Merging. Just like Alpha mentioned.
We needed to help. I was about to ask Neven to descend when the truck tore off to safety. The troll crashed to the street.
The situation in Damford was worsening by the minute. If we didn’t stop it, if I didn’t stop it—
I gripped Neven tighter. Her rough scales scraped across my hands.
Moments later, we reached the library. I’d checked the phone beforehand for a satellite view so we could recognize the building—all tall windows and old brick—but even so, it took me a second to realize we’d arrived. Wooden boards and metal plates had been nailed to the windows; trees around the building had been chopped down to clear the view; a border hedge had been reinforced with steel plates and spikes and beams. A hastily constructed metal fence doubled as an extra layer of protection. On the street, there were several pickup trucks; in one I spotted Golf Club Guy, who we’d seen guarding the roadblock.
There was even an honest-to-God gunman on the library roof, with a rifle in one hand, headphones peeking out under his hood, and binoculars around his neck. It gave me chills, but he was simply staring at Neven, mouth agape. He raised his hand in a wary hello. I returned the greeting.
He must’ve gotten a heads-up from Torrance. I’d texted her about preparing people at the library for Neven’s arrival.
Neven landed in a clearing behind the library, just inside the metal fence. I slipped off her back. Nearby, an engine roared, followed by yells I couldn’t make out. One of the pickup trucks took off.
I need to help, I thought again. I shook my head to dismiss the thought.
“Prime!” a familiar voice called.
Torrance and Rainbow turned the corner, stepping over a felled tree.
“Are you both OK?” Rainbow looked from Neven to me. “We’ve been hearing stories. It’s getting worse, isn’t it?”
I nodded mutely.
“How did it go with Ha—with Alpha?” Torrance asked.
“She’s, um.” I ran my hands along my upper arms for heat. “We didn’t make any progress.”
I had to tell them, but how? Did I even want to? I couldn’t predict how Torrance would react. For all I knew, she’d welcome the solution and ask to borrow a rifle.
What about the other Hazels? They’d been brought to this world to save lives. It felt like betrayal to tell them we were expected to take a life instead.
“It was your birthday yesterday, right?” Torrance said, snapping me from my thoughts. “Happy belated. And I promise: Sixteen doesn’t normally suck quite this much.”
I tried to smile. “That’s a relief.”
“Don’t get me wrong. It’s close.”
This time, my smile was more sincere. “Do you know how my dad’s doing, by the way?”
“Last I heard, he’s recovering well. They moved him to a hospital outside the city.”
“We have a solution to the Alpha problem,” Rainbow said, which made my head snap up. “Well, we hope so, anyway. Look. Things went badly because we were stressing her out. After everything she was already dealing with, we showed up talking about destinies and Chosen Ones and her being the key, and then there’s her history with Dr. Torrance . . . No wonder she was anxious.”
“Hey! You all!” A bulky, graying man stepped over the tree log. The sheriff, based on the silver star on his chest. “You ought to get inside.” He slowed and stared at Neven. His mouth opened and closed a few times, like he was trying to say something but the words wouldn’t come.
Torrance nodded. “As I said. A dragon.”
“I don’t—” Nervously, he looked between Neven and us. “You’re sure it’s friendly?”
“Yes,” Torrance said.
“She,” Neven said. “I would describe myself as amicable.”
“It talks.” He looked like he’d either faint or laugh hysterically. “Of course it talks.”
“She talks. What is it with you humans and pronouns? Regardless. If you need them inside, I can wait out here.”
The thought unsettled me. I’d hoped to have Neven as backup when I told the others about the Powers’ “solution.” Now it was all up to me.
The sheriff blew out a slow sigh. “All right. Everyone else, get inside. Before I start thinking too hard about what’s happening.”
“You get used to these things,” Torrance told him.
“God,” he said. “I hope not.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
We followed the sheriff, slipping around the corner and stepping over tree trunks. Overhead, something rustled. My hand shot toward my pocket and I whirled to identify the sound.
“Relax. It’s the roof.” The sheriff gestured upward. Two figures moved around near the edge. “Sent my guys to keep an eye on things and direct the teams on the ground.”
“You really have this under control.” Rainbow sounded impressed.
“Yeah, well, blame my kid’s obsession with the zombie apocalypse. Turned out to be a decent help.” He shot a sideways look at Torrance. “More’n I can say for your government.”
“It’s your government, too,” she pointed out.
“Mm-hmm.”
An armed man guarded the entrance, fretfully looking across the library grounds. A chain dangled from a doorknob, and another chain and a dead bolt lay on broken pavement. “That’s everyone?” he asked, opening the door.
“Yeah. Lock up behind us—we’re done letting people out—and join O’Brien.” The sheriff stepped aside, letting the rest of us enter first. “There’s a lot of activity nearby. We gotta brace ourselves.”
Inside, it smelled musty, like old books and sweat and a metallic scent I couldn’t identify. The only light came from ceiling halogen lights; all the windows, even the intricate stained glass above the doorway, were boarded up from the outside.
I’d never been inside a public library—just the small one at school—but I doubted it normally looked like this. Wide bookcases stood crookedly in the front hall. Right past an all-glass doorway
