your blade and your enemy won’t survive,” Ayela said.
“Blackwort is dangerous, Child,” Hazel said from behind them. “Where did you learn to make such a thing?”
Ayela shrugged innocently. “My mother taught me. She taught me about most of the medicines and poisons I know how to make.”
“Ah, well, who am I to question a mother’s wisdom,” Hazel said. “Make sure you scrub that pot with sand before you use it for your dinner.” Hazel left quickly, almost too quickly.
“Thank you, Ayela,” Isabel said. “I’m always amazed at the wonders nature has to offer.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Ayela said, looking down into the fire and falling silent.
Isabel waited for her to continue.
“I’m going to miss you, Isabel. I’ve never had many friends. It’s nice to have someone to talk to who treats me like a person, like an equal.”
“It’s not too late to change your mind,” Isabel said. “You can still come with us.”
“I know, but the more I think about it, the more certain I am that my place is here, for now anyway.”
“I hope you’re right,” Isabel said.
The following morning, Isabel woke suddenly. She’d been dreaming of Alexander, except the dream seemed more real than most and he’d been desperate to find her, to warn her.
Hazel was sitting by the fire. She turned and looked at Isabel as if she knew.
“Release your hold over Hector and Horace,” Isabel said. “Return our weapons and let us go, today.”
“You’re hardly in a position to be making demands,” Hazel said.
“I know you’ve been lying to us,” Isabel said. “I know the Sin’Rath have moved on, yet you continue with your lies. What’s your game?”
“I give you shelter in my home and this is how you repay me?” Hazel said. “With baseless accusations and suspicion?”
“My husband came to my dreams last night and warned me about you.”
“Impossible,” Hazel said, though Isabel could sense growing alarm from the old witch. “This place is protected from such magic.”
“Alexander is very persistent and more powerful than you might imagine,” Isabel said. “What’s more, he knows where you live. I’d be very careful if I were you.”
“Don’t threaten me,” Hazel snapped. “Even if I believed you, your husband is a world away. You left him, remember? He can hardly help you and I doubt very much he would long mourn your loss.”
“Don’t count on that,” Alexander said, materializing beside Isabel. “It took me quite a while to figure out your defenses. I have to admit, even I was surprised by what I learned in the process, but that’s beside the point. If you harm Isabel, I will wage total war against you until I have your head. I will set aside my battle with Phane and postpone my war with Zuhl and I will focus all of my efforts on finding you and killing you.”
“How can this be?” Hazel said, standing with a look of shock and dismay. “My defenses have never been breached. They’re impenetrable.”
“Are they now?” Alexander said.
Hazel’s eyes narrowed and a bit of the color drained from her face. “It can’t be … yet how can it be otherwise? You’re like the one who watches.”
Alexander smiled ever so slightly, just to communicate understanding to the old witch without revealing the existence of Siduri to Isabel. He wasn’t ready for her to have that information, not as long as Phane had his hooks in her.
Hazel looked around like a trapped rat.
“There’s nowhere to run, nowhere to hide,” Alexander said. “But I’ll make you a deal—release Isabel and her companions, all of them, and I’ll leave you alone.”
Something within Hazel seemed to snap, as if years of planning and effort was about to be washed away and it was more than she could take.
“Never,” she snarled savagely, tossing a pinch of powder into Isabel’s face. “You can have your wife, she’s more trouble than she’s worth, but the rest are mine.”
Isabel slumped to her knees and fell over. A glance at her colors told Alexander that she was alive but unconscious.
“If you know what I am, then you know there’s nowhere you can hide,” Alexander said. “Especially now that I’ve figured out how to penetrate your warding spells. Release them and I will leave you in peace.”
“I can’t,” Hazel said. “I need them. I’m so close. You don’t understand. I’ve been working for over a century to defeat the Sin’Rath, and now I finally have the means, but I can’t do it without them.” She pointed to Hector, Horace, and Ayela who were standing