by Rena Barron
“And you,” the taller darkbringer turned to Frankie, but she was in the middle of pinning an E-pass to her shirt, too. He raised his left arm, revealing a glass ring on the back of his hand. The ring flashed once when he reached in Frankie’s direction. It did the same when he reached toward me.
Two miniature holographic photos of darkbringers materialized above the ring. They were facing the patrol, and I could only see the backs of their heads. One had a red ’fro like Ms. Vanderbilt, and the other one had antlers that curved down to the nape of her neck. Now we knew for sure that the badges were IDs—and those darkbringers looked nothing like us.
“Would you believe me if I said I got my horns altered?” I said, slipping my hand into my pocket to feel for the coin. I didn’t want to cause a scene, but I wouldn’t let these darkbringers arrest us either.
“I changed my hair color?” Frankie said, like she was asking them a question.
A crash from behind the patrol caught their attention. Someone screamed, and a lot of things happened at once. Several people pushed and shoved, and sparks flashed farther down the hall.
“Unauthorized use of magic detected,” the voice droned again. “Please await the arrival of the city patrol for immediate arrest.” The patrol pushed past us and rushed toward the disturbance.
I let out a shaky breath. “That was nerve-wracking.”
“You’re telling me,” Eli whispered so close to my ear that I almost jumped out of my skin. He was still invisible and keeping his voice low.
“What took you so long?” Frankie slung her backpack across her shoulder again.
“You try unpinning a badge that’s right under someone’s nose without getting caught,” Eli challenged. “Let’s see how long it takes you.”
“Never mind that,” I said. “You have to stay invisible for now. This station has a way to detect when we use magic.”
When we finally found the sign pointing to the right train, we had to get a lift to the level above us. By lift, I meant literally take an air pocket. We lined up along the wall and waited for the air to lift us to the next level. It hit us without warning, and the ride was a little bumpy. I clutched the headband that held my horns in place so that they wouldn’t fall off.
The platform, at least, was less busy, with no patrol officers. We’d only been there a moment before we heard the gentle hum of the train. Soon green flames sparked to life over the single rail, and a glass tube pulled into the station. It hovered above the rail and the green flames that seemed to support its weight. The doors didn’t slide open; they melted, and a few people exited the train at the station. The whole thing reminded me of a glass beaker set over flames.
“Here goes nothing,” I said as we boarded with a small group.
We took three seats in a corner, hoping that no one would plop down in the middle seat on top of Eli. Frankie dug around in her backpack and removed a cloth to wipe the smudges from her glasses.
The train zipped through the tunnel alongside dark walls that glowed as we passed. I thought that it had something to do with the green fuel that kept the train afloat and stable. We went through several stations with people getting on and off. Unlike the CTA, which always smelled a little funky, this train smelled sort of pleasant.
I was starting to relax when a group of soldiers stepped on the train. I made eye contact with the darkbringer from the camp, Commander Rovey, who flashed me a crooked smile that said gotcha. I pulled the coin from my pocket, ready to turn it back into a staff. But the darkbringer beside the commander raised his hand, and an invisible net pinned me to the seat. The coin dropped to the floor and rolled out of sight.
“Hey,” a passenger yelled. “No magic on public transportation.”
“Shut up,” one of the soldiers said, waving his finger in the man’s face. The man balled his hands into fists, but he didn’t protest again.
“Unauthorized use of magic detected,” announced a calm voice over the loudspeaker again. That voice was starting to get on my nerves. “Please await the arrival of the city patrol for immediate arrest.”
“I don’t think these guys care about the city patrol,” Frankie said, struggling against the net.
I struggled too, but it was no use. The net had pinned Frankie’s hands and the backpack against her chest. My hands were jammed up against my sides.
“Little thieves and arsonists,” said Commander Rovey. “You thought I would let the Resistance come into my camp and steal from me?”
“Wait . . . what?” I protested. “We didn’t burn down your camp.”
“Don’t you want to know how I found you?” the commander asked, leaning close to my face. “My magic leaves a distinct mark that I can track for hours. Where is Zeran?” He had a cutting edge to his tone.
When he said his magic left a mark, I thought about the poodle who always peed on the Johnston twins’ tulips. He was marking his territory. “Well, in that case, I’m glad your camp burned down,” I shot back, which I knew wasn’t a nice thing to say, but he was asking for it.
The doors opened at the next station, and a group of patrol officers stepped on the train. My heart dropped to my stomach. Nulan stood in front of the group. She was in a dark gray uniform like the other patrol officers, except hers was ten times nicer. She looked across to the commander with a smile deadly enough to crack ice.
Crap. We had enemies on both sides, and my staff was currently under a bench.
“Commander Rovey.” She spat his name like it was poison on her tongue. “So you’re the one causing an uproar after curfew. Must I remind you of the basic rules of civil law? Nonessential magic is only permitted on private property within city limits, or have you forgotten?”
I had a lot to learn about the Dark world. What was nonessential versus essential magic?
“COO Nulan,” the commander said, with no pretense of politeness. “Shouldn’t you be at your big, comfortable desk, not out in the field? The life of a bureaucrat fits you.”
“I would be out in the field if you hadn’t stolen my job,” Nulan said through gritted teeth.
Rovey smiled, his nostrils flaring. “And now I’ll get another promotion for capturing these Resistance fighters.”
Nulan’s shoulders tensed as she followed Commander Rovey’s gaze to me. Her brown eyes narrowed into catlike slits as she cursed. She took one step in our direction as a slim knife materialized in her hand out of thin air. She broke into a conniving smile that sent ice through my veins. “They aren’t Resistance, you fool,” she said. “They’re godlings, and they’re mine.”
TWENTY-ONE
The enemy of my enemy is my enemy
Nulan’s blade scraped against the invisible net as she thrust the knife underneath my chin. The net shimmered with white light for a moment, revealing itself, but faded again. Her brown eyes sparkled with flecks of gold, and she pressed the knife a little closer. As soon as the cold metal bit into my throat, she stopped. I leaned back hard against the seat. Nulan was so close to me that I could feel her breath on my face and her magic tingling in the knife.
Her lips trembled as she said, “You cost me my job, Maya.” She paused and pulled back the knife. “If our lord did not need you alive, I would gut you myself.”
I remembered the last time I’d seen her, lying on the floor in the gym after Papa had turned her soldiers into dust. He hadn’t wanted to hurt them, but she gave him no choice. I tried to think of something snappy to say, but I only felt scared as I stared at the aziza. She wanted me dead. That was a no-brainer. But why did the Lord of Shadows need me alive?
“He didn’t say alive and well, though,” Nulan added, her voice calm. “He couldn’t fault me for taking out one of your pretty little eyes or cutting off your nose.”
“Leave her alone,” Frankie yelled.
“Where’s your other little friend?” Nulan asked. “The one who can make himself invisible.”
“He’s not here,” I lied, but Nulan flicked her wrist and drove the knife straight for the sea
t between Frankie and me.
“No,” I screamed.
I squeezed my eyes shut as tears slid down my cheeks. I could hear the crunch of the knife against something hard. When I opened my eyes, I saw it lodged into the back of the seat, but there was no blood.
“Where is that little godling?” Nulan asked through gritted teeth.
I laughed, relieved that Eli was okay. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Step aside, COO Nulan,” Commander Rovey said. “I caught these godlings, and I plan to deliver them to the Lord of Shadows personally and reap the reward of my loyalty.”
Nulan whipped her head around, and one of her wings clipped my leg. “What did you say?” she asked, even though that was definitely a rhetorical question. She’d heard him. “Do you realize that you are in my jurisdiction . . . my city? This isn’t like in the field, where there are no rules.”
The other passengers ducked around Commander Rovey’s and COO Nulan’s opposing forces. They fled through the doors on either side of the car, opting to go to another part of the train instead. I didn’t blame them for choosing to run before the real fighting started. I wished that we could duck right out with them, but Frankie and I couldn’t free ourselves. The net bit into our skin, and no amount of struggling helped. And where was Eli? This was about to get ugly and fast. We’d seen both Nulan and Rovey in action. They were deadly.
“What of it?” Rovey glared at Nulan. He moved his legs wide, with his hands hanging limp. Typical attack position. It looked like a neutral stance on the surface, but Papa had done it many times during staff training. “This city is of little importance.”
“Even still,” Nulan warned, “you do not want to challenge me.”
“I think we’re too late for that,” Rovey said.
The four soldiers at Rovey’s back stepped closer. One had flames ignite on his fingertips. He must have been a distant cousin of Winston. Another had spikes that grew all over her body. A second girl’s eyes began to glow. The last one—the boy who’d trapped us under the net—cracked his knuckles.
Nulan’s knife faded, only to be replaced by steel-blue prods, one in each hand. A vein of electricity sparked along the length of the prods. The four patrol officers behind her followed her lead. On account of her being an awful person, I didn’t have the heart to tell her that Rovey could absorb energy.
Besides, let them fight. That was the only way we’d have a chance to get out of this. We could escape while they were busy trying to kill each other.
Nulan struck first as the train rocketed down the track. She didn’t head straight for Rovey. She pivoted and spun as the soldier with flames let loose a firestorm at her. Her wings that’d been green, blue, and gold a moment ago changed to a bright silver that almost looked like metal. The fire bounced harmlessly off them.
One of her patrol guards leaped to the glass ceiling and scuttled across it like a spider. I didn’t know how he could do that with the prods still in his hands. Once he was in enemy territory, he dropped from the ceiling, barely missing the spikes that shot out at him. He was quick as he crouched and jabbed his prods into the flame boy and the girl with the spikes. The boy’s flames went out like someone had doused him in water, and the girl’s spikes retracted back into her body.
“The prods neutralize magic,” I whispered under my breath. That wasn’t like the prod the darkbringer used against me at Comic-Con this summer. Maybe they could be programmed to do different things. The patrol officer hit them with another jolt that knocked them out. But before he could attack again, Rovey sent an electric charge that cut him down too. He hit the floor.
Nulan: 2
Rovey: 1
“Are we sure Eli’s not . . .” Frankie swallowed hard as she stared at the spot where Nulan’s knife had pierced through the seat. “What if . . .”
“If I had died in ghost mode, then I wouldn’t have to change much, would I?” came his voice. He sounded like he was across from us but up high. Was he on the bag rack above the seats? “Did you miss me?”
“Absolutely not!” Frankie blurted out, but I could tell that she was relieved to hear his voice, too. “Are you planning on helping us?”
“Waiting for the right moment,” he grumbled.
“Now would be a good time,” I said, but I could already feel pressure against the net.
Commander Rovey had two soldiers left to fight against Nulan’s three patrol officers. The girl with the glowing eyes stepped around her fallen comrades. One of the patrol officers swung his prod at her and froze midstrike. He didn’t turn into stone like in the stories about Medusa, but he looked like a department store mannequin. The girl turned her gaze on the other two officers, but they closed their eyes. Smart.
The boy with the power to make invisible nets stiffened at the Medusa girl’s side, his jaw clenched tight. He seemed to be struggling as he turned to her, his hands shaking. He gritted his teeth like he was fighting something inside himself. I looked to the officer with sweat beading on his forehead—he was mimicking the boy’s moves. Wait, no. He was making the boy turn on the Medusa girl. The boy lifted his hands and flung out a net that slammed Medusa into the wall. The impact cracked the glass, and the train swayed hard to the left. I could hear people screaming on the next cars. The girl slid to the floor, unconscious.
Nulan: 3
Rovey: 2
The boy shook his head, seeming to come out of his trance altogether. He screamed as he raised his hands again. He hit the last two officers with a net that pinned them to the ground, just as the train finally righted itself. Sweat poured down his face as he dropped to his knees and passed out, too.
Nulan: 4
Rovey: 4
Eli finally cut through my net and thrust the coin into my hand. It was hot from being in his pocket, but I was relieved to have it again. With a deep moan, it transformed into staff form.
Nulan and Rovey moved toward each other—the final two standing. We needed to go now. Nulan’s back was to us, but Rovey saw me stand up and sent a jolt of energy my way. I braced myself for the pain, but it never came. Electricity sparked in front of me, illuminating a shape that was unmistakably Eli. He fell to his knees and slumped to his side.
“No,” I yelled, as Nulan struck Rovey with one of the prods.
I sent my magic down the staff cut the net from Frankie. Once she was free, she knelt beside Eli, who remained visible but was out cold.
“Antiquities is next,” a voice announced. “Exit right and have a nice day.”
“That’s our stop,” Frankie said, as we hoisted Eli up between us.
As we neared the station, two dozen patrol officers waited on the platform with their prods ready. Nulan would have backup soon. Rovey locked Nulan in a bear hug, and electricity shot through her. Her whole body shook, and the prods dropped from her hands. Rovey laughed as she went limp in his arms. I didn’t feel sorry for her.
I tried to open a gateway so we could escape, but I must’ve been too distracted, because the sparks fizzled out. I tried a second time, and the same thing. This couldn’t be happening right now.
Nulan head-butted Rovey. He dropped her, and she crashed to the ground. Rovey stumbled back, looking dazed and confused while Nulan gave him a vicious smile. “This is the end of the line for you,” she said as knives appeared in her hands.
“Maya, let’s go,” Frankie said, her voice low.
I wouldn’t dare turn my back on Nulan—she was too dangerous. Instead, I guarded our rear, and Frankie focused on what was ahead of us. Rovey sparked with a new surge of electricity. The fight wasn’t over yet, not by a long shot. When we reached the door between the two cars, a seam split down the middle and the door melted open. We entered into new chaos. People were in full panic mode.
The train came to a stop, and everyone rushed out. As we did, the patrol officers shoved their way into the car with Nulan and Rovey. Sparks lit up the platform. Windows shattered. Metal twisted and bent. The wall near the track cracked
and rained down sharp bits of stone. Now I understood why there were rules about not using magic in public. It was too dangerous, and people were unpredictable.
Frankie and I carried Eli between us, but we were moving too slow, and the crowd would be out of the station before us.
“Let me help you,” said a tall woman who stepped in our path. “I’m a doctor.”
I was suspicious, but we were losing ground. “Okay.”
The woman pressed a finger to Eli’s forehead, and his eyes popped wide open. He shook his head. “That was some train ride.”
“Can you walk?” Frankie asked.
Eli nodded as he took a few shaky steps.
“Thank you,” I said to the darkbringer, but she’d disappeared back into the crowd.
We followed the crowd toward the exit signs and took air pockets up to the ground level. Soon we were on the streets again in the dead of night. We found an alley to rest for a moment and catch our breath.
According to the map, we were almost out of the city. It would take another twenty minutes or so to be clear of it. We trekked through the streets again, keeping to the shadows.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Nulan and Rovey. They had tried to kill each other just so one of them could have the honor of turning us over to the Lord of Shadows. I couldn’t get Nulan’s words out of my head either. The Lord of Shadows wanted me alive. No. Her exact words were that he needed me alive. I didn’t like the sound of that. He was up to something. That was bad enough. But if he needed me to make his latest evil plans work, then I was in big trouble.
TWENTY-TWO
Something’s not right
After we passed the city limits, we expected to see a river and a scattering of houses, but we got a rude awakening. We stood face-to-face with a mountain range. I pulled out the map again, tracing our path, looking for where we made a wrong turn. How could I mess this up?
Eli leaned on my staff while Frankie and I spread the map on the ground. It showed the mountains behind the antiquities building and its surrounding garden. “This isn’t right.” I frowned. “I’m sure there was supposed to be a river.”