I shuddered at the thought of walking into a room filled with hundreds of ATC agents, even if they weren't in their vests and sporting taser guns. Maybe. I wished Xavier didn't have a sister.

  I shook my head. It was an awful thing to think. My thoughts still had dark voids between them. It wasn't as severe as it had been before figuring out the glamour thing, but it was still there.

  Xavier opened the door first.

  Oh, no.

  The room was a large one with lots of round tables. A small stage held a podium on the opposite end. A red curtain stayed closed behind the podium, which had a large, golden ATC coat of arms on the front. There must be a hundred tables, and each one had an LED candle, plates filled with food, and ATC agents.

  My stomach stopped rumbling. There were many fit, hardened people in here, dressed in fancy clothes. Many of the men sported military cuts, and the women wore their hair in neat ponytails. Some children sat here and there, looking bored. An occasional white placard marked a reserved seat that someone hadn't taken yet. The fact that there were stragglers had allowed us to get in.

  "I don't like this," I whispered.

  "Those glasses make your face look different," Xavier said. "They might not recognize you."

  People talked with each other. A man laughed. We had stepped into a relaxed atmosphere. I didn't belong here. These families didn't know what was standing among them.

  My crazy idea popped into my mind again. I thought of Thoreau's army, ready to march into the regular world and start killing for him when the worlds merged. I thought of the glamoured Blood Orb sitting in the hall with only the old man to guard it. The odds weren't good for us, even if the mayor didn't merge the worlds.

  I searched the room, which was a feat through the dark glasses. Faces were hard to make out. Candles provided only pinpoints of light.

  And there, in the middle of the room, sat Liliana.

  She picked at her food with the sourest expression on her face. Liliana still wore her kitten T-shirt with her hair neatly combed. She sat with what appeared to be an ATC couple that I had never seen before. The woman also had brown hair that wasn't far off from Liliana's shade, and the man had a buzz cut. The ATC had planted Liliana with people who could pass as her parents. It was a sick joke, and probably one Thoreau had thought of himself.

  The man had a gun on his hip. So did the woman. I had the sense that they weren't the only armed agents.

  I had the feeling that if she asked to use the bathroom, she'd have an entourage of guards.

  I watched Xavier's sister push around a piece of steak. The meat smelled incredible. Maybe that was what I needed now. But I'd figure that out later. Liliana had to come first. For one thing, Xavier would not leave without her.

  "Look," I said.

  Mack sat at the next table with several tough-looking men. I had forgotten about him until now. He was Normal. Why were they holding him here?

  Mack glanced at me for a second before turning his gaze to his plate. We didn't need him--only Liliana. Mack was Normal now. Useless.

  Xavier took a breath. "We need to move over there slowly and look like we're just heading for the table. We grab Liliana and run. Then you snatch the backpack, and we bolt for the elevator."

  "Wait," I said.

  My crazy idea hit me again, and it had to do with soldiers. When Thoreau did his speech at Cumberland's Water Adventure, there would be no one to oppose him. He already had the God of War in position, whatever that meant. The other Dark Council members would be there, whether they liked it or not. Bathory wouldn't pass up all the free blood. Gaozu and Death wouldn't have a choice.

  "What?" Xavier asked.

  "You grab Liliana while I have the room distracted."

  Someone parted the curtains, and my heart about stopped until I realized that it was the tired, overworked receptionist who worked in the lobby downstairs. The woman stumbled and walked up to the podium. She tapped the mike, and a squeal followed, making people reach for their ears.

  "Excuse me," she said. "The mayor will be out to deliver his speech in five minutes. I just got word that he is running a little bit late. He apologizes for the delay."

  I cursed.

  Thoreau was back in the building. He had returned to life and come through the portal. I imagined him rushing around his office, grabbing the right pair of sunglasses and straightening out his suit. He might even be coming down the elevator or the stairs right now. There must be a back way to the stage.

  Once he got here, things would get much harder.

  The receptionist left the stage. I ran through the tables, drawing stares and mutters.

  "Don't!" Xavier whispered.

  An agent mused that I looked like Alyssa Choy while another said that was impossible that I'd gotten in with the new security. I left Xavier behind. The microphone and the podium were unguarded. I hoped that Xavier took the opportunity to grab Liliana and run while I did this. He needed to stay alive, or I'd die.

  I might not survive the stunt I was about to pull, but it was the only way to recruit these people. We had no fighters left.

  I stood behind the podium and tapped the microphone. All eyes fell on me. In the back of the room, Xavier crept towards Liliana's table.

  "Listen up!" I shouted, my voice booming through the dinner. "Tomorrow, at midnight, the Infernal will spill onto Earth at Cumberland's Water Adventure! There's nothing any of you can do about it. You think you've won, but we've played you."

  All eyes remained on me. I didn't dare look at Xavier. I stood before two hundred ATC agents. No one was eating. Everyone sat there, stunned into silence.

  I had to do this right. I had seconds before someone took action. I removed the sunglasses and glared at everyone. Hint, hint. A few women gasped. A little kid started to cry. I pointed my Hello Kitty cane at the people in the front row. "We've been manipulating you all along, you foolish Normals!"

  Heat washed through me, and the carpet between the dinner guests and me burst into flames. People screamed and rose from the tables. Fire shot higher. I jumped in shock, unsure how I'd done this. Allunna was right that I could summon fire.

  The flames intensified, casting a glow on the nearby tables. Chairs toppled, and panic broke out. Everyone shouted. Bodies pushed against each other. The agents with kids and spouses ran for the exits. Some of the single agents drew as close as they could to the fire, reaching for their ankles. They must have hidden guns. I saw terror in their eyes. I willed the fire to climb higher, blocking them from view. Flames licked at the ceiling. People coughed. Feet trampled. A man shouted at his comrades to open fire.

  I ducked behind the podium as shots rang out. Wood splintered.

  The sprinkler system came online and water spilled through the entire room, making some people scream. I took the distraction and jumped down from the podium as a few gunshots rang out. I ran along the wall, taking the path of least resistance and cramming the sunglasses back onto my face. I could still move faster than a Normal, but not as fast as before. Most people were running out of the door on the far right. The doors closest to me were clear. I could make it.

  Pain exploded in my side, throwing me against the wall.

  One of the agents had shot me.

  I let out a growl and grasped at my side. It was wet with blood. My flesh tingled and tried to pull itself together. I could still heal quickly. A smoky haze filled the room. The light from the fire died. My hair stuck to my head and water beaded on my glasses. Everything was panic and pain.

  A second shot followed, tearing through my thigh. I slumped, barely able to stand with the throbbing pain. My mind was cold and calculating. I could heal. More people fleeing ran around me. They were blocking any more gunshots from hitting me. Normals usually didn't want to shoot through each other. If they would get up the guts to do it, they could end me.

  "Alyssa!" Xavier shouted. He sounded so far away.

  A magenta flash of light shot through the room. A table crashed into another. Agents dodged out of the way. Xavier wrapped his hand around me and pulled me up from the wall. Liliana stood behind him along with Mack. No one was attempting to recapture them. I was the biggest concern.

  Violet light exploded around us, encasing us in a transparent dome that attached to the wall. Xavier had placed a barrier around us. Outside, water ran down the shield, and well-dressed ATC agents gathered around us, pistols out and ready to fire. They kneeled like soldiers, without mercy. The fire sputtered and went dead.

  I held my free arm up to protect myself. My glamour was slipping away. My hand was reddish, and my fingernails were darkening. My injury was making it hard to maintain. I closed my eyes and begged my curtain of safety to wash over me again. The tingle washed over me, and when I opened them, my hand had returned to its pale self. The pain was fading. I had never healed this quickly.

  "We might be in trouble," Xavier said. "I can hold up the barrier for a while, but not forever."

  Gunshots rang out, deafening. It sounded like the world was already ending. Bullets sparked and bounced off our barrier. The torrent continued for what felt like seconds, then stopped.

  "Hold your fire!" an agent shouted.

  Liliana screamed. "We have to get out of here! Can't someone tear down the wall?"

  "Xavier," I said.

  "You're the one who can melt walls," he told me. The barrier thickened, blocking the agents from view. He clenched his hands, pouring all his effort into it. Xavier didn't want them to see what we were doing. "It's taking all my energy to hold this barrier up. I can't deal with the wall, too."

  "Since when can Alyssa melt walls?" Liliana asked.

  "What happened?" Mack asked.

  I ignored them, aware that the side of my shirt had soaked in black blood. It was our only hope. If Xavier and I couldn't tear down the wall, there was no way we could fight hundreds of agents. Another shot rang out. The barrier made no sound, but shouts filled the convention hall. I had to do this quickly.

  I faced the wall.

  Thoreau would be here any second.

  More heat coursed through me as I imagined the wall melting, just like the one in the castle. But this wall was made of wood, not stone, so smoke rose from it instead. Embers spread through the grain. Xavier coughed. Smoke leaked into our little chamber.

  "What's going on?" Mack shouted over the shouting outside.

  "Hold your fire!" a man yelled. "Silence!"

  The sprinkler system kept going. I focused harder on the wall, urging it to melt, but instead it just plain burst into flames. Our little space filled with purple and orange light. Liliana screamed and backed away. The agents outside must not be able to see the fire through the barrier, but I was sure that the crackling sound gave away what was happening.

  "She's burning the building down!" a woman shouted.

  Yeah. The agents knew.

  Pieces of the wall fell away, and Xavier coughed, tucking his face in his shirt. Liliana and Mack did the same. The smoke didn't bother me, but I had to work fast. I clenched my fists as the last of the ache vanished from my wounds.

  And I punched through the fiery wall. Gritting my teeth, I tore away layers of wood, which crumbled into ash at my touch. The agents outside our bubble ordered each other to fan out and secure the room. Feet trampled. I fought through insulation, bending a metal pipe that turned red in my grasp and began to melt. Water poured out and evaporated. The sound of the sprinklers stopped. Smoke entered my little space and rose. I felt dizzy. Xavier must be ready to pass out.

  Light crept through the boards. I brought my fist back and punched again. Wood embers exploded and revealed a second conference room on the other side, one that was empty except for a janitor who stood by some folded tables and chairs.

  "Excuse me," I said. I backed away from the hole to let the others through. Liliana emerged from the still-burning hole first, coughing. Xavier remained quiet as he and Mack came through, doing the same thing. Behind them, Xavier's barrier remained, holding the agents back. Fire still burned inside the hole, creeping up into the wall. Smoke poured out. Xavier wiped an ember off his T-shirt and motioned to the doors. It was quieter now, even though there was a shrill alarm going off. Reinforcements would come. The shocked agents would gear up and return as soon as their families were safe.

  We only had to flee the building now.

  Mack peeked out into the hallway. "We're good," he said. "I saw a maintenance stairwell we can run down."

  "We have to grab something," I said, rushing past him and into the hall. It was empty. The agents who had brought guests had evacuated them. I saw our backpack there among the others. People hadn't stopped for their valuables. Only the old man remained, pressed against the wall in terror. I seized the pack, leaving Xavier's jacket behind. It bulged with the fake books. Xavier's glamour had held.

  Inside the first conference room, an agent radioed someone to call the fire department. A bit of smoke leaked out from the cracks in the doors. A fire extinguisher hissed. The fire was spreading. I had messed up the sprinkler system.

  I ran after Mack and the others, despite taking two gunshots a minute ago. I felt fine. Powerful, like none of these people, could stop me.

  Mack led us down a narrow hallway and to a set of narrow stairs that were dingy and used for maintenance staff. I expected to find fleeing families on the way down, but there were none. Everyone had cleared the area. The ATC sure practiced their drills.

  I didn't even feel horrible about scaring children.

  It wasn't a good sign.

  Five flights didn't take us long to traverse. Xavier reached the bottom step and extended his arm for Liliana and then me. "We're going to Transpose the moment we leave the building," he said. "I had to let the barrier down. The agents are coming."

  It was clear that Mack would be left behind, but he said nothing. He wasn't a Dark Mage anymore. Maybe he'd gained some conscience, which was something I had lost. Mack had gotten better. I had gone worse.

  Footfalls rushed on the stairs behind us. We passed the third floor, then the second, and emerged on the first, next to the fake plants that marked the lobby. The receptionist had left her post, probably to hurry the mayor to his now-canceled speech. The backpack hung in my grasp. Thoreau wouldn't rest until he had his contracts.

  If he got them, it was the end for all of us.

  There was no one to stop us from running out the front doors. If the wards went off, I would never know. Xavier grasped my arm tight right along with Liliana.

  It reminded me that we were supposed to love each other.

  Fire truck sirens went off.

  The three of us emerged into the early night, Mack right behind us. I glanced at the former Dark Mage and looked right into his brown eyes, eyes that were now free of real darkness.

  "Good luck," he said, nodding at me before running down the sidewalk.

  I didn't get the chance to respond. Magenta exploded around the three of us, and we fell.

  It didn't take long to Transpose. When Xavier stopped the jump, I found myself standing on the roof of another building--the same one where I had sliced through his shoulder by throwing my sword at the gargoyle. Even though I had saved Xavier on this very same roof, I had also nearly killed him.

  But he didn't let go of me.

  Liliana broke away from her brother and put her face in her hands. But Xavier wasn't watching her. He eyed the now-distant ATC building as sirens continued to wail. His mouth fell open. I followed his gaze.

  Flames now filled the windows of the fifth floor. Black smoke billowed out and rose into the night sky.

  The ATC building was burning.

  And all I could do was stand there and smile.

  Chapter Fifteen

  "Alyssa. We have to go," Xavier said.

  I tore my gaze from the building and faced him. "You're right," I said. "Thoreau can still track us."

  He scanned me while Liliana did the same. They had me under scrutiny. I knew what Xavier was trying to do: measure how much remorse I felt over setting the fire. I might have just doomed people to a horrible death. Before, I would have collapsed to my knees with guilt. Then Xavier would hold me and give me a pep talk, trying to make me feel better.

  Now I felt nothing unless I forced myself to experience it.

  No. Check that. A part of me was glad that the ATC building was burning.

  I should feel terrible. People on the upper floors of the building would have no way down. They would have to climb to the top of the building and wait for rescue. Anyone still above the fifth floor would have to cross through Thoreau's real lair to reach the roof. At least then, his true nature would come to light. Maybe they would tell the world what the mayor of Cumberland was and what a lie the ATC had been the whole time.

  Xavier grabbed my arm, and for the first time since leaving the building, remorse washed over me. There was something about his touch that made me feel more like the old Alyssa again. I wasn't sure what it was, but I didn't want it to stop.

  "We have to figure out what to do next." He reached into his pocket with his free hand but didn't pull anything out. "Thoreau will be held up by the fire. He'll have to answer to everyone, so I don't think he's going to come after us right away. He has one more day to keep his fake face up. He has to make sure that people show up to the Water Adventure to listen to his speech."

  Xavier was very, very worried about me. I could feel that.

  "What's wrong with Alyssa?" Liliana asked. I could detect real fear in her voice.

  I pushed the sunglasses up further onto my nose. "Nothing," I lied without effort. "I used the dragon powers that I have to blast through the wall and start the fires. At least, that's my best guess. Maybe Gaozu's genes are getting stronger."

  Liliana eyed me with doubt. Behind her, the ATC building continued to burn. The smoke billowing out of the fifth floor rose above the building, blotting out the red letters. Already, a few people stood on the very top balcony, the one right outside Thoreau's office, waiting for rescue. They were some workers who had stayed late, maybe. They must have gone through the double doors Xavier had blasted down and gotten to see Thoreau's real secret office for the first time.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90