"Do you know what kind of trickery?" Ian asked. "How are we supposed to react to something that vague?"
"What do you see?" I asked them. "Tell me everything."
"Oh, now you want me to tell you what I see, when Flor might be dead?" Frankie was impatient, of course. She always was once her mind was made up.
"Okay, fine, go blow everyone away instead," I challenged her.
"That's what I was about to do!"
I heard Ian rub her arm, trying to calm her down. I think her powers made him nervous, or at least, what using the powers might do to her. ”There's not much to tell you, Waylon. Flor went into this apartment building ahead. A basic, older apartment building. There are six guards outside. The car that I guess is Shaw's. Maybe one of the guards is a sorcerer? But if so, I mean...we can still take them on. You brought us those protection spells for that reason, right?"
I frowned, frustrated that Ian might be missing something. "Wait here," I said. "I want to try to follow this sense I'm having. I didn't search it out in the hotel, and maybe that was a mistake."
"Wait here?" Frankie asked incredulously.
"Waylon, your magic is great, but I don't think we have time for solving a witch mystery," Ian said, and even he was starting to sound impatient to go knock some heads.
"Okay, then, you two go help Flor and I'll solve the witch mystery."
"I think you should just stay in the van," Frankie said, anxiously. "I really don't want anything to happen to you. You're...you know. The father."
"I have my mirror spell," I said. "I'll be stealthy. I'll trust that you and my litter survives if you trust that I can survive too."
"Don't say litter." She sighed. "Be careful." She squeezed my hand tight and then the two of them headed for the building while I cast the deflection spell with the mirror.
It was right about then when we clearly heard gunshots inside the apartment building. The guards were shouting and scuffling around, and I heard general commotion that I couldn't piece out.
Six guys didn't seem like enough. Bloom was worth hundreds of billions. He could have a private army waiting for Frankie if he wanted. And Flor called to tell us they didn’t seem impressive. He felt something was off too, that it was an important detail.
But then, if he knew about her powers and he knew she was a queen, as we presumed, he would know that her powers could wipe out a hundred guys as easily as six. So maybe he was trying to minimize casualties. But if she killed the guards and Shaw, what did he get out of it? Was it just a gamble?
No. Bloom's real passion was to use his social media platforms to reinforce the idea that shifters were primitive and dangerous.
What if...he's hoping Frankie unleashes?
I stopped on the street. I had been crossing after Frankie and Ian, to get to the apartment building, but now I really concentrated toward the other side of the street. The place where you might film the building from.
Yeah. That's it. The magic...
I couldn't tell exactly where it was, but somewhere across the street was another person--hiding, probably using the same kind of deflection spell as me.
Ian and Frankie were getting into a standoff with the guards outside by the sound of it. I started very gently tapping my cane back to the other side of the street. I didn’t want to make noise and attract attention, although it might not matter at this point.
I got the sidewalk facing the apartment and suddenly my cane whacked into a tire.
Bingo.
A van was parked across the street from the apartments. I poked it with my finger and it was tall enough that I could barely touch the roof on tiptoes. So this was a large van, like a news van, to hold equipment. I was quite sure Frankie or Ian would have mentioned that if they saw it.
And the van didn't seem to see me either.
Ohhh man. This is my dream scenario. Let's have some fun...
I dropped to the pavement, took one of the explosives out of my satchel, and felt around under the van until I found a spot to stick it. Then I crawled down to the front and put the second one under the engine. I didn't know how much of a punch they'd pack under there, but it should be at least enough to cause some chaos.
I got behind the van again, then got back to my feet and backed way up to activate the explosives.
Which was right when I heard a muffled scream for help from the back of the van.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Frankie
Ian and I both had guns at the ready as we approached the guards, but we’d rather fight hand to hand. I just wanted the guards on defense. I could feel the urgency of the moment rising in me, the destiny I needed to face, and I was determined it would be different this time. I couldn't muster my powers before, but I would have to do it now.
I'm not going to lose any of my consorts. This is what my power is for. I'm sure of it. To protect my family today and all of the wider family I'm starting to know at Eden Park.
"Stand back," the guards warned, seeing us coming. "We'll shoot."
"Lower your weapons," I said. "I don't want to hurt you, but I absolutely will unless you get out of our way. I don't know if you've heard of me or not, but...I'm the Queen of Destruction." I gave Ian the briefest glance. Did that sound cool?
His grin told me that it sounded super cool.
"Yeah, that rumor's going around," the guard laughed. "I didn't think it would be a little kitty cat."
I thrust the gun barrel in his direction. "I'm serious. Weapons down or you're dead."
The guard laughed again and then he took a shot. Not at me, but at Ian.
"Ian!"
"I'm fine! Watch yourself!"
Ian fired back but he missed, just like the guard did. He hadn't had a lot of shooting practice either. Another guard fired toward him and it came so damn close to hitting him.
I started shaking all over. Use...my...powers...
I felt my skin heating, and I pushed. I tried to just shove that energy out of me and do it, and the guard who had just shot Ian made a stunned sound. He stumbled and then collapsed. Ian fired toward him and struck a trash can two inches from his head, and he screamed, "Where am I?”
Okay, so...it was that power.
I had always felt really bad about this power too, but now, leaving the guards confused and blinded sounded like a decent compromise. They could still go home to their families and rethink their lives.
As the guards started running toward us, I was about to try and get all of them, when we all heard the gunshot from the apartment. Multiple shots.
An upper window flung open a second later and Flor flew out in falcon form, soaring over the guards and landing on human feet next to me.
"Shaw's dead," he panted. "Darius is fine. But--Bloom has his sister and--"
"Frankie!" Waylon suddenly banged on the back door of a big white van parked right across the street.
"What the hell?" Ian shouted. "Where did that van come from? That wasn't there before--or--or was it?"
"Oh my god. It was there,” I said. “Like I saw it but I didn't notice it or think about it at all."
"You're right. It was there," Flor said. "That's the spell."