My heart skipped a beat as I realized that Old Man Harlan knew who I was. "How could you know I was coming for years?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. “I only learned of your existence a few days back.”

  Old Man Harlan chuckled to himself. "Let’s call it an educated guess. You have a destiny, Tristan Silverblade," he replied, his voice low and gravelly. “Would you like to learn more about it?”

  I glanced over at each of my companions. Thalia and Alistair both nodded. They were curious, though not nearly as curious as I was.

  “Anything you could tell me would be greatly appreciated,” I admitted.

  He gestured for us to come into his cave, which was surprisingly well-furnished. The room was lit by torches and candles, a fire crackled in the hearth, and the cave was cozy and warm. My nose filled with the aroma of herbs and plants, the air still chilled from the outside. There were soft cushions on the stone floor, but even as Harlan gestured for us to sit on them, I could feel the chill of the stone on my legs and through my clothes.

  "We don't want to trouble you for long," I said as I watched Thalia and Alistair sit too.

  "No, no. You're no trouble," he said cheerfully. "You have come to discuss your fate. I have seen it in my visions. The trouble comes later," he added with a mirthful little giggle that left me more than a little unsettled.

  I exchanged a glance with Thalia and Alistair. I didn't know much about Harlan, only that he was a herbalist, but Amara hadn't discussed anything about him being a seer…or crazy. It shouldn't have surprised me. Those skills, and side effects, were often linked.

  "What is my destiny?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

  Old Man Harlan fixed his piercing blue eyes on me, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. "You are destined to stop the darkness that is spreading across our land," he said, his voice grave. "You are the one who will bring light to the shadows…or die trying, dooming us all."

  I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his words. "How am I supposed to do that?" I asked. “Preferably without the death and doom part.”

  Harlan smiled softly. "You have a power within you, Tristan," he replied. "A power that has been dormant for far too long. But if you can awaken it, and learn to harness it, you just might come to be unstoppable."

  "What power?" I asked, my heart racing.

  Old Man Harlan leaned forward, his eyes locked on mine. "The power of the ancient gods," he said. "The radiant power of light, magic of the passionate soul. It is the counterbalance to the dark, twisted magic of shadows and sacrifice wielded by our enemies."

  Magic. The word echoed in my mind, and I felt a thrill of excitement run through me. I had always been fascinated by magic, but I had never thought it was real.

  "But why? Why me of all people? There are so many other vassals. So many other courtiers, warriors, nobles…I'm handy with a sword and all but..."

  Most of the time, I kept my hesitation to myself, but there was something about Old Man Harlan. It was as if the way he looked into my eyes compelled me to tell him everything. I wasn't sure, but I thought it might be a kind of magic. This aspect of the world was all so dreadfully new to me, it was like learning horseback riding all over again. Every time I thought I knew what the horse was capable of, I was at risk for falling off.

  Old Man Harlan chuckled. "It's not just your swordsmanship that's caught my eye," he said. "Nor the eye of the Gods. You have a fire in your soul, Tristan. A determination that I have only seen in a select few individuals throughout my extraordinarily long life. You have the potential to be the greatest hero this land has ever known."

  I felt a surge of pride and fear at his words. I had always wanted to be a hero, but the weight of that responsibility was overwhelming.

  “Greater than Matthias Black, who stood alone against the southern hordes and held the bridge of Kadal for three days?” Alistair asked dubiously.

  “Oh yes, greater than him,” Harlan said easily.

  “What about Beatrix the Unbroken? She rose up against the tyrannical Mad King Felix and–”

  “Yes, yes, her too,” Harlan interrupted impatiently. “I said ‘greatest hero the land has ever known’ didn’t I? That rather implies he will be greater than any individual hero either of you two can name. Doesn’t it?”

  Alistair and Thalia contemplated this for a moment.

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  When it appeared they would be silent, Harlan turned to me. “Anyway, as I was sa–”

  “What about King Galen’s court? Now there was a hero’s hero. He and all his knights together were legendary!” Alistair tried, seemingly quite proud of himself.

  Harlan sighed. “Fine. If it will get you to shut up, no, Tristain Silverblade alone is not the equal of King Galen and all the knights of his court. Now please, I’m trying to have a conversation with the chosen one about the great power he has inherited.”

  "How do I harness this power? How do I even know if it's real?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation back down the right path.

  Old Man Harlan leaned back, his eyes still fixed on mine. "It will not be easy," he said. "But I will teach you everything I know. You will need to be patient, and you will need to be brave. But I have faith that you are up to the task."

  I looked at Thalia and Alistair, wondering what they were thinking. They both looked as stunned as I felt, but there was also a sense of excitement in their eyes.

  "Will you teach us too?" Thalia asked suddenly, her voice breaking the silence.

  Old Man Harlan nodded. "I will teach all of you, but Tristan must be the one to lead. His power will far outshine anything you might possess, though there are a handful of spells, incantations, and abilities I can teach you both to help combat shadow magic."

  I felt a weight settle on my shoulders at his words, but also a sense of determination. I had no idea what this ancient-looking man could teach us, but he seemed to have more answers than anyone else we'd met so far, and I wasn't going to let that slip away.

  "We're not just here for your instruction," I said. "Certainly, that is deeply appreciated, but the healer at the palace told us of an herb you might be able to help us with. One that could mitigate the effect of calling forth the Shades."

  For the first time since we'd gone into the cave, Harlan looked troubled.

  "Shades," he whispered, his eyes darting around the room. "I cannot help you with that. Shades are too powerful a foe to expel from this realm, even for me. Where did the palace's healer hear of them?"

  "During the attack. You must have heard of it, even if you don't leave this cave," Alistair offered. "The rebels called upon them. The rebels came into the palace, attacked everyone, and killed dozens of people. They wore an emblem, a triangle inside a broken circle. Are they, perhaps, wizards?"

  Old Man Harlan's face darkened. "They are not mere wizards," he said. "I am a wizard. Those fiends are something far more dangerous. They are the Children of the Void."

  I felt a chill run down my spine at his words. I had heard stories of the Children of the Void, but I had always thought they were nothing more than myth.

  "The Children of the Void?" Thalia said, her voice trembling. "What are they?"

  "The followers of a dark deity, one who was banished from this world long ago," Old Man Harlan explained. "They seek to bring him back, to plunge the world into eternal darkness. They are the ones who called forth the Shades, and they will stop at nothing to achieve their goal."

  "And you think the Children of the Void are part of the rebellion?" I asked.

  "The feuds of tribal human factions do not interest them, or me," Harlan said, disdain written all over his face. "However, if either side is willing to go this far, this might get worse than I anticipated. You need to brace yourself, Tristan."

  I swallowed, my heart beating fast in my chest as I tried to process the information he was giving me. "One step at a time," I said. "The herb? To counteract the Shades?"

  "The herb you speak of is highly dangerous," he said, his voice grave. "It can only be used in small quantities, and even then, it may not be enough to counteract the effects of the Shades. Are you sure this is what you want?"

  "We have no choice," I said firmly. "We need to stop the Shades, and we need your help to do it."

  "I do not have it," he said, his gaze flicking to me again. "But I know where it is. I can tell you where to find it. But you must be careful. The herb you seek is rare, and the creatures that guard it are deadly."

  "Where is it?" I asked eagerly, my heart racing with excitement and fear.

  "Deep within the Dark Forest," he replied. "At the base of the Tree of Shadows."

  My heart sank at his words. The Dark Forest was a place of legend, a place where few dared to venture. I had heard stories of creatures that lurked within its depths, creatures that were said to be able to drive a man insane with fear.

  The rebellion was one thing...but this? This sounded like a suicide mission.

  "Are you sure we can find it? It sounds like we will be going on a wild goose chase," Thalia said, her voice laced with worry.

  Old Man Harlan nodded. "You will find it," he said with certainty. "And I will give you the knowledge you will need to succeed."

  I took a deep breath, trying to quell the fear that was building inside me. I'd always wanted to be a hero. I'd always thought that sword fighting and training were for fun, and being a hero like some of my favorite legends would be a great life. But now, with so much on the line, I realized that an entire kingdom relied on my training for their safety. Now I doubted whether I was up to the task.

  The whole thing thrilled me and terrified me at once. I was going to need to train even harder with Thalia from now on.

  "When do we leave?" I asked.

  "In the morning. You will be safer here under my protection than you may be again for a long, long time. For now? Eat. Rest. Sleep," Harlan said. "You can leave when dawn breaks."

  We spoke a while longer. Ate a meal of rabbit stew he’d been preparing. And enjoyed a few tankards of homemade mead he’d apparently been working on for some time. He claimed to keep bees nearby.

  The food and drink was some of the best I’d ever had. Apparently alchemy and magic lent themselves to a strong mastery over cooking as well. Who would have known?

  As night fell, he set the three of us up on some surprisingly comfortable cots tucked away in the back of his cave. Alistair was snoring happily within seconds of his head hitting the pillow. Thalia started up shortly after him.

  I tried to follow suit, but I barely slept a wink.