by Allie Burton
Stone pulled out two sleeping pods close together. “Sleep.”
Another order.
I was tired of people telling me what to do. I was also too tired to argue. And yet, my mind rushed with thoughts and my heart bled with loss.
Keltie chose a pod on the other side of the room, turned her back, and at least pretended to sleep. Tos was small in the human-sized pod. Hokima’s rhythmic snores hypnotized.
I couldn’t sleep, and neither could Stone. I could tell by his uneven breathing and restlessness.
Rotating on my side, I faced him. “Are all the majik prisoners kept in those same cells?”
The area we’d been in hadn’t been large. Half a dozen cell doors centered around the middle guard station. Hi tech locks and magic blocking chemicals to keep the majiks inside.
He grimaced, expecting the question but not wanting to answer. “Teen prisoners.”
“Why teenagers? Why the need to keep them separate from the rest of the majiks?”
He huffed, and his broad shoulders rolled. “Teen majiks’ powers are the most potent because they’ve recently gone through puberty.”
I cringed. The last thing I wanted to talk about with him was teenage puberty and how our bodies changed and how we became attracted to others. “The government is afraid teen majiks can more easily break out of the regular prison?”
“The government,” he said, as if he wasn’t part of them, “are harnessing the more potent powers of the teens.”
“What do you mean by harnessing powers?”
“They are stealing the majiks’ powers.”
Reeling back, my own useless powers seemed to seep out of me. “How are they stealing their powers?”
“Auraguillotine.”
I jerked. “I’ve heard of it. The majiks I met beneath the palace, the ones who are trying to escape, are terrified of the name.”
“As they should be.” Stone’s solemn tone sounded so final.
My mind ran in circles trying to wrap my brain around what I’d learned. Teen majiks’ powers were stronger. The regent and prince, and possibly Rye—a crack went through my heart—used an atrocious machine to pilfer powers for their own use. For what?
“What are they using the magic for?”
“What the rulers have always used magical powers for. To keep the kingdom a secret. To advance technology. To keep themselves in power. To fight against the majiks themselves.”
Fairies against brownies. Brownies against elves. Elves against giants. Giants against trolls and ogres. The list went on and on. The humans playing one race against the other, always manipulating, always in control. And now, they had magic of their own. They’d used technology and turned it against us, creating their own magical power.
Stolen magical power.
* * *
Rolling into something hard and warm, I realized I must’ve fallen asleep. My eyes were crusty and my brain unaware of my surroundings. The wall of warmth felt good and I snuggled closer. During the ravishing dreams of weapons and blood, of Bim and Arbor, I’d twisted and turned.
The wall moved in and out. A living breathing thing.
Stone.
Relaxing, I cuddled into him. Close. Until I jerked to my senses. He’d almost kissed me, and I wasn’t ready for another kiss from a different guy. Scooting away, I turned and studied his lips. How would he kiss? I’d only had the one kiss from Rye, and I’d believed it was the best kiss ever. But now, I realized Rye was weak and not worthy of my affection. Not with my new convictions. Not with my new plan.
A new plan that shouldn’t include a romance.
“Good morning.” Stone’s rough voice created an uncomfortable response.
Fever flooded across my skin and drained like a riptide. I’d never slept near a guy before. I scooted further away. “What’s good about it? And how do you even know it’s morning?”
The ball had been in the evening. I’d traveled beneath the palace, gotten caught by Stone and the other guards, freed, fought a battle, and rode the conveyor belt of thrills and chills.
Rubbing his face, he stood abruptly. “We should get ready to go.”
Without glancing back, he stomped to the bathroom and slammed the door.
Ouch.
The noise woke everyone else in the room.
Keltie sat up and stretched her long, elegant limbs. Her braid didn’t have a hair out of place. “What’s his problem?”
I shrugged, not willing to admit anything. “Grumpy in the morning, I guess.”
Hokima and Tos stirred and after a few minutes of taking turns in the bathroom, grabbing more protein tubes, and organizing the few weapons we had, we were ready to head out.
The question was in which direction.
“We’ll take a small tunnel which leads into the mountains behind the palace.” Stone double checked the weapons hanging from his belt. He’d changed out of the guard uniform and into pants and a tight, black T-shirt. “I’ll have you in complete safety in about an hour.”
Was anywhere in the kingdom safe for a majik? With the regent’s restrictive laws and the mass arrests of teen majiks? I wasn’t running and hiding any longer. A battle was going to break out soon and I needed to choose my side. My dreams, or should I say nightmares, returned with force. I’d let Arbor down. Bim had died because of me. Hokima, Tos, and Keltie had been put in additional danger because of my quest. I’d failed in my unwanted mission to kill the prince.
I couldn’t waltz out of here having accomplished nothing. I was done playing it safe.
“I’m not leaving without Arbor.” And without at least attempting to destroy the auraguillotine.
“Don’t be foolish.” Stone’s tone spoke volumes starting with asinine and ending with thick-headed.
I took in my friends. Not new friends or majik friends, just friends. I’d miss the ragtag lot. “You should go.”
Tos didn’t meet my gaze. Hokima’s gloppy eyes widened with uncertainty. Keltie arched the ever-questioning brow.
Bracing myself, I whirled to face Stone’s glare. “Tell me how to get to the auraguillotine.”
He watched every movement of my pupils, every blink, every twitch of a muscle on my face. “Why would you want to go there?”
“I heard my friend Arbor was taken there.” This wasn’t about just my friend anymore. “And someone has to stop this terrible machine.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Majiks who go there don’t come out alive.”
His words landed inside of me like soft grenades. My tummy twisted, and guilt won over worry. Righteous topped fear. This had been building inside me all night. The conditions the prisoners lived under—and not for long, the unfair arrests and the separation of families, and the stealing of powers.
I stood taller and stronger, cement hardening in my bones. “I have to see if I can help. It’s my fault Arbor was arrested and I’m going to do everything I can to save her and any others.”
His pupils changed, deepening to a mossy color that might’ve been respect. “I’m going with you.”
“No. I don’t want anyone else endangering themselves.” I was adamant about this point. Each of them had risked enough already. I wanted them out of the palace and safe.
“I’m a palace guard and you’ll never make it without me.” His lips formed a smug smirk. One saying he was right, and he knew it and I couldn’t argue.
What he said made sense, yet I needed him to take my friends to safety.
“I want my friends,” I pointed at Keltie, Tos, and Hokima, “to get out alive. You need to take them.”
“I’ll tell them how to get out.” Stone’s jaw set. He wasn’t going to give in on this point. “Then, I’m coming with you.”
His words nailed me to the spot. He was right. His assistance would be helpful. He was strong and knew his way around the palace. He was on my side and willing to fight.
He grabbed his electronic pad and drew a map with the stylo. Telling each of them the code word,
he patted them on the back and said goodbye.
My lungs welled with a mix of emotions, pushing against my ribcage causing physical pain. This was goodbye, possibly forever. When would I run into an elf, a troll, and a brownie again? Right now, our kind were on separate sides, even so I was hoping the groups would find a way to work together against the human threat.
I hugged Hokima’s fat, fluid body. The ickiness I would’ve expected to experience didn’t come. “You tell the trolls how you worked with a fairy, an elf, a brownie, and a human.” I wanted to be part of this coming together of races, even if I was the tiny flame starting the fire.
“Our escape will become legend.” He bowed over my hand imitating a prince.
I pivoted to Tos. She was such a special majik. Proud, smart, funny. “You are the bravest brownie I’ve ever met.”
“I’m the only brownie you’ve ever met.”
Laughter sprung from my fear. “True.” I hugged her close, lifting her off her tiny feet. “Stay safe. Look out for these two.”
Setting the brownie back on the floor, I reeled toward Keltie. My throat tightened holding in tears. She’d taught me about being brave and a leader. “Thanks for your guidance.”
“You think you’re going to keep me away from the fun?” She wiggled her expressive brows. “I’m coming with you and Stone.”
“It’s not going to be fun.” I didn’t want her thinking this would be a good time. We were lucky to have survived so far. Our odds would lower significantly.
“I can help. I have skills you could use. I’m a warrior.” She took a combative stance.
I knew she could fight. Knew her heart was in the right place. “It’s going to be dangerous.”
She stuck her hands on her hips in a superhero pose. “I live for danger.”
No lightness entered me at her joking. We understood how serious the situation was. “Or because of it, you die.”
Chapter Nineteen
“Are you sure about this?” Stone straightened the lapels of the guard uniform I wore.
Extra uniforms were one of the staples stashed in the safe room. Keltie was dressing in a similar uniform in the bathroom. Tos and Hokima had headed out on their own with a promise to tell our story to everyone and drum up support.
“Never been more sure.” My uncertainty had evaporated similar to Arbor’s smoke. I knew I was doing the right thing. It was a step forward in proclaiming who I truly was and where I fit in this crazy world.
Still gripping my collar, Stone leaned toward me. His evergreen scent relaxed my bones at the same time the closeness created tension. A good-weird kind of tension. Was he a flirt? Did he want to kiss me? “You must follow my directions.”
“Your orders you mean.” Pressure to do what he wanted. Another form of coercion. “This is my mission. You’re tagging along with me. Why?”
I’d asked before and he’d never answered. Why would this human risk his very thick neck? He was obviously part of some underground insurrection. Who did he work for? Humans would never work for the fairies or anyone else trying to rebel against royalty.
Humans were part of the royal system. Aristocracy based on race.
“Why not?” His lips twitched in an all-knowing and annoying quirk.
“You’re a human guard and you took out other guards to help majiks escape. You have connections to some sort of underground network. Why risk your mission for me?”
“You’re taking a risk by trying to save your friend.” His tone stayed even, not giving away any secrets.
It was comparable to facing a solid rock. One I couldn’t touch and say a chant to get through.
“She’s my friend.” My voice cracked and my chin quivered. Guilt was not a helpful emotion. “I’m nothing to you. Tos, Hokima, and Keltie are nothing to you.”
Stone’s eyes changed color again. The green morphed into something deeper and darker, something more intense. “Maybe you’re something to me.”
Before I could comprehend his meaning, his mouth descended onto mine. His lips besieged while mine dropped open in an O of surprise. My heart thudded, and my brain ran around in circles as if competing in a marathon. Confusion and chaos won the race.
His mouth was hard, punishing. My lips didn’t respond to his aggression. He tasted dark and dangerous, and concerned about the future. Our future.
Not about our future together. We didn’t have a future together, in a relationship. I wasn’t sure if I felt hero worship or physical attraction. I’d really liked Rye, but had I even known him? Did I truly know Stone?
Not really. He kept too many secrets. Which wouldn’t be good for any future relationship. I couldn’t decide whether to respond to the kiss or slap him. We were in a precarious situation and I didn’t want tangled emotions getting in the way of my task.
“I don’t think this uniform goes with my complexion.” Keltie’s statement snapped into my bungled synapses.
Stone jumped a step back and I ducked my head, trying to straighten my collar and my expression. The attraction spiraling between us severed like a tight thread leaving me gasping. My chest was tight, and I couldn’t speak even though her question was directed at me.
He waited for me to respond and when I didn’t, he said, “As long as your skin doesn’t match a body bag you should be good.”
Keltie chuckled.
Their gallows humor soured in my stomach. The kiss must not have meant much if he could go from kissing to sarcasm in seconds.
Leaning in, he straightened Keltie’s collar, too.
I held my breath waiting for him to kiss her. As I suspected, I didn’t mean anything to him. I was a distraction. He was a flirt.
“One last thing.” He took a fancy clutch and a jewel-encrusted dagger out from a locker.
“My bag and knife!” I swiped them both from him. “Where’d you get these?”
“I told the commander I’d put them in a secure place.” His flirtatious smile had my pulse quickening. With anger, not attraction.
Peering in the bag, I checked the contents. “Where’s Drago?”
“I don’t know. The commander might’ve put him with the other baby dragons.”
At least Drago was with his siblings.
I tucked the dagger inside the front of my uniform for safekeeping. “I should leave the bag here.”
“Its magical capability might come in handy.”
“Magic doesn’t work under the palace.”
“We won’t be under the palace where we’re going.” He snapped his weapon at his belt. “Everyone ready?”
Slipping the bag around my neck, I followed them out. The opening slid on its silent hinges and we entered the hallway of our enemy. No safe place to hide.
Not from the palace guards, not from Stone, not from my emotions.
The kiss had been too aggressive to show any depth of emotion. Not that I had much to compare it to. The two kisses I’d received were like night and day.
Rye’s kiss had been sweet and light and filled with hope. While Stone’s kiss had been hard and desperate, a clinging to what could happen. Both had been good. Just different.
And I had no idea what either of them meant. If anything at all.
Stone must’ve been taking advantage of the situation and the adrenaline. If I hadn’t been standing there, he probably would’ve kissed Keltie, too.
Avoiding Stone, I kept pace with her. She had her head down knowing her elf heritage would be recognized at first glance. The hat she wore barely covered the tips of her ears. The first and second hallway had been empty, except for the occasional cyborg whirring past. The shiny metal walls fractured our images as we swept passed. The lights glared causing me to squint. The cold became colder with each corridor we tread.
“What did you do for fun before?” I whispered the question.
“After the human school I attended kicked me out and my father lost his job in the city, we relocated to Elvenstad. My father tried to get work in the area. Manual labor.”
Her scoff came from a place of pain. “He’s a lawyer, and a good one.”
“Why did he lose his job?”
She shot me a furrowed forehead and narrowed gaze. “Because he’s an elf. And since elves don’t get trials anymore, his firm didn’t need his services.”
The unfairness gutted me, and I wanted to put a stop to it. Destroying the machine would be the first step.
Stone paused and checked around a corner. When he gave the clear sign, we moved forward.
Wanting to change the subject, I asked, “What did you do with your free time since returning to Elvenstad?”
I’d never had free time. Maybe that was a good thing because as soon as I spent time the way I wanted, I’d gotten in trouble. Gotten Arbor in trouble.
“I watched my brothers and sisters a lot.” Keltie’s wistfulness pulled at my sympathy. “My mom started elves’ rights meetings.”
Stone shifted to stare. His eyes had grown larger than normal. Had what she said meant something to him?
“The reason my mom got arrested. I’m sure of it.” Her voice rose with bewilderment and anger. “Why would she put me and my brothers and sisters at risk?”
I didn’t have any brothers and sisters and I’d always wanted them. Ingrid and Ilana didn’t count. They didn’t act like sisters. We weren’t a real, loving family. “How many brothers and sisters do you have?”
“Had.” The single word exploded. “When I fought the SCUM, they arrested me and took them, too.” Keltie swiped at her nose. “I’ll never see them again.”
I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t care for my stepsisters although I wouldn’t want them dead. Just out of my house and my life.
“That’s why I volunteered to come with you. If my siblings are alive, I don’t want them put in the auraguillotine.” Her tone hardened. “If you plan to destroy it, I want to be there to watch it crushed.”
We arrived at a supply door and Stone used a code to get inside. He made quick work of piling up supplies in a way appearing haphazard on a quick scan, except the items acted as a ladder to the ventilation shaft. This was how he knew the direction from the ventilation area behind the regent’s library to the area near the safe room. But why? Curiosity about him burned.