The Mayor fell to the side, dead.
A single bullet had pierced his forehead.
Next to me, Cove’s hand shook. A casing lay on the ground near his feet. One.
The crowd swirled with discontent, some escaping outright. I grabbed Cove’s arm, tugging him away from the crowd, fearful of what people’s reactions might be. He followed, his eyes still fixated on the Mayor’s dead body. Some of the crowd’s gazes lingered on us, their eyes growing white as they caught sight of his gun. Fingers pointed our way.
Their neighbors elbowed them, pointing back at the center of the crowd where Mattie still stood. Her hand was on her cheek, feeling a deep cut on her cheek. Two.
Behind her, a pale Jack lowered his rifle, the EMP attachment lying discarded on the ground. Three.
Mattie looked down mournfully at May’s body. Her nostrils flared, and she set her shoulders, standing tall with an angry determination. “You see what kind of man he was–”
“Cove,” I prodded, trying to get his attention. His eyes stayed unfocused, and there was no indication he heard me over the crowd's roar. I slid between his eyes and the body, forcing his attention on me. “It wasn’t you. It was Jack. You weren’t the only person who shot.”
I forced the uncertainty I felt at my statement to stay hidden, keeping it from showing on my face. There were three gunshots. The Mayor, Cove, and Jack had each shot one bullet. The Mayor’s shot grazed Mattie, meaning the killing shot came from Cove or Jack. Of the two, Jack was the more experienced and, therefore, more likely to hit his target. With the way Cove’s hands were shaking, I doubted he was steady enough to hit the Mayor.
Comprehension slowly returned to his eyes. He jerked his head around, turning to Jack and the still-speaking Mattie. His free hand went to his chest.
The atmosphere around us changed quickly, swelling into something dark. Cove sensed it, as well, and we glanced warily around. The faces around us were scrunched up in anger, focused on the Mayor.
Mattie attempted to regain control of the mob. Her words were useless. The rage swirling in the crowd swelled until it broke, the neighbors storming over to the Mayor’s dead body. They kicked at him, and the crowd closed around the body, removing him from sight.
We skirted around the back of the mob, heading to where Jack and Mattie stood, away from the mob. Any wrong move could turn the entire mob against us. Jack met our eyes and grabbed Mattie by the arm, yanking her away from May’s body and indicating a meeting place further into the village. Behind us, the mob cried for the Mayor to be torn to shreds.
There was no doubt in my mind that they would follow through. Many such incidents have occurred in real life.
We reached the meeting place quickly, and Jack gave us a sad smile as we approached.
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Mattie turned to look at us, cringing each time the crowd down the street grew too loud. Ani and Ranch, who’d disappeared before we’d encountered the crowd, sprinted out of the shadows, greeting Cove and me with joyful cries.
“He was bleeding when he arrived. I’m assuming you encountered him somewhere?” Jack observed, looking at the bludge where Cove had tucked the handgun into his pocket.
“Gale sold us out, and we got into a little scuffle.”
That was an understatement.
Mattie bit down hard on her lip, then said, “I should have known he’d pull something. I’m sorry.”
Cove opened his mouth, then closed it. Jack caught the motion and clarified, “We haven’t seen him since the cave.”
Mattie scoffed. “He ran off. He’s too much of a coward to stay and face the repercussions of his own action.” She paused, then naked “No, Bearard? Did you get his other piece or whatever?”
Cove pulled the tiny item he’d captured the two in, flashing the square briefly at them. They leaned forward, trying to look closer before Cove closed his hand, cutting it from their sight. “Safe and sound.”
He tucked the gem back into his pocket. “What about you two?”
Mattie pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed. “It took a lot of convincing. Jack’s gun did more harm than good, and he had to stray behind. He was scaring everyone off.”
Jack placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he said when she turned to look at him, “I should have been paying more attention to the surroundings than the crowd.”
Mattie shook her head slowly. “He got what he deserved. Thank you.”
Jack nodded, slipping his hand off her shoulder. Cove coughed, and the two broke apart.
“So I guess this is it, huh,” Mattie said, giving us a rueful grin.
A fond warmth grew in my chest. “We’ll see you again,” I told her, confident it would happen.
Her grin turned joyful, and she reached forward, pulling us into a hug. Cove and I’s shoulder’s bumped, and I froze beneath her unexpected touch. I lifted a gentle hand, patting her awkwardly on the back until she let go.
“See you around, Cove, Hayden.”
“Wait!”Jack called. “Before you go.”
Cove and I turned toward him.
He directed his next words at me. “I asked Nick about the program.”
My eyebrows jerked up in surprise.
Jack continued, “He didn’t. Use an old program, that is. He said someone came to him a few days earlier and handed him the code necessary to build the app.”
“Did he say who it was?” Cove questioned.
Jack shook his head. “No. He said they were cloaked. He’s pretty sure they were a guy, though, by his voice.”
A cloaked figure, huh? My mind flashed to a faded image of the cloaked figure reaching for a hug.
You won’t be able to save them all. You need to try anyway. If you don’t, you’ll never be able to forgive yourself.
My hands went up to my ears, feeling the cold ruby of the earrings the cloaked figure had gifted me. “Does he remember anything else about the guy?”
“Not much. Nick said he thinks he caught a glimpse of a scar on the man’s face, but the man turned away before he could be sure. Do you know him?”
“No. Thank you.”
“No problem. We’ll see you again soon, yeah?”
I echoed his sentiment, and Cove led the way forward. Neither of us looked back.
Cove plowed his way past the gate and into the forest before he said the words I’d been dreading.
“I’m not sure I have enough power,” he admitted.
Ani bopped his head against my hand, and I stroked his soft fur, thinking. “How much more do you need?”
Cove shrugged.
I held my arm out, flipping my wrist for him to take, and let my other hand rest on Ani. “Here.”
His chilly hands clasped around my wrist, and I turned my attention deep within, focusing on the two connections. I slowly opened the drop of power to Cove, letting it flow in his direction as I pulled some of the sparks away from Ani’s magic, trying to refill my stash as quickly as I drained it.
Cove’s hand tightened around my wrist as the magic burned through him, and his jaw clenched.
He forced a stop a few minutes later. Ani dropped in my lap, exhausted, and my shoulder’s slumped forward.
When Cove looked at me, his eyes were brimming with power.
The world dropped out from beneath my feet, and Ani and the sudden disorientation caused me to stumble, nearly breaking Cove’s grip on my arm as we faded into that endlessly dark realm.