The cell door closed behind me.
“Luna?” Sebastian called out.
The witch’s eyes widened, and I noticed the dirt and grime covering her face. “There’s no time. I ran ahead, but they’ll be here soon. When they find me, they’ll kill me for this.”
“What?” I asked hurriedly. “Who is going to kill you?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she said hurriedly. “I came here to warn you.”
“Where are you?” Sebastian yelled, panic edging his voice.
The witch’s voice increased in fervor and she rambled, “They took your letters… they made me tell them about Marius… I thought… They lied… I was wrong. It’s a trap.”
My heart raced in my chest, and my hands grew slick around the hilt of my dagger. “What are you saying?”
The witch trembled as blue ribbons slipped from her palms. “You need to run. Now.”
“Luna!” Sebastian yelled. “Where are you?”
“What do you mean? Who took my letters? What did you tell them about Marius?”
Syndra’s eyes widened impossibly further and her voice reached a high pitch. “The plant you need is guarded by the Fourth Order of Isvana’s Chosen Ones. I was wrong about everything. Marius is a harbinger, Princess. The balance is broken. You must find the Fourth Order before it’s too lat—”
Syndra’s words ended in a gurgle, and I looked down as a blade protruded from her front. A horrible squelching sound filled the air, and I screamed as red blood streamed out of the witch’s chest.
Sebastian called my name, and I took a stumbling step back as the blade was pulled out of Syndra’s chest.
Many things seemed to happen at once.
A flash of curly black hair. A wolfish smile. An ear-piercing screech came from nearby. A masculine roar. Rough hands wrenched the lantern from my grip. It smashed against the stone, and glass erupted everywhere.
Darkness enveloped me, and a strangled scream rose in my throat. Someone pressed against me, and a grunt came from nearby. Chaos hit me like a wave crashing against rocks.
“Luna!” Sebastian shouted. “Run!”
I tried to do as he asked. I really did.
My feet moved in what I thought was the right direction. I took three steps before a gods-awful smell filled my nose. It was like orange rinds that had been left on the fire for so long; they turned to ash and continued to burn.
My head grew heavy and my limbs were weak. Everything was foggy. There was more shouting. Words I struggled to understand. I heard my name. A guttural cry. The sound of metal against metal.
Something smashed into the back of my head.
Black stars filled my vision and then everything went black.