Book II Ayla

Ayla had known she was too weak to use her magic. Everything that Galian did to her and the little food she was given daily had taken a toll on her body, but she did it anyway because she couldn’t let Galian kill those she cared about. It was enough that he killed her mother and grandmother. While Ayla was still in the Black Tower, she had promised herself she would use her magic to protect innocents from Galian. She had felt a dark presence inside him and spent a lot of time thinking about what Beliar offered Galian in exchange for his soul. There was so much the Dark God could give someone—power, magic, money, a long life. What could a man like Galian, who had money and power, want? Magic? Long life? Or something else entirely?

After healing Godefray, Ayla closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she was in Sarya’s room. It was not the first time Sarya summoned Ayla’s presence with the help of the Crystal Mirror. Sarya had told Ayla that the crystal used to make the mirr