"What did he say?" Kydyn asked as Cinder got close enough to be within ear shot. 

"He said he didn't know."

The warlock scoffed. "That's a load of bullshit. He does know."

Jika reached out and caught Kydyn's upper arm in his hand, holding the warlock in a tight grip. "Not now. We should just head home. Lyn can probably weave something together with that patch and we'll figure it out on our own."

"Oh! You want me to do that?" Lyn bounced on his feet as he got off the trunk of the car. He seemed far too excited for whatever it was that Jika had suggested. Cinder looked between all of them, curiosity taking over.

"Yes. I mean 'that'. You haven't done it in a while though, you sure you can handle it?"

"Course I can handle it. Basics for an enchanter! Gimme the patch, I'll get started." Lyn turned to Cinder and wiggled his fingers in anticipation for the circle of leather. Cinder swallowed dryly.

"I'm sorry. Odain took it. Said he wanted to keep it so that he and the council have something to go off of for hunting down the rebels."

"You let him keep it?" Kydyn hissed.

"Yeah? Why not?" 

"I really do not want to go back to your house to get another one. And why the hell do you trust him so easily? He's a shady, fucking bastard and you need to start thinking things through before you do it." Kydyn stabbed his finger into Cinder's chest who winced and rubbed at the spot when he pulled back. 

"Come on. We'll just have to do this the long way," Jika said with a frustrated sigh. 

"The long way?" Cinder asked as he pulled open the rear door and started to get in. The ground beneath his feet shook and a loud rumble rushed through the air. Sucking in a deep breath, Cinder braced himself against the roof of the car and looked out into the streets that led deep into downtown. Silence fell first, then screams and a loud explosion.

"What the hell?" Lyn gaped at the crisscrossing roads on the other side of the giant courtyard where the Capitol stood. Whatever he said next was drowned out as the sound of something large and heavy falling took over. Hands on his back shoved him at the car and Cinder looked to see Kydyn motioning at him to get in. They piled into the vehicle and Jika threw it into drive the second it was started. Tearing through the gravel, Cinder's heart froze in his chest as he gripped the back of Kydyn's seat tightly.

"What just happened?"

"Don't know. Lyn, cover us."

"You got it," he answered. Cinder looked over to the enchanter and watched as his dark eyes pulsed with white lightning. His muttering was lost under the sounds of a second and third explosion. 

"Shit!" Jika's startled cry took Cinder's attention just as the car lurched as he slammed on the brakes. 

"Keep going!" Kydyn snapped.

Cinder's chest was tight as he watched the building right in front of them come crashing down. "We're going to get crushed, Kydyn!"

"Not happening." 

The rocks tumbled into the street, bouncing around the car. Glass showered down, pebbling the vehicle as they shot down the street at breakneck speed. Jika's steady hands kept them going, but Cinder could tell he was nervous. The whites of his knuckles were showing and his jaw was so tight Cinder thought the druid was going to bite through his own mouth. 

A louder crash to their right startled Cinder. Jumping in his seat he looked to see the huge mass of concrete digging a crater like hole in the street. Several more did the same thing. The building's lights were flickering and flashes of sparks went off throughout like mini fireworks. Cinder reached into the front seat and gripped Kydyn's shoulder hard.

"Kydyn!"

"Quiet!"

As the building rumbled closer, Kydyn's muttering stopped and Cinder felt a heatwave expand from the warlock. It pulsed through the car and hit the destroyed skyscraper. Rock went flying up and away from the car as Kydyn's power tore straight through it. They passed down the street without incident and the rest of the building crumbled down behind them. Jika relaxed at the wheel, but it was only for a second as Kydyn's body tipped off to the side. 

Cinder's throat squeezed tight. Moving so that he could lean in over Kydyn, Cinder shook Kydyn's shoulders. Like the time he'd suppressed Cinder's power, he was completely unconscious. Jika kept glancing at him as he took them down the side streets and tried to avoid the traffic jams that were occurring. People were running, screaming in panic and filling the streets which made it hard for Jika to maneuver through.

"He's all right, right?" 

"Yeah. Just overdid it. But I'm glad he did, or we'd be a pile of metal pancakes back there."

"Someone's attacking the city," Lyn said. "Really should hurry it up, Jika. I don't like what I'm feeling."

"Rebels?" Jika asked, glancing in the rearview mirror.

Lyn's face was pale. The pulses of lightning through his eyes continued and he looked as if he wasn't seeing any of them. His hands were spread open, palms facing down toward his feet. His particular magic was something Cinder couldn't really feel and he wondered what the enchanter was doing exactly. 

"No," Lyn answered after a moment's pause. "Worse. A warlock. And ours is currently snoozing."

"Shit," Jika cursed a second time as he returned his concentration to the road. 

"A warlock?" Cinder leaned in close to Lyn who didn't even move an inch at his proximity. "You're sure?"

"Yeah. Warlocks have a certain feel to them. Dangerous. Powerful. Extremely pissy."

"That's Kydyn in a nutshell. Sure it wasn't him you felt?"

"Positive. This one is..." Lyn's face twitched, a slight pull of his lips in a pained expression had him stopping in answering Cinder. 

"H-hey! This one is what? What are they doing?" Cinder was going to reach out and touch Lyn, but as he did so, the enchanter hit the back seat hard as if he'd been flung. Panting, Lyn tilted off to the side. Cinder caught his shoulders and held him upright. "Are you all right! What happened?"

"He broke my spell," Lyn answered and reached up with his hands to rub at his face. "Ow."

"You were saying something about him. What was it?"

"He's searching. I'm going to bet my life he's searching for you. This is bad. Extremely bad. Jika—"

"I'm trying! There's too many people!"

"Just saying. He's seriously pissed off about something and really not in the mood to play. And you, let go of me, and wake Kydyn up." Lyn took Cinder's hands and removed them from his shoulders. 

"Wake him up?"

"Reach over there, and wake his ass up! We're going to need him!"

"How in the hell do you suppose I do that?"

"Oh for crying out loud. Hasn't anyone taught you anything? Give him some of your magic. Like a jolt to the system. Adrenaline rush if you want to get simple. Sharing magic falls under your tree so hurry it up! Just shock his ass!"

Cinder stared at him for a while before he shifted to sit on the edge of the rear seat. His hands hovered over Kydyn's shoulder. Unsure of how to even do what Lyn was telling him, he licked his lips several times before he finally put his hands down on the warlock. Cinder didn't feel anything happen and knew immediately that he was doing something wrong. Or just not doing anything at all. He muttered soft curses to himself as Jika pounded on the steering wheel in frustration. 

Looking up, Cinder watched as hordes of people washed over the streets, running around in chaos. Up ahead, a thick swash of dirt billowed in the air. People stumbled out of it, coated in the gray dust from head to foot. Cinder shifted again and hovered over Kydyn. He glanced at the warlock's face before grimacing and closing his eyes. He hadn't the slightest clue as to how to share his magic, let alone give Kydyn the jolt he needed. He was worried he'd hurt Kydyn. 

"Come on, Cinder! We don't have all day! That warlock is not someone any of us can stand up to if you don't wake his ass up!"

Cinder ground his teeth but didn't respond. He focused on Kydyn. The feel of his denim jacket under Cinder's fingers, and the warmth that was there. If he relaxed, he could probably do it, but the situation wasn't allowing him any of that reprieve. Cinder lurched forward as the car's brakes were slammed on again and he opened one eye to peek out the front windshield. 

"Cinder!" Lyn shouted.

"If it's so fucking easy, you do it!" Cinder snapped back. 

From the swirling dirt, someone was walking right up to the car. Cinder stared in horror. They had a long black coat on, a hood drawn up over their face so he couldn't see who it was. It reminded him of Kydyn when the warlock had dropped over him during the strange ritual that had almost pushed him into black magic. The stranger was completely decked out in black clothing, and the sense of danger that Cinder got from Kydyn often was thicker. Stronger. 

The man standing just in front of the car was a warlock, and he was powerful. Lyn hissed something between his teeth, but Cinder was focusing back on Kydyn. Cinder had to wake him up. He focused on his own magic. Forcing it into existence despite the way he trembled with fear and anxiety. Just as Cinder was beginning to feel his magic taking shape and pressing into Kydyn, the car lurched again. 

"Son of a bitch!" Lyn shouted.

Cinder looked up just in time to see the warlock holding his hand up. But instead of standing in front of them, he was below them and Cinder's stomach clenched. They were lifted up in the air, car and all. With a flick of his wrist, the warlock sent them hurtling to the side. The impact through glass wasn't pleasant. It was the shattering concrete that alarmed Cinder. The man in the street had thrown them with that much force. 

The car rolled, tumbling through cubicles and destroying more glass along with whatever else was in the building they'd been hurled through. Cinder was certain his body had hit every possible part of the car as they went and at one point smashed into Lyn as well. When everything stopped spinning, Cinder dared to open his eyes. Everything hurt and a cough made it even worse. Breathing was so painful, but Cinder forced it anyway. Blinking rapidly, he tried to focus his vision. Sound was dull for a moment, but as it slowly came back, he could hear the screaming from outside the building rising up again. 

Looking around, he found that he was lying flat on the roof of the car. Kydyn hung from the seatbelt above him, Jika on the other side. The front end of the car was crushed down and Cinder was afraid that both of them were pinned with how the dashboard was twisted and crunched over their knees. Reaching up with a trembling hand, Cinder brushed Kydyn's dark hair out of his face and held it back with his fingers.

"Kydyn," he croaked out. His voice was strained and hoarse. A dry pinch at the back of his throat had him coughing and that only increased the pain through his body. Moving was going to be a bitch. 

"Hey. You okay?" Jika called from the driver side. 

"Somehow," Cinder answered. "You?"

"Fine. Just... Stuck."

"I'll work on something," Lyn's voice came from the other end of the car and Cinder tried to turn to find him. It felt like his body had been put through a grinder. The sound of metal creaking filled the car after Lyn's announcement. Cinder hoped that it was Lyn who was getting the door open and not the warlock. Cinder turned his attention back to Kydyn and tried to focus on waking him up. His body was in too much pain to even try to get any magic flowing. It was a distraction and he doubted he had the energy for it anyway.

"Kydyn," he called again. He shook Kydyn's shoulder, trying to rouse him from his slumber. 

Glass shattered near Jika and Lyn's voice carried over the sounds of screaming. "Door's stuck, Jika."

"Figures."

"Start a transportation spell, Lyn."

"What! But that'll lead him right to us!"

"It's better than being caught like this," Jika retorted. 

"Fine. But I suggest we find a different place to stay in. He'll follow us straight to the house and if he can break my spells like he did earlier, he'd easily tear apart my illusions."

"That's what I was planning to do."

"Cinder, you take Kydyn," Lyn said. 

Cinder bit his lower lip and nodded. He wasn't sure how well he could pull it off, but he was going to try. Kydyn wasn't waking up and he didn't have the strength to do what Lyn had told him to earlier. Grabbing one of Kydyn's dangling arms, he started muttering the spell under his breath. The drag on his energy was insane and he almost stopped partway through. Darkness enveloped him. The only thing that said Kydyn was with him was the fact that he was still gripping the warlocks arm tightly.

When the magic faded, Cinder let out a cry of pain. Kydyn's body hit him full force. It jarred his body, igniting every muscle and bone. He cringed, trying to push at Kydyn to get him off but he didn't have the strength to do so. Breathing was a bitch. Cinder's sight was starting to dim, growing black at the edges. Even after Kydyn's weight was lifted off of him, he was struggling to stay conscious. 

"Better make it quick, Jika," Lyn was saying. 

Cinder struggled to focus, but it was growing far more difficult the longer he fought. Jika's hands were on him, rubbing him down and Cinder flinched at every spot that flashed with agony. Jika finished his overview rather quickly and Cinder was thankful for it to be over. Everything slowly dulled. If he moved, he could feel the pinches of pain lighting up again, so he stayed completely still on the floor of the living room. 

"I can't heal him here. It will take too long and the warlock will trace that transportation spell to us faster than I can put him back together. Fractures mostly, but a few broken bones which will take much longer."

"Since there's nowhere else tuned to that spell, what do you suggest we do?"

"Move to one of the other houses a couple blocks down. It's the only thing we can do. This section is owned by the council anyway, there's bound to be a safe place."

"Are you kidding me! That bastard will find us and kill us all."

"We're not using any magic until he leaves. He'll investigate this house, probably the immediate surrounding ones and then be gone."

"I can weave a pretty convincing spell. Give him some breadcrumbs to chase after."

"No. He'll follow the source. Trust me, Lyn. We go down three blocks from here. Pick a house on the other side and hunker down there. He won't find us. So long as none of us use any magic until he's gone. That's what he'll be looking for."

"You're almost as bad as Kydyn with these bullshit plans! Fine! But when he comes knocking down the door, I'm blaming you."

The conversation stopped then and there were only the sounds of the two of them moving around the house. Cinder wanted to help, but getting up off the floor wasn't a possibility any time soon. He closed his eyes and tried to will all of the dull aches and pains away. If he could just get up and lend a hand, then things would go so much faster and the warlock chasing them wouldn't be upon them while they tried to flee. Yet, as he was starting to contemplate getting up, he felt hands on him again and he groaned.

"Take a breath, and try to relax. I'm going to pick you up. It's gonna hurt, a lot. But I need you to try not to make any noise or move too much." Jika's orders were straight and to the point. Cinder nodded and took a gulp of air right before the druid had his hands under his knees and behind his shoulders. He was lifted up in one smooth motion, but the change in position was pure agony.

Cinder didn't make a sound because he was tossed into darkness by the binding, lancing burns through his body.