A lone trumpet howled its brassy tune, a crescendo that called all of those within the alleyway to attention; the walls contracted and expanded with every note, as if the buildings breathed along with the song. A number of woodwind instruments joined it, still out of view from Zain.

  “Let’s te-ll this sad stor-y~” The woman whispered into Zain’s ear as she pushed him downward.

  He turned around as soon as he could, but attempting to raise himself up again was a different ordeal.

  Now his limbs were sufficiently suffused with ice, which had spawned from seemingly nowhere. The woman lifted his chin, making sure his eyes met hers.

  The woman wore an elegant dress with rhinestone tassels hanging off of them, they all swayed synchronously with her meandering steps. Likewise, her hair was adorned with similar fringe, the type one could find in the 1920s in their world.

  Lips a deep shade of maroon, she smiled mockingly at the two stuck on the floor, doing a gliding backstep as she continued with her song, “‘bout two little boys~”

  The piano kept rhythm with her creeping steps and the ice slowly spread as she moved her hands around. She waved her index finger, like a maestro coordinating her nefarious band; Using her pointer finger to emphasize certain notes as she traced it in the air. “Fou-nd thems-elves not in Kans-as no mo–re~”

  Hands reached out from the walls and the ground, grasping at Zain and Brayden; They roughly tussled them around, ignoring the frosty layer of ice clinging to their clothes. Their belongings were quickly seized, pulled out of bounds with little resistance. A few hands remained to apprehend them, restraining their arms behind their backs as they remained helpless.

  “With no wa–y back home~”

  ‘With no wa–y back home–’ A ghostly chorus echoed.

  Zain was shaking now; Whether it was from the cold or from his own powerlessness, he was unsure. What could be said for certain was that all of his belongings had been effectively taken from him. Brayden was similarly dismayed, with his face contorted in frustration and fear.

  To his dismay, the music still continued even though they had lost their possessions.

  The woman sauntered towards them, with long gliding steps, her fox-like eyes taunting them.

  “Tho-ught the-y could go off the path~” In a lower, more ominous voice, the woman continued with her verses. She grabbed their faces, squishing them with little care for their slight protests. The ice began to burn as it ebbed at their skin and infiltrated their lungs.

  “And sur-vive the a-fterma-th~” Her chocolate brown eyes trembled with a deranged excitement as she eyed the two, grinning like a lunatic as she drew closer and closer. With her manicured nails, she dug into their cheeks.

  Zain could feel an unmistakable pressure surrounding him; He held his breath, an anxious knot forming his stomach as he braced for the worse.

  “FREEZE” A commanding voice interrupted.

  The music halted, the woman froze, and the attention of everyone was drawn to the person who had pulled the needle.

  “In the name of the police department of the city of Merverre, I order you to step away from the boys! Minnie Conway! You are under arrest for assault, robbery, siren calling within residential zones, and illegal use of concealment magic!” The cocky detective stood haughtily in the alleyway, her long lashes concealing her gaze. She smiled jeeringly as she added, “And since these two ethereals were plucked less than 6 months ago, that means that’s a felony charge!”

  Surprised discordant notes sounded from the walls and the woman turned around with a scornful look in her eyes. Without wasting a second, she straightened her back, then snapped her finger.

  And like that, the band snapped back to attention, immediately changing the tempo of the music. The trumpet entered a solo as their getaway song began.

  Spikes of ice lurched forward, piercing fiercely in tandem with the sharp notes of the instrument. The icicles followed the composition, dynamic in their assault. At first four, then six, and then finally 8 to the measure, with the tempo of the music accompany the intensity of their attacks.

  The woman detective artfully dodged, skillfully trotting backwards with her hands in her pockets. Her composure did not drop for a second, not even when she was kicking away stray ice spikes.

  “Dickens!” She called, and not a moment later, a young man came running from behind her.

  Wielding a police baton, he swung at the incoming ice lances. Blue flames spewed outward, creating a brief foggy haze before both magical attacks canceled each other out.

  Minnie grimaced with displeasure, then she snapped once again. This time, a saxophone answered the cue as it began to roar a sultry tune.

  Wind amplified with its sound, a gust which pushed the two officers back. It worked synchronously with the trumpet player, causing the alleyway to ice over and the vicious icicles to advance forward.

  “Frost! Eliot!” The detective called a woman and man forward.

  The man rushed towards the ice, holding a hammer as he took an defensive stance. Just as the ice was about to impale him, he pounded the ground, causing concrete to shoot upward unnaturally. A makeshift wall was created just in the nick of time, warding off the ice and wind.

  The woman who had come forward breathed in and opened her mouth. Her pupils looked like powdery snow as she looked around, searching for something unknown to Zain. After spotting whatever she was looking for, she curled her hands around her mouth.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Zain didn’t hear anything, but after she had made the motion, the illusionary walls nearby all fell at once; A dozen people were exposed, shocked by the premature curtain call.

  The hands that had been previously restraining Zain withdrew and he could see where they had come from in the false flooring beneath him. The two people who had occupied the hole retreated, and the ice covering Zain immediately began to melt.

  “You two! Come over here! Now!” The detective ordered, and without wasting a moment, the both of them made a dash before anyone could stop them.

  Some dissonant notes played, followed by rumbling sounding off behind them. Despite the concerning ruckus behind them, they didn’t stop, lest they be caught in the crossfire. Zain covered his head as he saw chunks of ice and stone hurtle through his peripherals. Both he and Brayden ran somewhat serpentine, hoping to not get hit by any of the oncoming attacks. They ran forward, without looking back.

  Finally, they were able to make it to safety; they both hid behind the detective, panting severely as the adrenaline still surged through their veins.

  Looking at the standoff again, Zain noticed some muddy streaks and chunks of ice were splayed all about. It was probably better not to think about the danger they had narrowly escaped from.

  “Enough of this!” The detective spat as she pulled a revolver from her pocket. She aimed it straight at Minnie, unflinching as she pulled back the hammer of her gun.

  She’s gonna shoot her!?

  Even though she was a criminal…even though she had taken all of his things…killing her was not something Zain wanted. Without even realizing, he had reached out towards the gun, trying to prevent the detective from making a killing blow.

  “Stop!” He cried as he pulled at her sleeve, feeling as if the collar of his hoodie was tightening slightly.

  However, the shot sounded off regardless of his efforts, with the detective not moving her gaze from her target.

  Zain looked at her in horror, then he quickly turned towards Minnie, hoping that the shot had missed.

  Hurdling through the air was a formless light which grew in size; it twisted and unfurled, until it took the shape of two giant snakes. The snakes bared their teeth as they flew through the air, hissing all the while.

  As they connected to their mark, they bit down, twisting around their prey, then slowly turning to stone. Unfortunately, Zain had altered the trajectory of the bullet and the person who had been ensnared was one of the trumpets. The man screamed in discomfort as the giant snakes sent him to the ground, completely bound.

  Minne had been able to dodge, and she now looked at the bound man with an inscrutable look on her face. Her daze was short lived as she clapped her hands, assuming her prior composure as she began to retreat.

  “There- wa-s a Great Fai-ry~ Who Fa-ncied the foo-ls~” She belted out, causing the ground beneath her to disturb. She threw both hands out in the air as she lingered on the last note, causing herself and her accomplices to rise upward on coral looking stones. A piano accompanied her lyrics, causing vines to spread from the ground, entangling all of those below.

  “She- knew how to use them too~ Cuz men are her too-ls~” Giant stone coral branches obscured the path leading to the criminals as they retreated upward, Minnie humming mockingly as they got away.

  “DAMN IT!” The detective gritted her teeth, touching her ear as she talked to someone else. “Cullen! Yeats! Suspects have fled westward on the rooftops! Take squadrons 4 and 5 to intercept!”

  Several band members had been left behind, but about half had gotten away. A few more officers had entered the alleyway through the windows of the surrounding buildings and through the other outlet of the alleyway; some were restraining a few of the band members, while others were running to and fro, carrying on different duties such as detailing their reports and taking pictures. There were some officers and suspects who had been injured during the altercation, so there were medics tending to their injuries.

  Luckily, no one looked to be fatally injured.

  Anger was carved into the detective’s features, as she looked towards Zain.

  He gulped; after having interrupted her shot, it dawned on him now that he could face charges...

  Brayden who ,apparently, had been yanking on Zain’s shirt, tried to smooth things over, “U-um! He’s new here! He hasn’t been here for more than a week! He doesn’t know better!” He moved away from Zain, drawing the detective’s attention away from him in the hopes of lessening her anger. “I’m to blame for not stopping him! I'm sorry!”

  Zain could not see the detective’s face as she looked at Brayden, but looking at his friend’s reaction … she was not happy; he stiffened and tensed, blanching as he stood frozen in front of the angry woman.

  A nearby policeman, the one who Zain remembered was named Dickens, looked over at the conversation, sighed, then moved towards them. “Detective Duffy, please don’t scare the children. We have more important matters to attend to.”

  The woman looked at him, her long eyelashes fluttered close as she exhaled and reached into her trench coat, briefly exposing a pinstripe suit she wore underneath. She holstered her gun, pulled out a cigar, lit it, then inhaled deeply as she took a second to respond.

  “Take them to the station so they can file the report. They're lucky they’re gettin’ off with a warning this time!” Frustration and impatience could be heard in her voice, causing a slight transatlantic accent to reveal itself. She marched off, and began to order some officers on the sidelines.

  Dickens sighed again, then turned towards the boys in order to properly chide them, “Don’t interfere with police matters again. You were let off with a warning this time because you were victims in this case, but next time you won’t be let off that easy.”

  Zain nodded obediently, not wishing to have a criminal record in the future. The diligent police officer turned towards Brayden, who was still frozen in fear. He studied the spectacled boy’s face, then whistled at a nearby medic who was tending to a police officer.

  The medic trotted over, looking at Brayden for a second, before taking off his gloves. He lifted his index finger, then poked his forehead, neck, and back. Then with both of his palms, he placed a hand over Brayden’s left shoulder blade and left side.

  In an instant, Brayden shook back to normal. He held his face then patted his sides, as if he had expected something to be missing. He looked down, opening and closing his hands as he stared at them, bewildered. Brayden looked questioningly at the medic, silently prompting him for a proper answer, however, the man simply responded, “You’re fine now.” Then trotted back to where he was, donning new gloves and continuing what he had been doing prior.

  Dickens paid the baffled Brayden no mind as he pushed them towards a nearby police car. It was a small, sleek black car with strobing UV lighting. It hovered in place quietly, its door opening with little prompting from the officer. “We’re gonna go to the police station so I can help you boys file a police report. Hopefully we can return your things after they’ve been processed through evidence. Just sit for now, I gotta do a few things here before that.”

  They were gently nudged into the back of the car, where they sat in silence for a few minutes.

  Zain gazed out the window, slightly dazed as he processed what was happening.

  He looked at his clothes; there was slight tearing on his hoodie with lingering ice within some of the stitching and seams. Some of the ice evaporated as he looked at it, while some melted normally, wetting his clothes as they did.

  He rubbed his cheek; It stung a bit as he touched it, with the slightly raised skin indicating precisely where the woman had scratched him. Brayden’s cheek was similarly marred, with the boy trembling slightly as Zain glanced at him. Brayden hugged himself, rubbing his arms, appearing to be slightly cold, but Zain could sense that he may have been comforting himself.

  Zain let out a shaky breath, laying his head back as he stared up at nothing.

  “What the fuck just happened…” He whispered to himself, wishing he could just go back home.