leaving

“He knows where we are?” I asked, suddenly petrified. I glanced over the fields again, expecting Luca and his men to suddenly appear.

“Don’t panic. My man thinks Luca knows this as a potential place among others. He knows we are in one of the places he has a list of. We are quite far down south, so I think he’ll be checking the places closer to the Capital first, but I don’t want to hang around here too long, putting everyone in danger.”

I closed my eyes. Yesterday had felt like a nightmare, but now I felt like I’d just woken up to a reality that was just as bad.

The wait for Leo and Daniel was nerve-wracking, to say the least. Every time the front door opened, I jumped nervously until I realized it was just one of the Freedom of Magic coming or going. To keep my mind from it, I watched the TV incessantly, stopping only to help with mealtimes.

Cynder had the horses and carriages ready to go, just in case, and everything that could be packed up was already in boxes. Only the essentials were still out, and even then, they could be thrown into one of the carts at a moment’s notice.

“We go at midnight,” announced Cynder that night after calling a meeting. I looked at the clock. It said ten pm. If Leo and Daniel weren’t back in a couple of hours, I knew it was unlikely we would see them again, at least not for a very long time. Even if they did get back, they’d come back to an empty house, and it wasn’t as if we could leave a note to tell them where we had gone. It was then that I wished we had a phone so we could communicate with them. Phones were extremely rare in Silverwood, and only the richest of the rich had them. We’d had three in the palace. I realized then just how privileged a life I’d led.

One of the teams had come up with a number of alternative places for us to stay, and it was agreed that the best one was a couple of hundred kilometers from here. A girl called Renee had an uncle who owned a number of wooden houses in a forest that had once been a holiday park. It had fallen into disrepair twenty years ago when the Magi were no longer wanted, and people refused to go to anything owned by a mage. Apparently, Renee’s uncle had died a few years back, but the lodges were still there, and her family still owned the land. The last time she’d been there was when she was tiny, so she had no idea what state they were still in, but there was enough room for all of us plus extra for any new recruits.

It sounded perfect if it wasn’t for the fact that if we went, it was all over for Leo and Daniel.

I played with the hem of my dress, gazing up at yet another interview with Luca. He was wearing a rose shaped pin. I recognized it as the one I’d seen on his bedside cabinet all those months ago. I remembered I’d seen one on Pittser too.

“Do you know what that rose pin is?” I asked Cynder who was alternately watching the TV and gazing out of the window.

“It’s the emblem of the MDS. It’s how they identify each other.”

I suddenly felt panicked. “Grace had a pin like that. I still have it somewhere. You don’t think she...”

Cynder shook his head. “I think it’s more likely that your father had one and ended up giving it to her as a gift. You already know he had connections to the MDS.”

I thought about it, and it made sense. If Grace was a member, she’d have married Xavier and would still be alive. I made a mental note to throw that pin out, before remembering it had been in the palace and had more than likely been burned in the explosions. I cast my mind back to the one I’d seen recently on Luca’s bedside cabinet at his parent’s castle.

“I saw that pin months ago. It belonged to Luca. If only I’d known then.”

Cynder’s interest perked up. “He wasn’t wearing it though?”

“No,” I replied. “I saw it in his room.”

Cynder sighed. “Yeah, he would have wanted to keep that out of view at the time. I guess if he’s wearing it now, the MDS will know where his allegiance lies. It doesn’t matter what he says about protecting the Magi. The MDS will be able to see through it thanks to that pin.”

“Won’t he be giving himself away though? It’s not as if he’s hiding it from the world.” And he wasn’t. I’d noticed he’d been wearing it in a prominent place on his lapel for the past few days.

Cynder pressed his lips together while he composed himself. “The MDS is an underground group, much like the Freedom of Magic. Most people are blissfully unaware of the existence of either. Any non-MDS watching would just think it was a piece of jewelry, but to the MDS, they’ll know the truth. It looks like your husband is bringing the troops in and probably recruiting more.”

“I wish you wouldn’t call him that,” I grimaced. I hated that I’d gone through with the ceremony. I’d thought I loved him, but even as late as walking up the aisle, I’d had reservations. I thought Luca would be the best for the kingdom, but now I could see, it didn’t matter in the slightest if he wasn’t the best person for me. And he never had been. It was always Cynder that came to my mind when I closed my eyes, and when I dreamed it was never about Luca. I’d been swept up in his beauty and position when all I ever really wanted was someone who’d dance with me and let me be who I was.

Cynder didn’t reply. He just took hold of my hand which was exactly what I needed at that moment. I rested my head on his shoulder, and the hand that had been holding mine now snaked around my shoulders, pulling me even closer to him and crumpling the shirt that someone had lent to me.

As I’d come to the house in a wedding dress, some of the women had given me some clothes, and for the first time in my whole life, I felt comfortable. No one was forcing me to look or act a certain way.

Just thinking about it reminded me of Jenny and of Xavi and her crew. They were all at the wedding when the bombs went off so I knew they were safe, but Jenny would be worried sick about me.

“I wish I could tell Jenny I’m fine.” I murmured aloud.

Cynder replied by stroking my arm. He was as restless as we all were and the slowly ticking clock did nothing to calm our nerves. Soon we’d have to leave.

It had just turned eleven when we heard the sound of horse’s hooves thundering into the yard. Cynder was up like a shot, peering out of the curtains.

“It’s ok,” he said, holding his hand behind him to stop us all getting up. “It’s them, they are back.”

He opened the front door to welcome Leo and Daniel, and I followed.

I was expecting just the two of them, so I was surprised to find two carriages full of people. I recognized the carriages as the work of Daniel who’d turned a pumpkin into a carriage before. These were both temporary modes of transport thanks to Daniel’s magic skills.

“What happened?” asked Cynder as Leo climbed down from the driver’s seat.

“We kept to our word and didn’t try to rescue Dean, but we know where he is. We are going to have to take more people to get him back. He’s being kept in a big house in the capital. I don’t know who it belongs to, but Luca is living there along with a number of others.”

“Who are all these people?” I asked as they poured out of the carriages. I didn’t recognize any of them.

“They are Magi,” Daniel shouted. “They are being hounded out of the city. We decided it was safer to bring them here and give them shelter.”

“Good idea,” replied Cynder. “Can you take them inside and ask Alannah to get them some food?”

Alannah appeared at the door, apparently hearing her name. She led the people inside. Daniel came over to us. He kicked a stone, sending it flying to the house where it bounced off the wooden wall. I could tell that he wasn’t happy to be back without his boyfriend.

“We are going south,” said Cynder. “It’s too dangerous here, and now that we have more people, we have no space. We were going to go tonight.”

Leo raised his eyebrows. It was evident what he was thinking. We were going to go without them. “Tonight?”

“I’m going back!” barked Daniel. “You promised.”

Cynder shuffled on the spot. “I know I did, but it might not be possible anymore. I’ve had time to think and...”

Daniel pushed him up against the house and brought his fist back ready to strike. Leo jumped in between them as I screamed, bringing many of the Magi to the window to see what was happening.

“There is no point fighting between ourselves,” Leo snapped. “Cynder, do what you have to do, but I’m with Daniel. We owe him. We owe Dean too. I managed to speak to Copper. Dean’s information on the MDS has been invaluable. We can’t let him stay at that house.”

“What information?” I asked. I was desperate to hear about what was going on at the capital. The only information I had was from the TV, and thanks to Luca and Pittser, it was highly biased. They were telling the story they wanted to tell. I needed the truth.

Leo let go of Daniel and walked over to the first carriage. From inside it, he brought out a thick file which he handed to me. I opened it at a random page to see a photo of a man I didn’t recognize.

“That’s one of the MDS, his photo, his address, and all kinds of information. He’s not the only one. The file is filled with them. All Dean’s work.”

“Fine! We go back tomorrow under the cover of darkness,” relented Cynder, “but everyone else has to move on. I’ve been given the address of the safe place, so when we have Dean, we can head straight there. Daniel, can you let everyone inside know that now we are moving tomorrow and not tonight? The new people will have to sleep in the barn as we are out of space in the house.”

Daniel nodded and headed inside leaving Leo, Cynder, and I.

Cynder turned to Leo. “Tell me honestly. Can we get Dean out?”

“It’s not going to be easy,” admitted Leo. “The house is surrounded by guards twenty-four hours a day.”

Cynder sighed. “That’s what I thought. They’ll be waiting for us.”

“Yes, but we have something they don’t.”

“What’s that?” asked Cynder.

Leo raised his eyebrows. “We have magic.”

Cynder shrugged his shoulders. “Even with magic, it’s not going to be easy. They know we have magic and will be ready for that. The MDS are highly trained on detecting it.”

“Magic is better than no magic, surely?” I asked, trying to look on the bright side.”

“I guess so,” relented Cynder, “but the likelihood is, some of us or all of us might not make it back. They won’t hesitate to kill us. It’s what they want after all.”

“There’s something else...” Leo started, but his attention was diverted by Elise calling his name. She ran outside, still looking frail, her nightdress flapping behind her. Leo scooped her up and took her inside.”

“I don’t like this,” said Cynder once he was sure we were alone. I could barely see him in the pale moonlight, but there was no mistaking the worry on his face.

“We have all day tomorrow to plan something,” I replied. “I know we’ll be fine.”

Cynder took me in his arms and held me tightly. “That’s why I like you, your positive attitude.”

“That’s the only reason?” I teased.

“No.” He pulled back slightly so I could see his face. It was almost blue in the dark light and yet I could still see the warmth in it.

Without thinking, we moved towards each other. His kiss was a salvation, healing my broken soul, putting together all the parts that Luca had destroyed. His lips melted my heart as they touched mine, his kiss hungry and warm at the same time. I matched his urgency, realizing that this was our first real kiss. The first kiss we’d shared that was somehow legitimate. Just because it was no longer forbidden, didn’t make it any the less exciting. If anything, it was all the more intense knowing there was no one to stop us. His face, so close to mine, blurred until I couldn’t see him at all, and yet I could feel him against me. I shut my eyes and gave in to it as his tongue parted my lips, taking me to places I’d never known before. I never wanted it to stop. I wanted to stay locked in this magical embrace forever, and in that moment, I knew what I’d been missing with Luca all these months. Yes, he was a practiced kisser, and yes it felt nice, but what Cynder was doing to me wasn’t just kissing. He was unlocking a passport to another world—another part of me.

I moaned loudly, which was followed by a cough of someone behind us. We broke apart quickly, both embarrassed by being caught. I turned to see Leo back outside.

“How’s Elise?” I asked, trying to cover up the sound of my heart beating which could surely be heard even at the ten feet or so between us.

“She’s gone back to sleep,” he sighed. “Your mother and Alannah are looking after her. I wanted to tell you something before that I think you both should know.”

“What is it?” asked Cynder.

“It’s not just Dean they have. They have Daniels’ father and...”

“And?”

“They have Jenny too.”