Dragonkin Are from Mars, Changelings Are from Venus

by Devin Harnois

  I’d be on the lowest floor. Maybe never see the sun again.

  “You okay?” Aiden asked. He wasn’t happy about this situation either, but it was part of warden training. Some of them might have shifts here when they graduated.

  “Not a place I ever wanted to go.” And definitely not the way Dylan wanted to spend his Saturday. The night was bitterly cold, the van’s heater struggling to warm the interior, but Dylan was sweating. He wiped his damp palms on his pants as they pulled up to the guard station at the front gate.

  “Just remember you’re on the right side of the bars,” Warden Nichols said.

  Thank God Warden Bully wasn’t going on the tour with them. This was already more than Dylan could stand.

  The driver spoke briefly with the guard before the guard pressed a button and the gate rolled open. Then they were pulling into Shadow Valley Prison.

  Spotlights scanned the yard. It was sectioned off, chain-link fences everywhere. The tingle of magic was like a constant hum, wards everywhere to keep prisoners from using spells to break out. Two tall guard towers loomed over the yard—one against the outer wall and one up against the prison itself.

  Even though Dylan knew he’d be coming out again, driving up to the entrance of the prison felt like going to his doom.

  Aiden nudged him to get is attention. When Dylan turned, Aiden gave him a look that said, I’m here for you. Everything will be fine.

  It was almost funny to have Aiden be the strong one. It wasn’t the first time though. They leaned on each other, and remembering that made Dylan’s anxiety drop a few notches.

  The van went through another gate to a small parking lot, and everyone got out. One of the guards came out to greet them and acted as tour guide, rattling off a bunch of facts about the prison.

  “We currently have three hundred and forty-nine prisoners, which is the largest population we’ve had in over thirty years.” The guard’s face pinched. “Due to the attack last year, we’re overpopulated and understaffed.”

  The guard led them through part of the first floor where there were offices, locker rooms for the guards, and a kitchen. They didn’t go into the area where the actual cells were, which was a relief. Dylan’s actions had placed some of those prisoners behind bars, and he didn’t want to face them.

  Dylan caught the guard giving him lingering looks. Was he wondering why Dylan was here? Thinking about what a danger he was, how he’d given that speech at the protest? Or was he thinking about the part he’d played in saving people at city hall?

  Words repeated in his head like a mantra: If they knew what I’d done. If they knew what I’d done…

  The group split up to take the elevator down to the lower floors. As Dylan squeezed in next to Aiden, he almost lost it. The smell of his own fear filled his nose, and Dylan hated that he was being weak in front of all these people.

  “Claustrophobic?” one of the recruits asked.

  “Nah, he’s thinking about being locked up down here,” another said. “I can’t believe they’d even consider letting him be a warden.”

  “Hey!” Nichols snapped. “Shut your mouth.”

  Mr. Johnson must have given her a talk, because she went out of her way to prove she was on Dylan’s side.

  The doors opened up, and Dylan’s group joined the people who had gone down before them. “This is the deepest floor of the prison, containing our highest-risk prisoners.”

  The long white hallway practically buzzed with wards, symbols glowing all over the walls, floor, and ceiling. A guard sat at a desk in front of a door.

  The tour guide gestured toward it. “There are two doors between here and the cells. The cells themselves are heavily reinforced by both magical and mundane means.”

  “Has anyone broken out of here?” someone asked.

  “Of maximum security specifically?”

  The recruit nodded.

  The guide cleared his throat. “There have been over six hundred escape attempts from maximum security since the prison was built. Only two were successful.”

  Those were not good odds. Although Dylan really shouldn’t be thinking as if he’d end up here. Once he became a warden, he’d be sending people to this prison.

  “Due to safety restrictions, we won’t be going into the actual cellblock, but we wanted to show you the outer area at least.” The tour guide described some of the security measures that kept the highest-risk prisoners locked up. Each cell had wards tailored to the type of magic the prisoner used, and the protections were checked and refreshed on a regular basis.

  The most dangerous times were when the inmates were taken out: for exercise, showers, to have their cells cleaned. That was when many of the escape attempts were made.

  As the guide went on, Dylan couldn’t help thinking of how he would get out if he got locked up down here. Five floors underground. He’d be lucky if he got an hour of fresh air a day. With the wardens understaffed, the maximum-security inmates were only being let out for exercise once a week.

  “We’ll be out of here soon,” Aiden whispered. His friend didn’t look happy to be down here either.

  Dylan nodded, wishing the tour guide would shut up so they could leave.

  A blaring alarm almost made Dylan jump out of his skin. The recruits instinctively covered their ears. A robotic female voice repeated, “Security breach. Security breach.”

  Nichols pulled her gun. So did the guard behind the desk and the warden acting as their tour guide.

  The guard’s radio crackled. “Multiple people attacking the front gate. We need every available warden on the main floor.” The guard’s eyes widened. After a pause, the voice went on. “They’ve taken out one of the guard towers and blown open the gate. They’re charging the building. We need everyone here now—” The voice cut off with a burst of static.

  “Stay with them. I’m going up to help,” the tour guide said.

  Nichols looked like she was going to argue, but she glanced around at their group and nodded.

  “Who’s attacking?” someone asked.

  That’s what Dylan wanted to know. Who would break into a prison? Unless they were trying to break someone out?

  “Oh God.” Aiden’s voice shook.

  “Everyone, just stay calm,” Nichols said. “We’re in the most secure section of the building, so we’ll just sit tight until the other wardens get this under control.”

  The tour guide got into the elevator, lips pressing tight just before the doors closed.

  “They’re inside. Several guards are down.” It was hard to tell, but it sounded like a different voice on the radio now.

  “No reception.” Aiden had his phone out, staring at it helplessly. Of course they wouldn’t get a signal this far down.

  A third voice, high and panicked: “They have several dark fae with them. They’re ripping through the wards like they’re nothing. We need everyone over here now!”

  Dylan’s stomach dropped. Aiden looked at him with wide, terrified eyes. His friend’s heart pounded. Everyone’s heart was pounding, and the smell of fear filled the hall.

  Morgan, or at least his buddies. It seemed the fae hadn’t been lying when he said he planned to kill all the wardens. Lucky him, the extremists had already done much of the work for him.

  A few years ago Dylan would have been eager to rush into the fight, but facing opponents that overpowered him had taught him to be wary. One dark fae had almost killed him and Aiden, and there were several out there now.

  “Is Mor—” Aiden caught himself. “Are they coming to get us?”

  Dylan remembered what the dark fae they’d killed had said: “Others will come.”

  Had he meant come to Shadow Valley, or specifically to get Dylan and Aiden?

  “They’re coming to get whoever is down here,” one of the recruits said.

  Which made sense. If Morgan was after Dylan or Aiden, why not wait until they were out in the open?

  “Damn it, you’re right.” Nichols turned to t
he guard. “Open the doors. We should get the recruits into one of the empty cells and hope the dark fae don’t notice—”

  The elevator dinged.

  The doors slid open. A face Dylan still saw in his nightmares grinned at them.

  “Ah, a welcoming committee,” Morgan said.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  “Freeze!” Warden Nichols shouted.

  Aiden scrambled backward, hitting the wall. Nowhere to go.

  Morgan stepped out of the elevator, and Warden Nichols fired. Could bullets kill a dark fae? Morgan flinched with impact and then waved a hand. His magic was cold, like being lost in the woods in deep winter.

  The warden got off a second shot just before ice covered her gun and started crawling up her hand. Warden Nichols cried out and dropped her weapon.

  Morgan stepped forward with an annoyed expression, a palm pressed to his chest. Other people got off the elevator behind him. Some had skin in similar shades of purplish blue while others were bluish white, like they’d been frozen. Were they all dark fae?

  “Get down!” the guard shouted. She probably wouldn’t risk shooting with the recruits in the way.

  Aiden heard shuffling and assumed they were obeying. He didn’t dare take his eyes off Morgan. This is it. He’s going to kill us all. And then break out whoever he’d come for. Was there a dark fae locked up down here?

  One of the white-skinned people flung a spell, and the guard shouted. Aiden hoped she’d only been disarmed.

  “So annoying, these new human weapons,” Morgan said, taking his hand away from the hole in his chest.

  I can’t just stand here. Think, think! But panic made it hard to focus. Aiden tried to send his magic into the building, but it was built of concrete and steel, and he wasn’t able to bend it to his will.

  Dylan stepped in front of Aiden. “You’re not getting in here.” Fire surrounded his fists as he glared at Morgan. If Aiden didn’t know him so well, he might not have been able to see the signs of nervousness on Dylan’s face.

  Morgan held an arm out, signaling his companions to stay back. “Dragonkin, so good to see you again.” His gaze shifted, smile widening. “Aiden. What a treat to have you both here.”

  It was a nightmare come to life, and just like in a nightmare, Aiden couldn’t move. “Please don’t kill us.”

  The sensation of dark fae magic increased. Aiden tensed for a blow, throwing a shield around him and Dylan. Then he realized the dark fae were pressing their hands against the walls and floors, dispelling the wards.

  “Stop!” Nichols ran forward, growling. Aiden hadn’t known what kind of supernatural she was, but apparently she was some kind of werecreature.

  Morgan watched her with a mildly amused expression. When she slashed at him with her claws, Morgan caught her hand and lifted her like she weighed nothing. Dylan stepped outside the shield to throw a spell at him, but the dark fae blocked it, the orange light fizzling into nothing a few inches away. Morgan flung Nichols across the room, the other recruits crying out as she sailed past them. Aiden tried to catch her with a spell, but he wasn’t fast enough. With a loud thud, she slammed against the door leading to the cells and bounced off.

  With a shout of anger, Dylan sent fire streaking toward Morgan and the others. Morgan blocked, but one of the other fae cried out in pain. Morgan counterattacked, and Dylan raised a shield just before the spell hit. Magic exploded in a shower of sparks, and Aiden darted to the side as Dylan came flying at him. Dylan slammed into the wall with a grunt.

  Aiden recast the shield spell to cover both of them. When Dylan moved toward Morgan, Aiden grabbed Dylan’s arm, yanking him back. “No.” Aiden was afraid Morgan would kill him.

  “You think this will stop me?” Morgan stepped up so close Aiden could see the dark glimmer in his eyes. He put a hand on Aiden’s barrier and pushed.

  The force of his magic was overwhelming. Terrifying. Aiden tried to fight back, but it only lasted a few seconds. His shield popped. If he hadn’t already had his back against the wall, he would have fallen.

  Dylan lifted his hands. Morgan grinned.

  A spell crashed into Morgan and sent him stumbling. With a growl, he whipped around to find the source of the attack. Dylan took the opportunity to throw fire at him. Without even looking, Morgan flicked his fingers, and the flames spilled harmlessly against a barrier.

  Morgan moved down the hall, and another dark fae stepped up to face Dylan.

  Spells flew everywhere. The recruits tried to hold off the dark fae, but they kept advancing. Several recruits fell, and Aiden prayed they weren’t dead. Dylan hurled fire and other spells, hurting a few of the dark fae. But they kept coming.

  Aiden slid along the wall, getting closer to the door. Nowhere to run. Nothing to hide behind except the desk, and that was all but useless.

  “Enough playing.”

  Aiden knew that voice.

  “Time to get the rest of our people out.” It was Tiago’s dad. But that couldn’t be right.

  A swirling white spell slammed into Dylan, and he flew back to crush Aiden against the wall. Just as Aiden sucked in a desperate breath, ice surrounded them both. The world beyond their cold cocoon was blurry and muffled. He could just make out Morgan opening the door. Did he have a key? How had he gotten a key?

  “I’m getting us out.” The words echoed strangely, and he realized they were coming from Dylan, still squished up against him. Things started to get warm, and the sensation of dragon scales brushed against Aiden’s mind.

  The other dark fae headed through the door. Then two people with skin in a normal human shade of brown paused and came close to Aiden. Due to the ice, he couldn’t make out their faces until they were very close. His fears were confirmed as Tiago’s parents glared at him, only inches away.

  Aiden could fight them off, or Dylan. But not the way they were trapped and definitely not when it seemed Tiago’s parents were allied with the dark fae.

  Did that mean the extremists had joined up with Morgan? Oh God. That’s why they were here—to break out everyone who had been captured.

  “It’s the little faggot that corrupted our son.” The man’s eyes glowed gold, and he bared his sharp teeth.

  The words hurt, but the fear was worse. Tiago’s parents hated him, and Aiden was trapped.

  A deep growl filled the small space within the ice, and steam surrounded Aiden, uncomfortably hot.

  “Dylan—”

  “Almost out.” Dylan shifted, and a huge crack ran up the side of the cocoon.

  Maybe he should tell him to stop. They might be safer in here.

  Dylan shoved his hands forward. The cracks multiplied, then the ice around them shattered. Aiden ducked as much as he could, which amounted to cringing and lowering his head. Wet chunks of ice thudded against him.

  A dozen different types of magic filled his mind, no longer muted by the ice. The floor was littered with bodies and smears of blood. The sharp, metallic scent made Aiden’s stomach turn. There were also a few large pieces of ice, and Aiden suspected people were trapped inside.

  Dylan lifted his hands.

  “Wait—” Aiden didn’t want him to hit the recruits.

  Dylan unleashed the spell anyway. Tiago’s parents dodged, but the hallway was only about a dozen feet across, and there were bodies everywhere. Tiago’s mom slipped on one of the ice-covered people and just barely made it out of the way of the spell. The orange light hit Tiago’s dad, and he froze.

  Another alarm blared. “Warning. Maximum security breach. Warning. Maximum security breach.”

  Dylan threw a second paralyzing spell as Tiago’s mom lunged at him. The magic hit, immobilizing her.

  “You can’t stop us!” she shouted.

  Clarity settled over Aiden, and he gripped Dylan’s shoulder. “We have to stop them.”

  If Morgan let out the most dangerous prisoners, this would only get worse. The extremists would come after the wardens again, but this time they’d have dark fae helping
them. And then they’d come after everyone who opposed them. Aiden, Dylan… Tiago.

  “Yeah, I know.” Dylan looked at him, then turned toward the door.

  A few of the recruits were staggering to their feet. Thank God, not everyone was dead. One of them dropped near a chunk of ice, working a spell to free the person inside.

  “Can any of you still use magic?” Aiden asked.

  Someone on the ground shook her head, but four nodded, including the woman kneeling over the ice. “Okay. If we layer our shields, we might be able to hold them back. We just need to keep them in there until the other wardens arrive.” They were coming, weren’t they?

  Aiden shook his fear away and tried not to think about how easily Morgan had destroyed his shield.

  “The doors!” a man shouted. Both of the security doors were wide open.

  Aiden looked and wished he hadn’t. The hall was full of dark fae and escaped prisoners, and several were running toward him.

  The man rushed forward, probably to shut the far door. “No wait!” Aiden called.

  The man almost made it. A spell sent him flying, and Aiden hesitated for just a second, but that was all it took. The man hit Aiden hard enough to knock the wind out of him, and they both went down. Pain spiked through Aiden’s head as he hit the floor, and then everything went dark.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  “Aiden. Aiden!”

  His head throbbed, and his thoughts were foggy. Aiden opened his eyes and blinked up at Dylan.

  His friend let out a sigh. “You okay?”

  He ached in several places, the worst being his head. The pain led him to what had caused it, and he sat up, wincing. “What happened? Where are they?”

  Dylan frowned. “They’re gone.” He was sitting on the floor, cradling Aiden in his arms.

  Looking around, Aiden realized they weren’t in the hallway anymore. Other people were lying and sitting around them, hurt and bleeding. A few people tended to them with first aid kits. The area looked vaguely familiar, and the barred windows with darkness beyond made Aiden think they were back on the main floor of the prison.