Archer’s expression told her he knew exactly what she meant. “Stretch high enough,” he answered immediately, “and maybe your magic can touch the stars.”
She stood on tiptoe and stretched her arms up, fingers pointing toward the sky, reaching, reaching, reaching. Archer looped his arms around her waist, lifted her, and spun her around. She laughed, and it was one of the best feelings in the world.
“Are you touching them yet?” he asked.
“Almost!” She stretched high once more, then let herself slide back down to her feet. Her arms slipped around Archer’s waist. “We should probably go back before my dad finds us missing from the kitchen and panics.”
“Probably.” Archer kissed her brow, then her nose, then stopped near her lips. “One more kiss?”
She smiled. “One more kiss.”
Epilogue
Ridley took a step back in the living room and surveyed her handiwork. Well, her conjuration work, to be more accurate. It had been three days since the Reverse Cataclysm—a term someone had come up with that was now trending on all the social feeds—and it was technically still illegal to use magic. But everyone was doing it, no one was being arrested, and it was high time the hole in the living room window was fixed. So Grandpa showed Ridley a few conjurations, and she set about doing it herself. “Not bad,” she said, tilting her head to the side and nodding at the window. “Not bad at all.”
She skipped downstairs to tell Grandpa. He was behind the desk at the back of Kayne’s Antiques, writing something on a notepad. Dad was talking to a customer about repairing something, from what Ridley could tell. She caught the words ‘don’t mind if you use magic,’ and felt her eyebrows climb. Less than a week ago, people would have shamed Dad and turned him in if they’d discovered him using magic for anything. Now they didn’t mind?
Before she could say anything to Grandpa, the bell above the front door jangled, announcing the arrival of another customer. “Shen,” Ridley called, waving when she saw it was him. She made her way between the display tables and gestured for him to head back outside with her. No point in hanging around inside a dingy old shop if the sun was shining outside.
“How’s it going?” Ridley asked, hoping her words didn’t sound forced. She and Shen had seen each other a few times over the past several days, and even though things seemed normal enough on the surface, she could tell it wasn’t the same as before.
“Look at that,” Shen said, turning his face toward the afternoon sky and avoiding Ridley’s question. “Another sunny day.”
“I know. Amazing, right?” It wasn’t like the sun had never broken through the clouds after the Cataclysm. It did occasionally, and there was often a thin layer of dull gray cloud with sunlight burning through from the other side. But clear blue skies and blazing sunlight had been exceedingly rare over the cities where there was so much arxium.
Shen pushed his hands into his pockets. “I just came from the bank. You know there’s that clinic across the street?” Ridley nodded. “Almost everyone who came out of that clinic while I was waiting in line had a small bandage stuck behind their ear.”
“Getting their AI2s removed?” Ridley asked.
“Yep. It’s not allowed yet, but clinics seem to be doing it anyway. Probably a good thing, otherwise people are going to slice their own skin open at home to get their AI2s out and make a mess of things.”
“Yeah, definitely a good thing,” Ridley agreed.
“So, um … have you seen Meera yet?” Shen asked.
“Actually, she called earlier. We’re meeting tomorrow.” Her stomach clenched every time she thought about it. She had never before had any reason to feel anxious about seeing Meera, but now … she had no idea what to expect from the girl who’d told her she didn’t want to know anything about Ridley’s magic or any of her other secrets.
“Oh yeah? That’s great.”
“It is.” Ridley nodded, but her tone was hesitant.
“Or … not great?”
Ridley shrugged. “It was awkward. Talking via commscreen, at least. And it’ll probably be even more awkward talking in person. But it’s good. We need to talk about everything.” She folded her arms and leaned against the front window of Kayne’s Antiques. With a smile, she added, “I could hear Anika in the background begging to come with so she could also talk to me. Meera kept shushing her.”
Shen chuckled and leaned against the wall beside the window. “Anika must be overjoyed about this Reverse Cataclysm. She was always far more interested in magic than her older sister.”
“Yeah, not nearly as afraid of the law as she should be, Meera always liked to say,” Ridley added with a sigh. “Anyway.”
“Anyway,” Shen repeated. He looked away. An empty soda can tumbled across the street on a gust of air. “Um, how long is your grandfather staying?”
Ridley eyed Shen with a narrowed gaze. She got the feeling that none of these conversation points were the reason he’d come over here. “He’s uncertain at this point,” she answered. Technically, Grandpa was still officially dead. With no idea whether the people who’d threatened him years ago were still around, he didn’t want to stay here for too long in case someone found out. But he’d agreed to stick around for a bit while everything was so chaotic and government officials had other things to worry about.
“And, uh … no plans yet to ‘liberate’ any other cities?”
Ridley turned so she only had one shoulder against the window and was fully facing Shen. “You know the answer to that.” She hadn’t had to liberate any other cities because after seeing what was happening in the rest of the world—after seeing that magic wasn’t waiting to tear down any area without protection—numerous cities had chosen to begin dismantling their own arxium infrastructure. “Shen,” she said. “I feel like there’s something you want to tell me, and for some reason you’re too afraid to spit it out.”
He shut his eyes, ran a hand over his hair, then looked at her. “I’m leaving.”
Ridley blinked and unfolded her arms. She pushed away from the window. “Again? Like … for good?”
“I don’t know. I just … I don’t think I can stay here. I can’t get it out of my mind. The—the terrible thing I did. I have to learn to live with myself and I don’t think I can do it here. I need to start over somewhere else.”
“I …” Ridley looked past him, considering this development before voicing her thoughts. “I think you’re right. Maybe it is best that you start over somewhere new. When are you planning to leave?”
“Tonight. I made the decision this morning and booked a ticket on one of the inter-city trains.”
“Oh, wow. So soon.” She looked around as the bell tinkled over the door and Dad’s customer walked out. He nodded briefly to Ridley and Shen before striding away.
“Yeah,” Shen said. “Staying here another few days isn’t going to change anything. May as well leave now.”
“I guess.” Ridley let her gaze travel his face, wondering if today was the last day she would ever see him. “So do you want me to explain things to Meera when I see her tomorrow?”