A Time for Magic

by Jessa Ford

  “Really, so easily?” She felt the familiar rush of adrenaline after using her magic begin to die down. “Did you feel like it was hard?” Cora paused and thought for a moment. She didn’t. In truth, she shouldn’t have been able to lift Xave at all, let alone carry him down the path and up the stairs to her door. “I’m just another mass of cells for you to control,” Xave studied her intently. “So, I can move anything?” “In theory.” She tapped her fingers against her leg as she considered how she might apply this new skill. “I’ll leave you to your thoughts, then.” Xave looked as if he might say something else, but nodded at Cora and was off in an instant, leaving her standing alone in front of her room again. In the back of her mind, Cora wondered if part of the rush of adrenaline she felt was due in part to his return.

  ✽✽✽

  Not so far away, Nikol Delmarno slammed a door open. His frustration could be felt in the air, but no one dared look nervous. “As many of you know, my patience has grown thin,” he looked out over the small crowd, deliberately making eye contact with each person before he continued. “If we don’t act now, I fear we will lose our window of opportunity. There is a Time Bender at Starbury Academy. We do not yet know who the individual is, but we have confirmation one exists. My contact can verify it was a Time Bender, but they’re testing their blood again to ensure we have the correct individual. Argyn, you and three of your best men—” A woman standing near Nikol cleared her throat. “Your best hunters, will go to Starbury at once and demand they turn themselves in. Be as convincing as necessary. Make sure they understand the severity of the situation.”

  A tall, monstrous looking man stepped forward. He wore leather boots, black pants, and a tight black shirt. He towered over Nikol. His hair was so blond it was almost white, and the faint outline of a scar ran from one side of his face diagonally to the other. “Dodge, Vela, Hines, you’re with me.” His gruff voice could easily strike fear into someone. Three individuals stepped forward and joined him next to Nikol, all equally frightening in their own ways. Dodge and Hines looked nearly identical and were just as rough around the edges as Argyn. Their brown hair was shorn close to their heads and though one wore a patch over his eye, they were the kind of people whose gaze you avoided at all costs. Vela, the lone woman in the group, moved like a viper. Her red hair matched the fierce gaze in her eyes and she saluted Argyn as she took her place near him. Nikol nodded and the four hunters left without saying anything else. Pleased with his choice of action, Nikol departed the room without saying another word.

  ✽✽✽

  The library was unusually full the next afternoon when Cora arrived after classes. She supposed the beginning of a new term caused some students to change their habits. Dari was out, but Cora saw Xave standing at the information desk and flashed him a smile. Xave returned the gesture and turned back to work. As soon as Cora began scanning the aisles, her smile faded; Cora saw an unprecedented number of books on the carts all throughout the library. Groaning, she decided to wait until some students had cleared out to begin chipping away at them. After all, now she could finish the work faster than most.

  Cora sought out a quiet nook to begin reading on the second floor. She decided the evening light provided the right environment to get lost in a new book. She would later move to the privacy of the third floor if it got too busy with the after-dinner rush. Brushing her long hair out of her face, she curled up in a chair and opened a book. It felt like things were beginning to get back to normal, if anything that had happened in her life recently could be considered normal.

  Cora had only just begun to make headway in her reading material when she heard what sounded like an explosion. Immediately following, she felt that Xave had slowed time. She leapt downstairs and stifled a scream. The front door of the library was gone and in its place an explosion was suspended in time. Xave was struggling to keep everything at bay and Cora rushed over to help him. “What’s going on?” Her eyes were frantic, but her instincts took over as she grasped control of the space. “It’s him. It has to be,” Xave’s brows were furrowed in concern. Cora began to assess the damage, and Xave silently cursed Dari for choosing this day to be out. His mind instantly went to Cora and her vulnerability. He could not let them find her, but he needed to act quickly.

  SIXTEEN

  “How long can we keep them like this?” Cora frantically scanned the room, eyeing her classmates who were frozen with a look of terror frozen on their faces. Everything, even the smoke from the explosion, hung almost motionless in the air around them. In any other context it would have been an eerily beautiful sight. Xave suppressed a smirk and sighed, “Ironically, I believe we of all people have run out of time.” “Really? You’ve decided to take up a sense of humor now?” Xave knew full well what needed to be done in order to fix the problem at hand. He and Dari had discussed this possibility at length. He sighed, “Cora, do you trust me?” “What?” her head snapped in his direction. “Do you trust me?” The small Time Bender looked at her counterpart as he strained to keep everything around them from imploding.

  For the first time Cora began to understand her power. Sweat was beading on Xave’s forehead, but Cora only felt as if her muscles were a little sore. She knew, however, that no matter how hard-headed and maddening Xave may be sometimes, she fully trusted him without question. Not once had he given her a reason to doubt him. “I trust you, Xave,” she whispered, her brown eyes filled with a mixture of fear and determination. She was certain disappointment flashed across his face.

  “I need you to do two things for me. First, you’re going to need to go to Martin Keenly’s house and look for a star map. It should have the number 283 on the top right corner. This map will get you to a place called Star Point Bridge. You’re going to cross under the bridge. There you’ll find a tunnel. Follow the tunnel through to the town until you find a bakery with a blue sign above the door. I’ll meet you there. Second--” “Hold on,” Cora’s head was spinning. Thankfully, she would be able to recall everything he’d instructed her to do. Xave had clearly anticipated the need for a quick evacuation; and, as such, had an escape in mind. Cora suddenly felt fear creep into her. The danger she knew was lingering outside the safety of her world was suddenly very real.

  “Why can’t we both leave now?” Cora struggled to keep her voice from wavering. Xave sighed, “Because of what I’m going to do next. You and I both know we can’t just disappear and hope they leave. After I do this you need to act just as surprised as anyone else. Then follow the map as fast as you can, Cora. They have your blood from your first Reading. It’s only a matter of time until they figure out you have magic in it. They might already know. It won’t take them long to guess what that magic is if you haven’t come forward for another Reading.” “What are you planning on doing?” She eyed him suspiciously. “Cora, please just get to the map and stay out of sight.” Xave spoke so intensely it scared her. In a way, it made him seem more powerful, like he’d been restrained by using his gift so infrequently in his daily tasks.

  Without another word, Xave locked eyes with Cora and dropped his hands. A few things began to move slowly around them. Cora knew she could keep things frozen on her own, but she was afraid she would begin to tire before they could do anything. She suddenly realized if she had been with anyone but Xave, she would surely be panicking. As Cora began to loosen her grip on the world around her, the explosion continued, but she and Xave moved faster. They got everyone back against the far wall just in time.

  Cora felt Xave pull her away from the source of the blast at the last second. They fell back behind a nearby shelf. He shielded Cora as they watched the chaos unfold. Half of the library lay in rubble behind them. Cora felt like she was on the verge of breaking, but she knew she needed to focus and put the pieces together. She didn’t know how, but she knew Xave was going to do something dangerous to keep her safe.

  ✽✽✽

  Xave Zellows held in his arms the most frustratingly intriguing girl he had ever met.
In a mere matter of months, she had learned she possessed a great amount of magic, which very well may get her killed; and instead of writing him, or Dari, or anyone off, she embraced it. She studied it, felt it within her, and let it flow through her time and time again. She questioned him every step of the way, but she trusted he would not lead her astray. Then, when he least expected it, he realized she had become a welcome addition to his usually lonely routine. In a few short moments he was going to do something that may well lead to both of their destruction. If he was lucky, he’d see her again for a brief moment.

  Any hope of Xave’s plan working required Cora could even read a star map and get out of Telgria unseen, with no assistance, and only a few time bending skills at her disposal. Xave could feel something inside him begin to crack, as if a pressure had finally been too much to hold in. He wished in that moment he could freeze time indefinitely and figure out a better plan. If he only had more magic in his blood. When the dust finally settled around them, he dropped his arms and took a few steps from Cora, but froze when a grim figure stepped through the debris. He was older, probably one of Nikol’s followers from before. His face was scared, and his large black boots stormed to a stop when the dust settled. Three equally intimidating figures stood behind him with intimidating grins on their faces.

  Without wasting any time, the leader began to speak in a voice that was used to being listened to. “We’re here for one person. As you may know, there is a Time Bender amongst you. They’ve been hiding behind a mask as an Unreadable to avoid their duty to our leader. I give you my word, if you bring us your Time Bender, no more harm will come to anyone. If you don’t,” the man paused and Xave saw his hands start to glow white. He fought the urge to act and decided it would be better to see how this played out before he made his move.

  The rubber boots made sense. The man was a Light Wielder, with the power to create electricity and...a heat source. The man turned to a young student hovering on the ground near him and pulled the boy up by the collar of his shirt. The boy looked more like a child next to him. “If you don’t bring me your Time Bender, I will go through you one by one until I find him.” He placed his hands on the boy’s shoulders, which seared under the white-hot heat. The boy wailed and buckled to the floor, shaking in pain. Xave’s stomach churned. Every second he waited put someone else in danger.

  Without thinking, he stepped forward. “You’re looking for me,” Xave spoke softly, but steadily. “Well,” the evil man smiled to his companions who had spaced themselves around the room, “either you’re all much more accommodating than I thought, or he’s quite the martyr.” Though he didn’t want to turn around to see her, Xave feared Cora would try to stop him from sacrificing himself. In an instant, he was in front of her again, holding her close to his chest to prevent her from drawing any attention to herself. He slowed time ever so slightly to steal a few extra seconds before his escape.

  “Get the map, go to the bridge, and pretend you don’t know anything. Right now, they only think there’s one of us and they think it’s me,” he whispered into her hair, hardly noticing her arms had wrapped around his waist, steadying him. Cora was shaking, and Xave surmised it was more from rage now than fear. With less than seconds left, he stepped back to take one last look at her. He expected emotion to escape her as it usually did, but a single tear ran down her dusty face. If possible, it was worse to leave her like this; and before he knew what he was doing, Xave took her face in his hands, and pressed his lips to hers. Cora closed her eyes for a split second, but he was already gone.

  She didn’t allow herself time to react to the kiss. It was so quick she almost questioned if it really happened. But her lips burned from the short contact, and she suddenly felt empty. She knew she needed to leave and fast. Nikol’s henchmen would start tearing the school apart to find Xave, even though they had to know he was miles away by now. It would be to prove a point, to scare others into accepting their demands. She needed to move before she lost her chance to get out.

  ✽✽✽

  In seconds, Cora was back in her room and threw some essentials in a bag: an extra pair of clothes and some notebooks and pencils. Cora also grabbed her personal information that included her home address and Starbury acceptance information. She didn't want to give anyone reason to connect her to her parents. She left all her other belongings so it would appear she was still attending class. She hoped someone would step in and stop anyone from getting to the student living quarters.

  Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door and she froze. “Cora! Cora are you home?” Soph, thank the heavens. Cora almost turned to open the door, but stopped. The fewer people who could place her outside the library, the better. Let Soph think she was working. It would buy Cora a few more days if everyone thought she was trapped in the library, though it pained her to imagine how her friends and family would react to the news. It will be worse for them if you’re caught, she reminded herself, and turned to leave out the back window.

  Cora was suddenly thankful for the school’s proximity to the forest. She swung her leg over the ledge of her window and guessed she could easily make the jump to a nearby tree. She threw her bag first, crossing her fingers it wouldn’t tumble to the ground, and it didn’t. Then, Cora hoisted herself through the window and leapt toward the nearby tree. She landed with less grace than she’d hoped, but it would be an easy climb down. She brushed her legs off once she was on solid ground and set off toward the Headmaster’s home. Martin Keenly’s house was at the end of a narrow, winding path toward the back of the campus; it was nearly completely enveloped by the forest. The path became shaded the further one descended and it provided just the right amount of coverage for someone hoping to remain unseen.

  Cora felt confident moving at a normal pace. She doubted anyone would search the Headmaster’s home before his office. She reached his house in mere minutes, but her heart continued to race. Still cautious, Cora briefly slowed time when she arrived at the door. She looked through the windows and behind the home. When she was sure it was empty, she concentrated on finding a way in. The door was locked, of course, as were the windows on the first floor. The home had a stone foundation, and Cora thought she may be able to climb the rocks to get to the second-floor windows. After several unsuccessful attempts, Cora found a window in the back of the house that budged. She was able to prop the window open with a stick from a nearby tree. She hoped if she swung herself up from the back porch she could grab hold of the window sill and pull herself up. “Xave would really come in handy right about now,” she grumbled. Her mind flashed back to his lips on hers and she furrowed her brows in confusion. It was so unexpected of him. The more she knew about him, the more his cold exterior made sense. Worse, she found herself wanting to unveil all of his secrets.

  Cora pulled herself onto the window ledge and inched her way up until she fell forward into the most cluttered home she’d ever seen. Unlike Headmaster Keenly’s pristine office, his home was a storm of papers, books, trinkets, and tea cups. There were so many tea cups. Slowly scanning the room around her, Cora surmised she was in an office...or maybe a bedroom. The mountains of books and papers covered the furniture and nearly reached the ceiling. She saw a streak of light across the floor and located the source as a door to the rest of the house. Tip toeing across the creaking wood floor, Cora opened the door and looked into the hallway. Her heart fell.

  Like the first room, the hallway was lined with piles of books leaving just a small path in the center. It would be nearly impossible to find anything, much less something she’d never seen. The house had two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, along with a kitchen and sitting room below. Even if she froze time, it could take days to find one specific map. Cora sat on a nearby pile of books to think. If Headmaster Keenly kept the map in his home and Xave knew about it, it must be important. He wouldn’t just keep it laying around. “Or would he?” she questioned out loud, scanning the papers at her feet. Old student enrollment numbers, newspaper articles
about the Magic Class, and arrest reports were readily available to be reviewed. She wondered what the papers would say about what had just happened.

  Cora determined she would start with the headmaster’s bedroom. Like the rest of his home, his bedroom was equally a disaster, the only difference being the bed in the center of the room. As Cora crept about the room she quickly skimmed through stack after stack of papers. She tried to keep the panic in her mind at bay, but knew every second she spent was a second closer to someone reaching the home. The setting sun did not help her cause. She feared once Martin’s home was shrouded in dark it would be easy for someone to sneak around. The floors groaned and protested every movement she made, and Cora froze instantly after each step, certain the sound would reverberate across the entire school.

  Ready to move onto the next room, she stepped to leave and heard an echo. Cora picked her foot up and placed it down again to be sure. Indeed, the floor beneath her shoes was hollow. She sat down and fidgeted with the floorboards, finding an edge where she could almost slide her fingers into if she wiggled the board enough. She was finally able to free the floorboard and relief washed over her. In front of her eyes lay a stack of scrolls which, she surmised, were star maps. Martin Keenly kept all the original star maps from the library in his home. She unrolled map after map until she found one with the numbers 283 in the top corner. She thanked the heavens for her luck and clutched the map to her chest.