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“Bad dog!” Magda choked back a sob. “Go with Ravi!”

She leaned back against the dirt wall, the water almost reaching her shoulders. Odie’s head tilted, his ears swiveling back as his tail drooped. After another moment, the dog padded forward and nuzzled his head against Magda’s face.

Tears poured down Magda’s cheeks as she laced her hand around Odie’s neck and buried her face in his fur. “I love you too, Odie,” she whispered.

The dog whimpered again.

“I’m so sorry I got us into this mess.”

Odie let out a soft yap, nuzzling deeper against her.

The water had reached her neck, and she could feel the blood from her wound seeping out faster. She glanced across at Ishani, still unconscious, the water up to her chin from how she was angled.

If only Magda hadn’t convinced them to come after the assassin, they would all be safe. She had just wanted revenge for her brother and father. She wanted the First Prince to pay.

Whoever the First Prince was, she hoped he died.

But there’s so much I have to share with you.

Startled, Magda was more alert. The voice was like a whisper through the tunnel, but she wasn’t the only one who sensed it. Odie was growling, his ears alert. Somehow, he sensed it too.

You’re so much more than a Soul Guardian, Princess. You and I are so similar.

“Get out of my head!” she yelled. It was the voice from her dreams. But she wasn’t dreaming.

Seems you need a little guidance. I have so much to teach you.

Then Magda felt a tingling warmth at her stomach as the water lapped over her wound. Startled, she glanced down and saw an icy blue sparkle bubbling to the surface.

This is your power. Own it.

Feeling a surge of magic rush through her fingertips, Magda focused in on her wound. She pressed her palm to the blood, seeing the icy-blue magic at her fingertips. The water swirled around her stomach, and seemed to race through her body, healing her entirely. For a brief moment she felt no fear or pain. She felt powerful.

She rose to her feet and peeled back the ripped fabric on her stomach to see that her wound was healed. Somehow, she had healed herself with the water. She snapped her head to her dog, who was sitting upright and alert.

“Did you see that?”

Odie tilted his head.

She waded in the water and faced the boulders blocking her from the exit. Staring at the obstacle before her, she channeled her magic. Earth and water coursed through her body, filling her with power she didn’t know existed. Thrusting her hands toward the boulder, her magic ignited.

The water surrounding her crested over her body. It soared against the ceiling of the tunnel before barreling into the rocks like a tsunami. The boulders flew back as water and earth collided, her magic intertwining inside her.

The sound reverberated through the space. After the impact, mist and dirt fell around her, dusting her in water and earth. With Odie’s help, she pulled Ishani up the stairs back into the assassin’s hideout. The exit door was wide open, and there was no doubt Ravi would be racing back soon with every intention to rescue her.

But she had rescued herself, with magic she didn’t even know she possessed. She had thought she wasn’t a Life Guardian, she had Soul magic. But what was she now?

Odie barked at her side, and she knelt down beside him, scratching him behind the ear.

“We’re safe,” she laughed and he pummeled into her, his paws colliding with her chest and knocking her off balance. He licked her cheek until she couldn’t take anymore, pushing him aside and sitting upright once more.

The voice returned to her head once more:

Are you ready for the answers now, Dear Princess?

A shiver ran up Magda’s spine.

Her dog sniffed the blood still on her clothes, leftover from the wound in her stomach. It was completely healed, signaling she not only controlled the earth, but the water too.

Odie looked up at her and whimpered.

She petted his head before whispering, “Odie…can you keep a secret?”