Page 7 of Joined By Magic

The woman nodded, professional interest already waning. “Here you go. There’s been a delay, so you’ve got a couple of hours to kill.”

“Thanks.”

As I turned, I froze. The prince waited, eyes down, doing his best to be inconspicuous. And a few paces away, in the shadow of a pillar, a tall skinny man in a long brown coat lurked.

Watching him.

His motionless attention stood out against the mobile crowd. The man stared a moment longer, then sped toward a back exit.

For a second, I stood, trapped in a snare of indecision. Running would draw attention, but we might only have moments. If he was one of the king’s spies, he could have a full team of mages bearing down on us in seconds.

I ran, shoving through the crowd and back to the prince. His head whipped up to meet my gaze, eyes wide as I gripped his hand and pulled him after the man. “We’ve been seen.”

He drew in a sharp breath and accelerated. “Who?”

“Long brown coat. Bald.” The man was just visible as he forced his way toward the entrance against the flow of people. We followed as fast as we could, bumping elbows and shoulders as we passed. A tightness formed in my chest, a claustrophobic fear.

He left the building. The prince surged forward, using his strong frame to shoulder through the crowd, dragging me in his wake. We burst out onto the street, and I registered tall, sandy-colored buildings before I caught the tail end of a brown coat.

“This way.” I pulled on the prince’s hand. The man darted into an alleyway. We sprinted after him. I blinked in the sudden gloom as my eyes tried to adjust. The man stopped and reached a hand into his pocket. The prince threw his arm out, caught the man’s shoulder, and the two of them vanished.

Vanished.

I skidded to a halt, momentum almost causing me to fall, and spun in the spot the prince had just occupied.

What the fuck?

The stink of the alleyway hit me, a rich miasma of garbage and worse. I covered my nose with my hand.

The prince reappeared, grasped my arm, and everything turned black. This time, only slight nausea gripped me as the world snapped back into view. We stood in a clearing, flanked by twisty trees wrapped in vines. An unfamiliar odor hit me. Warm and wet. Insects buzzed, and a cloud of small, gnat-like creatures surrounded me. I flapped a hand at them. They looked as though they’d bite.

A groan sounded. The man who’d been watching us lay at our feet, hands bound behind his back and legs wrapped together with glowing magic bonds. He caught my eye, and hope flashed across his features.

“Please, miss, I won’t tell anyone I’ve seen you, I swear. I—”

The prince launched a vicious kick to his ribs. He moaned, doubling over as far as his bonds would allow.

“Shut up. You’ll speak when I tell you to.”

He turned to me, eyes cold, and brandished a link-up. “One more second and he’d have had a full squad of my father’s mages upon us.”

I took a breath, trying to center myself. It had all happened so fast. The man still watched me beseechingly, his face etched with pain and fear. I looked away, focusing on the prince.

“Where are we? Who is he? A spy?”

The prince cast a black look down at the man, who squeezed his eyes shut as if anticipating another blow. “We’re outside the city. It gives way to bushland on the southern side.” Gnats swarmed in again, and he flicked his hand, purple magic burning through the cloud of tiny bodies.

“And him?”

“I don’t know. He must work for my father. Not a mage.”

I didn’t miss the slight hint of derision. Crouching, I examined him more closely. Shabby clothes, a few days’ growth on his face, and a sallow, emaciated look to him. I’d bet on rotten teeth hiding in his mouth. A drug user.

“What’s your name?” I asked softly.

The man drew in a shaky breath. “I’m Olsen, miss. I’m sorry. I was paid to wait in the station and call a number if I saw the prince.”

“Who paid you?” I kept my voice calm and steady.

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