“We hunt them to save you!” her mother cried.
“You don’t keep us safe,” someone shouted.
The adults broke out in a chorus of yells around them. Poppy tried to break free from the two townspeople holding her arms, but she couldn’t escape their grip. She tried to shout over the din.
“Burn it down!” they shouted. “Liars! Murderers!”
“That’s not true!” Poppy yelled.
No one even turned their heads.
“Throw them to the thorn trees!”
“Stop! Please! You can’t break the promise! Please, you have to listen to me!” Poppy struggled. “The Hollows made a promise! They were led by Prudence Barebone. They made a promise with the Holly Oak for all generations…”
But the townsfolk weren’t listening—they were too busy shouting insults and angry words as they dragged Poppy, her friends, and her parents back toward the tower door. Mack or Nula could easily have overpowered them, but some of them held knives, and she could see from the pleading expression Mack wore that he didn’t want anyone to get hurt.
Nula had no such qualms. She turned herself into a tiger and people screamed and fell back. She roared and threatened, swiping at them with her claws outstretched. Poppy could tell she had no intention of attacking, but it was a good distraction. Poppy took advantage of it by stomping on the toes of the man who held her right arm, and elbowing the man who gripped her left arm in his stomach. She twisted herself out of their grasp.
Two men still held Mack, but Nula had distracted the rest, and he shook them off. Poppy drew her knife and, back-to-back, she and Mack made their way through the crowd toward her parents. Nula, still in tiger form, followed, parting the crowd around her.
Poppy met her father’s eyes as they passed and let them fill with a question—“Are you ready?”
He gave a tiny nod.
“Now, Nula!” Poppy cried, and her friend lunged at the men who held Poppy’s parents.
They let go.
“Come on!” Mack bellowed, following Nula’s lead and lunging at the crowd. Nula let out another roar and the crowd scattered.
Poppy yelled, “Run!”
They all ran—back through the town as if monsters were at their heels.
And they were.
The townsfolk gathered again behind them, their torchlights flickering against the alleys and cobbled streets as they followed. Angry voices rang against the stones as the crowd chased Poppy, her family, and friends through the early dawn streets.
“Poppy, where are we going?” her father called.
“We’re going home!”
Mack slowed, falling to the back to let her parents move ahead. “It’s high ground at least, and maybe they’ll get tired of chasing us once we’re out of the Hollow.”
But they didn’t.
The townsfolk followed, calling insults and promising violence.
“Burn it down!” the governor’s voice rose above the crowd. “It ends today! Burn it all down!”
Poppy wove through the standing stones across the meadow, the breath harsh in her throat. They all ran up the hillside, beating down the dawn-lit wildflowers, but still the mob came.
Her house—her beautiful, strange home, was lit and welcoming. She could see a tall figure on the porch.
“Jute!” she screamed.
He flew off the porch, racing for them with his knees lifting high. “Come!” He waved them ahead. “Hurry. Get inside.”
They were all tired, and her parents were struggling up the hill, their legs dull from days of captivity. Mack grabbed Poppy’s father, and Jute took her mother in his arms—stumbling for the house. Behind them the glow of torches moved forward with the threatening rumble of angry voices.
When the door to their house was shut and locked behind them, they all collapsed to the hall floor, panting and heaving. Inside, it was warm and quiet, the voices outside fading. “Now what,” Poppy gasped. “Will we have to fight them?”
Her father rose to his feet. “I hope not, Poppy. I hope we can talk sense into them. But we can’t take any chances. Jasmine, get the net guns from storage. Jute, go to the lab. There’s a jar of stonebrew on the shelf. Get as many small jars filled as you can. Poppy? There’s a room in the cellar…”
“We’re not hiding. Don’t even ask.”
He paused, a small smile playing across his face. “No. I don’t suppose you would.”
Poppy took the net gun her father offered her. She secured her knife in her boot. “What’s stonebrew?”
Her mother let out a bark of laughter, and lifted one hand to touch Poppy’s cheek. “Oh, Poppy Sunshine. I missed your questions.”
“It’s something your mother and I cooked up,” her father said. “It freezes most creatures—but only for a few seconds.”
“Seconds can help,” Mack confirmed.
Nula touched Poppy’s arm, then Mack’s, before shifting herself back into a tiger.
“Everything’s locked upstairs,” Jute said, hurrying down the stairs to join them in the hall. He held a basket of thumb-size jars, and everyone shoved a few into their pockets.
Her heart racing, Poppy took the memory of them, all together, into her mind. She wanted to remember it forever. She would do whatever it took to keep them all safe. She knew it with every cell in her body. Everyone moved closer to one another and waited, watching the door. Only a minute had passed before someone pounded on it.
“Come out and face justice!” the governor’s voice rose. “Come out and face us, monsters! We all saw them! You can’t pretend anymore! We saw your elf spying in town—and your shape changer! We saw the creatures you’re hiding in there!” His voice dropped. “Send them out … turn them over … and we’ll leave you in peace.”
Her mother pushed to the door, fury contorting her features. “These monsters are better people than any of you! You don’t deserve—”
“Burn it down!” the governor cried, drowning out her words.
The sound of glass smashing against the
