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GREENLAND

T A B L E O FC O N T E N TC H A P T E R 1C H A P T E R 2C H A P T E R 3C H A P T E R 4C H A P T E R 5

I can't stop looking at this person.He has got a black coat and shadysunglasses. As soon as I turnaround, he vanishes. I think he is aghost, but I don't know for sure.Suddenly something grabs me. Ifeel like my soul has left my body,and a chill goes down my spine,but when I look back, nothing isthere; the room goes dark in myeyes, and a cold shiver opens upthe room.But then Mum called medownstairs. Suddenly I heard ascream coming from thebasement. I didn't think anythingof it, so I ran down the stairs andcalled Mum, then I shouted, MUM!" CHAPTER 1

There was silence. I could hearthe clock ticking and the car'sengines, but I remembered: "Mumis on a trip." I panicked, then I felta cold but light presence in theroom. The lights turned off, andthe door opened. Out of nowhere,my heart started racing, so Iscreamed, and then the man thatI saw, I saw him again. I tried tocover my mouth to make nonoise.And just then, I felt a sparkle inmy bones, and my hands startedto feel warm; my hands started toglow. Of course, I was surprised. Irubbed my hands to makefriction, and suddenly a portalopened. I was scared at first, butwhen I thought about Mum andthe scream in the basement andthe shady man, I knew I had to.

I jumped in the portal. I felt like Iwas in a movie. I walked around alittle bit, but I saw this gray part.In the grass I touched it, andnothing happened. Well, at leastthat's what I thought, so while Iwas walking, I saw the grassturning grey. It was no longerGreenland; it was now grey land. Itried to touch it again, but it wastoo late; the man returned. Thistime he told me I was going toGreenland. I asked loudly butstuttered."What do you want?" So when I shouted at the guy, Iran into this cottage and looked insome drawers and shelves, and Isaw my name, so I pulled it out,and it had all my documents andbirth papers in the envelope.

I read it, and it said that I wasborn with a power that mygrandma gave to me when I wasjust born, but I have to say a spellfor it to work; if I don't, then Imight end up turning into stone.As soon as I read it, I ran outsideand I said the spell even if it didnot make much sense to me. "O behold! O behold! Come now,arise now, arise now, for soon youwill be stuck in my undercastspell." My hands started to glowagain, and I closed my eyes andtouched the grass. As soon as Itouched the grass, I started tofeel weak, and my body couldn'tkeep up, then I fainted. When I woke up, I saw that thegray was gone. I still couldn'twalk,

so I took a log from the groundand limped. My feet had cuts, andI was wounded badly.I clapped my hands twice, and theportal opened. I walked in withmy log and sat down. Mum justcame home from her trip and wasmaking dinner; it made mewonder how long I was in therefor. "Evelyn, where have you been? Itis almost six o'clock, and youknow your dad and your siblingswill be home soon.""Mum, do you know anythingabout a place called Greenland? Idon't know, but it is like a portal...She looked at me briefly, thencontinued chopping her carrot.Mum, I asked if you knowsomething about Greenland;

it had my document and stuff inthis little cottage. "Evelyn, stopasking me these funny questionsand join me," she said, her face ina frown.. I immediately thought that therewas something up with her.Then Dad came home with mysiblings. I gave both of them a bighug and shivered in fear that ifthey went to Greenland, theymight not come back home. But Idid not want to entertain suchthoughts. I would keep them inthe dark for as long as I can.After dinner, the house felt heavythat night; I couldn't sleep. But Ididn't expect to, not after what Ihad experienced. The things I hadseen, the shady man. He still gaveme the creeps.

The glowing hands, the gray grassturning into Greenland,everything just made my headspin. But the thing that botheredme the most was my mom'sresponse. Why did she tell me to shut upabout Greenland? Why did she tryto pretend she didn't understandwhat I was saying when anybodycould tell she was lying throughher teeth? I lay in bed and stared at theceiling. There wasn't much tostare at. I listened to the muffledbreaths of Caleb snoring in thenext room and Sophia whisperingto her stuffed rabbit. Suddenly, the thought of mysiblings going through what I hadjust experienced made my heartbeat faster.

I had to figure this out. Morningcame way too quickly. Everyoneacted normally, but I could not. Icould barely get any sleep. Every time I looked at Mum. Iwanted to shake her and scream,"What do you know?" But instead,I just picked at my cereal whilemy siblings bickered over who gotthe last slice of bacon. "Evelyn dear," Mum said, hervoice a little louder than normal."What is with the sad face? Areyou still sulking from the screamyou said you heard from thebasement last night?" I froze. "How do you know about that?"Mum hesitated and waved herhands dismissively. "You saidsomething about it last night, Ithink."

"No, I did not," I said, my voice alittle bit shaky from therealization that my mom knewwhat was going on and waspretending not to. I did notmention anything about a noisefrom the basement to her; shewasn't even around then. The room went silent. Caleb andSophia looked at me and then atMum."You did, honey, but maybe youwere dreaming," Mummy saidquickly, gathering plates andturning away. She was lying.

Later that night, after everyonewas in bed, I went into thebasement. I grabbed a flashlightand went down the stairs. I sawthe basement at the end of thehall. It looked very dusty andcreepy. I stopped to give it athought: What if the scream cameback? What if the shady man returnedand was waiting for me? But I alsothought of Greenland, the grass,the strange magic. Thosedocuments with my name and theartifacts; I had to know.The basement smelled like oldwood. I gripped my flashlight,feeling its weight in my hand. Isearched the boxes for anythingunusual. CHAPTER 2

Everything looked normal, andthen I saw a small, old chesthidden behind an old woodenchair. Someone locked the chest.When I touched it, the lockclicked open. I felt compelled toopen it. I saw a lot of documentphotos and strange green crystalsthat glowed in the dark. I picked up the photos, whichmade my heart beat faster. Theyshowed my grandmother. Shelooked younger, but I recognizedher. She stood in Greenland withmy mom and Malrik, the shadyman.I felt a strong sense ofimpatience. The next morning, Istormed into my mom's roomholding the photos and thecrystals.

"You have been to Greenland," Isaid, louder than I meant to. Mymom sat up. She startled."Evelyn, what are you doing up soearly?" I ignored her question. "You've been there," I said again,shoving the photo at her. "Andwith him!" I exclaimed.I saw the color drain from herface. She took the photos withtrembling hands, staring at themin disbelief. "Where did you getthis?""In the basement," I replied.Trying to keep a stern face, shesaid, "That place is off-limits foryou." "Mom, you need to tell me thetruth: What is Greenland? Who isMalrik? Why did you lie to me?"

My mom placed her hands on herforehead like she had the worstheadache in the world. "Evelyn,this is not safe for you to know, atleast not yet." "I don't care," Isnapped. "I have been therealready. I saw the gray grass, and I sawhim, my hands..." I held them up,letting the faint glow start again."Mom, can you see this? This isreal, Mom; you can't keeppretending it's not!"My mom looked at me. Shelooked scared. She said, finally.Her voice was almost inaudible."You deserve to know."She told me Greenland was amagical place. It was our place,although I kind of knew that.

Our family has protected it forgenerations, starting with mygrandma. But when the ShadeKing appeared with his curse,everything changed. What is hisdeal, anyway? I wondered."I left Greenland to keep yousafe." She continued. "I thought ifI stayed away, the curse wouldn'tcome to us, but it seems I waswrong." Hearing those wordscome from my mouth was like Iwas in a movie. What does she mean by a curse?What about Malrik? I hesitated; hewas Grandma's ally, but afteryour grandmother passed away,he became a new person. He was so obsessed with stoppingthe Shade King, no matter theprice, that I couldn't trust himagain.

I thought about the man in blackand the way he had grabbed meand dragged me. He didn't seemso trustworthy to me either. "Youcan't trust him," she said, readingmy mind. "But he knows moreabout Greenland than anyone; ifwe're going back, we willdefinitely need his help."The next day after lunch, Idecided to tell Sophia and Calebeverything. It was dangerous, butI knew they needed to know. Ipreferred not to drag them intothis, but their ignorance wouldcreate a greater danger."Hold up, sis, hold up," Caleb saidafter I explained. "You are tellingme there's a magical place calledGreenland. You've been there.

Your hands glow and open portalslike in the movies." "Yes, Caleb, like in the movies," Ireplied. He took a long look at meto make sure I was not crazy. "Andthere's a creepy guy insunglasses, but he is a good guy."."I said I wasn't sure. Caleb crossed his arms. "Cool, I'min!" "What? What do you mean byyou are in? "No, you're not inanything," I said, raising my voice."You need me; you said you'regood at the magic stuff, but I willbe the brain of the operation," hesaid with a smirk. Sophia turnedto me. "Evelyn, I'm coming too.I'm coming too."She said, with big brown eyesfilled with tears, "Please, Evelyn, Ipromise I'll be good."

They were right about something:I needed help. "But you have topromise to always listen to meand do whatever I say." "Wepromise," they said in unison.The three of us together, holdinghands. I asked if they were readyfor the adventure I had waitedfor. I noted their enthusiasm. Iclapped twice, and the portalopened, ready. I asked again.Caleb noted his face. The user feltintense frustration. Sophiasqueezed my hands andreassured me. We stepped into aworld of green grass. The journeyhad begun. This time, Greenlandwas different: it was colder, withan odd feeling in the air, almostlike a warning. The grass beneathour feet was green.

But gray patches were about toappear, like tips on cracked glass.The bright blue sky was gone.Only dark, smoke-streaked cloudsswirled. They were a commonsight. Sophia clung to me, herface shocked. "What is wrong withit? Why does it look so… sad?" Crouching, Caleb prodded a graypatch with a stick. "This is whatyou were talking about. The grayarea, right?"I nodded. "That is the ShadeKing's curse. If we don't doanything now, soon enough,Greenland will look like this." "And then what?" said Caleb. For a moment, I was a bit slow torespond. "I have no idea. But itcannot be anything good."

It was at this moment that I felt asudden, sharp tingling sensationall over me. My arm hair bristledup. I turned around, spinning fast,my heart racing. "Do you feel that?" I hissed. Caleb was looking perplexed."Feel what?" Shadows werebeginning to leech out from thegray patches. They began tomorph and change into shapes ofclawed hands and glowing eyes,extending them.

"Run!" I exclaimed, tugging onSophis' hand. The hot shadow beings on ourheels made us run faster. Calebwas quick to notice me looking fora place to hide. "There!" he yelled whilestretching his arm toward theback of a sparsely wooded area.My lungs screamed in pain, andmy muscles ached as I struggledto push my body further forward.I turned around as a shadowyclaw swiped at my back. I lost myfooting, and in the process, Yutawent down with me. "Evelyn!" Caleb yelled infrustration as he retraced hissteps.CHAPTER 3

"Get your hands off me!" I yelledas I raised Sophia with me. "Youhave to leave! You have to get outof here!" The shadow appeared to be moredaring and aggressive. They weredominating the battle as before. Icould feel light surrounding me asmy hands began to burn. "Malrik!"I yelled, hoping he was closeenough to hear me.But, before the first shadowlaunched, something black flewthrough the air at light speed. Theshadow screamed a shrill soundand faded into atoms. Malrikmade a striking entrance. His longcoat streamed behind him as if hewere running. In his hand was acurved blade that glowed green.

"Here, it was I who found you," hesaid in a gruff tone. I shot him a glare, still notbreathing well. "You could'vebeen helpful earlier." He returned, flashing a blade atanother shadow. "But you neededteaching." Sophia's face appeared beside myshoulder. "Who is he?" "Malrik," Itold her. "He's... difficult."Mahlik turned to me, hisexpression serious. "There is notime for pleas. The Shade King isaware of your presence, and hehas worse than shadows to sendnext time." "What does he want?"Understanding her anxiety, Calebwalked up even further.

Malrik turned his gaze towardCaleb before swinging back to me."He wants her—the powers shehas by inheritance. He will finishGreenland as soon as he getsthem."Malrik guided us deeper into thejungle, which had a hiddenunderground base. It was a warm,comfy, enclosed place. Greenlights poured from the thick,green, rock-embossed walls. Thistime, Greenland had a verydifferent look. There was something in the airthat felt different. The grassbeneath our feet was green. But ithad gray patches like cracks inglass. The bright blue sky wasgone. Only dark, smoke-streakedclouds swirled.

They were a common sight.Sophia clung to me, startled-looking. "What is wrong with it?Why does it look so… sad?"Crouching down, Caleb poked at agray patch with a stick. "This iswhat you were talking about. Thegray area, right?"I nodded. "That is the ShadeKing's curse. If we don't doanything now, soon enough,Greenland will look like this." "And then what?" said Caleb.For a moment, I was a bit slow toreact. "I have no idea. But itcannot be anything good."It was then that I felt an acutestinging sensation right on myskin. My arm hair stood on end. Ispun fast around my axis, myheart racing.

"Do you feel that?" I asked in aninfuriated whisper. Caleb looked a little puzzled."What?"Shadows seeped from the grayspots. They morphed into clawedhands and glowing eyes. Theyreached out to them."Run!" I hollered as I heldSophie's hand.The shadow beings were hot onour heels; this made us run evenfaster. Caleb was quick to noticeme looking for a place to hide."There!" he yelled as he extendedhis arm toward a tree with a fewbranches behind us.My lungs were screaming in pain,my muscles aching with mystruggles to push my bodyfurther on.

I turned around in time to see ashadow claw swipe across myback. I lost my footing, and down Iwent, taking Yuta with me in theprocess."Evelyn!" Caleb shouted in angeras he retraced his steps. "Get offme!" I yelled as I picked Sophia upwith me. "You need to go! Youneed to leave!" The shadow seemed to be bolder,more violent. They were winningthe fight as they had before. Icould start to make out lightenveloping me as my handsstarted to burn."Malrik!" I yelled, trying to keephope that he was close enough tohear me.But, as the first shadow started tolunge,

something black flashed in theair. It moved as fast as light. The shadow shrieked a shrillsound and faded to atoms. Malrikmaterialized with some flair, along coat streaming out behindhim as if he were running. Acurving blade ablaze with greenwas in his hand."Here, I found you, which was arelief," he said in a gruff tone. I glared at him and huffed, stilltrying to catch my breath. "Youcould've helped me out a bitearlier."He shrugged and pointed agleaming tool at another shadow."But it seems like you needsupervision."Sophia's head popped up besidemy shoulder. "Who is he?"

"Malrik," I replied, "He's...impossible."Mahlik turned to me, his facegrave. "There is no time for pleas.The Shade King is aware of yourpresence, and he has worse thanshadows to send next time." "What does he want?"Understanding her anxiety, Calebwalked up even further. Malrik turned to Caleb and swungback to me, "He wants her. Thepowers she has are byinheritance. He will finishGreenland as soon as he getsthem." Malrik led us deeper intothe jungle to a strip of openground that had a hiddenunderground base. It was anunderground, warm, cozy place.Green lights shone from thedense green rocks in the walls.

"This is one of the last safeplaces," said Malrik, sheathing hisblade. "The curse hasn't reachedhere yet."Sophia walked over to one cornerwhere a small, glowing creaturewas sitting on a rock. It had acombined body of a squirrel anda dragon, with luminous scalesand bright eyes. "Can I touch it?" she asked. Malrik raised an eyebrow. "If itlets you."And much to my amazement, thecreature crawled onto Sophia'shand, curling up like a cat. Shegiggled, stroking its tiny head.Meanwhile, Caleb was studyingthe crystals along the walls. CHAPTER 4

"What's this?" "Energy sources," Malrik said."They're connected toGreenland's core. While theyglow, there's still hope."I sat down, my mind racing."Malrik, my mum told me youused to work with mygrandmother. Is that true?" His face softened for a moment."Yes. She was. Remarkable. Thebest guardian Greenland everhad." "What happened to her?" I asked."She sacrificed herself to seal theShade King away," he said in aquiet tone. "But her seal isbreaking. That's why the curse isspreading.""And you think I can fix it?"

He nodded. "You have her power.But you'll need more than that.The Shade King won't go downwithout a fight." Early the next morning, Malriktook us deep into the forest tothe site of some ancient ruins.The air buzzed with energy. Theground was slick with strangemarkings. They glowed wheneverwe stepped on them. "This is the first step," said Malrik."The Guardians' Trial." "What sort of trial?" Caleb askedwith caution as he peered into theruins."Malrik said, 'They will test yourpowers. With success comes afraction of the power yourgrandmother gave us before shedied.'

' 'And if I fail?" "You won't." Iwasn't so sure."It started when I stepped ontothe central platform. The airshimmered, and the ruins seemedto come alive. Vines started togrow and twist around me in amaze. The ground started toshiver, and shadows began torise. But these shadows weren'tattacking. They were copying mymovements exactly.I closed my eyes, focusing on theglow in my hands. The warmthspread through me, pushing backthe cold fear threatening toconsume me. Opening my eyes,the shadows stopped moving. "You're not real," I said. "You'refear. And I'm not afraid of you."

The shadows dissolved, and themaze disappeared. Where thereonce was a maze stood now aglowing orb in the air. I reachedout, and the moment I touched it,a surge of energy coursedthrough me. As I stepped off the platform,Caleb and Sophia ran to me, theirfaces full of awe. "You did it!" Sophia exclaimed,throwing her arms around me.Malrik nodded then, a rare smileon his face. "You're stronger thanI thought." But I could feel the weight ofwhat was coming. This was onlythe beginning. We'd no more caught our breathwhen Malrik told us it was time togo.

"The Shade King knows you havepassed the first trial. He'll comefor us soon." Caleb groaned, falling against atree. "Does he ever take a break?" "No," Malrik said in a tone thatrevealed his lack of emotion. "Andneither can we."The woods were even grimmer aswe walked. The treetops aboveseemed to tower over us likegiants. Sophia clutched my handtighter, her small fingerstrembling. I squeezed back, tryingto reassure her, though I wasn'tsure of anything myself. "Where are we even going?" Calebsounded irritated."To the core of Greenland," Malrikreplied. "It's the source of theland's magic.

If the Shade King destroys it,everything will turn grey." Sophia pulled my sleeve. "Whathappens if everything goes grey?" I hesitated, unsure of how muchto say. "We won't let that happen,okay?" She nodded, but her eyesremained wide and worried.We came to a narrow bridgesuspended over a deep chasm. Itwas an ancient contraption. Thefrayed ropes showed signs ofwear. The wooden planks of itsfloor were on the verge of fallingapart. "This is the only wayacross," Malrik said, steppingonto the first plank. "Great," Caleb muttered."Because this doesn't look like it'sabout to fall apart."Malrik turned to us then, hisexpression blank.

"The Bridge of Echoes tests yourresolve. It will show you yourfears and your doubts. But theyare not real. Remember that." I swallowed hard, stepping ontothe bridge behind him. The windwhipped around us, causing theplanks to sway.Halfway across, the air grew cold,and a voice whispered in my ear."You're not strong enough,Evelyn. You'll fail like she did." I froze, gripping the ropes with allmy strength. The voice soundedlike my grandmother's but cruel. "Evelyn!" Caleb shouted frombehind me. "Keep going!"I shook my head. The whispersgrew louder, a chorus of doubtsand fears."You're a kid," one voice said.

"You'll lose them all," saidanother. "No!" I shouted, my voicebreaking through the noise. Myhands flared bright once more,and the whispers vanished. I keptrunning, my heart pounding, untilI reached the other side.When Caleb and Sophia joinedme, they were both scared.Caleb's face was pale, and Sophiaclung to his arm as if her lifedepended on it. "What did you see?" I asked him. He shook his head. "Nothing. Let'skeep moving." As we drew closer to the core, theair thickened with an eerie energythat tingled my skin. Then I saw ahuge spire of green light encasedin a swirling storm of darkness.

"That's it," said Malrik. "The coreof Greenland."Before we could get closer, afigure came out of the storm. Hewas tall, with glowing red eyesstaring back and a cloak ofshadows that moved uponthemselves. "The Shade King," Malrik said,drawing his blade. The Shade King's voice was likethunder, deep and echoing. "Youdare to challenge me? A childwith borrowed power?"His eyes met mine, and I felt asurge of cold air rush through melike a wave. "You won't win," he said. "This ismine." I stepped out, my hands glowing."Not yet."

The Shade King laughed, and itwas a sound that rumbled theearth. "We'll see."He raised his hand, and theshadows surged forward, scribingthemselves onto him like a wave.

"Evelyn, back!" Malrik screamed,his radiant blade sweepingthrough the shadows.But I couldn't stand there. Myhands were already glowing tolife. The heat hummed throughmy body. I concentrated, pressingthe energy outwards. A surge ofgreen light exploded from mypalms as it sent the shadowsflying."Nice shot," Caleb said, picking upa fallen branch and swinging it ata smaller shadow that got tooclose. Sophia stood behind us, her eyeswide as she held the tiny creatureshe had found earlier. "Evelyn,what do I do?" "Stay back," I said. "We'll handlethis."CHAPTER 5

The Shade King stepped closer."You think you can stop me withparlor tricks? This land is alreadymine!" I felt a surge of anger, the glow inmy hands growing bright. "Not if Ihave anything to say about it!" The fight continued, but theshadows kept coming. Foreveryone we destroyed, two moreseemed to take their places."We cannot keep this going,"Malrik said, the strain taut in hisvoice. I looked at the core. "What if weuse the core's energy?" Malrik hesitated. "It is dangerous.If you can't control it,"I don't have a choice," I said.He hesitated before nodding."Fine. But be quick."

I ran toward the center, dodgingshadows as I went. The closer Igot, the stronger the energy felt,as if it was pulling me in. When I reached the core, I placedmy hands on it, and a surge ofpower rushed through me. Mywhole body glowed, the lightpushing back the shadows."Evelyn!" Caleb shouted. "Whatare you doing?""Ending this," I said, my voiceshaking. The Shade King roared,his form starting to dissolve in thelight. "No! This isn't over!" With one last burst of energy, theshadows vanished. The stormaround the core subsided.When I opened my eyes, the skywas clear and the grass was greenagain.

Caleb and Sophia ran to me,pulling me into a hug. "You did it," Caleb said with awein his voice. Malrik was standing close by, hisface impassive. "You have savedGreenland—for the time being." I nodded, feeling relief andweariness cascade over me."What happens next?""You'll need to train," he replied."The Shade King may fall, but hisshadow remains. Greenland willneed a new protector." I looked at Caleb and Sophia, thenturned back to Malrik. "We will beready." As we flew home under the brightsun that shone over Greenland. Itwasn't the end. It was the start.

The portal shimmered behind us,and we stepped into the warmglow of our living room. Strange,almost too quiet after all we'dendured. Caleb set Sophia on thecouch, being mindful of hercomfort. I lay beside her, theweight of Greenland's magic stillhumming in my hands.He looked up from the kitchen,holding a sandwich in one handand his cell phone in the other."Hey, kids. You were gone longerthan I expected. Everythingokay?" I exchanged a glance with Caleb.We shrugged at the same time,hoping to camouflage the chaoswe had left. "Yeah, a little. Walk inthe woods," I replied, soundingunconvincing to my ear.

Sophia leaned back, folding herknees to her chest. In a sing-songvoice, she began, "Evelyn savedGreenland."Dad blinked at her, perplexed."Greenland? Like... the country?" I said, while ruffling her hair tosilence her, "I've never watchedtoo many adventure movies."Caleb snorted and mutteredunder his breath, "If only." I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.My mind raced. I replayed thebattle with the Shade King. Iremembered the glowing core ofGreenland and Malrik's lastwords: "You need to train."Greenland needs a new protector.How could I be the protector ofan entire magical land?

I was a kid, struggling to controlthe powers that I had inherited.A gentle knock on my door pulledme from my thoughts. "Come in," I whispered, expectingCaleb. Instead, it was Mom. She stepped inside, herexpression unreadable. "You'vebeen quiet since I got home," shesaid, sitting on the edge of mybed. "Is everything okay?"I hesitated. I wanted to demandanswers. What was herconnection to Greenland? Whyhad she kept so many secrets?But another part of me wasn'tready for what those answersmight mean. "Yeah," I said finally.tired." Mom watched me for along moment, her eyes softening.

"I know you've been throughmore than you're saying," she saidin a low voice. "And when you'reready, we'll talk. But for now,know that I'm proud of you." Her words surprised me, and for amoment, I felt a lump in mythroat. I nodded, not trustingmyself to speak.She stood to leave but paused inthe doorway. "And, Evelyn...Whatever happens, remember:you're stronger than you think."The next morning, I woke to findCaleb and Sophia already up,arguing over cereal in the kitchen.It felt normal—comforting, even.But as I poured myself a glass oforange juice, I noticed somethingodd by the window.

There was only one green leaf, itssurface glowing with a softshimmer of magic. "Uh, guys?" I called. Caleb and Sophia joined me, theireyes wide as they beheld the leaf. "What's it doing here?" Calebasked, reaching for it. The moment his fingers touchedthe leaf, it dissolved into a swirl ofgreen light. It turned into words inthe air."The Shade King has weakened,but he will return. Be ready."The message vanished in aninstant, as it had appeared. Wethree stared at the emptywindow.Sophia yanked on my arm. "Doesthis mean we have to go back?"

I blew out a deep breath as Iturned to Caleb and then toSophia. "Not today," I replied."But when the time comes, we'llbe ready."As days passed and turned intoweeks, life fell into a routine. Or,what passed for normal afterfinding a magical land andfighting a king who was littlebetter than a shadow.Mom started to open up, bit bybit, to tell me stories of mygrandmother and how she wasthe protector of Greenland. Sheeven taught me some spells andtechniques. They were what shehad learned before she turnedher back on the land. Caleb threwhimself into research.

He pored over old books andmaps to learn about Greenland'shistory. And Sophia... shecontinued to learn about everystray and magical creature. Herinnocence reminded us why wewere doing this.As for me, the weight of myresponsibility weighed a little lesseach day. I still had much to learn,and I knew it would not be easy.But for the first time, I felt like Icould handle it, like I wasn'tEvelyn, the unsure kid. I wasEvelyn, protector of Greenland.As I stood in the backyard thatevening, I watched the sunsetover the trees. I couldn't help butsmile, knowing this wasn't the endof the story. It was the beginning.