I take a slow breath. Magic is dangerous. I have to remember that.
“If only there was another human here,” I say. “One who hasn’t commanded Olea yet.”
Violet makes a little huffing noise. She hugs her knees, wrapping herself in my hoodie.
Then I get an idea. A terrifying one.
An hour later a kind of dawn arrives. The dim gray light in Witherwood brightens a bit. Salix stirs in the cave. Rosa gives a hopeful yip. I search in the bottom of my backpack. All I find are a few cupcake crumbs and a cereal bar I missed. Rosa eats the crumbs and half of the cereal bar. I eat the other half. Violet manages to magically conjure some very weird-looking apples. She and Salix eat them, making faces.
“Sour,” Salix says.
Violet and I formulated a plan last night. It’s bonkers. But it might work. And we have no other choice. I consider explaining it to Salix. But then I decide it might be better if he doesn’t know. He’d probably try to talk me out of it. It’s dangerous. That’s why we’re leaving it to the last minute.
Before we go, we arm ourselves. Salix gathers rocks from the creek, filling his pockets. He fashions a sling with strips cut from my hoodie. Violet uses magic to turn a thin weed into a sharp piece of metal. She only sets three small fires before she gets it right. I have my ghost sword. I tighten the belt with the scabbard and rest my hand on the hilt as we walk.
We have to take our time. Salix is still recovering from his ordeal in the water bubble. He was already weak because of all the magic he used trying to heal Indigo. After a few minutes we stop so he can catch his breath.
“You can stay behind,” I say. “Rosa could stay with you.”
He glares at me. “After what Olea did to me?” he says sharply. “I wouldn’t miss this for all the lily pads in Merwood. Besides, she has three guards. Plus her is four. We have you, me, Rosa and Violet. Four against four.”
A weakened Faerie, a junior Faerie, a human and a dog. Against three full-grown guards and the queen of Witherwood.
If not for the bonkers plan, I would think we didn’t have a hope.
I wish there were a way I could get a message to Mom. There’s a chance, a good chance, that I’m going to die trying what we’ve planned. Then Salix and Violet will be stuck here and Mom won’t ever know what happened to us. Maybe Finola got Indigo to Oren’s court. Hopefully, Oren’s healers fixed him. He could tell Mom what he knows. She’d figure out the rest.
I think since the moment she made the first deal with Olea—the one that saved my life when I was four—she must have thought something would happen one day. I realize now my poor mother has been living with this all these years. She has known that Faerie magic was a constant risk.
I wish I could just apologize to her. This is all my fault. I lost the twins in the woods that day. That’s when Oren grabbed them. That’s when this all started.
“It’ll be okay,” Violet says. She must be reading my mood. It probably shows on my face.
None of the creatures of Witherwood try to stop us as we approach Olea’s court. What passes for a sun here—a dull gray orb in the sky—has risen. It casts everything in cold, harsh light. The shadow trees are more distinct now. Slowing to examine one, I see it’s covered in tiny spines, like a cactus. I carefully steer clear as we continue.
Finally the clearing becomes visible through the haze. Olea is still sitting on her jagged throne. Her guards linger around her. The torches spew rancid smoke.
Olea looks up as we enter the clearing.
“The band of travelers returns,” she says snidely. “Come to beg for breakfast?”
I draw my sword. Salix loads his slingshot. Rosa crouches back and growls. Violet raises her blade. The guards step toward us.
“Now?” I ask.
“Now,” Violet says.
And I shout, “VIOLET NASH PANASH BUCKTHORN BRIAR BRAMBLE, I COMMAND YOU: GIVE UP YOUR MAGIC!”
Chapter Eleven
“NO!” Olea shouts.
Suddenly everyone, me included, is frozen in place. Violet’s head is tilted back. Her arms are flung up like she’s falling. Sparks of magic fly out of her open mouth. And from her fingertips. And from her ears. Her face is frozen in a terrified scream.
If this stupid idea kills Violet, I’ll never forgive myself. I will never leave Witherwood, even if I could. I’ll crawl into a corner and die. I try to reach for her, but I can’t move. The magic pours out of her, now in fiery streams of light that dash around the clearing. They slam into Olea and her guards, bouncing off in all directions.
I know what is happening. The escaping magic—wild magic—is looking for something non-magical to fill. It floods the clearing, whooshing out between the trees before twisting back. It bounces off Salix, making him yelp.
I can’t help it. I close my eyes. I might not need to forgive myself. Maybe I’ll just die right now.
When the magic hits me, it’s like diving into boiling water. I try to scream. But all that happens is my mouth fills with fire. Then I feel like I’m being burned from the inside out. Everything goes white for a second. I can’t see anything or hear anything. Maybe I am dead.
Suddenly my senses all rush back. I open my eyes and look around. The clearing looks different. The colors are brighter. The details on the trees, the throne and the sky are clearer. Is this how Faeries see? I can hear Rosa panting next to me. And Salix breathing. And Violet. We’re all still alive.
But so is Olea.
“Kill the girl!” she screams to her guards. Her hands fly up, and a shock wave of magic blows past us. The trees around the clearing explode! Fragments of dark, spindly bark fly everywhere and…oh…oh no…
Spiders! Olea has turned the trees into thousands of huge spiders!
They swarm over Violet. The plan was to turn Violet into a human. I commanded her to give up her magic by using her full name. Now that she’s a human, she can command Olea.
But no one can give commands with spiders scrawling over their face! Violet screams and falls to the ground. Rosa leaps on her, snapping at the spiders.
Olea’s guards rush forward, their axes raised. My ghost sword flies down on one of them, slicing his ax in half. Salix fires stones from his slingshot. They clang against the guard’s helmets, stunning them.
“The girl!” Olea repeats. “Get the girl!”
As Violet crawls out of the mass of spiders, I feel her magic surging up in me. I don’t know the first thing about casting spells, but I shoot my hand out. Spreading my fingers, I concentrate on one thought—protect Violet.
Sparks fly out from my fingertips. They streak across the clearing and swirl around Violet. Spiders pop and disappear like tiny fireworks as the sparks touch them. The swirl of sparks turns into a kind of dome. It settles over Violet like a protective shield. Finally she struggles to her feet, brushing away dead spiders.
My hand starts to shake. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep up this magic, whatever it is.
“Now, Violet!” I yell. “NOW!”
Olea starts to run. But Violet roars after her.
“OLEA NASH PANASH BUCKTHORN BRIAR BRAMBLE, I COMMAND YOU: GIVE UP YOUR MAGIC!”
Everything freezes again. My protective spell dissolves. The dome of magic around Violet collapses.
Olea’s head and arms fly back. “NOOOOOOO!” she screams.
But it’s no use. Her magic pours out of her. I watch in horror as the flaming streams dash around the clearing. They blast into me, Salix and the guards. After an instant of searing heat they bounce off. The streams gather above the clearing in a tangle. With a roar they shoot down to where Violet stands. A flash of power slams into her so hard she flies backward. Rosa yelps and goes sailing back with her.
Olea wails with rage. Drawing a knife, she storms across the clearing.
I’m still partially frozen. I struggle against the magic, trying to reach Violet before Olea does. Rosa pounces on Olea, growling. Olea slashes at her.
“No!” Violet yell
s. She shoves her hands forward, and a huge bolt of light zooms out. Olea’s own magic! It hits Olea with an earsplitting boom. The flash blinds me. It seems to fill the clearing like a massive explosion.
When it clears, Olea is gone. Violet is standing there, gasping for breath, her arms still outstretched. Salix is struggling to his feet across the clearing. Olea’s guards are running for their lives.
And Rosa is lying on the hard ground, bloodied. She’s not moving.
“No!” I cry. “Rosa!”
The magic finally releases me. I run, falling on my knees beside her. The fur over Rosa’s neck and shoulder is soaked with blood.
“No, no, no,” I whisper. I turn to Violet. “Help her!”
Violet holds out her hands. A few sparks trickle from her fingers. But nothing happens.
“It was the explosion,” she says. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I did. I used up too much of Olea’s magic. I can’t do a healing spell.”
“Salix?”
He staggers across the clearing. “I’m still weak. If I try, I might use up all my magic too,” he says. “And we’ll be stuck here.”
I look around, desperate. In the distance, through the trees, I can see Olea’s guards trailing back, axes raised. I slide my hands under Rosa’s still body. My vision goes blurry with tears.
“Get us out of here,” I say, trying not to sob.
“Nearwood Castle,” Violet says. “I can invite you there.”
“I don’t trust Nearwood right now,” Salix says. “No offense.”
The guards stomp back into the clearing.
“Now, Salix!” I yell. “Anywhere!”
He grabs us. The hard ground of Witherwood cracks and shatters. It churns into a pit of gravel. Then we sink. Sharp chunks of broken stone and gravel scratch and dig into my skin. My eyes fill with dust. At last the ground spits us out on the other side.
I roll over. Staggering to my feet with Rosa in my arms, I look around.
“Salix!” Violet cries. “This is the Wherewood again!”
She’s right. Though it’s now dark, I can see the trees are hung with wallets and keys. My feet are tangled in phone-charger cables.
“I was trying for the Crosswood!” Salix says.
“We just need to find the way out,” I say. “The van. That’s what we’re all looking for, right? If we find it, the Wherewood will release us.”
“What about Rosa?” Violet says.
I hold Rosa tight. I can feel her little heart beating really fast. She’s still alive, but barely.
Suddenly a figure appears in the distance. It runs toward us, waving a flaming torch. We press back when the figure bursts through the trees.
It’s Harriet Tubman again! Her face is stern in the torchlight.
“Rebel or Unionist?” she asks me in a low voice.
I say the first thing I think of. “I’m Canadian.”
“Canada?” she says, pointing with her torch. “This way!”
We follow her because what else can we do? A minute later I spot something in the gloom. Something yellow. Is that…?
“It’s the van!” Salix says. “It’s the way out!”
“Freedom,” Harriet Tubman says. “Follow the North Star!” She disappears in a cloud of homework sheets just before we reach the van.
Salix throws the door open. He steps back to let me clamber through with Rosa. Violet follows. Salix goes last. The van door slams behind him.
The door on the other side opens. The fresh, happy smell of the Crosswood greets me. I climb out carefully. Salix and Violet join me as I lay Rosa on the ground. Normal leafy, mossy ground at last!
Violet grabs my arm as I let my hands hover over Rosa’s wounds.
“Blue,” she says. “A healing spell will use all the wild magic you’ve got. You’ll never get any back.”
“I don’t care,” I say. “I have to help her. She saved your life. She saved all of us.”
Salix takes my shoulder. Violet takes the other one. They encourage me as they hold me up.
“Think about Rosa’s life,” Salix instructs me. “Think about how much you love her. Turn that into magic.”
My fingers start to tingle, then burn. Sparks of blue light drift down and settle on Rosa’s fur. She stirs.
“It’s working!” Violet says.
The blue light intensifies into a bright glow. It covers Rosa’s whole body. Soon the light is pulsing in time with her heartbeat. It becomes stronger. Rosa’s eyes open. She whines and moves her head.
I can feel the last dregs of wild magic leave me. I hope it’s enough. It has to be enough! There’s a flash, and I reel back. The soft ground cushions me as I fall.
“Blue!” Salix says.
My vision goes dim for a second. I hear a hearty bark. Fluffy paws land on my chest. A warm tongue licks my face.
I open my eyes to see Rosa grinning and drooling over me. She yips and licks me again.
“Ugh, Rosa,” I say. “Your breath smells.”
Chapter Twelve
Oren is furious. He and Finola find us in the Crosswood not long after we get back there. Violet is grounded. Indigo is grounded. Salix only avoids being thrown in the dungeon by inviting Finola to Merwood. She slips them both away when Oren isn’t watching. I expect they’ll avoid Oren and Farwood for quite some time.
After we spend another night at his castle, Oren escorts Rosa and me back to the Crosswood.
“Olea is probably not dead,” he says as we near the right place—the crossing to the forest behind Mom’s house. “Likely the powerful spell that Violet cast was an expulsion spell. She cast Olea out of the Faerie Woods altogether.”
“What does that mean?” I ask. “Where is she?”
“In the human realm somewhere,” Oren says. “Overwood, we call it. Earth. But she could be anywhere on Earth. I understand it’s not very easy for you humans to travel around.”
“No,” I say. I don’t like the idea of Olea being in the human world. Even without her magic, I don’t trust her. “But she’s definitely not magical anymore, right?”
“Definitely,” Oren says. “But she’s clever and devious. You will need to be on guard.”
Unbelievably, my first thought is wishing again that I was magic. But I push that thought away. I’ve nearly died from magic a hundred times in the last few days. I’ve learned my lesson.
Oren says goodbye and slips me and Rosa through to Mom’s forest. When I get back to our cottage, Mom greets me with hugs and muffins. She digs out an old pan and fills it with water for Rosa. Rosa laps it happily and then eats a peanut butter sandwich.
“We’ll have to get dog food,” Mom says. “You’re sure she’s a normal dog, right? She’s not a Faerie dog?”
“They don’t have dogs in Faerieland,” I say. “But we should try to find her owner.”
Later, Mom drives us into the city, to the address on the envelope Rosa had in her mouth. Somehow it has survived in my pocket. It’s damp and scrunched, but still readable.
The address takes us to a little house on a corner by a gas station. Mom waits in the car while I knock on the door. A gray-haired man answers.
“Is there a Rosa Guzman here?” I ask.
“Guzman?” the man says. “The Guzmans owned this house forty years ago. I bought it from them.”
“Forty years?” I ask. “Do you know where they are?”
“They’d be long dead,” the man says. “They were elderly when I moved in.”
I look down at Rosa. She doesn’t seem to recognize the man.
“I found this dog,” I say. I show the man the scrunched-up letter. “She had this letter with her.”
The man takes the letter and examines it. “Huh,” he says. “This is an old phone bill. But the company changed its name back in the eighties.”
Rosa huffs and rests her head against my knee, gazing up at me.
“Do you recognize this dog?” I ask. “Do you know whose dog she is?”
The old ma
n smiles. “By the look on her face, I’d say she’s your dog, son,” he says.
Rosa barks, as though she agrees.
Mom just rolls her eyes when I tell her what the man said. Then we stop at the pet store on the way back out to the cottage. Rosa gets food, and a proper collar and leash, and a raincoat, and a bowl and a bed. We hit the walk-in vet clinic in our town. The vet says he thinks Rosa is about two years old, but she doesn’t have a microchip. He gives her one, and some shots. And he books her in to get “fixed” in two weeks.
Mom says I have to do chores for our neighbor Mrs. Chen to help pay for all this. I don’t mind though. Rosa is worth it.
Violet and Indigo come home for the weekend. They are both unusually subdued. I think being locked in their rooms in Oren’s castle for half the week has worked a kind of magic on them. Indigo even rinses out the bathtub after using it. Violet helps Mom fold laundry. It’s a miracle.
Mom leaves me with them to go work a shift at her job in town. Violet colors in an incredibly complicated coloring book. Indigo tries to gross her out by reading passages from a book about mold. It doesn’t work.
“I’ve been to Witherwood, Indigo,” she says. “Nothing could be grosser than that.”
Indigo gives up. He starts on his own coloring book. Mom says if they color every page, she’ll let us borrow a DVD player from the library.
An hour later we’re all hungry. There’s nothing in the house but vegetables, rice and oats.
“I have an idea, Blue,” Violet says. “I’m magic again because Olea’s wild magic fixed me. And you still have two commands left. Why don’t you command me to conjure a cheese pizza?”
I really shouldn’t. But of course I do. For one thing, I want to see if I’m back to being fully human again. I must be, because it works. In seconds we are stuffing ourselves with pizza. We wash it down with homemade carrot juice. That’s healthy, right?
I’m glad that Olea’s wild magic turned Violet back into a Faerie. I wasn’t sure it would. But Oren told me it worked just like a blood transfusion would. It healed her. And her Faerie body can now keep making magic. Just like it did before.
The Wherewood Page 5
