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explain the more advanced aspects, I have to tell you the basics. You see—”
    The vehicle shook as if a wrecking ball had struck the outside. Sam clutched the arms of his seat to keep from being thrown from it.
    “They’ve found us.” May’s eyes widened as the blood drained from her cheeks. “We’re out of time.”
    Sam furrowed his brow at the windowless walls. “Who found us?”
    Another violent impact slammed him back into his chair.
    “The Tembrath Elite.”
    “Um, who?”
    “Hold on tight, Sam. We have to get under. Now!”
    “Under?” He tightened his grip on the soft armrest. “Under what?”
    She thrust her gloved hand into a side compartment. Sam’s gut rose into his throat as his chair dropped beneath him.
    Huh? But we’re on solid ground!
    May closed her eyes and took a long breath.
    Bone-crushing force shoved Sam back against his seat. It felt like a missile launch.
    May finally let out a relieved sigh. She pulled back her gloved hand and the pressure lifted, allowing Sam to sit back up in his seat. He rotated his shoulders and stretched out his back.
    “We’re not out of the woods yet. But as of now, it is out of my hand.” She gave Sam a wry smile. “Let’s just hope they don’t catch up. They shouldn’t, though, since no one’s as good as I am at this particular skill.”
    “Okay, this is getting a little too strange. What’s going on? I’ve really lost it, haven’t I?”
    “Magic is real,” May stated matter-of-factly.
    Sam gave her a blank stare. “Excuse me?”
    “Basics, remember. As far as we’re concerned, that’s as basic as it gets.”
    Sam blinked a few times before answering. “You are joking, right?”
    “Magic is real.” She grinned. “That’s your first lesson. Trust me, the next lessons will be much more in-depth, but they’ll make the first lesson real for you .”
    Sam slumped back down in his chair. “So I’m not the only one who’s lost his marbles, then?”
    “Hey.” She raised her eyebrows. “You’re the one who made an entire crowd of people freeze.”
    Sam’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean, I made that happen?”
    “Congratulations, you’ve had your first hiccup.”
    “Hiccup?”
    May tapped a finger against her lips. “You know, you’re right. It was much more than a hiccup. Grip is probably more accurate.”
    Sam paused. “Huh?”
    “Magic… you grip it.” She flexed her gloved fingers. “We say gripping, although really you can grip it, push it, twirl it, caress it, manipulate it, drape it. And of course by ‘it’ I mean ‘Her’, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves.”
    Sam squeezed his eyes shut and wondered when he’d wake up from this dream. “Riiiiight. Magic. Absolutely.”
    “I assure you, this is very real.”
    “And currently we are traveling...?”
    May touched the wall of the vehicle with her gloved hand and tilted her head. “Underground.”
    “Of course, underground.” He threw his hands up.
    She looked at him with a playful grin. “Once we hit the ocean, we’re going to speed up a bit, but we still have a long trip ahead of us. If you would like, I can explain a whole lot in that time. Or, you can stay in denial, with no answers.” She pointed up and the hovering light flickered. “In the proverbial dark. Your choice.”
    Sam sat back in his seat and let out a deep breath.
    “Okay.” He was too tired to fight against whatever hallucination he was having. “Explain away.”
    “Excellent choice. So, like I said, magic is real. However, it takes a lot to understand and use, and you won’t be proficient unless you work excruciatingly hard. But I promise, every headache, every sore muscle, every long night of practice is worth it. It is layer upon layer of unfathomable glory, every flake a miracle.”
    With that, she took her gloved hand and placed it on his naked one. A strange tingling traveled up his arm as she squeezed. When she removed her hand, the white tape had melted off his hand,