The Shade was gone, but I could still feel its presence lingering in the air. We all wordlessly agreed to head back to Harlan's cave as quickly as possible. It wasn't a discussion, we just all got up and moved in that direction.

  Alistair carried the boy over his shoulder. The boy was limp, but we didn't know if that was more because of shock than anything else. So far as we could tell, he was okay. His breathing was coming out evenly like he was just sleeping, but we didn't know if he was going to get any worse. We were all exhausted and rattled by the experience of facing down a Shade and living to tell the tale, but we had to keep going. Even if the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other felt surreal after the fight we'd just had.

  When we got back to the cave, Harlan said we should go to the palace immediately. He could not possibly treat the boy here. They needed that Amelie girl, Amy, something or another. His words flew at me and barely registered, as I still felt mostly numb and entirely too drained to process so many words. The gist of what he said was logical, at least. We needed to take the herb back to Amara so we could fight against the Shades when they cropped up again. Otherwise, we would need to fight those things again... and again. And again.

  Harlan had his hands full. He was surprisingly spry as he attended to several villagers at once, some with more serious injuries than others. The cave was bustling with activity and some of the villagers–those who had scrapes rather than injuries–had volunteered to help him out.

  That's why I didn't feel too bad about leaving him and making our way back to the palace. After confronting a Shade myself, I could see just how dangerous they were. If I hadn't interfered, that boy would most certainly have died.

  Alistair asked what we were waiting for, picking the boy back up and heading out once again.

  Though we were tired from our battle, Thalia and I joined him and we all started back towards the palace.

  We didn't stop once. We didn't talk much, either. For once, there was no threat of any raiders attacking us.

  But there was something else.

  I could feel it–we all could feel it.

  The Shade; hiding, lurking nearby. Stalking us. Ready to pounce.

  We walked faster, our swords at the ready. Alistair adjusted his hold on the boy, making sure he was secure. Thalia kept her eyes peeled for any sign of danger. And I led the way, my senses on high alert.

  We were almost at the palace gates before we heard it.

  A low growling sound, coming from behind us.

  We spun around, our swords at the ready.

  And that's when we saw it.

  The Shade.

  The same one from the village.

  It must have reformed itself and followed us all the way here. So quickly? My mouth dried as I realized that, by going back to the palace, we had likely put everyone here at risk.

  It was larger than before, its eyes glowing with a fierce intensity. I could feel the darkness within me stirring once again, rising like the hairs on the back of my neck in the presence of this unnatural threat. But this time I fought to keep it under control. We couldn't afford any mistakes, and I did not long to feel that same wild energy coursing through me unless I absolutely had to.

  Thalia charged forward, her sword held high. Alistair and I followed, flanking her on both sides.

  The Shade met us head-on, its claws slashing at us with deadly precision.

  We were outnumbered and outmatched, but we fought with everything we had. Blow after blow, we clashed with the Shade, pushing it back inch by inch.

  But it was relentless, its attacks becoming more and more frantic as we pressed our advantage. I could feel its anger and frustration, its hatred for us burning like a brand in the air. It sought our destruction with the same mindless intensity as fire sought to destroy anything it could reach.

  As we continued to attack, it seemed to get angrier, as if we were feeding it. Alistair was somewhat slowed by the boy on his back, but

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  he still fought valiantly. Thalia was a blur of motion, her sword flashing in the moonlight. And I... I could feel the darkness within me growing stronger with each passing moment.

  The Shade was strong, but I was determined to be stronger. I channeled all of my anger and fear into my strikes, letting the darkness take over completely. It engulfed me, leaving me feeling like I was barely treading water with nothing but my mouth and nose up in the air as the current threatened to take me away.

  And then something unexpected happened.

  The Shade swiped towards Thalia's unprotected flank, and all the fear and fury coursing through my veins suddenly didn't matter. I moved to intercept the blow and neatly lopped off the Shade's hand just behind its wrist.

  My blade was once again coursing with dark energy as I leveled at my foe and prepared to strike once more.

  Only this time I felt balanced. It was a fragile thing. Like a coin that landed on its rim rather than one side or the other. But for this moment while it lasted, I was in control and the darkness obeyed me.

  The Shade hesitated, as if it could sense the change in me. Its attacks slowed, and it seemed almost...uncertain.

  I seized the opportunity, driving my gleaming black sword into the Shade's chest with all my might. It let out a final, terrible shriek of pain, and then it was gone.

  But I knew it wasn't dead. Nothing could kill these blasted things, no matter how much we tried. Not until we got to Amara.

  We stood there, panting and bleeding, staring at the spot where the Shade had been only moments before. I could feel the darkness within me receding, leaving me feeling weak and drained.

  But we had won. Twice. That had to count for something, right?

  As we made our way into the palace, people stopped and stared. I wasn't surprised, our quest had been dangerous, and many likely hadn't expected us to come back. For a second, I thought that maybe that had been the point. Maybe the king hadn't wanted me to fulfill my quest, maybe he had wanted me to die. Then I shook my head–there was no need for me to be paranoid. I was here for a reason. The king had made me part of his council for a reason.

  I had managed to escape the Tree for a reason.

  As we walked through the palace, we could hear whispers and murmurs from the people around us. They were discussing the Shade that we had defeated, and I could sense their fear and uncertainty. They knew that we were fighting a losing battle, but they also knew that we were their only hope.

  When we finally made it to Amara, we were exhausted and covered in bruises and blood. The healer took one look at us and knew that something was wrong. I didn't know how long we had been gone for, but she looked worse for wear. Her hair was sticking to her face with sweat.

  "Did you find anything?" she asked, her voice surprisingly sharp despite how softly she spoke.

  "Yes," Thalia replied. "We found something...but we have no idea how to use it."

  "That's okay. I can help you with that," she said. "You look terrible."

  "All of us?"

  "All of you," she said, then her gaze landed on the boy. "What happened to him?"

  "He was attacked by a Shade," Thalia said. "Tristan stepped in and helped him, but...it might have been too late. We haven't been able to rouse him since then."

  Amara paled. "He survived?"

  "He did," I said. "And the Shade followed us here. We need to address this quickly, or I fear more people will be in danger."

  "You're right, milord. Get him on a bed."

  Alistair did as she said while Amara asked about the rest of our adventures. Thalia told her everything; she sounded like she needed to get it over her chest.

  As Amara listened, her expression grew grimmer and grimmer. When Thalia finished speaking, Amara shook her head. "I feared as much. We've been seeing an increase in Shade attacks over the past few weeks, but this is the first time they've attacked a village so close to the palace. It shouldn't surprise me after their raid here, but I suppose they're getting bolder," she said, taking a sharp breath. Her hands were fists at her side. "They're getting smarter. More dangerous. We need to find a way to stop them before they destroy us all."

  "The herb," I said.

  "We don't have enough to beat all of them," Amara said. "Maybe to stave them off for a bit, but..."

  "Well, it's something. We have to try something! We can't just roll over and die, dammit," I realized I sounded desperate, and I knew my anger was from being exhausted and scared. I didn't want to run into one of the Shades again. Just this one following us sent a shiver down my spine. But I wasn't wrong. We had to fight. There was no alternative.

  Amara nodded; her eyes serious. "You're right. We'll use what we have to buy us some time. But we need a plan. We can't keep fighting them off like this forever."

  "What about the council?" Thalia asked. "Can't we ask for their help?"

  Amara shook her head. "The council is useless. They're too busy arguing amongst themselves to be of any real use. No, we'll have to come up with a plan on our own."

  "Okay," I said, taking charge. "Let's start by fortifying the palace. We'll need to set up more defenses and have patrols around the perimeter. We can't let the Shades get any closer to us."

  Thalia nodded in agreement. "And we need to train more soldiers. Recruit every able-bodied man and woman and put a weapon in their hands. Even if it's just a spear. Everyone needs to know how to fight these things."

  "But we also need to find their source," Alistair added. "Where do they keep coming from? How can we stop them?"

  Amara's face twisted in thought. "We'll figure it out," she said. "For the time being, we need to figure out the one that's attached to you. And we need to get rid of it once and for all."