Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Ender
The turquoise water thrummed against the hull of the ferry, and the sun beat down on my back, the hot railing leaving red marks on my arm where I leaned against it.
Selene’s old home wasn’t the ideal spot to stay, considering its living conditions and because the dark mages had already been there once before.
The plan was to travel to her family’s safe house and stay there for the night.
The dark mages hadn’t known its location.
The text on the mystery phone had apparently come from a phone in the headmaster’s office, and Selene had questioned if staying at the safe house was the best option.
She had gone tense at the topic. Headmaster John had been keeping secrets and clearly kept in contact with her mother.
He had warned them that the dark mages were coming and it appeared that his intentions were good, so we decided to stay on course and continue updating him with our plan—though she had been less detailed and had delayed her updates.
The warning wasn’t the only secret the phone contained. We had found a single photo of an old for sale flyer of a house somewhere in Croatia. The home would be our next destination after a night at the safe house.
Wind wisped at the loose strands in Selene’s hair as she leaned over the railing and looked out toward the mainland. She seemed so careless and free, but I could sense her apprehension.
“That’s your thing, isn’t it?” She looked over at me, her eyes hidden beneath the sunglasses she had gotten at the small airport when we had first arrived in Dominica.
“Watching a beautiful woman stare off into the vast ocean?” I tilted my head, not hiding my smirk. “It most definitely is my thing.”
She scoffed, but her smile gave away the small amount of joy that overcame her annoyance.
“Your shirt.” She waved at my bare chest. “You have a tendency to be shirtless.”
“Ah.” I straightened and slung my shirt over my shoulder. “Just when it’s hot. Besides, there’s a lot of shirtless men on this ferry.”
“Well, it’s going to be even hotter on our trip to the cabin, but you’ll want a shirt on in the jungle.”
“Can’t we just use our magic and fly?” I joked, mostly.
“And risk being seen flying over treetops or the ocean, and drowning because we got too tired?” She raised her sunglasses so they rested on top of her head.
“We’ll get a ride most of the way to the cabin.
I’m not worried about the headmaster knowing we’re there.
Apparently, he was Mom’s ally. The only question is why. She always told us to trust no one.”
“You said they were friends at the academy—could they have been more than friends?” I leaned over the railing next to her.
“More questions and no answers.” She sighed.
I slid over and reached my arm over hers, sliding her hand into mine. She tensed and I waited for a sign that she wanted me to move, but it never came. She relaxed and rested her head on my shoulder.
After a minute, something cool inside my veins stirred—my magic.
Something pricked at my fingertips. Small water droplets rose from the ocean and stuck to my free hand.
They clung to my fingertips and then popped, the water trickling back down into the ocean and the frosty prickling sensation disappearing with the droplets.
I spared a glance at Selene—she hadn’t noticed. It was water magic, and it felt like my magic. We had to be careful—we didn’t want to attract attention and magic had a scent, though I could barely scent Selene’s. I had never done water magic before, and I hadn’t even been trying to use it.
I am an ether mage. Great. Something I still wasn’t sure what to think of.
Selene was right. More questions and no answers.
The ride on the ferry was long, but it could have been longer.
I didn’t mind the time with Selene, enjoying the ocean—and more—my view.
Once we arrived in Venezuela, she talked a local into driving us part way before we made the trek through the jungle, arriving at the cabin right at dusk.
I knew little Spanish, but she apparently was able to speak it fluently.
And I thought Priscilla’s training had been extensive.
The thought of her hurt. Was everything Miss Lee had said about my parents true?
Selene had filled me in on the mechanics of the safe house, and I helped her turn on the generator and alarms. The place had a musty odor—which wasn’t as appealing as the smoky cinnamon smell of the woods—but honestly, I wouldn’t mind staying there for a while.
We needed a safe place to stay for the night, and she wanted to search the safe house.
I showered and headed to the room I was going to stay in.
It had twin beds, so I’d left my bag open on one.
I went through it and pulled out a pair of boxers.
Selene had offered the room with the queen-sized bed to me, but I refused.
I imagine that was where her mom would have slept if they had ever come here together.
“Ender.” Selene’s soft voice came from the other side of the door. “I’m going to bed. Knock on my door if you need anything.”
Like a foolish teenage boy, I rushed to the door and hastily opened it before she could leave, though I didn’t have anything to actually ask.
She went to say something but froze, her gaze traveling down my body.
Her cheeks flushed and my gut instantly tightened into a ball of fire.
I didn’t need to glance down or back at the bed where my boxers lay to know I had just answered the door in my towel.
Did I care? No. Did she? I wasn’t sure if care was accurate, but by the look on her face, she felt something. And I felt a little bad—tiny bit bad—for the situation.
She composed herself quickly … then her gaze landed on my unbandaged shoulder and she frowned. Nurse Adair’s repulsive healing elixir had worked its magic and my wound had healed enough that it would suffice without a bandage.
“One moment.” She ventured off. “You and your cursed shirtless abs,” she mumbled under her breath as she disappeared down the hallway. To my delight, she returned in thirty seconds with a first aid kit.
“Here.” She set the box down on the dresser and I remained quiet as she got to work redressing my wound. “That should do it,” she said when she was done. “Was that what you needed?”
“No.” I leaned against the doorframe. “I just wanted to say goodnight.”
“Oh.” Her cheeks reddened again. “Goodnight.” She turned and started down the dimly lit hall.
I grinned as I watched her walk away. She wore loose joggers and a baggy shirt and still managed to look great.
I thought of what Miss Lee had said when she was in the cell: I stopped once I fully realized what she was to you.
There was an internal part of me that had wondered if she had been referring to soul-bounds.
The trip had only made me consider it more.
In school, elemental bonds, called the soul-bound, were a brief topic that was only mentioned in history class.
It was something I was eager to explore.
Closing the door, I put on my boxers and joggers, then propped the bedroom door back open. The security system should pick up any anomalies, but I wanted to be able to hear better if anything happened.
Despite the jet lag and lack of sleep, I wasn’t ready to sleep. So I lay there for what felt like hours, ignoring the desire to walk down the hallway and just sit outside Selene’s door. Eventually, I fell asleep.
Sometime in the night, a scream tore down the hall and my feet hit the floor before it ceased.
Although my eyes were adjusted to the dark, I still wanted clear vision but didn’t waste time finding the switch to the hallway light.
Sprinting down the hall, I threw open Selene’s door, not bothering with a knock.
I felt a cool breeze, and a candle on the dresser lit.
My hands were already out, prepared to fight, but the room was empty except for Selene sitting up in her bed.
The covers were thrown off her, and her chest heaved.
“Are you alright?” I slowly made my way closer, examining the sealed windows and surroundings for any sign of entry.
“Just a nightmare.” Selene’s breathing slowed as she calmed herself down. “I thought the dark mage was here… I thought Viv was here and…”
“I’ll go check the cabin and outside.” I went to leave when her pause turned into the end of her sentence.
“No. Don’t waste your time.” Selene rubbed the back of her neck, brushing her silky brown hair out of the way. “Seeing where it all happened brought back bad memories.”
I nodded. “Can I get you anything?” I asked after a few moments of silence passed.
“No, thank you.” She covered her legs back up with the blanket, and I took that as my cue to leave.
“I’ll be right outside your door.” I stepped through the doorway and grabbed the handle, going to close it.
“Wait,” Selene called.
“Yes?” I turned to see her drumming her fingers along the hem of the quilt.
“I don’t want to be alone.”
It took me a split second to realize she didn’t want me to leave.
I nodded and entered the room again, closing the door behind me.
I made my way over to the foot of the bed, grabbing a blanket slung over a chest. Tossing it on the floor, I made myself a makeshift bed on the rug between the door and bed.
“You don’t have to sleep on the floor,” she said.
“I don’t say no often to a beautiful woman asking me to join her in her bed,” she rolled her eyes, “but I think it would be best if I stayed near the door,” I said.
More like I didn’t trust my uncontrollable desire to feel her lips again.
Selene nodded, and my gut dropped at the disappointment in her eyes.
“Thank you,” she said.
I lay down on my back with my hands beneath my head, staring at candlelight flickering across the ceiling.
“Want me to put your flame out?” I asked.
She didn’t answer right away.
“Yes. That’s fine.”
I swirled one of my hands, sending a burst of wind toward the candle and putting out the flame. It wasn’t enchanted, so it could be diminished with a small gust of wind.
Minutes passed before the bed moaned as Selene shuffled. It sounded like she rolled over.
“Ender?” Her voice was soft.
“Yeah?” I stayed lying on my back.
“I didn’t light the candle,” she said, and I looked at her as realization hit. Her face showed no traces that she was being dishonest. I didn’t say anything, accepting the truth. “How long have you known you were an ether mage?”
“Probably as long as you have.” If Selene hadn’t pieced that together when the dark mage started siphoning my magic, she had now. Though, it had taken the conversation with Miss Lee to fully realize it.
“Who did your testing?” she asked, and I laughed at her blatancy. “What?”
I just smiled and answered, “Priscilla, when I was a child.”
“And at the academy?”
“Headmaster John.” He had done it when I first arrived.
“And they never said anything? You didn’t know?”
“Nope.” I held my sigh.
“So the tests were altered or someone hid your magic so well that it didn’t show. The scent of your magic isn’t strong either.” She was thinking out loud and I let her talk, unbothered by it or her questions. “That night in the academy basement … did you feel … different?” she asked.
“I felt … yeah … I guess different is a good way to put it.” I stretched my upper back and shoulders, leaving my hands tucked beneath my head. “But it’s not every day a girl takes you to a secluded basement on a secret mission.”
She was silent and I rolled over to face her as she watched me from the bed. I wished the candle was still lit so I could see her more clearly.
“What are we?” Selene asked after a minute.
“What do you mean?” I asked casually while my heart started to pound. Did she know we were soul-bound? Are we soul-bound?
Her face remained neutral. “We went to the ball together, we hang out, you’re here with me…” She paused. “We kissed.”
I grinned. “Are you asking me if you’re my girlfriend?”
“No, I—” She fumbled for words. “I … don’t know.”
Her phone buzzed, interrupting her cute, scrambling ramble.
“You have service?”
“John did something to my phone before I left. I’m assuming whatever he did was to help track me or reach me.” The light from the phone lit her face, and her lips flattened.
“What is it?” I asked.
“It’s John. Miss Lee escaped the new facility.”