Due East, Beasts & Campfire Feasts

by Erin Johnson

  Kai glared at my flame. “Yeah, with Reo. Nature called. Besides, your vampire had gone off, and Ben and Sora, too.”

  Iggy rolled his eyes, but nodded, begrudgingly.

  Guess that warm water had done a number on some bladders.

  “Look.” I lifted my palms, not entirely sure I believed Misaki, or Kai, but willing to consider other possibilities. “Maybe it wasn’t any of us.” I shrugged. “I mean, Horace and his Badlands Army are running around loose on the island somewhere, right? Maybe they’re messing with us.”

  Misaki shook her head. “You perhaps know your brother better than we do, but neither he nor his sizable army have ever interfered in our affairs.”

  “Hm.” Annie shrugged. “He has tried to kill Hank before.”

  I nodded.

  “But.” She frowned. “He saved Hank’s life right before he slithered off. Why would he save him just to turn around and kill him?”

  I sighed. Yeah, that didn’t make much sense.

  Misaki straightened. “Whatever happened, we can’t linger here. The giga deer may be back. We’ll march till daybreak, and sleep in the morning.”

  A strangled cry made me jump. Reo clutched the blanket that covered his brother’s body. “I’m not leaving him.”

  Misaki looked strained, her eyes tight. “I’m sorry, Reo. But we have to. We’ll send up a flare so that our people can recover his body, and we’ll spell him hidden from animals and monsters.”

  Reo let out a choked sob and allowed Kai to drag him to his feet and away from Sora. After the body had been hidden and a magical white flare hung in the sky above to mark the spot, we moved on. I felt even heavier and more exhausted than before, but I pushed my sluggish mind to go over the facts.

  “Iggy, someone tried to kill Hank by planting the herb in his pack. They knew a monster would attack.”

  Iggy’s lantern swung gently in my hand as I walked along. “Hm. Maybe Rhonda did it, wild on mushrooms.”

  I didn’t deign to respond. None of my friends had done it, I was sure of that, which left the guards. Misaki easily could be lying, though part of me wanted to believe her, because I’d actually started to like her. I’d been watching her most of the time, and I didn’t see her put any of that plant in Hank’s pack, but she might have done it before I found her. I clomped along the trail behind Annie, my heavy pack bouncing on my shoulders. Misaki and Jun led the way up ahead. I liked Jun too, but he was clearly into Misaki.

  “Maybe Jun got jealous of Hank and Misaki talking and he did it to take Hank out of the picture.” I knew I’d felt a little pang myself. Plus, he knew all about herbs and would likely have been able to get ahold of this banned, rare plant.

  “No offense.” Iggy leaned out of the lantern and peeked up at me. “I know they say love is blind, which is what I’m assuming is going on here. But Jun would have had to feel real threatened and—have you looked at your boyfriend recently?”

  I frowned. “Hank’s handsome.”

  “Normal Hank, yeah. He’s dreamy.” Iggy flashed his eyes at me. “But he’s all limpy and scruffy and mopey right now.”

  I quirked my lips to the side. I hated to admit it, but Iggy did kind of have a point.

  I glanced behind me. Kai walked with an arm around Reo, practically dragging the devastated young man along. I wasn’t a big fan of Kai’s. He seemed most capable of doing something so cruel. And then there was that mysterious sword he had. “What about Kai?”

  Iggy waited a beat. “He is a jerk, but he doesn’t seem the brightest. Would he know about rare herbs?”

  I shrugged. “It’s probably dangerous enough that the guards would be briefed on it.”

  And then there was Reo. He just seemed so goofy and innocent—I couldn’t see him murdering anyone. And I hadn’t gotten to know the other guards well enough to speculate about them, but I intended to change that.

  I glanced back again. The white flare hung low in the sky marking Sora’s body. I gulped. Hopefully, that’d be the only one we needed to send up. My stomach twisted with worry. With monsters all around us and a murderer in our midst, I didn’t feel too confident about that.

  14

  Sketchy

  The small patches of sky visible through the treetops lightened to the bright gray of a rainy morning. We stopped to make camp between the trees, and this time everyone dumped their packs next to their own bedrolls instead of in a center pile like we had before. Nobody was to be trusted. Misaki and a couple other guards wandered off with fishing poles to catch our breakfast. I unrolled my sleeping bag over a cushy mat of fallen leaves. Nothing like fish first thing in the morning. The soft bubbling of a stream sounded nearby—they couldn’t be going far.

  Jun pulled out his sketchbook and Kai spoke in quiet tones to the devastated Reo. The kid with the mullet, who I’d learned was named Ben, magically lit a fire and then got to unpacking the cookware.

  I waved my friends over and we gathered in a tight circle. I glanced around as we put our heads together. “One of them tried to murder Hank. We need to figure out who before they strike again.”

  My boyfriend scoffed, his eyes on the ground. “Why bother?”

  My chest flushed hot. “Excuse me?”

  He shrugged. “My own father tried to kill me. There seems to be quite a queue of people ready and willing to take me out.”

  I gaped at him. Was he serious? He didn’t care that someone had it in for him?

  Maple cleared her throat and gave Wiley a little nudge. He jumped and licked his lips. “We, uh, we all know how modest Hank is, but I think we can safely say no one wants any more murder, so I’m with Imogen. We should figure this out.”

  I nodded. “I’m going to talk to some of them, see if I can suss anything out.” I looked at Hank, hoping he’d at least acknowledge me, but he kept his eyes down.

  Maple looked between Hank and me, a little crease between her brows. She sucked in a breath and drew herself up taller. “You know…” She gulped. “Hank.”

  Wiley and I exchanged wide-eyed looks. Despite all my boyfriend’s pleas to call him Hank, Maple had always insisted on calling him Prince Harry. This was wild.

  Maple continued. “We’re all your friends, too. And regardless of—of the circumstances, I think it’s sad that you’re not talking to us. That must’ve been hard with your father.”

  Wiley grimaced. “Ugh, he’s the worst.” He startled. “No offense, Hank. Sorry.”

  Hank looked up. “None taken.”

  Maple ducked her head. “Oh goddess, I hope I haven’t crossed a line.” She shook her head. “Oh, Maple, you fool, you’ve gone too far.”

  She curtsied, then backed away a step, and then bowed.

  Hank pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m not a prince anymore, you don’t have to bow to me.” He sneered. “My own father tried to kill me.”

  I lifted a finger. “Actually, he tried to kill me and you saved me.” I lifted my brows. “Thank you—again.”

  Hank stood unshaven and partly hunched over, clutching his side. He waved it off.

  Iggy scoffed. “By the tide, you are not pulling off this pouty hobo look.”

  A smile twitched at the corner of my mouth, and Maple continued to bow and curtsy, backing away to the other side of camp.

  Wiley scratched the back of his neck. “I’m gonna go—” He thumbed toward Maple. “Check on that.”

  Annie chuckled. “Good idea.”

  Hank sighed and moved over to his bedroll without another word.

  I balled my hands into fists and gritted my teeth. “Good talk.”

  Annie squeezed my shoulder. “He’s just really down, dear. He used to be like this a lot more before you came around.” She gave me a thin smile. “It’s not your fault.”

  Maple and Wiley returned. Maple fanned herself. “I can’t believe I said that to a prince!”

  Oh, Maple.

  Rhonda nodded, and Francis slid down from her shoulders to stand on his own. She stood up stra
ighter and turned to me. “Is something going on between you guys?”

  I sniffed. “He’s not speaking to me. He hasn’t been since he got here.”

  She nodded. “Oh, right, because of the whole seeing Horace and keeping that and the prison break from him.” She folded her arms and cocked a brow. “Which you all kept from me too, by the way.”

  I let out a heavy sigh. “Rhonda, I’m sorry. I really am. We didn’t want you and Amelia to get hurt.”

  Sam whimpered. “Poor Amelia. Do you think ssshe’sss okay?” He wrung his hands together and more skin flakes dusted his shoulders. The stress was making the poor guy lose his skin at a rapid rate.

  Yann nodded. “Oh yah, Sam. Amelia ees a wery tough wooman.” He clapped Sam on the back with his enormous hand and sent the thin shifter lurching forward. Yann steadied him. “Sorry.”

  Maple bit her lip and looked between Wiley and me with big round eyes. “And my family… do you think the king will go after them and punish them because of me?” She plunked her head into her hands and let out a choked sob.

  Annie folded her arms around Maple. “They’ll be all right, dear. We just have to take care of ourselves so we can see all our people back home again.” A crease formed between her brows. “But I do wonder what’s happening out there in the world.”

  I nodded. “I’m sorry I dragged you all into this.” And I was. More than I could express. “I feel so guilty.”

  Maple lifted her red, wet face, and Wiley hugged an arm around her shoulders. “No, Imogen.” She shook her head. “Horace got us into this and to be honest….” She sighed. “I hope this doesn’t sound crazy, but I appreciate what he did.”

  My mouth fell open. “You do?”

  “Well, if he hadn’t, the truth never would have come out.” Her lips quirked to the side.

  I looked around the circle and my friends nodded their agreement.

  “Plus.” Rhonda’s dark eyes twinkled. “We get to see the Badlands.” She lifted her arms and gestured at the twisting greenery and curling mist that surrounded us. “I’ve been almost everywhere in my hundreds of years, but I’d always wanted to see this place.”

  I supposed, under different circumstances, I might have found the lush, magical island charming. If it weren’t for the monsters, murder, and very real possibility of being kicked out of the town and left to fend for ourselves. Oh, and my brother and his army roaming around somewhere.

  I grimaced at Maple, and she forced a smile. “It is beautiful… in a creepy way.”

  “Like Rhonda.” Iggy cackled, but the Seer just smiled and nodded. Of course. She would take that as a compliment.

  Annie folded her hands in front of her hips. “We just have to trust that everything back home will work itself out. In the meantime, we have to stay alive.”

  I nodded. “Right. Which starts with not getting murdered.”

  Francis lifted his nose. “That would be preferred. Though I must say, being dead has its perks.”

  I frowned. “We’ll have to take your word for it.”

  Rhonda patted his little wing finger. “No, no, honey cakes, you’re undead.”

  “Right, well, wish me luck—I’ll let you guys know what I find out.” My friends nodded and moved off to sleep or take care of personal business. I cast one more look toward Hank. He lay on his bedroll, a scarf over his face.

  Annoyed, I surveyed the guards and decided to start with Ben. I joined him by the campfire where he crouched, unpacking cutting boards, knives, and pots and pans. I dropped down to sit on my heels beside him.

  “Hey.”

  He looked up and blinked in surprise. Ben had a likeable look to him. He wore his black hair short on top, long in the back—maybe in the Badlands mullets hadn’t gone out of fashion. Maybe that’s what being cut off from the rest of the world did to you. But he shot me an easy smile, his eyes crinkling in the corners. “Hey, yourself!”

  He pulled a cast iron wok out of his pack and my eyes widened. He caught my expression and laughed. “We spell it to weigh less.”

  I grinned. “Thank goodness.” Then I frowned. “Hey, my pack weighs a ton, can we get some of that spell?”

  Ben shook his head. “Nah, sorry. Part of the whole prove-yourself quest—it’s tradition.”

  “Ah.” I watched him lay out more dishes. “Can I help with anything?”

  He looked around and shrugged. “Nah. I’ve got it, I think. Thanks.”

  “Sure.” I nodded, unsure how to start. I decided to just jump right in. “So… that other guard, Reo… that was his brother who was killed?”

  Ben glanced toward Reo, who slumped against the base of a tree, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Yeah.” He shook his head. “Reo pretty much worshipped his older brother—even though he was mean to him.” He cracked a half-hearted grin.

  I lifted my brows. “Mean? Like, there was rivalry between them?”

  Ben shook his head. “Nah. More like just normal brother stuff. All us younger guys totally look up to Kai and Sora, they’re—well, they were, like the coolest. Reo always wanted to do what Sora did, and course Sora was way too cool for Reo, so he never let him. I think Reo thought becoming a guard, like them, would change things.”

  “Did it?”

  Ben shook his head. “Reo was always the little brother. It pretty much stayed that way.”

  I poked at the soft dirt with my finger and got some under my short nail. “Why do you guys look up to them so much?” They seemed pretty harsh to me.

  “Oh, man.” Ben set a frying pan on top of a pot with a clank. “They’re like the first guys from our part of town to make it into the guard. It’s always just been the rich families’ kids who got in, but Kai and Sora showed us that even if we’re sons of fishermen, or laundresses like Kai, we can be guards, too.” He nodded. “It’s pretty cool.”

  I nodded. “Yeah. That is.” I looked up. Kai still stood beside Reo, towering over him. He looked angry, as tough as ever, but maybe his presence was comforting to Reo. I wouldn’t have enjoyed it, but maybe Reo felt differently. I blinked and looked around the camp. Huh—where had Jun gone?

  I rose to my feet, my burning thighs nearly giving out from under me. “Let me know if you change your mind and I can help.”

  Ben nodded and I moved over toward the boulder Jun had been sitting on. I looked around, trying to act nonchalant. Should I start whistling? Would that help my act? His sketchbook lay on the rock, pencils nearby—totally unattended. Maybe I could just sneak a little look. I wasn’t sure what I expected—a detailed murder plan, sketches of dead bodies? But I hoped for something that might give me a clue as to whether he planted the herb.

  With one more look around the camp, I flipped the open book right side up and found a drawing of a plant with purple leaves—the attrahunt! I lifted my brows. My investigation of Jun was off to a pretty good start. I bit my lip and flipped through the book. The pages contained lots of sketches of plants, a variety of monsters of all shapes and sizes, and a whole lot of Misaki—her face, her hands, her smile.

  “See anything good?”

  “Ah!” I jumped and the book tumbled from my hands. I stooped to lift it, and Jun, who now stood in front of me, did as well. I handed him the notepad, but it’d landed on a drawing of a yellow berry and bent the page. I grimaced as he smoothed the page down with his wand. “I’m so sorry.”

  He held it up with a tight smile. “Good as new.”

  “No.” I shook my head, inwardly cringing at the awkwardness. “I mean, I’m sorry about snooping.”

  He shrugged. “It’s all right. A little embarrassing maybe.”

  I frowned as I caught a hint of pink on his cheeks. “Embarrassing?” I pressed a hand to my chest. “I’m the one who should be embarrassed—and I am.”

  He turned and leaned against the big rock he’d been sitting on earlier. I stood there a moment, wanting to flee and hide in a cocoon of my own uncomfortableness. But, I wanted answers about who’d tried to hurt Hank, a
nd Jun might have them. I took a deep breath and moved a little closer. “They were good, your drawings. Have you always been an artist?”

  Jun cracked a grin. “I’ve always liked to draw, ever since I was a little kid, but I’m not sure that qualifies me as an artist. My family owns a tea house and it kept me busy while they were working.” His dark eyes twinkled. “As I got older, I’d draw labels for all the teas, and I illustrated our menu.” He shrugged. “It’s always been fun, but it doesn’t pay the bills, so here I am, a guard.”

  I pointed at his sketchpad. The drawing of the berries lay open on top. “Are those all plants and monsters that you’ve seen out here?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. One of the best things about being a guard is getting to explore the island. I like to catalog all the unique plants and creatures I’ve seen.” The pink flush on his cheeks darkened. “And I suppose you know what else I like to draw, too.”

  Misaki! My stomach twisted and I brushed my bangs out of my eyes. “I mean— I may have— I saw a few—” Real smooth, Imogen.

  Jun chuckled and lowered his voice. “It’s all right. If anyone had to see those drawings of her, I’m glad it was you.”

  I lifted my brows. “Really?”

  He nodded. “Yeah.” He let out a sigh and stared at his booted feet. “You, of anyone here, knows how it is when the person you love just doesn’t feel that way about you.”

  I gaped at him. “What?”

  He looked up, eyes wide, and lifted a palm. “I’m sorry if that sounded presumptuous. It’s just—well, I couldn’t help but notice that you reach out to Hank and he doesn’t seem to reciprocate.”

  I felt as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped on my head. I took a step back.

  Jun’s face fell. “Hey, I’m really sorry. Who am I to say anything? I’ve only known you two for what, a day? I’m probably totally off, and that comment was way out of bounds.”

  I shook my head. “No. You’re right. That’s how we’ve been acting, but that’s not us—not the real us.” I squared my shoulders. “Excuse me.”