by Holly Hook
"I'm not sure I'm ready for a run," Mary said. "But I am ready to see my old world again."
"You will," the elf told her. "And it won't be through Alric's mirror."
The yarn grew warm under my armpit and I wanted to say something, anything. Mica appeared at my side and the women in black gathered around. The dark spot was leaking between another couple of houses now, trying to reach for us.
"Everyone!" Mary shouted. She had a voice for an old woman. "This girl will show us how to escape."
I was shocked at how organized everyone was, as if they had rehearsed the escape. No one spoke or screamed. The women were all calm, holding baskets of supplies. The men did the same, holding farm tools and leather packs. I stood before two dozen people who were ready to go.
The elf whispered something to the girl he was with and more people gathered around. Macon kept his distance, though I had the feeling that was more because of Mica than me. Mica's punch hadn't even left a mark. I was disappointed. The king had hit him pretty hard.
Darkness spread towards us. The ground under my feet turned dry and very cracked as if it had never rained here since the beginning of the world. A sense of dread hit me in the stomach and Mica shuddered next to me. I felt less weak seeing him have the same reaction. I'd felt this before when my brothers and I stood next to the dark spot back home.
He grimaced at me. "It's here," he said.
And then I heard the distant sound of cawing.
Lots of it.
Mica reached out and took my arm. "Ravens," he said. "Alric's ravens. If they find us they will peck us apart. Show us safety. Now."
Next to us, the glass shattered in one of the windows as ruin spread around us. The ground cracked more with an eerie groan. The ravens remained distant, but I had no doubt they were coming this way. I held up the yarn, which glowed in defiance of the darkness.
Macon cleared his throat. "Actually, we can hide in the tunnels."
"Shut up," Mica told him. "They can get into those or leave us trapped. Ravens are smart." Then he turned back to me while the women all muttered amongst themsevles. Some of the men had joined in, too. Everyone was scared and panic was coming if I didn't do something.
Show us how to hide, I thought, holding up the yarn.
It obeyed, unraveling and shooting towards the forest so fast I could barely follow it. It kept moving while everyone watched.
The cawing got louder but no flock had appeared over the trees yet. I waved everyone forward and we all broke into a run. The yarn was leading us right into thickened trees which were darker and scarier than they were before. That was great. It was making me look really good.
Mica ran beside me. Macon trailed behind us and I could almost feel his breath on the back of my neck. We cleared the village and the houses which were cracking and growing old. The darkness had spread out as well as forward. The entire field stretched out, with yellow grass and cracked earth.
No birds had appeared over the trees yet, but it wouldn't take long. The forest on the edge of the village looked very dark now. The spot had grown and given the ravens free reign to come wherever they wanted out here. Evil creatures didn't stay evil for long if they left the dark region, but with this spot overtaking the village...Alric could send his forces out here all he wanted.
I remembered the bird droppings on all the trees.
The ravens had been here before.
The yarn shook next to us as if someone were holding the other end and urging us to hurry. I grabbed Mica's arm and we ran faster, leaving Macon behind. Dead grass crashed as everyone fled, leaving their lives behind.
Someone had told Alric that Mary and her remembered stories was out here.
We reached the cover of the trees and the dread feeling only grew. The trees had gotten much thicker and dark as night. Others had died, turning into wooden skeletons. I could barely see in the gloom. The cawing got louder and the yarn glowed again in the darkness. It seemed to be getting stronger, more powerful. The bag of flowers got heavier and I forced myself to drag it along, but Mica took the burden off me and slung it over his shoulder.
“Will they see us?” a girl asked from behind. I looked back to see the one girl talking to the elf.
“Brie, we did this before,” the elf said. “We can do it again.”
I didn’t know what we meant, but the yarn didn’t end up ahead. It snaked deeper and deeper into a forest that had been beautiful before. Now it was all grays and dark greens and blacks. I spotted something far to our left that was a scary bright green with red flowers and a rat scavenging through dead leaves. It glared at us with red eyes as we all slowed and walked in single file. A whole line moved behind us and I could barely see the buildings of the village by now. We were refugees.
"I don't think the ravens will see us in here," Mica said. "I can't even see the sky."
I looked up. The canopy was thick with almost-black leaves. Only faint light from a gray sky peeked through. I checked to see if everyone had vacated the field. Beside me, the yarn rolled up. We had reached where it wanted us to go.
Mary was in the back, arms supported by Rae and Henry now, and everyone had left the field behind. Rae had placed her braid over Mary’s shoulder, which sparkled despite the gloom. Mary walked faster as if it were invigorating her.
But Macon walked right behind us again.
“Macon,” Mica said. “Go to the back and guard Mary.”
Macon sighed, turned, and headed back through the trail. I was glad to have him away from me.
“Better?” Mica asked me.
I nodded.
And managed a smile, even though the dread in my stomach was worse than ever.
My brothers and I used to stand at the edge of that dark spot back home, daring each other to step on it. We all tried it and jumped back off again as soon as the fear hit. But this time, I had jumped in and there was no way out. I couldn't see anything light and happy anymore. The dark had overtaken this entire area in a short time. Something had happened. A powerful spell, maybe. Was anyone in the village a dark magic user?
The cawing got so loud overhead that I almost reached up to cover my ears.
“We’re safe in here,” Mica said, whispering in my ear as if the birds could hear.
Wings turned to thunder. There must be thousands of them up there, all ready to peck the flesh from our bones. No one spoke, but the rustle of people huddling together followed. I looked up at the trees. The leaves were thick, like night. Wings flapped and the noise reached a peak, then calmed again as the ravens left us behind.
The village.
I couldn’t see it behind me anymore through the thick trunks and the underbrush. The thunder of the wings stopped as they must have landed. Then the cawing got louder again as if the birds were angry they hadn’t found anyone left in the village. I thought of the chickens and the sheep grazing in the field. I wondered if the animals would survive.
“Ravens are stubborn, too,” Mica said, drawing closer to me. I could feel his body heat. Maybe it was because this dark forest was chilly, but it made tingles rush over my skin. “They’ll figure out that we fled and then they’ll start their search again."
I grabbed onto the yarn ball, which floated next to me. I had to be ready to use it again. It was our lifeline.
Literally.
Get us farther from the ravens, I ordered.
Once again, the yarn unraveled and shot forward.
"What did she ask it?" Macon called from behind.
"She can't talk," Brie told him.
I could see some light up ahead, some forest that was still untouched by the despair, but the yarn curved away from it, keeping us under the thick canopy. It was protecting us from getting seen from the air. This magical artifact was smart.
"She might be taking us to Alric," Macon shouted from the back. "She's making us go deeper into the dark forest. The exit is right there."
"The ravens could see us if we go that way," the elf told him.
>
"Shut up, Stilt."
"Sorry. I forgot that you know everything." There was something dark in the elf's voice and I remembered what Bernice told me once about elves. They were okay if they were in the light region, but once you put them in a dark area like this, they turned bad.
Mica drew up closer behind me. I imagined Macon aiming his bow at me, but bit my lip and kept going. Mica dragged the flowers on the ground. I caught a glimpse of them. They remained as white as ever, untouched by the darkness. There was magic in them, all right.
The noise of the ravens got less and less...and then got louder again.
And then the canopy above us opened to a dark gray sky.
Safety! I thought. The yarn wavered next to me and changed course.
Right into a swamp.
Black water and green scum reflected the purple line right above it and huge trees grew from the water, their roots forming caves above the muck.
"Oh, no," Rae said.
I had to follow it.
We had to follow it.
I grabbed Mica's hand and pulled him forward. He dropped the bag of flowers on shore. We plodded into the water and it splashed around us, cold and lifeless. Others followed. It rose as we waded further in and it was cold. Deathly cold. Nothing could live in this.
"Mica!" his mother shouted.
I kept pulling. The water rose to my hips. My waist. Two of the women in black followed along with the elf and the one girl. Rae made a face before joining us. We were all pouring into the water like a terrified herd and people got under tree roots. Sludge wrapped around my shoes and tried to pull me down. I fought down terror as the yarn rolled up next to me head, right under the biggest tree. All around us, people disappeared into darkness. I got under roots with Mica and held my breath. The yarn rolled up again and landed in the water next to me. We had left our things on the shore, right under the clearing.
And the ravens' wings turned to thunder again. They must have seen the trail we had blazed through the field and followed.
Feathers rained from the sky. The black rain landed on the water, making ripples that masked our dying ones and peppering the green scum on the surface. The air got darker under the shadow of the birds. I waited for them to see the luggage and land, but ravens must not be that smart. They might only detect movement.
I focused on my floating ball of yarn, trying to drown out the cold of the water. Trying not to think about my feet sinking into the mire. Mica breathed next to me. It was so dark I couldn't see him well, but his smell stood out over the swamp. He reminded me of a cool, breezy day in the fall. The opposite of this. Anything but this.
The thunder faded as the ravens left, leaving one final feather fluttering to the ground. I let out a sigh of relief, even with the water rising to my chin.
"Deja vu," the elf said, right behind me. I hadn't realized he was under this same tree with me. The girl, Brie, had hidden here too. I looked back and could barely see her making a grimace.
"It's a long story," she said.
"And not one I want to repeat," Stilt finished. "Brie. Let's get out of here. The ravens are gone. I've seen them before in the dark region and they like to circle around a big area while they're out searching. And by the way, I'll need Rae's hair soon. I can feel the darkness working on me."
My flowers still stood there, untouched. A single feather had landed on the sack. But then the sack fell to the side and some of the blossoms fell out. The ones on the bottom curled up and turned black.
I rushed out of the water, fighting the mud the whole way, and I climbed out, dripping, and stuffed the good flowers back into the sack. Mica joined me and we got on our hands and knees, trying to save as many of them as we could.
"Great," Mica said as everyone climbed out of the water. "We're all going to smell good."
I sniffed. The swamp smell would stay with us until we found cleaner water. The dress stuck to my legs. It would take forever to dry.
Poor Mary was shaking and leaning on Henry and Rae more than ever. Her eyes were still strong but her body weak. Mica tied up the sack with a piece of twine, sealing the good flowers inside. The unfortunate ones lay black and dead on the ground. The darkness had corrupted them.
The cawing got further away.
"That was close," Mica said, leaning closer to me and grinning. Behind him, everyone else slogged out of the water, dripping with scum. Two of the women hugged each other and cried with relief. Baskets had been left on the ground under trees and next to the pond's edge. It was amazing the ravens hadn't cared about them.
"Her," Macon said, drawing closer. He pointed at me and nodded, his face serious and stony. "She tried to drown us in the swamp."
I couldn't believe this. I opened my mouth to speak, but it was no use.
Mica got in front of me. "She went into the swamp with us. If we hadn't, we would all be getting pecked to death right now. Trust me, that's not a pleasant way to die."
"Actually, there are worse ways to die," Macon said.
"My point is, Ignacia had nothing to do with this!"
"I think she's leading us towards something bad," Macon said. "We should take the yarn and go find safety ourselves. Or better yet, another copy of that book. Or even the same one that you failed to get back from us."
"You went after that woman with me! And we went the way you said you wanted to go." Redness rose into Mica's cheeks. "At least I did not fire an arrow at a friend."
Something purple caught my eye. The yarn. It was rolling on the swamp water, getting closer like it was begging me not to abandon it.
I ran over and seized it. But Macon saw. He rushed me and with a shove, I went down on the ground. I dropped the yarn and it rolled back towards the water.
"Macon!" Mica shouted, drawing his sword. "Stop that nonsense, right now!"
Macon was reaching for the yarn, but he stopped mid-reach. "We need it," he said. "Before she kills us."
I stood. No one had ever shoved me before. I slogged back into the water and took the yarn, rescuing it.
"Mica's right," Brie said, stepping in between the huntsman and me. "She can't speak for herself. Leave her alone. Go...lecture somebody, or something."
Macon turned his stare on her. "Here's the thing," he said. "This girl shows up and our resident dark spot suddenly gets a lot bigger. Either another story is falling, or she's the cause."
I backed up. His glare was so intense it reminded me of Annie. Macon hated me on principle. I was the newcomer. Therefore, I was suspect.
Around us, everyone watched. Two of the women whispered to each other and Mary muttered something. The woman was losing her strength. Her fire. It had all started when she lost the book and her purpose.
I might end up like that if I failed my brothers.
"Mica," his mother said. "It is not the time to argue. I believe Macon might have a good point."
Macon puffed out his chest at the fact that someone was stoking his ego. "Thank you, Ma'am," he said. "She has something to do with this for sure." He backed towards the water, tripped over a branch, and fell in.
I had to hold down a laugh. I wasn't sure if that would undo the magic needed to save my brothers, but I wasn't taking any risks.
But Mica didn't. He snickered, drawing a glare from his mother. Apparently, she hated any sense of fun and kings weren't supposed to have a sense of humor.
Even Father laughed and told jokes.
The villagers finished gathering their fallen baskets and scattered supplies. The cawing became so faint that it vanished altogether. The elf was right that ravens made huge circles.
But that meant they might come back around.
I held up the yarn. The girl, Brie, grimaced at it for a second. I didn't know what that meant. Maybe she had an aversion to yarn.
I had to think. I stared at it while everyone watched. Rae and Henry had gone back still supported Mary, who panted and dripped with swamp water. The old woman couldn't handle much more of this. I had to get us
to a place where these people could rest, or she was going to drop dead. Eyes stared at me from every angle. Worried faces. Feet shifted, ready to move. People slung packs up higher on their backs. I had a few dozen people here, all waiting for me to lead the way.
All Macon had to do was take this yarn from me, and I would never find a way back to the other world. I would never get to my brothers again.
I held up the purple ball.
Show us a way back to that camp, I thought. The one in the other world.
The yarn rose.
And unwound so fast that I could barely make out the motion. It pointed into the trees, into the brighter part of the forest where they didn't grow as close together. Where there was less cover, but more light.
People sighed in relief. "I'm glad we're not going into that swamp again," Rae said. "That was too many bad memories."
Macon muttered something under his breath.
And then he nodded at me. It wasn't friendly. It was the most threatening gesture anyone had given me since Annie and I had spoken.
"Are we going to a place to rest?" Mica asked.
I nodded and he told the others.
"In this world?"
I shook my head.
"To the other world?"
I gave him another yes, and he told the others. Mutters floated up and down the crowd. I was taking these people to a place they had never been before. To a place they had only heard of in stories.
I waved everyone forward. I was taking them all on this journey with me, but we all needed another copy of that book. There might be one waiting for us.
But so might Annie.
Chapter Seven
"Do you have any idea where this girl is taking us?"
