Authors: Shea Berkley
“As in…”
“You will die.”
She sagged against the table. “So either way I am dead. It really does keep my life.”
“You are connected to the stone from now until the day you die.”
The sounds of the house falling apart rolled through the tunnel. Kera scrounged through a pile of junk and brought out a bow and arrows. Slinging them across her back, she said, “We have to see Baun. He won’t be happy, but he should know they are after me.” She touched the amber stone with her fingers. A sinking feeling hit her stomach. “Can Baun retrieve the magic?”
“He is king. He may know a way.”
Her knees felt weak. Getting rid of the magic had helped her, but it had made Baun’s life infinitely more complicated, and he wouldn’t thank her for that.
In the Company of Strangers
“When you said you were coming to Teag, I thought you meant only you.” I glance back at the men, all Grandpa’s neighbors and all packing serious gun power, and then look at Grandpa’s unapologetic face. We’ve been in Teag for less than an hour, but it feels longer. The woods are strangely still, which makes my gut twist. I know he feels it too. “They’re not prepared to face what’s here.”
“They all volunteered.”
“This isn’t like fighting a wildfire. This kind of volunteering can get them seriously killed.”
“A lot you know, son. So can fighting wildfires.”
“Grandpa…”
He’s not taking what I’m saying seriously.
His hand slams onto my shoulder. “They’re in it to win it. These men are here to protect their own.”
“Who’s going to protect them?”
“We are. That’s the name of the game when you’re their leader. You think ahead. You weigh the outcome of every action. You don’t look back. Mistakes happen. We learn from them. We improve so we make fewer mistakes. But most importantly, we keep going.”
Mom, wobbling behind us in her fancy heels, snorts. “Did you learn that in Ranger Danger School?”
Grandpa doesn’t miss a beat. Disgust colors his face. “I learned that while I held a man who bled to death in my arms because I didn’t take time to evaluate a situation. You got a smart-ass comment to go with that?”
“No, sir.” Her voice is contrite, but her adjusted attitude doesn’t last long. She yanks her arm out of Leo’s grasp. “Do you have to hold on to me? It’s creepy.”
He looks from her spiky heels that keep sinking into the dirt, to her face. “You almost fell back there.”
“But I didn’t.”
Leo thrusts his hands in his pockets and scuffs along beside her. “Why do you keep saying I’m creepy?”
“I don’t know. Because you are.”
He rolls his eyes, but I can see the hurt in them. He falls back to where his dad is, and I slow down until she’s beside me. “Stop picking on my friend.”
“Sorry. Most sons would side with their mothers, but not mine.”
Does she really want to play this game? “Most moms are actually nice, unlike you.”
“And nice moms live in little houses, on little streets in little towns with boring husbands and two-point-five kids. I stopped wanting to be nice a long time ago.” Mom suddenly stops. “My feet hurt.”
I stare at her in amazement. There isn’t one ounce of shame in her. Not one drop of compassion for others. She’s all about herself and no one else. She’s worse than most
firsts
who’ve gone over the edge. It’s frightening.
Grandpa sighs as Mom drops to the ground near a fallen tree and stretches out her legs. She notices him staring at her shoes. “Pretty, aren’t they?” A bright smile flashes and she flexes her feet to admire them. “Dylan got them for me in Vegas.”
His eyebrows shoot up like it’s my fault she wore impractical shoes, shakes his head, and moves off to talk to his neighbors.
Mom eyes me. “You’ll get used to the constant disappointed looks. I did. And then one day, I didn’t care anymore.”
“You wore them on purpose.” I know her. She loves doing the exact opposite of what someone wants.
Mischief flashes behind her eyes as her curly hair blows gently in the breeze. Half the men who are with us can’t stop staring at her.
A cute little bunny hops out of hiding and nudges Mom’s hand. She lets out a soft squeal that puts everyone on edge. They relax when the rabbit nuzzles Mom. She strokes its head and rubs its long ears and looks up at me, a genuine smile on her face. “How adorable. Is it someone’s pet?”
“No. Rabbits are weirdly cuddly here.” It’s one of a handful of animals in Teag that won’t go for blood. “Don’t change the subject.” I sit down beside her. “Can you try to get along with him?”
“Can you try to mind your own business?” she asks in an overly sweet voice.
“You
are
my business. So is he. I want this all to be over and for everyone to go back to whatever they want to do and not worry about dying.”
She picks up the bunny and rubs her nose to its pink one. “Everybody dies, Dylan.”
“Don’t say that.” Wyatt said almost the exact same thing right before he died.
“It’s true.”
I pop to my feet. “I don’t care.” I take two steps and then spin back toward her. “Just…don’t say it again.”
We rest for five more minutes. In that time a hummingbird, a frog, two more bunnies, and a hedgehog visit Mom. She looks like a grown-up fairy-tale princess. Talk about an optical illusion, but it’s enough to make even Grandpa soften around the edges. He tells us it’s time to go, and I change Mom’s shoes to more practical hiking boots, assuring her the sandals will be in her room when she gets back home.
She snuggles the bunny one more time, holding it up to Grandpa and asking him if she can keep it. His eyebrows collide over his nose. “No matter how cute, wild animals—”
“—belong in the wild,” Mom finishes with a pout. “And heartless old men never change.” She put the bunny on the ground, not seeing how her words hurt Grandpa. He recovers quickly enough, and we set off toward Ainsbury Cross.
It isn’t long before we smell smoke. I tell everyone to stay put and go ahead to check things out. When I get to the edge of the woods, I see the one thing I don’t want to see. Faldon’s house is burning and Dark Souls swarm the fire like moths. Too bad none of them will burn up.
“What the hell are those?” Grandpa says, nearly scaring me out of my shoes.
He crouches in the bushes beside me, staring at the black forms swirling around the flames. “Dark Souls. They’re the spirits of some very bad people. In Teag, ‘dead’ doesn’t have the same meaning it does back home.”
“And your mother has the magic to get rid of them?”
“I hope so. Nothing else has so far.” I pull back and after one last look at the Dark Souls, Grandpa follows me. “That house was where we were going,” I tell him.
“Plans change. Adapt.”
“You’re not going to like it.”
A humorless smile curves his lips. “I don’t much like any of this, but I’m here.”
Does he know what he just said? No one has ever done what he’s doing. I’ve always been alone, but since I moved here, Grandpa has been at my side, cheering me on. Advising me, and then catching me when I’ve fallen. I blink back a sudden rush of tears, and I give him a bear hug. “Thank you.”
I’ve surprised him and it takes a moment for him to hug me back. “It’s not enough, just me and a few men who don’t know squat and doodle about any of this, but it’s all I’ve got.”
“It’s more than what I deserve.”
“Don’t ever think that.” He gives me a squeeze and pulls away. “Now, let’s get this over with and get these men home to their families.”
I clear my throat and shove my hands in my pockets. “Right, right. We have to go to the Ruined City. It’s the only safe place around here anymore.”
“You don’t sound too certain about that.”
“Baun’s there. Lucinda is most likely there. Kera too, if she’s made it back.” I lick my lips, feeling the pressure of the decision. “I don’t trust any of them.”
Lumping Kera in with those I don’t trust doesn’t feel right, but I have to be honest. Too many people’s lives are at stake. “With the house gone, Bodog and Faldon are probably at the Ruined City, and they’re the ones who would know how to remove the magic.”
“How far is it?”
“Not too far. We can get there by noon.”
“Another two hours of walking? Your mom’s going to spit bullets.”
Leo rounds a tree and sees us. “What’s going on? Your mom is starting to act up again. I thought we were going to Faldon’s?”
“Dark Souls. Burned house. Not a good idea. We’re going to the Ruined City.” I hear Mom in the distance yelling about being thirsty. “She just won’t quit, will she?”
Grandpa slaps Leo on the back. “Creepy and me will worry about her. You just get us where we need to go.”
“Hey, I admit I have a few quirks, but doesn’t everyone?” When Grandpa just looks at Leo, his cheeks flush. “I’ve been hanging out with sheep too much, haven’t I?”
“There’s more to life than wool.” Grandpa squeezes Leo’s shoulder and steers him toward the group. “Maybe you should check into college. You’re smart, in that creepy way guys like you are smart.”
“Seriously.” Leo looks from Grandpa to me. “Am I creepy?”
“When you were thirteen? Yeah. Now, not so much.”
We get back to the group and head out. Mom makes her misery known to everyone, and I kinda wish we’d gotten that duct tape Leo had suggested at the motel. When we get close to the city, we stop, and I pull Leo and Grandpa aside. “I can’t take anyone in there. Baun’ll flip.”
“I’m going.” Grandpa’s jaw hardens. “It’s about time I met your father.”
“I’ll stay,” Leo says. “I’m not in a hurry to see him and…” He can’t hide his broken heart. “…and you know.
She’ll
be there. With him.”
I have no doubt. I can’t see Lucinda missing the big finish to the show she’s helped create.
Grandpa holds out his hand to Leo. “Done deal, son.”
They shake hands, but I hesitate. Leo has experience being in Teag, and he can help the others adjust to the weirdness, but he’s as vulnerable as they are. “It makes me nervous leaving you. These woods aren’t safe.”
“Neither are the ones back home. Not anymore,” Leo reminds me.
“Yeah, not anymore.” And it’s all because of me. At one point, things have to start going my way. Let it be now.
The Painful Truth
Grandpa, Mom, and I aren’t even out of the woods yet when Baun struts from the Water Gate, a string of soldiers behind him. Mom gasps and slips behind Grandpa. I hear him telling her to calm down, and even though she presses her lips together, she’s obviously terrified of seeing Dad again.
I tell our men to stay back, and the three of us continue forward. How did my dad know we were here? He knows I’ve brought men with us, otherwise he wouldn’t have brought his own. We both walk forward and meet each other halfway.
“I’m glad you’re back. Dark Souls are near.” Baun looks over my shoulder. “Are those…humans?”
The way he asks makes it sound like I’ve brought a bunch of lepers to a beach party. “They’re my friends. I thought we could use the help.”
“We don’t. Tell them to go.”
“I can’t. Not yet.”
I swear he grows two inches as his spine stiffens. His face is devoid of emotion as he glares at me. “I have put up with a lot from you, but this is not negotiable. Humans are not welcome here.”
“Does that include me?”
He sighs, as if I’m giving him a dose of teenage theatrics for the fun of it. “Hardly. Though I’m sure your mother tried to impart her human frailties on you. It appears they mostly didn’t stick.”
A gruff snort comes from Grandpa. “Well, don’t you have a stick up your—”
“Grandpa,” I interrupt.
Baun takes a few steps forward. His nostrils flare as he looks Grandpa up and down. “Do you know who I am?”
“Unfortunately, I do. You’re the prick who knocked up my daughter, then scared her so witless, she never wants to see you again.” He turns to me. “Is that about right?”
What has gotten into Grandpa? It’s not like him to pick a fight. “Can we not go there right now?”
Baun’s chest swells and his eyebrows lower as he takes another step forward. “Be careful. I’m not in a merciful mood.”
Grandpa flicks off the safety on his rifle and narrows his eyes at Baun. “That makes two of us.”
The sound of a whole lot of guns being cocked comes from deep within the woods. The air is so tense, I could use it as a trampoline.
“Pick sides, Dylan,” Baun says.
He’s totally not messing around. How did it go from “hey, how are you” to this?
“No one threatens me,” he snaps, “and I definitely feel threatened.”
Grandpa gives him a slow smile. “Then I’m doing something right.”
“Aww, jeez, Grandpa…” Why is he making this worse? I step between them. “Everyone needs—”
“To calm down.” Mom’s voice is clear and sharp. She moves from behind Grandpa, and Baun takes a startled step back. His face drains of color. “Addison?” He says her name as if he’s unsure of what he’s seeing. He repeats her name and there’s a sweetness to it that surprises me.
She nods, her face a mix of emotions.
“Are you really here?” Baun asks, clearly confused by her presence.
Mom doesn’t hesitate. She runs to Baun and throws her arms around him. At first he stands there, his arms at his side, but then I see him melt, and his arms wrap tightly around her. He buries his head in her neck, saying her name over and over again.
I can’t believe what I’m seeing.
“Well, shit,” Grandpa says, looking just as startled.
After all this time…my crazy mom and delusional dad still love each other. They used all that anger they directed at each other to shield themselves from the hurt they were feeling.
Baun cups her face with his hands and says in a whisper harsh and full of hurt, “Why are you here? I don’t understand. You left. It tore out my heart.”
Her hair dances against her shoulders as she shakes her head. “You left me. And when I found out I was pregnant…I had to leave then.”
They’re really going to do this now? “It doesn’t matter why or how…” They aren’t listening, more interested in wasting time on the past when our present is falling apart. “Can we call it bad timing and move on? We’ve got bigger problems.”
Neither of them acknowledges me. They only stare into each other’s eyes. “I would have found a way back to you. I always find a way.”
He’s right about that. His persistence is impressive. I’ve never seen anyone pound away at a problem until he gets the results he wants. “Speaking of finding a way…we’ve got the magic.”
Baun breaks eye contact with Mom. His body goes rigid. “You have the Salter’s magic?”
“It’s more of a tattoo now, and we’re not sure how to get it off.”
“Off whom?”
Mom gathers up her shirt and Baun’s fingers stiffen against her cheeks. His arms drop to his side when he sees the dark tattoo inked along her hip.
She flashes a girlish grin I haven’t seen in years. “I was young. I didn’t even know what I’d done. All these years I’ve lived with it and never knew what it really was. I tried to get rid of it several times, but nothing ever worked.”
While Mom talks, I see something change in Baun. His eyes glaze over as he stares at the tattoo. “Give it to me, Addison.”
Mom laughs. “It’s not that easy.” Does she honestly think he’s teasing her? He’s not.
He grabs her arms, shaking the laughter out of her. “I need it.”
“Let her go,” I say, alarmed by his intensity.
“Stop.” Mom struggles against his grip. “You’re hurting me.”
Grandpa steps forward and yanks Mom away. He gets nose to nose with Baun. I’m impressed. He’s poking the meanest, strongest, most unstable bear in these woods and he doesn’t look one bit concerned. “Touch her again like that and you’ll be surprised at how difficult a human I can be.”
“Human. Just another name for vermin.”
I hear the twang of a shooting arrow and see it head straight for Grandpa. I catch it two inches from his face. A split second later, gunfire explodes and all hell breaks loose.
Bullets zip by and arrows fly way too near for comfort. I step in front of Grandpa and herd him and Mom back to the woods. Trees shudder and their limbs swipe at the men we brought. I yell for them to fall back farther and hide. Even a
first
can’t hit a target he can’t see. I use my magic and tear out a huge, old tree and slam it to the ground, shielding us from sight and giving me time to disable the arrows that arc our way. Grandpa pops his rifle over the downed tree and shoots, taking down one soldier after another. Mom screams and ducks. Covering her ears with her hands, she runs deeper into the forest even as I yell at her to stop.
I pull Grandpa down and wave Leo closer. He clutches his gun to his chest and drops down beside us. “It didn’t go well, huh? Color me surprised. The theory of human behavior as it pertains to—”
“Not now, Leo.” I see one of Grandpa’s neighbors take an arrow to his back and fall to the ground. We have to move. I’m fairly confident Dad won’t follow. With the Dark Souls so close, he won’t risk thinning out his men. “Get them out of here. I don’t care where you go, just go.”
“Where are you going?”
“To fetch my mom.”
Knowing Leo has Grandpa’s back, I take off after Mom. Her trail is easy to follow, but someone else is ahead of me. Bushes slap at my legs as I buzz past. I send low tree limbs out of my way. Finally, I see her up ahead just as Baun reaches her. He grabs Mom and yells, “Give me the magic, Addison.”
“Why should I? You promised me the fairy tale,” she screams back at him. “All I ever wanted was to love you. For you to love me.”
His face clouds with anger. “Liar! All you humans know how to do is lie.”
His hands glow brightly, and the glow slowly invades the veins under Mom’s skin. It creeps up her arms and spreads across her chest until she suddenly gasps. A look of surprise crosses her face. I stop, shocked at what I don’t want to see, what I don’t understand, but I can’t look away. Their eyes lock. Her breath is a wisp of air, but I can hear it in the stillness, with all her hurt and sadness and longing filling each syllable. “Love me.”
It’s the Mom I’ve always known, the one who has searched her whole life for what she could never have. It makes me sick, and for a second I can’t see.
“I did.” Baun’s voice is gruff and filled with heartache. “Look what happened.”
He holds her close as her body convulses; her eyes roll back into her head, and then she grows heavy in his arms. His jaw tightens as he lowers her to the ground.
Baun opens his hand to reveal the Salter’s magic, an ordinary copper coin, lying in the center of his palm. Mom, even after all these years, would have given him everything she had, but all he wanted was power.
I let out a growl so low and angry, he glances my way. I spring out of my shock and I’m almost on him, ready to tackle him to the ground and beat the hell out of him.
He disappears, and I come to a hard stop. I twist and turn. He’s gone. Really gone. Mom is on the ground, her face peaceful, as though she’s sleeping. I bend and feel for a pulse.
Nothing.
I place my hand over her heart and use a jolt of energy to shock her.
Nothing.
I do it two more times, stronger, longer jolts.
Nothing.
I sag over Mom for a long time, unable to comprehend she’s gone. For most of my life, I wanted to be free of her, too often embarrassed by her choices, tired of taking care of her when she fell apart, but not like this. I’m ashamed I didn’t try harder to understand her. She deserved better. She deserved more than just a fleeting moment of happiness.
Nothing outside this sliver of forest enters my awareness as I slip into a world of memories and doubts. I rethink every action. If only I could have convinced her to go to Florida and not Oregon. But by that time, I had become a problem, and she needed a solution that wouldn’t weigh on her. I can see how reuniting me with my other family seemed like the perfect fix.
The dappled sunlight highlights the beauty she was. The beauty she could have been. In this suddenly quiet place, I gather wildflowers in Mom’s hands and grow crystals around her, thickening the hard, sparkling shards into an opaque box. The princess reference would have made her laugh.
I press my hand to the hard shell. I should never have brought her here. How many times do I have to make the same mistake before I learn?
The world begins to move around me again, even though I wish it wouldn’t. I retrace my steps. The skirmish is long done. No telltale bodies lie around. I create a bright ribbon trail Grandpa’s men made weaving in and out of the trees, and finally catch up with them. To my surprise, Reece, Signe, and Halim are there, plus over a hundred
firsts
.
A fine layer of dirt covers Reece’s clothes. Signe too. Halim is always a walking mud collector, but even he has a more dusty appearance. Before I say anything, Halim jumps in. “Your granddad got hurt.”
I immediately push him out of my way to search for Grandpa. “Where is he?”
“He’s doing okay,” Halim says. “Leo’s with him. They’re that way.” He points ahead.
As we all walk, I realize just how many
firsts
there are. “Where did all these people come from?”
“The Ruined City. Where have you been?” Reece asks, his tone accusatory. “Your dad’s gone off the deep end. We barely got out of the city before he collapsed half of it. He’s threatening the rest of the city that he’ll destroy them as well if they don’t surrender to him.”
“Surrender what?” He’s their king. Isn’t that what they all wanted?
“He wants their magic,” Signe says.
“Where’d your new and improved dad go? Because this guy is a piece of work.”
“There never was a new Baun.” Admitting that makes me sick and angry. I’m disturbed I was so easily swayed. I really wanted to believe he was different, that he could be the father I always wanted. “He may not lie, but he’s good at manipulating. Baun’s been playing us, using anybody he can to get his way. You don’t know how badly I wish he had stayed in that prison.”
“Where’s your mother?” Signe’s innocent question pokes a hole in my heart.
I stop walking and it takes all I have to make eye contact. “Baun killed her. To get the magic.”
Signe’s hand covers her mouth, Reece looks down, and Halim’s mouth hangs open, his eyes searching my face for the telltale signs of emotion I can’t seem to feel. The only thing I can do is stand there and wish she weren’t dead…but she is. “My gut tried to warn me, but I wouldn’t believe it. Baun was good at avoiding questions, and I was too busy to demand direct answers. Now my mom is dead and he has the Salter’s magic.”
“But he still doesn’t have his own magic, right?” Halim points out. “You’re still stronger than him.”
Everyone looks at me with such faith, but honestly, how awesome can I be if I couldn’t stop Baun from killing Mom? I shake my head and shrug. “He’s been collecting magic. I noticed it when he came back before we fought the Rodarians.” A short, bitter laugh escapes. “I don’t know how much magic or what type he’s gotten his hands on, but it’s more than anyone knows.”
My eyes close for a brief second and when I open them, I find Leo helping Grandpa get comfortable near a big, old oak tree. Grandpa looks pretty good. A little banged up, but nothing a little rest won’t cure. I start toward them.
“But you’re still going to find Kera, aren’t you?” Halim insists.
I stop and twist around. The kid still has faith in me, and I have no idea why.
“Your dad will go after her.” Signe’s freckles stand out on her worried face. “And once he has her, he’ll retake his magic, and then there will be no stopping him.”
“I don’t know where she is.” Frustration sounds in my voice.
“I know where she is.” Signe holds up her ring, the one Kera used to create a spell that can help the best friends find each other.
They’re not listening to me. “Great. That’s great. So once I find her, what am I supposed to do?”
Reece lunges toward me. “Are you kidding me? We’re here because of you.”
Signe and Halim physically hold him back. The veins in Reece’s neck and temples throb as he looks at me. “I lost my brother because of you. So you’d better find your backbone pretty quick or I’ll rip out the one you have!”
My jaw works as I try to find an excuse, but nothing comes to mind. I walk away and when I’m in front of Grandpa, I throw myself on the ground beside him, roll on my back, and cover my eyes with my arm. We stay there, the three of us, silent and still.