Brightly (Flicker #2) (69 page)

As the three of them settled into a strangely hypnotic rhythm, Lee watched with fascination, not daring to move. The dragon moved like a whip, so swiftly that it almost blurred, but Blackwell and Dillon kept up. They flipped and spun the sticks deftly, alternately using them to strike and block the dragon’s muzzle and claws, sweeping the long ends in smooth arcs, thrusting with the short ends.

The runes that curled along the shafts of their weapons were glowing now, Blackwell’s white and Dillon’s red, shining brighter every moment. Each time a strike connected, cracks appeared on the dragon’s body.

With a yell, Dillon swung both sticks down, the runes flaring a hot, dark red. The strike connected with a discharge of energy that splintered the dragon’s head and shattered the spell that animated it. Lee felt magic spray outward like chunks of glass before dissipating into the air.

The dragon’s body froze instantly, twisted toward Dillon, most of its head blown away. Only the lower part of the muzzle remained, stained with Blackwell’s blood. Then the wooden carousel dragon tipped over and crashed to the floor.

For a moment, nobody moved. Lee’s heart thundered so hard that she could feel her pulse through her entire body. Filo hadn’t moved far, she saw. He’d turned around and sunken to his knees, looking pale and sort of sick.

“What did you do to him?” Alice’s voice was panicked.

“You have no leave to speak here,” Blackwell snapped, flipping his weapon around again, with the long end resting against his forearm. “Now stay put. Anyone who moves will be arrested and charged with obstruction.” He looked over his shoulder at Dillon. “Get on with it.”

Wordlessly, Dillon grabbed Filo’s shoulder and pushed him forward, until he was face-down on the floor. She left bloody handprints on his shirt. Filo didn’t resist. He just slid down and let Dillon plant one knee between his shoulder blades, pinning him to the floor.

“Filo Shine,” she panted, “by the authority of the Guild, you are hereby under arrest for failure to register as a magical practitioner, for dealing in commercial magic without a license, for trafficking unregulated goods, and for criminal recklessness.”

“Based on what evidence?” Lee demanded.

Dillon ignored her. “You are also charged with the assault of a Guild official. You will be transported to a Guild facility for questioning.” She lifted her gaze. “As for you three—”

“They’re not involved with my operation,” Filo broke in.

“We know you have a partner,” Blackwell said. “Someone else works with you. A human girl. And I see two human girls right here.”

Filo shook his head. “Your business is with me.”

“If you won’t tell us who your partner is,” Dillon said, “we’ll have no choice but to—”

“I work with him,” Lee blurted, taking half a step forward. When she raised her hands in submission, they trembled, just slightly. She remembered what Amelia had advised. “I’m his partner. I’m not resisting. I want to cooperate.”

Dillon smiled thinly. “Good girl. You know what’s best for you. What’s your name?”

She hesitated. The idea of giving them her name—even her speaking name, which Filo had always said couldn’t be used in a spell—was uncomfortable, prickling. But she’d said she wanted to cooperate, and the runes on those weapons were still glowing softly. “Lee Capren,” she said haltingly.

“And who are they?” Dillon asked, nodding toward Jason and Alice.

Lee stiffened. Her own name was one thing; this was too much. She opened her mouth, desperately trying to come up with a way to say so without getting any of them hit with one of those sticks.

“They’re acquaintances,” Filo said firmly. “We just met them tonight. They have nothing to do with this.”

“Nice try. Cuff all three,” Dillon said, tossing her partner a pair of handcuffs she’d pulled from her belt. The metal glinted. “We’ll sort them out later.”

Blackwell wasted no time. He turned to Alice and Jason. “By the authority of the Guild, you are being detained under suspicion of engaging in the trafficking of illegal magic and unregulated goods. You will be transported to a Guild facility for questioning.”

Jason was handcuffed first, his hands in front of him. He remained silent and offered no resistance, but his face constricted once the cuffs were on. When Blackwell moved on to Alice, she swayed on the spot, her eyes going hazy.

Then it was Lee’s turn. When Blackwell raised the handcuffs, she noticed that his torn sleeve was stained dark. Rivulets of blood rolled down his arm and over his hand, dripping onto the floor and smearing Lee’s hand when he grabbed her wrist. The brief touch of his skin made her vision brighten; he had the Sight.

“Lee Capren,” he said tonelessly, “by the authority of the Guild, you are hereby under arrest for failure to register as a magical practitioner, for dealing in commercial magic without a license, for trafficking unregulated goods, and for criminal recklessness. You will be transported to a Guild facility for questioning.”

The moment the cuffs closed around her wrists, Lee felt lightheaded and weak, as if something had been sucked out of her. Her legs felt rubbery. “What’s happening?”

“Those cuffs are disrupting the flow of your magic,” Dillon said. “You won’t be casting any spells. Try, and you’ll only end up hurting yourself.”

“Now, which of you triggered that spell?” Blackwell growled, pointing to the dragon with one of his sticks.

“You did,” Filo spat. He tried to look up, but Dillon shoved his head back down. “The dragon’s enchanted to protect the shop. It responds to threats.”

“What else do you have wired in this shop?” Dillon demanded.

“Nothing.”

Dillon dug her knee harder into Filo’s back. “Are you lying to me?”

“No!” Filo insisted, through gritted teeth. “There’s nothing else. It was only the dragon, and I didn’t even trigger it. The spell went off automatically when you got rough. There was nothing I could do, not with these damned handcuffs on me.”

“For your sake,” Dillon said gravely, “I hope you’re telling the truth.” Then she reached for her one of her sticks. Her face was expressionless. “Because you have proven yourself a danger, you will be subdued for transport.”

“What?” Filo shifted, trying to lift his head enough to look at her.

Dillon pressed the blunt end of the stick to the base of his skull. The runes flared with dark red light; Filo’s body jerked once, and then went still. His eyes were half-open and glassy.

The sound that clawed up Alice’s throat almost didn’t sound human. She flung herself toward Filo and Dillon; clumsily, Jason tried to grab the back of her shirt, to hold her back, but she pulled herself out of his grasp.

She only made it a few steps before Blackwell seized her arm in his massive fist. He tapped the end of one stick to that same spot at the top of Alice’s neck, and she crumpled like a marionette with the strings slashed. He held her arm as she collapsed and lowered her onto the floor. She didn’t move. Panic expanded beneath Lee’s ribs, but her head was starting to spin and she felt like every muscle in her body was locked.

“What the hell did you do?” Jason yelled. All the color had drained from his face, but Lee had never seen his eyes so bright and hard, like twin shards of flint. He moved toward Blackwell, unthinking, his hands half-raised.

That snapped Lee out of it. As Blackwell raised the stick, she stepped between him and Jason. She reached up with bound hands, her heart slamming, desperately trying to pull Jason’s arms down. “We’re not resisting,” she said, her voice rising in pitch. “Nobody’s resisting. There’s no need.”

“Just tap them both,” Dillon sighed. She frowned down at her bloodied palms. “Can’t be too careful.”

After that, Blackwell didn’t hesitate. He pushed Lee aside easily and jammed the end of one stick against the back of Jason’s neck. Jason’s whole body went slack. Lee tried to catch him as he fell backward, but she was already drained and dizzy, and his weight overbalanced her. She ended up on the floor with Jason half on top of her.

Gasping for breath, Lee wriggled out from under him. As she struggled to her knees, Blackwell forced her head down, exposing the back of her neck. All she could hear was the blood rushing in her ears, like the howl of the sea around Siren Island.

Lee felt the press of the weapon at the base of her skull, and then a hot shock, like a bullet being fired down the column of her spine. She felt her limbs sprawl out uselessly as scarlet light exploded behind her eyes, filling her vision—and then she was gone, knowing nothing but the roaring of her blood.

About the Author

Kaye Thornbrugh is an award-winning reporter and the author of
Flicker
and
Brightly
, urban fantasy novels for young adults. When not writing, Kaye can often be found reading fairy tales or creating elaborate collages. For the latest updates on the next installment of the
Flicker
series and for news about Kaye’s other projects, connect with her online:

www.kayethornbrugh.blogspot.com

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twitter.com/helloitskaye

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[email protected]

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Acknowledgements:

Writing this book has been one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done in my life. It was a challenging experience, but also a joyful one. I never could’ve reached the end without the support and encouragement of many people.

Love and gratitude to my family: my grandparents, my mom and my sisters. They believed in me from the start, and kept on believing, even when I didn’t. Without their boundless support, this book would not exist.

Thank you to my beta reader, Ellen Klowden, for her comments on the manuscript and for suggesting several fitting chapter titles.

A shout-out to my wonderful friends: Nathan Barber, Haleigh Coles, Nicole Davis, Brittany Frasca, Sierra Hastings, Kari Smith, Wes Mehringer, Jordan Wise and Christine Woeller. I’m incredibly lucky to have you in my life. Your support has meant the world to me. Special thanks to Ashley Goff and Eric Woodard, for information and insights about Deception Pass.

Thank you to Andrea Hübner, for her beautiful photography and for her generosity.

When
Flicker
was published, I was amazed by the enthusiasm and warmth of the book blogging community. My sincerest thanks and gratitude go out to Melissa and Lana from Girls Heart Books, Jade from Ink Scratchers Review, the entire team at Book Whales Review, Jean from Jean Book Nerd, and to each and every blogger who read and reviewed
Flicker
. Thank you for giving
Flicker
a chance and helping other readers to find it!

And, of course, my most heartfelt thanks to
you
, dear reader, for embracing
Flicker
and staying with me on this journey. Your excitement was my greatest motivation while writing
Brightly
. You kept me typing one word after another until this story was finally told. Thank you for your patience. I can’t wait to share the next story with you.