“Jordan!” Aura cried out, pulling hard on the reins of her borrowed horse. “Where are you?”

As though it were reacting to her distress, the storm began to worsen. She lifted a hand to her face in a futile attempt to shield herself from the strong winds, wishing she had even the faintest idea how her stupid powers worked. Ivy — at least that was what Aura thought the horse’s name was — didn’t seem to be enjoying this any more than she was. It made sense, of course, but —

“Excuse me!”

Aura almost fell off the horse, twisting around and squinting at the figure behind her. She could hardly see anything, but she could tell that this stranger was another girl.

“Do you need help?” she asked, the wind whipping her words away. She repeated them, having to scream them out to make sure the girl heard her.

“I heard you were heading for Taleria!” the other girl yelled. “I see what will befall you if you go there and plead that you reconsider your decision!”

Aura found herself laughing, the sound cold and unnatural and mirthless. “You can’t stop me! I have to do this!”

“Very well.” The girl didn’t seem too pleased. “Then allow me to join you.”

Before Aura had a chance to say anything — specifically a firm ‘no!’ — the girl had summoned a horse from seemingly nowhere and scrambled onto it, riding bareback.

“You will not regret having me on your team.”

“Jordan is only here because I don’t know my way around these parts.”

“Well, there may be another reason,” the girl laughed, though it was pulled away too quickly to lighten the tension between the pair. “My name is Silver Nightshade.”

“Your name is what?” Aura asked, certain she’d misheard. Surely no parent would be quite so cruel as to call their child ‘Silver’. Especially with a surname like Nightshade!

Then again, Jordanna’s surname was Merlin…

“Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me, Auretta Corentin.”

And, sufficiently shaken, Aura said no more about it.

For five minutes.