The world lurched and tumbled around him. I’m going to die. All Aiden could do was hold on to Dylan. Branches snapped around him, and suddenly they jerked to a stop. Aiden had about a second to wonder if they were okay before Dylan’s arm slipped and Aiden started to plunge toward the ground.
Another sudden stop as Dylan’s clawed hand gripped his arm hard. Aiden grabbed at him with his other hand and swung there, a good thirty feet from the ground.
Dylan had the claws of his right hand sunk into the bark of a huge tree, his glowing green eyes pinched with pain. “Can you use your magic?”
The metallic taste of fear filled Aiden’s mouth, and for a moment he couldn’t think. Yes, yes, the trees. His hands were sweaty and that wasn’t helping at all. He wasn’t sure he could focus enough to ask the trees to help them. I have to, or I’ll die.
That thought didn’t help either.
He sent a desperate plea to the forest around him. Help me. Save me. The now-familiar sound of the plants moving in response to his power filled the air. Something solid nudged against his feet.
“There’s a big branch.” Dylan gasped. His face was red and covered in scales, but if his face were normal, Aiden thought it would be pale. “It’ll hold. You can let go.”
A little more? The branch lifted a few inches. With the solid weight beneath his feet, Aiden found the courage to let go. He wobbled for a heart-stopping second before he got his balance. A smaller limb was within easy reach, and he gripped it to steady himself. He was now in a different tree than Dylan, the branches tangling from one to the other.
Dylan turned, sinking his other hand into the tree. His left wing was smeared with blood, curled awkwardly against his back.
“Are you okay?”
“I’ll survive,” Dylan said, voice strained.
“Can you get down?” Aiden glanced at the ground and wished he hadn’t. It was so far away.
“Gonna try.” Grunting, he shifted and hauled himself onto a branch and then sat there, catching his breath. “Oh crap.”
“What?” But a moment later, Aiden saw the skin on Dylan’s hands turning back to normal. His wings disappeared.
“I’m losing it.” Dylan looked down, slowly rotating his right shoulder. “I think I can climb down.”
Aiden wanted to help, but it took all his focus to get himself out of the tree. The branches moved to assist him, shifting to be just where he needed to place a hand or foot. Dylan’s crashing progress made a kind of background noise. Finally the ground was within reach. Aiden dropped from the last branch with a sigh.
Dylan was still a dozen or so feet up. Through the leaves his skin showed scrapes and cuts along his arms and bare torso. Aiden went over and touched the tree, asking it to help Dylan get down. In a minute or so, Dylan landed beside him.
Leaves in his hair and face pale, Dylan rubbed at his right shoulder. “I need a long soak in the hot tub. What a freakin’ day.”
Aiden turned, trying to get his bearings. “The road is… that way. I think.” A subtle feeling came from that direction, like the woods pointing him where he wanted to go. It wasn’t the strong compass-pull he’d felt when searching for Dylan, but it was a little bit like that.
“Hope it’s not far.” Dylan sighed and took a few steps. Then he whirled, throwing an arm out in front of Aiden. “Get back!”
A woman stepped through the trees. “Dragonkin.” The word came out as a sneer. Her hands came up, but Dylan was faster. Fire streaked through the air, exploding all over her.
Aiden’s stomach dropped to his feet, panic sucking the air out of his lungs. He couldn’t move. Any second now, Dylan’s fire would come after him.
The flames hit the trees and undergrowth, and the woman appeared through them, apparently unhurt. She’d blocked the spell somehow. A purplish-blue ball appeared in front of her hands, and she flung it at Dylan.
Run, Aiden told himself. He had to move, to get away from the fight.
Dylan dodged to the left, much slower than he was during matches in gym. Throwing a hand up at the same time, a fireball burst out, colliding with the woman’s spell. The flare of light hurt Aiden’s eyes.
“Aiden, run!” Dylan’s face was tight with pain. He hurled another, larger fireball at the woman and she blocked it with an invisible shield.
Aiden shook off the paralysis and took a step, everything in him coiled to flee into the woods. If he could get back to the car, make it to the road…
Dylan flew through the air, hurled by a spell. He hit a large tree with a sick thud and slumped to the ground. Although his eyes were open, they were distant. Aiden’s gaze darted to the woman. She lifted her hands again, taking slow steps toward them.
If he ran, he’d be leaving Dylan behind to die. Fear kept him frozen in place for a moment. The urge to get away was so strong. Little black dots danced at the edge of his vision. He couldn’t take in a full breath. But he’d never forgive himself if Dylan died because he was a coward.
Aiden got himself moving, running toward Dylan, skidding to a stop as he put himself between his friend and the woman. He could do this, just like a practice session with Tiago.
If I die, I’ll never kiss anyone or fall in love. He shoved the thought back and sent his magic into the dirt. The earth came up, wrapping around both the woman’s feet, and she jerked to a stop. She blinked at him, surprise showing for a second. Then she frowned, bringing her hands up.
Aiden made a desperate plea to the forest. The air in front of him danced with sparkles of green and gold. A vine shot out from a clump of bushes and wrapped around her wrist, jerking it back. She cried out, throwing a spell at him with her free hand.
A purple-black stream flew at him and he ducked, screaming. It hit somewhere, making an odd sizzle. Her magic felt like an old basement, a creepy place where mold and other things grew in the dark. Aiden wanted to curl into a ball and hide, but he had to watch her.
Another vine had wrapped around her other hand, and one around her waist. More vines circled her legs, neck, and chest. Soon she was covered with them. She struggled, but they held. “You must be the fae boy.”
It took Aiden two tries to speak. “Leave us alone!” Why was someone with magic helping hunters come after Dylan?
The vines stopped growing, leaving only part of her face free. “I’ll charge extra if they bag you too.” Then she laughed, a chilling sound.
Aiden dared a glance behind him to see Dylan trying to struggle to his feet. He wasn’t doing well. Aiden hurried over and helped him up.
“I’m fine.” Dylan’s voice was hollow. “I’m fine.” He blinked and a little more focus came into his eyes. “That bitch.” He tried to turn toward the woman, but Aiden steered him away.
“We have to go.” He got Dylan’s arm around his shoulder and pulled him along through the undergrowth.
“Over here!” the woman shouted, her voice echoing through the woods. “They’re over here!”
Aiden winced and Dylan tried to turn around again.
“We have to kill her,” Dylan said.
“We have to get away,” Aiden said. Every tree between them and her made him feel a little better. A narrow path appeared, allowing them to go a little faster.
“The hunters will find us soon. We’ll have to fight.”
The fear that squeezed his heart made Aiden realize there was something he was more scared of than magic— guns. “You can’t fight like this.” Dylan was limping again, maybe worse than before.
Dylan growled. “Unless I’m unconscious, I can fight.”
“You’ll be worse than unconscious, you’ll be dead.” Aiden still couldn’t get enough air, and he felt dizzy. It was hard to focus and find the subtle sense of where the road was. Could he find Mr. Johnson the way he’d found Dylan? Was Mr. Johnson even alive?
“Rather die fighting than running.”
“I’d rather live.” To go home. To see his parents again. To see Tiago again, and Hanna and Maggie. Tears blurred his vision. God, he just wanted to go home.
Branches snapped behind them. Someone was coming toward them, fast. Dylan tensed, trying to turn as the dark basement feeling hit Aiden. He tried to move faster, but Dylan slipped away from him, almost falling.
“We can’t stop!” Aiden grabbed his arm.
Dylan’s eyes glowed green, not as bright as usual. “You can make it without me. I’ll stop her. Or at least slow her down.” The sense of warm scales was so much better than the woman’s dark basement magic it was almost comforting.
Aiden’s feet almost had a mind of their own, taking a few steps away. Aiden shook his head. “I won’t leave you.” His heart galloped like it was trying to break through his ribs.
A tender look filled Dylan’s eyes for a moment and he nodded. He turned toward the sound of the woman’s approach. “Then we fight.”