for emergency landing.”
I thought the woman next to me was going to pass out. “We’re going to drown!” She waved the knife frantically, and I ducked.
“No we’re not.” I touched the screen on the seat in front of me, forcing myself to stay calm. “Look.”
The red line that showed the plane’s trajectory had shifted on the map, and we weren’t hovering over the Atlantic Ocean anymore. We were headed for a small island.
“Is that Greenland?” she panted.
I squinted at the map. “No. Iceland.”
For an emergency landing, things seemed to go remarkably well. I was tense until the wheels ground down on the runway, but luckily, the landing distracted the woman beside me. She was still holding the knife, but it was no longer pointed at me.
Hecate had almost seen me dead twice. I worried the third time might do it.
“I’m so sorry,” the woman next to me whispered when we landed. She gripped the blade and stared at it.
I glanced at the aisle. Frightened passengers streamed off the plane. “We aren’t in Scotland. Isn’t that where you told her you would hold me?”
She nodded uncertainly, and I threw as much glamour as I could into my words.
“Well, we aren’t in Scotland yet. You don’t have to do anything.”
She hesitated, looking confused.
I kept pouring magic into my voice. “She’ll never blame you. The plane had to land in Iceland. You lost sight of me at the airport. Maybe they’ll even route me on a different flight. No one would blame you,” I repeated firmly.
She sighed, dropping the knife. I leaned over and grabbed it before she could notice. “No one would blame me,” she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut.
When she opened her eyes, they were clear. “Good luck getting to Scotland. I think I need to find a bar and rebook my flight.” She stood up with a little wave and joined the crowd filling the aisle.
I pocketed the knife and smiled weakly at her, not surprised by her abrupt shift. Glamour magic worked on more than just appearances, and it seemed that whatever spell Hecate had cast on the woman hadn’t been designed to hold up under pressure. How had Hecate even known which flight I’d be on? She hadn’t tried anything since I defeated Rochelle, and I’d started to believe I might finally be safe from her. So much for that fantasy.
I waited until a dozen passengers were between the woman and me before standing to grab my backpack. Once I stepped into the airport, I dropped the knife in the closest trash can and then headed straight for a harried-looking airline employee. His nametag spelled out “ CARL ” in blue letters, and white-blond hair framed his young face. I took a deep breath and summoned my magic.
“Look,” I began, “I need to get to Scotland.” The glamour I was using made my voice musical, and Carl grinned sappily at me. “I’d be happy to fly out tomorrow if the airline would find me a hotel.”
Carl sighed in relief. “No one has agreed to fly out later—everyone wants to get where they’re going now! I’m sure we can arrange a voucher for you. Does it matter when you fly tomorrow?” He headed to a computer kiosk, beckoning me to follow him.
I thought for a moment. I didn’t want to delay my search for too long, but I figured I could spare a day. “I’d like to get there before tomorrow evening, but anytime in the day should be fine.”
He sighed. “I love travelers with flexible plans. You have no idea how rare you are, miss.”
“ You have no idea,” I muttered. With a few quick strokes of the keyboard, Carl was printing me a new ticket for the following day. I eyed it gratefully, while Carl kept typing.
“Flying out on Christmas Eve. I guess you don’t have family waiting on you in Scotland.”
I shook my head. “I’m just traveling for fun.”
“Don’t your parents mind you not being around for Christmas?”
Wordlessly, I shook my head. If they minded the trip at all, they hadn’t let on. Not that that would
I thought the woman next to me was going to pass out. “We’re going to drown!” She waved the knife frantically, and I ducked.
“No we’re not.” I touched the screen on the seat in front of me, forcing myself to stay calm. “Look.”
The red line that showed the plane’s trajectory had shifted on the map, and we weren’t hovering over the Atlantic Ocean anymore. We were headed for a small island.
“Is that Greenland?” she panted.
I squinted at the map. “No. Iceland.”
For an emergency landing, things seemed to go remarkably well. I was tense until the wheels ground down on the runway, but luckily, the landing distracted the woman beside me. She was still holding the knife, but it was no longer pointed at me.
Hecate had almost seen me dead twice. I worried the third time might do it.
“I’m so sorry,” the woman next to me whispered when we landed. She gripped the blade and stared at it.
I glanced at the aisle. Frightened passengers streamed off the plane. “We aren’t in Scotland. Isn’t that where you told her you would hold me?”
She nodded uncertainly, and I threw as much glamour as I could into my words.
“Well, we aren’t in Scotland yet. You don’t have to do anything.”
She hesitated, looking confused.
I kept pouring magic into my voice. “She’ll never blame you. The plane had to land in Iceland. You lost sight of me at the airport. Maybe they’ll even route me on a different flight. No one would blame you,” I repeated firmly.
She sighed, dropping the knife. I leaned over and grabbed it before she could notice. “No one would blame me,” she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut.
When she opened her eyes, they were clear. “Good luck getting to Scotland. I think I need to find a bar and rebook my flight.” She stood up with a little wave and joined the crowd filling the aisle.
I pocketed the knife and smiled weakly at her, not surprised by her abrupt shift. Glamour magic worked on more than just appearances, and it seemed that whatever spell Hecate had cast on the woman hadn’t been designed to hold up under pressure. How had Hecate even known which flight I’d be on? She hadn’t tried anything since I defeated Rochelle, and I’d started to believe I might finally be safe from her. So much for that fantasy.
I waited until a dozen passengers were between the woman and me before standing to grab my backpack. Once I stepped into the airport, I dropped the knife in the closest trash can and then headed straight for a harried-looking airline employee. His nametag spelled out “ CARL ” in blue letters, and white-blond hair framed his young face. I took a deep breath and summoned my magic.
“Look,” I began, “I need to get to Scotland.” The glamour I was using made my voice musical, and Carl grinned sappily at me. “I’d be happy to fly out tomorrow if the airline would find me a hotel.”
Carl sighed in relief. “No one has agreed to fly out later—everyone wants to get where they’re going now! I’m sure we can arrange a voucher for you. Does it matter when you fly tomorrow?” He headed to a computer kiosk, beckoning me to follow him.
I thought for a moment. I didn’t want to delay my search for too long, but I figured I could spare a day. “I’d like to get there before tomorrow evening, but anytime in the day should be fine.”
He sighed. “I love travelers with flexible plans. You have no idea how rare you are, miss.”
“ You have no idea,” I muttered. With a few quick strokes of the keyboard, Carl was printing me a new ticket for the following day. I eyed it gratefully, while Carl kept typing.
“Flying out on Christmas Eve. I guess you don’t have family waiting on you in Scotland.”
I shook my head. “I’m just traveling for fun.”
“Don’t your parents mind you not being around for Christmas?”
Wordlessly, I shook my head. If they minded the trip at all, they hadn’t let on. Not that that would