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Is it wrong that I feel just a touch of joy at Gertrude’s misfortune—or schadenfreude, as Fabian would call it?
“I take it you know this motley crew?” Rowan asks, surveying our opponents.
“We do, and that’s the problem.” I take out my gun and verify that it’s still on a nonlethal setting. “We don’t want to harm them.”
“I’ll take on Colton,” Fabian growls. “A giant can take a few punches.” He morphs into his wolf form, his clothes ripping into confetti in the process. With a howl, he rushes at Colton.
“I’ll help,” Ariel says, leaping after Fabian.
Dylan doesn’t say anything, just follows Ariel and Fabian with halting steps.
Everything happens almost at once.
Chester runs at Rowan, while Kit morphs into a cheetah and leaps in Felix’s direction. Itzel shoots a ball of lighting at Chester but misses. I shoot him with my gun and miss as well. Itzel throws another ball of lighting. Still misses.
Puck.
Chester’s luck powers must be in play.
Fine. Felix needs help too.
I shoot at Kit, but my feet lift off the ground and I miss her as well.
Puck. There can be only one reason why I’m flying outside the dream world.
Nina’s telekinesis.
I can’t believe this is happening to me again.
Within seconds, I’m hovering five feet off the ground. Fighting nausea, I twist in the air until I’m upside down—and see Cheetah Kit mid-leap at Felix’s throat.
Without aiming, I shoot twice.
Oops. Both Felix and Kit fall—but at least she never made it to his throat.
Nina lifts me another foot, and I flail desperately but without much to show for it. My breaths speed up. I think a part of me hopes I’ll magically turn into a helium balloon that will stay up when Nina inevitably drops me.
Below me, Ariel grips Colton’s right leg, and Dylan does the same to his left.
With another howl, Fabian smashes a paw into the giant’s solar plexus.
Colton falls with a loud boom.
My relief mixes with concern. I hope Fabian was right, and Colton can handle this abuse.
My worry deepens when Chester reaches Rowan and knocks her out with a backhanded slap.
Nina lifts me another few feet. As I fly, I try flexing my core and twisting.
Score.
I’m facing the direction I want.
I aim my gun at Nina and do my best not to dwell on the fact that once I press the trigger, I’m going to plummet.
The hesitation costs me. The gun is wrenched out of my hand by a telekinetic pull, and a moment later, Nina’s aiming it at me.
Gertrude’s screams cease, and I see Valerian aiming his gun at Nina’s head.
Nina collapses.
Valerian blurs into motion.
I drop like a granite statue of an obese elephant.
Chapter Five
I squeeze my eyes shut so I don’t see the ground rush toward me. If I were a cat, I’d twist in the air so I can land on my feet. Then again, wouldn’t that break my feet? My heart tries to evacuate my body through my throat, and I can’t exactly blame it.
I land on something hard, but in a strange way, with my butt sinking deeper.
I open my eyes.
Valerian’s face is above me. He’s caught me in his outstretched arms.
He’s saying something soothing, but the hammering pulse in my ears makes it hard to make out his words.
Gently, he sets me on my feet. I grip his biceps as I catch my breath and scan the battle scene.
Colton is unconscious or worse, and Chester must’ve knocked out Itzel after he was done with Rowan because the gnome is lying there, unmoving.
Gertrude is on the floor, whimpering, and Chester is near her, fighting the trio of Ariel, Dylan, and Fabian.
To my utter astonishment, Chester is holding his own. Without super strength or speed, he’s able to dodge Fabian’s wolfu moves, as well as Ariel’s lightning-fast kicks and punches. When Dylan occasionally tries to grab Chester, she doesn’t succeed either.
Valerian aims his gun at Chester. Nothing happens. Valerian curses. There’s an error code on the gun’s screen, something about it needing a battery recharge.
Probability manipulation is a useful power.
“Can’t you use an illusion on him?” I ask urgently when Chester dodges yet another round of attacks. “You can handle a single Overtaken, can’t you? Without his other minions, Phobetor won’t know what the true reality is.”
“Let me try.” Valerian points his hand at Chester.
“Wait. You need to show him something pleasant and fun. Something his powers will welcome.”
Nodding, Valerian shoots his energy at Chester’s head.
At first, Phobetor screams obscenities through Chester’s lips. Then the fire disappears from Chester’s eyes, and a dopey grin contorts his face, making him look even more like a puck or a satyr.
The crazy thing is that Ariel still misses when she tries to punch him in the face. Same goes for Dylan and Fabian.
“I got him,” Valerian yells to them. “He won’t fight back.”
He’s right. When Ariel and Fabian stop, Chester keeps standing there, absorbed in whatever pleasant vision Valerian has put him in.
