25

Malrik's POV

I gazed at an old oak and shifted my weight in the weak body as the layers of fallen leaves compressed beneath my boots.

The harridan attempted to escape. That was the only reason she would have ended here.

My fist clenched as I dragged my eyes from the tree, tilting my chin toward the sky. The sprawling canopy of deep green leaves filtered the harsh afternoon sunlight while the rustling of the upper canopy caught a breeze.

What happened there?

I glanced down, and my eyes caught a dot suddenly appearing on my chest, more like the witch's chest. A quick flutter of my eyes, and...