Aveline turned instinctively toward Kael, ready to demand help, only to find him covering his face with both hands as though he could not bear to witness what was unfolding.
Her temper flared.
Yesterday she had been ready to leave, yet this old man had asked her to stay, insisting she needed protection. And now this was what he called protection?
She looked back at the advancing shadows, her gaze sharpening, but she did not feel fear. Not really. It was obvious enough that the old man was controlling them, and for reasons she could not quite explain, she knew he would not actually hurt her.
What irritated her more was the absence at her feet.
Her shadow was gone.
She had never cared much about her shadow before. It had never given her anything, had never taken anything, had simply followed along like a quiet companion. But now that it had vanished, she realized she disliked the emptiness it left behind.
