: Chapter 21

He stared at Raven’s Murk in the distance, his prison for what felt like eons. After infinite attempts, he’d finally gotten the maddening combination correct and escaped that lab, with not a moment to spare.

Then he’d seen nightmares that defied explanation, even in the Lore, and had used them as cover to steal away from the castle. One thing he knew for certain: that witch and the demon had no idea what forces they’d unleashed. . . .

An immortal raven—once the wizard’s eyes and ears—trailed him from above as he turned from the castle. His stomach cleaved with hunger, his mismatched muscles weak.

Now he would know freedom—and .

Retribution beckoned. Though the wizard had been vicious, the one who’d betrayed him first, putting him into the wizard’s clutches, was far worse.

Burning with hatred, he tore into the woods, starving for sustenance but even hungrier for revenge.