pages away in retribution for calling them some names I won’t mention here. Given my father, there was little else they could do to me. They returned the pages this morning, but I’ve learned that I must be more careful with my words.
I overheard Boakler and Stemon conversing with Alix and Jisan yesterday. They’ve decided to keep a tighter watch for Korin because of what they read in my journal—I still can’t believe the bastards read it in the first place. Boakler said that if Korin shows up, he won’t be as “generous” as the last time he saw him. The very thought gives me chills. I can only assume that they’ll find more excuses to comb through my journal for mention of Korin now.
Considering that writing in this journal is all that’s keeping me sane in this carriage, I’ve decided to keep all of my new entries hidden. I’m going to hide them underneath the carriage floor’s carpet. I’ll also keep a set of fake entries to keep my captors from suspecting anything. I’ve already been thinking of ways to have a little fun with the fake ones.
Moving on, I’ve decided that I’m not going to let my life go down the path of my father’s wishes. In my head, I’ve been reciting again and again exactly what I’ll tell him when I arrive at the Academy.
What it comes down to is that I’m not going to stay at the Academy any longer. It’s been years since it truly felt like home to me anyway. My only purpose there is to keep the Grand Wizard title in the Fellway name. I couldn’t care less about that, though my father seems to believe it’s all I’m good for. I know that there’s something else for me outside of that place. Something more than playing wife to the next Grand Wizard.
I don’t know how to break the news to Saiyre just yet. But as I said, my father’s wishes are no longer my concern.
I need to find a way to talk to Max. He’s being fed—I’m sure the type and amount of food isn’t to his discernment—but he’s not responding to the questions of our captors. They witnessed him talk and use magic the night we were taken, so they’re reasonably frustrated by his silence.
Fortunately, they won’t dare do anything to harm him. They know that he must be brought to the Academy alive and well for study. Once in the laboratory, though, I’m afraid of what the researchers will do to him in order to draw out his secrets.
If I could just speak with Max, maybe we could work out a plan to get him back to Korin. Sadly, any requests that I’ve made to see him have gone unheeded. This is all such a mess.
But, I will fix it. Max will be freed no matter what I have to do. My father will have to accept that he can’t control me. I will not give up. I will not lose hope again.
We are well over halfway to the Academy at this point, with maybe a week left before we arrive. We travel through most of the night now, taking me further and further from Korin . . .
No, I will not lose hope again.
Chapter 8
The Walking Not-So-Dead
It’s hard to follow your instincts when you’re busy speeding through the woods, trying to keep up with the very person those instincts are warning you about. Hell, it’s especially hard to do when the moon decides to take cover behind the night-darkened clouds, necessitating every ounce of your attention to be focused on not breaking an ankle or running into a tree.
Kait’ kept a goodly distance ahead of us, leaving Til’ and me unable to question her. With the pace she was setting, I didn’t have the breath in my lungs to get out anything more than unintelligible grunts anyway. Til’ kept up right beside me, his diminutive stature doing nothing to hinder his speed.
“I don’t like this,” Til’ said suddenly, making me jealous of his ability to speak clearly despite our exertion.
“I . . . I . . . yeah,” was all I could say, though I’m not sure it didn’t just come out as
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