Jaime and Jordan spar
Jaime dodged sideways, almost too late, as a sword slashed at him from his right. It wasn’t like him to be this distracted in a fight, but with his escalating schoolwork, his brothers’ nagging and now Jordan’s revelation, it was a wonder he could pay attention at all.

Fortunately, the large boy who had swiped at him stumbled before regaining his footing, allowing Jaime an easy victory. Others wouldn’t be that cumbersome, yet Jaime’s thoughts returned to Jordan and Alice.

A small hope remained that the girls wouldn’t turn up, but that was currently being devoured by a monster that had recently taken up residence inside him, writhing in his stomach and filling him with anxiety.

Perhaps he could distract Alice or Jordan and delay the situation until he’d figured out what to do. Or maybe he could introduce Jordan to someone else. Then Jaime would have plenty of time to figure out whether he really did have feelings for Alice.

Up the hill, blonde hair blowing in the breeze caught his attention. Alice and Emily, with Eliot running ahead. This was no time to be putting all his hope into wishful thinking. He’d just have to tell Jordan he didn’t like the idea.

His mind made up, he threw himself back into the melee, finding a new opponent, more skilled and more eager than the last. He lunged, then dodged, spun around his opponent, then lunged again, his sword slashing. Back again, dodging out of reach, then thrusting forwards until the other boy’s tiredness began to show. Enthused, Jaime delivered the final blow, the clang of his sword ringing out above the din of the other combatants.

As his adversary yielded, two more rushed Jaime, one from each side, making him regret taking his time with his previous opponent. He couldn’t afford to tire himself out yet, not while several people still fought.

Sucking in a quick breath, he swiftly sidestepped, swung his sword around above his head, and cut across the first rival before they could do anything to stop him.

At the same time, the other lunged, but he was not quick enough for Jaime. Darting behind the felled boy, Jaime brought his blade round to strike, and with a few well-timed blows, had the second boy on his knees, capitulating.

With the rush of victory surging through him, he glanced around for his next opponent.

Only Jordan remained, surveying him with a smirk. The expression unsettled Jaime. Although Jordan was more committed to LARPing, Jaime’s fencing skill gave him a strong advantage, and Jordan knew it. Whatever Jordan had planned, he would not be easy to beat.

Approaching slowly and purposefully, Jordan let his gaze drift towards Alice. Both girls were watching intently. Even Eliot was quiet and still beside them.

Suddenly, Jordan’s smile vanished, and he locked his eyes on Jaime, his intent to impress Alice written all over him.

Adrenaline coursed through Jaime, reawakening his tired muscles. The previous fighting had been just for fun, but this was his chance. He could stop Jordan. Beat him for his own good. He’d never ask out Alice then.

 

Alice arrives on Parsa
Losing her patience, Alice glared at the man. Why wouldn’t he speak English? In his peculiar uniform, he must be part of some historical reenactment, but he didn’t have to be so unhelpful.

Shielding her eyes from the bright sun, she sought out someone else, only then noticing the wall surrounding them. And the ochre sand scattered across the hard ground.

What was going on?

In the corner of the enclosure, a wooden building appeared to be sheltering people from the heat, but a number of men dressed as soldiers stood guard along the walls. All wore double-breasted navy tunics with gold buttons, but none possessed the decorations of the man in front of her. He must be in charge. But of what?

The man, in his mid-twenties, and with chocolate brown hair, said something unfathomable yet again.

With a sigh, she pulled out her phone to text the others, but there was no signal.

Her skin crawled. This was very wrong.

Cold spread through her limbs as she turned to face the doorway, not a gap in the rock as she’d presumed, but an oval of shimmering light, standing proud of the wall. She gulped. That was not normal.

Swallowing her fear, she pushed against it, but a force prevented her passing.

There was no way back.

The man touched her elbow and gestured to a narrow gap at the end of the enclosure. He spoke more urgently now and looked at her phone with suspicion. Finally, in English, he said, “Come with me.”

Alice almost laughed with relief. “Where am I?”

The pressure on her elbow increased and he gestured forwards with his other hand.

Alice shook her head. “Tell me where I am first.”

The man barked an order in that unfathomable language, and soldiers rushed forward, eager to obey. In the narrow gap, a carriage appeared, with oversized wheels and a golden lion on the side.

The commander gestured forwards again. Could he not understand her?

“What is going on? Where are you taking me?”

He stared at her for a moment, contemplating her words, then said, “To the palace, to the king.”

Alice’s stomach knotted. There was no palace near her home.

Facing the rising dread, she skulked to the exit and stared upon the impossible scene. Desert dunes spread out each side of a stone path, and in the distance, a city poked into the sky, like nothing she’d ever seen. Everything looked to be made of stone, though two towers glinted peculiarly in the sun.

Beside the carriage, the officer held out an arm and looked at her expectantly.

With no way back and no answers here, a palace started to sound appealing. They might have people who could speak her language and explain what had happened.

With one last glance around, she stepped inside the carriage.

 

Darien takes Alice to see the Royal Mage
After what seemed like hours, Darien stopped and knocked on a shimmering golden door with an engraved double-edged star. Before entering, he turned to her and lowered his voice. “The Royal Mage can be a little odd, but as long as you do as he asks, you’ll be fine.”

Alice’s chest tightened again. What was he was leading her into?

A young man dressed in long blue robes greeted them from behind a desk and asked them to wait on a hard wooden bench until the Royal Mage was ready for them. He swiftly returned his attention to the book in front of him as soon as they had seated themselves, focusing so intently he may have forgotten them.

Although his robes reminded her of various fictional wizards, she had expected him to be dressed more ornately, perhaps in a tunic like Darien or many of the guests she had seen at the previous evening’s dinner. Despite being near the top of the tower, his robes were relatively plain, only decorated with three golden stars and a simple golden rope belt.

The rest of the room was quite grand, the walls lined with towering bookcases, spilling out books at all angles. Emily would have loved it here.

Beautifully patterned rugs filled the floor, each of them big enough to fill a normal sized room but seeming tiny in this space. In the centre stood a giant gold tree with tiny silver stars hovering above. Nothing appeared to be holding the stars in place, and Alice grinned at this charming use of magic. She could get used to this.

“It’s a reminder of the past,” Darien said, noting her appraisal. “There used to be two magical cultures, one represented by the gold tree and one by the silver five-pointed star. A long time ago they united and became the gold star that signifies magic in North Parsa today.”

Alice resisted the urge to stand up and explore. Even though she wouldn’t be able to read the words, she was still fascinated at what might be inside these magical texts. Instead, she tried to find out more from Darien, but he only smiled and told her they could talk about it all later.

Disappointed, she turned her attention back to the mage behind the desk. Sitting here was like waiting to see the headmaster, something she’d had the misfortune to suffer a couple of times. The waiting was all part of the show of power, letting her know what kind of man he was.

Sighing, she stretched her legs. She wasn’t going to like this man, but she couldn’t let that show, not when she needed his help. She glanced at Darien again, sitting with a serious face and a tight jaw. Surely, as a prince, he had nothing to worry about. Did he?

With her stomach tightening, she wished they’d hurry up.

After what felt like an inordinately long time, the mage stood, and announced the Royal Mage was ready for them, though there was nothing to suggest how he suddenly knew. He escorted the pair up more stairs into a small, comfortably decorated receiving chamber.

The chairs in here were cushioned, a welcome change to the hard bench. However, the room was empty, so she didn’t know whether to sit or not. To her side, Darien waited stiffly, his eyes fixed on a curtained archway at the other side of the room.

A few seconds later, an extremely well-dressed man appeared in the archway, towering over everyone. He swept into the room, his dazzling gold-starred cloak billowing behind him, every step radiating power and confidence. Coal-black hair framed his angular jaw, but somehow his eyes were darker, abyssal black staring right through her.

She shuddered and hugged her arms to her chest.

As he glided towards them, the Royal Mage threw a sideways glance at Darien that Alice couldn’t decipher. “Welcome, my dear,” he said, bending to kiss her hand. “No one told me how beautiful you were.”

Although this type of behaviour was flattering from Darien, it was a little creepy coming from this much older, imposing man. However, she was here to get his help, so – resisting another shudder – she pretended to be pleased.

“Come this way. We’ll find you a way home in no time.”

As Darien started to follow them, the Royal Mage turned back to him with a stern expression. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her. You can return to your royal business.” His mouth twitched. “Unless you would like to stay for a lesson?”

Darien’s face fell and, looking as disappointed as Alice felt, he turned around and left without the slightest argument.

Resisting the urge to request him to stay, Alice forced shut her gaping mouth. Why would he accompany her all this way, then just leave?

The Royal Mage smiled at her. “Prince Darien is such a charming boy. It’s a shame he isn’t so dedicated to his studies.”

Alice’s cheeks heated. She didn’t want to be responsible for Darien neglecting his studies, or getting into trouble because of it. But alone with this man, the words to defend the prince escaped her.

 

Conversations around the campfire
Tedric, a younger and more talkative guard, smirked at him from across the fire. “So, they don’t have magic where you’re from?”

Shaking his head, Jordan glanced suspiciously at Kasan. Summoning fire was one thing, but disappearing and reappearing at will? That was highly disconcerting. Nevertheless, he had to admit it was useful for Kasan to teleport ahead and scout the route or check for water. But he could find another place to reintegrate …

Tedric adjusted his meal over the fire. “You’ll have to get used to it. Where we’re going, magic is practically revered and the whole mage caste teleports around. Many can sense their destination so precisely they can materialise within a crowd. Kasan’s still working on that,” he said with a wink.

A scowl darkened Kasan’s already stern face. “The mages of North Parsa devote their entire lives to magical study. No one compares to them.” He dropped down beside Jordan, helped himself to some slightly overcooked lizard, and met Tedric’s smirk. “I don’t see you working on your teleportation skills.”

Jordan’s head snapped back to Tedric. “You can perform magic too?”

“A little, but Kasan is right about the north. They have entire libraries bursting with information.” He gave a mischievous grin. “Perhaps we can pick up a few books whilst we’re there.”

Jordan tensed. Northern mages didn’t sound like the type of people to be trifled with. If Kasan envied them, they must be capable of unimaginable feats.

“Are you regretting your decision?” Princess Safia asked.

“No,” he replied with confidence. Unlike any princess he’d ever imagined, Safia often showed how much she cared about her people. Since he had first seen her healing her wounded guard, he had observed her tending to the camels, helping with the food preparation and talking with the other guards as if she were one of them. If she could handle the desert, so could he. “This is the best way to find all my friends. If they turn up in the south, Jaime can be there for them. If they’re in the north, I’ll find them and bring them back to the south and we can find a way home together.”

“You must be very close to travel all this way on the off-chance they are the ones looking for you.”

He flushed, realising the scale of the undertaking he had embarked on for a girl he had a crush on, her friend and her friend’s brother. Tendrils of doubt crept into his mind, reminding him of other lost friends. Friends who had quickly forgotten Jordan when his world had collapsed.

But he’d been the one lost then, not them. He wouldn’t be that fickle. “I can’t just wait to see what happens. I have to do something,” he finally said, his chest tight. These were the types of doubts Jaime usually voiced and he’d never had any problem ignoring them before. Unprepared for these emotions, he changed the subject to more pressing matters. “Why can’t magic conjure water?”

Safia smiled at him. “It can, if you’re skilled enough. I can summon water in an emergency, but it drains my strength considerably, especially in such a dry environment. Many of the mages in North Parsa can do it with less difficulty, so they have an advantage over us already. Ironically, it is much easier to summon fire than water, though I suppose it is always easier to destroy than create, and flame, once sparked, easily spreads.”

 

Alice tries to convince Navid to take her off-world
A familiar voice spoke from behind her. “How is it you have all the royals swooning about you?”

Alice greeted Navid with a smile. “I don’t think Prince Javed swoons. What are you doing here?”

He gestured to the blacksmith. “Some of my men are raving about their new swords. I thought I’d check out the vendor.”

“Does he meet your standards?”

“It would seem so. I never would have guessed you had an interest in weaponry.”

“I care about the people who wield the weapons.”

Navid raised his eyebrows. “You have an interest in Prince Javed?”

“Not like that,” Alice said quickly. “I thought he might like to join me off-world, but it seems he is too busy. Would you like to join me? We could talk about Yasmin.”

Navid blinked. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Prince Darien could take you.”

Alice rolled her eyes. “Is he the only one who goes anywhere?”

“Mages and traders travel, but you don’t want to go with any of them.”

“How about a trip into the city, then?”

Navid shifted uncomfortably. “That wouldn’t be appropriate.”

She resisted the urge to punch him. “Are you sure you want to be seen talking to me?”

“We’re in the palace grounds.” He sighed. “I’m taking enough risks visiting Princess Yasmin. If the wrong people found out about our friendship, it could cause problems for both of us. Please don’t ask me to do anything more.”

Alice’s voice softened. “This is why I can’t stand this world sometimes. How can you bear it?”

“This is where I was born. I couldn’t imagine living somewhere people didn’t respect each other.”

“Do you think I’m disrespectful?”

“You’re very bold.” Navid grinned. “I never thought the royals would appreciate that, but I suppose you are not one of their subjects, so it’s not an offence. You could try to be a little more understanding, but I like you regardless. You’ve brought out something in the royals that I can only approve of.”

“You only have Darien to thank for Yasmin talking to you.”

“I think your presence helped. Some middle ground they could both relate to.”

“They fight a lot?”

“No, too little, really. They’ve been drifting apart, focusing on their own concerns.”

Alice nodded. “Yasmin’s uncle keeps her busy and Darien … has a restless spirit.”

Navid smiled. “That’s a kind way of putting it.” He glanced up at the palace and lowered his voice. “Sometimes I think the Royal Mage wants to keep them apart, to make sure they don’t unite against him.”

Alice’s eyes widened. “Yasmin would never do that.”

“I know. Forget I said anything.”

She stepped closer, throwing caution to the wind. “I think you might be right. Whenever Yasmin tries for more independence, the Royal Mage seems to have a good reason to stop her.”

Navid’s brow furrowed. “Look out for her, Alice. And Darien, if you can.”

She nodded. “I intend to.” She bit her lip. “What would happen if Darien had a friendship like yours and Yasmin’s?”

Navid grinned. “You’ve got nothing to worry about there, Alice. Few would question a prince’s choice, especially one as unencumbered as Darien.”

“But it’s different for a princess?”

“Yes.” Navid sighed again. “Yasmin could challenge that, but expectations mean a lot to her. And as Royal Mage-in-Waiting, she can’t turn her back on magic.”

“I see.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Navid said. “I’ll encourage Darien to spend time with you next time I see him. A trip off-world always cheers him up.”