Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 128269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
But aside from the ward, people stood on duty on either side of the gate. Nikki eyed them sideways, very curious just how far outside of the gates those guards would allow them before trying to corral Nikki back inside.
If Nikki could even go outside at all.
Holding their breath, Nikki crossed the threshold.
And then kept walking, ducking a little to the side to avoid the car coming up the driveway. But no one yelled to stop them. No one raced after them. The ward didn’t react in any way.
They were…free.
Nikki almost stopped dead, reeling under the concept. It was heady, euphoric, to realize that if they wanted to leave, they could. They already had, in a sense, as they were a good dozen paces outside the gate and still hadn’t garnered a reaction from the guards.
Turning in place, Nikki looked back at the fantasy-castle of the Burkhard Clan, throat tight with emotion. It really was their choice whether to go or stay, then? Every word about Nikki choosing their future had been meant in all sincerity? It must have been. Nikki never would have been allowed near the gates with the Jaeggi. Even this much freedom was unheard of.
A car slowed, window rolling down so Ravi could poke his head out. “Hey, Nikki! You want to go to town or something? I can arrange an escort to drive you in.”
Go to town? Nikki stared at Ravi as if he spoke a completely undecipherable language. Was it really that easy? Cassie had said so, but…well, frankly, Nikki trusted Ravi more.
Deciding to be brave and test the water, Nikki gave a nod. “Yeah. I’d like to go to town, buy a few things.”
“Sure, of course. Not like you came here with luggage anyway, right? Hold tight, I’ll snag someone.”
“Yeah. Thanks.” Nikki stayed put. And for once, it wasn’t because they had to, but because they had the option and chose to.
And having the choice was the most liberating feeling of all.
Nikki may have done a little booty dance right there on the spot. The joy was too much to contain. Nikki had options. A thing never before experienced.
Now. What trouble should they get into next?
Aside from clothes shopping; Ravi had a good point there. Clothes definitely needed to happen.
Braving the gate was a good first step. Nikki had proven to themself they could leave if they wanted to. It didn’t look like Burkhard was lulling them into a false sense of security.
That said, there were a few things they wanted to check. Mostly because they didn’t make any sense to Nikki.
They’d now seen magic worked multiple times. Mostly on the battlefield, but some here, too. The magical protections on the castle spoke volumes, and it was wholly different from how the Jaeggi did it. The spells were different, the ingredients were different—basically everything that could be different while still using magic, was. And Nikki was fascinated by this. They really had to figure out just how far those differences went because they suspected the Burkhards had no need to harvest from Nikki’s magical core—or any mage’s. And if that was the case, then Nikki might well be as safe as houses here.
And that was a remarkable concept. Finally being safe.
But first, Nikki had to prove it.
It was dark in the castle, though not pitch-black. Nightlights hung here and there, dotting the hallways, probably for anyone patrolling. They had enough light to navigate by, anyway, and that was all they needed. They slipped first outside and into the greenhouse, taking stock. Some truly impressive magical elements were here. Nikki could tell by their aura they had power to them. Not that they had any prayer of knowing what half of this was. Nikki had never been in a greenhouse in their life. The Jaeggi had moved around too much to make such a thing feasible.
The air felt rich with humidity, warmth, and magic. Nikki paused often to breathe, let it soak into their skin for a moment. The greenhouse might become a favorite haunt.
But there were other things to check out, so lingering here wasn’t ideal. Not tonight.
They slipped back out and up a level, going toward the mages’ workrooms. Most of the workrooms seemed to be all along one hallway, and Nikki had caught glimpses of mages popping in and out of those rooms yesterday. What surprised them was the complete lack of protective wards around the doors. There wasn’t even a hint of them. Those rooms would have been on complete lockdown with the Jaeggi.
Nikki edged in close to one of the doors, tapping all around it, searching every way they knew how for a protective ward. Nothing. A distinct lack of anything magical, in fact. It was just a door.
Huh.
Well. Wasn’t that interesting?
Either these people were incredibly naïve or…they had nothing to hide. Call Nikki optimistic, but they bet it was the latter.