Maya and the Return of the Godlings

by Rena Barron

  I wasn’t about to start trusting him on his word alone. As for the war part, it made sense that some of the darkbringers didn’t want to fight.

  “If you want to help, then tell me how the Lord of Shadows is causing tears in the veil,” I demanded.

  Zeran slowed down like he was weighing a big decision. “I overheard Rovey saying that the Lord of Shadows had a weapon at the Crystal Palace. I think that it may be the source of the tears.” He let out a deep sigh. “That map you got isn’t quite what it seems.”

  “We figured that out already,” I said.

  “The palace is hidden,” Zeran said. “The map will show you endless paths to get there, all treacherous.”

  “That seems very . . .” I said.

  “Diabolic?” Frankie offered.

  “So you know how to get to the palace?” I asked.

  “Not exactly,” Zeran said. “I don’t know the route the map will take you on, but my unit trained through many traps you may run into on the way.”

  I wasn’t sure we should trust him. If the Lord of Shadows wanted me alive—needed me alive—this could be a trick.

  “I’ll help you get to the palace so you can prevent the veil from falling,” Zeran offered.

  “We need to talk it over,” I said, crossing my arms. “Alone.”

  Zeran threw up his hands and stepped over the side of the cliff. After a few seconds, I could hear the sound of his wing beats growing distant in the fog. It was the same sound from last night. I couldn’t believe that he’d been following us since the darkbringer camp and we didn’t have a clue.

  Eli set his jaw, his expression icy. “I don’t trust him.”

  “I’m not sure that his story adds up,” Frankie said.

  “I don’t think he’s telling us the whole truth.” I bit my lip. “At the same time, I don’t believe that every darkbringer wants this war. I mean, who wants to die? Especially a war involving gods. The devastation would be huge.”

  “What if everything he said was a lie?” Eli stared out aimlessly into the fog. “He could be a spy for Rovey, trying to get back in the commander’s good graces after messing up.”

  “Why go through this trouble if that’s the case?” I countered. “He could’ve attacked us as soon as we let him out of the cage.”

  Frankie clutched the straps of her backpack. “That’s true . . .”

  “Should we take a vote?” I suggested.

  “Against,” both Frankie and Eli said quickly.

  “What happened to keep your friends close and your enemies closer?” I asked, hoping they’d reconsider. I wanted to believe the darkbringer. Plus, if the map was leading us into traps, we needed all the help we could get. Usually Frankie was the reasonable one between the three of us, but she crossed her arms. I sighed in defeat. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough if he’s friend or foe when I tell him we’ve voted to give him the boot.”

  “Friend or foe,” Eli said. “Is there really a difference in the Dark?”

  Wingbeats filled the air as Zeran cut across the sky and landed in front of us, blocking the path. His wings stretched out wide as his tail swept the ground back and forth in agitation.

  Zeran put his hands on his hips and tilted his head to the side like he’d designated himself our fearless leader. He shook out his wings, spraying us with a fine mist. Had he done that on purpose?

  “Sorry,” he said, his cheeks deepening to purple.

  A single black feather fell away from his left shoulder. With lightning-fast reflexes, he reached up and caught it. The feather turned into black mist before our eyes. Okay, so he really had this “I’m cooler than you, and I’m going to show you every chance I get” vibe going on for himself. It was equal parts fascinating and annoying.

  Zeran looked at the space between Frankie and me. “What did you decide?”

  Eli stepped forward with his chest stuck out, attempting to look tougher. He cleared his throat and projected his voice like he was on stage in an auditorium. “Don’t take this the wrong way or anything, but we’ll pass on your offer to help.”

  “We appreciate you for saving Frankie,” I said, rocking on my heels.

  Zeran’s jaw dropped, and he burst into laughter. “Oh, this is precious,” he spat as he turned to leave. “You’re going to be begging for my help. Wait and see.” At that, he opened his wings and flew away.

  “Well, that’s that,” Frankie said.

  Somehow, I wasn’t so sure that was the last we’d see of him.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  We get lost in a creepy forest

  I thought about Zeran as we hiked down the mountain. Meeting him and seeing the people in the city only made me more curious about the Dark. What did people do for fun? Did they have comic books? Did they play kickball? Was it wrong that I wanted to know more about them? Zeran had said that he wasn’t our enemy. I wanted to believe that was true of most darkbringers.

  I pulled out the map, and to no one’s surprise, it had changed again. According to it, we only had to get through the forest that had appeared out of nowhere. After that, we’d have to cross another swamp to reach the palace. All told, we should be there in another two or three days if we didn’t run into any more trouble. That was too long, so I put the map aside and drew the staff in a circle. “Let’s see if we can make a shortcut.”

  I concentrated on opening a gateway on the other side of the forest, but I could feel something wrong with it. Instead of the usual roaring of the wind, it was dead quiet. It was the same as before when I tried to open a gateway close to my father’s soul. The god symbols on the bridge grew dimmer until it faded and the gateway closed.

  Frankie hugged her arms to her chest. “More wards?”

  “Yeah,” I said, frustrated. “I can’t break through them.”

  A sudden static in the air drew my attention away from my umpteenth fail attempt in the Dark at making a gateway. The hairs stood up on my arms. I stared at the sky. It was purple with spots of black bruises, and magic pulled at every fiber of my body. Déjà vu washed over me—the sense of something familiar.

  Eli stepped next to me and glanced up, too. “Is that what I think it is?”

  “A tear,” I said, as black lightning struck between two clouds. It was the same as when I opened gateways. The sparks grew until it stretched into a gaping hole.

  I turned circles, crouched with the staff ready, but there was no enemy to fight. The tear had opened by itself. “This can’t be happening.”

  “So, the tears are random on this side of the veil too,” Frankie concluded. “That’s fascinating.”

  “Is this one deep enough to cross into our world?” Eli asked.

  “Yes,” I said, my voice hoarse. How did this tear feel so similar to my gateways, minus the god symbols? I hadn’t noticed that on the human side, but now it was obvious. Maybe I could feel it because we were closer to the source of the tears.

  “Not to rush you or anything, but we already know the darkbringers can track tears.” Eli rubbed the back of his neck, his attention darting to the forest. “You plan on closing this one anytime soon?”

  I didn’t answer him as I let go of the staff—I couldn’t answer. I had to make sure that I was right first. The staff stood up on its own before it sprouted wings and turned into a harness. My hand trembled as I slipped it on my back and ascended into the sky. I approached the tear and slowed, coming within inches of it. It hummed against my skin. PULSE. PULSE. BEEP. PULSE. PULSE. BEEP. The harmonics of the tear thumped steady, unchanging, ­taunting.

  My vision slipped out of focus, and for a moment, I only saw a flash of white as the world started to tilt. My wings faltered, and I dipped a few feet before catching myself. Eli or Frankie hollered something at me, but it took all my concentration to stay airborne. I squeezed my eyes closed and counted from ten. The dizziness abated after a while, but not soon enough.

  I wiped the sweat from my brow and made quick work of closing the tear and rejoined my friends. T
he staff went back to normal. “We should keep moving,” I said, heading into the forest. I saw the way both of them were looking at me, and I didn’t want to talk about it.

  Within moments, we were deep in a forest so dense that it blocked the sun. Frankie whipped out her flashlight, and the staff grew brighter to help push back the darkness. The trees were lush with broad dark purple leaves and green bark. Somewhere nearby, we could hear the calming roar of a river. I didn’t care about any of those things. I stopped and braced myself. My friends deserved to know the truth. “That tear was from godling magic, and before you ask, yes, I’m sure.”

  “What does that mean?” Frankie said. “It’s not like a godling would be helping the Lord of Shadows.” She studied my face. “Wait, you have a theory?”

  “Some godlings live a long time, don’t they?” I told them. “Look at the cranky Johnston twins.” I forced out my next words, feeling like I was betraying Papa. “I can feel how similar the magic is to my own. It’s almost identical. As I see it, there are two possibilities to explain why godling magic is causing tears. One, the Lord of Shadows somehow absorbed Eleni’s magic when he killed her. Two, she never died, and she’s helping him.”

  “Maya, okay, we can buy the first option, but second, wow, that’s cold,” Eli said. “You can’t believe that your sister would help the man who killed her family.”

  “Half sister,” I corrected him. I massaged my temples. My head was throbbing. “I don’t want to believe it’s true, but we have to consider it. The Lord of Shadows befriended her on the crossroads—we don’t know if he got her to switch sides then.”

  Neither of them said anything else as we continued deeper into the forest. We tuned in to the rustling of leaves, twigs cracking, and the low whistle of the wind. This one was the most normal forest we’d been through in the Dark, which probably meant we had to stay extra alert. If what Zeran said about the map was true, and it had been so far, then this forest would prove to be another obstacle.

  “I don’t know how this is possible, but I smell pecan pie,” Frankie said, rubbing her belly.

  Eli wrinkled his nose. “It smells like armpits and dirty gym socks to me.”

  When I inhaled, something in the air reminded me of Mama’s lilac perfume.

  “The top five best places to see a ghost,” Eli said, defusing some of the tension between the three of us. “One, a haunted house; two, a haunted cemetery; three, a haunted hotel; four, a haunted, abandoned amusement park; and five, a haunted forest. And we have a winner.”

  “Can we talk about something else?” Frankie asked as a gust of wind slammed into us.

  A scream rang out in the forest, and I froze with my ears perked. I’m here, Maya, my father’s voice whispered to me. Tears sprang to my eyes. Was Papa here? How was that possible? Help me, baby girl.

  I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. Papa couldn’t be here. He was at home in a coma. The Lord of Shadows trapped my soul in the forest, Maya, Papa said. I can’t find my way out. Please help me before it’s too late.

  Maya, honey, where are you? Mama called. It’s so cold here.

  This was absurd. Mama would never come to the Dark world. Papa wasn’t here either. That said, the forest sounded exactly like my parents, which made me think that it was reading my thoughts. What kind of nightmarish thing would it conjure when it knew your hopes and fears? I shuddered and pushed the voices out of my head, trying desperately to ignore them.

  “I’m coming, Jayla!” Eli screamed. “Don’t move.”

  “Eli, don’t,” I yelled as he tunneled through the thick bushes and disappeared.

  I looked to where Frankie had been only a minute ago, and my blood went cold. She was gone, too.

  TWENTY-FIVE

  What could be worse than hungry shadows?

  I turned in a circle, looking for my friends in the endless trees and overgrown bushes, but they were gone. The forest was dark beyond the light of the staff. I could hear the faint sound of leaves crunching beneath feet, but I couldn’t pinpoint the direction. The wind howled and rustled through the grass. It wasn’t my imagination that shadows slithered around the edges of the trail. I saw a bobbing light out of the corner of my eyes.

  “Frankie!” I called, but the light blinked out, only to reappear in a completely new location. That was impossible. I started to veer off the path to go after the light, but someone grabbed my arm. I swung the staff.

  “Hey, slow down,” Zeran said as he deflected the blow. “You run off like that, and you won’t be able to help them.”

  “Let go!” I snapped, pulling my staff back from him. “What are you doing here?”

  “I heard the screaming—figured you were in trouble again,” he said. “I wasn’t following you or anything.”

  “Sure, you weren’t,” I groaned. “Do you know anything about this forest?”

  “All I know is that Command sends every recruit here at some point for training.” Zeran squinted as he looked at shadows crawling across bushes near the trail. “It’s called the Lost Forest. There’s a rumor that a fourth of the recruits who come here don’t make it back.”

  “So convenient that you’re here to save the day,” I said, rolling my eyes.

  Zeran glared at me. “I can’t tell if you truly believe that I’m your enemy or if you can’t stand not being the hero in every situation.”

  “Excuse me?” My face felt hot with embarrassment. “Don’t mind me. I’m just trying to save both our worlds and my friends right now.”

  “No.” Zeran winced and squeezed his eyes tight. “It can’t be him.”

  “Can’t be who?” I asked, dread filling my belly.

  Zeran opened his eyes, taking a step in one direction, then in another. He jerked his head around like he heard something, but it was still quiet in the forest. “Billu, is that you?” Tears clouded his dark eyes. “Is it really you, little brother? I’ll find you; I promise. You don’t have to be scared.”

  Zeran started to step off the trail, and I grabbed his arm. “No,” I said. “Your brother isn’t here. It’s a trick. I heard my parents earlier.”

  “How would you know?” Zeran pulled out of my grasp, then he almost fell in a tangle of writhing shadows that had crawled up next to the trail. He blinked twice. “Wait, you’re right. Billu can’t be here. This must be how the forest gets you.”

  “Maya, my flashlight went out,” Frankie called. “I can’t find my way back.”

  “Frankie,” I shouted, relieved to hear her voice, “why did you leave the trail?”

  “I heard Mama Pam,” she said, but her voice now came from the other side of the forest. “She needed my help.”

  I stared up at Zeran, whose face looked grim. “I was afraid that would happen. I don’t know how, but the forest can move people. That’s why people get lost; they’re misplaced.”

  “Is Eli with you?” a third Frankie asked from another direction.

  One voice had come from my left, another from in front, and the last from behind.

  “No, he’s lost in the forest, too,” I said, worried that he hadn’t called out in all this time. I turned back to Zeran. “We’ll have to try the process of elimination to find them.”

  Several teachers at Jackson Middle were huge fans of the process of elimination. Consider and reject each possible choice until you only had one left. Okay, I had three positions for Frankie, but there was a chance that she wasn’t in any of those locations. So I had four choices. That meant that I had a twenty-five percent chance of making the right choice the first time. This was like a standardized test but with impossible stakes.

  “Maya, hurry up,” Frankie called from behind again. “There are shadows everywhere, just like the night the werehyenas attacked us.”

  “Keep talking, and we’ll look for you, okay?” I hollered back. “Talk about your moms.”

  “Okay,” she answered from behind.

  “Where does your mom Dee work?” I asked.

  “At th
e University of Chicago,” said her voice from in front of us.

  “In the department of biomolecular research,” answered the third, somewhere to our left.

  My head was spinning. We would be lost in this forest forever at this rate.

  “Not to interrupt your riveting conversation,” Eli called out, “but can we get out of here already?” He sounded winded, like he was on the run. I imagined him darting through the forest, whipping through grass, completely invisible.

  Eli popped out of the bushes covered in dirt, his clothes torn. He’d sounded so far away seconds ago. I breathed a sigh of relief as I slapped him on the shoulder. To my horror, something lashed out at my hand. Eli gave me a devious smile before his form shifted into a black mass of writhing shadows. The shadows grew taller and taller. Ribbons shot out and wrapped around my wrists like chains. My staff hit the ground. Ice crystals crawled up my arms as I struggled to free myself.

  “Let her go.” Zeran rammed his fist straight into the wall of shadows. White cracks spread from the place that Zeran had landed his punch and began to spread. It was like watching glass shattering in slow motion. Pieces of the shadows began to fall to the ground and retreat. The shadows screeched, and other horrible, bloodcurdling screams came from all around us.

  “We’ll have to check each direction one by one,” Zeran said before he took a few steps and propelled himself into the sky. The wind from his wings whipped through my braids. I grabbed my staff and set off running behind him. I cut through the tall grass, knocking away vines that snapped at my ankles.

  A shadow pounded me across my back, and I hit the ground hard. The staff landed a few feet away, still glowing. I reached out my hand, and it flew toward me, but another shadow snatched it right out of the air. I watched in disbelief as the shadow snapped my staff.

  “No,” I screamed as the two halves landed in the dirt. The light faded from the god symbols. My body felt like it was on fire as I climbed to my feet. Blue light pulsed across my forearms. “You really shouldn’t have messed with my friends or my staff.”