Dude, sometimes I think my whole town is a horror movie set. I heard screams in the woods. #Bedford, less than 5 seconds ago
We say good-bye to Issie’s mom and make up an excuse about going to a study session at the high school, which is allowable under the grounding rules, especially since we’re traveling as a group. We grab some cookies and steak knives to go. Once we’re out the door there’s no time for talking. Danger waits in the trees; I can smell it. I push Devyn and Issie ahead of me and whip out a knife, ready to strike, trying to provide them cover if any bad pixies attack.
“Issie,” something whispers from the woods. “Come to me.”
“Ignore it. It’s not the king.”
The whisper comes again. “Issie.”
“Leave my girlfriend alone!” Devyn yells, stiffening up as tall as he can. His hands are fists. It’s really sweet, actually, but I am in charge here now.
“Get in the car, guys,” I order.
“I think being a pixie brings out a previously suppressed controlling aspect of your personality,” Devyn mutters as he crawls into the back of the car.
We head to our prearranged meeting place, the Brown House, which is this old brick Georgian manor built by some log magnate guy back in the early 1800s. It’s up on this great sledding hill. There’s a museum inside and a trail for running behind it. A couple other cars are here, including Astley’s. Relief and nervous excitement flood through me.
Issie parks in the little rectangular dirt parking lot behind a big barn that used to hold horses. The paint peels from the sides.
She’s shaking still. “You can’t die, Zara.”
“I won’t.”
She keeps nodding. Her fingers squeeze mine. “Zare. It’s just- First Nick, then Mrs. Nix, and you all pixified and Betty missing. It’s all so much to handle. I’m just human, remember?”
“Adorably human,” I correct her. “Strongly and smartly human.”
We let go of each other’s hands. I open the door just as Astley strides over to us. Glitter sparkles in the snow.
Devyn flies out of the car. He perches on the roof and gives an angry eagle screech. “Devyn, be good,” I order.
“Take this sword,” Astley says to me, sounding terribly formal and regal. He fastens it on my belt with the giant peace buckle, which just seems wildly inappropriate. “The ceremony will be in the woods.”
He starts walking on the snow that’s been trampled down by cross-country skiers and dogs and runners like me.
Issie doesn’t follow. “Is it safe?” she asks me. “Are there bad pixies here?”
“Not at the moment,” Astley answers. “We will protect you with our lives, Issie. I promise you.”
Issie looks up at me out of the corner of her eyes and grabs my hand again. Just then Cassidy’s car comes screaming into the parking lot. She flings herself out of it and runs to us. Vaulting into Issie and me, she wraps us both in a hug.
“I’m so scared,” she says. “Are you scared? Don’t answer that.”
We walk together following Astley, with Devyn swooping above. We follow him into the woods. The knots in the tree trunks look like wide, stunned eyes blackened with pain. Boulders hunch on the side of the trail, waiting for whatever will happen.
“There is only one way to cross from the realm of man to the realm of the gods. This is called BiForst. It is a bridge made of a rainbow. It is not a pixie,” Astley tells us. “We’ll be opening it up here during the ceremony. It is hard magic. According to the council, only kings and queens can do it, and only rarely.”
“Like your mother,” I prompt.
“Yes. She came for her brother, the council said.”
“She has a brother?”
“I never knew, but yes. She has a brother. A pixie named Frank. He has other names, but that is the one he currently uses.”
We stop walking. Astley’s eyes move back and forth, surveying the land as he hustles back to us and takes my other hand. “I know. It is a lot to comprehend. I swear to you I did not know before now. It kills me that he is my uncle, that my mother-that she did all this to you, to us, that they are aligned somehow.”
I swallow hard and squeeze his hand. It’s so different from Issie’s, broad and solid. “It doesn’t matter now.”
All five of us seem more connected than ever. Issie says, “You can’t blame yourself for your relatives. We’d all hate Zara if you could, but we love her. It’s okay, Astley. Zara trusts you. Cassidy trusts you. And I trust you. You’re one of us now.”
For a moment Astley seems like he might break. His lip wobbles a little and when he speaks his voice is a humble whisper. “Thank you for that, Issie. You really are outstanding.”
She smiles and lightens the mood, tugging us along. “Come on. Tell us what else you learned.”
“No matter what, do not step on the red. It’s fire, an insanely hot fire,” Astley commands. He drops my hand and starts long power-striding across the snow again. “And just follow my lead during the ceremony. All of you.”
Cass leans in. “I like him, but he’s even bossier than Nick.”
“I know!” I whisper back. “I didn’t think that was possible.”
He calls over his shoulder, amusement in his voice, “I can hear you.”
Devyn squawks unhappily as we step into a patch of woods surrounded by giant hemlock trees. There are seven other people there. All wear long brown robes with hoods that cover their faces. The sky seems low, heavy, weighed down with snow, touching the tops of the trees. The people stand motionless as we come toward them. I grip Issie’s hand fiercely, like I can somehow hold on enough to keep them safe, to make this all go right.
“They look like monks,” Issie whispers. “The robes are so brown and I can’t see anyone’s face.”
“Stand here.” Astley points to a spot in the middle of the trees. “Issie, please stand near the back with the others.”
Issie squeezes my hand. It is one of the hardest things I’ll ever do, but I manage to let go of her fingers, and she moves to a position where she makes a circle with the robed people. One of them hands Issie a robe, and when she moves, I can see that it’s Becca. Her face glows brightly. The one on the other side of Issie nods as she and Cass put on the robes. He is tall, slim. His ears are slightly pointed, but he looks human. He must be some sort of fae too.
At the perimeter of the woods are my pixies. They step into the light so I can see them. They are tall and short, strong every one. They bow as I glance at them. I want to promise them that we will make it through this and be stronger for it.
“Zara, I need you in the center,” Astley reminds me.
I look back over my shoulder at Issie. She’s shivering and her eyes are wide open, which is how she looks when she’s scared. Devyn perches on a tree branch just above her head. He’s a big bird, but he looks so small, dwarfed by the trees and the events. I want to protect them both somehow, but if Mrs. Nix taught me anything, it’s that I can never totally protect anyone. Danger can just explode without warning and take us away.
Astley hands me a spear that’s longer than my body. “It’s iron tipped,” he says. “Hold it in your right hand. Let the butt rest on the ground.”
We wait. I count my heartbeats. I get to thirty. Astley lifts his arms out in some sort of salute. The others do the same. His eyes get deadly serious. He stands in front of me and starts chanting. “ With this ceremony we position our traveler o ne footstep nearer to Odin. ”
The robed fae and Issie join hands and move in closer. I shudder nervously. They circle around us, hands clasped, and are chanting words that I can’t quite make out, but I don’t think it’s the same thing that Astley’s saying. I look up at Astley. He nods at me like he’s trying to be reassuring, but it’s not really working. I flash back to Mrs. Nix climbing that silver bridge, exploding. I tucked the charred piece of her sweatshirt I had recovered into the back pocket of my jeans. I am glad she is with me now. Nick’s anklet touches my skin. He is here too.
“ One heartbeat nearer to Valhalla, ” Astley chants. “ One march nearer to all that is accepted. ”
The earth seems to shake a little. Glitter swirls up out of his hands and around us. At the same time a funky force-field type thing forms around Astley and me. Opaque and massive, it buffers out the noise, the shiver of the trees, the murmurs of the pixies, the frantic breaths of Is. I cannot believe this. The force field curves around us, reaching high into the sky. A shield.
I catch Issie’s eye. She makes herself smile. It’s pretty obvious that it’s hard for her. She’s probably remembering Mrs. Nix too. The glitter swirls around Astley and me. It’s like we’re in a snow globe, and it’s so strange but so beautiful. I reach out my fingers to touch the glitter. There is the faint sound of softness and magic whirling in the air, and Astley’s voice, but that is all I can hear.
“ And we plait her into fortune, ” he says, all focused power. Then he starts the chant over. “ With this ceremony we position our traveler o ne footstep- ”
Something captures his attention and he falters. The swirling glitter slows. I turn my head to look behind me. More pixies have arrived and it’s clear from their look of kill and lack of robes that they aren’t ours. They thunder out of the woods, rush-run from between the trunks, claws extended, mouths open.
“Issie!” I turn and rush toward her, hitting the translucent dome that’s around us. I bounce off. I whirl around. “Astley!”
He’s chanting fast and furious. His hands bend into a cup shape. His fingers open. He motions for me to do the same.
I shake my head. “Issie! Cassidy!”
An arrow hits one of our pixies. She falls to the ground in a clump. The others grab hands and fill up her space. Another death… another death because of me… I fold in half, crumpling as a ball of light appears within Astley’s hands. His eyes implore me. I straighten again, copy his motions, and the ball is within mine. It’s warm and glows gold like the glitter, like him.
“ So if our essence is worthy, ” he shouts as the wind starts to blow. “ If our essence is worthy, allow this traveling queen to reach your mighty halls, open the BiForst Bridge, and let our queen trod to the noble lands.”
The balls of light whirl in our hands as our eyes meet. The balls leave our fingertips, join, then circle each other. I feel a little shallower somehow, like something is missing from deep inside me.
Another one of our pixies falls. A third is trying to fend off an attack without letting go of Cassidy’s hand. I can tell from her mouth shape that she is shrieking and screaming, but I can’t hear her. Devyn crashes into the bad pixie’s face, talons outstretched.
“We have to get out of here and help!” I yell.
Astley whispers no, then looks upward. Pain and worry stud his face. The ball of light breaks through the force field. It is the first time I have ever heard him swear.
The world shakes a little more. Astley yells to be heard above the roar. “ We gather, all of the Shining, to beg of you to open the path to your realm. Let one of us go and seek what she desires. So be it. ”
The glitter falls to the ground. The light flashes so that it’s completely blinding and then dims. I blink hard, and then all of a sudden there’s a freaking rainbow above my head. It’s brilliant. There are only three colors, though, and it’s about wide enough for an army tank to cross. The red leaps with heat, but the blue and yellow seem fine to touch, if I could get up there. The snow starts melting beneath my feet.
Sweat drops cover Astley’s forehead. “This isn’t quite good. It’s outside the shield.”
“ Everyone is outside it!” I yell. “We have to help them!”
Astley grabs my arm. “No! You must go! We cannot do this again.”
“But Issie, Cassidy, Dev, your people- I can’t even get to the rainbow.” My insides tear apart. I can’t leave them. I can’t just run away when they’re being attacked.
“It’s the shield,” he says, rushing to the edge. He places his hands against the energy. He pushes. It gives a little but doesn’t hold. “They are keeping it up by chanting.”
“Make them not chant!”
“They must think they are protecting us.” He shakes his head and then punches the wall. He races along the perimeter in a sort of Captain Kirk command mode. “They have sworn to protect us because I am their king and you are the queen.”
“What are you doing?” I ask, chasing after him.
Issie has let go of the hands next to hers. She’s grabbed some sort of dagger and is holding it in front of her. Her back is against the force field. A bad pixie is moving toward her. More pixies are scrambling out of the woods.
“Astley!” I yell. “There are more coming! They’re all going to die unless they fight!”
“I know,” he growls back. He stops and puts his hand on the dome, staring at Amelie.
“Let it down,” he commands her. She shakes her head no, and he points above his own head. “The bridge is outside. It is outside the dome. We cannot get to it.”
Amelie’s eyes narrow. She stops chanting and lets go of the hands she was holding, whisking out a sword from beneath her robe. She strides toward the evil pixies. A tiger emerges from the woods, silent, stalking from behind. My heart leaps to see her-Betty.
As our people drop hands and fight, the protective bubble around us shudders and the world rushes in. Issie stumbles backward and falls. I rush over to her, gather her into my arms.
“Oh man, Zara,” she says, trying to get her footing as a pixie heads toward us. “Oh my freaking-”
“It’s okay, Is,” I lie, grabbing her and pulling her away from the fight. “We’ll be okay. Betty’s here. Where’s Cassidy? And Devyn?”
An arrow flies toward us through the air. Astley appears out of nowhere, snatches it in his free hand, breaks it with his fingers. His voice is a growl. “I will take care of them.”
He yanks his sword out of his belt. His face becomes a mask of determination and strength. “Do not falter now, Zara. Many have already died so you can get your wolf back.”
He gestures at the crumpled, unmoving bodies of two of his pixies. Fighting heightens all around us. The world seems so much darker than before. It’s like my brain is beginning to focus and dread crawls over my skin, because this is when I get it. Darkness exists. Things in the dark exist. I am one of those things. Me. And it isn’t always easy to know what is bad or good, or who to trust and believe, but it is always, always easy for me to want to protect my friends.
“I can’t leave them,” I say. “Not even to save Nick. I just can’t. They’ll die here.”
“Zara,” Is protests. She trembles because she’s so afraid, but she still wants me to go.
“I will keep them safe.” Astley’s eyes meet mine.
“Evil pixie approaching. Three o’clock!” Issie interrupts.
Astley spins and flash-flies to our right. He doesn’t make any noise as his sword detaches the pixie’s head from its body.
“Holy- H-h-holy-,” Is stutters as I pull her away, tucking her head into my shoulder.
“Don’t look,” I tell her. “Just don’t look.”
Astley resheathes his sword; the soldier strides back over to us. He orders, “You are going, Queen.”
His hands grab me around the waist, jerking me from Issie, and he throws me up the twenty feet to the beginning of the bridge. He threw me-just like his father threw him. I land on the yellow. The impact makes yellow dust fly up.
“You have to take care of Issie and Cassidy,” I yell again as Devyn swoops over Issie, feigning right and left, talons outstretched as the dark pixies approach. “Astley! Keep them safe! Please… please…”
Astley nods. I see his claws sharpen beneath the glamour. He glows and stands taller, shoulders back, and in that moment I realize that he is remarkably beautiful. He is the king. My king?
The light pulls at me. There is the sound of brass horns in the distance, coming from the other end of the rainbow.
“Go, Zara!” he yells. His hands readjust on his sword, sheaths it, pulls out his bow. “I will keep them safe. I promise.”
I start to go, then stop. “You better! And you have to stay safe too, Astley. You have to be here. No dying. No dying! Okay?”
He lets an arrow fly. Something shrieks. “Just come back to us, Queen. Just come back.”
“I will!” I say, because, you know, everyone wants to come back to fighting, carnage, fear of death, right?
But I do.
I want to come back and keep them safe.
I nod fiercely. “I’ll bring him back. We’ll fight with you, I swear. No more tying you to a tree or anything.”
He starts to laugh, bends, and gets me my sword. His voice resonates inside my head, but his mouth doesn’t move as he says, You will be a great queen when you come back, you know. And someday you’ll love me the way you love your wolf.