The Edge of Strange Hollow by Gabrielle Byrne (best affordable ebook reader txt) 📕

as she turned corners and climbed over the short fences that separated people’s homes.

By the time they reached the relative safety of the meadow outside Strange Hollow, Mack was a greenish shade, and Poppy was gasping for air.

She held up her hands. “Just a minute. Just a minute.”

Mags stopped, placing one hand on her hip as though to say, we can stop, but I really don’t see why it’s necessary.

“Mack … are you okay?”

He gave her a little nod and took her canteen when she held it out, draining the water. “I didn’t think it would be like that,” he said apologetically.

“Your growth surge? Yeah. Me either.”

“Sorry, Poppy.”

“Don’t be sorry. It wasn’t your fault.” She put one hand on his arm. His shoulder was a lot higher. He was taller than her now—by a lot. She looked up to meet his eyes and smirked. “Did you see their faces?”

His mouth twitched. “I imagine they were hard to miss … but to be honest, I didn’t see much of anything.”

Her smile faded and she lowered her voice. “Did you hear anything they were saying, Mack? They’re planning something. The governor wants to … to purify the wood. That’s—”

Mack’s eyes had widened. “That’s not good. When? How long do we have?”

A bitter taste rose in Poppy’s mouth. “I don’t know,” she whispered, fighting back a thread of panic. “He didn’t say. But … not long.”

Peter, who had been hopping from one foot to the other the entire time they were standing there, suddenly launched into another round of questions.

Poppy held up her hand. “Wait. I—not that we don’t appreciate your help, but … why are you doing this?”

Mags moved past her brother and Mack to stand right in front of Poppy. Both hands were on her hips now, and her brown eyes flashed. “You heard my brother. We have questions. Questions no one will answer.”

“Questions no one can answer,” Peter grumbled.

“Right. We know who you are. You’re that Poppy girl that goes into the Grimwood.”

“Are your parents really in league with the wood?” Peter’s voice quavered.

“No! Of course not. It’s not like that.”

Mags sent Peter a smug look. “Told you. She’s just a girl—like me.”

Poppy had a hard time believing that Mags was just anything.

Mags pinned Poppy with her eyes. “When we saw your friend was sick…” She tipped her chin at Mack. “We knew this was our chance.” She shrugged. “I don’t like to miss chances.”

“I see,” Poppy said, liking Mags more and more. Somehow, despite everything that had happened, she trusted these two kids. She understood them—their curiosity. It was their driving force, and as familiar as a friend.

“Where are you taking us?” Mack asked, his words slurred with exhaustion.

“Just up here, out of sight of the Hollow.” Mags led them up the sloping hill along the edge of the trees, and they tried to answer Peter’s questions along the way. Yes, Poppy had met Mack in the forest. Yes, there were monsters in the wood. What kinds? Well, banshees and witches and faeries. Were there other kinds too—that would eat you alive and kill you dead? Yes. There were.

“Have you ever seen a Mogwen?” Poppy asked, trying to turn the conversation around.

Peter shrugged, looking at her curiously.

She explained the Mogwen and was pleased to see Mags’s eyes get a faraway look. “We saw a herd of unicorns just a couple days ago,” she added, her cheeks heating.

Mags stopped in her tracks. “You did not.”

Mack stretched. His face had gone back to its normal color. “We did.”

“Tell us,” Peter breathed.

Poppy shook her head. “No. I mean … not now. Listen. Something bad is coming. The governor’s going to … do something to the Grimwood. Attack it somehow. And I need to find my parents.”

“Find them? What do you mean?”

Poppy hesitated. “They’ve been taken. We think someone in the town has them.”

Mags chewed her lip, processing the new information. She crossed her arms on her chest. “Fine. We’ll find out,” Mags proclaimed. “Meet us back here at the edge of town in two hours.” Poppy and Mack exchanged a look.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Mack began.

“Fiddlesticks,” Mags insisted in a tone Poppy was certain came from the girl’s mother. “I know a few people who will help. And anyway,” she continued. “You can’t go back into town now. You need to wait until dark. Once the sun sets there’s the curfew, and then we can all creep around all we want. And we know the town better than you do—we live there.”

Mack laughed out loud. “She has a point,” he said.

Poppy studied Mags, then Peter, who was back to hopping from one foot to the other. She didn’t want to wait until dark. She wanted to find her parents now … but she understood the logic. “I have a feeling Mags always has a point,” she muttered, and lifted her own hand to her hip. “What’s the catch?”

Mags’s eyes flashed. “Well, we won’t do it for free.”

Poppy scoffed. “Well, I haven’t got any money.”

Peter had blanched and was staring at his sister.

“We don’t want your money,” Mags scoffed back. “What we want … is answers.”

Mack smiled. “Answers.”

“Yes, answers. What’s so funny about that?”

Poppy’s heart gave a familiar twang. “Not a single thing,” she said softly. “I know just how you feel.”

Mack gave her a funny look. He must have seen acceptance in Poppy’s face because he stopped objecting.

“We’re not even sure they’re in Strange Hollow,” Poppy admitted. “But with whatever the governor is planning, we don’t have a lot of ti—”

Mags pulled a face. “Don’t worry. We’re not going to waste your time. Fair trades only. Anyone who helps can ask questions.”

Poppy considered. It would take her and Mack a long time to search the entire town, and it was true she wasn’t nearly as familiar with it as the local kids. On the other hand—she thought of all the angry townspeople. She wasn’t sure she wanted to drag more people into it, especially not kids. “How do you know you can trust them … the people you want