Chapter 11
“Amina, thou bringest no strangers into our sanctuary without my express leave!” Svetlana chastised the young witch upon discovering that she had saved a man from drowning.
Worse, he was human—and humans could rarely be trusted with the secrets of the magical world.
“Svetlana, he would have perished had I not stepped in on his behalf,” Amina argued, her voice steady despite her mentor's fury. “He hath done no wrong, save that he knoweth not how to swim. Why should he be doomed unto death for so small a fault?”
“Amina, thy heart is pure; and though such a gift may serve thee well, it may yet turn upon thee in ways thou canst not begin to reckon,” Svetlana lectured, her tone softening just a fraction out of genuine concern. “Thou canst not succor every desperate soul that cros
