Runaway Magic

fourteen

For a second, we all stood there in the blackness. After Ekki had removed the lock, the blinding light had receded, leaving us in stunned silence. Finally, Kenna rekindled her flame, its gentle glow edging her cheekbones with a golden tint.

Amina and Xia's expressions remained neutral. Clearly, they had known Ekki's secret, and it stung that they hadn't trusted us enough to divulge it before. We had told them about Kenna's magic, of which they were unhesitant to take advantage, yet they hadn't deigned to use their own. We were just the naive country girls they had lured into committing a crime. We were gullible enough to trust their promises of an Ijinisljin refuge. We were nothing more than sparkly, expendable tools.

"Do you two have magic too?" Kenna snarled, fuming. Her flame swelled brighter with her anger, transferring its forceful spotlight to Amina and Xia.

Xia sighed, tucking silky strands of her ebony hair back behind her ears. "I do," she admitted. "It's how I've been navigating this entire time."

Right, so the girl did actually have a compass built into her body. A magical one, at least.

"That's why you're both orphans," I realized, the pieces suddenly clicking into place. How had I never noticed the coincidence before? "You were abandoned because of your magic." Xia flinched a little at the bluntness of my words, but Ekki confirmed my suspicions with a nod.

"And what about you?" Kenna bit out, turning on Amina. "What do you have to say for yourself? Are you a magical orphan too?"

Amina had the guts to chuckle despite the solemnity of Kenna's interrogation. "No, I'm not an orphan," she allowed, dodging the other part of my sister's question.

"Then why are they your entourage?" I snapped. "Did you just feel like adopting two abandoned kids from foreign countries?" I knew my words were cruel, but I savored their sharpened edges. Kenna and I had escaped our village, leaving the only family we had ever known, because we feared for our lives. Only to find that they had been risking them this entire time. And yet Amina insisted on treating our anger like a game.

Amina shrugged. "Maybe I did. Or maybe I just wanted two badass girls to be my friends."

I scoffed. "Well, you could've had two more."

For the first time throughout our entire exchange, Amina blanched, the arrogance draining from her face. Somehow, she had really thought her lies weren't going to break our friendship. Well, she was in for a taste of reality.

"I am sorry," she said, fiddling with the thick braid draped across her bronze shoulder. "And I understand you're both upset" - I snorted; upset was an optimistic understatement - "but can we at least finish the mission?"

"Fine," Kenna hissed, lowering her flame. "But only because we need that money to get to Ijinslj. To get away from the three of you."

Amina swallowed hard. Wisely, she had the common sense to keep her lips sealed. Instead of speaking, she gestured for Kenna and me to start walking. So we did, striding forward and through the gates that welcomed us with gleaming open arms.

Earnest Morning's grave was surprisingly depressing. Despite the opulence that had greeted us, his final resting place was little more than a shabby tombstone wedged into the dirt. I supposed the flowers wreathing it were once beautiful, but time and negligence had let them grow wild, sprawling across the ground in unruly clumps of weeds and blossoms.

"Now what?" Kenna sniffed while I stared at the plot of land in disappointment. "Where's the god-forsaken jewel?"

Amina fidgeted, twirling the tip of her ebony braid around a slender finger. "The jewel is inside his grave," she said. "We need to get it out." She looked expectantly at Kenna, waiting for the realization to set in. I understood before my sister did.

"She wants to use your magic to do it," I said dimly. I lowered my voice, directing my words at my younger sister. "I know it's awful and you've already been so brave, but you need to do it. After, we can cross to Ijinislj and leave Amina, Ekki, and Xia behind. Ok?"

Eventually, Kenna relented, giving me a slight nod. Her ghost-pale hair bobbed, and I tucked a strand behind her ear before pulling away.

"Ready?" Amina asked, but Kenna ignored the way her glossy lips crinkled with concern. She approached the grave, her hands clenched by her side. Kneeling down, she brushed aside the weeds and pressed her knees to the dirt. With a deep inhale, she splayed out a hand, conjuring a bright orange flame at the tip of her finger. Transfixed, the rest of us watched as Kenna drew a circle above the rectangle of earth, settling back on her legs as the fiery wreath glowed with incandescence. Before I could utter any reassurances, she plunged her hand into the ring.

Xia let out a startled gasp, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from younger sister. Her face was eerily calm as her wrist made its way around the circle. I could picture her disembodied fingers fumbling around in the grave. The thought of her touching a person's decomposing skeleton was enough to send chills down my own spine.

Suddenly, Kenna jolted back, withdrawing her hand.

"What is it?" I asked, curbing the urge to rush to her side. She always got mad when I crowded her in high-pressure situations, and right then, I wasn't willing to risk her wrath. "Kenna, what happened? Are you ok?"

"Ew" was all she groaned, wringing out her arm. "I touched something wet and slimy."

"Just keep going," Amina soothed. "You're doing great."

"I know I am," Kenna said with a haughty sniff. She wiped her palm one last time against her clothes before creeping back in. For a few more minutes, she rummaged around in the fire, oblivious to our restlessness. Finally, she stiffened, leaning her body further in. For a second, I had the irrational panic that she was going to fall in. Then, she pulled her hand out, her fingers enclosed around something solid and shiny. She rose to her feet and turned toward us, a grim frown marring her face. Behind her, the fire dissipated, leaving no sign of her deed - our deed.

"Do you have it?" Amina asked. Kenan nodded slowly, but she only clenched her fist tighter. "Can I see it?" Amina asked cautiously.

I stepped closer to Kenna, edging the other girl out. I knew trauma when I saw it; the way Kenna latched onto whatever she had in her hands, the way her skin paled just a shade lighter than normal and her eyes shone unnaturally bright.

"Let me take it," I said gently, prying Kenna's fingers away. I took the jewel from her palm and pressed it into my own. It was covered in dust and grime from years underground, but it still shone beneath the filth. Feeling its weight in my hand, I could only guess at how much money it was worth. No matter what, I knew it was more than enough to buy our freedom.

"We did it," I said with an exhausted smile, stepping toward Amina and the other girls. Then, I froze, dropping the jewel to the ground with a startled thump.