The coven scoured every inch of the protected space in the forest but to no avail. The witches had concluded that Princess Soraya had gone out of bounds. Night fell, and most of the coven members had returned to the hole. Only Aster, Adrian, and Anton were still searching. They had left the enchanted perimeter, leaving the smell of mint and incense.
It was getting even darker so that even Aster’s glow could no longer aid them in their search. The forest had gone eerily quiet. The trio could not even hear the usual owls hooting. It was as if the forest creatures had fallen off the face of the earth.
“We need to go back to the caves, Adrian. I will try to link with her through my mind – see where she is and if she is safe,” Lady Aster said softly, putting a hand on the stablehand’s shou
