A short story taking place somewhere in the middle of the road to The Faradian Forest in A Forest of Secrets. (Entry for High Fantasy's challenge Micro contest #1 2019).
Did you ever wonder what happened behind scenes? The book took place entirely from Jo's pov and some things only existed in my imagination (or without her ever noticing). This story is new and was never part of the original book (for obvious reasons) so don't read it if you haven't finished A Forest of Secrets or it will ruin the whole experience for you (maybe).
Alaric's POV.
warning: fanservice.
warning: feels.
warning: spoilers for A Forest of Secrets.