The market smelled like flour and rust.

Dirt crunched under my feet as we made our way through the stalls. With the entire population of the city and only one market sector that was legal—this place was always packed.

Merchants screaming about unspoiled grain, the clink of weapons because no one came unprepared for a fight.

Moms of seven selling fresh bread. Guys who’d seen too much selling knives and gunpowder. Someone lurking in the shadows with packets of cigarettes or alcohol.

River walked to the left of me. Broad shoulders, sharp gaze, and a sharper tongue. He’d been in Thornblade’s army before he finally got the courage to get out of there.

Eliot walked to my right. Small frame, blond hair half-tied back with a stick, eyes scanning exits, and bow slung on their back like they were always ready for a fight.

We came to the market for one thing and one thing only. Medical rations.

Some older guy owed us a favor and was very willing to help us out, saying we were ‘better than the last set of Holders’.

I almost felt bad for using him for supplies, but he insisted on giving us stolen government supplies for a better cause.

Most people didn’t believe that we could be anything more than the previous Holders who screwed everything up. The ones who ruined everything.

“Ten o’clock.” River lifted his chin towards a beat-up stall, the table covered with bandages, antiseptics, sterilizers, and medicines I couldn’t pronounce.

“Let me do the talking.” I told them both, walking over to the stall. The old man was in his sixties, greying patchy beard, silver hair curling to his shoulders. He had warm eyes and a soft smile, something you rarely see around here.

“Ah, Holders!” He greeted warmly, shaking my hand strongly before reaching under the table and pulled out a big case and set it in front of me. “Anything else you need?”

I opened the case and eyed the things inside, counting in my head and recalling what Max had mentioned we needed. The inside of the case smelling of antiseptic and old plastic.

“Any extra bandage wraps?” I asked gently. The man nodded earnestly and pushed a whole stack into my hands.

I nodded, setting the bandages inside and closing up the case before handing it off to River.

“Thank you, Sir.” I smiled, shaking his hand again, slipping a coin into his palm.

“No, thank you, Holders. You will save us from this damned world.”

I let out a shaky breath, forcing my face to stay gentle. 

“We’ll do whatever it takes.”

~

“How did Ronan even get caught earlier?” River asked, recalling the earlier…issue.

Taking a deep breath, I prepared an answer. Eliot beat me to it.

“We were on patrol, guards spotted us and knew we were Holders, Ronan stayed back so we could escape.”

River rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I know that but why wouldn’t the guards come after all of us anyways? I mean, we’re all worth something to Thornblade.”

I nodded, letting myself into the conversation. 

“Thornblade saw a lot in Ronan. I have no doubt he wants him back before even his own daughter.”

We all went silent for a good minute before anyone said anything else. “Think he’s planning something?” River asked.

I shrugged. “No way to know for sure, but knowing him—he always has something up his sleeve.”

~

We walked in to hear banter and criticizing. Home sweet home.

“Ronan, sit back down, you’re gonna fall!”

“I’ve been walking for sixteen years and counting, Maximillian.” 

A loud sigh came from the healer, who was face-palming in defeat. I watched as a stumbling Ronan walked into view, clutching the wall as he tripped into it.

Skylar watched in amusement from the table while chewing on old jerky like this was the best thing she’d seen all week.

River walked past me and set the medical supplies on the counter in the back, to which Max walked over and started organizing the contents of the box. 

I looked over at the couch, where Eliot was already in their sweater and soft socks, book in hand and tea on the table like they’d been there for hours. River walked over and sat next to them gently.

“Declan!” Tessa yelled from the stairs, which she came barreling down before running straight into me in a tight hug.

“Hey, bug.” I smiled, hugging my sister, kneeling down to her level. 

“Can you teach me magic now?” She asked hopefully, brown eyes wide.

I smiled, nodding. “Yeah, let me check in with everyone for a minute, then I’m all yours.”

“We still need to patrol Sector Four. We ran out of time yesterday.” Skylar reminded me, turning away from Ronan as he made it to the food rations.

I nodded, pulling a seat at the table.

“I’ll help Tess for a while then we can take a team out there to scout out anything.” I told her.

Sky gave me a thumbs up and waved me off to go be with my sister, who was patiently waiting, watching me intently.

“Ready to read the Fate of the world?” I joked.

Well…half-joked.

~

“Maybe try just changing the color of that grass patch.” I told her. I made sure she stuck to small changes. No need to rush.

Tessa nodded earnestly and concentrated, hands glowing a slight purple before the color vanished. I looked over and the grass that was once yellowing was now a lush green.

“I did it!” She smiled, jumping up and down and pulled me into a hug.

I squeezed her tight, smiling too—but also a little worried. She was getting very good at these little changes. What happens when she’s ready to take on more?

~

The grate groaned as I pushed it open, the clean air of Sector Four filling my lungs once I’d climbed through.

“Ah, Sector Four. Too rich to be poor and too poor to be rich.” Skylar murmured, shoving the grate from the wall closed back behind her.

It was just her, Max, and I on the patrol. We usually paired in groups of three then spread out within sectors, just making sure Thornblade or his guards aren’t up to anything they shouldn’t be.

“This place’ll be crawling with soldiers.” I told them. “Stay hidden, cover your ground, meet back here once you’re complete.”

They both nodded, eyes calm but focused.

I pointed them their directions. Max going left, Skylar going right, and me taking the middle of the Sector.

Then we went our separate ways.

That was mistake number one. 

I made my way through Sector Four, past libraries, apartment buildings, and small businesses. The Sector seemed like a ordinary small town. Like the apocalypse had never touched it.

Like Holders had never touched it.

The place was quiet, most people were probably off at work making fine money to come home to a nice dinner and loving family.

That life sounded like a fantasy.

An illusion of stability and safety.

Like they didn’t build their buildings on magical ground—or worse, over the ones fallen after dark. Their buildings large and pristine, having no respect for the lives lost hidden beneath their marble floors were built on.

A stray black cat pulled me out of my thoughts, meowing to make its presence known before making its away across the road.

Thats when I heard them.

“Spread out. They’re lurking around here somewhere.”

Boots shuffling over the concrete, weapons and helmets clinking as they moved.

I cursed under my breath, slipping into an alleyway and peering over the edge, and watched as soldiers spread around the area I was in seconds before.

I took a deep breath, channeling my Moon abilities to hide me, casting a shadow over me in the otherwise daylight. The coolness of the moon lurking over me like an old friend.

They walked right past me, murmuring things on their walkie talkies, guns loaded and pointing every possible direction.

The thought jumped out of nowhere into my mind. Max. Skylar.

I slipped away from the soldiers, walking to Skylar’s side of the sector, when I walked right into a five-foot-ten mop of blond hair.

“Oh thank the gods.” Max sighed, gripping my arm hard enough to leave a bruise. “They ran me out, I barely got away.”

I nodded, scanning him once over for injuries before I kept walking, Max trailing quickly behind me.

“You don’t think they found her, right?” Max rambled, voice shaking. “She’ll be able to get past them, I’m not doubting her, I’m just saying we need to think of the possibility even if its messed up. I—“ 

I whipped my body around to face him, placing my hands firmly on his shoulders, bending down just a bit so we were eye level.

“Max.” I said firmly. “She’s going to be okay.”

The healer searched my eyes, looking for any doubt, tension.

Eventually, he nodded, dropping his gaze. I patted his shoulder once before turning back around, making my way back through the alleyways of Sector Four, Max and his anxiety right on my tail.

We heard voices coming from a few alleys down, shouting, grunting, and the unmistakable sound of bodies hitting concrete.

I looked at Max and we both were thinking the same thing.

Sky could get a bit unhinged when someone gets in her way.

By the time we got there, all the soldiers were unconscious bodies on the ground and the air smelled of copper. Her chest was heaving, curls wild, blood trickling down her face and a cut on her arm. She must’ve heard us coming because she grabbed a knife from the ground and in an instant she had it up at both of us.

Skylar’s eyes widened when she realized it was us. Her breath stuttered.

“Sky…” I said quietly, slowly walking forward like I was approaching a wild animal.

The Air Holder turned away from us, eyes scanning the bodies.

“I…” her voice cracked, knees buckling a second later.

Max and I ran forward, catching her before she hit the ground too hard. Her hands were shaking, breathing shallow and skin clammy.

“I didn’t mean to…” She whispered, gripping my shirt, forehead pressed against my shoulder. “They—I…He taught me how to do this.”

I didn’t need to ask who ‘he’ was. Her father. The one single man making everything more miserable.

Doctor Andrew Thornblade.

~

“I thought I was better than this.” She whispered after I’d finally coaxed her to sit down and let Max tend to her wounds.

“You never were this.” I told her. “He conditioned this into you. It isn’t who you are.”

Sky nodded and looked down at her hands—which were still shaking slightly.

“Everyone, let’s do some training for a bit, nothing too much but we need to be ready for anything.” I told the room. “We need to be ready so this doesn’t happen again. Or worse.”

Skylar nodded and stood, Max did the same. River stared at me like I just insulted him.

“Why are you the one making that call?” He asked suddenly.

I shook my head, confused. “What does that mean?”

“Why are you the one the making the decisions?” River snapped.

“Guys…” Skylar started, turning to watch us both.

“I’m filling my brothers shoes after he was murdered, River. What? Is there something wrong with that?” I snapped back, crossing my arms defensively. Where was this coming from?

“I’m just saying, maybe take a group vote every once and a while? Some people don’t like being bossed around by someone barely older than them.”

“Hey, you—“

“Shut up!” Skylar yelled over our bickering, both our eyes snapped to her. “You idiots don’t have to…fight for leader all the time.”

My jaw clenched. It had been a childish argument. I didn’t need to feel threatened by him.

“Stop aggravating my patient.” Max exhaled like he was older than all of us. Sometimes it scared me how he was so…mature all the time. At least around everyone else.

“Let’s take a breather.” I told the room, even though Eliot, Ronan, and Tessa were in their own rooms doing who-knows-what. “Break from training this afternoon. We need the breather.”

The three nodded and we all went our separate ways.