“Oh, calm down.” Tolin shook his head at me. “I would have told you soon enough. To get home, you will need access to the most powerful artifacts there are, such as the elemental orbs.”
My heart leaped with hope as I turned to Faryn. “Your guild, the Radiant Dragon. Do they have these artifacts?”
She shook her head. “I wish that we did.”
“Such items are scattered across the continent,” Tolin said. “To get them, you’ll need to travel far beyond the city. And to do that, you’ll need the training and protection of a guild.”
“Huh.” As the hope of a quick solution faded, the tension also flowed out of me. “I guess I should behave around guild staff then.” I shot Faryn a smile, and her cheeks blossomed with a hint of red.
“And learn from them,” Tolin said. “Faryn has much to teach you that could help you along the path. I was hoping that she would take you with her into the woods, for just that purpose.”
“I would be happy to take him,” Faryn said. “And to teach him everything I can.”
I swallowed as those beautiful eyes focused on me once more.
“Off you go, then.” Tolin handed me my sword. “Learn everything you can. And Faryn?”
“Yes, Tolin?”
“Try not to break my assistant.”
As we headed out of the temple, I looked at Faryn. The confidence with which she carried herself added to her beauty. In that moment, there was nothing I wanted more than to run my hands over her again, to feel the curves of her body and press my lips against hers.
“Sounds like I’ll have to do my best to keep my hands off you,” I said.
She looked at me with a sensuous smile. “I can’t promise that I’ll do the same. There’s something about you, Ethan Murphy. A thrill of the exotic that’s hard to resist.”
I cleared my throat and quickened my pace.
“Let’s concentrate on training, shall we?” I said.
She led me along the ridge line and into the trees beyond the temple, heading away from the city. This way led us into the Danibo Foret, where Tolin had told me that monsters lived. I laid my hand on the pommel of my sword, ready for trouble.
The woods were alive with the rustling of leaves and the singing of birds. In the distance, a deer looked up from grazing, stared at us, and then bolted away. The shadows of leaves dappled our bodies, making us seem to be at one with the wild.
“I’m a wood Augmenter,” Faryn said as we walked. “Normally, I wouldn’t be in a fire guild like the Radiant Dragon, but my own guild was wiped out by cultists when I was young. The Radiant Dragon opened its doors when I needed shelter, and Guild Master Xilarion has protected me ever since. In return, I tutor members of the guild.”
“You teach them wood techniques?” I asked.
“Oh, no.” Faryn shook her head. “I teach the fundamentals of Augmenting and botany classes. Members of a fire guild learn fire arts, not those of other elements.” She looked at me with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “That’s why training you in wood will give you an extra edge.”
“You’re breaking the rules for me?” I asked. “I must really be special.”
“Tolin thinks so, and who am I to argue with a grumpy old caretaker?”
We both laughed. The idea that Tolin might be only a caretaker was absurd to anyone who had spent time with him. With his pride, his knowledge, and his cutting remarks, it was clear that he was something far more powerful. How he maintained the illusion to the people of the city, I had no idea. It must take all of his willpower not to give the game away.
“Sad to say, it’s not just about giving you an advantage,” Faryn said. “It’s about overcoming the serious disadvantage you’re going in with.”
“What disadvantage?” I asked. “I’m healthy. I’m smart. I’ve been learning about Augmenting under Tolin for weeks now.”
“Exactly. You’ve been learning for weeks. The other initiates have been preparing to learn fire techniques their whole lives. Teaching you wood techniques breaks the rules of the guilds, but you’ll need them to balance that experience. Tolin says it’s imperative that you don’t just get into the guild but that you excel there. He had grand dreams for you.”
“I’m happy to learn Augmenting,” I said. “But as for the old man’s schemes? We’ll see how well they fit with my own plans.”
Faryn held out a hand.
“Quiet now,” she whispered. “It’s time to hunt.”
We crept through the trees, Faryn clutching her staff in one hand, my sword in both of mine. Now that we were here, I was surprised that we hadn’t brought bows or snares, something more suited to hunting wild beasts. I had to assume that Faryn had a way to deal with them.
Crouching in a stand of ferns, she pointed to a shape amid the trees. “That’s our prey,” she whispered. “An emerald wisp.”
I watched as the shape moved and tilted its head from side to side. It was a creature of wood, around five feet tall, with a head that seemed to be composed of leaves. Four root-shaped legs ran down from a body like the smooth bark of a silver birch.
Faryn gestured for me to move around to the left while she circled to the right. I crept through the undergrowth, setting my straw sandals down carefully with each step, trying not to frighten the beast. Every crack of a twig sounded like a thunderclap in my ears, and I was sure the wisp would see me at any moment. But I was within six feet of it before it reared its head and swung its foliaged snout around to point at me.
I leapt with my sword swinging straight at it. The wisp reared, twisted, and dashed away. I swung my weapon and sliced off
