“I see you are looking much happier today.”

“Tereus? Why are you here? Aren't you afraid someone will see you?”

“Don't forget that the first time you saw me I was here. I have my ways of staying undetected.”

“What do you want?”

“I merely wanted to admit something to you. Something that I've been keeping secret from you. I know about your magic.”

“What do you mean? What about my magic?”

“I know where your magical abilities lie, and I've been keeping it from you. Please, do not think badly of me.” He looked down as if ashamed.

“I know a lot about you. I've been keeping an eye on you for a long time.” He held up his hand to forestall Maddie's reaction.

“I told you, it is my business to learn about others of our kind. And to know about our unusual parents, as well. I have seen other children of Brigantia, and many of them have one thing in common. They all have access to shadow magic.”

“What's that?”

“Shadow magic is the magic of darkness, of death. It allows one to move unseen and to walk through shadows.”

Maddie took a step back, her hand moving up to her mouth in horror. “Shadow Walkers,” she whispered.

Tereus smiled. “Precisely. It's the same magic used by Shadow Walkers.”

“But Shadow Walkers are...evil.”

“Pure evil. It's the corrupting influence of the magic that makes the Shadow Walkers creatures of nightmares.”

Maddie's knees became weak and she almost fell to the ground. Tereus stepped forward and caught her.

“Be careful. The Druids have ways of detecting these things. If you think that you're in any danger, visit my father's altar in the temple. I may be able to help you.”

“Your father's altar. Okay.”

They heard sounds coming from further up the path. Tereus attempted to stand Maddie up, but she wouldn't stand. He lowered her to the ground instead.

Gaius and Cleo found their friend sitting on the path, a look of horror still on her face. When they asked her what was wrong, she couldn't tell them.

Maddie's friends tried to get through to her. Cleo gently shook her. Maddie flinched back as if in horror.

"What's wrong?" Cleo asked.

Maddie couldn't answer. What would she say? That she was going to become evil? Her friends would leave her behind, waste no time turning her in!

She took deep breaths to calm down. She had told them about her mother, and they had at least pretended to listen. Maybe she could tell them this?

No. They might not turn her in, but they would never trust her if they knew she was evil.

"It was Tereus, the man I told you about at the temple. He...he threatened me."

That wasn't completely untrue.

"He said that he would hurt me, hurt my father, hurt you if I found out how to access my magic."

That was a total lie. But Maddie channeled all her fears into the lie, which made it sound more believable.

"He...he threatened you?" Cleo asked. Her eyes flashed. Nobody threatened her friends. She gave Maddie a hug, causing the younger girl to flinch. Cleo assumed it was because she was scared of Tereus, not of her.

"It's okay. We'll make sure he can't hurt you."

Gaius paced back and forth on the path. His face was red and his fists were clenched tight. Nobody threatened his friends.

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Maddie's breathing was still ragged. She didn't know what was worse, her fear of Tereus, the Druids, or her friends.

"Why didn't he want you to use your magic? What does he care?"

Those were good questions without good answers. Rather than try to come up with more lies in her panicked condition -- lies that would no doubt come back to haunt her -- Maddie took the easy way out. She fainted, right there on the path.

She started to come to a few minutes later, but willed herself back into unconsciousness. She could thank all her mental training with Corentin for that little ability. Gaius was carrying her off the path when she woke up the first time. The second time she was in bed. The third time Corentin was sitting in a chair, keeping an eye on her. His presence startled her, but then she remembered that he didn't know anything.

"Tell me everything," he said to her as soon as he saw she was awake. Her heart sank.

"My...my friends? Cleo and Gaius?" she stalled.

"They're right outside. They were very worried about you. Gaius carried you through the grounds and up to the dormitories."

"Can I see them?"

Corentin paused for a second. "I don't see why not. They can hear whatever you tell me."

It was just a reprieve, then. Maddie nodded. Gaius and Cleo tentatively came into the room when Corentin called them.

"Now, then, tell me the story," Corentin said, forestalling any questions or comments from Cleo and Gaius.

Maddie told him everything, or at least the version of everything she wanted him to believe. It was mostly the truth. She told him about seeing a mysterious person at the welcoming dinner, about her trip to the temple and meeting Tereus. She made his claims at demigodhood sound just a bit less certain. Then she told him about seeing him on the path and ended with the version of events that she had given to her friends. Or as near as she could remember.

Corentin took it all in and sat for a while digesting it.

"Well, we'll have to make sure that he doesn't come back and that he can't threaten you, your friends, or your family. I'm positive that we can protect you, so there's no reason not to continue your studies. Perhaps we'll hold off on your extra lessons a bit, and you can take it easy a bit in class for now. But we'll resume your training soon. I just have to talk to the others about this new threat.”

Maddie felt relieved and guilty at the same time. While she didn't really think that Tereus was going to hurt anyone, she didn't want to have to explore her abilities and be found out.

The next day Maddie spent most of her classes thinking about the implications of what Tereus had said. She didn't want to become evil. She liked her friends and her family and her teachers and didn't want to become some monster who could kill them all. Nowhere were these thoughts more prevalent than in Elementary Magic class. Not having to concentrate on her magic let her focus all her attention on these dark thoughts. She had a brief reprieve, but sooner or later she would have to start trying again. And if Corentin was going to help her, he would see that she had Shadow Magic inside of her. She liked her teacher and he seemed really nice, but she had no doubts that he'd help capture her if she tried to escape.