Em pulled away. “How did you do that? You gave me strength—magicalstrength.”
“Honestly?” Lex said. “I’m not exactly sure. I felt your power and pushed it back at you. We’re lucky it worked, because I’m not very good at it, whatever it is.”
Em’s brow furrowed. “I’ve never heard of an ability like yours.”
“It’s a strange one, for sure, but we can talk about how weird I am once we get to your house. The guards will realize what happened and double back.”
“They will,” Em agreed. “They aren’t daft. At least, not all the time.”
And on that note, Lex shifted and moved in the direction they’d been headed, when Em gripped her forearm, stopping her.
“There is nothing strange about you, Lex. You have a unique ability, and that is to be celebrated.” She smiled.
Which nearly moved Lex to tears. When was the last time she had a friend who wasn’t Jas?
She couldn’t remember. Certainly not in the Earth realm. A few of her memories of Dark Kingdom had returned, and the ones Mertha had sent Lex of her time in Dark Kingdom were hazy. She had played with children, but she didn’t remember a close friend.
Lex glanced at Em as they continued running through rows of homes that grew larger and farther apart. “Thank you for being kind to me.”
Em flashed her a smile and pointed at a spot in the distance. “There. That is my home.”
Lex couldn’t see the house clearly from where they were, but it appeared four or five times the size of the homes they were passing, and these weren’t small like those in the village. “That’s where you grew up?”
Em shrugged. “My parents are relatives by marriage to the royal family. Once we arrive, we’ll be safe.”
Lex wasn’t so sure—not if Em’s parents were related to Garrin’s father, who couldn’t be trusted. More importantly, Lex hadn’t felt the least bit safe since they took Garrin away.
Would castle guards hurt their own prince?
24
Garrin had been attempting to glean as much information from Zed as he could, but enough was enough. Too much time had passed since he’d seen Lex. He waited until his body was partially healed and then mentally reached out to his powers. They were muted, but the alchemists reining them in grew weak. Zed would send in replacement alchemists soon, and Garrin couldn’t have that.
He froze the metal shackles binding his wrists and ankles and immediately froze the guards and alchemists where they stood. Nothing deadly, just enough ice cover to pin them in place while Garrin escaped.
Garrin stumbled toward the metal barring his exit from the dungeons. The surge of power it took to break his shackles and freeze the men had weakened him, but with the alchemists temporarily frozen, so too were their powers. With each breath, Garrin’s body healed and his powers returned.
He lifted his hand and waved it across the bars, taking the metal to subzero temperatures. A loud pop sounded, and cracks splintered the metal.
Garrin kicked the bars, breaking them apart. He ran out of the dungeon and down freezing basement passageways. When he rounded a corner, two familiar faces headed for him.
Amund and Zirel had their swords drawn, which they quickly sheathed after they saw it was Garrin.
His men had been beaten, their clothing bloodied and torn. “Where have you been?” Garrin asked.
“Indisposed,” Amund said. “They thought to torture information out of us.” Amund looked up as though the stone ceiling were made of glass. “We must hurry. They move in as we speak.”
Garrin didn’t care about the damned soldiers. He’d trained most of the newer ones before he left, and he knew how to avoid the rest. Though the fact there was so much turnover was worrisome. “Is Lex safe?”
Zirel kicked open a locked basement door to a room full of weapons and supplies. “I’m told she escaped with Your Highness’s court female they call Em.” He handed Garrin a sword and grabbed outerwear for the three of them.
Amund pulled on a coat as they ran. “Others travel through our land, and they move in Lex’s direction.”
“You know where she is?” Garrin asked.
Amund sent him a sidelong look. “You may have glamoured her, but her power level is distinct for those aware.”
The glamour should have downgraded her power. “If you sense her—”
