The Fallen Prince

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? Shit!”

“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.”

“Damn 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.

Jason’s shock slowly transforms into something far less pleasant. He lowers his sword and his skin mottles. The veins along his neck protrude. Throwing back his head, he lets loose an inhuman roar. Anger spills out of him in a hoarse, bitter cry that scares the forest quiet. He stomps around like a mad bull and yells, “I’m not quitting, Dylan. I have all the advantages. You’re history. It’s my turn to be the hero.”

“Cin,” Leo whispers. “Can you get us out of here?”

“All of us at once? No.”

It’s good to know Leo’s crazy girlfriend has limitations. I was beginning to wonder.

“Thanks for the save.” I shrug out of Leo’s grip. “Meet you back in town. I’ve still got to find Kera.”

“I don’t know…what about Mr. Bloodlust over there?” Leo nods toward Jason. “Shouldn’t we do something?”

“I don’t think anyone has anything to worry about. I seem to be the only one he wants to kill.” I slowly ease away.

“If he catches you off guard again, you’re in for a serious fight.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence. Now that I know he’s around, I can handle him.” I study the girl hanging on to Leo’s arm. Personally, I believe Leo is in more danger than either of us. “Keep him safe,” I warn her.

She smiles that crazy-chick smile, the one that gives me the creeps, and sidles closer to Leo. The scent of bubble gum invades the space as she slowly blows a bubble until it pops. The next second, they’re gone.

Crazy chick.

Thanks to her, Jason now knows my general direction. I scurry out of there so quickly I scare a rabbit out of hiding. If Jason wants me, he’ll have to find me, and I don’t plan on making that easy for him.

I hear Jason thrashing the ground close behind me. He’s got speed, but I have brains. I double back, find Bodog’s trail, and start tracking him. Easy to do. He left a path of broken twigs and scuffed-up earth a blind man could follow. I do my best to cover his tracks, blowing leaves and debris over the area as I follow.

I feel jumpy in my skin. The first time I entered Teag—which seems like forever ago—a calmness engulfed me, like I’d finally found my home. I had a taste of it back at the village, but now, when I reach out with my senses, the air holds an uneasy vibe; tension warbles against my bones, almost as a warning. The perfection I’d admired has grown a few weeds. The magical brightness has definitely dulled.

The trail leads me to a thick copse of trees. I fight my way through the underbrush and find Bodog cowering into his clothes like a turtle retreating into its shell. I move deeper into the shadows, but he waves me still. “No room.”

There’s gobs of space all around him. “Bodog, did you know Jason was alive?”

He nods, clinging to his stick like it’s his lifeline.

“Shit. Thanks for the heads-up, dude. This is bad. We gotta go.” I squat and hold out my hand.

He turns away and mumbles, “Truth is truth. Fears must be faced. I will not abandon him. What next?”

I can’t wait for Bodog to pull it together. I open my hand and urge him out of his shelter. “I’m serious. We need to join Leo and Lucinda. Now. I got a bad feeling we’re going to need them.”

Bodog lifts his head and shushes me. “Quiet. Can’t hear.”

“Hear what?”

“The others.”

“What others?” I cock my head and listen, but it’s like listening for a feather dropping amid a flock of seagulls.

I slant a confused glance his way. Maybe he’s cracking under the pressure. I know I am. Right now I need the old Bodog.

As he continues his one-sided conversation, I notice he appears less edgy. Maybe I’m overreacting. Maybe Jason being alive isn’t as bad as I think. Sure, he’s mad as hell, but wouldn’t I be, too, under the circumstances? I can’t afford to let his pissy mood distract me. I’m here for Kera.

Reaffirming my reason for being here calms me. I grip Bodog’s shoulder and give it a little shake. “Come