“They’re not in the forest,” the abbot shot back.

Ruby looked behind her at the flaming trees. “Close enough.”

“You can’t fight all of us,” Thorlac shouted as he and several other monks ran up.

Farilane backed away from everyone and nearly fell when she tripped on—The Book of Brin. The tome was laying in the ferns, absolutely no worse for its flight. She picked up the book, then searched for Kile and Sheldon. They remained unbound on the backs of the Teshlors’ horses. Abandoned by Ethan, Trident was only a few steps away and showed no sign of injury from the tumble. Kile made eye contact with her, and just as with the temple and the stairs, she knew he understood her mind.

“What’s going on?” Nordyan demanded in a shaken voice.

“Nothing important, Your Highness,” the First Minister said. “A local squabble, I assure you.”

Farilane inched closer to Ethan’s horse. The mount was well trained by the Teshlors, but he and the princess were old friends.

“A local squabble! I was just set on fire!”

“And will be again,” Ruby said. “Along with all these other guards who—”

“No!” Farilane halted just as her hand caught Trident’s reins. “They aren’t like that. These soldiers are special. They are Teshlors.”

“What does that mean?” Ruby asked.

Farilane looked at Ethan. “It means they are good.”

“They would kill me right now if they could, but they fear any act might cause me to explode the prince—and rightly so.”

“They are sworn to protect him. Just as they are sworn to protect me. It’s called loyalty.”

“This one was going to bind you.”

“But not hurt me.”

“Ruby!” the abbot called, his hands up as he shouted. “This doesn’t concern you. Just go back into the forest, and everything can go back to the way it was.”

“Oh, I don’t think that’s going to happen!” Nordyan growled. “Magic is illegal in the empire—and she just attempted to murder me!”

Farilane had seen enough. This was a pile of tinder the size of a mountain, and her brother and Ruby were shooting sparks at each other. Any second the place would explode, and she was the center of it all. The green-eyed disobedient daughter. Without her, Ruby would have no one to defend; without her, Nordyan would have no one to arrest.

With a nimble jump, she leapt onto Trident, and with a word of encouragement and a clap of her heels, the warhorse cleared the ring of Teshlors and monks. Ethan could have stopped the horse with a whistle. He didn’t. She never really thought he would.

Kile and Sheldon chased after her as all three raced across the open field.

She’d done it. The Teshlors, the monks, and her brother would be safe. No princess, no need to fight.

Then she noticed a flash and a terrible roar and crash behind her.