“Wake up, Princess.” A soft feminine voice whispered in my ear, the brush of it moving the hair away from my skin.
I swatted at the movement and groaned against the suggestion. It couldn’t be time to get up so soon, I’d only just fallen asleep.
“You’ve been asleep too long. He’s almost here.”
“Leave me—.” I jerked to attention, barely remembering to grab a branch this time before I pitched to the ground. “Who?” I glanced around wildly looking for—something.
“The black dragon,” the imp breathed from across the other side of the tree. “He’s close.’
“What are you talking about? There’s no black dragon here. You mean green, right?” Magnus was green, and I doubted he’d find me here. He hated the dark forest. My muscles slowly relaxed as I turned my gaze to the imp and focused on her. “Why are you still here?”
Since I was awake, and she apparently wasn’t going away, I might as well get moving. Imps weren’t exactly trustworthy and I couldn’t afford any trouble from this one. There was no telling how long she’d sat there watching me sleep before she got bored and made up a wild excuse to wake me.
“You should pick up the pace,” she warned.
I took a bracing breath and finished lacing up my boots before climbing down the tree. She followed me down and I shot her a look. “Do not follow me, okay? I don’t have time for you.”
“Who did this to you?” she asked.
“What?” I asked, absently brushing the dirt from my skirt before I plucked a few leaves from my hair.
“I can sense the magic inside you, but there’s something wrong with it. It’s as if… it’s locked,” she cried. “Someone locked you up from the inside out. I’m right, aren’t I?”
“Why are you so curious about me? I’ve spent my entire life in these woods and not once have I met an imp so loose lipped as you.”
“I don’t know what that means. Loose lipped?”
I gave her one last look. “It means someone who talks a lot, of which you definitely fit the bill.”
If I didn’t know better I would have thought she smiled. “Imps are curious.”
“Nosy AND dangerous,” I corrected.
She sniffed as if offended by me before she disregarded my comment and continued. “I like to figure things out. Especially about others around me.”
“Well, I’m leaving so you don’t need to figure me out. I need to determine which way I’m going and get there. I need to get lost.”
“You won’t get lost going that way.”
I looked at the path that led towards the falls and then back to the imp. As far as I knew there was only one way out of this kingdom and that was it. My stepfather had turned his land into a fortress and almost no one got in or out without his express permission. And only a very few people knew about the secret pathway behind the falls.
“Thanks for the tip, but I’m going to take my chances.” I walked away, hoping that this time she stayed put and I got the hell out of this forest. She was giving me the creeps.
“You won’t find anyone to help your situation if you leave.”
I whipped around. “What is that supposed to mean?”
She tsked. “You need the Vostuzan amulet. It’s the only thing in this realm or the next that can break that binding and free you from the tyranny of the king.”
Little bumps arose on my skin and a shiver worked down my spine. This creature knew too much about me and it was just enough to plant the seeds of doubt.
"What did you say?"
"You heard me," she pouted.
“Okay then. If you know so much, where can I find this mysterious amulet that you think will solve all my problems?”
“Not think. Know. But you—.” Her head whipped around and her wings fluttered madly. “It’s too late. You should have run while you had the chance.” She whisked away up into the trees and left me standing there more confused than ever. I opened my senses and found nothing other than the normal creatures of the forest. Or the absence of most of them actually.
Which could only mean one thing.
A real predator had entered the forest and scared the normal creatures away.
“Well, hello there, Princess.”
