Page 6

Jack

I stepped out of a convenience store and began stuffing granola bars in my pockets as I hurried down the sidewalk.

“Watch it,” a man grumbled, knocking into my shoulder as he barreled past.

I shifted sideways, ignoring the tension coiling in my shoulders, and slid the final two granola bars in my pockets.

I had more important things to worry about today than brawling with someone over cramped sidewalk space.

A horn blared, and I jumped out of the way as a cab sped through a red light, nearly taking out everyone crossing.

For as long as I’d lived in New York City, it had been a tempest of boiling tempers and cultural incongruities, but when the fairy realm collided with ours and creatures from another world took over Central Park—creating pocket entrances between our two worlds and erecting fairy houses—the underlying friction had erupted into all-out hostility.

While the fairies intrigued and even enchanted some of us, the vast majority of humankind had let their fear of the unknown settle deep into their bones.

Now, the dissidence in the air was so thick, on some days, like today, it was hard to breathe.

Our city was alive with roiling anger and panic; a tinderbox ready to ignite at the slightest provocation.

Turning off one-hundred and eleventh, I cut through the park, and slipped into the alley, scanning the dark before reaching in my back pocket to pull out a wrench.

Tipping my head back, I scanned the dingy brick facade of the Anti Fae Faction’s side entrance for any signs of life.

All the windows in the narrow alley were dark, most of the curtains pulled tight to hide the illicit activities that took place inside.

Across from the eight-story apartment building the AFF had confiscated through squatter’s rights when all the people surrounding Central Park evacuated, was a derelict building only used by Xcess junkies and the occasional drug lord. No one ever stayed long.

That my mom had survived nearly a year was unheard of. Anger twisted in my gut as I ran my gaze over the empty building.

Seeing no signs of life, I pried the massive bolts securing the secret entrance to Dane’s compound loose, and set the bar silently against the wall.

With Dane and his men occupied by the riots, it was my chance to time an evacuation.

The warehouse wasn’t quite ready yet, and I wanted at least one practice run before we put the fairies' lives in danger with the actual event.

I traced the path I’d take between the side entrance and our makeshift recovery center twenty-two times, checking my phone several times. It was half the number of prisoners being held here and based on their injuries, I’d planned to take two at a time.

It was less than five blocks each way and on my last trip between the two buildings, I checked my phone.

Sixty-nine minutes. Better than last time, but unless Dane was attempting something ostentatious like tonight, I needed to drop it to under an hour.

Getting some out wasn’t good enough. I had to rescue them all.

Although I wasn’t ready to spring them just yet, I couldn’t leave them with nothing and I had a little time left. Dane had gone all out tonight.

On light feet, I moved down the narrow stairs—once used to receive packages and goods—into the inky cellar where Dane’s magical prisoners were now held.

Running a hand over rough brick, I relied on the smell and the press of their strange presence to guide me as I descended.

A board creaked underfoot, and I winced, but after a moment, when I heard no one coming to investigate, continued on my path.

I inhaled a shallow breath as I reached the bottom step.

No matter how often I came here, I would never be used to the scent of burning flesh and creatures forced to live in their own filth.

In the near dark, my gaze roved over the dozens upon dozens of cages of all sizes, tossed haphazardly against one another, housing Dane’s prisoners .

Heat swam in my veins. What gave him the right to incarcerate others?

I supposed it was the blatant apathy of the general population who turned a blind eye to all he did. Who cheered him on to continue.

A steady drip of some unknown liquid was the only sound in the dim room.

The creatures were deathly still, although I knew they weren’t dead.

Their shadowy outlines stood like statues and only their otherworldliness permeating the space—barely contained within the dingy walls of this dark basement—told me they were still with us.

I scanned the wall opposite mine where an empty folding table and plastic chairs sat.

Jim, Oliver and Brian were out, as I’d known they would be.

Dane only trusted a select few with guarding the prisoners—even knowing about them—and I’d seen all three at the riot.

His trusted trio were likely rounding up the latest batch of prisoners to be brought here.

To add to the already dizzying number of creatures he had captured these many months.

Pushing down the simmering anger, I approached the cage closest to the bottom of the stairs.

They seemed to sense my moods, and I didn’t want to agitate them any more by bringing my rage with me.

Black shining eyes met mine and something like a smile crept onto the treelike creature’s face.

She couldn’t eat the granola bars, but my presence seemed to cheer her.

“Jack,” a fairy whispered, and another repeated my name.

Soon they were all shuffling in their cages to face me.

I grimaced. There were so many compared with the last time I visited, and the food I brought wasn’t enough.

It also put a dent in my plan. Unless I came up with a plan to carry three at a time, I’d need a bigger window of time to evacuate.

That or convince Leo, my best friend, to take a more active role in my plan.

A satyr who hadn’t been here two nights ago slid her tufted hand through the bars, careful to avoid touching them, and I handed her a stack of granola bars. She passed them to those closest to her.

An enormous creature with skin charred all along his back didn’t acknowledge me when I approached.

My stomach threatened to heave as I took in the sight of all his terrible burns.

He was new. Probably brought in earlier today to ensure their plan went off without a hitch.

Dane enjoyed stacking the deck in his favor before he executed a mission.

It was what made him an effective leader.

My jaw locked as I crouched beside the cage. Soon. Soon I would put an end to all of this.

“Hey,” I whispered. “I know you don’t know me and you probably don’t trust humans, but I want to help.” I held out the bar, but he continued to ignore me. Iron burned into his already blackened skin, sizzling. “I’ll leave it here. Don’t let the guards see it. They’ll punish you.”

I moved to the darkest corner of the room at the very back, trying hard to ignore the crumpled form of the creature I’d spent more than a month convincing to trust me enough to take what little I could offer, and held two strawberry oat bars out.

Cool, scaled skin brushed my palm as a nymph snatched the food from my hand and moved deeper into the shadows and away from me.

They didn’t eat meat, which I’d learned the hard way when I’d tried to bring down food from the kitchens, but the ones with scales would eat fish and fruit.

I hoped the strawberry bars would be close enough.

“Give me your wrappers,” I whispered, holding my hand out.

The wrapper crackled loudly, and a ball of plastic hit the side of my face.

I couldn’t blame the creature—any of them, really—for any of the harsh things they said or did.

They hated us for the way we treated them, and we deserved it.

I wouldn’t tell them what we were planning, though.

If Dane interrogated them—if he learned of my plan—these creatures would never be free.

Boots scraped loudly at the top of the stairs, and I glanced around the room, giving them all a warning look. I didn’t need to warn them, though. They all had far better hearing than I did and in moments, most were handing their wrappers to the satyr who waited by her bars for me to come around.

She handed me the pile, and I crammed them in my pockets, wincing when the sound scraped against my ears.

“I’ll be back soon. Next time I’ll bring medicine,” I whispered, and several creatures looked at me with so much hope in their eyes, something twisted in my stomach.

I hated leaving them down here, hated watching them suffer with every fiber of my being, but Dane was no fool.

When we came for them, we had to be ready.

Racing back up the stairs, I set the bar over the door and screwed both bolts in place.

When I was sure no one had heard or seen me, I stepped out of the alley and rounded the corner to the AFF headquarters’ main entrance and knocked three times, paused, knocked twice more, paused and knocked again.