Now that Greenspring was traveling with us, I felt a lot more confident about our journey. Sure, Nia and I could fend off an attack or two, but having a master magician with us made us unstoppable. Well, two master magicians. Though I would never call myself that out loud. Beth wouldn’t let me live it down.

  Even the mules seemed to be in better spirits. They happily trotted along the path, making better time than before. It was annoying that they hadn’t kept that pace before, but I didn’t complain. I was too happy to complain. So happy that I missed every sign of danger we passed. But who would have noticed a few leaves not rustling in the trees?

  “We are being followed,” said Greenspring, tightening his grip on his staff.

  “They’re in the trees,” replied Nia, holding onto her axe.

  “Can someone hand me my mandolin?” I asked, holding onto the reins with one hand. Beth carefully passed it to me, her eyes wide with fear. “Thanks. I have an idea, but I’m going to need you guys to be quiet.”

  Not waiting for a reply, I dropped the reins and got ready to play. There were a few spells I knew that could help us find our stalker, but I wanted to test something first. Using Kingmaker, I could mimic the sounds of nature to cover footsteps. It wasn’t a spell Piopus had taught me, it was something I came up with as a child.

  I wasn’t sure how I figured it out, I’ve known how to do it for as long as I could walk. Back then, I would hum the spell so that I could secretly swipe food from the kitchen. Beth and Zadona also learned it from me. That was how Piopus discovered me, and why he chose to tutor me.

  If Zadona still used that spell, then all I needed to do was cancel the song with my own playing. It was a difficult technique even the greatest bards had trouble with. Every bard liked to put a spin on their own songs so another bard couldn’t counter them. Zadona didn’t know this, at least I hoped she didn’t.

  A major, G minor, E major. Repeating each chord over and over again until your own song faded away into silence. That was how the song was supposed to go, but by playing it backward, I began to hear her humming.

  Zadona noticed it as well. Before I could react, three arrows flew through the air toward us. Thankfully, I wasn’t the only one casting a spell. Three vines burst out of the ground beside our cart, catching and crushing the arrows mid-air. Beth froze, the color drained from her face as she stared at the imposing figure in the trees. Our childhood friend aimed her bow at our cart, aiming to kill.

  If it weren’t for her weapon, I wouldn’t have seen her. Her brown tunic blended with the surrounding trees, every detail perfect as far as I could tell. To help with the camouflage effect, she had hidden her hair under a wool cap. She had a focused look in her red eyes. No anger, no hate, only the desire to finish the job.

  My throat ran dry. I forced myself to focus on the issue at hand. If she was still the Zadona I knew from my youth, then I knew she wouldn’t stop until Greenspring was dead. But I also knew she would never willingly hurt Beth or me. The Zadona I grew up with could never. Before I could call out to her, the mules acted on their own and began running away. I let go of my mandolin and grabbed the reins, but it was too late.

  Zadona jumped from tree to tree, easily following as we charged down the path. Each time she loosed an arrow at us, Greenspring or Nia blocked it. I tried my best to keep the cart steady, but the mules were truly frightened. Beth was too. She sat frozen in the middle of the cart. It rattled and shook as the mules hauled us down the uneven path.

  “Greenspring!” I called out. “Can you calm them down?”

  “Great spirit of the forest, protect us!” yelled Greenspring. More vines sprang from the earth to knock Zadona’s barrage of arrows away from us. “I do not have enough time. You will have to stop them yourself, Norman.”

  “Nia? A little help?”

  Breaking a piece of wood off the side of the cart, Nia used it as a shield to block two arrows from hitting Greenspring. “Do it yourself, Norman!”

  Froth spilled from the mules’ mouths. Like me, they were scared. Thankfully, I had an outlet for my fear. Wrapping the reins around my arm, I grabbed my mandolin. Even with the cart barreling along the path, I was sure I could still play. My head swiveled around, looking for any sign of Zadona.

  We locked eyes for a brief moment. Focusing on that, I began to play. My fingers dashed across the strings. It didn’t matter what I played, it only mattered that I played. Using music, I tried to reach deep inside Zadona’s soul. Her eyes widened.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  I lost sight of her as our cart took a wild turn. Nia pushed me to the side as an arrow whipped through the air where I’d been. We prepared ourselves for the next barrage, but nothing came. Beth crawled toward me and grabbed my arm. I kissed her forehead and held her close, but my eyes were focused on the trees. There was no sign of Zadona.

  Once the barrage of arrows stopped, the mules calmed down. They slowed to a crawl before stopping. Greenspring immediately jumped from the cart to aid them. Nia watched the trees for Zadona. Beth fainted in my arms, unable to cope with the thought of Zadona attacking us. I felt the same way.

  What happened to her? Why was she hunting down druids? My head hurt so badly I had to lie down. Nia and Greenspring moved around me. They didn’t know what to do. None of us did. This trip was already a mess.

  Beth woke up after a few minutes, still appearing drowsy for some time. For the next hour, no one spoke. Nia and Greenspring repaired the cart and helped the mules. Beth and I tried gathering our thoughts about the whole event. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t feel any anger toward Zadona. In the end, she stopped, right?

  “Shouldn’t be more than a day’s journey to Adelbern,” said Nia, finally breaking the silence. Since the mules were too tired, we decided to set up camp for the night. The wood in our campfire crackled as the wind blew through the empty trees above.

  “That’s good,” said Beth, nodding her head. There was silence once more.

  “I am sorry for being so foolish,” said Greenspring, hanging his head. “I should have known I would be attacked as soon as I left Kareth.”

  “It’s not your fault,” I replied.

  “By traveling with you, I am putting you all in danger,” said Greenspring. “How could this not be my fault?”

  “You weren’t the one attacking us,” said Nia.

  I nodded. “Right, it’s Zadon—It’s that archer’s fault.”

  “So you really think that was Zadona?” asked Beth.

  In the back of my mind, I knew it was her. Outside of the Kingdom of Kanta, there were very few Kanta elves. I doubted any of them would have reacted like that to my music. Still, I held some hope that it wasn’t her. That it was all a mistake. Somehow, I hoped that Zadona was waiting for us in Adelbern, and this was all a misunderstanding.

  But I wasn’t a fool. “Most likely, yes.”

  “You said you guys were friends when you were younger, yeah?” asked Nia. “Did she ever talk about druids, or mention that she hates old people?”

  I laughed. “No, I can’t recall her ever saying something like that.”

  “Maybe this has something to do with her boss,” said Beth. “Could her boss have something against druids?”

  “Why would someone hate druids so much they want to kill them?” I asked. Druids were known as helpers. Never once had I met someone who hated druids. Disliked them maybe, but never violent hate.

  I looked at Greenspring, but he was focused on a patch of grass growing by the fire. Small sparks flew from the fire, barely missing the grass. It only took one ember of fire to make the entire patch light up in flames. He smashed his staff into the small wildfire, putting it out instantly.

  “This world is larger than we can even imagine,” said Greenspring. “Believe me, I have traveled much of it. Could this elf be your friend Zadona? I do not know. What I do know is, she attacked us. We must be prepared for whatever may come. I am sorry, Norman, Beth, but if I see any of our lives in danger, I will not hesitate to act.”

  “Neither will I,” said Nia.

  Beth and I exchanged a quick look. Whatever happened to Zadona—between when we had known her and now—had changed her. That much was true. All we could do was be ready to defend ourselves when the time came.

  Nia took the first watch. As the others settled down to sleep, I pulled out Zadona’s letter and read it one more time. There had to be some kind of message that I missed, some sign of her true intentions. I had to know her reasons for attacking us. It took me a few minutes to find it in my bag, but when I did, I found two letters. One that I had received in Xalir, and another I’d never seen before. Opening the second letter, I tried to make out the hastily written script in the dying embers of our fire.

  Norman,

  I’m sorry. I would never hurt you or Beth. It’s important to me that you know that. However, I must warn you to be cautious of the company you keep. That druid you’re traveling with, I have heard many foul things about him. Hopefully, he has not twisted your mind to his wicked intentions. Be safe, my friend, I will watch your back until you make it to the safety of Adelbern. Please tell Beth I’m sorry, I didn’t have time to write a letter for her as well.

  Your friend,

  Zadona Meyer.

  I read the letter with a frown on my face. Beth was asleep, so I couldn’t discuss it with her. Even so, I didn’t want her to see it. Greenspring was my friend. He risked his life to help save Arienne and Henry from the harska. I witnessed him save Tamara. There was no way he was evil. So why did these lines, scribbled onto a scrap of paper, spark a sense of dread?

  Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Nia watching me. Could she read what the letter said? I glanced at Greenspring, he was fast asleep. Then I looked back at the fire. Before it could die out, I tossed the letter onto it. The flames licked at the edges of the paper before devouring the whole thing in a quick blaze.

  With my back to the fire, I tried to sleep. It was a cold, restless night.