Arlo Finch in the Kingdom of Shadows by John August

Author:John August
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

27

FIELD TRIP

ON THE BUS TO SCHOOL THE NEXT MORNING, Arlo filled in Indra and Wu on what had happened the night before.

“Wait, you’re saying Hadryn chewed through his arm?” asked Wu. “How do you even do that?”

“Coyotes will chew through their legs if they’re caught in a trap,” said Indra. “It’s either that or die.”

That wasn’t what Wu was asking. “I mean, literally, how do you do it? You can’t bite through bone. Plus, think about it: the angle would make it really tough to reach.” Wu demonstrated the difficulty of gnawing on one’s own elbow. Indra agreed, speculating that perhaps Hadryn had had help, or had even made up the story about sharpening his teeth to seem more menacing.

Arlo grew frustrated that his friends were focused on the wrong things. “His arm doesn’t matter! The point is, Hadryn’s back and he tried to kill me last night.”

“Sorry,” said Wu. Indra said she was sorry, too.

“The good news is, I don’t think Hadryn can shape-shift at all right now,” said Arlo. “Or if he could, he’d still be missing an arm. So at least he won’t be impersonating any of us. And it seems like the Eldritch can find him, which means he’ll probably be hiding in the Long Woods where they can’t reach him.”

“So just don’t go into the Long Woods,” said Wu.

“For how long?” asked Indra. “Forever? Arlo’s going to need to go back eventually.”

Wu wasn’t so sure. “Why? Most Rangers never set foot in the Long Woods. As long as he stays here, he’s safe.”

“He’s not safe,” said Indra. “He hasn’t been safe for a really long time.”

“She’s right,” said Arlo. “Even if I never went back in the Woods, bad stuff would still come after me. Think about it. First it was the wisps, then the Night Mare, then the hag. Now Hadryn. I’m tired of waiting for the next thing to come out of the Long Woods. I’m tired of running away.”

“Then what do you want to do?” asked Wu. “You can’t go after him.”

“Why not? Either I go after him or he comes after me, and you, and my family—”

“He’ll kill you!” said Indra, far too loudly. Several kids on the bus looked over at them, including Merilee. Indra lowered her volume but not her conviction: “He’s too strong.”

“Maybe,” said Arlo. “At least if I go after him, I’ll have the advantage of surprise.”

“And then what?” asked Wu. “Let’s say you find Hadryn. What do you do? You wouldn’t kill him, because you’re not a killer. That’s the difference, Arlo. Hadryn doesn’t care who he hurts. You do. You’re good and he’s evil.”

Arlo shook his head. “It’s not that simple.”

“It is, though,” said Indra. “You follow the Ranger’s Vow. You have principles.”

“Principles aren’t going to protect my family.”

“No,” said Indra. “They’ll protect you from becoming him.”

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