Page 3 of King of Forest and Fur

“You are an extremely powerful sorceress. You have proven it time and time again. You have this ability and there is no need to fear it. Think about how you feel when you use your gifts. Now, explore that feeling more deeply. Not wanting anything from it but to know it.”

Leila did as she was told. It was an intoxicating, familiar state of mind. Her body hummed with her powers right below the surface as she just rode the magical high of supremacy.

“Now, hone that feeling. And focus on not seeing the past, but moving to that place. Just the book right now, nothing else. Your body will follow the timeline.”

Subconsciously, her right hand went out toward the book and she thought about where it was an hour ago. Sometimes she could restore things to as they were if ruined, but to travel back in time with the object was something not just anyone could do. In fact, it was one of the rarer things in their world. But if Xanthus thought she was powerful enough to do it, then dammit, she was going to do it.

She just needed a sign that she was capable. Anything really, at this point.

After a long-strained silent moment, Leila’s arm dropped and her body shook.

Xanthus rested his large hand on her shoulder.

“That’s more than enough for now. I think rest is a good option, as I said earlier. Take the time. Even the best of us need a break.”

She didn’t trust herself to respond. Just grabbed her schoolbag and slung it across her shoulder with a nod.

Leila wanted to cry again. Frustration was getting the best of her.

Xanthus gave her a fatherly look of expectation. “Give yourself some credit, Leila. You have a lot on your plate. I’ll see you next week, same time. Enjoy the rest. It’s well-deserved.” He strolled out of the door, his white robes billowing around him in a hidden wind.

“It doesn’t feel well-deserved,” Leila mumbled, agitated with herself.

She headed to her classroom for her next divination class, her mind preoccupied.

There was something missing when she tried to manipulate time. Something she needed in order to access these powers of time travel. She could feel that much.

The answer she needed was what was missing?

TWO

REHN

“How did this happen?” Rehn growled as he pounded a heavy fist on his desk. Anger nipped instantly at his shifter side followed by the stripping of pride, which angered him even more.

At least he had been smart enough to take this meeting inside his personal study instead of the openness of the throne room.

“We aren’t sure as of yet.” Idris, his top advisor and closest friend, remained strong and unintimidated by his king’s fraying composure. “But we have experts in the cell right now trying to figure out if they can pick up on anything. Maybe help one of our mages to trace him.”

Rehn’s inner bear wanted to rip the head from that pathetic excuse of a shifter. Instead, he forced himself to take a breath before placing his hands behind his back.

“No one escapes from my prisons,” he said in a calm low grumble. Rehn walked to the viewing window behind his desk that overlooked the blue mountains and lush green wilderness of his kingdom.

Drystan could be anywhere in there, hiding. Ready to destroy it all.

“I can’t have him wreaking havoc on Tahyrst Forest, or any other kingdoms for that matter. Anything that rogue does is our fault. He got out of somewhere we swore was secure.” The king turned to face his right-hand man.

Idris was one of the bear shifters that could compare to Rehn’s intimidating mass. Though he was burlier and more barrel-built, he still stood a few inches short of his king. His black full beard added years to his usually childish face that had remained well past their adolescence.

“My team is in the cells trying to trace a scent to follow. Shouldn’t be hard since he sat in there for over a year. Once we get the scent to follow and where it goes, we should have a good idea.”

“Great. I want to lead on this. I made the mistake of not executing him sooner. He tried to gain power and overtake the Tahyrst Kingdom once. And we all know what he’s been plotting away down there. I am still in disbelief that he somehow escaped one of our prisons.”

Rehn leaned against his large ornate desk and crossed his arms. As he pondered just how this had been possible with no signs at all, he caught Idris’s black eyes dart down. He was avoiding eye contact now.

The king erected himself, his inner bear on full alert to the shiftiness it was noticing.

“What are you not telling me?”

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