“We could take you to a cliff and throw you off of it. Fly or fall,” Ethan teased.
“Ha, ha,” I said dryly. “Sure I’ll fall.”
“You wouldn’t have to worry. I’d be at the bottom to catch you.” He winked.
What was up with him? He was being so sweet lately. I hoped he didn’t ask me to be his chosen so he could participate in the King’s Contest. I didn’t want any part in that crap. I was no queen. And Ethan wasdefinitelynot my prince charming.
I preferred the Robin Hood types.
Ethan got to his feet. He held out a hand to pull me up, and I took it. He almost threw me into the next century with the force of his pull. I shook my arm out and said, “I just want to get my wings. I need to pass this class.”
“You will,” Ethan promised. “Give it some time.”
We started on the way back to the main campus. The skies had turned in seemingly moments… it’d been sunny and cool only moments before, but now the winds had developed a strange chill to them, and grey clouds that were nearly black in color blotted out the sun. It looked like it was going to rain.
“Strange,” I said. I held up my hand as I felt raindrops hit my head. “Do you think it’s going to storm?”
Ethan was looking upward. His gaze had changed from carefree to concerned. “I don’t know. Something’s not right.”
The minute he said that, a haunting figure emerged from the trees. Her feet floated several inches above the ground, and a haggard old hand extended out of a tattered and ragged brown robe. From beneath her cloak’s hood I could see a large, crooked nose, decaying flesh, and warts that spread all over her ancient body. She was hunched over, and had a wizened face with so many wrinkles that you couldn’t count them all. She looked to be hundreds of years old.
I knew what she was— a hag. Lord Lucien had taught us about them in our Monster Hunting 101 class. They were witch-like monsters created by users of dark magic. What was one doing on campus?
“Emma, get away from her.” Ethan planted himself in front of me. He changed into a wolven and snarled, snapping his jaws in warning.
The hag didn’t seem bothered by Ethan’s threatening stance. Instead, her old eyes sought me out. She pointed at me, and spoke in a wheezing voice. “You. It is you the one the gods have sent.”
“Me?” I squeaked. Ethan curled around me protectively, but the hag made no move to advance. She kept on speaking in that strange, unearthly voice.
“And there shall be a sorceress who is above all Marked,” the hag chanted. “She will be written as destinedandcursed, for there is not one who is as strong as she, nor one who is so damned. Realms shall bow to her will, but never shall she escape her cruel fate. She will be known as the Worldweaver. She who holds the power of the Arcanea will be their final end, for when the wolf howls, the Worldweaver who rules over reality itself will surrender her magic… and die.”
“When will this happen?” I asked. I felt the blood leave my face as a chill ran over my spine.
The hag bobbed her head.“Before the first of the snow melts away at the end of the fourth winter, you shall meet your death.”
I put a hand out to grasp Ethan’s fur, so I could remain standing. Four years? That’s all I had before I died?
“You sure you’ve got the right girl?” I asked weakly. Ethan’s growl remained low in his throat.
“I bear a warning, Worldweaver. Hags are the keepers of foretelling and future, and we will be your guides as you approach the coming end,” she spoke. “Beware of the one they call the Hidden King, for he will bring your death.”
“Go now! Be gone!” Ethan shouted. He leapt forward, jaws wide, to sink his teeth into the hag. She vanished in a flash of light and black smoke. The moment she disappeared, the grey clouds cleared and sunlight came back into the area.
I was left shaking. Ethan turned back into a human. He tried to hide it, but worry and concern devastated his features.
“I’m gonna die?” I peeped. Shit. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to come to this school after all.
“Don’t listen to her, Em. Hags can’t be trusted,” Ethan said firmly. He brought his arm around me, and held me tightly to him. “They’re monsters, and we’re Arcanea. We can’t take anything she says as the truth. It was probably some kind of trick.”
“Well, she seemed to know exactly what she was talking about,” I protested.
Ethan frowned, and said, “What I heard was a lot of gibberish. Worldweaver? I’ve never heard of such a thing. And Emma, I don’t mean to hurt your feelings, but…”
He took a deep breath. “The hag said that this woman could harness extreme magical power, andonawilke, you haven’t even gotten your wings yet. It doesn’t sound very much like you.”
The statement didn’t sting at at all. I didn’t care about being the weakest Arcanea alive if it meant I got to keep my life. “But why would she come to me at all? It doesn’t make any sense. Plus she mentioned the Hidden King. That’s kind of a big deal.”
Ethan shook his head. “Why do monsters do anything? It was probably just to scare you, get you off your guard. Who knew what might’ve happened if I hadn’t been here? She was trying to distract you, so she could get a quick meal. That was all.”
