A glance up at the sky showed that the sun had most certainly moved and time was passing far quicker than Magnus wanted it to.
“If I don’t do this, I can’t go home,” he finally said.
Maddox didn’t say anything for several moments. Instead he simply watched Magnus carefully. “To your kingdom of ice and snow.”
All Magnus could do was nod shakily, biting his tongue so he wouldn’t start begging like one of his father’s wolfhounds seeking a treat from its master.
Finally, Maddox shrugged. “Fine. Follow me.”
Heaving a great sigh of relief, Magnus followed the boy down the street toward the tallest building on the block—six stories in height—and up a set of winding stairs that led to a red door on the third floor, which had a symbol carved into it.
Maddox touched the symbol, inlaid with a golden material. “This is the symbol for air magic, isn’t it?” he asked.
Magnus’s shoulders tensed. “You’re the witch boy, shouldn’t you know?”
Maddox ignored that. “Just who is this Samara woman?”
“That’s an excellent question. I suppose we’re about to find out.”
Magnus took a deep breath and regarded the door, which did indeed bear the symbol for air magic upon it. On a statue of the Auranian goddess Cleiona he’d seen when the Damoras had paid a royal visit to the Auranian palace when he was just a boy, Magnus had noticed this symbol, along with the triangle for fire, emblazoned upon the palms of her hands, just as Valoria had water and earth on hers.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” the youngest daughter of the Auranian king, Princess Cleiona—named for the goddess herself—had said to him when she noticed Magnus admiring the statue.
He’d glanced at the little girl, her golden hair falling loosely over her shoulders. Limerian girls all wore their hair up at formal occasions and he’d found himself fascinated by the young princess’s long golden locks.
The word yes had been on the tip of his tongue, but he held it back.
“I suppose,” he’d said instead. “If she didn’t have such a stupid name.”
He’d managed to make the young princess’s cheeks flush. “I don’t like you,” she’d told him.
“Good,” he’d replied before turning his back on her and going to look for other more worthy distractions.
He shook his head, drawing himself out of the vivid memory. What an utterly irrelevant thing to think about now, he reprimanded himself.
Magnus raised his fist to pound on the door, but it opened a moment before his hand made contact.
A beautiful woman looked out at him. She had dark blond hair hanging over her shoulders in long, loose waves. The black coal around her eyes made the pale blue color more vivid, and a berry stain defined her full lips.
She raised an eyebrow. “Who are you?”
“I am . . .” He cleared his throat, forcing away any nervousness. “My name is Prin—uh, Magnus. Just Magnus.”
“I’m Maddox Corso,” Maddox said, peering out from behind Magnus.
“Well, Just-Magnus and Maddox Corso,” she said with a smile. “To what do I owe the honor of a visit from two such handsome young men today?”
“Are you Samara Balto?” Magnus asked.
She nodded. “I am indeed. Normally you would need an appointment, but I find myself currently free for unexpected visitors. For three gold coins each, I promise to take you into manhood in the most unforgettable manner you could ever imagine.”
Magnus regarded her for a moment with confusion, then swept his gaze over her diaphanous rose-colored gown, which showed all of her womanly curves.
“You’re a courtesan,” he managed to say.
“I much prefer to think of myself as a businesswoman with very special and sought-after skills.”
Magnus shook his head, stunned. “I was certain you’d be a witch.”
Her smile faded into a thin line. “Who sent you here?”
“I don’t know her name. But she gave me this.” Magnus pulled the obsidian shard out of his shirt.
Samara’s eyes widened at the sight of it.
Then, without another word, she took hold of the fronts of Magnus’s and Maddox’s shirts and yanked them both across the threshold.
Chapter 4
Magnus scanned the courtesan’s surprisingly opulent home as she pulled him and Maddox inside. Even Lucia’s palace chambers, although large and comfortable, were not covered in artwork and gold artifacts like Samara Balto’s chambers were. Lucia had a seating area where she read her favorite books, but it was nothing like this one, done in silks and velvet.
Everything here was pure luxury, much more befitting of someone who made their home in Auranos.
But perhaps the goddess Valoria was not as strict with her subjects as had always been believed, based on the teachings and laws created during her reign.
However, judging by the awed expression on Maddox’s face, Magnus would be willing to bet these chambers were an anomaly rather than a normal occurrence here.
“Sit.” Samara nodded at a small, round ebony table that shone beneath a chandelier of lit candles.