MAXINE

Zel turned to the door with a smile. As she left, she gave me a small nod. As the door closed and it was locked, I quickly reached into my pocket and felt the smooth surface of a small coin.

It was warm to the touch. I could feel the energy of Zel’s magic on it. I curled my fingers around it. We had a plan now, a real one that might work.

I sat on the edge of the bed, turning the coin over in my hand. We could get out of this mansion and away from Ronan's rule. If we could just ...