The Blue Woods

by Nicole Maggi

  The ground began to rise up, up, up, the tree roots thinning out. We hit a dead end, but Bree climbed up three footholds in the dirt wall and pushed at a stone in the ceiling. A trapdoor opened and moonlight beamed down, bathing Bree in white light. “I think we’re at the top of the stream,” she whispered. “Someone with wings should go first, in case there’s a Malandante close by.”

  I surged forward, Cora at my tail. A string of fear threaded through me—this was it!—but I wasn’t going to let it slow me down. This was it, and it only seemed right that I was on the front line.

  We soared out of the confines of the tunnel, just above the rocks where I used to sit with my father. The air was so clear I could taste the stars. Inside the Malandanti barrier, the Raven rose, his wings beating with frantic, jerky movement. I barreled toward him, but stopped short of the mottled silver dome that surrounded the site. We stared at each other through the magic, my body rigid with the urge to strike, bite, claw . . . whatever I had to do to take him down.

  But he could not leave the barrier and I could not go in. We were trapped there, each of us itching for revenge.

  The rest of the Twin Willows Clan fanned out around the Waterfall. The Raven tore his beady gaze away from me and dove toward the water. An instant later, hordes of Malandanti poured out of the woods; that’s where they’d been waiting for us, expecting us to come in through the birch trees. A mass of silver auras tumbled out of the brush; every Malandanti Clan had been Called to Maine to defend their last remaining holdout.

  I could almost hear their laughter as they faced off against the six of us. I imagined the words flying through all their brains right now. Stupid Benandanti thought that having right on their side was enough to overtake all of us. Snarling and snapping, the Malandanti closed in.

  The ground beneath the stream rattled and shook. As the Malandanti pounced, Dario burst out of the tunnel, spraying fire at the first line of Malandanti. Yowls and screeches echoed across the water as they fell back. The Concilio Celeste tumbled out behind the Dragon, the Phoenix showering sparks, the White Tigers diving into the fray, the Pegasus lighting up the dark, and the She-Wolf leaping for the closest Malandante, her jaws gaping.

  But the element of surprise lasted only so long. As the rest of the Benandanti flooded into the open, the Malandanti seemed to find their footing. From my high vantage point, I spotted those mangy Wild Dogs from the Congo, spreading out in their familiar circular pattern. The Dogs are surrounding the site, I said. Watch out if you try to leave the perimeter.

  A black Malandante Hawk collided into me, knocking me sideways. I faced off against it, our auras crackling blue and silver as we circled each other. The Hawk struck out with its talons, catching me on my leg. I kicked out and snagged my claws across its back. Screaming, it surged at me, but I spiraled up. The Hawk climbed behind me, its beak snapping. When I reached the treetops, I dove, whizzing past the Hawk so fast it spun in the air. With a cry, it plunged after me. But nothing can catch a Falcon on a dive.

  I pulled up fast, too fast for the Hawk, and it slammed into a Malandante Vulture. Thinking it was being attacked by the enemy, the Vulture knocked the Hawk away with one swish of its massive wing. The instant it realized its mistake, the Vulture craned its long neck and launched toward me. Its wingspan blotted out the moon as I dodged this way and that, trying to shake it off my tail.

  Adamo appeared to my right, his fiery feathers a beacon in the dark. On the count of three, we turn and fight, he said. The Vulture won’t be expecting that. Bene?

  Bene, I answered.

  Uno.

  We veered around a barren oak tree. Was that a bud on one of its branches? Was spring dawning at last?

  Due.

  Over the tip of a pine, its needles brown and drooping from winter fatigue, the Vulture’s wings beat so hard I could feel its gusts of wind. We dropped lower, and the Vulture followed.

  Tre.

  Like it was a dance we had choreographed, we spun at the same time and buffeted toward the Vulture. The enormous bird halted in midair, thrown sideways as Adamo went high and I went low. It didn’t know which one of us to attack first . . . I latched my claws into its belly while Adamo fixed his beak on the back of its neck. Together we dragged the Vulture down, down. It twisted and screamed in our grasp, trying to free itself, but I pressed my claws in deeper.

  The second before we hit the ground, I let go. The Vulture smashed into a fallen log. I pounced onto one of its wings, hard enough that I felt the bone snap. Adamo sliced his talon across the Vulture’s back. We rose, and it did not follow. It just lay there on its side, its broken wing sticking up at an angle that made me cringe. I knew we hadn’t killed it, but it would have to return to its human body in order to survive.

  With a good job nod, Adamo veered away. I plunged through the brush, keeping low so I could catch anyone who needed my help. As I rounded the birch trees, I spotted a telltale silver glow within their copse, but even before I reached him, I felt him in my mind. Jonah?

  He jerked his head up. Thank God. You okay?

  Yeah. What are you—?

  A ball of silver crashed into me, saliva-dripping jaws snapping at me, huge paws swiping, grasping . . . Jonah was yelling in my head, but I couldn’t take the time to answer as I scrambled out of the Lion’s reach. I flew up, but the Lion gathered its back legs and sprang so high it might as well have had wings. Jonah raced out of the birch copse, streaking in front of the Lion, who swerved to avoid a collision. In that moment, I mounted the air, well out of the Lion’s range.

  I kept my eyes on the flash of silver that I knew was Jonah. He positioned himself between two Wild Dogs at the perimeter of the site. Anyone needing to get outside the perimeter, I told the Clans, head for the northwest section. There’s a Malandante Panther there who will let you through.

  How the hell do you know that? Sal shot back at me.

  She’s right, Heath said. We can trust that Panther.

  I circled high above the Waterfall, picking out pieces of the battle below. Nerina and the Harpy fought in the center of the stream, their auras sizzling each time they clashed. Earth and sky were separated into two battlefields, each element flooded with blue and silver light that flickered and charged the air with electricity. I saw two Benandanti head northwest out of the site. When they reached Jonah, he padded backward, bowing a little as they passed. Who is that Panther? one of them said, but they disappeared into the brush before I could answer.

  Besides, I didn’t think now was the right time to go into the details of my complicated love life.

  The two Benandanti Jonah let pass reappeared from beneath bushes and low trees, and I saw now what they were doing: attacking the Wild Dogs from behind, while the Dogs were expecting all the Benandanti to come from the front. It was brilliant. I dropped low in the air and found Heath, fighting his way past a Malandante Cougar. Before the Cougar even knew I was there, I scratched it across the face. It yowled and fell back.

  Some of the Benandanti are using Jonah’s passageway to attack the Dogs from behind, I told him.

  Let’s go.

  His sleek white form raced below me as we dashed to the northwest corner. Jonah moved aside as we came through, his jewel-green eyes wide when he saw me.

  Thank you, I said. For—

  Don’t. It’s the only thing I can do that doesn’t make me hate myself. He reared up, his aura shimmering around him like a shiver. Be careful.

  Smoky silver light leaked through the woods as we approached the closest Dog from behind. It whirled just as Heath pounced and pinned it down. I went for its eyes, clawing at them while the Dog thrashed and yelped, making such a commotion that we didn’t see the other three Dogs coming.

  They were on us in less than the blink of an eye. Pain seared across me as sharp teeth ripped feathers out of my body, tore into my flesh beneath. I screamed, and the sound of my own fear hurt my ears. The stars blacked out above me. I fought wildly, striking out with everything I had,
but the Dogs were too much, too many. Once they had their teeth sunk in, they wouldn’t let go.

  With a roar of effort, Heath shook one of the Dogs off and charged at the one holding me. Taken by surprise, the Dog lost hold of me. Breath flooded back into my body, and the pain ebbed away. I soared up, just out of reach, and gathered myself to dive back in to help Heath. After all, nothing was faster than a Falcon on a dive . . .

  . . . Except three Wild Dogs intent on killing my Guide.

  His brilliant white fur disappeared in a sea of yellow-and-black spots. I tried to fight my way in, but one of the Dogs struck me away at every attempt. They had their prey . . . they would not let go until he was destroyed. Heath? Heath!

  The only answer was the sound of pain echoing across my mind.

  Help! I cried out to all the Benandanti. I need help, southwest corner!

  A breath later, Cora, Adamo, and the Snow Leopards of Tibet were by my side. It’s Heath. The Dogs have him.

  En masse, we plunged in. The Snow Leopards, so ethereal to look at, were fiercer than their beauty let on. Within seconds, they dragged the three Dogs off Heath. Adamo, Cora, and I separated to face each Dog, helping the Snow Leopards subdue them. When they lay still, I flew back to Heath and landed on the ground beside him with a heavy thud.

  His fur was muddied red, smeared with so much blood that you couldn’t tell it had once been white. Three long wounds gaped open from his throat to his belly. I pressed in close to his chest, listening, feeling. A heartbeat was there, so quiet and erratic that several times within one breath I thought it had stopped. You’re going to be all right, I told him. Opening my mind outward, I shouted for Bree.

  Half a second later, she appeared with a pop of magic and fell to her knees beside me. “Oh, Jesus,” she breathed, her hands shaking as she hovered them above Heath’s wounds.

  You can save him, right? Like you saved me with the Redwood magic?

  She swallowed hard. Her face was stained with dirt and grass, but her skin glowed with the power inside her. Yellow smoke seeped out from her fingers and swirled around Heath. After a moment, Bree looked at me. “I can’t, Alessia. He’s too far gone.”

  No! You can do it, I know you can. You’re the Abbess—you can fix anything.

  Her eyelashes dripped with tears. Not this, she said, as though using her mind instead of her voice would soften the blow. There are limits even to my power.

  You have to.

  It will . . . be . . . okay.

  We jerked our heads down to look at Heath. His voice felt so far away in my mind, like he was already halfway to the world beyond this one.

  We’ll get you back to your body, I said. And then Bree can heal you.

  It’s too late. His words faded and then flared to life again. I’ll be . . . gone.

  God, it was the Lynx all over again, only a thousand times worse. I became aware of the Snow Leopards surrounding us, of Cora and Adamo fluttering just over my head. No, I said, refusing to accept what was right in front of my eyes. No.

  And then, into that cavernous space of grief that was forming inside me, Heath spoke again.

  Get . . . Jonah.

  What?

  Get Jonah. His voice strengthened, like there was still one last fight in him.

  Bree jerked back and faced me, her eyes wide, her face pale beneath the streaks of dirt and mud and magic. “Get him. Now.”

  The truth of what they were asking dawned on me like a terrible sunrise. I leaned down low, spread my wings wide so that it was just me and Heath, like it had been in the beginning. Are you sure this is what you want?

  His tone was stronger, with a note of pleading in it now. Yes. Without a complete Clan, you cannot retake . . . the Waterfall. This is . . . the last gift I can give to the Benandanti . . . to you. Let me give it.

  Every minute of my life leading up to this one seemed to gather inside me. I hopped back, stuck between the past and the present, unable to move. “Hurry, Alessia,” Bree whispered. “I might be able to keep him hanging on a little longer, but you need to hurry.”

  The two Dragons screamed overhead and flashed past, a reminder that we were still in the middle of a battle. It’s not safe here, I said. Can we move him?

  The Snow Leopards padded forward. We’ll move him to the birch trees and protect you while you do the spell.

  I need the entire Twin Willows Clan, Bree said. Adamo— Before she finished, he took off in a swirl of firelight.

  I couldn’t hesitate any longer. As the Snow Leopards hoisted Heath onto their backs, I took off, careening through the trees. I opened my mind to him before I saw him, calling his name over and over.

  I’m here, I’m here. What’s wrong?

  You have to come. It’s Heath. He—

  I didn’t need to say the words. Jonah read it all in my mind. Why do you need—?

  The spell, I said, and then I saw him, his body tense as I flew toward him, his ears pricked forward. The spell to turn a Malandante into a Benandante. Is that truly what you want? I halted right in front of him, my wings beating hard to keep me aloft.

  Jonah rose slightly on his hind legs, high enough that his eyes locked onto mine, their emerald depths plumbing my own. If Heath dies, it will leave your Clan incomplete. You won’t be able to retake the Waterfall. You won’t be able to win.

  Yes.

  Then that is what I want, he said, because I want to see the Malandanti destroyed.

  Come with me. I turned tail and flew back through the woods at breakneck speed, Jonah’s strong, dark figure racing beneath me. We burst into the copse of birch trees with a crash and slammed to a halt.

  The Twin Willows Clan huddled within the shimmery tree trunks. I could feel their grief in my mind, in every vein of my being. Heath lay in the center of them. His broken body, once so full of strength, looked small and frail. Nerina was curled beside him. Their heads bent together, a conversation in their minds that the rest of us could not—should not—hear.

  I couldn’t imagine what that was like, having only minutes left to tell the love of your life everything you wanted to say. My heart squeezed for Nerina. What if that were Jonah and I? What would I say to him? I spun to face him. Jonah, I cried, I love you. I love you so much.

  He closed into me until our auras blended into a storm of blue and silver. Everything inside me was crying, a tangle of grief that was going to knot me up and strangle me into nothing. Somehow Jonah knew there was nothing he could say to make it all right, but the warmth of his silence was enough.

  Nerina pushed herself up onto her legs, her head still bent low so that her cheek rested on Heath’s. It’s time.

  I could hear the sounds of the battle raging beyond us, growls and crashes and yelps. I couldn’t even comprehend how the rest of the Clan had pulled themselves away from that, but it didn’t matter. We were all here now. The Snow Leopards circled the birches, their smoke-colored fur gleaming beneath their auras as they prowled the perimeter to keep us safe. And above the tips of the trees, Adamo swooped back and forth, ready to take on anyone who might fly near.

  Bree came forward. Her face was paler than I’d ever seen it. What if this spell was beyond her? What if the whole thing backfired and Heath died for nothing? “Jonah,” she said, “you lie down next to him, just there.” Her hand shook as she pointed to the ground beside Heath.

  Jonah obeyed his sister. He and Heath looked like the yin and the yang, the White Wolf curved around the ebony Panther, their auras crackling against one another’s. Bree stood in the center of them, the blue and silver light snaking around her legs, enveloping her in their glow.

  Bree looked at all of us. “The thing about this spell,” she said, “is that it won’t work if one of them is not completely willing to enter into it. But it also won’t work if the Clan doesn’t agree.” She raised her eyebrow.

  In answer, the rest of the Clan closed in tight around them. The Eagle and I perched atop the Stag’s antlers. A tight anxiety gripped me. Was this rea
lly going to work? And what if the Malandanti broke through our defenses before we could finish it?

  Bree closed her eyes and held her hands out, palms up. As I watched, red smoke poured out from her fingertips. It spilled into the two auras at her feet, and a whirlwind of blue, silver, and red spun up around all three of them. She knelt and touched Heath, turning his bright fur the color of blood. “Do you give yourself with your whole soul?” Bree’s voice seemed to come from some otherworldly place; it was the Abbess speaking, not her. “Do you dedicate the end of your life so that this Malandante may continue his in your place?”

  Yes, Heath answered. With . . . all my . . . soul, yes.

  Bree laid her hand on Jonah. His black fur looked fiery in the red smoke’s wake. “Do you accept the essence of this Benandante with your whole soul? And will you dedicate the rest of your life to the Benandanti and the Concilio Celeste?”

  I sprang away from the Stag and swept down to Jonah. His eyes found mine as he answered. Yes. With all my heart, body, and soul, yes.

  A screech rent the air, splitting the reverent hush that had fallen over the Clan. I twisted to look up, just in time to see the Harpy clash with Adamo. His fiery feathers gleamed against her steel-gray body, his talons locking onto her wing before she could break into our circle. As he dragged her up and away, Bree stood and pushed her palm toward the Harpy. She shrieked; Bree swished her arm, and the Harpy disappeared with an angry pop, blasted into another time and space by the Pakistani magic.

  I tucked my wings in tight, my insides skittering like dead leaves. The Harpy had seen what we were doing. The Malandanti knew now they’d been betrayed by one of their own.

  We had to move fast.

  With one hand on Heath and the other on Jonah, Bree raised her gaze skyward. “By the magic of all seven sites, by the blessing of the Concilio Celeste, we accept this exchange. One soul here on earth, one soul to ascend.” She brought her arms over her head, drawing the smoke high into the air where it puffed into a cloud just above all of us.

  With a terrible knowledge, I backed away from Jonah and fluttered over to Heath. I’m right here, I told him. I’m right here.