Or perhaps it had been his father’s death and his sister’s disappearance. There was no reason for Naretha to fool herself into believing Zach still cared about her existence, not when he’d made it painfully clear he didn’t.
She’d had the entire van ride to let the indignation fester, but the worst part was that she couldn’t feel truly vehement about it. To say she’d hoped Faddy would break Sparky out of his cell would’ve been an exaggeration, but Naretha had left the girl behind knowing she would at least attempt it. Despite her efforts to vouch for Avner, Danny had ultimately decided not to give him the option of freedom, and it would have been vindictively hilarious to see her leader’s reaction to the kid’s empty cell upon their return.
Of course, that fantasy of hers involved a few deadly consequences, such as the entire complex exploding with his fury—or with a Regg attack.
If only Avner and Maddy had escaped, Naretha wouldn’t have been too concerned. They could have divulged the location of Headquarters, but there were still so many other hideouts throughout the country, so many Wackos that would have been unaffected. Ephraim, despite his aversion to technology, had implanted a kill switch in the compound; if the Reggs infiltrated, the place would blow as if Danny had erupted it himself, erasing all information regarding the organization. The Reggs wouldn’t have been able to truly infest the Wackos with just Avner and Maddy.
But with Zach, they would.
Zach knew every facet of the Wackos—every facet of Danny and even Naretha. If he wanted the government to quash the Wackos, they would succeed. That was what worried her most, even as she trekked through a foreign town to confront one of the most powerful Affinities alive. Ashna had escaped Headquarters and she hadn’t compromised it, but with Avner’s influence, Naretha had no doubt that Zach would.
With their leader’s current attitude, perhaps he deserved to be defeated. Naretha would never side with the Reggs, but standing beside Danny’s ethics became increasingly more difficult. Part of her wanted to run back to campus and intercept him, but she knew the swiftest way to end this bloodshed would be to detain Ashna. The girl had led them here; if her life was forfeited for the sake of these innocent Affinity kids, Naretha would feel no sympathy.
When she emerged from the wooded area onto the pavement, a massive figure zipped past, headed for the school. She didn’t pause to really study him, but with his dark hair and unnaturally immense form, it must have been Nero, the asshole who had played a part in her capture here—which had led to the research facility and the torture and the nightmares that now plagued her sleep. It was tempting to clog his airways with salt, but…she would come back for him later.
Even if she hadn’t been a prisoner here before, finding the police station would have been a simple task. It sat on Periculand’s main road, tucked beside the considerably larger firehouse. As she approached, she noticed a giant hole had been carved into the left wall—and not neatly. Almost as if something had barged through the concrete…
Brow furrowed curiously, she meant to look back toward fleeing Nero, but then her eyes caught onto an equally enormous person huddled beside the police station’s entrance.
At first, she was convinced it was a hallucination, her mind cruelly showing her what she desired most. But Cath Clemens really stood there, staring at her with those big, green, tear-filled eyes. As usual, the clothes she wore were a bit too tight for her thick limbs, and after not seeing her for so many weeks, Naretha was stricken by how much this girl had grown since they’d first met eight years ago. Even through the intimidating exterior, the same gentleness of her youth radiated, her motions cautious and timid as she stepped forward.
The urge to hug her nearly clouded Naretha’s judgment—nearly made her forget all the ways in which Cath had betrayed her. Then her gaze drifted to the police station she’d been trapped in for a month, and she was reminded of the hellish weeks that had ensued, the blame for which could rooted back to Josh…and Cath.
“Don’t come any closer,” Naretha warned, hating herself as the words flowed from her mouth. Cath heeded them instantly, planting herself on the pavement a few feet away.
“Na-Naretha?”
“Am I hard to recognize with the haircut?” She meant to sneer it, but the poison in her tone was weak.
“Y-you’re alive. I thought you were…” Trailing off, Cath stared down at her feet. “I didn’t want to leave you here, but Josh made me. I…didn’t want to get in trouble. When Ashna said she was coming here, I knew I had to come back to save you…but you weren’t here.”
Danny hadn’t told Cath that Naretha escaped Periculand? He’d made it abundantly clear that he’d expected her to return, but he hadn’t informed Cath, who he knew would be the most distraught over Naretha’s absence. Her rage was aimed at a new target now, a target at which she would never be able to shoot.
“I made it back to Headquarters, but you weren’t there. You abandoned us to join Ashna on her little quest.”
“I did it for you!”
“Stop—stop,” Naretha commanded, unable to meet the girl’s eyes as she held up her hand. Cath’s face drooped at the threat, knowing very well what Naretha could do with the flick of her fingers. “Just tell me where Ashna is.”
Cath jerked her head half-heartedly toward the police station. “In there.”
“As a prisoner?”
“No…”
After a moment of impatiently waiting, Naretha sighed, “Then why, Cath?”
She shuffled, peeking up at the stars. “Ashna needs her.”
“Needs who?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“My God, Cath.” Naretha groaned, throwing her head back. “You know I’m about to barge in there and apprehend Ashna, don’t you? I’m going to constrict her in a mold of salt until she tells me exactly what the hell she’s up to. You know I don’t want to hurt her, and you know I don’t want to hurt you. Just tell me what I need to know.”
Cath’s hands formed fists, her feet repositioning into a defensive stance. “Ashna said I have to attack anyone who tries to thwart her.”
“Oh, and you obey Ashna now? Have you forgotten, Cath, why you ended up with the Wackos in the first place? Have you forgotten why you’re not dead?”
Swallowing, her expression shifted with conflict, but Naretha could tell by her body language that she wouldn’t back down. She would actually take a swing at Naretha because of Ashna. It would have been appalling if Naretha weren’t actually planning to take a shot at Cath because of Danny. Oh, those manipulative Mayers. Even Zach, the docile one, had a habit of stirring mayhem.
Thinking of the eldest Mayer dredged up too many fond memories, especially of the time the two of them had spent with Cath, which was the last thing she needed in this moment. Luckily, all thoughts and forthcoming actions were discarded when a bright light flared through the hole in the police station’s side, diverting Naretha’s attention and Cath’s with it.
“What the hell is Ashna doing in there?” She stalked toward the entrance, and Cath was about to stop her when melodic voice halted them both.
“I’m on my way to the police station, Naretha,” Danny sang, the words emanating from the black watch on her wrist. “I hope you’ve apprehended our prey.”
Cath’s face scrunched with distaste. “I forgot how creepy he is.”
“Lucky you,” Naretha snorted. In looking back at the girl, her gaze darted toward the campus, from which a silhouette approached—a Danny-shaped silhouette. If he saw her wasting precious time talking to Cath, who had betrayed them—
“Run,” she hissed, and the girl didn’t question her. Footsteps reverberating through the pavement, she disappeared around the far side of the police station into an alleyway that Naretha hoped led far away from here. Danny would be too drunk from the use of his Affinity to have seen her, but once Ashna was in his grasp, he would raze the town to find the other two escapees.
The reminder of the second escapee, Naira, had Na
retha on high alert as she slunk into the police station. It wouldn’t have surprised her if the girl waited in the shadows of the dark room, ready to douse intruders with poisonous gases.
As she quickly scanned the filing cabinets, the desk, and the cot, she was reassured that the room was empty—but the open doorway leading to the back hall of cells was not.
Standing before the blazing light was Ashna, her wavy hair glowing like a sun-drenched rainbow. Normally, having her back to the salt-wielder would have been a dangerous position, but when Naretha drew nearer to the threshold, she realized something much worse dwelled on the other side.
Behind the bars of the cell to the right, a demon was aflame, its eyes as bright and red as freshly drawn blood, its arms as fiery and blinding as torches, its skin as jagged and dark as volcanic rock. The smile curling onto its lips was so sadistic that even Naretha balked; when it wrapped its pointed fingers around the metal bars and they began to melt, Naretha was slammed with the daunting realization that she would be no match for this creature. The only other person she had ever thought that of was Danny.
“What a pleasant surprise,” the demon sang, its voice crackly but…familiar. Naretha realized why the instant her vision locked onto the boy standing in the hallway, his dark blue eyes sparkling with terrified delight. It was impossible for her to forget these two petulant children: the boy who had bested her and the girl who had been utterly useless.
She wasn’t so inept anymore. No, in the past month Adara Stromer had become more deadly than her brother, and she would employ her Affinity in a way Sparky would never dare. Avner was an angel, a suppressant of violence and fun, but Adara was a demoness, an invoker of violence for the sake of fun.
Her head tilted greedily as she surveyed Ashna. Naretha stood carefully out of view, concealed by darkness, but she still didn’t like Adara’s eyes roving in her direction. “I’ve been craving a midnight snack.”
“A-Adara.” Ashna took a gradual step closer to the bars liquefying in the demoness’s grasp. “Let me explain—”
“Explain how you betrayed Ackerly and plan to destroy this town, you mean?” She cackled, her head spewing embers as she shook it. “I’m not a fan of the part where the villain explains how ingenious their plan was. Let’s skip to the fun.”
“But I—”
Bullets of fire ripped through the air before Naretha could properly react. She did duck on instinct, but that shouldn’t have stopped the flames from igniting her clothing or burning her skin. When neither occurred, she rose from her crouch and found Ashna’s hands had flown up, creating one of her flawless force fields.
“Show off,” Naretha grumbled, but Ashna was panting too hard to hear. Adara’s rain of fire ceased, but the girl’s arms continued burning like dueling bonfires, her clothes now singed from the fiery pellets. The boy, who Naretha recalled was named Calder, hastily quenched the flames eating away at his sweatshirt. With his water Affinity, the job was swift, but he still seethed upon its completion, his narrowed eyes darting between the girls.
“What the hell?” he snapped, motioning with his cuffed hands toward the simmering holes in his sweatshirt and jeans. “You could have shielded me—and you could have not thrown fire at me.”
“True,” Adara conceded with a simper.
Calder ignored her as he turned back to Ashna, who had lowered her defenses. “Keep her fiery,” he encouraged through a whisper, gesturing with his eyes toward the half-melted bars. “Enough that she can create a hole to escape.”
Adara rolled her eyes. “I can hear you.”
Ashna acted as though she’d said nothing as she hissed, “That’s what I’m trying to do.”
There was a brief millisecond in which Calder looked satisfied, but his face rapidly morphed into suspicion. “You want Adara out of her cell?”
Even from behind, Naretha saw how tight Ashna’s jaw was. “Yes.”
“This is unfortunate.” Calder sounded more annoyed than alarmed. Whipping his hands upward, he streamed a jet of water directly at Adara, drenching her rocky form and smothering her flames. As she blinked and spat and snarled, he glanced at Ashna and said, “I was going to let Stromer quench the fires that are likely burning this town, but if you want her out, that must mean your leader has some other plans for her. Sorry, Demoness, but your incarceration must continue. And you—” Calder’s grin turned savage as he focused on Ashna. “I can’t say I’m sorry that I’m going to end you.”
It had taken the kid’s speech for the truth to dawn on Naretha. Ashna wasn’t working for Danny, like Calder thought; she worked for herself, meaning her reason for freeing Adara was self-centered. With that knowledge, the pieces of her plan merged, and Naretha swore aloud—consequently, notifying the others of her presence.
Ashna twirled, hands raised for combat. Naretha’s were, too, and the two stood frozen, staring at each other warily, as Calder watched with arched eyebrows.
“Ah, the salt Wacko,” he mused, now playing with an orb of water that hovered above his bound hands. “Came back to redeem yourself, did you?”
“I’m only here for her,” Naretha sneered, not even deigning to look past Ashna at the boy, “but if you force me to prove myself, don’t be shocked when you’re dead.”
“You!” Adara shouted, her voice wrought with rage.
Naretha exhaled wearily. “Yes, hello. It’s me.”
Steam wafted from her hardened flesh as the darkness flaked off, forming a pool of ashes around her. She clutched the bars she’d disfigured, but her heat had dwindled. The only flare left was in those demonic eyes. “Where the hell is Avner?”
This girl’s dissimilarity to her brother was refreshing, but if Ashna’s plans for her were what Naretha thought, then perhaps it was wisest to kill her off now. The death of his sister might be enough to make Avner crack, which Naretha would have wanted to see if she weren’t the target of his vengeance…which she would be if she murdered Adara—
“Your brother is safely secured,” a voice said, snatching the tricky decision from Naretha’s hands. Danny appeared beside her, and if anyone died now, it would be at his hand.
The front room was dimly lit compared to the corridor of cells, but his eyes glowed as if reflecting the sun. There was something inherently enticing about him, even now, knowing he’d probably incinerated half a town, but Naretha couldn’t say she was thrilled to see him. Nor did she particularly enjoy the way he sized up his sister like a prize he would claim and then crush, just so no one else could.
“Avner’s behind a glass wall, though, not bars.” Danny eyed Ashna’s outstretched hands without a hint of fear before glancing past her at Adara. “The Wackos are far more high-class than Periculand.”
“Hello, Daniel,” a male voice called from beyond the bars. From this vantage point, Naretha couldn’t see him, but she knew who it was.
“Principal Periculy,” Danny greeted, his excitement doubling with the presence of another one of his targets. “Or should I say ex-Principal Periculy? Oh, the irony of being locked in your own jail. I am impressed that you’ve kept your sass, though. Watching you on the news earlier was quite entertaining. I can’t say I’m necessarily a fan of the Reggs associating you with our movement, but I do hope it’s finally opened your eyes to our common enemy.”
“I’ve always known they were our enemy,” Angor said, almost smugly. “I just have a habit of using my enemies against themselves rather than turning them to useless ash.”
That wiped the grin off Danny’s face. Adara, somehow, was smart enough not to snicker. Naretha couldn’t breathe until his complacency finally resumed.
“I’d love to chat more, Periculy, but I have a sister to discipline.” His eyes settled hungrily on Ashna, reveling in the way she trembled under his glare. “You understand what it’s like to deal with unruly children. Can’t say that I’ve killed any under my watch, but they can be so difficult to tame.”
“Too bad you haven’t tamed me yet,” Ashna said. Nar
etha sharpened her focus, preparing for an onslaught of multiple Affinities, but then, unexpectedly, the girl vanished, leaving an empty spot within the doorway.
“Since when can she teleport?” Naretha blurted, her inhibition as absent as Ashna. This shift of events was sure to set Danny on edge; outbursts of disbelief would not be welcomed.
Unfortunately, Adara didn’t seem to recognize this because, regardless of the smoke seeping from Danny’s skin, the girl exclaimed, “I thought she had a nerve Affinity! Did she kill Ginger and steal his power or what?”
“Oh, yeah, you missed that,” Calder said with far too much nonchalance. “Not that Little Corvis died, but that Unicorn Fairy’s got multiple Affinities. Infinite, if I heard the rumor right.”
“Infinite Affinities?” Adara repeated in bewilderment. “That’s a thing?”
“Fascinating,” Angor chimed in. “This could support my theory…”
“Tell me,” Danny growled, gradually glancing at Naretha, “that you’ve at least apprehended Telum.”
The murderous quality of his glare was enough to open an unpleasant sensation of apprehension in Naretha. If Danny wanted to blow them all to hell, there was nothing her meager salt could do to stop him. “He wasn’t here when I arrived. I haven’t seen—”
“He left to deal with your little invasion a while ago,” Calder cut in, swirling an orb of water lazily in the air. “Not sure why you’d fear him over anyone else. He’s definitely one of the least intimidating cops I’ve encountered.”
“It probably has something to do with the fact that Weaponizer killed his father.” Adara arched her eyebrows in Danny’s direction. “If you’re pissed because you wanted to kill him yourself, I think I can empathize. My father’s currently near the top of my ‘To Kill’ list—”
“As are all three of you,” Danny said tonelessly. It took Adara a moment to close her mouth and look rightly confused, but Calder was quick to dissolve his orb of water and meet the Wacko leader’s gaze.
“And why would that be?”
“I’m guessing Avner did something annoyingly perfect that offended you and it’s now being blamed on me?” Adara offered.
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