by Matt Ryan
“I made another stone,” Bridget said.
“Good. You watch the front while I make one.”
I dumped the ingredients in and whipped the spoon around until the stone bounced around in the bowl. I grabbed it with a shaky hand and watched between the front door and the slider to the backyard while listening for the garage door.
“We’ve got this,” Bridget said.
“Who are you trying to convince?” We both chuckled.
Someone ran past the front door. I held on to my stone as they moved out of sight too quickly for me to react. An explosion rocked the house on the far side, near the garage door. They must have gotten through the exterior door and now they only needed to get past the interior garage door to breach the house.
“If we don’t make it through this,” Bridget started, “I wanted to let you know . . .”
“Save it, Bridget. We’re not going to die here.”
A man ran into the house through the front door. Bridget chucked her stone and struck the floor near him. The cloud burst around him and he fell to the white marble floor, where he skidded to a stop on his face.
“Nice,” I said.
“Cover me.” Bridget went back to the bowls and frantically mixed up another batch. Only a hiss and some steam appeared, but no stone. She grunted and tossed the ingredients to the floor and started mixing again.
The garage door blasted open, coming off the hinges and falling into the hallway. I threw my stone at the doorway, and it broke open. I couldn’t see the would-be intruders, but I heard bodies falling to the floor.
Bridget swirled another mix around, but failed to produce a stone once again. “Allie, make me one.”
I realized we were out of potpourri as Verity stepped over the two men at the front door. She was holding a mask in her hand, and she smiled. “You’re out already? That’s got to hurt. Quinn will be so mad when he finds out I’ve dispatched the both of you. But he’ll move on when I find Carly or Jackie to feed his desires.”
“Go to hell,” Bridget said.
Verity held two stones in her fingers. “Now, we can make this real easy. All you need to do is tell me where my brother and my son are.”
“If I knew where they were, I’d tell you,” I said. “It’s not like you could get to them, anyway.” I was attempting to stall long enough for our rescue crew to arrive. I looked over to Bridget and tried to tell her we should make a run for the slider. Maybe only one of us would make it, but it was better than both of us going down. And by the looks of Verity, she was close to tearing us both apart.
Verity took a step closer and sneered, winding up her throwing hand.
“Run!” I screamed, taking off toward the slider. Bridget moved right behind me.
I had only taken two steps outside before I ran directly into the chest of a man. I fell backward and landed on my butt. I scurried away from the man, whose face was covered, and noticed the group of people standing behind him.
He lowered his black scarf and revealed himself to me.
“Mark!” I gasped, and ran to him. “Verity’s in there with Bridget.”
Mark twirled his fingers, and two of the people behind him moved toward the door and tossed in stones. After the explosions, they ran in and grabbed Bridget. Her limp body bounced in their arms.
“Can we get out of here?” I asked.
Without answering me, he slammed a portal stone into my hand and we jumped.
The ground firmed under my feet and I took in my surroundings. I had never felt so lucky to breathe in a deep breath of pine forest air. It felt like freedom. The sun was setting below the trees and the light was dulled between the pine needles.
The area around us had been cleared for this jump point, which told me Mark and the others had been holed up here for at least a week or two. I scanned the surrounding forest, looking for the camp or town they were using, but there was nothing but forest.
“Where are we?” I asked Mark, and spent a moment taking in how good-looking he was in his black ninja-ish outfit.
“Northern California, north of San Francisco and near the coastline,” he answered before turning to me and picking me up in his strong arms. Then he kissed me as if he hadn’t seen me in a long time.
And for him, he hadn’t. The world had moved ahead a whole month while I was stuck in between worlds. I melted in his arms and kissed him back. Spending days in solitary had made me realize how important he was to me. He was my everything, and I knew he felt the same about me.
His lips left mine. “Has Quinn had you the whole time? I’ve looked the world over for you, but all our intel said you were gone until yesterday.”
“I think when we jumped, Quinn’s stone hit me at the same time and I must have floated in limbo for a while. I don’t remember any of it.” That was the answer I was going with, because the alternative was far too terrifying.
He caressed the sides of my head, as if he needed to get a good look at me, to make sure I was really right in front of him.
“I’m here.” I touched his face, and he took my hand in his.
“I know, but I just can’t believe you’re finally here. The second we found out Quinn had you holed up in his house . . .” He stopped talking and shook his head.
“He didn’t touch me. Bridget helped me escape before that maniac got the chance,” I said, answering the question that was written all over his face.
“Bridget,” he said, as if just then remembering she was there. He knelt next to where they’d laid Bridget down and brushed back her hair from her face. “She’s breathing. It must have been a freeze stone.” He pulled out a whistle and blew it.
A group of people reacted to the sound and came from what seemed like nowhere to rush to his side. They were all wearing black masks, and I searched their eyes for a sense of familiarity.
Bridget groaned and rolled onto her back. Another masked person came up to her and placed a stone on her hand. She pulled back and then her eyes shot open. A moment later she scrambled to her feet and looked around. “What the hell?”
“Mark saved us,” I explained. “But I don’t know who these people are.” I looked at the masked group surrounding us. “Is my mother here?” I stared at them as they pulled down their masks and revealed their faces. Kylie let her long braid fall down her chest and she was smiling as she walked up. Behind her, David’s red hair shone in the dull light and Wes walked up extending his hand to shake mine.
“So good to see you again, Allie,” Wes said. “Bridget.”
Kylie squealed and hugged me and then hugged Bridget. Bridget hugged her back and even patted me on the back.
“Are you still the Minitrepid?” I asked.
“Yes,” Bridget and Kylie answered in unison.
“When Quinn started an all-out war against your mom, people started running from or to her,” Kylie said, and looked down the path leading away from the circle.
“I can’t believe you pulled it off, Bridget,” David said.
“Pulled what off?” I asked.
“Let’s get to camp before mama Allie starts freaking out,” Bridget said, and walked out of the circle.
I realized how much I could have missed in the month I had been gone, and the questions buzzed around until I caught one. “Is Blane helping? How close is my mom?”
“I have no idea.” Mark shrugged. “I suspect she has him holed up somewhere, because she’s sent all of her resources to find rare items around the world. I think some are fake to throw off Quinn, but even if one in ten is real, this stone is going to be something very difficult to make.”
Watching him talk made me want to be alone with him. I wanted to get the Minitrepid out of this circle and tell Mark how much he meant to me.
“Come on, let’s head to town,” Mark said, and took my hand. “We can catch up to Bridget.”
“What was he talking about back there? What did she pull off?” I asked, looking back at David.
Mark sighed, slowed down, and glance
d at Bridget’s back. “She went to Quinn as a last resort to find you. I would have gone, but as she pointed out, he doesn’t dig dudes.”
I shook my head. I didn’t understand. How could Bridget be the one to come to my rescue? She’d said she’d gotten caught and had been sent to the chamber. I looked up and saw Bridget stopped on the trail, looking back at me.
“She told me she got caught at the Academy,” I said.
“She did,” Mark said. “We were all there, but who do you think exposed herself to make sure she got captured?”
I frowned at Bridget’s back as we walked behind her. She’d lied to me back there. She could have told me a hundred ways that she’d seen Mark and the others. She had seen him moments before ending up beside me. I shook off my anger and found solace in the fact that she’d just saved me. More than that, she had risked everything to save me.
Bridget stopped and turned around with her hands on her hips. “You just had to tell her, didn’t you?”
“She has the right to know the truth. You’re a damn hero. You should be proud,” Mark said.
“A true hero never needs anyone to know the details. Allie would have done the same thing for me,” Bridget said.
“I would have.” And that was the truth. Even with our terrible history, we’d come to be close friends. We didn’t even need to verbally communicate to know what the other was thinking. We’d developed an unspoken language.
“Thanks, Bridget,” I said. “You brought me back and I won’t forget that.” I turned to face the Minitrepid. “I won’t forget what any of you have done.” I almost added when I get the philosopher’s stone but bit my lip.
They all shifted on their feet and smiled. “We’re just happy to have you back,” Kylie said.
“And in one piece,” David added.
“I’m glad to be back, and I can’t wait to hear all about what’s happened over the last month.”
“We can talk and walk,” Mark said.
“You know the way to camp, Mark?” I asked.
“Hold my hand and I’ll lead the way,” Mark said.
“I might need my hand held as well.” Bridget pouted. “And thanks for rescuing me, Mark. I mean us.” She bounded over to him.
I scowled at her as she reached for his hand. Surely she was kidding, right? She spotted my look and gave me a wry smile as she let go of Mark’s hand. Winking, she skipped ahead.
I squeezed his hand tighter. “Have you and Bridget been hanging out while I was gone?”
“Stop it,” he said, and bent down to kiss the top of my head. “She’s helped in the search for you as much as any of us.”
“Don’t worry, Allie. I made sure Mark was comfortable while you were gone,” Bridget called back to me, looking over her shoulder.
“Oh, stop it,” Mark said. “We’re friends, Bridget, and nothing more. You know my heart belongs to Allie.”
I ditched his hand and wrapped my arm around his waist.
Bridget watched us together, rolling her eyes and smiling. I knew she was just messing around, and after years of her picking on me in high school, it felt good to have her comfortable enough with me to start joking around.
She led the way down the trail and the rest of the Minitrepid followed. The pine trees towered overhead, and enough low growth was scattered around to make the forest floor a mixture of browns and greens. I couldn’t get enough of the smell. It must have just rained, leaving the air with a sweet mixture of pine and fresh rain. Droplets of water covered much of the undergrowth and my shoes soaked it in.
“Right over here.” Mark pointed at the paved road leading into the tiny town.
The first building came into sight and I took in the small town; no more than a dozen buildings lined the street on each side. Maybe buildings was being generous. They were more like rental shacks for winter skiers or hunters, each one no larger than ten feet by ten feet.
Niles came walking around a house and spotted us. He came charging up to me. I let go of Mark and before I could even say hello, he had me in a bear hug, rocking me back and forth as he lifted me off the ground. I glanced at Mark, who seemed to find the whole thing amusing.
“I can’t believe that after all this time, we found you.” He lowered me and pushed me back, holding on to my shoulders. “Did they hurt you?”
“No, Bridget and I escaped, then Mark saved us.”
“It’s a blooming miracle,” Niles said.
“Where’s my mom? I need to tell her something important.”
“She’ll be back soon, I suspect. Why don’t we get you some dinner? You look famished.”
I grumbled at this offering, partly because of his obvious sidetrack, and mostly because it had worked. I was starving, and the aroma of whatever they were cooking was wafting my way. It smelled like stew.
When people had gotten a good enough look at me, Mark and I found the cook and gathered up some of the beef stew I’d smelled earlier. We left out the back and headed into the forest along a small deer trail. I looked back and could only see the tops of the cabins. As much as I liked seeing my friends, I wanted to be alone with Mark. We found a fallen pine tree and made ourselves comfortable.
Mark picked at his bowl but didn’t eat anything. I took small bites and mostly stared at him. It felt so good to have him back at my side. We’d been through everything together, up until the day Quinn had taken me.
“I’m okay, you know,” I said.
“I know, and I can’t have asked for anything more in my entire life than to have you sitting here right next to me. I thought I’d lost you, Allie. I thought he had you and was using you. . .” He stopped.
I set the bowl down and used my hand to turn his face toward me. “Look at me. We are never going to be apart again, okay? I’m not going anywhere without you from this moment on. All we need to do is get my mom this stone and we can be done with it all.”
“She told me.”
“Told you what?”
“That you’re the one to take the stone.”
I stammered, “That’s just what she wants. I never said I’d do it. But it is an option. Maybe I should be the one to take the stone. Somebody is going to have to end this war.”
“That stone will change you. It will change anyone who touches it, and I like you just the way you are. Allie, I want to grow old with you, but I don’t want to see you grow away from me, and that stone will do just that. All that power within one person . . . it isn’t right. But I don’t think your mom is right the one to use it, either. And believe me, I think she has every intention of taking the stone herself.” He sighed. “I just don’t think anyone should use it.”
I leaned against him, resting my head against his shoulder. He put his arm around me. I liked the smell of him and the way his body was so firm. It made me feel safe, tucked against his side. What I didn’t like was this conversation. I wasn’t going to change my feelings for Mark, but his words about my mom made her sound like a monster.
“We should have made a break for it when it was still an option,” I said.
“We still can.” He pulled me tighter. “There’s no time like the present. I have a portal stone, and we can go anywhere in the world.”
I looked up at him. “You’re serious?”
“Yes. We don’t have to be a part of this. Your mom, or Quinn . . . whoever gets the stone first, it isn’t going to matter.”
“It matters to me. You didn’t see what a terrible person Quinn is. I will not let that man have that kind of power, not over me or anyone.”
“And what about your mother?”
“She said she wants me to have it, which shows she isn’t some power-hungry lunatic like Quinn.”
“Sounds like you’ve made up your mind on the matter.”
“I haven’t. I’m just hoping that by the time we get the stone, we’ll have found a person worthy of it.” Mark laughed, which made me frown. “What’s so funny?”
“This stone has never been made before, Allie.
We really don’t know what it will do. Maybe some of the old legends were right. Maybe this stone will turn the user into a Midas.” He reached deep into his pocket and fished around before pulling out a small black bag. He opened the bag and showed me the portal stone. “Any time you want to leave this party, you let me know and we’re gone.”
“And what would we do for money?”
“We’re two of the best stone makers in the world, for Christ’s sake. I think we can come up with something pretty easy.”
“Quinn had a nasty compulsion stone. We used it on him to make him spill some of his secrets.”
“Oh, I would love to hear those secrets,” a woman said from behind us.
“Mom!” I jumped up from the log and ran to her.
She hugged me, then took my face in her hands. “I thought we’d lost you.”
“You almost did, but Mark and Bridget came to my rescue.”
“Thank you, Mark. I owe you a great deal,” Mom said.
“I did it for purely selfish reasons,” he told her. “I get to kiss that beautiful face.”
“Oh, God, make him stop,” someone else said from behind my mom.
“Jackie!” I ran around my mom and jumped at her. I couldn’t believe I was seeing her face again. She sneered at my excitement but hugged me just the same. I couldn’t believe how good it felt to be back together with my friends.
“Did that perv get to your lady parts?” Jackie asked.
“Nah, we got out of there before any of that stuff happened.”
“I’ll kill him all the same,” she said. “It’s good to see you back.”
“It’s good to be back. But for me, I’ve only been gone for a few days.”
“What do you mean?” Jackie asked, but my mom interrupted.
“I’m sure we can all have this meeting later. Right now I need to talk to my daughter, alone.” She glanced at Mark.
“Sorry, Mom, but wherever I go, Mark goes. We aren’t leaving each other’s side again.”
My mom rolled her eyes in sync with Jackie. “Fine, bring him along.”
“Where are we going?” I asked as I watched her pull out a portal stone.
She ignored my question and looked back at Jackie. “Sorry, Jackie, but Mark took your trip back.”