10.

After leaving the War Room, Sebastian quickly realized Imogen wasn't outside the War Room. Upon further investigation, which meant asking a few guards standing watch at the exit doors, he found out she had left the building entirely.

One of the sentries revealed she had said something about taking a "god damned nap".

She would've killed him if he didn't let her know they were leaving soon. Granted, it would've been for her own good to leave her behind. But she really wanted to fight. To help. She had managed to stay alive this far. And she hadn't reacted to magic and the lot the way Sebastian had anticipated.

She had more than earned her right to stay alive. And, more importantly, she had earned her right to fight for them, since she technically was one of them now. Or, rather, she had always been.##

He was still trying to get his head wrapped around it.

Shaking his head, he started toward the path that would lead him back to the house. Before he could leave, he heard Remy calling his name. He froze. He hadn't told him—or anyone—about the whole Imogen situation.

He certainly couldn't tell them now. He trusted Remy and Siren to keep his secret, but he wasn't so sure if Ajax would keep it to himself. The boy was too close to Jorgen. It would slip out eventually, and Sebastian wasn't sure what the man would do to Imogen if he found it.

"Sebby, where you going?" Remy asked as he walked up to him. Siren and Ajax followed behind. "The portal gate is on the other side of the city."

Sebastian pulled at the sleeves of his hoodie. "Er...I need to go change my clothes. Can't go on a mission with a hoodie and shorts."

"There's a store that sells clothes on the way there," Ajax told him. "We've only got an hour, so we shouldn't waste time going all the way back to the house."

He grit his teeth. "Er...I still need to go...pick up something. I won't be long. If I'm late, just stall for me."

Ajax squinted at him. "Sebastian..."

"Please?"

Siren placed a hand on the ginger's arm before nodding at Sebastian. "We'll stall for you if we have to. Just...hurry up and do whatever it is you have to do."

Ajax still didn't look convinced, but he kept quiet. Sebastian gave Siren an appreciative nod.

"Don't be late, Sebby!" Remy told him.

"I won't."

With a sigh of relief and a shake of his head, he began jogging down the path leading back to the house.

⟐ ⟐ ⟐

He was going to be late.

He hadn't expected it to take him thirty minutes to jog from the Eldenarian Council hall to the house he was borrowing. Though, he was still a bit fatigued from his early morning training session with Imogen.

That was probably why she went to take a nap. She must've been exhausted.

Upon entering the house, he checked the clock hanging above one of the windows. He gulped. He had exactly twenty-five minutes to change clothes, wake Imogen, and get to the portal.

He decided he'd start with rousing the Ordinaire.

"Imogen?" he yelled as he moved through the living room. "Wake up!"

No answer.

Grumbling under his breath, he barged into her room. He realized instantly that he probably should've knocked first.

The girl was sprawled out across her bed. She had discarded her clothes for a long, t-shirt that Sebastian could've sworn was his. Aside from her underwear, it was the only thing she was wearing. Coughing awkwardly, he turned his head and knocked on her open door.

Her head shot up and shook around, her eyes half-open. "What?"

Still covering his eyes, Sebastian replied with, "It's time to get up."

Groaning, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Why? What's going on?"

"We're going to Vashara in like thirty minutes," he explained. "You need to get dressed and ready immediately or they're going to leave us behind."

That was enough to get her going.

She sprung out of bed and searched for her pants. She suddenly stopped and tilted her head at Sebastian. "Were you looking at me while I slept?"

His face warmed. "What? No, I wasn't. I even covered my eyes."

"So...you didn't want to look at me?" She frowned. "Jeez, I didn't know I was that revolting."

I can't believe this.

Sebastian facepalmed. "That's not what I meant..." He shook his head and scowled. "Just get dressed. We don't have time for this."

Imogen giggled at him as he pulled her jeans on. "I was just messing with you, Sebby. I know I'm hot."

He rolled his eyes. While she wasn't wrong, he wasn't in the mood to feed her ego. They didn't have time to waste.

He left her alone to change. He bolted into his room and looked for some battle-appropriate attire. Seeing as how his closet was basically barren and he hadn't brought any clothes with him, he settled for a shirt, black jeans, and his combat boots.

They hadn't let him down thus far.

Once both he and Imogen were dressed, they met each other at the front door.

"You got everything?" he asked while zipping up his hoodie.

"Yep," she replied. She flipped her dragon iron knife in her hand a few times. The two of them nodded at each other and began their journey to the portal gate in the center of the Eldenarian Palace.

As they made their way across the paths, around civilians, and through alleyways serving as shortcuts, Sebastian filled Imogen in on what happened during the morning's meeting.

"Nyghtmir is like your version of Alcatraz, right?" she asked.

He see-sawed his hand. "Yeah, something like that. It's probably bigger than any Ordinaire prison. And its inmates are some of the scariest and most deranged people on this planet."

She nodded. "And the Shades broke out some of those crazies." Her hand tightened around the blade in her hand.

"We're going to defeat them, and my father," Sebastian promised her.

"Of course we will," Imogen replied. "You've got another magician on your side now."

He snorted. "I wouldn't exactly call you a magician. You're more like...a person who performs card tricks on the sidewalk. Or those stupid games with the plastic cups."

"You're not funny, Sebastian."

Shrugging, he cracked a smile. "Whatever you say."

They continued forward, desperately trying to get to the portal gate before the others left. Sebastian wasn't sure how much time they had left, but judging by the sun's position in the sky, it couldn't have been much.

Along the horizon, the yellow star was beginning to rise into the clouds. Golden light bathed the trees and ground. The sky shifted from a darker blue to a brilliant azure. In the distance, Sebastian spotted the outline of the portal gate. Unlike the hubs found in one of the seven major magician cities, the Eldenarian Palace's gate was divided into seven different sections. Each one was decorated and labeled according to the house they belonged to.

As Sebastian and Imogen approached the cluster of stone rings, he spotted people around the fifth circle in line. Thick, thorny vines wrapped around the gate. A rickety, wooden sign sat on the side of it.

"That big guy doesn't look too happy," Imogen whispered.

"Yeah, I know."

Jorgen was standing in front of the portal. His fur coat flapped in the wind as he stood with his large arms folded across his chest. A sneer stretched across his bearded face. Upon seeing the two teenagers walking towards him, his scowl deepened.

Sebastian smiled sheepishly at the man. "Hey, Jorgen—"

"I had half a mind to leave you behind." He grunted and narrowed his gaze at Imogen. "Why is the Ordinaire girl here?"

"I have a name you know."

Jorgen ignored her and faced Sebastian. "What is she doing here, Thauvin?"

He cursed under his breath. He hadn't actually thought of a good excuse to tell the man. There was no way he was telling him the truth, though.

"It's actually a really funny story," Sebastian began. He racked his brain for a crafty lie. Unfortunately, nothing came to mind. "A really long story. A story we don't have time for. We should really get going."

"I'd like to laugh," Jorgen said. His face and tone were devoid of any humor. "Go on then."

Sebastian looked to his friends for help. Siren and Remy simply shrugged at him while Ajax stared with a confused look on his face. The Eldai who would be accompanying them to Vashara squinted at the boy, their expressions just as bland as Jorgen's. They almost looked like statues created to always looked annoyed.

"Uh..." Sebastian felt his palms beginning to sweat. He rubbed them on his hoodie. "I really don't think we have time—"

Imogen patted his shoulder and ordered him to stop talking. Swallowing hard, he took her advice. The Ordinaire then glared at Jorgen.

"Look," she said. "I want to fight. I don't care if I'm not as strong or as powerful as you magicians. I've seen what Thorian and his Order can do and what they have done. I know what they'll do if they win. I want to be one of the ones who bring his ass down. If I die in the process, then whatever. That'll be one less Ordinaire who knows about magic. Just let me come. I promise I'll prove my worth."

The commander of the Eldai studied her. He stroked his beard as his copper irises bore into the girl.

Sebastian couldn't help but gawk at the girl. He hadn't realized how much she wanted to defeat Thorian. Her ambition to see him defeated almost match his own—and he wanted nothing more than to see Thorian dead or thrown into a cell in Nyghtmir.

After what felt like eons, Jorgen grunted. "If only you were a magician. You'd make a great Eldai." He shrugged his massive shoulders. "Fine, you can come girl. But I'll be expecting you to hold your own. Don't expect any of us to come rush to your rescue."

Sebastian stifled a laugh. If only he knew.

Imogen grinned. "Thank you."

Jorgen blew air from his nose. "Are we ready to go now?"

"Yes, we're ready, sir," Sebastian answered with sarcasm dripping from his tongue.

The commander thrust a scolding finger at him. "Keep testing me, boy. I swear to Ghalion—"

Ajax moved in between the two of them and forced out a laugh. "Well, would you look at the time." He glanced at his wrist, which didn't even have a watch on it. "We should get going."

"I agree with the ginger giant," Remy quipped.

"How many times have I told you to stop calling me that?" He wrapped his arm around the seventeen-year-olds head and gave him an old-fashioned noogie. Remy wasn't pleased in the slightest. He wrenched himself free from the battle mage's grasp and fixed his disheveled curls.

"Not cool, dude. Not cool."

The rest of the magicians around them laughed. Sebastian shook his head at the two boys.

Jorgen turned to the stone arch before them. "Alright, let's get a move on." He raised his hand, signaling for the portal technician sitting in a booth nearby to activate the gate.

Seconds later, a swirling hole opened in the center of the gate. It grew larger until it filled the entire thing. The greenish-blue rift swirled in the air, faint sounds emitting from the magical opening.

One by one, the Eldai walked through the portal and disappeared into thin air. Jorgen went in after then. Ajax, Remy, and Siren passed through next.

Sebastian turned to Imogen. "You ready?"

"Of course I am." She tightened her leather jacket and stepped inside the portal.

He let out an annoyed huff before following after her.

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