The Return of the Novice

overgrowth, and the comforting glow of the city lights dimmed behind Emily with every step she took. Dawn had not yet broken, and only t

book lay silent, yet her thoughts screamed with unanswered questions. Who had written her name in that

bout a lost bloodline tied to forbidden magic-descendants of the old Seers who could read fate through fir

it meant everything she ha

rotect the world-they had trained

the brush jolted he

g instinctively to the

ser this time. Co

asn't

lmly, her voice cutting thro

aff slung over his shoulder. His face, when revealed, was youthful but sharp-grey eyes

ready to carve out my heart

dn't smi

are

could ask you the same thing,

rowed h

e the gates. You're not as in

a novice

No. You're not. That's ex

stayed near

ave time f

turned serious. "You opened the seal

How do you kn

"Because I've seen it before. And because that book only rev

t lurched. "

u are one of them. The

fferent, why the Order looked at her with both admiration and

ause my father died trying to expose it. He was one of the last sc

dagger, her expression softening

emple of Dust is awakening again, you're going to need help finding it. The path isn'

ness in his voice-a quiet sorrow that matched her

re not a spy for th

d out a weathered medallion-a silve

nce before-deep in the oldest vaults of

heirs," Kael said. "Your

er breath caught be

oose this,"

id gently. "But i

the wind picked up and th

nodded. "The

his head.

said. "Not until I find th

awn finally began to stretch golden fingers across the sky, the outline of the land changed. The trees gave way to roll

ped. "We'

e of the glowing st

face, a pulse shot through her ar

ne, the other stones echoed the pulse, creating a path of sh

never seen them r

my blood," Emily wh

curtain of mist, an ancien

f-buried arches and sunken towers. But the

It was a temple-whole, hidden,

Dust had never

been

eet was sacred ground-lost to the world, but not to her. The voice

swirled a

e-a great door made of obsidian and bone, e

at her. "Are

yes for a moment,

she n

born fo