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11

HANK

The smartwatch tinkles as I place the final layer on it. I'm trying to put protection spells into electronics that can be worn to give to anyone who has tried to help us. We can send them to people in town, if it works well, to make them difficult for the king to find. We're not completely sure it'll work, but it's better than doing nothing, and we can't cast protection spells on everyone without revealing too much about where we are or what we're capable of.

Setting the watch down on Callie’s desk, I stare down at my handiwork, pride welling up within me. For a theory, it seems to be working well.

I need to test it, but I'm confident I've done a great job. This is my specialty, after all.

My private line rings before I get the chance to see if I can find someone to test the new watches. Tension moves down my spine as I glance at the ringing cell phone. It’s untraceable, and I’ve only given the number to a few people who know only to call in an absolute emergency and when they can’t risk the possibility of someone overhearing what they have to say. It makes me feel a little paranoid, but we can't be too safe with everything that's going on.

Nobody has used it.

Three rings split the air before I have the nerve to pick it up. "Hello?"

"Hank. It's about Lola Steelman." My Dad doesn't even say hello; just launches straight into the news. That can't be good. Will’s mom is a wildcard on her best day.

"Is she okay?"

"She's gone." He sighs, then continues. "Left last night. We wanted to give her time to return, but she's still not back."

I check the time. James, Will, and Callie are due back from their meeting with James's old friend at any moment, which means she's been gone far longer than any of us are comfortable with.

A small part of me is still hurting from being asked to stay behind, but I know it makes sense that I have. It's sensible to leave at least one of us behind, and it couldn't have been Callie or James this time around. Too many of us would've been conspicuous, and we needed someone here in case anything went wrong. If the king[2] gets ahold of them, then they'll need someone to organize their rescue. And if someone here needs us, then we need to be accessible.

I wish Will was here now, though. He knows his mom better. He knows what to do with this situation; he's experienced it far more than anyone else, even if he thinks he kept his mom's frequent disappearances from the rest of us. But that doesn't mean I have any idea how to deal with it.

If it was someone else, I’d create a search party. With her? I don’t want to endanger other people if it isn’t necessary. Lola could stroll back in at any moment of her own free will.

"It's nearly noon, Dad. Any idea where she went?" This may be a simple go-and-collect job with any luck.

"I think we both can make an educated guess. But that means she's out there, exposed and alon e.”

Damn it. He's absolutely right. She's probably drunk, which means she won't be able to filter what she says. She knows too much to be out there on her own.

And yet, behind the frustration in his voice, there’s worry. He’s been neighbors with Lola all my life. He kept an eye on her and helped her whenever he could, even though she can be frustrating at times. As annoyed as he may be that she took off, he’ll be heartbroken if anything happens to her.

"As soon as Will gets back, I'll tell him. Maybe he knows where she goes in a situation like this." As much as I don't want to burden my friend with this, he's the best person for the job.

"Okay. If she comes back, I'll call again." He sounds relieved.

"Take care, Dad. Give my love to Mom."

I pull a pad of paper out of the desk and add Will’s mom’s name to the list, then set it down, staring at the long list of names with an ache in my chest. My gaze jerks from the list to the many other items on the desk, surprised to find almost all of them are mine. Ever since Callie let me take over her desk a few weeks ago, I’ve had more space to work on my electronics, but I also started taking notes about anything and everything. In some ways, this desk feels almost as familiar as the one back at my apartment. Potentially more so, given how much time I've spent here. Before Callie, I spent a lot of time at the station with Will and James.

My gaze strays back to the list, and I rub the back of my neck, trying to erase the tension there. Despite many attempts, it still lingers. I don't think anything short of a miracle will ease it. I don’t honestly know why I started the list; it doesn't help anything. Maybe to keep me focused and centered. The names on this list are the reason we're carrying on innocent people who have been taken by King Robert and his cronies. These are the names of the people I've grown up with, visited, and shopped with. Familiar names. Neighbors, acquaintances, and friends.

All gone.

And now Will’s mom is on the list, too. The situation is getting worse by the day, if not the hour.

The tension in my neck grows, and my stomach does a weird flip I try to ignore. Missing doesn’t mean dead, but it’s hard to try to imagine anything the king has planned will be good for the people on the receiving end. My heart breaks just considering it.

Don’t think of that. You can’t think about that.

Picking up my own phone, I shoot a text out to my group chat. Each member of our network has a phone spelled to be untraceable. If anyone picks up the phone with ill will toward the owner, the phone will wipe itself back to factory settings. In theory. We haven't had it happen yet, so we only know as much as our tests have told us.

I love technology when it combines with magic.

Replies chime in seconds, all promising to keep their eyes peeled for Will's mom. But still, I don’t feel any better. It may be doing something, but it hasn’t made a difference so far.

I've sent this same text for every person missing. At least with Lola, there's a chance she's done this to herself, and she'll turn back up soon. I cross my fingers and send up a prayer to an unknown god for her safety. Will may have problems with his mom and his childhood. No person in his position wouldn't, but he'll be destroyed if anything happens to her. My best friend likes to act like he’s so big and tough, but he’s been taking care of his mom like she’s his child since we were kids. If he thinks she's in danger, he’ll torture himself. And all we’ll be able to do is watch.

Stretching, I peek out the front window and see James, Callie, and Will appear through the wards. That’s something to be grateful for, at least. They’re safe. Nothing's happened to Callie, and James' old buddy hasn't betrayed them. I'm grateful for that. I'm not sure how James would have handled it if he'd led them all into danger.

Now, I just have to tell Will about his mom. That tension in my neck increases, and I rub at the damn muscles, cursing to myself. I’d always thought I was good at handling stress… apparently not.

As I head out of the bedroom, my phone rings again. Freezing, I turn back and look at it, sitting on the desk vibrating.

Another call so soon. My heart beats harder. Damn it. The king is on a roll today, and that's definitely not a good thing. Maybe he got wind of some of our plans? I shake my head. It's no use getting ahead of myself. Perhaps this is Dad calling to tell me Lola has turned back up already.

"Hello?"

"Son!" Dad's voice is loud through the earpiece. "She's gone!"

"I know, Dad. You just called me."

"No, I'm talking about your mother." And there’s a horrified panic in his voice. "She was out of the caves, getting some sun. It's warmer today than it's been in ages. I went to tell her I called you, and she wasn't there."

"She probably went looking for Lola, Dad, don't panic."

"No, she wouldn't have. She was terrified of going out of our wards." With Fran's help, they'd created wards like ours around the home they're hiding in. I don't even know where they are. Only they and Fran know...

Shit! He’s right! Mom wouldn’t have taken off!

"Dad, do not leave those wards. We'll come get you." Panic rises within me, but I push it down. He doesn't need to know how worried I am. He needs to stay where he is. If they knew where mom was, then they know where he is. Them having one of them is bad enough.

“Hank—”

“It won’t help anyone if you’re both lost.” The lump in my throat makes it almost impossible to get the words out. I can't believe it. Mom is gone. But right now, I have to protect dad. It's not going to benefit anyone if he's taken by the king too.

The phone goes silent for a long minute. “I know… but it’s your mother,” and he sounds so damn scared. More scared than I’ve ever heard him in my life.

My heart races. “Everything is going to be okay. I promise. We’ll get you, and then we’ll get mom.”

“What if he took her?”

Ice moves down my spine. I've already made that connection, but hearing him say it makes the truth hit home. “Then, we’ll kill him and get her back.”

And I mean what I say. At least the king is probably keeping her alive. He knows I'm helping Callie, and he's more likely to use mom against us than kill her. It's the only thought that'll let me keep going. I have to focus on the chance of her being alive and safe. There is no other option.

More silence.

“Okay, but hurry.” Dad's heartbroken words echo as the line goes dead.

I hope like hell that mom thought of a place Lola might be and decided to look for her without thinking about it and telling someone. But some instinct inside of me tells me that’s wishful thinking. Mom isn't a fool. She knows we're in a dangerous situation.

And as much as I want to be consumed with worry for my mom if the king’s men took her from near the safe house, it means the whole place is compromised. We have to figure out how to hide everyone else. Someplace new.

This is a disaster.

Please just let mom show up safe and sound.

A text comes in seconds later, and I give a silent prayer that it’s about my mom being safe and sound. Opening it on my cell phone, I read the words without even paying attention to who sent them. It hardly matters.

If I didn't know better, I'd say I just saw your mom sitting in the back of a van driving into the king’s garage.

I don't reply as tears fill my eyes. No, this isn’t possible. This can’t be happening.

The king has my mother. The king. The man who tortures and kills people.

And if she went into his garage, she'd be deep in his dungeon by now. Out of reach of our help. My mom . The woman who held me close whenever I was sick, stroking my hair. The woman who sang me songs when I couldn’t sleep.

My mom...

I sink on the bed as Callie's voice floats up the stairs. "Hank? Theresa? We're back!"

How can I tell Will his mom is missing, probably at the castle beside mine?

I bury my face in my hands and try not to cry.

I want my mother back. And even though the thought reminds me of a young child, it rings deeply in my soul.