by Erin Johnson
I spun and marched across the campsite before Jun could say another word. I couldn’t take it anymore. If a total stranger thought Hank wasn’t into me, no wonder I was feeling that way. I couldn’t take the silent treatment anymore. I needed to know what was going on. I reached my friends and Hank, who sat on his bedroll.
“Hi, Imogen—oh.” Maple’s smile dropped from her face.
I barely registered it, my eyes on Hank. “I need to talk to you.”
He glanced up at me for a brief moment, then back down. He gave a slight nod.
“Oh, you know, I just remembered this… uh… super cool rock I saw, faraway from here.” Wiley thumbed over his shoulder, his eyes wide and full of meaning.
Annie blew out a big puff of air. “Well, a cool rock? I’ve got to see this.”
“Take me with you,” Iggy pleaded, and Wiley stooped to lift him in his lantern.
“I’d like to sssee what’ssss hiding under the rock.”
“Sure, buddy, whatever you want.” Wiley ushered Sam away, and Yann joined him.
Maple squeezed my shoulder and gave me an encouraging look before moving off with the others.
Rhonda folded her arms, a big grin on her face. “I wish I had popcorn. This is going to be good.” But Francis hooked a wing around her shoulders and guided her off with the others, though she grumbled until she was out of earshot. Which left me suddenly all alone with Hank, who still stared at the ground.
I let out a heavy sigh and bit my lip. “Hank, you might be able to pretend I don’t exist, but I can’t. I’m always aware of you, where you’re at, if you’ve smiled today, how much you’re using your walking stick.” I swiped my bangs from my eyes with a trembling hand.
“This silent treatment thing is killing me, so can you just tell me what I can do to make this right? I’m sorry—I’m deeply sorry that I didn’t tell you about meeting with Horace sooner. And I’ll keep apologizing, if that’s what it takes to make you understand, but I never wanted to hurt you.”
I dragged the backs of my hands across my cheeks and wiped away the tears that had trickled from my eyes. Still Hank didn’t even look up, and frustration burned in my chest. I dropped down to a crouch in front of him. He sat with his knees bent up and his long arms wrapped around them. I shook my head. “All my friends understood when I told them. They didn’t just cut me out.”
He lifted his face to mine finally. His normally bright blue eyes looked dull and bloodshot, and dark stubble covered his jaw. “I’m not cutting you out.” He dropped his eyes again and shook his head. “I just… I don’t know how to process all of this.” He rubbed his wrist. “It’s a lot.” His nostrils flared and he looked up at me, hurt in his eyes. “And you know, it’s been what? A day since I found out? A day since my father tried to kill me and you and your brother exposed him to be a murderer? You’ve known about Horace for months. You lied.” Tears welled in his eyes. “You lied to my face about that, for months, and just because I need some time to process, more than a day, I’m the bad guy?” He shook his head and pushed to his feet.
I frowned up at him. “I never said you’re the bad guy.”
But he was already on his feet. “I’m not ready to talk about this.” He stalked off into the tree line.
“Urg!” I gritted my teeth and dragged my fingers through my hair. I dropped from my crouch to sit on the ground and leaned my forehead against my knees. Tears streamed down my hot face as a mix of sadness and anger spiraled in my chest.
How had we gotten here? Hank and I had always been so happy together, so in love. And now that we were finally free to really be together without interference from his family or anything else, we were barely speaking. Maybe Jun was right. Maybe Hank just didn’t feel the way about me that I felt about him. Or maybe I was rushing him and he just needed time. But how much? And couldn’t he see that our days might be numbered? One member of our party was already dead, and Hank had been the target. Shouldn’t that have been a wake-up call to prioritize what was really important in life? Unless I just wasn’t the priority anymore.
I let out a heavy sigh. Whatever Sam had found under that rock, which I was pretty sure Wiley had made up, that’s what I felt like. Like rock scum. Not even the kind that sits on top of a rock. I was bottom-of-a-rock scum.
The skies opened up and a heavy shower fell on the camp. The rain matted my hair to the back of my neck, and still, I didn’t move. The guards ran around, some sheltering the fire, others our bedrolls. I didn’t have the energy to care. I lifted my face and blinked up at the gray sky poking through the treetops. The branches overhead shook in the heavy rain. I dropped my forehead against my knees again and let the cold drops trickle under my collar and down my back.
15
Misaki
“Hey!”
The sound startled me from my deep moping. Deep. I lifted my chin, and rain streamed down my forehead.
Misaki and the guards she’d gone off with jogged into the campsite at the same time that all my friends reemerged from the trees. No sign of Hank, though. Misaki had a black hood pulled over her top knot, which formed a little peak on top of her head. She scanned the group, then shouted at Kai, “You were supposed to cast the umbrella spell!”
“I’ve been busy.” Kai jerked his head at the dejected Reo at his feet.
Jun tucked his sketchbook into his waterproof pack, then jogged over to Misaki. “Let’s do it.”
She gave a curt nod, and they lifted their wands. Light flashed from the ends and suddenly a protective bubble formed around us, visible only because the rain streamed down it like it was a windshield. I roughly wiped my face with the back of my cold, wet sleeve and pushed to my feet. Our whole group converged on the meager campfire. Ben crouched over it, using his wand to coax the deluged flames back to life.
I slid up beside Maple, who handed me Iggy in his lantern. “So. How was that amazing rock Wiley wanted to show you?” I shot her a dry look.
Maple grinned. “Sam was pretty disappointed there wasn’t an actual rock.”
I glanced at my shifter friend, who used his shirt to wipe his glasses dry.
Maple looked around, a little crease forming between her brows. “Where’s Hank?”
I shrugged. “He stomped off a second ago. I’m sure he’s nearby.” I willed myself to ignore that unsettled worry about him in my stomach. He shouldn’t be wandering in the woods alone in monster territory with a murderer among us. I sighed. But he’d made it pretty clear he didn’t want to speak to me. He probably wouldn’t appreciate hearing my concerns, either.
Maple winced. “It didn’t go so well, then?”
I leaned my head against her shoulder. “It was bad. He told me he needed more time to process it.”
Maple leaned her head against mine. “Well, you don’t know what he’s going to decide, right? We shouldn’t assume it’s going to be bad.”
I sighed, deeply weary. “That’s the thing. I think deep down, even though I was nervous to tell him, I assumed he’d understand why I needed to meet my brother and why I’d kept it from him.” I groaned. “But now, I truly don’t know how he’s going to feel. He might be done with me.” Tears welled in my eyes. “Just that being a real option, that he might not love me anymore, is—” My throat grew tight and I squeezed my eyes shut, unable to talk.
“Oh.” Maple clicked her tongue. “Oh, don’t think that. He loves you. I’m sure.”
I wasn’t. And it was the worst feeling, ever.
“Where’s the fish?”
I looked up and blinked to clear the tears from my blurry eyes. Kai stood across the fire from me, the orange flames lighting his face from below and casting stark shadows at his jaw and cheekbones. Though it was midmorning, the thick cloud cover made it seem more like dusk. Rain pelted the magical bubble overhead.
Misaki licked her lips. “I wanted to check the traps by the bog first.”
Kai let out a disgusted sigh and folded his arms across his chest. “You haven’t even
been fishing? What are we supposed to eat?”
Misaki glared at him. “Relax.” She turned to Ben. “The fire looks great—if you and Jun start on the rice and veggies, I’ll be back soon with some fish.”
Jun nodded. “Sure. Did you find anything in the trap?”
She shook her head. “Empty. Sprung, just like the others. This is more escaped monsters than we’ve ever seen before.”
She and Jun exchanged worried glances.
“Well I know I’m feeling super safe,” Iggy scoffed.
“The rude flame is right.” Kai nodded.
Iggy’s mouth dropped. “I’m not rude. I just tell it like it is.”
Kai ignored him. “I’m starving, so if you’re gonna go fish, like you said you would, now’s the time.”
Misaki lowered her thick dark brows. “Fine.”
She turned to go, but Jun reached out. “Wait. You shouldn’t go alone.”
She hesitated, and on an impulse, I grabbed Maple’s arm and pulled her forward. “We’ll go with you.”
Maple turned to me, eyes wide. “We will?”
At that moment, Hank, soaking wet, shuffled into the protective bubble. He looked up and gave Francis a short nod before dragging himself over to his bedroll. The part of me that’d been worried about him relaxed. A split second later a new knot of anxiety tightened in my stomach over having to stay in this confined area with him.
I nodded at Maple. “Yep. We’re going.”
She frowned.
“Please?”
She blew out a little puff of air. “Okay.”
Misaki frowned. “Do you even know anything about fishing?”
“Why, they call me Scales McGee.” I dragged Maple over to her as she and Wiley exchanged worried looks.
Misaki’s frown deepened.
“Like, fish scales? Scales McGee?” I shook my head. “We can help.”
The little ninja girl looked me up and down. “Fine.”
Reo, eyes red and swollen from crying, stumbled up to our group. All eyes turned to him and a silence fell. He gulped, shot Kai a side-eyed look, then let out a shaky breath. He opened his mouth. “Guys—I have to—to say something about my brother.” He trembled, visibly, and tears streamed down his cheeks. “I—”
Kai moved to his side in an instant and put an arm around Reo’s shoulders. He pulled him tight against his side. “Hey, little buddy. You don’t need to do this now.”
Reo gasped and devolved into sobs.
Kai looked around at us. “He’s still real shaken up.”
Misaki shook her head, her face pinched. “Well of course he’s shaken up, his brother just died a few hours ago.”
Kai dipped his head and spoke into Reo’s ear. “Come on, let’s go have a chat, just you and me.” The burly guard guided Reo away, and we all stood in silence for a couple of moments as we watched them.
Misaki let out a heavy sigh, then addressed the group. “We’ll be back soon.” She started off, and Maple and I followed.
Rhonda waved goodbye with a big smile on her face, like we were taking a cruise to the Bahamas.
Maple and I pulled our hoods over our heads and I closed the glass on Iggy’s lantern before we stepped out of the protective bubble. Rain tapped against my hood and little splatters of water landed on the tip of my nose. Iggy’s light guided our way along a deer path through the tall, thick trees and undergrowth.
The rain fell heavy, reaching us even through the thick canopy of greenery overhead. I did want to get away from Hank for a bit, but I had a bigger motive than that for going fishing with Misaki—I needed to figure out if she might want Hank dead.
So far, Reo seemed unlikely to be capable of murder. Every single other guard seemed more hardened than him. Ben had been friendly, and didn’t raise my suspicions. I stepped over a tall root that burst from the ground and twined to thigh height. I turned and offered Maple a hand over, then followed Misaki on into the misty forest.
Jun had been pretty cool about the fact that I’d been snooping in his sketchbook, but maybe he’d made that comment about Hank to throw me off. He clearly knew a thing or two about herbs, between growing up in his family’s tea shop and all the plants he’d drawn during his forays as a guard. And he seemed pretty obsessed with Misaki. He might have been jealous of her speaking with Hank and planted that herb in his pack. My stomach clenched up as a new thought hit me. Could he have something to do with their Captain Kenta’s disappearance? The others had teased Misaki that she had a crush on the captain. Maybe Jun had grown jealous of her feelings for Kenta and decided to take him out of the picture! I glanced back at Maple and made a mental note to run that theory by her later.
I returned to my line of thought and cast through my memory. I couldn’t think up any specific reason Kai might want Hank dead, but the guy seemed thuggish and gave me bad vibes. I scrunched up my nose. Then again, if he wanted to kill Hank, he might be the kind to challenge him to a duel or something, take him on in broad daylight, versus try to lure a monster to him. Which pretty much just left Misaki. And I planned to use this little fishing expedition to get some answers out of her.
As we hiked on, just a little further, a rushing stream that paralleled our path came into view through the misty trees. The tapping of raindrops mixed with the soft rush of the stream, and we cut to the right to stand at the water’s edge. Misaki set her pack down at the top of the bank and pulled out a bamboo pole broken down into three pieces. She fitted them together, added the line, and fixed a worm on the end of the hook. She turned to Maple and me. “You ladies ready to help?”
“Yeah, of course.” I licked my lips. “How would that go, again?”
She rolled her eyes, but couldn’t completely hide the smile that played at the corners of her mouth. She dug around in her pack, then handed me a small net and bucket and Maple a box of worms.
I frowned and leaned over her bag. “How does that all fit in there? You have a Mary Poppins thing going on?”
Maple and Misaki both shot me quizzical looks.
I shook my head. “Never mind. Human thing.”
I set Iggy’s lantern under a rock overhang so he’d stay dry, then the three of us picked our way down the slippery, muddy slope to the rushing stream below.
“I’ll supervise,” Iggy called down to me.
“Great. So helpful.” I winked at my little flame.
Misaki waded out through the wild waters and perched on a wide, flat rock in the middle. “When I catch one, you grab it with the net.” She pointed at me. “Then throw it in the bucket with some water till I’m ready to gut it.”
I wrinkled my nose and Misaki frowned. “You’ve never fished, have you?”
I shook my head, and she rolled her eyes. “You want to eat, don’t you?”
I nodded.
“Okay, then get tough.” She turned to Maple. “And you’ll hand me more tackle.”
Maple whimpered. “But the poor worm.”
Misaki’s nostrils flared and she gave us flat looks. “They’re already dead. Can you two handle this?”
“Psh.” I waved a hand. “We’ve got it.”
Maple turned to me, her eyes wide. “We do?”
I winced. “Maybe? Come on, we’ve got to get her to spill to see if she really did plant that herb, okay?”
“You ladies ready?”
Maple and I jumped and turned to Misaki. “Yep,” we said as one.
She raised her brows, but turned to the river and cast her line. As we prepared to wait, I racked my mind for the best way to start our conversation.
“A minute ago, you said ‘human thing.’” Misaki shot me a quick glance. I stood on a smooth river rock within reach of her, my toes freezing from the water running over them and soaking through my leather-soled boots. “Have you been to human lands?”
Well, sweet. She started the talking for me. I nodded. “Yeah. Actually, I was raised by humans.”
Misaki jerked her head up to look at me, wide-eyed.
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I smiled. “I know. I didn’t even know I was magical until less than a year ago.”
She turned to Maple, who stood on a rock behind her. “You, too?”
“Oh no.” My friend shook her head and sent rain flying from her hood. “I’m from Bijou Mer.”
“The Water Kingdom,” Misaki breathed.
Maple and I exchanged looks. “You know about Bijou Mer?”
Misaki nodded, her eyes on her line in the water. She slowly reeled it in, gathering the line in her hand. “Yeah, we learn all about the magical kingdoms.” Her throat bobbed. “I love it here, this is my home, but—” She sighed. “But I’ve always wanted to see what else is out there. We can’t, you know. Our island is surrounded my monsters, so we can’t leave by water or by air.” She huffed. “And your infuriating brother won’t share his portal mirrors with us.”
I grinned and held up a palm. “Hey. I find him infuriating, too.”
Misaki looked sideways at Maple. “Could you tell me about it—Bijou Mer?”
My friend gave a shy smile. “Of course. It’s a lovely village. It winds up a mountain, with the palace on top, and my family has a bakery there, down this narrow little back alley, but all the locals know how to find us. At night, the tide rises and the mermaids come out, and every summer as kids my brothers and sisters and I would go to the Summer Sea Carnival and come home sick from cotton candy clouds and—” Maple’s face crumpled and she devolved into sobs. Misaki looked up, startled.
“Maple.” I stretched an arm out but couldn’t quite reach her, not without toppling into the fast-moving water below us.
She sniffled. “I’m sorry. It’s just, thinking about home got me thinking about my family, and if the king’s going after them, and if they’re in danger, all because of me.” She burst into tears again.
“I’m giving you a hug from afar.” I reached both arms out and Maple gave me a sad smile, though tears still streamed down her face.
“Thanks.”
Misaki glued her eyes to her fishing line. She reeled in the hook without a fish, then cast it into the water again.