Page 30 of The Tracker's Dawn: Sunderverse

When I made it to the front of the crowd, I was met by a line of cop cars and a police barrier. A line of officers stood behind it, facing the crowd, making sure no one snuck past. And even more police officers stood behind them, focusing their attention on the school.

My eyes roved around desperately as I tried to figure out a way to get by unnoticed. I needed to get in there. I needed to save my sister.

“Shit!” Eric grumbled behind me.

I turned to Damien. “Any way you can get us by?”

He shook his head, his copper eyes flickering about. “There are alarm spells in place already,” he said. “Mage cops act quickly.”

“Dammit!”

“Toni, look,” Rosalina pulled on my sleeve and pointed toward the right. “It’s Tom.”

I followed her finger’s trajectory and spotted Tom Freeman standing behind the open door of an unmarked sedan. He stood with his hands at his waist, a deep frown on his forehead as he stared fixedly at the school. He was with his partner, whose name I couldn’t remember. Maybe he would let me go in there to get my sister. Fat chance, I knew, but, at the least, he might explain the situation.

Scooting past a group of concerned parents, I sidled my way in Tom’s direction and called for him when I got close. His dark eyes searched the crowd. I waved desperately until he spotted me. He said something to his partner and peeled away.

“Toni!” He grabbed my hand as I reached out for him, standing on the other side of the barrier.

“What’s happening?” I asked.

He did a quick assessment of me and my companions. He blinked when he caught sight of Damien. “Weren’t you... dead?”

“It’s a long story,” the mage said. “I still owe the authorities a visit to set the record straight. But that’s a matter for another day.”

Tom shook his head and returned his attention to me. “Lucia is here?” he asked, realizing immediately why I was here.

I nodded.

“I was afraid of that.” He let out a frustrated exhale.

“What’s happening?” I asked again, my tone insistent.

“We haven’t heard much. Some of the kids are texting their parents.” He pointed toward a group of cops surrounding a few civilians, which I assumed were the parents in question. “They’re huddled up in their classrooms, in their safe spaces. They’re reporting growls and shouts and crashing sounds. One of them went silent and hasn’t texted again. We’re about to send a team in. They’re ready. SWAT, a mix of highly trained Stales and Skews. They’ll get them out all right.”

“How many?” Jake asked behind me. “How many hybrids?”

“Hybrids?” Tom asked. “Like those monsters we found dead in front of your agency last night. What was that all about?!”

Oh, shit!I didn’t want to think how many fucking red flags were tacked over my name. But we had no time to discuss that.

“Tom, listen to me,” I said, looking deep into his eyes so he didn’t miss the importance of what I was about to say. “I don’t care how highly trained those people are. They’ve never dealt with what they’re about to encounter. You have to warn them.”

A million questions flashed behind Tom’s sage eyes. No doubt he was remembering what I’d told him about the strangecreaturethat had killed Damien’s daughter.

He shook his head. “It’s too late to stop it.”

Just as he finished saying this, a barrage of shots began within the school.