CORRUPTED FILE [Lumina Chronicles Past Drafts]

Level Thirty-One

[MAGGIE'S PoV]

Of the multitude of things I suck at, archery was definitely a big one. But at least it was a distraction from my growing distrust of Raini and her creepy goth boyfriend—well, fiancé. I suppose Tobias, the friendly knight with the sort-of-but-not-really southern accent, was her boyfriend. It was a weird dynamic to keep track of.

After spending hours cooped up in Raini's tower watching her practice sorcery, Raini led me to a training ground located off the palace's giant hedge maze. Cas was there, along with Tobias, Julian, that Ander fellow, and a few other knights I didn't recognize. Lion was there too, or so I assumed from the mane of curly dark hair.

She playfully taunted Cas as he notched an arrow, but then Julian said something in her ear and she hurried to pull her helmet on and excuse herself from the area.

"She doesn't like me," Raini said with a light, laughing huff.

"Why is that?" I shivered against the chill and pulled my shawl tighter around my shoulders. Snow dusted the roses dotting the hedges. What month was it now? I'd lost track of how much time I'd spent here in the Shadow Realm.

"Oh I don't care to know, I'm not particularly fond of her either." Raini shrugged, then looped her arm with mine and grinned. "You like me, don't you?"

No, my gut responded. Anyone who could talk so calmly about "stealing the magical essence" from a non-human wasn't going to rank highly on my list. But obviously, I couldn't say that. Even if I didn't like her, I needed her to like me. I needed her to feel comfortable enough around me to answer my questions. "I do!" I answered cheerfully. "I like you a lot, your brother too. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to meet you."

Raini patted my hand and smiled over at me as we crossed the final distance to the training ground. "I have a feeling we're going to be great friends."

I smiled as well, relieved that she seemed satisfied with my response. "I think so too."

Then she turned and waved towards her brother. "Oh Kitty-Cas, look who I brought!"

Cas sent an arrow flying wide, inches from Ander's head. The blonde knight looked up from his book and fixed Casimir with a dark look, the depths of which I couldn't fully identify.

"Lady Jacint-J-Jackie, hello again!" Cas waved to me with the hand that gripped his longbow. The knights standing in his proximity stepped back.

"I'll take that," Julian muttered, prying the bow from Cas's grip.

Cas bounded over to me on long legs, grinning from ear to ear. He too had changed his outfit from our dip in the fountain that morning and was now dressed in tan trousers and a billowy shirt in a lovely shade of blue. Again he was crownless, but I suppose it would get uncomfortable to wear one all hours of the day. "I'm s-sorry for this morning," he said.

"Oh no, that was completely my fault." I shook my head, only half-noticing as Raini unwound her arm from mine and floated over to where Sir Tobias stood. Favaro had separated from us shortly after we left the sorcery tower, claiming important business, and Carlyle had decided it was in our best interest to follow him, so now I was once again alone-or as alone as I could be in a crowd of knights-with Prince Casimir.

"I'm starving," I continued, "when's dinner?"

"We'll be joining mother at the theater shortly-dinner will be served there. Until then do you—would you like to try archery?" Cas offered, nervously twisting his fingers. "Here you can use my—wait, where's my bow?"

Julian cleared his throat and nodded to the weapon in question.

"I hope you don't mind shooting left-handed," Cas said as he took gentle hold of my shoulders and steered me in front of the target.