Page 25 of Joined By Magic

Guilt settled in my stomach. “Definitely.”

Was this really a good idea?

Hex’s apartment was small and untidy. It seemed Hex had met her match in laziness in Atalie, if the clothes heaped over every surface were anything to judge by. I pushed a pile of half-sorted laundry aside and took a seat on the squashy blue sofa.

Atalie emerged from a door and fixed me with a stern stare. “You’re mad. Hex told me what you’re going to do.”

“I suppose you’re not coming, then?” Hex shot back.

Atalie snorted. “Of course I’m coming. But I’m not the one with the oh-so-rich-and-powerful boyfriend, am I? The one who’ll have to go home with him afterward?”

She coupled the words with a meaningful look, and my toes curled at the implication behind it. My friends hadn’t asked for details on my relationship with Leo, but they knew it wasn’t exactly normal. How could I explain that the threat of a punishment brought both fear and an illicit thrill?

I coughed to cover my embarrassment. “We’ve got two hours. I know where they’re creating the portal. It’s at the edge of the forest. If any of the guards see me leaving the palace, they’ll call Leo, but you can sneak me out if I hide under something in your karros. They can’t shield the area with magic or the portal won’t work, so if we drive up and I pretend I’m supposed to be there, they’ll have to take us right in.”

So simple it might actually work.

We set off toward the garage beneath the palace that housed the karros. Atalie had one assigned for her use. A sickening mix of excitement, guilt, and fear churned up my guts. I’d never defied Leo outright before. How would he react?

Hex entered first to check for guards. She was buoyant, treating everything as an adventure. Her enthusiasm spilled over and gave the trip a feel of edgy enjoyment. The thrill of a day playing truant from school, a stolen moment away from real life. The absurdity of it tugged at me as I dashed across the garage at Hex’s whistle, slid into the back seat footwell of the karros, and laughed as they covered me with coats. No longer a prisoner, but I was escaping the palace. Ridiculous. We set off.

“Coming up to the exit now,” Hex hissed as the karros slowed. I tried not to breathe. I could picture it—the smooth white road cutting through manicured lawn, leading up to the only break in the barrier surrounding the palace.

“Will you be returning today?” a guard’s gruff voice asked, muffled through the layers of clothing.

“Yes, just heading out for a few hours.” Atalie’s tone was all breezy unconcern. “See you then.”

The karros set off again. Easy. Why wouldn’t it be? Hex and Atalie could leave whenever they liked. No one judged how dangerous things were on their behalf and forbade them to go. Blinding jealousy, so acute it took my breath away, burned me up for a moment. The simple pleasure of a normal life.

A few minutes into the drive, Atalie called, “We’re far enough from the palace now. You can come out.”

Hex turned around and grinned as I strapped in. She passed back a bottle of fizzy Voltis, the stimulant-laced drink I used to confiscate from kids at my academy. The bright, overly sweet tang of it hit my tongue and washed away a little of my bad mood. How long had it been since I’d drank this stuff? Months. It didn’t feature in the inventory of the refined palace eateries.

“Feels like we’re on a road trip, as if we’re going to finish up drunk, swimming in some lake.” Hex held her hand out for the drink.

I rested my elbows on my legs, peering into the front of the vehicle. Atalie drove with focused concentration. Good. The roads heading out to the forest were treacherous. Large game animals often wandered out onto the road, causing accidents.

The closer we got to the portal site, the tenser our mood became. Atalie slowed the karros, and I looked ahead to see a checkpoint and a guard waving us down. We pulled in.

“Sorry, ladies, this road’s closed today. You’ll need to go back.” The young guard sounded bored and barely glanced at us. “Turn around.”

I cleared my throat. “I’m Livet Spencer. I’m here to see the Lord Commander.”

The guard’s face melted from boredom to horror. He peered in the window, examined me, and blanched. “Sorry, Miss Spencer. I’ll just radio through to the site now.”

“There’s no need—”

“I must speak with my superior. It won’t take long.” Though young, the guard’s voice was firm. One of Leo’s handpicked recruits? He walked far enough from the karros that I couldn’t make out the words.

When he returned, his face was relaxed, the peace of a man who’d passed a problem to someone more important. “You’re to head through. Have a good day.”

“Thank you.” We moved on. Two more checkpoints awaited, but we were waved through without a hitch. My stress eased a bit. Leo hadn’t appeared spitting fire to teleport me home like a recalcitrant child. That was something.

We pulled up to a cluster of karros and were directed into a space by a burly guard. On exiting the vehicle, a familiar face banished more of my dread. Damien, his long blond hair bound into a tail, looking sharp in a brand-new guard’s uniform. I smiled at him but didn’t receive one in response. He glared at each of us in turn.

“You three have really fucked up. He’s furious. Like, silent fury.” He shook his head, then directed his disgust at Atalie. “What were you thinking? Why didn’t you stop them.”

Atalie held her hands out in supplication. “I tried my best. I thought I’d better come along to help. I did try.”

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