The Pyramid Chronicles: Tyche Point (#1)

Chapter Twenty-Six: Point Guard

The beep of the cash register rang out through the ice cream shop, just audible over the chatter of customers waiting in line. Eric punched in the order and looked up at the woman standing in front of him. "That'll be eighteen dollars and sixteen cents."

The woman's children chased each other in circles around her. She ignored them. "Oh, that much?"

"Yep, just like it says up on the giant menu in front of you."

Eric's tone was apparently cheerful enough for the woman to miss his annoyance. "Okay," she said, reaching into her purse. "I also have a coupon."

"Coupon?" Eric frowned.

"Yeah, the twenty percent off coupon you get at the alien history museum tour?" The woman pulled out a faded pamphlet and set it on the counter in front of Eric. "We went last time we were here."

"That museum's been closed for two years," Eric said blankly.

"But the coupon's still good, right?"

Movement outside the front of the store caught Eric's eye. He looked up as a girl sprinted past, glancing back over her shoulder, eyes wide with—fear?

And then Ash ran by, with Wren and another girl in tow.

"Uh, tell you what. My coworker here—" Eric grabbed the arm of the boy cleaning up the counter behind him. "—will help you with that coupon."

"Hey, what—?" The boy dropped the washcloth he was holding.

"I'm taking my fifteen-minute break," Eric told him.

"Now?"

"Yes." Eric tossed his apron and hat onto the counter and ran to the front of the store. "It's an emergency!"

He flung open the front door, startling a couple of kids who were about to walk in. Eric raced past them, frantically searching the sidewalk ahead for Ash and the others. No sign of them. They must have gone down an alleyway.

Eric turned his head to the left to scan passing alleys. He made it a few seconds before his foot hit a crack in the sidewalk at a weird angle and he went crashing to the ground. Pain shot through his right arm, momentarily drowning out his other senses.

He pushed himself to his knees and held up his hand to examine it. The cement had scraped his palm hard enough to draw blood.

Voices carried through the air up ahead. Eric climbed the rest of the way to his feet and took a few steps forward. Around the next corner, he found the source of the sound.

Ash and the other Scorpion kids had cornered the girl between two buildings. They weren't wearing their Scorpion jackets today. Maybe they'd realized matching uniforms were a dumb idea. Or maybe it was just too hot for them.

Eric stepped into the alley and let his right hand catch fire.

Wren's laugh echoed through the alley as she sized up Scorpion's next kidnapping victim. "Agrokinesis? That's fun."

Eric paused. They hadn't noticed him yet. He couldn't take on all four of them, but if he could just grab the girl and get her out fast—

Something moved beneath Eric's feet. He glanced down. He was standing on top of a crack in the concrete, a crack just wide enough for a few small plants to poke out. One of the plants shot up, wrapped around Eric's ankle, and yanked his foot out from under him. He yelped in surprise—and pain—as he hit the ground. His flame went out.

"Well, if it isn't our good friend Eric," Wren said as she turned around. The others followed, their eyes falling on Eric as he pushed himself up. The girl they'd cornered pressed herself further against the wall behind her.