She shivered, gazing out over the dark and empty fields. If she could move in close enough to kiss him, she could ram her elbow into his Adam’s apple. He’d drop the sword immediately. And yet, a voice in the back of her mind urged her to follow him.

Maybe, if she survived whatever the hell was about to happen, she could learn the truth about herself, about where she’d come from. If she killed him, she’d be stuck in the darkness forever. There was also the fact that she didn’t particularly want to drive a sword through someone’s heart, even if he was a psychopath. She’d have to see how this played out before she did anything drastic.

They reached the second circle of stones. Crusted in ice, the monoliths towered over Ursula. Her heart pounded.

His green eyes flashed like storm clouds in the dark. “Wait here a moment.”

Cold fear inched up her spine. A few feet from her, Kester pulled the sword from its sheath. Puffs of frozen breath drifted from his mouth as he whispered over the weapon. When he finished, a glowing orb appeared, hovering above his head and illuminating a small patch of snowy grass in the center of the stones. The word magic rang again in her head, and her body thrummed with a dark thrill. It’s real.

Gripping the sword in both hands, Kester raised it above his head, blade pointing toward the earth.

“O’ shadow stalker.” His voice was firm. “A thane awaits a trial.” He stabbed the frozen earth with the blade.

Ursula’s stomach clenched. What the hell is a shadow stalker? And, is this thane supposed to be me?

The wind died, and a deathly, unnatural silence enveloped them. The orb’s flickering glow revealed nothing beyond the stones. In the icy air, each intake of breath froze Ursula’s throat.

A snowflake fell on her eyelash and she blinked. Had something shifted in the darkness just beyond the inner stones? The hair rose on the nape of her neck.

She whipped her head around, sensing an unseen danger. “Kester, what—”

He lifted a silencing finger, still holding the sword’s hilt. As he raised his eyes, he seemed to search the stones. “Moor fiend, reveal yourself.” His grip tightened on the pommel of the sword.

Her heart hammered against her ribs, and time seemed to stretch out as she waited.

Between the stones, she could make out a faint outline—tall and hunched, and nearly as large as the rocks themselves. Her breath caught in her throat. What is that?

Kester beckoned Ursula to come closer. “Shadow stalker, I have brought you a thane to battle.”

Her mouth went dry, her spine stiff with fear, but she stepped toward Kester. I can do this—whatever this is. I know how to use a sword.