The knock at the door jolted me awake. I quickly got out of bed and rushed over. A bad feeling gnawed at my chest; had Karnael's army already reached Alderwood?

But when I opened the door, there was Dathan. The smug smile on his face made me sick. I wanted to punch him, but I held back the wave of emotion that was bubbling in my chest.

"I need to talk to you," Dathan said.

"We have nothing to talk about," I snapped. "If you're here to convince me to kill Delilah, I won't."

Dathan nodded. "I know. May I come in?"

Before I could open the door, he had...