“Yes.” She stepped toward me. “I’m here to help. Do you remember what I told you?”

“That the world will burn if I don’t stop it,” I said, but she only stared at me, so I added, “And to follow the lone white elk.”

She cocked her head, listening to a far-off rumbling. “To stop the world from burning, you must do as I say.”

“Okay,” I replied uncertainly.

“Do you hear that?” Her wide, dark eyes set on the horizon, toward the increasingly thunderous sound.

Before I could answer, she took off running toward it, and I chased after her. Over the rolling hills, I saw the antlers, and then the herd crested the hill. Hundreds of giant woolly elk with their broad velvety antlers; their massive hooves shook the earth. They curved across the land, rounding their way down into the valley, loping toward us.

“We should get out of the way,” I said nervously.

“No.” She smiled serenely. “We called for them.”

“Why?”

“It’s the only way.” She stayed perfectly still, and the elk parted around us. The giant beasts trampled the earth as they flowed past us.

And then, walking slowly and towering over the rest, was the albino woolly elk. The cinnamon-red eyes were on me as he broke away from the others, taking cautious strides toward us.

I stepped closer, and when he lowered his head, I reached out, gently petting the coarse fur of his snout.

“What are you doing here?” I asked softly.

Pale, long lashes fluttered as the beast blinked at me, and then suddenly, he threw his head back and let out an ear-shattering bleat. He stumbled backward, and the rest of the herd scattered.

The white elk fell to the ground with a final, laborious breath, and that’s when I saw the blood pouring from the underside of the animal, spilling into the ground.

The woman started laughing, cackling really. Both of her arms were soaked with blood. In one hand she held a massive dagger, and in the other she held the giant, still-beating heart of the elk.

“What did you do?” I screamed.

“I got what I needed.” Her appearance shifted—her lips puffier, her eyes slightly smaller, and the hook-shaped scar appeared on her cheek.

The woman in the gown of flowers was Illaria, Eliana’s twin sister.

“You were the only one the albino elk would come to, so I disguised myself as Senka and invaded your mind. You fell for it much faster than I thought you would.”

“What have you done?” I felt dazed and sick, and the sky was crumbling around us. Clouds fell like meteors and crashed into the dirt.

Illaria just threw back her head as she laughed, and before my eyes, she disappeared into the air, letting hostile winds carry her away.