Mine to Fear (Mine #3)(26)

“We should attack back. We don't have to sit and do nothing.”

“How do you propose we do something?” I ask wondering how we can accomplish anything.

“We attack a law office. See if we can shut it down. I know it won't get our loved ones back, but it will tell them we are not going to sit by while they do whatever they want.”

“It would be dangerous,” I say. “I'm in.”

All dejection has fled from Annabelle. “I am as well.”

“You are all crazy,” Jack says. “The only thing that is going to happen is that you're all going to be captured and put in the same position as Councilman Daniel, if they don't tarnish you.”

“It's worth the risk,” I say. “There's a town not far from here with a law office. It would be the easiest to hit.”

Jack crosses his arms and slumps back in his chair.

“But would that put our safe house at risk?” Tawny asks.

“If we do it right, they'd have no reason to suspect this house. And what reason would they have for searching it?”

“Still, I think we should go to the next town over.”

“It will mean more walking,” I reply. “But we can do it.”

“What type of attack spells can we use on a law office?”





Chapter Seventeen





I stare at the plain brick building, wondering if we can really do this. It's not like we picked an easy target. Law officers have their position for a reason. If all goes to plan, we won't even be suspected. Which means it had all better go to plan.

Jack glares at us all. I don't know why he even bothered to come, though he said it was because Councilman Daniel would have his head if anything happened to Annabelle. I'm surprised he didn't tie her to a chair instead.

The sun will be coming up in an hour or so. If we're going to do this, we have to do it now.

“Tawny?” I ask. “Are we ready?”

“Ready as we're ever going to be.”

Which doesn't feel good enough at all. But Annabelle's right. We have to do something. We can't sit back and let them think they can get away with this. We need to take this fight to them.

I move through the shadows of the buildings until I'm hidden in the darkness right across the street from the law office. My hands go clammy, but I lift them anyway. We have to do this in one swift hit or we'll get caught or end up doing no damage at all, which is entirely unacceptable.

I glance over to see everyone else is in place. Even Jack is helping out, protectively close to Annabelle, hands raised.

Now's the time, but I can't bring myself to say the words. Once we do this, there will be no going back. I'll have attacked someone. A lot of someones. There's even a possibility of people getting hurt. I don't want to hurt anyone. I'm not that type of person. If only there was a more peaceful way to bring this about. But being peaceful about things only resulted in my brother being taken and tortured. We have to do this.

No one else is saying anything. Maybe they're having the same reservations that I am. But we can't let it stop us. We have to move. We have to show our strength. We just have to.

“On the count of three,” I whisper. “One. Two.” Please don't let this be a mistake. “Three.”

I let my power surge out of me. It flows yellow and red next to purples and maroons from the others helping, straight toward the law office. Two spell beams split off to the right, the others to the left. They hit the building with a flash of color and deadly silence.

There's a creak, like the building is cracking, but then nothing. Noise from inside tells me that the law officers know something is going on, but not what. We haven't much time, but I don't want to leave this place without having accomplished something.

“Again,” I say. “Now.”

I burst out the spell again, letting it tug my magic toward the building and crashing into it. There's nothing. Nothing but the noise growing louder. We can't stay here. We've failed what I wanted so badly to do. What we all wanted. Then all at once, the entire front of the building is crashing to the ground.

Bricks are flying everywhere, dust billowing up.

“Go,” Tawny says.

There isn't time to see the rest of the result. We're running, hurrying out of the city as fast as we can. If we can make it out of here, we'll have done the job successfully. There are still the loud sounds of something crashing behind us. I can't believe it worked.

Then, that's not the only sound. People are calling out, footsteps hurrying about. Law officers, most likely. My breathing comes in shallow gasps, heart pounding.

There's still a block of houses to go when we hear the sound of footsteps following us. Jack curses just loud enough for me to hear. I know exactly what he's thinking. We shouldn't have done this.

Maybe he's right. Did I just hurt someone? How much damage did we do? And does this make me too much like them now?

“Over here,” a man calls out behind us.

Lands no! “Move it,” I say between breaths.

We pick up the pace even more, though who knows how long we can continue like this? A spell flies over head, bright orange. Now they'll have seen where we're at and won't miss a second time.