The heavy rain lulled Seth into a light sleep. His eyes drooped, and his posture slackened. As his eyes closed, a thick euphonious voice murmured in his ear:

  "De'ga knows you're here..."

  Seth snapped awake. What was that?

  He looked around him, but no one was in the hut but him, Gloria, and Elias. He shuddered and felt around for his dagger—it’d slipped off his knee and fell to the ground.

  Seth rubbed his eyes and groaned softly. Must’ve been a dream.

  Then—a horse snorted.

  Seth froze and chills went down his spine. There was a splash as someone dismounted. Seth breathed softly and slowly curled his fingers around the hilt of his dagger.

  Slow, unhurried footsteps sloshed along the road as a soft haunting whistle sang through the rain. Seth’s heart stopped. He knew that tune—every Fenguarian child knew that tune: The Cat and his string.

  The assassin—it’s him. It’s got to be him.

  The whistling paused. There was a faint glow beyond the grass and Seth felt tendrils of magic shifting before a thick voice chuckled in his ear. “Come on out, Wizen Seth. Hiding will do you no good.”

  Cold sweat formed on Seth’s brow. That was a sigil! Oh Crim… he knows sigil magic? How?

  Grass on the opposite side of the road rustled and the euphonious voice murmured again. “De’ga will make a deal with you. Come out and the lovely lady and the boy won’t get hurt.”

  A bead of sweat trickled down Seth’s back. How much does he know? Do I know enough to fight back?

  Gloria began to shake in her sleep and a quiet sob left her. Seth’s head snapped towards her. No! Not another nightmare. Not now! He scrambled closer to her and covered her mouth. She tensed and struggled under his hand.

  He tightened his grip and tried to stroke her face with his thumb. “Shh! He’ll hear us.”

  Then lightning struck the ground nearby and the world exploded with radiant light. Thunder clapped in Seth’s ears. Elias woke with a gasp and Gloria screamed under his hand. In a panic, Seth’s eyes flicked to the doorway and in the hot white light, he saw him—a tall looming figure in a hood and cloak pawing through the grass on the opposite side of the road. His silhouette straightened, then turned towards them.

  The world went dark again, and there was a chuckle in the blackness. “There you are.”

  Panicked, Seth scribbled a sigil in the air. “Clypeus fidei.” The shield closed around the grass hut. Rain pattered above it and Seth reached out to pull Gloria up. Hopefully that buys us some time.

  “Commendable,” De’ga said. “But a shield will not stop De’ga.”

  Seth felt magical tendrils gather and the air crackled with humming energy. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and Seth looked back—outside the hut, the figure drew sharp jagged lines in the air like dagger swipes.

  Beside him, Elias hastily drew a sigil. “Lux meridania!”

  Light blossomed and just outside the grass hut, Seth saw the hooded figure’s face—an elf with a wide grin and yellow eyes. “Why hello there,” De’ga said as his long fingers completed the sigil. “How kind of you to light things up.”

  Seth stared at the sigil hanging in the air in front of De’ga and froze. Where did he learn that?

  He recognized that symbol. It was ancient—ancient and violent. A spell that only wizards and advanced wizen knew. Master Naboth was going to teach me… Blood drained from Seth’s face. But if he knows this spell…

  De’ga chuckled.

  He’s been trained.

  “Frange filum.”

  Seth’s vision flashed red and white, and a hot searing pain burned in his skull. He cried out and put his hands to his head, dropping his dagger. One by one, the magical strands holding his shield together snapped back at him like broken bowstrings. Seth gasped in pain, and tried to catch the strands to pull them back, but each time he patched one hole, another split apart like an open wound.

  Focus, damnit.

  Seth shook violently and pushed past the pain. He snatched the fraying strands and pulled them back together. Spots began to form in his vision and something warm and metallic trickled from his nose down to his lips—blood.

  “Seth!” Gloria cried, scrambling to her knees.

  She reached out her hands and muttered sharply. There was a rustle, and the grass beside De’ga shot out and wrapped themselves around his arms, jerking him to the ground.

  The strands stopped snapping and De’ga grunted as his spell rebounded on him. Relief overwhelmed Seth and he crumpled, his shield failing as he fell.

  Gloria caught him before he dropped to the ground. “I got you,” she said as his head rolled onto her shoulder. “Elias! Grab a bag and let’s go!”

  Elias snatched his bag and Seth’s gleaming knife from the ground. He slung the bag over his shoulder and slid in front of Gloria and Seth, gripping the handle tight. “I don’t think this way is a good idea!”

  Seth panted against Gloria’s shoulder as she muttered under her breath again. The grass quickly weaved the opening closed, but the stalks parted in the back. She wrapped Seth’s arm around her neck and pulled him out of the grass hut into the rain. “Come on!” she called to Elias.

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  Seth staggered after Gloria. Rain poured down, soaking him again. He looked over his shoulder and in Elias’s little light, he saw De’ga scurrying around the grass hut, brushing grass stalks off him.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” he hollered and began tracing another sigil.

  Seth gathered his strength and tried to keep up with Gloria as they fled the clearing. The grass parted before them and tried to close after them as they ran, but Gloria began to sag and stumble.

  Seth gritted his teeth and looked back at Elias who gripped his dagger in one hand and his little orb light in the other. The young man glanced over his shoulder and cried out when he saw De’ga’s glittering eyes in the grass and a glowing sigil.

  There was a hum of magical energy, and Seth felt the air shift around him. This feels like… a shield spell!

  Thick walls started to enclose Seth, Gloria, and Elias. Without thinking, Seth threw Gloria’s arm off him and shoved her away. She stumbled back and fell into the mud just as the shimmering walls settled into place around him and Elias.

  Elias tried smashing his shoulder against the shield, but nothing budged. His face went pale, and his breathing quickened. “We can’t get out… I’m trapped!” He clutched his chest and started to sag to his knees.

  Seth gripped Elias’s shoulder. “Pull yourself together!” he cried.

  “I’ll get you out!” Gloria scrambled to her feet and stretched out her hands, but at that moment, De’ga stepped through the grass, dagger in hand.

  “This turned out better than De’ga hoped.”

  Gloria spun back and started to mutter something, but De’ga knocked her to the ground, and pounced on her. Gloria screamed and put up her hands to shield her face.

  Horrible memories flashed through Seth’s mind. Him on the ground. The hooded assassin’s dark chuckle before stabbing him to death. You’re not murdering her!

  Seth’s eyes locked onto the dagger, and he quickly drew a sigil. “Ardenti metallum!”

  Nothing happened.

  De’ga looked up at him and chuckled. “You think De’ga is stupid? De’ga was wizen. De’ga knows you are wizen.” He spun a bone dagger in his hand. “De’ga wouldn’t bring metal to this fight.”

  The distraction was enough. Gloria gritted her teeth and muttered a sharp word. Long blade of grass dragged De’ga back. He growled and slashed at the long grass with his knife, filling the air with the scent of wet cut grass. “De’ga doesn’t like his prey being difficult. De’ga will have to teach you a lesson!”

  Gloria’s face went pale and inched back until she pressed against the shield, continuing to mutter to the grass. She looked over her shoulder at Seth with wide eyes. Help!

  Seth glanced around the thick shield walls. A way out! A way out! I need… A pang of pain went through his head. He groaned and put a hand to his forehead. Wait… that spell. He looked up at the shield. I know how to get us out.

  He gritted his teeth and conjured the image of the sigil. Seth desperately drew in the magical tendrils around him, and drew the sharp jagged lines. The air hummed with crackling energy. He focused on the shield in front of him, then spoke the casting word, “Frange filum.”

  There was a sharp snap. De’ga groaned and staggered back a step, stopping his advance on Gloria. Seth felt as though an he was wielding an invisible knife that hacked away at the dense magical weave in front of him.

  De’ga growled at Seth and tried to shore up the prison walls. “De’ga’s prey doesn’t escape!”

  Seth dug in his heels and tried to maintain his focus on sawing through the shield, but his legs wobbled and threatened to give out on him. “Elias!” he gasped. “Hold me up!”

  “Yes sir!” Elias hurried to Seth’s side and supported him while Seth poured his focus on decimating the shield. Each snapped strand sent a shock of pain back on De’ga, until he howled in agony.

  Seth panted and kept going until a hole formed in the shield. He pointed. “There! Elias! Break it down.”

  Elias let go and Seth fell back into the mud. The young man rammed his shoulder into the shield. The sound of shattering glass echoed out and De’ga stumbled back holding his head, with a loud shriek.

  His head snapped up, a small streak of blood trickling from his nose, and growled at them like a feral animal. “No one gets away from De’ga.” He gripped his dagger tight. “No one!”

  De’ga flicked his eyes to Gloria and darted towards her. Seth’s heart stopped and he tried to scramble toward Gloria, but Elias was faster. The boy raced forward, dagger in hand. He slipped in front of Gloria and drove the dagger deep into De’ga’s gut, then jerked up.

  The elf’s eyes went wide, and his mouth opened in a silent cry. Elias gritted his teeth and drove the dagger deeper, until De’ga gurgled and slumped onto his shoulder. The young man grunted and shoved the elf’s body back where it dropped to the ground with a thud.

  Thunder rumbled and no one said a word. Gloria panted and slowly pulled herself out of the mud, but Seth stared at Elias’s back; the boy seemed to age in before him and a horrible pit formed in his stomach. He… he killed him.

  “Elias?” Gloria stepped over to Elias. “Are you okay?”

  Seth climbed to his feet and caught a glimpse of Elias’s distant eyes as his little light dimmed. The young man slowly looked up at Gloria and Seth. He blinked, then looked down at his blood-soaked hands. His eyes widened in horror and his body began to shake. Elias screamed and his light went out.

  Seth quickly cast a new light. When it floated in the air above them, Seth saw Gloria holding Elias in her arms as he stared at his red hands. “There’s so much blood! Oh Crim…”

  Elias’s eyes snapped up to Seth’s. “He’s not— I didn’t—” He pulled away from Gloria and fell to his knees where he retched in the grass.

  Seth dropped down to Elias’s level and put his hand on his shoulder. “You did the right thing.”

  Elias stiffened. “His eyes… I can see his eyes.”

  Seth’s grip tightened. “Gloria is alive because of you.”

  Elias’s face turned green, and he vomited in the grass again. He gasped for breath, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Why? Why was he here?” He looked up at Seth. “What’s going on?”

  Seth opened his mouth, but hesitated.

  “I just killed someone!” Elias cried, his arms shaking. “Can’t I at least know why?”

  Seth looked over his shoulder at Gloria who nodded at him. He needs to know.

  Seth hung his head. She’s right… Cold rain trickled down his head and dripped to the mud below. Damn it… Why can’t I ever get this right?

  “Who are you, sir… really?”

  Seth exhaled, then slowly looked up at Elias. “A prince.”

  Elias’s eyes went wide, and he shook his head in disbelief. “No… you can’t be…” His eyes darted to Gloria, then back to Seth. “Good Crim… you are. But what are you—?”

  “I’m going home to reclaim what’s mine.” Seth stood and held out his hand to Elias. “If you still want to come with me, I’ll tell you everything. But if you’d rather not, I—”

  Elias grabbed Seth’s hand and pulled himself to his feet. “I’m coming.”

  Seth blinked. “I didn’t even finish—"

  “I’m not losing another home.”

  Seth opened his mouth, but Elias clenched Seth’s hand and glared at him. “I’m not losing another home.”

  Seth sighed and a heavy weight settled on his shoulders. “Very well then.” He smiled at little at Elias and put a hand on his shoulder. “Welcome home.”