Aiden’s breath came in shallow gasps. So much chaos. People screaming, spells flying everywhere. He couldn’t tell who the bad guys were until they attacked. What if he hurt someone by accident?
Where was Tiago? Dylan?
He stuck close to Mr. Johnson. The warden would protect him. But after a few moments, Aiden realized Mr. Johnson was a target. The bad guys were trying to kill all the wardens, which meant being next to him put Aiden in the line of fire.
Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap.
And that was it. Full-on panic attack time. Aiden tried to stumble away, spots growing in his vision. I have to control myself, or I’ll die. But there was no stopping it.
He made it to one of the huge speakers and leaned against it, slowly lowering himself to the floor. Aiden pushed himself behind the speaker, praying that somehow no one would notice him.
Someone stepped close to him and Aiden looked up. A woman with sharp teeth glared down at him. “Why did you have to fight back?”
Aiden tried to scramble away, but his body wouldn’t obey. The woman grabbed him around the neck and lifted him from the floor. He already had trouble breathing, and now he couldn’t get any air in at all. He kicked feebly, trying to gather his magic.
Something blue and green hit the woman, knocking her sideways. Her grip eased and Aiden fell. Someone grabbed him, holding him up. Aiden tensed to fight but the person said, “I’ve got you,” in a gentle tone.
The arms around him were cool. Aiden tried to blink away the dark spots in his vision as his ears rang. On the ground, someone in a green-and-blue dress was fighting with the sharp-toothed woman. The girl punched her hard and then slammed the woman’s head into the floor. The woman went still.
The girl stood and turned, eyes wolf-yellow.
“Hanna?” Aiden’s own voice sounded far away.
She hurried up to him. “Are you okay?”
“Panic attack.” He could breathe a little better now, but it wasn’t gone.
“Help him sit down.” Hanna took one of his arms and guided him back behind the speaker.
As they eased him to the floor, Aiden turned and recognized Carter. “Thanks.”
Hanna squeezed his shoulder. “You’ll be fine. Just breathe.”
It would be a lot easier if a battle wasn’t going on around them.
Is Tiago okay? Dylan? Who else is here? Maggie?
His friends were in danger and Aiden was just lying there, helpless.
* * *
Helpless. Dylan was helpless, stuck in a thick block of ice. He couldn’t hear anything, and all he could see were hazy shapes moving out there somewhere.
The scent filling his nose was yuki-onna magic—bitter winter air and the dampness of snow. How many times had he been trapped inside snow or ice this year, losing match after match? Now he’d fail just like he’d failed all those other times, only this was for real.
What good was his magic if he couldn’t protect himself? Couldn’t protect his friends? Those kids hiding by the stage, was someone hurting them right now? Killing them? And what about his mom? She was out in the woods being attacked by people strong enough to take on wardens.
Dude, get ahold of yourself.
He was inside a block of ice, but he was dragonkin. Dylan breathed in the last of the air left in his frozen prison and heated his body. The ice began to melt, hissing. His magic hadn’t failed him, he just needed to control it. Power filled him and he sent it out in a wave of fire.
The ice encasing him shattered, sending bits flying. Steam filled the air around him for a moment. When it cleared, he looked around for the yuki-onna. He hadn’t seen her attack him, so he would only be able to find her by her magic.
He spotted a woman standing by a small barrier, her hands out as she covered it with ice. Dylan could just make out a group of kids huddled inside.
He flung a fireball and it hit her straight on. Dylan jumped off the stage and ran toward her, throwing another fireball. The yuki-onna dodged that one and spun to face him, hands coming up.
He sent two streams of fire at her, curving and twisting. One blocked her freezing blast and dissolved in a cloud of fog. The other slashed at her legs. She cried out, stumbling, her pants on fire.
Control. As much as he wanted to kill her, there was another option. Dylan reached out and cast the binding spell his mom had taught him. Orange bands wrapped around the yuki-onna, and she gave a frustrated cry.
Dylan kept running, and when he reached her, he punched the woman in the head for good measure. The binding spell held tight as she crumpled to the ground.
The ice had half covered the little dome of the barrier. When the barrier dropped, the ice stayed suspended in the air and a few cautious heads peeked out around it.
One of them was Maggie. “Thanks. I don’t know how much longer I could’ve held that.” She wore a bright pink puffy dress. It was torn in several places.
Dylan looked for the next fight, but things were winding down. The last few attackers were being cornered and adults hurried around, binding or knocking them out and going to help the injured.
“Barricade the door,” Principal Nejem shouted. “Make sure no one else can get in.” Just as a few adults started working the spell, someone pushed against the doors.
Crap, not again.
“Hurry!”
Then the doors exploded, flaming bits raining down. Dylan ran to join several others near the door, ready to fight. A figure stepped through, eyes blazing green.
“Mom.” Dylan sagged with relief.
* * *
Dylan endured a hug while his mom got a quick version of events from the principal and Mr. Johnson.
“We were able to stop them in the woods near my house,” Mom said. Her head dropped. “One of the wardens was killed. The attack was just so fast.”
Mr. Johnson looked ready to set the world on fire. “We need to get to the station and help them. And we need to find any other wardens or police out there if we can.” He looked around at the destruction of the gym. “I need anybody willing and able to fight.”
Several people shouted to volunteer, including Dylan’s mom.
Saving wardens and cops. The same people who treated him like shit and wanted him locked up.
“I’ll go.” Aiden walked up with Tiago. He looked pale and shaken but didn’t seem to be hurt.
“Are you sure?” Tiago asked, squeezing his shoulder.
Aiden stood a little taller. “I can fight.”
Damn it. If Aiden was going… “I’ll come too,” Dylan said.
Mom patted his back and smiled at him.
“Okay,” Mr. Johnson said. “Bryn, Dylan, Aiden, and Farida”—he must mean the principal—“come with me to the station.”
“I’m coming too,” Tiago said.
“And us.” Sakura and Izume pushed through the crowd to join them.
Mr. Johnson frowned, then sighed. “Fine.”
He quickly formed other groups and assigned them to search along the borders. Several of the attackers had walkie-talkies, and he handed out the ones that still worked, switching to a different channel. A few people were left behind to guard the prisoners and look after the injured.
The rest hurried out.
Dylan ended up in Mr. Johnson’s car with his mom and Aiden. The others went with the principal.
Mr. Johnson turned on his police radio, and it wasn’t pretty. Several people were calling for help. He picked up the handheld mic. “Dispatch, if anyone can hear me, help is on the way.”
Then he floored it.
“I can’t believe I’m going to rescue wardens,” Dylan muttered.
“It’s the right thing to do,” Aiden said. They were both in the backseat.
“You sure you’re okay?” Dylan asked. Aiden still didn’t look good, and his heart beat loud and fast.
“I can help and I… I need to.” He set his jaw.
Dylan patted his friend’s shoulder. “You know I got your back, right?”
“Yeah.” Aiden gave him a weak smile.
“And I’m watching out for both of you,” Mom said.
Maybe it was babyish, but Dylan really did feel better knowing Mom was with him.
Even blocks away they could see something bad was going down at the cop station. Fire lit the night sky, and occasional streaks of magic shot through it. Mr. Johnson gripped the steering wheel tight, the scent of candle wax and old books even stronger than Aiden’s fear.
“Get ready.” He screeched around a turn, and there stood the police station and city hall. It looked like a war zone.
City hall was on fire. Cars were smashed, broken glass everywhere. One had been turned on its side. Dylan thought he saw a body near the front door. A few people were fighting in front of the cop station, magic flying.
For a second Dylan reconsidered his choice. The police had dragged them in there, thrown him in a cell. The wardens hadn’t come after him again, but the charges still hadn’t been officially dropped. Why should he save any of them?
Mr. Johnson stopped the car right in the middle of the street. “Go!”
They jumped out. Dylan glanced back to make sure Aiden was following. His friend looked grim but determined.
Mr. Johnson and Mom ran forward, hurling spells at the half dozen attackers outside. Aiden was only a few feet behind them, greenish-gold magic surrounding him.
If Aiden could be this brave in order to “do the right thing,” then Dylan could dragon up and save people who hated him.
The wardens better be fucking grateful.