“Why me?” she sputtered.
“Because you’re the best fighter!”
“Calm down!” Pir snapped. “Nobody said anything about fighting. Just shut up and stay put for now.”
We crouched motionless, barely hidden in the cramped stable. Even the horses were tense. A quiet this deep was unnatural, like it had mass closing in around us. After a worrying amount of time passed, Willow’s whisper felt more like a scream. “Badger, go check on what’s happening.”
“Me? Are you crazy? Why not Sharp?”
He jabbed my forehead. “You can turn invisible, clotpole!”
“Right. Good point.”
I hesitated, switched dimensions, and ventured back. As soon as I saw the door, it crashed open. Two identical souls emerged, each a striking cobalt blue. Following them was one of the strangest souls I would ever see. Instead of one light, he was made from the fractures of many lights, shades of green and blue, as well as one prominent patch of red. It looked stitched together, like a quilt.
The patchwork soul spoke with Pyrite’s desperate voice. “Molten, I’ll comply, but you must let those kids go. They aren’t who you’re looking for.”
The larger of the blue souls spoke with a raspy voice. “We’ll be the judge of that. If he’s your son, that’s a problem for us. Take me to them.”
“I’m begging you,” he pleaded.
“You can either listen to me, or Melodia. Your choice.”
The sound of the name shifted the energy, and the other blue soul darkened. It was a small shift, but it sent a cold fear from the top of my head to my feet on the ground. I acted on instinct, doubling back to my friends, reappearing and explaining the situation as fast as I could.
“What?!” Piranha pulled an arrow from their quiver. “We need to stop them!”
“Stop them!” I grabbed two fistfuls of my hair. “How are we going to do that? We should hide!”
Willow pulled down my wrists and looked me in the eyes. “And leave Pyrite all alone with them? Come on Badger. There must be something we can do.”
I wanted nothing more in that moment than to be back safe in the Valley, where the sun shined in the daytime, and I knew where I was. Who I was. I knew Willow was right. I couldn’t cower. Not this time.
But it was too late. Someone blocked the doorway. She had dark gray skin, a thin mouth curled in a smile, and deep blue eyes that contrasted pale, greasy hair. Sharp stepped forward, both blades unsheathed.
The stranger raised both hands over her head. “I’m not here to hurt you,” she said, with a musical voice. “I’m here to talk.”
Sharp didn’t move. “Then talk.”
Before the next words left her mouth, my ears grew hot. The cadence of her voice changed as she sang, “Pyrite will be accompanying my sister and I back into the Deep Dark. We would like the four of you to join us.”
Her eyes belied her, shining with discord and spite. My entire body shivered when she directed the gaze at me. “You must be Pyrite’s child. Divine power is a valuable gift, and a crucial asset in protecting the Wilds. Do you understand?”
I could feel myself receding back, overcome by a desire to turn invisible and remove myself from this situation. Sharp and Piranha had glazed, unnatural looks on their faces. Willow, on the other hand, was even more focused.
“Protect the Wilds from what exactly?” he interjected, smiling and calm in the face of the danger itself. “From our perspective, it seems like you want to kidnap us for your own agenda. What do you really want?”
His brilliant charm was difficult to ignore. She touched an intrigued hand to her collar bone. “You boy. Are you Of-the-Wind?”
The false smile vanished, and his eyes glowed so bright that even my friends would have noticed, if they weren’t in a trance. “Of-the-Mountains. I have nothing to do with King Wyvern. Northern nomads like me are often victims of his endless desire to become more powerful and influential. Tell me the truth, stranger, is that not what you seek too? Power to make people fear you, and listen to what you have to say?”
He had a real gift of cutting to the chase, to the heart of what people really wanted. She appeared caught off guard by his words for a second, before pointing up to the hidden sky. “There are those in the Dark that can read the stars and see the truth of what’s to come. Wyvern has taken from us. From me. He won’t stop unless we fight back.”
“We have no intention of going with you,” asserted Willow. “Whatever you’re doing to our friends, I suggest you stop.”
Before she could respond, something strange happened. Her eyes glowed blinding white, just for a second. Without a word, she turned and walked away. Willow and I exchanged dumfounded looks.
A blade clattered on the ground. Sharp blinked a few times, snapping back to the situation. “What? What just happened?”
With a shudder, Piranha also broke from the trance and gripped the sides of their face. “What’s going on? She did something to my head…”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Why did she just leave?”
My answer appeared in the doorway. “Hurry,” Pyrite commanded. “Gather your things. I know of a place we can hide.”
We were frozen in confusion and fear. He raised his voice without aggression. “Seriously. I’ll explain later, but we need to get out of here. Now.”
We came to our senses and did what he said. Dozens of questions had to wait. The woman called Molten was still standing in front of the house, upright and staring forward like she had been stunned. Her hair was fire-red, and a thin fang protruded from her top lip. I didn’t know what Pyrite’s power was, but something told me it was fearsome.
We followed him to the edge of town, using a cluster of smaller trees for cover. Every step he took was aggravated, and in a harsh whisper he scolded himself. “Stupid. So stupid. Why did I forget Melodia? Stupid.”
“Wait!” I pleaded. “Who are those people?”
His face was twisted in distress and his eyes glowed so bright it was blinding. “Later. We need to get far enough away before my power wears off.” In a quieter, hopeless voice, he whispered, “I’m sorry. It was a mistake to bring you here.”
Willow floated in front of us, scarves disheveled and covered in straw. “Tell us what’s happening. Now.”
My godfather opened his mouth, but he didn’t get the chance to speak, because all the brush and leaves surrounding him caught fire. We jumped away from the hot flame. It moved unnaturally, leaving the vegetation unburnt. The fire trapped Pyrite, separating us.
