Wicked As You Wish (A Hundred Names for Magic #1) - Rin Chupeco Page 0,51
parked up ahead, people conversing with ICE agents as the latter took down their information. The tension was palpable.
“Lemme do most of the talking,” Tala’s father grunted. “If we do it quickly, we can—”
The window on the car’s passenger side abruptly shattered. Tala’s mother threw her hands up instinctively, protecting her face from most of the shards, but the door was yanked open moments later, and she was dragged out by several pairs of hands.
“Lumina!” Kay lunged for her, then froze when a gun was trained on his face from his side of the door. “Get out of the car with your hands up,” said a rather familiar voice. Agent Appleton, the man who’d led the search at Lola Urduja’s house, leaned down, smiling cruelly. “So good to see you again, Mr. Warnock. Please exit the vehicle slowly. You are under arrest for obstruction, malicious destruction of property, harboring a criminal, terrorism…”
He was still droning on as his fellow agents proceeded to drag her father out of the car, his heavy frame making it difficult. One went so far as to knee him in the stomach, making him groan.
“Dad!” Tala cried out.
“Don’t, Tala!” her father shouted through gritted teeth as they threw him down onto the ground, a couple of cops astride his back as they brought out handcuffs.
“What are we gonna do now?” Ken muttered. “Do we fight them? I wanna fight them. Or do we make for the sanctuary?”
“No, not yet. Don’t make it worse for the others because they’re definitely going to retaliate.” They could see the cops doing the same to the car behind them, forcing Lola Urduja and the others out.
“Your turn, kids,” Agent Appleton opened the back door. “I want you all to get out single file, one after the other. Don’t make any unnecessary moves, or we’re going to tase you all.”
Ken shot a sideways glance at Zoe, who nodded.
The agents still had both Tala’s parents on the ground. A female cop was strapping what looked to be headphones and a blindfold on her mother.
“They know she’s a Makiling,” Zoe muttered grimly. “I’ve seen those before. They’re used specifically to cancel out her curse.”
“Quiet!” one of the cops shouted at them. They’d already taken Ken’s swords off him. The boy grimaced but didn’t put up a fight.
“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a whole mess of terrorists here,” Agent Appleton drawled. He turned to the passengers waiting in the other cars. “Tell them this is an ongoing police operation and that they’re free to go,” he told his colleagues. “We got what we’re looking for.”
They were neutralizing her mother, Tala thought, as the other cars were permitted to leave, but they weren’t neutralizing her. They didn’t know everything.
“Where were we?” Agent Appleton taunted. “Ah, yes. Harboring a criminal, illegal possession of magic, unlicensed use of classified magical creatures.”
“If you think we’re responsible for those bloody ogres, you’re insane,” Tala’s father growled.
“Shut him up,” Agent Appleton said, and a Taser was shoved in between Tala’s father’s ribs. The big man stiffened, his hands digging down into the dirt.
Tala jumped forward and was promptly restrained by a female cop. “Do you want to be hurt too?” she barked.
“Don’t antagonize them,” Loki said softly, from behind her.
Biting her lip, Tala backed down. Zoe met her eyes, then flicked her gaze back at the car.
The firebird was still inside. None of the agents had noticed it. It was staring out from an open car window, and it was hissing, glowing a bright fiery red. Whatever was being used to negate magic within range, Tala realized, wasn’t affecting it at all.
Still shining, the firebird gave a small, reassuring squawk, and then ducked out of view.
“We’ve got the Makiling woman,” Agent Appleton reported into his walkie-talkie. “And the Avalonians as well. Once we’re done reading them their rights, we’ll be bringing the adults down to the precinct and the children to the detention.”
“No.”
A glittering figure stepped out from behind one of the police vans, walking slowly toward them. Tala recognized those eyes, that now-smooth face where a basketball had once destroyed it seemingly beyond repair.
From behind her, Alex made a low hissing sound.
The agent registered no surprise upon seeing the ice maiden. Neither did any of his fellow cops. “I have orders to bring them back to HQ, as we discussed,” he said tersely. “We told you to leave everything to us.”
The cold lips twisted. “I obey no one but my mistress. You promised me the boy.”