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his hands; I step on them then climb onto Mirain’s back. Once I’m settled on her, he climbs his own horse. With the push of a branch and a kick of his feet, he starts riding again with Bowen and me following behind.

Chapter Four
    We arrive at the river after several grueling miles traveled in the densest forest I’ve ever seen, but now the trees are behind us. The ground is no longer covered in leaves and dirt; instead, rocks line our path. We lead the horses up a steep hill.
    “This is it,” Perth says after he reaches the end of the stone trail.
    “You’re kidding, right?” We’re on a ledge above the river—out in the open where bats or coscarthas or any type of daemon could find us.
    “Do you trust me?”
    “Not entirely.”
    He sucks in a sharp breath. “Have I done anything deserving of your distrust?”
    “Not yet.” I clamp my hand over my mouth.
    “If you would prefer, we can make camp down in the forest where the daemons would expect to find us,
or
we can set up here. Sometimes hiding in plain sight is the best plan.” Perth slides off the horse.
    I climb from Mirain. “I’m sorry if I’ve offended you. What should we do with the horses?”
    Perth turns his head in the direction of the river. “We can tie them to some trees about twenty feet below us—by the water. We will cast a few spells to protect them from being seen.”
    This sounds like a problem. Arland never showed me how to cast complicated spells. I was so horrible with the simple door opening and closing and spark creating, we never moved beyond to more important magic. “I don’t know how.”
    “Do not worry. I will take care of the magic, as long as you take care of the animals.” Perth hands me the reins to his borrowed horse.
    “Deal. You lead the way.”
    The trail to the river is winding, but thankfully not as steep as the one we climbed to get here. At the bottom, a twenty-foot mossy area spreads in front of us with a few trees sprinkled around.
    The animals walk up to the water’s edge, then take a drink.
    I sit in the middle of the damp area, listening to the river rush by while Perth walks the perimeter and whispers spells to the wind.
    Griandor and Leader Maher’s words repeat themselves in my mind: “Trust in those around you; most importantly, trust in those you love. That trust will be your guide,” and “Ground Dwellers are all bad.” Everything seems like a cruel joke. I feel not only a pawn in Perth’s father’s game, but I also feel like a pawn for the gods.
    If I’m so powerful, why not tell me exactly what I need to do to unite the Draíochta, so we can end the war; or better yet, deliver me to Dughbal so I can burn him with my fire? It’s wrong to question higher powers, but I cannot help myself. With everything I’ve ever loved gone, I’m beyond worried about who I am. I’m angry.
    “Katriona?” Perth says beside me.
    I look up. “Yeah?”
    He offers me his hand. “It is done. The animals will be secure. We should head back up.”
    “Why don’t we just stay here? It seems safe enough. You just cast protections over us … .” It
seems
like a waste to go anywhere with such a nice, secluded spot by the river.
    “While we would be guarded against anything getting in, we are not guarded if the animals get loose and run out. If that were to happen, our position could be compromised. If daemons discovered us here, we would be trapped … unless you wanted to use the river, but I do not believe either of us would enjoy swimming in
that
,” he says, giving the river a fearful glance.
    “What’s in the river?” I follow his gaze to the water, barely visible through the blanket of Darkness.
    “Serpents.” He shudders.
    I take his hand, and he helps me up.
    “Can serpents get out of the water?” I ask, ready to high-tail it back up the ledge.
    “I have only ever seen them in the water.”
    “So, the horses should be fine?” The thought of leaving three innocent animals here does not