She stood on the forest trail. She couldn’t see the enemy. All she could see was the stag crumpled in front of her, dying. She watched as the stag changed back into a man. As the blue eyes dimmed, Neall gasped one word: “Morag.”

Gasping for air, Morag flung herself out of bed and stumbled to the window, clawing at the shutters to get them open. She sank to her knees, clinging to the windowsill as she worked to steady her breathing. Her heart pounded in her chest, racing ahead of the fear that threatened to consume her.

It was the third time she’d had this dream. The first time had been the night before she left Bretonwood with Ashk. She’d lain awake the rest of that night, too frightened of what might be waiting for her if she fell asleep again.

The next morning, as they were getting ready to leave Bretonwood, she’d almost asked Morphia if she had sent the dream. But the Sleep Sister wouldn’t have shaped a dream like that and sent it to someone she cared about, and certainly not to her own sister.

Unless it was a true dream, a warning of danger.

But how could she protect Neall and Ari when she didn’t know what the enemy looked like? How could she recognize what she couldn’t see?

Feeling brittle, Morag pushed herself to her feet, then staggered over to the wash basin. She poured water into the basin, dipped her hands into the soothing coolness, and splashed her face. When she felt steadier, she straightened up, letting the water drip down her face and neck.

After that first time, she had almost convinced herself that it had been nothing more than a bad dream conjured up from the depths of her mind and cobbled together with images of some of the frightful things she’d seen since the Inquisitors came to Sylvalan last summer. If it had come to her only that one night, she might have dismissed it as nothing more than that. But…three times. No, she couldn’t dismiss a dream that returned to haunt her.

So. Danger was coming. Something that terrified Ari. Something that would kill Neall if she couldn’t stop it. But there was the babe in the ponycart to consider. Ari still had several more weeks before the babe was due. There was time to continue the journey with Ashk and give the Hunter whatever help she could before she turned back and returned to Bretonwood.

Morag went back to bed and sank into restless, but dreamless, sleep.

Chapter 9

new moon

Liam rubbed his hands over his face, then leaned back in his chair to stare at the sheet of paper on his desk.