Page 40 of Ruled By Magic

Adrenaline whipped through me, setting all my nerves alight. I glanced over the edge and the sheer drop loomed. My stomach somersaulted, and I clamped my eyes shut. The Lord Commander took a deep breath, then, with a long step aided by a blast of power, launched off the side of the mountain.

My stomach flew into my throat. Unable to help myself, I opened my eyes. The world shot by at speed, a green and gray blur. With a jarring crack, our shield struck something, and we twisted and spun. I battled nausea. Not a good time to throw up.

A second impact whipped my head back, then forward again, smacking my forehead into something hard. The Lord Commander grunted. My ears rang, and I clutched him tighter, my fingers digging into his shoulders. The impacts became more frequent, and he released another blast of magic. The descent slowed, the tumbling calmed, and the world came into focus. We adhered to the rocky walls a little, still plummeting but without the same wildness as before.

The ground rushed up fast. The Lord Commander sent out a last stream of power but regardless, we slammed into the earth. Cushioned by the shield, my bones still shuddered on impact.

We lay locked together in the bubble of magic—my back pressed to the floor, him on top of me—breathing hard. The shield and bindings vanished. Our bodies went limp. My head swam and I closed my eyes. It was over.

His weight shifted above me. I dragged my eyelids open. Propped on his elbows, he examined me.

“Are you okay? No broken bones?”

“Um.” I struggled to form a sentence. “No, I’m fine.”

He gave me a wild, boyish, delighted grin. “Can you believe we just did that? It was incredible! If it wasn’t for the blocker, I’d teleport us up there and do it again!”

The pure joy on his face tugged at my heart. I smiled back and peered around him to stare up the mountain. Sickeningly high. I shivered.

“I’m happy to be on the ground. It was impressive, though. You should charge people to do that. Make a business out of it.”

His smile softened. Resting on one elbow, he brushed his thumb over my cheekbone. I tipped my head up toward him and he kissed me once on the lips.

“Let’s go home.” He stood and helped me up. “I hope this works.”

We reappeared in the apartment. Knees weak, I collapsed onto the sofa. “You did it!”

“I’ve never been so happy to see this place.” He fetched a pitcher of water from the kitchen with two glasses. We drained it.

The tension slid from my body. He turned to me. “That wasn’t the day I imagined, but it was an adventure.”

I laughed. “You’re very calm. Do people try to kill you a lot?”

He grew more serious. “Sorry. It must have been terrifying for you. I can’t imagine being helpless in a situation like that.”

My lips curved up. “I saved your life. Not so helpless.”

He squeezed my knee. “Good point.”

I rested my hand on top of his. “Was it frightening, when you couldn’t teleport? I’d think it’d be the same as if my legs didn’t work.”

He nodded. “It was. That’s a good way to describe it. Most Dexian mages think of their power as something separate to them, they hoard it and use it sparingly. I don’t differentiate. I use whatever feels right in the moment. When I tried to move us and couldn’t, it was disconcerting.”

“So, what happens now? Should you be calling the Guardians?”

“No. We can’t tell anyone about this. I don’t know who I can trust. There must be spies in the palace, not many people knew where we were going. Keep quiet. Is that clear?”

I nodded.

“I’ll investigate, but in secret. They’ll strike again.”

Unease settled in my stomach as I processed the truth of his words. An enemy close at hand. “Who would want to kill you?”

He let out a tired laugh. “About half of the Assembly, all the priests, and I’m sure plenty of others I can’t bring to mind just now. It’s a crowded field. I don’t know how any of them could access that technology, though. They must have had help from outside the territory.”

He relaxed back onto the sofa and closed his eyes. “I’ll have to get hold of one of those machines that prevents teleportation. They pose a huge threat.”

Fatigue settled over me like a blanket as the last of my energy drained away. I should eat, but sleep called. I stood, limbs heavy and slow to respond. “I’m going to lie down, I’m done for.”

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