Chapter Twenty-Two
Matilda’s feet hurt. They’d been walking along the edge of the lake most of the morning. At first, she’d appreciated the space to think.
Her memories of the previous day were still hazy. She knew she’d talked to The Lady for a while and sat at the table, but she couldn’t remember any more than that. And she didn’t recall how Aldrei the dragon played a part. Somehow, she knew the sound of his voice. Of everything that she remembered that was one detail that remained.
Aldrei’s voice.
To make her even more anxious, she also couldn’t be sure if she had or hadn’t done something magical. A soldier had attacked her until steam had jetted from her hand somehow absorbing the puddle.
Everyone knew magic existed, but like the Fog, it was the stuff of stories. People didn’t per
