Page 16 of King of Forest and Fur

“You okay?” Rehn asked, still on the ground with her.

She nodded as he helped her stand.

“Maybe you can tell us what happened?” came Xanthus’s voice.

Leila and Rehn looked up in surprise. They hadn’t realized that her office was now full of the academy’s personnel.

She saw the eyes of her mentor shoot toward the dead body.

“And maybe what happened to him, as well.”

SIX

REHN

When Rehn had heard the unfamiliar voice, he felt his bear on the defense.

His arm had instinctively gone around Leila, but he could sense her relaxing with recognition.

He finally looked around the office full of people.

Their absence was clearly noticed.

“Professor Xanthus,” Leila said quietly.

Rehn looked over the faces of the people piled into the small room.

The older man who had addressed Leila stood in front of the others. Behind him was the Director, Tressa, then a blonde wavy-haired woman, much shorter than the others. Then, Rehn saw his team, including Idris, on the flanks of the professors.

Rehn nodded at Idris’s questioning look, letting him know he was fine. Other matters were more pressing at the moment.

The older man, who Leila referred to as Xanthus, stepped forward to put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Reluctantly, Rehn removed his own protective grasp on her. It seemed unnecessary with everyone around. Though, his bear still felt the need to be close to her.

“You traveled through time, didn’t you?” the old sage asked. His gold eyes seemed to already know the answer.

Leila may know the man, but Rehn still felt protective over her. His bear would allow nothing less.

“How do you know that? She’s never done it before.” Rehn was slightly unnerved. Old beings had that effect on him. And this man was older than any other sorcerers he had met.

“I could feel it,” Xanthus answered without even looking at Rehn. His eyes were locked on Leila.

And her eyes were wide with excited terror.

“Tell me, what was different from our own lessons? How did it feel?”

Rehn realized this sage must be Leila’s mentor. The one she had been practicing time-jumping with.

“It was so powerful, Professor,” Leila whispered. “I don’t know what triggered it, but I could just feel this…this surge course through me like a heartbeat.”

“Do you have any idea what could have triggered it?” the man questioned.

Everyone else stayed silent.

“No. That man was attacking me, then Rehn—I mean, the king, broke in as I could feel everything change and the next thing I know, we’re in the past. All of us.”

Tressa, the director, stepped forward.

---