A TAIL OF NINE

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: A Shard of Something Dark

"Is King okay?" I need to hear something besides the devils screaming. Even though we keep walking, it seems just as close as ever and never stops. I want to lean over and puke.

"He's tougher'n a pine knot," Mr. Unger says, his voice all gruff.

Part of me wants to run back. Could we burn the forest down or something? There HAS to be something--

Mr. Unger's still cradling the dog in his arms. Right now, instead of following King's nose, we're following a chicken. I reckon I've done weirder things.

"I had heard that Yelena ..." He pauses when I give him a look. Then he continued, "I'd heard that the Old Bone Woman had put up some spells with minds of their own to help protect folks. Never thought I'd be relying on any of 'em."

"Or that it would be a bunch of chickens."

The grass and leaves beneath our feet gives way to gravel and hunks of broken asphalt. The chicken gives a victorious squawk before strutting forward. Three more chickens come up from behind us to rush forward. They disappear into the dark. I guess they're off to help somebody else.

"Where are we?" I whisper. After slipping the pack off my shoulder, I check on the little foxes. Their breathing is slow and rhythmic. To be safe, I carry the backpack in my arms.

"This here's it," Mr. Unger tells me. "Remember what I said, boy. You stick right with me. We'll get them gems for Kon."

At first, I don't realize that we're in Belle Lake. The trees look the same as the ones in the other part of the forest. But the air is much warmer here. There's something else that I can't quite put my finger on.

I thought this would feel like I'm coming back home, coming back to the one place I belong. But without Kon ... it just seems wrong. I expected bright colors and something magical. It's almost like everything's hiding. I can feel the tension in this place, like it's a giant spring getting ready to snap. For now, I keep my mouth shut about Tulip, or that'll just cause more trouble. The last thing I want to do is to start a war and have monsters tear each other to pieces over the Once-Kingdom. I'll find a way to get out of here after I know the gems are safe and find a way to get them to Kon, or at least to someone who can use them against Mirabelle.

There's a little stir to the air, and then a lake pops up in front of us. In a flash of scales, fish surge to the surface.

"Little Jack," they say, as they lengthen into three women. "You have grown."

And I remember them. I remember from the stories that Kon would tell with light and shadow. More than that, I remember sitting in water up to my waist with them tickling my toes with silvery fingers. They can command the water. No, it's more than that. As they move, it moves. The waves are part of them.

The mermaids don't rush right up to me. Instead, two duck back into the water as soon as they see me notice them. A third hesitantly inches forward, her fingers flirting with the waves.

"Come on away from there, Jake," Mr. Unger urges as I get close to the water's edge.

"We know you," says the mermaid. She lingers, sinking into the waves so that I can still see the tops of her breasts. Burns scar her face, winding down her neck and chest. But it's her eyes that I can't look away from. Her gaze is a storm of fear and anger.

When I don't say anything, she starts up again, her voice an enticing whisper, "Jack be nimble, but don't be quick ... Come closer."

They remind me of the deer woman, but I'm getting the feeling that they're not here to help me. I was safe with them as a baby, because of Kon. Now, I'm just a trespassing human, and I know what mermaids do to those.