Ally's POV

　　The scent of charred earth and old magic hangs heavy in the air, making my nose twitch. I stand before her- a witch draped in robes as dark as the secrets she hoards. Her eyes, sharp as shards of obsidian, study Elliot and me with an intensity that sends a shiver down my spine. I feel Dawn stir within me, her unease mirroring my own.

　　"Who are you truly?" she hisses, her voice a serpent sliding through the underbrush, "and what brings you to the ...