by Laurie McKay
Though not as fast as Jasan, Maden was always much faster than expected. His size wasn’t a hindrance. It gave him reach; it gave him long strides. He drew his sword and swung it in a large, quick circle. Martin ducked, reloading his bow. He and Maden moved like a team, like his brothers always did when fighting an enemy.
Valon blocked Maden’s swing with his long sword. They faced each other.
“I always knew it would come to this,” Maden said.
He heaved Valon away. Valon hit against the mirror, partially blocking the view. The tablet made a strange beeping noise. In what view was left, Caden saw Maden raise his mighty broadsword and throw it.
The sword spun hilt over blade, and Valon darted from its path. The sword slammed into the mirror. Like splintered ice, the mirror cracked. The screen of Tito’s tablet fractured, too, and the tablet started to spark.
The image blinked. Another arrow whizzed past, its path jarred by the cracks in the screen. Valon charged Martin, grabbed his wrist, and tossed him against the wall. Martin’s bow flew from his hands, and he cradled his arm to his chest.
“Stop it,” Valon said.
“We’ve long tired of your orders,” Martin said.
Maden stood near Martin and pulled him to his feet. For a fleeting moment, something akin to remorse flashed in his expression. “It’s far too late to stop,” Maden said. “It can’t be undone.”
While Martin cradled his left arm, his right reached for something: a dagger, Caden suspected. Valon wouldn’t see it. His view was blocked by Maden.
“He has a dagger!” Caden yelled.
The tablet started to smoke and sizzle. The screen went black. Sounds of battle, of clanking metals and whistling arrows came from the tablet’s speaker. Then Caden heard, “It is too late”—that was Maden’s deep voice—“for you. For your orders. And it’s too late to find Landon,” before the scene went silent.
Wait? What? What did he mean it was too late to find Landon? The charred emblem flashed in his mind. Maybe Caden did know what he meant, but he couldn’t think about it now. The screen was black. There was no sound. What happened to the connection?
The tablet was still plugged into the wall. But the screen looked fractured, busted. It looked as if the broadsword had hit it from the other side, where it should have hit the mirror in the octagonal room.
Jane peered down at the tablet. “The screen shattered.”
Caden had too many thoughts racing through his mind to respond. That was a rare thing. Brynne sat back on her knees. She was a bit pale, likely drained from casting powerful telepathy spells on them all. “The sword broke it.”
Tito’s tablet was broken, and so was Caden’s family.
“Why did it break?” Tito said.
Brynne waited as if she expected Caden to speak. When he didn’t, she did. Brynne motioned to the sizzling device. “Since the connection was strong, the mirror and tablet were acting almost as one combined device . . . I think . . . so when the mirror broke, so did your tablet.”
Jane pushed at the tablet with one finger. It popped, and a large gold spark lit up the room.
“Huh,” Tito said. “I better unplug it.”
Landon’s charred emblem was in Caden’s jeans pocket. He brought it out and looked at it, traced the five star sapphires across the broken wing. How could this happen?
Rosa spoke slowly and evenly. “Explain exactly what’s happening.”
At moments like these, she reminded Caden of the Elite Guard: calm and capable even in periods of turmoil. A future Elite Paladin also should behave that way. Caden must concentrate on the matter at hand. Time for grief could come after the city was saved.
Then Caden and Sir Horace could ride out to where the rigging dagger was buried and bury Landon’s emblem beside it. For now, he put it in the pocket of the leather jacket. He told himself that Valon, Martin, and Maden hadn’t killed one another.
Caden spoke to Rosa. “My brothers are fighting. Maden and Martin have betrayed the others.” With Rosa, he felt it best to be direct, factual. “Just as there is a spell here, there is a connecting spell there. We must stop it here and trust that Valon survives and stops it there.”
Rosa wore an odd, unsure expression.
“Jasan fights for his life against villains in the woods. I must go help him.”
Rosa straightened and put her arm around Caden’s shoulders. “Whatever is happening with your family, I’m here, and I’ll look after you.”
Just as she finished speaking, there was a soft knock on the front door. The deadbolt turned, the door opened, and Officer Levine walked into the room. He had a key in one hand, groceries in the other.
His jacket was wet from the spotty rain, and a pine needle was plastered to his sleeve. He hung his coat on a small hook by the door. When he saw the broken, drenched tablet, and Rosa with her arm around Caden’s shoulders, he said, “What’s happened?”
“My brothers are killing one another,” Caden said. “While Jasan fights to stop them, to stop the spell, and to save himself and both realms. I have to go help him.”
Officer Levine raised his brow in concern. Rosa squeezed Caden tighter. “You’re safe,” she said.
That didn’t matter now. “We need to get to Biltmore Forest,” Caden said. “Jasan is fighting the villains. He’s in danger.”
Officer Levine nodded. “I’ll call it in.”
“Fine,” Caden said. “But he needs my help. He could bleed to death, and the local medics know nothing of magical wounds. I need to go to him.”
“I don’t want you getting hurt or put in danger,” Rosa said. “Let the police handle it.”
They finally both believed him and now wanted him to stay home? Caden wouldn’t do it; he needed to get to the forest. He jerked away from Rosa. Neither she nor Officer Levine acted as if they’d let him go. “I’m going to my room,” he said, and from his room, he’d escape and get to the forest.
As he rushed to the stairs, he heard Tito say, “I’ll go up with him.”
Caden flew to the attic room. It wouldn’t take long for Rosa and Officer Levine to figure out he planned to sneak away. While he couldn’t scale down the side of the house like Jasan, he had a perfectly good escape rope tucked under his bed beside his box of Ashevillian tech. His horse was outside. He would get to Biltmore Forest.
How many allies did Rath Dunn have? The wraith and the banshee and Mr. Faunt made three. How many others? What did Mrs. Belle mean, they’d see her true self tonight?
Jasan and Manglor were strong, trained, and formidable. But they were only two people. They would be outnumbered in the dark Ashevillian forest, and from what Caden had seen, most of the banished were dangerous and formidable, too.
Then there was Ms. Jackson. She would be there. She was old and powerful, and Brynne’s strong magic hadn’t moved her during the windstorm. She’d been less affected than even Rath Dunn. Ms. Jackson alone was a powerful foe.
When Tito got to the attic room, he started rummaging through his messy side of the taped line and stuffing random items into his backpack, but Caden paid him little attention. Instead, he checked his phone. Maybe Jasan had called. He hadn’t.
Caden’s steps made the planks beneath the carpet moan as he went to the window. He heard the tink, tink, tink of raindrops against the glass. Outside, clouds rushed across the sky. The moon disappeared behind them only to reappear a moment later like it couldn’t decide whether to shine or hide. It was about half-full. When morning came, he’d be cursed. Twice. Better to save them all before that happened. “I’m going to go help Jasan and Manglor.”
“Yeah, dude,” Tito said. “Why do you think I’m packing a bag? I’m coming with you.”
Tito was indeed a good and brave friend. Truth be told, Caden wasn’t even surprised. “You are a brother in the best sense then.”
“Yeah, I don’t hate you either,” Tito said. “I’ll text Jane and Brynne. If we’re going to fight murderous teachers in the woods, we’d b
etter sneak out now. The thing about Rosa and Officer Levine believing you? They’ll lock us in the house before they’ll let us fight monsters in the woods. We gotta get out of here quick.”
Like she knew what they were thinking, Rosa called up to them. “Caden? Tito?” she said. “Are you all right?”
Fast as an Autumnlands firefox, Caden grabbed the escape rope, opened the window, and let it down. He hesitated when he looked back at Tito. “If you come with me, Rosa will definitely—” What was it Tito always said? “Blow her top. She’ll be angry and disappointed.” Disappointing Rosa was Tito’s greatest fear.
Tito blanched. “Well, she hasn’t gotten rid of you, and she thought you were completely nuts.” He swallowed. “Just because she won’t adopt me doesn’t mean she won’t keep me. Even if she is mad.”
Caden swung his leg over the window ledge. “If I tried, I could convince her to adopt you. She just needs to believe the rest of us would be okay with it. And we are.”
Tito couldn’t hide his hopeful expression, but then he shook his head. “I don’t think that’s the type of thing someone other than me should talk to her about.”
“Caden?” Rosa called again. He heard her walking up the stairs. She seemed to be getting faster with each step. “Tito?”
Tito swung his backpack across his shoulders. “First let’s survive tonight. Then we can deal with my issues.”
They were in the yard a moment later and running for the woods. Caden heard Rosa calling for them from the open window. Then she heard her yelling, “Harold! The kids are gone!”
Brynne and Jane were waiting for them on the hillside where the yard gave way to trees. Brynne held Jane’s hand as if she’d led her, and Caden feared Jane’s eyesight had worsened further. Truly, this spell must be stopped for all their sakes and for the sake of the city. “You escaped as well?” Caden said.
“Brynne set the curtain on fire,” Jane said. “We ran out while Rosa went upstairs and Officer Levine put it out.”
“You set Rosa’s house on fire?” Tito said.
“Just the curtain, I’ve learned to do a small burn,” she said, and beamed. “You’re not fighting villains without us.”
One thing was certain: if they survived, they would suffer Ashevillian grounding punishment for the rest of their days. Of this, Caden didn’t doubt.
The night was cold and smelled of rain and the smoke of Ashevillian chimneys. Caden’s boots squelched in the mud. Clouds, backlit by the partial moon, zoomed across the sky, keeping the moonlight scattered and the drizzle inconsistent. All in all, it was a miserable night to fight a tyrant.
“Sir Horace will take us to Biltmore Forest,” Caden said.
“Sir Horace isn’t here,” Brynne said.
Sir Horace was near. Caden had seen him at the edge of the forest at dusk, and he often stayed within hearing distance this time of night. Caden ignored Brynne and whistled. As soon as he did, the pounding of hoofbeats echoed from uphill.
“He’s always here when I need him,” Caden said.
Tito shielded his phone from the rain and mapped out directions to Biltmore Forest. Jane clutched her Enchanted Hammer of Smashing.
Caden asked about the hammer.
“For enchantment smashing,” she said. “And also villain smashing.”
It seemed Jane was ready to fight.
Sir Horace thundered from the woods a moment later and fell in line beside Caden. Caden patted Sir Horace, and his steed’s hair was slick, cold, and flat. “This is a bad night for a battle,” he said.
“Are there good nights for battle?” Tito asked.
The wind howled above them. “There are better ones than this one,” Caden said.
Brynne shielded her face from the stinging drizzle. “Can Sir Horace carry all four of us?”
Sir Horace was a Galvanian snow stallion. If any horse could hold them all, it was him. And although strong, Jane was small. She wouldn’t be much extra to carry. Caden signaled Sir Horace to kneel. “He can carry us, but you must all hold on tightly.”
From the edge of the trees, flashlight beams danced in the woods. “Tito! Jane!” Rosa seemed frantic. She called out into the rain. “Brynne! Caden!”
But Caden would have to wait until later to feel guilty for disobeying her. He had to help Jasan. Sometimes even the correct choice had consequences.
Tito looked back like he wanted to run to her, and Caden grabbed his hand. “You can text her from the forest. But we have to go now.”
“Yeah,” Tito said, and snatched his hand away. “I know, bro.”
Caden climbed onto Sir Horace’s mighty back. Tito and Jane squeezed on after him. Brynne got on last and in the back. With a swift command, Sir Horace stood. There was no indication the weight was too much. Inwardly, Caden felt a wave of relief. He asked much of Sir Horace, and Sir Horace never complained.
Caden commanded Sir Horace to run, and Sir Horace galloped through the woods and carried the four of them like he enjoyed the challenge.
It wasn’t long before they entered Biltmore Forest. The woods seemed darker, damper, and more alive. The wind whipped between tree trunks. Caden slowed Sir Horace to a trot.
Tito pointed over Caden’s shoulder. “Listen.”
From the direction Tito pointed, voices carried. Lots of them. Beams of light that Caden recognized as flashlights waved about. The villains were also traveling through the woods.
“They must be going to the location now.”
“We should move on foot from here,” he whispered. “So as to go unnoticed.”
Sir Horace knelt, and they got off. Tito took Jane’s hand to help her navigate the night-bound woods. Brynne gestured to the lights and noises ahead of them. She spoke softly.
“Caden and I will follow the group,” she said. “Jane, you and Tito should cut uphill and across. We’ll stay in contact using our phones.”
“Good idea,” Caden said. “If we have to fight, it might be to our advantage to approach from multiple sides.”
“And you think we’re going to have to fight?” Tito said.
Jasan and Manglor were outnumbered. If Caden wasn’t certain before, the noise and ruckus of the group moving downhill had convinced him. Caden tried calling Jasan; he tried Manglor. They weren’t picking up, but if they were staking out the villains, they might have turned off their phones so as not to give themselves away.
“Yes.”
“Great,” Tito said. He set his backpack on the ground and pulled out a flashlight. He also held a stick. “For fighting,” he said. “Which one do you want?”
Caden considered the two items. Neither was a sword. “The stick.”
Tito held the flashlight at the ready. “I guess all those mornings running the mountain are about to pay off, huh?”
“I think so,” Jane said.
“See ya, Your Highness,” Tito said, and they dashed up the hill and into the dark. Caden felt a surge of pride. Jane and Tito were indeed fast. They’d trained well.
“We should hurry, too,” Brynne said.
Caden and Brynne chased after the lights and noises. Sir Horace kept his head down and his eyes toward the front. He walked in measured steps. Galvanian warhorses were trained to be quiet when needed. After several minutes, they got close enough to see.
There was a large group marching through the forest. Ms. Jackson glided in the middle of it. She looked like a beautiful and dangerous phantom. But her beauty disappeared when the moonlight passed over her. Her cheeks became sunken in, her hair and nails yellowed.
The large school nurse tromped behind her. The ground sank and squelched where the nurse trudged. She carried someone over her shoulder. The person was draped in a dark fabric, but when light hit her hands, he could see meticulously polished red nails. It was Mrs. Belle.
After her words at the assembly, Caden had hoped she would put up more of a fight.
The trees moaned and swayed around them. Wet leaves sailed through the woods. One slapped agains
t Caden’s cheek.
Brynne’s phone flickered. She looked at it, then spoke to Caden. Her voice was as quiet as the flap of a whisper moth’s wings. “Tito and Jane are behind a small rock, just uphill of the crowd,” Brynne said. “They count fourteen villains.”
He motioned to Brynne, and they snuck closer.
The villains in view were a monstrous group. Under the darkness and the scattered moonlight, the teachers didn’t look like their normal human selves. The new music teacher, the banshee, opened his mouth as if to scream. His jaw stretched wide, and Caden saw rows and rows of spiraling teeth. Ms. Levers, the blood wraith, had eyes that were red and glowing in the dark.
Then there were Mr. Faunt and Mrs. Grady, the math teachers. Stout Mrs. Grady carried a bone club almost as large as she. When a small tree got in her way, she clobbered it, and the trunk snapped in two. Mr. Faunt slashed the underbrush with long, tapered fingernails that cut like blades. Mr. Frye followed, floating as if made of mist. As did Mr. Limon; in the moonlight, his prominent brow had massive and curled horns.
The villains trudged together in a monstrous midnight parade.
“I don’t see Rath Dunn,” Brynne said.
Caden considered his arm. He hadn’t thought about it, but the blood dagger wound had started to ache dully after they’d dismounted from Sir Horace. It was still faint but it was there. “Be careful. He’s here somewhere.”
“I don’t see Jasan or Manglor either.” She checked her phone. “Neither do Jane and Tito.”
“They’ll stay hidden until they think it’s most advantageous to attack.”
Brynne checked the time. “It’s almost midnight. Something will happen soon.”
And then something did.
Skittering noises came from behind and zoomed toward them. Caden and Brynne whipped around. Something bumped against Caden’s boots. He grabbed his cell phone from his jacket pocket and used it to light the ground. Small, dark forms funneled across the forest ground. Mice. Rats. Rodents of varying sizes.