Those words struck Noor like a thunderbolt. His heart began to pound, and he felt as if time had stopped around him. He thought to himself, his mind reeling in astonishment, "How did he sense my presence? Is he some kind of sorcerer? Or is he one of the eight?"
The cloaked figure's voice cut through his chain of thought, calling for him to come out again. His voice was as cold as ice.
"Noor, come out from there. I remember your aura well… it hasn't changed much. You still use deception to escape any predicament."
Noor's tension mounted, wondering how this stranger knew him, yet sensing he was no friend. He summoned what was left of his courage, nocked an arrow to his bow, took a deep breath, and stepped out from behind the tree. He aimed his arrow at the stranger and let it fly.
The arrow cut through the air, speeding toward the cloaked figure, who in turn leaned gracefully to the left to avoid it.
