It was understood that there would be no talking when we left the cluster of trees Bjorn claimed as his. I wanted to ask a million questions, but the atmosphere was too tense. Nik led the way with Tor along the brook, their swords unsheathed. Foss and Jamie walked on either side of the invisible Britta, while Jens and Charles flanked me, with Uncle Rick taking up the rear. Jens held my hand, turning us both invisible as we plodded forward on silent feet.
Then it occurred to me: they were protecting us from the Nøkkendalig in the water and the mean trolls up in the mountain straight above us. I kept my eyes down on Henry Mancini and trudged forward, trying to think invisible thoughts.
I checked in with Jamie, looking through his eyes to see that Britta was trembling. Every step she took was laced with fear. Charles was sweating. I hugged Henry Mancini tight as I walked down what felt like death row.
Then it happened. A boulder the size of an elevator tumbled down the side of the mountain right for the head of the group. Britta screamed as Jamie yanked her aside while Foss and Nik scattered.
“Now we’ve done it!” Nik shouted. “Can you get around?” he asked Jens, glancing at the narrow space of grass the elevator-sized boulder did not take up on the path.
“We can, but she can’t. Too close to the water,” Jens ruled. “Up and over. Foss, you ready?”
Before anyone consulted me, Jens handed Henry Mancini to Charles and then lifted me off the ground. “Climb over,” he ordered.
I scrambled to hitch my leg on top of the rock, but another boulder the size of a sedan came pitching through the air right for me. I dropped back down next to Jens, who covered my body with his as the car shattered on the elevator. Rocks pelted him from the collision, but it didn’t seem to hurt him; it only pissed him off. His fist pounded into the ground next to my head. “That’s it!” Jens stood, machete drawn. “Foss, you with me?”
“I’m already there. How many, Nik?”
Nik was positively ashen. “Seven.”
“Jens, no!” Britta screamed.
Jens and Foss jumped up the mountain. I mean, literally jumped. I’d never seen anything so graceful and just, well, dangerous. Tiny crevices were preselected in their brains as they dashed up the mountain to the cave the boulders had launched from.
My hands clawed at my face as I watched, afraid to look, but unable to look away. There was shouting. There was slashing. There was crashing. I was a ball of angst until Charles interrupted my anxiety. “We need to get to the other side of this boulder,” he reminded me. “Vanish her, Jamie! She shouldn’t be seen!”
“Jamie! Take Henry Mancini,” I instructed as Charles placed my poor afraid puppy on top of the elevator-shaped rock.
Jamie snatched him down and handed him off to Nik. “You’re next, Lucy.”
Mace’s hands were on my hips, and he hoisted me up. This time I found my footing quickly, crawled over and jumped down into Jamie’s strong arms. Charles and Uncle Rick were thankfully able to climb up themselves and jump down. All we needed were the two warriors in the cave. I glanced behind me to make sure I wasn’t too near the water.
“Lucy! Keep your head down. Eyes shut if you have to.” Jamie ordered, snatching up my hand so I disappeared.
“What am I not supposed to look at? I have no idea what’s going on. Where are the Nøkkendalig?” My voice had that high-pitched squeaky quality it got whenever I was freaking out.
A skeleton the size of Nik launched out of the cave above. It had been picked clean.
Jamie hugged Britta’s head to his chest, burying her sobbing face in his shirt to hide her already invisible eyes. He gripped the back of my head and did the same to me.
I reached out to Britta and squeezed her arm. “He’ll come back, Britta. Jens is crazy strong. It’ll be okay.” Though my words were meant to encourage, fear dampened any help they might do.
It was twenty more harrowing minutes I willed my words to be true. I could feel Britta’s crazed fear, and it began to transfer to me. Jamie clutched us both tighter, burying our faces so deep in his chest, I was beginning to grow hot.
Finally we heard slow movements descending down the mountain, and Jamie let out a gust of elation. “Are you well?” he called.
Jens answered, “I’d be better if I could get a burger around here. I’m so sick of apples and rolls. Just you wait till we go to the Other Side. Chinese food all the way. I’m buying.”
I could tell by his bravado that he was hurt, but trying to hide it. Britta struggled like a butterfly against Jamie and ran to the foot of the mountain to greet her brother. Jamie followed behind.
Foss had been tossed around pretty good and bore the beginnings of several bruises. Jens looked about the same, but he’d also been knocked in the head, which he held through Britta’s examination. “We’ve got to get out of here,” he warned, standing up straight. He reached inside his shirt and pulled out the small pouch he kept around his neck. He took a pinch of the lavender powder inside and clamped it to his nose, inhaling it like medicine. “You need some?” he offered to Foss.
“I’m not hurt, and I’m not a junkie,” Foss grumbled, nursing his side. “Let’s go. That last one was mostly dead, but I didn’t stick around to confirm it.” He limped forward and led the way down the narrow grassy path that ran between the river and the mountain.
“Head down, Loos,” Jens commanded, grabbing my hand to turn me invisible. “But after we get through this, I’ll be wanting my hero’s kiss for saving your life there.”
“Is that so? Well, if we get through all this, remind me of this exact moment. You can hold out till then, right?” I motioned to Britta, who was crying softly on Jamie’s shoulder. “Go hug her. She was shaking like a leaf waiting for you to come back. She loves you.”
Jens pecked my cheek and trotted ahead to hug his sister and let her fawn over his wounds.
It happened so fast, I didn’t have time to brace myself. I was a couple feet away from the water’s edge when a man’s slimy hand lunged out of the brook and grabbed hold of my ankle. I screamed as I was yanked off my feet and dragged under the water. The last thing I saw was Mace’s horrified expression as I slipped through his fingers.