"So you're just going to let him go? Alone?"

Wyatt keeps walking.

"You're an a.s.s."

Wyatt flips him off without missing a step and Leo turns, pinning me with a worried frown. "People are dead. Butchered outside their own homes. It's not safe here anymore."

I snort. He's got to be kidding. "When was it ever safe?"

With Friends Like These.

Leo has my back...and I appreciate the fact that Leo has my back, but there are some things a guy has to do on his own. Finding Bodog is one of them. He knows where Kera is, but the little guy is skittish even on his best days. For some reason, he's decided to trust me. I can't drag along an entourage just because there are a few uprisings going on.

Wyatt's right. I can handle whatever magic pops up. They can't.

But Leo won't let it go. As we make our way through town, he starts in on me. "You know what you have? A cla.s.sic case of zombie magic."

I step around a broken cart. "I get the apocalyptic destruction of a village by unknown beings may lead someone to question their belief system, but," I shake my head and glance his way, "there's no such thing as zombie magic." At least I'm pretty sure there isn't.

His eyes grow big. "There must be, 'cause it's eaten all your brains since you started this magical mystery trip."

It's hard not to laugh when Leo says stuff like that. We jig around a man who's desperately trying to calm a horse, and I nearly get kicked in the head for wandering too close. "I'll be careful."

"Careful. Riiiight." His voice deepens with doubt. "That's not exactly a word most people a.s.sociate with you, bro. Where are you going to start looking for him? Do you even know? There's a lot of acreage out there to cover, and that's a.s.suming he's found a little nest to hide in. You could be out there for days. These people need you here. Now."

I get what he's saying. The air is thick with the crumblings of the battle. It's sad, really. Kera's town had been a place like none other. Lively, clean, and picturesque. Even now, some of the firsts are using their magic to repair the buildings; some have pulled out tables and sit around sipping tea like nothing odd has happened. Others wander aimlessly as if the small amount of magic they have left is the only thing keeping them upright. It's the mark of denial, of hopelessness, of sheer terror in the face of an unknown future.

"Kera needs me more. I can feel her, Leo. It's like we're attached. I can't close my eyes without hearing her calling me, but it's getting fainter. I need to find her. Now." I hop over a deep trench in the middle of the road. "Besides, the best way I can help everyone is by finding Kera."

"How is finding her going to help anyone but you?" Leo jumps over the trench, easily landing next to me. His serious gaze searches my face. "I'm not saying you shouldn't find her. You should, but you're doing this for yourself. Don't act like Navar. He said what everyone wanted to hear when his real motives were all about him."

I grab Leo by his shirtfront and jerk him close. "Navar and I are nothing alike."

Leo's gaze shifts to my suddenly glowing brand. Never again will I be able to deny I'm angry, not when it glows silver bright on my arm. Leo nods, causing his hair to fall into his eyes. "You're right. Sorry."

My gaze locks with Leo's for a second longer before I let go with a tiny push that has him stumbling backward a few steps. I hurry forward, disturbed by what he's said.

I am putting Kera first because her need is greater than everyone else's.

We come to the edge of town. Beyond the fields, the forest stretches out dark and foreboding. A menacing cloud seems to have settled over Teag, but still, I prefer it to the false light that once pervaded the place.

That strange overconfidence I felt when I'd first stepped into Teag washes over me. "You want to know my plans? I'm going into the woods to find one of the tunnels. It's where Bodog feels safest."

"You don't have to go. He'll come back. He always does."

"Not in time and not here. These people hate him about as much as they hate me. They imprisoned him." I take a deep breath. Getting worked up isn't helping. "I have to go to him. Make him feel safe enough to take me to Kera, or at least point me in the right direction." Tension causes the muscle in my cheek to jump and I eye my friend. "You've got a choice, Leo. You're either on my side or you're not."

Leo's back snaps military straight. "That's messed up. I'm here, aren't I? Even after what happened to Pop. See anyone else crazy enough to follow you?" He pauses for a split second and then says in a hard but honest voice. "You don't because I'm your only friend."

We face the forest; me stiff, Leo hurt.

I close my eyes and take a deep, calming breath. I've never had a good friend. Leo's constant faith in me makes me nervous. I'm waiting for him to bail, but that's no excuse for how I'm treating him.

"Sorry." It's a word that sticks in my throat. I rarely say it, and never to another dude.

"d.a.m.n right you're sorry. You're lucky I'm the forgiving type."

I put out my hand. "Thanks."

He takes it and we shake. The air is suddenly lighter. The future not so dark. "I'm not good at this," I try to explain.

"Good at what?"

"Saving the world. The choices I have to make. But I'm trying."

Leo slaps my back in that way all dudes show their bros affection. "You're okay." Once again, he's serious. "What do you want me to do?"

"Honestly?" At his nod, I tell him what worries me only because it can directly affect him, and I don't want him getting hurt. "Find Lucinda and make her behave. We don't need any more problems."

"You don't trust her, do you?"

I laugh, though there isn't any humor to it. Only a weird kind of dread I'm not sure Leo understands. "Deep down, do you?"

"She can be high-strung..."

"Understatement," I fire back.

"She'll do what I tell her." The quiet confidence he shows is so Leo and so misguided.

I press my lips together and try not to say anything, but he's got to start seeing reality. "I know you like her, but she's not human. We're like catnip to her. Fun to play with for a little while, but in the end, all she'll do is walk away when we need her the most."

An optimist through and through, Leo just smiles and points at me, determination clearly on his face as he backs away. "I'll find her and you'll see. You'll be glad Cin is on our side."

"You've nicknamed her sin. That's called a subconscious warning."

He laughs and I watch him lope back into town, wishing I could have his carefree outlook on life. His promise rings in my ears as I cross the open fields and enter the forest. It's not like I hate Lucinda. I can't stop thinking about the first time I met the Lutine. She wasn't remotely helpful and did more harm than good. On the plus side, she did give me my sword, and she retrieved it from the dungeons when I needed it the most. On the minus side, as soon as she believed Leo was safe, she left the battle without a backward glance. Because of that, people she could have saved died. How can Leo expect me to trust her after that?

Thankfully, Lucinda is nothing like Kera. No girl is. It's only been a few hours since I last saw her, but it feels like forever. I have no idea where she is or how she's doing. The only thing I know for sure is that she's alive. I would feel it, deep in my gut, if she died. I know I would.

Tromping through the underbrush, searching for any sign that one of Bodog's tunnel entrances is near, doesn't lighten my mood. I feel like I'm wasting time. Why did he have to run off like that? Near a low-branched tree, I nudge a slightly protruding section with my foot. It gives. Finally, I've found one of his tunnel entrances. I start to dig around it, pulling at the gra.s.s, when a slight stirring catches my attention. Within the bushes I see a pair of eyes staring back at me. "Bodog?"

The little man nods and puts his finger to his mouth.

"What?"

He points in the opposite direction. Something has obviously spooked him.

When I straighten, a shiver runs down my spine. About fifty feet from where I stand, the form of a man merges with the shadows. The shape is familiar. Very familiar.

The guy moves. A shaft of light touches him. The stocky build. The spiked blond hair. A slight stubble clings to his square jaw.

"Jason?" I can barely get his name out.

There's no dead-man tinge to his wide face. It's strong, in that familiar head/neck/shoulder fusion so many wrestlers acquire, like the front end of a battering ram. He swaggers forward, and I clearly see the menacing frown he's wearing. I'm having a hard time believing what I'm seeing, yet his aggressive manner registers, and I widen my stance.

Jason stops a few feet from me and looks me up and down, and his dark frown eerily transforms into a big grin, one that doesn't meet his eyes. "Miss me, Dylan?"

"You're alive?" I don't know whether I'm happy or terrified by that fact. He was definitely dead the last time I saw him. How can he be alive?

A bitter laugh claws from his throat. "A lot you cared."

One second his sword is neatly tucked in his scabbard, the next it rings clear and he's moving...fast. Unnaturally fast.

I barely manage to dodge the sharp point. Once I do, I call vines from the ground and tangle his feet, which gives me time to back up and a.s.sess what's happening.

Bodog squeals from the bushes, and I turn to see the pux swarm from the forest. He bats at the little imps with his stick as they chase him into the woods and away from me. I can't help him. I've got bigger problems in the form of an angry bull who's somehow managed to grow horns.

Jason slashes at the vines, and in no time, he's free. His cold blue eyes land on me. "Whatever you've got, get it ready, because you're going to need it all before I'm done with you."

Okay, this is a serious case of misunderstanding. I don't draw my sword. He's my friend. We can talk this through before it comes down to hacking each other to pieces. I back up, my hands up, palms out. "I came back. I promised you I would."

With a flick of his wrist, the sword he holds does a series of fancy twirls in the air, hissing as it spins. He stops it expertly.

Whoa. That's not normal. The guy can throw a mean headlock or flip you to the mat like a pro, but rip the air with a sword? Something's definitely different about Jason.

He glares around the blade, his face twisted with hate. "Do you know what it's like to be dead one moment, then brought back to life only to find you're buried alive?"

Before I can comment, he answers his own question in words that rumble hotly from his chest. "I'm claustrophobic. I couldn't rip my way out of there. For seven days-seven days-I was trapped in a coffin you made. Why'd you bring me back just to leave me?"

"I-I'm-"

I try and wrap my head around what he's saying. With one blast of energy, I killed everything within a mile, and at the same time, I Frankensteined him back to life? "Dude, I didn't know. I swear. I thought you were dead."

It's like he doesn't even hear me. He lunges, the sword arcing toward me. "If it weren't for the pux, I'd still be there. Slowly rotting."

I slip to the side and feel a stab. The tip of his blade nicks my shoulder. No way should he have been able to do that. I move too fast for humans to keep up-one of the perks of being a first-but Jason follows me move for move, driving me backward until I slam against a tree.

His sword swoops down and hovers against my throat. He laughs, and my stomach clinches.

"Draw your sword."

"No."

"You will or you'll die right here, right now."

My mind can't wrap around what's happening. Jason appears to have first abilities, but that's...crazy. Like Leo, he's human.

Someone has definitely been messing with my friends.

"What is wrong with you? We're on the same side."

"Do it, Dylan. Let's see which of us has the right to be here."

I can feel the burn of anger rise in me. "Do you hear yourself? You've turned into a bully just like your dad. You hated him for what he did to you."

"He got results," Jason sneers. "Maybe he's not as stupid as everyone thinks."

"I don't think he's stupid, I know he is, and so are you. Go home before you hurt yourself, Jason."

He leans close, his eyes hard as steel. "I don't get it. Why is anyone afraid of you?"

"I don't know," I rasp. "And I don't care."

"See, that's your problem. You don't think big enough. You don't want to get messy. One thing my dad taught me is that to be the best, sometimes you've got to get dirty."

That definitely doesn't sound like I'm going to enjoy the next couple of minutes.

"Rumor has it, you die, I get stronger." He pushes the blade until I feel it sting. A warm, thin trickle of blood runs down my neck. "Do you think that's a fair trade?"

All I hear is me dying and that totally ticks me off. Jason is supposed to be my friend. What happened? My jaw tenses, and I can feel the power grow hot under my skin. "I saved you. Remember? You were dead, and I brought you back to life. It might not've been perfect, but I saved you."

Jason's lips thin against his teeth and he nods. "I appreciate it, dude. Really, I do. This isn't personal. It's what I have to do to get what I deserve. And I'm going to do what you've failed to do. I'm going to conquer both realms."

"You know what? You deserve everything your dad ever did to you." I shouldn't have said it, but I'm angry and hurt he's actually threatening to kill me, and I don't stop there. "Mr. Tanner was right. You're a psychopath."

Jason's lips split into a cold smile. "Then let's get crazy."

His muscles tense as he draws back to thrust the sword into my neck. Before I can command the tree to split so I can slip away, I feel someone grab my arm and then find myself across the clearing standing beside Lucinda and a stoic Leo. My friend's eyes are wide and filled with horror as he watches Jason impale the tree with his sword.

They force me into a crouch, and Leo's sweaty grip tangles in my T-shirt sleeve. "He's alive? s.h.i.t!"

"I know! Doesn't anyone stay dead in this place?" I still can't believe he's alive.

"What happened to him?"

From the rage spilling out of him, nothing good. "I happened to him. Somehow I messed up. I didn't mean to raise him from the dead, but when I did, I didn't do it right."

"d.a.m.n it! Do you not watch TV? Movies? Video games? Give me one instance where raising someone from the dead ended well. You gotta fix this."

"I'm open to suggestions."

Together, we watch Jason jerk the blade free and spin around, swinging his sword from side to side, his face revealing his shock at my disappearance.