Zuzani said, “Our words spoken here today are understood and agreed upon by both sides, constituting an unbreakable contract and deadline. You must tell no one about this agreement or speak my name.” The mage made that statement and pointed his knife at the ground between them, where grass immediately cleared away, leaving the shape of a perfect two-foot diameter circle. He stepped closer and dropped his hair, which floated to the exact center.
Krol couldn’t do that, so he tossed it into the circle.
Damn, if his lock didn’t land exactly on top of Zuzani’s.
The mage lifted his hands above the small pile of hair and murmured something only he understood. Thick roots shaped like a three-clawed witch’s hand burst through the dirt, curled around both clumps of hair, and pulled them underground.
The earth rumbled, and the circle glowed red as if on fire, then quieted.
Suddenly, Krol felt the burden of time beginning to weigh on him. “How do I find this female?”
Holding the palm of his hand facing the sky, Zuzani closed his fingers and then opened them again. A piece of paper with neat printing lay on his palm. “The bold black line on this map will take you to their clan.”
“What does she look like? I need as much information as you can provide. I might even find her and return ahead of schedule,” Krol boasted, ready to get moving.
“Magdelina will be easy to locate. She stands above the other females in the clan at six feet tall and has snow-white hair to her waist. Her eyes are a pale blue you will not see on one of the other females.”
She sounded unique to Krol. Was she some form of shifter royalty? “What’s the name of this clan?”
“The clan is called Braunbär Bastarde. Ivo is the alpha and a Gallize bear shifter. You must be swift once you capture her.”
Blood drained from Krol’s face. He knew nothing of the Braunbär Bastarde Clan, a name that translated to the Bastard Brown Bear Clan, but Krolhadheard of the Gallize shifters. He had no desire to meet up with one and sure as hell never thought to put a target on his back from a group of shifters rumored to have extraordinary power.
What the hell had he gotten himself into?
Could he even do this with a Lammogo?
He had no choice.
Chapter 6
Bosse waited in thearena with its usual odor of sweat, despair, and death.
He would add disgust and hate, but no one coming in here knew anything about him. His matches had all been against strangers he had no reason to hate.
That emotion was saved for Krol.
