Magic at the Gate by Devon Monk

screaming at people. I’d had too many people doing things to me, taking things from me, sticking their hands and magic where they didn’t belong into me, changing me, to be reasonable anymore.
    “Leave me the hell alone.”
    Terric put his hand on my arm again. Stone, who was done sneezing, growled at him.
    Terric removed his hand and stepped back.
    I needed to leave, leave the room and take Zayvion with me. I needed to find someone who would really help us. Someone who would really make him well. Thoughts rushed through my head so fast, they were a storm raining through me whipped by bitter fear. I needed to go somewhere safe. Somewhere nonmagical.
    I needed Nola. She was my best friend. She always took me in when things went wrong, always let me stay on her farm in Burns that was miles away from any natural magic. I needed away from all this. From magic and everyone who used it. I needed Zay to be alive.
    “I need to take Zay away now,” I said in a voice so stilted it didn’t even sound like my own.
    A small, logical part of my mind was pretty sure I was going into a full-blown panic attack.
    “It’s okay,” Dr. Fisher said in a reasonable tone. “I think Shamus is trying to help. You do need to rest and let me take a look at you. We have time for that. Zayvion’s soul is back in his body. He’s breathing well, his vitals signs are stable, he needs to rest before he goes anywhere with you. Now’s a good time for us to make sure you aren’t hurt.”
    She walked past Detective Stotts, giving him a reassuring nod as she passed. Then, to me, “I think Zayvion just needs a little more rest. His soul has gone through so much. As have you.”
    “He needs to wake up,” I repeated. “I need to keep him safe. Nola. I need Nola.”
    Shame, smart man that he was, stepped away from Zay and leaned against the wall, his head back. He crossed his arms over his chest, watching me.
    Terric, had oh-so-casually walked over to block the door. What did he think? That I was going to grab Zay and make a run for it?
    Oh. Right. That was exactly what I’d said I wanted to do.
    “Shame?” I said, looking for his reassurance.
    He smiled. A little crooked, a little mocking. Thoroughly familiar. It did wonders to take my heartbeat down a notch. “Darlin’, I know you’ve had a fucked-up time of it, but you are speeding down the fast lane to crazyville with no brakes. Listen to the nice doctor.”
    “I’m crazy?” Sad thing was, that would not surprise me.
    “No, love. You’re downright sane for someone who’s been dead for a week.”
    Stotts shot a look at Shame. “Would you like to explain that to me, Mr. Flynn?”
    “Sure. There was a huge magical fight out in St. Johns. Right when the wild-magic storm hit—you remember the storm, yes?”
    “Yes.”
    The doctor had made her way over to me and she gently took both of my hands in hers. “You’re okay. Let’s get you in bed.”
    I let her lead me to the bed, too tired to fight, too tired to panic anymore.
    She pulled the covers up over me and placed her hand on my forehead. “Any pain?”
    “No. Wait. My chest. And my skin. And my head.”
    “That’s a lot of no pain,” she observed.
    I nodded, not really listening to her. I was listening to Shame tell Stotts all the secrets the Authority had worked very hard to keep away from police like him.
    “So we created a storm rod using the disks—you do know about those? The disks Allie’s da and his wife, Violet, developed? They hold magic in them, and then let you use that magic for no price.”
    “I know about them,” Stotts said. “They were recently stolen.”
    “Right. They were brought to us. And we used the disks to channel the wild magic of the storm, so it wouldn’t blow out the city’s networks. Problem is, a few of the people in on this little maneuver decided the time was ripe to push their own agendas.”
    “What agendas?”
    “It’d take a while for me to go through them all, but to sum up: