by Holly Hook
Red eyes.
That was my first thought, was that there were several pairs of red eyes floating towards us in the dark like disembodied spirits from the dark region. Wolves. These weren’t normal wolves like I sometimes saw in the forest around the castle, the ones that glanced at you and left you alone. These might be ones Alric had enslaved. Or ones unfortunate enough to linger in that dark spot for too long.
I joined everyone else on the other side of the pond.
“Almost,” the elf shouted. The forest got stronger. It was almost real enough to touch now. My hair stood on end and for a second, I was with my brothers again.
And then light filled the open meadow, spilling out from the pond.
“Now!” Mica shouted.
Hand in hand, we jumped. A whitish yellow glow surrounded us and we were falling through a void, through worlds and into the unknown. People screamed beside us. Wolves growled and snapped. I held onto Mica and closed my eyes. It was just us now.
We had left the sack of flowers next to the pond.
My brothers’ salvation behind.
I let go of Mica and flailed through the void, trying to find them. He reached out for me but his arm was a blur in the light. I couldn’t leave without them.
Something snapped and grabbed my pant leg.
I bit in a scream and shook my foot. A wolf fell with me, hackles flying in the air. It pulled at my skirt and ripped the fabric with its canines. It came free and the wolf spiraled into the void.
Trees snapped into my vision, I hit ground, and the world stilled.
Chapter Eight
“Ignacia. Get up.”
Mica stood over me. I squinted in the daylight, eyes adjusting to the change in time. Behind him, people milled around, dazed as if they had no idea how they got here. Village women in black dresses talked quietly to each other and the men leaned on their pitchforks, surveying the tall pine trees and the hills around us.
The other world.
I’d made it back.
But my brothers—
“We’re okay,” Mica said. “Why did you let go of me?”
I couldn’t answer. I stood up and we faced each other.
“You could have been bitten by that wolf,” he said. “Some of them are shifters. If one of them bites you…you share their fate.”
My heart leapt and I eyed my skirt where the wolf had grabbed on. I held the black fabric against my leg but no blood marked my flesh. The teeth had missed me. Shifter or no, a bite would have been bad news. Sicknesses could come from bites.
“I was keeping you away from the wolves,” Mica said. “Some of them came through the portal with us. I waved my sword at them and the old man swung his pitchfork. They ran into the woods, but we need to be careful. I’m not sure that being in this world will rid them of their evil.”
“Actually,” Macon said from behind me. “You can remove a curse with certain artifacts. There's a magic dagger out there that can do the trick. The last I knew, though, it was stolen and the owner hasn't been able to find it since.”
I whirled on Macon. The guy stood there, all important. Stilt walked up right behind him and shook his head. Why couldn't I have found this out before? Something like that would help my brothers. It might even be able to cut them out of their swan forms and we could skip the shirts.
"Do you have any clue where it could be?" Mica asked. "Ignacia might need it so she can talk again."
Macon shrugged and faced Mica like he didn’t want to look at me. “So this is the other world. It doesn’t look too special to me.”
“I’m from here,” Brie told him. “You have no clue. Not all of it looks like Fable. There are cities and a lot more people here than there could ever be in Fable."
“I’ve heard, though,” Macon said to her. “This world has kinds of magic we can’t even think of in Fable. It was these people who created us, if what the wise people say is true.”
“You don’t know about something for once,” Brie said. “That's a first."
“Can you please stop arguing?”
Mary stood there, leaning on Rae. People were taking turns helping her along. She looked even older than she had back in the village and she’d been ancient to begin with. Mary’s hair had thinned, turning into a faint white halo around her head. She’d lost her bonnet and she had bruises going up and down the thin skin of her arms. The walk through the forest hadn't been kind to her.
She might even be the oldest person I’d seen.
“I need to sit,” she said.
Stilt rushed over and helped Rae sit her down. Mary leaned against the trunk of a tree. They all looked the same here but at least pines weren't a close together as other trees were. A huge pile of pinecones rested up against a trunk. I remembered seeing those. My brothers and I had spotted them when we first came into this world.
The cabin was just a few league's walk away, then.
And we didn’t have a pond on this side to go back through.
“Macon,” Mary said. “Let me set you straight. This is my world. You have no right to say a thing about it.”
“But I have a right to say something about something else,” he said. Then he did a fake cough made to sound like my name. “She kicked out that fire. Ignacia wanted those wolves to attack us.”
I stepped forward, glared at Macon, and pointed down to my ripped skirt.
“The wolves attacked her, too” Mica added for me. “Why would she put herself in danger? Answer that, huntsman.”
Macon stood there like he wasn’t sure what to think. “Wolves are unpredictable. Even Alric can’t control them all of the time. I’m sure they were just as confused as we were in the portal.”
I still held the ball of yarn. My stomach ached as I remembered the flowers. They were still sitting there on the edge of that pond. Alric might have even found them. And I needed them if my brothers’ story was to end the way it should.
I sat down and eyed the dirt, heavier than I had ever been.
I’d failed them. I might not survive another trip into Fable and back. I wished the wolf had bitten me, that I had lost my human form so I could at least suffer with my brothers.
“Ignacia,” Mica said, kneeling next to me while Macon grumbled and walked off. “Don’t beat yourself up. You don’t have to keep the world on your shoulders.”
I shrugged and shook my head.
“Or do you?”
Mica’s gaze met my own and I nodded.
I had my brothers’ world on my shoulders.
His eyes were very brown, deep, and troubled. He, a king, had been forced to leave his kingdom and people behind to whatever Alric might do to them. He was placing them in jeapardy by not being there. Far back, by another tree, his mother stood in her orange dress, watching us with disapproval.
Mica would never be good enough.
Could be good enough.
And neither would I.
I put my hand on Mica’s shoulder and squeezed. If I couldn’t help my brothers…I had to help someone. Mica was a crumbling tower and he needed my support.
“Thanks,” he said, leaning close to me.
We embraced. I leaned on Mica. I wasn’t sure who was doing the supporting. My heart raced against his and warmth spread through me. I liked hugging Mica.
But he was heavy with the loss of his father and the weight of a whole kingdom.
And perhaps even more.
“Come on,” Mary ordered. “Ignacia will show us where there is some shelter around here. Unless we’re very deep in the wilderness, we should find one by nightfall.”
Mica and I released each other and I forced myself to stand. I scanned the ground for the sack of flowers, but it had vanished. None of the villagers had brought them along and Mica had been too worried about getting us through the portal and away from the wolves to bring it.
I had to start all over again.
We gathered and I held up my ball of yarn just as six beautiful swans flew overhead.
* * * * *
The spot the portal had dropped us in turned out to be the same distance from the cabin as it was from the camp.
“This is a boy scout camp,” Brie said after going and reading the sign by the road. “It looks like it’s empty for the rest of the year, so we should be able to stay here for the night.” She faced me. “Have you been here before?”
I nodded, and made a motion like I was eating. Then I pointed to the dining hall.
“Excellent,” Stilt said. Then he turned and cupped his hands over his mouth. “Food!”
Everyone surged forward and into the dining hall. Hunger was high.
“Well,” Mica said to Macon as we headed into the hall and out of the sun. “Funny, isn’t it? Ignacia hasn’t killed us yet.”
I had to smile at Macon. He gave me a disgusted look and kept walking, only to get replaced with Mica’s mother. That was almost as bad. The woman hovered over her son as if he were still in a nursery.
“Mica,” she said as we sat down at a long table. “You need to get back to the Sun Kingdom. You are the most irresponsible son I have.”
“I’m your only son,” he said. “In case you were unaware, we were chased into this world by some of Alric’s wolves and we need to get another copy of Mary’s book in order to proceed with our fight against Alric. I think that’s just a little more important than solving property matters or disputes between farmers.”
His mother tried to glare him into the floor as we sat at one of the long tables. Stilt brought out boxes of the frozen sandwiches and passed them out. A light turned on in the kitchen and someone mentioned a stove. We were going to cook.
And have a warm meal.
I got up, stretched, and sat between Mica and his mother. She backed away a bit and muttered something else about irresponsibility, then stalked off.
“Thanks,” Mica said. “She thinks she has an invisible leash on me. I swear, she wants to control the Sun Kingdom through me."
I shrugged at him. Why can’t she? I wanted to ask.
But Mica seemed to sense my question. “In my kingdom, only the first born of a king or queen may rule,” he said. “It goes by blood instead of marriage. Mother used to be a peasant girl who Father met on one of his hunting trips. A very poor peasant girl, I might add.”
I nodded. Stilt dropped a couple of the frozen sandwiches on our table and I unwrapped one. It tasted like sadness. Sweet sadness. The portraits of the boys hung all around us, all happy and normal and free of curses. People didn’t have to worry about curses in this world so long as they had no connection to Fable.
The light remained bright and happy outside the windows. I watched for any flash of white feathers, but there was none. The six swans hadn’t returned. I wondered if the crowd had scared them off.
Or perhaps Macon had.
Voices echoed off the walls as everyone sat and ate. Brie was in the kitchen, trying to figure out the stove. I knew I should help her, but I was too exhausted to get up. Mica’s mother was over talking to Macon. What a great pair they made, but at least neither of them were over here. I couldn’t help but notice glances stealing in my direction every so often—mostly from the villagers.
“There are a lot of poor people in my kingdom,” Mica continued. He bit into his sandwich and then rubbed his head as if it were making it ache. “We need to help them, but Father never did much. I want to change that, but with Alric aiming to take over all of Fable, there’s just not enough resources. I think Mother resents that.” Mica let his face fall to one outstretched hand. He rubbed it through his hair.
I ached for him. I reached out, wrapped my arm around him, and pulled him close.
“No,” he said, straightening up.
I withered, burned.
“I can’t be seen like this,” he continued, brushing himself off. “I am a King.” Then he whispered from the corner of his mouth. “Maybe later.”
My heart did a little happy dance and I turned away from Mica.
My frozen sandwich tasted so much better after that.
* * * * *
After everyone had eaten, we turned the long tables the best we could so that they faced each other. Brie stood in the middle of the room along with Mica, with Mary sitting the closest at one of the long tables. She looked better now that she had rested. More color had returned to her face and she’d put her bonnet back on. I wasn’t sure why. I’d been told by Father that they weren’t worn often in this world.
“Okay,” Brie said. Color rushed to her face. “Welcome to the other world. I hope you enjoyed the ice cream sandwiches and the pizza.”
“So that’s what those are called,” Mica said.
“We have beds here and food to last us a few weeks,” she continued. “This camp is for boys, but the boys won’t be back for months. It’s fall and we should be able to stay here without anyone finding us for a long time. Hopefully, Alric will have no clue where we are. It will give us time to make a plan.”
Brie kept glancing at Mary as she spoke, maybe hoping she’d take over. But Mary nodded to her. Brie didn’t know how lucky she was. At least she could speak.
"We can use Ignacia's yarn to find another copy of her book and help her," Brie said, gesturing to me. "I think she's part of a story and it's ready to fall. We need to figure out what story that is and stop the darkness from spreading any further. Helping Ignacia means helping all of us."
Macon grumbled in the corner. He sat next to Mica's mother. I was sure they were talking about us.
I handed Brie the yarn. She knew this world if she'd been here before. She would know how to obtain another one of those books. And then that would help me. I could speak in one form, at least.
Mica walked me over to the same longhouse with all the beds that I had stayed in a few nights before. The door still hung open a bit and there were still feathers everywhere, littering the floor and the beds.
A clue. I could give Mica a clue.
He stopped at the front of the house. "What happened in here?" he asked. "Did a bunch of chickens fight to the death?"
I saw my opportunity. I picked up a feather and held it up to him. I shook my head.
"So...no chickens. And you've been here before."
I nodded.
Mica took the feather and turned it over and over, studying it. "It's nothing like I've seen before," he said. "Does this have to do with the flowers you need?"
I nodded again.
Mica stepped closer. "You're not the one who's cursed. Someone else is, right?"
He was getting so close in more ways than one. I opened my mouth, but caught myself and closed it again.
"Someone you care about?"
I could only give him another nod.
Mica drew closer. "I'll find you more of those flowers," he said. "I don't care how long it takes. You shouldn't have to sacrifice yourself to do whatever it is you're doing."
He didn't understand. I had to. I shook my head and went to move around him, but Mica blocked my way.
"Lie down," he said. "Get some rest. I'll go out and find more of them. I can't imagine that there isn't any starwort growing in this world somewhere." He eyed the dying light outside. "Brie and Stilt are going to go get the book tomorrow. I'm sure it won't take them too long. Once they're back, we'll go out and find more starwort together."
The thought made my heart race. Mica turned back to me and leaned closer.
It was a quick kiss, just a brush of the lips, but stars exploded behind my eyes.
* * * * *
Something tapped at my window.
I sat up, forgetting where I was. Then I saw the pale moonlight coming in through the glass.
The memory surged back. I had managed to get back to the camp and I'd brought all these people with me. All around me, girls and women slept in the rows of beds meant for boys. One woman's legs hung off the end. And at the very back of the longhouse, Mary slept, swaddled up in her own covers. She had left her bonnet on the floor and made a s
ound like she was snoring. I knew that, across the camp, the men were sleeping in their own house.
The tapping came again.
I sat up and faced the window.
A white form fluttered on the other side and I jumped back, almost tripping over the backpack Mica had found for me earlier.
A swan.
Right outside the window.
I rushed through the longhouse and opened the door. My brothers had returned. I wanted more than anything than to talk to them again. I considered waking up Mica, but he was on the other side of the camp and I might not have time. I didn't want to wake Macon by mistake. He might shoot them or something.
I rounded the building to find a single swan there, stretching its wings. Its black beak rose as it took me in and it plodded closer. I searched around for the other five, but they weren't here. This swan had come alone.
"Irving?" I asked, relieved that I could speak. My brothers were still my only reprieve from silence.
The swan nodded and turned away.
Follow me, he seemed to be saying.
I did.
And realized that I didn't have the yarn. I didn't know where Brie had hidden it.
But Irving wouldn't let me get lost, so I followed.
The swan plodded along, taking me deeper and deeper into the surrounding woods. I walked faster and faster as he urged me along and swatted branches and pine needles out of the way. I kept looking back to see if the camp was still in sight, but it was useless. After only a few minutes of following, the swan had taken me too far for me to know the way back.
I shouldn't be doing this, but I kept following the white form in the dark. At last, the trees cleared and I had to let my eyes adjust.
I sighed in relief.
Five more swans stood in the dark, their feathers almost shimmering in the moonlight.
And in the middle of them all sat a large bag.
