The Tethering: The Complete Collection

21. Beyond the Barricade-2

Jacob had never seen a musical before, let alone a Broadway show. His school had done shows every year, but when finding food required constant work, the school play had never seemed important.

Iz insisted that being introduced to Broadway was a delicate procedure. A person only had one chance to see their first Broadway show, so it had to be a good one. Preferably a classic.

As they sped downtown in a bright yellow cab, Iz’s face beamed while she explained the intricacies of musical theatre, but Jacob was too busy wondering where Samuel was. Where had he gone to make riding in a cab necessary? Jacob smiled and nodded but didn’t really catch much of Iz’s explanation of the important meaning in this particular show.

They climbed out of the cab next to the theatre and joined the lines of people waiting to be directed to their seats.

The theatre was as close to a fairyland as Jacob could imagine any building outside Aunt Iz’s domain to be. Chandeliers cast their glistening light onto the patrons below. Red velvet curtains draped the stage, hiding the promise of the story within. Emilia pulled Jacob into his seat as the orchestra began tuning their instruments, searching for the perfect pitch to create their music.

Jacob’s mind was still racing when the lights in the theatre dimmed. Then the show began, and it touched everything he felt inside.

The mother who sent her child away, hoping she would find a better life. The evil policeman bent on upholding the law, regardless of why the crimes were committed. The young people willing to fight and die to create a new world, a better world filled with the hope of equality for all people. A heartbroken girl dying for a man who couldn’t even see how much she cared. Young lovers who wanted nothing more than to stay with each other but had to risk eternal separation to fight for a new life.

As the young fighters built a barricade, trying to find a way to survive the coming battle, Jacob couldn’t help but wonder who in the story he would be. If a battle did come, which side of the barricade would he be on? Which side was the right side? Was he the heartbroken lover destined to never be loved in return, or was he the hero risking everything to protect the girl he loved? And most importantly, was protecting a secret worth all this blood? Was salvaging the Council worth being a part of the fight for a better future? Would it be better to wait it out someplace quiet and see who was left standing when the whole thing was over?

The young men on stage fell on the barricade, dying for their cause. Trying to create a new world they would never see. What did it look like when wizards killed each other? Did a dead wizard look different from a dead human?

As a small boy was killed onstage, Emilia reached over to hold his hand. She laced her fingers through his. Tears streamed silently down her cheeks.

Yes. Samuel was right. The fight would be worth it. If there were a way to protect Emilia, he would do it. Because he loved her. And as afraid as he might be of the fight to come, it was nothing compared to the fear of losing her. He would do whatever he could to keep Magickind from being discovered. He would fight the rebels. He really had no choice.

Jacob squeezed Emilia’s hand and she squeezed back, and for that moment in a darkened theatre, she was his.

The show ended, and Jacob stood to clap with the rest of the audience. The crowd exited the theatre in a pack, all happily chattering about the wonderful performance.

“I have always loved that show,” Aunt Iz said as they waded through the throng.

“What did you think?” Emilia slipped her arm through Jacob’s, keeping him close as people pushed their way onto the sidewalk. Large cars with dark windows lined the streets, waiting to whisk the stars away from their adoring fans.

“It was great,” Jacob said, trying to maneuver through the crowd. People had lined up, cramming themselves against the ropes that barred them from the stage door.

Emilia laughed as he furrowed his brow in concentration, searching for a path through the human maze in front of them. Jacob saw the gleam in her eye and started to laugh, too. She took his hand and led him toward the street and away from the worst of the crowd, following Iz’s bright white hair a few people ahead of them.

It happened in an instant.

Two large men threw open the door of a black SUV and grabbed Emilia, wrenching her hand from his. Before Jacob even knew what was happening, the door of the car slammed shut, dulling Emilia’s screams. Jacob leaped toward the door, but the black car sped down the street before he could reach the handle.

“Emilia!” Jacob screamed.

Aunt Iz shouted a spell he didn’t recognize, but the car didn’t stop. A grate exploded, spewing noxious steam all over the street and allowing the car to disappear around the corner. The crowd panicked, and thousands of people started pushing in every direction, scrambling to find a way out of the sewer haze.

Jacob shoved his way through the panic-stricken crowd, screaming for Emilia, trying to catch a glimpse of the car. But his screams were lost in the sea of chaos, and by the time he fought his way to the street corner, there was no sign of the car or Emilia.

She was gone.