56. Magdalena

Ishani chucked one of her axes at the assassin, but the woman dodged easily. She thrust her hand at the ceiling, and dirt broke off, cascading down on Magda and her friends, and momentarily blinding her.

Odie charged at the assassin, leaping for her arm and biting down hard. She let out a scream before summoning roots from the earth, littered in thorns. The roots gripped Odie around his hind legs, piercing his skin and yanking him to the ground. He let out a howl of pain.

“Odie!” Magda screamed, rushing forward. The assassin was already fleeing down another staircase, running deeper into the earth, Ishani hot on her trail.

Ravi withdrew his knife, “Go after her, I’ll save Odie!” he yelled.

Magda trusted him. She turned and raced down the staircase, finding herself in a narrow tunnel. When she reached Ishani’s side, the tunnel began to rumble. Suddenly, both girls were thrown to either wall, landing with a hard thud on the earth.

“Watch out!” yelled Ishani, rolling deeper into the tunnel.

Magda looked up to see small rocks falling down on her. As fast as she could, she rolled out of the way. Large stones collapsed from the ceiling, blocking the entrance to the stairs. The staircase leading above was fixed on the other side of the cave-in, providing no escape for either Ishani or Magda. There were a few gaps between the rocks, but it was clear they would have to find another way out if they wanted to survive.

“Get ready,” Ishani was at Magda’s side, pulling her up to her feet. “She’s here somewhere.”

As Magda regained her footing, she looked around at the space before them. It was a small, enclosed tunnel lined with pipes that wove in and out of each other before disappearing into the ceiling and walls. This had to be a hotspot for the city’s water system. It wasn’t a large area, but some of the pipes were thick, and shadows lined the narrow space.

Ishani gripped her axe, walking forward, her eyes peeled.

Magda tried to summon her Soul magic. She had watched the assassin conjure roots from the ground, surely she could make something happen here? But nothing was coming to mind. Magda had the powers to command both rock and earth, but she couldn’t feel what she could pull from in this space.

The assassin had somehow commanded the earth in this space, for she had caused the cave in, hoping she wouldn’t be followed. Now, all three were trapped on this side together.

A gust of wind was heard behind them.

Ishani and Magda turned around.

The assassin appeared from behind them, summoning the earth toward Magda. Before she could react, roots laced around Magda’s stomach like rope, hoisting her into the air. The thorns dug into her like nails, and she screamed.

Ishani lunged for the assassin, her axe missing and instead made contact with one of the old pipes, causing it to burst. The water sprayed the assassin in the face, causing her to stumble.

Digging deep, Magda found her earth magic. She commanded the roots to release her, and she dropped to the ground with a hard thud. Looking up, she watched as a pile of dirt cascaded from the ceiling, blocking Ishani’s vision. The assassin dislodged a portion of the ground beneath them, and a large rock was thrust up toward Ishani. It collided with her head, and she fell back, her skull banging on one of the pipes before she collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Her axe skidded from her grasp, landing in front of the assassin.

“No!” Magda screamed.

Standing to her feet, she used the roots the assassin had summoned and grasped them with her magic. She thrust them at the assassin, hoping and praying they would bind around her enemy’s throat. The roots listened to her, circling around the assassin’s neck and nearly imbedding her skin with thorns before they froze.

The assassin had her hand raised, ordering the earth to listen to her.

“A Soul Guardian?” the assassin asked, her voice hard to hear over the water gushing from the pipes. “But you’re not Princess Kiran.”

“No, I’m not,” Magda snapped. She raised her hand, willing the roots to listen to her.

But the assassin was too powerful. The assassin had trained with Soul magic, and Magda hadn’t. The assassin was the one who had control of the earth.

Then the earth turned against Magda. New roots snaked out from the wall behind her, latching onto her wrists.

The assassin picked up Ishani’s axe from the ground and started toward Magda. “The First Prince will be so pleased with me.” She raised the axe, ready to bring it down onto Magda’s chest.

Magda screamed. She was a guardian. She was more powerful than this assassin. She demanded revenge for Aleksy’s and her father’s deaths, and she would have it.

An entire portion of the wall dislodged, knocking into pipes and hurling toward the assassin. The assassin didn’t have time to dodge before the rock slammed into her side, knocking her to the ground. The dirt opened for her to fall in, and then cocooned her body, trapping her inside the dirt wall and burying her alive.

But Magda wasn’t fast enough. Pain flooded her body, and she looked down to see the axe on the ground in front of her, coated with blood, and a slash across her stomach.

The roots let go of Magda’s wrists, and she fell to her knees, splashing into water that was already pooling around her from the open pipes. She clutched her stomach, feeling warm blood seeping across her palm. Water sprayed her across the face, but she didn’t have the energy to shield herself. There was too much pain.

But she didn’t have much time. The water was rising, and Ishani was unconscious.

Magda forced herself to move, trying to ignore the pain coursing through her body. She reached Ishani and looped her arms underneath her shoulders. She yelled in pain as she dragged Ishani through the water and back towards the rocks blocking the stairs. The water was rising rapidly, and Magda left a trickle of dark blood behind.

When they reached the rock wall blocking their escape, she let Ishani rest. The water was already a foot high and lapping at their shins.

“Magda!” Ravi yelled, peering through an opening in the rocks.

A wave of pain raced through Magda’s body, and she caught herself before completely falling. The blood was seeping too fast from the wound in her stomach, and her energy was draining as quickly as the water was filling the cavern.

Ravi was scraping away at the rocks, creating a small opening. Odie was digging at another hole, trying to find a way through. “Can you squeeze through here?” Ravi asked, although they both knew the opening was impossibly small.

“I won’t leave Ishani behind,” Magda replied. Ishani was still alive, her chest rising and falling slightly as she leaned in a sitting position against the wall.

Odie barked, the scratching of his claws signaling that he hadn’t stopped digging at the immovable rocks.

“And your…magic,” Ravi said, as though he still didn’t believe she had magic. “You can move earth, can’t you?”

Magda extended her hand toward the boulders, trying to find the power. As she tried to channel the earth, another shooting pain rattled through her body. She let out a scream and her arm fell back to her side.

“Magda,” Ravi’s voice was pained. “I can go get help, but I don’t want to leave you in case…”

The water was lapping at her knees now, and was starting to spill over to the other side of the rock wall. Magda knew that they were all running out of time.

“It’s alright, Ravi,” Magda said. “Whatever happens, just know that you—”

“Don’t talk like that.” Ravi reached through the crack in the rock, but he couldn’t reach her. “I love you, Magda, and I told you that your battles are my battles, no matter the cost. Don’t worry, I’ll save you.”

Ravi raced away to find help, but Magda knew they were out of time. She bit back tears.

Then Magda heard a whimper. Odie had slithered his way through an opening high in the rocks, jumping down on her side.

“No, Odie!” Magda yelled. She clutched her side as the pain intensified.

Odie nuzzled her, attempting to yank her clothing so she would stand up, but she could barely move, let alone climb over the top of the rocks.

“Bad dog!” Magda choked back a sob. “Go with Ravi!”

She leaned back against the dirt wall, the water almost reaching her shoulders. Odie’s head tilted, his ears swiveling back as his tail drooped. After another moment, the dog padded forward and nuzzled his head against Magda’s face.

Tears poured down Magda’s cheeks as she laced her hand around Odie’s neck and buried her face in his fur. “I love you too, Odie,” she whispered.

The dog whimpered again.

“I’m so sorry I got us into this mess.”

Odie let out a soft yap, nuzzling deeper against her.

The water had reached her neck, and she could feel the blood from her wound seeping out faster. She glanced across at Ishani, still unconscious, the water up to her chin from how she was angled.

If only Magda hadn’t convinced them to come after the assassin, they would all be safe. She had just wanted revenge for her brother and father. She wanted the First Prince to pay.

Whoever the First Prince was, she hoped he died.

But there’s so much I have to share with you.

Startled, Magda was more alert. The voice was like a whisper through the tunnel, but she wasn’t the only one who sensed it. Odie was growling, his ears alert. Somehow, he sensed it too.

You’re so much more than a Soul Guardian, Princess. You and I are so similar.

“Get out of my head!” she yelled. It was the voice from her dreams. But she wasn’t dreaming.

Seems you need a little guidance. I have so much to teach you.

Then Magda felt a tingling warmth at her stomach as the water lapped over her wound. Startled, she glanced down and saw an icy blue sparkle bubbling to the surface.

This is your power. Own it.

Feeling a surge of magic rush through her fingertips, Magda focused in on her wound. She pressed her palm to the blood, seeing the icy-blue magic at her fingertips. The water swirled around her stomach, and seemed to race through her body, healing her entirely. For a brief moment she felt no fear or pain. She felt powerful.

She rose to her feet and peeled back the ripped fabric on her stomach to see that her wound was healed. Somehow, she had healed herself with the water. She snapped her head to her dog, who was sitting upright and alert.

“Did you see that?”

Odie tilted his head.

She waded in the water and faced the boulders blocking her from the exit. Staring at the obstacle before her, she channeled her magic. Earth and water coursed through her body, filling her with power she didn’t know existed. Thrusting her hands toward the boulder, her magic ignited.

The water surrounding her crested over her body. It soared against the ceiling of the tunnel before barreling into the rocks like a tsunami. The boulders flew back as water and earth collided, her magic intertwining inside her.

The sound reverberated through the space. After the impact, mist and dirt fell around her, dusting her in water and earth. With Odie’s help, she pulled Ishani up the stairs back into the assassin’s hideout. The exit door was wide open, and there was no doubt Ravi would be racing back soon with every intention to rescue her.

But she had rescued herself, with magic she didn’t even know she possessed. She had thought she wasn’t a Life Guardian, she had Soul magic. But what was she now?

Odie barked at her side, and she knelt down beside him, scratching him behind the ear.

“We’re safe,” she laughed and he pummeled into her, his paws colliding with her chest and knocking her off balance. He licked her cheek until she couldn’t take anymore, pushing him aside and sitting upright once more.

The voice returned to her head once more:

Are you ready for the answers now, Dear Princess?

A shiver ran up Magda’s spine.

Her dog sniffed the blood still on her clothes, leftover from the wound in her stomach. It was completely healed, signaling she not only controlled the earth, but the water too.

Odie looked up at her and whimpered.

She petted his head before whispering, “Odie…can you keep a secret?”