Page 19 of Joined By Magic

A jumble of furniture filled the space. Mismatched sofas with rotten cushions. Everything would have to go. The prince gave the living room a disdainful once-over, created another light, and moved deeper into the house. I yanked away ragged curtains and pushed the windows out to let in the crisp mountain air. The view took in the lake and the deep green forest. I smiled again. This place could be great. It just needed some attention. After a moment of uncertainty, I set to gathering up any moldy furnishings I could carry and dumping them outside.

The prince returned, face tight with frustration. “The damp is everywhere. Not a single dry room. Nowhere for me to work. We’ll have to get this fixed.”

Of course he thought about a workspace before he considered where we’d eat, sleep, or bathe. He looked at me as though I should have the solution.

He was used to things happening as soon as he demanded they did. In the palace, his word was absolute law. Anyone would drop what they were doing for him. I spread my hands wide in a shrug.

“We’ll have to hire staff to do it. You mentioned there’s a town nearby? We’ll need food anyway, and bedding. Does the water and power work here? And you wanted to check if it’s on a magical grid?”

He brightened. “Yes. I’ll fix the power. You clean up.”

He strode out of the door.

Three hours later, the prince had fixed the power, and we’d discovered that, by some miracle, the water still worked. We’d stripped the house of everything we could, leaving a bare shell. It was as much as we could do with what we had at hand.

The prince teleported us to the edge of Ghasul in the bright afternoon sunlight, hidden in the tree line. The town was carved out of the mountain and stretched up ahead of us, a series of flat plateaus connected by what looked to be exhaustingly steep stairs. My calves ached just looking at them.

Spotting movement, I stared. Chairs shot up and down the mountainside with no visible means of propulsion. It had to be magic. I watched one launch from the top and careen down the steep face, and my stomach lurched. Maybe I should take the stairs.

No. A thrill shot up my spine as the chair came in to land safe and sound. An adventure. Something I’d never done before. Would it be scary? The desert was so flat, I’d never had the opportunity to find out if I was afraid of heights.

The prince handed me a bundle of notes. “This should be plenty. Don’t get sidetracked by all the new sights.”

“I’m not stupid.” The response snapped out before I could stop it. His patronizing words rubbed against my nerves.

His face darkened. “Watch yourself. I expect you back in two hours. Give me the list.”

I held it out to him.

“I’m adding an extra item. Lots of people around here ride mountain ponies. I’m sure there’s a shop that sells supplies for them, including crops.”

He folded the paper and slipped it into my pocket.

The bruises on my ass were only just fading. Another smart comment hovered on my lips, but I forced it down. I’d take a spanking over the corner any day of the week.

“Now go. Don’t be late, or I’ll teleport into town myself to collect you, and you won’t enjoy the result.”

He gave me a stern look and melted into the shadows of the trees.

I approached the chair lifts. Untethered from anything, the magical propulsion system looked more terrifying the closer I got. Resisting the urge to glance back at the prince, I squared my shoulders.

A brown-haired young man wearing a thick coat and sturdy boots stood at the lift. His bored expression shifted to interest as he noticed me. He smiled a broad, appealing grin.

“Well hello, miss! You heading up to town today?”

Seized by an absurd desire to irritate the prince, who surely watched from the trees, I gave him a dazzling smile and leaned toward him. “Yes. It’s my first time. Should I be scared?”

The man’s eyes widened. “Uh, no, of course not. It’s safe. Hop in.”

With a last glance up the mountain and a surge of terror, I took a seat in the chair. The young man fussed, securing straps across my body with unsteady fingers. Not one of life’s great charmers. He stood back. “Ready?”

“Do I need to pay?”

The man, who seemed to have recovered some composure, waved a hand. “No. First rides for pretty ladies are free. Will you be heading down later?” His voice held a hopeful note.

“Yes. I’ll see you then.”

The straps felt flimsy. What if the chair went wild? Would they even hold me? I took a deep breath and forced myself to keep my eyes open as the man counted down. “Three, two, one, here we go!”

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