by Maya Grace
To protect her? Ella wondered. And me?
The fisherman staggered backward, leaving his fish behind. Then he took off running.
Soon, a low murmur spread throughout the jungle village. Faces lined the rope bridges overhead. Men and women spilled out onto the decks of their treehouses to see the birds below.
“Come on,” urged Gran, pulling Ella away from the market.
But Rowan was still in the library! And where had Jack’s ocelot gone?
“Wait!” cried Ella. “We can’t leave Rowan!”
“We have to,” said Gran, so sternly that Ella’s breath caught in her chest.
Now the villagers were spilling down from the trees, climbing ladders and swinging from ropes. They were pointing and whispering. And some had begun to shout out.
Above the buzz of the crowd, Ella heard the yowl of the ocelot.
Then she heard something else. She heard a villager holler above the crowd.
“It’s the witch! The witch who speaks to animals!”
CHAPTER 8
Ella stumbled, tripping over tree roots as Gran pulled her back into the safety of the jungle. Then she realized Taiga wasn’t with her. He had stayed behind, snarling and snapping at the suddenly angry crowd.
“Taiga, come!” cried Ella.
He barked and then tore after her into the woods.
But where was Rowan? We can’t leave her behind! thought Ella, squeezing back hot tears.
Finally, Gran stopped running. Because there was nowhere else to run. They’d reached the edge of the stream. Again.
Gran teetered there, as if she might jump into the roaring water. As if it might beat the alternative—facing the crowd of villagers who thought she was a witch.
But then Gran closed her eyes and took a deep breath. And Ella saw her transform back into the grandmother she knew—the one who would never, ever leave Rowan behind.
“Ella,” she said, sinking down onto a stone. “This is what’s going to happen.”
Those six words turned Ella’s blood to ice. “No, Gran,” she said, not wanting to hear whatever was coming next.
“Listen!” Gran reached out and squeezed her hands. “The villagers are going to come for me. And I’m going to let them.”
“No!”
“Yes. Ella, listen. You need to find Rowan. And then you need to leave—leave the jungle village. Follow Jack’s ocelot, but be sure Taiga doesn’t scare her away. You’ll need that cat, do you understand? She’ll lead you to Jack.”
Ella nodded, but tears were spilling down her cheeks.
Gran pulled her into a tight hug. Then she pushed her away. “Ella, go,” she said. “Take Taiga and go.”
Ella took one last look at her grandmother, who looked strong as a statue standing beside that river. Like an iron golem, guarding her home—or her grandchildren. She no longer looked scared. She looked stoic. Strong. Unbreakable.
I hope she is, thought Ella. Please be okay, Gran. Please be okay!
It wasn’t until Ella had followed Taiga halfway back to the village that a new worry flooded her mind.
Will we be okay? she wondered. How can we go on without Gran?
She raced along the jungle path, eager to find Rowan. Because Rowan was a warrior. Rowan would know what to do.
Unless, thought Ella with horror, the villagers have taken Rowan too!
* * *
Snap!
A twig broke beneath Ella’s foot. She held her breath, wondering if the villagers had heard.
She’d made it back to the market now. Even Taiga seemed to be tiptoeing, his ears pricked forward and his eyes trained on the cluster of people surrounding the well.
Was Rowan one of them? Ella strained her eyes to see. Where had her cousin gone?
A stray parrot sat on the well. Then Ella saw the fisherman approach—raising his bow and arrow.
“No!” Ella cried out without thinking. “Don’t hurt Gran’s bird!”
But someone else had hollered too.
Then Ella saw Rowan—fierce Rowan—sprinting across the market with her trident in hand. Before the fisherman could fire an arrow, Rowan had knocked the bow out of his hands with her trident.
He stared at her in shock, and then anger. “Get the girl!” he hollered, pointing.
Ella saw the villagers snap to attention. She could feel the heat of the mob—the villagers who thought that Gran was evil. That the parrots were evil. And now, that Rowan was evil, too, for trying to protect the birds.
“Rowan!” Ella cried from her hiding place in the woods. “Here!”
Rowan’s head whirled around. When she caught sight of Ella, she flew toward her, nearly knocking her over. “C’mon!” Rowan cried.
Ella grabbed her backpack and followed as fast as she could—hoping that she’d be fast enough.
Taiga barked as he tore through the jungle beside them.
Ella was running for her life right now, and Taiga seemed to know it. He was going to be there with her every step of the way.
* * *
“Rowan, stop!” Ella cried. She couldn’t sprint anymore. She could barely even breathe.
She sank to the ground hoping to rest, if only for a few seconds.
“Not there!” hollered Rowan. “Here—we have to hide.” She pulled Ella backward toward a bush.
Ella climbed under the cover of the tangled leaves and vines, and Rowan followed. Taiga sat panting in front of the bush, as if standing guard.
When Ella had finally caught her breath, she looked over at her cousin. Rowan’s red hair hung loose from her ponytail. Dirt was smeared across her cheek. And her green eyes had never looked so wild.
Rowan met her gaze. “Where’s Gran?” she asked.
Ella started to cry—she couldn’t help it! Her chest heaved once, and then twice, before she could speak. “They took her,” she said. “The villagers. They think she’s a witch, because of the parrots.”
Rowan’s face turned to stone. “We have to go back for her,” she said, pushing up off the ground.
“No! Gran said not to. She said we have to find Jack. His ocelot will show us the way.”
Rowan scoffed. “What ocelot? I don’t see one, do you?”
Ella peered through the thicket. They’d been running for fifteen minutes now—straight through the jungle. They’d left the ocelot behind long ago, she suddenly realized.
“Maybe Taiga could find her,” she said, thinking out loud.
“No. He’d scare her away,” said Rowan.
Maybe so, thought Ella. Having Taiga track the ocelot wasn’t the best idea. But what choice did they have? They couldn’t go back into the village for a map, or to ask someone for help. They might be snatched up by the villagers, just like Gran!
“Taiga can do it,” she said, more firmly this time.
He whined from outside the shelter, cocking his head as if to say, Do what?
“Find the ocelot,” she whispered, reaching through the branches to scratch his head. Find Jack’s ocelot. But don’t hurt her! And don’t scare her away. Promise me, buddy. We need you.
He gazed back at Ella, his golden eyes so wise and full of warmth that she wanted to cry all over again. He wanted to help her, she could tell. That’s all Taiga ever wanted to do.
He barked with excitement and jumped to his feet.
As they left the shelter of the leaves, Rowan was still mumbling. “It’s a bad idea,” she kept saying.
But Ella ignored her.
I trust my wolf, she thought to herself. He won’t let me down.
* * *
Darkness was falling again. Ella could feel it more than see it. She shivered and quickened her pace.
Up ahead, Taiga sniffed the ground. The leaves. The trees.
“Will he ever stop?” asked Rowan from behind.
Ella turned, surprised to see her cousin so tired. Usually Rowan was in the lead. Rowan was the fighter, eager to press on ahead. But now, she looked defeated.
So I
have to take charge, Ella realized.
“He’ll stop soon,” she said. “The ocelot couldn’t have gone far. We’ll find her soon.”
Rowan heaved an enormous sigh, as if to say, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
That’s when Taiga growled.
Ella froze, keeping her body still as her eyes scanned the trees and bushes ahead.
“Where is she, buddy?” she asked her wolf.
He growled again and began pawing the base of a jungle tree.
Ella raised her eyes slowly, not wanting to startle the ocelot.
But as her gaze traveled up, up, up, it finally stopped—and she found herself staring straight into the glowing red eyes of an enormous spider.
CHAPTER 9
The spider let out a slow hiss. Then, before Ella could move, it scuttled forward, crawling down the trunk of the tree.
Grab your sword, Ella told herself. Do it! Now!
But she was frozen.
The spider crept closer, its fuzzy limbs reaching toward her through the darkness of the night.
Taiga snapped and snarled, trying to climb the base of the tree—to get to the spider before the spider got to Ella.
But something got to it first.
An ocelot.
As she leaped from a higher branch, she knocked the spider from its perch. The fuzzy mob hit the ground with an ear-piercing squeal.
It scuttled sideways, its red eyes trained on the wild cat. But the ocelot sprang again, snarling. She swiped at the spider with her claws, lifting it from the ground and sending it sailing into the thicket.
Ella heard the crunching of leaves and twigs as the spider scurried away. And then she fell to her knees.
The ocelot leaped up onto a rock, staring down at Ella.
“You did it, girl,” said Ella. “Did you do it for me—or for Jack?”
Taiga whined and wiggled his body between Ella and the ocelot, as if to say, She’s mine!
“It’s okay,” said Ella, hugging him close. “I’m yours. This cat belongs to Jack. But we owe her a thank you, don’t we?”
“How do you know it’s Jack’s ocelot?” asked Rowan as she crept up behind Ella.
“I know,” said Ella. “See the arrow stuck in her fur?”
As soon as Ella had a firm hold on Taiga, the cat began to slowly, carefully, climb down from the rock. With each step, the broken arrow bobbed side to side. Sure enough, this was Jack’s ocelot.
Poor thing, thought Ella, wishing again that she could help.
But the cat wouldn’t let her come near. Instead, it began its game of Follow the Leader again, leading them down the trail and then checking back to be sure they were following.
Ella felt Taiga relax beneath her hand. He won’t scare the ocelot, she knew. Because I asked him not to.
Sure enough, as she released her hand, he stayed in step with her, never running too far ahead.
The four of them moved through the jungle, slowly at first. But when the ocelot saw that the others were following, she quickened her pace—slipping through bushes and around tree trunks. Ella and Rowan had to jog to keep up, holding their torch high to light the trail.
Ella fought back sleep, trying to stay alert. She listened for mobs. She searched the bushes, too, for glowing eyes or the gleam of a skeleton bone.
When a branch slapped against her face, she cried out—startled. But as she pushed her way through the thick brambles, she saw something.
A tower of moss-covered cobblestone rose before her.
The temple!
It was lit by torches, as if someone had been there recently—or still was. Was it two stories high? Or three? Ella marveled at the building, which was so covered in moss and vines that she might not have even seen it, if the ocelot hadn’t led her straight to it.
Rowan was already running toward the temple, and Taiga whined, wanting to run too.
“Rowan, wait!”
Ella couldn’t see an entrance. And where had the ocelot gone? She searched the ground, and then the trees above.
There! The wild cat had climbed a tree that stretched out over the temple. She crept out along a low branch, and there she sat, gazing down—as if to say, This is as far as I go.
Ella took a deep breath. “Okay, Taiga, let’s go,” she said.
The wolf-dog took off like a shot.
They followed Rowan round and round the base of the temple, searching for an opening. When Ella passed a torch, she reached up to grab it to help light the way.
Finally, she heard Rowan call to her.
Rowan was kneeling on a stone, pointing at something. There, nestled against a patch of moss, was an empty potion bottle. The neck of the bottle led them toward a dark, gaping entrance nearly hidden within the maze of cobblestone walls.
“Jack’s showing us the way!” Ella cried.
The entrance led them down a mossy corridor. Ella pushed her way through a curtain of vines and then followed Rowan toward a staircase. One set of stairs led up. The other led down.
Ella shivered, imagining a dank basement like the one at Gran’s house. “Let’s go up,” she said.
She was surprised when Rowan let her take the lead.
Taiga followed them up the stairs, sticking close to Ella’s side. But the upper level of the temple revealed nothing but windows. The moon was rising once again over the jungle, casting dark shadows over the carpet of vines below.
“Slow down to appreciate one beautiful thing every day,” Ella said out loud. It’s something Gran liked to say.
But as she locked eyes with Rowan, Ella felt a lump rise in her throat.
Gran’s not here to enjoy it, she remembered. And there’s no time to slow down now.
Rowan hurried back down the staircase, and then around the bend toward the second set of stairs. “Jack!” she called out, as if their cousin would suddenly appear in the middle of this tower of stone.
Ella followed quickly, trying to keep up. She slipped on the second to last step and tumbled into Rowan’s back.
As Rowan held out one arm to steady her, she pointed with the other. “What are those?”
Ella glanced over her shoulder. Three large levers protruded from the stone. “I don’t know,” she said. “But don’t touch them, okay?”
Too late. Rowan was already playing with the levers, pulling one down and then another. When nothing happened, she lost patience and started down another hall.
“It’s too dark,” called Ella. “Take the torch!”
But as soon as Rowan did, Ella wished she hadn’t given it up. She had to feel her way down the cobblestone hallway, just to be sure she didn’t trip.
Then Rowan shrieked from the end of the hall, sending a redstone current down Ella’s spine.
As Ella raced to her side, she saw it too—something that brought her to tears. Rowan was holding a backpack.
Jack’s backpack.
As she gave it a gentle shake, they heard the tink-tink of potions inside.
“Jack would never leave those behind!” Ella cried. “Jack! Where are you?”
She convinced herself for a brief moment that he was standing right next to her—that he had guzzled a potion of invisibility and was just playing a trick.
But as she waved her arm around, calling his name, she knew with certainty. Jack wasn’t here. Something had happened to Jack!
Ella grabbed the torch from Rowan’s hand and swung it around the room, hoping to find a clue. Another hallway stretched into darkness. As Ella started down it, Taiga barked a warning. He took off, brushing past Ella so that he would be first.
First to set off the tripwire.
It’s a trap! Ella realized—too late.
As she watched in horror, the wall opened up, releasing a barrage of arrows.
Thwack, thwack, thwack!
As she dropped the torch in surprise, the room went dark.
And Taiga let out a piercing yelp.
CHAPTER 10
Rowan scooped the torc
h from the floor just as Ella reached Taiga. In the dim light, she saw him lick his fur. She felt the warm blood.
“He’s hurt!” she cried. She gathered the hem of her cape in her hands and pressed it against Taiga’s side, hoping to stop the bleeding.
Rowan stepped closer with the torch. “Let me see,” she said. “Was it an arrow?”
When Ella took the cloth away, she could see the wound in the light. It was bleeding, but it wasn’t deep.
“He was only grazed,” said Rowan, blowing out her breath.
Ella buried her face in Taiga’s fur, whispering a thank you to the universe. She thought of the ocelot outside, with the broken arrow in her side. Had she set off the tripwire too? Is that how she’d gotten hurt?
As Ella pulled Taiga into her arms, the temple around her felt darker somehow, and dangerous—as if more traps and tripwires were waiting around every corner.
“Let’s get out of here,” she said to Rowan. “Jack’s not here.”
Rowan nodded.
They hurried up the steps and back out the entrance. But as the chilly night air hit Ella’s face, she heard something.
A hiss. And then a yowl. The ocelot dropped from the tree branch down to the ground, blocking Ella’s path.
When Ella jumped backward in surprise, Taiga began to growl.
“No, hush!” cried Ella, reaching down to quiet her dog. But her own skin prickled with fear. Why was the ocelot hissing at her?
She stared into the animal’s eyes, wishing she could communicate with her the way she did with her wolf. “What is it?” she asked the wild cat. “What do you want me to do?”
The cat yowled again and began to pace. She stepped toward the temple, and then away again.
“She wants us to go back inside,” said Rowan. “We missed something.”
Ella shivered. She didn’t want to go back inside. Taiga had been hurt, trying to protect her. What would happen next?
She dropped down beside her wolf and checked his side again. The bleeding had stopped, but he shrank away from her hand, as if the site of the wound were still tender.
“What do we do?” Ella asked Taiga.
He barked once, as if to say, “Go. Follow her. Find Jack!”
Taiga is a warrior, like Rowan, Ella thought again. And I have to be too.