Adamant

Pulling up my hood to hide my face, I slipped from the fog-shrouded London street into a narrow alleyway between two abandoned buildings, smiling at the prospect of breaking the Alliance’s rules. Rule number one: no trespassing in the Passages. Rule number two: no leaving Earth without a permit. Luckily, they didn’t know about this particular door. I rubbed my arms, the chill from the alley wall penetrating the thin fabric of my coat. Several feet in, the brick gave way to a fake section of wall, which wasn’t apparent at first glance. This area was so off-radar that no one would ever come looking for trouble here, not of the magic variety.

But my fingers found the familiar cracks between brick and metal, and a gentle push made the fake part of the wall slide away, revealing cold metal. I didn’t know who’d first discovered the Passage here nor who’d concealed it. The Alliance had logged every single one, including the handful on Earth, but this was hidden even from them. They’d never guess the most extensive illegal off-world operation in the Multiverse was in the same city as Earth’s main Alliance branch. Nothing was like that first thrill when magic became known, buzzing under my skin as my fingers brushed the metal wall. It was icy to the touch and functioned like a sliding panel, revealing a dark corridor.