For a long moment, both boys were silent. Then, finally, Evin said, “Bet’s been gone a long time.”

Jorick sighed. “I told you, she’s not so bad.”

“Then let’s prove it,” Evin said. “We are going to find her and see if she’s actually looking for gnolls or if she’s contacting her masters.”

“I … no! Of course she’s making sure no gnolls are around. What else would she be doing?”

Evin sighed. “Just come on. If she’s looking for gnolls, I’ll know you’re right. If she isn’t, then we can see what she’s up to.”

“I don’t have to do everything you say, you know,” Jorick said, his tone angry. “You’re always telling me what to do and where to go and when to do things. I’m tired of it.”

“That’s only because you always ask me what to do,” Evin said.

“So?” Jorick said. “I won’t ask anymore, then. And I trust Bet, so I won’t go with you.”

Evin got to his feet and spread his arms wide. “Look, just do this one last thing for me, all right? If I’m wrong, then I’ll never tell you what to do ever again. I just need to know if what I’m remembering is real or not. And I really want you to be there with me.”

Jorick looked at his feet. “Fine. If it gets you to stop going on about all this craziness, let’s go find her.”

Evin grinned. It was the first time he’d done so in what felt like forever. “Finally,” he said. “Now follow me carefully. Step exactly where I step. We need to be sneaky.”

“I can be sneaky,” Jorick said.

Evin looked Jorick up and down. “Just … follow me.”

Leading the way, he ducked into the dark forest of trees. He carefully plotted a path between the trees and around bushes, avoiding any twigs or dry leaves that may crunch beneath their feet and give them away. The sky was clear and light from the almost full moon streamed through the canopy above, but still Evin moved slowly. All it took was one misstep to alert someone to their presence.

As they walked, Evin strained his ears. At first all he heard were typical night sounds—crickets creaking, night birds calling. But as they went deeper into the cluster of trees, he heard the sound of someone speaking.

Turning to Jorick, Evin held his finger to his lips, then gestured forward.

The two boys crouched behind a cluster of boulders. Beyond the boulders was a clearing, and in that clearing Bet sat cross-legged on the ground. Her white robes splayed around legs. A large book lay open in front of her. Though Bet was speaking, there was no one around.

“See?” Evin whispered. “She’s talking to herself, just like I said.”