Josephine blurted, “It must have been when Ned stepped on the lava stone! The Master had been using it to control the Brothers!”
“Where is the Master?” Bruce asked.
“It’s a long story,” Josephine answered. “But we don’t need to worry about him anymore.”
Bruce grinned and hugged Sarah again.
Josephine watched the Brothers grooming themselves and felt a surge of pity. “Poor things,” she said. She crept closer to them, and, for the first time she noticed that indeed one was inky black and the other was a more smoky gray color. She approached Blacky and, to the other children’s amazement, began to pet the long spikes on the creature’s back. They were coarse, but she found if she stroked down, the way the spikes were lying, they were not unpleasant to the touch. Blacky sighed with pleasure at her touch. “They were just being treated badly, that’s all. Maybe they just miss their mother.”
“If those are children, then I’d hate to see the parents!” Ned cracked.
“Ned, you’re brilliant!” Josephine said. “The Brothers need to go home to their parents. I can take them with me! Back through one of Brokhun’s Cracks.”
“But,” Ida asked, “how can you be sure it will lead them home?”
“Morgan said it would take you wherever you needed to go,” Josephine answered. “And the Master told me that in their own world they don’t need to feed off children.”
Bruce nodded in approval. “Then it has to be done. They deserve to go home, just like the rest of us.”
One of the children yelled, “We want to go home!”
Others soon joined in. “Back to Gulm!” “Let’s go!” “Who knows the way?”
Josephine looked at her friends, and they all knew it was time to say good-bye. She said to Bruce, “Thank you for everything. You were wonderful.” She stood on tiptoe and he bent down to meet her, and she kissed his cheek.
He blushed with pride. “Just be gentle with Smoky and Blacky,” he said, “and they’ll do everything you ask.” Josephine glanced at the Brothers and hoped Bruce was right.
Ida punched Bruce in the arm, startling him. “Thanks for helping me out of that hole.”
“It was the least I could do,” he answered. “It was my fault you and the boy were with the Master in the first place.” He grabbed Sarah’s hand and said, “Josephine, I’ll leave you in Ned’s capable hands. I hope you find your way home. You’ve earned it.” Bruce then turned to the big group of children. “Follow me if you want to go to Gulm!”
He headed for the forest with the children running after him, making sure no one was left behind. Ned and his aunt Lucy were still standing with Josephine.
Ned looked apologetic. “I think I need to get Lucy home as soon as possible.”
Josephine nodded. “Of course. Don’t worry about me. I’ve got the Brothers to protect me.”
Ned nodded and reached into his bag, pulling out the claganmeter still carefully wrapped in cloth.
“It seems to have stayed dry,” he told her. “It’s really simple to use. Just keep a close eye on both clocks, and if they ever tell you different times, you know you’re in the right place.” He handed it to her. “Are you sure you’re okay by yourself?”
“Yes, and thank you,” she said.
“If it doesn’t work, the door or crack or whatever, you can always . . . uh . . . come back to Gulm. Now that the Master is gone, it should be a pretty decent place to live.”
Josephine beamed at the invitation, and she found herself very tempted to stay. “Tell Morgan thank you for everything. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you two hadn’t found me.”
“Morgan?” Lucy said. “I want to see Morgan!”
Ned smiled at her. “Yes. We’re going to see him now.” He hugged Josephine with great affection, and then he and Lucy went running after Bruce and the others.
Josephine turned to Fargus and Ida, ready to make them a proposition. “Ned’s father showed me how to find the door back home. If you wanted . . . since you don’t have any family here . . . you could come home with me.” She tried not to show how much it would mean to her to keep them in her life.
Fargus looked torn. “I want to go, really,” he said, “but I have to find that man Arthur Torrence. What if my parents are still alive?” His eyes shone with the possibility.
“And if this pea brain is going to go running all over the South,” Ida added, “I better go look after him.” Ida wouldn’t meet Josephine’s gaze.
Josephine thought she knew what was bothering Ida. “I’m sorry about what I said about you not growing up. I was just trying to distract Fargus. I don’t know if it’s true.”
Ida chewed on the inside of her lip for a moment. “I think it’s a bunch of mice droppings.”
But Josephine knew Ida well enough by now to know she was lying.
“And even if it is true, big deal! Adults are a bunch of morons.”
Fargus laughed. But Josephine didn’t. She didn’t think there was anything funny about not growing up. She had dreamed her whole life of becoming an adult, leaving her father’s house, and starting her own life. She didn’t know what she would do if something took that away.
Josephine thought she saw a small tear welling in the corner of Ida’s eye, but the girl turned away. “Let’s get going, Fargus, before the sun goes down.”
Josephine gave Ida a big hug, crying out, “I hope I see you again.”
Ida turned red and pulled away quickly. “Okay. And . . . uh . . .” Ida stumbled over her words, which Josephine had never witnessed before. “I guess I should say . . . thank you . . . and everything . . . for coming back for us.”
Josephine smiled. “Of course I came back. You’re my friends.”
Fargus used his good hand to touch Josephine’s arm. He whispered, “I’m sorry I dragged you into all of this.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” she whispered back.
