Sable stood behind Raj and his horse. She stood munching a mouthful of hay, a blanket thrown over her back. I approached my horse and grabbed the saddle off a wooden beam, but as I prepared to throw the saddle on her back, the shrill sound of screaming stopped me. I turned around to face the inn when more screams joined in with the first.
Chills prickled my neck. Raj stood beside me, staring intently at the inn, though we could see nothing.
“Hopefully it’s just a bar fight,” I said quietly.
“No way to tell unless we go check it out.”
“What if it’s a squadron?” I asked.
“Then we’d better not go check it out.”
“And we’d better disappear,” I said.
We turned back to the horses and saddled them quickly. The screaming got worse, until I was convinced that a squadron must have been inside the inn.
My heart pounding, we mounted the horses and trotted down the path leading around the inn and out of the village. As the fog burned away, a man wearing black and red armor stepped into our path. The image of a snakelike basilisk was imprinted on his breastplate. The creature’s coils curved to form a clover-like pattern, with three intersecting circles.
The mark of the high sorcerer.
“Halt,” the man yelled, pulling a broadsword from a scabbard at his back, his voice booming. The blade’s sharpened edges glittered in the morning light.
Sable jerked her head as I pulled on the reins.
My hands shook as I held tightly to the leather straps. What good would my knife do against a sword like that?
The guardsman swung his sword in an arc. I heard its whistling sound from where I sat atop my horse.
“What do you want with us?” Raj called.
“We seek a girl!” the man yelled back. “One of the high sorcerer’s own has escaped.” He eyed us both, his gaze seeming to peer beneath my cowl. I had the urge to reach up and pull it lower, but that would only draw attention, and that was the last thing we needed.
“We’ve tracked her this far,” the guardsman said. “And look what I’ve found. A girl!”
“Indeed,” Raj replied. “There are many girls in the land. What makes you so sure you’ve found the right one?”
“Because I’ll kill every girl in my path until I find her.”
“That’s an unpleasant thought,” Raj called back. “Have you considered a different method for finding this girl? It seems a bit inefficient, to be honest.”
The man creased his brow. “Are you toying with me?” he demanded, his voice harsh.
“I would never dream of doing such a thing. However, I will inform you that you’re wasting your time with us. I’ve heard rumors she’s headed south.”
“Where did you hear that?” the guard asked.
“From the locals, of course. They know everything. Perhaps you should consider speaking to them before killing them. It might prove worthy of your time.”
“Enough!” the man hissed. “The girl I seek is the keeper of the princess in the tower. She’s got blue hair.” He pointed the tip of his sword at me. “Remove your cowl, girl! Show me your hair.”
I hesitated, frozen to the spot, trying to think logically through my fear, but all I could do was imagine how he would kill me—the pain of the blade as it slid through my heart.
But I couldn’t think that way. I had to control my fear.
“No,” I said, reaching into my pocket, wrapping my fingers around a satchel.
“No?”
“I won’t do it.”
“Then I’ll remove it for you.” He lunged toward me. I pulled out the packet and threw it in his face. White smoke exploded. Screaming, the man fell back. He dropped his sword to claw at his eyes. Coughing and sputtering, he staggered toward us, but I kicked Sable’s flanks hard, spun her around, and galloped for the road.
The wind pushed the cowl from my head. I grabbed it and pulled it up, praying the guardsman hadn’t seen my hair.
Raj followed close behind me. Our horses’ hooves pounded the cobbled street, but instead of turning toward Grimlore, we took a path through the farmlands instead, avoiding the town and hopefully eluding the squadron—at least for now.
I lost track of how long we rode. We didn’t slow until the dark treetops of Spirit Woods appeared on the horizon. Tightening the reins, I slowed Sable to a walk. She breathed heavily, her coat slick with sweat.
Raj also slowed his horse and rode beside me.
“What was that?” he asked. “That smoke?”
“Morrid bane. It’s basically harmless. Its powdered form can temporarily disable a person. The liquid form can eat through skin. It’s too volatile to carry, so I only brought the powder.”
“That was brilliant,” he said, beaming. “I was ready to charge him, but you reacted first. You’re a hero, Gothel.”
I laughed. “Hero? That’s an exaggeration.”
“It’s no exaggeration. You defeated a member of the king’s squadron. Do you know how many people have been killed by men like him? You must be a true warrior at heart.”
“Raj, I threw some powder on him. Let’s not get carried away.”
“Still, you were brave, and you used your head. Not many people can keep their cool under pressure the way you did.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled, self-consciously fidgeting with my cowl to hide my burning red cheeks. I wasn’t sure anyone had ever complimented my bravery.
Up ahead, the forest loomed closer. The hulking trees looked like a solid black mass against the sky. Rumors of the Spirit Woods surfaced in my memories. I’d never been inside, but I’d known others who had. Their stories still haunted my nightmares.
“Why are we going here again?” I asked.
“Because we’re saving the prince and Rapunzel—and basically everyone in the land.”
“Is it worth it?” I asked, teasing. Sort of.
He eyed me, but he didn’t say anything.
A cold chill prickled my neck as we entered the forest. My horse whinnied nervously, and Raj’s mare stopped abruptly, her eyes
