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All of the guards stir, two others clambering up, blurry-eyed from sleep. The rest are following suit when McColl lifts her hands. There is a crackle and a blast of light. All of them fall back to the ground in crumpled heaps.

“Let’s go!” she shouts. “I don’t know how long I can maintain the spell.” She looks at her hands, which are glowing. It looks like she has plenty of magic to me, but I don’t say anything because I have to trust her. I’m right on her heels but stop to unbuckle a sword from a guard and again to steal a knife, slipping it into my boot.

We rush outside, spooking the closest horse, who pulls on his tie rope, eyes white with fear as he attempts to escape. When he sees that we are no threat, he calms down.

I race to the smaller horses, untying them and leading them from the others. I do up the cinches on both saddles.

When I turn to McColl, I see that she is glaring at the guard I downed earlier. He is on his back, still unconscious, although it could be McColl’s spell at this point.

“Pig!” she yells before loosing a bolt of white magic at his…his cock. The prone guard doesn’t so much as move, making me think that he is still subject to her spell.

“We need to go,” I urge her.

McColl seems to snap out of it. She nods and runs to where I am waiting. She mounts up easily enough, and I do the same. Then we ride hard and fast, putting as much distance between us and the cave as possible. Although it is pitch black, the ponies are sure-footed and brave. The night air is cold, but the adrenaline coursing through our veins keeps us warm. Although the sky looked dark and ominous earlier, much to my dismay,not a single drop falls. It would have been nice to cover our tracks.

I glance back to ensure we’re not being followed, relief flooding through me when I see no sign of pursuit.

McColl rides beside me, her hair streaming behind her like a dark banner. Her eyes are focused ahead, determination etched onto her face. The spell she cast back at the cave was impressive; it’s clear her magic is stronger than she initially let on. Why didn’t she use it against the fae who captured her? What is going on? I wonder if my breaking the amulet had something to do with our newfound powers. I suspect that it did. That it’s the reason I have access to my magic now, too. I can’t be sure, but it makes sense. I don’t believe in coincidence. The eclipse. The breaking of the amulet. All of it. They’re tied together somehow. Perhaps we’ll figure it out; who knows? Only time will tell.

We ride hard for what feels like a long time, the landscape blurring past us. The adrenaline of our escape slowly fades, leaving behind an exhaustion that seeps into my bones. From the way McColl is slumping a little in her saddle, I would say that she feels it, too. The horses begin to tire as well, their breaths coming in heavy pants. Despite the chill in the air, they are gleaming with sweat.

We slow to a walk. I turn back for what feels like the hundredth time to check for signs of pursuit and find none. We would hear them unless they split into smaller groups. I turn back again, honing my senses. Thankfully, there’s nothing.

“I cast a sleeping spell,” she says. “It should have lasted for hours, but,” she shrugs, “I can’t trust my magic. It’s always been predictably bad, but since our escape, it…” She shrugs again. “It’s either there at full capacity, or it’s not there at all.” She looks over at me, her eyes locking with mine. “Thank you for coming back. You didn’t have to do that. Not after I insisted we split ways.”

“I had to rescue you.” I force myself to release my tight grip on the reins. My shoulders feel tense. All of me is tense. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” She doesn’t look hurt, but that doesn’t mean anything. “Didhehurt you?” We both know who I’m talking about. “Did he touch you, McColl?” I bristle at the thought. Everything tightens inside me at the thought. I feel hot with anger just thinking about it. My knuckles turn white on the reins once more.

“No.” She shakes her head. “But he wanted to. Would have if Lord Ondine hadn’t stopped him. The rest seemed fine with it. They even made jokes. If it hadn’t been for Ondine…” She bites her lower lip, her eyes filled with anguish.

I want to return to the cave and run him through with my sword. Or throttle him with my bare hands. Anger courses through me. It takes a few moments for me to calm down enough to speak.

I sigh deeply. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened to them…my people. My kind. We’re not…we were never like that. It should never have happened.” My voice is a rough rasp filled with anger and sorrow. How is it that we’ve been reduced to this?

“It’s not your fault.”

“It feels like it is, somehow,” I mutter, shaking my head.How is it that I didn’t know who I was?Despicable magic…that’s how.

Dark, black, twisted magic.

“Don’t be silly. It’s not your fault, Alaric.” She narrows her eyes at me. “That isn’t your name, is it?”

I shake my head. “No, but it would be best if you didn’t know my real name.”

“Best for who?” She lifts her brows.

“For both of us.”

“The queen wants you captured. The queen! You’re someone of importance, aren’t you?”

“Used to be. Not anymore.” I wipe a hand over my face.

“That isn’t true, or she wouldn’t care so much about you.”

“I’m going to help you get back to your coven. I hope I’ve established that I’m not the enemy, that it is best if we stick together,” I change the subject. The less she knows, the better.

She chokes out a laugh that quickly dies. “I agree that we are no longer enemies. Having said that, we can’t be friends, either.” She lifts her brows as if seeking my approval.

I nod.