Page 5 of The Awakened Prince

Killian tugged at his hand as his panic ratcheted, and then, as fast as it had started, the images ceased, and the light released him. Killian ripped away and stumbled to the ground, crawling away from the beam. “That light is magic?”

The wolf frowned before dipping his head in and out of the light. Easily. He trotted beside Killian and sniffed him.

You look unwell.

“It didn’t affect you?”

No? What happened?

“I don’t know. I saw my whole life. I was stuck in that light. I—”

Oh.Jax eyed the light with raised brows.Oops,I see it now.The wolf shook his head.Well, you passed. So that’s good.

“What is it?”

The Piercing Discernment.

Killian snorted. “You made that up.”

I am ancient and wise.Jax tugged at Killian’s collar from the back, coaxing him to rise.And also, yes, I did make the name up. But I’m sure it was something like that. My mother could have explained it better, were she still here. We’ll just pretend that I’m right because I probably am. Come. Stand up. You’re all right.

Killian found his legs and struggled upward as his whole body tingled like waking from sleep. “What would have happened if I hadn’t passed?”

What happens to parchment in the fire?

Killian swallowed hard. “And what exactly did I pass?”

But ahead, a high lilting sound had finally reached Killian’s weak human ears. After a final once-over, Jax prowled forward in the direction of the song. Before them, ten-foot-tall deciduous bushes stood in a line like a wall with tiny beams of bright yellow light visible between the leaves. Killian paused only a moment before he shoved through the boughs.

Once on the other side, his jaw dropped. The bushes broke their line revealing a massive clearing. In the center of the meadow, a woman sang, surrounded by rabbits, mink, jays, herons, hawks, foxes, a massive elk and an even larger brown bear with her two cubs. The woman knit while she sang, the impossibly purple yarn scattered in a chaotic pile around her billowing white dress. The wind swept a few dry leaves around them, in cadence with the music. A lyre sat untouched beside her.

Her singing should have been magic for all it enraptured Killian. He gazed at the long blonde hair falling like rays of sunlight down her back. Before he could think twice, he broke the rest of the way through the brush. The woman turned to him, cutting off her song, and the birds all took off in a sudden, screeching flight. The small furry creatures ducked down into the grass and held still, frozen.

Her face was lovely.

Her expression was terrified.

The enormous bear and the bull elk moved to either side of the woman, the bear’s teeth bared and the elk’s antlers glimmering in a fierce display.

He took a step back, raising his hands up in innocence. “H-hello. I am Killian. I heard your song.” He winced at his stutter and added a charming smile to smooth it over.

The woman’s brows collapsed, bewildered, and she rose, her shoulders pushed forward much like the bear. “Titu bet ra?”

The bear growled and took a step forward. She was larger than any Killian had seen outside the forest. Jax leapt from the bush and landed between them, teeth flashing, to square off against the other creatures.

Her lips popped open, and her features softened. “Hep.” She gestured toward the bear who settled back onto her large haunches. The woman brought her hands together above her head like a prayer before she bent in a deep bow from the waist. As she straightened, she approached Jax, and extended the back of her hand toward his muzzle.

“Shaana honte’aco, treka pa e’lonmar, tros shusha huh u ranarana maneta?”

“Jax, what is she saying?” Killian whispered.

I … I haven’t heard this language in a long time. My mother spoke it, but I don’t remember its meaning. I can feel it, though, and almost see the words like a picture. She is welcoming me. Asking … askingwhy,I think. Yes, it feels likewhyandforest.Jax stepped forward and sniffed her hand.I like her.The woman’s lips broke into a large smile.

Killian’s heart stuttered, and he stepped forward, exuding the confidence trained into him from court. He brought his hand to his chest. “Killian.” He pointed to the wolf. “Jax.” He extended his hand toward her. “And you?”

She raised a wry brow before she turned from him and gathered her supplies. She shook her head, her brows pressed together as she packed a small shoulder bag, then began to walk away.

“Wait!” Killian reached for her.

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