Tamora Carter

by Jim Hines

  The words raised Tamora’s hackles. “It’s not creepy. She lost her brother.”

  “She acts like she doesn’t know he’s gone. Like she really expects him to come walking through that door.”

  They both turned to look, as if Sarah’s words might magically summon Kevin Lord to Cornerside Pizza.

  When nothing happened, Sarah sighed. “I think she might be on drugs.”

  Tamora grabbed the tray with Karina’s food and added her own basket. “I’ll take this over.”

  She brought the tray to Karina’s table and slid into the booth on the opposite side.

  “I’m waiting for someone.” Karina seemed to look through Tamora, staring at something beyond the brick walls of the restaurant. “You’re Mackinac Carter’s little sister. The derby girl, right?”

  “Tamora. Are you friends with Mac?”

  “Not yet,” she said absently, blotting the grease from the cheese slice with her napkin.

  “What does ‘the roots of the palace’ mean?” asked Tamora.

  “Deep in the clay.” Karina cocked her head like a bird. “How do you know about that?”

  “You texted me your poem?” When Karina didn’t answer, Tamora added, “I’ve heard those words before.”

  “They’ve forgotten us.” Karina set the napkin aside and stirred her drink with her straw, as if hypnotized by the rattling of the ice. “I try to remind him.”

  “You mean Kevin?” Again, Karina didn’t answer. Tamora clenched her fists under the table, trying to contain her frustration. “Where did you hear about the palace?”

  “From you.”

  Maybe Sarah was right about the drugs. “We’ve never met before.”

  “Yes, I know.”

  Tamora ate half a breadstick, letting the hot cinnamon and melted frosting calm her irritation. “Have you seen anyone or anything strange since Kevin disappeared?”

  “Every night. Kevin left me his dreams.”

  The way she said it made the hair on Tamora’s neck stand up. “Can you two hear each other’s thoughts? Is that a twin thing?”

  For the first time, Karina truly looked at her. Her eyebrows arched. “Don’t tell me you believe all that mystical twin crap.”

  “You said he left you his dreams!”

  “That’s different.” She sniffed and looked down at her phone. “Why would I send you a poem?”

  This whole conversation was like trying to roller skate across an icy lake in the middle of a blizzard. “I’ve been looking for my friend Andre. I think he’s with Kevin and Lizzy.”

  “I don’t even know what the stupid poem means.” Karina slapped her hands against the table. “Roots of the palace? Words unspoken? It’s nonsense.”

  “It’s not,” said Tamora. “Gulk told me he came through the roots of the palace.”

  Karina’s attention sharpened. “What kind of name is Gulk? It sounds like the noise you make before you puke.”

  Tamora hesitated. So far, Karina had gone back and forth between looking down on her and looking through her. Tamora also wasn’t convinced Karina could help her find Andre. But if there was even a chance…

  “He’s a goblin.” Another thought occurred to her. “Gulk says goblins can smell magic. Maybe there really is some kind of magical connection between you and Kevin. That could be where the dreams and the poem came from. You should meet him.”

  Karina shook her head and didn’t answer.

  “Don’t look at me like I’m crazy. Gulk says three human heroes went to his world to hunt down the goblins and the other monsters. The goblins came here to escape.”

  “From the prophecy,” Karina murmured.

  “That’s right!”

  Karina jumped. “What’s right?”

  “Are you kidding? You just said—” Tamora stuffed the rest of the breadstick into her mouth to stop herself from going off. She washed it down with a long drink, then took a long look at Karina Lord.

  Karina poked her pizza like it was a nasty science experiment, sinking perfectly manicured silver nails into the cheese. Her makeup mostly hid the dark shadows under her eyes. Beneath her lipstick, her lips were rough and chapped, like she’d been chewing them.

  In a softer voice, Tamora asked, “Are you okay?”

  “Hm?” Karina blinked hard. “I’m fine.”

  “I don’t believe you. Kevin was your brother.” When she didn’t answer, Tamora pressed on. “Andre was my best friend. I’ve been a mess since he disappeared. I’m mad all the time. I get nightmares.”

  Karina looked away again. “At least you only get them when you’re sleeping, right?” Something inside of her seemed to crumble. Her head slumped into her hands, and she ran her fingers through her hair. “Half the time I don’t even know what I’m saying. I try to keep it under control. My father wants Dr. Shah to screen me for Tourette Syndrome.”

  “Isn’t that the one that makes you swear all the time?”

  “It can, but mostly it’s twitches and tics, or you blurt out random sounds and words. Dr. Shah—she’s my therapist—thinks I’m having trouble coping with the trauma. They’re trying me on medication to get this under control before school starts. Can you imagine what people would say?”

  Tamora wasn’t sure how to respond to all of that. “Did you tell Dr. Shah about things like Kevin’s dreams, or the prophecy?”

  “I’m not sure. I don’t always remember what I’ve said.” She slumped back in her seat. “Maybe my father’s right. Maybe I am going crazy.”

  “You’re not crazy.”

  Karina smiled wryly, flashing her braces. “Says the girl who talks to goblins.”

  “That’s right. And the day after I start talking to goblins, you ‘accidentally’ text me. That’s not a coincidence, and it’s not crazy.”

  “I don’t even know your number.”

  Tamora leaned forward. “You knew about the roots of the palace. You knew about the prophecy. Maybe you don’t know what you know.”

  “What?”

  “You texted me by accident,” Tamora pressed. “You mentioned the prophecy when you weren’t thinking about it. Try to just talk. Don’t worry about what you’re saying. Don’t even think about it.”

  Karina took a sip of water. “Talk, and the truth will magically spill out of me?”

  “Do you have a better idea? What’s ten plus ten?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Twenty.”

  “Your favorite color?”

  “Purple.”

  “Your favorite kind of pizza.”

  “Sausage and pepperoni, but I can’t eat that. Too fattening.”

  “Who did you have for English last year?”

  “Mr. Jerrold.”

  “What’s Kevin doing right now?”

  “Hunting trolls. Holy crap!”

  “Is Andre with him?”

  “I…I’m not sure.” She bit her lip, and her forehead wrinkled.

  “Don’t try to think,” Tamora pleaded, but Karina was shaking her head. Whatever glimpse she might have had was gone now. Tamora tried not to let her disappointment show. “What did you see?”

  “A cave.” Karina stared at her. “It was hot and humid. The air stunk terribly, like old roadkill. I saw fires. Torches, maybe? I think Kevin was wearing armor.”

  If Kevin was there, Andre and Lizzy might be, too. Tamora tried to imagine Andre wearing armor and hunting monsters. “Who else was with them?”

  She shook her head. “It’s slipping away. Do it again. Ask me more questions before your brother interrupts us.”

  “My brother? Mac’s at home. He doesn’t know I’m here.”

  Karina’s perfectly sculpted eyebrows inched together in confusion. “I have no idea why I said that. Mac doesn’t even talk, right? Because of his autism? We were in fourth grade together, and the teacher talked to the class about it.”

  “He’s nonverbal, but he talks through his iPad. Where’s the key to the portal?” She rushed through the words, hoping to catch Kari
na off guard and sneak another answer from her.

  “I don’t know what that means.” Karina took another bite of pizza and looked longingly at the untouched slice of pepperoni. “Are you hungry? We shouldn’t waste it.”

  Tamora had barely touched her cinnamon bread. “No thanks.” She thought of Gulk and added, “But I know someone who’ll eat it.”

  Karina shoved the plate across the table. “My grandmother went crazy,” she said. “My parents put her in a home. At the end, she didn’t know who anybody was. She thought I was her sister. She kept calling me Margaret.”

  Tamora didn’t know what to say, so she said nothing.

  “You’re telling me this stuff I’m seeing and hearing is real, but I feel like I’m going crazy.”

  “You’re not.”

  “That doesn’t help,” Karina snapped. “I see things that aren’t there. I walk around, and half the time I don’t know how I got wherever I am. The nanny has to keep chasing me back into the house like I’m a four-year-old who’ll wander into traffic. I’m used to people assuming I’m an airhead. This is different. It’s inside my head, and I hate it.”

  “Maybe if we find Kevin, it will stop.”

  “You think a twelve-year-old kid and a crazy cheerleader are going to save three kidnapped children from elves?”

  Tamora pounced on the question. “I never told you about the elves. You do have a connection to what’s going on.”

  Tamora’s phone chirped with a text message from her brother.

  Mac: Come home quick! Appa found a goblin in our backyard!

  Tamora’s stomach lurched like she was skating out of control, too far gone to save herself from a nasty fall. What was Gulk doing out of the dog house where anyone could see him? Or had Mac gone poking around? What would he do to the goblin? Had he told Dad? What would the goblin do to Mac?

  “Your brother?” asked Karina.

  “You knew.” Tamora shivered. “You said he was going to interrupt us.”

  “Welcome to my life,” said Karina. “It only gets stranger from here.”

  Tamora suspected she was right.

  Chapter 6: Queen Tamora

  Tamora slid the key into the lock and slowly, quietly, opened the front door. Dad should still be sleeping. He didn’t usually wake up until late afternoon.

  She tiptoed inside, waved Karina in after her, and gently pressed the door shut. “Shoes off,” she whispered, removing her own and setting them beside the door.

  From upstairs came the faint grinding of Dad’s snores. She relaxed slightly. But where were Mac and Gulk?

  “Your house smells funny,” said Karina. Before Tamora could respond, she added, “I like it.”

  All she found in the living room was a snoozing sheepdog and Mac’s Lego mermaid. The kitchen was empty as well. She looked out through the window, but saw nothing in the backyard.

  “Is this your family?” Karina was looking at a large framed photo hanging in the hallway. “What are you wearing?”

  “A hanbok. That’s from my hundred-day birthday.” Mac, then barely two years old, held her in his lap while Mom and Dad leaned in from either side. Dad still kept the tiny gown, with its red skirt, green top, and rainbow sleeves, in a box in his closet. “The picture next to it is from Mac’s.”

  “He was such a cute baby!”

  Farther down the hall, Smoosh paced back and forth in front of the door leading to the basement. Tamora scooped the cat up with one arm and opened the door.

  From downstairs came a familiar squeaking sound. Relief eased her muscles. “Mac’s in his quiet room.”

  Smoosh kicked and squirmed to get free. Mac must have brought Gulk into the house, awakening that primitive part of Smoosh’s brain that believed he was a mighty jaguar instead of a snot-nosed housecat.

  Tamora waved Karina through the door and followed, pausing only to shut the cat out. She wasn’t sure what would happen if Smoosh got into a fight with Gulk, but it wouldn’t be pretty.

  A dehumidifier sat beside the bottom of the steps. To the left, the washer and dryer sat on peeling linoleum. Dusty storage bins lined the shelves. A narrow door led to the sump pump room, which kept the basement from flooding during rainstorms.

  Brown carpeting covered the rest of the basement, which had been turned into a play area. The walls were painted white and covered in crayon and marker drawings. Dad painted over it every spring to give them a clean canvas, at which point Tamora and Mac decorated all over again.

  Karina traced the outline of a thick, curving beanstalk Mac had drawn. It stretched from the floor to one of the glass-block windows at the top of the wall. “I got grounded for two weeks for writing my initials on my bedroom wall,” she said softly.

  A pair of green army blankets were strung up like curtains near the back, past shelves of old toys. This was Mac’s “quiet room,” a small, fort-like area he went to when he felt overwhelmed or overstimulated. Inside, he had a little exercise trampoline, a set of noise-canceling headphones, a bungee chair, some Lego sets, and a handful of other things to help him calm down.

  “Mac? It’s me.” She held up a hand for Karina to wait, and peeked around the edge of the blanket.

  Mac sat in his chair, a tilted metal frame threaded with thick, stretchy straps woven together like a giant net. He was bouncing in place, creating the squeak she’d heard before. He wore his headphones and was facing away, so he might not have noticed her yet.

  Gulk sat in the corner. He looked up at Tamora and sagged in visible relief. “This human found me,” he said sheepishly.

  “I see that.”

  The goblin turned to Mac. “I think he’s broken.”

  “My brother is not broken.” She stepped into the quiet room and let the blanket fall shut behind her. “Hi, Mac.”

  Mac rocked his head and body in what might have been a nod of greeting. He wiped his hands on his pants and reached for his iPad, which was resting against the wall. He swiped a finger across the screen and began to type. “This is Gulk. He was in Appa’s doghouse. He says he knows you.”

  Before she could answer, Karina stepped through the blankets.

  “Hello, Karina,” said Mac. “Why are you here?”

  Karina simply stared at the goblin.

  Gulk jumped to his feet and sniffed the air. His finger stabbed accusingly toward Karina. “Magic!”

  “Told you so,” grinned Tamora. “He can smell it. You’re not going crazy. You’re doing magic.”

  “Most people would say that’s crazy,” murmured Karina, never taking her eyes off Gulk. “Or else I’m dreaming again.”

  Tamora turned to Mac. “I ran into Karina at Cornerside Pizza. She’s trying to find her brother, and she…she knows things. She knew you were going to text me before you did.”

  “Why does the goblin call you King Tamora?” asked Mac.

  She spun back to Gulk. “Huh?”

  “You beat goblins in battle. Saved Gulk from shaggy dog with big teeth. Brought magic food and bubble drink.” He blinked at her like he couldn’t understand why she wasn’t grasping such an obvious concept. “Goblin King rules and protects goblins. You Goblin King.”

  “I’m not your king. I’m not a goblin. I’m not even a boy!”

  Gulk moved closer and looked her up and down. “You’re not?”

  “No!”

  He sniffed her. “Boy. Girl. Hard to tell with humans.”

  Mac giggled softly as he bounced in place.

  “It’s not funny,” Tamora snapped. “Shut up!”

  He tapped his iPad. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “Gulk needs better clothes.” Karina walked away, adding, “He looks like a blue hobo.”

  “What’s a hobo?” Gulk asked, watching Karina like he expected her to cast a spell and summon a horde of hungry beagles at any moment.

  “Never mind,” said Tamora.

  Mac continued to bounce and rock in his chair. “Where did he come from?”

  “According to him, th
e roots beneath the palace. I found Gulk and his friend last night, digging through the trash behind the rink.” She explained how she’d chased them through town, and how they’d followed her home.

  “Then Queen Tamora unleashed giant wooly beast!” said Gulk. “Hail Queen Tamora. Wielder of the hooked stick. Bringer of little salty fish.”

  “You fed him anchovies?”

  “He liked them,” she said defensively. “Mac, he says Andre, Kevin, and Lizzy are part of a prophecy, that they’re fighting monsters in another world.” She trailed off, realizing how ridiculous that sounded.

  Mac tapped his screen. “Cool!”

  Before she could figure out what to say next, Karina returned carrying an armful of wrinkled clothes from the laundry. She studied the goblin, held up a pair of jeans, and then set them aside. Next, she grabbed a pair of yoga pants. “These look about your size, and the color should work with your complexion. Try them on.”

  “Wait!” Tamora shrieked, but the goblin was already yanking his tarp over his head. Thankfully, he wasn’t naked underneath. A rope belt around his waist held a tattered brown loincloth, making him look like a scrawny blue-green Tarzan.

  Gulk pulled on the pink and black zebra-print pants. They were a little tight, and looked ridiculous over his loincloth, but he didn’t seem to mind. He pinched the fabric between his fingers. “Soft.”

  “I know,” said Tamora. “Dad got them for me as a birthday present last year.”

  Karina was sorting through shirts, discarding one after another, until Gulk pounced on a purple T-shirt with a fringed bottom and an owl made of silver and gold sequins.

  “I don’t think so,” said Karina. “Not with those pants or that skin.”

  Gulk was already tugging the shirt over his head. He struggled to get it past his ears. Once his arms found the proper holes, he looked down at himself and preened. He touched the sequined owl and whispered, “Silver armor for Gulk.”

  “It’s not armor—” Tamora started.

  Gulk jumped back and wrapped his arms around his chest. “My armor!”

  “It’s mine, actually,” said Tamora. “That’s one of my favorite shirts.”

  The goblin stretched the collar and used it to wipe his nose.