It was hard for Matt to remember how big he was. At home, he only came up to his brothers’ shoulders. But he wasthe tallest kid in eighth grade.

“What am I going to do?” Matt squared his shoulders, flexed, and stepped forward. “Stop you.”

Something flashed in Fen’s eyes, something cold and hard that made Matt hesitate, but only for a second. He finished his step, stopped in front of Fen, and pulled himself up to his full height.

Laurie climbed out of the ship and moved up beside her cousin. She leaned in and whispered something. Egging him on, Matt was sure.

Fen waved her off. When she hesitated, he said something so low it was almost a growl. Laurie looked at Matt, then backed into the shadows of the longship.

Fen moved forward. “You think you can fight, just because you’ve won a few in the ring? That’s not realfighting. I bet you’ve never thrown a punch without gloves on.”

“Then your memory sucks, because I’m pretty sure I beat the snot out of you and Hunter when you two ganged up on Cody.”

Fen gave a short bark of a laugh. “That was what? First grade? I’ve learned a few things since then, Thorsen.”

Matt took another step. He was sure Fen would back down. He had to. Taking on Matt was crazy. He hadn’t just “won a few in the ring.” He’d made it all the way to the state championship.

But Fen just planted his feet far enough apart to keep steady if he got hit. He wanted to fight. Really fight. Matt should have known that. Mom always said this is what got him into trouble—he never thought things through.

If he got into it with Fen, his dad would… Matt inhaled sharply. He didn’t even want to think what his dad would do.

The power of respect. The power of authority. That’s what let Thorsens walk through Blackwell at night. Notthe power of violence. If he fought Fen Brekke, his dad would haul him in front of the council and let them handle it. The humiliation would be worse than any punishment they’d order.

“You really want to do this?” Matt asked.

Fen cracked his neck, tilting it side to side, and said, “Yeah, I do.”

“Well, too bad. I’ve got a big match coming, and I need to save my strength for a real opponent.”

Matt started to turn. As he did, he heard a growl like a dog’s, and he saw Fen lunge, eyes glinting yellow, teeth bared. Matt wheeled. The heat of the amulet flared in a wave of fury that turned his world red.

He felt the power surge down his arm. Heard the crackle. Saw his hand light up and tried to pull the power back.

Too late.

The white-hot ball shot from his hand and exploded with a boom and a blast of wind that sent Matt tripping backward. Fen flew right off his feet. He hit the longship hard, his head whipping back, striking the side with a thud. Then he crumpled to the ground.

Laurie yelled something, but Matt couldn’t hear the words. She raced to her cousin. Matt did the same. Laurie dropped beside Fen, took him by the shoulder, and shook him. Fen groaned, his eyelids fluttering.

“Is he okay?” Matt said, crouching beside her.

She stood up, lifted her bag like she was about to slug him with it. “You knocked him out.”

“I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry. I—”

“I don’t know what kind of trick that was. Throwing that light thing to blind him before you hit him? You call that fair?” She scowled. “Exactly what I’d expect from a Thorsen.”

“I didn’t—”

“Whatever. Just go. Fen’s not swiping anything tonight.” She looked at him. “Or do you want to call your dad to lock us up?”

“Of course not. I just—” Matt swallowed. “We should get him to the doctor.”

“You think he can afford a doctor?”

“I can. I’ll—”

“We don’t need anything from you.Just go away,” Laurie snapped.

“But if he’s—”

“Go. Get out of here.”

He pushed to his feet and hesitated, but she was still glaring at him, and Fen was coming to. Matt probably didn’t want to be around when Fen woke up. So he mumbled another apology, backed away, and left them alone.

TWO

LAURIE

“CHANGES”

Laurie helped Fen up from the ground. Her cousin wasn’t ever good at accepting help, and being knocked on his butt by Matt Thorsen of all people wasn’t helping matters. The two of them had a natural dislike of one another that she didn’t always understand, but thistime, she got it. Matt was a jerk.

“I’m going to kill him,” Fen snapped for the third time in as many minutes. “He thinks he’s so special, but he’s just a spoiled rich kid.”

“I know.”

“I could take him.” Fen climbed back over the side of the ship.

She didn’t tell Fen he was wrong. She wasn’t going to be disloyal, but they both knew Matt was a better fighter. Matt was like a Rottweiler to Fen’s back-alley mutt: the mutt might try its best, but the bigger, stronger dog was the one likely to win.

All she said was, “We need to get out of here before he tells his dad and we get arrested.”

He ignored her and continued ranting, “We’ll see who’s smart when I find him alone after school.”

“Getting arrested orgetting detention isn’t going to make you seem very smart,” she said, as calmly as she could.

“Maybe I won’t get caught.” Fen stared down at her. He had the bag in one hand, and the other hand rested on the shield he’d been prying loose when they’d gotten to the park.

Laurie dropped her gaze to the weathered ship that stood outside the Thorsen Community and Recreation Center. “What were you thinking? We could’ve ducked. I know you saw him.”

“I’m not afraid of him.” Fen stood aboard the ship and stared out at the town.

Laurie shivered. It wasn’t hard to think of Fen as a Viking Raider. She wasn’t shaking as badly as she’d been when she’d told Matt to shove off, but she still felt all twitchy, like the time she’d grabbed a frayed electrical cord in Uncle Eddy’s garage. She stared up at Fen. “His dad is the sheriff. He could send you away… or tell the mayor. You know Mayor Thorsen hates our family.”

“I’m not afraid of any Thorsens.” Fen straightened his shoulders and gave her a look that reminded her of Fen’s dad, her uncle Eddy, which wasn’t a good thing. Uncle Eddy never backed down from a challenge. She might not know exactly what he’d done to end up in prison, but she’d bet it had started with a challenge.

He tugged on the shield. “I can’t get it loose.”

“Just leave the shield alone!” She rubbed her hands again.

“Fine.” He hopped over the side of the ship and came to stand beside her.

Laurie didn’t always understand her cousin, but she knew that he had a stubborn streak that led him—and often her—into trouble. That wasn’t what they needed. “Matt’s not worth the hassle.”

With a soft snort, Fen said, “You got that right.”

“So you’ll stay away from him andthe shield? I don’t want you to get into anything.” She looked at him, hoping for a promise that didn’t come, and when he stayed stone-silent, she gently bumped her head into his shoulder and immediately felt silly.

But then Fen butted her head with his and said, “I’m okay.”

She paused. That’s what she’d meant, some combination of I’m worried, you fool. Are you okay?and Talk to me.Fen got it. Her dad’s side of the family always seemed better at communicating without words. Her dad did, too—when he was around, at least, which these days wasn’t very often.

“Come on,” he said. “You need to get home anyhow.”

They started toward her apartment building. She wouldn’t have time to walk Fen home, but even if she did, he wouldn’t let her. He was the older brother she didn’t have, determined to protect her even as he drove her crazy. Most of the Brekke side of the family treated her like she was something to be shielded. Even though she didn’t see them, she knew they watched out for her. No one at school ever gave her grief, and she was pretty sure that Fen had let it be known that he’d pummel anyone who started anything with her.