Blake came the next morning, just as he said he would, to take me home. I shuddered at the thought. Home. Did I really have a home when I thought about it? I was homeless. A wanderer of the streets, stealing scraps of food wherever I could, just to get by and to survive another day. I had become so accustomed to the life I was beginning to lead. But I was just kidding myself; it was all a lie.Now I would have to go back to reality and give up everything that I had become so used to. I looked down at my boots, feeling a heavy weight settle in on my stomach.My heart sank even further as Blake led me through the crowded, curving streets of Ruen. People streamed along beside us, their faces joyous and excited. The cooling season festival began tonight, meaning that everyone was on a high as they waited out the day until night came and the celebrations would begin. I yearned to be a part of the crowd as they babbled animatedly about the performers that would be here this

I blinked away the blood, pulling at the manacles that bound my hands. Boggs stood above me his slimy hair messed around his red face. It looked like he had been running.I tugged on the manacles, feeling them bite into my wrists as they cut into my skin. I hissed with the pain.“Don’t fight, soon enough we will be on our way out of here.”“Why?”Boggs laughed, a slow drawl. “I thought you were supposed to be clever?”“Isla promised.”At the mention of Isla, fear entered Boggs’ features, which he masked with a sullen look. “Isla knows nothing about this. She thought I was working for her.” He smiled bitterly. “And the whole time I was reporting to another agent. Someone far more powerful, someone who is paying through the nose for you. They will be more than pleased.”I wanted to laugh. He was foolish. The Magicians would have been so proud. I had done

I had woken up the next day beside the lake, my body weary and hunger pains rolling through my stomach. I managed to catch a small sea creature and harvest some weeds from the water, but neither satisfied the deep craving for food.It seemed that during my time with the magicians, I had forgotten what it felt like to be truly hungry. To not eat for days on end. I had become pampered.I sat at the edge, throwing rocks in the water, disturbing the glassy calm surface.My world felt like that water. Calm and undisturbed until a rock had been pelted my way, upsetting the peace and creating waves that crashed into my life and broke apart the foundations of my world.My reflection wavered as the water stilled and it became clear again for me to see. My hair frizzed out from the braid that was wound down my head, the dark colour doing nothing for my paled complexion. I looked ill. Dark circles were visible under my eyes from lack of sleep and my eyes were red an

The ride was uncomfortable in the small saddle, which resulted in me bouncing around precariously on the edge of it. Deakin wrapped an arm around my waist, slowly at first, as if checking it was okay. When I gave no response he tightened his grip so I was held much closer to his body and the ride became smoother. My muscles began to ache quickly from having to constantly hold myself away from him. Soon, it was too much to maintain, and I let myself slump back against him, knowing I should have felt utterly repulsed, or at least frightened. Even though the thought sickened me to my core, he was warm and comfortable, especially as the weather grew colder at an increasing rate. I had decided that was the thing I hated the most about Deakin. He took away my emotionswhen he injected me so I felt no desire or hatred. I felt no fear or bubbling anger that would have fuelled my actions. It was just a long stretch of nothingness that continued throughout the entire trip and a strange tingle th

“Where are we going?” I asked again for the hundredth time that day. My voice was beginning to go raspy from constantly badgering him with my questions. I was enjoying annoying him, but it came at a price. Deakin rolled his eyes as he pulled Amber up the steep path, the chain he had connected the two of together with last night, still attached to my wrist “Up this way,” he answered. It was the same answer as before and every other time I had asked. Sometimes he threw in a slight variation, but always relatively the same. He never wanted to give away too much. It had been going like that for days now. Walk, stop, eat, sleep, wake up and then do it all over again. Every morning he would inject me with the mystery liquid which numbed my powers and made my thought blurry and each time I would ask where we were going, I felt a stab of annoyance from Deakin. I was rather impressed by the level of calm he was able to maintain. “I don’t know what he wants with me, but the Master Magician