The one downside to having Dylan drive him to school was that they often got there only a few minutes before the bell rang. Today was the usual scramble for Aiden to drop off his coat, put away the books he didn’t need before lunch, and hurry to class.
This semester he had Health with Dylan and Maggie in his homeroom. Maggie was already there as Aiden made it in just after the warning bell. She waved him over, looking more serious than usual.
She passed him a newspaper. “I was going to text you, but I figured I’d see you soon enough.”
Oh God, what now? Had the strange lights happened again? No one had seen anything else like it for months. Aiden looked down at the front-page headline. Wardens Kill Uncertified Man.
He sank into the empty seat next to Maggie. The picture below the headline looked like a bad driver’s license photo. Aiden skimmed until he saw the words “longtime resident” and an unfamiliar name. Someone who had lived in town for years, worked in lawn care, and drove a plow in the winter. He hadn’t graduated high school, had never been certified.
“I didn’t even know anyone had run,” Maggie said. “I thought that would be big news.”
“So this… really happens?” Aiden’s stomach turned. “If you leave without being certified, they kill you?”
“Not automatically. If they catch you they put you in prison. But if you fight the wardens…”
“What about fighting wardens?” Dylan slid into the seat in front of Aiden.
Aiden handed him the newspaper.
“Shit.” Dylan scowled at the story. “Fucking wardens.”
“Language, Mr. Galloway,” the teacher said in an almost-bored tone.
Dylan turned and flipped her the middle finger.
“That’s detention for you.” She pulled out an orange detention slip.
Aiden sighed. That meant he was taking the bus home today. Dylan had gotten a lot better since freshman year, but his temper still got the best of him sometimes. And considering the news, Aiden wasn’t surprised at Dylan’s reaction.
“Fu—”
“Dylan, please.” Aiden gripped his arm.
The dragonkin turned his attention back to the newspaper. “They think they can do whatever they want.”
“They’re enforcing the treaty,” Maggie said.
“Fu—” Dylan glanced at Aiden. “Screw the treaty. They treat us like criminals since the day we’re born, lock us up in this stupid town, and kill us if we try to leave.”
Aiden needed to calm him down before he did something worse. “We’re graduating next year. Then we can go wherever we want.”
“If they even let me get certified.”
Aiden squeezed his arm. “They will. They have to.”
“No they don’t. They can decide I’m too much of a risk. The council has final say.”
“That’s technically true,” Maggie said. “But they’ve never denied certification to anyone who graduated.”
“They’ve never had a dragonkin before.” The only other dragonkin in town was Dylan’s mom, and she was a thousand years old. She’d been an adult long before the treaty and had been granted certification when it was signed.
The bell rang before Aiden could say anything else, and he took the newspaper from Dylan and gave it back to Maggie. She tucked it away in her bag.
When class ended, Dylan went up to get his detention slip and Aiden followed to make sure he didn’t make things worse. Aiden apologized to the teacher, and Dylan snorted as they stepped out of the room.
“What are you apologizing for? You didn’t do anything.”
“I knew you wouldn’t, so I did it for you.” They wove through the crowd, heading toward the back door. Major Magical Control was next, so at least Dylan would be able to burn off some of his anger. Aiden hoped they were doing targets today so none of the other kids would be on the receiving end.
“You don’t need to be like, my politeness shield.”
Aiden gripped Dylan’s arm, tugging him to a stop. “That man isn’t you, Dylan. And it’s not going to be you. You’re passing all your classes, and you’ll graduate. And then we’ll leave, together.”
Dylan’s expression softened. “And go look for your brother.”
It was like a little knife pressing into him. Aiden tried not to think about his brother—the human child he’d been switched with—or his birth parents. He desperately wanted to find them, but he couldn’t do anything until he graduated. “Yeah.”
“I’ll come with you, Aiden. One way or another.”
That was endearing, and also frightening. “Don’t talk like that. You think your mom will let the council deny you?”
Dylan snorted. “Good point. She’s Zen as fuck most of the time, but she can bring the scary.”
The memory of Dylan’s mom in dragon form, trapping the evil warden like she was nothing, was vivid. Aiden had an idea that she followed the rules only because she wanted to. “Everything will be fine. Just be patient.”
Dylan laughed. “Dude, have you met me?”
* * *
Dylan almost made it through the day without encountering Warden Bully. But after his last class ended and he was getting worked up again about having to stay for detention, he came around the corner and saw the man standing against the wall. Warden Bully watched the kids like he was waiting for a reason to get one of them in trouble.
The warden spotted Dylan, and they locked eyes through the crowded hall.
The man would be all too happy to have Dylan be the next victim. That hard look on his face was practically a dare.
Dylan cut through the kids, and they parted for him like they had back when everyone was afraid of him. Magic tingled inside him, ready to be let out.
“Something wrong, Mr. Galloway?” Warden Bully asked.
“Your buddies killed a man.” Dylan balled his fists. Students either darted by or stood watching from a cautious distance.
The warden’s jaw tightened. “Executed a criminal for breaking the treaty. Everyone knows the penalty for leaving town without being certified. He resisted arrest, Mr. Galloway.”
“Fuck your treaty.” He wanted to hurt him so bad.
“It’s a good thing the treaty allows for free speech. But if you were to act on such feelings…” That was definitely a dare.
“What? You gonna kill me too?” A faint scent of smoke surrounded him. No, Dylan didn’t even need to use his magic. He wanted to punch that smug face. This asshole was just the grown-up version of Conner.
The warden frowned. “I’d like to avoid that. I’m not the monster you imagine me to be, Mr. Galloway. But I would feel much safer if you were behind bars. A lot of people would.”
“Then why don’t you just lock me up?” Some part of him knew it was stupid to provoke a warden, but he was so pissed off he didn’t care.
“I need a legitimate reason to do that. Unlike you, I respect the treaty and the laws.” His eyes narrowed. “Now why don’t you move along and stop causing a scene.”
Dylan sucked in a breath to tell him off.
“Dylan!” Aiden’s voice rose over the murmur of the crowd. “What’s going on?”
“Mr. Spencer. It might be wise to take your friend outside and help him calm down before he gets himself in trouble.”
Dylan’s fingernails dug into his palms. Now the douchebag was talking about him like he wasn’t there?
Aiden gripped his arm. “Come on.”
Impotent rage tightened his stomach, making Dylan feel sick. Warden Bully won either way. If Dylan lashed out, the warden could arrest him. If Dylan walked away, he was backing down.
“Please?” Aiden tugged at him.
For Aiden’s sake he was able to turn away and walk down the hall.
“God, Dylan. He’s a warden.” Aiden still had a hand on his arm, as if afraid Dylan would go running back.
“I know.”
“I know you’re mad about that guy getting killed, but you can’t…” Aiden didn’t seem to know what to say and only shook his head.
They pushed through the exit door and stepped out into the cold. Dylan noticed Aiden didn’t have a coat. “You should hurry before you miss the bus.”
“Maybe I should stay.” Crossing his arms, Aiden shivered.
“I’m the one that got detention.”
“I don’t want you to get in worse trouble.”
Aiden was always looking out for him. “I’ll be fine,” Dylan said.
Aiden looked skeptical.
“I won’t go looking for trouble, I promise. I’ll grab my stuff and go straight to detention.” Funny that Aiden could get Dylan to behave better than his parents could.
After studying him for a moment, Aiden said, “Okay. But text me after just so I know you’re not… in jail or something.”
“Dude, I’m not going to jail.” Dylan scoffed, but he wondered how slim an excuse Warden Bully would need to arrest him.
How slim an excuse had the wardens needed to kill that man?