The Menagerie

by Tui T. Sutherland

Logan! Squorp shook himself like a puppy and bounded over to the fence. Missed you! He jumped up and down, flapping his wings so Logan could reach the top of his head to scratch it. Did you bring cow?

  “Sorry, buddy, no cow,” Logan said. “I missed you, too, though.”

  Oh WAIT! Squorp cried. He stopped jumping and sat down to give Logan a stern look. Squorp mad at you.

  “Mad at me?” Logan said. “Why? I’m sorry I didn’t bring cow. I’ll try to next time.”

  Not about cow! Squorp lashed his tail. He tilted his sharp beak toward Clink. FIRST you bring back Bossy Bossy. What? Not sensible. Much more fun without her here! And THEN . . . He paused dramatically, his chest swelling with outrage. THEN Logan give CLINK treasure INSTEAD OF SQUORP. The griffin clacked his beak furiously. Very treasure Squorp found! Where SQUORP treasure, Logan? WHERE SQUORP TREASURE?

  “I’m sorry, Squorp,” Logan said. He leaned over the fence, but Squorp took a step back, lifting his chin indignantly. “I’ll find you some treasure, okay? Some really great treasure. I promise.”

  Hrrrrrrmph, said Squorp.

  “Especially if you help me find the other cubs,” Logan said. “What can you tell me about the griffins who are still missing?”

  Squorp hesitated, as if he wanted to stay mad but couldn’t resist talking about his brothers and sisters.

  “You could be the hero, Squorp,” Logan said. He remembered the feathers on the post office steps the day before. “One of them is dark brown, right?”

  Squorp snorted violently, his feathers flapping up and down. That Clonk! Pfft. Clonk want so badly to be Clink. Super major big copycat. He rolled his eyes.

  “Do you know where Clonk went when you split up?” Logan asked.

  Squorp shook his head. Tried to follow Clink, but she bit him. Poor Clonk. Not very cool. Not like Squorp.

  “You are pretty cool,” Logan agreed. “What about the other two? What do they look like? Have they picked their names yet?”

  No, still deciding. Little gray sister, very clever. Too clever. Always thinking instead of eating or playing. Not natural.

  “What kind of treasure would she like?” Logan asked.

  Anything secret, Squorp said. Most secret best treasure in town, probably.

  Logan rubbed his head, thinking. Where would there be secret treasure in a town like Xanadu?

  “And the last griffin?” he asked.

  Red brother, Squorp said. Lots of fun, except at food time. He spread his wings as wide as they would go. Always hungry! Takes all the food! No good at sharing! Likes cow EVEN MORE than Squorp. He eyed Logan beadily. Logan better not give him SQUORP’S cow.

  “Don’t worry,” Logan said with a grin. “I will bring you masses of hamburger for this. Totally helpful, Squorp.”

  Squorp preened, smoothing his head feathers with one claw. Squorp very helpful.

  “Yes, you are,” Logan said. “You’re magnificent.”

  Squorp MAGNIFICENT.

  “If you think of anything else that might help, let me know, okay?” Logan said. “I’ll come back later today if I can. But I’d better get back to the house before anyone finds me missing.”

  Bye, Logan! Come back soon! With treasure and cow! Squorp flapped his wings and bounced over to his mother, looking hungry.

  Oops, Logan thought. Poor Nira. He got down from the boulder in a hurry so he wouldn’t be the first thing the grumpy white griffin saw when she woke up. He was pretty sure she wouldn’t be pleased that he’d woken Squorp so early.

  As he walked back to the lake, something odd happened. It was hard for Logan to describe—it felt like a large shadow passing overhead, along with a gust of hot wind. But when he looked up, there was nothing in the gray sky above him.

  “Huh,” he said to himself. He could hear Pelly honking inside the Aviary and low rumbles coming from the mountain dens, which he assumed were the sounds of the three dragons waking up. Part of him was really tempted to go looking for them right now, before anyone could wipe his memory and he lost his chance forever. But he had a feeling that wandering into dragon dens uninvited was probably a bad idea.

  He glanced up at the house and saw a light on in one of the upper windows. Somebody was up. Time to head back.

  But when he glanced down again, he saw something standing on the shore of the lake—something he hadn’t noticed before.

  It looked like an ordinary horse. Its coat was grayish black, and water poured off its dripping black mane. It had enormous soft dark eyes, which were watching Logan in a way that seemed to say I understand you. You’re the friend I’ve been waiting for my whole life.

  “Wow,” Logan said softly. It was like those eyes were calling to him. He approached cautiously, holding out one hand. The horse nickered, low and gentle.

  Logan guessed this was like the normal birds in the Aviary—a regular horse to keep the unicorns company, or for the Kahns to ride around the Menagerie wherever the golf carts couldn’t go.

  The horse reached forward and nuzzled Logan’s cupped hand. Its nose was warm and velvety, even though it was wet.

  “Have you been swimming?” Logan asked in a low voice. The horse’s eyes met his, like it understood every word he said. He felt a small burst of happiness in his chest. He really was great with the Menagerie creatures—it was like he connected with them just as well as he did with his own pets. Surely Zoe wouldn’t want to get rid of him once she realized he belonged here.

  The horse sidled closer, as if it was offering its back to Logan. It turned its head to give him another meaningful look.

  “Really?” Logan said. “You want me to ride you?”

  The horse made a friendly whuffling sound and shook its mane at him.

  Logan couldn’t resist. Maybe it wanted to show him something important. And there was a rock right at Logan’s feet, in the perfect spot for climbing up.

  “Okay,” Logan said. “Time for me to finally be a cowboy, right?”

  He grasped the horse’s mane and swung one leg over its back.

  A roar of thunder boomed in Logan’s ears as soon as he landed on the horse, as if he were in the middle of a storm cloud. The horse leaped forward into the lake in one mighty jump.

  Logan yelled with alarm and then choked as the water closed over his head, pouring into his mouth. He let go of the horse’s mane and tried to push away from it, to swim to the surface.

  But he was stuck to the horse’s back.

  A magical force kept him pinned in place as the horse sank lower and lower—away from the air, away from the sky.

  Logan was drowning.

  TWENTY-ONE

  Zoe hit the bedroom floor with a thump. A furry trunk jabbed her insistently in the face.

  “Ow!” she cried, swatting Fuzzbutt away. “What? What’s the matter?” She rubbed her hip. The mammoth had never literally dragged her out of bed before. Usually he just snuggled and poked her gently until she got up to let him out.

  Captain Fuzzbutt tugged her to her feet and head-butted her toward the door.

  “Okay, okay, I’m coming,” she said. She shoved her feet into flip-flops and followed him down the stairs, rubbing her eyes. The clock in the kitchen said 7:22 a.m. Zoe yawned. “Why are you doing this to me, Captain?”

  The mammoth let go of her and stormed into the living room, then back into the kitchen, then back into the living room.

  Zoe followed him sleepily. She slid the glass door open, and Captain Fuzzbutt galloped out into the Menagerie.

  Zoe squinted across the lawn. The rising sun was bright in her eyes, so it was hard to see at first, but it looked like someone was moving down on the shore of the lake.

  Oh, it’s just the kelpie, she realized, recognizing the gray water-horse. Then the kelpie moved to the side, and Zoe saw Logan standing right next to her. Climbing onto her back.

  “Logan!” Zoe screamed.

  It was too late. The kelpie dove into the water and sank instantly, taking Logan along with her.

 
Zoe flew down to the lake, shouting for help as she ran. Several curious mermaid faces popped out of the water. “Do something!” Zoe shouted. “The kelpie has Logan! Help him!”

  The mermaids all made exaggerated gestures of “What? I can’t hear you! I have absolutely no idea what you’re saying!”

  Captain Fuzzbutt was standing on the edge of the lake, trumpeting in panic. He was terrified of the water, but Zoe could tell he was almost ready to jump in. The last thing she needed was to rescue a drowning, thrashing mammoth, too.

  “Get Blue!” she yelled, shoving the Captain toward the house. She ran into the water, losing her flip-flops instantly in the sucking sand, and dove at the spot where the kelpie had gone down.

  The freezing water would have shocked her awake if her fear hadn’t already. It was dark underwater, but she could see the shape of the kelpie sinking and Logan on her back, flailing desperately. Zoe was a good swimmer after years of training with Blue, so she caught up to them quickly.

  But she had no idea how to separate a kelpie from her victim. She had never been properly kelpie-trained, since taking care of her was the mermaids’ job. She grabbed Logan’s hand, and he clutched hers like a lifeline. Zoe tried maneuvering around to brace her feet against the kelpie’s side. She wrapped her arms around Logan’s chest and shoved upward with all her might.

  Nothing happened. This was magic; once a kelpie had you in the water, you were dead.

  Not in my Menagerie, Zoe thought. She kicked the kelpie as hard as she could, but the horse didn’t even react. Zoe was running out of air, and they were still sinking slowly through the dark water. She kept one arm around Logan and grabbed the kelpie’s mane with the other hand, yanking hard.

  The kelpie shook her head as if annoyed. Zoe yanked again, and the kelpie reared in the water, trying to shake Zoe off.

  You’re not getting rid of me unless you let go of Logan, Zoe thought fiercely. She glanced at Logan, who was swaying in a horribly unconscious way. Stay alive. I’m not drowning for nothing.

  Something brushed against Zoe’s back. She started, nearly losing her grip on Logan. Was it the mermaids, coming to help at last?

  A long purple tentacle snaked past Zoe and felt along the kelpie’s neck. The kelpie shuddered and froze. Another tentacle slipped around Zoe from the other side and wound around Logan’s waist.

  The kraken. Zoe felt faint. The kraken is awake. They all thought she’d gone into hibernation a month ago.

  She didn’t dare move or turn around as more tentacles wove past her, winding around the kelpie and Logan and Zoe herself. The tentacles felt rubbery and prickly at the same time, like shark skin, and had small suction cups that stuck to Zoe’s bare arms. Zoe gripped Logan’s hand as tightly as she could. The lack of air was making her dizzy. Maybe she was even hallucinating all of this.

  The kraken slid one tentacle around the kelpie’s neck and slowly began to squeeze.

  A stream of bubbles shot out of the kelpie’s nose, and the water-horse began to kick and struggle with a horrible screaming sound that echoed through the water.

  The kraken squeezed tighter.

  Suddenly the kelpie gave an enormous kick, and Logan flew off her back. The kraken immediately flung the water-horse away and shot to the surface, towing Logan and Zoe in her tentacles.

  Water rushed past Zoe so fast she felt like she was falling. She burst out into the air, gasping and shivering. Beside her, Logan’s eyes were closed, and his brown skin was frighteningly pale and clammy. She shook his hand. “Logan!”

  The kraken gently deposited them on the lakeshore and let go. Zoe barely had time to see the tentacles slither back into the lake before a towel was wrapped around her shoulders and her father was picking her up in his strong arms. Logan’s hand slid out of hers. She reached for it again, but Blue and Matthew and her mom were already there, wrapping towels around him and doing CPR.

  Captain Fuzzbutt crowded into her dad, trying to dry Zoe with his trunk. Melissa was there, too, standing with her bare feet in the lake and yelling at Blue’s dad.

  “This is your fault!” she shouted. “You’re supposed to watch the kelpie!”

  “Why is there a man-child wandering the Menagerie at this hour?” Cobalt bellowed. He stood waist deep in the water, waving his arms in anger. “How were we supposed to know?”

  “But you did know, and you didn’t do anything!” Melissa shouted. “Do you know what would happen if someone died in here? You could be sent anywhere! They would do much worse than shut down the Menagerie—did you even think about that?”

  Zoe felt cold, even with her father’s hands rubbing her arms through the towel. She hadn’t thought about what would happen to the Menagerie if the kelpie drowned Logan. Her father turned toward the house, carrying her.

  “Wait, Dad,” she said, grabbing his shoulder. “Is Logan okay?”

  As if he’d heard her, Logan suddenly coughed, then coughed again. Zoe’s mom helped him sit up, and he spewed lake water all over the sand. Zoe leaned against her dad, feeling relief wash over her. Captain Fuzzbutt patted her head with his trunk.

  “Dude,” Matthew said. He sat back on his heels and wiped sweat off his forehead. “You scared the living daylights out of us.”

  “Didn’t we tell you to stay away from the kelpie?” Blue said, shaking Logan’s shoulder.

  Logan took a few heaving, gasping breaths. “What’s a kelpie?” he sputtered.

  “Oh, brother.” Matthew shook his head. “Maybe you were right, Zoe. Maybe he’s better off not remembering this place.”

  “No, don’t!” Logan grabbed Blue’s arm and took another breath. “Don’t wipe my memory. Please. I talked to Squorp. I think I know how to find the other cubs.” He had another fit of coughing.

  “Let’s get you back to the house,” said Zoe’s mom. Matthew and Blue helped him stand up.

  “I can walk, Dad,” Zoe said. She gave him a hug as he put her down, and they all started slowly back up the hill. Melissa stayed behind, still arguing with Cobalt.

  “What happened?” Logan asked. Fuzzbutt squeezed in next to him so Logan could lean against his furry side as they walked. “I was drowning and then—I feel like I remember . . . pandas?”

  Blue laughed, and Zoe felt herself turning bright red.

  “Zoe’s pajamas,” Matthew said, pointing to the dripping legs of her pajama pants, which were covered in soccer-playing pandas. “She rescued you.”

  “I didn’t do anything,” Zoe said, embarrassed. “It was Captain Fuzzbutt and the kraken. Mostly the kraken.” Her bare feet were freezing in the cold, dew-covered grass, but she didn’t want to ask to be carried again.

  “The kraken’s awake?” said her mom. “That’s odd.”

  “Thank you,” Logan said to Zoe. “I guess I was an idiot.”

  “Well, yeah,” she said.

  “We could have warned you better,” Matthew interjected. “Kelpies are kind of evil water-horses. That’s like their whole thing—stand at the edge of a lake, look beautiful and wet, lure people into climbing on them. Then, boom, drowning. Usually followed by devouring. It’s really not your fault you fell for it.”

  “I thought—” Logan stopped, glancing down at his feet. Zoe could guess what he was about to say. I thought it liked me. That’s how the kelpie always made her feel, too. She just knew better than to go anywhere near it. Ever since she was four, Blue had been telling her all the mermaid horror stories about kelpies and their victims.

  “Well, now you know,” she said. “So don’t worry about it.”

  “And the mermaids should have protected you, too, so they’re in big trouble,” said Zoe’s dad. “I don’t know what’s gotten into them lately.”

  “With luck, Melissa will yell at Cobalt all day,” Matthew joked. “That should make them really sorry. No offense, Blue.”

  Blue shrugged. “At least they’re not fighting about me this time,” he said.

  Zoe’s mom slid open the glass doors, and Captain Fuzzb
utt practically shoved Zoe and Logan inside. Zoe’s toes sank into the carpet, and she took a deep breath of the warm air.

  “Cinnamon buns for breakfast,” her dad said. “No arguments. I’ll take care of it while you all shower and get dressed. Then we’ll head out and find those last griffins. Right?” He tousled Zoe’s wet hair.

  “Right,” Zoe said. She wished she could sound as confident as he did. After all, this wasn’t exactly the best start to the day.

  She watched Logan follow Blue up the stairs. As he got to the landing, he turned to look down, caught her eye, and smiled at her.

  Then again, maybe everything wasn’t so bad after all.

  TWENTY-TWO

  Logan studied the map of Xanadu laid out on the dining-room table. Zoe had insisted he have the first shower, so now she was upstairs while he and Blue had hot cocoa and cinnamon buns. His clothes had been whisked through the dryer again, but they still felt stiff and uncomfortable. He was trying really hard to act as casual as Blue, as if he wasn’t still shaking on the inside.

  “I totally get it now,” Logan said to Blue.

  “What’s that?”

  “Why Zoe’s clothes are always a mess. I noticed it at school, and I figured she just didn’t care about that stuff. But I’ve been here less than a day, and my clothes have been set on fire by a phoenix, drowned by a kelpie, rolled on by a mammoth, clawed and nibbled by griffin cubs, and drenched in kraken ink. It’s amazing she has anything to wear to school at all.”

  “Well, it’s also true she doesn’t care about clothes,” Blue said. He sat down in one of the squashy tan armchairs, holding his cocoa between his hands. “But I know what you mean. And you haven’t even seen how much Zoe does around here. She’s like a never-ending chore machine.”

  “Don’t you have to do all that stuff, too?” Logan traced the streets from the Menagerie to his house with his finger on the map.

  “Not exactly,” Blue said, sounding a little guilty. “I’m—it’s kind of a whole thing with my dad.”

  “Was that your dad down at the lake?” The shouting green-bearded man had looked familiar from the photo in Blue’s room.