The Amulet Keepers

Five amulets. Four Elementals. Three protagonists. Two friends destined to die. One epic battle that blurs the lines between good and evil. The world isn't just black and white after all.

Author’s Note 

Many people ask me where my ideas come from. Where did you get this idea? That’s so cool, who is that character based off of? What’s your inspiration? 

My inspiration comes from many things, including dreams, sights, and music. This particular story happened to come into mind when I had a conversation with a friend. We spent about an hour taking turns writing alternative paragraphs and forming a story. Although it left many questions unanswered, the story was the basis for this story right now: 

Seconds later the room explodes sending splintered wood and broken glass in every direction. The small boy stands in the rubble holding a black pendant inscribed cursed runes.

Me: still standing there because I was protected by an enchantment.“Excuse me you just lost my page.”

The boy releases a screech that could only be that of a moth, summoning an army of massive moths that would arrive in minutes. 

The girl searched for her bookmark on the floor, oblivious to the impending doom, soon to arrive

The moths arrived, their giant appendages reaching and grabbing out for the girl through broken holes in the roof, it was only a matter of time before she would be consumed. But then there was a tremendous flash of light that the moths were drawn to.

The girl reappeared mere yards away from the giant insects, in her hand a white amulet not unlike the boys. Her face was drawn in anger. 

The boy still stood, unfazed by the girl's unimpressive feat of magic. He flicked his hands and the ground split before him revealing a ravine that dropped into an endless abyss, Tartarus. 

The girl rolled her eyes. This was such a cliché and she was already running late. With a snap of her fingers she closed the gap on the ground, only a scar remained on the earth, as a remnant of the gaping hole that had been there moments before. 

The boy reopened the gap not caring that it was a cliché, knowing that clichés were used for a reason, because they were effective. 

The girl checked the time and frowned. If she was late they wouldn’t be happy with her. Holding the amulet towards the sky she called a beam of light down upon her and disappeared. 

The boy grimaced holding his black amulet in the palm of his hand knowing that he would defeat this girl that had caused him much agony. 

The girl, miles and miles away, held not a care in the world for the boy who had inconvenienced her. He had made her forget her book. 

The boy walked over to the table that held the book and tossed her book into the hearth disintegrating the book on contact, it was his way of saying thank you after a bit of torment. 

The girl, at her important meeting, somehow knew there would be no retrieval of her book. While it saddened her, she was still happy she wasn’t dead... yet

The boy could sense the girl's presence, very distant and faint, but he had a clue to where she might have been going, all he had to do was read the cover of that book and things became much clearer. The girl left her meeting, withdrawing the amulet once again from her pocket. The object had both blessed and cursed her. She inspected the runes, runes she could not understand. What did they mean? She intended to find out. 

The runes of the boy's amulet illuminated the vacant and utterly destroyed house. The girl's amulet looked uncannily similar to his. she must be doing something to her amulet now. He had to find this girl and he knew that their amulets were the answer. 

The girl, still far away, clutched her amulet tightly. It had begun to glow, a sign the boy was using his and trying to find her. She fled from the previous place she had been and began searching frantically for somewhere else to hide. This couldn’t happen again. 

After minutes of searching through the girls home he finally found the spell book that contained the spell he needed to find her. The boy spouted magic saying while slowly closing in on the girls position. 

The girl knew she was trapped, she could feel the boy's consciousness surround her. From memory, she cried out a spell of protection hoping that it would once again trick the boy when he arrived. The boy was clever and suspected that she would see her amulet light up alerting her that he was close so he decided to appear at a distance to avoid any close range spells. 

The girl, still under her spell of protection, knew the boy would be arriving shortly. What she didn’t know was what he wanted from her and her amulet. 

The boy appeared in the distance and set his eyes on the girl. He could see her frantically spouting spells to protect herself from the boy. He began walking towards the girl with only one thing in mind, revenge. 

The girl spotted the boy approaching. She could not run anymore, the boy would follow. So she waited, heart racing in anticipation for whatever death or torture awaited her. She had imagined life ending differently, but the fates were cruel. 

As the boy approached he saw the girl standing there defenseless. It would be no fun to kill her without a fight l, but things didn’t always go his way. He stood about 10 yards away from her, his eyes locked on hers waiting for her first move. 

She stared back at the boy with equal fervor. He wanted a fight, and a fight she would refuse to give him, she should die with defiance 

“Fight you coward” he screamed “FIGHT” tears now trailed from his eyes and dropped into the sand. “Just fight” he whimpered. 

The girl glanced at the boy with pity, for she had no idea why he wanted her dead. She crossed her arms, and turned her face away. 

“FINE THEN! I’m dead anyways they’ll kill me if I don’t kill you. I don’t have the guts to do it and I never will.” The boy tears off his amulet forming an abyss at his feet. He threw the amulet with all of his might into the sand dunes and jumped into the abyss, his eyes closed plummeting to his death. He tried to think of happy thoughts to end on, not every story had a happy ending. He guessed he wouldn't either.

 The girl watched in admiration as the boy jumped into the abyss. Without a second thought, she closed her eyes and searched for the boy. His thoughts were undetectable. He was gone.

Suddenly, abruptly, the girl woke up somewhere else in an entirely different world.

 The boy felt his body disappear and was standing somewhere very different from the world he had just been in. He looked down at his body which he had felt disappear, but had now reformed in this new environment. 5 men stood around him all wearing black robes. “That was an outcome we had not anticipated”they said in unison. The boy stood in silence. He realized that he was standing in a dark black room that gradually turned grey and then into a beautiful white. On the white half there were 5 women standing in a circle around an unknown figure, but the boy could tell who was at the center of that circle. It was the girl. 

The girl was not surprised to see the boy here. But she did not know how her sisters would react to the boys presence 

The boy stood awestruck. What was this place and who were these people? 

“Welcome to the land of the dead.” The girl said with a smile. “Sir, you’ve been a real inconvenience to us. I was on my break.” She laughed, jiggling the white amulet on her neck. 

“You talk about this place like you’ve been here before. Please correct me if I’m mistaken but you can’t die more than once, right?”

“You are correct in that matter.”

“Ok, but if you’ve been here before you must have died , right? And when we were in the world of the living you seemed very alive.”

“I’m not alive or dead.” The girl sighed. “I’m neither.”

“Is she always like this because if that’s the case I want to die again.”

The girl's friends just laughed. The girl smiled, “you’d understand if you were me.”

“Well that’s the problem, I’m not you, soooo can anyone explain to me what’s going on.”

“I’m fine.” The girl assured him. “ This is my job, the transportation of magical from life to death.”

“Does everyone get a second chance?” 

“No. Only some.” 

“You’re the expert on these things, what should I choose?” 

“Doesn’t matter to me. Just make your choice soon because I’m hungry.”

“I get to have the same job as you, can I still die?”

“No, you’re considered immortal in the real world. Only when someone takes your spot will you die.”

“If I get this job will you die, because I was really looking forward to annoying you for all eternity?”

“I’ll live, one of my sisters will pass on.” She beckoned to one of the girls 

“Good luck” he says to the girl, “but it seems like I’m taking your spot. Oh this is going to be fun, being annoying is a specialty I have and you, my good friend that I once tried to kill, are going to love me.”

That is the extent to which the conversation went. I know that although the plot of that and the plot of my story do not entirely align, the short version above was my basis for writing. One of the reasons I actually put it here was so others could see that ideas don’t just come from nowhere. I also needed a convenient spot to put this so I could reference it in the future. And below, at no cost to you, I have attached my handwritten rune chart that took me a good twenty minutes. I changed some of the runes around, but enjoy. 

Chapter 1

Bruno

There was a knock on his door and the boy immediately scrambled to his feet. They were here already? He glanced at the clock on the wall, it’s hands moving slowly as if time had slowed down entirely, leaving the world in slow motion. The knocks came again. 

He hadn’t been expecting the men for another hour, and he had hoped he would have more time to say goodbye. It was too late for him, but it wasn’t too late for the others. 

The boy bent down and grabbed a piece of parchment off the table. On the parchment was a handwritten message, the print sloppy and rushed. The boy tied the message around the leg of a crow perched precariously on the window sill. Then he shoved a small, round object in the envelope and shooed the bird away. The crow let out a loud screech and flew off into the clouds. The boy could only hope his message would reach his confidants on time. 

“Open up, boy!” There was banging from the door downstairs. The boy was glad his sister was at the market. She would not be pleased to find him missing, but she would know where he had ended up. After all, he hadn’t been super secretive about his magic. And there was his mistake. 

“Bruno, open this door or so help me…” The rest of the shout was muffled by voices. Bruno froze. Maybe he wasn’t so lucky after all. His sister had returned from the market early. 

Bruno made sure the lock on his door was secure. It would be moments before the men downstairs got into the house. He rummaged through the rolls of parchment on his desk, searching frantically for the round stone that had changed his life. 

Bruno’s fingers finally grasped the round object and brought it into the candle light. A round, obsidian stone framed in metal hung from a chain, spinning in circles from momentum. The delicate stone was the single cause of Bruno’s problems, but it was too late to turn back now. He had accepted the responsibility when his fingers first touched the stone several years ago. 

There was a crash from downstairs as the doors gave in to the brute strength of the men. Bruno blew out his candle, plunging himself into darkness. Then he opened the window with a small creak. Bruno pulled his satchel close to his chest as he climbed onto the window sill. 

Then he jumped. Just as expected, Bruno fell for only a moment before he felt coldness from the stone around his neck. Then he stopped falling and began to lower to the ground slowly. 

The second his feet touched the ground, Bruno ran. His feet pounded on the rocky pavement. He hoped his sister could stall the men long enough for him to escape, but inside Bruno knew that the chance of that happening was slim. His sister despised him. 

It was no surprise when Bruno heard the screech of the tires down the road. The men had discovered his disappearance. Bruno wished he could use the amulet again, but he knew it would only help the men find him faster. Luckily enough, Bruno knew his way around the city well enough. He had lived there his entire life, and most of the time he was in hiding so he knew the back roads. 

Still, the legs of a teen boy were not enough to outrun the monsters that carried the men. 

Just as Bruno was about to turn right into one of the alleyways, a big van cut him off. On the side of the van was a handprint. In the hand, each finger contained a different color on the tip. One black, one white, one silver, one gold, and one bronze. The palm of the hand showed a singular, blue eye. The creepy sign was enough to show Bruno that he had no chance of escape. 

He slowed to a walk as men climbed out of the vans, some holding guns, others holding nets, and still others holding sticks. They all wore black suits and sunglasses, despite the sinking sun. 

People were beginning to peer from their windows. Bruno knew that the men would not hesitate for anything, especially not some lousy villagers. They would take him, whether he fought or not. Bruno wasn’t quite sure what to do. 

He could give himself in, and face maybe a slightly less horrible punishment. Or he could go in with a fight - possibly escaping - but also risking unknowable torture if he was caught. 

Bruno decided it was better to at least have a chance of fighting. He would surrender immediately if they shot at him. After all, he was better alive than dead. Besides, the men wanted him alive, so they would aim to injure only. Hopefully. 

The black amulet was gripped tightly in his palm. Bruno closed his eyes, earning whispers from the men. Then without hesitation, heat and color exploded from the amulet. 

Some of the men fell over blind. Others screamed as they felt as though they were burning alive. Yet none of this actually harmed the men … Bruno couldn’t bare to actually murder someone. And that was another mistake. 

In the chaos, some of the men in suits had managed to fire some shots. Bruno’s amulet protected him from the effects of the blast, but not from the bullets that were headed straight towards him. He felt something prick his ankle right above his shoe. Bruno reached down to grab for it but a wave of dizziness knocked him over. 

Bruno laid on the ground, helpless as the tranquilizer paralyzed him and the men recovered from his trick. His heart thumped wildly in his chest. This was the end. 

He felt rough hands grab him and a mask was fit over his face. He inhaled the sedative as the men grabbed him and carried him to one of the vans. They threw him into a cage and locked the door tight. Bruno could do nothing as thick hands reached through the bars and stole the black amulet from him. It felt as if his soul were being torn away. 

Bruno

Bruno woke again a few hours later, his head heavy and mind groggy. He tried to move, only to find his arms and legs restrained to a table. A strap was fitted around his forehead and under his hair so he couldn’t move. Bruno didn’t struggle. 

All around him was pure whiteness. He didn’t like the color, it reminded him of the opposite of his amulet. The jewel he had worn around his neck for the past seven years. Bruno felt naked. 

A machine beside him whirred and purred, Bruno felt himself be raised into a sitting position. The strap around his head retracted into the back of the chair, but Bruno was still very much restrained by the remaining straps on the chair. 

“Hello, Bruno.” It was a woman’s voice, sickly sweet like bitter honey. 

Bruno didn’t respond, and instead he shut his eyes. He would not look at this woman. He knew what was going on and who she was. And Bruno knew that any advantage he had now would be lost the moment his eyelids opened. 

“It’s impolite to ignore your hostess.” The voice prodded. Bruno felt nails dance across his arms. The woman was right beside him. “Come now, Bruno, I won’t hurt you.” 

Bruno wisely kept silent and ignored the scent of the woman beside him. Her perfume made him drowsy and almost careless enough to open his eyes. Bruno resorted to breathing through his mouth. The woman made a tutting noise with her tongue. 

“Bruno, dear, I just want to help you. Think of all we can accomplish together. With your power, your … magic.” Bruno could sense a smirk on the woman’s voice. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Bruno lied. 

The woman tutted again. “How dare you! You should never lie to an adult, Bruno. What did your parents ever teach you?” She sighed, and Bruno caught another whiff of her perfume. He barely caught himself, almost opening his eyes. “First you don’t look at your hostess when she’s speaking. Then you lie. Maybe … just maybe … I’ll forgive you if you take a peek. Just one little…” 

“No!” Bruno screeched from his chair. The woman went silent. Bruno had made yet another grave mistake, and he would pay dearly. “Never. I wouldn’t want my eyes to fall out after witnessing your ugliness.” The words slipped from his lips and Bruno wished he could take them back. 

The woman laughed, but there was no humor in it. She was angry, very angry. “But my dear, how would you know of my ‘ugliness’ if you yourself have never witnessed it?” 

Don’t answer, Bruno thought to himself, clenching his eyelids shut. Don’t give her an excuse. 

“Bruno, I know what you’re thinking.” The woman was circling him, but Bruno kept his eyes shut. One look and everything he had worked towards would be gone. Down the drain. “You don’t trust me. The others have told you about me. They told you I’m bad. I’m not, Bruno, I’m the good guy. Just trust me. Open your eyes.” 

Bruno did not obey, but he felt his willpower draining. He would have to open his eyes eventually, and if he didn’t he knew the woman would wait. She would neglect to feed him and he would be all but dead. Bruno couldn’t win. 

“You’re right.” Bruno began. “I don’t trust you. But not because of things I’ve heard. I don’t trust you because you broke into my house, chased me, and sedated me.” 

The woman sighed again. Bruno could tell he was getting nowhere with this argument. “We need you, Bruno. We’re so close to finishing our project, extremely close. You know how many lives we can save. We just need you to help us so we can get the final participant.” 

“Why do you need my help?” Bruno was about to give up, but he figured he might be able to weasel some information out of the woman before he was gone. “Use someone else.” 

“I was hoping you would ask.” The woman was still pacing, Bruno could hear the swishing of a skirt and her fake laughter. “We know that you sent out the last amulet. We know that you know where it is. Just tell us where you sent the carrier crow.” 

Bruno shook his head. The crow’s location would remain secret. He couldn’t betray the others. No, he would not tell the woman anything. And he knew there was no denying sending the crow. Instead, Bruno inhaled. “I won’t tell you where I sent the crow, but I will open my eyes if …” He paused as the woman’s breathing became shallow. “If you promise to keep me alive and not torture me or the others. You have to promise.” 

“Deal.” The woman said. Bruno felt his pulse become faster. He sent a silent plea to the others that would receive his message. Please, please, let this be a good one. 

Then Bruno opened his eyes. 

Just as he had expected, the woman was wearing glasses with a lens that swirled colors of black and white into a vortex. It was nearly impossible to see anything else, his eyes immediately focused on her glasses. His head became foggy. Fight it, Bruno told himself. 

But he couldn’t. Bruno was fighting a wildfire with a spoon full of water. His power was no match for hers. “You promised.” He mumbled as his vision went blurry. 

“Did I?” The woman’s laughter was true this time. “I only said ‘deal’ not ‘I promise’. You’re losing your touch, my dear.” Bruno cursed. 

“You may have won the battle, but you haven’t won the war.” He told her. 

The woman shook her head. “You have much to learn, Bruno.” 

And with that, Bruno’s willpower drained away, leaving him a husk of a person. 

The woman smiled brightly. It was time for the test. “Bruno, fetch the cuffs on the table at the far side of the room and fasten them tightly around your wrists.” 

The straps on the chair retracted and the thing called Bruno stood up slowly. With careful steps, he crossed the tiny lab room and grabbed two metal cuffs off the table. Each one clicked as he placed them around his wrists. Then he looked up at his master. “Orders?” Bruno asked. 

Gabriel

Several hours away, an exhausted crow flopped onto the window cill of a bakery in the center of a town. It cawed once before it heard footsteps climb the wooden steps. The door to the bedroom opened and soft hands gathered the crow. 

A tiny old woman scooped up the crow and untied the letter around its leg. She nearly dropped the poor creature when she recognized the handwriting. 

“Gabe!” The old woman called. “Gabriel get up here this instant!” 

The woman placed the crow on the wooden dresser. It hopped around for a bit, finding a jewelry box to perch on so it could sleep. More footsteps could be heard making their way up the steps. A middle aged man entered the room. 

“A letter, for you.” She pressed the letters into his hand and left. “I’ll take care of the customers.” She dusted off her apron and stomped down the steps. 

The man flipped over the envelope. It was addressed to him. Gabe opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of dusty parchment. He read the letter once, then twice, and even a third time. Then he dumped the contents of the envelope onto the dresser. 

A white stone and chain fell onto the dresser with a thud. He weighed the stone in his palm. 

His orders were clear. The stone was to be given to the next worthy person he saw. Gabe opened one of the drawers, digging through the socks and underwear. 

And there - at the bottom - was a tiny cloth case. Gabe opened the case and dumped the contents into his palm. A pair of glasses laid in his hand, and he placed them on his nose. Instantly, the colors of the world shifted. This was risky business. But Bruno was in danger. 

That boy should’ve known what was coming for him. Messing with things didn’t come with an easy price. That was partially why Gabe felt so attached to the teen. 

He tucked the stone into his pocket where he could feel it. Tomorrow, he would begin his search. Tomorrow, he would follow the orders of his friend - a teen boy with extraordinary power. He could only hope his mother wouldn’t find out. 

“Gabriel!” A shriek from downstairs. Gabe smiled to himself. His mother would have no clue. 

The man turned to the sleeping crow on his mother’s jewelry box. “Master Bruno is in trouble, isn’t he?” He asked the bird. He knew the crow would not converse back. 

Gabe shook his head with pity. 

“Hopefully, Master Bruno can stay safe until I find the one.” Gabe told the crow. It cawed in agreement and Gabe smiled sadly. “He’s a tough nut, that boy.” 

And with that, Gabe walked out of the room and down the stairs to the shop. 

Chapter 2

Megan

To anyone who simply looked into the Coconut Cafe on Charles Street, it would appear that school had just let out and students were buying coffee to drink while they worked on homework. While this was the case for most days, today was not one of them. 

In the back of the cafe, Mr. Perry - the shop owner - scrambled frantically around searching for the box of straws that had shipped in the day before. 

A teen girl stood at the counter, a book tucked under her arm and a wallet held in her hand. She appeared normal - with brown hair bordering one a deep red and hazel eyes. She looked tired, but many students waiting in the line for food also had similar appearances. It was exam week after all. And no one had taken on as much work as the girl had. 

The girl tapped her foot impatiently. Of all days to get stuck waiting, it had to be today. 

“Be back in a second, Meg!” Mr. Perry called from the back. “I’ll be back in a second.” There was a crash that let the girl - Megan - know that Mr. Perry would not be back soon. 

“I’ll just take a seat. You can bring me my usual when everyone else is done.” Megan called back. She stepped out of the line, bringing a sigh of relief to the people waiting behind her. Like Megan, many of the other students were frequents to the cafe and knew that Mr. Perry loved to talk to anyone who was willing. And Megan was almost always willing. 

Megan didn’t have many friends. Although she appeared normal, Megan was a very introverted person and preferred to be alone. Mr. Perry was one of the only people she could confide in - and he also liked to provide her with free treats on days when she was feeling terrible.

She took a seat near the back of the store at a tiny booth. The seat had an indent from where she normally sat. Most days, Mr. Perry would sit across from her and chat. Occasionally, Megan would bring along another visitor. Most times the visitor would only be there to help Megan study or work on a project. 

Megan pulled out her book and began to read. She was so engrossed in the book she actually jumped when Mr. Perry sat down across from her. “Ma is manning the counter for a bit.” 

Mr. Perry handed Megan her steaming drink. She always ordered a hot chocolate with whipped cream and sprinkles - no matter what the weather. The drink always reminded her of her father before he had gotten that stupid job at the bank. 

Megan took a sip, sighing happily. Then she looked up to thank Mr. Perry and noticed he was sporting a new pair of glasses. “Nice shades.” She pointed out. 

Mr. Perry blushed. “Ma says my vision has been getting worse.” Megan frowned. Mr. Perry lived and worked with his mother. But he wasn’t super old, so she had assumed his eyesight would be fine … 

Megan also noticed the way Mr. Perry seemed extra unfocused. Normally, their conversations were very focused and Mr. Perry kept his gaze on the table. Today he seemed distracted, his eyes flitting around the room and his head turning every time the doorbell jingled. 

“Are you okay?” Megan asked the man. “You seem nervous.” 

“Nervous?” Mr. Perry chuckled - very nervously if Megan was correct. “Me? Never? Hey, Meg, do you mind if I cut our conversation a little short today? I have business to attend to.” 

“Are you sure?” Megan set her cup on the table. Mr. Perry glanced at the door, and then at his watch. “You said your mother was working her shift, which means we have another hour or so before you have to leave. Are you sure you’re okay?” 

“I’m fine.” Mr. Perry checked his watch again. “Listen, Ma said I need to work a little more from now on … her back and stuff. Well, bye!” The man hurried off. 

Megan frowned. Mr. Perry was almost never like that. Sure, he was a bit dim at times. And he did seem to have trouble focusing most days. But she had never seen him as restless as she had today. Was everything alright? 

She peeked around the corner of the booth, but Mr. Perry seemed to have disappeared. 

Megan knew that she should stay put, or maybe leave and return tomorrow. But her curiosity got the best of her. Megan sat her book on the bench and stood, then she crept to the counter. She knew there was a staircase near the storage room, and she assumed it led upstairs to the actual house. Megan had seen Mr. Perry run up before. 

She was about to run up the steps when she heard voices inside the storage room. The door was closed, but Megan pressed her ear up against it. 

“Take off those ridiculous glasses, Gabriel.” Mr. Perry’s mom shouted. 

“Ma, you know I need these. Master Bruno told me…” Mr. Perry - who was known as Gabe to some - protested weakly. 

“I don’t care what that boy told you. Take off those glasses. Why are you even wearing them?” Mr. Perry’s mom snapped. Megan could hear things moving, as if Mr. Perry’s mother was throwing things at the wall. 

“Ma, please. Master Bruno is in danger. He said I would have to find the one and give them this stone.” There was a moment of silence before Mr. Perry’s panicked voice broke through. “Where did it go?! The stone was in my pocket just a minute ago! Ma, I need to find it. If that fell into the wrong hands …” 

“Gabriel Perry get to work this instant. I don’t care what the boy told you. Our store will collapse if you don’t keep up your work effort, you hear me?” Mr. Perry must’ve nodded because Mrs. Perry seemed a lot calmer. 

“May I go check for the stone?” Mr. Perry asked. “I think I may have found the one.” 

“Check for that silly rock quickly. Then see if you can dispose of it. I don’t want another day of this silly nonsense.” 

“Yes, Ma.” 

“Good, now get back to work.” 

Megan backed away from the door just as the knob turned. 

She raced back to her seat, earning disgusted looks from other students. Just before she sat down, Megan noticed some sunlight reflecting something off the seat across from her. 

Megan bent down. It was a tiny white stone, the edges silver. It was attached to a chain. 

Mr. Perry had been talking about a stone with his mother - was this that stone? It seemed likely. Mr. Perry hurried over to her seat, his glasses noticeably absent. 

“What’s this?” Megan held up the chain. Mr. Perry paled. 

“Give it here, Meg. It’s nothing that concerns you.” Mr. Perry was angry - something Megan had never seen before. “Give it.” 

“What is it?” Megan asked again, scooting backwards into the booth. 

“It’s a toy.” Mr. Perry lied unconvincingly. “I want it back.” 

Megan tossed it from hand to hand. Mr. Perry tried to snatch it from her, but Megan was too quick. It landed in her palm. “Tell me the truth, Gabe. What is this?” 

People were beginning to stare. Mr. Perry looked like he was about to cry. 

That’s when the door opened, but the bells didn’t jingle. Mrs. Perry called from the back of the store. “Gabe, can you oil the bells again?” 

Mr. Perry straightened, his breathing became rapid. 

The newcomer was a boy, someone who Megan had never seen before. He had dark hair but pale gray eyes. But what really startled Megan was the black stone that hung limply around his neck and the blank stare in his eyes. 

“Master Bruno!” Mr. Perry cried. “You’ve escaped!” Ah, so this was the legendary Bruno. 

Mr. Perry ran to give Bruno a hug, but the boy raised his hand. A blast of pure black … stuff…? shot from his palm and into Mr. Perry’s chest. The man collapsed on the floor, writhing in pain until he fell unconscious. 

“Stop thumping around!” Mrs. Perry called from the back. 

Megan froze. The boy's gaze had landed on her and the stone in her hands. 

He took a step towards her. The entire cafe was silent. Megan noticed that he was wearing a black suit, but it seemed several sizes too big for him. 

Megan opened her palm as if to offer the stone to the boy. Bruno did not move. 

His voice was almost robotic. “I don’t want the stone.” 

“What do you want?” Megan asked, mad that her voice was shaking so much. 

The boy smiled, revealing white teeth. “You.” 

“Me?” Megan asked in disbelief. Who was she kidding? Megan was no hero … no witch or wizard. She was just an ordinary girl. 

“I see why Gabriel gave you the stone. You have a strong aura, young lady.” Bruno ignored her question, his pale eyes not straying from her chest. One of the other students reached for her phone, but Bruno raised his palm and shot the phone out of her hand. Everyone froze. 

“Mr. Perry didn’t give me the stone.” Megan argued. “He dropped it and I picked it up.” 

Bruno considered this. “Doesn’t matter. She will be most pleased as long as I return with something.” It seemed as though Bruno was talking to himself. “Place the chain over your head.” 

“What? Why?” Megan scrambled backwards even further, curling herself into a protective ball. Bruno made his way towards her, eyes not moving at all. Megan felt very uncomfortable. What was going on here? 

“You heard me, place the chain over your head.” Bruno ordered, a hint of steel in his voice. 

“No.” Megan said defiantly. For a second, she thought she saw something flicker, the boy's eyes moved slightly to the left and his expression turned to one of fear. But then it was gone, replaced with steely reserve. 

Bruno reached out and grabbed the stone from Megan. Then he grabbed her arm, grip like iron. “Let go!” Megan screeched, but Bruno kept a tight hold on her. 

Bruno held Megan tightly with one hand while draping the chain over her head with the other. The second the chain fell limp around her neck, Megan’s body began to flail. She felt filled with unimaginable warmth. 

Visions flashed through her head. A volcano. A cave. Five stones. Voices. Hands. Megan tried to move but she couldn’t. 

When the cafe returned to view, Megan was feeling quite dizzy. She realized she was on the floor and tried to stand. A hand reached out and she grabbed it, thankful for the extra help. But when she saw who the arm was attached to she stumbled back. “You.” She hissed. 

“Me.” The boy laughed, but the sound was forced. “Master Bruno. Although I am no master anymore. I have a new master now. One I serve without question.” 

The words that escaped Bruno’s lips seemed forced. It seemed to pain him to speak. 

Megan felt the stone around her neck grow warm. It felt like a breeze, one she gratefully clung to for it provided her energy. “You’re not Bruno.” Megan said with a note of recognition. 

It seemed as though Bruno could be seen in a new light. Most of the people in the cafe appeared gray or duller than before. Bruno seemed the same way, but she saw inside of him a faint glow. Someone else was controlling the body, not Bruno. Whoever Bruno was, it wasn’t this boy. 

Mr. Perry groaned on the floor. Hopefully he would wake up soon and … 

Bruno shot the guy with another blast of black magic or whatever. So much for help. 

Megan felt weak and tired, her limbs felt heavy - despite the stone providing her energy. She decided that even if the stone was giving her energy, it had caused enough problems as it was. She gripped the chain and prepared to pull it over her head. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Bruno laughed. “You accepted the stone, whether I forced you to or not. Now come with me and we’ll meet our new master.” 

“Our?” Megan scoffed. “Are you under the impression that I’m going anywhere with you? Because I would never go anywhere with a murderer like you. So you might as well just go tell your ‘master’ that I’m staying here.” 

Bruno frowned. The students in the cafe took advantage of the standoff to begin to gather their stuff. Bruno ignored this entirely, his eyes focused only on Megan.

“You will come by will or force.” He said simply. Megan shook her head. 

Bruno raised his hands towards his chest. He pointed the palms towards each other and a ball of blackness appeared in his grip. The - was it magic? - spun wildly. Megan raised her arms protectively in anticipation, knowing fully that she would not be able to stop the magic ball. 

Bruno thrust his arms outwards, launching the weird magic ball towards Megan. She expected it to hit her, but instead the ball rebounded an inch from her arms. It flew towards Bruno, who ducked and the ball crashed through the window. Mrs. Perry was yelling from the back, but Bruno paid her no mind. 

“How …” The boy seemed confused, something Megan took pride in. The glow inside him was growing weaker. 

“Leave. Me. Alone.” Megan spat through gritted teeth. She was tired of these games. Megan gathered her belongings - including her now cold chocolate - and stood to head for the door. Bruno stood in her way, and when Megan tried to step around him he moved in front of her. “Get out of my way.” She hissed at him. 

Bruno didn’t move. “Come with me.” He pleaded, and Megan saw a flicker of fear in his eyes. She was confused, but Megan thought she knew what was going on. 

Bruno was imprisoned inside himself. Megan could see the real Bruno trying to escape from his prison inside his body. Something - or someone - was forcing him to stay hidden. “I can help you.” Megan whispered. “I understand.” 

Or at least, Megan thought she understood. Bruno made no move. Megan blinked, and whatever color filter had been placed over he before was gone. But she knew that Bruno was fighting himself. Deciding that the boy would accept her help, Megan placed her hands on his shaking shoulders. The amulet grew warm, as if it knew what she was going to do. 

Megan let the amulet take control. The warmth spread through her body and she closed her eyes. Finally, several minutes later, she stumbled backwards. The warmth faded at once. 

The boy was lying on the ground, writhing in pain. Megan took a step backwards. 

All of the sudden, the boy became still. Megan thought he was dead. But then his eyes opened, and immediately focused on Megan. “Help me.” His voice was raw. 

The cafe had emptied out, and Mr. Perry was only just beginning to stir. 

Megan had no other choice, so she strolled over to Bruno and took his outstretched hand and helped him to his feet. Bruno brushed off his shirt and tucked black jewel around his neck into his shirt. “I believe we haven’t been properly introduced.” He smiled warmly. 

Megan was sure this was an act. Okay, she wasn’t completely sure, but she was confused. Had she actually been able to help Bruno break out of his prison? Or had she helped whatever was holding him in defeat him. Megan stayed silent and stared at the floor, which was covered in shards of glass. 

“It’s fine.” Bruno said. “It’s really me this time. What’s your name?” 

Megan didn’t answer, because Mr. Perry did it for her. “Meg, what is going on here? And who is that?” Mr. Perry asked. 

“Meg, is it?” Bruno turned to her. Megan frowned at Mr. Perry, who was climbing to his feet. 

“Megan.” She whispered. “Why doesn’t Mr. Perry recognize you? He did earlier.” 

“Oh, Megan.” Bruno sighed. “I have so many answers for you. Of course, we’ll need to begin your training. I’m sorry I forced the amulet onto you, but you’ll make a lovely addition to my team …” Megan pushed Bruno out of the way, ending his sentence. She picked up her book. 

“I meant what I said earlier. I’m not going anywhere with you - possessed or not.” Megan told him, making her way through the debris towards the door. 

“I’m sorry I forced you into this.” Bruno sounded genuine, but Megan still didn’t trust him. “I have so much to tell you. About me. About the amulet. About everything. I promise that you’ll be safe, the men in black suits won’t be able to find you …” 

“Meg, you didn’t tell me you were in a relationship.” Mr. Perry climbed into one of the booths. “Let me tell you, they don’t work out for you. Don’t let this … this boy break your heart.” 

Megan shot a glare at Mr. Perry, but he just shrugged. “I’ve been through plenty of break ups myself …” Megan turned towards Bruno as Mr. Perry rambled on about his love life. The boy seemed just as confused and angry as she was. 

“I didn’t want this.” Bruno gestured to the shop around him, ignoring Mr. Perry. “I didn’t want any of this.” 

“Go away and never show your face to me again.” Megan could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been this scared - this confused. She liked it when the world was normal and it made sense. 

“You can’t just leave.” Bruno protested. “Not now. I need you. We need you.” 

“Find someone else.” She spit, trying to pull the amulet over her head. But instead of it coming off, the amulet began to shrink. The chain grew tighter and tighter, and soon Megan couldn’t breath. She began to panic, clawing at the chain wrapped around her neck. 

In a moment, the pressure was released and Megan sucked in grateful breaths. Bruno stood over her, a worried expression plastered on his face. 

“You can only take off the amulet if you have the intent of putting it back on eventually. It has bonded to you.” Bruno explained. Megan felt panicky, as if the world she once knew was dissolving into chaos. She scrambled to her feet. 

“Stay away.” She whispered, and ropes appeared out of nowhere, fastening themselves to Bruno. She ran, as fast as her legs could carry her. 

Chapter 3

Bruno

“Wait!” Bruno called after the girl, struggling to release the ropes she had formed. It was her first day with the amulet, right? She must’ve been extremely powerful to overcome his protection spells and still have energy left. 

Bruno felt the amulet grow cold and the ropes around him snapped. He lunged for the door, but it was too late. Megan was gone, and Bruno ended up tripping and falling. 

He contemplated lying on the ground for a few moments, but someone pulled him to his feet. It was Gabriel. “Rough week?” Bruno couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief. He kept a grip on Gabriel, but it appeared as though he was only steadying himself. Really, Bruno was searching Gabriel’s mind. All memories of Bruno had vanished. Had he done that? Bruno felt a vague sense that he had been the one to wipe them. 

“Yes.” Bruno answered absentmindedly. “Very rough.” 

“Gabriel what is going on out …” Mrs. Perry entered the cafe and dropped her cup of coffee. The cafe was a mess - tables overturned, shattered glass coating the floor. 

Bruno felt obligated to help the Perrys clean, as he had been the main cause of the mess. 

He raised his arms and concentrated. The black amulet was warm against his chest. The debris littered around the store seemed to glow darkly, as if the shadows were magnified. Then each object reassembled itself and returned to its rightful place. Mrs. Perry and Gabriel stared at him in shock. Mrs. Perry was the first to break out of it. “Gabriel, you said that boy was in danger. But he’s perfectly fine.”

“Ma, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Who is this kid?” Gabriel responded. 

“It’s that Master Bruno boy you’re obsessed with.” She cried. 

Gabriel shook his head. Bruno interjected. “Ma’m, sir, if you could please look straight at me and I’ll explain everything.” Both heads turned and Bruno seized the opportunity. The amulet let out a final gasp of magic and Mrs. Perry and Gabriel blinked several times. 

“Ma’m, sir, are you insane?” Bruno spoke out, breaking both people out of their confused state. “There was a robbery at your store, and both of you just stood here. Everyone is gone now, but you’re still here gaping like fish.” 

“Gabriel, call the police!” Mrs. Perry ordered. Gabriel scrambled to do her bidding. Bruno nodded and stepped outside. 

He whistled once, and a large black crow flew down from the sky and perched on his arm. 

“Go find a place to stay. I’ll be gone a long time.” Bruno told the bird sadly. It cawed once - letting Bruno know that it understood - before flying off. 

Then the boy heard a screech of tires. A van pulled around the corner. Bruno froze. How had they … 

Bruno glanced down at the cuffs on his wrists. He tried to peel them off, but to no avail. 

The men in the black suits could track his magic as long as he wore those blasted bracelets. And that meant he couldn’t find that girl - Megan - to tell her anything. He needed these bracelets off … and now! It seemed as though the only person who could help Bruno was Megan. 

But she was gone. She had run away, which was probably for the best. Maybe Megan could trick the amulet into getting destroyed - but then again, he hadn’t. 

And if Bruno couldn’t defeat the men in black suits and the woman with the weird glasses, how was Megan supposed to. She might have been strong back at the cafe, but that didn’t mean she was educated. Besides, he couldn’t bring himself to believe that she had freed him. 

The only thing left to do was run. Which is exactly what Bruno did. Luckily, the van that had pulled around the corner had not spotted him yet. He ran the direction Megan had gone. 

Bruno felt a sense of deja vu. Only yesterday he had run from the same men, only to be led into a trap that resulted in him surrendering. Or was it yesterday? Bruno had no way of knowing. He hoped his sister was safe, despite all she had done to him. 

Bruno’s feet hit the pavement in a fast tempo. He had no way of knowing which way Megan had gone, but he did know that she was his only hope for removing the metal cuffs. 

He hoped that he had lost the vans, but with the trackers in his bracelets, he knew it wouldn’t keep them at bay for long. Bruno had arrived in a small neighborhood, each of the houses looked identical. He refrained from calling for Megan. That would draw way too much attention to himself, not to mention probably scare the girl away too. Hopefully she was close by … 

Megan

Unbeknownst to Bruno, Megan was not as far away as he previously thought. Truth be told, Bruno had made his way into Megan’s yard. But she didn’t know that. Not yet. 

The second she left the cafe, Megan couldn’t help but feel kind of bad that she had left Mr. Perry and his mother in the store alone with Bruno. But she had been so terrified of herself and of the jewel that she had around her neck. 

Megan felt extremely guilty for leaving Bruno, but she needed a breath of fresh air. 

She turned around the corner and ran straight home, figuring her father and mother wouldn’t mind if she was out of breath or slightly late. When she’d heard the screech of the tires, Megan wasn’t quite sure what to do. But she kept running and hoped Bruno wouldn’t follow her. There had to be some way to trick the amulet into letting her take it off.  

Megan had arrived home, exhausted, scared, and panting. Her father was in the kitchen, preparing supper. “You’re late.” He noted. 

This was a rare occasion. Megan’s parents barely ever cooked. Most times, they weren’t even home. Megan’s father was a banker in the city and her mother was a model for one of the fashion companies. Her father was short and had a slight bulge around his stomach, with pale skin and a mop of shaggy brown hair. 

Megan’s mother was home less than her father. But when she was at the house with Megan, she kept all her makeup on as if expecting the press to burst in at any moment. She had gorgeous red curls and eyes that sparkled. Her mother strutted into the kitchen a moment later, wearing a scarlet gown and gloves that stretched to her elbows. “How does this look, darling?” Her mother didn’t notice her existence. 

“Lovely, honey.” Megan’s father replied, without turning around. “Meg, you didn’t answer my question. Where were you?” 

Megan’s last name was Burke. Anyone who lived in the city knew Burke’s Banking Bureau was famous for its expensive yet extraordinary services. Since Mr. Burke ran the bank, he often got much profit from their clients and used it not on Megan, but on himself for fine clothing. So Megan rarely got new clothing, and it was no surprise when her mother sneered at her outfit, skipping Megan’s turn to talk. 

“Seriously, child, must you wear that?” Mrs. Burke averted her gaze. “It’s hideous.” 

Megan looked down at her clothing. It wasn’t that bad. She was wearing a t-shirt from her school’s honors class field trip and a pair of jeans about two inches too short. Her sneakers were more brown than gray at this point, and her hair was wild from running. 

“I need new clothes, and I’ve been telling father that for a month.” Megan sighed, sitting at the table. “As for where I was, I went to the cafe like always. But there was a long line and a robbery and …” Both of her parents stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at her. Both of them gaped at their daughter and blurted questions at the same time. 

“Why were you at that cafe during a robbery?” Her father asked, and he curled his lips with the word about the cafe. 

“You went out wearing that?” Her mother coughed in disgust. 

Megan felt tears creep to her eyes. “I didn’t try to be there during a robbery, it just happened.” To tell the truth, Megan had no idea that Bruno had pawned the incident off as a robbery to Mr. Perry. But she could assume he would, and she hoped that’s what he had done. “And I already told you, I have no other clothes.” 

Her mother seemed to accept this, but her father’s face was turning red. “You went to the Coconut Cafe?” 

“Yes.” Megan frowned. “What’s wrong with …” 

“What’s wrong with the … what’s wrong with the Coconut Cafe?” Her father wheezed. “The owner. The food. That place has no profit for the bank. If it weren’t for Mrs. Perry’s age, we would’ve ended the agreement a long time back.” 

“Mr. Perry and his mother try their best.” Megan protested. 

“Their best isn’t good enough.” Her father shouted. Mrs. Burke slid off the table where she had been perched, and strutted away. “And neither is yours apparently.” 

Megan was confused until her father pulled an envelope out of his pocket. “Your grade report came today. Let’s see, a 100 in Literature. A 100 in Geography. A 100 in World History. A 100 in Zoology. And what’s this? A 99 in Calculus?” 

Keep in mind, Megan was a sophomore at this point in time. Calculus was a very advanced class for someone her age. And a 99 was actually rounded down, as she had a 99.49 in that class. 

But for a man like Mr. Burke, a 99 wasn’t enough. “No dinner.” He announced. “For you. No more trips to that stupid cafe. Go to your room and study harder.” It was like Mr. Burke didn’t know his daughter spent six hours studying every night. But, then again, he was never home. 

Megan hurried to her room, dropping to the floor. She somehow managed to pull the amulet off and fling it across the room. She let tears drip down her face. 

Then Megan made an amazing decision. She went and picked up the amulet, holding it in her hand. 

The amulet was about the size of strawberry, though much skinnier and less tasty. The white stone was surrounded by a metal casing on the sides, which was engraved with runes Megan couldn’t read or understand. She intended to eventually find out what the markings meant. The amulet seemed to grow warm with her touch, like a little hamster that liked its owner. Megan giggled. The doorbell rang downstairs. Odd. 

“Megan!” Her father called. “It’s for you.” 

Bruno

Bruno stepped inside the Burke’s house, amazed by it. He had never thought Megan would be this rich, judging by her clothes. 

But then again, it wasn’t as surprising after he met her father. Mr. Burke was about as friendly as a momma grizzly bear with two cubs. Bruno should know, he had a good friend that happened to be a momma grizzly bear. 

“May I speak to Megan please?” Bruno asked when the door was opened. 

The man that opened the door looked very confused. He didn’t notice the drip of sauce sliding down his very expensive suit. “Megan? Why do you want her? How did you know she lived here? Are you her boyfriend?” Bruno heard someone else yelling in the background. 

Bruno blinked, thinking fast. “Uh, no. I’m not her boyfriend. I’m actually here so we can work on our project for school. It’s a model of a solar system.” Bruno conjured a bag behind him, and filled it with markers and styrofoam balls. Then he showed it to Mr. Burke, who nodded. “As for how I knew where she lived…” 

“I told him so we could finish the project. It’s due tomorrow.” Megan appeared behind Mr. Burke. Her eyes were slightly red, as if she had been crying. 

Bruno sent a grateful look towards Megan. She nodded, but shook her head to warn him not to say anymore. Mr. Burke didn’t notice, as he had just found the sauce on his suit. He stormed away, leaving the door open for Bruno. 

“We can work in my room.” Megan said loudly. “Will you bring us food, father?” 

Mr. Burke looked up, expression dark. Then he saw Bruno and smiled sweetly. “Food will be ready soon.” 

Bruno looked between them, but Megan had already begun climbing the steps. Bruno followed suit, leaving Mr. Burke behind and grumbling. Megan led Bruno to her room, plopping down on the soft carpet. 

Bruno noticed that she had more … stuff … than most people, but none of it looked used. 

The carpet was soft and the room was big, but it looked like no one had lived there. The bed and desk were the only things that looked used. There were books everywhere - but not the kind you would read, more textbooks than actual books. 

“So, what do you want?” Megan asked, staring at her feet rather than Bruno. 

The boy stopped to think for a second. What did he want? Obviously, he needed Megan to go with him. She needed to learn the history and powers of the amulet, and how to control it. If Bruno wanted to stand a chance against that woman … 

“Megan, if you just come with me for one day, I’ll show you everything.” Bruno started, but Mr. Burke slammed open the door and shoved a plate of food towards Megan and Bruno. 

Then he slammed the door again and left. Bruno noticed Megan was on the verge of tears again. “What’s all this about, you and your father?” He saw tears slipping down her face. “Are you … Are you okay?” 

“No!” Megan said suddenly. “I’m not okay. My dad hates me because I got less than perfect in a subject way too hard for me. My mom is telling me I’m ugly. And I have you, forcing me to accept this stupid necklace and telling me I have a job to do.” She was crying for sure now. 

“I’m sorry.” Bruno said stupidly. He felt responsible for all of this misery. 

“I just don’t understand.” Megan whimpered. “Why me? Why any of this? I don’t understand what you want from me, or what the amulet does, or what any of this means.” 

“I know I may sound redundant, but if you come with me, it’ll help. I’ll keep you safe and I’ll teach you everything you need to know.” Bruno explained with a sigh, not touching the food. Although his stomach was growling, this food was Megan’s, not his. Besides, the food would not be nutritious enough for him. He needed his own special food. 

Megan shook her head, ignoring the food as well. “No, I’m not going anywhere with anyone. In all the books I’ve read, they make it sound easy to leave their families - no matter how terrible. But I can’t just leave my parents.” 

Bruno tried a different approach. “Do you remember how I first burst into that cafe? Do you remember what I looked like, how I tried to attack you?” 

Megan nodded. “How could I forget?” 

“Well, there are certain people who did that to me. I can’t tell you who, not here and not now. They want me dead, and now they want you dead too. If you stay here with your parents, there’s a chance that they’ll rat you out. And then you’ll be in the wrong hands. You don’t want that, do you?” 

“Well, no.” Megan sighed. “But I can’t just drop out of school. I can’t just leave everything I know to go live with some boy I barely know so I can save the world with a magic rock.” 

“I don’t expect you to.” Bruno answered calmly. “But I’m just letting you know, there are people who want you dead. There are people who do anything to steal that amulet from you, and you have to protect it.” 

Megan nodded, only once. “When do we leave?” 

“Now, if possible.” Bruno said. “I can help you pack.” 

“I’m already packed.” Megan said, pulling a bag out from under her bed. It was bulging with more stuff. “I’ve kept this bag for five years in case I needed to run away.” 

“Do you have the amulet?” Bruno asked her. Megan nodded, showing him the white stone. It was identical to his - except for the color. He revealed his own black stone, hidden away. Megan smiled shyly. “Good, now we’re going to…” 

His sentence was cut off when the doorbell rang. Megan paled. “No one else was supposed to show up. I mean, even you weren’t supposed to show up.” 

Bruno took a step towards the windows. He peeled aside the gray curtains, looked outside, and immediately ran to the door and locked it. His face was pale and his voice was shaky. “They found us.” Bruno began to tremble, despite his best efforts to remain calm. 

The men in black suits had good reason to be frightening to Bruno. They had captured him, sedated him, and their leader had hypnotized him. He had perfectly good reason to be scared, but he didn’t want to break down in front of Megan. She was supposed to trust him, think he was strong and fierce. But his facade had crumbled. They were both teens - children really. 

“We’ll find a way out.” Megan told him. Bruno realized he had shrunk against the wall and immediately straightened. He nodded once, not trusting himself to talk. 

“My amulet is drained at the moment, but we can use yours.” He explained when his voice had stopped shaking. “Hold it up so it catches the light, and then let it grow cold …” He stopped when Megan frowned. 

“My amulet grows warm, not cold.” She whispered. 

Bruno shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. Let it grow warm then, and focus. Grab my arm, and try to focus on the picture you’ll see.” 

Megan nodded, setting her feet. She held up her amulet, tilting it towards the window. Sunlight streamed in through the crack in the curtains. Bruno could hear the men downstairs, talking to Mr. Burke. 

Megan clenched his arm tightly as footsteps proceeded up the steps. Bruno focused on the one safe place they could go. 

The door burst open, revealing a surprised woman with fancy glasses. She clicked a button on the side, and Bruno reached out to cover Megan’s eyes as he shut his own. He felt something breeze past him. He felt something sharp stick in his arm. 

But the floor dissolved beneath him and Bruno let out a sigh of relief. Megan had whisked them away in the nick of time. 

Back at the home of the Burkes, a woman pulled off her glasses. She inspected the carpet of the girl’s bedroom carefully. 

“They escaped.” She whispered ruefully. But she only found one of the knives she had thrown. The other one had embedded itself in that boy’s arm. “Lieutenant, check the radar immediately and plot the point of Dagger #2.” 

Then the woman stood up and smiled. “We have everything we need. Operation Bring-Back-Summer is a go.” Then she picked up her dagger and tucked it in her pocket along with her glasses. The boy and the girl didn’t stand a chance. Not against her. Everyone would thank her one day. Just not today. Not until she had cleaned her bloody hands. 

 Chapter 4

Megan

Megan felt herself plummet towards the ground. A scream escaped her lips, and she felt like she had left her stomach in the sky. 

Her body hit the ground hard, and Megan groaned in pain. She tested each of her limbs - finding them in perfect working order, except for the pain she felt. But that would go away eventually. Bruno, however, was not so good. 

Megan didn’t see her surroundings at first, she saw only Bruno lying on the ground a few feet away. There was blood, and Megan went into autopilot mode. 

In the process of protecting Megan’s mind from the woman with the glasses, Bruno had covered her face. His extended arm had posed as a target for one of the woman’s silver knives. Bruno was unconscious at the moment, but it could’ve been the fall too. 

The knife was embedded in Bruno’s left bicep, but not deep. In fact, the blade seemed to be an inch long. It also seemed to be falling out. 

Ignoring everything Megan had learned about first aid and knife wounds, she removed the knife and ripped off a part of her t-shirt. She tied it around his arm - the bleeding would hopefully be stanched. Bruno stirred. 

“Where are we?” Megan asked him as soon as his pale eyes fluttered open. 

Bruno took a look around, and Megan followed his gaze. They were in a forest, the trees stood tall around them. Each one was stretching towards the sky, and their branches waved in the wind. Megan inhaled a scent of fresh air. 

A look of shock registered on Bruno’s face when he noticed his arm. 

“Where are we?” Megan repeated. 

“Not too far from where we need to be. I guess my concentration broke, which gave you an unclear picture of our location. No worries.” Bruno explained, sitting up and glaring at his bandage. “I also have real wound supplies at the place we’re going. Did you save the knife?” 

Megan nodded, pointing to the rock that she had placed the weapon on. “The blade is short, so I kept it because it seemed odd.” 

Bruno frowned as he picked up the knife with his right hand. He wiped the blood off the blade with his shirt, before inspecting the weapon closer. “I don’t understand why the blade is so short. She obviously didn’t want me dead, but injuring me wouldn’t help because she knows I have supplies and magic.” He trailed off, leaving Megan to hear only the chirping birds. 

The wind whipped the hair on Megan’s head around, forming a red-brown blur. Bruno laughed as she pushed her hair aside. “The weather’s perfect too.” 

Bruno ignored Megan’s confused look. “The trees will like this. We won’t even have to pay today.” 

“What are you talking about?” Megan asked him. 

“You’ll see.” Bruno grinned widely. Then he stood up and whistled once, a sharp sound. Megan covered her ears as the whistle continued. 

Even the trees seemed to bend over. And then Megan noticed something. 

The trees actually were bending over. Bruno turned to look at Megan, who had leapt to her feet. One of the larger trees bent down, its trunk curving as it offered a thick branch to Bruno. The boy climbed on, and Megan had no choice but to follow. 

Bruno’s injured arm made it hard for him to hold on as the tree’s branch rose, so he gripped Megan’s arm tightly. Higher and higher they went as the tree seemed to offer them to the sky as a gift. The ground grew further away and the wind increased. Megan screamed. 

A dark shadow passed overhead and Mean screamed again. It was something she hoped never to see in her entire life. 

“Dragon!” Megan shrieked. 

“Yes, yes.” Bruno rolled his eyes. “Hurry. Old Freda here ain’t got all day. She has hatchlings that need her attention.” 

“You have a friend that’s a dragon.” Megan’s voice was very high pitched. 

The dragon was hovering right next to the branch now. Her scales were a magnificent green like the tree leaves, and she snorted. A voice filled Megan’s head, deep and ancient. I wouldn’t call us friends, child. I would call us acquaintances. The Amulet Keeper still owes me a sack full of gold. 

“Sorry, Freda.” Bruno shrugged. “But we don’t have time. This is Megan, and she’s one of us.” 

Freda blinked, understanding filling her knowledgeable eyes. One of … you? You found the last one?  

“It’s a long story.” Bruno sighed. “You know where to take us, and then the next time we meet I promise I’ll have your gold.” The dragon huffed again, her wings flapping wildly. The wind was blowing harder, if that was possible. She shifted over, and Bruno jumped off the branch and landed on the dragon’s back. 

If you don’t bring me the gold next time, boy, I will burn you to a crisp. That’s a promise. Freda snorted again, steam rising from her nose. Bruno shrugged. 

“Hurry up, Megan. We don’t have all day.” Bruno beckoned for Megan to follow him. 

“There’s no way I’m riding on the back of a dragon.” Megan shook her head fiercely. “No way.” She scooted back on the branch. Bruno sighed, and whispered something to the dragon. 

Freda lifted her wing, knocking the branch. The tree fought back, trying to hit the mother dragon. The movement and the wind were too much for Megan, and she slid off the end of the branch. There was a moment of free falling before Megan landed softly on the dragon’s back. 

“Over here.” Bruno called to her as Freda began to fly towards the west. Megan followed the sound of his voice. 

Freda was a smaller dragon, even though she was about as big as a bus. Megan was able to crawl across her great back and into a dip between the wings. It was small, but shaped like a seat. Bruno was already there, holding his wounded arm close to his side. “We’ll be there soon.” 

Megan surely hoped so. Riding a dragon wasn’t all Bruno had made it out to be. Freda was silent for the majority of the ride, but Bruno was talking and Megan was pretty sure they were having a conversation without her. But that was perfectly fine, as Megan needed some time to think. It had been a while since she had been alone long enough to think. 

Just as a secret, Megan had only come on this trip with Bruno because she had thought the whole ordeal had been a dream. She figured she was asleep, and the sooner she woke up the better. But this was life - it wasn’t a dream.

Megan wished she had lied and said she had never seen Bruno before. She wished she hadn’t let him into her house. And most of all, she wished that she had just given Mr. Perry the amulet back. 

Freda’s great wings flapped as they travelled, and Megan began to feel tears sting her eyes. 

She didn’t want any of this. Sure, magic and dragons were cool in books, where Megan could safely imagine them from her own room. 

But in real life, magic was a lot messier. 

Finally, as the sun touched the clouds, Freda set down at the edge of a large lake. The water was still, and the sky looked like a large mural. Freda took a long swig of lake water before taking off into the sky again. 

Bruno smiled at Megan, who was still stumbling around trying to get a feeling back in her legs. “We’re here.” 

Megan looked confused. “We’re where exactly?” 

Bruno just smiled again and shook his head. “Follow me, madam.” 

Then he stepped on foot into the water. Then another. He began trudging through the lake, the water growing higher and higher until he was up to his neck. “C’mon, Megan.” 

Megan sighed ruefully, regretting that she had even gotten up this morning. Then she stepped into the water too. It was cold, but it didn’t feel like water normally did. Megan took another step. The water looked like it was there, but it wasn’t. 

When Megan finally got to the part where Bruno was - with the water up to her neck - he ducked under and disappeared. Megan reached out to where he had been a moment before, but he wasn’t there. Megan decided that Bruno really needed to explain things to her the moment that they got there - wherever they were going. 

So without hesitation, Megan ducked under the water and felt her body disappear. 

Bruno

Bruno wasn’t expecting Megan to be so easily persuaded. She had made a big fuss at the cafe and when he tried to get her to leave home. But now she was doing things like jumping into a lake without question. 

Then Bruno realized why - he was a bit slow, but then again, he didn’t share Megan’s thoughts. She thought this was fake, so she was playing along. A good coping defense. 

Maybe Freda had been right. Bruno’s conversation had gone somewhat like this: 

Bruno: I kind of forced this upon her. The men captured me, and they got control of me. I went to the cafe where she was at, and for some reason she was holding the amulet. I forced her to accept it because she had an aura. 

Freda: Little one, you must evade capture. 

Bruno: (after rolling his eyes) Thank you, ancient one. I know to avoid capture. But surely you must know a way to ‘unaccept’ the amulet. 

Freda: No, there is no way. The amulet is the girl’s until she dies - or surrenders it. But if she surrenders it, she follows. For example, if the girl were to surrender the amulet to the men who you speak of, they would have control over her as well - like a puppet. 

Bruno: I should’ve never stayed with my sister. I should’ve known she would turn me. 

Freda: The past is past, little one. Should we include the girl in on this conversation? She seems lonely. You will have to explain everything to her. The men, the woman, and the magic. 

Bruno: I know, I know. But now is not the time. 

Freda: (in a reprimanding tone) Little one, you won’t have much time. I have been watching the stars. I have seen things that I never wished upon you. Great trials lie ahead. 

After that, Bruno remained silent, waiting for the great dragon to elaborate. She did not. 

So now, Bruno was standing in an entry hall. The walls were made of dark stone. Megan appeared beside him, and Bruno winced as she grabbed his arm to steady herself. 

“This way.” He whispered, his quiet voice echoing through the halls. 

He had suspected they would not be alone when they entered, but he had not expected everyone to be there. 

“Where are we?” Megan breathed. 

“This, my dear, is a castle.” Bruno informed her. “You see, there are three other amulets. One is bronze, one is silver, and one is gold. Each one has an owner. 

“About two years ago, all of us met in one place - the lake. We decided we needed a headquarters, or something like the men in the black suits had. So we made a portal in the lake that leads here - our castle. In terms of size, it takes up about one square centimeter. The location is unknown. But this castle is our safe place. 

“I’d like to introduce you to the other three amulet keepers first. Then, we’ll find you a room. This castle can hold as many people as it needs to - it can grow to accommodate them - or shrink depending on how much space is needed. After we find your room, I’ll show you the study and answer the questions burning in your mind.” Bruno stopped walking, not even realizing that he had led Megan to the doors to the dining room. 

“One question first.” Megan paused, wringing her fingers. “Will they like me?” 

“I’m sure they will.” Bruno answered with a smile. But Megan’s question had sort of unnerved him. When was the last time he had worried about something as simple as people liking him? It had been an extremely long time … 

Ten year old Bruno stood on the doorstep of the last home in the neighborhood. This was his last chance before he had to walk two miles to the next city. His sister was away, she wouldn’t be back for another month. At least, not until she heard the news. 

Bruno knocked on the door, the wood making an odd hollow noise. He heard several locks click, and shivered. It was raining - and little Bruno was soaked to the bone. 

The door creaked open, revealing an old woman, her back bent over. “Who is it?” She called weakly, looking over Bruno’s head. Then she looked down and saw him. “I’m sorry, I’m not in the mood for cookies or popcorn today.” 

Tiny Bruno felt a tear slip down his cheek. Or maybe it was the rain. 

“Ma’m, I’m not selling anything today. My parents … my home …” Bruno choked, his voice catching. The old woman was the first person to listen to him. “It’s in flames. I need a phone to call my sister and tell her.” 

Bruno’s home and parents had been the source of a terrible fire. The cause was deemed unknown, but Bruno had heard the radiator making weird noises. He was sure it was a simple mechanical error. But that didn’t mean anything could be replaced. His home, his parents, his clothes, his books … all gone. 

The woman stepped aside and let Bruno use the phone. He called his sister and told her. She said she would hurry back to town as soon as she could and hung up. 

Bruno felt alone. Little did he know, his sister would think he was the cause of the fire. She would blame all of her problems on him. Good old Cynthia, never considering the fact that she hadn’t been the only one to lose parents in the fire. Of course, she would care for Bruno. She was old enough. 

But that night wasn’t only the night of the fire. It was the night he was given the amulet. 

He didn’t accept it then. 

The old woman had arrived as soon as his sister hung up the phone. She had handed him something - a special black amulet. Bruno pulled it around his neck and looked in the mirror hanging on the wall. He was handsome, she told him. 

So when Bruno marched down the street that night, he forgot he was an orphan. His only concern was looking the most handsome he could be. 

“You good there?” Megan was staring at Bruno with a concerned look on her face. “Earth to Bruno?” The boy blinked once. He had never told anyone besides the old woman he was an orphan. His parents were dead, and he pretended he had two loving parents instead. Even Gabriel had no idea. So he ignored Megan’s question. 

“Let’s go meet some friends.” Bruno smiled. 

Henry

The second Bruno stepped in the door with his new friend, Henry thought he had died. 

Okay, maybe he was overexaggerating a bit. The girl wasn’t that beautiful or anything. She wasn’t even attractive at all. But Henry saw her aura and Bruno’s combined, and he knew that if anyone was going to stop those evil men, it was the pair of them. 

Bruno seemed tired, something Henry had never seen from the older boy before. He blinked once as to wash off his aura filter, and Bruno seemed even paler. 

The older boy was wearing a vest and shirt combination, normal pants and sneakers. He seemed like a mix of a few decades ago and today’s time. Bruno’s dark hair was messy and his pale eyes were rimmed with shadows. 

The girl was wearing a ripped and torn t-shirt, as well as short jeans. She had wavy, crazy hair that seemed either dark red or dark brown. It was hard to tell, and she had hazel eyes. But most of all, Henry noted that she looked confused.  

He glanced down at his own outfit, and realized that if this girl was truly new to all this magic, of course it would be confusing. He was wearing dark robes, and his amulet was shown proudly on his chest. Henry remembered when he had gotten his amulet. It had been not long ago - Henry was the youngest one there. 

Bruno smiled at the three others gathered in the room. Henry and the two other people were sitting at the table, a dinner on the wood before them. 

“This is Megan Burke, she’s our new comrade.” Bruno announced. 

Henry gaped. He had assumed that Megan had the amulet because Bruno wouldn’t just bring some random girl in. But he hadn’t expected her to have accepted the amulet already. 

Megan gave a shy wave. The others at the table stood to greet her. 

First was Leo. He and Henry were about the same age, but Leo was older by about four months. He had chestnut brown hair, which matched perfectly with his warm, brown eyes. Leo’s amulet was the golden one, and he made a point to always wear warm colors. “Good day, ma’m. I’m Leo.” He smiled at Megan, who blushed. 

The second was the only other girl. Her name was Imogene, and she was only one month younger than Bruno (he liked to rub it in her face that he was older). Imogene was the owner of the silver amulet, so she normally wore gray, black, or white. She had jet black hair and bright blue eyes. “I’m Imogene.” She smiled at Megan too. “And it’s good to finally have some common sense here other than me.” She rolled her eyes at the boys. 

Henry stood up and seized his chance to introduce himself. He flattened his golden hair nervously, and his eyes were wide when he looked at Megan. “I’m Henry, nice to meet you.” His bronze amulet lay beside him on the table. 

“I’m Megan.” She said, face bright red. “Is that food?” Her eyes widened at the dishes on the table. Henry sat down. 

“It’s food alright. Hungry?” Before he could even hand her an extra plate, Megan became a monster, tearing into the food. Bruno looked terrified. Henry just laughed, and so did Imogene and Leo. Bruno seemed a bit relieved, but still terrified. 

Megan had soon devoured most of the food on the table. Imogene was suppressing a giggle. 

“Thanks. It was amazing.” Megan burped. 

“No problemo.” Henry smiled. 

“You know, Megan, we can make more food if you need it. I’m sure Bruno will teach you how.” Imogene giggled freely now. 

Megan’s eyes got wider. “We can magic food? Like, it’ll just poof onto the table!” 

Imogene nodded and Megan squealed. Henry laughed. 

“I hope Bruno tells me that sooner than later.” Megan sighed. “But first I have to learn about the men in black suits and the woman with the funky glasses and the amulet.” 

“He hasn’t told you about that yet?” Imogene sent a glare at Bruno. 

“We’re going right now.” Bruno answered, grabbing Megan’s arm. 

“Bye!” Megan called as Bruno dragged her away. Henry barely had time to wave before Bruno dragged her out the door. 

 Chapter 5 

Megan

“I wasn’t done talking to Henry and Imogene.” Megan protested as Bruno dragged her down the halls. 

“You’ll have plenty of time to talk to them later.” Bruno sighed. “Look, right now you need to be educated and dressed in better clothing. Then we’ll talk, and tomorrow I’ll see if I can arrange anything between us. But we’re all busy.” 

“Doesn’t seem busy.” Megan snorted. “They were just having dinner.” 

“And if I wasn’t back by dinner like they expected me, they would’ve been very busy.” Bruno stopped and looked at Megan. “Look, I know you are excited to have new friends, but we have work. Being magical isn’t all it’s made out to be.” 

“I’ve noticed.” Megan snapped. “I was just excited to actually meet people that liked me.” 

“Sorry.” Bruno rubbed his temple. “It’s been a long day for me. After being hypnotized, stabbed, chased, and everything else. I’m just tired.” 

“I’m sorry too.” Megan sighed. “It’s been an adventure for me as well.” 

Bruno smiled sadly. “Well this is your room. It’ll change to accomodate you.” He had stopped in front of two french doors made of wood. 

“Thanks, Bruno, for everything.” Megan opened the doors. “Now go fix your arm.” 

“Meet you out here in half an hour.” Bruno promised. 

Megan nodded and disappeared inside the room. 

It was massive compared to her old room. The floor was a polished wood, and the curtains were made of silky gray material. The carpet was made of something soft and fluffy. The bed had piles of blankets. The closet was ginormous, and the bathroom was more like a pool than anything. Megan peeked out the window to find whatever she best wanted to see at the moment. A beach, a forest, a cliff, even a cityscape. 

She showered quickly and inspected the closet. There were only dresses and tunics - nothing that really reflected with her style. She chose a random tunic. 

Bruno was waiting when she opened the door. She had grabbed her amulet and worn it proudly over her tunic. Megan felt strong - ready to face the facts. Bruno could explain everything and she would do all she could to help. 

“You ready?” Bruno asked. 

Megan nodded. She thought that if she spoke, she would lose the will to continue on. Bruno smiled. “My study is this way. And if you work hard enough, the castle will make you your own study.” Megan nodded again, still not trusting her voice as Bruno led her down the hallway to the left. She was ready. 

Bruno’s study wasn’t as grand as Megan had been expecting. 

She had been expecting to see a giant room with white walls, and the walls covered in bookshelves. She had been hoping for a few cauldrons, maybe some dummies for magic spell casting practice, or even a broom or something. But the reality was disappointing. 

Bruno’s study was kind of small. There was a spiral staircase in the corner that led to a door (it was Bruno’s room entrance). There was a big wooden desk on the far side of the room with a big, fluffy chair. The desk was covered in papers, quills, ink, and normal pens. There were bookshelves, but none of them were near as tall as Megan had thought they would be. The volumes were dusty and old. There were a few random other things. A globe. A cauldron (empty). A few bat skeletons hanging from the ceiling. There were two windows as well. 

Bruno clapped his hands once, and the ceiling was illuminated. It looked like a giant ball of fire had been placed there. The bat skeletons wiggled a bit. 

Bruno opened the windows, which were showing a view of a forest. The second they were opened, a large black bird came flying in. On its leg was a piece of twine and a small roll of parchment. Bruno held out his arm and the bird sat on it. Bruno smiled. 

“Megan, this is my carrier crow, Timothy John Ripples the fourth.” Bruno laughed as the crow cawed. Bruno removed the parchment from its leg tenderly. 

Megan raised an eyebrow but didn’t question. Timothy cawed again, pecking Bruno’s hand as the boy made his way towards the desk. He opened the letter with his free hand and shook the other until Timothy jumped off and took a perch on a swing near Bruno’s room door. 

“Who is the letter from?” Megan asked, trying not to sound nosy. 

“No one.” Bruno shrugged. “No one important, at least. It’s from my sister, actually. She threatened me a few times. No big deal.” 

Megan nodded, but she was still confused. She took a seat on one of the couches. “So, when do we start this whole magic learning thing.” Bruno sighed and strolled over from his desk. He took a seat on the couch across from her. 

“That’s the thing … we have a few things to go over first.” Bruno explained. “For one, the amulet. Now, amulets are extremely precious objects. We don’t know exactly where we came from, but Imogene did some extensive research. We now have reason to believe where the amulets originated. About 100 years ago, rumor has it that there were seven brothers born to a king in a far away land on an island that is now gone. Each son was different in his own way, but one thing they all shared was a birthday. The queen had given birth to seven sons, probably because of some spell from someone she had helped in the past. Anyways, the king needed to decide which son was to become king.”

“What does this have to do with anything?” Megan whined. Bruno glared at her. 

“These seven sons all wanted to be king - and for good reasons. First of all, their father was dying. Each one had something they wished to do with the kingdom - whether it be war, peace, growth, wealth, and so on. Also, the neighboring kingdom had promised a very lovely princess to whoever the next ruler of this kingdom was.” Bruno continued. “So, naturally, the king heard all the opinions of all of his sons. Each one had good reasons and explanations. 

“The test was left to the princess. Since she would be marrying whoever was king, the two actual kings decided to let her pick her husband. She was given an hour with every prince to decide who was the best. 

“Each prince tried their hardest to win her heart. One offered her wealth. One offered her land. One offered her children. One offered her peace. One offered her war. One offered her whatever she wanted. And the other one offered her an execution. 

“The princess took a look at all the princes. She decided on one, the one who had offered her whatever she wanted. To the five who had offered her the rest (the only brother excluded was the one who offered her an execution), she made them sorcerers. The father soon died and the brother who had married the princess took over. 

“However, his brother (execution one) was very jealous. He believed that he should be the rightful king. So he slit both the queen and king’s throats and took over. The kingdom fell into chaos. The other five brothers left. Their own brother - the ruthless king - searched for them. Rather than be found, each one performed a spell. They removed their magic and formed five stones - one gold, one silver, one bronze, one black, and one white. Then they threw themselves off a cliff. The island sank to the bottom of the ocean without a good king holding it up. That’s how the amulets came to be.” Bruno finished. Megan was silent for a minute. 

“So… my amulet is supposedly the magic of some prince from a century ago?” Megan asked finally, her voice tinted with confusion. 

“Yup, pretty much.” Bruno sighed. 

“Earlier you said something about accepting the amulet. But how does that work?” 

“Well, as I said that each amulet is the magic of the sorcerers, that has something to do with the amulet's acceptance too.” Bruno explained. “The sorcerors didn’t want their magic to go to waste - that’s why they formed the amulets. But they needed to ensure their brother didn’t have a way to get the amulets and harness their power. Needless to say, they had been magicians for about a year at that point. They knew about something called an Aura. Auras are basically the amount of potential magic you can use, but it shows up around you. I’ll teach about AuraVision later. 

“Essentially, everyone has an Aura, and how bright it is depends on how much magic you can possibly use. The sorcerors knew their brother had a very small Aura, so they designed the amulets to only work for people who had auras of a certain size. Your Aura, for example, is a pretty big one. Anyways, the amulet and you must ‘accept’ each other. For the amulet to accept you, it has to sense your Aura, and catch a glimpse of your mind to ensure you aren’t evil. But for you to accept the amulet, you must place it over your head a) knowing that magic is real and b) with someone else standing over you that owns an amulet as well. Otherwise, the bonding will not be complete and the amulet’s new owner could die.” Bruno concluded, seeming tired. “Anything else?” 

“The men in the black suits … who are they?” Megan asked. 

Bruno sighed. “I was hoping you wouldn’t ask, but very well. You see, the brother that sunk the island actually had about four wives. He had two children with each of them, so eight descendants. All eight of them and their mothers escaped the island before it sank. I said that the story was a rumor, but parts of it were true. There were seven brothers. One of them did slaughter the other. But the part about the amulets is only speculated, we don’t know for sure. 

“But that’s besides the point. Anyways, all eight of those children got married and had kids. Those kids had kids, and their kids kids had kids. It went on for the century. Somewhere along the line, a bunch of them had about eight kids each. Anyways, all of the men in black are descendants of that first king - his name was Igor. The woman’s name is Vivian. 

“Unbeknownst to the second king, the princess had snuck into town the night prior to their marriage. She became pregnant with a village boy’s daughter. The new king was aware, and when the princess gave birth, her daughter was ordered to be cast away. She was sent off on a boat, to the despair of the princess. But apparently, someone somewhere found the boat and took in the child. They adopted her and named her Cordelia -  which meant from the sea. Cordelia eventually got married and had kids. Like the murderer's brother, her family grew and grew until Vivian was born. 

“Vivian fell in love with one of the men in black suits, his name was Pablo. Vivian and Pablo became a couple, but then Pablo let it slip what his job was. Vivian realized she had an interesting family history too. They put it together and BAM! Vivian realized that her very great-step-grandfather had cast out her very great-grandmother. She was furious, and instantly joined with the men in black suits. Pablo was killed by one of the amulet keepers later on. She was even more angry, and became focused on finding all of the amulets. I don’t know what she hopes to gain, but she wants us dead. Me especially, since I’ve escaped her before.” Bruno yawned once, tucking his legs into his chest. 

Megan sat on the couch, wide eyed. “Is this all true?
“I would assume so.” Bruno mumbled. “Tomorrow, I’ll find you some books on spells. Then we’ll start your education. But I need to talk with Henry, Imogene, and Leo - without you.” 

Megan nodded, trying not to feel hurt. “I’ll just be going now.” She said sadly. Bruno nodded absentmindedly. “And Bruno,” She added. “I don’t regret accepting the amulet. It’s not a dream - I know that now. But I will find a way to help.” 

Megan left the room, but she was feeling uncertain. Bruno was hiding things. 

She’d seen a drawing taped to his wall. Several dozen rings. A sword. And one brooch. All with gems of different colors. The poster had been labelled, Magical Items Left. Some had been crossed off, of course. But the brooch had been circled. And the name Vivian was beside it. 

Bruno

The second Megan left his room, Bruno relaxed. He did feel guilty about not telling Megan half of the things he should have. The rings, the brooch. And how much power Vivian actually had. 

Bruno held his amulet in his hands. He had just told Megan about acceptance of the amulet. It had been four years since he had taken the amulet and accepted its power. He remembered the night vividly. 

The wind blew fiercely against the house. His sister, Cynthia, had left for college again. She was confident Bruno could handle himself. But she wouldn’t be pleased if this storm destroyed the house. 

Bruno shivered in his tiny bedroom. The wind was seeping through the cracks in the windows. The rain beat relentlessly on the roof, pounding and asking to be let in. Bruno jumped as the crack of thunder could be heard in the distance. There must have been a lot of lightning, because the thunder continued. Until Bruno realized it wasn’t thunder. It was someone knocking. 

Bruno - being the young boy he was at the time - jumped to the conclusion that Cynthia had returned early. So he flung open the door without even checking to see who it was. 

The person was not Cynthia. He or she was wearing a dark cloak and a hood. They were soaked to the bone, but Bruno hesitated before opening the door any further. “Who … who are you?” He asked the mysterious figure. 

“Let me in, please.” The figure begged. Bruno was slightly confused. The voice had sounded young and female. “I promise I won’t hurt you.” 

Bruno didn’t know what else to do, so he opened the door. The figure threw back her hood. It was a girl his age, with dark hair and bright blue eyes. Her face was pale and gaunt, she definitely had not been eating super well. She seemed skinny too, and frail. 

“Would you like anything?” Bruno asked her. His sister had taught him to be polite. 

The girl nodded. “Do you have food?” 

Bruno nodded. He didn’t have much left, but the stores were closed for the night. He took her cloak from her and hung it up. Then he lead her to the kitchen and made her a sandwich. “I’m Bruno.” 

“Imogene.” The girl said. “And I actually do have a reason for being here.” 

She sat down on her sandwich. Bruno had let her sit at the counter, and he was across from her. She sat something on the counter. It was a silver stone. Bruno gasped. 

“I … I have one of those too.” Bruno said. “Give me one minute.” He bolted back the . 

Bruno didn’t want Cynthia to know that the old woman had given him an amulet. So the second their mobile home had arrived in the ashes of their old house Bruno had hidden it. There was a trunk that the baker had provided for them, and Bruno had put it under his bed. Now, it was home to several blankets and an amulet. 

He opened it and removed the amulet and then ran back out to the kitchen. 

“This is my amulet.” Bruno shoved his amulet at Imogene, who was patiently waiting. “Mine is a different color though.” 

Imogene nodded. “I’ve been trying to find you. I saw a newspaper article or something about an old woman who I knew had that necklace. I tried to find her, but she died and there was an article about how her family couldn’t find one of her things. Somehow, I found out she gave it to you, and I had to find you.” 

Bruno took his amulet back from Imogene. “So you stalked me?” 

Imogene shrugged innocently. “Not really. Well, kind of I guess. But I need to know what these amulets mean. Mine does magic sometimes.” 

“Magic?” 

Imogene nodded. “Simple things. I was given the amulet by my father. He told me magic was real, and he showed me. Then I put on the amulet as he breathed his last breath. And it’s mine now” 

“Magic is … real?” Bruno gasped. 

“The amulet can help you. If you accept it, that is.” Imogene smiled. “We have all we need. Put the amulet over your head.” 

Bruno nodded once, biting his tongue. 

Should he accept the amulet? He would have magic. 

Or should he decline and kick Imogene out? He would be free to continue life. 

Bruno took the amulet and held it up, letting the light glint off the jewel. He put the chain over his head. Bruno fell to the ground, overcome by visions. And when he sat up, Imogene smiled at him.  

Bruno sat back against the couch, feeling warm but also tired. 

He hoped (selfishlessly) that he never had to see Vivian’s disgusting face again. He hoped that someone else - maybe the people with the rings - would fight her for him. And he hoped that if he was forced to fight Vivian that she would kill him. 

The rings had magic. The swords (there were two identical ones) had magic. And the brooch had the most magic of them all. 

Bruno sighed and stood up. A good night’s sleep would help him relax. 

He could face Vivian. He was stronger than her. 

So Bruno buried himself into the blankets of his bed. And then he cried himself to sleep. 

Leo

Leo knocked on the door repeatedly. “No one is there.” He told Imogene and Henry. 

“Seriously? Bruno said he and Megan would be in there all evening.” Imogene sighed. 

“Megan’s cool.” Henry commented, blushing. Leo rolled his eyes. “But I’m with you guys. Bruno promised us a meeting. And here we are, knocking on his door. He won’t answer.” 

Imogene rolled her eyes, but not at Henry. “I guess he’s not up for company tonight.”

“He’s had a long day.” Leo said, feeling the need to defend his friend. 

Leo gripped his golden amulet tightly. It had become a habit for him to rub the stone with his fingers. It felt calming to feel the grooves of the words beneath his finger tips. 

Imogene sighed. “It’s not too late, and we have another day or so before we should get back to work. Maybe tomorrow we can help Bruno teach Megan.” Leo nodded, but his mind was other places. He was fourteen now, and he was being forced to act like an adult. Henry was even younger than he was. 

Imogene hurried along the corridor, and Leo kept pace with her. “What can we even do? If Vivian and the Descendants of Igor can overtake Bruno, then they can capture any of us. Bruno is the strongest, and he fell into their trap.” There seemed to be no hope for anyone. 

Imogene stopped and turned to face Leo. “Do you remember about a week ago, when Timothy first brought Bruno that letter? It told him that his sister would be in danger - and that’s why he left to stay with her. Remember? Bruno was already weak when they captured him. Cynthia probably turned him in, so he wasn’t expecting it. Besides, Megan freed him. How, I have no idea. But we have hope. They can’t take on all of us.” 

Leo shook his head. “Imogene, if they can take Bruno at any time, they can take us all. Look at us, we’re children! Henry and I are young, we’ve barely lived. You’re older, but your amulet doesn’t seem to trust you. Megan’s new to all of this. And Bruno seems changed. He’s scared.” 

Imogene put her hands on Leo’s shoulders. Henry stood beside them silently. “Things have changed on both sides, I know. But you and Henry are getting stronger. My amulet is starting to work better - it just misses my father. Bruno may have changed, but he’s still Bruno. And Megan, well I think she might be the answer to all of this. Did you see her aura?” 

Leo nodded. Henry stepped in. “When I saw Bruno and Megan’s auras combined, I thought that there was nothing in the world that could stop the pair of them.” His voice was quiet. 

Imogene paused for a moment. “I’ve always thought of myself as a hero.” She whispered. “I always thought of myself as the main character of this world, as the most important. But I’m beginning to see that the three of us are different. Even together, our auras are a fraction of what Bruno’s and Megan’s are. If anyone can stop Vivian and the Descendants, it’s Megan and Bruno.” 

“Then let’s get some sleep.” Leo suggested. “I know it’s early, but tomorrow we can wake up early. Let’s make a big breakfast, and then we can start teaching Megan.” The others nodded. 

“Goodnight then.” Imogene smiled, releasing Leo. Then she walked away, leaving Leo and Henry alone. Henry was shivering, and Leo noticed there was a cool draft in the corridor that he hadn’t noticed. Henry wasn’t shivering from the cold though. 

“I’m scared.” He said, his voice low. Leo wrapped the smaller boy in a hug. “If something scared Bruno, then it has perfect reason to scare us. And yet we’re throwing a feast.” 

Leo felt the warmth of Henry, and he knew that this boy was like a brother to him. 

“The thing about fear is that everyone is scared of something. We all have different experiences, different pasts. Bruno’s past may make him scared of Vivian. But that doesn’t mean we have to be scared of her too. In fact, the less we panic the less harm she can do.” Leo said. 

“We have a hope.” Henry said, more to himself than to Leo. 

“We do have a hope.” Leo assured him. “But more than that we have each other.” 

“That’s more than I could ever hope for.” Henry smiled. “Goodnight, Leo.” 

“Goodnight, Henry.” And with that, the two boys went separate ways to their private rooms. 

Chapter 6 

Megan

“Bruno!!!” It was Imogene. Megan’s eyes widened as the doors to the dining room burst open. Bruno paused, bacon halfway to his mouth. 

“Yes?” He quickly shoved the bacon in his mouth. 

Megan had woken up about an hour ago. She had changed, showered again, and stepped out of her door to collide with Henry. After a minute and a half of Henry apologizing to her, he finally agreed to take her to the dining room for breakfast. She had arrived to find a feast and a hungry Bruno already eating. Leo was there as well, Imogene was the only one missing. Henry explained that every morning she did some check thing where she left the castle and searched the area around the lake for anything new or mysterious.

Imogene’s dark hair was covered in sticks and leaves, and her cheek had a gash on it. She was very, very angry. “Bruno, do have some sort of tracking device on you?” 

Bruno looked down at himself. “Not that I know of…” His gaze passed the cut on his arm. And then it fell to the metal cuffs on his wrists. Megan hadn’t noticed them before. Bruno froze and Imogene crossed her arms. Henry and Leo shared a look. 

“You have tracker cuffs on and you didn’t notice!!” Imogene practically yelled. 

“Well, to be fair I was hypnotized when I put them on.” Bruno protested, grabbing another piece of bacon. 

“When I went to check the lake, I was nearly ambushed by about two hundred men. They all fired at me at once, and one did hit me. I don’t know what it is, but it hurts.” Imogene took a seat at the table. “At least take off the cuffs then. And heal your arm while you're at it.” 

“Yes, ma’m.” Bruno waved his amulet over the cut and it disappeared. Then he called over Henry and Leo, who each laid a hand on the cuffs. They snapped open a minute later. 

Imogene showed off her arm, where a tiny blue dot was embedded in the skin. Bruno frowned at it, but didn’t say anything. There were a few moments of silence, and Megan was pretty sure Bruno and Imogene were having a secret conversation. 

She didn’t push, but it seemed like she was the fifth wheel. Even though Henry and Leo weren’t dating, Imogene and Bruno weren’t together. Megan thought, at least. 

Imogene continued to glare at Bruno, who shovelled food into his face without a care. 

They ate in silence for a bit, before Henry and Leo erupted in a fit of giggles. Imogene dismissed them, and they returned a few minutes later with a large box. 

Megan watched as a curtain descended on half of the room beside the table, where the room had been empty. Leo and Henry hurried behind the curtain. “To keep Leo and Henry entertained, Bruno and I let them do a magic show each morning with weird tricks they find in the library.” Imogene told Megan, who nodded. 

The curtain parted, revealing Henry wearing an ill-fitting suit (the sleeves were too long) and holding a stick. “I am Mister Sherman Cheeks of … (um) … West Carolina. And today, I am very mad because my son is leaving home without my permission.” 

Leo strutted into view, wearing a suit that fit similar to Henry’s. “I am Mister Fransico Cheeks of West Carolina as well. And today, I am leaving home to find a wife.” 

“But son, surely you love your father more than any woman.” Henry sighed dramatically. 

“No, father, the women are much more attractive than you.” Leo pretended to spit. 

“I don’t want a son like you.” 

“I don’t want a father like you!” 

“Very well.” Henry smiled darkly and waved his stick. But Megan caught sight of the amulet in his other hand and knew that this magic would be real - just not from the fake wand. 

There was a bright flash, and both Henry and Leo were bowing now. Imogene frowned. “What spell was this?” 

“It breaks the bond between a family. Mother, daughter, Grandfather, grandson. I don’t know - the book said it was used for sons and daughters who wished to leave their families and parents who wished to disown them.” Leo shrugged, pulling off his suit. “It was weird words, so Henry thought it would be fun to memorize it.” 

Still on the stage, Henry was waving a cardboard sign in the air that was covered in runes Megan couldn’t understand. Bruno was writing them on a napkin. 

Megan had no idea why, of course. She thought magic came on instinct and that her amulet would just do it for her. 

But apparently, sometimes you needed spells. Too bad Megan couldn’t understand anything that was written. Imogene was writing it down too - or up rather. She was scribbling in the air with her finger, and fiery words were appearing above her head. Henry dropped the sign and shed his suit. Megan, Bruno, and Imogene all clapped. 

“Still not sure how that spell will be useful, but thanks anyways.” Imogene ruffled Leo’s hair in a sisterly way. Megan knew Bruno was the eldest, but Imogene was in charge here. 

“I thought you could do magic on instinct without spells.” Megan frowned. “I freed Bruno without a spell, and teleported us away. I thought your amulet just had to grow warm and then you had to focus the energy on whatever task you were doing.” Megan said, hoping someone would explain magic to her. Or at least, explain things better than Bruno had. 

Imogene just smiled. “Try to lift the goblet off the table.” She pointed at one of the glasses. 

Megan waited for her amulet to grow warm, but it remained lifeless around her neck. 

Imogene explained what was going on. “Your amulet may work without spells at first, but that’s just because it hasn’t adjusted to you yet and it also hasn’t exhausted much energy in magic yet. But after a day or so after Acceptance, the amulet will be able to read your mind. Right now, it knows that you aren’t in dire need to lift the goblet, so it won’t do the spell.” 

Megan raised her eyebrows, and Imogene continued. 

“Let me phrase it this way. The amulet is the home of the energy used for magic. Everyone in the world has magic because everyone has an Aura. However, it takes an extreme amount of energy to perform magic. It takes more energy to perform a task without a spell. So when you first Accept the amulet, it will have tons of energy because it probably hasn’t been used in a while. While the amulet adjusts to you, it grows closer to your mind. Soon, the amulet can see when you need magic, or when you just want it. 

“Your amulet sensed you didn’t need to lift the goblet. So if you were to use a spell, the amulet would understand that you weren’t just thinking about it and actually would provide the energy. I know it doesn’t make much sense now, but as you get to know your amulet it will.” Imogene told Megan. “But for now, you should focus on learning the runic alphabet and simple spells. Things that Henry and Leo show you every day for breakfast aren’t super important. In fact, I think that I’ve only ever used one of their spells.” 

“Can you … make a spell?” Megan asked, feeling very uneducated. 

Imogene shrugged. “It’s possible, but highly unlikely that it will work. Only certain word combinations will work.” 

“Maybe it’s best if Megan learns what the runic alphabet actually is first.” Bruno suggested, finally tossing his plate into the air where it disappeared with a snap. “Also, Megan, you need to keep in mind that these spells are all silent. No talking.” 

Imogene nodded. “Here, I have an idea. Leo, you can come with me and we’ll try to find out what’s going on with this little blue dot. Bruno, Henry, and Megan can go to the library and start Megan’s training. Then, we can meet up at lunch and switch around a bit. I also need to take care of the men outside the lake.” She shot a glare at Bruno. 

“Let’s go.” Bruno said, standing up and ignoring Imogene. “The library is this way.” 

Bruno stood up, and Megan and Henry followed. Megan kept pace with Bruno as they walked, and Henry trotted along and made pathetic attempts at conversation. 

Leo went the opposite direction with Imogene. 

The library was huge, so when Bruno threw open the doors Megan felt at home. There were several comfortable looking chairs, several charts and graphs and illustrations, and rows upon rows upon rows of books. It felt like there was a copy of every single novel. The ceilings were extremely high, lit by lanterns filled with yellow flames. There were some desks and tables with jars of quills and bottles of ink. There were pens, markers, and highlighters. To help you reach your book, there were little white baskets like a hot air balloon basket that would float magically to your desired novel or volume. 

At the back of the room there was a small desk with an office chair, turned around to face the wall. There were sounds of snores and Bruno rolled his eyes. “This is Trixie. She’s supposed to be our librarian - managing books, ordering new ones, keeping everything dusted. But instead she takes advantage of our food and takes naps all the time.” Bruno whispered.

Megan giggled as Bruno snuck up behind the chair. Henry followed, putting a finger to his lips. They nodded at each other and Henry put his hands to his mouth as Bruno ducked behind the desk. 

There was a sudden, terrible sound that came from Henry and a bright light that came from Bruno. The older boy made shadows and flashes of orange, yellow, and red dance across the room, making it appear as though it was one fire. Henry wailed like a banshee, and began to shriek. “Fire! Fire! One of the lanterns fell! Fire in the castle!” 

The office chair spun around and Bruno made it seem like the books were burning and the fire was spreading. A harmless smoke began to filter in. 

Henry pretended like he was on fire and Megan watched as fake flames curled around his limbs. “Help!” He called, trying hard not to smile. But soon all the fire faded away, and the smoke dissipated, and Henry’s shrieks ceased. 

A tiny figure was standing on the desk, covering her large ears and eyes as she shivered uncontrollably. Bruno leaned really close to her as Henry got in her face. 

“There’s no fire, Trixie!” Henry yelled. “It was a joke!” 

The tiny figure opened her eyes and uncovered her ears. Megan caught a glimpse of what she actually looked like. Trixie had vivid red hair that hung in curls by her ears. Her skin was flushed pink from embarrassment, and she had golden eyes. She was about two feet tall at the most, and she was wearing a tutu and tank top - both neon pink. But what intrigued Megan was the tiny pair of glittery wings jutting out of her back. 

“Trixie is a sprite.” Bruno looked at Megan, his pale eyes gleaming. “She’s afraid of fire more than anything else.” 

“Master Bruno was unkind to make fun of Trixie.” The sprite had tears welling up in her yellow eyes. “Trixie knows Master Bruno does not like her because she is a sprite. He thinks Trixie is trouble.” Trixie was crying freely now. 

Henry rolled his eyes. “Get over it. Maybe if you actually kept the library clean we wouldn’t feel the need to bully you.” 

Megan felt sorry as the sprite burst into tears again. “Isn’t that a bit harsh?” 

The sprite looked at Megan, her tears stopped. “Who is you? Trixie has not seen this girl before. Is she wife?” Trixie looked expectantly at Bruno. 

“No!” Bruno cried out. “She’s no one’s wife. Besides, it isn’t in your job description to know these things. But this is Megan, and she is one of your master’s as well. Now make sure the library is clean, we’ll be using it for the next few days.” 

Trixie stuck out her tongue at Bruno. “Master Megan.” She mumbled under her breath. 

Henry turned to Megan. “She may seem sweet and abused at first, but trust me, she’s a brat. Bruno and I will probably pay for that prank. Sprites are known for being mischievous, but Trixie enjoys practical jokes, as long as they’re on other people. My shampoo has turned my hair green. Spaghetti that tries to strangle you. Scorpions in my bed.” He shuddered. 

Bruno added onto the list. “The bat skeletons on my ceiling are coming to life. A flood on the entire first floor of the castle. A window that won’t stay shut. Food poisoning.” 

The boys continued to list pranks as they grabbed books off the shelves. 

Trixie took to sulking in a corner with a feather duster and shooting looks that could kill out of the corner of her eyes. Just when Henry was describing an experience with a particularly spiky cactus, Bruno threw his books down on one of the tables with a big thump, dust floating everywhere. Bruno snarled at Trixie, who was still brushing the dust off a volume titled Please and Thank You: A Way Not to Die. But she left the dust covering some of the words so that it read Please Die instead.

“You need to learn the alphabet first.” Bruno told her. 

“I know the alphabet backwards!” Henry called out from the bookshelf where he was inspecting something called Prank Spells to ruin a Relationship. “Z, Y, X, W, V, U, T…” 

“Thank you, Henry.” Bruno shouted back, a smile on his face. “But I meant the runic alphabet - not the English one.” He blew the remaining dust off of one of the thicker books, and right into Megan’s face. She coughed as the dust swarmed around her face and glared at Bruno. 

“S, R, Q, P, O, N, M…” Henry sang, now looking at a book called Spells, Hypnotism, and You. “L, K, J, I, H, G, F, E, D, C, B, A! Done!” 

Bruno rolled his eyes, ignoring Henry’s antics. “Anyways, the runic alphabet is what we write our spells in. All you have to do is memorize the spellings, and picture them and then the spell should work. Like the spell earlier, it said ‘break the family bond’.” 

“Seems … complicated.” Megan sighed. 

“Not really.” Bruno held up a chart. “It takes about a week to memorize. And then you only have to remember what the spell says.” He shrugged like it was easy. 

It wasn’t easy. 

Megan tried to read the charts. She worked on exercises with Bruno, reading sentences and writing words. 

Megan tried to read Henry’s jokes and fill out his worksheets. 

But it was much harder than she had thought. Some of the letters looked like numbers or other letters. Others looked like only vague shapes. It certainly wasn’t going to be easy. 

Not to mention, some of them were so similar Megan was sure she would not be able to memorize them. The “L” was a fancy “M”, and the “T” just looked like a glorified “Q”. 

By lunch time, Megan had exhausted her brain in hopes that she could memorize a simple alphabet. But it was too hard - after all, Bruno had said it could take a week or longer. The only problem was they didn’t have a week to spare. 

Because Imogene and Leo didn’t turn up for lunch. 

Imogene

One Hour Earlier 

Imogene sighed as Leo picked at her arm with a pair of tweezers. He had been working relentlessly for hours, and she wasn’t exactly eager to have a fourteen year old picking around her skin for that long. But she held still nonetheless. 

She wished that Bruno had been there the past week. She wished he hadn’t gone to see Cynthia. And most of all, she wished he had been there when she checked the lake. 

Her arm throbbed more than she cared to admit. 

But more than that, her pride was wounded. Imogene was supposed to be the strong one, the anchor that held everyone else down. 

Now she was the cause of their panic. And Bruno wasn’t doing much to help. 

Bruno and Imogene had known each other longer than anyone else in the castle. So when he returned from the cafe with Megan, he seemed preoccupied. 

At first Imogene suspected Bruno was holding back his … feelings from her. She thought maybe Megan had awakened something inside her old friend, something that was new for him. But it wasn’t Megan. Bruno didn’t like her any special way. 

No, it was Vivian. It had to be. 

Imogene remembered her very first encounter with Vivian. 

It had been one month since Bruno and Imogene first met. They had been living in Bruno’s house for that whole time. They alternated staying home and going shopping. Cynthia would return in about a week, and Imogene would remain hidden in the house - or in the trees outside because the weather was warm. 

Bruno and Imogene were preparing for her stay. They had begun nailing boards to the tree outside. If Cynthia asked, Bruno would say it was his private tree house. 

Imogene and Bruno stored food, blankets, water, books, and anything else Imogene would need. Although she would be hidden from society for a while and her only contact would be Bruno, Imogene was excited for the change. It was like a secret mission. 

Secrets were abundant with Imogene and Bruno. They practiced magic every day when the blinds were drawn and it was too bright outside to notice any flashes from inside the house. 

They had learned that their first day - after Bruno performed his first bit of magic. They neighbors had come over and asked if they were okay, and Bruno had to pretend it had been a minor fire. The neighbors had kept an annoyingly close watch on the house after that. 

Imogene had nicked a book from her father’s library that had all the basic spells. Her and Bruno learned by the candle light every night, and practiced during the day. Life was perfect. 

Soon, Imogene and Bruno could start fires, lift things in the air, and even grow their own food in a tenth of the time using magic. Imogene was prepared to live in the tree house for the month Cynthia was home, she would have Bruno to count on after all. 

Two weeks into Cynthia’s stay, all was going as planned. 

Bruno was bringing Imogene food every day to replace her quickly depleting stores. Cynthia had not questioned the tree house at all. 

But one day, Bruno did not arrive in the tree house. Imogene kept careful watch by the windows, but he didn’t return. Of course, Imogene couldn’t exactly go ask Cynthia where Bruno had gone. So she waited. The next day, a woman arrived on the property, Bruno in hand. 

The woman was holding Bruno tightly around the arm. He was wriggling, trying to free himself. 

Then Imogene heard something in her head. It was a spell her and Bruno had learned, speaking into each other’s minds. This woman is a fraud. Bruno told Imogene. She captured me. Help. 

Imogene nodded and launched a fire spell at the woman. Her dress erupted in flames and Bruno scurried away. The woman disappeared in a flash of light as Bruno climbed the ladder to the tree house. “Thanks.” He smiled shyly. 

“No problem.” Imogene smiled back. The woman wouldn’t bother them again, so they paid her no mind. But that was a very big mistake. 

“Imogene.” It was Leo, and Imogene jumped. 

“Sorry, just spaced out for a moment.” She apologized. 

“A moment? You were out cold for twenty minutes!” Leo exclaimed, but Imogene’s focus was somewhere else. The lake. It was calling for her. 

The trees were calling her name. The water. The grass. “Come with me, Leo.” Imogene said. But Leo shook his head. “You’re insane. Crazy, I tell you.” Except, Leo followed Imogene anyways. She led him through the corridors and to the front room where they teleported to the lake. Imogene could hear the cries growing louder. 

“Grab her!” Someone yelled. Then the world went dark. 

When Imogene and Leo woke again, they shared a look. But their faces were emotionless and their will was bent. 

A woman’s laugh echoed around them. “Two down, three to go.” The pair was gone.

Chapter 7

Henry

“Imogene wouldn’t have left the castle without us knowing. And she certainly wouldn’t have taken Leo with her.” Bruno was on his fifth lap around the library. Henry had counted. 

Henry was very confused. Megan didn’t seem super worried, but Bruno still hadn’t really explained to her that despite Imogene being an independent person, she never ever left the castle without telling anyone. 

Normally, Henry and Leo were hidden in the castle like some sort of quarantine was going on. Imogene checked the lake every day, and sometimes Bruno joined her. 

But Leo and Henry rarely left the castle - with the exception of an occasional trip to a local farmer’s market or a one day vacation to the Realm of Monsters (which Imogene had banned all further trips after Henry had accidently killed a troll by tickling it). 

Now Imogene had disappeared, and apparently she had taken Leo with her. They were nowhere to be seen. 

Bruno took an extremely quick trip to the lake to see if they were there, but the area was empty and the Descendants had gone home. Henry cried a bit at first, but he saw Megan watching and stopped abruptly. 

“The men in black suits had to have taken her.” Henry repeated to Bruno for a sixth time. “Maybe that little blue dot on her arm possessed her or something.” 

Bruno shook his head. “I’ve read up on hypnotism. It’s impossible.” 

“Or maybe someone broke into the castle. They know our location after all.” Henry shrugged, offering up more ideas. 

Bruno shook his head again, on his sixth lap. “If they broke into the castle, they would’ve come looking for us too. They know Megan has magic, and I’m their prime target because I escaped before. Besides, the castle is impenetrable to anyone who doesn’t have an amulet. And even now, if Imogene and Leo come back hypnotized, the borders will sense Vivian’s control of them and not let them in.” 

“Maybe it wasn’t any of these things.” Megan was studying the rune charts still, writing things down in a notebook with a green cover that Bruno had found for her. “Maybe Imogene knew someone was out there, and she brought Leo with her for protection.” 

“Maybe…” Bruno sighed as if considering the possibility. 

Megan looked up, and if she were a cartoon character a lightbulb would have appeared above her head. “Imogene is smart, I can tell and I haven’t known her for long. What if the little blue dot wasn’t a tracker - because they obviously already know where we are. So maybe instead, the dot actually was a way into Imogene’s mind. Vivian could’ve talked to her or tricked her into thinking they had a hostage or something. Then, Imogene would’ve gone to check - and because last time she had to fight, she would’ve taken Leo with her. Imogene probably was either in a hurry or too occupied with other thoughts that she forgot to let someone know that she was going. And Vivian probably figured instead of forcing them into the castle right away, she now has bait for us.” 

Bruno stroked his chin. “That might actually be what happened.” 

“So what now?” Henry asked, flipping through one of the ancient books he had found earlier. “It doesn’t help us to know what happened to them. We need to know what’s next.” 

Bruno thought for a minute. “I say we stay here and continue life as normal as possible - but we hide in the castle and don’t leave. Vivian will try to draw us out, and we can’t play into her plan. We need to stay safe.” 

Henry frowned. “But … but everything you’ve ever told us has been not to hide. To confront our enemies. We’ll never save Leo and Imogene if we hide in our castle all day.” 

Bruno froze. “We don’t need to save them. Imogene and Leo can fend for themselves.” 

Henry glared. “Do you hear yourself, Bruno? You’re suggesting we leave Imogene and Leo in the hands of Vivian - who wants us dead. Just because you’re too scared…” 

“I’m not scared!” Bruno shouted, but Henry knew it was a lie. “I’m just cautious.” 

“They’re the same thing with you!” Henry yelled back. “Ever since you came back from the cafe, you’ve been different. I used to see you as a hero, as my role model. But now, you want to leave my best friend in the clutches of the very people who want us dead. When you came back from being hypnotized, I realized that now, you’re too scared. You finally met someone more powerful than you, and your pride can’t take it, can it?” 

Bruno and Henry were both standing, and Megan stood in the corner and watched with fear. Bruno was insulting the younger boy. “Just because you don’t understand doesn’t mean I’m ‘scared’. You just want your playmate back because your immature mind has never handled loneliness before.” 

“You only want to ignore everything. You want to pretend some of this never happened, don’t you. Well guess what, we all have amulets and magic. I’m ‘young and immature’ and Megan has no experience whatsoever. That means you’re our leader.” Henry screamed. 

“I am the leader and I say we stay put.” Bruno shot back. 

“Coward!” 

“Child!” 

“Bully!” 

“You just miss your boyfriend and your prank partner.” 

“He’s not my boyfriend. And just because you don’t feel love or happiness doesn’t mean the rest of us are emotionless too!” 

“You love-crazed child!” The entire room - maybe even the world - held its breath as Bruno continued ranting. Henry was beginning to cry. “You’re fourteen but you act like you’re eleven. You think a lot of things, and none of them are right. You think you can win Megan’s heart, I can see it in your actions. Well she doesn’t like you. No one does, and I know that Leo only put up with you out of pity. Your tiny brain doesn’t comprehend the problems we’re facing. Vivian isn’t some villain you can beat up with a complex plan and magic spell. She’s real and she’s powerful. And a simple, stupid, obnoxious boy like you could never defeat her. Ever. You’re just the sidekick, some random boy who doesn’t matter to the plot besides maybe the death that makes someone cry. You are nothing - do you hear me? Nothing compared to me.” 

The world was frozen as a tear leaked out of Henry’s eye. He blinked once to see if the older boy would apologize. He didn’t. Henry ran. He ran and ran out of the library. 

He ran to the entry hall where he grabbed his coat and shoved his amulet in his pocket. It was time to destroy some things, in a place only he could find again. 

Bruno

Bruno stared wide eyed at Megan. His heart was thumping wildly in his chest and his throat felt raw. Bruno turned to look at the spot where his friend had stood a moment ago. “Henry!” He called out. “Henry I didn’t mean it!” 

But his blonde friend was gone, he had fled. 

Bruno fell to his knees and buried his head in his hands. 

“Don’t go after him yet.” Megan was standing above Bruno, and she sounded disgusted. 

“Why not? He’s my friend.” Bruno asked, wiping his eyes with his robe sleeve. 

Megan snorted. “If that’s how you treat your friends, I’m starting to wish I didn’t come.” Bruno sensed a hint of bitterness in her voice. 

“Look, I’m sorry…” Bruno began. 

“Don’t apologize to me.” Megan sighed. She sat down beside Bruno. “Look, you said a ton of terrible stuff to Henry. I don’t know where he went, but he’ll be gone for a while.” 

Bruno paled. “What if Henry left?” He began to cry. Megan’s brow wrinkled. “I couldn’t live with myself if Henry died because of me.” 

“Actually, you just told him he would end up with some random death, so…” Megan said. 

“Not helping.” Bruno muttered. “I just get so worked up when people call me a coward. Henry’s right. Vivian did change me. She made me a coward, and I’m so scared. I’m supposed to be strong for the team, the leader is supposed to make the decisions and, well, lead. But I’m too weak to do any of that.” 

Megan shook her head. “When I look at you, I don’t see a weak little boy. I see a teen who has seen things even adults will never see. You’ve faced so many challenges, Bruno, and you’re wise. You care for us, you’re like … like a big brother that I never had.” 

Bruno laughed. “A big brother? Would you like a big sister?” 

She paused for a second, lost in thought. Megan shook her head. “Nope. I’m fine being an only child.” 

“You know, I did mean some of what I said about Henry.” Bruno shrugged, a smile on his lips. Megan looked shocked. “I said he likes you, and he does.” 

Megan laughed. “Well, we’ll see about that. I’ll put him down as him option … if we live through the next few days that is.” Her comment dropped the mood back to its somber state before Megan had lifted Bruno’s spirits. “You interrupted my pep talk.” 

“Sorry not sorry.” Bruno shrugged. “I guess I need to go find Henry.” 

Megan nodded as Bruno stood. “And while you’re at it, make some dinner. We’re all starving.” Bruno just laughed. 

Bruno

Bruno searched the entire castle for Henry to no avail. The boy was gone. 

Megan assured him that Henry would be back by morning, but Bruno wasn’t so sure. He made a small dinner for the two of them that they ate in awkward silence. 

“He’ll be fine.” Megan mumbled as the pair stared at each other. “Henry will be back tomorrow. Until then, we should stay here until he returns. Otherwise, he might come back to an empty castle.” 

“That’s the thing.” Bruno sighed, pushing his still full plate away. “I think I know where Henry went, and I don’t think he’ll be coming back anytime soon.” 

“Where exactly did he go?” Megan frowned. 

“About a year or so ago - maybe less than that - Imogene would take Henry and Leo on mini ‘field trips’ to keep them occupied. Their last trip was to a place we call the Realm of Monsters. Henry and Leo enjoyed the trip, but Henry ended up in a fight with some troll. The troll thought all magicians were bad since he’d had a bad encounter with one before. He started to attack Henry, and of course Henry fought back. It ended up with a dead troll and a threat for us never to return to the Realm of Monsters.” Bruno summarized. 

“You think Henry went back to the Realm?” Megan asked. 

“I know he did.” Bruno sighed again. “Henry really enjoyed the trip - besides the troll attack. He and Leo always planned to return one day.” 

“So do we go and find him?” Megan grabbed Bruno’s plate and tossed it in the air like Imogene had earlier, and it disappeared. Megan had finally begun to memorize the alphabet charts, but her mind was also preoccupied with Henry, Leo, and Imogene’s disappearances. 

Bruno shook his head. “I agree with what you said earlier. We wait a bit - maybe until tomorrow morning. If Henry isn’t back by then, we can go to the Realm.” 

Megan nodded in agreement. “I’m going back to my room to study the runes if you need me.” Then she stood up and left Bruno alone at the table. He sat there for a minute, collecting his thoughts and deeply regretting what he had said to Henry. 

When he finally stood, Bruno felt refreshed and more alive than he had been in weeks. 

Ever since Vivian had hypnotized him, Bruno had felt distant from life and everyone else. He had felt like there was a wall between them and him, because he had been through so much more. It felt like there was a cloud around his head that made him different from the rest. He had blamed this on his hypnotism and that he was still recovering, but Bruno thought that maybe it was something else. 

He seemed to get angry more easily now, and frustrated faster. Part of him wondered if Megan had freed all of him. Was some of him still in the chains held by Vivian? Bruno dismissed the thought. Megan’s magic had been super strong that day, so all of him would have to be free. Besides, none of him was trying to get him to kill himself or anything. 

Bruno visited the library and after chastising Trixie, selected the book he had seen Henry looking at earlier. Spells, Hypnotism, and You was a thick novel that Bruno heaved onto a desk. 

He flipped open the cover and pulled out a notebook. He began to read. 

The lights in the library dimmed. Trixie flew to her tiny hole filled with fabric on the top shelf, and began to shuffle things around loudly. 

Bruno couldn’t concentrate for long. The book’s language was ancient and flowery, as if someone had used a thesaurus for every single word. Hypnotism is nay an effortless exploit. Gobs of soothsayers have solicited the act with no avail. Scores of magic must be readily attainable for the feat to even occur. No mediocre magician could accomplish such an act, they must be grand.  

He shut the book, having only covered ten of the thick pages. Not only was the language hard, but the information was dry and vague, like most introductions are. 

Bruno felt like he had been in the library for days, and he had learned absolutely nothing. He decided that he would cover two more pages before he went to bed, his whole team was relying on him. 

At some point in time, Bruno must have fallen asleep. He awoke quickly and suddenly from a terrible nightmare. The eyes in his dream were spinning wheels of black and white. 

These dreams had haunted Bruno every time he slipped into waking or sleeping visions. There was always a face, laughing, and then the eyes. They got closer and closer and Bruno would wake up screaming. 

This time, luckily, we woke up silently but drenched in sweat. Of course, he had somehow smeared the ink on his notes so the past few hours had been a total waste. 

At least he hadn’t woken up in front of someone. That would’ve been hard to explain. Sorry, I keep having nightmares about that time I got hypnotized. But don’t worry, I’m perfectly fine, nothing to worry about. 

Imogene would probably make him eat a whole bunch of her “medicinal foods”. Leo would shrug and consult a book. Henry would probably make a joke about it. And Megan… 

Bruno had only known Megan for two days now. But it felt like she had been living in the castle since Imogene and Bruno had first built it. Megan fit in with the others perfectly, and Bruno was kind of glad that she had been the one to accept the white amulet. 

It reminded Bruno that he should probably check up on Gabriel at some point in time, but the man would no longer remember him. 

Bruno sighed once, and then yawn. He walked out of the library and towards his room. 

Hopefully, Henry would be back by the next morning. Hopefully, Imogene and Leo were okay wherever they were. And hopefully, Bruno could face his fears and defeat Vivian. 

Because the fate of the world depended on it. 

Henry

Henry arrived at the entrance to the Realm of Monsters about two hours after he departed from the hotel. 

Technically, he was able to teleport directly to the entrance, but he feared the Gatekeeper would sense the magic and attack him immediately. And when the Gatekeeper attacked, there were never any identifiable bodies. 

Henry was beginning to wish he hadn’t run off so impulsively. 

The Realm of Monsters might have been fun to visit, but at the time he had Imogene and Leo to look after him, and Bruno was always a backup. Now, Megan and Bruno might not find his location and if he got into trouble, there would be no escape. 

Henry was pretty sure Bruno hadn’t meant what he’d said. But the words had stung and they’d left a mark on the younger boy. 

Henry might have acted like a jokesters, constantly fooling around and being funny. Except, he hadn’t exactly grown up that way. In fact, Henry’s childhood had been filled with loss. It seemed to be a theme for the people with amulets. 

When Henry was five, his parents gave birth to triplets - two girls and a boy. He thought his family would finally be perfect - and it was for a good amount of time. 

However, when Henry was eight, his mother contracted a serious illness. His entire life had been happy - too good to be true. And then it seemed like the entire world was falling apart. Henry’s mother was given a year to live, and she passed away in six months. 

Henry’s father struggled to support the family. The triplets were demanding, and Henry realized his father needed as much help as possible. He helped around the house and took over everything his mother had done before. Henry wanted to drop out of school, but his father insisted he stay enrolled so he could get a job the second he graduated. 

Things didn’t get better for the Snider family. One of the triplets was infected with the same illness as Mrs. Snider. The one male triplet passed away, leaving his family in despair. 

Henry turned to jokes to cope, he wanted to ignore his entire life. His father could barely make enough money to feed them, and Henry wanted to pretend everything was normal. He joined the school band, participated in extracurricular activities, and made jokes about everything. But it didn’t erase the burning pain Henry felt. 

When Megan had first shown up, Henry realized that deep inside her, Megan reminded him of his mother. He saw his mother inside Megan in her polite ways and reddish hair. 

Now, Henry was alone. He had no jokes left. 

Henry arrived about five miles from the entrance to the Realm. He then hiked to the actual entrance and sat for a moment to catch his breath. 

Henry’s bronze amulet dangled from his neck. He rubbed the stone, which flooded him with a tingling feeling that Henry had first felt only two years ago. He remembered the exact day the amulet had been given to him. 

“The neighbor boy is weird.” Henry protested to his father, something he hated to do. 

“It doesn’t matter. I need you out of the house so Janice and Luella can sleep and so I can get some work done. My boss is going to lay me off soon if I don’t pick up the slack…” Mr. Snider’s voice trailed off as it normally did when he talked to Henry. After Mrs. Snider had died, her husband talked to her son about things he often didn’t understand. 

Henry sighed and nodded. His father had been encouraging him to meet the new neighbors for a week now. They had a son his age, but Henry felt as though no one could relate to his pain. After all, the neighbor kid had two parents that were both very much alive. 

Henry put on his shoes and coat and crossed the street. He knocked on the door twice before a kind woman answered it. She had graying hair and warm eyes, and she smelled like she had been baking. 

“I’m Henry Snider.” Henry said. “My father told me to come welcome you to the neighborhood. You see, we saw you had a son my age and…” The woman’s smile turned into a pitying frown as she opened the door further to reveal a flour covered apron. 

“So you are the Sniders.” The woman poo-pooed. “I wasn’t sure. But I heard about your mother, and I must say I am very sorry. If you need anything, anything at all, just come over and ask. I’m Mrs. Winters, by the way.” She held out her hand, but immediately withdrew when she noticed the snow falling from the sky. Henry had just noticed it as well. “Oh, come in dear. No sense freezing to death.” 

“Thank you so much, Mrs. Winters.” Henry smiled and blushed. It had been so long since he’d had a mother figure. Mrs. Winters grabbed him and pulled him into a hug - which was a bit strange for Henry. But she was warm, and smelled like cinnamon, and it had been so long since Henry had felt a motherly embrace. Mrs. Winters let go of Henry and smiled. “Your house is very nice.” Henry added, trying to be polite. 

“Thank you, dear.” Mrs. Winters smiled, her cheeks pink. “Here, I just finished making some cookies. I’ll go grab some for you.” 

Before Henry could object, Mrs. Winters was gone. He heard her calling upstairs for her son. 

A few minutes later, a boy with average brown hair and a face full of freckles popped into the room. He looked to be the same age as Henry. “The name’s Leo.” The boy said. 

“Henry. Henry Sniders.” Henry said, feeling weird to be sitting on a strangers couch. 

Leo frowned. “I … I heard about your mother. And your brother. I’m so sorry. And I know that words can never replace a loved one so…” 

“It’s fine.” Henry said automatically. He was so used to be people apologizing to him. 

“I brought the cookies!” Mrs. Winters cheered as she entered the room. Then she noticed Henry’s expression and sat down next to him. “Is there anything we can do?” 

Henry wanted os badly to ask them to leave him alone or to ask where the bathroom was or to even burst out of the room and run home. But he refrained, and instead shook his head and grabbed a cookie of the platter. Leo and Mrs. Winters shared a look, and the woman got up and left. 

“Here, I have something to show you.” Leo whispered fiercely, and stood quickly. 

Henry followed, only because he didn’t know what else to do. 

Leo led Henry to his room and shut the door, locking it tight. “You seem like a trustworthy person, Henry. And I need someone trustworthy. You see, about a year ago, my one aunt gave me this necklace in her will. Before she died, however she let me hold it and play with it. And it … it - this is going to sound ridiculous - it did magic.” 

Henry shrugged. He didn’t care if this neighbor boy was obsessed with magic and stupid child things. He would leave and never return, hopefully soon. 

“I could spend all day explaining, but I have something better.” Leo was searching through a drawer now. “I found a matching necklace online on a black market thing - don’t ask. I bought it secretly and kept it until I found someone to give it to.” 

From his drawer, Leo removed to necklaces - one golden and one bronze. He handed the bronze one to Henry. “Put it on.” 

Henry shook his head and clutched the amulet tightly. Leo nodded. “Please?” 

“Fine.” Henry groaned. He put the necklace on and passed out. Ten minutes later, he was awake in an ambulance for having an allergic reaction to a cookie. Henry and Leo never shared what really happened, and they became good friends. 

Henry shook himself out of the daydream. The amulet had been through a lot with him. 

The entrance to the Realm of Monsters just ahead, glowing with violet light. Henry had missed the weird light of the Realm, the way it made him look. The color made him feel like Leo was right beside him. 

Leo’s family had been so welcoming to Henry. His father had soon let him spend as much time as he wanted across the street. Mrs. Winters made half of Henry’s meals. Leo was the brother he had lost - but better if that was possible. Leo had given Henry the amulet, and he had changed his life forever. 

Henry inhaled deeply. The Realm of Monsters was the only thing he had left. 

Leo and Imogene were gone. 

His father and sisters assumed him dead. 

Bruno despised him. Megan would never love him. 

But somewhere in the Realm was something Henry had hidden, something that might help bring Leo and Imogene back. 

And it happened to be in the depths of the Realm. 

Right where the trolls lived. 

Chapter 8 

Megan

“So, how far is this Realm of Monsters place from the castle?” Megan asked as her and Bruno ate a small breakfast. 

Her bag was packed and sitting on the chair beside her. She had brought her rune charts - though she wasn’t sure how much time she would have to consult them in the midst of a battle should one occur. Bruno promised her amulet would help her if she desperately needed it, but Megan wasn’t so sure. Her amulet hadn’t warmed up at all during her stay at the castle. It felt terrible to be ignored by a rock. 

“We’ll use magic get there.” Bruno answered, grabbing his 20th piece of bacon. “The Gatekeeper can sense magic, but he won’t bother us.” 

“You’re going to be fat.” Megan laughed as Bruno went back for more bacon. He had showed her how the kitchen made food by itself if you wanted it to, and Megan had made a very large breakfast - only to find Bruno liked bacon more than anything else in the world. 

Bruno shrugged. “Fat people are harder to kidnap.” 

Megan rolled her eyes. Bruno was going to bulge out of his outfit soon. 

The older boy had explained that the monsters in the Realm hated magical people more than normal humans, so they both dressed in t-shirts and human clothing. 

After breakfast was cleaned up, Bruno gripped Megan’s arm and they disappeared, reappearing near a large stone formation on a cliff. The wind was ferocious, it seemed determined to rip Megan’s clothing off her body. 

The wind had a salty scent, the ocean was just beside the cliff. Megan thought she saw the shadow of a dragon passing above, but she was scared to mention it to Bruno and have him call it down. If the dragon was down here, maybe the Gatekeeper would think they were magical and not let them in. And then they would never save Henry. 

“Hurry up, Megan!” Bruno called. Megan left her spot by the cliff. 

“Where exactly are we?” Megan asked when she caught up to Bruno, who was entering the edge of a forest. 

“That’s the Sapphire Sea over there.” Bruno answered. “We’re on a tiny island called Mors Terra - or Land of Death in a rough Lation translation. About 200 miles to the East is an island called the Five-Point Island, because it has five neighboring kingdoms of other magical people. But their people are a lot different, they are a whole different breed. Five-Point is a place we visited only once before we discovered they were torn by war. Half of the island is demolished at this time.” 

“That didn’t help me at all.” Megan sighed. 

“It doesn’t matter. We’re at the entrance now.” Bruno beckoned to a large, rock formation - the one Megan had seen when they first arrived. It was shaped almost like a … bed? 

“Is that a bed?” Megan asked, before realization dawned on her. “Is this where the legend of monsters under kid’s beds comes from?” The purple glow was coming from under the rock. 

Bruno nodded. “Most likely. Not many humans have been on this island and lived, though, so it probably was a story passed down through magicians and eventually to humans.” 

They were getting very close to the rock now, and Megan could see a mysterious figure pacing in the violet glow. The area had an odd scent. If scales and talons had a smell, Megan was sure that the air around her would be that scent. It could make some odd candles. 

“So, exactly what kind of beasts are in the Realm of Monsters?” Megan asked casually. 

Bruno thought for a moment. “Well, I’ve mentioned trolls before. But there are also gnomes, goblins, werewolves, imps, manticores, Elementals, and of course, the Ancient Ones.” 

Megan blinked and slowly turned away. So much danger - all to get Henry. 

“Now, when I approach the Gatekeeper we might have some trouble with him. Be prepared to launch a spell at any time if needed.” Bruno warned. 

“Spells? I don’t know any spells!” Megan cried, but Bruno had already walked straight up to the figure. As Megan approached, the figure became larger and she could actually see what it looked like. 

The Gatekeeper appeared to be female, but Megan couldn’t be sure. “Who dares attempt entrance to ze Realm of Monsters?” The figure purred. 

Her voice was low and deep, definitely feminine. 

Bruno bowed low before the Gatekeeper and Megan copied him, though she kept a watchful eye on the Gatekeeper. She didn’t like to think that at any time the Gatekeeper could attack. She wasn’t sure how powerful the Gatekeeper was - or if she was even human. 

“Oh, Gatekeeper, we wish entrance to the Realm of Monsters.” Bruno said majestically. 

The Gatekeeper made a sound that sounded like a snort. “I have figured zat much, but who exactly dares to speak to me?” The Gatekeeper had an accent that made her voice sound sharp like a blade, and she made each word sound short and seperate. 

Bruno thought for a moment, and Megan wasn’t sure what he would say. Would he pretend to be a mere human? Or would he go for the truth? 

“Perhaps you have heard of me.” Bruno tried. The Gatekeeper tilted her head. 

The Gatekeeper was wearing long, indigo robes that fell around her like puddles. A hood cast shadows over her face, so it was impossible to tell what she looked like. “I have not zeen you before.” The Gatekeeper answered. “But I assume you are either mortal or magician, in which case your entrance will be near impossible.” 

“Why?” Megan couldn’t help but asking. Bruno shot her a glare. “You guys could open up this place for tourists. I know several websites that would give the entrance alone five stars.” 

The Gatekeeper threw back her hood, making Megan gasp. The female figure looked human. She had long, white hair that cascaded down her sides in curls. Her skin was pale like snow, and her eyes were a mysterious purple. Her ears were pointed. “You think humans would like to see this?” The Gatekeeper hissed, pulling her hood up once again. “I may not live in ze Realm with zee ozer Monsters, but I am still a freak.” 

Megan shook her head, trying to cover. “No, no. Obviously, you haven’t been around humans in a while. They - we - like monsters and magical things now. We dress up as them for Halloween, and we make movies about them …” 

“Gatekeeper, if you could please…” Bruno interjected, a note of pleading in his voice. 

“Silence.” The Gatekeeper held her hand in front of Bruno’s mouth. “I wish to hear ze girl.” Then she turned to Megan. “You say zey have made movies? And books? Do any mention … elves?” 

“Are you an elf?” Megan gasped, an idea popping into her head. “I’ve heard so much about elves. They wear tights, and have pointy toes. Most of them have blue skin, and vivid hair colors. And many of them are super funny, though not very smart.” 

Megan shot a look at Bruno that she hoped he would get a message from. 

“Oh, uh, yeah.” Bruno said quickly. “Elves have this little song that all of them sing as they make cookies - because that’s the only suitable job for an elf.” 

The Gatekeeper was fuming now. “Pointy toes? Blue skin? Stupid? Cookies? What a mess! Elves are amazing, we’re smart and talented and have better things to do than make those senseless cookies.” 

“So,” Megan suggested. “Maybe you can open your island to the public, make a little theme park, and you can show people what elves are really like.” 

The Gatekeeper sighed. “I don’t needs to do zat.” 

Bruno and Megan shared a look. 

“Look, kids, ze truth is simple. One little boy, I assume a friend of yours, came through here abouts an hour ago. Said not to let anyone follow him, and I agreed. I’d find him quickly, zo. There is nowhere safe for magicians in ze Realm anymore.” The Gatekeeper smiled from under her hood and Megan thanked her. 

Henry was in danger. 

Megan and Bruno took a step into the violet light. 

Henry

Henry knew he had made a grave mistake by asking the Gatekeeper to hold the next people to come and not let them pass. He knew that eventually, he would probably end up in danger and no one would be able to rescue him. Besides, that was if Bruno and Megan actually managed to follow him. 

He travelled in the odd landscape, wondering if it was poisonous or something. Henry was seriously considering moving to this place - it wasn’t like he had many belongings. He could find a rock or something and live under it . 

Most of the Realm was made of rocks - large ones like the ones outside the entrance. Henry hadn’t seen much life this far into his journey. The clouds hung ominously over him, each one as black as night. There were shrieks of creatures, and sometimes an occasional call or tune meant to lure in prey. Henry ignored it all. 

The rocks hurt his feet. After about an hour of hiking, Henry was hopelessly lost and also really confused. He swore that the Realm had grown since the last time he had been there. 

Henry had only studied some of the beasts that he knew were hidden in the Realm. Imogene and Bruno had tried to teach Leo and Henry at the same time as the older kids were learning the information. Imogene eventually gave up and Bruno became focused on other things, so Leo and Henry had been promised an education at a later date. The education had never came, so Henry knew minimal information about the things that lived in the Realm. 

A tingling sensation filled his body, and Henry knew it was the amulet. The stone sensed something he was unaware of. 

Henry’s pulse quickened and the noises around him seemed to grow louder as if trying to drown out the sounds of his thoughts. There were the strangled cries of creatures dying as other monsters ate them. There were the shrieks of the harpies, the howls of the werewolves, and the sickening songs of the Beguilers. Henry wanted to cover his ears. 

Maybe going to the Realm of Monsters wasn’t such a great idea after all. 

Henry knew that the trolls were dangerous, and that was about the extent of his knowledge of the Realm. He could identify monsters, but not fight them. 

Henry decided to avoid all contact, and placed a hiding spell over himself. He pictured the words in his head - the words that would make him both invisible and silent … to most, of course. 

The spell meant hide me, silence me. 

Henry could only hope that the spells would work, and that he would be concealed from all the creatures. 

Henry felt slightly more reassured. What if his spell hadn’t worked? 

The sky was growing darker, which could only mean that night was coming. Yet it felt like Henry had only spent an hour in the Realm, and he had entered about noon. 

Henry stood up, not realizing that he had been sitting. The ground was covered in a slimy, mucus like substance that stuck to Henry. Then it dawned on him that maybe he hadn’t been so safe after all. Wasn’t there a monster that … 

“You look lost.” It was a feminine voice, very pretty and nauseating. When Henry looked to find where the voice was coming from, he could not find the source. 

He didn’t dare speak for the fear of losing his advantage - although it wasn’t a very good advantage because it seemed like the voice could see him, even though he couldn’t see where it was coming from. 

“Don’t worry yourself over what I look like.” The voice giggled. “After all, they always say don’t judge a book by its cover.” 

Henry was on full alert now, although his brain seemed to be forgetting anything useful from the past few years. He couldn’t remember any of the monsters that lived in the Realm now, or even if magic was real. 

Then Henry opened his eyes (again, he hadn’t realized he’d closed them) to find the exact same landscape that he had been in a moment ago. But there were little white specks floating from his chest towards a large rock that obscured his view. Henry reached out to try to grab one of the specks. When he touched it, he remembered a spell from the previous year. 

The white specks were his memories. “Hey, give those back!” Henry cried, but no sound escaped his lips because of the silence spell. He quickly released the spell. 

“Now, now, little Henry. I was simply trying to help. I see now that your friends aren’t coming, they have almost forgotten about you. Oh Henry, what a pity. You know, those aren’t true friends. In fact, I could show you what a true friend is. I could be your friend, Henry. I could take care of you.” The voice explained casually. Henry liked the sound of the voice. 

“I’d like a friend.” Henry whispered, still searching for the owner of the voice. 

“I can be that friend, only I’m afraid you won’t exactly like me.” The voice sighed. 

“I’ll definitely like you.” Henry nodded his head vigorously. He desperately wanted to catch a glimpse of the owner of the voice. 

The voice sounded pleased. “Of course.” 

A shadow stepped out from behind the rocks and approached Henry. He strained to get a look. The shadow got closer, and Henry could make out the details of its face. He immediately recoiled. 

The voice’s owner was not what Henry had been expecting. He could smell her now, the scent of Mrs. Winters cookies overwhelmed him. The figure was ugly. Her skin was raw with blisters and her dress was in tatters. She carried a sharp knife. 

Henry tried to take a step back, but his legs were stuck. He looked down and discovered that while the voice had put him in a trance, the creature - which he now recognized as a Beguiler - had trapped him. Cobweb like strings were entwined around the entirety of his body, and had creeped their way up his neck, heading for his mouth. 

Henry struggled, trying to think of a spell, but the Beguiler held all of his magical memories in an orb in her hand. The strings wrapped around his mouth, and then the rest of his face. Within minutes, Henry was only a large cocoon. 

The Beguiler began to hum - which sounded like hissing. “The trolls will love their new present.” And she began to drag him away. 

Leo

Far, far away, one of two two children woke up, each one wearing a pair of metal cuffs around their wrists. One was male, one was female. The boy sat up and rubbed his head. 

“Awake already, are we?” A woman’s voice called. The boy blinked twice before he realized that there was no light in the room. The voice seemed to echo in his head, and the boy was unsure what to do. There were no direct orders from the woman. 

“Orders?” The boy asked politely, trying to fulfill his only purpose. 

“Wake up for a moment.” The woman said. 

The world came crashing back to him and the lights flickered on. The boy had a name, a life, and a purpose besides listening to the woman. 

“Let me go!” The boy called Leo shouted as he attempted to look at his surroundings. There were no windows, only bright white walls and a row of silver bars between two cells. There were no windows, and there appeared to be a dead girl beside him. 

Leo registered that the girl was not dead, only asleep. Her name was Imogene. 

The woman across form him only laughed. Leo strained to get a look at her, because he knew she was Vivian and Bruno had never provided an apt description of her. 

Vivian had straight, dark hair, and her eyes were hidden by a pair of sunglasses. There were no swirls on them at the moment, but Leo had no doubt that Vivian had hypnotized him and that he was subject to her orders. 

“Now, now.” Vivian tutted. “That’s not how you should treat your hostess.”

“You can’t hurt me.” Leo hissed. He knew that the only thing left to do was stall and hope that maybe Bruno, Megan, and Henry would come save them. But he wouldn’t count on it. With Imogene gone, Bruno would be in charge, and Bruno was different now. 

The woman laughed. “You really think so? It’s flattering, really, that you think I am such an … innocent woman.” 

Leo strained to remember things that Bruno had told him, but Vivian clearly still had a hold on his mind. She wanted him to cave, to give in. Leo didn’t know what to say. “I wouldn’t say innocent. But I know you once made a deal with Bruno. You wouldn’t hurt us.” 

Leo was simply grasping at straws, but apparently, he had struck truth because Vivian’s expression shifted. “We didn’t make a deal because I chose my words wisely.” 

Leo smirked. “But you can’t hurt us, because whether you like it or not, you need us.” 

Vivian smirked back. “Ah, but you forget a major point - Bruno will come to save you, I know he will. He will bring the other boy and the girl, and he will play right into our hands. But you don’t have to be alive for Bruno to come.” 

Leo sat silently, glaring at Vivian. “You wouldn’t have hypnotized me if you wanted me dead. You would’ve killed me on the spot.” 

“Ooh, so smart are you?” Vivian smiled, her red lipstick staining her teeth like blood. 

Leo remained quiet now, there was no way to pry into Vivian’s mind or facade. 

“I had the privilege of meeting your aunt once. Remarkable woman, really. Pity she’s not still alive. I think she and I would have made great friends.” Vivian sighed dramatically. “You’re her much more worthless nephew. Honestly, I think you might be the weakest of the five. I mean, we have Imogene here, the planner. Bruno is the leader. I think the other girl, Megan is it? She’ll be your secret weapon. And Henry’s the helpless romantic, although I would prefer him. He tells good jokes on occasion. But what are you, Leo? What makes you special?” 

Leo tried to shut out the voice. But her words had an effect. Who was Leo compared to the others? In a way, he was the fifth wheel. He was … nothing. 

“I am…” Leo stuttered, trying to think of anything that proved he was worth something. “I’m … I’m” Vivian’s terrible laughter rang out through the cell as Bruno tried so hard to think of something that proved he had a worth. 

“Exactly, boy.” Vivian stood, striding towards the cell in her lovely white dress. “You have nothing compared to the others. But I can help you, if you help me, of course.” 

“I would never help you.” Leo spat. “I would never help someone so…” 

“Evil?” Vivian gripped the cell bars tightly. Leo stood abruptly, so he was standing face to face with the woman. “This world is cruel, isn’t it? I am viewed as evil, just because I have a certain hobby that some disagree with. My past is a complicated one, isn’t it? But does that mean I’m evil? What if I told you that your aunt once murdered someone. But that doesn’t mean she’s evil, now does it?” 

“That’s different.” Leo protested. “She was a wonderful woman who did many other very good deeds to make up for the murder.” 

Vivian shrugged. “I’ve done good things. I was once a married woman. I helped a bankrupt business back to its feet. I’ve taken two orphaned children into my care. Yet you view me as a villain. 

“The world can’t be separated between black and white, good and bad, Leo. Look at yourself. You once made friends with a neighbor boy so you could use him as a partner in magic. You followed Imogene out of the castle, and led yourself to capture. There are so many shades of gray between the ends of the spectrum. But at the end of the day, we all end up somewhere, all remembered for one simple act.” 

“Where are you going with this?”  Leo asked in confusion. 

“Oh, Leo, don’t you see? I am showing you the world in a new light. You have no worth, but I can give you one. Right now, you might see me as a villain. But if we change the way people think, maybe I’m the hero after all. Besides, all I’m asking is for you to help me with a small project in return for something to be remember by. That’s more than your friends have offered, isn’t it? A good deal, if I say so myself.” 

Leo glared at Vivian through the bars of the jail. “I don’t care about your offers.” But he wasn’t quite so sure. Vivian had made mistakes, but she was also offering more than his friends had ever offered him. Still, he shook his head. The woman was controlling his thoughts, she had to be. He would never betray his friends. “Thanks for the offer, but I politely decline.” 

“Sleep.” Vivian whispered, grinning broadly. Leo crumpled to the floor like a puppet with his strings cut. “I did give you a choice, I really did hope to have a sentient partner for once. But this will do, because after all, there wasn’t really another option, was there?” 

Vivian laughed, as she knew that no one could hear her. “Wake, and await orders.” 

Leo sat up abruptly, and his eyes were blank. Imogene remained asleep on the floor. “Come, we have a mission for you.” She opened the cell and her new pet followed her without question or second thoughts. 

Chapter 9 

Megan

“I don’t like it here.” Megan shivered. She wished she had thought to bring a jacket or something, the Realm was a lot colder than she had been expecting. 

Bruno shrugged. “I’ve seen worse. Most of the monsters in here should ignore us anyways, since they prefer prey that’s alone. Just remember that everything in here is meant to kill you, and you’ll be fine.” 

“The monsters should ignore us.” Megan muttered. “I haven’t seen any sign of Henry.” 

“Obviously.” Bruno sighed. “He probably doesn’t want to be attacked, so it’s likely that he has done well to hide his tracks. We could also be going the wrong way.” 

“So we have no plan whatsoever.” Megan said. “We just search random areas until we find Henry, and hope that he’s not dead by the time we find him.” The ‘plan’ sounded pretty hopeless to Megan. 

“Pretty much.” Bruno shrugged again. It felt like they had been in the Realm for about an hour, but there was no way to tell. 

They had made the difficult trek into the Realm in good time so far, though Megan was getting jumpier by the moment. The pale light made it difficult to see, and the sounds from the Realm weren’t exactly comforting. 

There was always the worry of whether or not something was going to jump out and attack them. Not to mention, Bruno wasn’t exactly being helpful either. 

Several times, Megan found herself drifting off to the distant sounds of singing and warbling, and she noticed Bruno was struggling as well. They seemed to be moving slower, and Megan found it more difficult to breath the deeper they went. 

Soon, Megan found it too hard to stand up any longer. Her stomach growled as she lowered herself onto one of the deep, purple stones that lined their path. Bruno stopped and took a seat across from her, burying his head in his hands. Megan felt dizzy, so she removed her canteen from her bag and took a sip, grateful for the clarity it gave her. “Drink.” She said. 

Bruno obliged, pulling out his own canteen. He took a sip, and his expression cleared. “Megan, it’s the air. I’m pretty sure it’s poisonous, designed to keep humans and magicians out. Which means if we don’t get to Henry soon…” He didn’t have to finish the sentence. 

“So why did water help?” Megan asked him. 

“This isn’t any water. The water from our castle is water in its purest form, meant to enhance our abilities and Auras. It’s special water.” Bruno explained. “In the Realm, it might not make us stronger but it will work against the poison in the air.” 

Megan nodded, taking another swig and then tucking the canteen in her bag. “Let’s go find …” Before she could finish her sentence, there was a sound neither of them had heard in the Realm before. It was a terrible sound that reminded Megan of nails on a chalkboard, crying children, a dying cat, and an out of tune clarinet all in one. 

Megan covered her ears, and soon the sound stopped. Bruno frowned. “That’s the laughter of a troll. They must have found some good prey.” 

“Henry.” Megan shared a look with Bruno and they both began to run. 

It wasn’t hard, because both Megan and Bruno were smart enough to follow the laughter. As it turned out, Henry wasn’t far at all. 

They climbed a tall ridge, and peered over the side. The sight was terrifying. 

There was a boy tied to a table with thing, white strings. He was propped up, so his head was slumped to the side and his blonde hair obscured his face. At his feet was a certain bronze amulet. And beside him was a large fire, a pot, and several very hungry trolls. 

Bruno

Bruno couldn’t bear to see Henry all tied up. The boy was still a child (so was Bruno, but he preferred not to think about that), and he didn’t deserve to get eaten by trolls. Bruno was about to spring up from behind his hiding spot of a rock, but Megan grabbed his shirt and held him down. “If you go down there, the trolls will kill you. There’s six of them and one of you.” 

“You and Henry are gere too.” Bruno pointed out. 

“Henry’s unconscious and I don’t know any spells, much less the runic alphabet.” Megan hissed. “They’ll skin you alive and then I have to rescue Henry all by myself.” 

Bruno snorted, but kept his eyes fixed on Henry as he scanned the area for a plan. 

Henry was still tied to the board, and the strings were probably very thick or strong by magical means. There was a fire roaring beside him, the flames a deep, scarlet red. In the Realm, that meant they were hot enough for cooking. Above the flames was a pot floating by magic, and something inside it was bubbling and releasing a rancid stench. 

And then there were the trolls. Each was about eight feet tall, their skin the color of clay. Some were marked with ink based on their rankings within their mini tribe. The leader was the biggest, and he had two large horns jutting out of his head. This signified his age and power among the other trolls. Each one was wearing a rather greasy set of ripped pants, and each one carried a large club. The leader of the pack - also known as the Dominus - which meant boss in Latin. The Dominus laid on the ground, lounging with his club and a spear as well. 

Then Bruno spotted a shape on the crest of a hill across from his. It was a beautiful woman, a woman who for some odd reason reminded him of his mother. But it couldn’t be, his mother was gone. 

Megan followed his gaze and turned back to gape at him. “It’s … ugly!” 

“Ugly?” Bruno asked, turning to look at the woman again. She was scanning the hills around the troll circle. Her hair was a lovely dark shade like Bruno’s, braided down her side. Her bright eyes tracked every movement of the trolls. And her dress was a pure white, that seemed to shine like a beacon in the dark. “She looks like my mother.” 

Megan looked between Bruno and the woman, her expression one disgust. “I’m glad to say you didn’t inherit her looks then.” 

“She looks just like me!” Bruno cried. Megan shushed him. 

“Can’t you see it, Bruno?” She asked him. “That old hag is not your mother, and if she is, I want to know how she managed to seduce your father.” 

Bruno glared at Megan. She must be going insane from the air. He had thought his mother had left him several years ago, but here she was, young as ever. It had to be her, Bruno remembered that she looked almost exactly like the figure on the other side of the hill. 

Megan slapped him across the cheek. “Ow!” Bruno was furious, until he happened to look at the woman across the valley. 

Except, she wasn’t exactly a woman. Bruno realized it was a Beguiler. She was ugly, and she looked nothing like his mother. He rubbed his injured cheek, sending a thankful look to Megan, who was ignoring him. 

Apparently, Bruno’s cry of alarm had been loud though. The woman was now staring directly at them. “We have visitors!” She screeched. 

Bruno cursed and jumped up. With no advantage of surprise, he had no chance against the trolls. He hoped that maybe if he freed Henry he could wake the boy up for some help. Bruno let out a war cry and charged into battle. 

It had been two months since Bruno had last fought like this. 

His amulet grew frigid, anticipating the incoming battle. Bruno let the Slash spell form in his mind, slicing a gash in a near troll. He had been aiming for Henry. 

Bruno heard a screech and a guttural cry. It seemed that Megan had tackled the Beguiler problem by herself. He couldn’t stop to look, however, there were many trolls that still needed fighting. 

The Dominus was standing, but he took a step backwards as if to watch the fight rather than participate. One of the trolls was in the process of lifting Henry to prepare him for cooking. Bruno launched a Cut spell at the troll, forming a nasty gash in its leg. When the troll stopped to look, Bruno shot a Trip spell (courtesy of Leo and Henry) at the creature, it toppled into the scarlet flames, where its face melted and it screamed before turning to ash. 

Bruno ducked, narrowly avoiding the club of the troll he had cut earlier. Henry was still tied to the board, now laying sideways. He hoped Megan would finish her fight soon so that she could drag Henry out of danger and free him. 

Bruno shot a Slam spell at the injured troll, shoving it into the hill where it made a small dent and dropped to the ground, still alive. 

Not one book in the library at the castle contained a killing spell - at least, not the ones Bruno had read. He had never needed one before, but now it seemed a killing spell would be the most helpful. 

He hit two of the other trolls with Cut spells, their disgusting amethyst blood spilling onto the ground. Neither one seemed affected. He hit the weakened troll near the hill with a Stretch spell, which pulled on its limbs. Troll anatomy caused the troll to promptly swell and pop, spraying Bruno with the purple blood. He wiped it from his eyes and continued fighting. 

Bruno managed to fire a off the particularly challenging Disintegrate spell only once before he realize it drained much of his magic. There were three trolls left. 

Bruno tried another approach, using the Tickle spell. It had no affect. 

There was a quick lull in the battle as the Beguiler let out a pain filled shriek before spiraling into the unknown darkness of the Realm. During the lull, Bruno took the opportunity to get a sip of water, dropping his bag behind a boulder. He also took a moment to clutch his amulet and let it grow even colder. The amulet was ready to fire off spells for him. 

Bruno jumped out from behind his boulder, scaring one of the trolls. The amulet sent out a blast of black light, and the uninjured troll disappeared. 

With only two trolls left, Bruno was feeling kind of good about himself. The injured one launched a blow at Bruno’s feet, and the magician leaped just in time. His amulet was still gathering strength for another light blast, so Bruno simply launched a Paralyze spell. 

Of course, with the troll’s size the spell only made it stumble. Bruno took the chance to grab one of the discarded troll clubs. He slammed it down with as much force as he could muster on the remaining troll. It growled, but with its skull smashed, the troll lasted another few seconds. The Dominus realized it was alone and let out a snarl of fury. 

Bruno smiled, until he felt something sharp hit his shoulder. In the moment it took Bruno to register the troll’s missing spear and the searing pain in his shoulder were connected, the troll ran at Bruno. He ducked and rolled out of the way, hitting his injured shoulder on a rock. Bruno bit the inside of his cheek in pain. The Dominus seemed to be the one laughing now. Bruno’s amulet launched another orb of black light, and it his the Dominus square in the chest. The troll fell over backwards, still not dead. 

Bruno was running out of spells to use. He decided on the Jelly-Body spell Leo and Henry had taught him. The troll immediately deflated like a popped balloon, turning to mush. He was glad the boys had used it on a rat and not each other. 

He turned to smile at Megan, but she was hiding behind the boulder and repacking his stuff. “See if you can cut Henry out.” Megan tossed Bruno a dull knife, one he supposed belonged to the Beguiler. “Nice job, by the way. Six trolls is a lot for a simple magician like you.” Bruno rolled his eyes at being called “simple”. 

“Not to bad yourself.” He grabbed the knife and made his way towards Henry. The strings had begun to creep over Henry’s face once again. 

Bruno reached out to cut Henry out, but the second his knife touched the strings the sprang onto him too. The white strands began to climb up Bruno, up his arm, across his torse, and spreading across his body like white food coloring. 

“Uh, some help here?!” Bruno called frantically to Megan, who turned and paled. 

“What do I do?” She asked, her voice high. The strands were cocooning Bruno, and they had torn off his amulet and thrown it to the ground. She reached for the knife, but Bruno shook his head. 

“Use magic. A cut spell.” Bruno said instead. 

“What if I hurt you?” 

“Trust the amulet.” Megan closed her eyes, and Bruno could feel the sticky strings spreading up his neck like a vine. 

There was a flash of bright light, and Bruno’s shoulder screamed in pain. 

Henry

Henry wasn’t sure where he was. He had seen the world through something that had seemed almost like a dream. After all, it had to be a dream. Megan and Bruno wouldn’t have come for him, would they? 

Henry watched a scene of battle unfold. Megan fought of a Beguiler while Bruno took on six trolls. All the while, a limp and unconscious Henry was tied to a board. 

Henry felt a tight sensation on his chest, and his neck was slightly sore. 

In the part of the battle when a troll dropped him, Henry felt like the wind was knocked out of him. And when Bruno had tried to cut him out, Henry’s chest tightened again. 

He woke up on the ground, shivering for reasons he wasn’t completely sure of. 

“He’s awake.” He heard someone say. “Do you have the water?” 

Henry opened his eyes and realized that the sun was high above in the sky. He blinked twice, feeling the warm sunlight on his skin. 

Henry felt something cold touch his lips, so he grabbed it and freezing water trickled down his throat, giving his mind a sense of clarity. Henry let himself lay on the ground a few more minutes before sitting up. 

His vision cleared and Megan and Bruno were towering above him with identical worried looks. “Better?” Megan asked him. 

Henry noticed that Bruno was paler than normal, and there was blood on his shirt. 

Henry sat up, propping himself up on a nearby tree. They were still at the entrance to the Realm, and there was a wooden board beside Henry. “What happened?” He groaned, rubbing his throbbing head. 

“Well, it’s kind of a long story…” Megan shot a look at Bruno, who shook his head. Megan sighed and told Henry what had happened since he left the castle. 

Henry was silent as Megan told of her and Bruno’s journey through the Realm. He felt guilty about telling the Gatekeeper to ignore them, and he felt really embarrassed when Megan got to the part in which he was just tied to a board. Megan finished by explaining how her and Bruno had lifted the board with magic and carried him out of the Realm. 

Henry drank some more and ate some of the food they provided. “I’m so sorry.” He rasped, his voice was very dry. 

“Now that you’re awake, we can get you home.” Bruno smiled sadly. “The Gatekeeper healed your cuts and made us some protective enchantments. “ He waved to the hooded figure nearby. She nodded once. 

“Wait, did you say cuts?” Henry asked, taking another swig of water to alleviate the pain in his sore throat. 

Megan nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. “When the strings came off of you, I think they were barbed. They left tiny, jagged cuts all over you and Bruno’s arm. They wouldn’t heal with Bruno’s magic either.” 

Now that Megan mentioned it, Henry felt sore all over and when he glanced down at his skin there were little white lines everywhere. He hoped they would heal eventually. 

“Megan, could you … give us a moment?” Bruno was shuffling from side to side and Megan walked away to discuss something with the Gatekeeper. Bruno turned to Henry, blushing. “I’m so sorry, Henry. I didn’t mean a word I said back in the library. I was just frustrated and upset and…” 

Henry saw that Bruno - a boy who seemed to never show emotion - was on the verge of tears. He quickly piped up to interrupt Bruno. “It’s fine.” He repeated it. “It’s fine.” 

“No, it’s not.” Brno continued, waving off Henry’s comment. “I didn’t mean any of what I said, Henry. You’re like my little brother, I would never ever want you to die. And you’re right I’m ... “ He took a breath, as if preparing himself for the impossible. For Bruno, the next few sentences were nearly impossible. “I am afraid of Vivian. Ever since she hypnotized me, I haven’t felt safe. There’s something she’s hiding. Something we’re missing, because it makes her more powerful than any person should be. Her Aura isn’t even that big. 

“I lived in ignorance until I was captured, I thought I was the most magical person on Earth, I thought I could protect you. And now, Leo and Imogene are gone, you’re injured, and Megan barely knows any magic. I can’t protect you. I’ve failed.” Bruno seemed exhausted. 

Henry couldn’t blame him. When the two boys first met, Henry thought Bruno was the strongest person ever. But now, he was discovering that even his hero had faults - especially concerning his pride. Bruno was a person who couldn’t bear failure, and he thought that by not being the best at something he had failed everything. 

Henry smiled. “It’s okay to be scared. What matters now is how you handle it. Will you continue running and hiding? Or will you face your fear like I know you can, and save the world?” Henry stuck out his hand, which seemed pretty pathetic considering he was still lying on the ground. Bruno smiled and grabbed Henry’s hand, hosting the smaller boy to his feet. Megan waved goodbye to the Gatekeeper. 

Bruno rolled his eyes and quickly made a comment to Henry. “You make me sound like the only hope the world has left, but that’s not true. You and Megan can save everyone too.” 

Henry positively beamed with praise. 

Megan joined the two boys, the Gatekeeper turned back to her spot at the entrance to the Realm of Monsters. 

Bruno and Megan gathered their stuff, Henry helped them a little bit as well. They then joined hands and appeared again at the edge of the lake. Henry swam out to the middle, his friends close behind. 

When they arrived in the castle, Henry felt once again like he was home. 

Megan shooed him off to bed for more rest so his body could heal, and later Bruno brought him warm soup and some cookies. 

The castle was his home. Not his own house. Not the Winters’ house. 

The only things missing from his home were Leo and Imogene. 

Chapter 10 

Imogene

Imogene was furious with herself when she woke up. She was blindfolded and her limbs were tied down. Her silver amulet was nowhere around her, she would’ve been able to sense it. 

Luckily enough, Imogene’s captors had been ignorant enough to leave her without a gag. Her mouth was free, and she gladly used it, swearing, cursing, and calling out several words that would normally earn her a dark glare from Bruno. 

But this was a different situation. 

Imogene could not quite remember the details of her previous encounters with the men in black suits or with Vivian. Her mind was fuzzy, and she knew why. 

Imogene remained quiet, listening for movement that would clue her in one where exactly she was, but the room was silent. If it even was a room, Imogene wasn’t completely sure. Her body felt numb, like it had been detached from her mind. To be honest, Imogene kind of liked the feeling … 

No. She couldn’t think that way, not if she wanted to make it out alive. 

Although Imogene’s amulet was missing, it wasn’t the source of all of her magic. She could still perform simple acts, like scan the surrounding area for consciousness. 

Her mind was blank, and Imogene knew that Leo was nowhere around. 

A sinking feeling surfaced in her stomach, and part of Imogene wondered if Vivian had been able to persuade Leo to join her cause. Imogene knew Leo wouldn’t go without putting up a fight, but if Vivian had manipulated him… 

Imogene pushed the thought away. Leo had to be on her side still. Even if Vivian managed to hypnotize him, she would never be able to do a thorough enough job that every single fiber of Leo would be gone. For that, Vivian would need all of the amulets in addition to her brooch. 

Wait! The thought struck Imogene like a bolt of lightning. That was a memory about Vivian! I… You remember her! There was a voice in her head, a tiny one that was cheering along with her. Imogene smiled to herself. Vivian has a nice, large brooch that enables her to… 

The thought disappeared like a leaf on the wind. Inner voice don’t disappoint me now! Imogene thought to herself helplessly. But her memories of Vivian did not return. 

Instead, something slammed open to her side, and something sharp and small punctured her skin. Imogene slept - in and out of consciousness - for what felt like forever until she finally awoke for good. 

Her eyes were still blindfold, but she could feel hands hovering beside her ears. Her hands were cuffed to what felt like a table, the metal was cold against her skin. 

The blindfold was peeled off her face, and Imogene had to blink to adjust to the light. 

When her vision adjusted, Imogene struggled to no avail. The bonds only succeeded in cutting deep slices into her wrists and she had to be tied back with a piece of silver rope. There were two people behind her, Imogene could tell. But she could see neither. She could only see one person - a person that sent hot panic through her veins. “Leo.” 

Imogene’s voice was filled with hatred and loathing that the boy probably had never heard before. He smiled wickedly, his grin looking like it could drip from his mouth. 

Leo was wearing a black suit, just like the ones the Men normally wore. Imogene spit at him, but Leo did not move at all. He sat there smiling until finally, he seemed to “wake” and beginning the interrogation. 

“Hello, Imogene.” Leo said politely, his voice almost robotic. The normal warmth that was carried in Leo’s voice was gone now, replaced with steely resolve and emotionless tone. 

“Hello, Leo.” Imogene snarled back. The blood dripped from her wrists to the table. 

Leo watched the blood intently, and Imogene swore she could see him lick his lips. She shuddered in disgust. “My Master wishes to offer you a deal.” He said, still smiling. 

“Tell your master she can talk to me herself.” Imogene growled. “Besides, I doubt your ‘master’ even cares about your well being. Have you ever met her? Can you tell me who your master is?” Imogene hoped that maybe Leo would spill something vital. He didn’t. 

“My Master is a kind woman who offers help to those in need. Warmth to the cold. Love to the hated. Glory to the forgotten. She can help you too.” Leo repeated. 

“I don’t need any help.” Imogene rolled her eyes. “So may I go home now?” 

Leo’s creepy grin turned into an ugly frown. “My Master is not pleased with those who turn down her gifts. She suggests that you reconsider your decision so she doesn’t have to punish you.” 

“Punish me?” Imogene laughed. Leo’s frown deepened. “Punish me how?” 

“My Master says her ways are secret, but she would like you to know that those who turn down her gifts are rarely heard from again. My Master is very wise, I suggest you listen.” 

“I have reconsidered and my final choice is to not take the deal you Master offers.” 

Leo smiled again, something that unnerved Imogene. “But you have not yet heard the deal. My Master will make you a bargain. You join forces with her, which is a simple task. In return, she will give you what your heart has always longed for.” 

“And that is?” Imogene’s palms were sweating now. Vivian couldn’t possibly know… 

“Acceptance by those who seem to ignore you.” Leo stated. Imogene started to shake, her blood dripping onto the table faster now. “You seek love from a boy who has a heart of stone. You seek praise from your mother who is dead and your stepmother who despises you. You seek motherhood of two boys, both magical.” Leo paused to let this sink in. “And my Master can give you all of that.” 

Imogene’s eyes glazed over, but she was not hypnotized. Somehow, Vivian had seen into her mind and taken what Imogene so greatly desired. She was crying, but Imogene knew deep down that Vivian could not fulfill her promises. 

“I decline your master’s deal.” Imogene said, a tear slipping down her cheek. 

Leo’s face was blank. “My Master is coming.” 

The door opened again and a woman stood across from Imogene. The younger girl stared at the table where she could not see the glasses of a woman who wanted her dead. 

“I know your heart.” Vivian said. “I know what you want. Besides your acceptance, you never wish harm on anyone you know. I have seen your desire to protect both Leo and Henry. I know that you fear anyone’s blood on your hands.” 

Imogene’s heartbeat sped up, and she knew what was coming. 

Leo squirmed in his chair, a scream escaping his lips. Imogene realized the woman had removed her glasses, it was safe to look. Leo’s face was pale, and a trickle of blood leaked down his lips and onto his chin. The screaming stopped for a moment, and Leo fell limp against the chair, giggling all the way. 

Imogene’s mind was split. She knew Leo’s pain might continue, but she couldn’t give herself in to Vivian either. 

Imogene clenched her eyes shut and tried to ignore everything going on.  Leo’s screaming continued on and off for a whole hour, and Imogene felt terrible. But she knew that Vivian would not kill her new servant boy. She only hoped the real Leo would forgive her. 

When the hour was up, Vivian left with Leo, who was giggling still as she dragged him along the floor. Vivian gave the guards orders as she left, and a message to Imogene. 

“Tomorrow, this will resume. You will see that no one can refuse that my deals and get away with it.” And with that, Imogene closed her eyes and wished that Leo had not felt any of it. She wished that Bruno would find her, and save her. 

Most of all, Imogene wished that this was all a dream. 

But she had forgotten that nightmares were dreams too. 

Megan

The next few days at the castle were pretty laid back, in Megan’s opinion. Their schedule was the same every day, and both Henry and Megan were growing bored quick. 

Each day, they woke up as early as possible to see if they could be Bruno to breakfast, but it seemed like the older boy never slept. They all made something small and ate quickly before rushing off to their various jobs. 

Henry no longer performed his shows every morning, but instead took up research in the library. Bruno would sneak off to his room and not reappear until lunch. And Megan devoted her mornings to learning the runes and basic spells. Megan and Henry also worked to find spells that would be more effective against their enemies. 

They would then meet up at lunch, which was normally sandwiches or something random. 

After lunch, Bruno would disappear again. Megan and Henry discovered a garden in the back of the castle. There, they were free to practice spells, and the open space was a good thing because Megan’s magic often resulted in destruction or injury. Neither of them wer quite sure why, and they couldn’t find time to confront Bruno. 

Dinner was the most fun, as Bruno allowed Henry and Megan to alter their identities with a potion he had concocted. Then, the three teens would teleport to a tiny cottage at the edge of a small town. Bruno had a car hidden there (Megan was surprised he had a license to drive) and they would find a tiny restaurant and have a peaceful dinner. Then they would return the car to the cottage (Bruno explained that it had once been home to a kind old woman). 

After dinner, Henry and Megan finished up their practice and normally found something fun to do, and it normally concerned exploring the castle. They discovered a pool, a hot tub, a volleyball court, and a weird coffin thing in a wine cellar that Bruno refused to let them touch. 

It was the same schedule every single day, and by the second week Megan was getting tired of it. She confronted Bruno after breakfast on the tenth day and told him that they needed to act soon. 

Bruno sighed. “I’ve been working out a plan, it’s just taking longer than I expected.” 

“We can help you.” Megan tried. She was tired of being forced to sit and research things all day. She had committed the runes to memory and was learning spells extremely fast. “Just tell us what we need to do.” 

Bruno sighed again, turning away. Megan knew it was a slim chance that Bruno would let them do anything, he was focused on completing his plan alone. 

But what Bruno did surprised Megan. “Well, I kind of have an assignment for all three of us. I know you and Henry have been preparing spells and stuff, and I have a good use for them now.” 

“Talking about me?” Henry popped out from beside the door. Bruno rolled his eyes. 

“Yes. I have a project for us.” Bruno explained. “Obviously, we can’t defeat the Men and Vivian all by ourselves. She has the brooch - it’s too powerful.” Megan didn’t understand what was so special about the brooch, but there were more pressing matters at the moment. “I’ve heard rumors - I’ve been tracking them for the past week - of some Elementals around the country I was hoping we could recruit some of them.” 

“Wait.” Megan realized. “Didn’t you say these Elemental things lived in the Realm?” 

Henry stepped in. “Some do, and by the way I wouldn’t call them things to their faces. Elementals are kind of like us, in a way. They’re normal at first, but the gain magic from markings. Elementals are given certain tattoo markings that let them control elements.” 

“Exactly.” Bruno continued from Henry’s introduction to the Elementals. “There are six known elements, although you’ve probably only been told four. Fire, water, air, earth, light, and darkness are all elements. I’ve found a trail of four Elementals, all relatively young considering their life span. Each Elemental will control a different element, and I’m hoping one of them can tell us where to find a shadow or light Elemental. We can persuade them to help us, because Vivian is after their magic too.” 

“Great.” Megan smiled warmly. “I’ll fetch my cloak.” She disappeared out of the dining room, but she ducked behind the door. 

Just as she had hoped, Henry and Bruno began a conversation a few minutes later. “I hope you realize that Megan still has no idea what we’re facing.” Henry whispered, and Megan couldn’t help but nod in agreement, even though the couldn’t see her. 

“The less she knows the better. Until we’re ready to face Vivian, she can’t know about the brooch, the swords, or the rings. If she knew everything she would be so terrified…” 

Bruno’s voice had trailed off, and Henry sighed loudly. 

“It would scare her more knowing that you’re hiding things from her.” Henry argued. 

“Listen, Henry.” Bruno sighed. “Just think for a moment everything we haven’t told her. She’s just beginning to learn magic, and you expect me to drop the bombs on her. She doesn’t need to know what the Ancient One told us. She doesn’t need to know about the brooch.” 

“What happens if one of us gets captured? Or both of us? Or Megan?” Henry asked. “She won’t know what Vivian really wants. She won’t know the truth.” 

“I told her what Vivian wants.” Bruno said angrily. 

“Only parts of it though. You didn’t tell her about the …” Henry didn’t get to finish his sentence. Megan had accidentally sneezed in the hallway, and Bruno had silenced Henry. 

Megan performed the summoning spell quickly, making her cloak come to her. 

She stood up and acted formal when Bruno opened the door. “I didn’t want to barge in.” Megan said sweetly. 

“It’s fine.” Henry said, shooting a glare at Bruno. “Where’s the first Elemental?” 

Bruno pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. “I decided we should check with the water one first. It’s a girl, and normally water Elementals are more adaptive. Once we persuade her, we should be able to persuade the others.” 

“Great, let’s go.” Megan smiled, hoping she wasn’t acting too weird. 

There was no further argument and the three grabbed hands and disappeared at once. 

Bruno

The salty wind reminded Bruno too much of the Realm. 

The rational part of him reasoned this was an entirely different part of the planet and he would be safe. That part also told him to tell Megan about all he had tried to keep secret from her. 

The irrational part of Bruno demanded that he disappear almost immediately. Who knew if Vivian could track his movements? He wouldn’t put it past her, and the thought had Bruno constantly looking over his shoulder. The irrational part also told him that Megan was fine and that ignorance was bliss. 

Mostly, Bruno wondered why an Elemental had decided to live so close to a beach. 

To be fair, the beach was about three blocks away. Bruno’s research had found him an address to a beach house in one of the richer areas of the country. Supposedly, the girl had lived here for about a year (she moved a lot, and Bruno had trouble finding her records.) 

Bruno had searched through every school system, credit card company, and bank information in the city - using magic of course - and found almost nothing. 

The girl’s name was Beatrice Clarke, and Bruno had discovered that she was a good student for the most part. Her school had enrolled her in phycology appointments, labelling her as “emotionally unstable” and “prone to hallucinations, most regarding monsters or an unnamed woman”. This Clarke girl also disappeared from time to time, and no one had a clue where she went. 

Bruno had concluded that this girl was an Elemental, and he had only ever met one so he wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. 

They found the house relatively easily. 

There was a house in the dead center of the street that was painted a bright banana cream color, and the walls were decorated with ocean waves. Bruno climbed the steps to the door, ignoring the peeling white paint that sat on the railings. He knocked once on the aquamarine door, wondering why anyone would want such a ferocious color. 

The girl who opened the door definitely wasn’t an Elemental. 

The girl frowned the moment she saw Henry, Megan, and Bruno standing on the steps. But besides that, Bruno couldn’t sense a large Aura and the way the girl sneered suggested that she definitely wasn’t expecting visitors. Not that Beatrice would be expecting them either. 

Bruno cleared his throat. “May we talk to Beatrice please?” 

“She’s not here.” The girl said quickly, and went to slam the door. Bruno stopped the door with his foot. “Beatrice doesn’t live here.” The girl repeated. 

“Yes, she does.” Bruno shot back, beginning to panic. “We’re here to help her.” 

“That’s what the last people who came said. And they nearly kidnapped her. So go away, you aren’t getting Beatrice.” The girl slammed the door against Bruno’s foot again and he winced, but didn’t move. Beatrice was the key to all of this. 

“Listen, we aren’t the men in the black suits. We’re here to help Beatrice, and to hide her from them.” Bruno didn’t point out that Beatrice would probably be forced to fight the Men anyways. The girl opened the door a little further. “Please, we’re only trying to help. We know about her … her magic.” 

The girl paled. “I meant what I said earlier. Beatrice isn’t here. But if you really do want to find her, she’s at the beach. What should I tell my parents when she doesn’t come back?” 

Bruno scanned the ground and grabbed a small pebble. He performed a spell Bruno and Henry had taught him a few years prior. 

It had seemed like a useless spell until now. The stone lit up with a pale glow that faded in a second, Bruno handed the stone to the girl, who took it cautiously. 

“In twenty minutes, have your parents look at the stone. It’ll flash once and whoever sees it will forget your sister exists.” He said. 

The girl nodded and shut the door. Bruno and the others made their way to the beach. 

Megan discarded her cloak - probably a good idea. They took turns in one of the alleyways magically changing into bathing suits as to appear more normal on the beach. 

The sand was warm under Bruno’s toes and he couldn’t recall the last time he had been on a beach. Cold waves lapped at his feet as they strolled casually along, Henry and Megan picking up seashells. The ocean was far colder than he had expected, but then again, it wasn’t beach season yet. 

It was a rather overcast day, and it made the beach empty. It was easy to spot the girl, and he knew she was an Elemental without a doubt. 

As they approached, Bruno realized how the Beatrice’s family knew about the Men already. She didn’t make an effort to contain her magic. The girl was sitting in the waves, but when the bigger ones came closer they parted around her, leaving the girl relatively dry. 

“Hello.” Bruno greeted her when the girl finally saw them. Her eyes narrowed. 

Beatrice didn’t look a day over twelve, which meant Henry wouldn’t be the youngest anymore. Bruno could tell Henry would be happy. 

Beatrice had sandy blonde hair and a deep tan, probably because of her life at the beach. Her eyes were an icy teal color that seemed to search every inch of Bruno for danger, and her rosy cheeks made her look angry rather than innocent. 

“Who are you?” The girl stood abruptly, glaring at the three others. 

“I’m Megan. This is Henry and Bruno.” Megan introduced them, and her voice sounded soft and reassuring. Beatrice seemed to relax a bit. “You must be Beatrice.” 

“How do you know my name?” Beatrice asked. 

“I’ve heard of your magic.” Megan said softly. “That you’re an Elemental.” 

“How could you tell?” Beatrice breathed. 

“We’re magical too.” Megan explained, though it didn’t really answer the question. Beatrice looked reassured, and she pointed to a tiny marking on her ankle, barely visible. 

“I got this mark when I was six years old.” Beatrice whispered “I was trying surfing when something came up and tickled my ankle. I ran out of the water and on my ankle was the ink stuff. I didn’t wash it off and it dried pretty fast. Then I felt something in my chest, and then it started to pour.” 

Bruno nodded. This sounded like all the other stories he had heard about Elementals. “May I see the mark closer?” When Beatrice nodded, Bruno bent down to take a look. 

The inking was teal like Beatrice’s eyes. There was a raindrop, very small and barely visible. Under it was the word water in runes. Bruno stood up, smiling at Beatrice. “That’s genuine. So, I have a proposal for you. Would you like to go on an adventure?” 

Beatrice straightened up. “You want me to help you defeat the men in black suits, don’t you? I’ve always wanted to go on an adventure. Count me in!” She pumped her tiny fist in the air. Bruno sighed. The girl was a little too excited for this, was she aware that she could possibly die during this? 

“It’s not exactly an adventure.” Henry stepped in. “We still have to find some more …” 

“Ooh a super hero team, how exciting!” Beatrice exclaimed. No one laughed. “I’m just kidding, I’m not that weird.” 

Everyone laughed nervously. Beatrice waved an arm, and some of the ocean water floated up and surrounded her body. In a moment, Beatrice was wearing a casual pair of jeans and a t-shirt. “I’m ready.” Beatrice smiled brightly. 

Bruno smiled back. Megan and Henry grabbed Beatrice’s hands, and Bruno wondered why Beatrice seemed so … laid back and okay with this. They were literally taking her away from her home. But the girl didn’t seem to mind. Bruno joined the circle and they disappeared. Bruno decided that it was time to start fighting back. So on their way through the lake, he removed the castle’s teleporting protections. They needed to be able to get inside, and fast. 

And this was a terrible mistake. 

Chapter 11

Leo

Leo felt no pity for the weak girl at his feet. His lips curled into a sneer as he glanced down at the body, shivering in the corner. She was weak, weaker than anyone he had ever met. And Leo had gladly told her his feelings. 

It had been about a two weeks since he had met his Master, and he was enjoying every moment of it. Well, almost every moment of it. 

The girl had refused his Master, which meant that his Master was very upset. Every night, she seemed to get more and more distraught. Leo waited patiently on her hand an foot like the obedient servant he was supposed to be. 

One of his favorite parts of the day was the hour he got to spend torturing the girl. 

The first few days, his Master had come with him to Containment. She showed him how to unlock the door for just him, so the girl could not escape. She showed him her favorite kind of magic, how to use it, and even gave him a fancy golden necklace so he could do magic too. 

The first few days, Leo could not remember what happened after he entered the cell. His Master said his old life was stilling trying to fight for control of him. Disgusting. 

After the first few days, however, Leo was allowed to go down to Containment alone. He would walk the endless hallway, pasting the groaning prisoners, and find the cell that held the weak girl. 

They had their own little routine, although part of it changed daily. 

Leo would enter the cell and the girl would glare at him from her ball in the corner. Leo would ask if she wanted to except the Master’s deal yet, and she would refuse. 

Leo would spend the next hour doing special torture methods from his Master. One day it was a serum he forced the girl to drink, and it made her scream. The next day he got to drag a knife down her cheek, her arms, and then his own body. Once, he was even allowed to use a little electrical device that made weird noises. 

Day after day, the girl grew weaker. The circles under her eyes grew, and scabs formed on her pale skin. Leo was also in charge of feeding her and providing her water. 

After the fun, Leo would ask again if she was ready to accept the deal. Sometimes, the girl was unconscious and she couldn’t answer. Most days, she refused to speak and covered her head with her skinny arms. Leo liked seeing her in pain. The weak must pay, he thought. 

Leo strolled down to Containment, humming a song he had heard his Master sing. The guards nodded once and let him through. 

The hallways were white and bland. Everything about his Master had to be clean and neat. No use having things dirty. Master had even given Leo a new outfit - a fancy suit that seemed to match his golden necklace. He cherished the gift. 

As always, the other prisoners banged on the glass, screaming, crying, and occasional speaking in languages he didn’t understand. Leo ignored them all. 

He performed the necessary spell and stepped into the girl’s cell. 

Her head rose, and it seemed to take a great deal of effort out of her. “Please, go away.” Her voice was tired and weak, just like her. Pathetic.

But then, then she said something that Leo had never heard her say before. “Please, if you won’t leave, then remember.” The girl sat up, her eyes red and puffy. “Remember who you truly are, Leo.” 

Leo spit at the disgusting piece of filth. What junk was she spewing now? “Yeah, yeah, whatever. It’s time for today’s …” 

“Do you remember when we first met? You and Henry were at school, Henry was your best friend. You guys were sitting at lunch, and then all of the sudden there was a fire drill. You weren’t sure what it was, so you ran outside. And you realized that it wasn’t something normal, it was Vivian and her Men, who you had never seen before. And Bruno and I showed up, because we were tracking them.” The girl’s eyes were sparkling, and what she was saying sounded familiar … 

“Shut up!” Leo roared. “Shut up with your stupid lies. I’m not falling for that.” 

But the girl did not stop, she kept talking. “Do you remember when we made the castle? It was your idea for the expansion charm, and at first Bruno and I weren’t sure it would work. So you and Henry consulted my spellbook, and you performed the first real spell out of any of us.” The girl sighed. “I wish we were still that family. I wish you knew what I was saying.” 

Leo glared at the girl. She was wasting time. The girl then looked straight at Leo. “I know you’re in there somewhere, the real Leo. You can’t erase a person. No matter how much frosting put on,” 

Something clicked inside of Leo. “There’s still a cookie at the bottom.” He finished, his eyes wide. Leo’s knees buckled, and he began to weep. 

“I’m so sorry. I’m sorry, Imogene, could you ever forgive me?” Leo snuggled into Imogene’s side, and the girl gladly welcomed him. Leo felt her shift, and Imogene held up a silver amulet that she had hidden in her shirt. “How?” 

“I always kept a spare fake with me.” Imogene whispered soothingly. “I knew if I wished hard enough, it might work. It might bring you back.” 

“I’m back.” Leo said, his voice thick. “I’m back.” 

“Not for long.” A voice called from the door. Vivian stepped inside the tiny cell, holding something small behind her back. 

Imogene was not quick enough, and Vivian spotted her silver amulet, and snatched it out of her grasp with her free hand. “That’s enough magic for you, my dear. Come now, Leo. We have to get my servant back.” 

Leo didn’t respond, he covered his head and eyes, crying into Imogene’s side. The girl wrapped an arm protectively around him, but Vivian simply laughed. 

“So Imogene was successful in helping you recover, I presume.” Vivian’s laugh was a terrible thing that Leo couldn’t forget. He wanted to run, he wanted to hide. But most of all, he was beginning to see what Bruno was so afraid of. 

Someone grabbed Leo’s shirt collar and dragged him away. It was Vivian. 

He clawed at the sleek walls and clean floors, but to no avail. Imogene lunged for him, but Vivian kicked her in the chest and continued dragging Leo. 

He struggled, screamed, cried, and even began shouting random words that he hoped would maybe be a spell. Nothing happened, and Leo finally gave up. But instead of dragging him towards her study, Vivian loaded them into an elevator and pressed the down button. 

The bottom floor was the laboratory. And apparently, the lab was in need of some new test subjects.
Leo didn’t see Vivian’s smirk as she walked away. 

He was 100% expendable. 

Henry

They fed Beatrice dinner, and Henry was surprised by how much food the girl could swallow. Bruno had somehow bypassed the lake security, and Henry wasn’t sure how but he didn’t want to mention it. 

After dinner was over, Bruno went off to sulk in his room - no doubt locating the next Elemental. 

Henry and Megan showed Beatrice around the castle, which she greatly enjoyed. The castle seemed to take especially well to the girl, and her room was apparently perfect for her. They each changed in their own rooms and met in the garden. 

Beatrice showed them a bit of her magic, and Henry showed her a bit of his. Megan sat in the corner with a book and watched. 

Beatrice was a natural - courtesy of having six years to train with her element. 

A fountain and pond had appeared in the center of the garden the second Beatrice had entered, as if sensing her presence. Beatrice showed Henry how she could make the water into whatever she wanted, how she could walk on it, and several other tricks that would prove useful in many situations. 

Bruno entered the garden when the sun was setting and informed them that the next day they would be finding the Earth Elemental. It was a boy, and that was all Bruno said. 

The next day, Bruno, Megan, and Henry all set off for a village somewhere far away. Beatrice promised to behave when they let her stay behind. Bruno wanted to slip a sedative into her drink, but Megan persuade him otherwise. Bruno caved and let Beatrice into the library, telling her to research other magical folk. Trixie was not amused when Bruno locked the door. 

“Where exactly are we?” Megan asked, wrapping her cloak tighter around her. 

Her red-brown hair was crusted with ice, and Henry felt his whole body tremble with shivers. Bruno was the only one who seemed unaffected. 

“There’s a village of Cryos down this mountain and in the valley. The boy lives here, why I have no idea. His name is Emmett, and that’s the extent of my knowledge.” Bruno explained as they began to hike downwards. 

Henry had no idea where they were either, but it was cold and the snow seemed to come down in sheets. The cloak he had found in his closet did little to keep him warm. 

Through the snow, he could see a tiny bit of light, most likely from the village. 

Henry wondered why anyone would want to live somewhere this cold. He shivered again, wishing he had thought to bring a warmer outfit. 

The village got closer and when they were what seemed to be the outskirts of town, they stepped through something that felt kind of like a bubble. Gone was the frigid wind and temperature, and the blizzard had disappeared as well. Henry glanced up and saw that there actually was a bubble, and the storm raged on outside of it. 

“That’s better.” Megan said, raking her fingers through her hair to get rid of the snow. “Why didn’t we just appear in here?” 

“Two reasons.” Bruno said, shaking the snow out of his own hair. “One, the bubble makes it impossible to magically appear inside. Two, when I teleport somewhere for the first time, it’s almost never entirely accurate.” 

The air, while warmer, still had a sharp chill to it. Henry kept is cloak on. 

Then Henry saw the people. 

He had never seen a Cryo in real life before, and now he was in a village full of them. It was amazing, and Henry smiled to himself. 

Cryos - also known as Cryokinetics - had ice magic. In a way, they were like Elementals because they had markings and could control an “element”. But Cryos were born with their magic, it was an extremely recessive trait that had almost been breeded out of existence. They were born with teal marks on their foreheads that designated them as Cryos. In the same respect, Electrokinetics could control lightning and were birthed into magic. 

Cryos could control ice, which explained their odd living environment. 

Each Cryo had a teal snowflake on their forehead in the dead center. They all had similar looks as well, pale hair that was almost white and bright blue eyes. Not all of them looked like that, but Henry could tell most of them came from the same family. 

One of them saw the group, gave them a strange look, and walked over. “What are you doing here, travellers?” It was a man, and he looked kind of old. 

“We’re not travellers.” Bruno said, sticking out a hand. “My name is Bruno. This is Megan and Henry. We’re Amulet Keepers, and we seek the boy called Emmett.” The man did not shake Bruno’s hand, so he withdrew it. 

The man frowned. “You look rather young to be Amulet Keepers. Last I heard, they were all adults.” 

“They died, courtesy of a certain group you may have heard of.” Bruno said vaguely. 

“I suppose you’re referring to the Men, yes, we’ve heard of them. They came about a month ago and raided the village. Emmett, luckily, was at a boarding school tour that day.” The man said, frowning deeper. “The entire village has attempted to hide his presence, yet you have found us. How so?”

“I researched in depth.” Bruno answered. “And yes, I was talking about the Men. You say they came for Emmett? I’m surprised they have not returned.” 

The man shrugged. “We told them Emmett was killed and showed them a body of a boy that died about a week before. They believed it, and they left. We didn’t dare attack, lest we make the Men angry at all Cryos in general.” 

Bruno nodded. “We are here to take Emmett with us. We’d like to destroy the Men, and I’ve been trying to recruit one of each Elemental, and Emmett was the Earth Elemental I discovered. Where exactly is he?” Bruno asked, sharing a look with Henry and Megan. It seemed that Emmett had already had encounters with the Men. 

The man sighed. “He’s in the cellar of my sister’s house. My name is Emery, and as you can tell, we’re al Cryos here. Biggest Cryo establishment in the Western Hemisphere. We’re up in Northern lands, if you couldn’t tell.” 

“I assumed as much.” Bruno sighed, and Emery smiled. “Let’s go find Emmett.” 

Megan

Megan wanted to leave the moment she stepped through the door of the shack, but she felt it would be impolite and might cost them their visit. So Megan held her breath and tried to ignore the scent that made her gag. 

Emery had conveniently forgot to mention the fact that his sister worked as a butcher. 

In the Northern Lands, either there wasn’t much normal meat (chicken, beef, pork) or maybe magical people preferred to not eat animals like that. Instead of cows and pigs in the butcher shop, there were elk, reindeer, bears, and another creature Megan couldn’t remember. 

Nevertheless, the smell was disgusting. So was Emery’s sister - not that Megan would say it to her face. 

Emery’s sister - who introduced herself as Lena through a series of grunts - was not a pretty woman. She was very large, her arms were as thick as logs and her stomach had trouble fitting behind the counter. Her hair was ratty, tucked behind a greasy bandana. Her face was covered in sores, and the only part of her skin that wasn’t covered in grime was the snowflake on her forehead. Her hands seemed to be permanently stained red. 

“May we visit Emmett?” Emery asked her. Lena nodded, and Megan was more than happy to escape from the smell and from Lena’s ominous appearance. 

Emery lead them down a staircase in the back. The door was covered by a large tapestry. 

“Who’s there?” A voice called when they began to creep down the steps. 

“It’s Uncle Emery and some visitors. They’re Amulet Keepers, and they’re here to see you.” Emery shouted as they emerged in the basement. 

The cellar was kind of like a den, and the temperature was rather cold. There was a couch against one wall and a bed against another. A boy was sitting in the corner, reading a book. He glanced up at them with startling green eyes. “These are Amulet Keepers?” 

Emmett seemed about fifteen, but it was clear that he was younger than Bruno. Emmett kept a wary eye on the three as Emery glanced between them, the tension rising. 

“Oh, whoops, I hear Lena calling.” Emery said nervously before hurrying up the stairs. Lena had not called. They stood in silence, waiting for Emmett to do something. He sighed, and sat down his book. 

“What do you want?” He sounded tired, and Megan knew he probably was. 

“So you are an Elemental, right?” Bruno asked, getting straight down to business. 

“You’re an Amulet Keeper, right?” Emmett responded sourly. Megan decided she needed to step in, even though she didn’t know much.

“We’re Amulet Keepers.” Megan answered, stepping between the two boys. “I’m Megan, and this is Bruno and Henry. We have two other friends as well, and they’re also Amulet Keepers. There’s also a Water Elemental back at our place.” 

“Where are your friends?” Emmett kept his stern gaze on Bruno and his frown. 

“They’re unwell at the moment.” Megan said vaguely. “I’ll give you details if you give me some.” 

Emmett raised his eyebrows. “Good, I wondered if you would catch on. Normally, the Men aren’t intelligent enough to figure out my trick. You’re obviously not the Men, which means I am free to talk. You were correct, of course. I assume you know that I am an Earth Elemental.” Emmett waited until Megan nodded in surprise. “Good.” 

“So you obviously know the Men, then?” Megan probed. 

Emmett nodded. “I met them the day I became an Elemental.” He seemed to only then notice that all of them were standing. “Come, sit. I have a story and snacks.” 

“Snacks!” Henry positively beamed as the three took a seat on the couch, Bruno still sulking. Emmett brought them some chips and sat on the table across from them. “Thanks.” Henry said, his mouth full. 

Emmett smiled, but his smile quickly faded. “I guess I became an Elemental when I was about ten. I used to live in the biggest city on the continent, but that was before I got my magic. My parents were kind people, and they took me hiking a lot to get fresh air since it was hard to come by in the city. I’ll spare you the details, but on our hike I got seperated. It seemed like the trees cut off my parents when I stopped to tie my shoe. I didn’t know where to go, and all of the sudden there were howls and stuff. One of the trees whacked me in the shoulder and hit me so far I landed on the ground about thirty yards away, my head hit the ground too. I blacked out for a bit, and the next thing I knew there were first aid people around me. 

“I thought they were trying to help, but one of them - a woman - had glasses that made my head mushy so I closed my eyes and faked passing out. My parents had found me and they were extremely worried, but the woman - well - I guess she killed them. My shoulder throbbed and the trees seemed to sense by anger. One of them whacked the woman and I blacked out again out of pain. When I woke up, I was here. Emery had happened to be hiking the woods that day looking for potion ingredients. He found me, saw the mark, and brought me here.” 

Emmett finished, sitting quietly. Megan felt bad that Vivian had killed his parents, but curiosity won her over and Megan asked if she could see his marking. 

Emmett rolled up his sleeve, revealing a leaf in green ink and under it were the runes spelling Earth. Megan smiled to herself as Emmett covered the mark. “So, what exactly are you guys here for? I haven’t had an actual visitor in two years.” 

Bruno shot Megan a look, clearly unwilling to explain to Emmett. Henry took over. “When Megan said our friends were unwell, she meant that Vivian - the woman - and the Men have them. Leo and Imogene were our other two Amulet Keepers. Beatrice is our Water Elemental back at out castle. We’re trying to get our friends back and maybe destroy Vivian once and for all.” 

Emmett looked thoughtful and then shook his head. “Nah, it was great meeting you, but I’ll stay here, thanks. I prefer being alive to being dead.” 

Megan looked at Henry and Bruno, who shrugged. They had been expecting everyone to just come with them, but Megan realized that expectation had been foolish. She thought about she herself had been hesitant to come with Bruno. 

Megan inhaled. They didn’t have much of a choice, they needed Emmett. “What here is so great that’s worth living for?” 

Emmett stared at her, his green eyes fixed on her hazel ones. Then he turned and stared wistfully at a picture on the wall. “I’ve always wondered if my parents were still alive.” Emmett’s voice was quiet, and Megan decided not to point out that his response wasn’t an answer. Instead, she kept quiet. “I’ve always wondered if maybe the Men kept them alive.” 

“It’s a possibility.” Henry said, a thoughtful look on his face. Megan was surprised to see that Henry was being serious for once. “I know Leo and Imogene are still alive.” 

“How?” Bruno asked him. 

Henry shrugged. “Leo’s my best friend, I would know if there was something wrong.” 

Emmett sighed. “But my parents were mortal, normal people. And even if the Men had kept them alive, the only reason would be leverage and now Vivian thinks I’m dead, so she might as well just kill them.” 

“We can save them.” Megan said, her voice strong and unwavering despite the turmoil she felt inside of her. “We can save everyone, but we need your help.” 

Emmett looked up and smiled at her, sadness hidden behind the tough mask he often wore. “Deal.” Emmett stood, and Bruno smiled encouragingly at Megan, who blushed. She only hoped that all of this work was worth it. 

Chapter 12 

Imogene

Imogene could close her eyes, but she would have rather been able to close her ears. 

Since Leo had disappeared from her schedule, Imogene was forced to endure tortures from Vivian. The woman seemed devoted to destroying every ounce of fiber Imogene had left. 

What was worse than the pain was the question of what had happened to Leo. Last Imogene had seen, Vivian had dragged him away and he had disappeared. She tried to persuade the guards - they gave her food and water now that Leo was gone - to give her information on his whereabouts, but the guards ignored her. 

Imogene wondered if perhaps she was the most guarded prisoner in the dungeon, which she had heard get called Containment. 

Her days were long and boring, and generally consisted of sleeping to drift away from the pain, eavesdropping, attempting magic without a proper amulet, and daydreaming. Sleeping was the easiest way to ignore the soreness in her muscles and the aching of her entire body. Eavesdropping got her almost nowhere, since the glass prevented a lot of sound from getting through. Magic was useless here, especially now that Vivian had spent hours putting up extra precautions. Daydreaming often took dark turns as she realized her new reality was absolutely nothing. She had no escape, and a slim chance of living. 

Vivian seemed to be growing tired of Imogene’s antics, each day her tone was more and more desperate for Imogene to join her. 

Imogene knew why Vivian was attempting to hypnotize her. She had read a book on it not long after Bruno’s disappearance. Most likely, Vivian would only be able to keep a hold on three people on a time. Any more than that, and her victims would become sentient enough to question their orders. If Vivian really wanted Imogene to work with her, she needed the girl to be willing instead of wasting her talent on servants. 

On the third day without Leo, Imogene heard Vivian striding down the hall to her cell. 

Her thin white dress didn’t protect her from the chill she felt as the footsteps approached. Imogene kept quiet and pretended to be asleep. Maybe Vivian would leave. 

“Wake up, my darling!” The voice was abnormally cheery. Imogene opened her eyes slowly, pretending she had been asleep. Vivian had (graciously) provided a ratty blanket and pillow for Imogene so she could actually sleep. “Today we have something new.” 

Imogene groaned. That couldn’t mean anything … 

She stopped as she saw a pair of legs behind Vivian. The woman smiled, revealing glinting white teeth. A figure stepped aside, his head hung low. Vivian pushed him in front of her, and Leo didn’t make any noise or expression to show he saw Imogene. 

“It’s been a rough few days downstairs for the boy.” Vivian smirked. “So I brought him up here for two reasons. One, so he can recharge because our testing resumes tomorrow. Two, because I hope this will convince you to join me. The sooner you agree, the sooner I stop using Leo as my little guinea pig. I’ll be back in an hour, and if you try anything, you’ll die. You two are expendable to me.” Vivian left without a word, and Leo dropped to his knees.

Imogene’s eyes widened as she took in his wounds. 

Bruises and scratches coated Leo’s face. His shirt collar was stained with blood, and so were several other parts of the fabric. On his wrists were two metal cuffs, preventing him from doing magic. Leo seemed cold and empty. He didn’t speak. 

Imogene sat up and Leo crawled over to her. He laid his head on her lap and shivered uncontrollably. A tear dripped down Imogene’s cheek. 

It took twenty minutes for Leo to calm down enough to stop shivering. His eyes were empty as he stared blankly at Imogene. Her stomach felt queasy. What had Vivian been doing to him? Leo was not the same boy he had been. 

“Leo?” Imogene whispered, wishing she could console him in a better way. But the room was empty except for the two magicians, the blanket, and the pillow. 

“It didn’t hurt.” Leo said defensively, and Imogene was mildly taken aback. 

“What?” 

“They’re trying to find a way to make a prison like our castle at home.” 

“But you said something about …” 

“They’re trying to send me there. In a Realm, but I keep getting lost.” 

“They’re doing what?” 

Leo stared straight at Imogene, clearly grasping for a way to say what he was thinking. “They’re trying to find a place - another Realm - to imprison magical people. They want it to have no words so we can’t do spells. Once they find it, they’re putting me there to see if I can get back.” He waited for her to comment. 

Imogene gaped. “There’s no way. You can’t create a Realm. Bruno tried, I tried. When we made the castle we wanted to make a Realm but there’s no way.” 

“They’re no making a Realm, they’re finding one.” Leo whispered. 

“That’s the same thing!” Imogene cried. “It doesn’t exist! A world with no words?” 

Leo nodded once, his eyelids dropping. “I wou;dn’t believe it either if I hadn’t seen it. They’re getting closer to finally sending me. They call it the Silent Realm.” 

Imogene tried to find something to say or some way to escape. But she knew that there was nothing she could do. Vivian would not allow them to escape, and Bruno, Megan, and Henry wouldn’t be able to rescue them in time. More tears dripped down Imogene’s face as she struggled to find a way to say goodbye. She was sure that she wouldn’t here from Leo again. 

Leo shook his head, seeming more awake than before. “Don’t cry for me. Don’t say goodbye. I want to think I’ll get through this.” 

“But you won’t!” Imogene cried. “They won’t stop until they discover the Silent Realm and by then, they won’t care about your life. Leo, we have to do something. We have to try and escape or …” 

Leo pressed a finger to her lips, his own eyes glistening. “We can’t escape, and you know that. I’ve accepted it, and I barely persuaded Vivian to let me come up here.” 

“Why?” Imogene breathed. “Why come here if you know I can’t help you?” 

Leo smiled sadly. “Because when this is all over, I want you to come and find me. I’ll be waiting.” 

Imogene shook her head, grabbing Leo’s hand and wrapping it with her own. “Please, there’s got to be something I can do.” Something clicked inside Imogene’s head. She exhaled shakily. “Vivian said if I joined her, she’d stop experimenting on you. I just have to join her side, and you will live.” 

Leo shook his head vigorously. “Imogene, you know we can’t rely on Vivian’s promises. There’s nothing you can do but wait and find me when you’ve saved the world. Vivian was right, I am nothing compared to the rest of you. But you, you’re something.” 

“Leo,” Imogene wept. “You’re not nothing. You’re amazing, you’re talented, you’re funny. But you’re also my friend.” 

Vivian’s footsteps were coming down the hallway and Imogene wiped up her tears with her sleeve. Leo hugged her tightly, and Imogene wished that his tiny heart could beat longer than it should. She wished that she could trade places with him. 

Vivian opened the cell and pried Leo away from Imogene with a smirk. 

Leo turned to Imogene, his face blank again. Before Vivian could completely close the door, Leo called out a final message to Imogene. “They can take my voice but they can’t take my ability to love.” Vivian shoved a hand over his mouth. 

Imogene watched from her cell, trying to memorize every detail of Leo possible. His chesnut hair, his warm brown eyes, and his smile. 

We’ll meet again. We’ll meet again. We’ll meet again. Imogene began to chant the phrase to herself, thinking that maybe it would come true if she thought it enough times. But deep down, Imogene knew that Leo would not be in control of his own fate anymore, nor could she do anything to help him … except maybe do the exact thing he ordered her not to do. 

Vivian came back later that day to ask about Imogene’s choice. 

And Imogene’s heart dropped into her stomach as she agreed to help the evil woman in order to save one of her only friends. 

Bruno

Bruno felt something like a pang of loss in his stomach the moment they set foot in the bustling city. A car sped by them, and a squeal of tires could be heard not far away. Bruno decided to focus on more pressing matters than the jittery feeling. 

The previous night, the three and Emmett - Bruno had a bad feeling about him - had returned to the castle later than expected. Beatrice was patiently waiting. 

The young Elemental had prepared them dinner, which the excepted gratefully. Emmett was introduced to Beatrice, and vice versa. After that, the others proceeded to the garden to test out Emmett’s ability. 

Bruno hurried off to his study before anyone could stop him. He wanted to be alone. 

He wasn’t sure what was going on, but his mind was full and Bruno had no one to vent to he. He decided to write everything else on a roll of parchment and then tied it to Timothy’s leg before letting the bird fly away. He asked the bird to dispose of the parchment. 

Now, they were in the middle of the biggest city in the country. Henry and Megan had been less conspicuous than Bruno and had worn clothes that looked normal. Bruno had forgotten that cloaks weren’t needed in the city and attempted to dispose of it multiple times but always saw someone watching so he couldn’t send it back. 

Beatrice and Emmett were back at the castle, hopefully behaving and maybe practicing their magic. They needed every ounce of talent they good get. 

“So, are both of the other Elementals here?” Henry asked, checking his reflection in a window of a store. He had chosen dark sunglasses that were way too big for him, causing the boy to look slightly like a bug. Megan rolled her eyes at Henry. 

Bruno couldn’t help but notice that Megan’s hair seemed even brighter than normal, and there were tiny freckles dotting her nose. He shook his head, reminding himself that he had better things to think about. Instead, he distracted himself by answering Henry’s question. “The Elementals are both here, yes. So you know how fire relies on air to live? Well, for every fire Elemental created, there has to be an air Elemental - kind of like their soulmate in a way - or they die. That’s why the one of the more rare Elemental powers is fire. If my research is correct, the two are actually cousins.” 

Megan signaled for Henry to stop as he almost got ran over by a car. The driver made an obscene gesture, and Henry closed his eyes to curse them before Megan slapped him. 

Megan turned to Bruno. “Anything else? Last time, you gave us names.” 

Bruno shook his head. “We’re out of luck this time. Since fire Elementals are so rare, most of them decide to stay hidden. I found no records of either of them.” 

“Great!” Henry said exburently. “Does that mean we get to wonder the city and aimlessly drift in an out of stores while impulse buying random merchandise?” 

Bruno blinked and Megan raised her eyebrows. Henry blushed. “Never mind.” 

“I have an address.” Bruno rolled his eyes. Henry sighed. 

“Lead the way, Map Dude.” Henry began smiling again, and Bruno was glad to see some of his upbeat personality had returned. 

Bruno lead the way around seven blocks and into an elevator at an apartment complex. Megan had to stop Henry from pressing every single button in the elevator. Apparently, it had been some time since Henry had been out in public like that, even though they went out to eat every night for a weak. (Henry defended himself by saying local fast foods joints didn’t have elevators, and Megan snapped back by saying that Henry was like a cat.) 

The room number was 404 and Henry knocked once. No one answered. “Maybe they’re out?” Henry suggested with a shrug. “Maybe they can recognize fancy magic people and think we’re part of Vivian’s clan.” 

A lady in the hallway locking her door sent Henry a weird look and he was then banned from talking around normal people. Bruno knocked again. 

There was a click and the peephole on the door opened slightly, revealing an amber colored eye. “Who are you?” The voice was feminine, but deep as if the girl were trying to pass as a man. 

“Listen, we know you’re Elementals. We’re not with the Men, if you know who they are. We’re here to help you.” Bruno sighed, tried of explaining this over and over again. 

There was a flurry of movement and a moment of silence before the amber eye returned. 

“I don’t know if I should trust you.” She said tentatively. 

“You can trust us.” Megan said with a smile. She glanced around the hallway and then quickly held up her pearly amulet. The amber eye disappeared a lock on the door clicked. The door swung open and the three hurried in. The door shut behind them. 

“Sorry.” A girl said, locking the door. 

She had bright red hair and amber eyes. She was wearing a yellow sundress, and Bruno thought that she looked to be about Megan’s age. The girl blushed. “Sorry again. My brother is a bit overprotective. Ever since we had an encounter with that terrible woman…” 

“Brother?” Henry burst, staring a Bruno. Bruno shook his head, signaling that it wasn’t the time. 

“She means me.” A boy said, and Bruno spotted him lounging on the couch a few yards away. He looked like he was the same age as the girl, but they were very different looking. The boy had pale blonde hair and ice blue eyes. “And she’s also lying. She’s way more overprotective of me than I am of her.” 

The girl’s blush became more defined. “I know they’re trustworthy, they have amulets. Or at least, the girl does. And the other two aren’t old enough to be Men.” 

The boy shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I’m Gale, and this is my twin sister, Seraphina. I call her Sera for short. Anyways, we can start packing our bags immediately. We’ve always been prepared for a moment like this.” 

Bruno blinked once and Megan held out her hands as Gale stood, ready to get his belongings. 

“You don’t have to go yet.” Megan said. 

“Yes, we do.” Seraphina argued, eyes bright. “You see, Gale and I move apartments every week. That’s the average amount of time it takes for the Men to find us. They kind of want me really bad, since I’m a fire Elemental.” 

Megan glanced at Bruno. He shrugged. “This just means we don’t have to repeat the story to Emmett and Beatrice later.” 

Megan nodded and sighed. Seraphina stopped packing (dropping some clothes in the process). “There are others?” She asked, sounding amazed. She gasped when Bruno nodded. “How many?” 

“There are two other Elementals - water and earth (we can’t find dark or light) - and two other Amulet Keepers currently being held by Vivian and the Men.” Bruno explained. 

Seraphina nodded to herself. “Great. Gale, come help me pack. It’ll take us about five minutes to pack.” She said, and it truly was a sight to behold. Bruno watched in amazement as Gale and Seraphina bolted back and forth, filling a trash bag with stuff to leave behind, laying a key on the table, and gathering as many things as they could and throwing them into a large satchel. True to their word, it took them about five minutes to gather everything. 

“Let’s go!” Gale said, a smile on his face. “I can’t wait!” 

Seraphina rolled her eyes, but she looked excited as well. They all joined hands and Bruno took them to the castle. 

None of them noticed the door swing open as they whirled away, so no one saw the man enter and close the door behind him. He then lit a match, and dropped it to the floor. The apartment was in flames yet a moment later. The man returned to his boss and informed her that the deed was done. 

The woman smiled to herself. Two days and she would launch the attack she had always been wanting to do. Two days. 

Leo

Leo wished that the men would hurry up and finish their machine. His body was filled with adrenaline and he wished he had found a way out of this. 

Leo ran through scenarios in his head, wishing he had asked Imogene to kill him or maybe attacked one of the guards so they had no choice but to kill him. Being dead would be a lot better than being lost in a Realm that didn’t even exist. 

Four men and women dressed in lab coats were working around a weird looking machine that kind of resembled a spaceship box. What Leo hated the most were the wires. 

He had just been with Imogene that morning, but he felt like it had been ages since he had last seen any of his friends. Would Imogene be able to tell everyone else what happened to him? Or would she die too before she would be able to reach the others? He didn’t know. 

“Ready for test number 46.” One of the woman said, addressing a man with a camera. 

Leo hated the cameras as well. They always taped the machine whenever they used it, Leo assumed it was a way to send a progress report to Vivian, but he hoped she didn’t actually watched them. Leo didn’t want anyone to see how weak he was. 

At the moment, he was restrained to a chair as he was any time he was not strapped to the machine. He had been given small meals and occasional drinks to keep him alive. 

Two of the men made their way over to Leo and untied him. They grabbed his arms, but Leo didn’t try to struggle. If this surprised the men, they didn’t let it show. But he was done fighting a losing battle. 

They strapped him to the machine and Leo braced himself as the tiny wires poke his skin likes snakes searching for food. 

“Operations check.” Someone said, and Leo couldn’t see who it was. 

His stomach was churning, and Leo closed his eyes, angling his face away so the camera couldn’t see what was happening. He felt the metal around him grow hot. He felt the sting from the wires as they injected him with either chemicals or potions. He held still anyways. 

The metal got hotter and there was. So. Much. Pain. Leo clenched his teeth. 

His heart pounded. 

His thoughts raced as he tried to focus on the faces of his friends. 

An image kept appearing in his head, a golden amulet. The amulet in the picture cracked, and a golden mist poured out of it. It swirled around Leo and then he felt like he was floating. Away, away, away. He felt like a kite. 

Leo soared through the air into nothingness. Away, away, away. 

The world around him turned white. The floating away stopped, and Leo dangled in the empty space, drifting slowly towards the bright light. 

Far, far, very, very far away, a certain golden amulet began to pulse. It felt its owner drifting further and further away. The wizard that had enchanted it had made it impossible to disown the amulet. The amulet would remain obedient to its master until the master died. 

A woman picked up the amulet from her desk and sat it on a pedestal. She locked the case, not noticing the pulsing of the amulet. She smiled to herself. 

They had found the legendary Realm of Silence and created an entrance to it in her testing lab. Now, she could send anyone she wanted there. For now, her workers would focus on bringing that bratty boy back. She had everything she wanted - everything was coming together. 

Chapter 13

Megan

The garden was beautiful in the moonlight. Megan couldn’t help but admire the way the moon reflected off the fountain. 

By the time they had returned the the castle, Beatrice and Emmett had prepared a large meal in the garden. Seraphina and Gale shared their story of how they had become Elementals while everyone had a picnic in the lush grass. 

Gale had become an Elemental first. He was four when it happened (super young, according to Bruno). 

Their parents had a fight, and their father took Gale with him during his business trip across the country. During the flight, their plane crashed (due to technological issues) and there was only one survivor - Gale. He claimed the wind had cushioned his fall for the most part, after his father had thrown him out the window. No one knew how he had managed to survive. There was a silver marking of a cloud on Gale’s knee - the only thing he had broken - with the runes spelling air. 

Gale was sent home to his family, and several years later, when the twins were nine, Seraphina earned her mark. 

Their mother was a tired woman, and Seraphina took over the responsibility of preparing meals. One day, she was making dinner in the oven when someone rang the doorbell. She stopped to answer, forgetting about the meal. The next thing she knew, the kitchen was on fire. Seraphina said she screamed once and the fire rushed back. She swatted at it, and the fire left a small mark on her palm. The orange markings of a flame were visible, with the runes spelling fire below it. 

Both twins couldn’t describe how their mother died, but it was mysterious. 

Everyone talked and laughed before Bruno suggested they all practice their magic (or in the case of Emmett, Seraphina, and Gale - show it off). 

The group each took seperate parts of the garden, which expanded at their will and provided their needs. Soon, Megan sat out to watch the others perform. She wasn’t too good at magic and wasn’t too eager to try it with other people - besides Henry, of course. Who knew who she would blow up next? 

Beatrice seemed pretty good for being the youngest there. She worked with the pond water, obviously happy to be able to practice without fear of discovery. The water seemed alive as it bent to her will, making shapes and spheres. Megan went to join her. 

“What else can you do?” Megan asked the girl. She had seen Beatrice form clothes out of water before, and she was curious to learn more about Elementals. 

Beatrice smiled. “I talked to Emmett a bit, and he said the bad guys are really scary. So I decided I would try making the water more … weapons? I don’t know, but I don’t think water likes being told to kill people.” 

She smiled sweetly and Megan was taken aback. “You don’t have to kill…” 

Beatrice cut her off. “I don’t have to, but sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. Besides, the water here needs to trust me like the water back home.” 

Megan remembered something Bruno had told her and Henry before they met Beatrice. He had said something about school records. Something about Beatrice being emotionally unstable and prone to hallucinations. “Did you ever see a doctor or something?” Megan asked cautiously, afraid she would scare the girl away. 

Beatrice laughed, tossing a sphere of water between her hands. “I did see a psychologist at school a few times, but that was because other students saw me use my magic. I often lashed out at bullies, and with the water nearby, well, it was hard to control it. And hallucinations on my records were caused when I tried to tell people the truth about the time there was an intruder. They wouldn’t believe me.” 

Megan wasn’t sure exactly what to say. She smiled politely and excused herself, making her way towards Emmett instead. He wasn’t quite as good as the others, but Megan knew he was trying his hardest. 

Sweat formed in beads on his forehead as the ground below his feet cracked. He caught sight of Megan and waved her over. “Trying out something new. The Cryos were strict.” 

Megan smiled and nodded. “You’re probably still better than me, though.” 

Emmett waved it off. “You’ve had what, a week and a half to practice? It took me a month to realize I wasn’t going insane, but I guess being with Emery and Lena helped.” 

Megan nodded again. “I’ll never be as good as Henry and Bruno. Have you seen the way Bruno’s magic works? When I fought him at the cafe the first day we met, he knocked someone out with a single blast of magic.” 

Megan felt a tad bit guilty she hadn’t follow up on Mr. Perry, but she guessed he was probably fine. 

Emmett just laughed. “You fought Bruno at a cafe and won?” 

“I wouldn’t call it winning.” Megan sighed, glimpsing Bruno and Henry in another corner tossing a ball of black magic to each other. “He was hypnotized, and I freed him.” 

Emmett stopped what he was doing and stared a Megan. “You freed him?” 

Megan shrugged, turning her attention back to Emmett. “Yeah, so what? Bruno’s still way more powerful than me…” 

“To free someone from hypnotism caused by magic - which I assume it was - it takes an immense amount of magic. Like, I’m talking that anyone with a normal Aura will be drained immediately, no magic left. Unless, of course, they’re the one who hypnotized the victim in the first place. But hypnotizing Bruno would be no easy feat.” Emmett said, a hint of awe in his voice. “Emery told me all of this, and he let me use his library.” He added when he saw Megan’s face. Megan simply blushed and looked away. 

“You must be exaggerating.” She said. 

Emmett shook his head. “I’m not. Henry told me about Auras earlier to clarify some things, and the way he describes your Aura, it must be exceptionally good.” 

Megan shook her head, still in denial. She wasn’t sure what to say, so she got up and left. 

She went back to her spot in the gazebo and watched Seraphina and Gale practice their magic. Seraphina was making spirals of flames appear, and Gale seemed the best out of anyone. Megan knew he’d been an Elemental for eleven years, so she supposed he had a lot of practice. 

“Are you okay?” Megan turned to see Bruno standing behind her. Henry was talking with Beatrice across the garden, and that left Bruno and Megan alone. He took a seat. 

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” Megan shrugged, not making eye contact with him.

“No, no you’re not.” Bruno sighed. “I can tell. So what’s really going on?” 

Megan sighed too. “It’s just that I’m so terrible at all of this.” Bruno tried to say something, but she continued. “I know you’re going to say something about my Aura or the fact that I’ve had a week or so to learn. I know that I can get better, bu that’s not the problem. We need our magic now, not in a month when I can actually use magic. When I practiced with Henry, I just ended up destroying things. I can’t master magic fast enough.” 

Bruno was silent for a moment. “I have something I’ve always wanted to try.” His voice was low. “Ever since I found your amulet, before I found an owner for it, I always imagined trying something.” 

Megan looked at Bruno, curiosity coursing through her. 

“You know how there are five amulets, right? There’s gold, silver, and bronze. But then there’s also black and white, and I’ve always wondered why. If someone was going for opposites, they could have done yellow and purple or green and red or something.” Bruno sat his amulet on the railing of the gazebo. “And then I realized all of the other opposites make brown when mixed, but black and white make gray. So I was wondering … would you duel me?” Bruno looked up at Megan and she didn’t know what he was asking. 

“A duel?” Megan asked. 

Henry laughed from behind them, and Megan spun around. She had not been expecting someone to have overheard them. “Seriously, Bruno? A duel?” 

“What’s a duel?” Megan repeated, still confused and not happy about it. 

Henry looked at Megan. “A duel between two magicians is where both of you send out a bit of your magic - no spells are needed - and you force them against each other. In theory, the more powerful magician’s magic should break the other’s, generally causing some sort of desired affect on the weaker person.” Henry shrugged. “Leo and I tried a few times.” 

Bruno nodded. “You’ve seen Megan and I’s Auras. How evenly matched do you think they are?” 

“Pretty close. I couldn’t say for sure though.” Henry answered, and Megan felt sweaty. 

“I don’t want to duel. What if … what if I lose?” Megan whispered. 

Bruno and Henry laughed. Bruno answered her question. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep my ‘affect’ to a minimum. Like, thirty second paralyzation or something. Whatever I first think of - and trust me, the energy it takes to kill is too much.” 

Henry smiled encouragingly. “I lost a bunch of times to Leo, and it was fine. Except the time he made me grow horns …” Megan glared at him. “I’m normal enough now.” 

Bruno rolled his eyes. “It’s not like anything bad will happen. And there’s the slim chance you could beat me, but I mean, you won’t die. I’m not in a murderous mood right now, but Henry might change that. So come over here.” 

Megan sighed and followed Bruno, leaving Henry in the gazebo to interpret what Bruno had said. They stopped in the center of the garden where lots of tiny stones made a large circle. The Elementals scattered around the garden stopped their own magic and sat with Henry in the gazebo, as if anticipating something big. 

Bruno walked to the far side and then faced Megan. His black amulet was visible in the dim light, reflecting the moon. Megan made sure her own amulet was ready. 

Her stone was growing warm now. It was ready for the fight. 

Bruno instructed her from the far side of the circle. “Henry will count down from three. Then, thrust out your hands so the palms are facing me. The amulet should provide the energy you need, so don’t panic. Some bursts of energy should leave your palm and meet the magic from mine in the air. Then all you have to do is force your magic against mine and whoever is stronger will win the duel.” 

Henry called out from the gazebo. Megan prepared herself. “Three, two, one, go!” 

Megan was quick, almost as fast as Bruno. She was startled when blinding white light shot from her palms and collided with the darkness from Bruno. 

Then something clicked in her brain. Something amazing happened. 

Instead of the magic rebounding or even collapsing, their magic fused. Both Bruno and Megan gasped, though the sound was inaudible over a crackling sound that could be heard coming from the magic bolt. 

Because the light had fused, it looked like a two-sided stick - one end black as night and the other white was pearl. Megan felt her amulet grow extremely warm to the point it felt like her skin was being melted off. Sweat beaded on her forehead and she watched as Bruno began to sweat to. 

But more than anything, Megan wanted to prove to herself that she was something. So she fought against Bruno’s magic, despite the fact that it was fused with hers. 

Evidently, Bruno was doing the exact same thing. 

There was a burst of gray light and Megan stumbled backwards. Her and Bruno were connected still by a single ray of magic. But around them, the world seemed to fall away. 

Megan wasn’t concerned about winning anymore. She wanted to get out of this duel alive. She struggled to remove her hand from the magic, but it was stuck. The gray light seemed to always be moving. 

WIth one final tug, Megan’s hand separated from the magic, and both her and Bruno took a step backwards. In the middle of the circle were two, identical spheres of magic. 

One was black. One was white. 

The spheres began to float towards Megan and Bruno, but Megan tried to avoid hers. It had to be wrong. It couldn’t be right. 

The black sphere floated towards her. The white one floated towards Bruno. 

The older boy seemed to be in a daze. He reached out his hand, but recoiled when he saw Megan’s expression. The spheres floated towards the pair still, and finally, the black one reached Megan. It touched her chest and she felt a burning pain in her palm. 

Megan made eye contact with Bruno one final time before the world crashed back into reality. Both Megan and Bruno stumbled backwards, clutching their heads. 

And then the world went dark. 

Bruno

Bruno groaned. His head throbbed and he wished he was still asleep. Part of him wanted to stay in the tiny corner of his world that was perfect. The other part wanted to wake up and figure out what had happened. 

“They’re stirring. Someone fetch Henry.” A voice called above him. Bruno blinked once and opened his eyes. 

He was laying on the ground, his limbs sprawled out beside him. Everything hurt. 

“Wha-what happened?” He sat up and rubbed his head as his vision cleared. 

Bruno was still on the stone circle in the garden. Megan lay not far away, still unconscious but feebly stirring. Her hair seemed even more red in the … was that the sunrise? Bruno propped himself up and rubbed his eyes sleepily. 

Around him were two people he didn’t recognize at first. Gale and Beatrice were staring over him. Beatrice turned and sighed as Gale sent her a look. She sat by Megan instead. 

“It’s been a rough night, pal.” Gale sighed. “We figured we’ll let Henry explain. But I want to clear something up first. You didn’t go and - uh - I don’t know, make out or anything?” Gale seemed extremely uncomfortable, and Bruno was confused. 

“What? No, what are you talking about?” He asked. 

Henry came bursting onto the lawn, circles rimming his eyes and his robes fluttering behind him. “You’re awake!” He cried, wrapping Bruno in a hug. “We thought you’d died!” 

“Can someone please explain what’s going on?” Megan asked from across the circle. 

She was sitting up now, with help from Beatrice. Bruno caught her eye and shook his head. He didn’t know what had happened during their duel, but it needed to be kept a secret. 

Henry sat on the ground, almost crumpling as he did. “From our perspective, there wasn’t a duel. You simply stared at each other for a second and then fell over. It was the worst duel I’ve ever seen. Anyways, we tried everything to wake you. For a while, Seraphina couldn’t find pulses and we panicked. I used half of Imogene’s potion storage to try to wake you up, but it didn’t work. Gale and Beatrice finally convinced me to sleep and took a shift watching. Emmett and Seraphina are in the library looking for spells. What happened?” 

“Nothing.” Bruno said quickly, sending Henry a look that meant ‘I’ll tell you later.’ Henry nodded and winked, then he stood up. 

“Let’s get the two sleepyheads something to eat!” He cried out, and Beatrice and Gale scurried inside. Henry followed them, but Bruno looked at Megan, who had hung back. She was inspecting her palm. 

Bruno looked at his own palm and was amazed. There was a bit of it that looked paler than normal. It almost looked like there was a misshapen scar on his palm. 

“Do you have one too? A mark?” Megan asked quietly. “What just happened?” 

Bruno thought for a second. His heart was racing, because for once he didn’t know what had happened. He couldn’t exactly consult a book, how would he find what he was looking for? “I do have a mark. As for what happened, I wonder if our Auras are equally matched. It’s never happened before.” 

Megan nodded to herself, rubbing her palm and staring into space. Bruno stood up and offered Megan a hand to get up as well. 

“Hurry up!” Henry cried, walking back out into the garden. “Your food will be cold and I don’t want to see my hard work going to waste!” Then, as Megan and Bruno got closer, Henry shifted his voice to a whisper. “You guys will tell me what actually happened later, right?” 

“Of course.” Megan answered softly. “Now what’s for breakfast.” 

Henry smiled and lead them to breakfast. The dining hall seemed fuller than ever, with more than five people. Beatrice and Henry had done one of the mini shows that Leo had once done. The spell was one could close anything. Doors, windows, Realm entrances, and either your enemies lips. If Henry was sad about Leo not doing the show, he didn’t show it. 

Emmett had cook up most of Imogene’s potions. Seraphina had given up and instead taken to the library to search for spells. Gale and Megan talked about learning magic quickly for a while. Bruno kept silent. 

When the meal was over, the group dispersed. 

Beatrice and Seraphina wanted to see if they could duel like Bruno and Megan had - they weren’t sure how water and fire would react with each other. 

Seraphina forbid Gale from a lot of things, which Bruno understood. Her life was connected to her brother’s in a way. If Gale died, it would be likely Seraphina could die too. Since fire Elementals needed air Elementals, each one was connected to another. 

Emmett disappeared, and Bruno wasn’t sure where. Possibly to finish replenishing Imogene’s potions. Maybe to sulk in his room. Bruno wasn’t sure. 

Instead, Bruno dragged Henry and Megan to his study. 

Timothy was sitting on his desk, an envelope on his leg. Henry and Megan took a seat on the couch and Henry began flipping through the hypnotism book. 

Bruno unrolled the letter and read it silently. Cynthia had responded. 

Dearest Bruno, 

I am very disappointed in your choice to run away yet again. Anyways, I have decided to sell the house. Your belongings cannot be carried by this disgusting bird, so I left them at the burn site of our first house. There, you will find them scattered among the rubble. The city did not approve the rebuilding of our old house. 

But then again, this is our third house. I do believe that the first one burnt by natural means. But the second one, I have a feeling you had something to do with it. I won’t press because I feel that is most disrespectful, but I would like some answers. 

I wish you would’ve stayed for the men to at least come see you, Bruno. I don’t know why you ran the way you did, but I know something must have frightened you. I don’t know if I should trust you or not. Despite all of our fights, you’re still my brother and I love you. Apart from that, I just wanted to let you know I will be resuming my education at college. I hope you are well. 

By the way, I recently saw your face on the news, suspected for destroying a cafe in the city. I really do hope that wasn’t you, Bruno. 

And, I kind of found something in the attic. I packed it without a thought previously, but while I was cleaning up the place, I found it. I think mother would’ve wanted you to have it, so I sent it with the letter. Best wishes, Bruno. For my sake, I hope we never see each other again. 

Hugs and Kisses, 

Cynthia 

Bruno wiped his eyes and turned to Megan and Henry, but not before emptying the envelope. Inside, there was a tinier envelope, addressed to him as well. He opened it and began to read. 

My baby boy, Bruno, 

I hope eventually you will find this letter. I know your father and Cynthia mean well, but they have a habit of  disposing of my stuff. Hazard of being an artist I guess. 

I know Cynthia and your father are very close.  Cynthia also has lots of friends. But between you and me, I think most of them don’t actually care for her. That’s beside the point thought, let’s talk about you. Oh, Bruno, you’re just like me. 

The moment you were born, I knew that you were going to grow up like I did. Let’s face it, neither of us really have any friends  We’re both incredibly artistic. We even look similar! 

Bruno, I know you that you rarely have someone to confide in. Cynthia has your father. You have me. 

There are some things that you will never understand. I hope that you will start being more like Cynthia and your father - or at least, the selfish part of me does. I love you for who you are, Bruno. But I wish that you were a bit more like your sister. It could save your life. 

I don’t know if you will ever read this. I don’t know if you’ll find what I enclosed. If you find this, I’m sure that I’m probably either dead or dying. And there’s the possibility then that  you know  about something called magic. Magic is real, Bruno. And it’s everywhere. I  just wanted you to know that it’s real in case of an emergency - and you can find help at the old woman at the end of the street. 

I love you , Bruno. And for that reason, I hope that this letter never comes into your hands. 

Love, 

Mother 

Bruno wanted to cry, but he held back. His mother had known about magic, and she had told him to go to the old woman’s house. She knew about the amulet, didn’t she? 

Bruno emptied this envelope. There was a blank piece of parchment. Bruno flipped it over, finding his mother’s handwriting in miniscule letters on the back. I am always here for you. Bruno cautiously touched the piece of parchment with his right, pointer finger. It began to glow, so he removed his finger and sat it on the desk. Bruno would figure that mystery out later. 

“So, that’s what happened.” Henry gasped from the couch. Apparently, Bruno had been daydreaming and missed Megan recall the events of the duel. “What does it mean?” 

“We don’t know.” Bruno said from the desk. “But I do know I haven’t been completely honest with either of you.” He took a breath, and he couldn’t believe he was doing this.

“First of all, Megan, I need to go over something with you. There’s brooches, and swords, and rings that all have magic as well. Sometimes, when dragons or sprites are dying, they give up their magic to form rings and swords. The magic is infused in those items, enabling anyone with an Aura to use them.” Bruno explained.
“And Vivian has the brooch.” Megan nodded towards the poster on the wall. Bruno silently cursed. He had forgotten to take that down. “What else?” 

Bruno sighed. He didn’t want to do this. “It’s not a lie as much as some information I’ve withheld. It’s been a day now since I got the message, so don’t freak out.” He took a breath. “Leo is as good as dead and Imogene is working with Vivian. 

“She sent me a message telepathically yesterday. Vivian was using Leo as her servant but then Imogene broke him free. Vivian used him as a test subject, but I guess a little while ago they’re experiment worked. Leo’s in a new Realm, a Realm that has no words so he can’t escape. And to try and help him, Imogene started working with Vivian. We’re as good as dead.” 

The room was silently. Megan teared up. And Henry? Henry seemed to splinter into a million different pieces. 

Chapter 14

Henry

Henry’s entire world shattered when the words “Leo is as good as dead” escaped Bruno’s lips. He didn’t even here the rest of what Bruno said because he felt broken. 

A sob rose in his throat and his eyes felt like they were going to burst. 

Henry felt like everything had been ripped out of him and stuffed back inside him in a random order. Everything was wrong. The entire world had gone awry. 

“Henry?” Henry didn’t know who called his name. He didn’t care who called his name. In fact, he didn’t care about anything. He sank into the couch cushions, falling, falling, falling. It felt like a dream. Was he asleep? 

No, he couldn’t be asleep. He could feel someone touching his arm, asking him if he was okay. Begging him to wake back up, to talk to them. 

Henry was feeling so many emotions. He felt confused. He felt angry. He felt betrayed. But most of all, a wave of grief washed over him. Henry wanted to curl up in a ball and never come out. He wanted to hide. 

“Go away.” He croaked. There were voices around him, he could only distinguish two. 

Down, down, down, Henry spiraled. 

Finally, when Henry could sink no lower, he opened his eyes, wiped the tears from his cheeks, and sat up. 

Bruno was looking at him, very worried. Megan’s eyes were red and puffy like she had been crying. Henry wanted to yell. Megan hadn’t even known Leo that long, she shouldn’t be crying. “Go away!” He shouted again as Bruno tried to reach out for him. 

“I’m so sorry, Henry.” Bruno tried, but it wasn’t enough. 

Henry remembered the sinking feeling he had been experiencing the past few days. It made him feel like he wanted to puke, like something was wrong. And something had been wrong. Leo had been in grave danger. “You should’ve done something!” Henry shouted. “You should’ve went after Imogene and Leo. You should’ve never come back from Vivian.” 

“Henry, please.” Megan begged, more tears spilling from her eyes. 

“No!” Henry screeched. “Shut up! You didn’t even know Leo, you can’t cry for him.” 

Megan looked hurt, and she started crying even harder. She laid her head on Bruno’s shoulder, covering her eyes with her hand as her body was racked with sobs. 

Henry’s eyes narrowed. Bruno and Megan seemed closer now. 

And they were the sole fault of Leo’s death. 

“You.” He hissed. “You knew all along, didn’t you.” Megan kept crying but Bruno was staring at Henry. “You were the ones to send him there, weren’t you. Megan is one of the Men, isn’t she. She’s just a spy. She tricked Leo into leaving. And every night Bruno’s been hiding, he’s actually been torturing Leo with Vivian. You betrayed me. You betrayed us!” 

Bruno was blinking back tears now. “Where did you get that crazy idea?! Look, Henry, we’re here to help. Megan’s not a spy, and I’m not Vivian’s accomplice. Henry was our friend too…” 

Henry’s emotions overruled his thoughts. Without a care in the world, Henry launched a bolt of magic at Bruno and Megan. 

He didn’t look to see if it hit them. He didn’t look to see if they were okay. 

Henry ran, his feet pounding. He ran to his room and slammed the doors shut. He ran to the window and threw it open. Henry had done this a hundred times before. 

He ran to his desk and grabbed a pen and parchment. Then he shoved them in a satchel and climbed onto the window sill. He threw his leg over the edge and searched for the loose brick. When his foot hit the brick, the block moved inwards and a staircase sprouted from his window upwards. He climbed the staircase. 

Henry and Leo had invented this spell secretly when they first moved into the castle. Imogene and Bruno were very close, nearly inseparable at that point in time. Leo had wanted an escape, an escape that Henry had found. 

The sun was high up in the sky. The stone roof of the castle was warm, and Henry found a flat part towards the top. 

He pulled the parchment paper from his bag and clicked his pen so he could write. 

Although his chest was still heavy from emotion, a rational thought had managed to slip into Henry’s mind. He wouldn’t dare admit it to Bruno and Megan though. 

Bruno had said Leo was as good as dead, not actually dead. Although Henry had not heard the rest of Bruno’s statement, he had heard something about a wordless Realm. That meant that maybe Leo was still alive. 

At first, Henry had meant to write a letter to Leo. But now, Henry realized that if Leo truly was in a wordless dimension, the words would never appear in that Realm. 

So, instead of writing a letter, Henry drew several pictures on the parchment. 

First, Henry drew a stick figure with freckles and brown hair using colored ink. He then drew a checkbox beside it and made another of the same stick figure, but with x’s for eyes and another checkbox. He put question marks all around the two figures. 

He then drew seven more stick people. Three of them (one had a triangle body) were holding circles, each one a different color. He drew the other four people as well (two with triangle bodies). Inside each he drew a different picture - a raindrop in one, a flame, a leaf, and a cloud. Then he circled the seven people and drew stars around it. He then drew another stick person (brown hair again) and drew bars to the side of it. He drew an arrow from the circle to the boy behind bars. Finally, he sealed the parchment, placing the pen inside the envelope. 

Henry whistled loudly in an odd pattern that would’ve sounded like nonsense to anyone else. 

A large bird shaped creature flew from the sky and perched on the roof next to Henry. 

It was a crow like Bruno’s, but Henry’s crow had no name and honestly was terrible at everything it did. 

“Listen,” Henry told the bird, trying to tie the letter to its leg. “I need you to find Leo, you hear me? It won’t be easy, and I don’t know how you’re going to manage that. Just do it. Find Leo, give him the letter, and don’t stop being obnoxious until he answers.” 

The bird squawked and Henry finished the knot. The bird flew off into the sun. 

Henry sighed and brought his knees to the chest as he watched the black bird fly off. Part of him regretted everything he had said, but the other part argued that only if Leo was actually dead should be apologize. Henry was torn. 

And then he heard a voice from his window. “Henry?” 

Imogene

Imogene had not thought it possible to despise someone as much as she hated Vivian. Of course, it was perfectly reasonable to loathe a woman like Vivian. 

But she now wished she had stayed in her cell. 

When Imogene first agreed to help Vivian, she thought she was doing the right thing. She was dead wrong. 

Vivian had given her a white dress, five minutes to change, and a pair of silver cuffs that would prevent her from doing anything out of order. Imogene reminded herself that this was for Leo, that maybe Vivian would stop testing on him. 

Instead, Vivian ignored her question for quite a few hours until she revealed that Leo was gone. And she had decided that although her workers would continue trying to find a way out of the Realm, their work could slow down so one worker would work a two hour day each week. There was no way Leo was coming back now. 

So that night, when Imogene was locked in her new, very fancy bedroom, she did the only think she could think of. She sent a message to Bruno. 

The spell was incredibly complex, and without her amulet, it would’ve been nearly impossible. Imogene had waited until Vivian turned her back in the office before reaching out and touching her silver amulet. She had taken as much energy as she could from it to use in an emergency. Leo’s disappearance was an emergency. 

The next day, Imogene began her work for Vivian. 

Vivian stood in front of Imogene in their tiny office. It was on the top floor of their building, but the room had no windows. Imogene only knew where it was because of the elevator. 

Vivian’s office was decorated in magical items she had stolen. Henry’s amulet was displayed on a pedestal in the corner, and Imogene’s was on one of the many shelves. 

There were quite a few rings and even a dagger on the shelves, but nothing had more magic than the brooch. No matter what Vivian wore, whether a suit, a dress, or an expensive looking blouse, there was always a brooch pinned on it. 

The broach was shaped like an oval, the stone was a midnight blue like the deep ocean. It was surrounded by a silver rim that looked like faces. And Vivian never took it off. 

Imogene knew that the brooch was actually magical. Bruno had told her the story many, many times before. And her father used to tell her before she went to bed each night. The brooch had a source for its magic. 

Years and years after the amulets were created, the brother king, Igor, discovered they existed. He searched far and wide for them but to his dismay, he could not find them. Unbeknownst to Igor, they had already been found and were being kept by the first Amulet Keepers. Igor’s wife, the new queen, was as disgusting and vile as he was and wished the amulets for herself. The queen, Rhea, was convinced that the amulets were rightfully hers and Igor’s. She searched the forest for them. 

In the forest, Rhea discovered a mysterious creature called an alicorn. They were extremely rare, and similar to unicorns. The alicorn possessed unknowable magic and to steal it from the creature, Rhea shot the alicorn with a crossbow. 

But rather than give up its magic for Rhea, the alicorn (with its last breaths) formed a brooch with a midnight blue stone and filled it with its magic. 

Rhea squealed with delight when the alicorn vanished and a mysterious brooch took its place. She scooped up the gem and carried it home to Igor. That night, Rhea felt terribly sick. Igor sent her to the healers by the sea, but she died on the way. The brooch disappeared. Igor then married four more woman so if they died, his bloodline would continue anyways. 

The brooch held the magic of an alicorn, and Vivian held the brooch. Which meant that basically, Vivian was unstoppable as long as she had the brooch. 

“Hurry up, then.” Vivian called, breaking Imogene out of her thoughts. “We don’t have all day.” Today, Vivian had decided on a long, black dress that billowed around her skinny ankles. The brooch was pinned at the top. 

Imogene stood from her tiny wooden stool in the corner. It was her first day of actual work and her nerves were balled up. 

What would Vivian force her to do? Would she have to kill someone or something? 

Imogene held back, consumed by her nervous queries about what the day would hold for her. “Don’t worry.” Vivian stopped and tapped her foot on the floor. “I’m not giving you anything that important, I don’t completely trust you yet.” 

Imogene didn’t say anything. She had learned quickly to hold her tongue. Vivian seemed satisfied and lead Imogene to the elevator at the end of the wall. 

They rode to the fifth floor, and Vivian grabbed Imogene’s arm with nails like talons. 

Vivian dragged Imogene through the fifth floor so fast that the younger girl could barely grasp her surroundings. She saw desks upon desks, computers, and thought she glimpsed a few rings. Finally, the arrived in front of a door at the end of the room. 

“You have quite a few assignments, so I suggest you get started.” Vivian handed Imogene a clipboard. “This will be your office area. You will be placed under constant guard - and the men guarding you are magical. Any attempts to sabotage my projects will result in me closing the entrance to the Realm of Silence - which means you will never see that boy again. Do you understand?” 

Imogene nodded once. Vivian smiled and opened the door, locking it as soon as Imogene flicked on the lights. 

Suddenly, the floor and the walls erupted into light, blinding Imogene. She staggered backwards. Vivian’s laughter filled the room and Imogene dropped her clipboard, attempting to cover her eyes. She had been blind. 

“You really thought that I would let you keep your will?” Vivian asked, and Imogene could sense a smirk in her voice. “You really are stupid.” 

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Imogene snapped. Her stomach lurched as she realized that Vivian had been planning this all along. Leo would never escape the Realm of Silence, even if Imogene helped Vivian. And based on the book she had read, it was easier to hypnotize people if they had agreed to help first. 

“You seem to be smart.” Vivian said, the voice all around her. “Too smart, which is why you’re here. I think you’ll like being my secretary. And besides, if all goes as planned, no one else will need to be hypnotized.” Imogene squeezed her eyes shut. 

It was too late. Vivian’s new secretary would be extremely productive. And not at all sentient. 

Megan

“Henry?” Megan asked again. “Henry?” She called his name but he didn’t answer. 

Megan’s foot almost slipped of the step as she reached the top of the staircase. Henry did not move. She climbed onto the roof, surprised at how easy it was to stay balanced. 

“Come to tell me I’ve been a jerk, I suppose.” Henry sighed, uncurling himself from his little ball. “I’m not surprised.” Megan took a seat beside the boy. His golden hair glinted in the sunlight. Beside him was the bronze amulet. Megan stroked it with her finger. Henry flinched. 

“I’m not here to insult you.” Megan said quietly. “I’m here to help you, because that’s what friends do.” 

“I don’t have much experience with friends.” Henry turned away, pulling his amulet away from Megan. “And I’m surprised you even consider us friends. I didn’t think anyone would want to be friends with a pathetic mess like me.” 

“What about Imogene, Leo, Bruno, and I? And the Elementals? Are we not your friends?” Megan asked him. 

Henry huffed. “Leo’s dead, Imogene is with Vivian now. Bruno thinks I’m a mess. And you … you…” Henry sniffled and Megan wrapped an arm around him. He shivered despite the warmth the roof radiated. 

“Everyone has their faults.” Megan said. “You called yourself a mess, but in reality, we’re all messes, aren’t we?” She smiled and Henry simply stared at the sun. “Look, Henry, your outburst was perfectly reasonable. If I was in your position, I would’ve done the same thing.” 

Henry looked up. “You wouldn’t run away and accuse me of being a traitor. You’re perfect.” 

Megan laughed and Henry looked surprised. “You think I’m perfect? I’m nowhere near perfect, trust me.” Henry actually smiled a little, and Megan felt better about herself. If she could just get the old Henry back … 

“Give me one example of you not being perfect.” Henry challenged. 

Megan thought for a moment. “I didn’t have many friends in school, I was super smart so I took the hardest classes and almost everyone else was friends, but not me. Normally, I was left alone at school but there was always one girl who got on my nerves. She shouldn’t have been in our classes, but she was. And she always made fun of me. One day, she lashed out at me because I got almost 100% on my test, and she failed. The girl was saying I was stuck-up, a know-it-all, and I snapped. I slapped her right across the face. When my parents found out, my father was livid. It was the worst lecture of my…” 

Megan stopped. She had never shared that with anyone before. No one, not even her teachers, knew that if she did something wrong, she was punished harshly. 

She remembered her fifth birthday when she had woken up with nightmares. Her father had been absolutely irate. “Lectures?” Henry asked, reminding Megan he was there. “Are you…”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” She said quietly, pulling a strand of hair in front of her face. “It wasn’t just lectures, but I don’t want to talk about it.” 

“Then show me.” Henry grabbed her hand. “I can use a spell, I’ll see what you think.” 

Megan nodded once, inhaling deeply. Henry must’ve performed the spell, because Megan’s world went pitch black. 

Henry’s voice echoed from all around her. “You have to think of whatever you want me to see.” Megan searched her mind for the one memory she wanted to show Henry. And it wasn’t one that she had been expecting. Megan had barely remembered it at all.

Four year old Megan sat on the steps of her house, crying. She was wearing all black, clutching a tiny blanket in her small palm. Her hair was twisted up into a sleek bun. Obviously, someone had tried to make her dress up. They had put a great deal of effort into it, but Megan didn’t seem to care. She seemed more sad than anything. 

A small limo pulled up on the curb. Out of the car stepped her mother and father, both wearing elegant and jeweled clothing. Neither of them looked sad, and the limo drove off. 

“Disgusting.” Her father was spitting as her parents strolled up the sidewalk. “A disgrace if I ever saw one. I’m starting to wish it was her funeral we were going to. Douglas never would’ve acted like that, he was a good kid.” 

“I know!” Her mother said, brushing off her midnight colored dress, tugging on the veil over her face. “She wouldn’t even let me put makeup on her. I don’t want to go out in public with that child!” 

Her father spotted her on the steps. “You? I thought I told you to go inside and start dinner. That’s part of the reason you left early.” He glared at her, then grabbed her arm and wrenched her to her feet. Megan wiped her face with her sleeve, earning a cough from her mother. 

“The door was locked.” Megan whimpered as her father pulled her inside. “I don’t know how to make dinner. Where’s Douglas?” 

Her mother’s nose wrinkled. “I thought you would’ve understood by now. Douglas won’t be coming back. And you think the door being locked is an excuse? There’s a cat door at the back of the house, I think you could’ve fit.” 

Megan’s father sat her on the counter while her mother paced. Her father faced her mother. Megan sat in silence, sucking her thumb and clenching her blanket. 

Megan jerked back awake, Henry beside her. She had barely remembered that memory - or any memories of Douglas in the first place. He had disappeared when she was just four years old, so there wasn’t much to remember. 

“Who’s Douglas?” Henry asked quietly, rubbing his head. 

Megan was almost inaudible when she answered. “My brother.” 

“You … you had a brother? I thought you were an only child!” Henry exclaimed. 

“I pretend I am.” Megan whispered. “Because Douglas is dead. He died when I was four, and he was ten at the time. We were playing in the yard, me on the driveway. He was throwing a football with a friend and it went in the street. Someone in the neighborhood was speeding - they did that often. I’m glad I’m to young to remember, but they couldn’t save him. My entire life, my parents have said I should be like Douglas. They think he would’ve been a better kid, so my father holds me to impossibly high standards.” 

Megan turned to look at Henry, who was staring at her intensely. “I’ve never told anyone this, could you maybe …” 

“My lips are sealed.” Henry smiled sadly. 

Megan smiled thankfully. “C’mon, let’s get back inside.” 

Henry didn’t follow right away. But when he did, Megan held out her arms for a hug. The younger boy embraced her almost immediately, and the two friends shared a hug on the roof of the castle. 

It almost seemed like life could be perfect. Almost. 

Chapter 15 

Bruno 

There seemed to be something between Megan and Henry, which Bruno was fine with. He honestly didn’t care about what his friends did in their spare time anymore. His complete focus was for Imogene and maybe Leo. And, of course, the eventual defeat of Vivian. 

At this point, Bruno was focused on two things: training and planning. 

Part of him did feel a bit jealous of Henry and Megan - they seemed to be getting closer by the day. Within a week, the two were nearly inseparable, constantly searching the library or practicing in the garden. He felt a twang of jealousy every time he saw Henry make Megan laugh, but quickly dismissed the feeling and focused on his work. 

Bruno spent his days performing whatever tasks he thought could help defeat Vivian. 

He spent time with Beatrice, Emmett, Seraphina, and Gale educating them on Vivian, the Men, and the amulets. Megan sat in on some of the lessons, Bruno was pretty sure she was trying to ensure he didn’t withhold anything else from her. 

Some of the time he spent in his study, figuring out what the parchment his mother had sent did. Some of the time he wondered aimlessly. 

Most of the time, he sat in his study and attempted to come up with a foolproof plan where no one would die. Obviously, it wasn’t going super well. He was beginning to be willing to sacrifice a certain Earth Elemental… 

Bruno was at his desk, wistfully staring out the window and into the garden. 

Megan was pointing a shaky finger at a statue, attempting to perform a spell. Henry gently moved her arm up so the placement was right … 

Bruno had to turn away from the window. It was like there was a little creature inside his chest that begged for Megan’s attention. He wasn’t exactly sure what to feel. He couldn’t tell what was going on, but every time he saw Henry and Megan together the monster tried to escape. And he could never quite sooth the monster either. It always wanted more. 

The parchment was still sitting on Bruno’s desk. He had not touched it since the first day he found it, afraid it would start glowing. 

It was time for Bruno to face his fears, or at least, some of them. 

He touched his pointer finger to the parchment, right under the message from his mother. The parchment began to glow again, and Bruno clutched his amulet tightly. 

The glow grew steadily brighter and Bruno dropped the parchment, hoping it would go back to normal. But it didn’t, and he began to panic. Would the parchment consume him? Kill or maim him? 

But what really happened surprised him. 

The parchment was on the floor, and from it sprouted a mist that began to form into a shape. The mist began a figure, and the figure’s features became more distinguished. 

The figure had curves proving it was female. She had dark hair in a braid beside her neck. Her gray eyes grew warmer as the figure developed. Hanging from her neck was a ghost of a necklace, a dark black stone. “Bruno.” His mother smiled down at him. 

Bruno didn’t know what to say. His mother was dead. She was gone. The last time he had thought he saw her, it was a Beguiler. So he took a step back and grabbed a letter opener from his desk, brandishing it at the smoky figure. His mother looked surprised. “You would attack your own mother?” She asked. “My, you have grown up quite a bit, my dear.” 

“Are you really who you say you are?” Bruno probed. He wouldn’t make a mistake in identifying his mother again. 

The woman sighed, her voice exactly how Bruno remembered. “I’m not your actual mother, no. I’m a memory, one she put into the parchment. Your mother knew she was in danger, so she gave the amulet to the woman at the end of the street and put part of herself in the parchment. So I am your mother, but only a part of her.” 

Bruno dropped the letter opener. It hit the ground with a loud clank. 

“Mom?” Bruno’s eyes were welling up with tears. He reached out to hug her, realizing on a second too late that she shouldn’t be solid. But she was. Although her embrace was not warm or loving, Bruno hugged his mother for dear life. “You’re back.” 

His mother’s eyes glistened with tears. “Bruno … you’ve grown so much … I just… I can’t express how much I miss you. I never thought the fire would happen so soon. I thought we had more time together.” Bruno let go of his mother and stepped backwards. So you found the amulet, I see?” 

“I found it and Accepted it.” Bruno nodded, wiping his eyes. “But it’s been a lot of work.” He didn’t elaborate, but he knew his mother could understand. 

“Vivian is giving you trouble, isn’t she.” It wasn’t a question. His mother knew everything. 

“Why didn’t you tell me about the amulet?” Bruno asked her. 

She thought for a second. “Well, first of all, I knew you might tell Cynthia or your father - not that you would - but it was a possibility and therefore a risk I wasn’t willing to take. And second, just being aware of magic puts you in danger. Vivian could have harmed you then too.” 

Bruno sighed. “I wish I had never gotten into this mess.” 

“Anything you want to tell me?” 

Bruno sighed again. “My two friends that I actually have left are getting super close - too close. Vivian has my other friend, and the last one she sent into a Realm that she basically invented. We don’t have near enough power to attack the Men and win. There are four other children sharing our castle. Cynthia hates me. Everything is falling apart, and I’m helpless.” 

“Bruno,” His mother said his name softly, a smile on her face. “I made this parchment so I could see you grow up. And I know it’’s hard right now, but one day it’ll get easier. You’ll look back on today and see how far you’ve come.” 

“The thing is, I don’t think I’m going anywhere.” Bruno said. “I think I’m stuck. There’s no way to make sure everyone comes out alive.” 

“Where there’s a will there’s a way.” His mother looked straight at him, gripping his shoulders. “And I know you, Bruno. When you set your mind to something, you can do anything. I know you’ll find a way out of this.” 

Bruno smiled, nodding his head. Then a tear glistened in his eye and dripped down his cheek. “I love you.” 

“I love you too, Bruno.” Then the parchment dimmed and Bruno lifted it off the floor. 

I am always here for you. His mother was right. When Bruno put his mind to something, he could do anything.

Henry

Bruno sat down at the dinner table with several scrolls, pens, parchment pieces, and an appetite. 

Henry was surprised the Bruno actually decided to come eat dinner, he had been neglecting most of his meals for two days now. Beatrice had cooked today - she enjoyed making food the normal way, which as also a bit surprising but welcome. 

Today, she had served a giant casserole for lunch. 

Seraphina had been leading the Elemental training for a bit. Although she was uneducated like the rest of them, Seraphina possessed the skills needed for leadership. Gale was progressing nicely, and Emmett was accomplishing many things as well as providing helpful information he had learned from the Cryos. 

As for Megan… Henry wasn’t quite sure. 

The two had been working in the library for the most part. Henry had found a book on dark magic, which he taught to himself and Megan. They wrote notes for Bruno, but never had a chance to give them to him. Beatrice would leave steaming plates of food outside his room, and he would eat. Other than that, no one had seen him. 

Bruno looked exhausted, like the first day Henry had seen him back from being a prisoner. But he also looked happy, which was something new as well. 

“I’ve done a bit of research.” Bruno announced, squeezing into a seat between Megan and Henry. 

“A bit?” Megan smiled. 

Bruno didn’t look up, he spread his parchment on the table. “I think we’re very close to having enough magic to final destroy the Men and Vivian. But we need one more thing. And it shouldn’t be too hard to find.” 

He pointed to a spot on the map. “There’s another magical object, and it contains about as much magic as Vivian’s brooch. It’s a hairpin, and it’ll look like this.” 

He held up a picture of a hairpin. It had a tiny, silver jewel on the end. It looked extremely familiar. And then Henry paled. He kept silent as Bruno continued. “I found it last spring and gave it to Imogene. Then, on one of our hikes with Henry and Leo, we lost it. I don’t know where it ended up, but it should be in that general area.” 

“There’s only one problem…” Henry began to say, but the castle shook. He wasn’t sure if he had imagined the movement. The castle shook again. 

“Evacuate!” Bruno cried. He turned to Henry. “I should’ve realized this could happen!” 

“What’s going on?” Megan shouted as the castle continued to shake. 

“Imogene can still get in the castle. If she brings one Man in at a time, she could’ve snuck an entire army in. I shut off the defenses so we could get in easier.” 

Megan nodded once and the three took off towards the fleeing Elementals. 

“Grab our hands!” Henry called out to them. They could still teleport out of the castle. 

But it was too late. Of course, Imogene didn’t need to bring people into the castle. Not when she could destroy it from the inside out. 

Everything went black for a moment, and Henry felt himself falling. He hit the ground with a thud and his eyes opened. Henry stirred, pushing himself to his feet. He brushed pine needles off the ground and immediately, something whizzed by his head, embedding itself in a nearby tree. It was a dart. 

Henry pulled his amulet out from the tucks of his shirt, casting a shield spell. 

His amulet began to flood him with the familiar tingly feeling. The amulet was prepared to fight without actual spells. 

The thing was, with fighting the amulet could do spells by itself, but there was always the risk of the amulet performing the wrong spell. Henry could simply think a spell or a desired effect, and as long as it was reasonable, it would occur. 

Henry took a breath and then rolled out from beside the tree, jumping to his feet. 

He had one goal: take down the Men. 

Another dart flew by, and another. The scene was a mass of horror. 

Anyone inside the castle had been strown across the ground, and was stirring now. The Men were there in their black suits, holding guns and some other technology. There were vans parked all around, each with the creepy hand symbol. They were still by the lake, which was good. Henry could get his bearings easily. 

Beatrice was standing at the shore. There were two fists made of water that punched anyone who got near her. The ground cracked open and Henry realized that Emmett was holding his own as well. Gale was floating about ten feet above the Men, and the wind seemed to be blowing only at their guns, forcing the weapons out of their hands. Seraphina was not far from Beatrice, scorching anyone who came too close. 

Megan and Bruno were standing back to back. White and black magic combined to form a sphere that screamed magic and radiated energy. Anytime a Man tried to approach, they were blasted away. Some of the Men spotted Henry and ran towards him, guns level. 

Henry blasted one away with a stun spell, and another with the jelly-body curse he and Leo had found. 

The jelly-bodied Man popped, spraying several Men with goo that Seraphina ignited with flames from the shore. He smiled at her, but she was already back at work. Henry’s shield spell was beginning to faulter - it couldn’t hold forever, and the Men knew that. 

Henry shot off two more stun spells and a curse he had discovered with Megan - the stab spell. He Man he had used it on fell back as a gaping hole appeared in his chest. Henry winced, but kept fighting. He used a paralyze spell on one Man and a cut spell on four others. He used a rash jinx on another Man, hoping the rash would spread. His prank spells were coming in handy. 

Henry was a blur of motion as he dodged, shot off spells, and kept his eyes on his friends to ensure they were out of danger. But the Men kept coming. 

It seemed like the battle would never end. 

The Men were learning Henry’s tactics. He had to switch it up, and suddenly, Henry had a brilliant yet terrible idea. 

He summoned a sword using the knight armor spell he and Leo had found. The sword appeared in his hand, the perfect weight and length for him. The bronze blade glimmered in the sun and with a roar, Henry charged back into battle. 

The guns around him seemed to shift. Soon, all the Men were holding gleaming, dark swords as well. 

Henry had barely used a sword before, besides his sword fights with his father when he was young. But this was different. There was lives at the line. Henry infused his sword with a stun spell, that way he couldn’t kill anyone, but any of the Men he wounded fatally would be simply stunned. 

Henry sliced and stabbed. He managed to hit two Men at once at their knees, they fell over immediately. Some of the Men were smart enough to shift their weapons back to guns and began to shoot at him. Henry smiled to himself as he hit their kneecaps with his sword. 

“Henry!” It was a scream, a scream for him. He couldn’t tell who it was. 

Suddenly, Henry had an idea. 

He and Leo had invented a spell they called bask in beauty, as a joke. But somehow, it rendered anyone looking at him unconscious. 

Henry thrust his sword into the air and cast the spell. The Men all fell over, unconscious. Henry’s magic was quite drained, but he could feel the amulet quickly replenishing its energy. Henry turned to look for the source of the scream. 

All he saw was chaos. 

While he had been fighting the Men at the treeline, the war had raged on near the lake. Most of the Men had been near him during his spell, so bodes littered the ground. 

Beatrice was dragging an unconscious Seraphina towards Gale and Emmett, who were grabbing weapons off of some of the Men. But then Henry saw it, the remaining battle. He raised his sword. 

Megan was standing over Bruno, who was clutching his side, face pale. 

Megan’s face was just as pale, her expression grim as she held up her hands as if trying to keep a shield spell up. But Bruno was slowing flickering into unconsciousness. And Megan was becoming drained. 

Henry ran to go help, but he rammed into an invisible barrier. The Men had put up something to keep everyone else out. 

It was Megan and Bruno’s fight, not his. 

Henry spotted a wound in Bruno’s side. Red blood was seeping from a cut in his stomach. He spotted a Man being berated a few yards away from Bruno, a bloody sword in his hand. The other Man seemed more powerful, but Henry was focused on that. 

His amulet began working to tear down this barrier. He couldn’t lose anymore friends. 

Megan made eye contact with Henry, her eyes filled with panic. 

Henry wasn’t sure what he could do. He pushed his hands against the shield, trying to force a way inside. It was solid. 

Megan screamed again as her shield spell broke. The Men swarmed in, trying to grab her and Bruno. Megan unleashed another terrifying scream, and this time, something broke the lake surface. Henry took a step back. 

Out of the water came an enormous, black beast. It’s back was covered with fur. 

The creature bolted towards Megan, the fur rippling across its sides. The Men had taken steps back as well. The creature howled once, and Megan seemed … 

Megan’s eyes were entirely black, and glowing. Her body hovered one foot above the ground, her arms stretched out like she was lying eagle spread on the ground. And from her chest was a brilliant black light. The creature howled again, and charged onto ground. 

The Men dived for the vans, running from the beast. But it was too late for them. 

The beast exploded, sending shrapnel of black magic everywhere. Henry covered his head and chest protectively, but the blast went straight through him. Megan crumpled to the ground beside … Where was Bruno? 

The vans were gone, and so was the beast. Henry ran over to Megan, who was stirring feebly on the ground. She pushed herself into a sitting position. “Henry?” 

“It’s me.” He whispered with a smile. “It’s me.” 

The two embraced like long lost lovers, because even though Bruno was gone, they still had each other. 

Bruno

Bruno clutched his side, wishing the tearing pain would stop. What good was it to be injured? Vivian would have no use for him. Would she simply dispose of him like she had Leo? 

What disgusted Henry the most was the way the Men had simply snuck up and grabbed him. Although his memories were foggy from the battle, he could recall a black beast bursting from the lake. And the beast was from Megan… 

Bruno had a theory, one he wished he could’ve had time to investigate. 

Another thing that made him vomit (beside the burning pain in his side - the Men had at least given him a bandage to stop the bleeding) - was the girl sitting across from him. 

She was in a cage as well (how many birdcages for people did Vivian have?) probably to make sure he couldn’t free her. Imogene’s dark hair was cut short and her eyes were shut as if she were sleeping. She wasn’t sleeping, she was following orders to avoid his gaze. 

Bruno grunted, trying to shift into a better position. The van’s bumps weren’t exactly helping. 

One of the Men in the back became to speak to the others. “I got a hold of her. She says sedate the prisoner. She has no need for another secretary. Oh, and she said make sure we give the assistant food for that.” 

The other Men nodded, and Bruno wondered if the Men had ranks. 

It didn’t matter anyways. He wouldn’t be awake to ponder anything much longer. He had heard the message from Vivian. 

The Men came to him, and one reached a hand through the bars of the cage, grabbingBruno’s shirt collar. The man dragged the boy closer to the edge of the cage, pulling him up against the bars. 

Another one stuck a mask over Bruno’s mouth and nose, and Bruno was surprised by the action. He tried to struggle, but wires snuck out from the top of the cage like little snakes. They bit his skin and held fast, Bruno felt himself slip away. 

Bruno felt his mind go blank. And then he thought no more. 

Chapter 16 

Megan 

At the moment, Megan was feeling two things: cold and remorse. 

It was hard to focus on anything the the chill seeping into her bones, but Emmett encouraged the group to continue moving as far away as possible from the lake. Both Henry and Megan were too drained to teleport anywhere. 

Megan wasn’t sure what had happened at the lake. 

As soon as the castle had disappeared, she had sat up and Bruno had grabbed her. Immediately, a fight began and Megan’s amulet simply took over. Megan used Henry’s suggestion on spells (he had shared lots of vital information with her) and used spells to direct her magic. 

Bruno had gotten stabbed after his shield spell broke and he wasn’t focused enough to stun the Man. Megan had taken over the role for both of them, but it was too much strain. 

She remembered her shield spell breaking, but nothing after that. Henry had filled her in. He said there was a creature that burst of of the lake, like a giant dark wolf. It had trampled the remaining Men, though some escaped with Bruno. 

The group was afraid that the Men would return, so they ran. 

Emmett suggested they get as far as possible, but now with the castle gone, they had no where to go. Megan shivered, wishing she had either thought to bring a jacket or had enough magic left to make one. 

All of them seemed exhausted and by the time the sun set, the Emmett decided were far enough away to stop. The woods were infinite around them. 

Beatrice was shivering as well, but she had exhausted most of her energy. Seraphina had enough magic left to start a small campfire once Henry and Emmett collected sticks. They sat around the fire, shivering.

“I’m hungry.” Beatrice whined. “Can’t we make dinner?” 

“We don’t have any food, but tomorrow we can hunt.” Seraphina told the girl calmly. 

The sky was dark, the moon was absent, and the only sounds were those of animals. Megan hoped none of the animals were hungry. 

Megan’s amulet had gone cold. It wouldn’t warm up, no matter how much danger they were in. There was a bear earlier that almost mauled Gale. Henry had to wave his new, bronze sword at the bear to get it to leave. 

Secretly, Megan was pretty sure she knew what had happened with the whole whole beast thing. 

After her and Bruno’s duel, a mark had appeared on her palm. It was dark, like a bruise. It didn’t hurt like a bruise, and it seemed to be growing darker by the day. She wondered if the mark had anything to do with the lake creature - her magic was normally white, not black. 

“There’s a lake nearby.” Gale said, climbing down from a tree. Since he was an air Elemental and the least likely to fall, Gale had climbed a tree to scout out the area. “A different one. There looked like there were fish there. But after that, what do we do?” 

“Bruno said something about a hairpin.” Megan began, but the circle went quiet. The older boy’s name had this effect now that he was gone. “We can find the hairpin.” 

“He had a map.” Seraphina said, rummaging through a sack on her back. 

For some reason, some of the items in the castle had reappeared on the ground during the battle. Bruno’s maps, a piece of mostly blank parchment, Timothy, two books, a cape, and a jar of pickles (which was confirmed to be Leo’s) had appeared. Seraphina also found a bag (probably from some random hiker) and stuck all the things inside. Timothy had flown off, he wasn’t inside the bag. 

“The map won’t help.” Henry whispered, the fire flickering beside his face and giving him an eerie appearance. 

“Why not?” Emmett asked, narrowing his eyes. “Bruno said it showed where the hairpin might be.” Henry was quiet for a moment, and Megan could here the owls and other creatures of the night all around. 

“Because … because Leo and I hid it. We wanted to make a time capsule, and we hid it in the Realm of Monsters so one day we would have to go back. We put in the hairpin after we stole it from Imogene, we figured eventually she’d take us. I never thought it would actually be important.” Henry stared into the flames, which shifted from orange to red to yellow. 

“The Realm of Monsters?” Megan hoped that she had heard Henry wrong. Anywhere would be better than the Realm of Monsters. Henry nodded and Megan cursed. 

“What’s the Realm of Monsters?” Beatrice asked innocently. Her blonde hair looked more like strawberry blonde, it was crusted with dried blood. Despite the battle being mostly magical, Beatrice had been tripped and got a gash near her hairline. 

“It’s a Realm for Monsters, hence the name.” Emmett answered. “I read about it in the books the Cryos gave me. Emery told me never to go there. The air is poisonous to people like us, and there are monsters there who would kill us in an instant. I suppose Henry’s been there on a field trip before?” 

“I also ran away about a week or so ago, and I hid there. But trust me, it isn’t fun.” Henry continued to stare at the flames, absentmindedly brushing his fingers along the flat of the blade of his bronze sword. 

“Bruno and I rescued him, but the trolls definitely hate us now.” Megan sighed. 

“Trolls aren’t the worst.” Emmett warned them. “Be glad you didn’t encounter an Ancient One.” 

“I wouldn’t say that.” Seraphina said quietly. “We still have to go back in there.” 

“We’ll be fine.” Henry declared. “Tomorrow, our magic should be replenished. We can teleport to the Entrance to the Realm and hurry inside. Megan and I can cast spells to help clear off the air. I have a sword, Megan can make one too. We should be fine.” He repeated. The group nodded in sync. 

“Let’s get to bed.” Seraphina ordered. “We have a big day tomorrow.” 

Gale had enough magic left to form several white sleeping bags for them. They all tried to sleep, but Megan’s mind and heart were racing. She needed an idea for how to beat Vivian. 

But she feared that without Bruno, it would be impossible. 

Henry

Henry tossed and turn all night - he could barely sleep with his thoughts racing. 

He was embarrassed about the whole time capsule thing, he wished he and Leo had been smarter. That was what he had tried to get in the Realm when he ran away to it. He needed the time capsule because he was pretty sure there was something in there that could help him find Leo. Now, he already knew where Leo was so it wouldn’t do him much good. 

Seraphina woke them at dawn - she reminded Henry a bit of Imogene - and ordered them around. Gale stayed with Seraphina to remake the campfire (Gale was in charge of finding firewood, despite the fact that Seraphina could make fire out of nowhere). 

Beatrice and Emmett paired up to inspect the lake and see if they could find some fish to eat. Meanwhile, Megan and Henry were given the task of finding berries or something else to eat. Emmett promised he could make a berry bush, but Seraphina ignored him. 

Henry and Megan strolled north from the campsite, wandering around and trying to find trees or bushes to steal berries from. 

“So, what all is in the time capsule?” Megan asked, peeking into a shrub for fruit. 

“Boost me up.” Henry requested. Megan walked over and let him jump from her knee to the tree. “Nothing much. It was more sentimental stuff that Leo found and kept. I think there was a picture or something.” 

There were apples in the tree, which Henry picked and tossed down to Megan. Emmett had provided them with a bag woven from grass, which was perfect for holding apples. 

There was a loud caw above, and Henry looked up, shading his eyes from the bright sun. A large, black bird flew and perched next to Henry. “Hey, it’s Timothy!” Henry exclaimed to Megan. But then something odd happened. 

Timothy began to spin, faster and faster. Instead of a crow, there was a small, black cat in the tree. 

“Whoa, has he done that before?” Megan asked from the ground, still holding the bag of apples. Henry shook his head. “That’s cool, I guess.” Megan shrugged. The cat began to purr, arching his back, and then he leapt from the tree to the ground. 

“He might be able to change shape to carry different messages.” Henry offered, climbing down from the tree.  “Bruno once told us about messenger animals. He called them Particulars, and he said that they could shift shape to deliver messages to others. I always wanted one.” Timothy mewled once and darted away. 

“Is he trying to show us something?” Megan asked excitedly, dropping the bag of apples. Henry laughed and Megan frowned. 

“That sort of thing only happens in books.” Henry waved it off. Megan glared at him, and then took off in the direction Timothy had went. “Wait!” Henry called. He had no choice to go after her, so Henry took off into the weeds of the forest. 

There seemed to be a trail, though it was overgrown with plants. Henry ran through them blindly, following the sound of Megan’s footsteps. 

“Megan!” He called. “MEGAN!” She didn’t answer, and Henry was beginning to get worried. Maybe Timothy had been hypnotized too (could animals be hypnotized?, Henry wasn’t sure) and had lead them straight into a … 

Henry ran straight into the back of Megan. She pressed a finger to her lips to shush him. They had stopped in front of a large clump of bushes. 

Megan nodded once at Henry and pushed the bushes aside. Henry gasped in amazement as his face was basked in a golden glow. Megan smiled brightly at him and took a step forward. 

The clump of bushes had been hiding a tiny pond, and it seemed like the water was hidden in an earthly ball of weeds. But the water was glowing gold, and tiny specks floated serenely above the water. Henry was amazed - he didn’t know what this place was but it seemed very magical. 

He kneeled to get a closer look at the sparkling water, and noticed that the glowing dots weren’t dots at all. “Faeries!” Henry whisper-shouted. 

The little golden dots were actually tiny faeries. Henry held out his hand and one landed in his palm. It had human features, but they were slightly different. Faeries had pointy ears, and their eyes were shaped like a cat’s. The faery giggled in delight as Henry reached out a finger and stroked its tiny head. 

“What does the water do?” Megan asked Henry, eyes wide. 

It took Henry a moment to notice Megan was asking him. He had been too distracted by her face in the marvelous, golden light. It made her hair seem vivid red, and her eyes seemed bright and alert. “Oh, uh, I don’t know.” Henry blushed. 

The faery in his palm made a noise that sounded like a the triangle instrument Henry had played in the school band. 

Somehow, it sounded almost like the faery was talking to him. It was a high voice in his head that sounded distinctly feminine. The water is magical, darling. One vial of this golden water can save a friend from a terrible slaughter. 

The faery made the bell sound again, and it felt like it was giggling. The faery flew off Henry’s palm to join the others. “I think it can save one life if we get a vial.” 

Megan thought for a moment. “That might be helpful.” 

“Here.” Henry summoned a glass vial and handed it to Megan. She dipped it in the water, filling the vial with the golden liquid. Where here fingers touched the water began to glimmer brightly. Henry noticed something weird on her palm. “What’s that?” He asked. 

“Nothing.” Megan said quickly, shoving her hand in her pocket and handing Henry the vial. He put the stopper in and tucked it away into his pocket. “Just a cut from the battle. Oh, I just realized we forgot the bag of apples. We should run back and get that, especially because Seraphina is going to worry.” Megan blushed furiously. 

“If it’s a cut, I can heal it.” Henry offered, trying not to think about how it would give him a chance to hold her hand. “Here, let me see.” 

“No.” Megan pulled away, her voice sounding … scared? “Let’s just go…” 

Henry took advantage of her hesitation and grabbed Megan’s arm, holding it still so he could see her palm. He shuddered. 

There was a dark splotch right in the center. “What is this?” He asked her, his eyebrows raised. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” Megan pulled her hand away, face pale and expression shocked. 

“I … I don’t know what it is. It just appeared.” Megan began to cry, sobs shaking her body. “I think there’s darkness inside of me, begging to escape.” 

Henry frowned. He hadn’t heard of anything like that before. 

“Let’s get the apples.” Henry decided, leading Megan back along the path. Timothy had left again, to go who knew where, but Megan and Henry made their way back to the apples anyways. Megan found a blueberry bush and grabbed some of those too. 

Before they got back to the campsite, Megan turned to look straight at Henry. 

“I don’t know what I would do without you.” She whispered. 

Henry was silent. We wanted this moment to last forever. They drew closer, Henry felt his face growing warmer. And then came the loud, piercing scream of someone being attacked. 

Megan 

She was partly thankful for the loud scream, despite the fact that she nearly twisted her ankle spinning around. Megan didn’t know what would’ve happened if the scream hadn’t happened. 

“Who was that?” Henry asked quickly, pulling himself away from Megan. 

“I don’t know. We should head back anyways, or Seraphina won’t be happy.” Megan sighed. They began to walk side by side, but both were silent. 

Megan carried the bag of fruits, glad her hands were full. Her heart was racing and her cheeks felt like they were on fire. She didn’t know what was going on between her and Henry, she remembered Bruno saying something about Henry liking her… 

Megan shook her head. She had more important things to worry about. The fate of the magical race could lie in her hands, and she was running off kissing boys? At school she had always ignored them, she figured that love didn’t matter to her father so it didn’t matter to her. When she first accepted the amulet, she thought she was free. But now she was more a prisoner than she had been with her parents. 

They arrived at the campsite several minutes later, but the other four Elementals were gone. Megan’s pulse grew faster. Part of her wanted to clutch Henry’s hand, but she told herself no. The Elementals couldn’t have gotten that far. 

The fire was still roaring, so Megan dropped the bag of fruit. Henry grabbed his sword. 

“How do you summon a weapon?” Megan asked quickly before she could forget. She thought a dagger might do her good - even if she had never used one before. Or maybe a bow and arrow, like one of her favorite book characters. She had once done archery in gym class and was pretty decent. 

“It’s just the summoning spell. The words are come to me and then whatever you want, but they’re in runes.” Henry explained. 

Megan nodded, quickly figuring out the rune pattern. Then she used the spell to summon both a dagger and bow and a quiver of arrows. “Now I’m good.” 

“They might be by the lake.” Henry said. “It’s just over this hill.” 

Megan and Henry hurried up the hill, and Megan made a mental note to find gloves or something to cover her hand. She didn’t want anyone else knowing what was forming on her palm. 

What she had said to Henry was mostly a lie. The mark hadn’t just appeared, and she knew where it came from. It had come from her and Bruno’s duel and the weird, floating spheres. The only thing hadn’t lied about was the darkness. She was afraid of the mark, but she wasn’t going to let it show. The shadow beast from the lake would be ignored entirely. 

They found the Elementals over the hill and at the lake, exactly where Henry had guessed they would be. 

“Down here!” Seraphina called when she spotted them. “We found something!” 

Megan and Henry hurried down the hill, tripping over branches and rocks. When they reached the bottom, Seraphina met them and led them to what they had found. 

“I found this while I was fishing.” Beatrice explained. “I was trying to beach the fish using my magic, and I figured while I was at it I could see if there were any crabs or something to eat. And I sensed this, so I beached it.” 

“Don’t touch it.” Emmett warned them. “Seraphina told us not to.” 

“She’s right.” Henry said, staring down at the object. 

Megan wasn’t quite sure what it was. The object kind of looked like a metal fish. It looked like a machine, it’s eyes were flickering with red light. The tail flapped once, making a creaking noise before the machine went silent. Megan realized there had been whirring sounds before. The fish’s eye lights blinked out. 

“What is it?” Beatrice asked. “If it’s not evil may I keep it as a pet?” 

“No.” Henry shook his head. “I have a feeling that this fish is property of MagicTech. That’s the name Vivian’s company is other.” 

Emmett grabbed a stick and pushed over the fish. Sure enough, on the other side in bright red letters were the words MagicTech. “Why did someone scream?” Megan asked, as it occurred to her that the fish wasn’t scary at all. 

“No one screamed.” Seraphina narrowed her eyes. “I came down here with Gale because all of you were taking forever.” 

“Never mind.” Henry shot Megan a look that meant we’ll talk about it later. “We need to feast, we have a big day ahead of us.” There were no arguments from the Elementals or the amulet keepers. So they walked away, not noticing the fish’s eyes blinking back to red light. 

Chapter 17 

Henry 

Henry had to admit, the fish that Beatrice had actually caught were pretty tasty. It had been what felt like eternity since his last meal. 

Seraphina and Gale roasted the bass that Beatrice had caught while Emmett show Henry and Megan how make a fruit salad using the fruits they had gathered. Beatrice had the idea to make silverware and a picnic blanket, so she ran to the lake and returned later with more supplies, all a silver-blue water color. 

They ate the fish and fruit salad, makin small talk occasionally. Megan kept sending Henry looks from across the blanket. He wished he hadn’t done what he had. 

They cleaned up their campsite as soon as breakfast was over, Beatrice was eager to transport to the Realm, while Seraphina was more reluctant. 

In truth, Henry was a little scared too. The last time he had been in the Realm resulted in him being unconscious. It pained him to think what would’ve happened, had Bruno and Megan not been there to rescue him. 

“How close can you teleport to the entrance?” Emmett asked them as Seraphina was finishing packing the bags. 

Megan shrugged. “Pretty close, I guess. It’s not an exact science, but as long as we’re on the island we should be fine. You should really be figuring out if you need weapons and how we’re going to breath.” 

“What do you mean?” Seraphina asked, closing their drawstring bag. “We can’t breathe in this Realm?” 

“You can.” Henry shrugged. “But the air is meant to keep people like Megan and I out. Since some Elementals live there,  I bet you guys will be fine. Megan and I are the ones who need to worry. Here, we can leave in ten minutes. Megan and I can find a way to keep breathing while the rest of you create some weapons.” 

Henry pulled Megan aside behind a tree, waiting for the rest of them to head to the lake, which Seraphina thought would be the best place for weapon making. 

“I’m so sorry about earlier…” Henry began. 

“Shut up.” Megan didn’t exactly mean it, but Henry could sense a hint of bitterness in her voice. He remembered how the girl had looked in her memory of her brother’s funeral and decided not to push the issue. “How are we supposed to breathe in the Realm?” 

“When we went on the little field trip, Imogene gave us bubbles to wrap around our mouths. But the air still made us dizzy, so from lack of fresh oxygen, so…” 

Megan interrupted him. “What if we magicked scarves around our heads instead?” 

Henry shrugged. “It’s worth a shot. If we let Gale make them, maybe he can form them from the air now so we don’t have to worry about Realm air slipping through.” 

“Good idea.” Megan nodded. 

Ten minutes later, Henry and Megan were fitted with white scarves. Each of the Elementals was wielding a new weapon (Henry had his sword, Megan her bow and arrows and a dagger). Emmett and Gale both had swords, Emmett had an ax as well. Beatrice was carrying tiny knife and had a trident strapped to her back. And Seraphina had a wicked looking weapon that resembled a knife, but it was curved and seemed to be between the length of a sword and a knife. She also carried a spear. 

None of them carried guns, those weapons needed reloading. Besides, Henry doubted  gun could take down a cyclops or troll. 

The group arrived about a quarter of a mile away from the Entrance. Henry explained the most common types of monsters they would confront with the help of Megan and Emmett - who seemed to read a ton of books. 

Seraphina was a bit worried, and she made Gale promise that if the battle got too hard he would leave. Henry understood her concern, but Gale looked disappointed. If he died, Seraphina would die too. And Beatrice and Emmett weren’t exactly independent yet - they relied on Seraphina for cooked food. 

The Gatekeeper’s hood dropped when she saw Henry approaching. “You are better now, little one?” 

Henry didn’t like being called ‘little one’ but he decided not argue. “Yes, thanks.” 

The Gatekeeper smiled at Henry and Megan, but frowned when she saw the others. “Zees don’t look like your normal crew. Is everything alright?” 

Henry ignored her question. “We seek entrance to the Realm of Monsters.” 

The Gatekeeper spent a moment staring at each one of them. “Fine zen. Be warned, however, ze Realm is not what it was when you last visited.” 

“How?” Megan asked. 

“I suspect you can answer better zan I. Tell me, children, where are ze other three? Ze other Amulet Keepers are noticeably absent and I have a feeling zey are not in simply staying home on zis important expedition.” The Gatekeeper smiled at Henry and he felt unnerved. 

“You’re right.” Megan said quickly. “Bruno, Imogene, and Leo are all with the Men - I suppose you’ve heard of them? We need something in the Realm to save them.” 

“Something in ze Realm, you say? I ‘ave already told you, ze Realm is not safe for ze likes of you. I can not admit you unless I am given good reason. Ze Realm is not under my control anymore.” The Gatekeeper sighed. “I don’t even know why I am still here.” 

“So why are you even here?” Megan asked. “If you have no job, technically then it doesn’t matter if you let us in.” 

The Gatekeeper laughed, but there was no happiness in it. “You zink so?” 

Megan shrugged, but Henry could see her trembling. “I think so. Will you let us in?” 

The Gatekeeper smiled darkly. “Oh, I can let you in ze Realm, it is just a matter of if I will. I said I don’t ‘ave a job, but zat was partially a lie. I was given a new job - ze same position - only under a different boss.” 

Henry sensed what was coming. “Run!” He yelled, and Megan bolted. So did the Elementals, but it took them a second to react, and by that time the Gate Keeper had also been given time to react. 

The Realm Entrance was just ahead, the soft purple glow illuminating the rocks. The Gate Keeper’s white hair fanned out as her feet left the ground. Henry knew she would summon the Men and Vivian given the chance - no, she would summon them anyways. There was no escape. 

Seraphina stopped and held out her hands as if she was going to launch fire at the Gate Keeper, but Emmett grabbed her and she realized it was futile. They kept running and Henry was grateful for Emmett’s bookworm side. 

Megan was the first arrive at the Entrance. She pulled the white scarf out of her bag and pulled it around her face. Henry did the same. Their bags were courtesy of Emmett, their scarves from Gale. “Hurry!” Megan called, her voice muffled through the scarf. The Gate Keeper was flying faster than they were running. 

Beatrice ran into the light, followed by Gale, Emmett, and Seraphina. 

The Gate Keeper threw something that looked like a spear, but Megan ducked and the spear missed. She grabbed Henry’s hand as he approached, pulling him into the light with her. The flying Gate Keeper was gone from view, but that didn’t make Henry feel any safer. 

He was in the Realm of Monsters once again. 

Megan 

Megan wished she could take off the scarf so her voice was clear, but it wasn’t worth the risk. Henry had drawn a detailed map for them of the Realm and where he believed the capsule was located. 

The good thing was that they were prepared and the capsule wasn’t far. 

The bad thing was that Henry and Leo had foolishly placed the capsule in an area that the new tourist board (courtesy of the Gate Keeper) showed as a werewolf lair. Megan was just jumping for joy about that. 

Her fingers rubbed the hilt of her dagger. Although Megan read a lot, that didn’t mean she actually knew how to fight. What if she died? That would be a waste. 

Beatrice seemed more subdued now. Perhaps it was because their first minute in the Realm involved an oversized bat trying to eat Seraphina. Gale had chopped it in half with his sword, but the creature had scared everyone. 

Henry was the leader, as he had been in the Realm twice before. Megan followed closely behind him, the Elementals trailing after her like ducklings.

The scarves were doing their job - especially with Gale’s magic air infused in their fibers. Megan hadn’t felt dizzy, but she did feel her heart beating so fast she thought it might leap out of her chest and run away. 

“Are we there yet?” Beatrice asked, and she was immediately shushed by Henry, Emmett, and Megan all at once. “Can’t we do a silent spell or something?” 

“We’re not there yet and I tried a silent spell last time and I still almost died.” Henry snapped back, though his voice was quiet. 

“Maybe you just didn’t do it good enough then.” Beatrice crossed her arms. 

“Are you twelve or not?” Emmett called back to her, which shut Beatrice up. 

Megan tried to ignore how loud they were being. She felt like she was forgetting something - which she soon remembered when she looked down. 

“We’re not wearing human clothes!” Megan whisper shouted at Henry, who promptly looked down at himself and frowned. 

“Too late to change now.” He shrugged, but Megan heard a tone of panic in his voice. 

The purple glow seemed to be pulsing. The screams and shrieks Megan had heard last time were gone. It felt eerie - like the Realm was holding its breath. 

A few minutes later, as the group was beginning to climb a steep hill, Megan finally heard a noise. It did not sound like a howl, which she had been expecting from werewolves, but it sounded like whispers and chatter. 

Emmett paled. “Keep going, but faster. And keep quiet.” He whispered. 

The chattering was growing louder. A shape appeared in the fog. Megan kept climbing, her legs growing sore. 

The shape was getting bigger. Megan drew her dagger - and as it turned out, that was a good idea. The shape grew bigger until it was about ten yards away. And then Megan realized it wasn’t just one shape. 

It looked like a swarm of angry moths. Emmett shouted something, but Megan couldn’t hear him. The swarm was on top of them. 

Megan screamed as it felt like thousands of tiny legs were pulling at her skin. It was almost as if these moth things were trying to peel off her skin. Megan start thrashing her dagger around wildly. She hoped she wasn’t hitting any of the others, but the moths were so thick she couldn’t even see her own hands. 

The moth’s feet pulled at her lips, slipping under the scarf in attempt to sneak into her mouth. Megan shut her mouth, clamping it tightly. 

Suddenly, there was a flash of bronze light and Megan felt the air around her become light and empty of moths. She sucked in breaths of air through her scarf, grateful as the tiny bodies of moths fell around her feet and off her clothes. 

The othThere ers were all panting, just like her. Henry was clutching his amulet. “Bug repellant spell.” He smiled weakly. “Thought it would come in handy one day.” 

Megan smiled at him. Emmett shook a few bugs out of his hair before explaining. “I read about those too. The swarm was a mass of Bonewings - they’re just like moths, but they eat flesh. Bonewings dig at your skin in attempt to peel off your flesh and eat it. If Henry hadn’t done that spell…” 

Emmett didn’t finish the sentence which made it ten times worse. 

“C’mon, we’re almost there.” Henry forced a smile and continued up the hill. Megan followed him, and hoped that they could find the hairpin. 

Everyone seemed scared after the encounter with the Bonewings. Megan wondered if the presence of Vivian in the Realm was what made the monsters more confident. 

She almost laughed at the picture in her head. One of the trolls staring at a mirror, wondering if its bad case of acne would clear up soon. Did all monsters have confidence? Megan shook her head, reminding herself she needed to focus. 

The top of the hill provided them a view of a few miles of the Realm. The clouds were almost close enough for Megan to touch, but she figured they were probably poisonous and refrained. They could see a weird rock formation below. It was shaped oddly (and probably for a reason) like a skull. In the eyes were lanterns that glowed purple like everything else. 

“Is that where we’re going?” Gale asked, taking a place near the front of the group. 

Megan shivered when Henry nodded. Of all the places in the Realm, Henry and Leo had decided to bury their capsule in the skull shaped rock? 

Their group would be no match for werewolves, although Megan couldn’t see anything inside the rock. Maybe all of the monsters were gathering somewhere else, somewhere far away. Megan doubted it. 

“So … do we just run down there and start fighting?” Seraphina frowned, her amber eyes narrowing. “I mean, with the Men we kind of were surprised, but now…” 

“I know it seems weird.” Henry sighed. “But what other way do we do this? I guess we sneak down the hill, duck inside the skull, and hope that there’s no one in there. Of course, there’s always the possibility that the tourist board was wrong, but a skull kind of seems … ominous?” 

“No, it seems like a perfectly good place to hide a time capsule.” Megan said sarcastically. “Then again, the Realm is a perfect vacation spot.” 

Henry glared at her. “Let’s just go already. I don’t think I can get any jumpier.” 

Megan sighed as Henry began his way down the hill. Her heart felt like a hummingbird. Every slip of her feet on the gravel made her gasp, and Beatrice let out tiny screams occasionally - whenever she slipped or a shadow passed above them. Apart from the Bonewings, they hadn’t heard or seen any monsters. 

Henry lead them around to the back of the skull. His white scarf seemed to almost glow in the violet light. Megan could see he was tense. The joking Henry was gone. 

It was so quiet when the began to sneak around to the front that Megan thought she could hear her thoughts outside her head. Emmett was directly behind her, and his heavy breathing was quite distracting. 

Finally, they reached the front corner of the skull, right beside the mouth opening. 

Henry sucked in a breath, and peered around the edge and inside the skull. He turned back to Megan, his face blank. “It’s empty.” 

Megan was a bit skeptical, but she peered around the edge and sure enough, the skull was empty. There was gravel on the ground like everywhere else in the Realm, with a few patches of grass. But other than that, the skull was empty. 

Back towards the base of the skull was a tiny pile of dirt, and although it seemed old, Megan knew that it had to be the capsule. She pointed to it and Henry nodded. 

Henry crept around the side of the skull, Megan and the others staying behind to watch. Henry went straight to the dirt pile and began clawing at it with his hands. Behind Megan, Emmett raised a fist and something small and metal popped out of the ground. Henry looked surprised at first, but when he saw Emmett he smiled and began to make his way back towards the group. 

On his way, Henry tripped over a small, white wire that Megan had missed before. The capsule fell from his hands and a terrible sound filled the air. 

It sounded like nails on a chalkboard, dying cats, screaming children, and clarinets all at once. Megan covered her ears, and then she felt it. The ground was rumbling. Henry climbed to his feet, looking panicked. He snatched the capsule and they all began to run. 

Megan drew her dagger, which was a good idea. Over the hill came a mass of monsters, hundreds of their terrifying forms loping over the edge. Henry paled. 

They couldn’t teleport out of the Realm, so they would have to either go around or through these monsters. If they went around, there was the chance that they would get lost. And if they went through the monsters, well, no death seemed more certain. 

Megan spotted creatures she recognized (furry werewolves, tiny imps, trolls) and creatures that were foreign to her (a weird lizard thing, a really tall rock monster). 

“What do we do?” Beatrice hissed, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. 

“Fight.” Emmett said, his voice steely. “There’s nothing else we can do.” 

Beatrice huffed, but she withdrew her weapons like everyone else. Megan tightened the scarf around her head. They would fight. 

Her amulet grew warm, almost burning as the monsters approached. Some wielded clubs while others were weaponless. Megan felt like her veins were filled with lava. She had to live. All of them had to live. 

The first creature to charge was a werewolf. 

Apparently, it wasn’t quite a full moon because the thing that attacked them just looked like a hairy man. At first, Megan wasn’t expecting much, but the man leaped at them with surprising agility and landed on Emmett, tackling him to the ground. 

Then all chaos broke loose. 

The entire monster army (was it all the monsters? Megan hoped so) charged down the hill. A few tripped and were trampled by the larger creaturs, but several made it down alive. 

Megan ran into the nearest group, working to disarm and paralyze as many as she could. She didn’t want any of her friends to die - and that included herself. They had to live. 

The first thing Megan took down was a tired looking Elemental. They were obviously under someone else’s control, as their movements were slow and choppy. The Elemental was an old looking female who held a butter knife, crusted in dried blood. 

Megan’s amulet was burning now. She sent an impact spell at the woman, accidently flinging her against a larger monster. The monster took one swipe at the woman and she fell, much to Megan’s dismay. 

Another werewolf launched itself at Megan, its mouth so close she could smell the raw meat stuck in the teeth. The nails were yellow. Megan didn’t hesitate to stab the werewolf with her dagger, although the whimper made her hesitate on the next creature. 

Megan cut down a troll, slicing off its legs with the slice curse. 

She sent magical bolts flying into the chests of two Beguilers attempting to trick Gale. 

She stabbed a goblin with her dagger and shot an imp down with her bow. Megan even used a spell she and Henry had discovered - the needle jinx - on two other unidentified creatures. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the others fighting just as well. 

Henry stabbed a troll in the stomach with his sword. Seraphina burnt four werewolves to a crisp while Gale floated above, whisking monsters into walls and other monsters, causing brawls to break out. Emmett made the ground rumble and swallow several trolls. Beatrice waved her hand, causing a massive wave to flood a section of the army. 

Megan’s amulet was most of what kept her alive. She nearly got bit by a werewolf twice, and barely managed to avoid the acid spray of a two-headed serpent girl. 

Then Megan felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. She gasped as she realized her scarf had been pulled off in the chaos. It was on the ground a few feet away, but the air had been in Megan’s lungs for awhile, especially with her shorter breaths. 

No. Megan thought to herself. I can’t die like this. Not by poisonous air. Crawl over there and get it, you big baby. 

Megan crawled across the ground, the air making her weaker. 

Something leapt over her, tearing a shallow cut in her back. She hoped it wasn’t a werewolf. Megan didn’t cry out, keeping her mouth clamped shut. 

She wouldn’t die this was, not in the Realm of Monsters. 

Her eyes began to close, Megan felt like she could barely breathe. 

And then something warm and soft was wrapped around her face. She could breathe again! 

Megan opened her eyes, half expecting to see a light at the end of a long tunnel. 

Instead, she stared straight into the face of Henry. Megan smiled once, because she knew Henry couldn’t see it under the scarf. “Make sure you keep this on.” Henry said, and Megan knew he was smirking underneath. 

Then the warmth of his body was gone and Megan knew that she needed to return to the battle. It had raged on without her. 

Except, there were barely any creatures left. 

Beatrice was locked in a duel with an Earth Elemental. 

Seraphina was dueling a vampire with a sword. 

Emmett was nowhere to be seen, but there was a large ball made of vines that was rolling around, running over monsters. 

Gale was on top of the skull, forming two miniature tornadoes. 

And Henry was duelling a Beguiler. 

There was only one monster left: the biggest and baddest of them all. Actually, it wasn’t even that big. 

The creature was terrifying: like a mixture of all the most terrifying creatures in the world. Megan shuddered. 

The creature had a long body like a snake, but there were eight hairy legs extending from its sides. The creature had a stinger on the end of its tail like wasp. Feathery wings were attached directly above its legs, and it began to squeak loudly. Fangs glistened with drool, sharp as knives, and its large, catlike eyes scanned the area. 

Who in the world had created this … this beast? 

Her friends were preoccupied, and Megan knew that this monster would not rest until it either died or killed all of them. 

The dark eyes locked on hers, and Megan felt sweat dripping down her back. 

Thinking quickly as the monster began to scurry towards her, Megan withdrew her bow and began loading an arrow. The monster’s feet clicked on the ground. Megan drew back the bow string, and let the arrow fly. It hit the monster’s head, right above the left eye. The monster squealed loudly, flapping its wings. But then it snarled, howled, and charged at her. 

Megan’s amulet must’ve been working overtime because it threw her in the air as the monster charged at her. But the amulet had also been working to ensure Megan didn’t die in her numerous other battles  and was clearly exhausting all of its magic. Megan fell to the ground, groaning from the rough impact. 

She caught the weird creature take to the air with its wings, the tail trailing behind it. Its legs wiggled in the air, looking kind of humorous. Megan slapped herself - she needed to focus. 

Megan shot another arrow at the snake as it dived at her. Her amulet threw her to the side as the creature’s mouth hit the ground where she had just been standing. It was stuck, and Megan took the opportunity to stab her dagger into its side. 

The creature squealed in pain again, wiggling free from the ground. It hissed at Megan, just as the girl shot another arrow into one of its wings. 

Just as she had suspected, despite the feathers coating the wings, the membrane on the creature’s wings was thin. Her arrow tore threw the membrane, disappearing into the mist but leaving the creature grounded. And that was a mistake. The creature charged at Megan. 

Megan couldn’t move in time. The creature threw her against a rock. Darkness. 

Chapter 18 

Henry 

Henry heard the screech before he saw the monster. He immediately recognized the creature. It was a dreaded Doom Bear. 

Doom Bears were actually some of the most feared animals on the planet mixed into one ugly creature. Most had gone extinct about 100 years prior, but this one had apparently lived. Hopefully, it didn’t have kids. 

Henry quickly disbanded the Beguiler with a final strike as she tried to poison him with what she claimed was a love potion. The thing died with a song in her throat and a sword in her stomach. 

Henry turned to look for the Doom Bear again, as it was busy with Megan. One person alone couldn’t defeat the monster. But two could accomplish what one couldn’t. 

Henry could feel his amulet running out of magic. It was tired, as was he. It would help him evade attacks, but casting spells would drain the magic. Henry sighed and held his sword tighter in his hands. The others were still busy. 

Just as he began to charge at the Doom Bear, Henry watched as Megan fell as it threw her against a rock. Shoot. Hopefully Megan was still conscious, otherwise… 

“Hey, over here!” Henry shouted at the Doom Bear, who immediately turned in anticipation of a new prey. Henry saw Megan stirring feebly on the ground - which was a good thing because that meant he had a partner. 

The Doom Bear squeaked again, sounding somewhat pathetic. But Henry could see the poison glistening on its sharp fangs and knew he alone was no match for it. 

Henry leveled his sword with the monster’s leg and charged at it, slicing off one of the hairy legs in one cut. The Doom Bear was obviously not expecting its prey to be so willing to die, and was taken aback by Henry’s bold action. It screeched after realizing one of its legs was, gone, but unfortunately, it still had seven more. 

Henry ducked out of the way as it spit acid at him, forming a sizable divot in the ground that gave Henry a good idea. 

Henry ran straight in front of the Doom Bear, giving it a large target to aim for. 

The creature lunged, stepping in the hole it had created. The monster squealed as it tripped, giving Henry time to stab its left eye with his sword. He went to cut off the head, but his amulet launched him backwards just as the creature spun around, whipping its tail wildly. Henry would’ve been poisoned by the stinger on its back end if it weren’t for his amulet. 

Megan was on her feet now, rubbing her head and gathering her arrows. If she saw Henry with the Doom Bear she made no reaction telling him so. 

Henry grabbed a discarded knife off the ground and threw it with as much force as he could muster at the Doom Bear. It hit the monster’s chest, making the mighty beast collapse. But before Henry could swoop in for the kill, the monster rose. 

Megan was gone, leaving Henry to wonder where she had gone. 

The Doom Bear threw itself at Henry, who managed to dodge and leave a nasty cut on the Doom Bear. 

Its teeth were stuck in the rock, and Henry went in to kill it again. 

But the monster roared loudly, a new and fear-inducing sound, sending its tail straight at Henry. The stinger had been aimed for his chest, but Henry managed to protect his heart with his arm. He cried out, dropping his sword as he stared at the large stinger in his arm. 

He knew it contained poison - not deadly but painful. 

Henry needed Megan to defeat the monster, but he knew the girl couldn’t do it without him. Henry inhaled deeply as he ripped the stinger out of his arm. 

Just as he had assumed, the amulet sensed his danger and began pouring out the remainder of its magic into healing him. His senses cleared as the poison left his veins. Henry was glad he had been able to deflect the blow… 

He grabbed his sword and looked up as the monster squealed. He saw an arrow fly and strike the monster in the face. Henry smiled, standing up. 

“Distract it!” He called to Megan, hoping she could hear him. 

Maybe she did, because the monster suddenly veered left, leaving Henry the perfect chance. He charged straight at the monster. 

Imogene had insisted Henry and Leo read about creatures like Doom Bears as part of their training. Although she didn’t read nearly as many books as Leo and Henry did, Imogene had guaranteed that they read the books on the most dangerous creatures. 

For this reason, Henry knew that the hide on the Doom Bear’s stomach was thin. He crouched, watching from underneath as Megan shot the beast again. 

Henry thrust his sword upwards, into the monster’s stomach. He screeched in pain, jumping to the side and whacking Henry in the head with one of its legs. It rolled around as its guts spilled to the ground - courtesy of Henry’s strike to the stomach and slice, leaving a hole. 

Around him, Henry saw that the battle was over. 

Beatrice was standing beside a puddle and figure that seemed to be unconscious. 

Seraphina was holding her curved sword and another red one. 

Emmett was inspecting a flat body of a werewolf. 

Gale was climbing down off the skull rock, two bodies at his feet. 

And Megan was standing beside Henry, her face bloodied and a gash on her forehead. Although the others seemed to have minor injuries too, Henry thought Megan looked the best out of all of them. She was alive! So was he! And the others, but Henry wasn’t focused on them. 

Standing in the field, the purple glow behind her, Megan was wearing a fierce expression that made Henry feel something in his chest. She was beautiful. 

And slowly, everyone seemed to come to terms with the fact that they had won. 

Against the odds, six children had beat an army of monsters! 

Henry and Megan made their way over to the others. Beatrice looked excited, but also a bit tired. Seraphina looked exhausted. Gale was relieved. And Emmett’s face held a grim determination. If they could beat the monsters, it felt like they had a hope to rescue Bruno and Imogene. Leo, too, but Henry was keeping that hope a secret. 

“Where’d the Doom Bear go?” Emmett asked, green eyes searching Henry. They landed on the gash on his arm, where the stinger had been. “Wait, is that a stinger cut?” 

Henry nodded, but it was Megan who spoke. “Yup, I saw him get it. Then he ripped it out and stood up. Then we killed the Doom Bear. It’s just up that hill in the field of grass, if you want to see it.” 

Emmett shook his head, looking a bit excited. “Yeah, I want to see it. I’ll go in a minute. But the poison should’ve killed you by now.” 

“Amulet, remember?” Henry held it up, showing Emmett who nodded and pointed to the hill. He beckoned Seraphina to go with him - just to make sure none of the monsters had survived. 

Megan and Henry were somehow still wearing their bright white scarves, although they were stained red now. 

Henry’s amulet was completely drained, and Megan’s appeared to be so too. Neither had enough energy to fix the injuries, although none were serious. Henry was a bit surprised, but it was welcome. 

“Did you see me defeat the Earth Elemental?!” Beatrice asked, nearly jumping up and down. “It was hard. The scratched me with a rock. And there were these vines, and some flowers. But I drowned them in a magical ball!” 

Megan smiled at the girl. “That was so cool! I did see what you did, and I thought it was awesome.” 

“Are they actually … you know… dead?” Gale gulped. 

“No.” Beatrice shook her head. “When I had the sphere of water, someone shot some acid or something at me and it hit the water. I guessed it worked as a sedative.” 

“So,” Megan interrupted. “Where is the capsule anyways?” 

Henry scanned the ground, his gaze coming to rest on the silver container. 

It was the shape of a pill, made of metal, and about the size of a plastic water bottle. Henry and Leo had used magic to preserve and bury it, so the outside was clean. 

Emmett and Seraphina had returned, Emmett tucking something hairy into a bag made of leaves. Henry felt pressured by the amount of people and unscrewed the lid to the capsule. 

Inside was an assortment of items - five things to be exact. 

The first thing was the hairpin. The silver jewel on the end glimmered in the dim light. Henry handed it ot Megan. 

The second thing was a picture. Imogene had taken the chance to get a family picture of Leo, Henry, Bruno, and herself at a mall. Though the photographer definitely gave them some weird looks, Imogene bought the pictures as a memento. 

The third thing was a cloth, which Henry recalled had magical capabilities. It could heal anyone by waving it across their wounds - but if there was too much damage it wouldn’t work. 

The fourth thing was a red feather. Twisted around the bottom were two hairs, one was blonde and the other brown. Henry tucked it away before anyone could see - this was the object he had been hoping to find during his last visit. It was his only hope to save Leo. 

The final object was the most unexpected. “Is that … a ring?” Megan asked when she saw it. And indeed, it was a ring. 

Embedded in the metal band was a small, sapphire stone that seemed to glow. 

“Is that all?” Megan asked when Henry didn’t answer he first question. 

“The hairpin is here, but you already know what that is.” Henry said, slightly avoiding her question again. “The second was a picture of the four Keepers before you arrived. The cloth thing can heal any wound - as long as you aren’t too close to death. There was a sentimental gift for me and Leo. And the final item is a ring. 

“Leo and I nicked in from Bruno’s desk. We thought it was an heirloom, more the reason for us to come back. But now, I think it’s one of the rings.” Henry finished, rolling the item in his hand. 

“Are you sure?” Emmett stepped in. “How many rings are there?” 

“24, I think.” Henry sighed. “It very well could be one of them.” 

Megan looked like she was about to say something but a screech cut her off. “Let’s get out of here.” Megan said hurriedly, glancing at the shadow in the sky. 

“Good idea.” Beatrice nodded frantically, staring at the thing in the sky. 

No one had to be told twice. 

Megan

Upon exiting the Realm of Monsters, the group stood on the hill facing the sea. The Gatekeeper was gone, which made Megan a little nervous. 

They had decided on putting the capsule in a tiny pouch. Gale formed it out of air (outside the Realm) and Megan and Henry’s scarves. They tucked the capsule, hairpin, ring, cloth (which seemed helpful), and picture inside the bag. Megan knew Henry had stuck the last item in his pocket, but she didn’t know what it was. 

They had also used the cloth quickly to heal their remaining injuries, although some cuts still left scars.

Seraphina stared thoughtfully at the raging waves of the ocean. “So, where do we go to next? We need somewhere safe to stay.” She looked around to see if anyone would offer up a place. 

“We don’t have a house.” Seraphina and Gale pointed out. “Our parents are dead, remember?” 

“My parents don’t remember me.” Beatrice sighed. “We wiped their minds.” 

“The Cryos don’t like visitors.” Emmett shrugged. “It’s a possibility, but they could’ve moved by now too. They often move locations.” Everyone turned to Henry and Megan. 

“My dad and sisters haven’t seen me for years, and Leo and I faked our deaths. They assume I am gone, I even saw my own funeral from afar.” Henry sighed, staring off into the depths of the ocean. 

Megan groaned. “I guess I have a place. But my parents pretty much despise me ever since my brother …” Megan didn’t finish, but instead changed the subject. “Maybe it’ll be fun, I can annoy my parents by bringing people over. They probably won’t be home anyways. Besides, we can attack Vivian soon anyways.” 

No one argued, even though Megan wished they would. Henry looked like he had something to say but he kept quiet. 

They arrived in front of Megan’s house, which was surprising considering none of them had teleported there before. Fortunately, it was the middle of the night because of their time in the Realm. Not to mention they narrowly missed a boy teleporting to the Realm Entrance not ten seconds after they left. 

Unfortunately, however, there were cars in the driveway that meant her parents were home. Megan had everyone take turns in the bushes changing into human clothing. They also shrunk their weapons to the size of pencils so her parents wouldn’t be freaked out. 

Not that it wouldn’t be terrifying to wake up and find your missing daughter and five other teens in your house in the middle of the night. 

But they couldn’t exactly wait until morning to go inside. 

Megan rang the doorbell, and wasn’t surprised when she heard shouting. Her father normally stayed up late the nights he was home, watching sitcoms on the television. Her mother - when she happened to be home - did makeup tutorials for her blog. 

Mrs. Burke was the one to answer the door. 

Someone snorted - either Beatrice or Gale - and Megan ignored them. 

Her mother was wearing a sweeping ball gown of pale rose color. Her makeup was only half done, evidence of an unfinished tutorial. It made her look like a drunk raccoon, but Megan didn’t comment. Instead, she pushed by her mother and made her way inside. 

“Who is it?” Mr. Burke called from the living room. He waddled to the kitchen where Megan was standing, her friends still struggling through the door. He paled and dropped a beer glass. “What is she doing here?” He asked his confused wife. Then he turned to Megan, deciding that maybe he should ask her. “Where have you been? It’s been weeks since you’ve been in school, so you have a lot of catching up to do. If Douglas was still here,...” 

“Where’s your brother?” Beatrice asked with a smile. Megan almost screamed. She should’ve caught herself when saying his name. 

Her mother sobbed and her father narrowed his eyes. “Her brother?” He didn’t even ask Beatrice who she was, nor did he ask anyone of them why they were there. “Her brother was handsome young boy. He was several years older than her, far smarter, far better looking, and overall a better person. And he died, and it was all Megan’s fault.” Her father shouted. 

And then something surprising happened. Henry stepped in front of Megan. 

“With all due respect, sir,” The way he said sir made Mr. Burke snarl. “I don’t think Douglas’s death should be blamed on Megan. She was four at the time, what could a four year old have done to stop a speeding car. Not to mention how you treat her now. I heard you, when we came in here. You immediately chastised her for letting her grades drop, you didn’t even care about her wellbeing. You disgust me. You should be proud to have a daughter like Megan.” 

Henry fell silent, sending a sympathetic look towards Megan. He looked guilty for interrupting, but Megan was appreciative towards him. 

“And who might you be?” Mr. Burke spat, as if finally noticing the five other kids in his house. 

It was Megan who spoke. “What does it matter who they are?” Henry’s words had empowered her to do what she had never done before: stand up for herself. “All my life you’ve only cared about two things: your work and Douglas. You always compare me to him, say that I could’ve done better. That Douglas would’ve done things better. But you don’t know that. 

“When I first walked in you asked me where I’ve been. I’ve been to forests, castles, mountains, beaches, Realms, cities, and so many places that I could’ve been going if you hadn’t restricted me with your irrational expectations. You wanted an amazing daughter? Well this is what you get! I’ve been given a gift.” She held her amulet out for them to see. “I have the most amazing magic and the best friends I could ever ask for. I’m here, risking my neck to save all of magical kind and you have the nerve to reprimand me for dropping out of school? I could snap your neck like a toothpick…” 

“Maybe a little too far.” Henry whispered into her ear. Megan realized he was right. Her father was gaping at her, and her mother was about to scream. 

“Look,” Megan sighed. “I didn’t want my entire life to be compared to someone who is dead. Now, I have something that makes me special. All I ask is that you let us stay for one night here. We won’t steal food, we won’t bother you.” 

“Is it true about all this magic stuff?” Mrs. Burke asked. 

Seraphina stepped forwards too. “Yes, ma’m. You’re daughter is truly an extraordinary person who has the potential to save the entire world.” 

Mrs. Burke looked on the verge of tears, while Mr. Burke looked at her disgust. “You don’t believe this nonsense, my darling, do you? This is lies. The girl has run away and joined a gang of delinquents. They’ll ruin my reputation.” Mr. Burke squealed. 

“Honey,” Mrs. Burke began. “I’m so proud of you.” Her mother seemed genuine, but Megan suspected she had been into the wine cellar as well. Besides, she had never loved Megan before.  

Mr. Burke scoffed. “You’re off the walls, sweetheart. This … this filthy girl comes spouting rubbish in our presence and you believe it? I’ve had psychopaths who sound more reasonable than her.” 

And then something else unexpected happened, and Megan was sure quite what it was. She felt something stirring in her chest. 

Then something dark as night burst from her chest, spinning like a miniature tornado. It encircled her father, and he screamed and shrieked. Her mother’s sobs grew louder and Megan panicked. She tried to shut off this weird magic. 

And as soon as it started, the attack was over. Megan’s father was on the ground. 

She stumbled backwards into Henry’s waiting arms, looking terrified of what she had just done. “Go!” Her mother screamed at her. “GO!” 

The woman ran to her husband, who was just waking on the ground. 

Henry pulled Megan along, and she had no idea how he knew where to go. He lead them to her room, and Megan sat down on the bed, drawing her knees to her chest. 

She didn’t listen as Henry and Seraphina arranged a way for everyone to sleep on the floor. She didn’t notice that everyone left her the bed. She didn’t the see the longing looks filled with pity that Henry sent her way. She didn’t care about the whispers that followed the darkness. 

Megan was afraid. She knew Bruno had a fear of Vivian, Henry of losing Leo. 

Megan had finally discovered her fear. She was scared of letting the darkness take over. 

And it seemed to be getting uncontrollable. What if she lashed out at her friends? 

What if she wasn’t a hero after all? 

Chapter 19 

Henry 

The next morning Henry was the first one awake. 

He had plenty of time to sit alone and think, or read, or do anything really. Megan’s room was pretty full - but nothing reflected her. It was all junk and stuff. 

Taped to one of the walls was a pamphlet for a college. On another was a chart showing the water cycle. There was a poster of a book. Henry didn’t feel comfortable searching Megan’s stuff, so he sat on the floor and stared at the wall. Among the many posters he noticed a menu for a restaurant called the Coconut Cafe. Instantly, he remembered the one time he had been to  the Coconut Cafe. 

Henry and Leo sat at the booth in silence. It had been a few years since they had first met and Henry had accepted his amulet. 

One week prior, Leo and Henry had recieved identical letters in the mail. They were instructed to meet two strangers at a cafe in the nearby city. Although Henry had been hesitant at first (what did a stranger want with him?), the letter had told him the strangers knew about his amulet. 

The doorbell jingled. Henry wondered if it had been worth driving four hours here. Mrs. Winters had drove him and Leo after they told her it was for a school project. 

Into the cafe stepped two people that Henry immediately recognized as magicals. There was a dark haired boy with pale, calculating eyes. The girl had dark hair as well, but bright blue eyes. The boy greeted one of the servers with a smile before searching the cafe with his cold stare. His eyes landed on Henry and Leo, and he whispered to the girl. 

The pair came over to Henry and Leo’s booth. “You must be Henry and Leo.” The girl said with a smile. “My name is Imogene, and this is Bruno. We’ve been searching to find you for a long time.” 

“Why?” Leo asked. 

Imogene looked up to see if anyone was watching them. When she discovered no one was looking, she opened her one fist and showed them a tiny, silver amulet. Henry immediately felt a sense of security. 

That was the day Henry and Leo had first met Imogene and Bruno. They had ran away (after faking Henry’s death and signing Leo up for a boarding school) and built the castle. It was the first day that Henry had ever felt free. 

“You’re awake already?” A voice asked from behind him. Henry turned to see Megan propping herself up on her bed. She yawned and stretched, sitting up completely. 

“I’ve been awake for awhile, actually.” Henry shrugged. “You okay now?” 

Megan shrugged too. “I guess so.” Then she was silent and Henry was sorry he had brought it up in the first place. 

“So,” Henry sighed. “There’s a Coconut Cafe in town?” 

Megan nodded, wiping sleep from her eyes. “Yeah, it’s my favorite place to eat. It’s actually where I first met Bruno - although he was hypnotized at the time.” 

Henry laughed quietly. “Same with me, although Bruno wasn’t hypnotized. Imogene and Bruno sent a letter to Leo and I in the mail, inviting us to the Coconut Cafe. It’s where the four of us kind of ran away.” 

“You really miss him, don’t you?” Megan asked. “Leo?” It was Henry’s turn to be silent. 

“I guess.” Henry sighed. He rubbed his pocket where the feather was sitting. 

The feather actually had a purpose. It had been taken from a phoenix (another one of Imogene’s field trips). After reading up on the properties of the feather, Leo had come up with a use for it. Leo and Henry both cut off a tiny piece of their hair and wrapped it around the base of the feather. Somehow, the feather would be able to lead Henry to Leo. How? He had no idea. But right now he needed to focus. 

“When’s breakfast?” Beatrice asked, making Megan and Henry jump. 

“I don’t know that my parents will make any for us.” Megan sighed, climbing off the bed. “But there’s a cafe in town we can stop at.” She sent a look at Henry, but he couldn’t decipher what it meant. Girls. 

Megan waited until the others stirred to explain her plan. “I figure we can head to the Coconut Cafe on Charles Street. I know the manager well, and I think he knows about magic - if Bruno didn’t wipe his mind. Anyways, we can eat there and I guess we can do whatever. We’re ready to fight Vivian now.” 

They all ignored the last part of that comment. They were ready to fight Vivian - though winning might not happen. Henry recalled when he and Leo had bought a video game for Leo’s console. They played everyday, and finally, they had beat the entire game except for the final boss. That was what Henry felt like now. They had completed the sidequests, they only had Vivian left to defeat. 

“Won’t we look a little suspicious?” Seraphina asked, gesturing to her tunic and cloak. 

Megan frowned. “I don’t know. We can try to change into clothes here. My mom is a model, so we have plenty.” She sized them all up. “Beatrice and I can wear my old clothes. Seraphina might be able to fit into some of my mom’s. Gale, Emmett, and Henry might just have to get some of my father’s clothing. It’ll be baggy, but…” 

Before Megan could finish the statement there was a knock on her bedroom door. She sprung from her bed and opened it.  It was her mother. 

“I’m sorry about last night.” Mrs. Burke said quickly before Megan could slam the door. “This morning I went to my studio and picked out some clothes for you, since I noticed last night you didn’t have much. Megan, I don’t know what you have to do that’s so important. But just no that I’m proud of you, no matter how much I wish your brother was still here. I realize I haven’t exactly been respectful of you, but I want to make it up. I can’t have you,” Mrs. Burke choked. “Dying on me without a proper goodbye.” 

Megan smiled. “Thanks, mom.” Mother and daughter shared a hug and Mrs. Burke handed Megan to bags before leaving. 

Megan handed out the clothes - which seemed like much better fits than what their situation good have been. They took turns changing in the bathroom after quick showers. Mrs. Burke sent up a steaming pile of pancakes before the car in the garage started and they were alone. 

They took turns eating as well. Megan grabbed some last minute stuff and shoved it in a backpack along with the capsule, the cloth, the picture, the ring, the hairpin, and the various other items the group had collected on their journey. 

Henry had been given a t-shirt and jeans. But Megan - her mother had seemed to understand that Megan was special. While everyone else had recieved the cheapest designer clothing, Megan had been given a whole new wardrobe it seemed. Her mother had deemed it the “adventure closet” but Henry was pretty sure it was a whole shopping mall. 

Megan had blushed as Seraphina and Beatrice were amazed by this clothing and wanted Megan to dress up. The girl had adamantly refused, choosing a plain shirt, mini-skirt, and leggings. She wore the amulet proudly on her chest. 

Henry also noticed how she had tied her hair back with a bandana. Megan looked fierce. 

The Coconut Cafe was not far away at all. It took twenty minutes to walk there, and they looked normal enough. Apparently, it was a Saturday so lots of kids were walking around the city. Megan waved at a few politely before scowling at them behind their backs. This made Beatrice laugh, especially when a group of popular girls stared at Megan and began whispering. 

The cafe was bustling with excitement. Henry had seen an advertisement for a new type of frappuccino. When they pushed open the door, the sound of the bells was exactly like Henry had remembered. 

At the counter was a older woman. Megan stepped in line, advising the others to take a booth as she memorized their order. 

Henry decided to wait with Megan - he told himself it was just to keep her safe. It definitely wasn’t because of the girls staring at him because they’d never seen him before. It definitely wasn’t because of the boy eyeing up Megan in the corner. And it definitely wasn’t because Henry wanted to be closer to her. 

Megan stepped up to the counter. “Hello, Mrs. Perry. How’s Mr. Perry doing?” 

The woman greeted her with a smile. “Megan! I haven’t seen you in a while. Ever since the robbery. My son is in the back, getting our shipments organized. What would you like, dear?” 

Megan placed their order and beckoned for Henry to come with her. Apparently, Mrs. Perry hadn’t seen Henry before Megan had moved. “My, Megan, who is this lovely boy you’ve brought with you here today?” 

Megan stuttered, struggling for words. “Oh, uh… he’s …. We’re…” 

“We’re here on a school project, ma’m.” Henry said politely. “My name is Henry. You see, Megan was just telling our group about how good the cafe was, and how great the food is.” He pointed at the booth where the Elementals were seated. Beatrice waved giddily from her seat. 

Mrs. Perry looked flattered, and she clutched her chest. “Why, I am so happy, dear. Thank you so much.” She handed Megan their order and then Megan paid. “You can go see if Gabriel is done yet.” 

Megan smiled and promised she would see him before she left. Then she carried their order back to the booth and squeezed in next to Seraphina. 

They munched happily (the supply of pancakes had not been fulfilling at all that morning) and made pleasant conversation. Henry ate happily, although he was a bit bothered that he couldn’t fit on the bench with Megan. 

“Which one of us should wear the ring?” Gale said finally, breaking the silence. His voice was low, as there were several tables watching. Megan sighed. Henry wondered if no one had expected to see her with other people. There were several men at a back table that seemed to be eyeing up their booth. Maybe they were teachers of Megan’s or something. 

“I don’t know.” Megan shrugged, reminding Henry that they had other things to talk about. “Henry and I both have amulets, so the ring would probably just enhance our magic, right? We also have the hairpin.” 

“Which one of us has the least experience?” Emmett asked, gesturing to the Elementals. “Or which one of us is the weakest?” 

“Gale’s been doing magic since he was four.” Seraphina pointed out. “That’s eleven years for him. I got mine when I was nine, so that’s six years for me.” 

“I became an Elemental when I was six.” Beatrice explained. “So that’s six for me as well. But I’m also younger.” 

“I was ten, so five years for me.” Emmett sighed. “I guess I have the least experience.” 

“So that settles it.” Seraphina smiled. “Beatrice gets the hairpin and Emmett gets the ring. Beatrice is the youngest and Emmett has the least amount of experience.” 

“But wait,” Henry interjected, feeling obligated to stand up for himself and Megan. “Megan and Bruno have extremely close Auras. If we give her one of the items - she could beat him in a duel. Vivian might use him as a servant again.” 

“Really, Henry,” Megan started. “I don’t need another magical item. Let Beatrice and Emmett have them. I’ll be fine. I don’t need help.”

And then Henry jumped. Across the cafe was someone who he was hoping they wouldn’t see for a long time. Then another figure appeared. And then men at the table in the corner stood, revealing that they were actually Men all along. 

“Are you sure, Megan?” Bruno asked from the doorway, his pale eyes staring straight at Megan. “Because I think you’ll need all the help you can get.” 

Megan 

Her heart dropped to her stomach when she saw Bruno standing in the doorway. She didn’t want to fight. Megan knew that their next step had been to attempt defeat of Vivian, but she wasn’t ready for that - not yet. 

Imogene was directly behind Bruno. And there were Men all around the restaurant - even some women who looked like they wanted to fight. 

Luckily, Seraphina seemed to be thinking clearly. She dumped out the weapons on the table, while everyone willed them to normal size. Megan grabbed her dagger, prepared to fight. But before she could do anything she was blasted off her feet. 

Megan heard someone scream - was it Henry? She wondered if it was Mrs. Perry. 

Megan opened her eyes, groaning as she pulled herself out of what used to be a table. She noticed that everyone who wasn’t either her and the Elementals or the Men were frozen. She guessed that was Vivian’s way of keeping the fight a secret. 

But Vivian also obviously wanted something else. She had made Bruno try to knock Megan out first thing, which meant that the woman didn’t want her near the boy or Imogene. 

That gave Megan the resolve she needed to pull herself to her feet. 

The Elementals were already locked in battle - or most of them at least. She could see something glittering in Beatrice’s hair (maybe the hairpin) and there was something shiny on Emmett’s finger - it had to be the ring. Emmett, however, seemed only to be worried about saving the non magical people. He was carrying them outside and lying them on the sidewalk. 

Imogene and Henry were duelling in a corner, but Henry seemed to be losing. 

Bruno was unoccupied, but he saw Megan stand and smiled. “I was hoping I didn’t knock you out on the first hit. That gives me the pleasure of getting to hit you again.” 

When Megan didn’t respond, Bruno simply laughed. “Playing tough, are we now?” 

“Duel me.” Megan said, and Bruno seemed taken aback by her blunt approach. “We did it once, now let’s duel again. No magical enhancing objects, nothing. Just us and our amulets. If you win, I’ll go with you. If I win, you let me hypnotize you.” She stuck out her hand as if to shake, but Bruno stared at it, as if awaiting orders from his master. 

“Fine.” He said at last. “But let’s do something a little more … fun.” 

“Megan, don’t do it!” Megan wheeled around to see Henry pulled up against Imogene, her finger to his throat and a malevolent gleam in her eyes. “He wants a complex duel!” 

“What’s a complex duel?” Megan asked, turning back to Bruno. She wanted to heed Henry’s warning, but if he was captured, that meant the Elementals probably didn’t stand a chance. She needed to get to Bruno to unhypnotize him. 

Bruno smiled again. “A complex duel is where two magicals square off, like a normal duel. But instead of standing still and launching one bolt of energy, they move around like in an actual battle. The duel is over when one sorceror is unable to continue due to the other’s spells. I believe you’d be up to the challenge.” 

Megan turned back to look at Henry. He went to say something but Imogene covered his mouth with her hand. Henry’s eyes were filled with panic, but Megan sighed. There was only one way to end this war. And that was to fight. 

“You promise you’ll hold up your end of the bargain?” Megan asked, wary. 

Bruno nodded, and she could see the sincerity in his eyes. “I promise.” Bruno smiled after they shook hands. Then Bruno turned to Imogene and Henry. “I need someone to watch the duel to ensure there’s no cheating. Imogene, would you…” 

“No.” Megan said quickly. “If someone is going to manage our duel it can’t be someone who is biased. Imogene will allow you to cheat, just like Henry would for me. Therefore, we need someone who either doesn’t know either of us or does not have an opinion on which one of us should win.” 

Bruno smiled thoughtfully. “I suppose you’re right. What if we wipe Gabriel’s mind completely and ask him to moderate. Would that suffice?” 

Megan didn’t know what to say. She looked at Henry, but she couldn’t tell what he was trying to say. “Fine.” Megan sighed. “But you’ll have to remove the time stop spell first.” 

Within five minutes, the duel was set up. It seemed like the world had stopped around them. After stepping outside to find Mr. Perry amongst the mass of bodies, Megan had noticed a dome around the town. It must’ve stopped time everywhere. 

Bruno wiped Mr. Perry’s mind before waking him up. 

The Elementals were nowhere in sight and Megan wondered if they were around the town elsewhere. 

Bruno finished explaining the rules of moderation to Mr. Perry. The man seemed timid and nervous, but Megan had stood by Bruno during the explanation so she knew he wasn’t being threatened or coerced in favor of Bruno. 

Finally, it was time for the duel to begin. 

Megan and Bruno took their spots on opposite sides of Charles Street. The block between them didn’t seem like enough room. Imogene held Henry at knifepoint to the side while Mr. Perry was perched on the top of a car. He whistled loudly, signaling the start of a duel. 

Bruno remained still, as did Megan they stared at each other. They waited for the other to make the first move. Megan wasn’t sure how exactly a complex duel worked. 

Suddenly, Megan was thrown aside and under a car. She wasn’t sure what had happened until she saw Bruno’s outstretched hand. Understanding reached her, and Megan knew that her amulet had just saved her from Bruno. 

From under the car, Megan shot a paralyze spell at Bruno. But he must’ve had a shield spell around him. But then he darted away, behind another car. Megan shot another spell at him, but it missed narrowly. Megan crawled out from under the car and ducked behind a parking meter. 

“Hey, coward, come and fight like a man!” Megan yelled. She knew it would give away her location, but Bruno probably already knew where she was. Hopefully, she could trick him into revealing himself. But no such luck. 

Instead, Megan barely avoided being set on fire by a spell. She couldn’t quite tell where it came from. 

Then Megan remembered one of the spells her and Henry had discovered during their studies. Quickly, she cast a doppelganger spell. Just as expected, Bruno shot a spell at it thinking the image was her. He was behind a lampost. 

Thinking fast, Megan shot two consecutive spells at the lampost. One was an explode spell and the other was a paralyze spell. 

Unfortunately, Bruno somehow managed to escape. However, Megan’s first spell had sent a smoke signal into the sky. Maybe the Elementals would see it and know not to come to Charles Street - if they were still alive, that was. 

The smoke also provided Megan with a screen to hide in. Although she couldn’t see Bruno, he obviously couldn’t see her either. No spells flew by her head. 

Megan suddenly had an idea. She cast a clear vision spell over herself, and she could see through the smoke. Bruno was standing a few yards away, scanning the smoke for any sign of her. 

Megan shot off several spells, a mix of paralyze and knock out jinxes. Somehow, Bruno managed to avoid all of them. She shot off a slice spell, which cut a gash in Bruno’s arm. 

A burst of light shot towards Megan, hitting her shoulder. She felt her entire left arm go numb, rendering it incapable of movement. Megan scowled and ducked away before Bruno could shoot another spell at her. 

The smoke was drifting away now, destroying Megan’s cover. She feared that Bruno would see her. She ducked behind another car. 

Bruno must’ve hit it with a spell, because the car alarm went off. 

“Come fight like a man!” Bruno sneered from somewhere not far away, his voice high as he was mocking her. Megan scowled. 

“Let’s finish this like we started it.” Megan called. 

She stepped out from behind the car and let her amulet take hold. It fired off beams of light, and one ended up colliding with one of Bruno’s spells. 

Black and white. White and black. Evil and good. 

The two forces met in the middle of the street. Megan could feel the white magic from her palms bend to her will, she knew that she was controlling it entirely. But Bruno was fighting too. She could see his face scrunched in concentration. 

There was a big explosion of power that threw Megan backwards. Her amulet caught her and lowered her to the ground gently. 

But before she could regain her footing, she felt something bind her. 

Thick ropes had covered Megan like a cocoon. The more she struggle the tighter they got until Megan could barely breathe. Bruno was striding forward, a grin on his face. He looked like a jack-o-lantern, devoid of any emotion. 

Megan attempted to free herself with a cut spell, but it didn’t work. Bruno’s ropes were strong. 

Megan began to panic. Was this the end? She could feel her consciousness slipping away. 

All of the sudden, the she felt herself fall limp. At first she thought she was dead, she had run out of oxygen. 

But then a black light burst from her chest. 

It leaped into the sky, and Megan saw a black wolf form out of thin air. It charged down Bruno, and he fell backwards. The wolf howled, almost as if to tell Megan it was winning. It bent over like it was going to bite Bruno, snap him in half. Megan wanted to call out and tell the wolf no, but she couldn’t move. 

Just as the wolf bent over Bruno, licking its dark lips, something amazing happened. 

White light burst from Bruno’s chest, taking the form of a wolf as well. 

The two wolves sized each other up, growling. They circled, and Megan attempted to call the darkness back to her. If it killed the white wolf, would it kill Bruno? 

Both wolves leapt at each other, colliding in the air and rolling to the ground. 

And then they were gone. 

Megan could move again. She screamed once to test her voice and the ropes fell to the ground, writhing like snakes. 

Bruno stood a few feet away, brushing himself off. 

And like the first day at the cafe, Megan saw a scared boy underneath the facade of an evil minion. “I’m sorry.” Bruno whispered. He waved his hand and the world went dark. 

Chapter 20 

Bruno 

Bruno groaned and rubbed his head. The events of the past few days came rushing back to him. 

He had been captured by Vivian and the Men, but they had kept him sedated for the first day or so. Then, when Vivian got wind of the Elementals, Megan, and Henry, she had sent him as her little servant and kept Imogene as her secretary. Finally, Bruno had burst into the Coconut Cafe, dueled Megan while the rest of the Men pretty much destroyed the city, and then knocked her out. 

He had woken up about three hours later in the back of a moving van. Silver cuffs rubbed his wrists, leaving marks. When Bruno tried to remove them they sent electric pulses through his body, making him almost black out. 

All around him, Bruno could make out the sleeping bodies of his friends in cages. 

He didn’t know what Vivian’s plan was, but she obviously didn’t want them escaping. Bruno appeared to be the only one awake, which wasn’t surprising. 

Somehow, the Men had managed to sedate the Elementals (probably with tranquilizers or gas). Henry had been knocked out by Imogene during the duel, and Bruno had knocked Megan out. Then the Men had taken care of Imogene and Bruno. 

Bruno remembered only some of the details of the duel. Of course, he knew Vivian had been piloting him the whole time like a puppet, but there was a few minutes towards the end where Bruno had been able to think clearly. Something large and black burst from Megan, and something large and white burst from him. He was beginning to think it was all a dream, but he wasn’t so sure. 

Bruno’s head throbbed - he wasn’t sure if it was from being unconscious, sitting in a cramped cage, or from the other numerous problems he needed a solution to. He decided to make a list in his head; order always calmed him down. 

1. Escape from this van, and help the others escape too. 

2. Defeat Vivian and the Men - without letting anyone die 

3. Save Leo, wherever he was 

4. Find the parchment with his mother in it 

And that was only the beginning of the very long list. 

Something rustled in one of the other cages. Bruno knew it had to be one of his friends, there were no guards in the back of the van because each prisoner wore the metal cuffs. 

“Is anyone awake?” Bruno whispered, his voice hoarse. 

“Bruno?” It was Henry’s voice. “Is that you?” 

“It’s me, Henry.” Bruno answered, a smile forming on his face. “You doing okay over there?”

“I’m fine.” Henry grunted. Bruno could barely see in the dim light of the van, but there were two tiny windows in the back that provided a tiny bit of illumination. He could see Henry facing him. “You’re not hypnotized anymore?” 

“I’ve served my purpose.” Bruno answered quietly. “Did you find the hairpin on the hiking trail?” 

“Not exactly.” Henry shrugged, and then proceeded to explain what had happened after Bruno’s capture. Bruno was amazed. They had found a fairy fountain (Henry just remembered that he had a vial of the water - which he had stuck in their bag secretly), and made food. They had adventured into the Realm of Monsters again, fought off tons of monsters - including a Doom Bear, and found a capsule with the hairpin and a ring. Then, they had gone to Megan’s house, stayed the night, and arrived at the Coconut Cafe. 

“That’s … awesome.” Bruno said truthfully, feeling a bit jealous but also proud. 

Henry seemed to blush - even though Bruno couldn’t see him. “Still, we ended up in Vivian’s grasp anyways. Do you have any idea what she’s planning?” 

“No.” Bruno sighed, and the two boys fell quiet. The others stirred, but none made a sound. Bruno decided that his artificial sleep wasn’t good for him, and he fell into an exhausted yet restless slumber. 

When Bruno woke again his limbs hurt and there was brightness all around him. 

Then he opened his eyes and was amazed. 

The walls around him were made of stone - dark and gray. But there were torches on the walls, each one holding a vivid, white flame. 

Bruno noticed that next to him, a sleeping Megan was using his arm as a pillow. He pushed her off and she woke with a start. Bruno pressed a finger to his lips, his eyes meeting Megan’s panicked ones. She saw his face and nodded, keeping quiet and still. 

The Elemental and Henry were all around them as well, propped up against the rocky walls of the cave. 

But what really scared Bruno was the wall at the far end of the cave. 

The cave entrance was blocked by several Men, each with guns strapped across their backs. Two had swords. Several had rings. 

Across from them, however, was a wall of … nothingness. 

An arch made of golden stones was set against the wall, but in the arch was swirling colors of gold, silver, and blue. They mixed together, disappearing and reappearing a somewhat satisfying way. Beside the arch was a stone pedestal and an angry Vivian. 

“Wake them up already!” She cried out at the guard standing by her side. Except, it wasn’t a guard. Imogene stood by Vivian, a dagger in her belt. 

Imogene nodded once, her silky hair swaying as she walked over to the sleeping group of kids. She then grabbed her amulet (why Vivian let her keep it, Bruno had no idea) and waved it over them. Instantly, they all bolted upright and rubbed their eyes. Vivian smiled. 

Henry immediately began searching his pockets. “Looking for this?” Vivian held up a backpack, which Henry seemed to recognize. “Everything we found with you is in here, including Bruno, Megan, and Henry’s amulets.” She tossed the bag to the side, and Bruno winced when he found his neck bare. 

Then Vivian whistled a peculiar tune and Bruno could barely register what had happened. 

Imogene had grabbed Henry, wrenched him to his feet, and pressed her dagger to his throat in less than a second. Henry squeaked and struggled, but to no avail. Imogene calmly walked him over to Vivian. 

“You have no use to me, boy. So if you do anything - anything - that I don’t approve of, I’ll have my secretary here slit your throat.” Vivian spat on Henry. 

Bruno’s heart was racing. What was this? Henry looked terrified, he was begging Bruno to do something with his eyes, but Bruno wasn’t sure what to do. Vivian turned to the rest of them. “All of you will do exactly what I say, when I say it if you value this boy’s life at all.” 

The were all silent, and Vivian looked pleased. 

Then Bruno noticed what was on the floor. He gasped, scrambling backwards. 

It was a hexagon, with a small circle at each point. Each circle was a different color and had a different shape. In the middle of the hexagon was a square. 

“Ah,” Vivian laughed, and Bruno noticed she was still wearing glasses, as well as a long, white dress. “Bruno gets what we’re doing here.” 

“She wants to open to Realm of Death.” Bruno said calmly. He wasn’t entirely sure, but the stench of the air made him think that was probably their purpose. Vivian wanted to open the Realm of the Dead. 

Vivian simply nodded. “And if you want to live through this, I suggest you follow my instructions.” Bruno nodded, along with the others. He was a bit confused. 

Six circles - six elements. He spotted fire across from water, earth across from air, and shadow across from light. But there were only four Elementals there, weren’t there? Vivian needed six Elementals, not four. 

And then he remembered the wolves on Charles Street. He knew. Vivian knew he knew. Vivian knew that Bruno was aware it was too late for him to do anything. 

Vivian took several long strides to the wall where Bruno, Megan, and the Elementals were. All of them were standing by now. Vivian walked along until she stopped in front of Seraphina. 

The older girl held her breath, shutting her amber eyes. Her vibrant red hair deemed dimmed by the force of the Realm Entrance. 

“What is your name, girl?” Vivian grabbed Seraphina and pushed her against the wall. Gale’s fist clenched, but Vivian payed no attention to that. 

“Seraphina Crane.” Seraphina gulped. 

Vivian inspected her. “You must be the fire Elemental.” Vivian smiled. “I remember healing all the burns you left on my Men. Come.” 

Vivian let Seraphina go and walked to the orange circle on the floor. Seraphina and Gale shared a look, but there wasn’t anything they could do. Seraphina took her spot on the orange circle. 

Vivian went for Gale next, although she didn’t push him against the wall. “Name?” 

“Gale Crane.” Gale said, his voice steely. Vivian smiled. 

“Of course, of course, I forgot I was dealing with twins.” Vivian sneered, dragging Gale to the whte circle. 

Vivian placed Emmett and Beatrice on their respective circles as well. Finally, there were two circles left and two Amulet Keepers left standing near the wall. Vivian paced back in forth in front of them, daring them to move or speak. 

Megan took the bait, even though Bruno grabbed her arm and tried to stop her. “You didn’t plan very well, now did you?” Megan snorted. “You need two more Elementals, you can’t open the Realm.” 

Vivian stopped pacing in front of Megan. “You must be Megan Burke.” Vivian smiled kindly for once, but it was not genuine. Bruno could see Megan’s fists clenching. He wanted to warn her to be careful - for her sake and Henry’s - but he couldn’t with Vivian right there. “The secret weapon. Greetings, my dear.” 

“You don’t have any Shadow or Light Elementals.” Megan repeated louder, with a laugh. Vivian simply laughed. Megan looked confused. 

“We’re the last two Elementals.” Bruno whispered quietly, much to the confusion of everyone else. “The night Megan and I duelled, it wasn’t because our Auras are equal that we passed out. It had something to do with our Amulets. Somehow, we became Elementals.” 

“Quite perceptive.” Vivian noted. “Now, Megan, if you want Henry to live, come stand on this black circle over here. 

“I’m the white amulet, smartie.” Megan argued, stepping forward. Henry shook his head, but stopped when Imogene pressed the knife further into his throat - drawing blood. Megan looked defiant, but she was wrong. 

“Haven’t you been wondering about the darkness inside you?” Vivian asked sweetly, pushing Megan towards the black circle. “Now get in the black circle or Henry may lose some blood.” Megan positioned herself in the black circle, looking unsteady. “Bruno, come to the white circle.” Vivian instructed. 

Bruno’s feet seemed to move on their own accord. Everyone’s eyes seemed to be on him. Henry looked like he wanted Bruno to attack and escape, but he didn’t want Henry to die. 

Beatrice was crying. Seraphina looked terrified. Emmett looked shameful, while Gale appeared to be in shock. And Megan … she was staring at her feet. Bruno felt all of those at once. The boy who never felt emotions, according to Henry, was on the verge of tears. 

He had always assumed one day he would triumph over Vivian. Maybe live to his seventies, pass on his Amulet, raise a family. Now, he was helping Vivian unleash death. 

Vivian made her way towards the square in the center of the hexagon. Bruno wanted to cry out - to tell her to stop. But he couldn’t. Closer, closer Vivian was on top of the square now… 

Nothing happened. 

Megan let out a nervous laugh. Vivian continued smiling. “Imogene, darling, would you do me the pleasure of…” 

Vivian didn’t have to finish her order because apparently, Imogene had been waiting to do it her entire life. Megan let out an gasp as Imogene’s dagger shifted from Henry’s neck to his chest, down his arms. She stopped at his wrist, drawing a thin line. 

Megan screeched, and Imogene jumped, slicing a deep gash in Henry’s stomach. 

The boy fell to the floor, his eyes wide. His shirt was soon soaked red with blood. 

Imogene took the dagger coated in Henry’s blood and placed it on the pedestal. She took a step back, and sat next to Henry. The boy was groaning, Bruno hoped he lived through this. 

But the blood on the pedestal soaked into the stone. The colors of the Entrance to the Realm of Death began to swirl. Because Vivian had opened the Realm of Death. There was no stopping her now. 

Vivian stood still in the square in the center of the hexagon. Her arms were stretched above her head, waiting. Bruno considered stepping off of his circle, but he worried that Imogene could harm Henry further. Bruno felt like he had been punched in the gut - there was nothing stopping Vivian from getting what she wanted. 

But what did she want? 

There was a crack of thunder and then a low, deep voice began to speak, very slowly. “To you who has opened the Realm of Death, what services do you require. Press one to speak to a representative. Press two to be swallowed by the portal around you. Press three to collapse this location - the Entrance will be moved somewhere else. Press four to leave.” 

In the air in front of Vivian, a keypad appeared. Vivian selected the one. The voice continued. 

“Press one to speak with a Retriever. Press two to speak with a Banisher. Press three to speak to Customer Services. Press four to go back.” The voice said. Bruno almost laughed! It was like a telemarketer. Vivian pressed the one again. 

Elevator music began to play, and thirty seconds later, a figure shrouded in dark mists climbed out of the Realm Entrance. 

Bruno couldn’t see its face, or tell anything about the strange creature. “Hello, I am Jirarin, how may I help you today?” The creature asked, its voice indistinct and fuzzy. Jirarin remained outside of the hexagon, but its hood faced Vivian. 

“I wish to recall someone from the dead.” Vivian said, her voice calm. 

At first Bruno wondered who she was calling back. But then it dawned on him. 

The dress wasn’t just any dress, it was a wedding dress. Vivian hoped to bring back her husband, Pablo. Then, she would most likely dispose of the Amulet Keepers. Henry was already wounded, the sacrifice necessary to open the Realm. 

But would they need further payment to get Pablo? Perhaps another soul. 

Jirarin pulled a tablet out from its robes. It seemed kind of like an ipad in a way. “Who is it you wish to bring back?” 

“Pablo Cabrera.” Vivian answered. 

Jirarin checked its ipad. It clicked a few times, a wretched, gray finger protruding from the dark mists. Then, a tiny, white slip of paper appeared in Vivian’s hands. “Read the following chant and your desired deceased one should return. It must be in your voice.” Jirarin said, and then disappeared. 

Bruno felt panicky, a feeling he hadn’t really experienced before. His chest felt constricted. What if Pablo and Vivian immediately slaughtered all of them. Would he be considered responsible for the Elementals deaths? Would their deaths be painful? 

Vivian began to chant. Her voice was low and quiet. The colors of the Realm Entrance began to swirl faster and faster, as if pushing something out. It had to be Pablo. Vivian finished her chants, waiting expectantly for someone to come. Bruno’s mind raced for a way to stop it without anyone dying. 

The results were ten times worse than Bruno had been expecting. 

There was a pop, and instead of one body there were seven. Bruno paled. Vivian screeched. And Bruno knew they were goners. 

Vivian had made a mistake. Instead of bringing back Pablo, she had brought back seven Ancient Ones. Seven boys. Seven princes. 

Vivian had reawoke a fairytale. She had brought back the seven princes - now Ancient Ones. “No!” Vivian cried out, banging her fists on her ground. “It was supposed to be Pablo. PABLO!” 

Bruno could tell which prince was which. There were five with hair and eyes the same color as the amulets. There was a handsome one with brown hair and blue eyes. And there was one with bloodred hair, dark eyes, and a malicious grin when he saw that he had been freed from the chains of death. 

Igor the Ancient One saw the children standing around him. Bruno knew he could sense the amulets power on them. 

“Miss,” Igor said, smile growing. “I would like to thank you for bringing me back. All this time, I have longed for freedom. My brothers have held me back. I can sense power on you, my power. It distinguished you - and you alone - as my many great-daughter-in-law. Would you do me the honor of…” 

The brown haired prince interrupted - the true king. “Ma’m, my brother will try to deceive you. He can sense that you married into his family, but I can sense you are also true in heart. You can help us slay him again.” 

Vivian was looking up at Igor now, wiping her tears. “Igor, I am so grateful that you have chosen to show me mercy. I did not save my husband, but I can save you. Help me kill all of these children - the descendants of those who slayed my husband. They carry the power of the amulets, we must kill them.” 

Igor turned to stare at the kids. Bruno stepped off his circle, and the others followed him, backing into the corner with Henry and Imogene. Vivian had clearly lost her hold on Imogene, and the girl was unconscious. 

“These children?” Igor snorted. “I see a gravely wounded boy, an unconscious girl, a foolish girl with know knowledge, and a boy with a great deal of fear. There are four Elementals, which we can use. But, wait, where’s the fifth amulet?” 

Vivian beamed with pride. “In the legendary Realm of Silence. It was a great experiment, one that needs no continuing. So will you help me kill the rest of them?” 

“In repayment for you freeing me, of course!” Igor cried, raising his fists. 

Bruno knew nothing could stop the Ancient Ones wrath. 

“Megan, make a shield with me.” Bruno whispered in her ear. “Combine your element and your magic.” 

“I don’t have an amulet!” Megan whispered back fiercely, but she was wrong. 

The brown haired prince tossed them the backpack. Bruno and Megan grabbed their amulets and handed Seraphina the bag. Igor was raising his fists higher and higher, the other princes stood helpless. 

A shield appeared in front of the children, but Bruno knew it wouldn’t hold. Megan was holding back tears. Bruno felt something bright burst from his chest and join the shield. The same happened with Megan, but darker. Igor brought down his fists, and a fiery spell shot straight at the kids… 

Instead of breaking the shield, it rebounded, nearly hitting Vivian. 

“What?” Igor cried. 

“The prophecy…” The brown-haired prince breathed. “It’s real.” 

Time seemed to stop as Vivian took in Megan and Bruno in a whole new light. The brown-haired prince moved towards Bruno and Megan, the only three people in the room who were awake it seemed. 

“When my time spell breaks, we will all disappear from here. I cannot determine where you will land, but all of you will be together. Heal the boys wounds. Come find my brothers and I, we will help you defeat Igor. He is the most powerful of all of us, but we will help if we can.” The brown-haired prince explained. “May we meet again.” 

Bruno felt the ground drop out from under him and the whole world went dark. 

Chapter 21 

Imogene 

Imogene opened her eyes, by her own will. She felt free. And wet. And cold. 

Imogene sat up quickly, for the first time in what felt like forever that she had done something by herself. Not as an order of Vivian. Not to save Leo. Just because she could. 

She was on a beach, the sky dark and the sand around her cold. Four unknown teens were lying not far away to one side. On the other side was Bruno, Megan, and a wounded Henry. Imogene gasped as she remembered what had happened to her. 

Vivian had used her as a secretary. She had given up on Leo, her new project was to capture Henry, Megan, and Bruno. Vivian sent Imogene to direct a van to their castle. There, she snuck inside and left bombs. The castle was destroyed, leaving all of the others defenseless. After they had captured Bruno, Vivian had her plot the location of a cave and check the tracker feeds for any information on Megan, Henry, and the others. 

“Henry!” Imogene cried out, remembering what she had done to him. Was he still alive? 

Her shouts aroused the others. Bruno bolted up right and immediately crawled to Henry. Imogene stood and brushed off her tattered dress. She grabbed her amulet, which was lying a few feet away, and ran to Henry. 

He was still unconscious, his shirt soaked with blood. Although he didn’t appear to be bleeding anymore, he had lost a lot of blood. 

Finally, Bruno stood and rubbed his temples. “He’s not waking up, so I placed him under an artificial sleep. He shouldn’t wake up now, which should give us time to heal him. I don’t know any healing spells, do you?” 

Imogene shook her head. “No.” They turned to Megan, who shook her head too. 

Then Megan’s eyes grew wide. “The bag!” She shouted. “Where’s the bag!” 

A red haired girl with amber eyes tossed Megan an old bookbag. Megan sorted through the stuff inside, finally pulling out an old, white cloth out of the bag. 

Megan waved the cloth over Henry’s wounds, but nothing happen. The girl’s eyes began to tear up and suddenly, Imogene recognized the cloth. “Is that the healing cloth?” She asked. Megan nodded, and Imogene understood what was happening. “It’s not you, don’t worry. The blade I used was cursed. A simple magic cloth won’t heal him.” 

“If the blade really is cursed, we need an actual physician.” Bruno sighed. 

He stuck his hands in his pockets, but suddenly his face grew pale. Imogene watched as Bruno withdrew a tiny piece of parchment from his pants pockets. “What is it?” She asked, hoping maybe it was a way they could save Henry. 

“It’s addresses.” Bruno explained, voice barely a whisper. He showed Imogene the paper. 

Fortune Teller - 105 Carot Road, Asiema 

Physician - 90 Wormwood Avenue, Legicia 

Seamstress - 7088 Pinnen Circle, Galeand (Code: magic bunnies) 

The rest of the addresses were illegible, the ink smeared by seawater. “A physician!” Megan smiled when she saw it. “They can fix Henry. I bet the brown-haired prince left it for us.” 

“I’m sorry, who?” The red haired girl said, her hands on her hips. “And who are you?” She sneered at Imogene. “I thought you were with Vivian and the Men - you did nearly kill Henry after all.” 

Imogene blushed, guilty. “I’m Imogene, the other amulet keeper.” 

The red haired girl blushed too. “Sorry if I was a bit rude. I’m Seraphina, a fire Elemental.” 

Elementals. That’s who the others were, of course! It had been a long time since Imogene had met one - they normally kept to themselves. The other three stepped forward and Imogene realized there was one for each element. 

“Beatrice, water Elemental.” The little blonde girl said, her blue eyes shining. 

“Emmett, earth Elemental.” The older boy said, green eyes studying Imogene. 

“Gale, air Elemental and Seraphina’s twin.” The pale boy smiled. Twins. Imogene remembered that all fire Elementals had an air equivalent. 

“Sorry to interrupt your meeting,” Bruno pushed in between them all. “But we need to find out where we are before we do anything else. Megan, could you tell the about the seven princes while Imogene and I scout the land. And keep an eye on Henry, will you?” 

Megan nodded, and Imogene noticed she had changed from the scared, unsure girl she had been when they first met. 

Bruno practically dragged Imogene away as Megan began to recount the story of the seven princes and the amulets. Imogene and Bruno started to climb a large hill that seemed to overlook the rest of their surroundings. “So, you’re really back?” Bruno said at last. 

Imogene shrugged. “I guess so. I feel terrible, though. Leo is in the Realm of Silent. Henry is passed out in a pool of his own blood. I failed both of them.” 

Suddenly, the tears Imogene had been hold back sprung from her eyes like a leaky faucet. She told Bruno everything - how Vivian had tortured her. How Vivian had tricked her into willingly becoming her assistant. How she had snuck into the castle and bombed it. It all spilled out of her. 

Bruno was a good listener, and as they climbed Imogene felt her chest grow lighter. 

By the time they reache the top of the hill it was drizzling, which felt appropriate for the mood Imogene had set. She didn’t expect Bruno to forgive her for any of her actions, and she was prepared to leave for the good of the group if he asked. But he didn’t. 

Instead, Bruno listened and when she was done he pointed all around them. “This is the island of the seven brothers.” He said quietly. “I can tell my the castle ruins - a star with seven points.” Bruno turned to look at Imogene. The rain made his hair even dark, as dark as his amulet. Imogene felt a twinge of jealousy that she had missed time with the others. 

Then Bruno spoke to her. “Imogene, I know how to feel. I know how it feels to be a pawn, to be used. And it’s not our fault. That’s why I asked you to come with me and not Megan. She may be powerful, but you’re still a part of our team too. 

“All of the books I’ve ever read always speak of the Chosen One - and only one who is so special they can defeat the evil. And have you noticed how it’s always so easy to distinguish good and evil in those books? Well, the real world isn’t like any of that. One person can not defeat the evil alone - they need help. And there is no fine line between good and bad, the world isn’t black and white. There are so many shades of gray, so many places on the spectrum we can fall under. We’re all the heroes of our own stories, we hardly ever take the time to consider what our villains feel. 

“You and I have done questionable things, which is true. We’ve helped Vivian - whether for the sake of our friends or if we did it unwillingly. We helped her open the Realm of Death and free Igor. I attacked Megan. You used Henry as a sacrifice. We both failed to save Leo. But the thing is, we feel remorse. And that is what separates us from Vivian. While she joins whoever offers what she wants, she also steps on others. She doesn’t care for Leo, for Henry, or for any of us. And that is what sets us apart. 

“The world doesn’t count your failures and your successes. It doesn’t matter if you make a mistake. Because in the end, the only thing that matters is what you feel. Do you feel happy that you used Henry? Or do you feel guilty? Because that is what tells you what side you’re actually on.” Bruno finished. He grasped Imogene’s hands with his own. And although his palms were anything but warm and dry, Imogene felt comforted. Bruno had shown her that she wasn’t evil because she helped Vivian. He showed her that if anything, she had done the right thing. 

Bruno dropped Imogene’s hands, and the two sat on a rock in the rain. They peered over the island and the ruins of a once magnificent castle. 

The ordeal reminded Imogene of when it had once been only her and Bruno. Before Henry and Leo. Before the Men. Before Megan. When life was peaceful and their biggest worry was being caught by Cynthia. 

“Can we save Henry?” Imogene asked Bruno. “Or were you lying for the others.” 

“We can fix him.” Bruno said, his voice set with grim determination. “He has to live, despite him being maybe the most obnoxious person on the planet.” 

Imogene had to laugh at that. “Did anything else interesting happen while I was gone?” 

Bruno shrugged. “I don’t know, not really. Henry and I fought. He ran off to the Realm of Monsters, where he was captured by trolls and nearly eaten. We found the Elementals, trained them up a bit, and then I was captured.” The pair fell silent. 

“So, I guess you’re an Elemental too now, huh.” Imogene said, not able to keep a hint of bitterness out of her voice. It wasn’t that she resented him for being an Elemental, it just felt … unfair. 

Bruno shrugged again. “I guess so.” He didn’t elaborate, which made Imogene feel a lot better. 

“I learned a spell from one of Vivian’s books.” Imogene said to break the silence. “One of the guards smuggled me books at night. Only then was I unhypnotized for sleep. I read the books to keep me sane. Would you like to see?” 

“Of course.” Bruno said with a smile. 

Imogene grabbed her amulet, which immediately filled her with a warm sensation of lying in the sunlight - but a bit cooler. Maybe moonlight was a better word for it. 

From her outstretched palm, a butterfly made of silvery-blue light appeared. It flew off her hand, and then it began to leave a trail of sparkles. The sparkles turned into more silver-blue butterflies. Suddenly, the whole sky seemed to be awake with fluttering butterflies, as if the stars had been replaced. 

The butterflies faded, leaving Bruno and Imogene in darkness once again. 

Although Imogene was soaked to the bone, she felt warm inside. Vivian hadn’t put her fire out. 

She’d poured kerosene on the flames. 

Vivian had only made Imogene stronger. 

The girl would destroy Vivian if it was the last thing she did. 

Megan

Megan had just finished the story of the seven princes by the time Imogene and Bruno returned, both soaked to the bone. 

Before the story, the Elementals had made a small shelter using two trees and several pieces of large wood scattered around. Beatrice had collected sticks, which Seraphina had used to start a fire. The rain had started not moments after their story began. 

As it turned out, Emmett had read about the story before but dismissed it as a fairytale. Beatrice lost interest quickly and played with a crab she found scuttling along the beach. 

Bruno and Imogene took seats nexto Megan, and they both took a moment to warm their hands at the fire. “Where’s Henry?” Bruno asked. 

Megan pointed to the boy, limp on the ground a few feet away. He was wrapped in a blanket made of leaves (courtesy of Emmett), still asleep. Megan had brushed the sand out of his blonde hair and Beatrice had helped her clean him up a bit. But he could still get infected, or worse. “Still sleeping, and while he doesn’t snore I did notice he drools.” 

Bruno and Imogene laughed. Megan noted that Imogene looked more comfortable now. That was good - they needed as many clear-headed people as they could get. 

“So, where are we?” Seraphina asked. 

“The island from the story of the seven princes, actually.” Bruno said with a sigh. 

“Praella, then.” Emmett nodded. “I read lots about it. They said there’s nothing left since the island sunk under the ocean.” 

“I think the brother’s coming back brought the island back to the surface.” Imogene explained. “The whole island is covered with ruins of the castle, there doesn’t seem to be much room for a village.” 

“The village wasn’t big.” Emmett drew a circle in the dirt with a stick. He drew an outline of a castle. “Praellians weren’t exactly known for their village, rather their mighty princes. The village occupied about a fourth of the island, the castle took up the rest. Most of the Praellians were rich people, the only working-class ones lived near the beaches because it was more likely that they would die on the outskirts. When the island went under, all of the villagers died, so there are technically no Praellians left. Besides, being underwater for so long probably destroyed anything left on this island.” 

“We also need to get Henry healed.” Megan said, reminding everyone of their current problems. “So what are our priorities.” 

“Get Henry healed is our first priority, besides scouting out the island.” Bruno said, taking the lead. Megan had missed having someone to guide her. She had gotten her safety net back. “Then, we need to check out the addresses on the paper we were provided. I saw a clothing shop, which can get us some armor and maybe some weapons. There was also a fortune teller - and one of the princes mentioned a property. After that, the brown-haired prince told us to find all of them. Then, they could help us defeat Igor.” 

“That sounds like a lot.” Gale whistled. “My brain hurts just thinking about it.” 

“That’s probably because it’s late.” Seraphina noted. “We can get some food tomorrow, but right now we need rest. Being sedated by Vivian and then blasted across the continent doesn’t count as sleep.” 

“Seraphina’s right,” Imogene smiled at her warmly. Megan groaned. Now they had two mothers of the group. “Off to bed. We can spread out. The Elementals can make some blankets for us.” They did, and Megan accepted Seraphina’s vivid orange gift. The fabric was warm, and soon the group fell into silence. 

But Megan couldn’t sleep. There seemed to be a little ball of panic sitting right below her ribcage. What if Henry dies? What if someone sneaks up on you? Is this a dream? Are you hypnotized? 

The little voice inside her wouldn’t let her sleep, so Megan sat up and took to watching the others. They all looked so peaceful when they weren’t fighting the Men and Vivian. They almost seemed like normal kids on a camping trip. 

“Hey, Megan,” A voice whispered, slicing through the silence like a sharp knife. Megan turned quickly, expecting to find Vivian or Igor. Instead, she found Bruno, propped up one elbow. “This may sound stupid - actually, I’m sure it will sound stupid. But you didn’t happen to salvage a piece of parchment from the wreckage of the castle, did you? It would’ve been blank.” 

“As a matter of fact, I did.” Megan remembered the parchment they had tucked in their bag the first day. “Why, is it important?” 

Bruno suddenly became very tense. “Well, kind of. It’s hard for me to explain…” 

“Did you know I had a brother?” Megan said out of the blue. Bruno blinked, and Megan silently cursed herself for speaking too soon. But she knew that maybe she could convince Bruno to spill whatever secret he was hiding. “I had an older brother named Douglas. He was hit by a car when I was four, and he died. I had never told anyone, ever, until I met you guys. That night that you told us Leo was gone? I talked to Henry on the roof, and I told him about Douglas. It became clear that I didn’t need to hide it anymore. 

“I know you’re not Henry. Right now, Henry isn’t here for me to vent to. But I know that inside you, Bruno, you have something you’re dying to tell me. So spill.” Megan fell silent, hoping she hadn’t pushed him too far. She couldn’t afford to break a friendship. 

“The parchment was left for me by my mother. And … somehow she embedded herself inside of it. I can talk to her using it.” Bruno said after a long moment of silence. 

Megan was a bit shocked. Bruno had made contact with his mother? But wasn’t she did? Megan didn’t voice any of these questions, she wanted Bruno to feel comfortable with her. She knew he wasn’t Henry, but if what the prince had said was true, they had a prophecy together. 

“So, are you and Henry … I don’t know… a thing?” Bruno whispered. 

Megan laughed, and it felt good. She had wondered if Bruno thought that about them. She had been with Henry in the garden a lot before Bruno’s capture. His last memories of them were probably them spending nearly every waking moment together. “Well, I don’t think so…” Megan blushed furiously, glad for the darkness. “I mean, he did try to kiss me once.” 

Bruno gasped. “Seriously? You mean, you let him?” 

Megan shook her head, giggling. “No! I don’t know that I like him that way. It’s just, you left us, and Henry and I grew really close. And we were alone because…” 

Suddenly, Megan leapt to her feet. Quickly, she grabbed the bag and rummaged through it. Then, her fingers clasped the vial she was searching for. Golden water glistened inside. “Henry and I found a faery lake the day after you were captured. The faeries told us a poem: a vial of this golden water can save a friend from a terrible slaughter.” 

Bruno sat up. “I’ve heard of lakes like that.” He thought for a second. “But if it heals Henry from a terrible slaughter, what if it won’t work? He’s not quite dead yet, not even super close. Besides, we have the address of the physician, we’ll go tomorrow. Besides, shouldn’t we save it for someone who actually needs it? What if during a later battle on of us gets gravely wounded?” 

Megan shrugged, tucking the bottle back in the bag. “I guess so. Henry can wait.” 

Bruno smiled in the dim light, and Megan felt like she might’ve made the wrong choice. 

As it turned out, she had. 

Chapter 22 

Bruno

There was a big commotion when Bruno first woke up, and he wasn’t exactly sure why. To be exact, there were three reasons for the big ruckus. 

For one, Beatrice had woken up from a terrible nightmare (although she didn’t elaborate, it had something to do with giant worms). Her screams had woken everyone (or almost everyone, since Bruno slept through them), and they had an early start to their day. 

The second reason was because Seraphina had nearly set their campsite on fire. In attempt to restart the flames, she had made a fireball to place in their miniature firepit. However, in the moment Seraphina had got a bit excited and nearly dropped the flames on Gale. Emmett dragged her away from her flames before she could set someone on fire for real, and they went fishing. 

But the final reason - and perhaps most worrying of them all - was Henry’s condition. 

Megan had shook Bruno awake at the crack of dawn, her expression filled with panic and worry. Bruno hadn’t understood at first, but then he saw the younger boy. 

Imogene explained that even though the blade was cursed, Vivian had felt the need to ensure the wound would not heal. She had poisoned the blade of the knife, and now Henry’s condition was at its peak. 

He had a fever - Megan and Imogene couldn’t decide on the exact temperature, but it was very warm, they decided. His eyes were closed, but under his eyelids, Bruno could see his eyes shifting restlessly. He also shivering, despite the warm, tropical weather. Megan’s face begged Bruno’s for an answer that he couldn’t give. 

They had the bottle of pond water, of course. But Bruno’s insecurities made him want to save it. What if he nearly died on the battlefield? If they used the pond water now, then Bruno would die on that field. He knew it was a selfish thought, but Bruno thought it was for a good reason. 

After a quick breakfast, Beatrice put out the fire and the group suited up, for lack of a better word. 

The doctor was in Legicia, which was on the Five-Point Island. It took a little bit for them to decide how to smuggle Henry into the city in the first place. Bruno assured them that even though Legicia was a magical kingdom, there weren’t normally groups of kids carrying an unconscious kid down the street. 

They decided to stick to the back roads once they got there. Bruno, Emmett, and Gale would share the burden of carrying Henry. 

Legicia was a beautiful city, and Bruno couldn’t remember exactly how pretty it was. But when they arrived it was apparent that Legicia prided itself on they aesthetic pleasure of their buildings. 

Everything was white, gray, and blue - and all light shades at that. Most of the Legicians were albino, extremely pale and kind of like Gale in looks. 

Because Gale shared the most similar appearance, he was chosen to lead the group, peer around corners, and find the address listed on the note paper. They had teleported directly outside of the village gates, which was good enough for Bruno. 

Gale threw open the gates and marched inside, looking very regal but also out of place. Bruno was glad no one had been there to see them march in, it definitely would’ve caused quite a bit of questioning. 

It was midday by now, and somewhat impossibly, Henry’s fever had only grown. He was now mumbling under his breath, wriggling around, and sweating buckets. Megan clutched his hand but made eye contact with Bruno and quickly let go. Beatrice scurried around, searching for anything that caught her interest - which was almost everything. 

90 Wormwood Avenue was in the back half of the village. After an hour of carrying Henry down alleyways and back roads, they finally found the physician shop. 

Like most of the buildings in Legicia, the outside was painted a light gray. The shutters were boarded tightly, the teal paint peeling off. An old sign that read Agatha’s Apothecary with picture of a green potion bottle beside it. 

On door was a notice. We can not guarantee that any treatments will be free of witchcraft. If you don’t want to risk sorcery, don’t come asking for a pretty face! 

Gale took his turn carrying Henry’s weight, and Bruno opened the door, holding it so the others could slip inside.

The front room was small and it stank. Bottles of mysterious concoctions were lined up on the shelves. A few had questionable items that looked a bit like eyeballs floating inside. In another sludgy one, Bruno swore he saw a feather. The room smelled like moldy food and expired milk. 

A tall woman was standing at the counter, an older woman standing beside her. 

The older woman was short, maybe four feet tall at the most. She had graying hair and more wrinkles than an elephant. The younger woman had pale skin and even paler hair. Her eyes seemed bleached of color. Both were wearing sky blue dresses. 

The younger one saw the group first. “Sorry ‘bout that.” The woman said, her accent sharp and clipped. “Ma and I just been ‘aving an argument, that’s all.” 

“Don’t tell them that rubbish.” The old woman barked, no accent detectable in her voice. “Tell the kids about you and your love potion business. See if they think it’s all nonsense.” The older woman pulled a pair of glasses onto her head. “The name’s Agatha.” 

“I’ll just be leavin’ now.” The younger woman waved and walked straight out the door without a goodbye. 

“I’m Bruno. And this is Imogene, Megan, Beatrice, Seraphina, Gale, Emmett, and the unconscious boy is Henry.” Bruno introduced them, blushing as the group crammed into the small shop. Beatrice nearly dropped a bottle of a potion that was bubbling and frothing. Imogene gently pulled her hand away, shaking her head. 

The woman’s eyes narrowed as she took them in. “I haven’t seen you around these parts before.” 

“We’re foreigners, ma’m.” Bruno smiled nervously. “If you could just look at our friend here…” 

“Patience, my boy!” The old woman shrieked. “Good things come to those who wait.” 

“He’s waited a day already…” Bruno said, trying not to push the old woman over her limits. But they needed her help. “Please, if you could just take a look.” 

“Fine.” The woman huffed, tapping her foot on the floor. Now who is impatient, Bruno though to himself. But he didn’t say it aloud, which was probably a good thing. “Bring him to the back, please.” 

The woman shuffled down the back of the shop, pulling aside a curtain to reveal a larger room with a cot and plenty of floor space. 

The group moved inside - although Emmett and Gale had a considerable amount of trouble due to Henry having a thrashing fit. They laid him on the cot gently, and then everyone but Bruno took a seat on the floor like they were watching the world’s sickest circus. 

“What happened exactly?” The woman - Agatha, Bruno supposed - asked, pulling a larger pair of glasses on. 

“A cut with a cursed and poisoned blade.” Bruno explained, sending a look at Imogene, who blushed and turned away. “It’s been at least a day and a night, and he’s under magic sedatives at the moment.” 

The woman nodded to herself, inspecting Henry’s wound and feeling his forehead. She picked up his palm and raised it to her face, as if memorizing every detail of his hand. 

The boy seemed even paler in the light of the shop, and Bruno was beginning to wish they had used the water on him. But he reminded himself that Agatha had it all under control. He hoped, at least. 

“It’s a complimentary service for my patients to fill out a form of where they heard of me and their experience here.” Agatha said as she worked, now pulling back Henry’s eyelids and checking his pupils. “The clipboard is on the back wall, if you’d please fill it out.” 

Bruno fetched the clipboard and handed it to Imogene. 

“So where did you here of me?” Agatha asked, rubbing Henry’s neck with two fingers. 

“A certain prince friend of ours.” Bruno said carefully. “He died about a century ago, and left us your address.” 

Agatha stopped inspecting Henry and turned to look at Bruno, raising her glasses off her nose. “I know who you speak of now, and I fear the worst is yet to come. This injury is then one of many, and a minor one at that. I supposed your dead consultant has left you other addresses and I suggest you visit them. Only terrible things await.” 

Agatha then fell silent and continued her work on Henry. Imogene finished the survey, placing the clipboard on the table quietly. 

About ten minutes later, Agatha stood and walked over to her shelves of jars. “I have figured out the root of the problem.” She said to herself. “Quite literally.” She began reading the labels with her hands. 

“Ma’m, Agatha,” Emmett said from the back of the room. “I might be of assistance. You see, I happen to specialize in both knowledge and earth related things.” 

“I know who you are, Emmett Carlson.” Agatha called from the shelves, making Emmett pale. “And I know that you would be a help for me. Maybe you could consider a job with me in the future - if you indeed make it. 

“The poison on the knife was likely either one of two flowers. Both require different treatments and at the moment I cannot tell which flower it was. I believe either a Everrose or a Stinging Nettle was used.” Agatha explained. “If you could possibly help me understand which it was... “ 

Emmett thought for a minute. “Everroses grow in warmer climates, am I correct? Stinging Nettles prefer the bitter cold of the artic - I was always warned about them in my village. Although I do not doubt Vivian’s abilities, I think she probably used Everrose because they’re more convenient.” 

Agatha nodded to herself. “I came to the same conclusion myself, dear.” She selected a large bottle off her shelf, although it was half empty. 

Brunon watched in admiration as Agatha began to hum, reading the ingredients on the bottle’s label. “I believe this will do.” Agatha announced at last. “Mr. Carlson, if you would please go to the backyard. This specific treatment requires plants I do not have the capabilities of growing myself. To complete the treatment, you’ll need more.” She handed Emmett a list of plants, which he went to the garden to grow. 

“I need someone to help me with the boy” Agatha said, holding a vial in between her teeth. No one else volunteered, so Bruno joined Agatha at the cot. “You are the one who placed him under this sleep, correct?” 

“Yes.” Bruno nodded. 

“I want you to remove that spell. I need to make sure he’s not too far away yet.” Agatha said, a evil looking stick in her hands. “If indeed the boy is almost gone.” Agatha answered when she saw Bruno staring. 

Bruno removed the spell he had placed on Henry, and had to immediately scramble backwards. The boy sat upwards at once, his eye open and staring at nothing. 

Henry began to scream, the sound piercing the air. His voice carried through the halls, and Beatrice covered her ears. Seraphian squeezed her eyes shut and Megan clutched her mouth as if about to puke. 

Suddenly, Henry fell silent and limp. Agatha held a cloth against his mouth, her expression crazy. “Well that hasn’t happened before.” 

She removed the cloth slowly and tipped a tiny bottle of bluish liquid into his mouth. “An actual sedative, it should keep him awake but calm for the next few hours.” She then tipped a tiny spoon of medicine from the bigger bottle into his mouth. “The actual treatment.” 

Agatha turned to Bruno and handed the large bottle. “He gets this by mouth twice a day until he’s not longer shivering, and then a day after. Also, no strenuous situations. His wounds will heal eventually, but until then he stays away from any infectious materials. I have bandages if you need them.” Emmett returned a few moments later to receive praise from Agatha. She quickly made a bit more of Henry’s treatment. 

But before Agatha sent them on her way, she asked Bruno for a private word. 

“Listen, “ Agatha said, voice serious. “I know what you will be facing. I can see that you and the girl with reddish brown hair are the ones that everyone whispers of. You may not know it yourself, but there is a prophecy. Seek out the fortune teller on your address list. And good luck.” 

Before Bruno could express her thanks, Agatha was gone. In her place was a bottle of purple liquid and a label that read for nightmares. Bruno smiled. 

Henry 

Henry dreamt that he was ziplining. Of course, he had never been ziplining before but his hands were holding a bar on a string and Henry just assumed he was ziplining. The air around him was dark and cold, but the way the zipline was headed there was a large, white circle. It glowed brightly in contrast to the darkness. 

Don’t go towards the light, Henry, a voice inside his head murmured. Henry simply laughed. Don’t go towards the light? But he was cold and definitely not insane, he needed the light. 

Suddenly, a breeze made Henry lose his grip on the bar. Down, down, down he fell until he came to a stop, floating on his back in the chilly air. 

For a second, the darkness disappeared and Henry saw colors all around him. But then a burning pain filled him and Henry screamed. Was he burning up? Was there a volcano or something erupting around him?

But as quickly as the burning came it left and Henry fell back into the dark, cold dream he had been having moments before. 

Henry tried to swim for the light, having the incoherent thought that he was drowning. But he didn’t move. The wind whipped around him but before long even the wind grew tired and it dropped him. Above him, Henry heard someone whisper goodbye. 

When his actual eyes opened, Henry noticed two things. One: there was a burning sensation in his gut, as well as a tightness around the burning like it was being held in. 

Two: his mind was so fuzzy that he could barely think. Did someone replace his brain with cotton candy? Henry didn’t know, but the longer he was awake the more aware he was of his surroundings. 

His feet were attached to his legs. His fingers looked like tarantula legs, but bald. And he was been held upright by a boy with dark hair and pale eyes. 

Henry was split into two parts: the rational and the irrational. His brain and his body. 

While the rational part of Henry knew that the boy was named Bruno and was keeping him up and safe, his irrational body decided to launch a fancy karate kick that ended with Henry on the ground. What was he doing?! 

“Hey, you, help!” Henry tried to called out to a passerby. The man saw Henry and turned, speeding away. Perhaps it was because the words came out like “Ay, boo, yelp.” 

Henry felt himself being dragged and he sat on the ground for a few minutes before his senses finally returned. He could hear someone was very upset. “She said she gave him a mild sedative! Well he’s loopy!” 

“What?” Henry asked, noticing the person was a dark haired girl he recognized as Imogene. Imogene turned to look at him, her eyes glistening with tears. 

Suddenly, Henry’s memories hit him like a train. He had been in the cave, Imogene’s knife to his throat. And then pain and darkness. “Where exactly are we? And what happened?” He asked, rubbing his head and wincing in pain. 

Bruno sat in front of him and explained everything. How he had been unconscious after Imogene cut open his hand for a sacrifice and accidently sliced open his stomach. How the brown-haired prince, Igor, and the others had come back and told Bruno and Megan to look for them. Their return to Praella and the ruins of the castle. Henry getting a fever and being taken to a doctor in Legicia. 

The Elementals paced around him. Imogene was wringing her hands. And Megan was avoiding his gaze, but her eyes looked a bit red… 

Henry tried to stand, but his legs felt weak like jelly. “Don’t stand.” Bruno ordered him. “We’re just outside the apothecary, but we weren’t going to teleport until you were awake. We bandaged the wound, but it still looks bad.” 

Henry nodded, and he let Bruno help him stand up. “See I can…” 

Then the blood rushed to his head and Henry passed out. 

He woke again on a beach, the sky above him orange and purple with the sun setting behind the horizon. 

“You’re awake.” Someone said from beside him, and Henry turned to find Imogene. 

He tried not to let it bother him that it wasn’t Megan. 

Her dark hair was covered in sand, but Imogene didn’t seem to care. She had her silver amulet around her neck, Henry’s was in the sand beside them. 

Henry sat up and grabbed his amulet, wrapping it around his neck. He was grateful for the rush of energy it gave him like a warm hug. “What’d I miss?” He asked, brushing the sand off of himself. 

“Nothing much.” Imogene shrugged. “We lugged you through part of Legicia hoping you’d wake up but when Bruno nearly dropped you we decided to just teleport. We ate a late lunch, although Megan insisted we save some for you. Seraphina took the Elementals to explore the rest of the island. Bruno and Megan are back further on the beach, looking for crabs or other creatures. I volunteered to watch you so I could apologize.” 

“Apologize for what?” Henry met Imogene’s eyes and discovered they were like pools of sadness, welling with tears. 

“Apologize for everything! I lost Leo, I was so close to saving him, but Vivian finished with him a day before I broke. I decided to become her secretary, I helped her into the castle. I wounded you, I almost killed you. Bruno and I talked, I know I did the best I could. But still, I feel like I failed.” Imogene admitted. 

“I accept your apology?” Henry said awkwardly. “Let’s go find Bruno and Megan then.”

Imogene sniffed and shook her head, laughing a bit. “We figured you would say that, but Bruno said you aren’t allowed to move. He said to show you the cut on your hand if you tried to move, and that would deter you.” 

Henry made sure he was sitting soundly before carefully unwrapping the bandage on his hand. He almost vomited when he saw it.  

Although the wound was small, about two inches long and not super deep, the skin around it was red and inflamed. A weird orange pus oozed from the wound, and when Henry touched the inflamed area he had to bite back tears. He rewrapped the wound. 

“If you think that’s bad you should see your stomach. The wound was deeper and longer there.” Imogene told him. “An adamant reminder for you to stay here while I get food.” 

Henry waited as Imogene got up and left to get food. She returned with a meal they had “bought from the general store in Legicia.” But along with the meal was a vial of disgusting looking liquid. “Your medicine.” Imogene popped the cap and handed it to Henry. “Twice a day.” 

Henry groaned and chugged the liquid, gagging from the taste. “It looks like a slug in a blender.” He mumbled, swallowing the disgusting medicine. 

“You look like a slug in a blender.” Imogene noted, and Henry laughed for once at a joke that wasn’t his. It felt good to laugh. 

The only thing missing was Leo. 

Chapter 23 

Megan 

Bruno and Megan did not find any crabs during the walk on the beach. Nor did they discover any magical creatures whatsoever. 

Bruno was silent most of the way, which was fine with Megan. She needed some time alone to gather her thoughts. The ruins of the island were the perfect place to set up camp. It wasn’t until their way back to camp that Bruno said anything at all. 

“Do you think there really is a prophecy?” Bruno asked her. Megan looked at him in surprise. He was asking her for advice? The tables really had turned. 

“I don’t know.” Megan shrugged. “Do prophecies actually exist in this world?” 

Bruno nodded. “They do, but it’s rare to find an actual teller. Most are frauds. But then again, the prince gave us an address. Maybe that teller is real. All I know is that both of us need to be there when we talk to her, but no one else.” 

“We can’t just go somewhere alone.” Megan pointed out. “We can take Beatrice or on of the Elementals with us. Maybe two, and they can wait outside. Besides, you never know when Vivian could show up…” Her voice trailed off as she caught sight of something on the beach. She ran to grab it. 

It was a sopping wet newspaper, almost paste by now. But Megan could just barely make out the words on the front. Teens Suspected in Destruction of City and Cafe. 

Below the title was a picture of the Elementals and the Amulet Keepers. Some of the pictures were out dated, but there was no mention of Vivian in the article. She showed the article to Bruno, who frowned. “That means the authorities will be after us too.” 

“We just have to be careful. Where was the fortune teller exactly?” Megan kept the paper so she could show it to the others. Hopefully the wouldn’t be unnerved. 

“Asiema.” Bruno scoffed. “I hate that place. Full of gamblers and drunkards, that’s it. Nothing good comes out of Asiema except their beer. Pretty good, if I have to say so myself.” Megan slapped Bruno. 

“You’ve tried beer?!” Bruno simply laughed at her accusation. 

“Of course not. But they have many ‘non-alcoholic’ beverages, and I’ve had those.” He shrugged. “But seriously, Asiema is a land of gamblers, merchants, and gangs. I barely made it out alive the last time.” 

Before Megan could ask about Asiema more, they had arrived at the camp. Henry was asleep by the fire already, the other scouting groups had returned with some fruits. 

Seraphina and Imogene cooked a small meal, and Megan made sure that there was some for Henry again. She watched his innocent, sleeping face as Imogene explained that he had woken up briefly. 

After a late dinner, Bruno explained his theory about the fortune teller. 

“I think it’s worthy of note.” Imogene said, staring into the flames. “We can all go tomorrow, but Henry might have trouble.” 

“We can’t all go.” Bruno said quickly. “Just Megan, me, and two others. The rest of them can stay here with Henry.” Megan kept silent, but Imogene frowned. Henry mumbled something in his sleep, and Beatrice wiped his forehead with a rag. 

“Why can’t we all go? We’re a team, remember?” Imogene probed. 

“Because.” Bruno stated as a matter of fact, making Megan roll her eyes. If that convinced them, Megan would be surprised. 

“Why?” Seraphina asked, taking Imogene’s bait. “We are a team. Whatever it is, we can handle it.” 

“Fine.” Bruno growled. “The prophecy only refers to Megan and I, no one else. There’s a reason that everyone but us and the brown-haired prince was frozen. There’s a reason we became Elementals when we duelled. Everything happens for a reason. We have to go in to the fortune teller’s alone. We can bring guards with us, but…” Bruno stopped, as everyone stared at him in silence. 

“There can only be one hero, can’t there.” Imogene spat, and then ran. 

Megan remained silent as Bruno chased after her. The Elementals made excuses to sleep, and Megan sat awake and watched Henry. 

She missed having someone to talk to. She wanted to make jokes with someone, or talk to someone who didn’t know more than she did. Bruno and Imogene were smart and experienced. Megan felt left out when they talked. 

Almost as if her wish came true, Henry’s eyes fluttered open. “Dinner?” He rasped. 

Megan gave him some water (courtesy of a very talented Beatrice) and handed him the left over food. Henry was reclined against a large, smooth rock, and he seemed relaxed. Henry devoured the food and Megan took the plates from him. “Where are Bruno and Imogene?” 

“Out in the ruins. Imogene ran off, it’s nothing to worry about.” Megan sighed, hugging her knees to her chest. She wanted a conversation with Henry that was just the two of them, not about Imogene, Bruno, or the inevitable war that laid ahead. “You should get some more rest.” She murmured in a motherly way. 

“I slept all day.” Henry protested. “And my dreams are more like nightmares. Besides, I don’t see you getting any sleep.” 

“I’m just worried.” Megan replied vaguely, rubbing her eyes and faking a yawn. Henry rolled his eyes, looking unimpressed with her act of tiredness. “I’ll go to bed if you go back to sleep too. Your wound will never heal if you’re up and about.” 

“My wound this, my wound that.” Henry mocked. “It’s no big deal.” 

“It is a big deal!” Megan exclaimed. “That blade was poisoned and cursed. If we hadn’t taken you Agatha you might’ve died. Bruno pretty much sedated you, but the second he woke you up you started screaming. So ‘no big deal’ but you almost died.” 

Maybe she was tired, maybe she was frustrated. Megan sat back against the pole of their makeshift tent, rubbing her temples. Death wasn’t a joke. 

Henry was silent for a few moments. “When I was asleep, I dreamt of a light at the end of the tunnel. I was getting closer and closer until something blew me off course. I woke for a moment and felt like my insides were lava, but then I went back to sleep. The light got further away, but…” 

Henry didn’t have to finish his sentence. Megan felt a sinking feeling in her gut. She had been exaggerating Henry’s condition a little bit, but if he had been seeing the light at the end of the tunnel that meant he was closer to death than what they originally thought. 

The pair remained silent until Imogene and Bruno returned. Bruno saw Henry awake and a big smile erupted across his face. “You’re awake! And you look terrible!” 

“So I’ve been told.” Henry shot a look at Imogene, who blushed. “Megan’s been mothering me to go to bed.” His voice was an octave higher and it made him sound like a little kid telling on the girl who took his crayons. 

“Megan’s right.” Bruno said with a tired smile. “Tomorrow we have a big day ahead of us. Megan, Beatrice, Gale, and I are going to Asiema.” 

“Tomorrow.” Megan said with a nod. 

“Tomorrow you go save the world.” Henry said with a laugh, but no one else did. 

Henry didn’t make any comments, but Megan could tell he wanted to. Imogene and Bruno decided to go find a blanket for Henry quickly, as the temperature dropped lower and lower. The fire died out and Megan snuggled into her blanket from Seraphina. 

Henry was still awake, and he was watching Megan. 

So Megan asked him the most burning question he could. “Do you really think we can save the world?” She asked, feeling like a child once more. 

“If you can’t, I don’t know who can.” Henry mumbled, and moments later his soft snores filled the tent. 

Megan lay awake still, pondering Henry’s words. He had said that if Megan and Bruno couldn’t save them, he didn’t know who could. It was inspiring and encouraging without a doubt, but it raised another question. 

If they couldn’t save everyone, then who would?  

Bruno

“This is Asiema?” Beatrice asked, disgusted. “It’s so… crazy looking.” 

Bruno glanced down at the girl’s navy blue tunic, bright white leggings, and pink cloak and decided not to comment. Megan crossed her arms as they looked over the city, and Gale didn’t look impressed. 

They had left that morning for Asiema. Emmett and Seraphina weren’t happy to be left alone (“Gale will die” - Seraphina, “I always get left out.” - Emmett) but stayed begrudgingly. 

Henry had been awake that morning, although he puked twice and Bruno left the camp after that. He said he was feeling better, but Bruno could tell the painkillers were wearing off and his friend was anything but pain free. He made a note to buy some painkiller from Asiema, although he considered leaving Henry in pain. The boy had promised to make extra long speeches at their funerals before they left. And even though Henry had meant it as a joke, it had hit a nerve with the rest of them. 

Asiema was a bit crazy and disappointing at the same time. 

Everything was painted in the most vibrant colors, but the city was small and dirty. Like Bruno had explained, only people who had nothing to lose stayed in Asiema. 

“Let’s get going.” Bruno sighed, pulling his hood over his head. They had decided to wear cloaks with hoods, as many of the authorities would be looking for them. And although Asiema was a magical city, they were still fugitives. 

And as much as Bruno hoped that no one there would report them, there were always people who valued rewards - whether money or not - over the lives of others. 

They headed towards the city, only stopping when Gale tripped over an especially sharp rock. As Asiema grew closer, the music and voices became louder and more like a cacophony than anything. Beatrice seemed even more disgusted when she stepped over a rat carcass. 

If anything, Asiema seemed dirtier than Bruno remembered it. 

“So where exactly is 105 Carot Road?” Megan asked. 

Bruno shrugged. “Because Asiema is full of gambling and such, there’s a lot of illegal businesses. And when I say a lot, I mean most of the shops lining the main roads are fake. Any business that is actually truthful will be located along the back roads.” 

“Hey, you there!” Beatrice called out to a man playing a harmonica on the side of the road. The man looked up, and Bruno saw he was missing several teeth. 

Bruno grabbed Beatrice and covered her mouth before anyone else could turn to stare. Luckily, most of the crowds were watching a street fight not far away, so not many heard Beatrice’s shout. 

“Don’t talk to anyone.” Bruno hissed at her, and Beatrice nodded. Bruno let her go. “You never know who will pick a fight or con you out of something. Best to keep a low profile.” 

“Low profile, huh?” Someone said behind them. 

It was a grubby looking teen with a mustache forming below his nose. It looked like a caterpillar. He had stubble growing on his dark chin, and when Bruno looked up he saw a mask covering the boy’s upper face. He had a bandana covering his head. 

“We’ll just be going... “ Bruno said hurriedly. 

The boy shook his head. Bruno heard a laugh from behind them and saw a girl wearing similar clothing, but she had a knife. 

“We saw your pictures in a paper.” The girl smiled, her voice raspy and dry. “They’re offering enough money for Cado and I to get a room. Even more money if we hand you in alive, but I figure it’s still a lot if we bring you in dead.” 

“But Cass, only half of them are here.” Cado grumbled, crossing his arms. Bruno noticed that he wasn’t weaponless - Cado had a fancy crossbow. 

Cass shrugged. “I know, I know. And the little girl and pale boy aren’t much, so maybe they can come quietly. But the other two, they’re worth more than we make in a year. Definitely worth the struggle.” 

“You can’t kill us here.” Megan said boldly, and Bruno shook his head in dismay. Cado and Caso could kill them here, and no one would care at all. In fact, the people would cheer. 

“Is that what you think?” Cass laughed. “We can’t kill them here, Cado!” She mocked, laughing. Cado simply smiled. “Well I have news for you, pretty girl. We can kill you here, and no one will give a …” 

“Look, a turkey vulture!” Beatrice called all of the sudden. 

Perhaps it was the oldest trick in the book. And it definitely wasn’t super strategic. But Cado and Cass wheeled around. Maybe birds were their main food source or something, but Bruno didn’t hesitate. He grabbed Megan and Gale, and they all ran. Beatrice lead the way down back roads, and Bruno had no idea how she knew where to go. Knowing Beatrice, she was probably just guessing. 

It didn’t matter though. Cado and Cass did not follow. Bruno didn’t care whether they had lost them or given up. Instead, the pair seemed to be gone. 

The group stopped, and Bruno was panting by now. He had thought Asiema was a safe option, but apparently nowhere was safe now. “Where … gasp … are we?” He asked. 

“Carot Road.” Beatrice panted proudly. She straightened and pointed to a street sign coated with a suspicious yellow substance. “I followed the signs. Apparently, there’s a famous casino and petting zoo here!” 

“No petting zoos.” Megan shuddered. “Besides, we need to find a fortune teller’s, not a casino.” 

“Like that?” Gale asked, pointing to a wooden shop in the middle of the street. 

It was painted a dark purple color, and there was an eye painted on the door. There were no advertisement signs whatsoever, no markings that told them it was the fortune teller’s house at all. But Bruno checked the address and it matched with the one they were given. 

“Can you … um… wait in the lobby?” Bruno shifted back and forth as he asked Gale and Beatrice. Gale nodded, and Beatrice seemed to listen but they both seemed disappointed. 

There was a tiny porch, which Gale and Beatrice decided to stay on to keep watch. They promised to run inside in if anyone came down the streets, but Bruno was pretty sure the fortune teller wouldn’t talk to them if anyone else was there. 

Megan opened the door with a creak. 

The inside was even creepier than the outside. There were spiderwebs on every flat surface, and there was no merchandise at all, save for a pile of abandoned cards in the corner. There was a wooden counter and several empty shelves, which made Bruno sure that it had been a shop at one point. 

There was a sound of footsteps and Bruno saw a shadowy figure descend from a spiral staircase in the corner. And Bruno was shocked… 

For some reason, he had expected a female teller with a turban, crazy clothes, and an insane look in their eye. But the real fortune teller looked much different, and Bruno was sure he would’ve never expected it. 

For one thing, the fortune teller was male. He had dark hair and dark eyes, but he wore a t-shirt and jeans. 

The man eyed them up and Bruno noticed that he looked no more than twenty. “Who are you and what do you want?” 

“We’re here to see the fortune teller.” Megan said quietly. “Can you show us to him?” 

Obviously, Megan didn’t understand. Luckily, the man laughed and didn’t attack them. “I am the fortune teller. But you didn’t answer my questions.” 

“I’m Bruno, and this is Megan. We were given your location by a certain prince, and he said something about a prophecy.” Bruno said, wringing his hands. What if this man didn’t know the prince? What if they were wrong? 

The man nodded to himself. “I was warned you would come. Follow me, my workplace is upstairs.” 

As it turned out, his workplace was a closet. It was a large, warm closet, but it was still small compared to the room downstairs. Bruno decided not to ask anything that might offend then man. He might decide that the reward was better than helping two fugitives. 

“My name is Wiley.” The man said as he took a seat in the back of the closet. In the center of the room was a tiny tea table, surrounded by pink and purple pillows. 

“So, can you see the future?” Megan asked, blushing wildly. 

Wiley laughed again, his voice was husky and comforting. “No, that’s a common misconception. You see, us fortune tellers are all different. There are five different types of “telling”, fifteen if you count the different varieties. 

“Each teller can only use one of the five senses - sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch - to see into a time period - past, present, and future. For me, I hear things from the past.” 

“Whoa, that’s actually really interesting.” Bruno lied. It wasn’t a total lie, he did think that it was cool Wiley could hear the past. But he didn’t want waste their precious time talking about that. Besides, he wanted to keep on Wiley’s good side. “What have you heard?”

“That’s where your prophecy comes in.” Wiley explained. “Technically, it isn’t a true prophecy. Those are spoken by tellers who sense the future. Your so called ‘prophecy’ is more of a legend, because no one can trace back the person who first spoke it. It might be a prophecy, it might be a story. 

“I happened to hear it about three months ago in my sleep. I woke up after it was told and wrote it down on a notecard.” Wiley pulled a small box from under the table. Inside were hundreds of tiny, white notecards. 

“The exact words of the prophecy are unknown, and I could only hear bits and pieces of it. These are the words I could make out.” Wiley handed Megan the notecard, which she sat on the table. “The ‘x’s are the blank spaces.” The handwriting was cramped and neat, but with the blanks it was hard to tell what it meant. 

In time xxxxxxx Boy and a Girl XXXXXXXX XXXXX born possessing XXXXXX XXXXX unknowable XXXXXXXXX 

After XXXXX XXXXX Up they will XXXXXX XXXX world XXXXX XXXX darkest hour 

The boy XXXXXXX XXXXX an amulet XXXXXX obsidian XXXXXXX light XXXXXXX XXXXX friend 

The girl XXXX XXX An amulet XXXXXX snow XXXXX XXX ability to XXXXX shadows XXXXX 

Together XXXXXX XXX XXXXXXXXX the long lost XXXXXX King XXX XXXXX XXX Dead 

And hope to avenge XXXXX tears XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX shed 

“Do the ‘x’s have anything to do with the number of letters?” Bruno asked. Wiley shook his head and Bruno sighed. 

“You see why Igor wanted to kill you now.” Wiley took his notecard back. When he noticed their confused looks he said that he had a friend who could see the present, and experienced the time in the cave. 

“All I got from that is a boy and a girl with something unkowable will have special stuff and a kill a zombie king to avenge their tears.” Megan groaned. 

“That’s all there is.” Wiley shrugged. “Do you really think it applies to you?” 

“Maybe.” Bruno said. “I have an amulet like obsidian and I’m a light Elemental now. Megan has an amulet like snow and she’s a shadow Elemental. Both of us saw Igor return from the dead, and both of us have strong Auras so perhaps it referred to us.” 

Wiley nodded. “Well if it does, I’d be careful. You see, at our last ‘teller meeting’, there was a younger girl who can taste the future. She tasted the iron of blood and the grape taste of poisoned wine. There was an older woman who could feel the future and she felt great amounts of pain and sorrow. And there was another man who could see into the future, and he saw two children fighting a king. If it does apply to you, there is a possibility you won’t live.” 

“But if we don’t fight, then everyone will die.” Megan said quietly. She looked at Bruno, her eyes wide. “Henry told me that if we couldn’t defeat Vivian and Igor, then he didn’t know who could. And I know he meant it to encourage me, but what if we can’t kill Igor. What then?” 

Bruno was silent. Megan was right in a way. What if they couldn't defeat Igor? They were children after all. 

Vivian wanted to destroy all magic just because she had lost Pablo to it. She wanted Igor’s help, and Igor wanted to avenge his death. Bruno was pretty sure he had been murdered before by magicals. 

But Megan and Bruno weren’t exactly the “dream team”. He was older and more experienced. Megan had little training, had it even been a month yet? 

Bruno was so lost in thought he didn’t realize they were still in Wiley’s shop until they heard a scream from below. It sounded like Beatrice. Megan paled and Wiley stood up quickly. “Who is that?” 

“We brought friends with us, and we told them to wait outside.” Megan explained. “Bruno wasn’t sure if you would tell us the prophecy if anyone else was there” 

“Bruno is right. I’ve learned my lesson, and I only tell prophecies if it concerns the person.” Wiley sighed. He opened a closet door at the bottom of the steps (they had rushed downstairs quickly) and grabbed a bow and arrow. “I normally don’t like violence, but I assume there are gangs out there. And I can’t let any of you get hurt….” 

Before Wiley could finish the door to the shop burst open. It was Cado, his crossbow level with Beatrice’s head. “I won’t hesitate, now get outside or I shoot the girl.” 

Chapter 24 

Imogene 

The second Gale appeared on the beach, Imogene knew something was wrong. 

She had been sitting with Henry, feeding him and giving his his treatment. Seraphina and Emmett weren’t far away, they were fighting with their powers. 

Emmett made a vine cage around her, and with a hand motion he made it grow tighter around her. The vines burst into flames a moment later and Seraphina shot a fireball at Emmett. He cracked the ground under Seraphina’s feet, making her miss his head by mere inches. Imogene liked their style, they were getting better. 

But Gale had suddenly appeared on the beach, winded and paler than normal. “Asiema…” Gale panted, breathing heavy. Seraphina and Emmett were rushing over to him now, and he crawled towards Imogene and Henry. “Gang … hostage … ambush.” 

Gale then passed out on the ground. 

“He probably flew here.” Seraphina mumbled, kicking his hand with her arm. She looked up at Imogene. “Can you take us there?” 

Imogene nodded. “I might be able to lock onto Bruno’s thoughts with an old mind trick, so we can teleport directly there. But who will stay with Henry?” 

“I’m fine.” Henry protested. “Gale will wake up soon and he can be my new babysitter.”

Imogene knew Henry was only joking, but she felt sorry for him. It would be another two days at least before his wounds allowed him to get up and move around. “See ya!” Henry hollered as Imogene and the others teleported away. 

Asiema was a mess. 

Imogene knew from Bruno that it was full of gangs, but she never expected that they would all work together. Maybe it was the reward the wanted posters offered. 

Bruno, Megan, and Beatrice were gagged and tied up in the center of the street, surrounded by angry mobs. Some were yelling to burn them, but there were two children next to them. Imogene knew from Bruno’s thoughts that they were Cado and Cass. 

Cado’s crossbow was pointed at Megan’s head and Cass’s knife was under Bruno’s throat. Beatrice was not being guarded directly, but she had a cut on her forehead that looked like she had already been injured for obedience. Imogene clutched the cloth in her pocket, glad she had thought to bring it with her. 

“What do we do?” Seraphina whispered from beside her. 

“Jump in and fight.” Emmett mumbled sarcastically. 

“Actually, that’s our best bet. Seraphina, get the others untied. Emmett, you tried to make as many people leave as possible. I’ll take care of the battle.” Imogene said, taking charge. And the she leaped into the square below. 

The gangs immediately reared up in Imogene’s presence. Her amulet seemed to pulse with energy, and Imogene gladly let it take control. 

Unlike Bruno and Henry, Imogene preferred to let her amulet battle for her. She wasn’t good at thinking quickly, so the best she could do was let the amulet think for her, which was probably for the best anyways. 

Seraphina leapt down beside her from the roof where they had been perched. With a well placed punch, Seraphina knocked Cado backwards. He rolled into the crowd, still conscious. Cass attacked with her knife, but Seraphina formed a fiery knife of her own that she wielded with easy. 

The ground under her feet rumbled and split, a chasm opening on the pavement. Two or three houses fell into its massive jaws, but it made the people closer to Imogene less. 

Imogene let her amulet launch bursts of silvery light at the gangs members around her. Soon, she decided that it was harder to do magic at close range, so she formed two silver swords and charged into battle. 

Most of the gang members had knifes or crossbows like Cass and Cado, but many seemed unfamiliar with their weapons. Imogene had been training with swords since she was eight (her dad was a very strange man). 

Her hands fit the hilts perfectly, and her muscles remembered the backflips and other moves she had mastered so many years ago. 

Her amulet granted her superior strength and speed. Time seemed to slow down. 

Imogene hit one man in the stomach with the flat of her blade and cut another woman at the shoulder, slicing through a tattoo. 

Nearby, she saw a man fighting off the gang members too, and she realized he was the fortune teller. Imogene shot a thankful look at him, but she quickly lost her balance when a man grabbed her neck from behind. 

He lifted her off the ground and Imogene felt her vision dim. All this work for nothing? 

Her swords clattered to the ground and the crowd cheered. The floor beneath her feet seemed so far away and the man’s grip felt like steel. 

Suddenly, his grip loosened and Imogene dropped to the ground. She grabbed her swords and saw the man had been attacked by three jets of energy at once, gray, black, and white. Megan, Bruno, and Beatrice had joined the battle. 

Gang members fell into the pit like candy to a child, and it eventually snapped shut. Emmett leapt to the ground and Imogene saw vines spring from the ground, wrapping themselves around the necks of the others. Imogene slashed at a man who attempted to stab her in the back, pushing him to the ground. She brought her blade down on his ankle, slicing his muscles and making him unable to walk. 

Another woman lunged for her with a sword as well. Imogene parried the attack, blocking with one blade and stabbing with the other. 

The woman made a gash in Imogene’s forearm, but the sight of her own blood made her stronger and Imogene’s amulet strangled the woman, dropping her to the ground when she lay still. No one here was dead, only injured or incapitated. 

Imogene looked around and discovered most of the enemies were gone. 

Then she felt hands around her stomach and felt a crossbow at her head. Cado was apparently still awake. 

Cado waited patiently, he didn’t drop her or call out to her friends. Imogene wisely kept silent, she knew that Cado wouldn’t hesitate to shoot. Soon there were no more enemies, except Cado and Cass, who had join Cado’s threat. 

Bruno turned and saw Imogen moments later. She knew he must think she looked ridiculous, a knife to her neck and a crossbow to her head. But that’s what she had done to Henry, wasn’t it? Karma hit strong that night. 

“Hey, you there!” Cass mocked, and Beatrice blushed. 

Everyone was silent. Until Imogene’s amulet took matters into its own hands, so to speak. A flash of silver light momentarily blinded everyone except for her. Imogene wheeled around, pushing Cado into a wall, where she held him there. 

“You fight like a girl.” He hissed. Imogene shrugged, she knew Bruno had taken care of Cass. 

“Please, have mercy!” Cass laughed. “Don’t kill me.” 

“That’s rich.” Bruno snapped. “You really thought you could ambush us?” 

“Nope.” Cado laughed maniacally. “Just figured we would alert the authorities. They could take care of you, if Cass and I didn’t finish you off first.” 

“You fight like a girl.” Imogene spat at Cado. The boy didn’t respond. 

“You fight well.” Cass called out to Imogene, and it sounded sincere. “I haven’t seen sword skills like that for years.” 

“I’d teach you, but you just tried to kill us.” Imogene shrugged, hoping that maybe - just maybe - Cado and Cass would turn to their side. They could use all the help they could get. “Seriously, if you promise not to betray us, we can help you. We have food, clothes, and our own private island.” 

“Imogene!” Bruno growled. 

“They can help us, Bruno.” Imogene sighed. “Will you join us?” 

Cass and Cado shared a look and then Cass spoke. “That’s more than anyone has ever offered us. We’re in.” 

“The first chance of betrayal and I kill you both.” Bruno snarled, but he released Cass. Imogene let Cado go. 

“C’mon, let us show you your knew home?” 

Henry 

“You must have pretty good crossbow aim to hit that goose.” Henry noted, an air of admiration in his voice. Cado nodded and blushed. 

Imogene and the others had returned with two new people, both wearing dark clothes that matched their dark skin. Bruno had looked wary of them at first, but when the pair had removed their masks and bandanas he relaxed a bit. 

The boy was Cado, the girl was Cass. 

They had experienced a tragic childhood, as their parents had died when Cado was eleven. Their parents had left them little money, and Cado had heard about a legendary city of Asiema. They had spent their fortunes trying to win enough money to live, and had ended up in the debt of a storekeeper. Cado and Cass were more than willing to leave Asiema, especially when Imogene told them about Vivian and her terrible deeds. 

Cado had short, dark hair. Cass’s hair was longer and even darker. Both wielded their weapons with ease, and Imogene offered to give Cass sword lessons. 

Gale woke up after Seraphina waved a flame under his nose, and it seemed like all would be well. Henry took his treatment again, and much to Imogene’s surprise, his wound was closing fast. There was only a small, red line where the cut on his stomach had been. 

‘Dr. Bruno’ cleared Henry to stand and walk around, so Megan took him on a tour of the island. Henry managed to find a rusty shield, while Megan somehow discovered an ancient message set in the stone. She brought Bruno decipher (the message was written in older runes, which meant there were so many flourishes it was hard to understand what was being said. 

Bruno couldn’t decipher all of it either, and he decided to give it to Imogene. 

The sun had set, casting the island in dark shadows. Henry was anything but tired, so he stayed up late with some of the others. 

Cass and Cado found spots to sleep in, and Beatrice was snoring in minutes. Gale was sleeping as well, although he was restless. Imogene had fallen asleep deciphering the runes, and Henry sat against a tree, his eyes still wide open. 

Bruno and Megan had made the executive decision to practice their new elements. Seraphina volunteered to teach them, and it wasn’t going well. 

As hard as Megan tried, she could not make the shadows come to her. Every time one seemed to approach her, she would take a step back and it would leave. Seraphina told her not to be scared of her Element, but Meg just couldn’t control them. Henry knew she was timid after she had talked to him about the “darkness inside her”. 

Bruno wasn’t doing much better. Because it was dark, there wasn’t much light to work with in the first place. And when it did come to him, Bruno was so aggressive with it that the light would disband and hide from him. 

After an hour of watching them both fail at their element, Henry took matters into his own hands. 

When he was sure neither of them were watching, Henry cast a spell to make his eyes appear all white. He stood, raising his amulet as if prepared to fight. Just as he hoped, Seraphina noticed and pointed. “What’s going on?” 

Henry used a spell to make his voice sound like Vivian’s. “The boy is mine, you fools. Prepare to die.” He raised his amulet as if about to cast a spell. 

Just as he had expected, both Bruno and Megan’s Elemental powers worked. 

He released the spell on his eyes and voice as a string of light and a bolt of darkness shot at him. They collided, forming a singular spell that hit Henry in the chest. For a second, he thought he was dead. There was crushing pain all over him. When he opened his eyes he saw only blinding light, but when he closed them he was consumed by darkness. 

In less than a moment, the agony yielded and Megan’s face appeared above him. “Is he alive? Check his pulse again.” 

“I’m here.” Henry groaned, sitting up. 

Stars shot across his vision and he realized Megan had slapped him on the cheek, and hard. “What was that for?” He complained. 

“You idiot!” Bruno shouted. “We thought you were actually Vivian’s servant. We nearly killed you!” 

“But your Elements worked, didn’t they?” Henry pointed out, a small smile on his face. 

“That they did.” Seraphina said from behind them. “And I also learned something new from that. Remember when Beatrice and I duelled? Well, the same thing happened with us. Our Elements combined to form a single blast. I assume the same would happen with Gale and Emmett as well.” 

Megan and Bruno shared a look, one that Henry didn’t understand. Something had happened at the fortune teller’s place. 

Seraphina diffused the tension by suggesting they get some sleep. Henry obliged, and so did the others. But even as Henry stared at the stars he couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong. 

It felt like barely a minute before Megan shook him awake. 

“It’s not even dawn yet.” Henry complained, but he sat up anyways. Megan rolled her eyes. 

“Imogene deciphered the runes!” She explained, and Henry’s eyes shot open. 

“What do they say?” He asked. 

“She said we needed to wake you up before she told us, that way she didn’t have to repeat it.” Megan sighed. 

Imogene was sitting a few feet away in front of a campfire. “I couldn’t sleep,” She was telling the Elementals. “There was something bugging me. So I got up and finished translating this.” 

“Henry’s awake.” Megan called out to Imogene. The older girl nodded. 

“At first I wondered if the runes were from back when the the seven princes lived here. But then I realized that it would be too convenient that this piece of wall would still be here. When I wrote them down I made them more modern and suddenly I could read them.” Imogene told everyone. “It wasn’t a message from a century ago, it was a message from yesterday! That’s why we didn’t see it before. One of the princes used magic to burn it into the wall without coming here.” 

“Well what did the message say?” Bruno asked, sounding like an impatient child. 

“I’m getting there.” Imogene rolled her eyes. “At first I thought it was a plea for help, but then I realized it was instructions.” 

“But what did it say?!” Henry heard himself ask. “The suspense is killing me.” 

Imogene groaned. “The more you interrupt, the longer it takes. Here, I translated it so you can read it yourself.” Henry read the parchment. 

Ignore the parchment you recieved before 

Our enemies are gaining strength

So begins the terrible war 

We must do anything to stop them, even at great length 

Seek us where the sun sets gold 

And where cliffs are painted blue 

Hurry we are getting old 

And death draws closer to you 

At the fountain we await 

With help for you and more 

We cannot change any terrible fates 

But find us at near the sycamore 

“Why does everything always rhyme?” Beatrice mumbled. “No one even talks that way, why can’t they just be clear. ‘Hey guys, we’re at this place. Come find us and we can help’. Is that too much to ask?” 

“Well,” Imogene began, but Seraphina cut her off. 

“What if the message had fallen into the wrong hands? If Vivian and Igor are trying to find us, it is quite possible that they could’ve found this island. And if they had seen the message they could just go and attack the other princes.” Seraphina explained. 

“Can’t the Men still figure out this riddle though?” Gale asked. 

“Probably.” Bruno shrugged. “But that would take time. Vivian might think the same thing we did; that the message was simply there from before the island sank.” 

“So, does anyone know what any of it means?” Beatrice sighed. 

“The first line isn’t cryptic. Ignore the parchment your recieved before. Wow, what could that mean?” Henry mumbled. “So no clothes or armor for us, I guess.” 

“Our enemies are gaining strength.” Megan said. “That’s obvious too. Vivian, Igor, and the Men are getting stronger. They have tons of magical items, don’t they. Maybe Vivian started letting her higher guard train with magic.” 

“So begins the terrible war.” Henry jumped as Cado mumurmed the line from behind him. He had forgotten about the newcomers in the excitement of the morning. “War has begun.” 

“The next line just means we have to stop them, no matter what.” Cass stated. “The first verse isn’t hard. Basically, drop everything you are doing because the enemies are getting stronger and we have to stop them.” 

“Seek us where the sun sets gold and the cliffs are painted blue.” Imogene mumbled to herself. “Henry, does that ring any bells from our trips?” 

“I feel like I recognize the place, but I don’t remember what it’s called.” Henry groaned. Seriously? Of all the times he could’ve forgotten his trips it had to be when they needed it most. Of course, because it would be too easy otherwise. Henry strained his memory. 

“There’s a fountain and a sycamore tree as well.” Megan noted. 

“You skipped some lines.” Bruno said. “Hurry we are getting old and death draws closer to you. So basically, hurry.” 

“The next line talks about the fountain.” Megan continued. “And then after that they said they can help us, but they can’t change the future. And then it mentions a sycamore. That’s a type of tree, right?” 

Henry nodded, still trying to remember the place. It was buried deep in his mind, but he knew he had been there before. 

And then Emmett, who had been quiet the whole time, spoke up. “It’s obvious, isn’t it? We have to go to Eagle Falls.” Suddenly, Henry’s memory snapped into place. Emmett was right. 

“Eagle Falls! Of course!” Cado exclaimed to everyone else’s confusion. “Cass and I wanted to build a house up there for a while, before we got into our debt. The views are beautiful, and there are legends of a fountain with magical properties. We checked out books at the library in Asiema.” 

“There’s a library in Asiema?” Bruno asked at the same time as Imogene said, “The fountain is mentioned in the poem, so it must be important.” 

Both of them glared at each other before laughing. “Why can’t anything be straightforward?” Beatrice groaned. 

“Hey, we figured it out.” Gale said with a smile. “It wasn’t that bad. Things can only get easier from here, right?” 

As it turned out, Gale was dead wrong. 

Chapter 25 

Megan 

It took one hour to clean up the camp, which was surprising but also good. 

They didn’t have much stuff in the first place, it all fit in a backpack that Imogene volunteered to carry. They had the picture from the capsule (which both Imogene and Bruno teared up at), the cloth (which Imogene tried to use on Henry’s wounds but to no avail), the ring and the hairpin, any pieces of parchment the could find, including the one with Bruno’s mom in it. He still hadn’t told anyone about it, but Megan kept quiet. The Elementals shrunk whatever weapons, blankets, and clothing they had made so it fit in the bag as well. They didn’t have much food left, so there wasn’t much to take. Cado carried his crossbow and Cass her knife. Henry was able to walk, and he even showed them that the cut on his stomach had faded to a large scab. There was almost no treatment left. 

Megan felt bad leaving the island. It had become like a home to her. 

Ever since the day in the cafe so long ago, her life had changed - whether for the better or the worse. 

She had met Henry, Bruno, Imogene, and the others. She had travelled so many places and got to experience so many new things - especially magic. She had finally earned respect from her mother, and she had learned to share things like her brother. Megan wasn’t just someone random GPA obsessed student anymore, she was a hero. 

But she was also most likely the subject to a prophecy. She was being pursued by villains that wanted nothing more than her dead body. She had learned magic at the cost of fear of herself. And despite making friends, how many of them would live through the war? Henry had already nearly died, and Megan didn’t want it to happen to anyone else. 

There were so many things floating around her head that she was lost in thought when they finally teleported. 

Because Imogene and Henry had been there before, they weren’t far from Eagle Falls. 

In fact, Imogene might’ve accidentally dropped them on the six princes. It was quite embarrassing when Megan had to climb out of a mass of limbs. 

After a long while of getting situated and apologies and laughter, they finally settled into a circle on the ground. 

True to the description from the message, Eagle Falls had beautiful blue cliffs. There was a sycamore tree that seemed to be the oldest thing Megan had ever seen (except, perhaps, her algebra teacher from eighth grade). Its trunk was as think as a pick-up truck and its leaves were a remarkable shade of gold. 

There was also a fountain next to the tree. It sprouted normal looking water, but when Bruno offered her a swig of it Megan felt empowered. The water was without a doubt magical. 

But despite the beauty of the cliffs around them, the princes weren’t looking any better. Even though they hadn’t been “shiny” before, they definitely seemed duller. They were all silent before the brown haired prince began to speak. 

“Your journey is coming to an end now, my friends.” He said with a small smile. “And I fear that there is little we can do. Our time outside the Realm of Death is limited, but Igor’s is not. He has Vivian as an anchor to keep him in this world. We have no one and it is too late to find one now.” 

“So what do we do?” Bruno asked. “Obviously, we need to send Igor back to the Realm of Death. But what about Vivian and her Men? Do we kill them too?” 

“Technically speaking, these “Men” you speak of our actually called the Brotherhood of Revenge. They want to avenge their fallen. But not all of them are in the wrong. No one is the villain of their own story. Yes, I believe some of them may be spared. Vivian, however, must die for Igor to be defeated. Any of the Brotherhood that stands with her after that can be killed.” The brown haired prince explained. 

“Do we have, like, a plan?” Imogene turned to face the prince. “We can’t just walk up to her tower and knock on her door. ‘Hey, how’s it going? Great? Too bad, you have to die’. She’d kill us immediately.” 

“Alas, we cannot help with that.” The brown haired prince sighed. “Your best bet will be to go directly to the mountain that guards the Realm of Death. Every time it is opened, the gate moves so it cannot be found multiple times - at least not easily. There, I am sure you will find Igor and Vivian waiting. They have foolishly built a large tower near the entrance.” 

“But we’re defenseless!” Megan cried. “Everyone keeps telling us to go ‘defeat Vivian, Igor, and the Men’ but no one ever tells us how. We have no good weapons. None of us have enough power defeat any of them alone.” 

“But you will not be alone.” The brown-haired prince replied. “You will have each other.” 

“When has the power of friendship actually accomplished anything?” Megan groaned. “This isn’t some kindergarten show about ponies who become friends and vanquish the evil other horses. This is real life.” 

“We are aware.” The prince responded calmly. “Which is why my brothers and I have reached a decision. We cannot let you go into battle alone or weaponless as you said. We have decided to give up the remainder of our magic and our time here as blessings to you and the others. If there are no further questions, my brothers and I will say our last goodbyes and land our blessings upon you.” 

“But why?” Megan breathed. “Why are you doing this? We’re just kids.” 

“You’re our best hope, and sometimes hope is the only thing we have” The prince smiled. He beckoned for them all to stand. 

First, the silver haired prince walked towards the fountain. His eyes looked like quicksilver, and Megan knew that he had to be the creator of the silver amulet. He beckoned Imogene forward, and she stood next to him. 

“I, Prince Arian, creator of the silver amulet, bestow my humble gifts upon this young girl.” Prince Arian declared. “To Imogene, I fill your amulet to the brink with magic and I also leave you a silver sword that you will find as your closest friend. I do this in the hopes that you will one day defeat Vivian and in the hopes that you have learned the value of self-worth.” 

Then, the prince became a shimmering blur. Some of the shimmering mist shot into Imogene’s amulet, making it glow. The rest of it formed into something solid, dropping into Imogene’s hands. It was a sword, the silver blade glowing. She slipped it into a hilt on her back. 

Next, the bronze haired prince stood. He, again, walked to the fountain and had Henry step forward. 

“I, Prince Elidyr, creator of the bronze amulet, bestow my own humble gifts upon this young boy.” Prince Elidyr positively beamed at Henry. “I’m so proud of you, Henry.” He whispered under his breath. Then he continued. 

“To Henry, I fill your amulet with even more magic so you will become even more powerful than you could’ve ever imagined. I also leave you a book of spells I think you will enjoy a lot, as well as a knife of the sharpest kind.” The prince winked at Henry. “I leave these to you in the hopes that you will be able to defeat Vivian once and for all. I also believe that you have learned that the true bond of brothers is unbreakable, but so is the bond of friends.” 

The same thing happened to Prince Elidyr. He glimmered into bronze dust, which shot like a bullet into Henry’s amulet. The rest formed in a book in his hands and a knife on top. The book seemed thick, but Henry looked both sad and proud at the same time. Smoud. 

Next, the dark haired prince stood and waved Bruno to the fountain. His eyes were like pools of onyx, so deep that Megan thought they resembled a bottomless pit. 

“I, Prince Kierian, creator of the black amulet, bestow my blessings upon this young man.” Prince Kieran and Bruno met eyes for a second and Megan saw that they almost radiated pure power together. “To Bruno, I fill your amulet entirely with my magic and I provide you with a final word from your mother. I met her in the Realm, she was a charming young woman. She told me to give you her blessings and also a sword in honor of her memory. I do this in the hopes that you will seal Igor’s grave and that you will overcome your fears.” 

Prince Kieran’s mist took longer to form. Bruno’s amulet got the same treatment, and he also was given a sword with a blade like the night sky and a tiny piece of parchment. 

Megan knew it was her turn. The white haired prince beckoned her to the fountain. Megan stood, her knees shaking as she stared into his pale, gray eyes. Even though he was technically dead, his eyes sparkled with the mirth of life. 

“I, Prince Albin, creator of the white amulet, give my blessings and gifts you this young girl.” Prince Albin smiled warmly at Megan, and she blushed. “To Megan, I pour my magic into your amulet, making you only stronger. I also leave to you a sword, that may help you illuminate the path, even when it seems full of deep, dark, doubt. I also wish to give you the final words of your brother. I do this in the hopes that you will finally vanquish Igor and that you have learned that power is not an easy thing to wield.” 

Megan watched the prince in front of her dissolve, and she felt her eyes tearing up. His white mist poured into her amulet and Megan felt like she was being empowered. In her hands fell a sword, the blade light and bright. She also was given a parchment piece. 

As Megan took her seat, the golden prince stood. He bowed his head, in honor of Leo perhaps. But then he also went to the fountain. 

Surprisingly, the prince called Seraphina, Emmett, and Cado forward. 

“I, Prince Aurelio, creator of the golden amulet, am in absence of my keeper. I know that he is not here, but he will always live in our hearts. In the honor of Leo’s name, I name these three children as my chosen heroes. I bless you all with swords, with health, with strength, and with the hope that you will recover my amulet to pass down upon generations. Once you find my amulet, my gifts will lift and you will be free.” Prince Aurelio said, his voice heavy. 

Again, he shimmered into mist and flew into each of the chosen hero’s chests. Each one was given a sword as well. 

Finally, the brown haired prince stood. “I will give my blessings in a moment, but this is farewell, children. You have everything you need to defeat your enemies, and we have done all that we could to help. My brothers and I will not return to the Realm of Death because we have given everything to you. Only when you die will we be passed down from generation to generation.” 

“Sir,” Bruno interrupted. “I don’t mean any disrespect, but I have a burning question.” 

“Ask away.” 

“How did Megan and I become Elementals in the first place?” 

The prince frowned thoughtfully. “Magic is a product of necessity. I can’t explain it exactly, but the prophecy Wiley gave you was true. Because it was true, you were therefore designated as the Elementals. But I will tell you, Albin and Kieran were both equally matched sorcerors. I think you and Megan are almost like them reborn again. Does that answer your question?” 

Bruno nodded and the prince smiled. Then he lead Gale, Beatrice, and Cass to the fountain. 

“I, King Tobias, Ruler of Praella, leave my gifts to these three children. They are young yet possess the power and courage of my own knights. I grant you swords and my blessings that shall keep you safe until you oversee the end of the battle. Please, make my gift worthwhile.” 

Without another word, the prince disappeared in a flash of red light. Suddenly, Megan felt different. 

She looked down and discovered she was wearing a deep red tunic and black leggings and boots. Everyone else was wearing similar outfits, their swords strung on their backs. Megan felt fierce. She felt ready. 

But then Megan remembered the parchment with Douglas’ last words. 

See you soon, it read. And remember that not all that is strong will survive. Not just the powerful will thrive. But still for the best we should strive because that is what makes us alive. 

Megan stared up at the others. Their faces were set with grim determination. 

They were ready. She was ready. 

Nothing could stop them. 

Vivian had beat them, hurt them, hypnotized them, and nearly killed them. But every single person at Eagle Falls was still alive. 

But still for the best we should strive because that is what makes us alive. 

Her brother was correct, even in death. 

The world wasn’t black and white, good or bad. But they still needed each other for balance. Light without darkness is blinding. Darkness without light is an abyss. 

Megan and Bruno met eyes. Black and white. White and black. 

They were in this to the end. 

Imogene 

The times ahead looked dark and grim. Silence weighed heavily on the group, it felt like something had been dropped on them all. 

It wasn’t good. It wasn’t fair. Why should children have to face terrible enemies? Because that was the way the world worked. It would never be fair or kind to Imogene, and she was prepared to do whatever to took to make sure no one else suffered like she had. 

Imogene didn’t say it aloud, but she wanted to be the one to slay Vivian. Not Henry. Not Megan or Bruno. It had to be her. 

After the disappearance of the princes, a small map appeared on the ground - the location of the mountain they would travel to. Imogene smoothed out her tunic for the fourth time and checked her sword again. 

She felt a bit jipped, as everyone else had gotten a sword too, as well as other things. But Imogene could feel the raw power in her amulet. It was ready. 

I am not afraid. 

“It is time.” Imogene said quietly. Everyone turned to look at her. 

Imogene looked into their eyes. She saw the pure resolve in Bruno, the want for revenge in Henry, and the courage and power in Megan. She saw the excitement in Beatrice and the determination in Emmett. She saw Seraphina’s eyes filled with tension and Gale as loose as could be. She saw Cado looking a bit fearful but strong and Cass looking indifferent. This was their army. 

They weren’t fighting for Praella. They weren’t fighting for Leo. They weren’t fighting for themselves. They would fight for the entire magical world. 

Words began to flow into Imogene’s head. Her team needed a way to be empowered before their charge into battle. All this time, Bruno had pictured himself as the leader. Everything was put on his shoulders. It was time for Imogene to lift his burden. 

“We may look small and helpless. We may be nothing but children. But we aren’t normal children. We have a duty, a job.” Imogene spoke boldly. “The entire magical world may rest on our shoulders, and the burden may be large. But we are not alone. 

“Our ancestors fight along side of us. Not only that, but we have each other. Vivian may have numbers, she may have soldiers, but what she does not have is emotion. 

“When I first returned from Vivian I wondered if I was becoming evil, if Vivian had corrupted me. I had helped her find all of you, hadn’t I? But Bruno helped me discover the true difference between us and Vivian. Villains may not be as different from us as we would like, but they are still set apart. Vivian feels no guilt for the things she has done. She has no feelings, which means she can not love. Pablo is gone, Vivian fights only to avenge his death. 

“And she does this wrongly so. This war was not meant to be ours to fight. This war was out ancestors. But we must continue fighting. We must fight because Vivian will not stop until she ends all of us. 

“It is not fair. It really isn’t. We should have the right to grow up, to become adults like everyone else. But in order to do so we must first fight for what we believe in. 

“I hope that all of you know that the true power of this world is not in numbers. We have all the power we need … it lies inside of us. Yes, we come from many places. Yes, we have done questionable things. Yes, we have suffered. But that is what brings us together. Because in the end, there is no good and bad, no evil and kind. There is only us. We cannot be defined by any one word. Everyone here is the hero in their own story and the villain in anothers. But all of us, every single one of us, faces these problems every day. We have to fight back against those who think we are the villains. 

“Tonight, we charge Vivian’s armies. Tonight, we take back what is ours - freedom. No one will die in vain. Because We. Will. Triumph!” Imogene cried out, pumping her hands into the sky. 

The group cheered around her and Imogene blushed. “Well said, Imogene, well said.” Bruno murmured, patting her on the back. 

Imogene smiled. The group gathered their stuff. 

“In years, the world will know our story.” Imogene told Bruno as they packed up their stuff. “I can only hope that we will be the heroes in it.” 

“There are no heroes.” Bruno reminded her. “Only people.” 

Imogene nodded. “You ready?” 

Bruno nodded too but kept silent. Imogene stared at the sky above. 

This might be her last chance to see it. Ever. And as Imogene looked at the stars she felt about as significant as one of them. 

The mountain was a bit chilly. Imogene shivered in her red tunic, her dark cloak flying behind her. Her silver sword gleamed in the dim moonlight. 

Megan lead the way, her white sword shining even brighter. Imogene’s amulet purred on her chest, reminding her it was there for her, always. Imogene knew that the battle might be long and hard, but it would have purpose and victory. 

As the others trodded along behind her, Imogene felt a sense of duty to protect them all. 

Beatrice had pinned her hair back with the silver hairpin. Emmett wore the ring around his finger. Seraphina clutched Gale’s arm tightly in her hand. 

Cado and Cass held their weapons with white knuckles. 

And although the air was cold, Imogene’s heart was colder. 

She had set aside all emotions, all feelings of grief, hatred, and love. Her mind was 100% focused, her sense holding an extraordinary amount of awareness. 

Imogene had three things on her mind: 

Defeating Vivian 

Living 

And finally making her father proud of her. 

The amulet was hers now, it felt no connection towards her father anymore. The prince had guaranteed that. 

Imogene was so focused on detecting enemies that she spotted the archer thirty feet before they got to him. Before she could shoot a spell at him, the archer shot. The arrow arched towards Henry’s head but his amulet hit it out of the way. 

Apparently, the battle had only begun. 

Chapter 26 

Bruno 

Imogene strangled the first archer, and Bruno shot down the second with a kill spell. 

In Henry’s book there had been many spells, most of them dark magic, and Bruno had taken the time to memorize a few of them. 

More arrows shot by Bruno’s head. His amulet helped him locate the positions of the archers, and he held up his sword like it was a wand. Blasts of black light shot from the top of the sword at the rocks where the archers had been hidden. 

Within minutes, the archers were dead. But the Men weren’t done yet. 

Just as Imogene had predicted earlier, the Men came in waves. The archers were gone, so the next level was the weakest of the Men. Each one fought with a sword and a gun, but Seraphina did good work to disarm the Men. 

Flames spiraled into the air, striking the guns like fists, forcing them to the ground where the Earth swallowed them up. 

Bruno locked into combat with the first Man he saw, and soon discovered that it was a woman. 

His sword hit hers and bounced off harmlessly and the woman stabbed at his stomach. His amulet made the woman’s sword bend, snapping in half. Bruno’s sword cut through her body like clay. He didn’t stop to wipe the blood off his hands, he continued. 

Imogene had given them a plan. The Elementals, Cado, and Cass would fight off the Men. Imogene and henry would try to sneak away to kill Vivian. Bruno and Megan would move on to fight against Igor. Bruno ran forward before another Man caught him. This one carried two swords, one bloody - maybe one from one of the fallen. 

Bruno sliced, his sword forming sparks against the Man’s two swords. The enemy’s face was set in anger, and he shoved Brunot o the ground. Bruno rolled to avoid the hit of his sword. The man lunged again, but Bruno’s amulet made his second sword fly through the air. 

A blast of water hit the man squarely in the chest and Bruno knew Beatrice was looking out for him. He got up again and kept running. 

The sounds of swords clashing and bodies falling was all around him. Bruno could smell the disgusting scent of the blood, he could see it staining the stones. But he continued on, hoping Megan would be able to meet him at the top. 

Bruno’s amulet shot bursts of black like sporadically, hitting Men in the chests so they collapsed on the ground. 

Two Men raced towards Bruno simultaneously. He spun in a circle, making his sword form a wide arc through the air. One Man slammed into the other, throwing them both off the side of the mountain where they fell into the icy river below. 

Bruno shot three paralyze spells at some of the Men trying to stab Henry. Two of them fell, but the other dodged - running directly into Henry’s waiting blade. 

Henry could see Megan just ahead of him, fending off another Man. She kneed him in the stomach, her amulet finishing him off. 

Bruno heard someone withdrawing a sword from behind him and wheeled around, bringing the flat of his blade down on their head. The person rolled down, taking four more Men down with them. 

Bruno continued charging up the mountain. He slayed several more enemies until he lost count of the bodies that he had caused. 

Someone, only one blade managed to hit him and it was on his forearm. The cut was shallow, and although it stung it had already stopped bleeding by the time Bruno had caught up with Megan. 

At this point, the second wave of Men had been rendered dead or injured by the group of children. The others gathered with Bruno and Imogene, preparing themselves to charge into battle. They seemed scratched up, but nothing more. Cado and Cass were still fighting strong, so were the Elementals. 

But before Bruno could say any of that out loud, he heard the whiz of an electric bolt. 

He managed to duck, but the bolt hadn’t been meant for Bruno. 

Gale drew in a breath as a tiny, blue ball embedded itself in his chest. For a moment the boy look terrified as his sister screamed as loud as she could. The bolt burrowed into Gale’s chest, and he flopped to the ground like a doll. The pale boy thrashed for a minute before stilling. At first, Bruno though the attack to be over. 

And then Seraphina doubled over, clutching her throat. Bruno remembered the twin bond. Gale was Seraphina’s anchor, since she was a fire she needed air to live. And now Gale was gone. 

Her fiery red hair seemed to dull and her amber eyes were open. 

Before Bruno could do anything to comfort the others, someone else screamed. And then someone else. 

His first thought was more of the tiny blue balls, but instead, it seemed to be a battle cry. 

They charged into battle against the third wave, Vivian’s third wave of fighters. This wave was her advanced warriors, and Bruno prepared himself for harder battles. 

Cado and Cass were like a pair of monsters, tearing the Men apart. Every time it seemed they would die, the blades and bullets were deflected. 

Beatrice and Emmett set to work disarming the Men, but these warriors were far better prepared and kept multiple weapons on hand. Bruno’s amulet took the lead, it seemed to understand his dire need to live. 

Spells shot from all over, some nearly missing the Men, but others colliding with them full force. 

Bruno shot kill spells everywhere. He climbed a rock and used it as a perch, peering down at the battle scene below. The loss of Seraphina and Gale hadn’t shut them down, it had woken them up. 

It didn’t take long before these Men were dispatched, with no more casualties for the group of kids. 

But that didn’t mean they didn’t have any injuries. 

There were bloody cuts everywhere that Imogene used the cloth for. And once everyone was healed, they gathered their weapons and prepared to continue. 

“The next wave will be magical fighters and esteemed soldiers.” Imogene warned. 

No one else said anything, and they continued on. 

“Get to the top, no matter what.” Megan whispered in his ear, before repeating it to Henry and Imogene. 

Just as Imogene had predicted, the next wave of enemies had magic and many, many more weapons. Blue balls launched everywhere, but shield spells deflected them. Streams of water made the surfaces slick - but only for the Men. The earth seemed to rumble and shake, but none of the Amulet Keepers, Elementals, or Cado and Cass felt anything. 

Bruno had only one opponent to face before he could make it up. 

There was a man with short, cropped hair that Bruno recognized as one of the ones who had been at the castle. He immediately plowed into the man, grabbing at his hair and eyes. 

The man wrestled back with more power than Bruno could muster. He spotted the dagger in the man’s hand and knew that it was magical but the jewels on the hilt. But before he could grab it the man threw himself to his feet and plunged the dagger at Bruno’s head. 

It missed by mere inches, and Bruno struggled to his feet. His amulet gave out weak blasts, but it was clear it needed some minutes to recharge. The man didn’t seem bothered by these attacks. Bruno was beginning to panic. Was his rash decision to run into battle going to be the end of him? 

Before the man could stab at him again, light burst from the sky and lassoed the man’s arms, pinning him to the ground. Bruno punched him once for the fun of it before letting the light sear into the mans skin and kill him. 

Then Bruno ran. 

The red blood stained the now falling white snow. There were bodies everywhere, but none of them seemed to be his friends. 

Bruno had only one thing on his mind: the top of the mountain. 

Suddenly, his hand slipped into his pocket and he felt the note his mom had left for him. Good luck. That was all that was scrawled on the tiny piece of parchment. But Bruno didn’t mind. 

He shoved the note out of his thoughts and followed the trail of footprints to the top of the mountain. 

On the peak was a tiny gate, the portal swirling with the same colors it had before. The Realm of Death was yards away, and Bruno felt only a tiny sliver of fear. He wasn’t the same boy he had been. 

Because now he wasn’t afraid. 

On the hill he saw a man with dark hair standing over a tiny Megan, sitting criss crossed in the snow. Her eyes were closed but there was a smirk on her face that let Bruno know she was very much alive. 

On the other hand, Vivian was battling Henry and Imogene. 

Somehow, the woman seemed adept at fighting skills. Her brooch blocked the magic spells practically spilling from Henry and Imogene’s amulets. Her swords whirled like a tornado. And Bruno felt the satisfaction of seeing his enemy finally be beaten. 

“Over here.” Bruno cried. Igor turned to watch him, which was a mistake for him.

Megan sprang to her feet with the grace of a cheetah, her eyes wide open and her amulet glowing. 

Vivian continued fighting. Igor began to launch red, magical bolts at both Bruno and Megan alternatively. Bruno and Imogene met eyes and shared a silent message. They would finish it, no matter what. 

With a feral cry, Vivian attacked with new renown and Bruno took on Igor. 

The battle would have an end. 

Megan 

Megan’s heart raced as she shot a single spell at the prince. 

Although she didn’t want to waste her magic on stunning him before he could be kill, she didn’t exactly want to die either. 

Vivian was fight Henry and Imogene and Megan knew her friends would overpower her eventually. But would Igor kill her first? She had been sure that she would die before Bruno showed up. 

He had arrived right as she had been planning a sneak attack on Igor. She had learned that he wasn’t exactly smart, even if he was strong. 

But none of that mattered unless Vivian was dead. 

Megan snuck around the side of Igor while Bruno stabbed at him with his sword. Although the blade shattered on impact with the prince’s legs, Bruno did not give up. He leapt backwards with surprising agility as Megan landed a constrict spell on Igor’s cape. 

The article of clothing struggled and writhed like a serpent, twisting around Igor’s neck. The man managed to pull off the cape, but it winded him enough for Bruno to send some sort of itching spell at him. Igor seemed inconvenience more than anything, but Megan couldn’t see if Henry and Imogene had managed to killed VIvian yet. 

It seemed impossible to see around Igor’s giant body. At first Megan thought it was only her perspective but then she realized her actually was ginormous. 

Igor had swelled to the size of an elephant, his arms rippling with muscles and a beard sprouting from his protruding chin. Bruno did not step back, instead, he tossed a rock into Igor’s boot. The man howled in pain and anger, throwing the stone back at Bruno’s head with such force it left an indent in the ground. 

Megan distracted him by using a well placed fire spell on his hair, setting his head on fire. The stench of burning hair filled Megan’s nostrils and Igor patted at his head, trying to put out the flames. 

While he was distracted, Megan caught a glimpse of Henry and Imogene. 

Henry had somehow reopened the wound on his stomach and Imogene was bleeding from her forehead. But Vivian was slowing down. She had one sword now, and her brooch was lying on the ground feet away. 

Megan watched as Henry and Imogene both stabbed at the same time, piercing Vivian’s sides with their weapons. Vivian cried out in pain as blood spilled from her sides and trickled from her lips. Imogene seemed disgusted, and with one kick Vivian toppled off the side of the cliff. They both stared at Megan, expecting her to finish of Igor. 

And kill him Megan would. 

She shared a look with Bruno as Igor finally put out his head fire. 

Megan took a breath and begged her amulet to obey her outright crazy demand. 

Both black and white tendrils spouted from Megan like snakes, swirling and twirling into one beam. The shadows obeyed her. The amulet obeyed her. Megan was powerful. 

The beam shot straight at Igor, hitting him in the head. And on the other side of her, through the strain of keeping the magic flowing, Megan saw Bruno gritting his teeth. The same colored beam connected Bruno to Igor as well. 

The giant prince stumbled as pure power shot from both Megan and Bruno at him. 

Megan felt something around her waist but ignored the feeling. She focused on keeping her magic flowing. The bolt felt like pure energy, the air around her seemed boiling. The shadows begged to be let free. Megan’s amulet told her the strain was too much. 

Igor stumbled closer to the Entrance to the Realm of Death. His body was shrinking, as if the power was forcing him into a shell of himself. Megan felt herself draw closer to him. 

The she realized that Igor was holding her in his giant hands, which for some reason had remained large and heavy. She couldn’t hear anything, she could only see the energy that was making her vision go dark and could only feel the wind whipping her hair. 

Tears came to her eyes as she held on to all the magic she had in her. 

Bruno met Megan’s eyes again, and this time Megan understood everything. Igor was too powerful, only one thing could beat him. 

Megan nodded, feeling her heart grow heavy. 

With one final glance at everything around her, Megan through all of her energy, her power, her magic, her life into her beam of energy. 

Igor trembled, tripping and falling. His grip around Megan loosened and she felt herself falling to the earth. Igor stumbled backwards, falling into the arch that lead to the Realm of Death. In he went, never to be seen again. 

As Megan fell she realized how high up she had been. 

She saw Bruno falling with her. She saw Henry and Imogene screaming below her. 

She thought they were trying to catch her. But how? It wouldn’t matter if Megan hit the ground. There would be no pain, no feeling at all. 

The ground approached but instead Megan found herself wandering a foreign land of gold, blue, and white. 

A freckled, ginger boy appeared beside her, a wide grin across his twenty-year old face. 

“I missed you.” Megan murmured, laying her head against Douglas’s chest as they embraced as long lost siblings. 

“I’m so proud of you.” Douglas whispered. Megan smiled and only hugged him tighter. 

Henry 

Nothing could compare to the immense crushing feeling Henry felt as he watched the girl he had fell for plummet from the sky. 

His first thought had been to catch her, just as they did in heroic movies. 

But Henry was not fast enough, and Imogene grabbed him and held him back. Henry screamed at her, begged her to let him go. Imogene did not listen and Henry’s amulet tried to help him escape. 

Imogene dropped him in surprise as a gash appeared on her arm. 

The snow was falling faster, but it couldn’t cover up the body. 

Oh, the body. 

Henry sat beside Megan, stroking her soft red-brown hair. Her closer her eyes with his fingertips, trying not to focus on how cold her skin was or how broken she seemed to be. 

Suddenly, Henry had a thought. He needed the golden pond water. Save a friend. Save a friend. She was more than a friend. 

“Give me the water, Imogene!” Henry cried out. He turned to see tears streaming down Imogene’s face as the girl knelt in the snow, hunched over in sorrow. “Give me the water!” Henry’s voice cracked, and he felt a sob rise in his throat. 

“It’s too late, Henry, don’t you see?” Imogene sobbed. “It’s too late.” 

Henry stared at her in disgust. “Don’t you see? Megan isn’t dead. She’s not. Give me the water.” 

“Henry…” Imogene began. 

Henry watched the tears stream down her face. “You liar! You used the water on yourself! How can you consider yourself their friend. You were nothing to them.” 

Henry felt like the world had been turn upside down once again, because at that moment he realized that Imogene was right. Megan was gone. And Bruno was gone to. And Seraphina. And Gale. 

They had defeated Vivian. They had killed Igor. 

But now, Henry had nothing. 

Leo was in the Realm of Silence, presumably dead. 

Bruno, his best friend and role model, was cold and dead. 

And Megan, the girl he thought he had shared a future with… Henry couldn’t even think about it. 

I could’ve saved her, Henry thought. 

He wiped the frozen tears from his face as he pressed his head to Megan’s chest, as if listening for the heartbeat he knew wasn’t there. 

Everything was gone. 

“I’m so sorry.” Henry mumbled, whether to himself, to Megan, or to Imogene. 

“Come.” imogene stood, wiping her own tears and holding out her hand. Together, the removed the amulets from Bruno and Megan. 

The Entrance to the Realm of Death had disappeared, which left the perfect place for a monument. Beatrice joined them, washing away the bodies of the Men. Emmett cracked open the ground and place Bruno and Megan in side by side. Then he closed the earth. 

Imogene and Henry used their amulets to make a monument of stone. The two friends were portrayed in stone, a beam of light shared between them. 

And the words on the stone would be engraved there forever. 

In loving memory of Bruno and Megan. Two friends that will be missed dearly by everyone in the magical world. They faced their fears and defeated an evil prince from a century long battle. May they be remembered as heroes by all. 

As Henry climbed down the mountain, he felt the emptiness inside him grow deeper. He leaned against Imogene for support. 

Together, six friends trudged down the mountain. 

Four had been lost that night. Seraphina and Gale had been given graves side by side close to the top. But the peak was reserved for Bruno and Megan. 

“Where do we go now?” Cado asked. 

Henry didn’t know how to answer. 

The castle was gone. 

None of them had families that they could go to. 

But Imogene had an answer ready. 

“Home.” She said. “We go home.” 

And those were the best words Henry had ever heard. 

Chapter 27 - Epilogue 

It had taken one whole month for Imogene, Henry, and the others to gain ownership of Brotherhood Tech and the main headquarters building in the city. 

Imogene patrolled the building for a week before speaking to the security guards outside. She finally convinced them that Vivian was dead, and then the let her in after taking DNA samples from the blood on her sword. 

Upon leaving the mountain, the group had travelled back to Coconut Cafe to clean up and eat some food. They then delivered the news to Cynthia and Mr. and Mrs. Burke about the losses that had occured on the mountain. Then, and only then, had Henry shown them an object he had been hiding. 

Henry had a feather from a phoenix that would lead him to Leo. The feather lead them to Brotherhood Tech. 

Imogene lead Henry, Beatrice, Emmett, Cado, and Cass to the basement of the tower after all of the Men either dispersed or repented. She knew her way around from her time as prisoner. 

Henry worked to release the prisoners before heading to the basement with Imogene and only Imogene. 

Cado and Cass volunteered to inspect for any others who might be hiding. 

Beatrice and Emmett lead the prisoners out of the building before sending them off. Emmett was surprised to find several of the Cryos deep in the dungeon. 

But far underground was the lab and the museum. Henry found the gold amulet among several other treasures and he brought it down to the lab with him. 

It took one week to prepare for possibly bringing Leo back. 

Emmett helped them determine which machines were needed. 

Beatrice found them food and water while they worked. 

Cado and Cass scavenged supplies from the rest of the building. 

Finally, Henry was ready. He flipped the switch that turned on the machine. 

Leo floated in the white blurs of the Realm of Silence. He had no thoughts, his chest was barely moving. Because Leo was sleeping, he did not notice the tiny feather slipping through the whiteness towards him. 

He didn’t wake as it wrapped itself around him, the end tied to a string that if followed would’ve lead Leo to a crack in the white walls. 

Once the feather was secured, it began to drag Leo along towards the crack it had formed. Leo drew closer, and closer, and closer to the crack before he passed through and into the real world. 

A boy named Leo opened his eyes as a vial of golden water was tipped down his throat. 

He sat up, and with an elfish smile on his face, grinned at the friends who had saved him. “What’d I miss?” 

Author's Note

This is my ninth story, and by far my longest. I haven't read over it and the plot isn't super good, but I still appreciate comments. Sorry it's so long (I copy and paste from google docs and it takes forever to do chapters).