Maddie lay on the cot in her room, staring up at the single orb of light on the ceiling. One of the students had offered to dispel it when she brought in the lamp, but Maddie decided to keep it, even if it made the room a little too bright for sleeping. As she stared at it, she slipped into a meditative state. She could see how the orb was constructed; it had several distinct parts that each served a different function. Its core was made up of a ball of colorless magic that powered the spell. Surrounding that was a large ball of light, fuzzy at the edges. It was attached at certain points to the core, possibly to keep it powered, possibly to keep it the magic from dissipating, possibly to keep the spherical shape. Possibly all of those, or none of them. Thanks to Corentin's meddling, Maddie's ability to see magic had grown to an advanced degree. But her understanding of how magic was constructed was still at a very basic level. She could see the components but she couldn’t tell what they did.

She woke up some time later. Focusing her mind deeper and deeper into the globe of light had lulled her to sleep. She stayed where she was for a while, but the longer she lay there the more she started to think about the drama going on in her life. She could feel her mind getting sucked into the vortex of negative thoughts. This is where the paranoia started, where the depression that forced her into bed lived. She desperately wanted it to stay away.

She thought of the times she had been happy in the last few weeks; when she was with her friends, learning new things. Magic had been a source of worry thanks to Tereus, so she stayed away from it, focusing on the things she had learned in her other classes. She went over the verses they had learned to help them remember their lore. She thought about the arguments of the different philosophers; that brought a smile to her face when she remembered Cleo coaching her through it. She cataloged the plants and animals she had learned about in and her hands moved through the motions of preparing them for use. Several hours went by that way. At one point she heard a gentle knocking, then a voice and footsteps moving slowly away.

Eventually she turned to magic. She ran through Corentin's lessons at a fast speed. Most of it had been meditation designed to see and access the magic within. She went over only his verbal instructions and skipped over the hours spent in silent contemplation. Then she chanced a peek inside, at her magic. It was still a smoky, diffuse energy. It traveled through her body, following pathways she had never noticed before. She watched it for a while.

She stood up with her back to the light. She watched the way her shadow stretched up the wall, moving up and down as she moved nearer and farther. Some piece of knowledge pulled at her mind again, the same thing she was trying to remember before. As she walked toward the wall the edges of her shadow grew smoky. She peered at it and, lost in fascination, walked right through.

She was in a place of only smoke. She thought the background of this place was a white void, which didn't make sense for a world of shadow. It seemed to be waiting for her to decide what to do. She could turn back and be trapped in that room again or go forward and…

Trapped?

Elouan had assured her that the Druids were doing everything for her benefit, that they were protecting her. So why did she feel trapped? Maybe it was the uncertainty of her situation. Relegated to a room deep inside the Academy. The look of astonishment -- or was it horror? -- on Corentin's face.

The smoky void swirled around her, calling for her to make a decision. Forward or back?

Forward. But then, where to? Three faces flashed into Maddie's mind. Three people who had accepted her whatever happened. But only one could answer the questions she had.

Maddie stepped out of a shadow in the Temple of All Gods. I've done it, she thought, I’ve shadow walked.

What it meant for her she didn't know. Was it the first step toward turning into a monster? She didn't feel any evil stemming from the shadowy realm. It just felt...normal.

She stood in front of the statue of Mars. She wondered if Tereus heard his father’s voice come from the statue. Maybe she should go see her mother rather than wait for her questionable ally.

“I see you've decided to get in touch with me finally,” Tereus said behind her, “After those displays of power yesterday I wasn't sure you needed me anymore.”

“You thought I did that? That whole storm?”

“No? Hmmm. I thought that was a little too impressive. But you've escaped from the Druids anyhow. Now we can really get started.”

“Get started doing what?”

“Bringing this city to its knees, showing our true power.”

“I...I don't want to do that.”

Tereus stopped and looked at her. “Why not? After what the Druids did to you? After they attacked you and captured you, kept you a prisoner? I would think you would want revenge.”

“They didn't attack me. They didn't keep me imprisoned. They tried to teach me--”

“--You're wrong. You've been led astray by them. I've been watching you since before you came to the school. The examiner targeted you specifically. They knew what you were, and when that Druid forced your magic out of you I knew they would use it as an excuse to keep you locked up. I thought that you had fought your way out in that impressive battle yesterday, but I guess I was wrong. How did you escape, by the way?”

“I...just walked out?”

“And appeared here?”

“I...I walked through a shadow.”

An evil smile spread across Tereus’s face. “You shadow walked? Then things are more serious than I thought.”

Maddie stepped back. “They are?”

“Now the Druids will have no reason to let you go. When they discover that you're able to use your magic they won't stop until they've captured you...or destroyed you.”

“They would do that?”

“To avoid having another Shadow Walker in the world? Of course they would. You will be anathema to them.

“The only way to escape is to become what they fear most; learn to use your magic and destroy them before they destroy you.”

“But my friends…”

“Your friends are already lost. If they don't deny you, they'll suffer the same fate. The only way to protect them is to liberate them from their captors.”

Maddie's head was whirling. Her friends were the most important thing to her, short of her father. If what Tereus said was true, if the Druids would really hurt them...But the Druids had never really shown signs of hostility.”

“I see that you doubt me. Let me show you something.”

Tereus moved his hands apart as if stretching something unseen. The air between his hands wavered and then a vision appeared.

Cleo and Gaius were standing by the open door of Maddie's room. Students with red sashes grabbed them from behind and wrestled them down the hall, where a warrior mage waited. The students forced her friends to their knees.

The vision shifted. A druid in red robes sat in a coach with Maddie's father. He seemed to be questioning the druid, who stayed silent and refused to answer him.

“What is this?” asked Maddie. She desperately hoped that Tereus would tell her it was a vision of the future instead of--

“The present. This is what's happening right now. The Druids have captured your friends and your family. Most likely they'll interrogate them, and if they don't like the answers...well, Samhain is coming up and a Wicker Man has to be built.”

Maddie's mouth hung open. Surely the Druids wouldn’t sacrifice her friends or her father. But none of them was likely to turn on her. They could be branded criminals, and criminals could easily end up in a Wicker Man, sacrificed to the gods.

“What can I do? How can I save them?” Maddie whispered.

“Pledge yourself to our cause and I'll help you rescue them. Once we bring down the Druids it will be a simple matter to rescue your friends.”

“You want me to destroy the Academy, all the Druids, all the students. I...I don't think I could do that.”

“Well, there is another way. We can make a trade with them. But first we need something to trade. I think the key to Ys should be sufficient.”

“The key to the gates? That's not possible. It's the most heavily guarded thing in the city!”

“For most people, yes, it would be impossible. But for us it will be easy. Well, perhaps not easy, but very possible. With a little instruction, you will be the perfect person to accomplish the task.”

Maddie hesitated before saying, “If it's for my friends, I'll do it.”