Magic Claims

9

My eyes snapped open. I sat on the balcony, in the same spot I’d left. Rimush stood on my left, Troy waited on my right, and in front of me, Mayor Gene gripped the balcony’s rail. A battle raged in front of the gates and on the wall. Big, leathery beasts swooped down on huge wings, their leonine muzzles open wide, fangs ready to rend.

Manticores. Huge and shaggy with fur. I had never seen one like that, but if Ice Age wolves and cats could be bigger, its manticores could be, too. One, two…eight. Crap.

The town guard archers were firing volley after volley from the tower. To my right, Owen spun around like a shot-putter and hurled a giant tractor tire into the air. It smashed into a manticore in midflight. Its wings folded and it plunged to the ground. Three shapeshifters closed in on it and ripped it apart. A second shapeshifter group to the left dug into another manticore, deboning it like chicken.

Where was Curran?

I scanned the field. Where… There, on the wall, in warrior form. A manticore swung away from town, a limp body in its claws. Oh no. Foster. The realization stabbed me. The boy was dead. His head hung from his neck, twisted almost completely around. When manticores hunted, they killed like leopards, falling on their prey from above. The neck and the upper spine were their favorite targets.

Curran compressed himself, powerful muscles bunching across his frame, and leaped. His claws caught the manticore’s flank. It dropped Foster’s body and clawed at Curran, trying to dislodge him. He heaved himself onto the beast, gripped its left wing, and wrenched it off. Blood gushed. The manticore screeched like a dying bird, falling in a corkscrew spiral.

“Sharratum,” Rimush greeted me.

Mayor Gene whirled around. “You’re back.”

“How long?” I pointed at the carnage.

“Six minutes,” Rimush said, “and twenty seconds.”

“Do we fight?” Troy demanded. A bright white glow coated his irises. Curran must have left him here to watch over me until I came back.

The magic that saturated Penderton was moving, flowing back into the forest. It hadn’t retreated completely, but it had thinned, the bulk of it returning to its source. That thickness of magic was the only force suppressing the spores and now it was barely there.

I glanced at Rimush. “Do you feel it?”

“Yes.”

“This is a diversion.”

I jumped to my feet. Suddenly things became very simple. There was no room for doubt, and no time to waste. There was only a town filled with people who were counting on us to keep them safe.

I turned to Mayor Gene. “What’s the highest building in town?”

“Two choices: courthouse or water tower.”

The water tower wouldn’t have enough room for what I needed to do and there was a good chance it would blow up.

“How far is the courthouse?”

Gene pointed. I looked in the direction he indicated. A three-story brick building rose above the other houses, its white bell tower stretching to the sky.

“Half a mile, in the center of town.”

We could end up needing Gene to get into the courthouse without wasting time on guards and locked doors.

I turned to Troy. “Pick up the mayor and follow us.”

“I can walk,” Mayor Gene protested.

“Not fast enough.”

“Excuse me.” Troy scooped the older man into a bridal carry.

I took off down the stairs. Rimush followed. We burst onto the street and raced to the courthouse.

Streets flew by. A few more minutes and we emerged into the town square. The courthouse rose in front of us, a lone guard, a teenage girl clutching a sword, protecting the door.

“Let us through, Jenny!” Mayor Gene growled.

She jumped aside. I shoved the door. Locked.

“Troy!”

The werejackal set Gene down and kicked the door. It burst open. We ran inside, into a large chamber.

“Stairs?”

“In the back!” Gene hurried forward, to a double staircase at the back of the chamber.

Troy picked Gene up again and we took the stairs two at a time. Second floor. Third.

The stairs ended in a landing that opened to a long hallway.

“Left, around the corner!” Gene yelled.

I sprinted to the left, slid a little across the polished floor, and rounded the corner. Another short hallway ended in a door marked TOWER ACCESS. AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. I hit it. Locked.

I kicked the door. It held.

I didn’t have time for this shit. I kicked it again.

It splintered around the lock and swung open, revealing a spiral staircase. I pounded up the metal stairs and burst into the tower. A waist-high wall encircled a square space under a domed roof. The bell was right above me.

I leaped over the wall and landed on the roof. The town spread out below me. Good enough.

I unsheathed Sarrat and took a deep breath.

Magic stirred inside me, a heavy dense mass that had slumbered deep in my soul.

Wind fanned my hair. The sun shone bright. Everything became crystal clear, as if someone had turned a dial, bringing the world into sharper focus.

I had done this a hundred times in practice, but I’d truly meant it only once. Every cell in my body remembered how that first time felt. The power of it. The burden. The weight of life and the heady flow of magic it generated.

A distant sound split the air, like an enormous slingshot snapping. A huge, dark object shot up above the forest, an ominous darkness growing larger as it sped toward us.

“Good Lord,” Gene breathed.

“What the fuck?” Troy snarled.

It had to be now.

I raised my sword point down, locking both hands on the hilt, and the ocean of magic inside me rose with it, building into a massive wave. A tsunami cresting.

The object had reached its apex. It was a bulb the size of a house. The forest had decided to devastate Penderton.

My body shook with the strain. There would be no do-overs.

On the street someone screamed.

The bulb was flying straight at us. Its bulk blocked out the sun.

I plunged Sarrat into the roof.

The wave inside me broke. Its power jerked me off my feet. I rose into the air. The geyser of magic burst out of me, pulling my arms out wide and arching my back. Words appeared on my arms, a poem written in the language of power and etched into my skin in the womb.

I opened my mouth and spoke with all the power of my blood.

“HESAAD.” Mine.

A pulse of red shot out of me, rolling over the town. My magic drenched the land. I felt it touch the wall and roll past it, over the farms and settlements, into the woods. I let it go for another couple hundred yards and held it back. That would be enough.

In a split second, my magic had soaked into Penderton, and the land responded, its power flooding back into me like a clear mountain stream. I wrapped myself in it, soaking in its energy and strength, and focused on the bulb falling onto the courthouse.

The bulb ignited. It was a flameless burning. It glowed like a piece of charcoal, turned to ash, and melted into nothing.

I closed my eyes and reached with my power, looking for the minuscule sparks of spores embedded in my land. A moment and I found them. All of them. They lay before me like a dusting of glitter across black velvet.

I snuffed them out.

The magic dropped me like a bad habit. I landed on my butt and slid down the slope. The edge of the roof rushed at me. I dug my feet into the shingles and ground to a stop just before taking a dive onto the pavement below.

Phew.

If I claimed the land and then faceplanted to my death on the street, I’d never live it down.

Troy hopped over the rail, ran across the roof as if his feet were glued to it, and braked next to me. “I’ve got you.”

Rimush landed on my other side and locked his hand around my wrist. “Apologies, Sharratum. I must not let any harm come to you.”

“I’m good,” I growled.

I climbed back up the slope, with the two of them hovering behind me, ready to grab me if I slipped. Roofs were not my favorite. Being hovered over wasn’t either.

We made it back to the tower. Mayor Gene gaped at me.

I gave him a little wave and climbed over the rail to the safety of the tower.

“Was that—”

“No time,” I told him and took off down the stairs.

The explanations would wait. Curran was fighting prehistoric manticores, and I had a score to settle for Foster’s death.

I ran to the ground floor, across the chamber, and burst into the autumn sunshine, my two self-appointed bodyguards at my heels.

A big, gray shape sprinted toward the courthouse, coming recklessly fast down the street. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen him run so fast. I had done the thing I told him over and over I’d never do, and now he raced here, worried about me.

“Wait here,” I barked and dashed toward him.

We met halfway across the square. Curran grabbed me by my shoulders, peering into my face. His eyes were on fire.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

“What happened?”

He was actually out of breath.

“The forest had claimed Penderton. Probably years ago, during that first flare. While you were fighting, they pulled their magic back from the town and threw a massive spore bomb at us. Without their magic suppressing the spores, it would have killed hundreds. I had to claim the town.”

I hugged him, and he gripped me to him, his chest rising and falling fast. I heard his heart hammer.

“Are you okay? Do you feel okay?” he asked.

“Yes.”

I felt better than okay. The magic of Penderton splashed around me, strong and exhilarating. The urge to claim and hold land was bred into my family. We called it the Shar, and it was a possessive, overwhelming beast. But like many things, controlling it got easier with practice, and I had practiced for years, claiming and releasing a small patch of land every week. I felt it nip at me now, but its bites were shallow.

This wasn’t my land. I’d picked it up into my palm like an injured bird I had to shield until I could take it to safety, and once the danger passed, I would whisper my goodbyes and release it. The thought of it brought me no anxiety.

“It’s only temporary,” I told him. “I’m okay. Really.”

“Good.” He took a deep breath and exhaled.

“Sorry,” I told him. “There was no other way.”

I’d had no idea what I was doing when I had claimed Atlanta years ago. I didn’t know about the Shar back then, and I had no defenses against it. It had almost twisted me into a tyrant. Curran had witnessed me descend into the dark hole, and he was the one who helped me climb out.

“It’s not a problem. I mean it.” And of course, that sounded like denial. “And if it becomes a problem, I’ll tell you. I give you my word.”

“I believe you,” he said.

“I promise—”

“You don’t need to convince me, baby. I trust you. You’ve known this place was claimed from the moment we’ve arrived. You told me that on the road.”

“Yes.”

“Your aunt always said that the Shar is the strongest when there is competition. It would’ve pushed you to make the land yours, but you didn’t claim the town until you had no choice. If you had an issue with control, you would’ve grabbed Penderton as soon as we got here.”

He was right.

“I’m not worried about it,” he said.

“I love you,” I told him. I meant to tell him how much it meant to me, but I love you was what came out.

“I love you, too. I think I need a damn heart transplant.”

“Why?”

“I saw you almost fall off the fucking roof,” he growled.

Oh.

“I thought I’d have to catch you.” He looked past me at Troy and Rimush in the doorway of the courthouse. “What the fuck were you two doing?”

He hadn’t lost it because of the claiming. He lost it because of my graceful slide down the roof. I was so stupid.

“How did neither of you manage to grab her?”

Troy winced. Rimush blinked.

“What were you going to do?” I asked. “Were you really going to try to catch me?”

“Yes.”

“From the third floor? Your arms would break off.”

“They’d grow back,” he growled.

Technically, he was right, but it would take years. I needed to redirect this before he started roaring at my two nannies. “Shouldn’t we go back to the fight?”

“It’s over,” he said. “We won. Why the hell didn’t you stay in the tower, Kate?”

“Because the last time I claimed something, the roof above me exploded. You were there, remember? I didn’t want to blow up their courthouse tower. It’s pretty…” Also, that bell could’ve fallen on our heads.

He swore, turned around, his fingers locked around my wrist, and started back the way he came, pulling me with him.

“You’re the best husband ever,” I told him.

“No more fucking roofs, Kate. I mean it.”

Troy and Rimush followed us. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gene, who had finally made it down the stairs, appear in the doorway of the courthouse. He watched us with an odd expression on his face. I’d freaked out Mayor Gene. I’m sure he wasn’t the only one. There would be fallout.

That was fine. Better freaked out and alive than calm and dead.

“I met Conlan at Dad’s,” I said. “He identified Isaac’s weird elephant critter. It’s a Cuvieronius hyodon, a species of gomphotheres, which are loosely related to modern elephants.”

“Mhm,” he said.

“They’ve been extinct for twelve thousand years.”

Curran stopped and looked at me.

“According to my father, it is possible for a living creature to survive in a magically induced coma from the Ice Age until now, although he doesn’t recommend it. This explains the unusually furry manticores and the abnormally large lupine shapeshifters. They are not Canis lupus. They are Aenocyon dirus. Dire wolf shapeshifters.”

He was still looking at me and not saying anything.

“Also, I think I might have killed a were-sabertooth tiger. I did wonder why her fangs were so long.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he said. “Ice Age or not, we’re going in there and clearing that place out. That’s all there is to it.”

“I told Conlan he could come.”

“Good,” Curran said. “He’s earned it.”

The cleanup of the manticore bodies took a good two hours. There was some discussion about burning them, but we’d been traumatized by the awful sooty smoke that had risen from the rhino when it was burned. The stench had been indescribable. I could still smell traces of it.

A decision was made to dump the bodies into a conveniently available trench that had been dug out by the town previously because it needed dirt for some municipal reasons. Kate had assured me that unlike the rhino, the manticores were magically inert. That the chances of them springing out of the ground as something dangerous were relatively low. I trusted her on it.

We dragged the manticore bodies to the trench, and then Kate caused a tiny earthquake, collapsing the pit walls to bury the corpses. I knew she was already pretty tired from the claiming, and spending any more magic would probably knock her off her feet. There would be no going into the woods today. She’d need a day to recover, and I wanted my people to rest a little. They’d earned it.

We needed to discuss Conlan’s theory, so I decided we’d have lunch on the edge of the woods, where we wouldn’t be overheard. Keelan’s shapeshifters brought out food, drinks, and blankets to sit on. The day was warm. The sun shone bright from the blue sky, and a light breeze kept things refreshing. It felt almost cheerful: a cozy little picnic, just us and some friends, eating by the scary woods, across from a mass grave and a burning pit filled with corrupted, toxic ashes. I’d need to do something about that before I left Penderton to its own devices.

Kate explained the Ice Age theory and passed the paleontology book around. They took it better than expected.

“Explains the rocks and the spears,” Da-Eun said. “I’ve been wondering why they didn’t deploy archers. They probably don’t have the technology.”

“They might not have needed to develop it,” Troy said. “Their throwing skills are above and beyond.”

“What about the spearheads?” Hakeem asked. “Bronze?”

“Bone,” Kate told him.

We’d managed to retrieve only one spear, the first one the hunters had thrown at her. They had picked up the rest. I hadn’t looked at it until today.

“So I’ve killed a Smilodon,” Keelan said.

Kate took a sip of her iced tea. “Probably.”

He’d be insufferable now. We’d never hear the end of this.

Andre turned the book around, showing off an illustration of a huge bear. “Bulldog bear. Fastest bear that ever lived. Five feet at the shoulder on all fours, twelve feet when standing on hind legs. Runs at forty miles per hour and weighs one thousand five hundred pounds.”

Jynx whistled. “Fun.”

Andre grinned, nodded, and passed the book to Owen. The werebison flipped through it.

“I don’t see my rhino.”

His rhino.

“Look under Elasmotherium,” Kate told him.

“Look under things that kicked my ass,” Troy muttered.

Owen ignored him and flipped the pages. “It says that they were native to Eurasia. Also, mine was a lot larger.”

“We only have a fossil record and it’s not exactly complete,” Troy said. “We can’t say that there wasn’t a rhino of this size in North America. We can only say that we haven’t found any bones that would indicate the presence of such species.”

“So the shapeshifters are one species of human,” Hakeem said. “The hunters are another?”

“Possibly,” Troy said.

“And they fell asleep during the Ice Age and just now woke up? Why now? Why not when the Shift happened?”

“We don’t know,” Troy told him. “Maybe we will find out when we get to their home base.”

I’d been thinking about that home base. I had no idea what it would look like. We didn’t know how many fighters we would find there. We didn’t know who was in charge and how powerful that person would be. I didn’t like not knowing things.

“The two Smilodons came for us first,” Keelan said. “The rest followed their lead.”

“Hierarchy,” I said. Most shapeshifters were born and died in one.

He nodded.

“If there is hierarchy, there is an alpha,” Andre said.

“Kill the alpha and you take the pack,” Da-Eun cracked her knuckles.

“Or break it,” Troy said.

“Either way works,” Keelan growled. He was giving the wolf more leash today.

They’d settled too comfortably into our pack vs their pack. There was more to this problem than simply biting everyone’s heads off. It was time to point them in the right direction.

“Both the shapeshifters and the hunters are wearing collars,” I said. “The priest-mages are not.”

Everyone fell silent.

“We don’t know what the collars mean,” Kate said. “We do know that they can’t be taken off until the wearer dies.”

Da-Eun’s lip wrinkled in a precursor of a snarl. The humor vanished from Andre’s face. Jynx bared her teeth.

“Is that why you didn’t kill the hunters, Consort?” Keelan asked.

He knew perfectly well it was. He was throwing her a softball question to keep the rest of the pack in the loop.

“Yes,” Kate said. “If Conlan is right, these people have been plucked out of their time and thrust into ours. They may not even understand what’s going on.”

“When a unit from the Pack loses an alpha, what happens?” I asked.

“Betas step up and become alphas,” Da-Eun said.

“When Kate killed the two priest-mages, nobody stepped up,” I said. “Given a choice to fight or flee, they fled. It didn’t even occur to them that one of them should take charge.”

“So what does that mean?” Jynx asked.

“Do everything you must to defend yourself and our Pack,” I said. “If they give you no choice, respond with force. But if you see an opportunity to show mercy to someone with a collar, take it. Don’t hesitate.”

I let it sink in. Our kind had been used as little more than guard dogs before. Every Pack shapeshifter knew about it. We wouldn’t allow ourselves to be used again.

“When the third mage-priest came to deliver their ‘proposal’ to split Penderton in half, I tried to communicate.”

Kate took another sip of her tea. She looked ready to fall over. Taking the territory away from the power in the forest must’ve been harder than she let on.

“The priest-mage didn’t speak until the very end. When it became clear that I wasn’t intimidated and my ward protected me from their rocks, someone, some great power, conjured up that dark smoke and attacked the priest-mage with it. That’s when they spoke.”

“What did they say?” Hakeem asked.

“I couldn’t understand the words, but I recognized the tone. They were begging for their life. The priest-mages are valuable. In a fight, they are powerful opponents, skilled in magic and probably trained over a long period of time. And yet, the person in charge killed that priest-mage like they were nothing, on an off chance that I might get infected with the spores. Those are the actions of someone who habitually murders their own people. Someone who’d tortured that rhino. Someone without empathy or compassion.”

“That’s our target,” I said.

The pack fell silent.

“Hypothetically,” Keelan asked. “How powerful could that person be?”

“You’ve seen what I can do,” Kate told him.

Another silence.

“We don’t know what we will find in the woods,” I said. “I won’t lie to you. It will be an ugly fight. Eat and rest. Make the best of it because we will be fighting for our lives tomorrow.”

Kate laid down on her blanket, on her back, and closed her eyes. Good. She probably needed a nap. I laid next to her. Naps were always nice.

“Company,” Keelan called.

Damn it. I sat back up.

Penderton’s town council, with Mayor Gene and Ned in the lead, came out of the city gates and was making a beeline for us. Gene looked upset. Ned looked like he was spoiling for a fight. The rest of the council seemed alternatively anxious, freaked out, and alarmed. Well, at least nobody was carrying any torches or pitchforks.

I was too tired for this crap. Oy. I stood up. Kate started to get up. I laid a hand on her arm. I had this. She nodded and laid back down, half raised on her elbows.

The shapeshifters rose and moved. The pack reoriented itself. I was now in the front, with Keelan directly behind me, and the rest of our people arranged in a ragged crescent on both sides of him.

The town council arrived. For a few moments nobody said anything.

“Hello, everyone,” Ned said.

“Howdy,” I said.

Kate raised an eyebrow. She must’ve recognized my tone.

“I’m told that what you did, on the roof, was a claiming,” Mayor Gene finally said to Kate. “Have I got that right?”

“You understand correctly,” I answered. “My wife is tired. Address all your questions to me.”

Kate laid back down and closed her eyes. Rest. I’ve got this.

“What does the claiming mean, exactly?” he asked.

“It means she saturated an area in and around Penderton with her magic.”

“Why?” Ruth asked.

“Because it helps her protect it.”

Simple explanations were best. No need to disclose that she could drain all of them of their magic, murdering everything within Penderton in a matter of minutes.

An uncomfortable silence fell.

“You invited us here to deal with the threat in the forest,” I said. “We’re dealing with it.”

“Two people died today,” another man said.

“Regrettable, but two is much fewer than you would’ve lost if we weren’t here,” I said. It sounded harsh, but it was the truth and they needed to hear it.

Another tense silence.

“You said ‘claim,’” a man in fatigue overalls asked. “So, what, she owns the town?”

“No. I’m only protecting it,” Kate said, still lying back with her eyes closed.

“And we’re supposed to just trust you?” an older woman asked.

“Yes,” I told her.

“Why?” the woman pressed.

“What choice do you have? Really?” I asked her.

They stared at me.

It was Ned who finally spoke up. “All of you are questioning these folks, but what I haven’t heard yet was a ‘thank you.’ I know you were raised better than that.”

“Meaning, what?” Mayor Gene demanded.

Ned stepped closer to Gene. “Meaning, stop acting like an ass, Eugene. You’re here demanding answers from Mrs. Lennart when what you should be doing is expressing gratitude for not being dead.”

Mayor Gene took a step toward Ned. They were almost chest to chest now. “You don’t even live here, Ned. Stay out of this.”

Ned drew himself up straighter. “No, I don’t believe I will. You and I discussed this prior to me inviting the Lennarts and their people here. I told you what might happen. You agreed that it was a small price to pay. Now you’re just playing it up for the crowd.”

Mayor Gene crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s right. You told me, Edward. I don’t recall you asking me for permission to do it.”

“Ask you?” Ned’s voice was very quiet. “Since when do I need to ask you for a damn thing, Eugene?”

Gene’s face turned red. “Since I’m the goddamned mayor of this town! What gives you the right to have a say?”

“Because I’m the largest employer Penderton has. I’m responsible for the welfare of the people I employ, and that’s damn near two-thirds of Penderton. You carry the keys, but I feed the town. You know it, I know it, and everyone here knows it. And I will do whatever I have to do to protect my employees and my family. Sanders is right here.” Ned pointed to a man with thick, dark eyebrows. “Ask the builder union president if he’d rather be dead or let her claim the town for a week.”

“I don’t need to ask Sanders a damn thing!”

Sanders raised his fuzzy eyebrows. “I didn’t just hear you say that.”

“I may not live here,” Ned declared, “but my mother and my sister still do, Eugene. And the acreage that’s brought these people here is my acreage. I owned it and I gave it to them. What have you done to save this town and the people in it?”

As amusing as it was, this was getting out of hand.

I raised my voice. “We have no plans to take control of the town, demand anything from you, or interfere in your governance.”

A small group emerged from the gates and headed for us at a quick trot. Conlan, Darin next to him, followed by Helen, Luiza, and two other shapeshifters. Always happy to see my son, but the timing wasn’t great.

The town council turned to look at the new visitors.

Conlan reached us and went down on one knee, looking down at the ground. The rest of the group did the same.

A formal Pack greeting. What was he playing at? I glanced at Kate. She propped herself up on one elbow, her eyes wide. She seemed as surprised as I was.

“Greeting, Beast Lord and Consort,” my son announced. “We’ve arrived as ordered.”

The town council people gaped at us.

“Rise,” I told him.

The small group rose at the same time, as if they’d choreographed it, with Conlan looking straight ahead. Out of the corner of my eye I caught Keelan close his eyes for a second and nod in approval. Mystery solved.

The group scattered, everyone taking a spot, with Conlan moving to stand next to Keelan and Darin behind him.

This conversation was growing tiresome. “As my wife said,” I told them, keeping my voice calm but putting a bit of finality into it, “we don’t have any reason to keep Penderton.”

“So you say,” a man in overalls called out.

“We do,” I told him. “When one of us gives their word, we mean it.”

Kate nodded. “Once we neutralize the threat, we’ll take ownership of the land you’ve given us.”

Technically, it was land Ned had given us but I didn’t want to restart that fight.

“That land is in the forest, miles from here,” I said. “Keeping Penderton would make the town our territory. We would have to defend your town from threats, and as welcoming as you all are, we’re not running down here through the woods every time you have an issue.”

The man in overalls opened his mouth, but Mayor Gene waved his hand at him.

“I’m just trying to wrap my head around this claiming thing,” he said. “What does this mean in practical terms? For us?”

“Basically, nothing. Your area has been claimed for years already by the forest,” I said. “Your daily lives will remain the same.”

“I don’t remember anything like that happening,” Ruth said. “There was a red flash when you did it. Everyone saw it. I don’t remember the flash.”

“You may not have noticed it if it was done during the flare,” Kate said.

“How do we know you didn’t just make this up?” another woman asked.

“People, please,” Ned said.

Kate sat up fully and addressed the woman. “When the forest bombarded the town that first time, it infected you with spores. That was the brown powder you saw. The spores stayed dormant in your lungs because the magic of the forest suppressed it. When some of you tried to leave the area, the spores sprouted and made you sick. That’s how you know this area was claimed.”

They took a moment to digest it.

“What happens to the spores now?” Mayor Gene asked.

“Nothing. I killed them all when I claimed the town,” Kate told them.

The small crowd stirred.

“You can leave at will now,” I clarified. “You won’t die outside of Penderton’s boundaries, at least not from the spores. Although, I would recommend staying here until we’ve dealt with whatever is in that forest. You are safest here, where her magic can shield you.”

Nothing.

They still weren’t getting it. Okay. I laid it out: “Your choices were a giant spore bomb exploding in the center of town or being magically protected for a few days. Consider us the lesser of two evils.”

“When are you going into the forest?” the man in the overalls demanded.

“Tomorrow morning if the magic holds,” I said.

“Don’t take too long,” the man said.

Really? I hadn’t realized we were on the clock.

Mayor Gene turned and looked at overalls guy.

I let a little gold roll over my irises. The tiniest hint of an alpha stare.

The man took a step back. That’s better.

Ned heaved a sigh. “Brighton, what are you even doing here? Did your folks let you out of the basement? Bless their hearts, they must think it’s Thanksgiving.”

“We’ll take volunteers,” I said. “Does anyone want to go into the woods with us to save your town from the evil?”

Nobody moved.

“Mr. Brighton, is it? Would you like to join us? Make sure we stick to your schedule?” I turned the stare up a bit and held his gaze.

Mr. Brighton swallowed and looked down. “No.”

“Glad we have that settled,” I said. “If there’s nothing else, we have sandwiches to eat and injuries to heal. I’m sure you all have things to do as well. Please don’t let us keep you.”

Mayor Gene looked at Ned. Ned didn’t say anything.

“Thank you,” Heather said.

People looked at her.

The interim head of the town guard squared her shoulders. “Thank you for saving the town and looking out for my guys. And for killing the spores. We appreciate it.”

I turned off the alpha stare and smiled to put her at ease. “You’re welcome,” I said.