Winter Falls

by Nicole Maggi

  The Malandanti did not give chase.

  Several miles from the Waterfall in the heart of the dark forest, we stopped and gathered in a small circle. The Eagle landed on the Stag’s antlers, but I kept close to Heath. His breathing was labored, and he was favoring his left side a lot. Are you sure you’re all right?

  Yeah, I’m okay. He lay down, resting his head on his paws.

  The Stag stamped his hooves like thunder on the cold earth. They were waiting for us. How the hell did they know we would be there?

  They could’ve had a spy at the birch trees, said the Lynx. He had a wound on his paw and sat down to lick it.

  What a miserable failure. The Stag lowered his head. We need a better plan for next time.

  At the thought of “next time” my heart sped up. That Bobcat didn’t even blink, I said. We need something to lure them outside the barrier. Something they can’t resist. And I don’t think seeing their Clan mates in danger is it.

  We weren’t ready, rasped Heath. He looked at the Stag. I don’t want to say I told you so—

  Then don’t, snapped the Stag. I made a decision, and it was a bad one. We need to regroup and figure out our next move. But we can’t wait too long. He tilted his head toward me. How reliable is your source to the Guild?

  My what?

  Your source, he said impatiently. However you found out the information about the plant. Can you keep pumping that source?

  Um, I guess so. I’d have to finagle another invite to Jonah’s house and sneak into his dad’s office without raising any suspicion—yeah, that wouldn’t be too hard or anything. I kept my doubts to myself, but there was one thought I couldn’t keep inside. Do you think that Mr. Wolfe is a Malandante?

  Heath hauled himself up and shot me a dark look. Are you crazy? he said to me alone. This is not the time—

  I need to know.

  It’s possible, the Eagle said, cutting into our private conversation. Did everyone notice the Panther tonight? That’s a new member of their Clan.

  But it could be anyone, argued the Lynx, not necessarily Mr. Wolfe. The Malandanti are known to have several allies who don’t actually have the ability to transform, people they’ve bribed with promises of money and power in order to do their bidding, and Wolfe could very well be playing that role.

  But it could be him—

  Finding out their identities is less important than retaking the Waterfall, the Stag interrupted, silencing all of us. And given what we know now, that’s more important than ever.

  You see? Heath told me privately. I told you the secret identity thing would drive you nuts. You need to listen to me.

  Okay, okay.

  And I think it’s time to add you to the patrol, the Stag said, pulling our attention back to him.

  Patrol? I asked.

  Every night one of us patrols the Waterfall.

  How is that possible? With the Malandanti there?

  We don’t confront the Malandanti, the Lynx said. We stay hidden and observe.

  And then you share your observations with the rest of us, the Stag said. He tossed his head, shadows catching on his antlers. Rule number one of warfare: know your enemy.

  The air felt cold on my feathers. The realization that this was indeed a war had been brought home to me tonight.

  Time to go, the Stag said. I don’t want the Malandanti to find us here.

  After working out the patrol schedule, the Clan took off in different directions. I flew low to the ground, just above Heath, as we headed toward the clearing. It was slow going; he had to stop several times to catch his breath. Just as well. My mind was jumpy as a newborn goat, and there was no way I was going to sleep when I got home.

  When we had transformed back into our bodies, I helped Heath along the path through the trees.

  At the edge of the woods, he looked down at me and squeezed my arm. “I know I’m hard on you sometimes, but you did good tonight. I’m proud of you.”

  “Thanks, Heath.”

  “Get some rest. And don’t make yourself crazy.”

  “I’ll try.” I watched him limp across the pasture and didn’t move until I saw the lights in his cabin click on. I went over the hill to the house, hugging myself against the cold. The stars above were clear and bright. I wished my life were the same. Instead everything was murky and unknown.

  I knew when I accepted the Call that I was expected to lay down my life for the Benandanti if it came to that. But that had seemed like such an unreal possibility. Now that I had been in a battle, it didn’t seem so unlikely anymore.

  Wind swept over the grass, chilling me to the bone. And now I was expected to patrol and spy on Jonah’s father . . . Just what did he know? Was he the Malandanti Panther that was brand-new to their Clan? Even if he wasn’t, he wasn’t totally innocent, either. He worked for the Guild. I thought about the conference call I had overheard, the unseen Italian on the other end of the line. If Mr. Wolfe was a puppet, who was controlling his strings?

  My shoulders ached with all the responsibility piled on top of them. I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to ease the pain that crept in there. There was only so much weight I could handle before I snapped.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The Debate

  My body was still sore from the battle when I woke up on Monday, and the frigid morning air didn’t help. I gathered the eggs as fast as I could and was thankful for the warmth of the kitchen when I burst in through the back door.

  Lidia set a plate of scrambled eggs and toast on the table.

  I gave her a tired smile as I sat down. “Eat with me, Mom.”

  She sat across from me, her hands curled around a mug of coffee. “Did you finish all your homework from the weekend?”

  “Yeah, I didn’t have a lot.” Which had been a blessing. I’d spent most of the weekend taking surreptitious baths to soothe my aching muscles.

  “Mmmm.” Lidia nodded and took a sip of her coffee. She reached over and brushed a lock of hair off my face. “You look tired, cara. Did you sleep?”

  “Not well.”

  “Why not?” She grasped my chin gently and made me look at her. “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing,” I said as I pulled away from her. “I just have a lot on my mind.”

  “Is it this boy? Jonah?” She peeked at me over the rim of her mug. “I don’t want him affecting your schoolwork.”

  I sighed. “He’s not. He’s—well, he’s a good thing. Stop worrying.”

  “A good thing doesn’t keep you out until midnight.”

  “That happened once.”

  “And if I let you out with him at night, who’s to say it wouldn’t happen again?”

  “You don’t even know him, so stop judging him, okay?” I shoveled a forkful of eggs into my mouth.

  Lidia cocked her head. “Maybe I should get to know him.”

  I swallowed too quickly, making myself cough. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, his mother had you over to their house. I should do the same. Why don’t you invite him over for dinner?”

  I set my fork down. “Do you mean over to eat dinner or have him for dinner?”

  Lidia laughed and tousled my hair. “Silly girl.”

  “I’ll ask him.” I picked up my fork. “And, Mom? Thanks.”

  “Niente,” she muttered and went to the stove.

  As I gobbled down the rest of my breakfast, I thought about how unfair fate was to my mother. She had lost her husband too young, and now her daughter was leading a dangerous double life.

  The feeling of melancholy stayed with me as I left the house. The morning air smelled of salt and autumn. I shrugged my face deep in the cocoon of my wooly scarf. It was odd that it hadn’t snowed yet, but it would soon. I could taste it.

  “Where were you yesterday?” Jenny asked as soon as I met up with her.

  “And good morning to you too.” I stuck my tongue out at her.

  “Don’t pull that.” She planted her hands on her hips and
glared at me. “You missed the memorial for the bridge collapse.”

  “Oh, crap.” I pressed my hand to my forehead. I’d seen the flyer for it in the school office, but the battle on Friday night completely wiped it from my mind. “I’m so sorry. I was sick all weekend.”

  “Is that why you weren’t answering your phone?” She didn’t budge from her stance.

  “Yeah.” I touched her arm. “I’m really sorry, Jenny. I should’ve been there.”

  “Yeah, you should’ve.” Her voice softened. “It was really sad.”

  I bit my lip. I was sorry I had missed the memorial . . . but deep down, I was relieved. I didn’t know if I could sit with all those people who had lost loved ones, knowing they had died because of me. “I’m sure it was,” I whispered and slid my arm through hers. She didn’t pull away.

  We walked for a bit in silence.

  “So my mom invited Jonah over for dinner,” I said finally.

  Jenny snorted. “Hide the knives.”

  I laughed, and after a moment, she joined in. I figured I was forgiven then. Still, it pulled at me, like a loose thread. I had allowed the Benandanti to preoccupy me so much that I had hurt my best friend. I needed to work harder to keep them separate.

  Jenny nudged me with her elbow. “By the way, Seth Campbell asked me out.”

  “About time.”

  “But don’t say anything to Carly,” Jenny said. “You know she’s had a crush on him for months. I want to talk to her first before I say yes.”

  I squeezed her arm. “You’re such a good friend.” Not like me.

  Jenny shrugged. “I know the Girl Code.” We crested the hill into town, and in the distance I spotted Jonah and his sister, waiting on the corner for us. “But I think you need a little reminder.”

  “What?” I pressed my hand to my chest in mock offense, but when I saw the seriousness on her face, I dropped my arm to my side. So she wasn’t totally over it yet. “Okay. Remind me.”

  “The number one rule of the Girl Code is that you don’t forsake your girlfriends for a guy. And you have been doing just that.”

  “I have not,” I said, even though it was a lie.

  “Oh, come on. You could spend at least one lunch period with us a week instead of always going outside with Monsieur Wolfe.”

  I leaned my head on her shoulder. “You’re right.” I blinked up at her and she laughed. “Forgive me?”

  “Yeah, yeah. Now get off before your boyfriend gets suspicious.” She punched at me playfully.

  I exhaled; we were back to our old selves again.

  “Hey, Wolfe!” Jenny yelled when we were several yards away from Jonah. “I hear you’re going into the lion’s den.”

  “What?” Jonah asked when we reached them.

  “My mom wants you to come over for dinner tonight,” I said.

  “Uh-oh,” he said, but he was grinning.

  “Just don’t bring up the Mafia, Mussolini, or the Vatican,” Jenny said.

  Jonah raised an eyebrow at me.

  I shrugged. “The cardinal rule when talking to an Italian.” He took my hand, and we all sauntered toward school. Bree marched ahead of us, her long black ponytail swinging like a pendulum. I tore my gaze away from it. “So you’ll come to dinner?”

  “I dragged you over to my house,” he said. “It’s only fair that you return the favor.”

  “Oh, crap,” said Jenny. I turned to her; she was digging through her bag. “I forgot my notes for our debate in government today.”

  I sucked in a sharp breath.

  Jenny looked at me. “What?”

  “I totally forgot the debates were today.”

  “Oh, good, I won’t be the only one standing up there like an idiot,” Jenny said, hoisting her bag onto her shoulder.

  “No, my notes are in my locker. I did it last week.” My insides twisted, and I clenched Jonah’s hand harder to stop mine from shaking. How could I argue for the power plant now when I knew its real purpose?

  “Great.” Jenny sighed. “I guess I’ll have to redo mine during lunch.”

  I pulled away from Jonah and jogged to catch up with Bree. “Hey.”

  She didn’t look at me. “What?”

  “Um, I was wondering if you wanted to switch sides in the debate today.”

  She stopped short and peered at me, her brows drawn together. “You’re against the plan now?”

  “Well, I did some more research and, yeah, I am.” I rocked back and forth.

  Bree stared at me, chewing her lip. When she finally answered, her voice held an odd note. “Sorry. I’ve already done the work on the con stance.” She picked up her pace again. “Can’t you just fake it?”

  “I guess so.” I let her walk ahead, and when Jonah reached me I took his hand. “I’m screwed.”

  “Nah, she’ll come through,” Jonah said.

  I stayed quiet. It wasn’t Bree I was worried about.

  When government class rolled around, my palms were sweating in anticipation of the debate. Mr. Clemens made us sit with our partners as we watched the other debaters. By the third pair, I started to notice a pattern.

  “Hold up,” Mr. Clemens said when Jenny and Josh had finished. “That wasn’t much of a con stance, Ms. Sands. In fact”—he waved his arm in the air—“none of you have presented a decent con stance. What’s going on?”

  Mr. Wolfe used magic to make everyone agree with him, I thought but didn’t think it was entirely appropriate to say out loud.

  Bree’s arm shot up into the air, making me jump. She had been as still as marble throughout the other debates. “Mr. Clemens, I think I have a good con stance.”

  He blinked as though noticing her presence for the first time. “Really? Well, then, let’s hear it. Ms. Wolfe, Ms. Jacobs, the floor is yours.”

  We traded places with Jenny and Josh at the front of the room. I looked at Bree to give her the go-ahead, but she didn’t even acknowledge me as she faced the class. “The Guild is nothing more than a front for a small group of people who want to conquer the world,” she started.

  Everyone laughed, but Bree’s straight face told me she wasn’t making a joke. I stared at her. Without naming the Malandanti, Bree had just described the Guild exactly.

  “Look at their track record. Their so-called good works projects in Venezuela and the Congo have done nothing but devastate those regions. They hide this fact behind pretty pictures of shiny happy people and promises of a ‘new tomorrow.’”

  My breath caught. The Congo.

  The laughter in the classroom died down as everyone fixed their attention on Bree and her tone of contempt for her own father’s company.

  “They tore down homes in order to build their coffee plantation in the Congo, and then they left before setting up any kind of infrastructure to keep the plantation running.” Bree swung her gaze over the class. “I know. I saw it firsthand.”

  How had I not made that connection before? The Wolfes had been to the Congo. That was where Mr. Wolfe had harvested the magic he’d used at the presentation. It had cast its spell over everyone in the hall. I started, dropping my note cards, but no one noticed. It had cast its spell over everyone . . . except Bree. The fact that she was spouting off about the evils of the Guild was proof she knew about the magic and was somehow immune to it.

  I bent down and picked up my note cards. Bree had been wearing headphones during the presentation. She hadn’t been listening to music just to screw around. She was protecting herself from the magic.

  Bree finished her speech with a flourish, and the class whooped and clapped. It took Mr. Clemens several minutes to calm everyone down. He pointed at me.

  I spoke in a wooden voice as wheels churned and clicked in my brain. Bree knew. She knew the Guild’s real purpose.

  I finished my speech, and Mr. Clemens nodded his approval. Bree and I took our seats, and another couple walked to the front of the room. I couldn’t stop glancing at Bree. I suddenly remembered the way she looked at me when I
told her that I wanted to switch sides in the debate . . . with more curiosity than I had ever seen in her.

  My stomach bottomed out. She had looked at me that way because she had realized I knew about the magic. I risked one more glance at her. She was staring at me, face pinched, and as soon as our eyes met she turned away. I pressed my fingers to my forehead and rubbed. Not only did I now know one of Bree’s secrets—she knew one of mine.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The Possible Problem

  Mr. Salter’s ancient, beat-up truck sat in our driveway when I got home from school. Figuring Lidia had invited him over for dinner, I trudged up the front stoop. Even before I laid my hand on the doorknob I heard Lidia’s voice firing from the other side.

  “—could you not tell me?”

  I opened the door. Mr. Salter sat on the couch, watching my mother pace in front of him, her feet pounding on the century-old floorboards.

  “I didn’t know,” Mr. Salter said. “How could I have known?”

  “What’s going on?” I shut the door and dropped my backpack to the floor.

  At the thud, Lidia stopped pacing and marched toward me. “That power plant. Do you know where they’re building it?” She jabbed her finger toward the woods. “Next door to our farm.”

  “I know.” I slid my jacket off and hung it on the peg by the door.

  “You know?” Lidia planted her hands on her hips and blocked my path. “How do you know?”

  “I, uh, was at the presentation.” I had been so wrapped up in how the plant would affect the Benandanti that I hadn’t really thought about how it would affect my own home.

  “I was there,” Mr. Salter said. “I don’t remember them mentioning where exactly the plant would be built.”

  Of course not, I thought, because you were under a spell. I bit my lip. “I had to do all this research for a debate in government class. Maybe that was where I saw it, then.”

  Lidia threw her hands up in the air. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I-I guess I didn’t really think it was a big deal.” I picked my bag off the floor, letting my hair fall in front of my face.