INTO THE ENC

e at first-soft hills, taller grass, air rich with the perfume of moss and wild mint. But the deeper Lyria

dreamed

g the roots of a cedar. A stone hummed when she stepped near, as if greeting her. The w

wonder, she fel

pu

e same sensation she felt when she

dn't know why her heart had

e feeling wasn'

lked d

spering

e was so dense it turned day into an emerald dusk. Lyria's footsteps softened

ses hei

t's songs

kle-

h-h

e, lit

ng. That last sound had

low breath.

stle of lea

he resisted. Magic lived in these woods; not all of it was kin

silver flame pulsed faintly under her ri

elcome

t the bottom. She knelt to drink, cupping the cold water in her hands. As she l

en e

pup

elegan

urned s

fur the color of ash and moonlight. Its gaze lo

d, older than her people's stories. They

fed once, the

a wa

ues

echoed in her mind-deep, ancient, femin

led. "You c

old magic. You are flame-ma

ot dangerous unless som

arrowed. "Danger does n

infully. Was she a danger? W

d answer, the g

O

the trees. The wol

the wol

it?" Ly

roken. Somet

ees and vanished. Lyria's pulse s

AS

ped like a boar but plated in living bark-burst

st gua

rup

But something had twisted it. Poison seeped from the cra

led and

FLAME,

up earth and roots. Her wolf senses screamed. Her h

turned, lower

ons. No allies.

inside h

ght. Not now

freedom under the red m

d again, something i

a choice,

alms

rtbeat

burst out like

t her han

OO

chest. It screamed, a deep wooden bellow, and stumbled backward. S

clenched teeth. "I don't want to h

crack split along its back, and a cloud of black, oily m

dian fel

nside her dimmed, retreating like a tide. For a long moment she lis

r, restored. It bowed its heavy head to her-a ges

Sweat and silver light

d, "that's what

on th

ing. The forest seemed to watch her more gently now. S

pain

right

. insi

ay had spoken her name, eve

ething through the leaves. A whisper

den

a fr

not know

felt fa

d tied to

er chest, to the warmth

you?" she

it had begun walking toward him

nd gathered

ahead, paths splitting like

pered again,

rw

yria

se she wa

use she

she was be

d, a prince would soon hear