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hands, at the purple green sparks at the tips of her fingers, and felt the surge of power as she lifted the enchantment.
    Ylana straightened from her half-bent position over the table, put a hand to her lower back, and then pulled back her lips to show her teeth.
    “I have killed for less than this, little witchling.” She took a step, and hissed with pain as her legs moved for the first time in three days.
    “Let me help you,” Kayla moved forward. “I can make you something to eat.”
    Ylana jerked away, hand raised, the threat of magic in the air between them. “Why did you come back? You could have released me from a little way away. Run. Why have you been so foolish?”
    It was what Rane had asked her, again and again. “Because I wanted to apologize to you, face to face. If I thought there had been any other way, I would have taken it rather than enchant you. And I wanted to ask you to teach me.”
    “Teach you?” Ylana curled her arm closer to her body.
    “To use my power better. To be a wild magic witch.”
    Ylana laughed, the sound dry and hoarse, like leaves crunching underfoot. “And why would I do that?”
    “Because you know a war’s coming. That Eric is in a contest with other sorcerers to see who can be more powerful. You know it’ll soon spill over into actual war, and you know the damage that would do.”
    “That means I have less inclination to teach you, not more. I have work to do. Work I’ve been kept from for the last three days.”
    Kayla shook her head. “Gathering all the wild magic items you can find so the sorcerers can’t use them isn’t going to be enough anymore.”
    Ylana shuffled slowly to a chair, sank down on it with a tight expression of relief as she took the weight off her legs. “And you know what is?”
    Kayla pulled a stream of wild magic from the ball hovering behind her, let it swirl over her palm. “Teach me everything I don’t know about being a witch, and maybe I will be.”

Chapter Nine
    R ane knew Ylana was just behind the house. He’d been watching her since Kayla stepped back and left the witch to decide whether she would take her on as a pupil or not.
    Kayla had helped him set up camp on the edge of the clearing, and then taken some soap, a bucket and some clean clothes down to the stream to wash while Rane got the camp fire going. It wasn’t so easy now he’d lost his fire stick to Travis. He had to do it the hard way.
    Ylana had eaten a meal, and then shuffled out of the cottage and disappeared around the back.
    Rane gave her five minutes, and then rose from his place by the fire.
    He didn’t like the sudden silence, now that both women were gone. Didn’t like the thought that perhaps Ylana had been gathering her strength, biding her time, and now she was feeling better, had followed Kayla down to the stream and was bespelling her right now.
    He didn’t even pretend casual disinterest as he rounded the corner, fingers flicking as he contemplated pulling his knife.
    His gaze flicked over the woodpile, the path leading to the right. He spotted the small drying shed, leaning drunkenly against a massive oak, just as Ylana stepped out of its crooked door, some dried herbs in her hands.
    She stared at him with deep enmity.
    He knew she disliked him, but it appeared that had changed to hate in the last few days. Or she wasn’t bothering to hide her true feelings any more.
    Something snaked up from the ground at his feet, striking his cheek before catching hold of his wrist.
    A creeper, he realized, as it yanked him down, forcing him to one knee. Mint. He could smell the freshness of it as it wound around his forearm.
    He reached for his boot to get his knife, his gaze on her as he did.
    Ylana didn’t move, watching him as a rope of woody green tightened around him with painful, bruising force, her face alight with satisfaction.
    His knife sliced through the stem easily, and he staggered back, flicking off the pieces still twined around his arm.
    Her