by H. K. Varian
And another.
A faint light spilled across the room as curses zinged through the air, ricocheting off the shelves. Gabriella reached out and grabbed Fiona’s and Mack’s hands and then dragged them down to the floor. “Stay low,” she said urgently.
“What’s going on?” Fiona asked.
“It’s the Horn of Power,” Gabriella explained. “That’s why the warlocks kidnapped Darren and Jai and the others. They were harnessing their powers to repair it.”
“No!” Fiona said. “Where . . . ?”
“It’s there,” Gabriella said, lifting her head just high enough to see the horn in the middle of the room, still on the floor beside the cracked pedestal. She could see, too, the First Four in action—Mr. Kimura, in kitsune form, was creating individual prisons of flames around each warlock. As a werewolf, Ms. Therian was on the attack, and Sefu had transformed into a hyena and was using his incredible strength to smash anything in his path. Yara, though still a human, had her head thrown back, and she was . . . singing the most exquisite melody that Gabriella had ever heard, and all the warlocks near her had fallen to the floor, writhing in pain.
“We’d better follow their lead,” Mack said, gesturing to the First Four. “Let’s transform and get the horn.”
“But—” Fiona began.
“Don’t worry, Fiona, we’ll protect you,” Mack interrupted her.
“Thanks,” she said. “What I was going to say, though, is what about Darren?”
Gabriella glanced up again. How had she missed it before? On one side of the pedestal, Darren stood locked in battle with a tall, thin warlock. Looking back later, Gabriella wouldn’t understand why just the sight of the man filled her with terror. He wasn’t much to look at, dressed all in black, but there was something about his long fingers, pressed together, that gave her chills.
Or maybe it was just the malicious glee shining in his terrible red eyes . . .
And Darren . . .
Poor Darren . . .
He was trying so hard; even from a distance Gabriella could see that he was shaking from head to toe, channeling every last ounce of energy into his fingertips, where faint sparks crackled. It was obvious to Gabriella that he was trying to summon one more bolt of lightning, to stop the strange thin man in his tracks.
He doesn’t have it in him, Gabriella thought suddenly, remembering how tired Darren had been, even in his dream. He’s been fighting these warlocks for so long, using all his energy, all his power. . . .
Worst of all, the thin man seemed to know that too. He wasn’t doing anything to even try to stop Darren. He just stood there, smiling his mocking smile, as if he enjoyed Darren’s struggle.
As if it was the funniest thing he’d ever seen.
That was all it took for Gabriella’s fear to be replaced by a flame of rage. That’s my friend, she thought angrily as she transformed into a jaguar. Mack was already in his kitsune form, and together, they shielded Fiona as they tried to cross the room, dodging curses and spells and terrible incantations.
Stay strong, Darren, Gabriella thought to him. We’re coming!
Stop . . . Jasper . . . was all he could manage, and it was enough. Besides, Gabriella wanted him to save whatever strength he had left.
She had a feeling he was going to need it.
The sparks at Darren’s fingers were growing fainter, fainter, fainter . . . and at the same time, his legs seemed to quiver unsteadily, as if he were about to fall.
Hurry! Gabriella thought to Fiona and Mack as they pressed forward.
They made it just in time.
Because Darren did fall; he collapsed, actually, but Fiona was ready for him. Somehow, she caught him and pulled him to safety. At least, that’s what Gabriella hoped Fiona had been able to do. She couldn’t think about it. Not now, not when she and Mack were all that stood between the thin man—Jasper—and the Horn of Power.
My, my.
It took Gabriella a moment to realize that Jasper’s voice had slipped into her own thoughts.
Wasn’t that a sight to behold? Jasper thought to her, his words sticky with sarcasm. Very noble. Very touching.
Mack used his powers to conjure up a small fireball, which he lobbed at the man. Jasper didn’t even flinch as he dodged the blast, which fell to the ground in a smoldering heap of ashes behind him.
Gabriella’s eyes never left Jasper’s pinched, unpleasant face as she leaped at him, claws gleaming in the moonlight. She managed a small swipe that left him clutching his side.
Gabriella grinned and readied herself for another attack, but suddenly, she was gripped by an intense pain. A wound the same as the one she’d given Jasper appeared on her own side.
Mack! she thought to her friend. He’s using some kind of spell—any hit will bounce right back at you. We need the First Four to break it. There’s no way we can take him on our own.
Jasper seemed to realize that the kids had discovered the spell. With a smile he walked past them to the pedestal, where the Horn of Power, now gleaming and fully repaired, lay.
Around them, the battle was dying down as Ms. Therian, Sefu, Mr. Kimura, and Yara bested the warlocks and witches, one by one. That’s the last of them, Gabriella thought to Mack.
But even as the First Four approached, Jasper only grinned. His eyes gleamed, then glowed, as red as blood.
No! Gabriella thought. She lunged forward, but it was too late.
At that very moment, Jasper and the Horn of Power disappeared in a plume of toxic, choking smoke that spiraled into the sky.
Chapter 13
Together
Darren’s face twitched; his eyes opened, and he blinked. He wasn’t quite sure where he was, but familiar faces slowly came into focus: Mom on his left side, Dad on his right, and Ray perched at the end of the bed.
Another dream, Darren thought, grimacing. That was the only explanation as to why his whole family would be together like this. His meandering dreams before had led him through some of his most powerful memories: Christmas traditions, the annual family beach trip, and then the terrible talk with Mom and Dad about their divorce. And now . . . they were all in . . . a hospital? Darren had never been in the hospital before, so that didn’t make sense. But then again, dreams usually didn’t. Darren tried to figure it out, but his mind felt so drained. No, wait. All of him felt drained. His arms, his legs, even his head felt like they weighed a thousand pounds.
Darren glanced around warily, waiting for Gabriella to burst into the room in her nahual form. Then he tried to sit up. Mom and Dad reached for him at the same time—Mom’s hand on his forearm; Dad’s hand on his shoulder. That’s when Darren realized he wasn’t dreaming, after all. Nothing could be more real than their touch.
“Easy, champ,” Dad said in a quiet voice. “You need your rest.”
Darren sank back down onto the pillow. Just then, he heard a mechanical noise as the upper part of the bed began to rise up.
Ray, grinning mischievously, held up a small remote control. “You’ve hit the big-time, D,” he joked. “This place has it all! Your own TV, a remote-controlled bed, and even room service. Though I can’t say I would recommend the food.”
Darren cracked a smile. “Very funny,” he replied. “But seriously . . . why am I here? What happened?”
Mom and Dad exchanged a glance. “You collapsed during football practice, sweetie,” Mom explained. “Don’t worry, though; the doctors say you’re going to be just fine. It’s just a mild case of dehydration and exhaustion.”
“Enough to give us quite a scare, though,” Dad added.
Football practice? Darren thought. He tried to think back— Yes, he remembered practice now, and the urgent phone call from Fiona. Then there was . . . nothing. A gaping hole in his memory.
Suddenly, it all came rushing back: The library. The chairs. The wristband. Jai. Jasper.
The Horn of Power.
Did the warlock fix it? Darren wondered urgently. He tried to sit up again, but his father’s grip was too stro
ng.
“Please, Darren,” Dad said with an unusual note of pleading in his voice. “You’ve got to rest.”
But Darren barely heard him. Where are they? he wondered wildly, glancing around again for Fiona, for Mack, for Gabriella, for the First Four—for anyone who could tell him what had really happened.
Then Darren forced himself to take a deep breath. Jasper and his crew wouldn’t exactly drop me off at New Brighton Memorial Hospital, he reminded himself. If I’m here, that means I’m safe. So, the other Changers must be safe too. He would just have to be patient until they could tell him everything.
“We heard you were crushing it on the field,” Ray was saying. “I know I told you exercise can help with stress, but seriously, D, you can’t get so carried away.”
“You’ve been through so much this week,” Mom said gently. “Are you ready to talk now?”
You have no idea, Darren thought. But that heavy sense of dread that had overwhelmed him for days seemed somehow lighter. And when he tried to keep his mouth shut, the strangest thing happened: the words came all on their own.
“Everything is awful,” he began. “I don’t even know how to describe how I’m feeling. All the time, I feel so—so—so sad and angry and—and betrayed. It feels like everything is ruined. And I hate feeling like this. I hate it.”
“That’s our fault,” Dad spoke up. “Your mother and I take full responsibility. We should’ve done a better job talking to you and Ray about the problems we were having. It was wrong to keep it from you and then just spring the divorce on you like that.”
“It’s hard, sometimes, to remember just how grown up you two are,” Mom chimed in. “I still think it’s our job to protect you boys, but this time, our attempts to protect you just made things worse.” Then she sighed and squeezed Darren’s hand. But he wasn’t done yet.
“We used to be so happy,” Darren continued. “And now it’s just . . . gone. Over. What if we’re never happy like that again? Everything’s changing, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.”
“One thing isn’t changing,” Dad said firmly. He looked directly into Darren’s eyes. “The love your mother and I have for you boys can never change. Ever.”
“And we will always be a family,” Mom said, “even though Dad and I won’t be married or live together anymore. You and Ray will always come first for us. We’re going through a hard time right now—all of us—but we’re tough. We’ll survive this and be even stronger than we were before.”
“This isn’t the end of our happiness,” Dad said. “I promise you, Darren, that we are going to make more happy memories—sometimes apart, and sometimes, even together.”
“Holidays, birthdays, graduations,” Mom said, ticking each one off on her fingers. “Dad and I don’t want to miss anything. It’s true that our family is going to look different from the way it was. And that will take some getting used to—for all of us.”
Darren and Ray exchanged a glance.
“Time heals,” Mom continued. “It really does. There will come a day when you suddenly realize things don’t seem quite so awful. Your father and I will always be here for you, no matter what. And nothing can change that.”
Her words gave Darren the courage to say what he’d been thinking.
“What about moving to New Brighton?” he asked. “I saw your laptop—”
“You saw my laptop?” Mom interrupted.
“I didn’t mean to snoop,” Darren said quickly. “It was right there—the website for the divorce attorney and the website with apartment listings.”
To Darren’s surprise, though, Mom didn’t seem mad at all.
“No wonder you’ve been so upset,” she said, squeezing his hand. “Darren, we are not going anywhere.”
Darren blinked in confusion. “Then how come—”
“The apartment’s for me, Sherlock,” Ray spoke up. “I’m going to move into my own place off campus when the semester is over. No more noisy dormitory! And no more all-night study sessions in the library’s quiet room.”
Darren was so relieved to hear the news that he couldn’t help it: he burst out laughing. So did Ray, and then Dad, and even Mom joined in. And in that moment, Darren suddenly realized the truth in what his parents had said. They would still have happy times together, even though things were forever changed.
A loud knock made everyone look over at the doorway, where Ms. Therian was standing with Mack, Fiona, and Gabriella. Darren grinned when he saw Mack holding a bunch of get-well balloons.
“I hope we’re not intruding,” Ms. Therian said.
“No, not at all. We’ll head down to the cafeteria to get some supper,” Mom said. “But don’t exert yourself too much, Darren. Remember, you need your rest.”
“Fries and a chocolate shake?” Ray asked, pointing at Darren.
Darren grinned at his brother. “You know it. Thanks, Ray.”
After Darren’s family left, Ms. Therian closed the door behind them.
“They don’t know a thing,” Darren said right away. “They’re not even aware I was gone.”
“Yes,” Ms. Therian said, nodding. “Yara used a . . . Well, let’s just say she had a little . . . chat with them and all parties involved.”
“A chat involving a memory-obliteration spell, I bet,” Mack joked under his breath.
“Thank you,” Darren said, relieved. Then he looked at Gabriella. “Did you tell everybody?”
“About your parents?” Gabriella asked. She shook her head. “No. Not my news to tell.”
“What’s going on?” Fiona asked.
Darren took a deep breath. “My parents,” he began. “They’re—they’re getting divorced.”
So that’s what it feels like to say it out loud, Darren thought. Strangely, it wasn’t as awful as he expected it would be—maybe because Fiona and Mack and Gabriella were by his side in an instant, all talking at once. He didn’t have to hear their exact words to know that they were full of support.
“Guys, guys, hold on,” he said. “I owe you an apology. I should’ve said something. But I—I didn’t know how. And I was so upset that my powers went haywire—really, really haywire—and I still didn’t say anything.”
Darren paused to take a deep breath. “I didn’t realize it, but I put us all in danger. And I’m sorry—more sorry than I can say. It will never happen again. I promise.”
“What about . . . the move?” Gabriella asked quietly. The others stared at Darren, concerned.
“Actually, it was just a misunderstanding. We’re not moving to New Brighton!”
Gabriella cheered so loudly that Darren had to shush her before a nurse could come in.
“Can you fill me in on what happened?” he asked. “I don’t remember much.”
“Your parents were right about needing your rest,” Ms. Therian began. “You exhausted your powers in your resistance, Darren. Without your fight . . . Well, let’s just say we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish as much as we did when we went up against Jasper.”
Darren sighed with relief. “So you got the horn,” he said happily.
Ms. Therian’s smile disappeared. “I’m afraid not,” she said bluntly. “Though we won the battle, Jasper managed to escape with the Horn of Power.”
“No,” Darren began. But before he could continue, Ms. Therian held up a hand to stop him.
“All is not lost,” she said. “We were able to rescue Jai and the other kidnapped younglings. They’re home with their families now, safe and sound. We also took quite a few of Auden’s people as prisoners. Still, we have no doubt that the Horn of Power is back in Auden Ironbound’s hands. His retribution will be swift, so heal fast. It is only a matter of time before he uses the horn again.”
Gabriella shrugged. “Let him try. It didn’t affect us before, and it won’t affect us now.”
“Yes,” Ms. Therian said drily. “I expect he’s figured that out as well. That’s why Akira believes he will come for you—all of you—first. He wo
n’t be taking any chances this time.”
Darren looked her straight in the eyes and said, “And neither will we.”
Epilogue
Fiona’s phone buzzed on her bedside table. She knew it was a bit too early to be her alarm—the light spilling through her windows was still a little reddish orange, as though the sun had just barely come up.
Hey all! Out of the hospital this morning and headed home. Feeling a lot better. See you Monday.
Fiona smiled. It was good to hear that Darren was feeling better, both inside and out. She exited out of her texts to check the time. It may have been a weekend, but that didn’t stop Fiona from getting up early.
She loved to tackle her homework first thing on Saturdays; it felt good to get it out of the way and have the rest of the weekend stretch out ahead of her, wide open for anything she wanted to do. Of course, these days there was just one thing she wanted: to spend time at Broad Rock, scanning the ocean for signs of selkies. The battle at Elmbridge had only reinforced Fiona’s conviction that she had to find a selkie, any selkie, to help her. Without a selkie to teach her their secret songs, Fiona would never truly be able to use her powers.
And that would be unthinkable.
Enough daydreaming, Fiona thought as she rolled over in bed. She reached down to the floor for her backpack.
But it wasn’t there.
Fiona sat up.
That’s weird, she thought, a small frown flickering across her face. She always put her backpack right next to her bed at night; sometimes, she would even lie in bed with her arm dangling over the side, just so she could feel her selkie cloak beneath her fingers as she drifted off to sleep. Fiona was certain that she’d put her backpack in the usual place last night.
Well . . . almost certain.
Maybe I left it downstairs, she thought as she scrambled out of bed. It would be weird, but it was possible. And possible was all Fiona needed to push her forward. She searched the living room, the kitchen, the entryway, and even the coat closet.
But her backpack was nowhere to be found.
No, Fiona thought, panic rising in her throat. If she’d somehow lost it, with her selkie cloak inside, if her selkie cloak had again been stolen from her . . .
