‘Now, what are you doing out here all alone?’ The witch’s voice was as calm and steady as it had been that day at the castle, and it grated on Sapphire’s nerves.

‘I got lost,’ Sapphire said.

‘Almost one hundred miles of black water lie between Astral and where you’re standing, princess.’

‘Like I said, I got lost.’

‘Clearly.’ The girl’s lips twitched, and Sapphire chewed on the inside of her cheek, considering her next move.

‘What are you doing out here?’ Sapphire finally asked.

‘I don’t owe you my secrets.’

Sapphire felt off-kilter in this conversation, one step behind. ‘You’re a Shadow Witch.’

‘A thrilling observation.’

‘So, your magic …’ Sapphire wasn’t sure how to ask the question she so badly wanted answered.

Ashes tilted her head and fixed Sapphire with an unfaltering stare, stripping her bare, ripping back layers of flesh and psyche until she could have sworn she could feel her swimming in the marrow of her bones.

‘I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.’

A faint malicious laugh floated through the air, and Sapphire could have sworn the world around her darkened.

Sapphire tried not to flinch as Ashes stepped closer to her, the orb in her hand shifting to something dark, radiating shadows.

Ashes looked amused.

‘They should know better than to let you explore the forest at such a late hour. There are all sorts of vile monstrosities out here that would love to sink their teeth into something like you.’

‘Speaking from experience?’

Ashes shook her head, laughing. ‘Perhaps. But I’m a fair bit prettier than most, wouldn’t you agree?’

Sapphire broke the witch’s stare, attempting to gather herself together, before warm hands reached out in the dark, grabbing her by the chin and forcing her focus back.

‘I could kill you, you know,’ she whispered, her fingers tightening like a vice. ‘My shadows could devour you whole. Can’t you hear them begging me to let them?’

Sapphire tried to summon her courage, the courage that had earned her a dagger and a place at the Home. The courage she had desperately held to as she stared down the new world around her.

‘But you won’t.’

‘Not tonight, little lamb,’ Ashes agreed. ‘But there’s a time for everything.’

Sapphire blinked a few times, unable to follow what the witch could possibly mean. Ashes smirked like she could read Sapphire’s mind.

‘Do you always speak in riddles? Or does keeping me in the dark really excite you that much?’ Sapphire finally asked.

‘Are you interested in knowing what excites me, princess?’ Ashes reached out, tracing her thumb across the back of Sapphire’s hand. ‘I’d be,’ the smallest smudge of shadow lingered on Sapphire’s skin before the wind carried it away, ‘delighted to teach you.’

Sapphire recoiled, baring her teeth.

‘Don’t touch me.’