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She could only look at Herrick’s face, his kind eyes and strong jaw, the dark chestnut curls that she had been dying to run her fingers through. Maude knew then that she had gotten too close, had gotten too involved.

The dancers and remaining guests applauded the musicians who had stood, but Maude and Herrick only stared at each other, their breathing hard.

“This was a mistake,” Maude said, pulling away from him.

“Maude,” Herrick started, but she cut him off.

“You’re wrong about me.”

Maude slipped from Herrick’s grasp. She saw the emotion in his eyes during their dance, and she couldn’t handle it. So, she turned away from him and bolted into the tall hedges of the garden that had closed in the guests, away from all the feelings Herrick forced to rush to the surface.

Darkness enveloped her as she blindly escaped from what had been building between her and Herrick. Her ridiculous gown was trailing behind her as she pushed the air around her to increase her speed, not caring where she would end up.

Maude had spent years fighting in the pits of Logi, unafraid of what she might face.

She had been raised to be strong, never run from a battle, slice first and ask questions later.

She was a coward for running from Herrick.

Every word he had spoken about her was true, but he had left out the horrid parts he couldn’t see.

Her selfishness and temper, how she cut people off when they spoke, her impatience, her unending rage that threatened to consume her every single day.

The things Maude had done would show Herrick precisely who she was.

He would never look at her the same way again.

Slowing her pace, Maude looked around and found herself in a small circular pocket of the palace’s gardens where a tall ash tree was growing.

A few benches were around the tree, but the heavy shadows under its leaves invited Maude in.

The fatemark on her chest burned at the sight of the tree, how it was so like Yggdrasil.

Unsure if there was a temple nearby since they were always built near the now scarce ash trees, Maude quickly scanned the area before making her way toward the center.

The wind picked up at her uplifted fingers as she waved them in a small circle, causing the fallen branches in the clearing to swirl in time with her hand until they landed in a small, neat pile in front of her.

Maude gave herself a small smile before she crouched and blew onto the small pile, the golden embers of her fire catching on the dry wood quickly.

With only herself for company the last two days, she had been focusing on controlling her galder .

Of course, she only lost control when her emotions were heightened, or she tried to smother them, but she still felt she was making better progress.

After a few moments of listening to the crackling fire, Maude heard swift footsteps echoing through the silent hedges. She closed her eyes, keeping her back to where she knew Herrick would appear.

Maude spoke before he could, annoyance dripping into her words, “You know, when someone runs away from you, you’re not supposed to follow them. ”

“Oh, he’s still trying to follow,” an unfamiliar voice said. “But not for much longer.”

Maude remained still. Instinct had her using the wind around her to sense the stranger’s movements, his scent. The man continued speaking, “I’m glad you finally lost him; it’ll make this much easier.”

The air shifted around her as the man lunged for her, but Maude was ready for him.

She opened her eyes and ducked as the stranger swung a hunting knife at her.

As she pivoted under the swing of the blade, she unsheathed her dagger on her thigh and brought it up in a defensive hold in front of her face.

Gripping the dagger in her fist so her thumb was closest to the blunt edge of the hilt, Maude spun to face her attacker.

The man was about as tall as she was and was clothed in the all-black uniform belonging to the Kingdom of Flame’s General’s assassins.

The black hood around his head would only reveal the man’s head wrapped in black cloth to protect his identity.

Recognition flared in Maude at the uniform belonging to her uncle’s best soldiers, the most brutal and hateful fighters in Logi.

“How did you find me?” Maude bit out the question.

“We never lost you, Princess,” the assassin laughed bitterly. “We were only held up finding a way into this godsforsaken kingdom of heathens.”

They circled each other before the man cut toward her with his hunting knife, the serrated edges glistening in the small light from her fire.

Maude parried with her dagger, knocking the assassin off balance for a moment before he righted himself.

A drop of thick liquid fell from the edge of his knife, and Maude realized there had to be slain guards from the Kingdom of Rivers somewhere in these hedges.

Immediately, Maude’s thoughts turned to Herrick. He was being pursued by the same killers somewhere in this maze. Only her belief in his strength kept her from losing her focus. She had her own threat to deal with.

Maude lunged this time, slicing upwards to make the man drop the blade. Unencumbered by her gown, she thanked the gods that she had stayed true to her nature and designed a dress she could move in.

These men may have been trained by her uncle, but so had she.

Maude dropped to the ground as the man retaliated with a swipe of his blade and kicked out her leg to knock him off his feet. The assassin went down, his head landing close to but not in the fire Maude had set.

Shit , she internally cursed.

Maude quickly got to her feet and ran toward the warrior, skirts billowing behind her.

Before he could stand, she tackled him, and they rolled a few feet toward the ash tree.

She jabbed at his stomach, her fist flaming, causing him to groan, but he delivered an equally brutal hit to her chin.

Her teeth smashed together and caused her ears to ring.

The assassin's shirt quickly caught flame from the blow Maude had landed on him. She twisted her fingers, trying to make this man a living pyre, but the assassin waved his hand in front of the flames hastily, sucking the oxygen from the fire and effectively smothering it. Angry red blisters lay on the man’s exposed deep brown skin.

They both got to their feet, breathing heavily, before they lunged again.

Maude remembered what Liv had said about watching your opponent to try and predict their next move rather than react to it.

The masked man stepped out with the opposite foot of the fist he punched out, giving away his attack.

Waiting until she felt sure, Maude timed her hit until she saw him step with his left foot.

Maude stepped back with her right foot and started to turn away from him, feeling his fist graze her cheek before she extended her right arm behind her and slammed her elbow into his ear.

As she righted herself to face him again, she saw blood trickle out from under his hand that covered his ear.

Maude brought her fist up, still holding the dagger.

He sheathed his blade before he lunged for her once more, hands empty of weapons.

Finding that odd, Maude realized that her opponent had not attempted any killing blows.

It was clear he had control over the air; he could have sucked the air from her lungs but did not.

They’re trying to take me back to Logi; they're not here to kill me , she thought.

As the ringing in her ears improved, she heard metal clashing in the distance and knew Herrick was close.

Unable to rely on her fire, Maude adjusted the grip on the dagger and waited for the assassin to get closer before she pulled her arm back and threw the dagger forward.

It passed harmlessly by his head as he laughed at her.

Maude prepared for his tackle, keeping her focus as sharp as her dagger.

The man's shoulder slammed into her chest, knocking the breath from her lungs before they hit the ground. The man wrapped his hands around her throat and squeezed.

Her first thought was of how Herrick had held her by the throat before their secrets were revealed.

Her second thought was that this was not nearly as much fun as when Herrick had done it.

Maude brought fire to her fingertips once more and smashed them into his face, causing him to let go of her throat.

Air flooded into her deprived lungs, burning all the way down.

Maude rolled him off her and tried to stand, feeling her ankle give out at the last second.

Maude’s knees hit the ground as she felt the asshole grab at her ridiculous skirts.

Maude kicked out, her foot connecting with his nose, feeling the crunch of the bones breaking beneath her foot .

Able to stand this time, Maude faced the opening to the hedges where her dagger had disappeared in the direction of the sounds of Herrick’s fight and waited. Her would-be kidnapper stood and faced her.

“They told me it wouldn’t be easy to snag you. They said you were feral but calculated,” he said, touching the burns on his face. “I thought they were right until you threw that dagger and missed. Pathetic.”

Maude gave him a sly smile. His eyes became unsure at her reaction. Blood had ruined the silver in her gown, and she could feel her hair standing out from her face. She knew he was seeing the feral creature her uncle had painted her out to be.

“I never miss,” she finally said.

The sound of her dagger whipping through the air came from behind the stranger, and her smile turned predatory.

She manipulated the air, propelling her dagger so that it would cut into his back before he noticed.

Catching on to what was about to happen, the man withdrew a small blade from his sleeve and whipped it at her chest.

The world slowed for the second time that night.