Page 10 of Enchanted Shadows (The Enchanted Kingdom #6)

F or two weeks we sent guards out to comb through the forest looking for another glimpse of Theon Valanova’s magic. No one had seen it again.

I would think it was all just a misunderstanding had Molly not been one of the ones to see it. Yes, she read a lot of books, so her imagination was better than most. But she was also reliable. She wouldn’t make it up. She wouldn’t cause an unnecessary stir. That wasn’t Molly.

Team One stayed on the wall when Team Two was on forest duty, and then they swapped. Both were constantly on high alert for any more black magic. But despite four times the normal number of eyes on the forest, no one had seen a thing.

The part in all of this I found most odd was that the wolves were carrying on as usual.

They were unbothered. And we weren’t talking about ordinary wolves, we were talking about wolves who had helped us kill Theon.

So if Theon had somehow managed to haunt us from the grave, wouldn’t the wolves be all over that?

I let out a long sigh, shoulders heavy from another week of training.

Normally at this point in training, I turned the training ring into an obstacle course.

That was the next thing they had to pass, their next trial, and they’d have two weeks to do it.

There would be things to lift, places to jump across, a rope to climb, and swinging objects, not to mention all the orbs of my magic I added in.

It was usually my favorite part. But I was behind in putting it together, so Miles and a few others were going to help me tonight after lights out. It’d be a late night, but hopefully by morning we’d be done.

“I have to go check in on the team before we get going,” I told Miles, Allen, and Stoll. “You know where everything is stored. So why don’t you guys get started dragging it all out.”

“Will do.” Miles tossed me a flask. “Came from Krew. Says you’re stressed and needed this.”

I smirked. “Whiskey and obstacle courses. What could possibly go wrong?”

“Want it the same as last year?” Miles asked.

I gave him a nod. “Any obstacle course at this point is better than none.”

“Go on,” Miles shooed me with a hand. “We’ve got it.”

Whiskey still in one hand, I headed to the barracks, giving my usual double knock which let them know it was me. I had been checking in on them every night since Theon’s magic was spotted.

I opened the door to find a few of them around a table playing cards, a few reading, and one had already gone to bed despite the fact that the sun was still setting. Though it did set late this time of year. “Everyone good?”

“Yep,” Sam said while not even looking up.

“We are great,” Wren offered cheerfully. Too cheerfully.

Molly elbowed her. As if to shut her up.

I looked at Molly. “I don’t care if you have a drink or two after training. ”

“It’s not that,” Molly said with an innocent smile. “But thank you for your permission, General Raikes.”

I squinted my eyes at her. “What is it then?”

The six of them around the table looked to one another suspiciously.

I leaned against the door frame, crossing my feet at the ankles. “I’m not leaving until someone tells me what is going on.”

“Dammit,” Wren muttered.

I looked to Molly, maintaining eye contact. She’d cave and tell me. She didn’t have a dishonest bone in her body.

But it was Vivian who blurted out, “It’s Zara. She’s not back from the lake yet.”

“What?” I snapped. “I thought the deal was to go in groups of threes?” With that I was off and moving.

I got off the shoddy deck of the barracks and into the grass when Molly’s voice stopped me. “Owen.”

I spun to look at her.

“Go easy on her, okay? I get the impression her family life was hard. Sometimes she just likes to be alone. And we both know there is absolutely no alone in these barracks.”

Zara also didn’t like to follow rules, apparently. Another of her quirks. “Fine. I won’t throw her in the lake then.” Like I would have anyway.

“Thank you,” Molly said before heading back in.

It was almost dark by the time I made it to The Dead Lake. And there was Zara, taking in the sunset, looking the happiest I had seen her.

It almost made me feel bad for ruining her one moment of peace. Almost. “What the hell are you doing?”

She didn’t even jump with surprise. “Watching the sunset,” was the smartass’s answer.

“Did I not make myself clear about traveling here in groups of threes? ”

“I just wanted some space.” She fiddled with that necklace she never took off, her nervous tic.

“I understand that. You can’t have space closer to the barracks, Zara? Dammit, they saw the dead king’s magic not far from here.” I moved closer and sat down next to her, thinking that me yelling and standing above her wasn’t a good look. Wasn’t one I wanted to make a habit of.

She snapped, “Why do you even care? You want us all to quit anyway.”

“You know that isn’t true.”

“Why do you even care?” she repeated again. “Why do you care where I go after hours?”

“I just do.”

She reached over and grabbed the flask I had forgotten was still in my hand, spun the lid off, and took a generous swig from it. Gone was the happy woman I had seen moments before.

She gasped with the sting of the whiskey but took it like a champion. Honestly, a woman who could drink whiskey like that? It was too bad Zara was Wren’s age. Six years too young for me. And also my student.

“Zara,” I began. “I’m trying to keep everyone safe.

There are pricks out there like Dixon Hill, Theon loyalists who wouldn’t hesitate to mess with you a bit, just for sport.

I hate that men like that are even still allowed to breathe after everything we went through under Theon, but I don’t want you to have to deal with it.

” I held up a hand at the death glare she aimed at me.

“Not that I don’t think you can handle yourself, I just don’t think it is a concern you should have to deal with. ”

She took another swig rather than respond.

Why did this woman insist on infuriating me? “And even though I was there, I did watch Theon die with my own two eyes, the fact is that magic like his or his magic was seen a few weeks ago right in this area. ”

“If you watched him die, then it can’t be his,” Zara argued. “Enchantments cannot live past the death of the bearer.”

My eyes went to that damned purple tree which housed the sword. Couldn’t they though?

“What aren’t you telling us?” Zara demanded immediately. Always so untrusting.

“I have just seen too many odd happenings in this forest. Things that defy logic. And I—” I swallowed and took a deep breath, remembering as I often did the moment Maurice had hit that wall, the crunch of a larger-than-life man gone in a flash.

All wrapped up in that same damned black magic which moved terrifyingly fast. “I sometimes don’t believe that Theon’s evil is really gone for good.

I remember it all too acutely. So yeah, even I was a bit rattled.

But the wolves aren’t bothered. Yet. So I’m trying my best to be aware but not let it eat at me. ”

“The wolves?”

I quickly explained how they were clawing at the doors that morning everything went down in the throne room.

“So these wolves . . . know things?”

I gave her a nod. “Just like this forest does.”

“It doesn’t feel threatening in the least bit,” she told me.

I looked around at the lake, understanding exactly what she meant. Even when it had been pitch-black and thick like tar, this lake had never felt ominous to me. Just sad. “I don’t think it does unless you mean it harm.”

“It’s the only place I really feel at home,” Zara admitted. As if the thought bothered her, she quickly added, “I’m sorry I worried you.” She handed the flask back over.

“Zara, are you going to tell me who you are afraid of?”

“No.”

I took a pull from the whiskey flask. “And is this the part where you tell me that you aren’t leadership material and try to push me away? ”

“Yes,” she said while moving to stand.

I followed her as we began walking back toward the barracks. “Keep pushing me away, Zara. That’s fine. I’ll still be here.”

I watched Zara walk into the barracks, the door shut behind her, and then I headed back to build the obstacle course in the training ring.

I was shocked to find that Emric had joined in.

“Em?” I asked.

“Hey,” he greeted. “I decided to come get in on this tenebrous project.”

Tenebrous? I would’ve gone with intricate. Keir had told us the reason for Emric’s blooming vocabulary. He’d been bored and wanted to try expanding the words he used in daily speech. A few of the words had just stuck, even years later. “The obstacle course or training the team of women?”

Emric laughed. “The obstacle course, but if you need me to help in a manner that sheds light on my chivalrous self, I could be convinced to help with the other.”

“Chivalrous is not the word I would use to describe you.” I laughed, taking another swig of the whiskey.

“It’s in the top three though, right?” he jested.

They refused to let me help for the first level, so I sat back and supervised. Theon’s magic couldn’t be back. I’d fought too hard for this life. I had a family I loved, a bonus family I equally loved, and friends like Miles and Emric who showed up without asking.

The Krewan Valanova reign was far removed from the Theon Valanova reign. And I’d give my last breath to keep it that way.