“He's a member of TAC,” Gary said. “Everyone knows that. Not to mention his best friend is its leader.”
Several people in the gathering grumbled.
Oh crap. I hadn’t considered how word about this meeting might spread through the entire local magic community beyond just the ones I knew, and who else might show up here as a result. At our usual weekly meetings, only teens came. But tonight’s gathering included probable Clann outcasts of all ages. No doubt at least some of them had either known or been related to the group of outcasts who had died along with Hayden’s brother last summer. And by the sound of their muttering, quite a few of them here seemed convinced Hayden had either killed or helped kill that night’s victims.
Hayden took another deep breath, held out his free hand, and a blue orb of energy glowed into life on his palm. “If this is a gathering of magic users, then I belong here. Just like the rest of you.” His grip on my hand tightened.
Staring at that beautiful blue orb, I bit my lower lip as pride surged through me. He was taking a huge risk, revealing his secret like this. Especially with this group, many of whom thought they might have good reason to hate and fear him.
And yet he’d done it to help me. He was here at my side, facing down my friends and even people I didn’t know, trusting me and giving them more than enough ammunition to land his butt in an internment camp right along with them. And all because I’d asked for his help.
If we hadn’t had an audience, I could have risen up on my tiptoes and kissed him. I settled for squeezing his hand instead.
“You're nothing like us, rich boy,” Gary sneered. “How do we know this isn't just a trap?”
The muscles in Hayden’s jaw knotted as he shrugged, closing his hand to snuff out the orb. “You don't, I guess. You just have to trust me.”
“He's legit, Gary,” I said. “I swear it. He helped me find the nearest internment camp today. Not to mention he saved me from being arrested at the protest this morning.”
The group fell silent.
“Is that right?” Gary crossed his arms over his chest, probably in an effort to make himself look bigger and badder.
It didn’t seem to phase Hayden. He used his feet to clear away matted pine needles and cones from a section of dirt, then squatted down and grabbed a stick, which he used to draw the outline of the camp. “The camp’s heavily guarded. Twenty foot high chain link fence topped with barbed wire around the entire compound. Double gate, single entrance and exit point here on the west end with two guards posted on lookout stands. Six more guards posted along the perimeter inside the fence. If they work in twelve hour shifts, double that number. Or triple it for three shifts. Plus the officer in charge. And they're all armed with live rounds.”
“Which they didn't hesitate to use on a man tonight,” I added, working hard to keep my voice from shaking at the memory. “They're keeping everyone drugged. Even the little kids. And they're using what looks like tranquilizer patches on anyone they arrest as soon as they grab you, so don't count on using your magic to get free during transport.”
Several people hissed or murmured in alarm.
For once, Gary kept his cool. “Any buildings?”
“Yeah,” Hayden said. “Two long metal buildings here and here. This one on the east end’s got two guards posted at the door, so it’s probably where they house the prisoners while they’re sleeping. There’s also a tent building here towards the west, maybe the officers’ tent or mess hall, maybe a communications center or where they keep the drugs and medical stuff.”
Gary leaned in, checking out the sketch. “What about inside the buildings? Any idea of the layouts?”
I shook my head. “We only saw the camp from a distance. But listen, we've got to move on it soon. The conditions there are bad. I counted twenty-eight kids there, none with coats or blankets. We saw a baby die in its mother’s arms tonight, and nobody even cared. And then they shot another man to death in the back just for trying to escape.” Remembering my phone, I dug it out of my coat pocket, found the internment camp video I’d recorded, and showed it to them. Everyone gathered in small huddles to take turns watching it. A few gasped, some murmured too quietly for me to fully make out. Most, however, were shocked into frozen silence.
“I sent that out tonight,” I added. “By tomorrow morning, it’ll be everywhere. When the government sees it, they might try to relocate the camp. Which is another reason why, if we’re going to do something, we’d better do it quick. Plus...” My voice started to shake. I paused and tried again. “...they’ve got my dad too.”
“We'll go tonight,” Gary said. He turned to Hayden. “Can you get us some directions to get us there?”
“Sure.” Hayden pulled his phone out of his coat pocket and mapped out the camp’s location and how to get there.
Gary checked the screen. “Seems easy enough to find it. Okay, who's in?”
Roughly half the group raised their hands. I counted twenty-seven volunteers.
Gary nodded again. “Good. Here's how we'll go in.” Using Hayden’s dirt sketch, Gary squatted down and started pointing. “We'll fan out and approach in three teams from the north, east and south sides. We might have to come up with something to distract the guards, maybe on the north and south sides, so the east side team can get in through the fence closest to the prisoner building unnoticed. Unless anyone here knows how to do some kind of cloaking spell?”
“I can.” Mike, a short sophomore at our school, had to rise up on tiptoes while speaking in order to be seen and heard from within the crowd of taller people surrounding him. They shifted so everyone could get a clear view of the new speaker. When he realized everyone was looking at him in surprise, he grinned. “What can I say? I grew up on Harry Potter and wanted an invisibility cloak of my own. Never managed to make the actual cloak, but I can make myself invisible at least.”
“Good,” Gary said. “Does it only work on you?”
Mike shook his head. “I can make it work on others too. But I can only extend it onto anyone within about ten feet of me. And anyone within that zone will still be able to see me unless I reduce the reach.”
Gary frowned and stared down at the dirt sketch of the camp for a minute. “Okay, change of plans then. We’ll send in one team at a time through the east side only with Mike as the escort each time. Then we’ll get the prisoners out the same way, one small group at a time. The problem will be getting through the fence. Is it electrified?” Again Gary turned to Hayden and me.