by Gina LaManna
We kissed with the laziness of a cat lounging in the sun before the moment intensified and he held me closer, desire running through my veins as our bodies pressed together from toes to nose.
“All right, break it up,” Millie called. I had no idea when she’d arrived, but apparently, she didn’t want to miss the send-off, either. My whole family save for my grandmother had shown up for the occasion—Andalina almost certainly didn’t approve.
“Coming,” I mumbled.
“I calculated your flight time and left it there for you, Ains.” She pointed toward the steering wheel. “You’re already pushing it if you want to make it before sunrise. It’s time to go.”
My smile fought between happy and sad, and I longed to stay put in Beck’s arms. However, he needed time to think, and I needed to take Fiona and Margot home. I needed to find Lily and then, after all that, I would have my answer from Beck.
Epilogue
The Isle
Blimpy landed seamlessly in the middle of an icy lake large enough to swallow a small country. There, on the horizon, was The Isle. It sparkled against the chilled Minnesota backdrop of blue skies and green trees. I knew from experience, however, that once I passed through the hexes and spells guarding this place, I’d be welcomed into a climate as tropical as the Caribbean islands.
My mission to bring the princesses home had gone off without a hitch. We’d arrived minutes before daybreak, and then I’d spent the day recovering from the flight and getting some rest. By nightfall, I was ready to leave the Frost Kingdom. I’d sailed underneath the stars and now, with the sun just barely peeking over the shoreline, The Isle was within sight.
As I navigated the boat into the water, I focused on maneuvering through the complex network of security spells meant to keep out accidental seafarers and other unwanted visitors. I referred to the list of safety precautions my father had laid out on a clipboard that he’d tucked away in Blimpy when his memory had started to worsen. I made good time, shivering as the frigid winds ruffled my hair.
A long time ago, our kind had become endangered. Witches and wizards, gnomes and giants, shifters and vamps—we’d been species hunted by humans. Instead of fighting back and causing incredible damages to humankind, our ancestors had decided to disappear from the world as it existed.
We went into hiding, some of us choosing to remain among the humans on the mainland, masking our powers and covering our paranormal tracks with careful precision. Others had decided they didn’t want to hide their powers; these were the people who’d created The Isle.
I’d arrived at the final wall before the waters of the island, and I said the words of the spell found in my father’s notes. When I finished, I waited, listening, watching for a sign that I’d unlocked the protective crystals.
Nothing happened.
I hesitated, debating if I should try it again. Maybe I’d mumbled? The last time I’d been to the island was on a vacation with my father. I hadn’t exactly been paying attention as we’d sailed the waters—I’d been a teenager too busy sunbathing on the deck.
Then, just before I gave up hope, a jolt of electricity sizzled nearby. A slice appeared in the air before the boat, beginning at the surface of the ocean, climbing higher and higher, as if someone had unzipped an opening in the very atmosphere itself.
Piloting the boat through, I exhaled as a wave of warmth greeted me. The air in the middle of Lake Superior was cold year-round, freezing during the worst months. However, as I sailed through the glimmering array of spells, the goosebumps faded from my arms and I inhaled the salty scent that signified island air, thanks to a nifty Caribbean Charm.
I docked the boat, handing the ropes off to a man my dad had called Kenny in his instructions. The big man nodded and smiled, then secured my boat without speaking. I climbed up the beach, winding my way up a path toward civilization.
White sand beaches extended in every direction, the beautiful blue water a crisp reminder of everything The Isle had to offer. I’d had the option to move here after school. I’d debated it, going so far as to consider a career with the elite Ranger Program, but women hadn’t been traditionally accepted. In the end, my mom had convinced me to stay closer to home. When I’d been accepted as a Guardian, that had sealed the deal.
In the distance, a pink and purple beach house that reminded me of a dollhouse rose out of the sand. It was the bungalow, I thought, remembering the layout of the map my father had given me. This was her home.
I jogged the rest of the way up, pausing in the sandy front yard, just before a hammock dangling on the front porch. A tiki bar was attached to the house with a sign tacked haphazardly above it that made me smile: Magic & Mixology.
The windows were wide open, and I found myself drawn to the figures moving about inside.
There, in a storeroom lined with all shapes and sizes and colors of vials, a familiar face caught my eye.
Lily Locke, my charge for the last two years, lifted a cup of coffee to her lips, smiling at something a woman to her left had said. She looked happy, her eyes crinkled with laughter, her shoulders relaxed. My heart warmed as I watched her giggling with the two girls—one of them blonde as a sunflower, the other dark as ink—her cousins, if I remembered correctly.
Back at Lions Marketing, Lily had been stressed more days than not, working long, hard hours for little reward. Her list of friends had consisted of me—her Guardian—and a bartender named Jesse. Other than the two of us, she’d been alone. It made my heart ache with happiness to find that she’d finally discovered the place where she belonged. Lily was home.
Next to the girls sat Mimsey and Trinket, Lily’s aunts. I’d met them briefly when they’d delivered The Magical Assessment for Normal Folks to the mainland, and it was they who’d convinced me that Lily would thrive on the island. From what I was seeing, they hadn’t been wrong.
An old man with a cane clacked around in the background. That would be Lily’s assistant, Gus. I took one step toward the bungalow, prepared to climb the steps and surprise Lily, when a leathery hand reached out and encircled my wrist.
“Hello, Ainsley,” a low, gravelly female voice said. “Come with me, and don’t let them see you.”
I turned to find an old woman dressed in a velour purple tracksuit, jewels bedazzling every available surface. Even her shoes sparkled silver in the sun. Her lips were colored pink, a glitter gloss helping them match her outfit.
“How do you know my…oh, you’re Hettie.”
“Darn tootin’! I’m Lily’s grandmother.” She nodded proudly. “I knew you were a smart one. Now move it, woman. We have got to talk.”
We moved it all the way back to Blimpy, where Hettie invited me onto my dad’s boat. “Care for something to drink?” she asked as I sat down. “We’ve got…well, you brought nothing good. You could’ve at least picked up some Coca Cola from the mainland while you were there. It’s scarce out here.”
I waited until she closed my fridge and sat down. “I assume you’re here to give me my next assignment?”
“The maid you wondered about,” Hettie said, ignoring my question. “She’s here, safe.”
“The one who worked for the Frost King?”
“I thought you’d like to know,” Hettie said. “She’s chosen to stay on the island with us.”
“That’s wonderful,” I said. “Thank you for making her feel welcome. And Lily? Will I get to see her?”
Hettie shook her head. “Now is not the time. I’m sorry I had to take you away from Lily, but your reunion must come another day.”
“What do you mean?”
“Have you heard of The Faction?”
“Yes,” I said. “A rogue group of witches and wizards who would like to rule the world and take humans as their slaves.”
“We need to stop them. They’re growing too big, too dangerous to ignore, and they’ve begun an attack on us, on the island—the one place that is supposed to be safe for our people.”
“What can I do to he
lp?”
“Join us,” Hettie said. “I can’t explain now, but I need to know the answer to one question.”
I blinked. “What’s the question?”
Hettie leaned forward, her tongue running a nervous pattern across her lips, her eyes glittering stones, firm as they cut into my soul. “When Lily needs your help, will you be there? Without question?”
This time, there was no hesitation. “Yes.”
“Good.” Hettie extended a hand, shook mine, and then sat back. “That’s all I can tell you for now. I needed to know if, when the storm arrives, you’ll be on our side.”
“For Lily, anything.”
“Great,” she said. “Then expect a call from us soon. In the meantime, you’ll need to rest before you can fly. Are you heading straight home?”
“I have business in the Iron Range first.”
“Well, look at that, you little travel bug! Come with me, then. I have a place to show you.”
Hettie didn’t leave me much of an option as she dragged me across beachy shores, the sand white as flour, fine as sugar. We entered a complex labyrinth she called The Twist a short time later.
“You’ll get lost in here if you don’t have West Isle Witch blood,” she cackled over her shoulder. “Stay close if you ever want to make it out alive.”
I got the sense she was only partially kidding, so I stuck to her like honey. A short time after entering the maze, she stopped abruptly and pointed upward. I followed her finger and found, to my surprise, the makings of the greatest tree fort ever built.
“My husband made it for me,” Hettie proclaimed. “He’s gone now, but I think a piece of him still lives here with me. It’s a special place, so if you tell anyone about it, I’ll have to kill you.”
“I never know if you’re kidding.”
“Always assume I’m not.” She winked. “Now get up there before we’re found out. You can rest here for the day then set off after the sun goes down. If MAGIC catches you flying that ugly-ass boat during daylight, you’ll be wanted by ten different countries.”
“So I’ve heard,” I grumbled, climbing up a flimsy rope ladder.
When I summited the platform, however, my grumbling ceased as I fell speechless at the treasures around me. Platforms to the left, to the right, above—a kitchen, even, with a little heating element lit by fire. A book nook covered by fat pillows and squashy blankets. A hammock, perfect for naps.
I chose the hammock first, and Hettie settled into the book nook with a cup of tea and a volume of Lacey Luzzi the size of my thigh. “Sweet dreams, pretty girl,” she said. “I’ll see you when you wake.”
“I’ll just rest my eyes…”
As it turned out, resting my eyes took me until almost nightfall. I woke to the smell of Hettie cooking a pizza and swearing up a storm every time it lit on fire.
“Sorry,” Hettie said. “Looks like it’s granola bars for dinner.”
“It’s okay, I should really be going,” I said. “Plus, my mom packed some leftovers.”
Her eyes brightened. “What sort of leftovers?”
“Would you like to raid my cooler?”
“Lead the way, sister!” Hettie pointed toward the sky, as if directing a charging army. Then, she put her hand to her scalp, gave her gray hair a scratch, and shook her head. “Actually, I’ve got to lead the way out of here, else you’ll get stuck. Follow me, sister!”
I laughed, following Lily’s grandmother down the rope ladder, past the exotic blooms of The Twist, over the sugar-like shores. When we reached Blimpy, Hettie climbed aboard and took out a Tupperware container filled with mashed potatoes.
“How about I send you the Tupperware when I’m finished?”
“Keep it,” I said. “Really.”
“Great, I’ll trade you.” Hettie fished in her velour tracksuit and pulled out a tiny, glowing vial of purple liquid. “This is a Cloaking Charm. It’s good for a few flights during the day. I had the island’s Mixologist whip it up for you.”
“Lily?” My heart beat a little faster. “She’s already mastered Mixology?”
“She’s getting there. Mighty talented, and it’s thanks to you she ended up here.” Hettie reached over and rested her hand on my shoulder. “Thank you, Ainsley, for everything.”
I clamped my hand around the vial, and remembered my father’s words to Mr. Davis. “It’s my pleasure to serve when I’m able.”
Hettie winked. “That’a girl. Now, safe travels.”
“Wait,” I called as she turned away. I palmed the vial. “Did you tell Lily this was for me?”
“Now is not yet the time,” Hettie said, a smaller, tighter smile pulling her lips. “I’m sorry, but the time will come, sooner than you expect, and when it does, you’ll need to be ready, Ainsley, because there’s a storm heading our way that’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.”
** **
In accordance with Declan’s plan, I spent the rest of the week holed up in the Frost Kingdom awaiting further instructions. By the time the seventh day arrived with no word from Declan or Hettie, I was itching to return home. The second dusk fell upon the Iron Range, I set off in Blimpy, waving to my newfound friends in the Frost Kingdom.
I made the journey home in record time, pushing to land before the sun rose. When those first fingers of daybreak reached around the edges of the earth, Beck’s trial period would be over. Done. Complete. When he laid eyes on me, he’d either know me, or…he wouldn’t. If he’d chosen to stay in the mortal world, his memory would be wiped of our interactions completely. All of them.
My stomach knotted at the thought. For just a split second before landing, paralysis claimed me, and I was sucked into a loop wondering which of the two options would be the best, for both of us. If he didn’t remember my name, if I was nobody to him, I could go on with my day-to-day life, uninterrupted by those amber-shaded eyes, and he could proceed with his.
However, if he did remember, if he’d chosen to live among the paranormals, he was making a commitment—to me, to us, to whatever we might someday become. The thought was terrifying; what if we didn’t work out, and he was stuck in the magical world all because of me?
My legs shook as I guided the boat into its parking spot in my parents’ backyard.
“There you are,” my mother said, fluttering her hands about her face as she flew out the back door. “You’re back! How was it?”
I clasped her in a hug, welcoming the light scent of coffee and butterscotch that signaled I’d interrupted an early morning cookie session. As grateful as I was that she’d thought to rise early and greet me, I couldn’t help looking over her shoulder as she pulled back from our hug.
“There’s someone here to see you,” she said with a wink. “Can I get you a cup of coffee?”
“Who’s here to see me?” I asked. The backyard was dark, that gray-ish fog that lingered just before daylight broke through. “Coffee sounds good, thank you.”
“I’ll have it ready inside, but your friend just arrived out front.” My mother bustled into the house. A second later, the sound of plates clattering filtered outside, her voice following the ruckus. “Oh, there you are! Ainsley was looking for you. Great timing! She’s just landed out back.”
My heartbeat pulsed in my chest as I took a step toward the door. A shadow hovered near the edge of the entrance as the figure stepped outside. I wiped sweaty palms against my pants, thick, wool things that had been necessary up north but were now wildly out of place.
My breath stopped in my throat as I caught a glimpse of my visitor’s face. “Millie?!”
“You’re back!” Millie ran to me and wrapped me in a hug. “Look what I brought for you!”
Adrenaline eased into my veins, my fingers shaking as I accepted a huge book from her. “What is this?” I tried to sound cheerful, but I worried disappointment shone through. “And why did you come here so early?”
“Well, I figured you start soon at the library, and I wanted to get your employe
e handbook to you.” She grinned. “I figured you’d be eager to read it. I’ve read through it about four times. Oh, and here’s your gold library card—only available to employees. Neat, huh?”
I palmed the credit-card-like object. “Awesome. Thank you so much for…thinking of me.”
“You don’t like it?” Millie asked, her face falling. “I’m sorry, I should’ve let you get some sleep. What was I thinking bombarding you with work the second you got back from your assignment?”
“No, no, not at all.” I focused on Millie’s face, and her face alone. “I’m just a little exhausted, you’re right. This is great. Really. I appreciate you looking out for me…”
I trailed off, my eyes unwillingly straying away from her face.
“Ainsley?” She blinked and leaned in closer to examine my eyes. “You should get some sleep. You can hardly concentrate.”
“Beck,” I whispered.
There, behind Millie, was another figure. Framed by the doorway to the treehouse, legs dangling over the side, sat Beck. He gave a wave in my direction, a sheepish grin on his face. He called down a hello. “Don’t let me interrupt.”
“It’s him.” Millie’s hand flew out in her excited state and flailed about, smacking me in the stomach. “Oh, my gosh. Ainsley, that’s the human?!”
I was too busy catching my breath to speak.
“Gosh, I’m sorry.” Millie pulled me into a standing position and gave me an odd sort of Heimlich-maneuver hug. “He’s cute. I’m going to go now. Let me take that for you. Privacy—that’s what you need. Bye.”
She grabbed the employee manual back from me, snatched the gold card from my hand, and rushed into the house. The last thing I heard was my mother offering her a cup of coffee before I turned to face Beck.
“Hi,” I said, cautious but optimistic.
“Hi,” he said back. “Welcome home, Ainsley.”
That one simple word—my name, a piece of me that he knew, remembered—was enough. Then I realized the ridiculousness of my realization; if he hadn’t chosen to give up his humanity, he wouldn’t have been waiting in my treehouse.