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“No,” I said quickly, not wanting to think about it. “He’s a liar.”

Skyler was silent.

“What?” I asked, suddenly feeling defensive. If he had something to say, he needed to say it.

He pointed at the birds flying over the ravine. “See how they move in unison? They don’t need words to communicate. Every bird can sense the others around them.”

“So?”

“So, you’ve forgotten that Zaviens aren’t that different,” he said, his voice distant as he stared up at the sky. “When you talk about him, I can feel your blood pumping faster, the heat rising to your cheeks, the way your muscles tense. They are all telling me a different story.”

“Yes—that I’m angry at him for lying to me!”

“Maybe so,” Skyler said quietly.

“I—” I stopped. There was nothing to say. My feelings for Jeddak were so tangled that I had no clue which string to pull first to unravel them. It was none of Skyler’s business anyway. “We have to go,” I said instead, abruptly standing up. “We can’t sit around here and wait for other phantoms to try to kill us. I need to find Jeddak, make it to Askeland, and get my blazen magic back.”

Skyler got to his feet, adjusting the bow slung across his shoulders. “Raven, it’s too dangerous to go to Askeland. The Kovak king will force you to lead him to the Azurstone and likelykill you the moment he has it. And if the stone gets into the hands of the Kovaks?—”

“Maybe so, but do you have any better ideas? Going to Askeland is the only option I have—thatwehave—to read this map. If what you’ve told me is true, we can’t waste any more time.”

Skyler rubbed the back of his neck. “All right, if you’re going to Askeland, I’m going with you.”

“What about Sora?” I asked, knowing that was the reason he’d left the bramblelands.

He shook his head. “We couldn’t find her when we got to Malengard. Barrd’s still looking.”

I shuddered to think what that meant.No one escapes Malengard alive.

Suddenly, Skyler stilled, staring into the trees. “Raven, get back,” he breathed, holding his arm out to block me.

Twigs cracked as three heavily armed Kovaks and their bears materialized out of the foggy forest, surrounding us. My heart dove into my stomach.

“By order of the Bear King, we’re taking you to Askeland.”

In a blink, Skyler had an arrow nocked and aimed at one of the Kovaks’ chests. “You’re not taking us anywhere,” he said, his jaw set. I grabbed my knife from my belt and moved to stand beside him.

The three massive bears stalked forward, their bared teeth and sharp claws an arsenal of weapons against ours.

“Isthisreal?” I whispered nervously to Skyler.

“We’re about to find out.”

42

Jeddak

“Raven!” I called out as Kah and I frantically searched around the campsite. “Raven!”

No answer.

“Skies, what happened to her, Kah?” He would have woken up if anyone had come into our camp. Could she have simply wandered off?

“She wouldn’t go far,” Kah said, sniffing the frozen ground to try to pick up her scent. “She knew to keep in sight of us.”

I wasn’t so sure. Kneeling, I studied a fresh footprint in the thin layer of snow. Then I began noticing other small disturbances. A crushed leaf. A snapped twig. All heading north.

“This way,” I said to Kah, waving him over.