Makaela was not a fan of the subway station.

It was nosy, smelly, and busy. Very busy. It felt like the entire neighborhood was down there. After the trio stepped off the escalator, they stopped at the bottom. Big mistake. They caught a few shoulders and elbows to the back, along with some dirty looks to match.

With her eyes narrowed, she glared at the people milling about.

Not only were ordinaires strange, but they were rude as well.

Shaking her head, she stepped off to the side to seek refuge from the crowd ambling toward the metal behemoths screeching through the brick-walled tunnel.

Colorful posters decorated the walls. Some of them even moved-almost like magic. Makaela marveled at the images as they passed by like a slideshow. Faces of children playing in a field met her eyes. She smiled. A map of the subway station, including the routes the trains took, hung off to the side.

"Maybe we should start here," she suggested.

Remy nodded. "Good thinking." Rubbing his chin, he studied the map, his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth like it always did when he was concentrating. "We need to be heading west. The farthest this thing can take us is into a place called...Cote-Vertu?"

Makaela had no idea where that was. Judging by the bewildered look on Sebastian's face, he didn't either.

"If it's east, we'll go there then," he said while scratching the top of his head. "We can figure something out once we're there."

"Maybe the train ride will give us some time to think," Makaela said.

"Agreed."

The two of them nodded. It wasn't a plan, but it was better than nothing. Getting to Hodvekt was their only objective. They would get there by any means necessary.

"Now, we just need to get on the..." He peered at the map again. "The orange line, I guess." He turned toward the rest of the subway station behind them. "Er, there's a whole lot of colors. Where's the orange one?"

"I dunno," Makaela replied. "Let's go find out."

She took off into the crowd, following the ordinaires as they made their way through the station. Sebastian and Remy rushed behind her, struggling to keep up as she weaved between people.

The subway station was a wide cavern made out of red brick and grey concrete. Long fluorescent lights stretched across the curved ceiling. Glowing signs hung from the ceiling. A chasm of metal tracks, pistons, and other machinery divided the space into two sides. She watched as a train rolled to a stop in the center of the tunnel. The metal doors slid open. People exited onto the far side, while people on the side nearest to her stepped on.

Her eyes lit up. That's where they needed to be.

Up ahead, a booth-guarded by turnstiles and two uniformed people who Makaela assumed were police officers on either side-cut off the station from the trains on the other side. She screwed her face at the sight.

As she got closer, she saw people dropping in coins into a slot next to the turnstiles. Others wielded small cards, using them to grant them access to the rest of the subway. Makaela's steps faltered.

She didn't have either of those.

"We have to pay to get in," she hissed at Sebastian, who had arrived at her side seconds before.

He cursed. "I don't have money."

"Yeah, I know."

Remy grinned. "What did I tell you guys earlier? We don't need money." His impish face made him look like a cunning little leprechaun.

Since they left the chateau, Remy had revealed himself to be quite the con man. First the vending machines at the motel and now this. Makaela never knew he had it in him. For years, he marketed himself as the goody-two-shoes who spent his time reading books and being bad at magic.

Then again, there was no Olivier or Xander to chastise them. This was the freest he had ever been in his life.

Makaela just wished it had been under different circumstances.

After stepping off to the side, Sebastian arched an eyebrow at Remy. "I'm guessing you've got an idea."

"Of sorts."

"This better work, kid."

"Oh, it will."

Sebastian turned to Makaela. She shrugged.

"Don't look at me. This is all him."

Blowing air through his nose, he shook his head. "Fine." He gestured for Remy to explain.

❁

Remy's plan made Makaela nervous-and she was already on edge.

Being surrounded by ordinaires who didn't seem to understand the concept of personal space wasn't helping. She also had to keep her eyes open for any Shades lurking in the shadows. Paired with Remy's idea to use deception magic to get through the turnstiles, she was ready to spontaneously combust into a cloud of sparkling light.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention as she shuffled along with the line approaching the entry booth. Remy stood ahead of her, his casting hand sticking out the middle pocket of his jacket.

As he went to work, she urged herself to calm down. It was going to work. They were going to get through. They were going to get on a train. And then, someway, they would make it to Hodvekt.

Looking around to try and find something to distract her, her eyes settled on a poster nailed to the nearest wall. In bold, red letters, it read: Failure to provide payment will result in denial of entry. The line beneath made her blood run cold. Security will be called on any turnstile jumpers. Chargers will be pressed on any perpetrators.

She shuddered.

Gods, I hope this works.

In theory, Remy's plan should've gone on without a hitch. He would create three cards-just like the ones those around them were carrying. Except it wouldn't be a card at all; it would actually be a piece of cardboard they fished out of a garbage can and ripped into three slightly uneven pieces. The second part of his plan involved tricking the booth operator to let them through manually, as their cards wouldn't work. If his charm was constructed successfully, they would be through the turnstiles and onto the orange line in no time.

It was a solid strategy.

There was just one problem.

Remy-while possessing near-genius intellect when it came to magic theory-wasn't the best of casters. His clumsy finger movements and tendency to flub a spell made him prone to error often. It was why he had yet to beat her in a duel. He might've known a thousand spells but couldn't properly execute them half the time.

She desperately hoped right now wasn't one of those times.

Her fingernails dug into the slip of cardboard in her hand. Beside her, she felt Sebastian slightly leaning into her. He wore a strained expression, almost as if he was struggling to keep a straight face. All the color had drained from his already pale face.

He didn't seem to have much faith in the plan either.

Makaela's heart dropped.

They were next in line.

Here we go.

Grinning, Remy tapped his card onto the scanner. A red light flashed. The booth operator lifted an eyebrow at him.

Makaela froze, her eyes wide. She couldn't tell if the ordinaire had bought his charade or not.

"I'm not sure why it's not working," Remy lied. He tapped the card again. The light flashed red again. Scratching the top of his head, he laughed nervously. "I just got this card today."

The booth operator didn't look impressed. "Yeah, that's what they all say."

Makaela suppressed a smile. At least they weren't seeing the obvious piece of cardboard in his hand. Neither was she. A shimmering, gold veil-unnoticeable to the untrained eye-surrounded it. The cardboard had taken on the appearance of the lamented card they were supposed to be mimicking. She lifted her own, and sure enough, hers looked the same.

Behind her, groans and grumbles rippled throughout the line. Annoyance expressions filled the faces of the ordinaires as they waited.

Her smile dropped. The panic resurfaced.

Uh oh.

"Look," the booth operator said, "either you pay with a token, or get out of line."

Remy pursed his lips. Discreetly, he began performing his deception magic. His fingers danced, moving slowly and meticulously as he executed the influence charm.

"How about you...let us through?" he suggested. "Just this once."

The booth operator blinked. A dreamy look had filled their face.

Makaela sucked in a breath. Tugging on Sebastian's sleeve, she pulled him down so she could whisper in his ear. "Look at their eyes. It's working."

"Gotta give the kid props," he said. "He's good."

Remy grinned.

"Fine," the booth operator said, their voice a bit more robotic and rigid than before. "Just this once-"

"What's the holdup?!" someone behind them shouted. "I'm gonna miss the train!"

More people spoke up, their shouts climbing above the sound of the train's brakes squeaking as rolled down the tunnel. A blinking sign indicated the next one would be arriving in two minutes.

Makaela wiped her sweaty palms on her pants and kept her reddening face forward.

The booth operator blinked again. A scowl grabbed their lips. The influence of Remy's charm was gone.

"Like I said before," they said. "Either you pay the fee or get out of my line."

Remy's shoulders slumped. He glanced at Makaela and Sebastian, his bright eyes full of panic.

With his jaw clenched, Sebastian stomped toward the window of the booth. But before he could do anything drastic, a girl surged forward with her card in hand. She tapped it onto the scanner four separate times. The booth operator thanked her before calling up the next people in line.

Makaela stood there, stunned, as she watched the girl step through the turnstile.

"What're you waiting for?" she asked from the other side.

Shaking out of her stupor, Makaela passed through the turnstile. Her companions did the same. She eyed the girl with caution. Metal piercings adorned her face, which was a warm beige. Dark eyeliner decorated the folds around her hazel eyes. Her straight, black hair stopped just beneath her ears.

"Why did you do that?" Sebastian asked her.

"No 'thank you'?" The girl chuckled. "Jeez, where's the common decency in this world these days." Then she simply shrugged her shoulders. "You guys were holding up the line. I've got places to be. Also, you guys owe me like four dollars. Five, actually, since you're kinda being rude."

Makaela frowned. She wasn't expecting her to be so...chatty. She also hadn't expected anyone to pay their fare after Remy's charm flopped.

"We don't have any money," she revealed.

"'Course you don't." Shaking her head, she waved it off. "Whatever. It's fine." She narrowed her eyes at the trio of magicians. "Where're you guys headed?"

Makaela kept silent. Telling an ordinaire their business, while harmless, wasn't exactly on her to-do list. Besides, they were wasting time talking to this girl. Their train would be leaving soon.

"We would love to stay and chat," Remy said, while also making his way to where the train would be arriving, "but we've got a subway train to catch. It was nice meeting you, though. Thanks for paying our fare." He waved at her, his piece of cardboard still in his hand.

She squinted at him. "Hey, what happened to your metro card?"

"Huh?" He quickly hid his hand behind his back.

"Your metro card... You know, the thing you tried to use to get in here."

Sebastian stepped in before the boy could make a fool out of himself.

"Look," he started flippantly. "Thanks for the help and all, but we've seriously got to go."

A wry smile settled on her lips. "Right, right." Fluttering her lashes at him, she twirled a strand of her hair with a finger. Makaela's face went hot as she dropped her gaze to the ground. "Well, I've gotta go too. See ya later. Oh, and sort out those metro cards before you get to the next stop, yeah? I won't always be around to help you out."

"Thanks for the advice."

The girl stared at them for another few tense moments before walking off.

Makaela released the breath she had been holding in for the last few seconds. As she watched the girl disappear down the platform, she found herself scowling. With a shake of her head, she sat down on a nearby bench and rested her chin on her palm.

The hard part was done. Now, all they had to do was wait for the train to come.