Chapter 28
That afternoon, I followed Thorne out the small wooden door in the castle wall and across the flower-spangled meadow to the Darkwood. My pulse sped as we approached the cool shadows beneath the trees. Now that I’d trained my fire sorcery in Parnese, would the forest turn against me? It hadn’t during the journey up from Portknowe, but I’d been riding through it, not deliberately setting foot beneath the trees.
I was glad to be in the Galadhir’s company. With every step, I concentrated on keeping my flames quiet—slumbering coals in my belly and nothing more.
Just before we entered the fringe of cedars, Thorne took my hand.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I won’t let the Darkwood harm you.”
“I’m not afraid,” I said, and it was mostly true.
Together, we strode into the trees. A breez
