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before Purla would chase him off. He truly
couldn’t stop thinking about Sheela and had even taken extra lumps
in drills due to lack of focus. Sheela made him happy and Frath had
never been truly happy before.
    He knocked on the back gate to the garden.
The guard let him in and gave him a friendly smack on the shoulder.
Then Frath eagerly went to the small area where Sheela would be
waiting for him. She immediately ran into his arms and they held
each other for a moment.
    “What are we doing today?” The excitement of
adventure made her brown eyes sparkle. He loved how much life and
hope was in them.
    Frath ran fingers lovingly through her soft
hair. “Well, that depends,” he replied mysteriously, more focused
on the raspberry scent emanating from the strands.
    Sheela’s mouth twisted in curiosity, but she
leaned into the hand, obviously enjoying his touch. “Oh? . . .”
    “There are three places I want to take you,
but two of them are dangerous even with me protecting you,” he told
her, the look on his face suddenly grave.
    She looked up at him trustingly. “Yes.”
    Frath studied her for a moment, his eyes
soaking in every detail of her beautiful face and petite nose. He
briefly wondered why someone so wonderful would like him. “You
don’t want to know the details?”
    “As long as I get to be with you, I don’t
care.” A thoughtful look crossed her face, and then she grinned.
“Actually, I like the idea of doing something dangerous. I can feel
the blood racing through my veins already.”
    He debated for a moment before speaking
grimly. “Things could go badly and we could die or be hurt
terribly. I’ll defend you with my very life . . . and by that, I
mean that I may actually lose my life. If that happens, bad things
will happen to you, too . . .” He left the words hanging in the
air.
    Sheela nodded slowly, taking his words and
tone very seriously. “I would rather be in danger with you than
safe without you.”
    Frath held her close, never wanting to let
go. He had thought long and hard about the places they were going.
The first had a specific type of danger, but they should be safe as
long as they didn’t do anything stupid. The second place was safe,
but the third was a deadly, murky place people weren’t supposed to
go. He had a need to take her so perhaps she would understand
things about his past, even if it meant she wouldn’t love him
anymore. “The first place we’re going to is Wraith Park near the
center of the city. Have you heard of it?”
    Sheela’s eyes widened. “Only a little bit.
It’s supposed to be the source of all magic in the world? . .
.”
    Frath held his arm out for her. She took it
instantly and they walked to the gate while he explained. “It’s not
the source of all magic, but the lake in the middle has a great
deal of power and creates unusual effects.” They smiled at the
guard as he held the gate open.
    “That’s what you mean by it being dangerous.
I heard people get turned into ghosts or something if they drink
from it.” Sheela’s face scrunched up as she tried to remember the
tales.
    “Actually, that part is true,” Frath
admitted. They turned on a different street that headed westward
toward the center of the city. “The lake has a path along it with a
wall that’s magically warded to keep anyone out. There are sitting
areas everywhere, but it’s not wise to go there very often. The
magic warps everything nearby, which is part of the attraction and
the danger.”
    “Is that where the Deformed come from?”
Sheela asked, her face etched with concern. He liked watching the
different expressions that crossed her pretty features.
    “No. People warped by the forces of Wraith
Lake are different. They’re called Ghost-Touched.” He guided her to
the other side of the street they were on to avoid some of the
heavier crowds that were moving about their day’s work. “Not too
many get that way. Special members of the guard watch for that