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Lifting the herass, Brenna followed the high stone wall, looking for another way out Morgana trailed at her heels,in her whole life The house, bigger by far than any she had ever seen, seerounds that surrounded it There were trees and bushes everywhere In the back of the house, she found a e trees cut in the shapes of animals both real and mythical

She wasn't sure how much time had passed before she made her way back to the front of the house She stared at the gate, wondering what ana, she held the cat in her arms while she tried a simple revocation spell, and then a nullification spell, but to no avail Brenna tapped one foot on the ground, then frowned as a horrible thought crossed her ick was of no effect in this new tiainst hiick of his own to thwart her escape? Perhaps she needed her wand to help her focus?

One thing was for certain She did not want to be here when he returned She glanced around, hoping to find a place to hide If she ducked behind the bushes beside the gates, she h, unnoticed, when he returned, yet even as the thought crossed herpressure on her bladder, she glanced around the yard, wondering where the privy was She didn't re one in the backyard, but surely in such a house as grand as this, soana down, she circled the house a second tier, she went behind a bush Morgana followed, staring at her through wide yellow eyes

Putting her clothes to rights again, Brenna picked up the cat and ana down, the cat immediately ran off into the shadows, no doubt in search of prey She was a fearless hunter, and the bane of the birds, ana!" Brenna started after the cat and then, with a shrug, she went inside, leaving the front door open a little so the cat could get in when she was ready

With nothing else to do, Brenna explored the roo she had ever seen before, and not just because it was such a large house, but because of all the strange things it held, things for which she had no naht return and be angry at finding her wandering through his grandaround, he shouldn't have brought her here in the first place, or left her to fend for herself!

One room had numerous cupboards There was a small round table and two chairs It h it looked like no kitchen she had ever seen before Feeling as though she was snooping, which she supposed she was, she opened the cupboards All were bare Perhaps, in this strange neorld, people kept their food somewhere else

She peeked into several other rooms— a parlor, a library with bookshelves that lined three walls fro, a room that was empty save for more bookshelves He had more books than she had ever dreamed existed She wondered why he had so many Surely he could not have read them all!

And then she ca e desk, was the peculiar square here she had seen her ie Only the as black now Was he a wizard, then? Did the strange dark glass act the sa closer, she peered at it intently, but she felt no power radiating fro her way up the stairs, she moved froh it was hard to say since all were e bookcases and large comfortable chairs The only furnished bedrooo and no place to hide No weapons hich to fight hi enough How could she fight hi as si to his room, she turned the key in the lock, then climbed into the bed, fully clothed except for her shoes She drew the covers up to her chin and closed her eyes, but as soon as she did so, herher Men frorotesque in the light cast by their torches as they set fire to the kindling at her feet The s her nostrils The flames licked her skin If Roshan hadn't arrived when he had, she would have died in the flaes faded from her mind

She was still ahen he returned to the house Though she heard no sound, she knew theup in the bed— his bed— she stared at the door The door that she had locked against hi in the corridor He loo black cloak that fell to his ankles

Clutching the blankets to her chest, she cringed against the headboard as he walked into the roolow to his skin that had not been there before

"And so," he said quietly "You are still here"

She glared at hiainst aze made her uncomfortable but she refused to look away Silently defiant, she squared her shoulders and lifted her chin

He grinned, his expression clearly telling her that he knew she was afraid

"I want to go home," she said "Back to irl frightened of the dark

"Is that right? Anxious to go back to the stake, are you?"

She shuddered at theonly o somewhere else, to another town, someplace where no one knoho I ae Didn't want to stay here, with hihtened her in ways she did not understand

She recoiled when he sat down on the foot of the bed

"Da to hurt you"

"I do not believe you Why did you seekht be, but she recognized the heat in his eyes, the longing in his voice Ah, his voice, as dark as ht, as deep as eternity It re her from the inside out