Page 146 of The Warlock's Trial

My eyes caught sight of a small clearing not far from us, with a structure rising in the center of it. It was hard to make out what it was at this distance.

I squeezed Nadine’s hand. “Stay close.”

We crept through the forest, staying low as we came closer to the clearing. The structure came into view, and I saw that it was a small cottage. It must’ve been here for a long time, because the forest had grown up on all sides of it, except for at the front of the building.

The clearing wasn’t very big, just enough to house a long table, a small garden that had already been harvested for the year, and a burning fire pit with a cauldron over it. Vegetables were laid out over the table, like someone was in the middle of preparing for a meal.

“What is this place?” Nadine whispered.

I shook my head. “I have no idea.”

The front door of the cottage swung open so hard it slammed against the side of the building. A figure cloaked in black stomped outside. I grabbed Nadine’s shoulder, and we ducked behind a set of trees. I peered around the tree trunk and watched the mysterious cloaked figure move around the clearing. He picked up a few sticks from a nearby pile and snapped them apart violently, before adding them to the fire. He was obviously pissed about something.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the mysterious man. Something inside of me drew me to him, like my magic resonated with his. I didn’t know why, but I felt like I had to go to him. I barely knew what I was doing when I stood and stepped out from behind the tree.

“Lucas,” Nadine hissed, but I hardly heard her. I had to speak to this man. Something deep within me told me he held the answers I so desperately searched for.

The man bent to put more wood in the fire. Without turning, he spoke. “You don’t have to sneak up on me. I already know you’re there, Lucas.”

I stopped dead at the edge of the clearing. The voice wasn’t anything like I expected.

The figure turned and stood, then pushed the hood of their cloak back. Shock riveted through me as I witnessed a woman standing before me. She wasn’t a young, new reaper as we suspected. She had wrinkles across her skin, and her dark curls were beginning to gray. The woman had to be in her sixties, at least. She knew my name, but I didn’t recognize her.

“You’re a reaper,” I said breathlessly.

“A Reaper’s Apprentice, technically,” she replied as she crossed the clearing to grab another log from a stack against the house. “I’d be hard-pressed to join the Reaper Order. How did you find me?”

“I followed your portal,” I replied.

She paused for a beat, eyeing me. “Hmph… you’re a more talented reaper than I gave you credit for.”

Nadine stepped up beside me. “I wouldn’t underestimate him.”

The woman placed her log next to the fire but didn’t throw it in. She brushed her hands off on her cloak. “Relax, Nadine. I’m not going to hurt either one of you. I am going to ask you both to leave, though. You shouldn’t be here.”

I stepped further into the clearing. “I’m not going anywhere until you give us answers. You’re a fucking Reaper’s Apprentice?”

She pulled up her sleeve to show the skull mark on the inside of her arm. “Something like that. It’s hard to be an apprentice without a master.”

I scoffed. “Tell me about it. How do you know our names?”

“Everyone knows your names,” she replied calmly. “I may have left the coven long ago, but I’ve been watching you, Lucas.”

“What the hell does that mean?” I demanded.

She shook her head and turned to the table. She grabbed a carrot and began snapping pieces off and tossing them into the cauldron, like she needed something to do with her hands. “Like I said, you shouldn’t be here.”

Nadine spoke boldly, ignoring her last statement. “You know our names. Perhaps you’d be kind enough to provide yours.”

The woman whirled back toward us. “I will give you no such thing. You weren’t supposed to find out I exist. Go home, before you start asking questions you don’t want to know the answers to.”

I planted my feet firmly in the dirt and crossed my arms. I wasn’t going anywhere. “You killed those Executors in the woods.”

She breathed a heavy sigh. “Yes. They were getting too close to discovering you. I had to do what was necessary to protect you.”

“You left their bodies behind, like some sort of warning,” I accused.

She smirked, like the notion was ridiculous. “No. I intended to get rid of them, but your friends showed up before I could.”

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