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“You left them alone knowing he’s here?”

“We have a plan. Let’s move.” Thane suddenly ran smack into what felt like a wall. “What in Maker’s name…” He stood just inside the archway unable to pass. He placed his palm against an invisible force, and it slowly dawned on him. “Hel! There are no woodland elves coming, are there?” His fist crashed into the magical barrier. “HEL!”

His dark chuckle traveled down the corridor, echoing around him like a taunt.

* * *

LAYALA

Layala and Piperslowly traipsed over the cobblestone path back to the castle. She’d expected the Black Mage to come looking for her already and for Thane to be here.

“The lesson went well,” Piper said conversationally. “Vesstan’s methods are a little different but finding calm within is something you’ve needed for a long time.”

“Thanks,” Layala drawled.

Piper peeked over her shoulder. “But I feel like the Black Mage is going to pop up at any moment and yell, ‘boo!’”

“When he does, we’ll be ready.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t have left Vesstan out here alone.”

“He’s better off away from the castle and away from you-know-who.”

“True.”

“So, what’s going on with you and Fennan? You haven’t talked about him much on our nightly runs.”

“It’s… not going.”

The bushy trees lining the path cast long shadows from the milky light of the moon. Layala’s elf eyes saw well in the night but even she couldn’t see what lurked in the edges of darkness. She suddenly wished she could conjure a light orb or fire, something to brighten the area to give her comfort. She glanced back and watched Vesstan grow smaller the further she moved away. Turning around the bend made him, and the stone circle disappear entirely but she still didn’t feel like she and Piper were alone. Every sound seemed to grow louder. A rustle in the trees made the skin along her spine prickle. She slid one of her daggers from the holster on her hips, and her breath grew shallower.

“Why not? Are you still writing letters with Prince Ronan then?”

“Yes. He says he’ll come visit soon, but the dragons are paranoid with the Black Mage back and the pale ones even more uncontrolled than before.”

“I understand why you’re upset with Fennan, but he does love you. And your parents would be thrilled with a match like him. He’s captain of the Ravens.”

“My mother is all about status as you know but it took another male going after me for him to recognize that. So, I don’t think he truly does love me. It feels more like he doesn’t want anyone else to have me.”

Layala couldn’t argue with her there even if she wanted to make excuses for Fennan because they were friends too.

Wings flapped and a brown owl burst from the tree to her right with a “hoo!” Layala’s heart lurched, and she threw up her arms to shield her head as it swooped toward her then veered off. “Damn bird,” she muttered, shaking her head as it flew into the night sky. “I don’t know how Tif likes them so much. They’re creepy.”

Piper burst out laughing. “I thought you were going to jump out of your boots.”

“Shut up. It scared you, too.”

They were quiet for a moment. “Laya, I want you to know not everyone hates you. Thane, Evalyn, and your friends are here for you. Don’t let the outside world get to your head.”

The pathway forked ahead, and they stopped at its center. A torch cast orange-yellow light over the area, and it made the gnawing in her stomach settle some.

“As riveting as it was to watch you cry with the old mage, love, I’ll be taking the lead on your training from here on.”

Layala’s heart crashed wildly in her chest, and she slowly looked over her shoulder. Piper jerked out her sword and stupidly half stepped in front of Layala.

The shadowy figure of the Black Mage stood in the center of the pathway just out of the light of the torch. Her eyes darted down the walkway to the left, it was at least three hundred yards to the castle and if she started running, she’d only feed into his predator-prey mentality. Because of one thing she was absolutely certain, he saw her as prey.

Swallowing down the nervous lump in her throat, she slowly turned and brought her hand up to the bag of katagas laced barbs in the leather pouch.