Chapter 13

I turned our handcuffs into orbs. Two guards passed by our cell, but came to a sudden stop. I looked to Najeem beside me who was concentrated on his magic. The panic on their faces was evident as they couldn’t control themselves anymore. One of the guards moved closer to our cell, his limbs shifting unnaturally as he opened the door with a key.

Right after that the two guards fainted and Najeem grabbed my hand, running ahead of me. Every guard we faced passed out immediately upon seeing Najeem. I felt a shiver run down my spine at this demonstration of his power. Just a thought in his mind had all these men kneeling before him.

For the first time I understood why people feared magic so much. It could be destructive in the wrong hands. No prison cell could ever hold Najeem captive, that’s why he was put in an orb.

As I was about to turn a corner Najeem pulled me back against his chest, rescuing me from being pierced by an arrow. “Still got that knife?” he asked as we hid behind a wall.

I wondered what he needed that for when his ability was already enough to defeat any opponent. Despite my concerns I took the marble that harbored the knife from my pocket and handed it to him. He crushed it between his fingers and with just a quick glance threw it in the direction of our attackers.

As he heard one of them hiss in pain, he pulled me behind him down the corridor. Several men armed with weapons laid on the ground, one of them with my knife in his leg. Najeem pulled it out, stopping the bleeding right away and gave it back to me.

So not only did he possess a deadly ability, he was also skilled with weapons? Everything about him practically screamed dangerous.

We finally made it out of the prison and first retrieved our horse, riding through the forest. I was sure it wouldn’t take long until they’d send guards in search for us. Now that it was clear Najeem had magic, they wouldn’t stop until they got him. What would the current king do if he learned about his ability? My decision put a target on Najeem’s back.

I felt a weight against my back, Najeem’s head falling on my shoulder, his breath quickening. “Najeem?”

“I need to rest,” he mumbled.

Of course, he was tired after using so much of his magic. I looked around, seeing a little shed in the woods and taking the reins from his hand, leading us there. It seemed abandoned, so I got down from the horse, carefully trying to wake Najeem up, so he could rest in there.

His sleepy eyes opened for a second. “Kadira…behind you.”

As I turned around, something hard smashed against my head, coating the world around me in darkness.