"Is she still sleep?"

"Yeah."

"She's been out for hours. I'm starting to get worried."

"Oh, so now you're worried? You weren't worried before?"

"You know what I mean."

Makaela's eyes fluttered open. An immense amount of pressure pressed against her forehead, like a geyser waiting to shoot into the air. Wincing, she gently touched the back of her head. A bandage had been wrapped around her wound. Her eyes fell to her shoulder, which had also been covered with a patchwork job of gauze and medical tape. A red patch bled through the white material. Whoever had done it was clearly not well-versed in first aid.

The pain, albeit not as bad as the night before, was still there.

She lifted her head. A mattress fitted with a thin sheet was underneath her. Stiff springs pressed into her skin. She could already feel the knots forming in her back. Thick blinds covered the single window across from the bed, blocking out the morning light.

Wait...morning...?

How long had she been asleep? She swung her legs over the side, her toes grazing what felt like carpet. Her nose wrinkled at the odd odor rising from the floor.

Gross.

Yawning, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes

"Where are we?"

Sebastian, who was stood next to the window, peered at her over his shoulder. Bags hung beneath his dark eyes. "A motel. We're somewhere in Montreal. Don't even ask me how." He gestured at the ring on his finger. "This thing brought us here, not me."

"Right."

She was finally able to get a good look at the boy. Or, rather, young man. They weren't children anymore. That was for sure.

Puberty had done a number on him. At his essence, he was still his old, moody self. He was taller now, though. Much taller. A lithe, yet built, frame hid beneath his clothes. She could see the faint traces of muscles in his arms, which he had folded across his chest. Tattoos covered his arms. Skull earrings hung from his ears and his long hair suggested he belonged in a rock band.

That wasn't all, though.

An aura of sadness surrounded him, hanging over his head like a storm cloud. Makaela could practically feel the suppressed hurt radiating from him. A frown tugged at her lips.

Rolling his eyes, he looked away from her. "Take a picture next time."

"What?" Her cheeks burned. She dropped her gaze to the burgundy carpet.

"You were staring."

"I was not."

Remy, who sat at a small table off to the side, looked up from the deck of playing cards in his hands. "Er, you kind of were."

"Shut it, Remy."

"Yes, ma'am."

She scoffed at Sebastian. "I see you're an asshole now."

"I've always been an asshole, Makaela."

At least they agreed on that.

He was only ever kind to ger when they were alone. It was only then where she got to see him for who he truly was. When they were around others, he acted just like everyone else from his house-entitled, snobby, and dismissive. She never took it personally, though. House Tenebris had a reputation to uphold. But now that she was thinking about it, she couldn't believe she had a crush on him in the first place. She decided to blame her raging hormones.

Or perhaps it was something else.

It didn't matter anymore now. Her crush on the prince of House Tenebris died the same day her parents did. The young man standing at the door of their shabby motel room might as well have been a stranger, a remnant of the past she wanted to forget. He was the son of her enemy. That meant he was her enemy too. What he did the night before didn't change that.

Her eyes widened.

Last night...

The painful memories from the attack on her home flooded back to her as if a levy had burst somewhere in her cerebellum. Xander had been killed. Her childhood home had been ruined. Her Uncle had been left behind, either murdered or captured by the Shades. When it came to those magicians, Makaela wasn't sure which fate was better. A vengeful look filled her bright irises, darkening as her lips curled into a snarl.

Her glare settled on her duffel bag, which had been stuffed into a corner of the musty room. The golden box inside stuck out through the zipper.

All of this was because of what hid inside.

Everything would be so much simpler, and less bloody, if she could just give it up. That wasn't possible, though. Surrendering to the Order was no longer an option. With how desperate Thorian was to get his hands on it, she knew it could never fall into his control. With Xander and Olivier out of the picture, it was up to her to keep it safe. She was the guardian of the Illumio, one of the last two lightweavers on the planet.

Since she woke up, a burdensome weight had settled on her shoulders, heavier than the sky itself. Something told her it wouldn't be going anywhere. A dejected sigh passed her lips.

Uncle Ollie...

Part of her wanted to go back to the chateau and look for him. Another part of her never wanted to see the mansion again, afraid of what she might find. She grabbed a fistful of the sheets beneath her.

Scowling, she narrowed her eyes at Sebastian,

He was still standing near the window, his fingers slightly pulling down the blinds so he could peer through. He paid her no attention as he focused on something outside.

But, before they did that, she needed something from the house.

She cleared her throat obnoxiously. Sebastian tore his eyes away from the window.

"Yes?"

"You have some explaining to do."

From his tiny table, Remy chuckled. "Here we go."

Makaela ignored him. Once enough strength returned to her wobbling legs, she stood up and limped over to Sebastian. He watched her, slight amusement present on his face.

"What were you doing at our house?" she asked him.

"Saving you," he answered.

She shook her head, her bottom lip jutting out in defiance. "No, you're going to give me a real answer." Holding her hand out, she summoned her vayrir-a bronze khopesh with a leather handle. She rarely summoned the weapon, as she wasn't the greatest swordswoman, but her vitalae was dangerously low after yesterday. Her sickle-shaped blade was her only mode of attack for the time being.

Sebastian watched her, his features irritatingly still and unmoved as he stared at her. He said nothing.

Makaela's mouth twitched. She raised her sword. Her arm trembled before she dropped it. Blood rushed to her cheeks, embarrassment washing over her. Grumbling curses, she closed her fist. Her vayrir vanished into the golden mark branded into her palm.

"Are you done?"

"No," she said. "Answer my questions. Fully this time."

Sebastian groaned. "I'd rather not."

"You might as well answer," Remy advised. "She won't drop it until she gets her way. And trust me, you don't want to see her when she doesn't get her way."

Makaela rolled her eyes at her cousin. He was being dramatic. She wasn't nearly as entitled and childish as he made it seemed. At least, she didn't think she was.

Eventually, Sebastian sighed and slid a hand down his tired face. "Fine." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yesterday was my initiation mission. Well, it was supposed to be. I didn't go through with it, as you can probably tell."

Initiation mission...

"You're one of them," Makaela spat. Her hands curled into fists.

"I'm not," he argued. He turned his head, his jaw clenched. "Not anymore."

"What made you defect then?" she asked. Her brain was having a hard time believing he willingly defected from the most dangerous sect of magicians in the world. She didn't know a whole lot about the secretive band of dark casters, but she knew one couldn't just leave without serious repercussions.

He started to respond, but the words died on the tip of his tongue. Brows furrowing, he seemed to be thinking up a response. Or a lie. Makaela bristled.

Sebastian held his hand out. The Obscurio-his house's Eldenarian Artifact-sat on his middle finger. "It showed me something...something I don't think my father wanted me to see." He met Makaela's eyes. The look she found within them made her want to squirm. "It showed me the truth about the purge of your people. My father..." He shook his head. "He lied to everyone. To me."

"So, you stole his most prized possession and came to save me?" Makaela scoffed. "Out the goodness of your own heart, right? Or is there something in it for you? How do I know you're not still working with him?"

"Why would I go through all this trouble just to double-cross you? If I wanted to give you up, you'd already be with him."

She fell quiet. It hadn't taken much to poke significant holes in her theory. Still, his story wasn't quite adding up. He hadn't explained why he rebelled. Even after seeing what he claimed to see, why did he choose to rebel? The boy was raised among dark magicians. He was born and bred to become one of them. The very fabric of their nature was stitched into his DNA, intertwined with her his very being. There was no doubt in her mind that his heart and mind were filled with malice, just like his housemates and fellow dark magicians. Him learning the truth about the purge should've meant nothing to him.

She stared at him curiously, her brain working overtime to find the answers behind his black irises.

"Look, I don't really understand what's going on," Sebastian told her. Annoyance flashed across his face. "I'm still figuring it out myself. What the Order is doing is wrong, I know that now. I think I've known it all along but never knew what to do about it. Now I think I do."

"And what's that?"

"We're going to fight back," he told her. "Together."

Makaela's expression softened.

"But if we're going to be on the same side," he continued, "I'm gonna need you to stop treating me like I'm the enemy. Because I'm not. I wouldn't be here if I was."

"He's got a point," Remy quipped. "After all, he did save our butts back there."

"Yeah, I got it, Rem." Makaela rolled her eyes. She arched an eyebrow at Sebastian, studying him for a few moments. He sounded sincere enough, but she wouldn't be letting her guard down just yet. "Alright, little prince," she began with a sly smile. "Where do we go from here?"

His mouth twisted into a scowl. He jabbed a finger at her, causing her to jump backward. "Don't call me that. I hate when people called me that."

She held her hands up and mumbled an apology. It had been her nickname for him when they were growing up. She knew it annoyed him but never had he reacted like that to it before. He was definitely different from how she remembered him, that was for sure.

He was more confident now. Not exactly loud and imposing, but a quiet sense of authority and power hid within him. Then again, he had been raised by Thorian Tedorof. After his father eventually died, he would be the one to take over.

At least, that was what was supposed to happen.

Makaela had no idea what the future held for him now. She didn't even know what it held for her.

"Sorry," she told him. "I'm assuming you have a plan, though, right?"

He shifted his feet, hands disappearing into the pockets of his black pants. She paled.

"You don't have a plan," she realized.

"I didn't even plan on doing this," Sebastian told her. Groaning with annoyance, he raked his long fingers through his shaggy locks. Yesterday, they had been tied into a ponytail. Now, they fell down his face, the strands jagged and uneven as if he'd cut them himself. "But we can't stand here. The Shades'll be on our tails. We have to keep moving."

Great. Makaela scowled. More running.

"We can't just move with no direction." She crossed her arms. "We need a plan."

"I'm with her," Remy said. "We have a safehouse somewhere in Maine. That's what my dad-" He stopped himself. All the happiness vanished from his bright eyes. Only sorrow remained.

Makaela cursed herself. She hadn't only let her uncle down, but she let Remy down too. That was his father she left behind. He had already lost his mother during a Redfang ambush during the first few weeks of the purge. Losing his father would've broken him.

She knew the feeling. She would do anything to stop him from experiencing the same thing.

"We're going to get him back," Makaela promised. "As soon as we get a grip on what's going on, we're going to rescue him."

Sebastian snorted.

Both lightweavers threw him a dirty look.

"That's not realistic," he told them with a shrug of his shoulders. "Let's say your uncle-"

"Olivier. His name is Olivier," Makaela interrupted. She squinted at him, hands placed firmly on her hips.

"Right. Let's say Olivier did survive the attack. He's surely locked up in the dungeons of Castle Braexus. There's no way any of us, including me, make it inside to rescue him. And even if we did, leaving would be impossible."

Makaela stopped, her brain working.

"But you did it," she finally said.

"Under different circumstances. The Shades weren't expecting me to do what I did. They'll be more prepared this time around."

Her shoulders slumped. There had to be a way to save Olivier. She wouldn't just leave him in the hands of the Order to be tortured-or worse. She shuddered at the thought of him being abused by those vile dark magicians.

She couldn't understand how people with so much evil in their hearts existed.

Magicians weren't violent by nature. Growing up, all magician children were thought that magic was a tool-not a weapon. The vitalae flowing through their veins, the very essence of magic itself, was there to help them. Aid them in making the world a better place.

But the Order of the Black Lotus seemingly had a different philosophy.

"Saving your uncle is out of the question," Sebastian said. "For now, at least." He glanced at Remy. "Also, we're not going to Maine. The Order will find us there, and then we'll just have to run again."

"I don't see you throwing out any ideas," Makaela countered snarkily.

He pursed his lips at her. "I actually do have an idea. I'm just not sure how to go about it."

"Well? What is it?"

He bristled. "The only house with a haven in North America is House Brynjir. Their capital city, Hodvekt, is in a state the Americans call Washington, which is also the name of the ordinaires capital city. Why their country has two places with the same name, I'll never know. We need to get there, though. Once we tell them what's going on, they'll help us."

"The council won't help," Makaela said. At least, that's what her uncle said. Without any evidence, there was nothing they could do. Her eyes lit up. She glanced at the ring on Sebastian's hand. They didn't have evidence before. But they might've had some now.

"We'll get them to help," Sebastian said. "All we need to worry about is getting there. The Order might be powerful, but my father isn't bold enough to attack House Brynjir in their own city. We'll be safe there."

Safe...

The word was foreign to her. She had never been safe. Something told her she never would be.

As she mulled over Sebastian's plan, she paled.

Hodvekt was on the exact opposite coast.

She knew exactly where the hidden city was. The ceiling in the library of the chateau boasted a map detailing the entire world, outlining every magician community in the world-even including the small settlements established by magicians with no affiliation to the seven original houses of magic. The Eldenarian Council referred to those magicians as Solaires*-those without the blood of the founders of magic. As an Eldaire, a magician born into one of the seven houses, she grew up in one of the fortified cities scattered across the world.

She remembered spending nights on the floor of their chateau with Remy staring up at the ceiling, pointing out every glowing dot on the expansive map. Hodvekt was pushed as far west as possible. Montreal was on the exact opposite coast. They had no car, no portal, no jumpkey.

There was no way they could make it there without getting captured along the way.

"How do you suggest we get to Hodvekt?" Makaela asked.

His brows knit together, small lines bunching between them. "Still working on that part."

"We could head into the city," Remy suggested. Yawning, he rose from his seat and stretched his arms. "There's gotta be some sort of...what do the ordinaires call it? Public transportation? Maybe a train could take us to Hodvekt."

Makaela nodded. While she doubted there was an ordinaire train that could take them into a magician haven, especially one like Hodvekt, she was certain they could at least put a dent in their long journey.

While she didn't want to run from the Shades, Sebastian was right. They needed to keep moving. Getting captured wasn't an option for them, especially with two Eldenarian artifacts in their possession. Olivier was depending on her to rescue him too. She couldn't do that if she got herself caught by Shades as well.

Nodding, she smiled at Remy. "Good idea. We'll start there."

Sebastian tilted his head at her. "Are you going to ask me if I think that's a good idea?"

"I don't really care."

"We're a team now. All of our opinions matter."

She sighed obnoxiously, throwing her head back. "Fine." A fake smile stretched across her lips. "Do you object to our idea, King Sebastian?"

Scowling, he shook his head at her. "You're insufferable."

"Gee, thanks. That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

His cheeks went red. She smirked in victory.

"Fine," he grumbled. "We'll head into the city." Grabbing his jacket from the edge of the bed, he stomped over to the bathroom door. "But if things go sideways, and I'm sure they will, we're doing things my way from now on. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah."

He glared at her. She glared back, her lips pinched together.

"Er, what's going on right now?" Remy scratched the top of his head. "I can't tell if you guys are flirting or if you're upset."

They both faced him, their faces flushed with embarrassment.

"We are not flirting!" they shouted simultaneously. To emphasize their point, the two of them refused to make eye contact for the next few moments.

They were certainly not flirting. There was no place for that right now. Makaela's crush on the boy went away a long time ago, and she wouldn't make the same mistake twice. Though, she couldn't help but notice the way her stomach fluttered every time they locked eyes, even if his were usually full of annoyance when he looked at her.

She shook her head.

They weren't flirting. End of discussion.

Remy didn't seem to be convinced. Shrugging, he picked up his deck of cards and opened the motel door. "I'm gonna go get a snack."

"How? We don't have any money."

He grinned.

"We're magicians, Kae. We don't need money."

And with that, he was gone, leaving Makaela alone with her gloomy-eyed boy. He remained next to the bathroom door, his face still red from Remy's earlier comment. After a few awkward seconds, he cleared his throat and disappeared into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

Once the dull pitter-patter of water hitting tile reached her ears, she fell back onto the bed. As she waited for him to finished so she could shower, she felt the steam from inside kissing her skin. Risqué thoughts invaded her head. She didn't force them out, though. Instead, she let her mind wander, reveling in the scenarios roaming around her mind. Frankly, she deserved a distraction, even if for a moment. She found herself wondering what Sebastian looked like shirtless or how the water cascaded down his ivory skin.

A thousand butterflies flapped their wings inside her stomach as she felt her body heat up. Closing her eyes, she let a smile sprout across her lips.