do it. If she told him, he'd shatter. She'd tell him as soon as he was well. 'Hang in there,' she said as she hugged him.
Tilting his head, he leaned toward her and pressed his lips against hers. He held the kiss as if breathing her in. Stunned, she stared at him wide-eyed. He smiled at her as he drew back. As racked with pain as he was, his smile still had the power to melt icicles. Lily cast around for something to say.
'Go,' he said. 'I'll see you soon.' The dryads led him away. She watched as he stumbled and then disappeared into the forest. Barely able to walk in a straight line, she stumbled back to the gate.
Silent, Tye waited for her.
She stopped in front of him.
He still didn't speak.
'Look, you don't know I'm your soul mate,' Lily said. 'You barely know me at all. I have terrible habits. I swallow toothpaste. My socks don't always match. I'm not good at small talk. I'm just about the most unpopular kid in my class, a close third behind the guy who doesn't shower and the girl who's a compulsive liar. Besides, it's not like Jake and me ... He was just being nice.'
'You are my soul mate, even if you don't know it yet,' Tye said.
She had to look away from the fierceness in his golden eyes.
'But we have a battle to win first.' Without waiting for her to reply, he walked through the gate, vanishing as he crossed the threshold.
She followed him.
On Nassau Street, a crowd of pedestrians clustered on the sidewalk. Drivers had climbed out of their vehicles. Several stood on car roofs and hoods. Everyone was staring at the stream of creatures that flowed toward East Pyne. A few were taking photos.
'New part of P-rade!' Tye called to the crowd. A few cheered.
'You really think that will do it?' Lily asked.
'Humans believe what they want to believe,' Tye said. 'Of course, all bets are off if they see any violence, especially if humans start dying. Screams, blood, and death are not very paradelike.'
'Not so much,' she agreed. She tried to keep her voice as light as his, but her heart was pounding fast in her rib cage and her palms felt sticky with sweat.
'The faster this ends, the better,' Tye said grimly.
Jogging, they caught up with the tail of their small army as it flowed through the courtyard. She noticed that the Unseeing Reader was missing from her arch. Alone on the chapel, the Chained Dragon lashed his tail against the stone vines.
Passing by a set of Gothic classrooms, Lily heard music blasting in the distance. As they neared Prospect Avenue, the music grew louder until the bass thumped against her skin.
'Clever,' Tye commented.
Lily looked at him.
'It's to drown out the sounds of the fighting.'
Ahead of them, campus security guards had cordoned off the intersection of Washington and Prospect. Police cruisers lined the street, and guards manned the barricade. They had widened a gap between two police cars for the magic creatures to funnel through. Professor Ape stood with the guards, shepherding in the army.
'Ride on me,' Tye said. Dropping to his hands and knees, he transformed into a tiger. She climbed onto his back and rode toward the blockade.
When they got closer, Lily saw that some of the guards were clutching their guns so hard that their knuckle bones showed white against their skin. She tried to give them a reassuring smile, but they didn't even focus on her. They'd seen too much in the past five minutes to even notice a girl riding a tiger. She and Tye passed through the police barricade.
Down the street, in front of Vineyard, she saw a snarl of colors. She couldn't identify individual figures. It was more of a mélange of shapes, as if a parade had exploded and left behind a pile of colorful living decorations. It didn't look like a battle, and with the music overpowering everything, it didn't sound like a battle, either, which she guessed was the point.
It was only when they were halfway down the street that Lily began to hear the screams.
One car lay upside down. Up ahead, a centaur fought a fairy. He raised his front hooves and struck at the winged woman's stomach. She sailed backward and then dove forward again. The fairy swung a sword at the centaur's neck. He ducked.
Lily was acutely aware she didn't have a sword or any fighting ability. Tye had his claws, but what did she have? She could befriend plants, that was all. She didn't belong here.
A massive wolf leaped on top of a car and howled. Lily saw a fireball shoot into a hedge. The bush burst into flames, and Lily heard the plant cry. A unicorn clattered past on the sidewalk, a streak of iridescent white, and a scorpion man scuttled across the street.
As she and Tye padded closer to the battle, Lily saw figures slumped in the street and on the sidewalk. Ahead, a griffin launched himself into the air and then slammed down hard in the yard of a cloister-style eating club. A man in orange and black was tossed like a doll over a stone wall. He thudded onto the pavement and didn't move.
Lily clutched the fur on Tye's tiger neck so hard that her nails dug into her palms.
Three goblins charged toward them. One snarled and raised a sword. Another was drenched in blood so red that it looked like paint. He bared needle-sharp teeth.
'Tye!' she screamed.
Beneath her, the tiger boy tensed, ready to spring forward.
Suddenly, a streak of orange and black slammed into the goblins. Roaring, Tye's father knocked the creatures back. They skittered across the street. He lunged toward them, jaws wide, and the three goblins scrambled to their feet and ran.
Tye's father transformed from tiger to man. He strode toward them and clamped his hand hard onto Tye's neck fur. He steered them back down the street toward the blockade. At the line of police cars, Tye's father ordered, 'Dismount.'
Lily slid off Tye's back.
'Transform.'
Tye changed into his human self. 'Father ...'
'You need to leave now,' Tye's father said.
'I want to help.' Tye said. 'This is my world, too.'
'If we lose you, we'll all be trapped here. We'll be forced to feed or die.' The tiger man glared at Lily. 'You let the new Feeders into this world. Don't compound your mistake by creating even more.'
Lily felt her face burning red. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes.
Tye leaped to her defense. 'It's not her fault—'
'You must split up,' Tye's father said. 'Two targets are safer than one. Blend in with humans, or simply hide. But leave this area.'
Lily began, 'My mom and grandpa—'
'You can't help anyone if you're dead,' the tiger man said, and then, to Tye's obvious shock, he wrapped his arms around his son's shoulders and pulled him into a rough embrace. 'I will fight better if I know you are safe.' Releasing Tye, he transformed back into a massive tiger and loped down the street toward Vineyard Club.
Openmouthed, Tye stared after him.
'You okay?' Lily touched his sleeve.
Tye squeezed her hand. 'Keep away from the monsters,' he said. He reached toward her with his other hand, cradled the back of her head, and then kissed her. 'And don't kiss any more knights.'
Before she could think of a response, he strode toward the barricade. The security guards intercepted him, and Lily heard the Literate Ape say, 'He's safe to pass.'
The guards nodded him through.
