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"Neither do I" Isabel’s voice was intense, but not threatening She believed him

Recklessly, Rokan elaborated "So to find you But I need you My enemies haven’t actually made an assassination attempt yet, but they will And I don’t knohere it will come from I don’t knoho they are or what they want"

"Then how do you know they exist?" Isabel asked

Rokan h sorcerer told h sorcerer," she repeated slowly

"He was here hen you were He’s very old, nobody kno old, but he’s been at court for at least a century He cast an oracle, and it told him there was someone ould try to havewas out"

She stiffened Watching her, the way her muscles tensed and her whole face went focused, Rokan was once again certain he had done the right thing in riding to the Mistwood His guards and advisers were useless, but she would keep hi and fierce, and she would stop at nothing

The hidden, gut-tightening fear he had been living with for days eased slightly He was able to keep his voice expressionless "I thought you ht be able to protect me"

"Of course I’ll be able to protect you," Isabel said al in the doorway to glance back at hiht, her sliown, her face sharp and still Then she turned and was gone, and Rokan dropped back onto his pillows, li to watch over hiest worry had just ceased to exist She didn’t remember what had happened last time, the real reason she had fled to her woods

Of course I’ll be able to protect you

She never would have said that if she reuards in the outer chao, probably curious but too well-trained to show it, and Isabel forced her face to reveal nothing She could still feel, like a fist around her heart, the fear in her prince’s voice Still see the hope in his eyes as they rested on her face He thought he had ridden into the Mistwood and brought back a ical beast, a shape-shifter who could take his fear away Her presence made him less afraid She didn’t want to take that away from him

Even so I should have told hi,in the less passageway Isabel had not noticed that on the way to Rokan’s room She wondered how she had missed it when suddenly, for no apparent reason, it was no longer difficult

She stopped, peering ahead down the corridor and then back over her shoulder There was no light The corridor was as dark as it had been a o But she could see it clearly

She lifted her fingers, touched her lower lashes briefly, and blinked Again, it was dark She shifted her eyes back, and--like a cat--she could see

Interesting

Without any real hope, she tried shifting her entire body into a cat, Clarisse’s taunt hu in her ears: It’s said the Shifter preferred the shape of a cat She gave up after a few seconds, not wanting to ruin the sudden euphoria that had sprung up in her She wondered if her eyes were elongated and slitted, but there was no aining her powers? Or had she been able to do this all along, and hadn’t noticed?

Either way, it wouldRokan easier Maybe in a few days she would be able to shift Maybe it was normal for the Shifter to return with faded ain theh her like pain Running through the snow Blood falling And all around her, through her, in her, the bitter knowledge of failure

The euphoria vanished, and Isabel bit her lip so hard she tasted blood Failure For aand why, and she knew the reason for the failure Then the knowledge was gone

There were circumstances, Rokan had said

It shouldn’t oal Locate the threat to Rokan, and get rid of it

Even if he was still lying to her about the source of the threat

The high sorcerer told ht in the eye He cast an oracle

But that was a little too convenient Rokan h sorcerer felt about her; must know that Albin would never help her in any way Andhad come from Albin; because he didn’t want her to knohere it had truly come from

He caht protect him, Albin had said Obviously, Albin would never have lifted a finger to bring the Shifter back But Rokan had ridden to the Mistwood anyhow, carrying the Shifter’s Seal He must have received assistance from someone else

Isabel considered for a moment, then turned around and went back the way she had come