“Can’t he just summon Gravaldor?” Barclay asked.

“He can’t,” Viola answered. “The ingredients for the trap are almost impossible to find. I should know—they took me ages. And the Mourningtide Morel can only be foraged before the first snow. His window to try it passed.”

“What happens if Soren bonds with Gravaldor?” Barclay asked.

Runa gave him a dark look. “The Legendary Beasts control all the flow of magical power in the world, which is what has made them so coveted throughout history. If Soren bonded with Gravaldor, he would have power greater than the Grand Keeper. And who’s to say he will stop there? This isn’t the first time Soren has attempted to go after a Legendary Beast. If Conley Murdock hadn’t let Soren join him to study Lochmordra over Midsummer, Conley would still be alive today. Why do you think Tadg and Soren hate each other?”

“H-hate each other?” Barclay sputtered. “But Tadg is his apprentice!”

“His apprentice!” Runa barked out a laugh. “Tadg is my apprentice. Or he was going to be, had he not charged into the Woods after Soren before the Exhibition ended.”

Barclay’s stomach did a painful somersault. Tadg’s conversation last night made far more sense. He hadn’t told Barclay to go back to his town to avoid the fight—he’d told Barclay to go back to warn them.

“Then why would he leave?” Viola asked.

“I never saw what happened out in the Sea between Conley and Soren. Even though Tadg warned me not to trust Soren, I still stayed behind to focus on my own work there and let Conley and Soren go after Lochmordra. But Tadg went too—snuck out when I wasn’t paying attention. It was how he bonded with Conley’s Nathermara. After Conley died and the bond broke, Conley’s Nathermara chose Tadg over Soren—as Mythic Beasts can sometimes do. Tadg was stalking Soren at his lecture, trying to confront him, sabotage him. This whole time, I thought he’d been confused about what happened that night, and I never listened to him. Not then, and not now.”

Barclay remembered when Tadg had told Runa that what had happened to his father was “your fault too.” The dark look on Runa’s face made Barclay think she’d taken his words to heart.

“What will happen to Dullshire if Soren finds Gravaldor?” Barclay asked quietly.

“If Soren manages to bond with him, probably nothing,” Runa answered. “But Soren’s failed to bond with a Legendary Beast before. It’s likely Gravaldor will be angry at being woken up by someone trying to control him, and when he’s angry like that, he’s been known to be destructive. Even to leave the Woods.”

“Then what do we hope for?” Viola asked frantically. “If Soren bonds with Gravaldor, he could kill my father! And if he doesn’t, then Gravaldor could destroy half the towns outside the Woods!”

“When Erhart returns, I’m going to request to send out a search team to retrieve both Soren and Tadg.” Runa sighed and rubbed her temples. “Barclay, I’m sure you have something else to ask me?”