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For Zayne. For Josh. For Stella. Even for Fury.

I have to make Fury better. I have to get them all to safety. And somehow, I have to find a way to survive. Oh yeah, and then I have to save the freaking world. No pressure.

I take a deep breath.

“Okay,” I say. “We need to search the place. See if there are any survivors. See if we can figure out what happened and find out where Hecate is. Because Iwon’tbelieve she’s dead.”

Zayne turns back to Stella and Josh, lifting the little boy off the horse’s back and placing him on the ground.

“You okay, bro?” he asks.

Josh nods.

He’s the only one who looks happy—but then, he’s never been here before. He doesn’tknowthis place and what it was like before. When Hecate was here, it was a magical place, a place of safety and warmth. Now, that’s all been destroyed.

I start walking through the village. Most of the buildings have suffered the same fate as Hecate’s house—they’re just rubble. There’s only one still standing: the stable. It’s behind Hecate’s house, untouched by the shadow fire. I make a mental note to go back and check it out when we’re sure there’s nothing nasty left in the village.

Fury pads along beside me, and Zayne and Josh fan out to cover more ground. I consider telling Zayne to leave Josh with Stella, but the boy is clinging tightly to his hand, so I let them be.

All around are signs of fighting. I see a broken sword lying in the black ash. An axe head—the handle burned away—has fallen where its owner likely died. The air is warm and heavy with the slimy stench of dirty smoke.

And beneath it all, I sense the hum of magic—lingering, pulsing.

Some of it is Hecate’s. I recognize the familiarity. But there’s something else. A different feel. Somethingnew.

Here and there, I see the darkened patches of ground where a shadowguard was slain. And nearby, I find the graves. These must belong to the villagers who died fighting to protect their homes. I count them: twenty-two. Twenty-two people died here that day.

Was one of them Hecate?

There are no names on the graves, just mounds of earth. I’m guessing that whoever was left alive at the end of the battle had to leave quickly.

I bow my head.

So much death. This place is abandoned. There’s no one left alive. No one here to help us. Looks like we’re going to have to help ourselves.

I glance at Fury beside me. At this point, I would really appreciate it if Khaos justshowedup. I stare into his crimson eyes—seeing the madness flickering in the dark depths. “Please,” I say. “I need you. We can’t do this without you. Khaos, please come back to me.”

He just stares back. I can see the conflict in his eyes. Does hewantto change back but doesn’t know how? Or does hewantto stay in wolf form? Does it hurt too much to be a man?

I sigh and rest my hand on his head for a moment. Then I turn to peer back at the burned-out village. There’s nothing left here. No supplies. Nothing. And I have no clue where to go.

Maybe we should return to Earth—stock up on food and give ourselves time to think about what to do next.

God, I’m pathetic.

At that moment, Zayne and Josh join us. Zayne glances around, taking in the dead shadowguard and the graves. “So what now?” he asks.

“I don’t know.” It’s true. Ireallydon’t know what the best course of action is. I look around at all the destruction, then out to the forest.

Something moves.

There’s a flicker of blue between the trees.

“Someone’s there,” I murmur.

Without waiting for me to say any more, Fury leaps forward.

Chapter 15