I bit my bottom lip and studied my outline in his mesmerizing white gaze. I hadn’t known what else to do.Hadn’tbeing the keyword. New world, new me. It was cliché—sort of—but believing all of this was a product of my imagination had given me the freedom to grow… and I refused to take any steps back.
Rowan searched my face, as if desperate to understand my thoughts.
“You’re not a burden,” I repeated his words. “And neither am I.” A small guilty smile pulled at my cheeks. “But trouble seems to follow me around here.”
Rowan’s face split into a grin. He dropped his hand and rested it on my shoulder. “Yes, my kind of girl. Life would be boring otherwise.”
My heart thumped.“My dad wasn’t happy when I told him I dropped Angela, but his eyes lit up like he couldn’t wait to fix thesituation. After Mom passed, his life became negotiations and trade deals, and I’ve given him his hardest puzzle yet.” He took his hand off my shoulder, looking around to see if anyone spotted us.
I sighed. “Angela’s back in London, right?”
“On her way, but she has eyes everywhere.” Rowan punched his fist into his palm. “And I don’t want to make anything worse for you… us now, than I already have.”
‘Us’, my thumping heart threatened to burst. I gripped my hands behind my back and forced myself to focus on the present. “Even if we don’t work out. I think getting away from her is the right thing to do.”
Rowan flinched. “Why wouldn’t we work out? Did th… Xan say something?”
“About you? No.” I shook my head. “Not a word about you. Whatever’s going on, he’s keeping it quiet. You’re safe.”
Rowan looked at me. “And whatisgoing on, Quinn?”
I looked at Rowan. “I mean, I guess I don’t know, but Xan is one of Angela’s suitors, right? That’s why everything was so awkward?”
A manic laugh ripped out of Rowan’s throat. He ran his hands down his face. “Yes. Well, no, not at all. He’s… let’s just focus on training.”
Later that afternoon, I walked to The Great Hall only to find it empty. I was supposed to be shadowing a joiner today. I didn’t even know what that was. After waiting around for fifteen minutes, I realized I wasn’t going to find out either. The guy was a no-show. After a second quick circuit, I looked for a note or some clue on what to do next,but found nothing, so I exited. I had a rare two-hour block of time to myself.
I stepped into the doorway and leaned against a wall, channeling my inner Rowan. The lovely courtyard stretched in the gray afternoon. Professor Holiday’s home in The Old Fortress loomed on my right.
The Architect had been awake for eight days, and I’d heard nothing.
Fear had cooled to irritation.
Which matched my endless failures in trying to use magic. Based on Chancellor Morgen’s story, I touched everything, desperate for something to resonate with me. Everly even found a stray cat, which had been very, very awkward. I was still thankful it just meowed in my face a few times and wandered off.
I stepped into the courtyard and pulled on my bumblebee-yellow hoodie and a leather jacket. I was getting tired of the cold really fast.
A familiar slime coated my cheek, along with the smell of roses. I found my toes pointing at The Old Fortress despite not remembering turning. The rose smell swelled. The scent was perfumy, with a hint of chemicals from my time.
Grass crunched under my feet. When had I started walking?
It wasn’t just me moving toward The Old Fortress. Rowan’s book, Cayden, and everyone I talked to about magic, described it as currents constantly flowing around them. The rose smell flowed in a direction; it pulled me toward The Old Fortress. Professor Holiday’s home and lab.
I couldn’t have stopped myself even if I’d tried. Suddenly, I was at the side entrance—the same one I’d watched Chancellor Morgen pound on more than once—my Majekah sparking at my fingertips.
“No!” Brody’s body slammed into me, and I went sprawling onto the damp path. Pain bit into my shoulder as I came to a stop on a statue that promptly fell over.
“Quinn, what are you doing?” Brody’s shadow fell over me.
It took me a moment to orient myself. Whatever drew me to the door still clung to my brain. I pushed up to a seated position. My Majekah flowed, and I pulled my hands into my chest so I couldn’t touch anything. What had I been doing?
Brody’s shadow moved again, and I stiffened. Brody.
“Quinn, are you okay?” Brody kneeled in front of me and put his hands on my biceps, exactly where Rowan and Cayden had gripped me. “I’ll make sure you’re okay. They can’t keep us apart. Your roommate reported me to Hope.” He scowled. “My work-study’s limited to office duties, only until I can prove I wasn’t doing anything wrong. Which I wasn’t. You need me.”
I focused on breathing, acutely aware of the empty courtyard.
He smiled at me and stood with his hand out. “Let’s get you up.”
