She glanced up at him. “What about—”
“Don’t worry about anything.” He granted her a smile. “Good night, Snow.”
“Good night.”
She watched him return to the house, the door closing softly behind him. Elator was right. It was difficult for her to remain within the confines of the village, when the forest beckoned. She rose from the chair and gave a glance back at the closed door of the house.
Her heart rammed hard in her chest. She knew she was going to do it before she took her first step. Gathering her dressing gown in her hands, she hurried toward the forest.
Chapter 19
Thelightofthefull moon was a blue-white veil that descended on the forest washing it in an otherworldly glow. It was almost as though every leaf of every plant sparkled under the shaft of moonlight. With her heart light and her emotions running high, she headed out of the village. Her destination was her favorite spot at the foot of Faradill.
Snow glanced back a few times to check to see if she was followed, but there was no sign of Ardan. Perhaps Elator had called him off for the night, giving her the opportunity to spend her evening under the moon and the stars. It was a gift. One for which she was eternally thankful. Elator understood her, something she had not realized until they sat by the fire together.
As she headed through the forest, her senses attuned to the faint sound of horse’s hooves. She halted near the clearing where she’d first met the stranger, where she’d saved the unicorn from the hunter and paused to listen.
She expected to see another hunter and waited at the edge of the clearing as the distinct sound of hooves came closer and closer. Until at last the stranger came into view. She stiffened, her heart ramming hard in her chest.
He pulled the horse to a halt, then jumped down from the saddle, gripping the reins in one hand as he moved closer. He came into view, the glow of the moon bathing his face in light. She stifled the gasp as their eyes met.
The stranger had returned. How could this be?
When the thought slipped through her mind, she stiffened. She clenched her hand into a fist, ready to call upon all the forces of nature around her to protect herself. They stared at each other in a long beat of silence. There was only the sound of the crickets.
“You again,” she said at last, her voice strong and sure.
“I confess it is a strange thing to meet you once again in the same place.” There was a smile in his voice. A smile she didn’t like.
Who was he and why was he here? It had been days since they met. She had thought of him often and wondered if they would see each other again. She never expected it to happen so soon, if at all.
“What do you want?” Her words were hard and full of suspicion.
“My name is Roderick. I’m a master blacksmith in the town of Bridgefort. I make armor for King Alfred.”
She lifted a brow. “That did not answer my question. Why are you in my woods once again, sir?”
“It is a fair question,” he said. “Are you the one they call Snow White?”
She went very still as she peered at him, her hand still clenched. Regret for leaving the confines of the village slashed through her. She was no longer within the safety of the Elders magic and tonight, it might cost her. Her senses stretched outward, touching on the vines and the brambles and the nocturnal creatures. A rustling nearby startled him. His head swiveled from side to side as he listened.
She ignored his question. Never had an outsider come into these woods with her name upon their lips. It unnerved her.
“Again, I ask. What do you want?”
He took a tentative step toward her. Without thinking, Snow lifted her hand, still clenched. Several vines sprang upward, reaching for him. Sensing them before he saw them, his hands flew up. The vines stopped mid-reach. Their magic clashed against one other, the vines shuddering.
“You are an elemental,” he said.
“As are you,” she replied. “Your presence in these woods is unwanted.”
“I understand your unease. Especially since I come at the behest of Queen Seraphina.”
She doubled her efforts to attack him but his magic held strong. If he was a messenger for Seraphina, then her instincts were right in that he was trouble.
“I mean you no harm,” he said. He twisted his hands palm up in surrender.
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
