I look over my shoulder, frowning. The road is empty, yet I have a nagging sense we're being followed. If Syndel shares my suspicion, she hasn't mentioned it. We've said little to each other during the past two days. I've been expecting her to change her mind and say she no longer wishes to be in my company. I wouldn't blame her. She was about to tell me something important. Dare I hope? But my abrupt change in attitude must have seemed like a rejection. If only I could be certain the monster's threat is false . . .

“Hetty is limping,” Syndel says, pausing on the road.

I join her beside the mare, bending low to inspect Hetty's left rear hoof. She lifts it for me. “There's a splinter,” I say, gently touching the shard of wood lodged in the sole. Hetty whimpers, pulling her foot from my grasp. “It must be taken out and the wound cleaned before it becomes infected.” I remove our bags and the saddle from her back, setting them on the road.

“I . . . I think I can do it,” Syndel says.

Of course. She used to have a horse and must have some experience with their care. I watch as she gently coaxes the mare down to the ground and then moves to the injured hoof, holding it in both hands. Instead of pulling the splinter out herself, she surrounds the whole hoof with her glowing blue light. The splinter slowly moves out, though it doesn't seem to cause Hetty any pain. The light brightens as it fills the wound. Within seconds, it closes and the light fades away. The hoof is whole again.

“You healed it,” I say, amazed.

Both Syndel and Hetty get to their feet. “Since obtaining the magic, I've known how to do many things,” she says, rubbing the mare's shoulder, “but I've been too afraid to try more than a few. I almost lost control in Heldra. The power inside me is strong and I don't want to do anything without careful consideration. But I need to be ready.”

“You don't—” I stop myself from saying something else that might upset her. “Just take it slow.”

“I can't. Time is running out. Mulogo could appear at any moment.”

Taking a few steps away, Syndel breathes deeply, raising both arms over her head, creating an arch of silvery light. It gathers above her, forming a jumble of tiny crystal-like beads. Each one elongates into a thin spear. Flinging her hands forward, she sends them darting through the air. They attack a nearby tree, embedding themselves into the thick bark.

Without hesitation, she moves her arms again, this time summoning red light that quickly changes into a ball of fire. The flames dance above her hands, growing taller, their heat spreading. For a moment, I'm afraid the fire will consume her. Yet it does her no harm. The ground directly beneath her, however, begins to smolder.

“Syndel?”

She looks at me through the flames as if forgetting I'm here with her. The fire instantly dies down and vanishes in a column of smoke. Syndel blinks a few times, swaying where she stands. I'm there to catch her before she can fall.

“Do you need to sit down?”

She shakes her head, pulling away. “It's just a little dizziness.”

I'm worried. She was right to say that time is running out, but how will she be ready when she's still so inexperienced? And what about me? Despite my abilities as a Soulless, I'm only one person. It's almost comical to think that we're planning to take on a sorcerer who could destroy anything with one flick of his wrist. “We should keep going,” I say, burying my concerns.

***

The feeling persists. I look back, seeing no one, but sense watchful eyes. I don't like it, especially now that we've reached Braddagh Wood. I don't want any surprises. We follow a trail which winds southward toward the heart of the forest. Nothing is familiar. Doubts creep into my mind, telling me this was a mistake.

“They're following us,” Syndel says behind me.

I swing around to look at her. “Who is?”

“Eight Soulless. Maybe more. They're keeping their distance, for now.”

I clench my jaw. I should have been able to sense them. “What are they waiting for?”

“Their intentions are hidden.”

Swallowing with difficulty, I debate within myself, wondering if we should make for the sunlight beyond the trees or continue forward in the hopes that all our problems will be solved once I find Bronek's heart. Still looking at Syndel, I make up my mind. “If we turn east here, we can reach the edge of the forest and escape under the cover of daylight.”

To my surprise, she shakes her head. “We should go on. I think this might be exactly what you need.”

I'm not sure I heard her correctly. This is quite the opposite of her opinion during our initial discussion. “Are you certain?”

“Yes.”

I hesitate a moment longer before facing forward again and continuing along the trail.

After another hour of walking, something ahead makes me pause. It's the first thing since entering the forest that stirs my recollection—a leaning spire of rock. The fork that divides the road, as well as the hidden path, is just around the corner. Mulogo's cave is not far.

We round the bend and move between the two roads. The path between them is even more overgrown than I remember. Extracting my small knife, I cut at the thin, crisscrossing boughs and vines to make way. Progress is slow, especially for Hetty, who gets tangled in the thick underbrush. She whines and grunts in frustration.

“Cress,” Syndel says, “Hetty wants us to go on without her.”

I frown at her. Though I'm certain the Soulless won't harm the mare, I don't like the idea of leaving anyone I care about behind. Walking to Hetty's side, I run my hand down her neck. “It's not much farther. Please hurry as fast as you can.”

The mare's head bobs up and down.

Syndel and I press forward. I glance back a few times until Hetty, still struggling along the path, is swallowed up by the trees and bushes. I stow my knife away and rely on my hands to tear through the obstacles. We move steadily downward, just as I remember until we come to a small, sunlit clearing and a sheer, rocky hillside. There are no torches or strange internal lights coming from the opening this time, and no eerie feelings of evil emanating from the darkness. It's just a cave, left dormant for decades.

As we approach, Syndel sparks a small flame that dances on the palm of her hand, lighting the way. We venture inside, passing through the tunnel with its strange writing and grotesque pictures.

The antechamber is littered with the skulls that once surrounded the opening to the sorcerer's main room. Many are crushed beyond recognition. The altar against the wall is broken as if cleaved down the center. Did Bronek do this? I can't recall. Stepping over shards of skull and chunks of stone, I enter the main room.

The air is old and has a metallic taste. Everything is just as the prince left it. Syndel stays in the doorway, her eyebrows furrowing at the scene, while I meander around the debris, searching for the area where Bronek removed his heart. The first thing I find, however, is the once white shroud that covered the body of his beloved Lenna. I hesitate before lifting it. Beneath are the bones of the long dead girl left to decay in the darkness. He didn't even bother to bury her. His madness was too far gone. Setting the material back over the remains, I look around it, knowing the heart should be nearby.

A dark stain on the floor shows me the exact spot where blood was spilled, yet there doesn't seem to be anything else there. Stooping down, I search with my hands, ignoring the rise of frustration that the heart might not be here. My fingers brush against something small and hard, like a stone. Picking it up, I turn it over in my hands, studying it from every angle.

The pendant resting at my chest grows warm.

I frown at the seemingly worthless object. “This can't be it.”

Yet, why else would the pendant react? Lifting the chain, I hold the amber pendant in one hand and the stone in the other. Nothing happens. I feel like a fool.

“Put them together,” Syndel says from across the chamber.

Letting out a sigh, I cup my hands, letting the two objects roll towards each other until they meet, causing an explosion of light and sound. I jump backward, jerking my hands away. The pendant and stone remain suspended in the air, merging together and expanding, creating an undulating orb of red light. It pulsates as if beating once again. I stare, transfixed, as it floats closer to me. A voice, softer than a whisper, speaks.

“Your own heart will be tested, but it is strong. Trust it.”

The voice of Bronek's memory.

Before I can reply, the red light lurches forward, passing through my chest. My breath catches, making me stagger. The sensation is not painful, nor is it pleasant. After a moment, the light fades and I feel nothing. The pendant is alone again, hanging in the air in front of me. I grasp it and slip the chain over my head. Is this the answer? Will I be able to defeat Mulogo now? The only way to find out is to face the sorcerer.

I put a hand on my chest where the light entered me, feeling a slight prickle of cold.

He is coming.