Someone walked in the gym door, and a chorus of voices shouted for help. Only someone outside the wards could turn them off. Dylan told himself to relax. Of course people were coming in and out.
“Calm down, everyone,” the man outside the barrier said. “We’ll let you out of there soon enough. It’ll just be a few hours until we take care of the wardens.”
What?
Dylan couldn’t make out the man’s face. It was too dark and the red exit light cast weird shadows. But his voice sounded familiar.
A woman walked up to the edge of the barrier. “What are you talking about?” Ah, that voice he knew for sure. It was Principal Nejem.
Dylan took Sakura’s hand and moved closer to the principal, pushing through the crowd.
“What the hell is going on?” Sakura asked.
“Guess we’ll find out.”
The man outside shifted, and Dylan got a slightly better look at his face. Was that… Dalton’s dad? He grinned. “We’re giving all of you the freedom you deserve.” He projected his voice over the mutter of the crowd. “Once the wardens are gone, you won’t have to stay in Shadow Valley. You won’t have to hide anymore.”
“What do you mean, once the wardens are gone?” Principal Nejem demanded.
“We’re killing them,” Dalton’s dad said in a quieter voice. “We destroyed the barrier around the town, and everyone rushed out, looking for the cause and trying to replace it. It made it easy for us to pick them off.”
Dylan’s mouth dropped open. Was that really true? This went so much further than protesting. This was what Morgan had promised him, to kill all the wardens and leave Dylan free to go wherever he wanted.
“You can’t be serious,” Principal Nejem said, looking like she wanted to punch him. “Even if you could do that, don’t you understand what that would cause? If we break the treaty, the American government will come after us. We’ll be hunted—”
Mr. Rhodes leaned close, eyes glowing yellow. “Like the wardens hunt us now? They murdered my son.”
Mr. Johnson came up to join the principal. “Those were corrupt—”
“They’re all corrupt!”
Principal Nejem clenched her fists. “Let us out of here right now. They’re just kids, and you’re terrifying them. Would you do this to your son?”
“Don’t you dare.” Dalton’s dad growled. “They can be scared for a few hours. They’ll get over it.” He spoke louder again. “Once we’ve… cleaned up, we’ll let you all go. We’re not here to hurt you.” The corner of his mouth turned up. “Well, except you,” he said to Mr. Johnson.
“You’re going to get us all killed!” It was hard to tell in the weird red light, but Mr. Johnson looked like he was shaking. Dylan wondered what it was like for him knowing that his—friends? colleagues?—were being murdered.
“We’ll survive.” Mr. Rhodes’s gaze shifted. “Dylan, I didn’t expect you to be here. Hmm, well. Unfortunately, I can’t let you out without dispelling the whole barrier. I would have asked you to join us, but you’re still a bit young.”
Dylan let go of Sakura’s hand and stepped closer to the barrier. There was a weight inside him, and he couldn’t figure out how he felt. “Are you really killing all the wardens?”
“We’re certainly trying to. All the wardens in Shadow Valley at least. We’ll get to the others, although that will take time,” Mr. Rhodes said. “Would you like to help?”
Exactly what Dylan had wanted… or thought he wanted.
“Dylan, no,” Sakura said.
Mr. Johnson turned to stare at him, eyes tight and jaw clenched.
Dylan couldn’t deny that some part of him still wanted it, or at least liked the idea of no one being able to stop him. He thought of Aiden, how his friend always had faith in him. Believed that he was good despite all the evidence to the contrary.
Not just Aiden, but Tiago and Hanna. Maggie, Sakura, Izume… his parents. All the people who had voted for him to stay in school. Dylan rubbed his sweaty palms against his pants. “I appreciate the offer, but… no thanks.”
Mr. Rhodes’s face tightened for a moment before turning neutral. “Well, you’ll have some time to reconsider. And you’ll benefit from our actions regardless.”
A walkie-talkie chirped. Mr. Rhodes pulled it from his belt, turning and walking away. “Go ahead.”
“Section two is clear. We’re moving to help at the station,” a woman’s voice said. “How’s the school?”
“All contained, no problems.”
“Good to hear. Station’s an issue, but we knew that. And I got word section six is a problem. The dragonkin showed up.”
But Dylan was here… “Mom,” he breathed. She could handle herself against anything.
Right?
* * *
Aiden took a quick glance to make sure a car wasn’t coming before he ran across the road. They’d taken the bait. Tiago’s parents growled and called to him as they chased Aiden through one yard after another.
They were so damn fast. At least they hadn’t changed into jaguar form yet. If they had, they would have caught him for sure. They could do it at any second though, and Aiden had to get as far away as he could to give Tiago a chance.
A fence loomed ahead of him and he leapt, higher than he thought possible. Maybe it was his magic. It hummed through him, making him hyperaware of the plants and trees around him. It wasn’t as strong as being in the woods, but nature still alerted him to the obstacles in his path.
Like the wall straight ahead. Aiden shifted course slightly to avoid it and came out onto a front lawn. Then he crossed another street.
Sirens blared in the distance. A lot of sirens. What was going on?
“What were you doing with that boy?” Tiago’s father yelled. Oh God, he sounded so close. “I can smell his stink all over you.”
A small hill, a strip of grass between houses, an alley. Everything was a blur. Aiden kept sucking in air, pumping his legs.
“I’m gonna beat the faggot out of you.”
The words hit him like a knife. Aiden somehow found another burst of speed, feet carrying him across another yard, past houses with lights on. Did they see him sprinting past?
Aiden made it two more blocks, barely missing a car on the last street, the headlights leaving spots in his vision.
The growling got louder and something slammed into him. Aiden hit the ground hard, all the breath going out of him. Panic tried to shut him down, but he fought through it. His hands were deep in tall spring grass, and he pushed his magic into the ground, asking for help.
The weight on his back disappeared and Aiden scrambled away. He made it to his feet and turned, casting another spell. The ground liquefied and Tiago’s father sank into it, crying out in surprise.
Where was Tiago’s mother?
A dark form leapt at him, and Aiden threw raw power at it. Greenish-gold magic danced in the air and a huge spotted cat hit the ground. She gained her feet in a second, tensing to jump again. Aiden turned the dirt into sucking mud and she fell into it, almost up to her head.
He solidified the ground, trapping them both. Collapsing a few feet away, Aiden tried to catch his breath.
“You’re not Santiago.”
“No.” Aiden let the glamour drop.
Tiago’s father struggled, but the ground held fast around him. It wouldn’t hold forever though. “You’re his little faggot friend. Where is my son?”
Aiden got to his feet with a surge of anger. “He’s gone, and you’ll never hurt him again. Never!” He sent vines wrapping around both of them until he could barely see their glowing eyes.
Then he ran past them, heading for the school.