by Erin Johnson
I sighed. “Maple, I’m sure your family’s safe. I am. Amelia’s there, and Hank’s brother Cas is a pretty decent guy, and Urs Volker. They’ll stand up to the king.” I shrugged. “Plus, who knows where my brother is. He could be there, too.”
She whimpered. “Horace threatened to kill my family, too, if I didn’t break into Carclaustra.” Her chin quavered. “Everyone’s trying to kill my family and it’s all my fault.”
I shook my head. “No one’s trying to kill your family.” I deeply hoped that was true. “And in any case”—a heavy weight settled on my chest—“it’s my fault. All of this is. Horace is my brother, and the king and he only know of you because you’re my friend.”
We stood in heavy silence, the damp cold eating through layers of clothing down to my bones.
Misaki let out a groan. “I hate to say it, but I know how you two feel.”
I glanced up. “You do?”
She wound the line up in her hand, her eyes on the rushing water as raindrops beaded down her hood. “I’m trying to keep everyone safe, but Sora died—under my watch.” She shook her head. “It’s horrible. And it never would’ve happened if Captain Kenta was here.” She bit her full bottom lip. “Before he disappeared, he told me he thought I’d make a great leader someday.” She scoffed. “Some leader I’ve made. I can’t even keep my people alive. Which is why we need to find Kenta, but what if I’m just getting everyone killed trying to find him?” She groaned.
I lifted a brow. “So that’s why you want to find him so badly? Because he’s a good leader? No other feelings for him?” I raised my brows.
Misaki shot me a flat look. “Not you, too. He’s my captain, that’s all.”
A muscle jumped in her jaw and I had a feeling that was all I was going to get on that subject. I wasn’t sure if I believed her or not. I licked my lips. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re doing a great job.”
She sighed and let out a half-hearted, “Thanks.”
“Really.” I lifted my brows. “You’re decisive, and—and brave, and you know what you’re doing.”
Misaki kept her eyes on the water. She was tough to read.
I tried for a little girl talk. “So… no interest in any of the guys, then? How about Kai? He’s pretty beefy, and Ben was telling me everybody looks up to him.”
Misaki snorted. “The young guys look up to him, because they think he’s big and tough.” She shook her head.
“You disagree?” I cocked a brow.
“He wants prestige and flashiness, but the truth is it’s a tough job. And the pay isn’t the true reward, it’s keeping our people safe.” She shrugged. “Besides, the pay isn’t much. He has to be lying about that new sword of his. There’s no way it’s a real Honjo katana, but he wants everyone to think he’s so rich and cool.” She shook her head. “Captain Kenta could’ve had a Honjo, if he wanted one. His family’s wealthy enough, but he uses his government-issued sword because he always leads by example.”
I bit my lip. “So you’re not into Kai… what about Jun?”
She jumped and looked my way. “Why? Did he say something?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “The girls in town are always fawning all over him, wearing their finest kimonos for visits to his family’s tea house.” She sniffed. “Please, like we don’t all know what you’re up to.” She sighed. “But they do look pretty. Meanwhile, I’m over here covered in mud and river water, battling monsters and typhoons.” She blinked at the water.
I hesitated, debating if I should tell about Jun’s drawings of her. She jumped and her line pulled taut. “We’ve got one.”
We spent the next half hour or so busy reeling in a total of nine fish. Afterward, Maple and I turned our backs and let Misaki do the gutting on the riverbank. I held Iggy close, and Maple and I sucked up his warmth.
“I can’t look. Iggy, is it bad?”
I held the lantern up and my little flame looked over my shoulder at Misaki and the fish. When I lowered him, he’d turned green. “Gruesome.”
I quirked my lips to the side. “We know Misaki’s handy with a knife and plenty tough enough to kill—but would she go after Hank?”
Maple shrugged. “Maybe not him personally, but maybe she has a vendetta against his dad, the king.” She frowned. “She seems so nice though.”
I grinned at her. “You think everyone’s nice.”
She folded her arms and lifted her chin. “Well, most people are.”
Iggy shook his little flame head. “Oh, pure, innocent little Maple. I’m surprised your mom lets you go outside by yourself.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Done.”
“Gah!” Iggy startled and Maple and I jumped as Misaki appeared right behind us.
“And for the record,” she lifted a thick, straight brow, “if I wanted to kill someone, you’d know it. Because they’d be dead.” She walked on, a line of gutted fish strung over her shoulder. “Come on. And while we’re at it….” She turned to face us. “I shouldn’t have been talking like I was. Forget everything I said.”
I held up my palms. “Hey, I thought we were kind of bonding.”
“I guess I do find you guys easy to open up to.” She shrugged. “It’s probably because you seem so helpless and pathetic and nonthreatening.”
I folded my arms. “This is seeming like less of a compliment.”
She grinned. “See? So sensitive.” She spun around. “Let’s go eat.”
As we walked back, another thought occurred to me that I hadn’t even considered. What if Sora had planted the herb in Hank’s pack, and then been accidentally killed? Maybe none of the guards remained a threat to us, and I could relax a little.
We’d nearly reached our site, the comforting smells of rice and roasted vegetables and campfire wafting through the clean, rainy air. My stomach rumbled. “Sea snakes, that smells good.”
A cry rang out.
Maple and I exchanged wide-eyed looks, then followed Misaki and ran the last leg of the path back to camp.
16
The Jade Fish Necklace
I burst into the protective bubble with Iggy in hand. The rain ceased to beat against our hoods and shoulders in an instant. Jun looked up from where he knelt over a backpack, and Wiley and the rest of our friends rushed to meet Maple and me. Even Hank stood and moved over, slower than the rest.
“What is it?” Misaki threw back her hood and looked around. “We heard a shout.”
Jun rose to his feet, his face pale. “Ben and I were cooking and I needed some grated ginger.” His throat bobbed. “Kai’s carrying the spices, and I called for him, but he and Reo must be out of earshot.”
Misaki frowned and looked between Jun, Ben, and the other guards, whose names I hadn’t learned yet. “Why did they leave? Where are they?”
Ben stood from the pot he’d been stirring over the fire and shrugged. “Kai said they went to go talk. That Reo was having a hard time and needed some privacy to mourn.”
Jun looked pained as he held up a clenched fist. “I went to Kai’s pack to look for the spices and found this.” He turned his hand over and opened his white fingers. A jade fish lay in his hand, attached to a black leather string.
Misaki gasped and pressed a hand to her mouth. The whites shone all around her eyes and she looked from the necklace to Jun, then back to the necklace.
The color drained from Ben’s face. “That’s Captain Kenta’s necklace.” He blinked. “Why would Kai have it?”
Misaki jabbed a gloved finger at the necklace. “Captain told me his grandfather gave that to him. It’s been in his family for generations. He never took it off.”
Jun watched Misaki intently, as if gauging her reaction. “I agree, it looks bad, but we don’t know what it means.”
Misaki balled her hands into fists at her sides. She set her jaw, and her whole body trembled. “Oh. I think we do.” She shoved the line of fish at Ben and threw off her pack. She bent over, pulled her sword from the bag, and drew the b
lade from its sheath. “I’m off to have a word with Kai.”
“Wait!” Jun stepped in front of her.
Iggy grunted. “Someone’s got a death wish.”
I nodded my agreement. With that murderous look in her eyes and a sword in her hand, I would think twice about getting in Misaki’s way.
“Someone want to explain what’s going on?” Rhonda planted her hands on her hips. “I mean, I usually know way ahead of time.” She touched the spot on her forehead that glowed when she received a vision. “So I have a harder time than most when I’m out of the loop.” She turned to my friends and me and winked.
Oh, Rhonda.
Misaki side-stepped, but Jun blocked her way again. Her chest heaved, eyes fixed on Jun. “Get out of my way.”
He winced as though she’d slapped him, but stayed his ground. “Wait. We need to discuss this.”
“Hold on.” I stepped forward. Apparently I had a death wish, too.
Misaki shot me a murderous look, her face a splotchy mix of white and red. Her chest heaved and her nostrils flared.
“Hear me out.” I held up my palms. “Let me spy on them. I’ll see if I can overhear anything about the necklace or Kenta. Maybe he’ll confess.”
Misaki’s lip curled back in a sneer. “They’ll hear you coming a mile off. I’m going.” She flashed her eyes at Jun. “I’ll listen in on them, okay, before I act.”
I cocked my head. “You can get close enough to hear what they’re saying through the rain?”
She bared her teeth at me. “I’ll use an amplifying spell.”
Jun shook his head. “It’ll amplify the rain, too.”
She pressed her lips tight together. “But you can do it, because?” She lifted a brow at me.
I straightened my spine. “Because I’m a swallow. And I can turn into a bird, for instance, and hover on a branch above them.”
Misaki scoffed. “There it is. You think I’m an idiot? If we give you back your powers, what’s to keep you from escaping?”
I lifted my arms wide. “Escape? To where? The monster-infested forest? No thank you.” I pointed at myself. “You remember me and the fish, right? You called me pathetic.”
“And rightly so.” Iggy nodded his agreement.
“Thanks so much, buddy.”
Iggy nodded. “I got you.”
I shook my head but turned back to the fuming Misaki.
She glared at me. “You’d attack us.”
“Again, what would that accomplish?” I raised my brows at her. “Look, I promise I don’t have an ulterior motive. I want to know who planted that herb in Hank’s pack more than anyone, and it might be connected to that necklace. Plus, let’s say we attacked you. Even if we could find our way back to the town and manage not to get eaten by monsters, your people wouldn’t let us back in without you.”
Jun cleared his throat. “You know, there’s another possibility. Sora may have been the one who planted the herb.” He shrugged. “This may all be a nonissue at this point.”
Misaki shook her head. “What about Captain’s necklace then?” She blew a heavy sigh out her nose and resheathed her sword. “Fine.” She fished around in her pocket, then held her hand out. A small vial of red liquid rested in her gloved palm. She shoved the little glass bottle at me. “Drink this.”
I reached a hand out, but hesitated.
“Go on, drink it. We don’t know how much longer they’ll be out there.”
I grabbed the vial.
“Hold on.” Hank shuffled forward. “What’s in that? How do we know it’s safe?”
Oh, so now you care if I’m safe. I ignored him and pulled out the tiny cork.
“It’s the antidote to the darts we hit you with earlier.” Jun nodded. “It’ll give her back her powers.”
I tipped the liquid down my throat and it burned as it went down. I licked my lips. “Spicy.”
Hank shook his head at me, the bags dark under his eyes. “That could have been anything.”
I shrugged. “There have been a thousand moments I might have been killed in this forest, and now you’re concerned.” I was being a brat, I knew it, but I couldn’t understand him.
Hank’s face darkened. “Right. That’s right. You don’t care if you’re risking your own life, so why should I have anything to say about it? Join your murderous brother atop a volcano, break into the most dangerous prison in the kingdoms.” He flipped a hand. “Why should that be a concern for your boyfriend?”
I opened my mouth to speak, but closed it again. I didn’t even know where to start. My chest and throat burned hot with anger… and also the potion. I squared my shoulders and turned away from Hank to face Misaki. “I’m going. I’ll be back soon.”
“Be safe.” Maple squeezed my hand.
Letting my anger spur me on, I pulled sharply from the power of the falling rain and in a whoosh of magic, transformed into one of the orange-faced sparrows I’d spotted so often among the branches. I hovered midair, beating my wings without having to even think of them, like breathing. I looked down at Misaki’s upturned face, her mouth round in wonder. Jun nodded at me, turned, and pointed. “They went off that way.”
I dove forward and flew hard through the trees.
17
A Little Bird Told Me
I swooped under a branch, swerved left around a mossy tree trunk, then spread my feathers and arced over a pile of gray granite boulders. If I didn’t have a beak, I would’ve smiled. Whether it was a moth or a bird, I loved transforming into flying creatures. Was it as fun for Sam when he became a snake?
I scanned the trees for Reo and Kai and kept my earholes pricked. A strange sound brought me up short and I gripped a slender, leafy branch with my clawed feet and tucked my wings at my sides. I gave them a little shake to throw off the raindrops. Then I listened.
The rain rushed around me. Small animals and insects rustled in the treetops and scuttled along the rough bark of the trunks. And under it all came the sound of human voices. I puffed up my chest, crouched, and then leapt into the open air. It was an exhilarating rush. I’d never been skydiving, but it had to be similar. And then, as I fell, I opened my wings and flew toward the voices.
Glowing balls of light came into view—wands! I swooped closer and landed on a bare branch right above Reo and Kai. They’d certainly wandered deep into the forest—what did they need such privacy to discuss?
I hunkered low and held my wings close to my sides for warmth. I turned my head slightly to hear better.
Reo moaned and buried his face in his palms. “I have to tell them. I can’t live with this—it’s killing me.”
I froze. That didn’t sound good.
Kai paced, back and forth, back and forth, clearly agitated. He shook his head as he stomped around. “Get yourself together.” He cast a disdainful glance at Reo’s back. “A monster killed Sora.”
Reo lifted his face from his palms, his complexion red and swollen. Tears poured from his puffy eyes. “It was just supposed to be a prank. A stupid prank.” He moaned again.
What was this now? I gripped the branch tighter in my bird claws and leaned further out into the open air to catch every word.
“We all make mistakes. You need to let it go.” Kai stalked over and grabbed Reo by the shoulders. He gave him a rough shake.
“How?” Reo wailed. He hung his head and his shoulders shook with his sobs. “I killed my brother! I killed him!”
OMG. If I had eyebrows, they’d have jumped all the way to my hairline. I gasped—only, it came out a kind of squawk.
Reo and Kai looked up at me in an instant. And there I was, a little bird leaning way out from my branch, ear turned toward them, right above their heads. Not suspicious at all.
I froze and as Kai frowned and narrowed his eyes, I feared he was looking right through me. Sea snakes! Act like a bird, Imogen. Only, in my panic and surprise, I couldn’t quite remember how. I righted myself and toddled around on the branch, flapping my wings and randomly peck
ing at the air and the branch. That was what birds did, right?
“What is this?” Kai muttered.
I could feel his eyes on me. In a last-ditch effort to appear more birdlike, I attempted to make a bird noise. What did birds sound like again? My panicked brain latched on to something, I opened my beak, and— “Quack!”
I looked down at Kai’s darkening face.
Nope. That was wrong. I leapt from my branch and winged as fast as I could back to camp, my tiny heart thundering in my feathered chest. I’d heard Reo’s confession. I had to tell my friends! I swerved and dove and pushed myself faster and faster until I crashed through the protective bubble, pulled magical power from the rain again, and transformed back to my regular human self midair. I tumbled to the ground, somersaulted past the fire, and slammed to a stop, spread eagle on my back.
Maple’s face appeared over me, Iggy’s lantern dangling from her hand. “Are you okay?”
Iggy’s eyes twinkled. “You need to work on sticking your landing.”
Yann and Wiley reached down and took my hands. They hauled me to my feet and Maple dusted the leaves off my back. Misaki and Jun rushed over, along with the other guards and my friends. I locked eyes with Hank for the briefest of moments. His glassy eyes looked me over and his face relaxed, as though he was relieved.
“Well?” Misaki raised her brows at me, impatient.
I opened my mouth to speak, when Kai crashed through the tree line and skidded to a stop inside the magical bubble. Misaki frowned as she looked between us. “What’s going on?”
I backed up as Kai stomped straight for me. I pointed a trembling finger at him and shouted, “Reo confessed to killing his brother!”
Kai stopped in his tracks and everyone seemed to hold their breath.
Misaki’s throat bobbed and she turned to face Kai. “Is this true?”
Kai pressed his lips tight together and his chest heaved. He shot me a dirty look, then addressed Misaki. “Yes.”
Maple gasped and Ben’s jaw dropped. Misaki swayed on her feet. “And you kept this a secret?”