And the air around him was beginning to warp with that terrifying, suffocating killing intent.
He had sensed them the moment the carriage stopped.
He was waiting to see if they were stupid enough to draw their bows.
Seraphina looked back at the woods.
She gave a small, mocking wave to the shadows, popped the last candied violet into her mouth, and happily skipped back toward the center of the camp, her blue dress twirling in the sun.
She wasn't afraid.
Why should she be?
The woods were full of monsters, yes.
The road ahead was paved with poison, politics, and death.
But she was Seraphina von Nacht.
She was the prized morale officer of the Vanguard, the favorite "mushroom" of the Reaper.
She was walking in the shadow of the biggest, baddest monster on the board, and as long as she had her origami ducks and her pocket full of sweets, the rest of the world could absolutely burn.
