Rich Boy: Growing Pains - 12. Chapter 12

The attack on Jamie's shield was fierce, and Worthington winced at the sight of it as he strode purposely towards the main gate of the camp. It wasn't a gate as most people would think of it, little more than a square wooden set of posts with the name of the camp over the top. There was a decorative wood fence to either side that continued for a hundred feet, but that was it.

The only barrier keeping the people on the other side of that gate from entering was Jamie's shield, and he could feel it beginning to weaken as it was struck again by a combined magical and physical attack. Power poured into him from Brandon, who kept pace, and in step with him as only, a fully linked Channel could. In fact, Brandon was so close he could feel the shorter boy's body against his as they walked.

His own personal shields flared around him as he prepared to enter battle against those attacking the camp. It was barely fifteen minutes until the camp's normal lunchtime, the middle of the day, and he was surprised they had chosen now to attack. He'd expected an attack, if it happened, to occur in the dark of the night. Maybe that was why they'd struck now. Had they expected to take them by surprise?

A mental signal to his brother told Jamie that he was at the entrance of the camp, and he felt his own shields buffered by an addition from Jamie just before his brother dropped the section of the shield covering the gate. They weren't foolish enough to drop the entire shield over the camp. So far, the mercenary soldiers had been stationed all around the camp, and would likely be waiting for such a thing.

He could hear the bullets from the guns of the soldiers flying by him as the shield dropped, and he barely refrained from wincing as a few of them struck the outer shield Jamie had thrown around him. Two powerful mage bolts flew past him, a third struck his shield and before it flared he got his first look at the attackers.

"Fuck." He muttered to himself as he realized he was possibly in over his head. Strike that, he was definitely way over his head. Even if none of them were Adept-class in power, facing off against eight mages was enough to challenge even a fully-trained Adept with a fully-trained soul-bound Channel at his back. Worthington wasn't fully trained, and while he believed he had not yet reached his full potential as far as power, he was one of the strongest mages in a generation. Brandon wasn't fully trained either, but was a strong Channel. Still, had they had twenty years behind them, eight mages and at least six fully armed soldiers would have been a challenge for them.

Where power alone could not solve a problem, Worthington knew to fall back on skill. These were government mages, and he now knew they were not trained by mages who had centuries of accumulated knowledge and experience behind their lessons. The magic that Worthington had learned since he was a child was nuanced and refined over centuries of practice by mages. Whoever was teaching these government mages had none of that behind them. He knew from Jeremiah Francis's mind that they were experimenting, trying to learn how magic worked and didn't work, and that was his best advantage right now.

The soldiers were the biggest threat to him right now. Their bullets were more numerous than the blasts of mage power the mages could throw at him, and required more power for defense, even if Jamie was providing that at the moment. Getting rid of them would improve the odds drastically.

The image of an Elven warrior popped into view just behind the soldiers, firing an arrow from a longbow that appeared to strike a soldier. The soldier's screams of pain as the arrow stuck through his back and out his chest caught the attention of his fellow soldiers, and when the elf disappeared into the underbrush, they opened fire in that direction. Even the mages stopped their attacks to stare as more elven warriors appeared, firing arrows that stuck out of the ground but miraculously missed the other soldiers.

Like good soldiers, they turned and began firing at the new enemy, and when the elves broke and ran, they chased after them. The illusions wouldn't last long and required more power than he had expected. Still, it gave him a few minutes without bullets heading his way, and he planned to use that to the most effect that he could.

His first two blasts reminded the eight mages he was facing that he was still there, and as he let the illusory arrows fade from the ground, his power stripped away the shields from what he sensed to be the weakest of the assembled mages. The man in his early twenties dropped like a stone as the first blast of power ripped away his shields. At the last moment, Worthington changed the second blast from one that would have killed him to one that simply knocked him out for a few hours.

Something about the little ceremony he'd performed a few minutes ago with Jamie stuck in his mind. They'd committed to serving everyone with their power, not just the mages that looked to them for protection. Those words seemed to bind him somehow, and he was reminded of the Law of Unintended Consequences as it applied to new spells. There was always something about new spells that happened in ways you had not intended, and now Worthington was finding out there were side-effects to that impromptu ceremony he and Jamie had performed.

Seven answering blasts of power reminded him he was still outnumbered, and the shield Jamie held over him thinned into the barest of protections under the assault. Worthington's next strike wasn't at any of the mages directly. Instead, he summoned up the dirt in the surrounding area and threw it into the sky, letting it fall down in an obscuring cloud while he sprinted to the left. He could no longer see the mages, and they could no longer see him.

Again, he was counting on his better experience with mage-craft to give him an edge, and it did. They fired blasts of power into the spot where he'd been, striking nothing but ground. Worthington on the other hand concentrated on his mage-senses that told him where other mages were, and how powerful they were. He then took the vise of power he'd used before and split it over two mages, surrounding them with a penumbra of pure magical force that constricted over their shields. He could feel both mages instinctively strengthening their shields, throwing all power into defense and stopping the vise from clamping down harder on them. Reaching the point where there was equilibrium, where the mages were pouring all their power into defense and the vises were neither gaining ground nor losing, he held them there, tying them off at that point of power, keeping them fed but no more.

His goal wasn't to kill the mages but fight them to a standstill.

The dust began to clear, and he lost his slight advantage as two mages still free saw him and shifted their attacks back towards him. Jamie's shield had strengthened, and Worthington pulled a great amount of power from Brandon for his next attack. A wave of darkness stretched out from him, hitting the two mages who had spotted him. They cried out in fear as the darkness hit them, and for them appeared to blot out the noonday sun. It seeped past their shields, and they didn't know enough about the mix of low and high magic that made up the spell to cast out the parts of it that were low magic from their mind.

Now there were just three mages left, and Worthington settled down for a more prolonged fight with these three. To his surprise though, they were just standing there, staring at him with surprised expressions on their faces. When they didn't press any further attack, Worthington took a risk and released the vises of power over the two mages he'd held earlier. They started to shift to the attack, but stopped, and looked at their leader with surprise before turning back to stare at Worthington. Taking that as an offer of a truce, Worthington released the other two mages who had been held by the wave of darkness. When they also relaxed into a defensive posture instead of attacking, Worthington nodded at the man who appeared to be the leader of the mages and signaled for Jamie to close the hole in the main shield of the camp.

"He's not dead," Worthington said in a loud voice pointing to the mage who he had first struck down. "He'll wake up in a few hours."

With that, he turned and felt Brandon following him as he left the front gate. By the time he reached the Dorm building, he was shaking from exhaustion. The sheer amount of power he'd used was staggering, and the fact that he still had power in reserve was even more astonishing. He knew that a few hours ago he would have been exhausted with what he'd done.

Had that little ceremony he'd done with Jamie given more than new restrictions on him?

"Colin, why don't you get everyone up and about?" Worthington suggested to the redhead who was looking at him as soon as he entered the common room.

"Okay," Colin said softly. There was something different about his attitude towards Worthington, and it took a moment for Worthington's tired mind to process exactly what that difference was. The boy's single word had held a great deal more respect than he'd ever really shown before.

"Nice job," Jamie said as Worthington sat down next to him. His brother was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room with Carl lying flat on his back and his blond head resting in Jamie's lap. The boy was asleep, and Jamie was idly stroking his blond hair in a comforting gesture. "I nearly drained him completely."

"I feel ready to pass out too," Brandon said softly as he sat down next to Worthington. The dark-haired young man gave Worthington a grin before mimicking Carl's position. Worthington chuckled softly as he mimicked Jamie by stroking his Channel's dark hair, and Brandon's eyes were closed within seconds.

"How much did Colin see of the fight?" Worthington asked.

"He stood on the patio area and watched the whole thing." Jamie chuckled. "I think he's scared and excited about how you took on eight mages and a bunch of soldiers. Part of him wonders what you'd do to him if he ever pissed you off, and part of him is probably wondering if he will ever be able to do that."

"That makes sense." Worthington muttered. "Something happened during the fight. I felt some type of… restriction when I was about to take out one of the mages. It was like I couldn't kill him. I'm also nowhere near as tired as I should be, like I have some new reserve of power."

"I felt it too." Jamie frowned as he replied. "Do you think it was something to do with the Gray path?"

"I think so," Worthington said and explained his reasoning.

"That would make sense, and it's like I have access to some deeper reserve of power that wasn't there before too." Jamie continued. "It's like what I expected to be able to draw from the Light when I was done with the training for that."

"Except it is neither Light nor Dark," Worthington said quietly as campers and staff began to appear in the room and headed outside.

"It's both," Jamie muttered before an anxious-looking Dechaun joined them.

"Boss man, why'd you go and do that for?" Dechaun frowned as he sat down between him and Jamie.

"What are you talking about Dechaun?" Worthington asked with confusion.

"You put me to sleep with the rest of them," Dechaun complained. "I thought I was your man, that you trusted me."

"I do trust you Dechaun." Worthington almost laughed but thought better of it at the last moment. He could feel the hurt feelings inside the boy. "There wasn't anything you could do, though, so I made sure you were safe along with everyone else."

"I don't like it, boss man," Dechaun complained.

"I don't like what happened either, but there's no use complaining." Worthington shrugged. "Life is rarely fair, as you know."

"How am I going to earn my money if you send me to sleep?" Dechaun complained, and this time Worthington did laugh.

"Dechaun, you can't keep falling back on that every time you want to guilt trip me into letting you do something," Worthington explained as he laughed, and the boy cracked a smile.

"A guy has to try." Dechaun shrugged as he smiled sheepishly.

"Look, I want you to watch the main gate for the rest of the day and tell me if anyone approaches," Worthington said, and Dechaun nodded happily before getting up and heading out the door. "Oh, and you better eat before you do that!"

"Don't worry boss; I'll eat!" Dechaun called back as he left the building.

"That kid is going to be one hell of a businessman when he grows up." Jamie laughed.

"If he survives that long," Worthington said with a frown.

"Why do you think they stopped the attack?" Jamie asked once all the campers and staffers had headed out the door, and a very tired Colin joined them sitting on the floor.

"I'm not sure," Worthington shrugged. "I was still going strong, and could probably have taken at least two more of them down, but the soldiers were on their way back by that point, so winning wasn't a certainty."

"Maybe they didn't know that," Colin pointed out. "You took down five of them and sent their soldiers off on a wild goose chase. That's pretty good for just one person, well two if you count Brandon."

"I couldn't have done all that without Brandon," Worthington pointed out.

"When do I get a Channel?" Colin asked.

"When you meet one that is willing to work with you," Jamie answered, and Colin looked like he was going to argue, but he looked at Worthington's face and shut his mouth.

"Still, you have a point, Colin." Worthington complimented the boy to soften the blow of his agreeing with Jamie's response about the Channel. "They probably didn't know how close I was to being tapped out. It will probably be a day before they try anything again."

"I hope so." Jamie sighed. "Right now I just want to eat and get some sleep for a bit."

"So do I." Worthington agreed.

"How about I go and get some food for all of us, and then we can all sleep?" Colin asked, and Worthington was pleasantly surprised by the offer.

"That would be nice." Worthington agreed at once. "I'd appreciate it, Colin."

"No problem, boss man," Colin said in a perfect imitation of Dechaun.

He returned fifteen minutes later with food for all of them, carried in with the help of two of their Badger campers. Brandon and Carl woke up long enough to eat before all five of them headed to their dorms and some sleep. This time Worthington's sleep was untroubled as he dozed.

It was just before dinnertime when he woke up to the sounds of his campers in the dorm room. They were all chatting happily about some game they had won, and Worthington felt guilty for the amount of neglect they'd suffered over the last few days. As he got up, he vowed to try to do better by them over the next few days, mage conflict or no mage conflict.

The truth of that last thought hit him hard as he looked at the campers. They were a reminder that no matter what happened with mages, and it would seem like there would always be something happening now in that regard, life went on for most people. Worthington and the others were trying to handle this situation in a way that barely impacted the lives of ordinary people like these kids, and here was the proof that it was the right thing to do. Instead of huddling and being worried about what was going on, they were having a good time.

"Yo, boss man, you're alive!" Hector, one of the Latino campers in his dorm said when he saw Worthington looking at them. "Dechaun said you and some of the other counselors got sick. You doing okay?"

"Doing better now, Hector." Worthington smiled. "I hear you guys won today?"

"Yup, we're leading all the Dorms in points now!" Hector beamed proudly. "We're going to win the Best Dorm competition this year."

"Not if you guys keep leaving this place all messed up like it is now," Worthington noted as he looked at the rumpled bunks and bits of clothes and different junk lying around. "When was the last time any of you swept this joint? You know Mr. Hall does those surprise inspections."

"Oh man, you just had to go and ruin our day." Hector moaned, but he was smiling, and the rest of the campers were already straightening all their own areas. Worthington smiled as they set to work with no more need of encouragement. This was the last year most of these kids would be able to attend the camp as campers, but they knew that the campers from the ‘Best Dorm' of the prior year were often invited back as junior counselors for one of the next year's summer sessions, and each camper in the Best Dorm got a decent prize.

This year the prize was a video iPod that all the boys seemed to be craving badly.

Worthington managed to spend most of the remainder of the afternoon with his dorm, catching up on all the things they had been doing while he was ‘sick.' Colin woke up an hour later, and joined him, albeit most of his interest was feigned rather than genuine like Worthington's. The boys seemed to detect that and returned his feigned interest with feigned friendliness on their part.

If you're going to fake it, you might as well not bother with these boys. Worthington finally sent his thoughts to Colin as they walked their dorm to dinner.

They're mundanes. Colin snorted. How would they know?

Take a quick look in their minds when one of them is looking at you. Worthington suggested and smiled to himself at the frown that appeared on Colin's face a few moments later.

How dare they think that! Colin was not happy.

Is it true? Worthington asked.

What does that have to do with anything? Colin snapped. I'm a mage; they're just mundanes.

Mundanes aren't stupid just because they can't perform magic. Worthington noted. You are no better than them, intrinsically, just because you are a mage.

Yes, I am. Colin asserted. I may not be Light path anymore, but that doesn't mean I'm less than I was before. A mage is a mage.

Is that what your grandparents taught you? Worthington asked in surprise and noted the look of fear on Colin's face.

Yes. Colin's reply was almost meek.

And you're taking your grandparents' word that mages are intrinsically better than mundanes over mine? Worthington asked. Why? Because it makes you more important?

I am important. Colin said proudly.

Yes, you are, but it's not just because you're a mage. Worthington countered and noted the confused look on Colin's face as they got in line for food with their campers. Every person is important, and Colin, you had one fucked up childhood. Granted, most Dark mages had a childhood most people would call fucked up, but that doesn't make what you went through any less wrong. The thing is though, Colin, that Dechaun is just as important as you. Think about it. That kid, given the right encouragement and opportunity can become as powerful in the business or political world as you are in the mage world. He understands human nature in a way that few people ever totally grasp, and he's only twelve. With the right help, he can turn that into a powerful tool over time, and use it in ways you can't even imagine right now.

You sound so sure about that. Colin's mental voice was barely a mutter.

Your grandparents were absolutely wrong about you. Worthington snorted. You were never suited to the Light path. The Dark path is where you belong and that I am quite certain about. Why would it be difficult to accept they might be wrong about mages being intrinsically better than mundanes?

It always gave me something to hold onto, something to believe in that there was something good about me. Colin ‘whispered' as much as possible with this form of communication.

You don't have to be better than a mundane to know there's something good about you, Colin. Worthington's mental voice was full of confidence as they sat down, and he felt like he was making some important progress with the boy. For one thing, you're part of my life now. That will never change. There will always be a place for you with me, as part of my circle of family and friends.

Why? Colin asked as he bit into his turkey sandwich and Worthington responded verbally to a question from one of the campers.

Because as much as you cause me a lot of worry at times, I like you. Worthington answered clearly and with meaning. As powerful as Dechaun might become in the mundane world one day, you're going to be a major influence on the magic world, and I want you to be ready for that, able to choose your own path and your own future and to understand the consequences of the decisions that you make. I won't always agree with what you do, but then Jamie and I don't always agree either. That's part of life.

So you're not going to hold me back? Colin asked with surprise.

No. Worthington snorted. There are some things I won't teach you, but it's not to hold you back in your progress. That is a decision I don't make arbitrarily. Like what was done the other night that I wouldn't show you, that is something I would not teach anyone.

You taught it to Jamie, though. Colin stated.

Jamie and I are brothers, and it is a family secret. Worthington countered. Even if I adopt you formally as a Sinclair, I still won't teach you. My children might learn it, but then again it may be something I decide to let die with the current generation of Sinclair boys.

Oh. Colin frowned but didn't say anything more.

After dinner, Worthington made good on his commitment to spend more time with his campers. It was game night, and he found himself in a lively game of Monopoly with several of the campers from his dorm. Dechaun had come inside towards the end of dinner and joined him at the table for the game. He wasn't surprised when Dechaun took an early lead in the game and used ruthless tactics to wheedle his way into a large pile of cash and property.

He almost felt guilty when the game came down to just the two of them as the night was drawing to a close. Worthington managed to absorb the properties of several other players who were happy to ‘go out' to him instead of the ruthless Dechaun who made the mistake of gloating over his early victories. Throughout the last hour, a large group of campers materialized around them to watch the action, rooting for either Worthington or Dechaun.

A series of bad rolls put Dechaun in hoc with several properties, forcing him to sell off houses on his best properties. Then Worthington used the liquid assets he had built up to raise the ante on the main properties he owned, dealing Dechaun a deathblow as it were. The boy took the loss gracefully though, bowing out to Worthington's sharper acumen, and the onlookers cheered both sides in the game.

That night he slept peacefully again, enjoying the rest until Jamie woke him in the early hours of the morning to take his turn holding the shield. There had not been a single bit of activity all night from the government forces outside the camp. It was as if they were licking their wounds, pulling back and just watching for now. When the sun rose hours later, Worthington had begun to feel a ray of hope that this might work after all.

They had just a few more days to go until the end of the camp session. More than likely the government mages wouldn't make another attempt before then, or at least that was what he hoped. When Jamie woke up, he mentioned that he'd had an idea on how to warn off Elizabeth and Stacy when they came to pick them up at the end of the camp, which was Worthington's sole remaining concern at that point.

"I've been thinking about the wards we use in Phoenix," Jamie said as they sat down after breakfast. Today the campers were getting lessons on creating useful things like rope and baskets from vegetation within the camp's perimeter, and they'd take a break from their duties as counselors to study Jamie's idea.

"You mean the warning wards, right?" Worthington asked, and Jamie nodded. It made sense when he thought about it. The wards were a mixture of High and Low magic and set on small physical objects near the freeways and in the airports of the area. At the airports, they were usually light fixtures or some other permanent object near the terminals and entry points that airline passengers passed on their way into Phoenix. On the freeways and other smaller roads used to enter the area, they were usually highway signs.

Whenever a magical presence passed them, whether a magical item, a mage, or magical creature, the ward would activate. First, it would ‘tag' whatever magical thing passed it, and then it would issue a mental message that would be audible to anyone mage-gifted or any magical being. The message itself was simple.

Welcome to the Valley of the Sun. Be aware that for the protection of its inhabitants, the mages of this valley have formed a Mage's Council to oversee its defense from those that would do us harm. Visitors are always welcome, but if you plan to stay longer than the span of two complete cycles of the moon, you are asked to contact the Mage's Council and notify us of your residency.

It went on to list the phone number of the Council's office after that and a reminder that performing magic to harm the inhabitants of the valley would result in severe repercussions. After two cycles of the moon, the ‘tag' that had been placed on them would activate and if they passed any ward, or an MR passed within a mile of an active tag, the Mage's Council would know. Then they would investigate and see what the situation was.

When a person left Phoenix, the ward they passed would remove the tag, and they would no longer be ‘marked' in any way unless they reentered the area later. It left some room for anyone who knew about the tag to cheat but was viewed as the fairest way of protecting the area without infringing too much on the privacy of mages. The fact that it also justified the continued use of MR was another plus to the system. Their anklets were keyed to register the presence of active tags, and they could report any sensations from the anklets to the Council.

"We could set up a ward here, warning anyone of the presence of the government mages." Jamie offered. "It would be hard for them to jam it the way they are doing long range magic communication because that depends solely on High magic, while the wards are a mixture of the two. We saw during your fight that their low magic skills aren't that advanced."

"It's a good idea." Worthington agreed. "We should work on creating one, and we can ‘throw' it outside the perimeter on the morning they should be coming to pick us up. We can make it something innocuous, that won't scream that it doesn't belong and it'll make it tougher to pinpoint for them."

"Yes." Jamie agreed with a smile. "Just in case, we might want to make two or three wards like that."

"That's even better." Worthington agreed with a smile. "Don't worry, Jamie. We'll make sure the government goons don't get their hands on Moms."

"You say that so well." Jamie smiled gently. "I wonder how they'll feel hearing you call them Moms?"

"I think they're used to that by now." Worthington laughed.

"I've also been thinking about what we did with the Gray path thing yesterday," Jamie said and he held up a hand, summoning up the ball of white light as he'd done yesterday. Then he summoned dark light in his other hand. The two shone, each in their own unique way for several long minutes until Jamie dispersed them by closing his hands. "It's as easy as anything else now for me to hold Light and Dark magic at the same time. We really have created something new here."

"We have." Worthington frowned as he leaned back and thought over Jamie's demonstration. Without trying, he knew he could do the same. "What price does the Light demand for that?"

"I think we already paid the price for both." Jamie frowned as he answered. "Remember the line about ‘protecting' all?"

"Yes." Worthington did frown again at that thought. "Does that mean we're incapable of harming people now?"

"I don't think so," Jamie said softly. "I know that for instance, if I had to do to Carl again what I did to him, I could because that would be protecting him. You couldn't kill that mage in the fight, but I think if there was no other way, you could. It's going to take us a long time to figure all this out."

"We'll have a lifetime for that, I hope." Worthington smiled.

"Here's the question I have though," Jamie said cautiously. "Is it just us on this path or are there others that will walk it with us?"

"I think we'd be best just to wait and see on that," Worthington answered after thinking it over for a few minutes. He was about to say something else when Jamie's brow tightened.

"There's someone knocking on the shield near the observation platform." Jamie murmured with consternation. "It feels… elvish."

"That's odd," Worthington said. "I'll go check it out."

"You better take Brandon with you." Jamie cautioned him, and he nodded. Collecting Brandon took several more minutes before they climbed the path towards the observation platform. On the other side of it, just at the shield's edge stood an elf, complete with a bow in one hand and hair tied back in a long ponytail. Worthington approached the shield and him cautiously.

"Greetings, Adept Sinclair." The Elf said with a sketchy bow. "I am Arden, a retainer of Prince Kelvren who sends you felicitations. May I enter?"

"Please." Worthington nodded as he sent a mental signal to Jamie. The elf stepped through the barrier and this time bowed more formally, which Worthington returned. Behind him, Brandon stepped a little away and relaxed, glad that there wasn't going to be more fighting. He still hadn't fully recovered from the last round.

"I am sent by my Prince to check on you," Arden said with a slight smile on his face. "The dwarves and your people in Clairville grew worried when they received no response from your aide here, or yourself. They have tried this e-mail thing, and telephones, all to no avail. Now I find your camp surrounded by soldiers and strange mages, who all ignore me as if I was a figment of their imagination."

"I am responsible for that." Worthington smiled. "These agents are of the same group I believe that tried to kill me a few weeks ago, and now they attempt to either capture me or kill me. I had hoped for a visit by someone like you so that we could get word out but had not thought it would happen. Thank you for coming, and give my thanks to your Prince for sending you."

"It is the least we could do for one my Prince is so fond of." The elf laughed. "Would you have me carry word of your plight back to him?"

"If you would be so kind." Worthington agreed. "I would appreciate word being given to my mage guardians in Scottsdale. They will be able to send the necessary assistance to overcome those out there."

"Nonsense." The elf laughed again. "The elves and dwarves would be greatly disappointed if we did not have a chance to fight alongside with our newest allies. We will all come to your rescue, and you will owe us a favor. Ah, I see you about to protest that. Just know the favor owed will be greater if you do not allow us our fun with these humans."

"I don't want to kill any of them," Worthington said with what he hoped sounded like gracious acceptance of the elf's position. "We do not need to start a war with the government that we would surely lose."

"No, we would not want that at all." The elf frowned. "A skirmish is one thing, but I do not think they would look kindly on dead soldiers. No, I will tell the others we should only humiliate and capture the soldiers and their mages. That will be enough fun and pass many a night with drinking and bragging of our deeds."

"The first round will be on me." Worthington smiled, and the elf laughed.

"That and more, friend of my Prince." Arden agreed as he laughed. "Now, do you think these humans will ignore me on the way out as they did on the way in?"

"I don't know." Worthington shrugged.

"Well, let us see." The elf laughed, and when Jamie had made the hole again for him, he passed out. A soldier appeared out of the ground, reaching out to touch the elf as if to see if he was real. As soon as his hand touched the elf, though, he crashed to the ground asleep while the elf trotted off, fading into the distance quickly. Worthington laughed to himself as he and Brandon went back down towards the main part of camp.

He was already telling Jamie the good news. Their friends and allies, as well as their families, would soon know their situation. It was only a matter of time until the siege was broken and they could send the government stooges on their way back towards their little base in San Diego. Hopefully, they'd be chastised enough that they would let the matter drop.

Worthington doubted that would be the case, and he suspected he had many long hours of meetings ahead of him. There would be the Adepts, Light and Dark, that needed to be informed, and other mages like Byron Jones and the teachers of the other schools. Jamie and Worthington would make sure Light and Dark both knew about the danger being posed by the government, and they would try their best to get the two sides to work together. The situation no longer seemed hopeless, and he found he was laughing and smiling now, wondering how soon he'd be home in Clairville and getting to work on these things.