33. Magdalena

“Iknow a guardian when I see one” Ishani had said.

Magda’s breath caught in her throat. Had she been too obvious? Did Ishani suspect that she had powers or was royalty?

Ishani continued, “You need to lay low. I can’t lie to the other guild leaders forever.”

“I’m not a guardian,” said Magda strongly, but her thoughts ran wild. Did others suspect she had powers as well? And why was Ishani protecting her?

Ishani looked down at the glass Magda was holding, realizing it contained the truth serum. Then she scrutinized Magda suspiciously, as if she wasn’t sure what to believe. Luckily, Magda hadn’t taken a single sip of the intoxicating drink.

A bell rang from the other side of the ring, signaling that the next match had started.

Magda’s eyes snapped to the ring. She cursed under her breath once more, for she hadn’t seen where they had brought out the new animal to challenge the winner. The dogs were already going at each other, their bites scraping the other’s skin. Already, the larger mutt had drawn blood.

When she turned to speak to Ishani again, the young captain had disappeared into the crowd.

Magda shuddered at the thought of a guild captain possibly knowing her true identity as a guardian. Had one of Ishani’s men seen the apparent display of earth magic in the city? She knew that she had to be more careful than ever. Quickly, she walked away from the center ring, placing the glass down on one of the side tables.

A hand graced Magda’s left shoulder, and she snapped her head around.

“Ravi,” she let out a sigh of relief.

“This way,” said Ravi, “They bring the animals from the warehouse. Through that curtain.”

Magda and Ravi pushed their way through the crowd, squeezing between the various guild members as they shoved away from the fighting ring. They headed in the opposite direction of the crowd’s flow, forcing them to push against the audience.

When they reached the curtain, they waited until the officer went to retrieve the next animal and the crowd was engaged in the match, before slipping through at the perfect moment.

Ravi pointed to a doorway toward the back of the warehouse.

“There,” he said.

Magda could barely make out a doorway with a small sign. Four men guarded it, carrying hatchets. A maze of crates and cargo scattered the warehouse, providing some shelter from the officer’s viewpoint. They could get close by maneuvering through the boxes, but it wouldn’t be enough to run past the guards and through the door.

“Let’s get closer,” said Magda. She grabbed Ravi’s hand and pulled him along, ducking between a set of boxes until they were within a table’s length of the four officers. They pressed their backs up against the large crates and peeked their heads around the corner as they watched the four men lounge around the outside of the door.

Suddenly the door opened, and Magda let out a gasp.

One of the men led a dog. It was bloody and bruised, with a brown and black fur coat. He limped along miserably as it was led to the fighting ring. It wouldn’t stand a chance against the murderous dog in the fight that Magda and Ishani had just witnessed.

“Shh...,” said Ravi, putting his hand over Magda’s mouth and pulling her further back into the darkness. As the man passed directly behind their hiding place, the dog paused, letting out a bark. One turn of the officer’s head, and they would be seen.

Magda stood perfectly still as the man and dog stopped short only paces from them. She was pressed closely up against Ravi’s chest, and even though he held his breath, she could feel the rapid beating of his heart against hers. He kept his hand over her mouth, holding her close in the darkness.

“Randal, what’s taking so long to bring the next dog?!” a loud voice yelled from the fighting ring.

Vex.

The man and the dog picked up the pace, heading out of sight.

Magda let out a deep sigh as Ravi released her.

“We need a distraction,” he said.

“But what?” Magda scanned the scene, her gaze going to the open rafters in the warehouse roof. At different angles, a few tree branches had grown inside the holes that acted as windows, their leaves gently brushing the stacks of boxes.

Magda remembered the flowers in Ishani’s office, and how she had manipulated them. Then she remembered the vines in the street. She closed her fist, focusing on the trees in the distance. She was distinctly aware of herself, and suddenly, before she knew it, one of the tree branches gently moved to the side, knocking over an entire stack of boxes. The boxes tumbled over each other, spilling out piles of treasures such as gold, artifacts, and scrolls. A shattering clamor rang through the space as the treasures crashed against each other.

The noise caught the attention of some of the attendees at the fighting match. They peered through the gap in the curtain. “Look, let’s get some intel on Vex’s goods.”

“Let’s get some for ourselves!”

A handful of guild workers headed toward the overturned boxes, and at the sight of them, the four officers rushed over, eager to protect their spoils and help one another restack the crates.

Magda stood, dumbfounded. She had really moved the tree. The thoughts circulating through her mind had manifested in real life.

Ravi broke her thoughts:

“Well, that was convenient. I guess the guardians are always watching,” he laughed.

“You have no idea,” Magda said under her breath.

“Come on, they’ll be back soon.”

Magda reached the door first, yanked it open, and was met by a set of stairs leading down. She descended quickly, with Ravi right behind.

At the bottom of the steps, a waft of musty air flooded their senses. They emerged into a wine cellar with arched, stone ceilings, as if they had stumbled into a cave. Before them was a long, wooden table. Leading into the darkness were rows of barrels and an iron-wrought gate leading into a secluded alcove. Covering the walls were racks of vintage wine bottles, covered in dust and cobwebs.

The sound of barking dogs echoed against the stone walls, coming from the gate ahead.

“Let’s go,” urged Magda.

They sprinted between the rows of barrels until they reached the gate and pulled it open. It was another room lined with shelves, but this time, the shelves held cages rather than glass bottles. Inside were dozens of shrieking and terrifying animals, with tangled fur and wasted bodies. Upon seeing Magda and Ravi, the barking and cries continued even louder.

“Help me find him—we don’t have much time!” yelled Magda. She ran ahead until her face was against the cages, peering inside to find her dog.

“Right behind you,” said Ravi, racing to the other side.

A loud, familiar bark sounded to Magda’s left, followed by high-pitched whimpering. She snapped her head to the side to see the glimmer of fur.

“Odie!” Magda shouted, sprinting to the cage and dropping down to her knees. Her pet jumped up onto the bars, licking her face with his tongue. He shook violently from his overly wagging tail. “Ravi!” Magda called as she pulled up the latch and yanked the gate open. Instantly, Odie jumped into Magda’s arms, and Magda squeezed tightly around his matted fur.

“You’re alright, you’re alright!” Magda cried.

Odie continued to whimper, his tail controlling his body, and his excitement and relief was palpable.

“Come on, we have to go,” said Ravi. He laid a soft hand on Magda’s back.

Magda stood up beside him, but her heart was breaking. “We can’t just leave them.”

“That distraction won’t work for long,” said Ravi, “and they’ll be back soon to get the next dog.”

“We have to try.”

Ravi appeared fearful, but with one look in Magda’s eyes, his expression grew more determined. “You’re right.”

While some of the dogs cowered in the back of their cages, others were vicious fighters, with the signs of blood on their teeth. Magda and Ravi were careful to only open the cages of the dogs that they were sure wouldn’t rip them to pieces. They helped the majority of the smaller dogs escape, before turning to the larger dogs that were less menacing. One by one, the dogs raced out of the wine cellar and up the stairs, into the chaos of the fighting match above. Soon, shouts were coming from the story above.

Suddenly Odie yelped beside Magda, facing a cage. He stood in front of a fluffy, golden dog, almost as large as he was. Its ears were floppy and its demeanor quite friendly.

“Did you make a friend?” Magda shook her head with a laugh before unlatching the golden dog’s cage. It leapt out and raced around Odie, both of them playing for a brief moment.

Magda noticed Ravi out of the corner of her eye, reaching for a different cage. Something stirred inside her, and a terror paralyzed her body.

“Not that one!” Magda yelled towards Ravi, noticing his hand on the cage of a hound. The cage was massive—big enough for a full-grown adult to stand inside. The mysterious animal was unlike anything Magda had ever seen before. Its heaving breaths revealed shiny, violet scales on the bottom of its stomach. The hound’s figure consumed the entire space of the cage with its muscular body, and bloody drool pooled in a pile under its sharp teeth. It slinked at the back of the cage, pacing back and forth.

“Shhhh...,” Ravi quieted her. Magda stepped closer to him, hoping to pull Ravi back away from the cage. If the hound decided to pounce, surely it could break the lock with enough force if it wanted to.

When Magda stepped forward, the hound’s eyes met hers, revealing glowing irises.

Odie and the new dog suddenly jumped up, positioning themselves in front of Magda and Ravi for protection as they snarled at the hound.

With a force that reverberated the entire wall of cages, the hound shot forward, its teeth smashing into the metal gate.

“Let’s get out of here,” Ravi yelled.

Suddenly a voice sounded at the end of the cellar. Four men were descending the stairs, pointing right at the pair.

“They’re the ones letting out the dogs! Get them!” one yelled. One by one, they came barreling towards Magda and Ravi, holding hatchets and sprinting across the length of the wine cellar

“Do you trust me?” Magda asked.

“What’s your plan?”

“Do you trust me?!” Magda shouted louder this time over the barking animals.

Ravi nodded.

“Get behind me,” Magda said, and she reached forward toward the hound’s cage.

“You’re crazy!”

Magda opened the latch, and swung the cage door toward her, opening it all the way on its hinges so that both she and Ravi were smashed behind the bars.

The hound jumped out as soon as the four henchmen reached the cages.

In an instant, the hound was upon the men, biting at their feet and ankles, and ripping their flesh. The men retaliated, throwing hatches and daggers at the hound, but the animal was fierce and unwavering.

While the men were distracted, Magda yelled, “Quick, in here!”

She darted into the hound’s empty cage, pulling Ravi behind her. Quickly, Odie and his new dog friend followed them inside, and Magda pulled the cage shut. For now, they were safe.

The hound made quick work of the henchman, and they crumpled to the ground, bloodied and bruised. Then the beast snapped its teeth back towards its cage. It leaped up onto the metal grate, threatening to yank it open.

“Help me!” Magda yelled, pulling back on the iron bars. She was careful not to get her fingers in the way of the hound’s snarling teeth.

Odie and the other dog jumped forward, barking and snarling at the hound. They continued barking at each other until the hound seemed to still, calming down. Then, all of the sudden, it backed down, stepping away from the cage, as if something had passed between all three animals. Finally, it darted out into the wine cellar and through the barrels.

Magda let out a sigh of relief.

“Do you think it’s safe?” Ravi asked beside her.

“I think so,” Magda said, observing Odie. His tail was wagging again, and he was no longer on the defense.

She pushed open the cage, exiting first. Sure enough, the hound was nowhere to be seen. They stepped into the wine cellar, relief flooding through their bodies.

Magda let out a squeal of excitement, jumping up in the air. “We did it!” she yelled, turning to Ravi. In her excitement, she leapt onto him, encircling her arms around his neck in a playful but intimate embrace. He hugged her back, wrapping his strong arms around her until her feet dangled off the ground. For a moment, it was just the two of them, and she was distinctly aware of her body pressed against his and the closeness of his lips to hers.

Then Odie began to snarl, alerting them that their happiness was short lived.

A voice broke their lingering gaze.

“Well, look at what we have here,” a booming man sounded. Vex came storming into the wine cellar, flanked by three of his henchmen.

Vex gave Magda a crooked smile. “You’ll pay for this.”