Zen and the Art of Major Magical Control

by Devin Harnois

  Dylan frowned. “You think I’m doing this to myself?” He wasn’t sure if he was angry at the counselor for suggesting it or angry at himself because it might be true.

  “I think it’s possible. The subconscious is a powerful thing.”

  Okay, if that was the problem, then he needed to find a solution. “So how do I make that stop?”

  “It’s not quite that easy. First we need to figure out if that’s really the issue or if it’s something else or if there are multiple contributing factors.”

  This was so damn annoying. “Yeah, fine. Let’s do that then.”

  Mr. Emery smiled. “We’re not going to solve it today, Dylan. This is going to take some time and might involve discussing some very uncomfortable things.”

  Dylan clenched his jaw. Adults were always like wait, wait, wait.

  The counselor glanced at the clock. “We still have some time today. I’d like you to talk a little bit about what happened last year with the dark fae.”

  Dylan’s instinct was to shrug it off with a muttered comment or two. But his problems hadn’t really started until after he was attacked at the pit. Aiden said this counseling thing worked, so Dylan should at least give it a serious try.

  He described what happened while Mr. Emery pushed for details about how it made him feel. The deeper Dylan got into the memory, the faster his heart beat. After a while he realized he was gripping the chair arms, and magic rose inside him, ready to lash out.

  Slowly he loosened his fingers.

  “I think that’s enough for today, Dylan. Thank you for being open.” Mr. Emery pulled out a pink hall pass. “I’d like to see you once a week for half an hour. You can come anytime you’d like, but I suggest choosing a class you’re doing fairly well in so you won’t get too far behind.”

  Health class probably. Although skipping out on English a few times might not be bad. Dylan would love to get out of algebra, but he was barely holding a C minus. If he was going to graduate, he had to get his grade point average up, and he was dragging around a bunch of Fs from freshman year. He was also facing the horrible specter of summer school to get enough credits.

  “Thanks.” Dylan took the hall pass and stood.

  “As long as you’re willing to work for this, I can help you, Dylan. I promise you that.”

  * * *

  Tiago sat in the larger, more comfortable gaming chair. “So why did you finally invite me over alone? Is this your way of proving you’re cool with the gay thing?”

  “Actually, about that…”

  “Yeah?” Tiago turned wary.

  “I know I said I was cool with you and Aiden dating, but—”

  Cat Boy tensed. “Yeah?”

  “If you break Aiden’s heart, I’m gonna have to kick your ass.”

  Tiago laughed, all the tension gone. “Fair enough.”

  Dylan handed him a controller.

  “So you invited me over here to give me the big-brother talk?” Tiago asked.

  “The what?”

  “The big-brother talk. You know, the older brother pulls the guy aside and says, ‘You better not break my little sister’s heart.’ Or you know, little brother in this case.”

  “Oh.” Dylan snorted a laugh. “Well, that’s not the only reason I asked you to come over. Aiden doesn’t like zombie games, and I want someone for co-op.”

  Tiago laughed again. “You know I’m not good at this.” His expression tightened. “I haven’t played games much.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’ll be fine with some practice.” Dylan slid over to the game shelf and pulled out his newest zombie game. “And you can have my old Xbox if you want,” he said as he put the disc in. Cat Boy didn’t seem to have much, not even a phone, and Dylan felt bad for him.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.” Dylan tapped the button to bring the main menu up. “Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to get good enough to play co-op with me online and kick everyone else’s ass.”

  “I accept. As long as you don’t kill me today for running into walls or shooting you by accident.”

  “I promise not to kill you, but I’m probably gonna laugh.” Dylan had been pretty good about not laughing at Aiden because he knew his friend was sensitive and that might make Aiden not want to play at all. He hoped Tiago could take it.

  “So you’re gonna laugh at me and then give me an Xbox so I can get better?” Tiago clicked his tongue. “You might regret that, Lizard Boy.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  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?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  As soon as Dylan stepped into the lunchroom, a kid pushed a bright orange flyer in his face. “Dylan! You should come.”

  Dylan shoved the kid’s arm out of the way and glared. Who was this girl, and why did she think she could talk to him?

  She blinked, and her heart sped up. “It’s… it’s a protest against the wardens.”

  That got his attention. “What?” He glanced down at the flyer clutched in her hand. She had a stack of them cradled against her chest, and a boy next to her was passing them out as well.

  “We’re protesting the murder of Enrico Abelli and asking for a full investigation by the council. And we think there are still corrupt wardens that haven’t been caught.” She held the orange paper out again.

  Dylan’s curiosity got the better of him, and he took the flyer. In bold letters it announced a protest on Friday in front of city hall. Below that was a black-and-white photo that Dylan realized was a nicer picture of the man that had been killed. This one had him smiling with a drink in his hand.

  “I heard about that argument you had with Warden Bradley,” the girl said. “So you know they were wrong to kill him.”

  “Damn right they were.” Dylan never joined group activities, but this was tempting. “This is during school.”

  The girl’s eyes lit up. “We’re skipping. This is way more important than school.”

  Almost as long as he could remember, Dylan had resented the rules of Shadow Valley and the wardens that enforced them. They were the ones who’d trapped him in this small town for his whole life. They were the reason he’d been driven to let Morgan out.

  “I’ll be there.”

  The girl bounced. “Great. Maybe you can even make a speech.”

  “Speech?” Now that was going too far.

  “Yeah. You know what it’s like more than anyone. You fought one of the corrupt wardens.”

  He remembered the fear all too well. The sense of helplessness. “I’m not big on talking.”

  “Just think about it. Please?”

  He nodded and walked away. After grabbing his lunch, he joined Aiden and Tiago at the table. They had one of the fliers between them. Dylan had tucked his under his plate.

  “You got one too, huh?” Tiago asked before sticking a huge bite of pork chop in his mouth.

  “Please tell me you’re not thinking of going,” Aiden said.

  Of course he wouldn’t like the idea. Mr. Good
y Two-Shoes. “Actually, I am.”

  Aiden leaned on the table, eyes wide. “You can’t! You know the wardens are watching you. Don’t give them a reason to get you in trouble.”

  Anger brought his magic close to the surface. “That’s why I want to go. They can’t treat me like a criminal just because of what I am.”

  “Maybe it’s better to lay low,” Tiago said.

  That made Dylan angrier. It felt like some kind of… betrayal. “How can you say that? You know what it’s like to be watched. To be blamed for things that aren’t your fault.”

  Tiago looked down. “Could be worse.”

  “And that’s an excuse to let them do whatever they want?”

  “Dylan.” Aiden’s heart beat fast, and he gave Dylan a significant look. “Maybe you don’t want to draw any more attention to yourself. To give them a reason to look harder at you.”

  Dylan got the hint, but that pissed him off more. Now he was angry at himself for doing something so stupid, something that he actually deserved to get in trouble for. If the wardens did find out, would he be able to protect Aiden from being punished as an accomplice?

  Grabbing the flyer, he crumpled it into a ball. “Fine. I won’t go. You happy now?” He would just cower in silence like so many others.

  Aiden leaned back, shoulders dropping. “Not happy, but relieved.” He poked at his food. “Other people are going though. Maybe they’ll be able to change things?”

  “Fat chance.” Dylan sliced at his pork chop, taking some of his anger out on the meat.

  “Has anything like this happened before?” Aiden asked.

  “Not that I know of.” Dylan shoved a piece in his mouth, still warring with himself. It was cowardly not to go. Had Mr. Johnson helped Dylan cover things up so he’d be able to hold that over him? Was it some plot to get him to behave?

  “Well, that’s a good sign, right? That people are mad enough to protest?”

  Dylan snorted. “You don’t agree with the protest, so stop pretending you do. You think the wardens are right, that they keep you safe, even after what happened to us. You think it’s fine they killed that guy because he broke the rules.”