I relay Ludo’s answer to Donovan. He grins. “That’s so cool. Oh, wait, you said target? Didn’t you mean a bull's-eye?”
Have I missed Donovan’s terrible jokes?
Yes, I have.
The next tunnel is much wider; a welcome relief from the oppressive narrowness. Donovan moves next to me and takes my hand in his, squeezing it gently. “If you get tired, I can shift and give you a ride again.”
“I’m not tired,” I reply, though a dryness claws at my throat, “just thirsty.”
“Yeah, me too.” His grip on my hand tightens, then he twists his head to one side. “Are you sure you don’t know any water-producing spells, Cosmo? I thought you were the highest-ranked Elite at Validus Vale or some such bullshit.”
“One cannot produce matter where it doesn’t exist,” Alexis says. “That’s not how magic works. We don't just wave our hands and summon things from the void. Every spell has a source, a cost. To conjurewaterfrom literal nothing would be an absurd expenditure of power, assuming it was even possible.”
“Sometimes I forget you’re not a real professor,” I say, turning around and smiling at him.
“Professor?” asks Maximus.
“I’ve been masquerading as a teacher at Validus Vale while trying to find you,” Alexis explains.
I don’t hide my grin when Cosmo explodes. “What the fuck!” he splutters. “How many more secrets are you keeping from me? And wait just a minute, you were a fake, but youstillgave me detention? You fucking prick.”
Donovan and Maximus join me in laughing, which makes Cosmo even more irate. Ludo pauses, turning to look at us all.
—Rest for a moment, difficult climb coming—
“Hey, guys. Lu says we should take five, the trail gets harder soon.”
Nobody protests. The lack of water is making this journey increasingly uncomfortable. Leaning against the rough, damp wall, I try to ignore the dryness in my mouth, but it’s a losing battle. My thoughts are conjuring iced lemonades and hot tea, sparkling fountains and gushing waterfalls.
The torturous images are so vivid they feel almost real.
Huh?
An unfamiliar, tingling sensation is stirring deep within my chest. As soon as I notice it, the feeling of warmth begins to spread like wildfire.
What is that?
The sensation intensifies, growing insistent. A deep hum resonates in my core, a dormant current suddenly surging with purpose. My thighs clench. What the heck is going on with me? Am I about to have an orgasm?
I cast a look around the cavern. Have one of those wankers put a ‘Horny Theo' spell on me?
Gods. Energy courses through my belly, compelling me to surrender. It claims every nerve ending.
Suddenly, I know what I must do. And it’s not stick my hand down my panties—thankfully.
I turn, pressing my hands against the cold, unyielding tunnel wall, and channel what I now realize is the magic within me. My arms tremble as the vibrant power throbs along my limbs.
The energy is both wild and inherently familiar.
Why I’m compelled to push my force into this cold cavern wall, I don’t know. But push and strain I do, willing my efforts to be enough.
Enough for what?
And as suddenly as the sensation started, it stops again. Stepping back, I open my eyes.
“Tee-Tee!” Donovan yells in shock.
In front of me, water trickles down the rock face, a thin, shimmering stream that catches the dim light. It flows from a newly formed crevice, a small, miraculous spring in the heart of the desolate tunnel.
