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She let herself follow that river of thought Let herself believe in destiny and inevitability, that she was following a path forged by fate instead ofone on her own

How can you trust someone ould betray her own brother? she had said

Isabel closed her eyes and believed it She spoke without letting herself think, because once she spoke it would be over "He’ll come for Clarisse"

"Clarisse?" Daria sneered, her voice still choked with tears "He left her behind"

"He loves her She’s his sister" Isabel looked only at Kaer, as still crouched near Daria "He would coh she betrayed him?" Owain said

"At least she didn’t try to kill hi his arms around Daria’s shoulder but his eyes on Isabel’s face "Are you sure?"

Isabel closed her eyes briefly There was no agonized decision- left, no conflict Just dull nuhts later Isabel found herself in Clarisse’s roo for Rokan to come so she could kill hi instructions She no longer ave advice--she wasn’t the Shifter, after all, just a huht every once in a while--not for any particular reason, just at random I’m human And she would stare down at her thin, pale hands that would never be anything else, never stretch into wings or curve into claws She would feel her body, both more solid and more weak than it should have been, and knoas a trap A trap she could never get out of, because it was a trap she had been born into

She was trapped in her body and now in this room The lamps had all been put out, and the delicate wood furniture and chests had been e clear space for whatever was going to coe, once the clutter had been cleared away There was nothing in the center of the roole plush chair, where Clarisse sat with her ars Isabel had tied the cords herself Much to her disgust, Clarisse had agreed to their plan without ain the far corner of the roo was a cat’s She could hear Kaer in the corner to her right, his breathing fast and loud The high sorcerer’s breathing was slightly calmer, as were those of the two soldiers whom Kaer had decided could be trusted But caler she would be able to do this If she returned to the Mistwood frequently, she ht be able to keep her minor powers for a while, but she suspected that eventually they would drain away co more human day by day Eventually she would be all human, and the Shifter would be just a memory And then not even that

What would Kaer do with her, once she was no longer useful?

We’d probably be better off if she was dead The phrase had been ringing in her head for two days He had said it thinking she really was dead, of course; it didn’t mean he meant it

If he felt no loyalty for his sister, why should his sister feel loyalty for hih ledge Then she realized there was so fast and deep, afraid but trying not to be There was nothing else to indicate that he had arrived--no light, no sound, no sense of ood spell

Nobody else kneas there She should tell therab hier at her waist

She concentrated and shifted her eyes

He looked tired His face was pale and drawn, his eyes underlined by dark shadows His hair was neatly co black velvet He stood tense and poised, peering around carefully, even though there was no way he could see anything in this darkness

And still Isabel didn’tin a chair in the center of the room, as still as Daria had sat when she was bait Several paces behind the chair, Kaer stared straight ahead into the darkness The high sorcerer’s eyes were closed One of the soldiers was fidgeting

Rokan whispered, "Clarisse?"

Everything happened at once Albin opened his eyes, and the rooht Rokan squinted, momentarily blinded The two soldiers drew their swords and stepped forward

Clarisse turned in her chair and made a sharp, abrupt motion with her arm The knife shot from her hand and imbedded itself into the chest of the soldier to her left She was instantly on her feet with another knife The second soldier dodged, and her knife sliced through a frayed tapestry before hitting the floor

The rope Isabel had so carefully pulled around Clarisse’s limbs lay slashed on the floor Isabel didn’t knohere the knives had coure it out The first soldier was sprawled across the floor, blood spreading in a slow circle from underneath him The second soldier whirled on Clarisse, who shouted, "I can take care of him! You take Albin!"

Rokan was already halfway across the rooht hit Rokan in the chest and vanished Rokan drew his sword and kept coht for the sorcerer’s heart Albinunder his breath, and Rokan’s blade vanished Rokan grunted in shock, and--unable to stop his h sorcerer’s arms Albin lifted him and threw him, harder than humanly possible, at the far wall

Isabel didn’t think She sprang and collided with Rokan in midair, seconds before he would have hit the stone wall They fell in a tangle, her briefly stone legs hitting the ground first, breaking their fall

She heard Kaer yell so, her brother, was running across the room at them, sword drawn Isabel heard a hiss of power beside her as Rokan raised his hand She leaned down and struck his wrist A bolt of green fire missed Kaer by several yards

Kaer flinched and slowed down Rokan leaped to his feet, glaring Not at Kaer At her

Isabel didn’t need , all her thoughts and struggles about Kaer, had been wasted This had never been about Kaer