White Witch, Black Magic

Avaysia shrieks, “Who is that?”

Because Wren and I are definitely going to know whom this strange girl is.

The girl doesn’t seem very threatening. She’s very unusual looking, though. She has long, curly black hair that’s been pulled back in a braid. Her light green eyes dart about; plainly, she is terrified.

But it’s her clothes that interest me. She’s wearing a pair of muddy black boots. Her legs are encased in a pair of pants made of some foreign material. They’re dark blue, a color I’ve never seen britches in. She has a black shirt on. Over that, she wears what looks like a dark green cloak that only reaches to her hips. It has long sleeves that cover her arms and a hood. It’s secured in the front, not by buttons or string, but some silver metal that runs up the front.

I edge towards her. “Who are you?”

“B-Bell-Bella T-Ty,” she stutters.

“What are you doing here, Bella Ty? How did you get here? What was that cloud you came through?”

“I d-don’t know.”

“Why are you here? Do you mean anyone harm? Are you after the princess?”

“Princess? What princess?”

“This princess. Her royal highness, Princess Avaysia.”

“Princess Avaysia Rosalind Christiana Regalda,” Avaysia says brightly.

Bella Ty sits up and hugs her knees. I see that she’s got bits of metal stuck to her crooked teeth and a rather large nose. Her eyes are wide and round.

“Where am I?”

“The Sylvian Woods. We are going from the kingdom of Regnum to Flumen.”

Bella looks confused. “Flying men?”

“Flumen,” I repeat. “Flew—men.”

“Okay, okay…. so, clearly, this isn’t Earth. What world am I in?”

Now it’s my turn to be confused. “World?”

“You know. I come from Earth. There are eight other planets in my solar system. Well, one has been deemed a dwarf planet, which I think is silly. Is that it? Am I on a different planet?”

“Planet? Solar System?” I ask.

“Emma, I think she’s insane,” Wren hisses to me.

“Sounds like it,” I whisper back.

“Don’t you know?” Bella babbles on. “It starts with the sun. Then it’s Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus—”

“Excuse me?” Avaysia asks.

“Uranus. Oh, gosh, no, it’s not what you’re thinking! It’s a planet. It was named for some Roman god/titan dude. Then there’s Neptune and Pluto, the latter of which is now being called a dwarf planet.” Bella Ty looks at us all for a minute. “You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?”

“No,” I say.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Wren asks.

“Well, I was walking home from Irish Step Dance class when this storm started up. I was almost home, and I thought I could out run it. But then it started pouring, so I ducked into this store. It was a weird little jewelry store owned by this creepy lady with talon like fingernails and matted hair…anyways, I called my mom on my cell phone and was walking around the shop waiting for her to come pick me up. I was inspecting this painting when a silver knife blade popped out of the canvas. Then it disappeared, and this weird black cloud showed up. It was like a vacuum cleaner, loud and smelly, and it sucked me through the painting and spat me out here. I’ve seen some pretty wild stuff, living in New York City, but falling through a painting takes the cake!”

Her speech makes very little sense to me. What’s Irish Step Dance class? What in the world is a cell phone, or a vacuum cleaner? And where exactly is this New York City of hers?

“You didn’t understand any of that, did you?” Bella asks.

I shake my head. “Where did you say you were from again?”

“New York City. It’s in New York State.” When we all stare at her blankly, she continues elaborating, confusing me all the more. “It’s part of New England. New England is right next to the Atlantic Ocean and is part of the USA—that stands for United States of America. The US is part of North America, which is connected to South America. They’re two of the seven continents. The seven continents—North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa—are all surrounded by ocean, and that makes up my world. It’s called Earth. It’s part of a solar system, which is part of a galaxy. There are a bunch of galaxies in outer space and—”

Wren, who can’t seem to stand any more of her talking, smacks her over the head with a tree branch. Her eyes roll back into her head and she slumps to the ground. Her head lolls about and her limbs go everywhere.

“Talks a lot, doesn’t she?” Avaysia says.

“Is anyone else confused?” I ask.

“About what?”

“Gee, let me think, Avaysia. Have you ever heard of planets or cell phones or some place called New Yorkieland or whatever?”

“New York City and New York State is what she called them.”

“Yeah, those. Have you heard of them? Because I’d love to know a bit more about them.”

Avaysia shrugs.

“Strange person, isn’t she?” Wren says.

“Yes. What do you make of her clothes?” I ask.

“I’ve never seen anything like them. You?”

“Never.”

I kneel in the dirt beside the girl. Her arms are crossed over her face. I pull them off and look at her closely. Her eyes open and I jump. Avaysia screams. She grabs my shoe, which is still on my foot, and hits Bella over the head with it. I flop onto my back as Avaysia yanks on my leg. The girl’s eyes close again.

“Did you just hit her over the head with Emma’s shoe?” Wren asks. “While Emma was wearing it?”

“Yes,” Avaysia says. She sounds breathless, shocked, and, for some reason, proud. “Yes I did.”

Wren and I look at each other. He shrugs. “Maybe she isn’t as soft as I thought.”

“Hey!”

“So what should we do with Bella Ty or whatever her name was?” I ask.

“You’re the witch. Is she dangerous?”

I kneel next to the girl again. I place a hand on her forehead and close my eyes. A vision whirls through my mind. There are odd structures, rising so high that I can’t see the sun. Streets quite unlike the ones at home are filled with people dressed similarly to Bella. The people seem to be staying close to the odd structures. In between the people is a great flat expanse filled with giant metal monsters that roar and spew black smoke.

I quickly pull my hand away from Bella’s forehead. The vision vanishes and the Sylvian Forest, which suddenly seems serene and safe, reappears.

“What happened?” Wren asks.

“I saw her world. It’s scary.”

“Is she dangerous?” Avaysia wants to know.

“No idea.”

“So…what? Should we just tie her up?” Wren says.

I shrug. “Seems like the safest thing to do.”

I conjure up some rope and Wren helps me tie Bella securely to a beech tree. Then Wren scales a neighboring beech and Avaysia disappears inside her tent. I settle myself in my tent and drift off to sleep. The rest of the night must be uneventful, because I don’t wake until just after sunrise.

“Hey! Emma, get out here!”

It’s Wren. I can’t help but think how hard it is to have a peaceful night around here. I stumble out onto the riverbank, strapping on my sword. The scene that meets my eyes wakes me up fast.

Wren has an arrow knocked and pointed straight at Bella Ty’s head. She has a shiny silver…something clutched in her hand. I’ve never seen anything like it before, but it’s shaped like two rectangles with rounded corners spliced together on a hinge. Part of it is glowing.

“I could kill her, but I’m not sure what will happen to the thing in her hand,” Wren says. “I thought it might be nice to have some back up.”

“How did she get out of the ropes?”

“Well, she was complaining that the ropes were too tight—”

“Wren!”

“And she said she had to pee, and—”

“So you let her loose?”

“Sorry?”

“Wren Christopher Vallen!”

He grins apologetically. “I’m sorry!”

“Who are you?” I ask the girl.

“I told you! My name is Bella Ty.”

“What do you want with us?”

“Nothing. I just want to go home!”

Her words are defiant and strong, but I hear a quiver in her voice. She may be trying to hide it, but she’s scared. Terrified, even. I don’t know what to do. She looked helpless, but that was clearly a wrong assumption. But she doesn’t seem to be that strong, either.

“Put down the weapon. Let’s just talk about this,” I suggest.

“What weapon?” Bella asks. “You mean this?” She holds the silvery thing a little higher. Wren and I both flinch. Our reactions seem to surprise Bella. “This isn’t a weapon. It’s a cell phone. I was trying to call my mom, but it won’t go through. Five bars here, though. Really great service, wherever this is. But seriously, where are we?”

“The Sylvian Woods,” I reply. “I told you that.”

Bella nods. “I’d just like some more specifics. Well, maybe the science and mapping here aren’t as good as Earth’s.”

Aside from the weird comments Bella makes about her world, she seems nice enough. Her way of speaking is different than mine. Though all four of us speak the same language, Bella’s words are harsher and come faster than ours. She strings words together and uses expressions I’d never heard before.

When we break camp and start deciding how to cross the river, Bella sees the horses for the first time. She seems to like them and says, “Wow! Those horses are sic!”

“What do you mean, sick?” I ask. “They look perfectly healthy to me.”

“No. Where I come from, sick can mean ill or cool.”

“Cool? Bella, these horses are quite warm. They’re warmer than you or me.”

“Not that cool. The neat and amazing type of cool. You’ve never heard words used like that before?”

I shake my head.

“Well, that’s how people talk in my world.”

“Your world must be so strange. How do you tell if someone means amazing or ill? Cold or remarkable?”

“You just pick it up after a while.”

“Hey Emma!” Wren calls. He’s by the river with Avaysia. “Do you think you could make a bridge?”

“I can try,” I reply.

I focus on the scraps of wood around us, and they start to move. They slither across the ground and start forming themselves into a bridge. It looks unstable, but Neverard seems to think it’s safe. He strolls right across.

When nothing happens, the rest of us follow him. Bella is awed as I send the brush back into the woods. Her eyes are round and her mouth hangs open.

“You can use magic?” she asks.

“Yes. Isn’t there magic in your world?”

“No. Does everyone here have magic?”

“Only witches.”

“I wish I could do that.”

“No you don’t. Nobody likes witches; they’re supposed to be evil.”

“Well they can’t all be bad. You aren’t.”

“That doesn’t matter to everyone else. I don’t want anyone to know I’m a witch unless they have to.”

“Okay.”

Bella leaves the subject of my magic alone. We make good time, stopping now and again to eat, drink, or relieve bladders. When Bella sees Wren shoot a blue jay while it’s flying, she again demonstrates how different our languages are.

“OMG! You’rereallygoodwithabowandarrow!” she exclaims.

“What?” Wren asks. “Say that again, but slower. A lot slower.”

“OMG, which means oh my God, you’re really good with a bow and arrow,” Bella repeats. “Sorry. We talk fast in my world,” she adds.

When I summon water, Bella shouts, “Wicked!”

I frown. Wren says, “It certainly didn’t take long for her to adopt that outlook on magic.”

“And just a little while ago she was wishing she was magic,” Avaysia says.

“What do you mean?” Bella asks. “What outlook on magic?”

I sigh. “You just made it plain you think magic a bad thing. You just called it evil.”

“Wha—no I didn’t.”

“Yes you did! I heard you,” Avaysia tells her.

“Oh, I get it. Wicked is like sick. It means I think something’s cool.”

Wren’s eyebrows knit together. “You think Emma’s magic is cold?”

Bella giggles and starts to explain her strange meanings of words.

We make good time that day and are farther than I could have hoped for when we stop for the night. Avaysia is complaining that she only has one pair of shoes left, while Bella is strangely quiet. Avaysia moans and groans all through dinner. Bella looks thoughtful as she chews.

“What are you thinking about Bella?” I ask.

She looks at me. “My parents must be so worried.”

I can understand that. “Mine are worried, too.”

“Why? Don’t they know where you are?”

“That’s why they’re worrying.”

“Oh,” Bella says in a small voice.

She doesn’t speak again until bedtime. Wren is spreading out his hammock and Avaysia has retired to her tent. Bella says matter-of-factly, “Where am I sleeping?”

“You can share a tent with me,” I reply.

“Will I be expected to keep guard?”

I shake my head. “No.”

“Why not?”

I glance at Wren, who is busying himself with his blankets. It’s clear he’s going to make me tell Bella what we’ve decided. I open my mouth to explain to Bella that we still aren’t sure if we can trust her when a scream splits the air.

“Avaysia!” Wren and I cry together.

We both dart to her tent and rip open the door. She’s screaming her head off and backing away from us.

“What is it?” I demand. “What happened?”

Avaysia whimpers and points at something on the floor of the tent. I lean down and peer at what has terrified the princess. A spider, a Daddy Long Legs by the look of it, is scuttling around. Avaysia’s cries have confused it and it doesn’t know what to do.

I reach down and scoop the little creature up. It runs across my hand and tries to commit suicide by jumping off my fingers. I catch the little guy and carry him to a tree. He races off my hand and up the bark, relieved to be back in his territory.

“Was that a spider?” Wren asks.

“Yes. Our princess is scared of a spider. It wasn’t even a poisonous one!”

Wren shakes his head. Another scream makes us both jump. I whirl around, half expecting to see Avaysia and a second spider. But this time it’s Bella. She’s sitting very still and is struggling not to scream again.

“What is it?” she whispers in a shaking voice.

Lying on Bella’s knee is a mouse that looks like it just fell from a tree and stunned itself. He’s small and brown, fairly young and not much of a threat. Bella doesn’t seem to feel that way though. She’s terrified of the little animal.

“Bella,” Wren says. “That’s just a mouse.”

“A mouse? Don’t they bite?”

“No. They usually avoid people.”

“Haven’t you ever seen a mouse before?” I ask.

Bella shakes her head. “Not unless it was just a picture.”

“We have mice all over back home,” Wren says. “What must it be like to live in a place with no mice?”

I think back on the vision of Bella’s home. “Crowded,” I say.

Bella giggles. “Very crowded.”

Wren picks the mouse up and releases it in the woods. It seems to have regained consciousness and darts away.

“Alright. Are there any other small animals that are terrorizing anyone here, or can we go to bed?” I ask.

Bella grins and Avaysia folds her arms with a sigh.

“Excellent,” Wren says. He arms himself and scales a tree to keep watch.

Avaysia goes back to her tent, checking for spiders along the way. Bella and I go into my tent. I give Bella half the blankets and we both curl up. She drops off immediately, but doesn’t sleep soundly. She whimpers a lot and cries out once or twice.

I feel like I’ve slept for only seconds when Wren wakes me. I stagger out of the tent and settle myself in a tree. It’s all I can do to stay awake. When Wren rises that morning, I slip down and curl up in the dirt.

When I next wake, I feel much better. I’m slumped against Neverard’s neck as he plods through the woods. Wren is riding behind me, keeping me in the saddle. Bella and Dusty are bringing up the rear with Avaysia and Winter in the middle.

“Morning Sleeping Beauty,” Wren says.

“Feel better?” Avaysia asks.

“Much,” I say, yawning. “How long did I sleep?”

“About half the day.”

“Whoa. Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Wren assures me.

We come across a river a few miles later. Wren stops us to fish, and I find some bushes and strip them of their berries. We’re back on the trail within an hour. The day is uneventful, except for the griffin that flies overhead. He scares Avaysia so much that she nearly falls off Winter.

“Was that a griffin?” Bella asks me.

“Yes,” I reply.

“Wicked! I’ve read about griffins before. They’re smaller than I thought they’d be.”

I shake my head in wonder. Who was this girl that screamed at the sight of a tiny little mouse and wasn’t the least bit scared by a great big griffin?

That night, Avaysia is in a loud mood. She starts singing some song she claims her mother taught her. We’d just finished eating dinner when she began, and now we can’t make her be quiet.

“Would you please stop that racket?” I ask, for what must be the hundredth time.

“Don’t tell me what to do! I am royalty!”

I wince. “Yeah,” I mutter. “That’s the problem.”

“What was that?” the princess demands.

A sigh escapes me. “When will it get through that thick head of yours, Avaysia? It doesn’t matter that you’re a princess out here. It only makes you an easier target. Everyone knows that we’re out here and if you don’t shut up—”

“Emma,” Wren says. He strings his hands through his hair and gets to his feet. His voice carries a warning, but I’m so fed up with this girl that I don’t really care.

“You know it’s true!”

Wren turns back to face me. His eyes lock onto mine. He stares me down, trying to force out a sign of resignation. But I won’t back down. He knows I’m right and he’s going to admit it.

“Are you just going to let her speak to me like that?” Avaysia snaps, breaking the staring contest short. Even Bella jumps at how loud she is in the stillness. Avaysia opens her mouth again.

“Shh!” Wren and I hiss together.

“Well?” she says, her voice fractionally softer. “Are you?”

“Your Majesty,” Wren begins, trying to smooth things over. As usual. I jump in before he can really get going.

“Oh, give it a rest, Wren. All this ‘Your Majesty’ rubbish gives me a headache.”

“Well, excuse you,” Avaysia says. She crosses her arms and legs, looking both regal and outraged. I’m decent at giving people the death stare but Avaysia must’ve had classes on it.

“Look, princess,” I start. Even she can’t miss the contempt in my voice. “Word moves fast. People know we’re somewhere along this trail. You’re broadcasting our general location to any criminal who cares. It’s like waving a flag and shouting, ‘Come and get me!’”

“Isn’t that what you’re here for? To protect me against people like that?”

“You are perfectly safe with us, princess,” Wren tells her.

I roll my eyes. He says her title like a caress. Even though we are responsible for getting Avaysia to her wedding, he can’t seem to help himself. It’s ridiculous.

“You remember the wolves, Avaysia? Do you really want to attract more attention like that? A robber—or worse, a whole group of bandits—would be far worse. We might keep you intact, but you can kiss that pretty tent and all your baubles and pretty clothes goodbye. It’d be like Christmas for them.”

One of the branches I gathered for the fire breaks in two. Avaysia draws in a breath to argue with me, but before she can, Wren jumps back into the conversation. Our bickering must really be getting to him.

“Enough.”

I can tell he means business. Both Avaysia and I are quite. Bella sits, unmoving, in the shadows of the fire. Wren paces the campsite, pausing now and again to peer into the woods. He seems agitated, but I’ve seen nothing that might be cause for worry.

Wren claps his hands together, making us jump again. “Bedtime. Emma, I’ll take first watch.”

I nod, getting to my feet. Bella follows me into our tent while the Avaysia enters hers. I undress and snuggle down in my blankets. I’m asleep almost before my head hits the pillow.

Far too soon, Wren wakes me. I dress and come outside, wrapping my hair around the pretend wand I was given at the castle. The clouds part to reveal a full moon as I pull myself into the tree. Wren lies down on his hammock, which swings beneath him.

The night seems quiet enough. I haven’t been in the tree long, however, when a shadow detaches itself from the trees. It starts creeping towards Avaysia’s tent. When a beam of moonlight passes over the shadow, I see that it’s a teenage boy just a little older than me.

As the boy reaches for Avaysia’s tent I spring from the tree. I flip through the air the way Will taught me and land neatly on my feet. I almost grab my sword, but wonder if magic would make a better threat. I snatch the wand from my hair and point it at the boy. He looks petrified.

“Freeze!” I shout at him, though he’s already immobilized by terror.

Wren appears at my side in seconds. Despite his tousled hair and bleary eyes, he already has an arrow notched and ready to fly. The boy’s eyes dart around, searching for an escape route. He starts edging towards the woods, but I brandish my wand at him, somehow causing a few sparks to fly from it.

“Don’t even think about it,” I tell him. He goes statue-still again. It’s almost comical. I have to suppress a smile as I turn to my companion. “What do you think we should do, Wren?

“You know how we take care of thieves, Emma,” he replies.

Behind the boy, safe in her tent, Avaysia is snoring. The boy is looking about him again, trying to find a way out. I make sure that there isn’t one. He seems to realize that neither Wren nor I will let him escape.

The noise must have woken Bella, because her face appears at our tent. “What’s happening?” she asks.

“Go back to sleep, Bella,” I say.

The boy glances at Bella, then back at me.

“Ready, Emma?” Wren asks.

“When you are,” I reply.

In unison, we raise our weapons and level them with the boy’s head. I can’t help but smile. I have no idea what Wren is planning to do to the boy, but I doubt Wren would actually hurt him. I’m just playing along, watching the fear increase on the boy’s face.

“One,” Wren says.

“Two,” I add.

“THREE!” we shout together.

I make thunder boom for effect. It isn’t very convincing and sort of weak sounding, but the boy screams and throws his hands over his head. He hits the ground a second later.

Wren laughs, thinking that we just freaked him out. But the boy must have a plan. He moves with unbelievable speed and agility, darting across the ground and vanishing into to woods.

“Hey!” Wren shouts. “Come back here!”

Like that’s going to do anything, I think.

Wren takes off after the boy and I use my magic to put a wire mesh fence ten feet tall around the campsite. I hear the boy yelp as he runs into it. When he appears running full tilt back the way he came, I chase after him.

When the boy hits the fence again, he treats us to some colorful language. By the time I reach him, he’s half way up it. I grab the fence and begin shaking it. The boy clings to it for a moment, then slips off. He hits the dirt and I point my wand at him again before he can regain his feet.

“Don’t…don’t move,” I pant.

The boy glares at me. “What are you…going to…do with me?”

I shrug. “I don’t know.”

“Then what was with the theatrics back there?” he jerks his head to indicate the campsite.

“I was just playing along with Wren. You should have seen your face!”

“Yes. I’m sure it was so amusing, Emma.”

“How do you know my name?”

“Your boyfriend, Wren, said it.”

I ignore the boyfriend dig. “And who are you?”

“Why should I tell you?”

Wren comes charging up to us. “I checked…the whole…perimeter. I can’t…find him.”

“I already did,” I say. “Now, tell me your name.”

“No,” he says, still on the ground.

I lean over him, my hair falling in his face. I pull my dagger and hold the tip of the blade over his head.

“You’d better or I might just try to find the best place to stick this. I don’t appreciate thieves trying to steal my princess. Now, what is your name?”

The boy gulps. “Jacob,” he mutters.

I sheath my dagger. “There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“What are we supposed to do with him?” Wren asks.

“I don’t know. We could just tie him up.”

“But what if he escapes like Bella did?”

“You mean, if you let him loose?”

Wren shrugs. “I said I was sorry. Besides, it worked out alright.”

“I suppose.”

“Why were you tying up Bella?” Jacob asks.

“What’s it matter to you?” Wren retorts.

“Well, if she’s the third guard, why would you tie her up? And why would Emma tell her to go back to sleep instead of having her help capture me?”

“Okay, Mr. Detective,” I say. “Up you get.”

Wren helps Jacob to his feet. I keep my wand pointed at him. He seems to be scared of it, even though it’s a fake. Of course, he doesn’t know that. I intend to keep it that way. Wren takes out his dagger just in case. The three of us go back to the campsite.

“We’d better check him for weapons,” I say.

“Good idea,” Wren agrees.

We force Jacob to take off his boots. Wren pats him down. We find knives strapped to his arms and legs and one big one around his torso. There’s blowgun tucked into the waistband of his pants and poison darts hidden in his shoes. He also has a compass. It’s much bigger and older than Wren’s, and so battered it doesn’t work right. The needle swings lazily in a circle, clearly broken, but Jacob seems attached to it. He snarls at me when I pull it from his pocket. I jerk back, surprised.

“What did you find?” Wren asks.

“It’s just a broken compass,” I say, pocketing it.

“Well, that was the last of it. I think we got everything.”

“Good.”

I leave up the ten-foot fence and make a smaller mesh box that contains Jacob. There’s a floor and a roof, so he can’t climb out or burrow under it. The door is held shut by sixteen heavy-duty pad locks.

“That oughta hold him,” I say confidently.

As an extra precaution, I toss eight of the keys to Wren and keep the rest. By this time, the sun has risen most of the way and Bella has woken up. I rouse Avaysia while Wren starts cooking breakfast.

“Who is that?” Avaysia asks.

I realize she hasn’t seen Jacob at all. She’d been sound asleep during the mad dash through the woods. I explain what happened while she studies Jacob. An odd look crosses her face, then she seems to decide she’s wrong and simply shrugs.

“Okay,” she says. “How long until the food’s ready?”

Wren passes out the meal, saving a small portion of it for Jacob. I hand it through the mesh. Jacob’s fingers are calloused and tough. It makes me wonder what he used to do before he took to robbing people.

We start breaking camp. When we’ve saddled up the horses, I return to the cage to fetch Jacob. The door is hanging open and all the locks are on the ground. Somehow, Jacob has escaped.

“Wren!” I shout. “He’s gone!”

“What?!” Wren shouts. “How did he get loose?”

“I don’t know, but we have to find him.”

Wren and I start looking for Jacob. I locate him just as he makes it over the top of the fence. He drops to the other side, waves, and sprints away. I make the fence vanish and dash after him.

Jacob is impossibly fast. I know he must have spent at least as much time in the woods as I have because he’s nimble and quick on forest terrain. He leaps a fallen tree and darts past a vine-covered one.

I jump the log and keep following him. He isn’t getting any farther away, but I can’t seem to catch up. When we pass a bramble patch, Jacob runs right into it. The thorns tear into his skin, but he ignores them.

The thorn patch leads to a small outcropping of rocks that form a sort of corridor. I go around the brambles to the far side of the rocks. Jacob runs headlong into me. We both fall.

We roll back down the hill, through the thorns, and across some sort of netting. The ground snaps up around me, pulling me into the air. I yell, and hear Jacob shout, too.

We’re caught is two separate nets. I grab for my dagger, but it isn’t there. I see a flash of metal and look over at Jacob. Somehow, while we were tumbling down the hill, he managed to steal my knife.

“Hey!” I shout. “That’s mine!”

“Finder keepers, right?”

He cuts himself loose. Then he picks something up from the ground and waves it teasingly at me. It’s the wood I’d been pretending was a wand. He pockets it and turns away.

“Jacob!” I say. “Don’t leave me here. Please!”

“Why should I help you? You’re just going to take me prisoner again.”

“No, I won’t. We won’t. You’d just get out again, anyways.”

“This time you’ll take my lock-pick wires. I’m not an idiot, Emma.”

“Jacob, please!”

I sound desperate and helpless. And it works. He looks back at me, eyes wide with something that looks like hurt. I think he’s going to relent, to let me down, but he takes another step away from me.

I scream in frustration. Flames shoot out of my fingertips, taking us both by surprise, and very nearly catch Jacob. He yelps and scurries farther away.

“I thought you needed your wand to do magic?” he asks.

“Shows what you know,” I retort.

I try and use the fire to torch the vines, but it isn’t working. Somebody made them flame proof. I use magic against them in everyway I can think of, but nothing affects the vines. Meanwhile, Jacob is running farther away.

“Emma! Are you alright?” Wren shouts as he comes sprinting into view, knife in his hand.

“Wren, watch out!” I say.

Too late, Wren stops. A third net scoops him up and he drops his dagger in his panic. He flips upside-down, spilling all the arrows from his quiver. They scatter across the ground. Bella and Avaysia appear moments after. I shout to them to stop, but they don’t hear me until they’re trapped as well.

“You’re touching me!” Avaysia shrieks as Bella bumps into her. “Royalty and commoners shouldn’t mix!”

“Sorry,” Bella mutters. “We’re kind of smashed in the same net here!”

“Guys! We have to figure out how to get out of here. Does anyone have any weapons?” I say.

“Can’t you just magic us out?” Avaysia asks.

“I tried that. Nothing I do works.”

“Why?”

“No idea.”

“Well, try again!” Bella says.

I summon fire, thinking that showing them this particular failure will prove to them these vines are magic proof. Nothing happens. I can’t make fire shoot from my fingers as I did before. It won’t work.

“Emma? Are you okay?” Wren asks.

I realize my face is contorted as I try to force my magic to work. I quickly relax my muscles and nod.

“How come nothing happened?” Avaysia says.

“I told you! I don’t know. My magic is completely gone. Before it just wasn’t affecting the vines.”

“Do you think the vines are causing it?” Wren asks.

“That sounds plausible,” Bella says.

“How did you know to find me anyway?” I ask Wren.

He shrugs. “We followed the sound of yelling and the path of broken branches. There was a black cat that ran this way too.”

“If this was a book,” Bella put in eagerly, “The cat would be a witch or something trying to help us or lead us to our doom.”

“Great,” I said. “Even though this isn’t a book, what are the odds the witch would be friendly?”

“Depends on the author, but probably fifty-fifty.”

“Fantastic.”

“How are we supposed to get of here?” Avaysia asks. “I’ve got a wedding I need to attend.”

“What if I swing my net this way,” I say, rocking back and forth. “And try and reach Wren…then he can untie the knots!”

It takes a while, a fair amount violent rocking, and a few shoves off a nearby tree, but I finally manage to build up enough of a swing to hit Wren’s net. We snatch hold of the other, then I grip his net while he tries to release mine.

We’re finally starting to make some progress when something begins to smell. Avaysia holds her nose and fans the air in front of her face. Bella’s nose is wrinkled up in disgust.

“What is that horrible stench?” Avaysia says, her voice rising as it does when she panics.

A deep rumble of a voice answers her. “Rope pulled up? Net off ground? Yummy, yummy dinner for tummy! Oli eat good tonight!”

An ogre stomps into view, pushing a wheelbarrow. He’s tiny compared to the giant, about twelve feet tall. His skin is a hideous green color and his ears are huge. They flap as he walks. His feet are bare and his toenails are yellow and gnarled. He’s wearing an odd sort of toga made from tree bark and old animal pelts. The worst part, however, is the smell. Ogres are known for their stench. I’ve been told that most have never touched water, other than to drink it, and they rub themselves down in skunk spray whenever they have the chance.

“Yummy yummy!” the ogre rumbles. “Oli hungry! Oli eat yummy humans!”

“Oh my,” Bella says. “What is that?”

“That, dear girl, is an ogre,” I reply.

Avaysia lets out a strangled sort of squeak. She doesn’t seem capable of speech. Wren on the other hand, is treating us all to some rather colorful language. He’s clearly angered by the onslaught of obstacles cropping up. What with giants, wolves, thieves, girls from other worlds, and magic water that turned us into rabbits, there’s a lot to rave about.

“That guy is nothing like Shrek,” Bella mutters.

I don’t have a chance to ask her what she’s talking about, because at that moment the ogre pulls my net from the tree holding it. He drops it and I sprawl across the ground. I jump to my feet and try to seize Wren’s dagger, but the ogre grabs me and shoves me into a large, smelly sack.

I can’t see anything from inside, but I hear something hit the ground before Wren is tossed in with me. He lands on top of me, bowling me over.

“Ouch!” I gasp.

“Sorry!” Wren says.

“More people food for Oli! Oli very hungry!” the ogre rumbles.

There’s some high-pitched screaming, then Avaysia is thrown in with Wren and me. She falls straight into Wren’s arms and he barely manages to stay on his feet. But when Bella collides with me, I go down again.

Oli picks up the sack and we all fall over as the ground shakes beneath our feet. Oli dumps the sack into the wheelbarrow. Pain shoots through my left leg as it’s crushed between hard metal and Avaysia.

“Get off me!” I bellow.

“I’m trying,” Avaysia shrieks back.

“Be quiet!” Wren roars.

Bella gives a sort of whimper.

“Oli like feisty dinner,” the ogre says. “Yummy, yummy feisty dinner.”

“You don’t want to eat us, Oli,” I shout. “We’ll give you indigestion.”

“In-gestion? What that?” Oli asks.

“A very bad stomach ache,” I reply.

“No want bad belly ache!” Oli says.

“So you won’t eat us?”

“Didn’t say that.”

“But—”

“No more talkin’. Oli gonna eat soon.”

The ground tilts as Oli lifts the wheelbarrow. We all go careening into each other as we begin to move. The trip seems to take forever. Oli is singing a song about rubber duckies while we run over rocks and bounce off the sides of trees.

“We home, Dinner,” Oli says happily as the wheelbarrow grinds to a stop.

Oli picks up the bag again and carries it around. Wren is looking a bit green when the swinging finally stops. Oli’s big fingers grab the bottom of the bag and he up-ends it, spilling us out.

Wren, Bella, Avaysia, and I tumble out and fall in a tangled heap onto cold metal. We disentangle ourselves and stand up. We’re in a big cooking pot about six feet wide and seven feet deep.

“Wren, come give me a boost,” I say in a hushed voice.

Wren braids his fingers into a cup shape and I place my foot on them. I stand on Wren’s hands and grab the edge of the pot. I cling there, looking out into the ogre’s cottage.

“What do you see?” Wren asks.

“We’re in a big wooden house. There’s a door, a window, a fireplace, and a bed. Some of those vines that kill my magic are here, too.” Out the window, I see a flash of black out of the corner of my eye. By the time I turn my head, it’s gone. Was it the same black cat from before?

“Is there any way to escape?”

“Not that I can see.”

“Can you pull yourself over?”

I grip the pot—or try to. The metal is smooth and slick and my fingers slip right off. I hook my arms over and try to swing my leg over. I almost make it, too. My feet scrabble at the side, looking for purchase. The pot tips from my weight and begins to swing, knocking my off. Wren catches me just before I hit the bottom of our prison.

“Guess not,” Wren says.

“It’s probably just as well. It’s a pretty far drop to the ground and I’d land in the fire anyways.”

“What’s the ogre doing?”

“Oli’s filling a jug with water.”

“You don’t think—”

The ogre turns and bumps the pot. I stumble, but don’t fall. I’ve barely regained my balance when a torrent of water pours over my head. Some sloshes out of the pot. The rest pools around my feet and rises to my ankles. Oli refills the jug and adds more water. It swirls around my knees.

“Need more water!” he says. “Gotta get more water.”

The next jug brings the water level up to my hips. Oli seems pleased with this. He stops adding water and starts tossing in gigantic carrots. The pieces float around us. Then Oli throws in some whole turnips. One hits Avaysia on the head and she collapses into the water. She comes up spluttering with her hair plastered to her face.

“We have to get out of here,” she chokes.

“Thank you Captain Obvious,” Bella snaps.

“Captain Obvious?” I ask.

Bella shrugs. “It’s an Earth thing, I guess.”

Oli picks up the pot and moves it over to the fire. Water sloshes over the sides. I try to go over with it, but Oli catches me and drops me back in. He hangs the pot over the fire and sits down to wait.

“Soup be sooo yummy,” he says eagerly.

At first, nothing seems to be happening. Slowly, however, the water is growing warmer. The metal beneath my feet is too hot to touch for very long. The sides of the pot are heating up, too.

“Is anyone else overly warm?” Bella asks.

She drags herself out of the water and onto a turnip. Wren and I have already pulled ourselves onto floating vegetables. Avaysia follows our example.

Avaysia sighs. “Is this dress going to be ruined? I only have so many of them, you know.”

“We’re about to be cooked alive and that’s all you can think about?” I snap.

“Well, these dresses don’t come cheap.”

“Are all princesses like this?” I ask.

“Don’t you two go at it again,” Wren warns.

Avaysia gives me a nasty look behind Wren’s back, but neither of us says anything else. The water is more than hot; it’s unbearable. I pull together two pieces of carrot and lay across both of them, trying to keep as far from the water as I can.

It’s no use, though. Steam is rising up around us, swirling into the air. The air is too hot to inhale. It burns my lungs. My vision is foggy, my thoughts unclear. It’s all I can do to stay awake. Bella and Avaysia have succumbed to the heat and are unconscious. I don’t have enough strength to even move my fingers.

Oh what’s it matter? I think.

You have to deliver Avaysia to her wedding! Another part of me responds. Your family is depending on you!

It’s true. I remember how terrified Hattie was when I found my family in the dungeon. I can’t just die here and let them rot, never knowing what happened to me. I gather all the strength I can muster and manage to lift my head.

“Soup nearly done!” Oli the ogre exclaims, clapping his hands. “Oli have yummy soup tonight!”

My head plops back down. I can’t possibly escape this pot and manage to defeat the ogre before my friends die. I can’t even wiggle my toes anymore. I picture each member of my family. I kiss them all goodbye.

I’m sorry, I think.

“Oli going to have yummy soup!” the ogre giggles. “Yummy, yummy, yummy!”

Another voice answers him. And it’s not Wren or the girls. It’s Jacob, of all people, returning to rescue us.

“Not if I can help it!” he shouts. His face appears by the edge of the pot. He looks so far away. “Are you okay?” he asks.

“Just dandy,” I reply in barely more than a whisper.

Then I close my eyes and black out.