And then, the glow of her magic light faded and Bet was gone.

Evin stayed in his hiding spot, watching the spot where Bet had been talking, sure that he might see some hidden figure emerge. But no one was there.

What had he just seen? Evin wondered. Could she have been talking to herself? Reciting into some sort of magical diary that recorded her spoken words? Whatever it was, Evin’s heart began to thud as he realized Jorick’s first impression of Bet had been right—there was something decidedly creepy about the girl.

For a long moment, Evin crouched there, unsure what to do. Then slowly, he got to his feet and ran as quickly as he could back through the ruins.

When he neared the copestone and the subterranean stairs, he saw Bet and Jorick chatting. Her twin glowing orbs had merged together into one and the light was brighter, painting the ruins in sunny orange.

Evin stopped at the edge of light. A heavy unease coursed through him. Bet was smiling, but the expression seemed strange on her, strained.

He wanted to march up to her, jab his finger in her chest, and demand she tell him what she was doing in the ruins, who she’d been talking to, because clearly she’d lied about checking on the ormyrr. He sucked in a breath, straightened his shoulders, and marched through the grass toward his two companions.

Before Evin could say anything, Jorick caught sight of him. “You’re back! Now can we go?”

Bet turned to face him, her eyes scanning him up and down. Evin clenched his fists, prepared to shout accusations—and then he saw the Practical Guide clutched in her hands.

His eyes darted from the book to the dark, underground stairwell, then back to the book. The gnolls were down there—a lot of them—as well as who knew what else. If Evin sent Bet away, he and Jorick would not only be going in literally blind without her magic light, they would be completely unprepared for whatever it is they should face.

Marten was down there. His parents. He needed to rescue them. And so, even though looking at Bet made him tremble with feelings of betrayal, he couldn’t send her away. Not yet, anyway.

“Why are you just standing there? Are you ready to lead the way?” She put a hand on her hip. “I assume you want to go in first.”

Evin took in a deep breath. “Actually,” he said, “I want Jorick to go first, then you, and I’ll take up the rear.”

“Really?” Jorick asked. “Why?”

“Because you’ve got the biggest sword.” Evin patted his friend on the shoulder. “A gnoll will think twice about messing with us when it sees that! Now, let’s get going.”