At the second gunshot, people weren't shrugging it off anymore. The explosions in the nearby tent stopped. Someone screamed to the north—but the second gunshot had been from the southeast.

  Where West disappeared. Shit.

  "Let's move," snapped Jackie. Jeremy didn't need to be told twice… but another gunshot from the north stopped them in their tracks, followed by another and another. Pistol and rifle rounds mixed together, if Jeremy heard right.

  "Fuck," he growled. "Stebbins, what do you got?"

  "Multiple shooters," said Stebbins. "At least two north. Possible contact southeast. No eyes. Over."

  "We're in the southeast," said Makoto, suddenly cutting into the traffic. "Go north."

  Gotta teach that kid radio ops… "Roger, moving north. Out." Jeremy glanced at Jackie. "Here we go."

  She sighed. "Goddammit…" Jackie pulled her pistol and checked the rounds. "Hope you've got some tricks up your sleeve."

  "Sir, we've got golems north, over!" called Malich, who apparently had never made it over to West's position. Jeremy couldn't blame him though, with the shit blowing up around them. People were screaming in earnest now, and the camp was scattering in every direction—to his dismay. If these people would get together and form a defensive position, we could actually protect them. Fuck me.

  "Brian's to the north, then," said Jeremy as they ran. He clicked his radio back on. "Makoto, I'm gonna need backup. We ain't got shit against golems, over."

  "Got it. We're sending someone. Over."

  Well, he picked up on something at least. "Hope he sends someone good…" muttered Jeremy.

  They ran, dodging fleeing pilgrims, awakened and vendors alike. A tent overturned as someone tripped on the stake poles. Holes appeared in the side as a rifle burst fired off. Glasses exploded on the makeshift bar to his right. Someone with an excellent marksman's eye was clearly showing off, but for what?

  "Ashe, Stebbins. Ain't seen nobody hit yet. The fuck is going on? Over."

  Jeremy agreed. Nobody seemed to have been hit yet, but he couldn't imagine that would last long with the number of targets available. So long as they stick to their code of verifyin' people, we've got a chance… but they're gonna hit someone sooner or later. Are they just tryin' to scare the camp and break it up? Herd us somewhere? The golems were just destroying tents and food carts at random, ignoring the people entirely.

  "Find me some shooters, Stebbins. They're terrorizing, not killing, and I want to stop 'em before we get that far. Over."

  "Roger, sir. I've got muzzle flashes out of two spots north, and they ain't moving between shots. Could definitely flank them while I cover, sir. Over."

  "Copy that. I see the flash. Moving around east to fuck 'em from the side, over."

  Jeremy and his partner rushed through the camp, straight out the eastside to circle around the shooters, and hopefully link up with Malich. Brian may have found an excellent shooter, but whoever was behind the trigger didn't know how to actually operate in the field. They'd stuck to the same spot after multiple shots instead of moving to new positions, and Stebbins sighted them easily.

  "Stebbins, keep 'em locked. If they start killin', take the shot. Over."

  "Roger."

  "Welcome to my life now," Jeremy muttered as they ran.

  Jackie laughed bitterly. "Shit, Ashe, I was gonna say the same to you."

  "Well, fuck us both then."

  They'd reached the edge of the camp. A golem seemed to turn and spot them. Jeremy dove aside as it took a huge, slow swipe through the air, barely missing his arm.

  "Fuck!"

  "Agent Ashe!" came a shout in the distance. Jeremy scrambled to his feet, and sure enough, Brian Hendricks stood in the distance, flanked by two more golems. Five total, then. Jesus. How does this guy handle so much?

  "Mr. Hendricks!" Jackie shouted back. "Stand down!"

  "Sheriff, I always respected you, but you chose the wrong side," Brian called out. "Abandon these people! You don't have to join my cause, but you must not aid theirs!"

  "Brian, you know what?" said Jackie. She raised a hand, middle finger lifted high. "Fuck you!"

  He snarled something unintelligible, and the golem started moving toward them again. Jackie raised her sidearm and opened fire, but Brian was already behind the impenetrable wall of stone and moss. Her bullets plinked harmlessly off the golem's hard shell, ricocheting into the darkness. Jackie cursed and sprinted after Jeremy.

  "Makoto!" Jeremy called into his radio. "The motherfucker's over here! Get us some backup, over!"

  "On it, Agent Ashe. Hector and Ruby are on their way."

  "...the hell are those two gonna do?" gasped Jeremy as they kept running, golems pursuing them to the edge of the camp. More gunfire echoed far away, along with shattering glass and continued screams. A man in a bright blue jacket sprinted past them, throwing fire over his shoulder as he went.

  "Don't show them you're awakened!" Jeremy shouted at him, but it was too late.

  Instantly, as soon as the man had cast a spell, gunshots echoed towards them. Puffs in the dirt raked across the field between the treeline and the camp, tracing the way up to the man. He dove, and that only made him an easier target—they were downhill, south from Rallsburg, and Brian's men had come from the north. Death poured out of the dead town, and the unfortunate soul in front of Jeremy was the next to fall.

  The man bled out behind them, riddled with holes. Jeremy cursed and kept running, hoping desperately that Brian's men were still instructed not to harm them. In the meantime, he had his phone out, dialing the emergency line for the National Guard.

  "This is Agent Ashe. I'm in the pilgrim camp south of Rallsburg. Brian Hendricks is here with multiple gunmen. They're killing people. Send the motherfucking cavalry."

----------------------------------------

  Natalie closed her eyes and tried with all her might to grab the pistol… but he never got the shot off.

  An ear splitting crack echoed through the forest. The man's head snapped to the side. His pistol fell unfired from his hand. He tumbled to the ground, painfully still.

  Kelsey screamed and dropped to the ground, expecting gunfire all around them—but there wasn't any more nearby. Instead, shots started echoing to the north, across the camp from where they currently sat.

  "Turvallinen," called the harsh voice of Viper's companion.

  The woman behind Natalie screamed and struggled, but Gwen held her tightly in place. Natalie looked around again, but saw nothing—until the little blue ghost floated into the space in front of her.

  "We're on your side," Lani called out.

  Natalie summoned up twin balls of fire in her hands, pulsing hot flames ready to launch in an instant. She tried to figure out where their voices had come from, but they echoed strangely in a way not unlike Cinza's. The woman behind them struggled and grunted in pain, but Gwen kept her firmly pinned.

  "Come out!" Natalie called.

  Immediately, Lani walked into the clearing, hands up and open. Natalie still didn't release her flames, but she did relax a little. He had a kind face. She wasn't about to trust him, but she didn't feel threatened either. Besides… she had enough enemies to worry about right now already.

  "Natalie?" whispered Kelsey behind her.

  "It's okay," said Natalie, slowly lowering her hands. "We're on the same side, I think."

  Lani nodded. "I think you've got one of Brian's men under your wolf there."

  Natalie nodded. "They… they killed somebody. The people on the radio were looking for him."

  "People on the radio?" asked Lani. He glanced over his shoulder into the forest. "Riley, can you try to find their signal?"

  "I will try," she replied, still in the same ice-cold tone.

  "They said… they said other people were north," said Natalie. "And that's where all the gunshots are coming from."

  "We're trying to stop them," said Lani, nodding. "But… what are you doing out here?"

  "I was… trying to find the Greywood," said Natalie, making a split-second decision to trust them again.

  This is not a man you know, and he travels with a woman you know you should not trust. We're taking a dangerous course here.

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  We gotta trust someone, and there's people with guns everywhere. If my dad's here too, we might see golems. He seems okay to me.

  More gunshots echoed from the north, and this time accompanied by something rapid and loud. Natalie winced, and her friends instinctively ducked to the ground. Lani watched them all with a wary eye. The woman under Gwen finally struggled free, as Gwen got distracted by the gunshots, and sprinted for the deeper forest. Natalie was about to send Gwen after her, but another shot rang out… and she collapsed.

  Natalie winced again. I didn't want to hurt them…

  Lani noticed. His voice softened. "Maybe you should get out of here."

  Natalie shook her head. "If there's golems, you're gonna need me. You can't beat them."

  "...You can?"

  She nodded reluctantly. "I've done it before."

  Lani raised an eyebrow. "...Who are you?"

  "Linnethea," said Natalie.

  Wait… why did I say that?

  You don't trust him, and you know that your father's men are nearby. Your name may not be safe, and Jenny is also known to him. If you must be called something, it cannot be a name your father is familiar with.

  So we're using your name?

  For now.

  …Thanks.

  "What about your friends?" asked Lani, glancing at the rest of the group.

  "We stay with her," said Kelsey bravely, but it was plain on her face—seeing a man shot only feet away had rattled her. I'm so sorry… I didn't think we'd end up here. Like this.

  "I will watch them," said Riley, suddenly emerging from the forest. Her rifle was back over her shoulder, and she wore thick forest camouflage. Compared to the rest of them, she might as well have been invisible. "Lani, you go ahead. I will cover you and keep them safe."

  "Okay." Lani kissed her, to Natalie's surprise. "I'm going ahead first. Riley, tune me in on their radio as soon as you've got it?"

  "Yes."

  Lani led the way north, and Natalie's friends huddled together in the middle with Gwen at their side. Riley and Natalie held up the rear, where they could watch everyone and react to any threat. Natalie was actually the one to suggest it—she wanted the two strongest people at the front and rear, and Lani certainly seemed the next-strongest after herself. They deferred to her, again to her surprise.

  You are sharper than you think. We have fought before.

  Yeah, but… she's military.

  She is one who takes orders, not one who issues them.

  "I do not know why you gave him a false name," said Riley quietly, startling Natalie, "but I will not reveal you. I know you must think things of me from our days in Rallsburg. I am a different person now. I hope you can forgive me."

  "...Okay," said Natalie uncomfortably. "You didn't really do anything to me."

  Riley shook her head. "I did, but you may not be aware. Please know I deeply regret it."

  "It's okay. Whatever it was… I'm sure you had a reason."

  She looked oddly at Natalie. "You are not as I remember."

  "I'm a different person now, too."

  Riley didn't say anything more. Natalie turned back forward, sending Percy up high again to watch for anyone ahead. Riley was fiddling with a black box on her belt. It looked like a super-fancy walkie talkie to Natalie—a military radio, if she had to guess. After a couple minutes of fiddling while they walked, pausing at every nearby sound or faraway gunshot to take a perimeter check, Riley finally clicked into something.

  "...Ashe. Hector and Ruby are on their way."

  Lani jerked his head around. "You heard that?" he asked.

  Natalie nodded, before realizing he'd actually asked Riley.

  "Your partner is here," Riley replied.

  "...All right," said Lani, turning back again. He seemed even more tense than before, to Natalie's eyes. She didn't ask, but Riley had turned to her again.

  "Your hearing is strong. You heard every word of my receiver."

  "Yeah."

  "Magic?"

  Natalie nodded. She brushed back the hair around her ears, revealing the sharp points. "I changed how my ears work."

  Riley looked distinctly uncomfortable, but didn't comment. Instead, her eyes locked to the side, somewhere just past Natalie.

  "Down!" she shouted.

  Lani fell to the ground, Natalie a split-second later. Natalie's friends hesitated, huddled together in fear. Gwen circled around in front of them, shielding them with her body against the threat Riley had spotted.

  Two men with rifles, both crouched behind an overturned log and aimed right at their group. Neither had fired yet… what are they waiting for?

  Do not give them the chance to fire.

  "Who are you—" started Lani, but Natalie had already moved.

  Her mind hurled out two lines like fishing rods, snagging the guns. One of the men managed to pull the trigger as she snatched it away, but the shot went high into the air, missing all of them. The guns flew back to their group, where Natalie once again twisted them into useless bits of metal and plastic.

  "Fucking monsters!" one of them shouted, drawing a pistol—which Natalie immediately snatched away as well, before he even had a chance to fire.

  She reached out to the trees and branches nearby, using a technique Cinza had posted online, and called them to wrap up the two men in roots and branches. Wood shifted and groaned as it erupted around the two, binding them tight. They were effectively trapped.

  "Leave those kids alone!" called the other, struggling against his sudden bonds.

  Huh… I guess they don't know it's me.

  Riley had her rifle up and ready, but she hadn't taken a shot yet. "Linnethea," she murmured. "You don't want to kill."

  "No," said Natalie.

  "This is a battle. People will die. They have attacked us. You may not have that choice."

  "They're unarmed though, right? I broke their guns. They can't hurt anyone."

  "There are far more ways to hurt someone than guns. These people are willing to kill innocents. If we let them go, they may rejoin the battle."

  Natalie hesitated. Lani didn't say a word, his own gun drawn while he scanned the other direction.

  "What's going on?" asked Kelsey, finally looking up at Natalie. "Why is all of this happening?"

  "They're attacking us because we have magic," said Natalie grimly. "And if I let these people go, they might come back and hurt more of us. Maybe kill us." As if to punctuate her, another rattle of gunfire echoed through the trees from the north.

  "I leave it to you," said Riley quietly. "I do not think we should let them live, but I will not kill ones you have spared."

  These are my dad's people… they're crazy though. They want to kill us. My dad sent them out to kill us.

  Riley is correct. We must kill them. It's the only safe action.

  No. It only makes things worse. People get killed and everyone gets more angry. Then more people want to kill us. Just like in Rallsburg. It was only some of the town, and then somebody killed the Reverend, and then the mob started. Then Cinza killed Mr. Wilson, and suddenly the whole town was trying to kill me and Rachel.

  You are leaving out a lot of important details, Natalie.

  It's still true.

  "They're trapped," she said aloud. "We can come back for them when it's over. They can't fight anymore."

  "Someone may free them," Riley pointed out.

  "Well, then… they get free," said Natalie, frustrated. "But no more killing unless we have to."

  Riley nodded. She glanced back ahead to the north, their intended path. "We should keep moving."

  Move, they did. Lani set a faster pace, hurrying toward the sound of gunfire against Natalie's screaming instincts. Her mind won out though, with the support of the voice. She knew they couldn't just abandon all the people in the camp, and they couldn't know where more of her dad's people might be waiting in ambush in the forest. The gunfire might be scary, but it was also easy to find, and the most likely to have allies willing to fight nearby.

  "Ashe, Malich!"

  "Go ahead, Malich."

  "They're shooting at me now, sir. Stopped thinking I was on their side. I'm pinned down northeast of town, need backup. Over."

  "Cavalry's on the way, Malich, but I can't get to you. Surrounded by fuckin' golems here. Hold out as long as you can, national guard's on their way. Over."

  "Copy all, Malich out."

  Lani glanced back over his shoulder. "National guard… what would they have?"

  "As much as they need," said Riley. "They will be far better equipped than Brian's men, and they will arrive in helicopters. As soon as they arrive, this is over."

  Natalie winced at her father's name, and Lani noticed. He frowned, but didn't say anything. They kept going. With the call out for help and a pinned man on the radio, Lani seemed desperate to get in a position to help. Natalie was more than willing, of course, but she knew it would once again put her friends in terrible danger.

  They reached a wide expanse of open ground. Across the field, gunfire echoed out, little flashes popping in the darkness accompanied by whizzing bullets flying into the encampment.

  "Riley," said Natalie, right as they reached the edge of the thick trees. "Stay here with my friends. You can uhh… cover us from here, right?"

  Riley nodded. "How will you cross?"

  Natalie glanced around and found a log big enough. She reached for it and lifted it up, ripping it out of the ground. Dirt and dust sprayed everywhere, filling her lungs and making her cough. She shook her head, hair flying wildly, and cleared her throat. As she did, the log flew over in front of them. Natalie went back to Cinza's shaping spell, shifting the log into a wide, round shield that would cover them from three sides.

  "Incredible," said Lani, a faint note of awe in his voice.

  Riley frowned. Without warning, she pulled a pistol from her belt and fired a single shot straight into the wood. They all ducked instinctively, but with the continuing gunfire across the field, it was lost in the general cacophony. Still, Natalie's ears rang at the gunshot so close by.

  The bullet had embedded into the wood, still visible and not deep at all. Riley nodded with satisfaction.

  "That will work."

  Natalie glanced at Lani. "Call the guy and ask where he is?"

  Lani hesitated. He had lifted his hand slightly, but something held him back.

  Riley looked at him. "This is not the time," she said firmly.

  He nodded and grabbed the cord trailing from his ear. "Malich, Makaio. We're near your position. What do you need? Over."

  "...Who? Fuck. I'm in some rocks at the east end of a huge clearing, just north of the town. Rocks look like a tiny version of the shit from the Lion King. Over."

  Natalie had a sudden urge to giggle, completely at odds with the situation around her. She peered out into the field to the east and quickly spotted the rock formation—and it did, in fact, have the familiar raised pillar with a single long flat rock jutting forward. She couldn't see a person there, but plenty of little dust clouds were popping all around it as gunfire flew in.

  "Copy that, spotted the rocks, Mufasa. We're on our way. Over," said Lani.

  "Malich, asshole. Out."

  "Riley, you've got the shooters across the way?" Lani asked.

  Riley crouched down and found a high root perfect to balance her rifle on. She leaned in and looked down the sight. "Yes."

  "Okay then. You ready, Linnethea?"

  Natalie nodded. She quickly hugged Kelsey—which didn't set her off at all, to her surprise—and followed Lani out into the clearing, rushing east as fast as they could. Gwen stayed behind, protecting her friends. Natalie kept the wooden shield up around them, surrounding them from every direction. A few bullets flew their way, plinking into the wood and knocking Natalie a little off balance, but for the most part, they seemed to be ignored.

  Until they weren't.

  A golem erupted from the ground, straight into the front of their shield. Natalie lost her grip as it burst out of the grass floor, covered in moss and dirt. She fell backward, and lightning flared in her hands. Lani was shouting something, but the golem didn't hear anything of course.

  Its hand swung forward, right for Lani's head—and stopped.

  The golem froze in place. Natalie had been about to blast it into pieces. She held back. Something was happening… something she'd seen before, back when Lily had tried to hold one in place in front of Boris' shop, months ago in Rallsburg.

  Natalie glanced back at the camp, and there he was—her old friend Hector, holding Ruby's hand while she controlled the golems. A golem of her own protected them from gunfire. The one above Natalie had just moved, shifting to block the gunfire now peppering them. A third golem was crossing the field, moving toward the shooters—and a familiar figure back within the trees, holding a spiked black rod and shouting with such an air of pure, deep hatred as could kill people where they stood.

  Her dad.

  Natalie was only a hundred feet away from him. He looked the same as he always did. A little more of a beard, but he was in good shape, and he was wearing one of his favorite coats. On his wrist, a little blue-pink woven band… a bracelet she'd made him for his birthday, years ago.

  Natalie choked up. Lani grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. She struggled to run, her eyes still locked on him in the distance. In the clearing ahead of him, golems were now fighting each other. Gunfire suddenly rang out from Natalie's side, as both the camp and Riley started firing on the far line, and her dad's people had to duck for cover. He didn't duck though. He stood tall and resolute, his eyes never wavering from the battle, shouting orders and commanding his golems forward.

  Her dad was right there.

  She could hear his voice.

  Her heart tugged at her chest, begging her to go to him.

  She wanted more than anything to run to his side.

  An army of golems and guns stood between them, a constant battle only increasing in scale and terror, and one hundred feet may as well have been a million miles.