Page 126 of Axis of Fire

After hearing everything, my friends sat in silence for a moment, processing what I’d told them.

Mike was the first to recover.

Running a hand through his long dirty-blond hair, he finally spoke.

“So in the span of four days, you managed to find a safe place for yourself and your magic... and somehow picked up an enemy too?”

“I didn’t exactly ask for one,” I frowned, slightly annoyed by both his tone and expression.

As if chaos followed me everywhere I went.

Which wasn’t true.

“Harold Moss is collecting powerful mages, and for some reason they think I’m one of them,” I muttered, briefly glancing at Airis, who was studying my friends as though they were experimental subjects.

“And how exactly did your academy decide Ria was some kind of powerful mage?” Gwendolyn joined the conversation, eyeing the air mage with equal parts curiosity and caution.

“For starters,” Airis replied calmly, “she trapped herself inside a cage of fire the first time we met.”

I scoffed.

“And because her powers awakened unusually early.”

“In Istarus, powers awakening at twenty-five is considered normal,” I explained.

“Anything earlier is considered an anomaly.”

“And how did this Harold guy find out about Ria’s powers?” Mike asked, taking another drag from his vape.

I noticed both he and Gwendolyn looked slightly disheveled, as though neither of them had bothered getting ready that morning.

Which, honestly, was completely unlike them.

The two of them were obsessive neat freaks.

And realizing that made guilt twist painfully inside me.

I hated making them worry about me.

“Most likely through surveillance,” Airis answered.

“He’s gathering powerful mages for war, and Vuduarus is the easiest place to detect them.”

“So even now, it’s dangerous for Ria to stay here,” Mike murmured thoughtfully.

“I’m more worried about something happening to you,” I admitted, looking at each of them in turn.

“We’re not exactly fragile, baby,” Dwayne winked at me.

“Still, Ria’s right,” Airis said.

I stubbornly refused to look at him—

but after his next words, I couldn’t ignore him anymore.

“For a while, both you and the apartment will be under protection. I’ll station several people here.”

“What?” Gwen frowned.