47. Magdalena

Magda felt as if a knife had been plunged through her chest. She left the heavy door cracked open and moved behind a tall stack of crates, hiding herself as a wave of crippling horror shot through her body. She couldn’t bring herself to intervene as she watched the scene unfurl before her eyes. Her fingers found Odie’s fur, clutching onto it to steady herself. Then she gave Odie another command to stay and be silent.

Magda pressed her shoulder to the stacked crates, peeking around the side to get a better view. The jailed girl hadn’t noticed her entrance because she was too busy being comforted by Ravi.

“I love you too,” Laila returned the words. From her voice and demeanor, she appeared to be Ravi’s age, maybe slightly older. “How did you even get down here?”

“Princess Kiran is having a birthday ball. I got an invitation and snuck my way in here just so I could come see you.” He smiled.

“Don’t tell me you’re doing more tasks for the guilds,” she laughed. “By the guardians, I missed you.” She let out a breath of relief, but she didn’t take her hands off him.

Disgust flared through Magda’s entire body, and for a moment she felt the gold magic sparkle at her fingertips. Quickly, she shook out her hands, refocusing on the scene as she suppressed her emotions.

“No, this time I found someone else to help me find my way inside the palace,” he answered.

Her. He was talking about Magda. She was the person that he worked with to get into Queen Sanyal’s palace.

“And everything is okay? With your violin playing?”

“Yes.”

“And Prisha? The store?” Laila continued.

“Everyone is fine,” he assured her, bringing her in for one more close hug. “Gods, I thought I’d never see you again.”

“How long has it been?” she stepped away from him for the first time. This time, Magda saw her face. She was only slightly shorter than Ravi, with bronze skin and shiny-black hair with a slight wave that fell to her waist. Her hands were stained blood-red. She was very thin, likely from not being fed well in the jail cell. Besides being caked with dirt and grime, she was absolutely stunning.

It only made Magda despise her even more.

“Ten months,” Ravi answered.

Laila nodded.

“Did they hurt you?” he asked, staring at her hands.

“No, nothing like that,” she admitted, “it’s not mine.”

Ravi gave her a stern look.

“Stop it. I’ve had a lot of time down here to think. If I had to go back, I’d do it all over again.”

“But none of this was your doing.”

“I wouldn’t leave yet anyways even if I could. I think the other prisoners have more answers than I do.”

“I don’t like this, and I won’t make you stay here alone.”

“What was your plan, anyways? Break me out of here and commit treason?” she asked. “Get locked up right beside me?”

Ravi stared at her. “I didn’t think that far ahead.”

“Typical. Of course you didn’t,” Laila rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air, but her expression remained playful.

“I just had to know if you were alive. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of you or of what happened the day you were taken. If we hadn’t gone to Azurem, none of this would have happened…”

Azurem? Magda’s thoughts were running wild. When did Ravi and his mystery girl travel there?

“Don’t remind me,” she shrugged. “Promise me you won’t do anything stupid, and you’ll leave this place right now.”

“I…,”

Suddenly, there was the light sound of footsteps echoing off the walls of the tunnel. Someone had come through the doorway and was heading for the dungeon. They would see the unconscious guards, and Magda would be spotted as soon as they entered the jail.

Someone had been following Magda.

Laila’s voice was urgent, “Hide.”

Before Ravi darted away, his hands lingered on hers. He looked at her with a strong gaze, as if he was silently promising to return, before whipping around and heading to a hiding spot—Magda’s hiding spot.

Ravi dashed behind the boxes, and terrified to face him, Magda jumped back as to not be seen. However, her foot kicked over a pail, sending a clattering noise through the stone jail and spilling water onto the stone floor. Ravi, startled by the abrupt echo, instinctively pushed her figure up against the tall crates. He had one arm pressed against her throat as he yelled:

“Who are you?”

His face melted when he recognized Magda. “Dagmara, what are you doing here?”

Odie snarled, growling at Ravi as he pinned Magda against the boxes, and immediately, Ravi released her. “Odie, it’s just me,” he said.

Magda tried to steady her beating heart. The fact that he didn’t even know her real name was like another blow to the face. She didn’t know what to do, and she felt as if her emotions were in one big knot that was about to explode. Before she unleashed her anger, she said, “Get away from me.”

“Please let me explain,” Ravi pleaded. “I never meant for you to find out about this.”

“Because you thought I was leaving for Azurem?”

Odie continued growling, his aggressive stance focused on Ravi.

“Ravi, they’re coming!” Laila called from her cell.

Magda and Ravi were once again alerted to the officers racing down the corridor. In a matter of seconds, they would see the unconscious guards and investigate. They were barely hidden behind the crates if the officers decided to enter the jail.

Ravi continued, “Keeping this lie from you has been killing me inside, and I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

Magda’s stomach twisted. She wanted to cover Ravi’s mouth before he could admit anything and taint her image of their entire relationship together. She couldn’t believe that he would have any terrible, dark secrets. She didn’t want to believe that he could betray her. And above all, she didn’t want to believe that another woman had his heart.

“Who is she?” Magda demanded. It was the only question that mattered to her at that moment.

Voices could be heard directly on the other side of the cracked door.

“Shhh…,” Ravi said, pressing Magda’s body against the crates and covering her mouth with his hand so she couldn’t speak. His other hand pushed her stomach into the wood, preventing her from moving.

“Don’t touch me!” Magda yelled, pushing him back against his chest, causing Ravi to stumble back from their hiding spot, and clatter against even more pails. At the same time, Odie snapped at Ravi, causing Ravi to scamper farther away.

Magda wasn’t afraid of getting caught. She wasn’t afraid of facing Queen Sanyal or Princess Kiran—she was a guardian, and she wouldn’t let anyone intimidate her. Ravi had used her.

Suddenly three officers barreled into the room, running toward the sound and spotting Magda, Ravi, and Odie. “Hold it right there!” they yelled. “This room is strictly off limits!”

Two officers moved to grab Ravi, yanking him away from Magda and wrenching his arms behind his back. “Let me go!” he shouted as they twisted his shoulders so that his arms were unmoveable.

Another officer grabbed Magda by the upper arm, yanking her toward the door. “You both are charged with trespassing on the property of the Guardians of the Soul and with poisoning two officers.”

Odie began barking, not knowing who to attack first.

“No, Ravi!” Laila screamed from behind the bars.

“Get your hands off me!” yelled Magda.

The officer didn’t budge. “You both will rot in the dungeon until after the ball when the royals decide what to do with you.”

Magda looked at all of them with fire in her eyes. No one could suppress her incredible fury in this instant.

Then another officer grabbed Odie, picking him up. “And you…we’ll see what to do with you, as dogs are not welcome here.”

Absolutely not. After everything Magda did to get Odie back, she was not losing her dog again. All at once, the rage consuming her heart and mind threatened to release in all directions. She gave into the magic, letting the golden flurries sparkle at her fingertips, and the yellow haze spread across her irises.

“No!” she screamed, throwing up her free hand.

Suddenly, the stone floor in front of her buckled. Flying out in the direction of her fingertips, the stones that were covering the ground were flung from their places in the earth, as if she had cut directly forward into the rocks with a sharp blade. Some of the rocks flew upwards in the direction of the cells, pitifully smashing against the iron bars and cracking into dust.

What was that?

The gold power lingered around her shaking hand, until it withered into nothing.

“You have Soul magic?” Ravi’s eyes widened.

Upon seeing the display of magic, the officer holding Magda only became more violent, yanking her arms behind her back. “I’m bringing her to Queen Sanyal. Lock him up with the dog for now, and run some tests to make sure he doesn’t have magic either.”

“No, please, don’t hurt him—” Magda screamed, attempting to not be separated from Ravi. But the officer was already dragging her away, pulling her out of the jail before she could wrench one of her hands free from his grasp to unleash the magic once more.

“I—” Ravi called out to her.

But the rest of his words were lost as the door to the dungeon slammed in his face.