Magic Gambit (Hidden World Academy Book 3)

by Sadie Moss

  “Nothing,” the tall, elegant man replies, his gaze and his smile still soft as he looks at me. “I just wanted to look at you for another minute.”

  Dammit, my entire body is heating up. “This is no time for you to get sentimental on me,” I tell him warningly as butterflies flap around in my stomach.

  “No? I can flirt with you if you’d prefer,” he drawls, humor sparkling in his eyes. “Would you rather I told you I can still remember what you felt like against me earlier? And how sexy it is to see that little bite mark and remember how it’s from when Cross was sucking on your neck and I got to watch?”

  My panties get a little wet, and I glower at him, pinching my lips together to hide my smile. “Tease.”

  “Minx.”

  Then, still gazing at me with that inscrutable expression, Theo reaches up to brush a strand of hair out of my face.

  “Maybe I’m just trying to distract you,” he says quietly. “Maybe I’m trying to drink you in because I don’t have a fucking clue what’s going to happen next, and it scares me. I know it scares you, and I don’t want you to be scared.”

  I swallow hard, trying to shove down the lump forming in my throat as I poke him teasingly. “Careful, people might start to realize that under that posh, polished exterior, you’ve got a mushy side.”

  He chuckles, the sound low and warm. “For you, love? I’m nothing but mush.”

  I can hear the truth in his voice as our banter walks the line between playfulness and deep sincerity. He’s joking with me, trying to bring me out of my worry, but the way he’s looking at me makes my heart flutter.

  Before I can stop myself, I loop my hand around his neck and rise up onto my tiptoes, pressing my lips to his in a hard kiss.

  His hands settle on my hips as he kisses me back, and there’s desperation in it, just for a moment. Then I feel us both settle back into our “this is all going to be okay” act, and we clear our throats as we break apart. I could cling to him all damn day if I didn’t force myself to let go. But I can’t do that.

  “Okay. Enough looking. Go to class before you’re late,” I tell him, shoving at him playfully. “Go! You miscreant!”

  “Does anybody even use that word anymore?” Theo muses as he releases me and walks backward, grinning. “Miscreant? You’re so delightfully old-fashioned.”

  “Go.” I point firmly at the door to his classroom, but I know my face is contorted into a smile so it doesn’t have as strong of an effect as it should.

  Theo walks backward to the door, still grinning at me all the way into his classroom.

  I slip into mine, double-checking that my magic generating charm is still around my neck. It is.

  Okay, I can do this.

  I feel better after Theo’s affection and his teasing. He actually did succeed in distracting me from my worries a little bit.

  As for my magic, I think it’s best if I keep the fae charm on just in case. Sure, I did magic last night to stop Gunner, but what if that was just a temporary thing? What if this was just some kind of residue from that weird merge thing I did with Roxie the last time we swapped places, and now it’s all worn off and I’m back to having to rely on the generator?

  I better have it with me just in case.

  Professor Nicholls raises an eyebrow at me as I sit down in class, probably mentally noting that I’m a bit late—and I’d bet anything that he’s heard from the professors in my morning classes that I was missing. Roxie’s a star student. When she doesn’t show up to things, people notice.

  Everyone settles down, and Nicholls keeps going on in his lecture as I pull out my notebooks and prepare. Nicholls’ class is a practical one where we have to actually perform magic, but he does explain things beforehand, so it’s important to take notes in the beginning.

  I’ve really settled into my life here, finally. I know all of my classes and the professors, how to handle them, what to prepare for. I like it all better than I liked my classes at my actual college in the Dull World. Back home, I never knew what I wanted to do with my life or who I wanted to be. My highest aspiration was to get a financially stable job so I could hang out with my friends and dance on weekends.

  But here, in the Hidden World, with magic… I’ve found a passion. Even though it wasn’t my magic powering the spells I’ve been learning, I’ve still loved learning about it. I care about it in a way I haven’t about anything else I’ve ever studied, except for dance.

  I can only hope that if I do really have magic, I get to keep it. That I can hold on to it and that it wasn’t just a fluke.

  “All right, everyone, time to practice, and then you’ll take turns demonstrating,” Nicholls says.

  I jump up quickly, excited to perform a spell with my own magic for once. I don’t do as well in these magical classes as Roxie used to. I’m not as naturally gifted as she is. But I have enthusiasm for it, and that makes all the difference. I don’t care if I’m getting middle of the road grades; I’m actually pretty damn proud of them.

  Okay. Pinky extended, rotate my wrist—

  I execute the movement perfectly, but the magic just pops and fizzles, like I just exploded something in the microwave. I jolt, startled.

  What—? Why did my magic do that?

  I try it again, but something is definitely wrong. It’s like the spell is trying to happen, but something gets in the way and blocks it, leaving me with nothing but a weird mini-explosion. What the hell?

  Hmmm. That’s never happened to me before. Not when I was trying to do magic naturally against Gunner, and not when I was using my charm…

  Oh!

  Oh my God, my charm!

  The fae charm works by taking the ambient magic that naturally exists in this world and channeling it so that I can use it to perform spells. I can’t do anything as powerful as the people of the Hidden World who naturally have magic can, but it’s been enough for me to get by.

  But, if I really do have magic now…

  I glance around quickly to make sure nobody is watching me as I reach up and quickly undo the charm and shove it into my pocket. Everyone’s focused on practicing their spells rather than looking at me, and Nicholls is coaching someone on the other side of the room, so it looks like I’m all good.

  Okay, now that the charm is off, it’s time for the real test. I’m about to find out if I really do have magic or if last night was just a fluke.

  If I don’t have magic and my generator is malfunctioning, then I’m not sure what I’ll do. I can’t exactly go to the king of the fairies and say hey, Anzac, the charm you gave me is a piece of crap.

  What if it got busted when I was doing all of that flipping back and forth between realms? What if I accidentally ruined it? Anzac won’t give me another one just because I wrecked the first, and I won’t be able to do magic, and I’ll be found out, and—

  I tamp down my runaway thoughts before they can explode into a full-blown panic attack.

  Deep breaths, Gabbi, okay? You can do this. You just have to stay calm. Try it. If it doesn’t work, you’ll just put your charm back on. Malfunctioning magic is better than none, and you can just say you’re having a bad day or something. One step at a time.

  I put my hand out again and do the movements for the spell. It’s a silence spell, one that creates a small bubble and as long as you’re in that bubble, you can’t hear anything and nobody can hear you. You start off by making a small bubble with one hand and then expanding it with your other hand, until it’s as big as you need it. Of course, how big it’ll get also depends on how strong you are in your magic and on making sure the bubble doesn’t pop.

  I do the movement—and this time, I feel the magic flow the way it should. A bubble appears, floating above the palm of my hand.

  Holy shit.

  I have to stop myself from jumping giddily up and down. I’m practically shouting inside my head. Holy shit! I can do magic! It’s really mine!

  However it happened, I have it now, and I don’t have to worry a
bout my charm failing or not being as powerful as everyone else.

  The rest of my classes go smoothly, and as soon as I’m released from my last one, I hurry to find the guys, practically knocking into them when I reach them.

  “Guess who has magic?” I hiss, grabbing Kasian by the face and kissing him soundly.

  “You still have it?” Cross asks, sounding just as excited. “Oh, shit, cupcake, there is so much I can teach you about magical theory…”

  “Always knew you were secretly a nerd,” Theo teases him.

  “I have magic!” I whisper-shout again. “I have magic, I have magic, I have magic!”

  “What is all the fuss about?”

  I turn around to see Bianca standing there. She’s wearing sensible shoes for the first time in as long as I’ve known her. Not just flats, but running shoes. Clearly, she’s not risking getting her feet hurt again, even if she probably did a healing spell of some kind to fix them up when she got back to her dorm. Magical spells for medicine and healing take a lot of time and effort to learn and are usually team efforts. Setting a broken bone takes several doctors working their spells in tandem, for example. It’s why in this world, medicine relies on a combination of technology—machines that are part tech and part magic—actual practical medicine, and spell casting.

  It’s pretty fucking cool, honestly.

  She notices me eyeing her footwear and shrugs. “What, you thought you guys were just going to go visit the fae without me? Not a chance. I’m sticking with you until we get my best friend back. I’m doing my part.”

  I can admire her for that, but I also kind of don’t want her to come. I like her, and after everything that went down last night, I’ve come to really respect her. It’s just that I’m not so sure she’ll be welcome in Anzac’s kingdom. The fae are really touchy people and don’t exactly like it when they’re disrespected. And Bianca? Well, she’s not exactly the keep your head down and your mouth shut type.

  But she’s been through a lot in the past twenty-four hours. She killed her boyfriend last night, and even though it was a justified act of self-defense, that’s gotta be fucking with her head a bit. She probably needs the distraction. The sense of purpose.

  And I suppose we could use a little more help.

  I look over at the guys. Cross is glaring at her again but Theo and Kasian shrug as if to say, yeah, why not.

  “Okay.” I look back at Bianca. “You can come. But please… try not to upset the fae.”

  She rolls her eyes. “The fae are creepy weirdos who think they’re better than everyone else and try to kidnap babies. Trust me, they’re not going to be bothered by little ol’ me.”

  Hoo boy. I beg to differ on that last part.

  It’s too late to retract the invitation to join us though, so we all head off campus toward downtown. When we reach the Spiral, the monument that hides the entrance to the realm of the Valencia fae, Bianca gazes up at it as the guys get to work.

  It takes all three of them working together to open up the portal entrance to the fae realm, each man doing a different spell at the same time in a complex juxtaposition. The fae aren’t big on outsiders visiting. I’m lucky that they seem to like me—although whether they like me enough to do this favor for us, we’re about to find out.

  Landing in the fae realm is always a trip, and I mean that in the “did too many hard drugs” kind of way. Ugh. Just like last time, I feel like throwing up when the portal spits me out.

  I manage to keep myself from hurling all over my feet as the others land beside me, and then I glance around to see that we’ve ended up in the same place we usually do—in the middle of a large underground valley on the outskirts of King Anzac’s city. If there’s more to the kingdom than just this, we haven’t seen it. I’m curious to know what else is down here, but wandering around the fae realm would be insanely dangerous. You never know what you might find, and it’s terrifyingly easy to get lost or be tricked into staying forever.

  The fae don’t age like we do. We’re like fireworks to them. We’re beautiful and bright, but we only last for a moment. There’s something about humans that fascinates the fae, and they love keeping us as companions. I don’t think all the stories about child snatching and stuff are really true. But they are drawn to humans, and we’re drawn to them; there’s something unusual about them that keeps you from looking away. And that’s what makes them so dangerous.

  We get our bearings, then head through the valley to the city. Bianca’s gazing around with her jaw open, and I can’t help but grin. I bet that’s how I looked when I first came here. I was fascinated by everything, and more than a little scared. Bianca doesn’t look frightened at all, but she does seem curious.

  The guards arrive almost at once when we reach the outskirts of the city. Some of them look like the fae that attacked me in the park while I was on my first date with Kasian, with rough skin and dark eyes, while some are more humanoid looking. They all have an otherworldly beauty about them though, and I do my best not to stare. You’d think I’d be used to all this by now, but it’s still a lot to take in.

  None of the guards have weapons pointed at us, at least not yet, but they’ve all got small, sharp swords and they don’t look too friendly.

  “Some kind of welcome wagon this is,” Bianca notes. “I thought you were friends with the fae king?”

  “Sort of,” I mumble. In a louder voice I say, “We’re sorry for intruding, and we don’t mean to bother you. We’re here to speak to King Anzac. It’s an emergency.”

  “This is the third time you have intruded upon our realm,” says one of the fae. He’s tall and lean, with a broad chest, angular features, and dark purple skin that almost seems to shine in the dim light. Before he can say anything else, Bianca pipes up again.

  “Do you always give the third degree like this? They’re here for the third time because we’ve got important, world-saving stuff going on here.”

  “Bianca…” Theo says warningly.

  “Take us to your boss,” Bianca demands. “We don’t have time for this! Every second that we waste, Roxie is in danger, and so is Gabbi.”

  The guards bristle. “Are you suggesting we just let in every mortal who behaves as though the grass bows and parts for her feet?” one of them demands.

  Yeah, the fae are kind of poetic like that. It’s just enough like Shakespeare or something that it sounds odd in my ear, but at the same time, it’s kind of… nice. It sounds fancy. Elegant.

  But it’s another reminder that they’re nothing like us humans. Us mortals.

  “I’m suggesting you let us pass,” Bianca demands, putting her hands on her hips and standing up straighter, chin in the air.

  Oh, boy. This is not gonna go well.

  At least she’s not wearing her dagger shoes.

  Chapter 6

  I quickly get in between them, interrupting Bianca’s glare-off with the guards.

  “Sorry about my friend,” I say, grabbing Bianca’s shoulder and squeezing. “Look, we’re just trying to warn Anzac about a danger to you and your people. It’s urgent. We don’t mean to be rude. Time is of the essence, but we understand and will respect your customs and laws.”

  Like I said, fae are big on laws. Rules. Contracts.

  The guards step back a little at that. Bianca looks like she thinks I’m going way too easy here, but if I let her take charge, we’ll probably end up just thrown into a fae prison without seeing Anzac at all.

  “Follow us,” one of the guards finally says.

  I let out a breath I didn’t realize had gotten trapped in my lungs. “Thank you.”

  Taking my hand off Bianca’s shoulder, I give her a nudge. She looks at me, and I look pointedly back at her.

  Bianca sighs, brushing her long dark hair over one shoulder and twisting it around her hand. “I apologize, and thank you,” she manages through gritted teeth.

  It wasn’t the most sincere apology in the world, but the soldiers seem to accept it, and they begin
to lead us through the fae city.

  I shoot a glance at Bianca as we walk, then sidle up a little closer to her, the fae ahead of us and the guys behind us.

  “Look,” I say quietly, “I understand that you’re worried about Roxie and the fate of the world. I really do get it. And I think it’s really kind of you to be worried about me and my world. But can you try to follow my lead when we meet with Anzac? Believe me, I’m in as big a hurry as you are to fix all of this, but if we barge into Anzac’s throne room making demands and throwing our weight around, it’s not gonna go well.”

  Bianca seems to soften a bit, the rigid lines of her posture drooping a little.

  She sighs. “Yeah, all right. I’m just… I’m really worried about her. About this cult.”

  I nod. I really do get that.

  Bianca’s still in shock, still wrapped up in the horror of it all. She found out last night that her best friend is in trouble with a world-destroying cult and that I’ve been faking being said best friend for months. Then she went on the run, killed her boyfriend, didn’t sleep all night, and now she’s miles underneath Valencia in the fae realm. I suppose that would rattle anyone. Even someone as tough as Bianca.

  “We’ll get her back,” I promise. “We’ll fix all of this.”

  I don’t know how, but I don’t say that part out loud.

  Honestly, I don’t even know what “fixing this” would entail anymore. Obviously we have to stop the Cult of Singularity, but beyond that? I have no idea. Roxie will need to be brought home, which means I’ll have to go back to the Dull World. How will that work now that I have magic?

  But that’s something we can worry about, y’know, after we stop said cult. And right now, Bianca doesn’t need me to freak out about the hypotheticals of what we’ll do once we’ve dealt with these psycho world-ending assholes. She just needs someone to remind her that we’re going to get rid of those assholes and that we’ll be fine.

  She takes my hand and gives it a squeeze. I can’t be sure, but I think she looks grateful. She looks softer, anyway, no longer ready to fight all comers. “Thank you. You’re a very selfless person, Gabbi.”