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“I don’t know what’s going on, but…” The man waved a hand. His energy was light and subtle as it penetrated the circle and slowly made it smaller.
Maddox observed the two, noting the casual way they addressed each other and her lack of defensiveness versus her explosiveness with him. He deduced that the portal was probably one-way before he finally scanned his surroundings. The forest mirrored the one they had left behind, but there were telltale signs that it wasn’t the same one: glinting leaves of odd color here and there, wisps of fog in areas that shouldn’t have fogged up in their warm climate. But Moon, who had just as many sharp senses as him, didn’t seem bothered by it, assuring him that there was no immediate danger.
“Do we leave the forest?” he asked Ruby.
“Yes…yes, please.”
She still didn’t say where they were headed, and he suspected she was still trying to figure it out, but the apology and determination warring in her features solidified his decision. He nodded.
“I will lead the way. Moon, stay close to me.”
“I will stay at the back,” Brian volunteered.
The warlock eyed him curiously, no hint of judgment in the open observation even when the attention lingered on Moon. Moon looked back, calmer than he had been earlier—yet another sign that they were not in Broom’s Isle as no moon shone on them. Their line moved quietly as they examined their surroundings. His ears perked when he heard the warlock and Ruby talking in low tones.
“Did you follow me?”
“I did. I knew something was up when we talked outside that bar, and I couldn’t let it rest.”
So, they did know each other—and closely, it seemed. He tried to recall a Brian in his mind but came up blank.
“You shouldn’t have. Now you might be in trouble, too.”
“I will handle them. What’s going on? Where are we?”
He didn’t catch the rest of the conversation, but her assuring tone had him believing she was stalling to answer, too. Moon’s clearing of his throat had him shifting his attention.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. This place is cold.”
“You grew up in a ship that was always traveling and always cold,” he pointed out.
“Not always,” the boy corrected, wrinkling his nose. “We had some warm weather—you lived through those when you stayed with us for a few months. Anyway, it’s not just the cold. It’s the calmness.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have lost the urge to shift since we landed here.”
The last word hung in the air, still unsolved. He glanced back at Ruby, still embroiled in her conversation with Brian, then studied Moon.
“Maybe it’s the lack of a full moon.”
But Moon shook his head. “I actively fought the urge even when there was no full moon, both in the pirate ship and at Broom’s Isle.”
It was something to consider, but his senses still didn’t tingle enough to warn him of danger. Maddox tilted his head.
“Don’t let him hear you.”
“Brian is okay. She talks to me when I’m running around in the forest. She mentioned his name a few times.”
Maddox wondered what else she talked about and if she ever mentioned him, but bit his tongue from asking. Moon fell back to look closely at a formation of shimmering leaves, staying in Maddox’s peripheral vision. Another figure fell in step with him.
“About that kick…”
There was that apologetic tone again, as if it was eating her up. Despite their tug-of-war and constant disagreements, it didn’t sit well with him.
“It could use some work.”
