Page 15 of Mislaid in Parts Half-Known

“Nothing, Majesty,” said another. “There was no Door. There is no traveler. Or if there were, they have already gone to the Goblin Wood, and we shall not see them again.”

“Not before the battlefield,” said the first. “Very well, then. Another failure. Must all Doors be disappointments?”

“It seems this is not an age of heroes,” said yet another rider, and they turned, as one company, to canter away into the distance.

Kade started breathing again.

“I do not knowhowI ever thought those stuck-up, viciousassholeswere wonderful,” he said. “I should have seen right through them.”

“You were a kid,” said Sumi.

“Still.”

“When I was a kid, I thought broccoli wasn’t poisonous.”

“Sumi…” Kade shook his head. “Never mind, there’s no point. Got a Door yet, Antsy?”

“I’m not sure.” Antsy closed her eyes.

The ringing in her ears started almost immediately. “This way!” she said, opening her eyes as she pointed deeper into the forest. She bounced onto her toes, beaming. “There’s a Door this way.”

“Can you tell where it goes?” asked Cora.

“Not until I see it, and maybe not even then,” said Antsy. “I’d never been here before. I could have guessed ‘Fairyland, probably,’ but not ‘Prism.’”

“Let’s go,” said Kade. “We’ll be quick and quiet, and hopefully we’re out of here before anyone else sees us.”

“But you said—”

“Goblins,” said Kade, and started walking.

The others followed. Antsy quickly took the lead, and the others followed, trusting her to find the best way to the door that only she knew was there to find.

Less light made it through the branches overhead, although what light there was remained full of rainbows. More fungus appeared, glowing when Sumi touched it, although she obeyed Kade’s injunction against sampling the stuff, no matter how bright and candy-like it seemed. Finally, they approached a small cave, the walls lined with geode spikes.

Antsy bit her lip. “We have to go in there,” she said.

“I would prefer not to,” said Cora stiffly. “That’s pretty narrow.”

“It’s the only Door I can find right now,” said Antsy. “I don’t know how often they appear without being used. We could go back to the woods and wait, I guess, if Kade says it would be safe…”

“It wouldn’t,” said Kade. “The longer we’re here, the more chance the goblins realize someone’s in their territory and come looking. The last time they saw me, I was standing over the body of their king, and I’m the reason he was dead on the ground. They’re not likely to be very glad to have me here.”

“You looked really different then, though,” said Christopher. “Maybe they wouldn’t recognize you.”

“Magic,” said Kade. “They’d know me.”

“‘Maybe’ is a hook to catch the unwary,” said Sumi. “Maybe it’s going to be better tomorrow. Maybe the snake won’t bite. Maybe the mushroom won’t be poisonousthistime. If Kade says it’s not safe to stay, we listen to him, same way we’d listen to you if we went to Mariposa.”

“Fine,” said Cora. “But if I get stuck, you’re all going to have to help get me out, and not one of you will ever say a word about it again.”

“There are trees here,” said Sumi. “I bet I could make syrup.”

“Isn’t syrup sticky?” asked Antsy. “That seems like the opposite of what we want.”

“Not if I ask it not to be,” said Sumi.

Kade sighed, and was about to say something else when he abruptly stiffened, eyes going wide. “Into the cave,” he snapped, tone leaving no room for argument. Antsy moved almost without intending to, ducking into the narrow tunnel, Christopher and Emily close behind.

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