A spell streaked through the trees. Dylan hurled a stream of fire at it, wincing at the pull in his shoulder. Aiden was right that he wouldn’t be able to last long. Being shot twice, running through the woods, and shape-shifting had used up most of his energy, magical and otherwise.
He wished Aiden hadn’t come after him. Now they were going to die together, fighting a warden. Dylan felt an odd mix of gratitude, pride, and sadness that Aiden was standing by his side.
The warden crashed through the bushes, hurling another spell. This time a green-gold shimmer knocked it aside. Aiden had gotten amazing over the past few months. God, he wished they could have a match. Dying side by side with his best friend would have to do instead.
Raw force lifted him off his feet. Not again, he thought as he braced for impact. He crashed into a clump of bushes, landing with a jolt but not as much pain as he expected. Maybe he hurt so much already that more barely registered.
The warden charged Aiden, and Dylan threw a fireball. It came out half the size he intended it to be. He was running out of juice. Still, it was enough to make her dodge aside and her spell missed Aiden.
“If you kill us, you’ll have to give your hunters a refund.” Dylan gripped his arm, trying to relieve the deep ache in his shoulder.
“I only need one of you alive for the hunt.” A black ball streaked with purple lightning flew from her hands. It hit Aiden and he went stiff, as if he’d been turned to stone.
“No!” Dylan reached for his magic, and for the first time in years, it failed him. The energy fizzled, a few small embers falling from his fingers.
“But both is better.” She smiled and cast the same spell at him.
Dylan tried to dodge and ended up falling, crying out as he hit the ground. The impact vibrated through his body, making all his aches and pains flare. The spell had missed him, but the next one wouldn’t.
A roar like thunder split the air, and a huge form blotted out the sun. The scent of heated rock and smoke filled Dylan’s nose, and with that came another very familiar smell. Still, he didn’t dare take his eyes off the warden until she glanced up. Then Dylan looked at the huge red dragon coming toward them, crashing through the trees.
“Mom,” he said, relief flooding him.
The warden tried to gather a spell, but a clawed hand almost the size of her body slammed into her, crushing her into the ground. Dylan’s mom landed, shaking the forest, head almost as tall as some of the trees.
“You took my son,” Mom said in a booming voice.
The warden struggled, but the orange light of a spell surrounded her and she froze, eyes wide.
“I would kill you if you didn’t have so much to answer for,” Mom told the warden, her teeth a foot away from the woman’s face. She looked over at Dylan. “Are you okay?” Her tone was almost casual.
He appreciated that she wasn’t babying him in front of Aiden and the warden. His body hurt all over, and he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to get to his feet without help. “I’ll survive.”
Mom turned back to the warden. “Maybe they’ll let me roast you when the trial is over. A girl can hope.”
“Oh my God.”
Dylan glanced over to find Aiden freed from the warden’s magic, staring at the massive figure of the dragon. “Momma to the rescue,” Dylan told him.
* * *
Aiden set the controller down in his lap. “So, um, I want to ask you something.” They’d been playing games for half an hour while he worked up the courage. It had been two weeks since they got back to Shadow Valley. They’d both spent a night in the hospital, and Dylan had spent almost a week recovering from his injuries.
“What is it?”
“Ms. Yang agreed to let me take makeup classes over the summer. I want—” Aiden swallowed. “I was wondering if you would have matches with me.”
Dylan arched an eyebrow. “Really?”
“Yeah. I’m not sure I won’t panic, but I want to try.” They’d saved each other’s lives; they’d been hunted and attacked by an evil warden. Aiden wanted to believe that changed things, that facing Dylan in practice couldn’t possibly be as scary as what they’d been through. Besides, it would be in a controlled environment with Ms. Yang watching them. No one had been seriously hurt in gym.
“I’d like that.” A little smile tugged at Dylan’s mouth.
“Good.” Even though they spent lots of time together, this had been a barrier between them. Aiden wanted things back the way they’d been before the incident in the woods with Uncle.
“Did anyone tell you about the trial?” Dylan asked.
“Mr. Johnson called to say it was next month. Is that what you mean?” Thinking about it made his heart race. He really had almost died. Dylan too. Mr. Johnson had captured the warden he’d been fighting and turned in both him and the female warden Dylan’s mom had trapped. Another warden had been found in the woods, plus all the hunters. Since then, an investigation had turned up two more people involved as well as at least one Shadow Valley police officer. The bodies of the three kidnapped people had been found and turned over to their families. Thinking about it made Aiden sick.
“Yeah. Did he mention you might be called in as a witness?”
Aiden nodded. He wasn’t looking forward to that, but it was important that the murderers and everyone else responsible pay for what they’d done. It was the biggest scandal since the wardens had formed.
Dylan snorted. “Crap like that going on, and I’m supposed to trust the wardens.”
“The people involved are evil. There are bad people everywhere. It doesn’t mean all wardens are bad.” Aiden rubbed his sweaty palms on his jeans. “Mr. Johnson went looking for you. And he saved us both by calling your mom.”
“One good warden doesn’t mean all of them are like that,” Dylan said. “Besides, maybe he was just looking out for his investment. We still owe him, remember?”
Aiden shook his head. “You always think the worst. I wish you’d be more optimistic. They let you back into school, right?”
“Yeah.” Dylan shrugged. He and Aiden were sort of town heroes now, helping solve the kidnappings and bring the guilty people to justice. Even Conner had come by to mutter a thanks to Dylan for helping catch Dalton’s murderer.
The last few weeks of school before summer vacation had been blissfully calm. Aiden’s anxiety had dropped significantly, and that was part of the reason he was willing to try matches with Dylan.
“Try not to be so excited about it,” Aiden teased.
“It’s just weird, I guess. People treat me so differently. They say hi and wave to me in the hall.” Dylan stared at the pause screen. “So much for my badass reputation.”
“Hey, you fought an evil warden and lived to tell about it. That’s pretty badass. I think your reputation is safe.”
“And I killed a monster hunter, so everyone knows exactly how far I’ll go.”
Aiden studied him. Dylan had burned the man alive. Sure, it was self-defense, but killing someone was a huge deal. “Are you proud of that?”
Dylan gave him a long look before turning back to the pause screen. “I’m proud I defended myself, that I’m still alive. But… something about it bothers me. Too real, I guess.”
“Are you sorry you killed him?”
“No. It’s just not as fun as I thought it would be.” Dylan picked up his controller. “Can we get back to the game now?”
* * *
Taking deep, slow breaths, Aiden walked out to the center of the gym. The symbols built into the floor seemed to gleam brighter than usual. Maybe the floor had just been cleaned.
“Are you sure you’re ready?” Ms. Yang asked.
“Yeah.” He couldn’t get over his fear if he didn’t face it. Working with Tiago had helped a lot, and using his magic while running from hunters and fighting a warden proved he could defend himself in a real crisis. The gym wasn’t the woods, so he didn’t have near the same advantage, but he was sure he could manage.
“I’ll go easy, I promise.” Dylan stood facing him, bouncing a little on his toes. Though he was trying to hide it, his friend was clearly excited.
Dylan had risked his life to save him, had been willing to sacrifice himself so Aiden could escape. Maybe he could never fully trust Dylan again, and there would always be a part of him that was a little afraid that Dylan would hurt him, but some of that trust had been restored.
“I know,” Aiden said, widening his stance and lifting his hands. Although his heart pounded and sweat dampened his armpits, he didn’t feel like fainting. “Let’s do this.”
Want to find out what happens next? Get book 3 now!
How to Survive High School Without Really Dying (Shadow Valley #3)