CORRUPTED FILE [Lumina Chronicles Past Drafts]

Level Thirty-Two

[ELLE'S PoV]

I rode my first roller coaster at twelve. Mags argued that that was way too old for my first ever amusement park trip, but my parents' logic was sound. Amusement parks are expensive, why pay for a kid who's too short or too scared to ride all the rides?

So, yeah. Twelve years old. First-ever roller coaster. I hated that harness thing they strapped me in with. The guy running the coaster pushed it down way too tight, and the heavy rubber dug into my shoulders. But I was thankful for it when we hit that first loop and I felt my soul try to claw its way up my throat.

All this was to say I wish that stupid door came with a safety harness. It's a good thing Marc had a grip on my arm, or I would have face planted on the stone floor as soon as we materialized in... wherever we were now.

It looked like the kitchen out of some medieval documentary. A stone oven, a hearth with a pot of something boiling over it, a big wooden table covered from corner to corner with chopped vegetables and other cooking supplies. If this is where Mags came out, it's nice to know she at least hadn't been in immediate danger.

"Holy llamas," I breathed before taking a deep breath to steady myself and get my bearings.

I expected Marc to have something to say about that particular phrase, but he was completely out of it. Like, open-mouthed wide-eyed staring at this vastly unimpressive old kitchen. He ran a tentative hand along the table's edge, his blue eyes glazing over with fresh tears. "I really am back," he breathed.

"This is your house, isn't it."

Marc nodded. "It's the Abandoned Order's manor. We all live here together."

Relief hit me first. Of all the places we could have ended up, this was definitely the best option. Other than, perhaps, directly in front of Mags. Confusion hit me next. If Mags had come out in the base of a rebel group, how did she end up in Lumina? And engaged to the prince? The trailer from SnowCon flashed in my mind, but I pushed it down. Mags could never, would never kill someone.

I glanced back at Marc, who swiped tears from his cheek. "You know, you don't have to come with me to Lumina. It would be dangerous, and you just got home. You can stay."

As much as I meant the words, the idea of parting with him so soon hurt. I was more relieved than I should have been when he shook his head and scoffed, "and leave you to wander the Realm alone? Don't make me laugh, Demon."

I adjusted my backpack straps and smiled. "My turn to be the ignorant one, I guess."

He adjusted his own pack-- we bought plain looking leather ones, so we wouldn't draw attention-- and extended a hand to me again. "First we need to get you out of here without anyone in the Order spotting you. Unlike your green-eyed friend, you are unmistakably human and therefore the bad guy."

"Well, what if I'm with you?" I frowned, taking his hand.

"I don't really ah... have that much leverage here," Marc mumbled and tugged at his feathers with his free hand. "If we run into Inari, Jakoby, Kindle, or Lydia—" he shuddered "—it would be 'kill first, ask questions later.'"

"Incognito it is."

Marc smiled and nudged me. "We're mobsters again."

I rolled my eyes. "Let's get moving."

Thankfully, the hall was empty when we exited the kitchen. Marc noted that it was quieter than usual, meaning it was likely most of the Order was away on missions.

As we rounded a corner on our way to "the spiral" as Marc put it—cryptically and without further elaboration—I quietly asked, "what sort of missions do you guys do, anyway?"