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“You should see your expression right now!” Jordan gasped between guffaws.

She placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes further.

“Oh, come on Alex,” Jordan said once he’d calmed somewhat. “Admit it, that was funny!”

She tapped her foot impatiently and asked Bear again, “What did you do?”

“You asked me to charm you, so I did,” he said. “I wanted you to see how it feels when it works, but also how when I press too far, your natural reasoning comes back into play.”

“So, you managed to convince me I was starving, even though I’m actually not?”

He nodded and continued for her, “But when I tried to get you to eat dirt, the suggestion was too different from anything you would normally agree to, so you snapped out of my influence.”

She shook her head in amazement. “That’s… Yeah, I have no words for what that is.”

“I just wanted you to understand that while it’s pretty cool, it’s not a dangerous gift because I can only do so much before you realise you’re being manipulated. So, no freaking out about me becoming some kind of tyrannical ruler bent on world domination, okay?”

“That particular scenario hadn’t actually crossed my mind,” she told him dryly.

“I kind of like the sound of it, though,” Jordan mused.

“Fortunately, it’s me with the gift, then,” Bear said with a grin.

Alex found herself enjoying their easy banter, but her mind was also distracted by the events of the last half hour. It was only just beginning to sink in that she was really,illogically, in another world.

“You look like you’re going to pass out, Alex,” Jordan said, gently grasping her elbow to offer support for her swaying body.

“You try looking okay when you’ve just had your entire world turned on its axis—literally,” Alex said, rubbing at her temples. “What am I supposed to do now? How do I get home?”

“Don’t worry about that,” Jordan said. “Marselle will get you home, no problem.”

“Who’s Marselle?” Alex asked.

“He’s our headmaster,” Bear answered. “If anyone can get you back to Freya, it’s Professor Marselle. He can do anything.”

“Sounds like a regular Einstein,” Alex muttered, too low for either of them to hear. Louder, she said, “All right, let’s go see this headmaster of yours.”

Three

Alex wasn’t sure where tolook as Jordan and Bear led her out of the forest, around the edge of the lake and up through the grassy fields. When she turned to glance back over her shoulder, she had to stop walking to truly appreciate the postcard-perfect sight behind her. The lake and the forest were beautiful enough on their own, but they were overshadowed by a massive snow-capped mountain not too far off in the distance. It was a spectacular view, made even more so by the colours from the setting sun. Alex had a hard time tearing her eyes from the landscape, at least until the serenity was broken by a loud voice.

“SPARKER!”

Alex spun back around at the noise. What she saw caused her to swallow nervously and back up a step.

The man was possibly the most intimidating person she’d ever seen, and he was walking their way. Tall and burly, he had short-cropped hair which added to his military appearance. But it was his clothes that really caught her attention, since he was wearing some kind of leather armour and… was that a sword strapped to his belt?

Alex turned her attention towards the man’s face and found that, while his clothing and bulky physique certainly emphasised his formidable presence, it was his expression that truly made her fear for her life. He looked beyond furious, with icy blue eyes glaring out from under narrowed eyebrows. Even his lips were curled in anger.

When the glowering man was just a few steps away, Jordan smiled and said, “What’s up, Karter?”

Alex wondered if Jordan had a death wish, since his words seemed to have the same effect on the man as poking a rattlesnake with a fork.

“You were supposed to report to detention with me after breakfast this morning,” the man—Karter—said. “Since it evidently slipped your mind, you’ll make up for your lapse in judgement next weekend—allweekend—with Finn.”

Something about the last two words caused Jordan to pale. Karter seemed pleased with the reaction.

“That’ll teach you to waste my time,” he finished.