Quietly, he pushed through the bushes. The branches rustled as they scraped against his clothes and skin. Then he was in the clearing, walking over packed dirt and brittle, scorched grass. Crouching low to the ground, he rushed as fast as he could across the clearing, to the left row of cages. Behind him, the bushes rustled twice more as the others followed.

Evin held his breath as he neared the cages, expecting the fake villagers to come alive at the sight of him. But they were as silent as the fake Marten had been after his arm was cut off. Their eyes were glassy. They didn’t even appear to be breathing.

Evin looked to his right and saw Bet and Jorick similarly crouched as they headed across the clearing. Bet was in the center, fully exposed and clearly aware of it. Her eyes twitched as she looked toward the dark burrow. She clutched her satchel tightly against her side and held her wand high, prepared to cast a protective spell. Beyond her, Jorick had his sword unsheathed as he walked by the other row of cages. He peered into them, confusion on his face.

Holding his breath, Evin looked up into the sloping hill above the burrow. He couldn’t see anything through the darkened trees.

Then, a shadow passed over the moon. In a flash, the chimera descended from the sky, its heads screeching and roaring and bleating.

Bet spun around and looked up. She didn’t have even a moment to react before the chimera shot straight toward her. Wings unfurled, it slowed its flight. Its front paws slammed against her chest. The girl fell hard to the ground and dropped her wand. The creature landed, its front paws on her chest, its wings flapping slowly.

“Whoa!” Jorick shouted.

The look of fear on Bet’s face was so real that Evin’s insides twisted with guilt. But again he shook away those thoughts and rushed forward to stand ahead of the chimera, as did Jorick.

All three of the chimera’s heads were tilted down to look at Bet’s face. Parting the lizardish lips of its dragon head, it spat, “Levethix. Pothoc vaecaesin levethix vi wuxu malsvir arcaniss.”

Bet’s breaths came out in short gasps. Her eyes were wide. Her hands clutched at the dirt beside her.

“Please,” Evin said. “Sir … er … or ma’am. I don’t understand what you’re saying to her, and we need to know too.”

The chimera’s dragon head craned up, and now its dangerous eyes looked into Evin’s own. “I am male,” it said in its accented Common. “And I told this girl that she is a stupid elf wizard with evil magic.”

“What …” Bet gasped. “What … is … going on?”

“That’s what we want to know,” Evin said to her, scowling. “We know you’re working for someone and leading us into traps. Now tell us what you’re doing or—”