by Erin Johnson
After a few minutes of quiet hiking, the trees thinned and we skirted the edge of a small, rocky clearing. I nearly slammed into Annie’s back when she stopped suddenly, frozen. I followed her wide-eyed gaze to my left, toward the clearing, and my stomach clenched tight with fear. I could feel Yann stop dead behind me.
A giant deer, as tall as the trees, picked its way into the open space. Moonlight illuminated the two black, spiraling horns that shot upwards from its head, sharp and deadly. Its black cloven hooves clanked against the rocky ground, and white spots speckled its brown hide. Its huge ears flicked right and left, and its black, wet nostrils flared.
I held my breath. It looked to its right, in the direction we’d come from. My chest heaved with shallow breaths. The giant deer picked its way over the rocks and moved away from us. I let out a shaky breath and part of the tightness in my chest relaxed.
Then the wind changed. The leaves rustled in the trees overhead, the wet tendrils of hair at the back of my neck grew chilly, and the grass that sprouted between the rocks of the clearing waved. The giga deer froze and jerked its head up. Its nostrils flared rapidly as it smelled the wind, and it swiveled its head in our direction. Big dark eyes stared right at us, as though the deer could see us through the trees. I stayed rooted in place with fear.
The deer opened its mouth and bleated. I winced and jerked my hands up to cover my ears, the sound deafening. In an instant, it bounded across the clearing and broke through the tree line. Shouts sounded and wands glowed in the darkness. The deer crashed through the brush, straight to Hank, and bit down on his back.
12
Giga Deer
I screamed and dashed through the dark forest. Iggy’s lantern swung wildly in my hand and my pack slammed against my back. I ignored the branches scratching my arms and the pain in my ankle as I stumbled over a rock.
“Hank!” I stretched an arm out, desperate to have my powers back. I felt helpless without them. Helpless as the giant deer bore down on him.
The deer reared its head, thrashing its sharp spiraling horns into the branches of the trees. My heart stopped as I spotted Hank dangling from the pack in the deer’s mouth at a height that neared the tops of the tallest cedars. Misaki, Jun, and the other guards crashed past me, wands ready in one hand, their drawn swords in the other. One of the guards fired a spell at the deer. It ducked its head at the last minute and the ball of light flew past.
Misaki shot the guard a stern look. “You could’ve hit him.”
Annie appeared beside me and squeezed my shoulder. “C’mon, dear!”
I nodded and we ran on, closer, until I had to crane my neck to look up at the creature. Balls of light flew through the dark and Misaki shouted orders. I gasped as the deer veered towards Annie and me. I grabbed her by the straps of her pack and yanked her to the side. We fell over a gnarled tree root as the deer’s hard black hoof stomped down in the spot we’d just stood.
Annie panted. “We’d have been crushed, flat as pancakes.”
I scrambled to my feet and helped her up. My stomach twisted as I gazed down at the shallow crater the hoof had left behind. A shout rang out, and I looked up through the tangled branches. Hank fumbled with the clasp at his chest as the deer tossed him about. Guards dove out of the way of its horns as the deer dipped its head and shook again, like a dog with a toy. I saw my chance.
I threw off my pack, handed Iggy to Annie, and sprinted over to the guards. I held my palm out to Misaki. “Give me a knife.”
She frowned and turned away from me, but I gripped her wrist and stared her down. She considered me, narrowed her eyes, and then in a swift movement, reached into her waistband. She pressed the black handle of a short knife into my hand. Misaki kept a wary eye on me, wand raised, but I turned away from her and eyed Hank.
I gulped in a breath and steeled myself. This was probably a terrible idea, but it was the only one I had. I ran forward, straight toward the monster. The deer swept its head to one side, and I dove on my stomach. I landed hard on the rocky ground. “Oof!” Horns flew over me with a whoosh of air that raised goose bumps on the back of my neck. I army-crawled forward over leaves and tree roots, and rose to crouch right below Hank. The deer hung its head low, and shook it from side to side, dangling Hank just a few feet off the ground. He glanced at me, his face pale and the whites of his eyes showing. “I can’t undo it.” He grunted as the deer shook him again, then paused. It snorted, blasting me with its hot breath. At this angle I could see that the metal clasp at Hank’s chest had been crushed and wouldn’t open.
I gripped the canvas strap at his chest and gritted my teeth. I prayed the deer would hold still for another moment. I brought up the knife sideways, under the canvas strap, then twisted it and pulled toward myself. I sawed with all my might and the strap snapped. Hank dropped heavy on top of me, knocking the knife from my hand. He wrapped his thick arms around me and braced his entire body, shielding me from the giga deer and its dangerous horns. I peeled an eye open and looked over his shoulder. The giant creature towered over us. Hank’s pack looked tiny in its mouth.
Balls of light flew through the air and burst against the creature’s head. It cried out and dropped the pack, which plummeted to the ground. The deer dipped its head to retrieve it, its horns aimed right for Hank and me. More glowing spells struck the deer on the nose and the creature screamed. I covered my ears and cowered under Hank as more balls of light crashed into the monster’s head. The whites showed all around its big eyes and it startled.
I grabbed Hank’s shoulder and he rolled to the side and pushed to sitting as I scrambled onto my elbows. The giant deer abandoned the pack and crashed away through the forest. It bounded across the clearing and disappeared on the other side among rustling trees.
I glanced over at Hank, my chest heaving. His throat bobbed as he watched after the deer for another moment, then he swung his gaze towards me. My chest welled with a rush of emotions, not least of which was happiness that he was looking at me, actually seeing me. His eyes grew glassy and he leaned toward me, his lips parting to speak. But the moment ended when a guard cried out.
We both turned toward the sound. A couple of the guards were bent over something. I squinted to see better through the tree trunks and the dark shadows of the night. More guards sprinted that way.
Hank rose with a grunt, then reached out to me. My spirits soared as I wrapped my fingers around his warm, strong hand. He pulled me to my feet and just as quickly let go—and with that, my spirits fell again. I trailed a few steps behind him as we made our way over to the others. He glanced back. “Thank you—for saving me.”
I grinned and opened my mouth to respond, but Hank cut me off.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
I stopped dead, dumbstruck, then jogged over rocks and branches to come up beside him. “Hold up—what now?”
He didn’t look up, but his throat bobbed. “I dove in front of that lance back in Bijou Mer.” A muscle jumped in his jaw as we hiked toward the guards, who’d circled up around something on the ground. “And you saved me tonight. So we’re even now, okay?” He glanced up at me, his eyes clouded. “You don’t owe me anything.”
I opened my mouth but it took me several flabbergasted moments to find the words. “Owe you?” I scoffed. “Owe you? I saved you because I love you. What are you even—”
Hank stopped and paled. I turned, frowning, to see what he was staring at and gasped. Someone lay sprawled facedown on the ground, surrounded by the guards.
“It’s Sora.” Jun, who’d been crouching near the commotion, rose. The moonlight highlighted his sharp cheekbones and stricken expression. He turned towards Reo, who skidded to a stop and dropped down beside the blond guard. Jun shook his head. “The deer struck him as it bounded away.” His throat bobbed. “Your brother’s dead.”
13
Big Brother
We all gathered around Sora’s body. Reo sobbed beside his brother, his forehead pressed to Sora’s lifel
ess back. While my brief interactions with Sora hadn’t been pleasant—mostly he just glared at me— my heart sank for Reo and all the guards. That could’ve been any of us.
Kai had been close with Sora as well. The stocky guard moved behind Reo and put a hand on the young guard’s shoulder. Reo shrugged it off and threw himself over the body, sobbing harder. I lifted my brows, surprised. I didn’t need to know Reo well to know that he’d really looked up to Kai, his big brother’s friend. I bit my lip. This was obviously hitting him hard.
Misaki gave Reo a few minutes. She paced back and forth, muttering to herself. She glanced over, her eyes red, and eyed Cat in Maple’s arms.
“We should’ve set your Cat on it. Maybe Sora would still be alive.”
Maple’s jaw dropped and she hugged her furry pet tighter to her chest. “This little guy against that huge thing?” She scoffed and shook her head.
My friends all hugged Hank in turn, and he responded with nods and quiet words. He and I returned to our stony distance.
I stood aside, my eyes full of tears, and a mix of anger and sadness burning in my chest. Did he really think I’d saved him out of obligation? It was ridiculous! After all we’d been through, he didn’t know that I loved him? Or did he know, and he was just punishing me? It wasn’t as if I expected him almost dying to just erase all that had happened back in Bijou Mer. But I hoped he’d realize that he’d almost died, we both had, and that in the big scheme of things, our love was more important than keeping up the silent treatment. Why didn’t he get that?
A twig snapped and I looked up. I’d moved a little ways away from the group and stood partially hidden from view among the trees. I leaned forward and looked toward the rocky clearing. Misaki crept through the open space. She glanced right, then left. Hmm. She might just be on edge watching for monsters… but then again, she’d had this look when she dug through Hank’s pack. I moved closer to the tree line to get a better view. I spotted Hank’s torn, lumpy pack. It lay on its side on a mossy rock, and Misaki headed straight for it. My spidey sense tingled with suspicion.
I stepped out of the tree line and strode quickly forward in an attempt to head her off. “Oh, hey, Misaki.” I tried for nonchalant tone.
Her head jerked toward me and she opened her eyes wide. “Imogen.” She remained tense as I jogged up to her, hopping from stone to stone.
“You found Hank’s pack, huh?” I tried for a casual tone.
She nodded and we walked toward it together. “I thought it was odd the way the giga deer went right for him—his pack, specifically.”
I frowned. “That’s a good point.” I bit my lip. Had she spelled his pack or something when I caught her rummaging through it? Had she set a monster on Hank and was now trying to cover it up? I looked to my left. The others stood among the trees, within sight. Surely she wouldn’t do anything to me in front of them… would she?
We reached the pack and Misaki dropped to a crouch beside it. She pushed with both arms to roll it over. The chest strap hung open in two pieces, broken where I’d cut it to free Hank. She waved her wand over the gashes in the canvas fabric and the pack suddenly looked as good as new. Misaki then yanked the drawstring open. My folded letter tumbled out the top, along with a big bunch of strange, dark purple leaves and branches. She sucked in a breath and jerked her chin up to stare at me wide-eyed.
I frowned. “What is it?”
She grabbed Hank’s pack and a big handful of the leaves, and shot to her feet. “We have to get rid of it.”
I narrowed my eyes. I bet that’s exactly what she wanted to do—to hide the evidence. I jumped up and snatched a handful of the waxy leaves from her. “No. I think we should show the others.” Before she could react, I leapt away to the next rock and sprinted toward my friends as fast as my aching, burning legs would allow.
“Imogen!” Misaki let out a frustrated growl behind me. Her footsteps sounded behind me on the stones.
My heart thumped in my chest as I neared the rest of our group. “Guys!”
Reo continued to sob beside his brother, though someone had placed a blanket over Sora’s body. But everyone else looked my way.
“Keep your voice down,” Kai hissed.
I jogged to a stop and Misaki skidded up beside me a moment later. Breathless, I held up the purple leaves. “We found this inside Hank’s pack.”
Jun’s eyes widened.
“Isss it a sssnack?” Sam blinked at me, his glasses glinting in the moonlight.
I nodded. “Yeah, probably not.” I jerked my head toward Misaki at my side. “She seemed to think it mattered though.”
Jun swept up to us and addressed Misaki. “Is it attrahunt?”
She gave a terse nod, and held up the bunch she still had in her hand. Jun lowered his wand at the leaves we held in our hands, and a moment later the plants sizzled to charcoal and crumbled away.
I jumped back, my mouth open. “Hey!” Black powder covered my palms.
Jun shook his head. “That herb is a favorite of not only giga deer, but many different types of monsters. They can smell it, from miles away even.” Jun frowned, his thick brows low over his eyes. “It’s banned in the town. The older generation even cleared it from the forest around town.”
I frowned. “Then where’d it come from? And how did it end up in Hank’s pack?”
All eyes swiveled to Hank. He leaned against his walking stick and didn’t even raise his eyes. “The herb wasn’t mine.”
Iggy clicked his tongue. “Let me guess. You were holding it for a friend?”
Rhonda cleared her throat and all eyes turned to her. She held a finger up, her neon green nail practically glowing in the dark. “So, we shouldn’t be picking random plants?”
Misaki frowned. “Is that a real question?”
Rhonda dug her hands in her pants pockets and pulled out two big handfuls of gray mushrooms. “So, for instance, this is bad?”
Jun stepped over and peered at the ’shrooms in her upturned palms. “They’re not going to attract monsters, but I don’t know why you’d carry them around.” He shrugged. “They’re not edible.”
Rhonda jumped back and threw them to the ground. “They’re poisonous?”
Jun grinned. “Nah. But they’re hallucinatory.”
Rhonda frowned. “Oh.”
The guard turned away to face Misaki, and Rhonda took the opportunity to duck down and pop a mushroom into her mouth.
“Rhonda!” I hissed.
“Three secong ruge,” she muttered around her mouthful.
“Spit it out.” I flashed my eyes at her.
She shook her head, cheeks bulging.
Iggy whined. “I want one.”
I shook my head at my little flame. “No, you don’t.” Way to be a bad influence, Rhonda.
Misaki lifted a thick brow at Hank. “You didn’t pick the attrahunt? You’re sure?”
His eyes flicked to her face for a quick moment. “I’m sure.”
I gulped, an eerie feeling creeping up the back of my neck.
Misaki let out a shaky breath and looked slowly around at the other seven guards and my friends. “Someone, one of us, planted it then.”
I scoffed. “Someone, huh?” I shoved my hand onto my hip. This sea witch had some nerve—suggesting someone planted it, when it was her who’d tried to get my boyfriend killed.
She frowned at me. “What do you mean?”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, okay, yeah, play innocent.” I leaned closer and bared my teeth. “I saw you.” I turned to Maple, Rhonda and Annie. “When I followed her out of the hot springs to—” I glanced at all the guards. “To take care of some personal business, I found her back at the campsite rummaging through Hank’s pack.”
Annie darted her eyes to Misaki. “Are you sure it was Hank’s? They all look the same and we had them piled together.”
I nodded, my cheeks burning. Hank kept his eyes on the ground, but I was very aware that he stood nearby and that he was listening. “I left a
note for Hank in his pack and it tumbled out when Misaki opened it.”
Hank looked at me, surprised. A gasp cut through the thick silence. Reo looked up from his brother’s body, his face filled with pain. Then he hung his head again and sobbed over the body.
Kai stood behind him, a deep frown on his face. “So, Misaki, you planted the herb to attract a monster and kill Hank?” He shook his head. “But it was my friend who paid the price.” His lip curled in a venomous sneer.
The color drained from Misaki’s face as all eyes swung to her. “Of course I didn’t plant that herb.” Her nostrils flared with her heavy breathing, and she clenched her hands into fists at her sides.
“Then why were you going through his things?” I lifted my brows.
Misaki sighed. “Fine. Yes, I looked through Hank’s pack.” Her eyes shifted to me. “I saw Imogen slip him a note earlier and I thought it might contain information about Captain Kenta or what you lot are actually doing here.”
I sighed. “We told you why we’re here.”
She lifted her palms. “Well, I don’t trust you.”
Jun frowned. “Did the note have information?”
She shook her head and glanced at me. My chest tightened—would she reveal the extent of our relationship issues?
“No.” She licked her lips. “So I kept looking, but I didn’t find anything.”
Jun looked down and nodded. The tension in my neck relaxed a little. I was grateful that Misaki didn’t tell everyone what I’d written to Hank.
She let out a quiet breath. “So yes, I went through the pack, but I didn’t plant that herb.” She pressed her lips tight together. “Which means someone else here did, after I’d gone through it.”
Kai folded his thick arms and scowled at her. “Sure, if we believe that you didn’t do it. And we’re just what, supposed to take your word on that?”
She glared at him.
“He did wander off into the woods, right before the deer screamed.” Iggy widened his eyes. “Just saying.”
