In the Name of Magic

Chapter 3

Katherine and I sat on a bench, holding coffee cups on Main Street. “Thank you for making time to hang out.” Katherine adjusted her scarf.

I pressed my coffee against my cheek, allowing the warmth from the cup to touch my skin. The air was bitter and the rain had been replaced by snow.

“Don’t worry about it. You’re one of my best friends. I’ll always have time for you. Did something happen with Taylor?” I asked.

It was getting harder to ignore the minor tension in Taylor and Katherine’s relationship. I couldn’t forget that they were polar opposites politically. But they had been together for a few years and hadn’t had a major falling out. At least that I knew of.

“No. I only wanted a break. I love him and all, but there’s only so long I can listen to him talk about Queen Vivian.” She sipped her coffee.

Okay. Taylor and Katherine were temporarily fine. I raised my eyebrows. “You love him?”

“Yeah. Although, I don’t want to make a big deal about it.”

“I never heard you declare your love for him before,” I said.

“I’ve said it to Taylor once or twice.”

Katherine chugged the rest of her coffee before tossing the container into an adjacent garbage can while a nearby rat scurried into an alley. “I wanted to chat with you because you understand how it feels to be different.”

“Because I’m gay?”

She sighed. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I know, I know. I was only giving you a hard time.”

I sucked in a breath. “I didn’t mean anything bad by casting that enchantment earlier today.”

She twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “I know. I was only agitated.”

“I’m sure Queen Vivian has better things to do than to terrorize nonmagical people.”

Wondering if more blood was to come couldn’t be helped, though. Yeah. I might’ve been stating the obvious, but the fact needed repeating. Queen Vivian came to power by shedding blood, and worrying if the violence would continue wasn’t outside the realm of possibility.

“I hope so. Because you should never underestimate how gullible some people can be.” Katherine tapped her boots against the ground.

My gaze shifted to a shop down the street, and I flinched. Broken glass windows were never a good thing, regardless of how much time had passed since they were broken. Anyone who was anyone knew about the robbing and looting of Tim’s Groceries. It was a miracle the degradation happened on a Sunday when the husband and wife weren’t there.

“Are you afraid for your safety?”

Katherine was one of my best friends; I had a right to be concerned about her safety. Especially when her boyfriend was in denial about how tumultuous Queen Vivian’s politics were.

She shook her head several times. “No. But life isn’t perfect. Some people are still angry about the economy and will blame anyone.”

A scorching sensation permeated my stomach. I didn’t want to admit the truth, but I couldn’t help feeling guilty sometimes. My dad was a lawyer and was still one of the few people who had made a good living during the Goblin War while everyone else fought over every Magnifico dollar they could get. Luckily, I had all the spending money I wanted. Within reason, that was. Dad was careful to be generous, yet still made sure money didn’t corrupt me. Although I wasn’t spoiled rotten, I always shared what I could with my friends. Like after Taylor’s father died in the Goblin War.

“Do you want to go for a walk? Or do you have to get home?” Katherine continued.

I looked at my watch. “I have time.”

“Okay. Good.” Katherine grabbed my hand and we started walking down the street past the broken windows of abandoned stores and shops.

We turned the corner on the end of the block. A vacant sign caught my attention while we continued walking.

Okay. Another not-so-subtle reminder of the economic hardships as a result of the Goblin War. Although there was little for Funforia residents to complain about, because towns in the eastern and western parts of Magnifico were hit even worse. In fact, there were rumors of citizens being forced to leave and live in another part of the country.

“Are you annoyed with Taylor?” I asked.

She rolled her eyes. “What would make you think that?”

“Do you even have to ask?”

“No. I’m not mad at him. I simply wish he had a little more empathy and was less clueless.”

I clenched my jaw. “It’s not his fault. He listens to his mom when it comes to politics.”

“You don’t say.”

Glass shattered nearby, making us stop and glance across the street.

So much for having a good night, since there was no way to put a positive spin on Katherine’s parents’ bakery being vandalized by two tall hoodlums.

“They can’t do that. My parents invested everything they had into the bakery.” Katherine screamed.

Before I could stop her, she ran across the street, barely missing being hit by a car.

Chasing after her was necessary, despite the twinge of fear rolling through my body—getting into an altercation was not how I wanted to spend my night. I needed to be a good friend and pick up the pace while the cold trickled into my lungs, almost as if it would drown them.

I had magic, and she didn’t. And I would’ve been lying if I said I felt comfortable with Katherine handling a fight alone.

“You have some nerve, assholes,” Katherine said, yelling so loud, I might’ve needed to get my hearing checked.

Reasoning with a vandal was challenging, but I had to try. If Katherine and I found a peaceful solution, then that would be to our advantage. Life didn’t need to be any more complicated than it was at that moment.

“If you want money, I can give it to you.”

The man with the mustache turned around. “We don’t want your money. We’re taking back the country. We know your family is nonmagical scum and would be dead if your parents’ bakery wasn’t so popular.”

Wow. I could no longer say Queen Vivian’s anti-magical sentiment was hypothetical. The man uttered bigotry without even taking a minute to think about his response. s**t. Only a fool would have been oblivious to the fact that it didn’t take much for situations to spin out of control.

The second guy glared at me. “Keep walking, buddy. We don’t want to have to hurt you.”

I tilted my head, giving myself a moment to consider my surroundings. f**k. Nobody else was around, so Katherine and I would have to deal with these goons by ourselves. It would’ve been nice to know there were concerned citizens as bystanders. Katherine crossed her arms. “I find that hard to believe. You’re the one vandalizing my family’s shop.”

The mustache-wearing man arched his eyebrows. “And what are you going to do to stop us?”

“Let’s leave,” I mumbled into Katherine’s ear.

Wanting to leave was cowardly, but I didn’t care. Not this time. I wanted us not to get hurt. Nothing good existed from Katherine’s parents’ bakery getting tarnished.

“No,” Katherine said. “We can’t let these low-life degenerates get away with it. Perhaps if they weren’t so lazy, they’d have good lives.”

Fair enough. A possible life-or-death situation wasn’t the type of thrill I wanted. But Katherine needed my help. Besides, I would’ve wanted her to help me if our roles were reversed.

The second man flared his nostrils. “You don’t know a damn thing about our lives.”

“We should teach this b***h a lesson.” The mustached man gripped his bat.

“Over my dead body,” I said, raising both of my palms at the man.

The second man smirked at me. “What are you going to do?”

“Stand behind me, Katherine,” I said.

She did what I asked without arguing.

The mustached man glanced at his accomplice. “I think they need to understand how serious we are.”

A vine shot out of each of my palms and glided across the ground. One vine attached itself to the mustached man’s hand while the other vine gripped the other man’s hand. I jerked my hands from side to side, making them spin in circles, which increased in speed. Then with a flick of my wrists, they thudded against the sidewalk.

Katherine forced a grin. “That was incredible.”

“We’re officially going to kill you.” The mustached man rose without even wincing and grabbed his bat.

But I refused to take their bullshit. So, I did the only thing I could. I blew him a kiss, making fire explode out of thin air and form a circle around the two men.

“Are you going to kill them?” Katherine asked.

I remained silent, choosing to focus on maintaining the fire while sweat dripped down both of their faces and their moans grew louder and louder as the temperature rose.

Figures. They were a couple of babies.

Keeping the fire going entailed using a well of dark emotions I kept deep inside me. I thought of the sword piercing Grandma’s stomach and how blood flowed out of the wound no matter how much pressure I applied, every inch of her shirt was drenched in blood by the time she died. In fact, that might have been the only time I was glad people only saw things in black and white.

“Let us go,” pleaded the mustached man.

I hesitated. “Only if you promise to never show your face around here again.”

“We promise,” said the second man.

I blew another kiss and the circle of fire vaporized. The two men scurried away, leaving Katherine and I by ourselves.

Succeeding in dealing with the two thugs didn’t mean trouble had ended. There was no good reason for Katherine’s almost demise. People deserved to do more than survive.

She hugged me. “Thank you so much, Maximillian.”

“No problem. I look out for my friends.”

Someone nearby clapped. “Yes, yes. That was impressive.”

I shifted my gaze. Prince Stefan walked out of the small park on the corner of Main Street.

For a split second, I almost smiled. So much for worrying about never seeing Prince Stefan again. Perhaps life wasn’t one hundred percent terrible.

“Do you mind giving us a minute, Katherine?” I asked. “You can get another cup of coffee. My treat.”

She placed her hands on her hips. “My parents’ shop was ransacked. Plus, we could have been killed and you think I want to get another coffee?”

Fair enough. Katherine had a point. Life could be contradictory, but I would have been lying if I denied Prince Stefan’s intrigue. It wasn’t like I wanted to ditch my friends for guys all of the time. There was just something new and different about Stefan. So, I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to talk to him.

“How about we walk a yard or two down the block. I promise I’ll keep my eyes on you,” I said.

She looked from him to me, and then she sighed and nodded. “Sure.”

Prince Stefan and I walked a couple of yards away from Katherine while another round of fireworks illuminated the night sky. Though, I was beginning to wonder if that’s what they were.

My eyes lit up from the reflection. “I thought you’d be afraid to venture out into civilization.”

He leaned closer. “What can I say? I wanted to get out. Besides, I have a mask, and nobody knows what I look like.”

I wanted to make this moment with Prince Stefan count. Our conversation would probably be fleeting like every other moment in life, so I had to enjoy our chat while I could.

“Fair enough. Anyway, how are you?” I asked.

“Standing up for your friend was impressive.”

“How much of it did you see?”

“Enough to know you might be a good person,” Prince Stefan said.

Good to know he approved of my actions. Then again, I would’ve helped Katherine regardless of whether Prince Stefan observed the encounter or not. I looked back at Katherine, who happened to be right where I had left her. Staring at the broken windows and damage. Then, I returned my attention to Prince Stefan.

“Umm, thanks. As much as I want to continue our chat, I should rejoin my friend. Keeping her waiting would be rude. Having her family’s business vandalized has been devastating for her.”

“I understand.” Prince Stefan extended his hand and wiped my mouth, causing a brief zap of static from the friction of his skin pressed against mine. Prince Stefan shouldn’t have been standing close enough for the acidic texture of whatever mouthwash he used to prickle my skin. Yet he was, and I wouldn’t complain. Every cell in my body was electrified.

Having his hand stroke a lock of my hair out of the way would’ve been great. That gesture might’ve caused both of us to look the other in the eye. Our lips would then brush up against each other, and he’d wrap his hands around my cheeks. But no. Making out wasn’t the right step. At least not yet. I was definitely curious, though. But moving too fast would ruin things before they even had the chance to get started.

Although I still appreciated the moment because there was nothing like having a hot guy touch me. Even if it was innocent. And I would have been lying if I said he moved his hand away in one swift motion. He didn’t. His fingers simply lingered by my lips.

“What was that for?” I asked.d

He snickered at me. “You had whipped cream on your lip.”

There was something about his voice. It caused warmth to spread across my cheeks. Great. “Okay, well, see you around.”

“Yeah. That would be nice.”

Prince Stefan snapped his fingers and disappeared into a funnel of fog. After a beat, it cleared, and he was gone.

I shuffled to Katherine. “Sorry. I hope I wasn’t rude.”

“No worries. It’s great you have a guy to talk to.”

“True. But it’s only been three times…”

She patted my shoulder. “Give it time.”

For a split-second, I cracked a smile. Life wasn’t perfect, yet Katherine was right. Potential relationships didn’t happen overnight—they grew over time. Besides, if I ran into Stefan three times, I could run into him three more times. So, yeah. I wouldn’t worry about my next encounter with Prince Stefan.