Early autumn in Holmford smells of forge-smoke and market apples. Bren knows iron and forest tracks better than he knows how to say anything out loud — and his journeyman's mark is only days away.

Then Maris runs into the wildwood, into the marshes that take what they're lent and rarely give it back. Bren can track her. What he doesn't know is whether he'll dare follow her into the wild — and say, in time, the thing he's been holding back — before the first frost comes.

A warm story about growing up, about the cost of staying quiet, and about choosing before you feel ready.

"Better Boots"

by J.D. Urban