by H. K. Varian
And the fourth side? That’s where the army of ghost queens approached, bearing down on Fiona in steady, silent judgment.
Fiona’s lungs pulsed with pain. She would need oxygen soon; she would have to get out of this maze and breach the surface of the water. The thought of taking a deep breath of pure, cool air made her want to cry. She’d come so far—so very, very far—and for what? To become a selkie ghost like these menacing queens?
The ghost queens swam toward her, above her, under her, their spindly fingers reaching, getting closer. . . .
What do you want?
The words sprang from Fiona’s mind fully formed—not just a question, but an accusation. She was angry, and it felt surprisingly good.
The ghost queens shimmered, paused, and were still.
The words of the riddle came back to Fiona then: ’tis strength queens seek—/Not of body nor of mind. . . .
Strength of will! Fiona realized suddenly. That’s what the riddle left out—strength of will.
Fiona pulled herself up to her full height; she fixed the ghost queens with an icy stare and thought, Fall back and leave me alone.
And they did.
One by one, the ghost queens dipped into a graceful bow as they moved backward, making a path for Fiona. She swam by them and saw each one duck her head in a gesture of respect.
Strength of will, Fiona marveled to herself. It’s so much more powerful than my fear.
When at last Fiona had made her way out of the labyrinth and back to the surface, she realized that the ghost queens weren’t chasing her anymore. They were accompanying her. They swam in a formation, row after glimmering row, and lifted their heads.
Then they began to sing.
Fiona recognized the first four notes immediately. It’s the Queen’s Song! she thought gleefully. To hear the ghost queens sing it was enchanting. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from them as their tiaras began to glow, pulsing in time with the music.
There came a tremendous grinding noise, the sound of thousands of pounds of rock shifting, sliding. . . .
Fiona scrambled to get out of the way. . . .
An ancient staircase rose from the depths. Cracked and covered with algae, Fiona knew she was supposed to climb on. She changed back to her human form and leaped onto the lowest step. The staircase carried her up as the ghost queens bowed again and then faded into nothingness.
In moments, Fiona found herself locked within another stone chamber.
Three trials, she thought. Three parts of the song. I’m almost finished!
And that was a good thing, because Fiona was starting to feel very, very tired.
The final riddle illuminated itself on the wall.
When hope seems lost, at any cost,
A queen will face this choice:
To flee in fear, to shed a tear,
Or raise her noble voice.
Fiona read it again and then frowned. That’s not much of a puzzle, she thought. It’s more like a motivational poster.
Craaaaaaaaack.
The noise was so loud that it made Fiona jump. She glanced around wildly until she spotted a large crack snaking up a stone wall.
The chamber trembled.
Then, one by one, rocks began to fall. The chamber was crumbling, and if Fiona didn’t find a way out, she would surely be crushed.
Think. Think. Think, she told herself, keeping close watch on the ceiling so she could dodge any stones that threatened to fall on her. A test for wisdom, a test for strength—
“Ahhhh!” Fiona screamed, jumping to the side as a boulder plummeted toward her. It was a close call—too close.
She tried to focus, but it was almost impossible with the thunderous crash of rocks falling all around her. Fiona was terrified. And yet she knew in her heart that there had to be a way out.
Now all she had to do was find it.
Fiona spoke the words of the riddle aloud. Somehow, hearing them made all the difference.
“Voice,” she said, her voice barely audible amid the sound of falling rocks. “Of course.”
Then she took a deep breath and began to sing the Queen’s Song. She didn’t know all of it, but she knew enough—at least, Fiona hoped she knew enough.
Yet the rocks kept plummeting. Fiona was getting desperate. She knew now why the stone staircase was so pitted. If one of those rocks hit her—
Raise your voice.
Fiona wasn’t sure what made those words pop into her mind. Holding on to the staircase for support—it seemed to be getting more wobbly by the second—she stared at the riddle again. “Am I supposed to sing louder?” she asked.
There was no answer, of course.
Fiona hesitated. She’d never sung loudly before in her entire life. Whenever she sang, it was under her breath, humming as she did the dishes or walked along the beach. Singing loud would feel as strange and unfamiliar to her as waking up with a second head.
But the rocks were coming faster now . . . falling harder . . .
Fiona reached deep down inside herself, opened her mouth, and sang with all her heart. Her voice had never been louder; it filled the air with a power that Fiona had never even imagined she might possess. The staircase stopped shaking; the rocks stopped crumbling. It was as if the stony chamber itself had paused to listen.
I’m singing the Queen’s Song! Fiona thought in delight.
When she reached the end of the second verse, the staircase began to move upward again, strong and steady once more. An opening in the ceiling appeared; Fiona looked up and saw the stars. The staircase brought her up until she was on the surface of the Isles of Saorsie again.
And Mom was waiting for her.
“Well done, my girl,” Mom whispered as she kissed Fiona’s forehead. “You’ve earned the Queen’s Song.” Then she took Fiona’s hands and began to sing, teaching Fiona the third and final part.
As Mom sang, her tiara began to glow, just like the ghost selkies. No, wait, Fiona thought. It isn’t the tiara that’s glowing. An elaborate runic symbol appeared on Mom’s forehead, gleaming with a warm light that grew brighter with every note she sang.
It was the most breathtaking magic Fiona had ever seen.
With her eyes still closed, Queen Leana lifted her arm into the air and pressed a fingertip to Fiona’s forehead. Fiona’s forehead began to burn like she had a fever. She didn’t need a mirror to know that her skin now had a glowing rune on it too.
Fiona opened her mouth and sang to the stars. Two voices were raised in one song, lifting the melody into the fathomless night. It was so beautiful—the most beautiful thing Fiona had ever heard. . . .
Then the song came to its end, and the last note hung in the air before fading away. In the silence that followed, Fiona took a deep breath.
“You’re ready,” Mom finally said. “It’s time to go.”
“I don’t want to leave you,” Fiona said in a small voice.
“You must,” Mom replied. “You have a long swim ahead of you, and Auden Ironbound approaches. I can feel it. And . . .”
“And what?” Fiona asked after her mom’s voice trailed off.
“He’s not alone.”
Fiona’s breath caught in her throat, which suddenly felt tight and swollen. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak, as she stood up and clutched the selkie cloak across her shoulders.
“Wait,” Mom said urgently. “When you sing, Fiona, you must sing with conviction to your intended target. You have to mean it, really mean it; every note must come from your heart. Do you understand? This is very important—perhaps the most important part of all. . . .”
“I understand,” she said.
Fiona would have liked to linger. She wanted one more minute, one more hug, one more word of reassurance or advice.
Instead, Fiona spun around, transformed, and disappeared beneath the churning waves.
Chapter 11
The Ring of Tezcatlipoca
“Go.”
After hours of silence
, Mr. Kimura’s voice made everyone—Yara, Sefu, Tía Rosa, Darren, and Gabriella—jump. His eyes were still closed; in fact, he hadn’t moved a muscle since he’d entered a deep, meditative trance, trying to understand the curse that had taken hold of Mack.
“You found out what it is?” Ms. Therian asked in a high, anxious voice. The Compendium lay open in her lap; she’d been poring over it for hours.
“No,” Mr. Kimura replied, keeping his eyes shut. “It’s Fiona.”
Oh, no, Gabriella worried. What’s happened to her?
“She’s on her way home,” Mr. Kimura continued. “She knows . . . something. Meet her on the shore. Guard her and guide her to safety.”
Yara and Sefu rose at the same time and slipped from the room without a word.
“And her mom?” asked Gabriella. “Is the queen with Fiona?”
Mr. Kimura shook his head. “Fiona swims alone, without Queen Leana or the other selkies, against the tide.”
Then Mr. Kimura opened his eyes and looked directly at Ms. Therian. “It’s time.”
She nodded, just once, as if what Mr. Kimura had said made sense. Gabriella glanced at Darren and wondered if he was as frustrated as she felt. It’s like they’re speaking in code, she thought in annoyance. I wish they’d clue the rest of us in.
Gabriella was about to ask Mr. Kimura what he meant when his voice suddenly sounded in her head. She looked at him, startled. His lips weren’t moving. That’s when she realized that he wasn’t speaking at all.
He was sending a message—to every Changer in the world.
My friends, Mr. Kimura began. The time has come to take shelter from the storm. Report to the nearest Harbor at once, and you will have full protection against Auden Ironbound.
The silence when he finished was overwhelming.
“That’s it, then?” Gabriella finally asked. “We’re all just going to hide now?”
“What if the bad Changers slip into the Harbors?” Darren added. “They could attack from the inside.”
Mr. Kimura fixed them both with his even, unflinching stare. “The Harbors were enchanted by Fiona’s mother before the selkies split from our nation; they guard against anything and anyone—magic or Changer—with malevolent intentions, and they can withstand any spell, including the Horn’s call. But Auden will eventually find the Harbors. That many magical beings close together will leave a trace . . . and the supplies stockpiled there won’t last more than a few months. The most important thing for now is that we prevent Auden’s army from growing and reaping more devastation,” he said. “As for tomorrow, I have no intention of hiding. I have an obligation to protect my people.”
“Surely you didn’t forget about our plan B,” said Ms. Therian.
“What is plan B?” asked Darren. “Gabriella and I don’t know anything about it.”
“After Auden Ironbound’s announcement, we began investigating magical objects,” Ms. Therian told them. “We thought that perhaps, somewhere in the wide world, there might be one with the ability to defeat the Horn of Power.”
Hope unfurled in Gabriella’s heart. “And did you find one?” she asked eagerly.
“Not quite,” Mr. Kimura replied. “But we found something that we believe will help. The Ring of Tezcatlipoca.”
Mr. Kimura took The Compendium from Ms. Therian and flipped through the pages until he found a certain entry. “Here,” he said, passing the book to Darren.
Gabriella craned her neck to read along with Darren.
“ ‘The Ring of Tezcatlipoca,’ ” Darren began. “ ‘An ancient artifact of obsidian and gold, it endows the wearer with intense spiritual strength, such that it resists mind control spells or objects. Though the ring bears no other defenses, it is nevertheless a coveted and unusual object, much desired by anyone about to engage in battle.’ ”
Darren glanced up from the page. “Let me get this straight,” he said. “If you wear the ring, the Horn of Power will have no effect on you?”
Mr. Kimura nodded. “That is our hope,” he said.
“When can we get it?” asked Gabriella.
Tía Rosa smiled coyly. “I had my own mission last night—to the underground caverns at the ruins in Teopanzolco,” she said, a hint of pride in her voice. She held out her hand to reveal a flash of gold. The Ring of Tezcatlipoca was stunning, made of pure gold, with an elaborate carving of a man’s face on the front, and beautiful designs along the band. A horizontal streak of obsidian ran across the center of the man’s face.
“This is incredible!” Darren exclaimed. “We have the ring! We can beat Auden Ironbound now! How come this isn’t plan A?”
“The ring is untested against the Horn of Power,” Mr. Kimura cautioned. “We have no idea if it will work. That is why the Ring of Tezcatlipoca is our last resort.”
Which means they’ve lost confidence in our other options, Gabriella thought. That made sense, she supposed—especially now that they knew Fiona had been unable to persuade the selkies to join them.
Mr. Kimura rose slowly, as if his bones ached. “I will take the ring and meet Auden Ironbound on the beach,” he said. “If I can defeat Auden and his followers, the curse on Mack should be broken.”
“We’ll come with you,” Darren said.
“No,” Mr. Kimura replied.
Gabriella and Darren both started talking at once, until Tía Rosa hissed at them to hush.
“I will not knowingly put you in danger,” Mr. Kimura continued.
“But we’re immune to the Horn of Power,” Gabriella argued. “It can’t affect us.”
“True, but we don’t know what else Auden Ironbound is planning,” Mr. Kimura explained. “Your safety is of the utmost importance. This is especially critical because you are unaffected by the horn. If I should fail—if Willow Cove falls to Auden Ironbound and his army—”
A sharp knock interrupted Mr. Kimura. He exchanged a wordless glance with Ms. Therian, who nodded in response.
Mr. Kimura pushed The Compendium into Gabriella’s arms and then pulled a fake book from the bookshelf, out of which he drew Circe’s Compass from a secret compartment. The ancient relic could point the way to other Changers. He handed it to Darren.
“I don’t understand,” Gabriella said. “Why are you giving these to us?”
“Listen, both of you,” Mr. Kimura said urgently. “If the First Four should fall to Auden Ironbound, the two of you, along with Mack and Fiona, are the new First Four. You’ll need to leave Willow Cove quickly.”
Gabriella shifted her stance. “But—”
“Quickly,” Mr. Kimura repeated. “By that time, Auden Ironbound will be nearly unstoppable. He will seek to capture as many Changers as possible. The nearest active Harbor is south of here, down along the coast; that will likely be his next stop. You both go north and then east, to Oak Town. Travel by night. Do you understand?”
Gabriella couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She looked over to her aunt to be sure that she was understanding Mr. Kimura correctly. To her shock, Tía Rosa’s eyes were wide. Could she really be afraid? Gabriella wondered. In that moment, Gabriella realized that the only thing worse than her own fears was seeing her brave aunt, the heroic Emerald Wildcat, preparing for the worst. We have to be ready for anything, Gabriella reminded herself as she tried to conquer her panic.
“There is another Harbor in Oak Town,” Mr. Kimura continued. “Ask The Compendium, and it will lead you there. The Harbor is defunct now, but there are still supplies. Since it’s just the four of you, Leana’s enchantments on the Harbor will conceal your location from Auden. Access the emergency protocols in its library when you get there.”
“What about you?” Gabriella asked, turning to Tía Rosa. “Where will you be? And the rest of the First Four?”
“We’ll be at the Willow Cove Harbor with all the Changers who’ve sought the First Four’s protection,” Tía Rosa explained. “As soon as I have a chance, I’ll come find you. I swear it.”
“Why can’t
we go to the base with you?” asked Gabriella, urging herself not to cry.
“You need to escape while you can,” Tía Rosa told her. “If Auden Ironbound finds the bases, everyone there will be trapped. He’ll wait until our supplies run out and then capture us.”
Gabriella locked eyes with her aunt and understood then exactly what she was trying to tell her: this could be the last time they would ever see each other. “Okay,” she said, taking a final shuddering breath as she tried to process everything that was happening.
“Rosa, please take the younglings to their homes,” Mr. Kimura said.
“Why? What’s going on?” Gabriella asked.
“The Willow Cove Harbor is beneath the house,” Mr. Kimura explained. “We are in for a long night, and you both need your rest for what may come. Please, be awake by dawn—and be ready to take action.”
“We will,” Gabriella promised—though in her heart, she wondered how she and Darren could ever hope to escape if Mr. Kimura failed.
When Gabriella stepped outside, she could hardly believe her eyes: There was a line of Changers stretching down the path, all the way into the street; more and more arrived by the second. Mr. Kimura just made that announcement, she marveled. They got here so fast.
“Aren’t your neighbors going to notice this?” Darren asked Mr. Kimura. “What if someone calls the police?”
“No need to worry,” Mr. Kimura replied calmly. “Ordinary people can’t see them. It’s one of the many enchantments we’ve placed on this street.”
Then, to Gabriella’s surprise, Mr. Kimura put one hand on her shoulder and the other on Darren’s. “Whatever may come, you are both ready to face it,” he said. “Go. Be safe, be strong for our people.”
“Thank you,” Gabriella said. Then she followed Tía Rosa to the car.
They dropped off Darren and then continued home in a heavy, uncomfortable silence, thick with dread and fear. Gabriella’s house was only a few minutes away, but she found herself wishing that the drive would stretch on for hours. All too soon, they arrived; blinking back tears, Gabriella threw her arms around her aunt’s neck and hugged her tight.
“Have faith, mija,” Tía Rosa whispered. “The time before the battle—the waiting, the worrying—is the worst of all. It won’t be much longer now.”
