by Meg Bonney
“A loophole?” Jason raised an eyebrow.
“Great, those never fail!” I grumbled sarcastically as I turned away from them, took a few steps toward the cave opening, and stopped.
Then it hit me. I spun around to face Ren again.
“Wait. My mother was a Witch, and my father is the king of the Ember Isle and a Strongblood.” I shook my head. “That makes me all of the above.”
“Yes, Madison. It is you,” Ren confirmed with a nod, his emerald eyes piercing mine.
“I’m the loophole,” I whispered.
CHAPTER 13
My heart was pounding in my chest as I stared blankly at Ren. It all made sense now.
“Whoa,” Jason muttered.
“Your mother, a Witch, and your father, a royal and a Strongblood, and they made you.” Ren folded his hands together in front of him and watched me with the concern that a doctor would after telling his patient she was going to give birth to unicorn triplets.
“Mads?” Jason walked over to me.
“No, I’m okay.” I smiled, still wide-eyed.
This is a good thing.
“This could be good,” I said aloud.
I was important here. My father was a monster, but I could right the wrong.
“My blood,” I said. “My blood is a part of this counterspell to free them? To free the Magics? Are you sure?”
“Madison, I would not lie to you, I swear it. My father did extensive research on the matter,” Ren insisted.
“Why all the secrecy? Why didn’t you just tell me this when we met? Why are you keeping things from me? I am here. I am doing what you asked. I deserve to know! What else don’t I know?” I asked. I felt the heat in my cheeks.
“Would you have believed it then, Madison? If I had walked up to you in the pool house and told you this, would you have believed me?” Ren’s face was stern though I pointed my sword at him.
And then a single thought overwhelmed me: Aunt Ruth.
“How did they know where to find Ruth, Ren?” I asked, gripping my sword tightly.
Ren glanced down at his boots. I saw the handle of a dagger showing on the side of his calf.
“Huh? Ren, how did they know where to find her?”
“Madison, I promise I do not know why the King’s Guard was able to find her. But I promise we can get her back.” Ren held his hands up defensively.
“Mads, put the sword down,” Jason urged me.
The willow branches rustled loudly in the wind.
“You were there, at the pool! You were following me,” I accused Ren. “You led them to her. You must have.”
“Honestly, I do not know how anyone found Ruth. People do not follow me. People do not care what I do or where I go. Ruth was never in the equation for me. But it was clear that something was happening to Ruth after I got there—that, I will not deny. That is why the spell on you faded. It was as if another Witch was targeting Ruth, but I cannot be sure.”
I tried to breathe normally, but I was nauseated and with every breath I took in, I felt dizzy. He made sense. I hated that he was making sense. It shouldn’t make sense.
“Just stop talking,” I mumbled, lowering my sword to my side. I heard Jason sigh as the tip of my sword touched the ground. We stood in a loose triangle near the cave opening.
“What about my mother? Lacy said she was the leader of the Rosewood Coven. Is she―is she―” I cleared my throat.
“Alive?” Jason jumped in. I watched Ren and waited for his answer, not blinking.
“That, I do not know. The Magics all went into hiding when King Dax signed the Magus Decree. And your mother has not been seen since you were taken from the temple,” Ren said. “But I know she was mighty. The most powerful Witch in all of Everly.”
“Really?” I paused for a moment, thinking about my mother as a Witch, casting spells and doing magic. It was a far cry from the way I had always imagined her—as a quiet woman with a sharp mind and knack for baking. “And my father’s name is Dax.” I knew he was doing terrible things, but learning his name still made me smile.
Ren cleared his throat. “I am sorry I do not know much more than that.”
“No, it’s fine, but I hate to burst your father’s bubble. I don’t have magical powers. The Strongblood thing, sure, fine. Whatever. I am fast and I can fight, but that’s because Ruth trained me. She taught me to fight, but I am not a Witch.” I dropped my sword to my side.
“Yes, you are a Strongblood. And you are a Witch. Part Witch, at least,” Ren argued.
“Don’t you think that’s something I would have noticed?” I shook my head.
“I do not know how it works, but, Madison, I know it is true. It is the reason that Ruth took you. People here are not of more than one bloodline—it is unheard of. Until you.”
“And you are sure it is me?” I asked.
“My father assured me,” Ren replied, sounding almost shocked that I would question his faith in his father.
“Guess what, Ren? Grown-ups lie all the time. All of them!” I said. “And from what I gather, everyone in Everly lies. I can’t be the person you think I am. A Witch. A loophole. I’m just me.”
“What of the ringing alarm of the tree, then?” Ren asked, annoyed now. “You would not hear it if you were not a Witch, Madison. I hear it only because I am a Porter. You hear it because it is a magical spell. You are a Witch.”
“The tree,” I said softly to myself, and nodded. “So what am I, like, the chosen one?”
“Not exactly. You are the one who could upset the structure. The anomaly,” Ren clarified.
“And my parents are alive. Or at least one of them is,” I stated.
Ren nodded.
I felt defeated. I had lived for eighteen years without knowing who I really was. Knowing the truth about my parents was supposed to be great. Why did it feel like I was suddenly the mayor of Suck Town, USA?
Jason rested his hand on my shoulder. “Maddy?”
“It’s just…girls like me don’t get a happy ending. Girls like me don’t find their parents in some magic land with trolls and fairies…girls like me…”
“You better not be screwing with her,” Jason said pointedly to Ren.
“I swear, I would never,” Ren replied.
Jason nodded. “Okay. Get the water and we’ll go,” Jason said before turning back to me. I wasn’t used to seeing Jason be so firm with people.
“Maddy, I did n—” Ren started. I held up my hand with my palm facing him.
“Madison. Only he gets to call me Maddy,” I corrected Ren. I could feel my irritation getting the better of me, but I didn’t care. “I will do your ritual after we get Aunt Ruth. Getting her to go to the temple after we rescue her might take some convincing, but I am in. Let’s just go.”
“That’s great, Madison,” Ren answered in an almost professional tone.
“I am not doing it for you, Ren. I am doing it for them,” I said, cold-eyed and stone-faced.
He narrowed his eyes, staring back at me for a few moments. “If that is how it has to be, then so be it.”
“So be it,” I echoed.
Ren looked at the ground, took a deep breath, and exhaled it slowly. He held up the canteens in one hand. “I will be back in five minutes. Be ready to leave when I return.” With that, Ren darted out from under the weeping willow, leaving Jason and I alone.
The willow branches swayed gently, offering moments of hazy light that faded as quickly as they came.
“Jay?”
“Yes, darling?”
“Darling?” I laughed weakly.
“Sweetums?”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
“Sugar plum.”
“Not even a little bit.” I smiled. “Let’s sit,” I suggested, and we sank to the ground and settled onto the plush rug.
“Mads?” Jason started. I curled my hand in his.
“Hmm?” I replied.
<
br /> “You okay?”
“Me? Sure.” I tried to sound plucky.
Jason sighed.
“Maddy, Princess of Everly. Savior of the Magics!” he joked.
“Daughter of the vanished coven leader and a mass-murdering king. Yep. I am peachy keen,” I said sarcastically, doing jazz hands next to my face. “Worst birthday ever.”
Jason’s face lit with enthusiasm. “Aw, Maddy, I know this is insane, but you could make a real difference here. All that crap you’re always babbling about, having something that you care about. Something that matters to you. You could make a difference here. Here in Everly.”
I met Jason’s eyes and let myself enjoy the idea for a moment. “Yeah, only I meant that I didn’t want to run races my entire life. I wanted to be known for something other than my speed. I wanted to change the world. This is all…just crazy.”
Jason raised his eyebrows. “Well, lady, here’s your chance. This may not be the world you meant to change, but it’s the world that needs you.”
I dropped my head down as that concept hit me in all its truth. “Yeah, I will save the Magics, but I am more worried about Ruth. I don’t even want to think about everything else he just dropped on me. Getting her back is priority one.”
“Ruth is a tough chick. But yeah, priority one. We’ll get her back.” Jason patted my knee. “And then we will all live Everly ever after.”
I turned my head slowly, and Jason was smiling widely at me.
“Wow, that was awful!” I chuckled. “How long have you been waiting to say that?”
“Way too long!” Jason laughed loudly. “After we find Ruth—which we will—if you’re ready, we’ll acknowledge the other things that we aren’t going to focus on right now,” he said with authority.
I nodded.
“I mean it, Maddy.”
“I know you do. You always do.”
“Mads, you are Witch and a Strongblood. And a frickin’ princess!” Jason exclaimed.
I looked down at the long metal blade, pressing my lips together. “Yeah, I guess I am.” I turned the sword over, looking at the handle’s glow.
“Crazy.” Jason squinted at the sword. “So, your magic is stuck in there, huh?”
“I guess? And I can’t explain it, but I feel weird when I don’t have it in my hand now. Is that strange?”
“Um, this is all strange. Does it glow in my hand, too?” Jason asked. I handed it to him, and the light went dim. “Damn, I was hoping I was a something, too. I guess I’m just a dude.” He sighed.
“The best dude,” I corrected.
“Jason Vega, the intensely attractive, Puerto Rican-Italian, simple dude,” he said, and lifted the sword up. He waved it around, knocking over Ren’s satchel that was leaning against the tree. The contents fell out.
“Oh crap,” Jason said.
“Clearly, you haven’t held a sword before, Jason Vega, the simple dude!” I laughed.
“Gah, yeah. I’ll leave the swords to you, Maddy.” Jason smiled, setting it on the ground. “You have skills.”
“Ruth made me a fighter. That’s all her.”
“Or it could be Everly. You’re half Strongblood and half Witch. You’re Princess Madison.” Jason nudged me. “How crazy is that?”
“That is crazy.”
“But calling it crazy doesn’t mean it isn’t true,” he added.
I raised my eyebrows. “Maybe if I say it three times?”
Jason and I locked eyes and whispered “Crazy, crazy, crazy,” in unison, with only the slightest of hope that it would actually work.
I looked around. No change. I shrugged as I leaned over to replace the scattered contents of Ren’s bag: a small knife in a brown leather case, a book, and a small rectangular box that looked like a glasses case.
I grabbed my sword and the book. It was a hardcover, and on the ground next to it was the book jacket for The Catcher in the Rye.
“Oh, I love this book!” I said excitedly.
“Nerd alert.” Jason picked up the last of the scattered items and stuck them back in the satchel.
I flipped the book open to the middle. On the almond-colored pages was handwriting in rich swirls of cursive. This wasn’t a just a book. I slammed it closed.
I took in a sharp breath and slowly started to open the book again before dropping it on the rug beneath us. “It’s his journal!”
“Should we read it?” Jason pondered.
I nodded. “It could totally just be a spell book or something.”
“What if it’s the book with that ritual that Ren was talking about?” Jason raised his thick black eyebrows. “We’ve got to check it out.”
Could I really be that invasive?
Yes, and I needed to be. I needed some clarity on something here in Everly. I sat cross-legged and flipped through the pages. There was a name on the inside cover, and I read it aloud: “Lawrence Raker.”
“Lawrence?” Jason repeated. “Was that Ren’s dad’s name?”
“Maybe this is his journal.” I couldn’t really feel guilty for reading it. Ren knew everything about my life. I was just evening the playing field. I started to flip through, page by page, but paused midway through the book as another name caught my eye: Madison.
“This dude has girl handwriting,” Jason muttered.
“Jason, look at this,” I said, pointing to my name on the page.
He reached out, grabbed the book from my hand, and began to read the passage out loud. He cleared his throat. “‘The girl goes by the name Madison now. She has the same auburn hair as her kin but far surpasses them with her quick wit. She is seventeen years of age, which matches the Otherworld timeline, according to the research. My skepticism on her identity was silenced today when I witnessed her athletic skill. It is clear that she is a Strongblood. She is incredibly fast, beating everyone here. She is matched to others of the Ember Isle in her skill.’”
I sat back and dropped my chin to my chest. “Holy crap.”
“What? What is it?” Jason asked urgently.
“I’m an alien.”
Jason leaned back away from me and squinted like he was nearsighted and trying to read small print. “Come again?”
“I am like an alien superhero,” I repeated.
“Oh, lordy. I think I know where this is going, but go on. Explain.”
“I’m super-duper fast, right?”
“Yeah, but why does that make you an alien?” Jason said, still not following me.
“It’s like I’m an alien who goes to another planet of lesser beings and the only reason I’m super-fast, is because everyone is just slow. And that makes me look like a superhero to the regular folks, just like in the comics,” I explained.
“Oh, good lord, why couldn’t you just play with Barbies like the other girls?” Jason dropped his head all the way back.
“Shut it. I’m serious. If I had stayed here, I would be just be another person. The Strongbloods are all fast and strong and stuff here. Ren caught up to me, no problem. I am not super.”
“Maddy, you are super, even if you are from Everly,” Jason said, his tone more serious now, and leaned forward.
“No, don’t you get it? If I had stayed here, I would just be average—maybe even less than average because I am only half Strongblood or whatever. I wouldn’t be known for my speed. I would just be Madison. The only reason everyone thinks I’m so fast on Greenrock Island is because everyone there is naturally slower than me. I am a fraud.”
Jason laughed and shook his head. “Let’s just keep reading.” He flipped a few pages back and kept skimming, running his finger over the written words.
I chuckled. “I don’t think you understand how upsetting that is to me.” I stared at him, wide-eyed.
Jason laughed and continued to thumb through the book. It wasn’t hard to get Jason to laugh, but that never made it less gratifying, especially now. I looked around the willow tree as the lo
ng branches gently swayed. It would be quite relaxing here if things were different. If I were here for a visit and not a rescue mission.
Aunt Ruth was strong. Nobody could hurt her. I knew that was the truth, but that still didn’t stop the nagging worry in the back of my mind that refused to let up. That worry only seemed to get worse with each passing second.
“Where is Ren? We need to go.” I set the sword down next to me and retied the laces on my red sneakers—not because they were untied, but because I needed something to do with my hands.
“Maddy, he was, like, studying you. Looks like old man Raker was hot for you.” Jason shook his head, turning the page. I elbowed his rib, and he winced with a laugh.
“No, the handwriting is totally different back here. The beginning pages are drawings and a bunch of crap that makes no sense,” I said, flipping to the second half of the book. “The part we just read is in someone else’s writing. I think it’s Ren’s. Ren’s dad didn’t go to Greenrock. Ren did.”
“Well done, Veronica Mars!” Jason said.
I nodded, happy with my deduction. “Do you think this is the book Ren was talking about? The one with the ritual in it?”
Jason traced his finger over the words, skimming through a passage. “Hmm…here. This might…no,” he muttered as he paged through the small book. “Here! This might be something.”
“What is it?” I pressed, scooting closer.
“Not the ritual. Seems like our Mr. Tough Guy Ren Raker is actually just a big ol’ softy! Look at this.” Jason turned the journal toward me. On the page was a drawing. It was me. It was a drawing of me sitting on the branch of the oak tree that stood just outside my window back home. I studied the picture. It was drawn in such great detail. The drawing was so meticulous that I even recognized the shirt in the sketch.
“It’s my Led Zeppelin shirt that Lacy found at the secondhand store,” I said aloud as I read the words written beneath the drawing: Her tree.
I imagined Ren drawing this. His strong features softened in my mind as I pictured this scruffy, hard-nosed guy drawing carefully, his hand swooping over the page with each pencil stroke. I also felt exposed. “He was following me. I get why. I get that he needed to make sure, but it’s creepy, right? Like, what if I had been picking my nose or something truly embarrassing? So creepy.”
