Magic Exchange: A Supernatural Academy Romance (The Velkin Royal Academy Series Book 1)

by Emmeline Winter

  “My boy. How are you doing?”

  The cells beneath the castle were not inhospitable places. Or, they hadn’t been before my brother arrived and took his place as king. We believed in treating all prisoners humanely, of fair trials and justice without cruelty. Adric no longer believed in those values, it seemed. Mother’s cell was a cold, damp square of bars with only the most basic and rudimentary of conveniences. With her wounds dried up roughly across her skin, she curled against one corner of the cage, holding onto the bars as she reached through to touch my hand.

  Her cell was cold enough to give me a chill, but her smile was warm enough to break through the haze of pain gripping at my chest. I reached out towards the cut drawing angry lines across her cheek, letting my magic do the work of healing her.

  “How can you ask me that when you have a gash on your face? Come here.”

  “I can ask that because I know how this turns out. And it only turns out alright if I have this gash on my face. And if you stay strong.”

  Her eyes were intense. Almost pleading. I’d never seen her like this, so close to losing control. If she’d seen a vision, then I knew that following her commands was the only way to make the future come true. “I will. I swear.”

  “You let him send Carolyn away, didn’t you?”

  “I had to. He was going to kill her,” I hissed. The wound leaving Carolyn in that park had made in me was not something that could be healed with a few simple spells or incantations. My mother gripped my hand fiercely.

  “It’s only when the two of you are together that you can defeat the evil that is infecting Velkin. Only together. It’s why Adric wants you separated, why he wants her on Earth and you stuck here. You must find a way to return to her.”

  Of course, I wanted her nearby. I wanted her at my side always. Being apart from her was an open, untreated wound that I could never stitch back up. But Adric was a dangerous force. Evil was infecting Velkin. The safest place for her was the place farthest away from me. It was a hard truth, but one I’d had to accept. One my mother needed to accept, too.

  “I don’t want to hurt her again.”

  “You’ll find a way to repair what you’ve broken.” She tapped her forehead, that little tick she always performed when she reminded me of her power. “I’ve seen it.”

  It wasn’t an exact direction towards how to save the world…but it was a start. And I knew my mother would never give me more than that. I needed to play the part of Adric’s loyal stooge…all while searching for a way to bring Carolyn to my side and save our universe.

  On its own, it was an impossible task. But how could I even try such a feat when I knew that my mother was sitting in this cage?

  “I don’t want to leave you here in this place.”

  “Son. I’m not even here.” Her image started to flicker then, and I realized what Adric certainly hadn’t. She was only projecting here, only playing the part of the prisoner like I was to play the part of the captor. Relief flooded my heart. “I’m with your father. Adric isn’t the only one with powerful magic.”

  “I love you. I swear, mother. I will bring peace.”

  My spirit was willing. My spirit was desperate to fight the darkness off. But Carolyn had always been the strong one between us. If I couldn’t rid myself of this evil magic—and fast—I could only hope that she would be strong enough to save me and our worlds.

  I love you, Carolyn Connors. I know you can do it.

  But even as I thought the words and knew them to be true, I could feel the cold fingers of Adric’s evil magic gripping at my heart.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Carolyn

  I tried my best to pretend like nothing had happened, like my life hadn’t been completely rocked on its axis with Anatole’s disappearance. Like I hadn’t had to completely start my life over from scratch.

  But I knew my heart wasn’t in it. Working in a crappy diner on the lower East Side for twelve hours a day just to make rent on a crappy apartment that I shared with seven other people wasn’t anything like the magical world I’d just been in.

  The sudden crash back to reality was bad. The loneliness—piercing and inescapable—was worse. I hadn’t just lost my new home. I hadn’t just lost Anatole. I’d lost everything and everyone who made my life better.

  Sometimes, I thought I saw them. A flash of silvered hair that might be Queen Freia. A dark smile that could have been Tormin. Every time, my hopes raised heavenward, only to drop sharply when I realized that no. I was alone. Totally and completely alone. Abandoned by everyone I thought loved me.

  …Then I saw the streak of blonde hair and leather sitting at table 13. Kyra. My heart fluttered at the sight of her, then sunk again when I realized that she’d left me here. Snapping my order pad shut, I shoved it into my apron pocket. I had a feeling she wasn’t here for a slice of pie.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Kyra didn’t look up from the chipped mug in her hand. She was ashamed. Good. She should be, after she left me here, after she let Anatole banish me because he’d gotten bored of his little human plaything. “I heard coffee was good. I thought I would try it.”

  “Cup of coffee,” I nodded and turned to return behind the counter, barely giving her a second glance. “Got it.”

  A cold, small hand wrapped around my wrist. For such a small creature, she did pack such a wallop. I could barely move in her grip.

  “Carolyn. I need to talk to you.”

  “I’m in the middle of my shift. I can’t just go away.”

  “Aren’t you, like, a millionaire now? I thought Anatole—”

  The hairs on the back of my neck stood on-end at the sound of his name. The wound he’d cut through me was still raw. I shuddered under the weight of the pain.

  “I’m not taking anything Anatole gave me. I don’t want his buy-off.”

  “Just…” Kyra shifted in her seat, dropped my hand. So uncertain. So hesitant. Her eyes flickered around, as if searching for spies in the booths surrounding her. “Meet me outside when your shift is over. Please. I know you must be furious. I know you must be hurt, but you have to believe me. I need to speak with you.”

  Without a word, I left her then to return to the rest of my shift. But even as my heart protested, there was some dire note in her voice that shook me to my core. No matter how she’d hurt me, I would be out in the alleyway. I didn’t have a choice.

  ✽✽✽

  The alleyway behind the diner was basically like any other New York City side street, a collection of dumpsters and small rodents where I usually was forced to take my lunch breaks. When I made my way out there, though, it wasn’t just Kyra who’d added herself to the scenery. Tormin was there, too. My jaw tightened involuntarily. I’d wanted them to help me for so long…Now that they were actually here, my anger had become like a shield around me, protecting me from them entirely.

  “You two? What are you—”

  Kyra cut me off. More intense than I’d ever seen her. “Something is wrong in Velkin.”

  “Velkin is no longer my concern. Anatole said so himself. What are you doing here?”

  “We’ve escaped.”

  My chest tightened. Why would they have to do that? “Escaped?”

  Kyra continued, words pouring out of her, each more serious and terrifying than the last. “When you didn't come back to our dorm that night, I tried to find you. I scoured the entire city, but I couldn’t find you at all. Then…Adric returned.”

  Adric. I knew that name from Freia’s stories. From Anatole’s pain and memories.“What?”

  “Adric has returned. And he’s vowed to take over Earth. Velkin will be a kingdom for his brother, and Adric will rule over all of Earth. He’s overthrown the King and Queen with Anatole at his side, but Anatole isn’t himself. There’s something wrong, something evil growing inside of him. We only barely escaped before the magical veil between Earth and Velkin were closed. We knew we needed to find you.”

  I knew the a
nswer to my question before I asked it. “Why me?”

  Kyra took my hand in her small one, cradling it like the last fragment of a dream she couldn’t bear to let go of. “Because you’re the only person who can save Anatole…And save both of our worlds.”

  Epilogue

  Anatole

  Adric's magic was eating me alive. Slowly. Steadily. Every minute of every waking day, I dreamed of the moment when I would finally be able to retire to my chambers, when I would finally be able to sleep.

  When I would finally be able to see Carolyn once again.

  In my dreams, I could hear her laughter. Smell her sweet scent. Press my lips to her and swear that everything would be okay. There, in warm meadows, under golden sunshine and blue skies, I was at peace.

  And every morning when I woke once again to the darkness, to the cold, evil magic that was hardening my heart, I made the same vow.

  Carolyn. I will make those dreams come true.

  A letter from Emmeline

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you so much for taking this first adventure to Velkin with me! If you want to read more of Carolyn and Anatole's story, make sure to pre-order their sequel, Magic Captive, and follow me on facebook, where I'll soon be posting an exclusive excerpt from the first chapter!

  I love connecting with readers, so be sure to chat with me on facebook, twitter, and goodreads! And, of course, if reading Magic Exchange was a five-star experience for you, please leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads so other readers can find the book!

  Thank you for reading! I can't wait for you to read the next installment in the Velkin series.

  -Emmeline