Page 25

Wave Riding Season

Ultima: Rio

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N atasha is missing . I had no idea she was gonna go off the deep end like that.

But it’s my price to pay, I failed to get her under control. That leaves me sitting in front of a disapproving Master Cedric. Again.

This time, he invades MY office.

I offer him my desk so many times I can’t even remember my last name. He looks odd sitting in the egg pod chair, but he makes it work and crosses his legs. I offer my puzzle cube and surprisingly he accepts that.

“You’re off dispatch duty,” he says simply, focused on the puzzle cube. “Your judgment is abysmal, and I don’t trust you. Focus on performance reviews and training.”

“A-And Natasha?”

“I’ll hunt her down myself,” he sighs. “Master Azul described her behavior as erratic and almost as if she’s going Berserk. I can only imagine she could’ve run home, but I honestly don’t know.”

“Sir, admittedly I’ve been distracted lately. I was wrong to take on Mildred’s repeated advances, but I’ve since shut her down and now I feel like my mom and Lynn paid the price for that with Alice. The scarlet A.”

Cedric lowered the puzzle cube, smirking. “Are you sure that’s the truth?”

Who else could it be? Mildred would never harm a monarch... not literally, at least.

My phone buzzes, but I stare at the unknown number and lie it face down until it stops. The desk phone rings next with the same unknown caller ID, so I ignore that too.

“If... if I can just nab Alice, retrieve the missing girl for Mildred, then at least I can wipe my hands clean of the wrong I’ve done toward Ultima,” I mumble, swiveling my chair. Alice must be the key to this mental puzzle.

Master Cedric’s cell phone rings, but he makes no effort to reach in his pocket for it. He keeps his eyes on me, glaring and waiting for me to say the wrong thing so his jaws can snap around my neck.

My cell rings again, so Cedric tosses my puzzle cube to me. I’m so nervous that I’m nowhere near catching it and it breaks when it hits my desk.

“Take the call, I’m sure it’s your friend.” He shoves his hands in his pockets and leaves.

I frown, answering my phone. “Hello?”

“Rio Shackler,” Mildred says. Her voice is hard to decipher. “My thoughts have been occupied with you. You weren’t answering my calls. Are you and your mother well?”

I swallow, but my lump gets caught and I lose my breath.

“She’s fine.” I cough and clear my throat.

Mildred is quiet for a moment. “That’s... music to my ears. We’re coping with our own issue with the uh... strong-willed Alice tearing up a portion of the island. We’re so blessed it’s nowhere near Central Square, so Wave Riding Season will continue.”

“I’ll be at Wave Riding Season,” I tell her. “I think a lot of issues will be resolved once I have Alice in custody.”

Mildred hums softly. “Mmm. Do not fret. I’m advocating for her arrest to King Remington. I firmly believe we can handle this, along with my little girl’s whereabouts which I’m certain Alice knows. Do be careful at Wave Riding Season. I heard this year’s tides will be a little rough.”

C lyde is finally out of the infirmary and much more pleasant than before. I accompany him to the store to pick up a few things for his room he shares with Drake. Wave Riding Season starts today.

I push the buggy while he tosses in essential items and goes to the next aisle. He fixates on the bottles of shampoo and can’t decide if he wants cedarwood or strawberry scented. I notice the ads for Wave Riding Season and see a few kids running around with toy dragons making whooshing noises.

“I can’t believe I missed Natasha getting brainwashed and losing her mind,” Clyde mumbles, not taking his eyes off the bottles.

“It was very eventful,” I reply bleakly.

We move to another aisle, shelves, and shelves of candy before us. Clyde takes his time browsing before grabbing chocolate and flavored hard candy.

“Drake told me about everything I missed, and ‘wow’ is all I’ve got, sir,” he declares. His lips set into a hard line as he finally meets my eyes. “He seems to think Elite isn’t doing anything, but you already know how I feel about those scums.”

I grip the buggy handle and grind my teeth.

“How do we explain the letter A carving in people’s hands? The letter A, for Superior’s sake, Clyde!” I whisper loudly. “Mildred said they’ll take care of her, but I need to see this through to the end.”

Clyde’s stringy black hair flops to the side, covering some of his forehead. “Do you have doubts too, sir? You need an excuse to hate that Elite chick.”

Mildred. A faint whisper slithers in my ears, but I dispel the thought. I’ve helped her as best as I could. It can’t be her.

I push the buggy, forcing him to move out of the way and finish shopping without saying a word. He grabs a box of cereal and mercilessly tosses it in with the rest of the items he grabs. The last thing he picks up is a new toothbrush and then goes to the checkout to pay. I wait but start tapping my foot and drumming my fingers on the buggy handle.

The drive back to the base is quiet and awkward. Clyde stares at his phone, doom scrolling through his missed calls and messages while I whistle to maintain my sanity. I want to say something, but I can’t recover from him calling my bluff of uncertainty.

“Maybe... maybe you’re right,” I admit, turning into Ultima’s parking lot. “Maybe I’m scared and just want to keep everyone safe, especially after what happened to Lynn.”

“Fair enough, but I’ve been hearing whispers. People are questioning why you haven’t brought new members. We barely do auditions because we count on you.”

My temples pulse from the very idea of brainwashing another victim. It doesn’t feel all that great to me now after Natasha’s change. I promised these people during my interview to double the rate of recruits, especially with my powers. How—why would I say such an absurd thing when I can’t mentally handle it after two years?

Clyde unbuckles his seatbelt and opens the door.

“I don’t wanna do this anymore,” I whisper, fiddling with the keys on my lap. Clyde hangs one leg out of the car and stares at me. “I just want my mom to be safe.”

“She’s fine, sir. It sounds like Elite reacted quickly to the distress call on Topaz, as much as I hate to admit it.”

My skull just throbs thickly in a dull ache. I scramble out of the car and let the air hit my clammy face. It’s far from fresh but I don’t feel like my throat is closing in on me anymore. I pace around the parking lot with Clyde leaning against the company car, watching me. My stomach squeezes as a creeping revulsion persists.

“Sir, name five things you see right now,” Clyde calls to me.

My chest heaves as I kneel to the ground, trying to collect my thoughts.

“Um... uh... th-the ground, the car, you, and um—sky and b-building.”

“Four things you can touch.”

I reach for the ground, the hot pavement against my palm. Clyde nods when I stand up and touch my Ultima jacket. The fabric’s texture rolls off my fingers. I move over to the pin that’s transfixed into the jacket and note the warmth of the metal it’s made from. My hair droops to my face, so I reach to comb my fingers through to slick it back. My hand is steady; my breathing is softer.

I wait for Clyde’s next prompt, but he walks over instead and gives me a massive hug I’m engulfed in. I squeeze him back, taking in the support he’s trying to give but I’ve been too stubborn to accept. I feel awful that it took Cedric to mutilate Clyde’s mind for him to even be this pleasant, but man am I grateful for it right now.

“Sir, this job is tough. We’re young, and I can only imagine what it’s like being Commander under Cedric’s supervision,” Clyde muffles in my shoulder.

“Will you leave after what happened to you?” I ask.

“N-No, but I’ll be on my best behavior from now on, sir.”

I recall my first week in Ultima and meeting various members with different bits of info. Drake and Clyde came up to me with straight faces and said to not mess with Cedric. The reason the previous Commander left was because she became too ill to work.

Cedric’s power to temporarily demolish one’s psyche did a number on my predecessor. It ruined her. I guess no one ever talks about the experience, but I’ve heard his ability is to invoke a milder version of Berserk.

There’s a long line of former Commanders he’s done this to, and luckily, I haven’t been down the spiral of pain to their level. If I don’t shape up soon, I’m sure I’ll be next.

“Thanks, Clyde. I appreciate it.” I look at him with ease, but also with low-level suspicion of Mildred’s existence dripping in the back corners of my brain.

I grab a few bags to help him take to his room before we part ways. He still looks worried, but this isn’t his problem. Logically, what he said makes sense, but somehow, Alice is still involved in this whole thing.

People chatter in the halls about Wave Riding Season starting, and the volume in the cafeteria spikes to bass blaring heights as members’ shoes squeak and squeal past my office to join others. It’s not even lunch or dinner time, but everyone likes gathering in the cafeteria instead of the rec room. There’s just something about sitting on the benches and tables while craning necks happily break to see the screen that people love.

I visit Lynn in the infirmary, who is sitting upright in her bed watching the event live from her phone. The nurses hesitate outside her curtain with worried glances. Lynn is not thankful for their help. Instead, she screeches and throws pillows at them. She wants to heal faster. She wants to play again. She wants to stop hurting.

Bypassing the nurses, I slip into the room and plop next to her in the plastic rickety chair. Lynn slowly turns to me and pats a spot on her bed for me to sit and adjusts herself to share her phone with me. On the screen, a tall figure approaching the screaming and waving crowd is zoomed in on by the cameramen. The guy has a graceful aura—divine and arresting. His cerulean eyes hold a gentle gaze, and his chestnut brown hair is swept back in a low fade.

My eyes widen. “Holy Superior is that—”

“Water Superior Wyatt,” Lynn whispers. “He is here. ON ZEALA. And I am missing it!”

Wyatt greets everyone in his vibrant blue robe with gold stitching, and silver designs. Despite his attire, he looks deceptively normal. He comes down often, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Superior up close. I can’t believe this guy has the ultimate power of water.

Lynn passes her phone to me and swings her legs over the edge of the bed.

I begin to protest. “No, Lynn.”

“I am going to this event; nothing will stop me,” she says. Her determination radiates in her eyes. She’ll probably hypnotize me once she gets ahold of her violin.

Wait ...

The violin case leans against the wall, so I grab it before she’s completely standing up. Amazing that this withstood the fire she fell victim to.

She gives a warning glare. Most of her skin except her face is devoured by the bandages. She’s had a lot of skin treatments done, but she still has a soft hue of shiny pink from the burns. Her face healed first, as this was a priority before the rest of her body.

“Give me the case,” she demands.

“You’re in no condition to be moving.”

“Commander, please. This has been my lifelong dream. He is my Superior!”

I consider the idea and then come up with a compromise. “Okay, I’ll take you there. But the violin stays here.”

She hesitates. “...Rio—”

Derrick busts through the curtain. “OH MY GOSH THE WHOLE GANG IS BACK!” he roars with Eric jumping up and down and squealing. “Um, Lynn why are you standing? You should be resting.”

I ignore them and stare at Lynn. “The violin stays here.”

“Okay. Deal.”

An older nurse frantically shoves himself into the small space, huffing and surveying all of us. “Mr. Shackler, surely it’s not safe for her to travel.”

“I know, but I’ll take responsibility,” I reassure him. The nurse still seems hesitant, but nods and hurries out to check on another member hacking up a lung next door. The twins wag their brows with sly smirks. Derrick wears black denim skinny jeans and a blue hoodie with the Sapphire Island insignia on the back. Eric’s hair is curly and dripping wet on his faded-tan shirt and gray cargo shorts.

“Is this an outing?” he asks.

“This is totally an outing,” Derrick confirms.

Lynn grunts and scrunches her face.

If Mildred is there and something bad happens, I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to keep my teammates safe. I just want to capture Alice before Mildred does.

Derrick brushes what’s left of Lynn’s loose hair back into her high ponytail. She’s still in a gown but Eric gives her a jacket and sandals to slip into. Every movement makes her wince, but she pushes herself while holding onto them.

We take a cab to the station and board the train. The twins gush about seeing so many dragons up close and buying drinks later while Lynn absently opens and closes her fists and bites her lower lip. She’ll finally meet her Superior, the deity who Traced her and gifted her powers. My envy shows.

I’ve been wondering why my Superior Traced me. Heck, who Traced me? Why would someone take everything I’ve ever wanted away from me, and turn me into their puppet? Or worse, why would they turn me into a monster?

Five minutes is never enough time to reflect on the pain I’ve endured and inflicted, so when the twins spring to their feet before the train even stops, my heart plummets.

Stepping outside, Garnet Island functions as if they didn’t experience trauma from a section of their island getting shredded. The people parading through the streets wave their mini Garnet flags. Coffee shops are slammed with patrons buying tea. The tourist shop is overflowing with people trying to buy flags and dragon plushies. Derrick immediately trots into the shop, disappearing right into the crowd. Eric groans but keeps his grip on Lynn who squints from the sun. Her skin shines with pink discolored blisters on her face.

“Leave him,” she snarls. “We need to get to Central Square.”

“I’m fine with that,” Eric chirps.

As we’re walking, some streets are blocked off, but I realize why. We’re near the area of Alice’s destruction. Guards are posted so people don’t cut through. On one of the streets, a man steps out of his house and walks to his car out of habit but stops. The street is broken and unsafe to drive on. He shakes his head and grumbles to himself. At another house, a teen spins the wheel of her bicycle that’s sticking out of rubble.

Traffic is also clogged because of the event and the closed-off streets. It’ll be better to go on foot. Lynn doesn’t object even though it’ll wear on her body and its recovery. I’d hate to bolt us there because most know me for lightning and Ultima, so it’ll look like I’m up to no good. Honestly, anytime a Spirit User uses their power for their own safe convenience—like getting from one area to another—it looks suspicious to everyone.

Screw it. I can’t have Lynn walking.

“If Eric transforms, would you be willing to sit on his back?” I ask her. She shrugs and looks at Eric who nods eagerly before literally shimmying right into his lizard form.

Pedestrians gasp and pick up their speed to get away from us, but that’s the most reaction we get. It’s good because we can continue enforcing a new norm. I hate that people pretend we don’t exist and have these powers we want to use safely.

So, here we are, heading to our destination—me walking beside a giant purple and green lizard with a young lady riding his back. When we reach the long, crowded stone bridge over the canal, Central Square comes into view.

“I used to come here with my dad,” Lynn says.

I smile. “I’ve always walked by but never crossed it.”

Eric stops once we’ve reached the edge of the bridge. I help Lynn carefully climb off so Eric can shift back. Central Square is beautiful in person. It’s twenty-five acres of cobblestone stretched before me with wire and wooden benches scattered and accompanied with rose shrubs. This round gathering space has small buildings curved around the edges except for the middle where the edge of the island lies. Several docks are installed to fill the negative space which is heavily guarded by Guards.

Eric points to a cluster of leashed dragons standing off to the side near the docks. Only a few people are with them, so not a great turnout.

“What’s that? Like five dragons this year?” Eric asks. “This whole area used to be swarmed with twenty of them!”

Mass gatherings of people stand by the large marble fountain, spouting water from the mouth of the dragon statue in the center. There has to be at least 800 people, including the vendors with their products lined up on the opposite side of where the dragons are waiting with their riders.

Between where the docks are and the vendors, Water Superior Wyatt stands out in the open, smiling gleefully and blowing kisses. Lynn’s jaw drops before she freezes.

“Oh my—him,” she croaks.

“Go,” Eric encourages while holding his phone. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! I’ll hang back here and text Derrick.”

Lynn links her arm with mine though it’s slightly elevated because I’m taller than her. We walk gently over to the supreme being rubbing his palms. In between smiles, wrinkles of worry creep around his mouth for a split second before he turns to wave at someone else.

We bow to him with ease, but I feel Lynn’s tremors. Wyatt nods in acknowledgement and then locks eyes with Lynn, losing his smile.

“Lynn Wu,” he says. His voice causes a violent shudder to quake through Lynn. He sounds majestic, with an ethereal layer added to his voice.

Lynn nods eagerly, beaming extra hard. Wyatt smiles back sincerely.

“It is truly... a pleasure to meet you. You’re an amazing violinist,” he intones. “May I?” Lynn nods again, prompting him to grab and kiss her hand. He doesn’t even acknowledge her bandages.

“It is.... sooo great to finally meet you!” Lynn squeals. Honestly, if I was her, I’d take this moment to question my Superior on EVERYTHING.

Wyatt bows down to Lynn. “May you make a painless recovery, my dear.”

Lynn inhales sharply, cheeks puffing as if ready to unleash another squeal.

He locks eyes with me next but doesn’t say anything. I bow and he returns the gesture. His lips part, as if wanting to say something, but ultimately he doesn’t.

A flock of kids come up to Wyatt with books, asking for signatures. Wyatt kindly accepts and signs the pages with a pen that materializes in his hand from conjured water. Lynn is so entranced by his actions that I’m not sure if we’ll be able to get her back to Onyx Island to rest.

I pull her aside as more people approach Wyatt. She’s trembling and cheesing wide as we walk back toward Eric who has cotton candy. I survey the pumped crowd carefully, noticing a few posted Elite members but not Alice. People with painted faces roar with enthusiasm. Others wear dragon costumes and blast music from their portable speakers, while others are keeping it simple with flags. The hot aroma of tea wafts through the air as people pass around biodegradable cups, tea bags, and hot water.

Before we reach Eric, spectators continue to cross in my path, but one in particular catches my attention. With black pants and a navy jacket, the stranger tugs his hat flap down, casting a shadow over his eyes. He smirks as he walks by, his hand visible for me to catch the scarlet A under his knuckles.

It happens so fast that I don’t have another second to react, and I lose the guy in the blended crowd. I look around frantically while still holding onto Lynn. Eric frowns when we finally reach him.

“Everything okay, dude?” he asks.

“Has anyone seen Mildred?” I wonder aloud, still distracted and trying to find the suspicious guy. Lynn slides her arm away from our locked position and waddles over to lean against the bridge wall with Eric.

“No. Though I would not be of much help because Wyatt is here,” she says.

Eric inhales the rest of the cotton candy that’s the size of his head. “What’s going on?”

“S-Something... is off,” I murmur.

The host gathers the participants and dragons toward the docks with a microphone. Just right next to the first dock is an eight-foot-high podium the host climbs a ladder to get on. He wears a brilliant lime green suit with white dress shoes and peacock feathers adorned to his head.

“Hello wonderful people of Garnet and lovely visitors of Zeala!” he screams. Everyone goes wild and the flag holders are waving them furiously now. “My name is Roon! I come from the official estate of King Remington, so I’m pleased to share that I’ll be hosting this year’s annual WAVE RIDING SEASON!”

The roar is so deafening that Lynn covers her ears and squints. Eric makes a face while looking around. Confetti explodes but it’s useless when the wind picks up and carries it right into the canal.

All the news stations are present to cover the event. Local shops bring their carts to sell things ranging from produce to fine crafts. The same people who painted their faces are challenging each other to chug their scalding hot tea.

Roon chuckles and looks around impishly, cradling the microphone.

“I know this has been a tough year but I’m glad to see you all come together for these beautiful dragons. Aren’t they just lovely? We don’t have many this year, but we have a special guest visit from the Water Superior himself, Wyatt!”

Wyatt bashfully waves at everyone and nods, but he still looks timorous and preoccupied.

“As you know, Wyatt is here to kick off the season and manage the rough waters and create challenges for dragon riders to soar through. Usually, we have more participants and never enough docks so we stretch this event out for a week, but we have five so we may wrap this all up in a few days. I appreciate your efforts and spirits that are keeping us Zeala strong!”

“... doesn’t feel right,” a voice mumbles as another group of people walk off the bridge. My eyes immediately latch onto Alice’s side profile and look at the person who was talking. I believe Lynn said her name is Rachel—the danger detector.

“That’s why we’re here,” Alice replies. Billie is next to her. None of them are in uniform, so I’m curious as to what Rachel may be sensing.

“Thank goodness they didn’t notice us,” Eric sighs while dramatically fanning himself. “Also, there’s a ton of body heat and hot breath but not enough wind to settle down this fever. Someone PLEASE remind me why we drink hot tea at a summer event!”

“Shut. Up,” Lynn mutters. Back to her normal self again, I see.

“Drinking tea brings good luck to the dragons and riders because you’re warming up your belly the way the inside of a dragon’s belly is warm with whatever element is brewing in there,” I reply absently.

The off-duty Elite group stoically meanders around Central Square, even though they have members on duty to do this. Unless Alice is playing a part in a bigger scheme that’s about to occur. Maybe her own teammates don’t even know—

C’mon, man. Get a grip. This is such a reach.

Someone passes Eric brewed tea that smells of apples before hurrying off. Lynn declines a different person’s offered cup while I do the same. Eric shrugs and chugs his tea in a matter of seconds, unleashing a wet belch.

I stare in horror. “Is your throat okay?”

Eric winks with a chortle. “I’m just built different.”

“That explains why you are so stupid, then.” Lynn rolls her eyes.

Eric makes a face, but I turn my attention back to the Elite group. Alice looks pleased to be here, but also a little wary. I’ve watched the news carefully since the incident.

Although everyone knows Alice caused the destruction, she was talked about minimally on the news. Remington spoke well of her, but that won’t be enough to salvage her reputation. Some families are in hotels because their homes were destroyed. A few citizens have permanent physical damage because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Petitions have surfaced online to pressure Elite to fire Alice. The biggest one has over 10,000 signatures. Eventually, King Remington won’t be able to ignore the noise. The disgusted faces are evident.

Alice is so far ahead that I barely see her head floating in the sea of people every time she turns. Shoulders block my view, or someone sitting on a person’s shoulders. I notice Master Azul amongst the crowd, but further from Alice’s group. Eric is taking selfies while doing the duck-lips with Lynn who protests at first but changes her mind with a tamed smile.

“This is cute, I’m sending this to D-bag, pronto!” he gushes.

“D... bag? Are you referring to Derrick? Like, Derrick-bag?” Lynn asks.

Eric scoffs. “No, like a dirtbag, because he is one.”

Roon wraps up his heartfelt speech, but I catch someone in a black hoodie with their hood up while keeping their head down. Their hands are hidden in their pockets, but the devious smirk is there, something is going to happen.

“Where’s King Remington? Where’s Mildred?” I should try to grab Alice now. These people might be here undercover to arrest her while Mildred waits at a different location. I still need answers; they can’t take her yet.

“I hope everyone has tea ready! Let the riders mount their companions!” Roon announces. The five participants stroll over to the docks while holding their dragon’s leash. The young adult ones are five times taller than me, and who knows how much wider. Each rider takes off the leash and climb their dragon’s back to settle into the strapped leather. My throat squeezes and vibrates but it’s not the nerves of riding one of them.

Sweat builds on my forehead as I try to focus on my breathing, but the uneasiness is bubbling in my stomach. I think... I need to do something.

Wyatt gestures his hands with such grace, conjuring up a wall of water in the ocean ten feet from the docks, while Roon counts down, waving a mini Garnet flag. “Three. Two. One! RIDE!”

The dragons jet off, each diving through the wall of water Wyatt made that falls apart and splashes back in the ocean once they’ve all passed it. The audience applause, cheer, and whistle as the riders zip around the perimeter of the island. Wyatt watches with occasional hand movements to create water snakes to chase the dragons. People disperse and check out the vendors or take pictures in front of the fountain.

Alice and her group drift to far corners of Central Square, surveying the area and concentrating on everyone in attendance. I give Eric and Lynn and look before melting into the crowd, weaving through to get closer to Alice standing by a fruit stand. A sparkly pink dragon with jagged yellow razor teeth returns to the dock which warrants applause as the creature wiggles off droplets of water and turns around to take off again. Wyatt smiles and makes a sweeping gesture with his arms, moving his whole body in sync to his own rhythm. The ocean waves dance angrily over each other until it builds a tsunami, ready for combat with the one dragon as the target.

As I sift through the crowd, the stationed Guards slowly move with their gripped guns. It’s the moment I catch a Guard talking to a hooded person that I realize the danger is coming fast. Something sends Rachel weaving through from her inspected area toward Alice in a hurry. I pick up my pace and excuse myself through more bodies, but she seems so far away.

I reach my arm out, hoping it’ll guide me right through the last wave of bystanders standing in my way. Just a few more people to get through.

“Alice!”

She turns in my direction when a gunshot fires and a delayed uproar of screams fill the cheery relief from moments ago. I’m knocked down by a fallen group of people who didn’t stand a chance against the sudden stampede. Sobs, shrieks, and shouts saturate Central Square into this horrific energy as more shots are fired, but I can’t see where or who with everyone trampling me stuck under five other people.

My body tenses. I need to move. I shift into lightning and bolt briefly into the sky in one giant arc and plant myself where Lynn is left standing.

“Where’s Eric?” I shout.

“He went in looking for you!” Lynn replies.

The dragons return to the dock, so I bolt in the sky and hover for a moment to get a better view of what’s occurring. Everyone running in multiple directions isn’t helping. People falling over, knocking carts out of the way, and pushing their way to the bridge is most of what’s happening. The view of the five dragons mounted bravely on their docks catches my attention when a swarm of Guards aiming at them emerges from the crowd in a uniformed horizontal line.

Wyatt points to the line and curls his finger back, causing a heaping flood of water to rise over Central Square and knock the Guards off their feet.

I find Alice in the chaos, kneeling over people in her purple bubble and waving her glowing hand on their wounds, before moving on to the next person. She goes through several people when a Guard creeps up behind her.

I fall to my feet next to Lynn covering her ears. She needs to get back before someone knocks her over.

Roon has disappeared and is nowhere to be found. Wyatt finds a few more Guards in his path and simply waves his hand at them, encasing them in a column of water before moving on to help people get to their feet. Alice swings her dagger at a Guard until she slashes her face and kicks her rifle out of her hands. Billie is in snake mode, waiting to make eye contact with other Guards and looking down when a bystander runs by. It looks tricky.

The five dragons roar with their owners and take flight, hovering above the fountain. They spread their butterfly-designed wings out, so the tips touch each other. Once the last dragon is connected, a barrier column forms under them, around the center section of Central Square where the fountain is and where several dozen innocent people cower toward. Corrupt Guards fire at the barrier, and then at the dragons but everyone is protected while others who didn’t make it in are shrieking and running away entirely by taking the bridge.

I grab Lynn’s hand and bolt us over the stampede that’s squeezing onto the bridge and a few blocks away from Central Square. We hide in an alley as the mangled screams and shooting continue. Lynn pants heavily with a tremble, her eyes widen in distress and mouth quivering to form words.

“The... th-the twins,” she gasps.

“I’ll text Derrick to ping your location and I’ll find Eric. Everything will be okay,” I reassure her, but I can’t hide my own tremors. “Just stay here.”

I send a distress signal to Derrick and share the exact location before sprinting out of the alley and right into a growing crowd of panicked people. It’s going to be impossible to find Eric in this. Everyone is running in multiple directions, falling, and trampling on top of each other. The sky hasn’t changed, so the dragons must be okay.

I bolt back to the beginning of the bridge over the canal and find a lizard form of Eric hissing and scaring people from trying to go back to Central Square. The five dragons soar through the sky with their owners, doing their best to guide the moving crowds to safety. Eric shifts back to human and hugs me briefly.

“Lynn is okay?” he asks.

“Yes, c’mon!” I grab his hand and bolt him to the alley. Thankfully, Derrick is there holding onto her and lights up like a firework when he sees us. The twins embrace, with Lynn sandwiched between them. She wraps her arms around their waists with a few tears trickling from the corners of her eyes.

“You idiots,” she muffles with a smile.

“You guys need to get back to the base before the trains start to flood. People are scared and will try to get off the island immediately,” I warn them.

Derrick carefully wipes his eyes. “And you?”

“I have to find Alice,” I admit, tiredly.

“It’s not worth it, boss. I saw what was happening.” Eric’s eyes strangle me. “Th-the Guards are targeting us—Spirit Users! Please, don’t go back there.”

I sigh. “I’ll be fine. Alice can help me end all of this. At least I think she can—I dunno. I just... I need her.”

“End what exactly? Your paranoia? Your guilt?” Lynn questions. “Whatever this is for, Commander, make sure it is for the right reasons. Be the good guy you strive to be.”

“I’m hoping to know what’s right by the time I find her. Now go!” I order.

My three teammates nod before hobbling down the alley while I turn back the other way and reenter the chaos.