Lenna watched from the edge of camp as Tobei’s vision slowly came to life on the forest floor. It seemed like he’d gotten the entire camp to help out—with decorating the clearing or hauling down tables and chairs or building the little stage in the middle of it all, where he was set to be center of attention. Even the children were herded around by Miss Rachel, their teacher, to gather wildflowers to place in bouquets at the center of each table. Lenna could see what he was thinking—if everyone was involved, if everyone was excited to see their work come together in a beautiful party full of food and music and laughter, Daivad would be less likely to shut the whole thing down.

Tobei was smart, and he knew well how to play people. But so did she. And she knew how to be much quieter about it.

She poked around the boundary of camp, the subtle path made through the undergrowth by the Wolves when they patrolled, as they would tonight. She rolled one of her hex bags in her fingers as she considered—the Wolves would be evenly spaced and constantly pacing, which should be enough to deter any nightbeasts that might wake a little early due to the noise of the party. That should be fine, but just in case…

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Lenna dropped a hex bag into the undergrowth and nudged it under a root edge with the shining toe of her brown leather boot. If everything went well, no one would ever have to know it was there. Following the Wolves’ path, she came to the far clearing at the edge of camp with the stream running through it. Though Daivad had smoothed the clearing of its craters, he’d left the small tree that Bennen had grown, dripping with its big yellow flowers. The Wolves’ path passed right in front of the tree where the ugly, half-dead monster lay sleeping beneath the roots.

It had tried to enter camp before, and so close to camp, to the coming party, it might try again. So, just in case, Lenna dropped a hex bag here too.

Just in case.

And she continued on her way, making sure the Wolves’ path was completely taken care of. That there would be no interruptions.