark outside. I could only hear Bram's faint breathing outside the coach.

"Bram, Victor, I am scared," I said. But there was no response. I tried to nudge the door open, scared they had passed out from the cold, but the door was still steadily bolted.

Bram knocked on the door twice, as if that was the only way he could communicate. I rummaged through the box below my chair, looking for an extra blanket to pass through the window, but I could barely see my hand.

Suddenly, in my distress, I saw a flickering light getting closer. I sat up, crossing my fingers that it was Mildred.

I saw the flickers multiply, and soon they came into view: four riders on horseback holding up lanterns.

Mildred had come back with the coachman and two extra horses being driven by inn workers.

 When the sound of hooves nearing got closer, Victor and Bram who were huddled together on the steps slowly got up.

"My lady, are you doing okay?" Victor asked faintly.

I did not answer. When Mildred arrived, she opened the door and picked me up.

"We are leaving for the inn on horseback. I won't let you spend the night here."

"What about the carriage?" I asked.

"The workers and Victor will come with it tomorrow."

"Victor?" I asked in shock. "But he's nearly frozen to death."

At that, Victor let out a little chuckle, as if amused by my empathy. "I'll be fine," he said jovially. "I've undergone far worse. Besides, I'll get to sleep inside, and I will keep your belongings safe. Go on ahead and rest easy."

"But..." I started, but Mildred hoisted me up onto a nearby horse—much larger than the ones we brought from Meraki, with a thicker mane. This beast of an animal was far more suited to the harsh climate around.

"He needs the inn more than me," Victor said, pointing at Bram, whose complexion had grown a bluish purple.

Bram was given one of the inn workers' horses. The coachman, Victor, and the other inn worker stayed behind with one extra horse, while Mildred, one worker, Bram, and I left on horseback. Mildred and I shared a horse.

The inn worker led the way. Snow tossed up beside us as we navigated the harsh terrain. The piercing cold cut through my windpipe like razors.

"They will be fine," Mildred whispered, as if to reassure my inner monologue. "We brought them a hot meal and extra supplies—sweaters, lanterns, water. Bram will be fine too, okay."

An hour or two passed before we reached a small village tucked into the valley of a mountain pass. Large military banners hung everywhere. The village was barricaded with large wooden posts all around and watch towers along the wall. We waited for the large gates to be drawn before we could proceed inside.

Mildred brought us to an inn. It lacked in many ways and was a bit rundown—old doors, creaking floorboards, rooms that had a nasty draft. Regardless, anything was better than bearing the outside wind. Mildred also made sure Bram got checked out by a doctor. She then took me to my room and had me take a warm bath and change into proper layered clothing.

I clung to her hand as I fell asleep... exhausted.

We woke late the next day and decided not to travel. Bram had severe hypothermia. He needed time.

One day became two. On the second morning, the carriage arrived—Victor driving it himself, half-frozen but grinning. He spent the day sleeping by the fire.

On the third day, Bram could stand.

On the fourth day, we finally departed. Ismere was close now. I could feel it.