Jareth tied the horses to the back of a huge tree to which Clarahad led them.“They will be fine grazing behind. I will get them some water in a bit. No one will notice them. They will be protected by the many wards I have put up,” said Claraas as she touched a knot on the huge tree with her staff.A door seemed to appear out of nowhere. Clara Opened it and motioned for them to come inside. Jareth Pushed Kyle forward to go first and followed.Inside the large tree was a small room with a spiral staircase going down. Clara Closed the door and muttered a few words, tapping the door with her staff. She took off her cloak and hung it on a hook by the door. She pulled a small packet out of the pocket of the cloak and slipped it into her dress pocket. She turned to look at Jarethand kyle. Jared Took a peek at Kyle and could see the boy had his mouth opened and his eyes were wide. Clara Was always quite a sight the first time someone saw her.She wasn’t a large woman in figure or in height,

If only she had kept her original plans. She had been perfectly content with her plan to go to the Valley. Talon had been pestering her for months to come see him, but instead Jared Had shown up for her birthday the first day of spring. He had said he planned to stay through the spring at her home, Keene Manor. He had practically grown up there, so she could not deny him. Besides, she likes spending time with Ansel. They spent the early weeks of spring, riding horses through the fields, and staying up late talking.Clarahad known for a while she had feelings for Jarethbeyond the usual fondness of long-time friendship. She found him very handsome. Physical attraction was always the easy part. There were others she could be with if physical attraction was all that mattered. What she felt for Brethren was deeper than physical attraction. She was drawn to him. He was kind, clever, and a powerful magic user. He was usually quiet in large groups, but when they were alone, he was open with G

Kyle sat up in bed and ran his fingers through his hair. He wondered what time it was as it was hard to tell with no windows. He pondered if he should go back to sleep, but he figured they would be leaving early to get on the road. He decided he would go check and see if anyone was up. Kyle stood up and stretched. He went to his basin and splashed some of the cold water on his face, reviving him. Feeling hungry he made his way into the main room of the dwelling. In the room he found Clara Stirring her potion over a low fire. She had changed her clothes since the evening before, and was now in a simple dark blue dress. She had pulled her hair back in a braid in an attempt to tame it, but a few curls had come loose around her temples. She turned when she heard Kyle enter the room.“Ah, good morning. I didn’t expect you to rise so soon. I hope you weren’t too uncomfortable there. I haven’t stuffed that mattress in a while as I don’t have many guests here in the forest.”“The bed was goo

Jareth pushed Claraback lightly with her staff behind his back. She took it from his hands and stepped back. “Back off, or you will find yourself in trouble as well. We have direct orders to take these children. This woman is impeding these orders. She’ll need to come with us too,” ordered the head soldier.“If I back off, I think it’s you who will find trouble. Take my advice and let her be,” said Jarethnot, taking his hand off the soldier. The soldier wrenched his hand free. “We don’t have time for this. Leave or we will have to use force.”“We will not leave until these children are free,” fumed Clarastepping to Ansel’s side. “Let them go now.”“Griffa,” whispered Jarethunder his breath. “Don’t do this; think about kyle. We have to keep him safe.” Kyle was right behind Griffa. He had a hard look on his face, and his eyes were narrowed. “Don’t worry, he will be safe,” said Claracalmly, raising the hood on her cloak. “Ansel, raise your hood and grab kyle; meet me at the entrance

“Hello, my lord. It is nice to see you this evening.” She came over and put her arms around Kedan and he smiled at her. He took her hands and brought her in front of him. “You are very beautiful, Teryn. You are one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen, even simply dressed as you are.”“You are too kind.”“It’s true. Come here and look out the window with me.”He led her to the small window. “It’s a wonderful view. The city is so beautiful at night,” said Teryn with a sigh. “It is. Do you see that large house with every window lit up? That is where I grew up. My father and mother are there now with many important guests I suspect. And that house there, that is the Fawner family. They are extraordinarily rich and very influential. They have a pretty daughter about our age. She plays the harp and sings like an angel. And there is that large house to the left; the Quillen’s live there. They actually have the most exquisite twin girls who came of age last year. I went to their