Page 1 of King of Forest and Fur

ONE

LEILA

Leila’s dark determined eyes were focused on the book. If she could move it to where it had been earlier, it would be more than she had been able to do all year. And if she actually went back in time with the book, then her training could actually begin. But the more she tried, the more frustrated she grew.

An angry tear pushed into her eye. She didn’t want to show just how disappointed she was. If she did, she was afraid she’d drop to her knees right there from exhaustion and disappointment.

“I can’t, Xanthus. We’ve been trying for over a year now.” Her shoulders slumped finally as she dropped her hands to her sides, letting her raven curls hide her shamed face.

She felt her mentor’s hand rest comfortingly on her shoulder.

“Leila, come now. You know better than to think like that. Especially in my presence.”

She let out a sigh before finding a lone stool in the now-empty conservatory.

“Maybe I don’t have the abilities you think I do,” she finally said after a moment. She wanted to believe in herself as much as Xanthus did, but with no progress, she was finding it hard to stay positive.

The gentle and wise sage looked at her with softness.

“You, Leila, have more power than you could ever imagine. We just need to figure out how to tap into your time manipulation.” Xanthus sat across from her. She could feel his deep golden eyes daring her to say her thoughts.

“Maybe I can’t manipulate time,” she said finally, barely audible. “Maybe I can only do what I’m doing now. Just because I’m beyond average at foresight, doesn’t mean I can wield more than that.” Before she could delve further into her own self-pity, she heard a harsh scoff. Her deep brown eyes shot up at her disapproving mentor.

“This isn’t like you. To toil in your own failures. You don’t settle for anything less than the best, why is it so hard to expect the same thing from your powers?”

Leila was growing agitated that he believed in her so much. Too much.

She stood up suddenly, her Sorcerer Academy plum robes billowing around her.

“I know I have the means. But for the life of me, I can’t access them. We have tried everything! And if you can’t help me tap in and hone them in, then no one can.” Her outburst had caught her off guard, but she was exhausted from their practicing and her patience was almost worn out.

Yet, Xanthus stayed calm and unfazed by her sporadic outrage.

Leila admired Xanthus for that. Well, her and everyone else in the supernatural community. He wasn’t only wise, but he was a revered figure. He had a staple place in Leila’s life as her mentor, as well as the university.

“How do you do that?”

A small smile pulled his gray-bearded face. “Do what?”

“That,” Leila said, exasperated, sitting back down again.

“A life of practice. I wasn’t always this well-mannered.” He chuckled.

Leila thought about how little she actually knew about the man who had become one of her closest confidants.

“So, will I ever know as much about you as you know about me? Or do I just get riddles here and there?”

His soft gaze remained, but his eyes lost a hint of their glow. “That’s what everyone else gets. I see no reason to share any more than what is necessary.”

“But maybe if I knew more of your past and why you believe in me so much, I could better understand just what?—”

“I know for a fact that wouldn’t help,” he answered, cutting her off. It was the first time he had been short with her, catching her off guard. “I just mean that I know there will be no good of that. What you have is something I have never encountered before. Nothing I know would be of use.”

Leila bit her lip, trying not to push him. Then she thought about how much he had pushed her during this past year.

“I just thought that with your knowledge of ancient magic and the hidden makings of our world that you may have forgotten something that could be the piece we need.”

Xanthus simply shook his head. “I promise you, Leila. I haven’t forgotten anything.”

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