Zen and the Art of Major Magical Control

by Devin Harnois

  Aiden heard a thunk and guessed Tiago had punched the dragonkin.

  “I’m not a circus animal, asshole,” Tiago said.

  The rest of their argument washed over Aiden as he concentrated on finishing his lunch. He needed to talk to Tiago and make sure he understood that he absolutely could not tell Dylan they were dating. No one could know.

  * * *

  Dylan stepped out, and people were cheering for him. That hadn’t happened before except in Major Magical Control. Oh, and at the fight with Conner.

  But this was very different.

  Up until last year, people had been afraid to even let him go to school, and now a gym full of students and their families was cheering, excited to watch his magic in action. All I had to do was fight a corrupt warden and kill a dark fae. He smirked.

  Aiden stepped out, and the cheering got louder. Dylan tried not to feel jealous. If anyone deserved to be treated like a hero, it was Aiden. His friend looked a little nervous, and Dylan selfishly hoped he wouldn’t back out. This was Dylan’s first chance to show off in front of a crowd.

  The gym looked very different with the bleachers rolled out and what seemed to be most of the town crammed onto them. It felt different too. The wards along the perimeter had been reinforced, but Ms. Yang had deactivated the ones on the floor, and they’d also removed a large section, exposing the ground beneath. That was for Aiden’s sake, so he could better use his nature magic.

  It also meant that Dylan could and probably would set the floor on fire, but it wouldn’t spread outside the wards. The floor had scorch marks from their last practice session the day before, when they’d had a chance to try out the different setup.

  Dylan waved to the crowd, unable to stop his smile. The cheering rose, and he spotted his parents beaming at him from the front row. He stepped into the middle of the gym and reached out to shake Aiden’s hand. His friend’s smile was tentative, his palm a little sweaty.

  “You okay?” Dylan asked.

  Aiden nodded. “It’s just a lot of people.” Dylan could barely hear him above the crowd. “And you won’t… be too aggressive?”

  “It’s a show, not a match.” There was a reason it was called an exhibition and not a competition. It was about showing off what you’d learned, not beating your opponent.

  Ms. Yang came up to them. “Ready?” She waited until they both nodded. “I’m proud of you. Both of you.” She smiled and stepped back. “One, two, three… Go!”

  Dylan called up his fire and sent it swirling around him to the oohs and ahhs of the crowd. Aiden put up a simple shield but the look of concentration on his face said he was working on something else. Either pulling vines out of the earth or using the floorboards themselves. Aiden had proven he could do both.

  Aiden had wanted to plan out their match, but Dylan wanted the excitement of not knowing what would happen. They’d made a compromise, telling each other what powers and spells they wanted to show off.

  Dylan tossed a few small fireballs at Aiden’s shield to keep things interesting. Then four thin vines shot out of the ground and streaked toward him. Dylan sent little streams of fire to wrap around them, and the vines blazed as they caught on fire. A campfire smell filled the air as they blackened and crumbled.

  Spells streaked across the gym as they attacked and defended. Dylan looked for signs of panic in his friend, but Aiden seemed fine—some sweat on his face and a wrinkle between his brows, but that was focus, not fear. Time for something showier then.

  Using his sharp claws, Dylan tore his shirt off. The tatters fell to the floor as a few people hooted in appreciation. This was the part he was most nervous about, but his adrenaline was running high and he didn’t give himself time to think about it. Magic flowed through him, and the tingling itch began in his shoulder blades.

  Yes. He could do this so much faster than he’d been able to last year, but it still took a moment. Aiden’s blast of magic hit the wall of fire, sending gold and green sparks into the air. He knew what Dylan was doing and was giving him time.

  The tingle became almost painful, and then wings burst out of Dylan’s back. The crowd gasped. With a few running steps, Dylan launched himself into the air. He was so tempted to fly past the wards and right over the people in the stands, but Ms. Yang had repeatedly said they absolutely had to stay within bounds.

  So he swooped over Aiden, dodging more blasts of magic. Dylan hurled a fireball. Instead of blocking it, Aiden stopped it midair and sent it back at Dylan.

  “Yeah!” Dylan laughed and caught it in a clawed hand. Doubling the fireball in size, he tossed it at Aiden. This time it splashed against a shield, disintegrating.

  As the last of the flames disappeared, the floor on either side of Aiden burst apart, the laminated wood linking together into two long tentacles. They shot toward Dylan, and he flew higher to avoid them. His wings scraped the ceiling, and there was nowhere else to go.

  Dylan kicked at one tentacle and dodged away, only to have his arm caught in the other one. The competitive voice in his head shouted at him that he couldn’t let Aiden win. But this wasn’t a real match. It was for both of them to show off and look good.

  Should I give in and let him look better than me?

  But the whole town is watching.

  And wouldn’t that make Aiden look awesome, to look stronger than me?

  Argh, but I don’t want anyone to look better than me!

  The wood was oddly flexible, coiling up his arm. It was warm too, and smelled strongly of fae magic—earth and the fresh plants of spring.

  Below, Aiden frowned in concentration, but there was a hint of a smile on his face.

  I killed a dark fae. Everyone already knows I’m a badass.

  The other tentacle snatched at his leg and this time Dylan didn’t fight it. He struggled enough to look convincing. Within seconds he was wrapped up in wooden tentacles, and it wasn’t a matter of giving in. He tried harder, and he really couldn’t escape.

  Aiden pulled him toward the ground. Pride kicked in again, and Dylan gathered his magic. He wasn’t out to beat Aiden, but he couldn’t end the match looking helpless. Just before Aiden set him down, Dylan sent out a burst of fire. It shattered the tentacles, sending them hurling toward the wards. The crowd gasped, but the pieces bounced against the invisible barriers.

  Aiden’s personal barrier protected him, though on instinct he brought up his arms to cover his face. His eyes were wide when he lowered them, but Dylan smiled and held up his hands.

  “Good match.”

  “Excellent!” Ms. Yang came over. “Wonderful match.”

  Aiden let out a deep breath and a smile spread across his face. They shook hands again as the crowd clapped and cheered, some of them getting to their feet. Dylan lifted both his arms, taking Aiden’s hand with him.

  Ha! Let the seniors try to beat that!

  CHAPTER THREE

  “Hanna!”

  Heavy footfalls came up the stairs and Hanna braced herself. She could guess what this was about, and as much as she’d rehearsed it in her head, she still dreaded the conversation.

  The knob twisted and her father stepped into the room. “What’s this I hear about you sitting with the mutt pack at lunch?”

  Yep, Conner had finally made good on his threat. There was really no point in denying it since her parents could confirm it with any of the other werewolf kids at school. And Hanna didn’t want to deny it.

  She stood up. Even though her father still towered over her, it was a little easier to face him on her feet. Not that she could quite look him in the eye. “They’re—” Her throat closed as sweat dampened her armpits. Instinct screamed for her to apologize.

  I can be strong. I am strong.

  “They’re my new pack.” A shiver of fear went through her.

  “What is wrong with you?” He growled, the sound turning her legs to jelly. “Dating a fae boy, dating a dragonkin, and now you want to hang out with a vampire and a ghoul?” The last word dri
pped with disgust.

  Hanna reminded herself to breathe. “I needed a pack, and I couldn’t stay in Conner’s. He hit me.”

  “This isn’t about Conner, young lady. You have a pack, our pack.”

  Frustration bubbled up through the fear. “You know I need more than that. I need people my own age.” Young werewolves had their own little packs within the larger one. Even toddlers established groups and worked out hierarchies whenever there was more than one of them.

  “If you want your own pack, then take it from Conner.”

  She was so disgusted she almost looked up at him. “I don’t want any of them.” They were too much like Conner, bullying jerks who enjoyed picking on everyone else. She’d spent years standing by while they tormented other kids.

  Her father sighed. “Then at least take the two wolves and leave the others out.”

  It took her a second to realize he was talking about the mutt pack. Brooke, the girl who’d been turned into a werewolf through a bite, and Gavin, who’d been born one. “I’m not going to… to steal them. I like Marisa.” She was a vampire but had ended up the de facto leader of the pack when the previous alpha graduated and left town. “And I like Carter too.” The ghoul boy. Saying their names was like a talisman, making them people.

  “It’s unnatural. You’re not going to sit with them anymore. You’re not going to talk to them anymore.” Her father took a step closer, his chest like a wall blocking out everything else.

  “No.” She meant it to be bold, but the word came out as a whisper.

  “What did you say, young lady?”

  She started to tremble. Her father hadn’t ever hit her like Conner had, but she’d been spanked before. The last time had been years ago, but she wondered if she was going to get a spanking now. It would be so easy to agree and do anything to make her father happy.

  But she’d broken up with Dylan so she could find herself. Find her strength. She balled her fists. Dylan is brave. Even sweet, gentle Aiden is brave. I can be brave too. Hanna pictured her new pack. Her friends. She’d never felt that with Conner’s pack. The outcast group of kids she’d sat with at lunch over the past few months felt more like her friends than the werewolf boys she’d grown up with.

  “I said no.” Her voice shook but was louder now.

  His hand thrust out and she flinched. “Give me your phone. You’ve lost your privileges. And you won’t be leaving this room unless you’re going to school. You want to defy me? Then you face the consequences.”

  She pulled her phone from her pocket and dropped it in his hand. It felt like giving up her only connection to the world. “It’s not like I go anywhere anyway.” Since breaking up with Dylan, she didn’t even have dates to look forward to.

  Why am I doing this to myself?

  But there was something inside her, like the pull of the full moon, urging her down this path. She had to believe it led to somewhere better.

  Father’s fingers closed over the phone. “This is for your own good, Hanna. You can’t be mixing with those… creatures. You need to stick with your own kind. When you leave Shadow Valley, the pack will be all you have.”

  Now there was a frightening thought. She had a little over a year before she graduated, which meant that was all the time she had left to find her own way.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Mr. Johnson’s black car was in the driveway when Aiden got home. Aiden expected to find him waiting at the dining room table like usual, but the house was empty. It made him nervous, and he touched the wall, asking the wood and stone if everything was all right. They alerted him to a presence outside, and a moment later someone knocked on the door.

  Aiden’s heart lurched, but a look through the peephole confirmed it was Mr. Johnson.

  “The wards are all secure,” he said as Aiden let him in.

  “Good.” There was no sign of any other dark fae in town, but that didn’t mean they were safe. Aiden’s chest tightened and he glanced toward the living room where Dylan had killed the dark fae. The room had been cleaned up, and there was new furniture, but the walls and floor carried obvious signs of the fight.

  Aiden wondered if he could ask for a different house. There were empty ones, and others that would be empty soon once families with graduating seniors moved out. But he’d disrupted his parents’ lives enough. If they were uncomfortable here and wanted to move, he’d move, but he wasn’t going to bring it up.

  Mr. Johnson must have noticed where he was looking. “I was… lax in my protection of you. I’m sorry.”

  The warden had apologized several times already. “It’s okay.” Dylan had a lot to say about it, but Aiden didn’t blame Mr. Johnson. He’d been trying to watch out for them and investigate the murders at the same time. He’d put wardens outside Aiden’s house to keep watch and set wards. Mr. Johnson had done everything he could aside from sitting outside Aiden’s house twenty-four seven.

  “I’ve had it cleared with the council,” Mr. Johnson said. “I’m staying in Shadow Valley for the next few months to follow up on the investigation. And also to watch out for any more of Morgan’s accomplices.”

  Others will come, the dark fae had said. Aiden shivered.

  “And to watch out for me?” Aiden held back a wince. That sounded so weak and needy.

  A hint of a smile tilted Mr. Johnson’s lips. “Yes, that too.” Then it dropped away. “Perhaps redeem myself for my failure.”

  Aiden shifted his feet. “It really is okay. I don’t blame you.” He didn’t even blame Dylan, though all this stemmed from his actions.

  “Thank you.” But Mr. Johnson’s tone said he still blamed himself.

  Aiden got them both a glass of water and they sat at the dining room table.

  “Has Tiago mentioned anything about his parents?” Mr. Johnson asked.

  Aiden’s pulse sped up, and he hoped Mr. Johnson didn’t notice. He told himself to stay calm. As much as he hated lying to Mr. Johnson, there was no way he was going to betray Tiago’s trust.

  Even if his parents are out there killing people?

  It wasn’t like Aiden knew where they were or anything. He didn’t have any good information. “No.” He took a sip of water to soothe his lying tongue.

  Mr. Johnson gave him a long look. “Nothing at all?”

  Best to go for an almost-truth at least. “He doesn’t really talk about his past. It’s like he walked into Shadow Valley fully formed.” And well formed at that. Aiden thought of his muscular chest, his shoulders, the way Tiago’s arms felt under Aiden’s hands…

  “He is frustrating like that,” Mr. Johnson grumbled.

  His voice snapped Aiden back to reality. “He’s not… he’s not in trouble, is he?” Tiago was free, or relatively so. Going to school and not locked up in jail, so that was something.

  “No.” Mr. Johnson considered him for a moment. “He has some information the wardens need, and I’ve been under some pressure to get it.”

  Aiden couldn’t help picturing Tiago handcuffed to a chair in some dark interrogation room while wardens threatened to hurt him.

  “But,” Mr. Johnson said, “with all this going on, he’s fallen down the priority list.”

  Aiden supposed that was one good thing about this whole mess. No, two. Being attacked by the dark fae had led to Tiago asking him out.

  “You wouldn’t let anyone hurt him, would you?” Aiden asked. If they tried, he would… sic Dylan on them or something.

  Mr. Johnson leaned closer. “I know Dylan’s opinion of us is low, and having two corrupt wardens kidnapping and killing people certainly hasn’t helped, but we aren’t the bad guys. No one will hurt Tiago, I promise.”

  Aiden let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.

  “But you’ll let me know if he tells you anything?”

  “Yeah.” Liar, liar, pants on fire.

  Then a horrible thought occurred to him. Mr. Johnson had paired them up. Did he know Tiago was gay? Had he guessed about Aiden? Was he hoping
they would get close so Tiago would tell Aiden all his secrets?

  No, that was paranoid. Or was it?

  * * *

  Dylan waved to Aiden as he headed to his locker. First day of junior year. Dylan sighed, wishing the summer could have lasted longer. Now it was back to classes and rules and homework.

  A man in a dark gray suit moved through the crowded hallway and stopped in front of Dylan. “Mr. Galloway?”

  “Yeah?” Dylan eyed him. Even the teachers didn’t dress up that much, so the guy really stood out.

  “I’m Warden Bradley.” He flashed a badge. “Could you come with me for a few moments?”

  “Fuck, what now?” More than enough shit had happened the past few years.

  “Watch your language, young man.” The warden frowned. “I only want to have a quick discussion. I’m the new school liaison, and I wanted to talk to you personally.”

  Liaison? There were wardens working in the school now? Last year had been bad enough having wardens watching them for safety. Much as Dylan hated wardens, he could admit, at least to himself, that their presence had made him feel better. Once in a while he still had nightmares about the dark fae attacking him, even though he knew for sure the guy was dead.

  “Can’t it wait?” The warning bell would ring soon. He hadn’t even gotten a chance to get to his locker and take off his coat.

  The man pressed his lips together. “I’d rather do this now, Mr. Galloway. Unless you’d like to have this discussion in the hall?” He pointedly looked around at the students, some of them casting curious glances at Dylan and the warden.

  Oh, so that’s how it was going to be. Was there any warden who wasn’t a jackass to some degree? “Fine.”

  Warden Bradley led him to the school office and into one of the internal rooms. As soon as the door was shut, he said, “I’d like us to have an understanding, Mr. Galloway. There have been several problems in Shadow Valley recently, and you’ve been at the center of them.”