by Meg Bonney
I cracked my knuckles and shook my hands out. Ren was at my side now. Refreshingly, he didn’t tell me to stop or ask me to rest. We exchanged a look and kept low as we moved closer, staying out of view of the Cloaked.
A low roar rumbled through the air as the hairy mountain troll threw his head back. He looked like the one we had seen the other day, but his frame was smaller. His wrists were bound together in front of him with what looked like a rope. Unlike the troll we had encountered in the forest, this one’s ankles were also bound, making his steps smaller. Just then, the group stopped walking and the troll yelled again. One of the Cloaked walked up and kicked the back of the troll’s knee, buckling his leg.
“Jerks,” I growled under my breath and tightened my jaw as another one of the Cloaked knocked the troll in the head.
“Get up! We must keep moving!” the Cloaked yelled.
Ren held a coil of rope in one hand, and with his other, he held up his fingers and counted: one, two, three. On three we ran at them.
They saw us and turned quickly to brace themselves. I ran toward the tallest one of the group and threw a punch at his jaw, narrowly missing him as he lunged to the side and fell.
My opponent rolled away and pulled a long baton-looking thing from his belt as he jumped to his feet. I backed away, scanning the area for more attackers.
Out of the corner of my good eye, I saw Ara flying through the air like a bird, striking with fierce accuracy and grace. Jason had reached us, too. I gave him a nod as he swung his club into the back of the Cloaked about to strike Ren.
“Thank you, Jason!” Ren ducked and charged another Cloaked.
Ren was smiling as he battled with one of the Cloaked about his size. He loved a fight as much as I did, it seemed.
I ducked to avoid a baton as the Cloaked swung for my head. It was like the world slowed down but I didn’t. An unfathomable feeling.
I felt a surge of adrenaline as I swung my fist at the Cloaked guy’s face again, this time making contact. My blood raced as I pounced on him, knocking him on his back just as his baton made contact with my cheekbone. I heard the crack and felt pain shoot through my face. My head swung to the right. I grunted and started punching, alternating both hands. Over and over.
I felt more heat in my body than in my previous hot flashes. Something felt different. Sharper. It was as if someone else had taken control of my arms, making me punch faster and harder than I ever thought I could. I heard no other noises—just my breathing, my racing heartbeat, and the thumping sound my fists made when they hit his face.
“Madison!” A muffled voice broke through my fog. I didn’t stop punching until someone’s arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me off the Cloaked. I fell onto my back, blinking, my head spinning.
Everything came back into focus: all the noises of the people, the rustling trees, the distant crashing waves. The heat in my body started to dissipate, too.
Jason stood off to the side, staring at me with wide eyes, panting. Ara and the Cloaked she was tying up were looking at me, too. I took a deep breath and saw that Ren was standing over me, holding his hand out to help me up.
It was only when I put my hand in his that I saw the blood covering my hands. I gasped.
Madison, what did you do? I looked over at the Cloaked and my mouth fell open. His face was bloodied beyond recognition, and his eyes were already puffed and bruised. He moaned and rolled onto his side.
Ren grabbed my arm and pulled up. He spoke softly, like he didn’t want Ara and Jason to hear him. “It is okay, Madison. It is not your fault. That is the Strongblood side of you. You will feel the urges to fight and to kill, but you must hold back.”
“I did that?”
Ren nodded. Ara finished tying up two more of the Cloaked that were lying on the ground, and Jason helped. All of the Cloaked were bound and defeated. The one I had fought didn’t need any ropes to keep him from escaping.
“It’s over?” I asked, wiping my hands on my dark pants.
“Yes, we just need to deal with their captive and the troll,” Ren replied, and stepped away to go help Ara with the captured Cloaked.
The Magic’s head was still covered as they sat in the cart.
“Don’t worry, I will help you,” I said.
The mountain troll was on his knees, groaning. The troll looked bigger and bigger the closer I got, making me slow my pace. He turned his head toward me but didn’t move his large body.
“Well, hello there,” I said nervously, taking a step so that I was in front of him.
The mountain troll opened his mouth but didn’t speak. His teeth were a muted yellow with spots of brown near the gumline. He tilted his head to the side, studying me. His hair was curly and coarse, with orange hairs sprouting from his face like a sparse lion’s mane. His right horn curled like a spiral gray shell, but his left horn was broken, only an inch or so long. He wore tattered, ripped gray pants and a loose-fitting muted brown shirt. Blood speckled the shirt, although he had no visible injuries, and he had a burlap sack on his back.
On his knees, he was still about a foot taller than me and twice as wide. I kept my eyes locked on his, studying him. He didn’t seem vicious. He seemed frustrated. I imagined I would be, too, if I were kept like a prisoner.
“I won’t hurt you, I promise,” I said, noticing that the rope wound around his wrists was a faded pink. Blood, perhaps.
His face softened and he relaxed his stance, rolling his shoulders back.
“You can understand me, right?” I lifted the corner of my mouth in a smile.
The mountain troll grunted.
“Are you hurt?” I asked softly.
He did not speak, but he looked at his wrists and back to me.
“I am Madison,” I said, stepping toward him. There was a soft gentleness in his eyes as he opened his mouth, letting a small noise escape. I reached back and pulled my sword from the scabbard. The troll’s eyebrows furrowed and he bellowed something I didn’t understand.
I heard someone, either Jason or Ren, calling my name from the bottom of the hill. I disregarded them.
“No, no, listen, I am just going to cut these ropes. And then I am going to need you to not kill me, okay?” I said to the troll. He relaxed his face again.
I slowly rested my hand on the troll’s wrist. He jumped and leaned forward to yell into my face, blowing my hair back and spattering my forehead with his saliva. I closed my eyes and mouth tightly.
When he stopped, I opened my eye, and I did not move as a droplet of his spit dripped from my nose. I felt my pulse quicken in anger, though, and I started breathing faster.
Without thinking, I screamed back in his face in the lowest growling tone I could manage.
And then I stood still, stunned at my own impulsive reaction.
I had just screamed in a mountain troll’s face. I screamed at a troll who was like twice my size and then some.
He stayed unmoving for a second and blinked. I braced for his reaction. For him to rip my head off or to throw me off the top of this hill.
Then the troll threw his head back with a roar. I jumped and lifted my sword up.
He was laughing.
Holy crap.
I wiped my face and let out a quick laugh, relaxing my posture. He lifted his bound wrists and I carefully sawed through the ropes until they slid off, falling to the ground. The skin beneath was raw and bloody.
“Gullway.” The troll pounded a fist on his chest.
“Madison,” I repeated, putting a hand on my chest. I gave him a nod. “Gullway?”
He repeated his gesture and said his name again. I walked around him and cut the rope between his ankles and the one attached to the cart. The Magic in the cart struggled and yelled, but it was muffled by the hood.
“I will be right with you,” I said to the Magic.
Gullway climbed to his feet and pulled the remaining rope off his ankles. He ripped the rope from his wais
t with a grunt as he turned to face me, towering over me, at least seven or eight feet tall.
“Ma’son,” Gullway said. The way he said my name made it sound like he wasn’t using his tongue when he spoke. Like when you would talk while holding onto your tongue as a kid.
I smiled and nodded.
Gullway grinned at me, revealing his large crooked teeth. My worry faded as I looked at his face. This was not a monster. He was just grateful to be free. I slid my sword back into the scabbard.
“Go! Be free, Gullway!”
Gullway tilted his head to the side like he didn’t understand.
“Go on,” I said.
Gullway nodded and smiled widely before bowing his upper body down. He stood, turned toward the trees behind him, and walked away. As he reached the tree line, he turned back.
I waved. “Go, be free!” I repeated.
“Did you just fight a mountain troll?” Ren asked and I jumped. Jason and Ren were right behind me, next to the cart.
I looked back, but Gullway was already gone. “Nope. I freed him,” I said.
Jason chuckled. “Of course you did.”
I looked at Ren out of the corner of my eye, then met his gaze. He didn’t seem to care that I had caught him staring at me.
“You okay, Maddy?” Jason asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“I am going to help Ara get those Cloaked down to the village.” Ren motioned back to Ara and the Cloaked that she had seated and tied up a little farther down the hill. “We need this cart.”
“Oh, okay.” I walked to the side of the cart and helped the Magic out.
“Careful,” Ren warned me as the Magic stood on the ground next to me. Jason held up his club.
“It’s fine.” I shook my head at Jason. He lowered the bat.
Ren’s jaw was clenched and his eyes narrowed. I reached over and pulled the burlap bag from the Magic’s head, and I gasped.
“Lacy?”
CHAPTER 20
“Cousin!” Lacy smiled brightly, her blue eyes twinkling. She didn’t look stressed or worried. “Hello, Jason.”
“Oh my god, Lacy!” Jason pushed between us and hugged her tightly. Her hands still bound, she simply leaned into him.
I felt relieved, but now a thousand questions swirled in my head.
“Why are you here?” I asked sternly. More Cypher Fae to send to my father?
“I will be back,” Ren said quietly, narrowing his eyes at Lacy. I nodded at him as he lifted the rope and began to guide the cart over to Ara.
“A little help?” Lacy held up her tied wrists. I pulled my sword again and cut her ropes. Jason beamed at Lacy and I chewed my lip, awaiting her explanation.
Lacy swung her arms around me. “I had to come and find you!” she exclaimed, still clinging to me tightly. I did not hug her back. “You did not meet me at the designated spot. But it is okay now. I have found you.”
“Lacy, stop.” I pushed her back. She didn’t seem to care that I was unhappy and didn’t even inquire as to why. “What’s going on?”
“I came to find you. We need to go. Quickly!” Lacy insisted, grabbing my arm.
“Go where?” I shot back. “You need to explain yourself.”
“Maddy,” Jason said. “Don’t be so harsh.”
“Harsh? You know what she did!”
Jason took a deep breath. “We don’t really know what’s going on, Mads.”
“You cannot be here. They are coming for you.” Lacy ignored Jason and me. She was so serious now, and her general chipper nature was replaced with that same hard stare that she had from before.
“I can’t just leave. I need—” I started.
“We are going back to Greenrock.” Lacy crossed her arms.
“What?” I was beyond confused now. “We have to go get your mom.”
“No, we have to go,” she said. Her eyes welled up with tears. She spun away from us, sobbing dramatically now.
“We have to get to the temple. That’s where your mom is, Lacy,” Jason said as he put an arm around her, trying to comfort her.
“No, my mother is home. We must get back!” Lacy cried.
I shook my head. “What? How is she back home? Ruth is in Greenrock?”
Lacy nodded vigorously and kept her eyes wide. “Yes, she escaped! She sent me to find you and bring you home as well.”
“She escaped?” I smiled. That’s the Aunt Ruth I know. “Why didn’t she come with you to find us?”
“She was being hunted,” she answered, tears streaming down her rosy cheeks. Lacy was acting so erratic, it was hard to be angry. All I could do was stand there, baffled by her quick, intense mood swings.
“Are you ready?” Lacy asked.
I shook my head.
“What about the Magics? We need to go help them, too,” I said.
“Yeah, they’re all still trapped up there,” Jason added.
“Mom already did it,” Lacy replied. “She helped them all.”
“Oh,” I replied.
“You are free to go home now,” Lacy said to Jason, and then turned to look at me. “You don’t have to stay here.”
Jason raised his eyebrows, “Oh, well, that’s great, right, Mads?”
I nodded, but I still felt odd about all of it. “Yeah, great.”
“But we must hurry. The Cloaked are looking for Witches. It is best if we get to the caves. It is over, Madison,” Lacy said. She started down the hill with Jason following closely behind.
But it doesn’t feel over. I slid my sword into my scabbard and followed them.
As I walked, I could see Ren and Ara down in the village. They were standing close together, talking. They didn’t look up as I waved my arm.
“Wait! I have to say good-bye.” I stopped at the bottom of the hill as Lacy and Jason continued toward Ara’s tent—or maybe toward the caves. They were both in that direction.
“Jason, wait!” I called again.
He stopped and turned, but Lacy grabbed his arm and kept pulling him along. Jason shrugged and kept walking. “We’ll meet you by the caves!” Jason shouted. Lacy smiled at me and continued blabbing away about something.
Something feels wrong here.
Standing halfway between the bottom of the hill and Ara’s tent, I pulled my gloves off and wiped them on the back of my pants. They were covered in blood and troll spit. Gross. I was stalling, but I didn’t have any other choice. I couldn’t just leave and not tell Ren and Ara.
Oh, crap. What would I even say to Ren?
“Madison, we must go!” Lacy called. I put my disgusting gloves back on and looked over to where Lacy and Jason were standing, just outside Ara’s tent.
“Madison?”
It was Ren. I turned around.
“Is everything okay?” He already looked concerned.
Ara passed us and smiled as she kept walking toward Jason and Lacy. I smiled back and pushed the tip of my black suede boot into the sand.
“Ren, I have to go,” I said abruptly.
“What?” Ren’s eye brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
I motioned to Lacy. “My cousin said that Ruth is home and that she freed the Magics.”
He raised an eyebrow. “If the Magics were freed, we would have heard by now. Ara!”
Ren started to walk past me, and I grabbed his wrist. “Ren. Lacy wouldn’t lie.” He turned back to me, and I let his arm go as he took a step closer.
“Madison, let me look into this. Something does not feel right.”
“No, Ren. She said it was over,” I replied softly. I didn’t want to tell him that I felt like something was wrong, too. It just didn’t make sense for Lacy to lie to me. She may have kept this secret from me, but she had never outright lied to me before. Even if she was being weird, she was still Lacy.
I started walking to Ara’s tent, where Lacy, Ara, and Jason stood waiting.
Ara smiled at me. �
��I hear your journey is at an end. I am sad to see you go.”
“Thank you, Ara,” I answered. “I hope to see you again someday.”
“Good-bye, Ara.” Jason wrapped her in a prolonged hug. “Thank you for everything. You are the coolest.”
“It was a pleasure to have you, Jason. Give my regards to your boyfriend.” Ara kissed Jason on the cheek.
“You got it,” Jason answered, and smiled glowingly. “He is going to be so happy to see me!”
Ara smiled at me, then narrowed her eyes at Lacy before turning and retreating to her tent.
“Who told you that the Magics were freed?” Ren walked up to Lacy and stood a little too close to her for my liking.
“Chill, Ren.” Jason held up his hand.
“Do not speak to me, Porter,” Lacy sneered. “Madison, we must go. Now.” Lacy turned and started walking toward the cave openings.
“Ren, thanks for everything, man. I’ll meet you by the cave, Mads,” Jason said, then followed after Lacy.
“This is the end then? You are leaving?” Ren spun to face me and lowered his voice. “What about your parents? Is that not reason enough to stay?”
I took a deep breath. “I need to have a long talk with my aunt about all of that.” I swallowed loudly. “I can’t stay here.”
“What about the courtyard and the spell? You said you would help me.” He clenched his jaw.
I paused. He was right, but I needed to get Lacy and Jason back to Greenrock, and I really needed to talk to my aunt.
“I don’t know what you want me to say,” I replied, growing frustrated with his lack of understanding. “I have to go home.”
“This is your home!” he erupted. His face was red and his eyes wide.
“No, it isn’t! This is the land of crazy, and I need to get my cousin and my best friend out of it.”
“What about the spell? Are you just going to bail on that plan?” Ren shouted.
Ara walked cautiously out of her tent.
“I will come back. I just…” I looked toward Lacy and Jason. “I need to get some answers.”
Ren opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off.
