We got out of the black SUV at the end of the block, back far enough that we were hidden behind the corner of the last house. My utility belt was stuffed with herbs, power stones, and powerful spells contained in color-coded casings. Various spells rolled through my head, some that I’d learned the day before, and some my imagination was cooking up.

A cloud of evil intent thrummed, even from this distance, and I knew they were working up some nastiness, preparing for the battle they were sure was coming. I only hoped they expected it a bit later.

Emery looked at the darkening blue sky.

“What?” I asked, shaking out my hands. My body trembled with adrenaline, fear, and anxiety. I needed to get going, or I might not go at all.

“A nasty storm would be better so everyone would go inside. I don’t like fighting where innocent people might get hit in the crossfire.”

“Says the evilest man in the whole world.” I sniffed at him. “See? I hadn’t even thought of that. I was too busy wondering if I could do that vampire spell without the vampire. But don’t worry. The neighbors across the street are the worst. That jerk Billy Timmons deserves whatever he gets. Although watch. He’ll be the only one left unscathed.”

Emery took my hand and started forward, the flaps up on his utility belt. We crossed the street like a couple walking to the store, strolling along casually. I glanced down the street, seeing someone on the sidewalk outside my house, looking the other way. A moment later, his gaze switched direction, and he took notice of us.

“Look away and keep walking forward,” Emery murmured, and I recognized the spell he was using with his other hand—my concealment spell from the previous day.

“All those spells in your head, and you use the one I made up.” I smiled to mask the tremor in my voice, but he looked at me, his eyes filled with regret.

“We’ll make it out of this,” he said, continuing down the street. “We can handle this.”

My phone buzzed and I took it out. I saw you cross at the other end of the street. You’ll need a better disguise than hand holding.

“What’d she say?” Emery asked.

I sighed and shook my head. “Nothing relevant.” We hurried along the block and turned at the next corner. “Are we going to go in the back way?” I asked.

“Hopefully. Point out the house that is behind yours.”

A couple of minutes later, after checking to make sure the coast was clear, we crossed to the side of the house behind mine and let ourselves through the gate of the fence. A small dog rushed forward, able to sense us even though we were covered by the invisibility spell. It stopped ten feet away, not at all pleased.

I draped a sound-deadening spell over it.

“All those spells in your head, and you use the one I stole from my brother.” He clucked his tongue. “Shoddy.”

The teasing lightened the heaviness on my limbs, but didn’t relieve the shaking. I didn’t know if I could duplicate everything I’d done last night. Half the things I did were spur of the moment. What if nothing came to me this time around? What if I let Emery down? Lives would be lost. The people I loved would be hurt.

“Easy does it, Turdswallop,” Emery whispered as we slowed by the back fence on the other side of my yard. “This is the worst part. It’s understandable that you’re anxious.”

I gulped and nodded as he stepped up onto the bottom board running parallel, clung to the top one, and slowly lifted his head over. He dropped back down quickly, before pushing back up a moment later. Then farther up still. The spell clearly worked, and also, there was someone in my backyard.

He lowered back down as I palmed my chest. This slow approach might kill me.

“Three of them in the backyard. They have a table of casings.” His brow furrowed and he looked down. “I really wish I’d called in my favor for this instead of when I first got here.”

“What?” I asked.

He shook his head and looked into the yard. “I can…” Streams of magic spewed from our belts, then all around us. “I can create a type of tornado. It’ll be powerful. It should scatter their casings.” He paused. “Hopefully.”

“They can’t see us.” I hopped from one foot to the other. My breath came in pants. “Let’s just sneak up, zap them, take their stuff, and bust into my house.” I swatted my braid from over my shoulder. “Let’s do it fast.”

His spell ground to a halt and a smile graced his face. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Because you are the world’s worst planner, obviously. Come on.”

His body shook with chuckles, and he bent with his fingers entwined and palms up, ready to give me a boost.

“I’m good,” I said, gesturing to the fence beside me.

“You’ll probably slip and scrape your face. Take a hand.” He shook his hands at me.

“You better not start on the overbearing train. I’ve got one mother. I don’t need two.”

Despite my talk, I took the boost, not wanting to admit he was probably right. It had happened a few times before.

I climbed up to the top and threw a leg over. When he was in the same position, I nodded and threw the other leg over after it. He dropped down right beside me.

A mage in a purple robe drew her penciled-on eyebrows together and looked right at me. Her gaze slid away and she eyed the top of the fence.

“It seems suspicious that she hasn’t called,” an orange-robed mage said from beside her. “She and that other natural are planning something, mark my words. And do you know which way they’ll come through? The back.”

The female mage shifted her weight and rolled the casings between her fingertips, one in each hand. “Which is why we’re here. The Baron doesn’t think they’ll be here until dark. They hit the guild last night really late with a bunch of vampires. Seems likely the vampires helped them, at any rate. They think she’ll do the same thing tonight. The Baron is bringing in more people.”

“I heard the Chancellor’s anxious to capture them. He wants all that power at his disposal.”

“It depends on how much the girl cares about her friend. She doesn’t have a smart phone—”

My foot crunched in the grass. I froze. Streams of magic drew up from around us, and Emery’s energy wobbled. He was planning something nasty.

“What?” the male mage said, bracing.

“Nothing. Thought I heard something.” The woman scanned the backyard, not seeing us even though we were fifteen feet away. Thank God most mages couldn’t see magic. “The Baron was going to cut off the friend’s finger and send the video, but the girl has one of those old-school flip phones. She can’t get video.”

“Oh, so that’s why they can’t find her. She can’t access Facebook or apps or anything.”

“Yeah, she can’t check in anywhere. They’re still planning to do it when the reinforcements arrive. They’ll just record the whole thing on her answering machine. Should be any time.”

My fear for Veronica turned to rage. The energy brewing between Emery and I changed again, pulsing and swirling, ready for action.

Emery let loose his spell. I ran forward, my own spell surging up and out. Two blasts of magic hit the mages, our spells combining at the last moment and piercing their chests. I was grabbing bland beige casings off the table before their bodies hit the ground, stuffing the spells wherever they would fit.

Thank you, Darius, for insisting on the color coding.

Emery plucked at my sleeve, running for the back door of my house. I sprinted ahead and got there first, throwing my shoulder into it with everything I had. I smashed into the door…and bounced off. I staggered, and my butt hit the ground as Emery barreled into it next. Wood splintered and a crack resounded through the door. Emery crashed through.

“I need to start working out,” I muttered, grabbing his proffered hand and following him inside. “We have to hurry. We can’t let them cut off her finger.” I sprinted to the front of the house as my phone buzzed.

Dread choked me as I dug it out, worried I was too late.