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Three aggressive pounds on the door made Tif shriek and fumble what was left of her roll. She barely caught it before it hit the ground.Who could that be?Thane certainly never did that, and the guards wouldn’t dare. They walked on tiptoes around her lately.

“Open this door right now!” Talon’s shrill voice sounded muffled through the barrier.

Layala sighed. She was supposed to have left with Orlandia, and she’d actively avoided Layala for months. The door flew open before Layala could get two steps and Talon marched in with her fists swinging at her sides and a scowl to rival a bear. With her heel, she kicked the door shut and turned on Layala with a pointed finger. “It’s all your fault!”

The little gnome in her red hat glanced between the two then scurried under the bed in a flash.

“What are you talking about?”

“Thane kicked Vyra and my friends out of the castle and ordered me confined to my rooms. Not only that, but he also tried to send me away with my mother in the middle of the night. She said it was getting too dangerous to stay here but I know it was just a conspiracy to get me to leave my friends. Today he finally let me out and yelled at me for not leaving with her.” For once, her usual perfect brown curls were falling out of her updo, and bits of frazzled hair stuck out here and there. “All because you can’t take a little razzing. It’s nothing less than you deserve after what you did.”

“I’ll say it again. I am sorry, Talon, for hurting you. I truly am.” Layala supposed this was long overdue. She’d apologized months ago when they first arrived back, but they could only avoid each other for so long in the same household.

Her soft ivory cheeks reddened, and she stamped her foot. “Hurt! After I tried to help you escape, you repaid me by almost killing me! I saw the end, I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t even swallow. I went cold, and I couldn’t stop shaking. You better thank your lucky stars that my brother had the ability to save me!”

Layala frowned as the image of Talon suffering in Thane’s arms flashed across her mind. It hurt her to see Thane with such terror in his eyes, but the worst part was she didn’t feel bad about it. Not really. Aunt Evalyn was alive because of that move, and she knew Thane could save Talon. It was a risk she would take again if given the chance to redo it. “I am sorry. I won’t ever hurt you again. And by the way, I haven’t told Thane anything about yourlittle razzing.He was truly trying to send you away for your own safety.”

“Oh, yes you did! He shoved one of the notes in my face and yelled at me in front of my friends then made them leave. I’ve never been more embarrassed in my life. And I’ll have you know it wasn’t me who wrote them all. Everyone hates you. You’re a disease in this place that we can’t wait to flush out. You should hear the things the guards say about you behind your back. Even everyone in the city hates you. No one can understand why their High King keeps you around.”

That stung the most; it was true after all. She stayed for Thane, but could their relationship survive the eternal invisible mark branded on her for waking the Black Mage? Even if not everyone believed yet, they would. What if she ruined Thane’s life and his rule?

“You’re right to be angry with me. Everyone is, but I am trying to fix it. I’m going to stop the Black Mage.”

“You can’t stop him!” she crowed. “No one can except maybe my brother but I’m doubtful of even that. He’s the Black Mage, the most powerful mage in history. And what can you do besides grow some weeds?”

That was a gross understatement of her power, but she had a point. “I’ll talk to Thane about letting your friends back inside. Just stop with the petty notes, alright? And if you are thePalenor Scroll’sanonymous source, stop it right now.”

Her brow lifted. “That’s not me. It’s Mother letting slip details to her servants but what can you expect, you’re the reason her husband, my father, is dead.” She didn’t appear particularly sad about it.

“Orlandia?” Layala muttered.

“She’ll keep doing it too. And I wouldn’t be surprised if she comes back for the celebration ball.” Silence lasted a full five seconds before Talon continued on, “And fine. If Vyra and all the others are allowed back, no more notes about you being fat or that you’re a pariah in our society or a—”

“You’re pushing it, Talon. I only have so much patience for your mouth.”

She swallowed and took a step back. Good, she had some fear of Layala still. But then Talon’s shaky arm rose to point, and she sputtered, “Buh—buh—behind you!”

Layala caught sight of a shadow in her peripheral and whipped around, barely catching the wrist of the female wielding a knife aimed at her heart.Holy shit!

Talon screeched, ran toward the bed, and dove on top, pulling the blankets up to use as a shield. “Get her!” she wailed.

Instinct kicked in and Layala shoved her knee into the assailant’s gut and then twisted her weapon arm. She rolled with the move and swung Layala around until she smacked into the wall. The vase on the shelf fell and the fertility fern collapsed and both shattered spilling dirt and glass across the floor.Damn, she’s strong.Layala kicked back, nailing the woman in the stomach, and ducked under another strike, then bobbed out of the way of the blade as it sliced at her chest.

The brunette maiden was not an elf, nor did she look entirely human; there was something oddly animalistic about her. Brown leopard spots spilled from the top of her left brow around her temple and across her cheekbone. She bared her teeth, showing elongated canines and swung at Layala in rapid succession, the woosh of the blade cutting through the air with sharp whistles. Layala backpedaled toward the windows to miss each one, but all came dangerously close.

She threw out her vine; it wrapped around the assassin’s wrist and tied her to the bedpost, forcing her to drop the dagger.

“Don’t bring her near me!” Talon rolled off the bed and picked up a glass of water and chucked it at the woman. It knocked her in the side of the head; she turned with a menacing growl.

“You should have shut that one up yourself,” the woman said with a sneer at Talon.

“Who are you?” Layala demanded, throwing another vine around the woman’s waist, and hooking it around the bedpost.

Another dagger appeared in the woman’s freehand, and she launched it at Layala. She threw up her arms and the blade stopped mere inches from her forehead. In her moment of distraction, the bedpost cracked and snapped in half, allowing the woman to break free. With blade-tipped boots she kicked Layala, driving her toe into her ribs. Layala barely felt the stab and cracked her fist straight into the woman’s nose. She stumbled back a few steps, and with blood leaking out of her nostrils, she let out a wail that sounded something between a dying cat and a wolf howl. Right before her eyes, the woman’s body shifted into a giant tawny cat with black and chestnut brown misshapen spots. She was at least the size of her human form in length and came up to Layala’s chest in height. Her long canines dripped saliva and with her ears pinned back and huge black pupils, she had murder in mind.

Layala’s heart crashed wildly, and she would have done anything for a sword at the moment, but she’d left it and all her weapons in the bathroom to dry after she’d cleaned them, and this beast stood in the way. Damn it all. “Where is the guard?!” Layala shouted at Talon and backed toward the window until she bumped into the ledge. With her hand behind her back, she felt for the window latch.

“I sent them away so they wouldn’t hear me raise my voice and tell Thane. But you can handle—uh whatever she is, right?”