spellbound | book #1 | completed

X I I

edited: 06/07/2017

Maksim had been right. Barely anybody travelled along the backstreets of Astracia, and even those that did paid no heed to Remy while she was covered in a purple cloak—which, she noticed, was surprisingly heavy against her shoulders and reeked, oddly, of some sort of floral perfume. She supposed it belonged to Maksim's mother, though she wondered if perhaps he had a girlfriend before deciding against it; he was far too hostile to interest anybody other than Annika, whose feelings obviously weren't returned. 

She paused as Maksim turned, without warning, into an alley way between two glass buildings that had been tinted black so as not to allow anyone to look in. The blinding sun bounced off the windows. "Where exactly are you taking me?"

"You will see," he said vaguely, turning expectantly to wait for Remy. "Well, are you coming, or would you prefer to stand there all day?"

Remy narrowed her eyes. "I'm not following you into a dark alley again. Last time it didn't turn out so well. Besides, you're a stranger."

"Yet that never stopped you before." He raised an eyebrow as though challenging her.

"I learn from my mistakes," Remy retorted, clutching the cloak tighter around her torso as another warlock passed her.

"Fine." Maksim waved a dismissive hand and continued his journey, his boots sounding heavy against the cobbles. "Stay here all day and see what I care."

"Wait!" Remy called, rushing to catch up with him as panic surged through her. "You can't just leave me here. I don't know how to get back to your house."

"Of course you do. Left from here, then take a right on Aylin Street, straight ahead until you reach the one with the green walls. Easy."

She sighed resignedly and trailed along behind Maksim, muttering quietly that she didn't have a key anyway and casting her eyes to the floor. She ignored the pain, sharp but much more bearable than it had been yesterday, that shot up her leg each time she stepped forward.

She was surprised when the alley didn't come to a halt at a dead end, instead widening out into a woodland area. The ground was hidden under a veil of golden leaves that were tinged with red at the edges, their veins green. She no longer felt trapped by the humidity, the air now cool and fresh as she inhaled the earthy scent of the woods. At least forests still smell the same, she thought, feeling slightly less homesick as her Vans stepped out onto the spongy mud beneath her. Still, she thought of her beach at home and a pang of longing jolted through her.

"You can take your hood down, now, if you must," Maksim said as he began to pass through the trees. "Nobody ever comes here."

"Oh, good," Remy responded sarcastically, pulling her hood down despite herself, "that makes me feel so much better about being in the woods with a stranger who claims to be a warlock."

Above her, the midday sun beat down through the cracks in the trees, its rays iridescent as she stepped between them. They reminded Remy of laser beams that she had seen in spy movies, crisscrossing over each other as though keeping out any unwanted visitors. In their light, she could see snowdust floating like flakes that never fell.

Maksim turned, causing Remy to stop in her tracks. "What exactly do you think I am going to do to you?"

"I don't know," she shrugged in response. "Throw me through a portal, get me into trouble with your mother, make me stay in a strange place with people that clearly don't like me ..." she paused. "Oh, wait, you've already done that."

"Do you think I planned this?" he asked incredulously. "Believe me, the last thing I would ever want is to have to spend my free time looking after a stupid little mortal girl who thinks the world revolves around her."