Sephora's POV
Not until we had ridden to the outskirts of the woods did we stop. All I could think about was the many problems I had gotten myself into ever since the king left the palace. Jasper pulled up the steaming stallion. I abruptly slid from his lap, took two steps, and sank onto the ground. He leaped down after me. "Are you all right?"
I was no longer trembling, but my breathing was shallow and fast. A series of explosions sounded, causing us both to jerk and look back the way we had come. We were on a hillside, and most of the city sprawled below us in a jumble of orange-tiled roofs. I saw a thick cloud of smoke hanging over the center of the forest, marking where we had been. I knew it was a very bad idea to stalk Jasper just because I wanted to find out the truth, but then my
