Runaway Magic

fifteen

"What are you doing?" Amina cried, scooping the precious stone off the ground. She rubbed at it with her shirt, fervently trying to remove any new smudges and stains. "What were you thinking?" she shouted, glaring at me. I didn't answer. Instead, I moved closer to Kenna, covering her body with my own.

"Amina," Ekki said stiffly, cutting off whatever Amina had been about to retort. The Ijinisljin girl turned around, her frown dropping into a snarl as she realized the source of my fear.

A small group of men was thundering down the path on horseback. Within seconds, they drew to a stop in front of us. Ekki and Xia tensed, their bodies taut and ready to spring into action. Meanwhile, I guarded Kenna, jamming her cold, pallid hand into mine.

"Well," Mr. Kasumova said, smirking down on us from his elevated position, "what do we have here?"

This can't be happening, I thought with a sinking feeling, my mind pinwheeling for a rational explanation. We had lost them days ago. There was no way they had caught up to us. And how had they found us, anyway?

"Sera, who are these gentlemen?" Amina hissed, keeping her eyes fixed on Mr. Kasumova. Despite her bewilderment, she never let her grimace drop, clutching the jewel tighter against her chest.

"I can answer that one," Mr. Kasumova said cheerfully. He nodded to Caellan, who sat sullenly on the chestnut horse behind him. I wanted to gag at the sight of him, my memories of that night resurfacing with a staggering acerbity. "My son saw these two witches" - he spat out the word like a curse, not noticing the anger flashing across the other girls' faces - "performing magic. A little birdie told us they were here, so we came to get proper justice."

Crow, I realized, my mind stumbling. He had ratted us out. Then, before I could dwell on his betrayal, my fury sparked. "Proper justice?" I snapped, stepping forward despite the warning hand Kenna laid on my shoulder. I had had enough of this man and his powerful delusions. He was a baker, for heaven's sake, and he had no right to attack Kenna and me for what we had done, for what we were. "Is that what you call trying to burn me at the stake?"

Next to me, Amina sucked in a horrified, gaping breath, her brown eyes narrowing. Even Ekki bristled in our defense, inching closer to the two of us. I didn't even care that they were discovering the secret I had tried to keep hidden. They knew about our predicament, but I hadn't wanted to reveal the gravity of the situation. We weren't just trying to escape to a less oppressive country; we were running for our lives.

"Just let us bring them home, and no harm needs to come to the rest of your party," Mr. Kasumova assured as his two brutes nudged their horses forward. Swords glinted at their arrogant hips. When Amina only pressed her lips together, neither threatening nor budging, Mr. Kasumova's pleasant smile dissolved into a frown. Just like Amina, he had no patience for inaction.

"We can do this the easy or the hard way," Mr. Kasumova snapped. He flicked his hand. The two men dismounted from their horses, resting their meaty hands on the hilts of their swords. Caellan ducked away from my radiating hatred, cowering behind his horse's knotted mane. I didn't know who to be madder at, him or his father. Right now, it was an even tie, but he knew better than to let the odds shift against him.

The four of us waited, motionless. I didn't even breathe in the chasmic gap between words. Finally, as the guards' hands inched closer and closer to unsheathing their blades, Amina stepped forward again. She positioned herself square in the center of the four of us, moving until she was standing directly beneath Mr. Kasumova. With a flick of her own hand, she gestured for him to dismount. When he didn't, she only hardened her gaze and widened her stance.

Sighing, he obliged, jumping down from his horse. Even on level ground, he towered over her, but the Ijinisljin girl hardly blinked. In that moment, even though her attention was directed elsewhere, her ferocity scared me.