SURROUNDED

“Was it another Tundra Troll?” Natalia asked as she followed Harley into the forest.

“I don’t think so,” Harley said. “They can’t move that fast.”

Overhead, Sprig, who had shifted into a falcon, landed on a branch as Harley scrambled onto the trunk of a fallen tree. He pulled out his binoculars.

“Do you see anything?” Max asked.

“Not yet,” Harley said.

“What about you, Natalia?” Max said. “Are you picking anything up in the faerie spectrum?”

Natalia was scanning the area through her Phantasmoscope. Faeries could stay hidden to the naked eye by appearing as mice, butterflies, chipmunks, or any number of other animals. But with the Phantasmoscope, Natalia could see through their disguises. “Something passed through here,” she said, “but the trace is so weak that I can hardly detect it.”

Max frowned as he walked into a clearing and knelt down.

“What is it?” Harley asked.

“A footprint.”

“What kind?”

“Look for yourself.”

Harley shook his head. “You have to be kidding me.”

The print was shaped like a human foot, but the pattern looked like a tire tread. There was only one person who wore shoes like that.

Natalia cupped her hands around her mouth. “You might as well come out, Ernie!” she called.

All they heard was the wind whistling between the branches.

“Come on!” Harley said. “Stop messing around.”

Still nothing.

“The tracks go this way,” Harley said.

Max and Natalia followed him on a winding path that zigzagged and wound through the trees before ending at a house in shambles.

It looked like it used to be a grand Victorian structure. There were gabled windows, a turret, and a porch that wrapped around the front. Time had stolen its beauty. Windows were broken, a wall had caved in, the white paint had chipped away, and a portion of the roof was missing.

“Ernie went through a lot of trouble to ditch us,” Max said as Sprig landed in the branches overhead. “Maybe we should leave him alone.”

“That’s not happening.” Harley trudged up the steps to the front door.

Natalia shrugged and followed, but Max didn’t move.

“Come on, Sumner,” Harley said, pushing the door open. “You know how Ernie gets. He just wants attention.”

Ernie stepped out from behind a tree. “No, I don’t.”

Natalia jumped. “You scared me.”

Ernie had always been the shortest member of the Grey Griffins, but over the past year he’d grown nearly six inches. Now only Harley was taller, but not by much. Ernie was still thin, though, with a mess of black hair that needed to be cut weekly now that he was a changeling.

Despite the temperature, Ernie had foregone his winter jacket and stocking cap in favor of his Agent Thunderbolt costume. It consisted of a vintage World War I army helmet, aviator goggles, leather gloves, and a shirt with a bolt of lightning stitched across the chest.

“What are you guys doing here?” he asked.

“We’re hunting a Tundra Troll,” Harley said when he caught Ernie looking at his grenade launcher.

“I called you three times,” Max said. “Where have you been?”

“I’ve been busy, I guess.”

“Doing what?” Natalia asked. “Aren’t you supposed to be bedridden with a debilitating cold?”

Ernie’s eyes narrowed. “What does it matter?”

There was a clatter in the trees. Sprig had spotted a mouse scampering across the snow and swooped down from her perch to grab it with her talons. She returned to the branches to eat her meager meal.

“So what is this place?” Max asked.

Ernie walked up to the house and then turned back to Max. He wouldn’t look him in the eye. “It’s just a place I like to come to think.”

“When did you find it?”

“A few days ago,” Ernie said. “Look, it’s no big deal. Besides, I was getting ready to go back home. Maybe I’ll catch up with you later.”

“You’re hiding something,” Natalia said. “I can tell by the way your eyes keep shifting.”

“No, I’m not.”

“See the way you’re fidgeting? It’s a classic tell. Why won’t you look me in the eyes?”

“Fine,” Ernie said. He looked her in the eyes. “I’m not hiding anything.”

“Then you won’t mind if I go inside and take a look,” Harley said. He took a step toward the doorway, but Ernie got in front of him.

“I thought you weren’t hiding anything,” Harley said.

“Come on,” Max said. “Let’s leave him alone.”

“I’m not going anywhere until Ernie tells us what he’s doing out here,” Natalia said.

“You’re the detective,” Ernie said. “Why don’t you tell me?”

“You’re infuriating, do you know that?”

“Look, we’re trying to have a meeting, okay?” Ernie said.

“We?” Harley asked.

Ernie’s eyes shot wide as if he wasn’t supposed to say that.

“Who else is out here with you?”

“Nobody.”

“It’s okay,” a soft voice spoke.

Max recognized the changeling who emerged from the doorway. Her name was Hale, and from the looks of things, her transformation from human to faerie had accelerated over the winter break. Her antennae had grown, her eyes were red, and her wet skin looked like it belonged to a tree frog.

“What’s going on?” Natalia asked.

A dozen more changelings emerged from hiding places, each a unique combination of human and faerie.

“Think of it as our clubhouse,” Hale said as she put her hand on Ernie’s shoulder, which Max found odd.

“It looks like it should be condemned,” Natalia said.

“Not everybody has a billionaire friend to buy them a fancy place to hang out,” Hale said. She was looking at Max. “People like us are stuck with whatever we can find.”

There was an uncomfortable silence. Max averted his eyes and kicked at the snow. He didn’t like it when people judged him for his parents’ money. It wasn’t his fault they were rich.

“So what’s with the guns?” Hale asked.

“We were hunting,” Harley said.

“For what? A dragon?”

The changelings laughed.

“Close enough,” Max said. “It was a Tundra Troll.”

“And you bagged it without a scratch? I’m impressed,” Hale said. Max blushed from the compliment. “Those things are nasty.”

“What happened to your inhibitors?” Harley asked. The dean of the changeling program at Iron Bridge Academy made all the changelings wear devices that restrained their powers. The inhibitors also carried tracking devices, which allowed Dean Nipkin to know where those students were at all times.

“Oh, we still have them,” Hale said, turning so Harley could see that hers was lodged behind her ear. “We just found a way to circumvent them.”

“How?” Harley asked.

“Tell him, Annie,” Hale said.

A slender girl who didn’t look old enough to attend Iron Bridge stepped forward. Her hands were locked behind her back, her eyes focused on the ground. “I reprogrammed them.”

“You reprogrammed the inhibitors? I didn’t think that was possible,” Harley said.

“I can kind of control machines,” Annie said.

“We still show up on the grid,” Hale said. “But no matter where we go, Dean Nipkin thinks we’re back at school. And now we have our full powers.”

“Why didn’t you do that before?” Natalia said.

“Nobody asked me,” Annie said.

“Why aren’t you with your families instead of hanging out here?” Natalia asked. “I mean, this is supposed to be our winter break.”

“We’re too dangerous,” Denton said. He looked like an anthropomorphic lion, complete with intimidating fangs, a tail, and a mane that had grown thick over the last few weeks. “Nipkin convinced our parents that it was better to keep us locked up so we didn’t hurt anybody.”

“Ernie was able to go home,” Natalia said.

Ernie turned away.

“That’s because he’s one of you,” Denton said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Natalia asked.

“It means he’s a Grey Griffin,” Hale said. “Everyone knows you get special privileges.”

“No, we don’t.”

“Whatever,” Hale said. “Look, this is as close to Christmas vacation as we’re going to get, so we’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t blab to Nipkin. Otherwise she’s going to lock us up and throw away the key.”

“How did you find out about this place?” Max asked, hoping to cut the tension. “I’ve lived here my whole life, and I’ve never seen it before.”

“It used to be part of the school,” Hale said. “There’s an elevator that leads to one of the subway stations. It’s only a few stops away from Iron Bridge.”

“Raven found it,” Ernie said. He held up a key that was fastened to a chain around his neck. “You need this to activate the portal inside the elevator.”

“Where is she?” Natalia asked. Raven Lugosi was a changeling who had the ability to draw memories from inanimate objects. If there were secret passages, Raven could certainly find them.

“Back in Sendak Hall,” Denton said. “She thinks we’re reckless.”

“Aren’t you worried about…?”

“Smoke?” Hale asked, referring to the changeling who had kidnapped Robert. “We have a few surprises if he decides to show his face.”

The other changelings murmured in agreement.

Sprig flew down from her perch. The moment she landed, she shifted into a white wolf. Her fur standing on end, she snarled, revealing a set of teeth that rivaled Denton’s. “Max should leave this place.”

The changelings stopped laughing. Max watched as Denton’s eyes narrowed. A girl named Nadya who had been sitting in a second-story window leaped down, landing nimbly on the snow. A spray of crystals erupted from her palm to form a club of ice.

“Easy, Sprig,” Max said. He reached out to scratch behind her ear. “Ernie’s friends are our friends, too.”

“Look, unlike the Grey Griffins, we have Ernie’s back,” Yi Lu said. He was flipping a fireball in his hand.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Natalia asked.

“Changelings look out for each other.”

Natalia spun to face Ernie. “What did you tell them?”

Ernie turned away.

“If we had been there, Robert would still be alive,” Yi said. Then flames erupted in both hands. “Unfortunately, you were there instead.”

“Is that supposed to scare us?” Harley said, taking a step toward Yi. He was a head taller than the changeling, but Yi didn’t back down. Sparks jumped from Yi’s skin. Then his hair turned into a blaze of fire, and flames burst from his eyes.

“You tell me,” Yi said. “You’re the one who walked in here with a grenade launcher.”

The other changelings closed ranks, circling the Grey Griffins like a pack of hungry wolves. Sprig growled before snapping at the girl holding the ice club.

Max didn’t want to fight, but it didn’t look like he was going to have a choice. He twisted the Codex ring on his finger, and the gauntlet reappeared. Blue energy sparked as Max flexed his hand.

Ernie stepped between Yi and Harley. “Stop it!”

Yi’s chest was heaving. Harley’s eyes were narrowed.

“I can’t believe you told them that Robert’s death was our fault,” Natalia said, her fists clenched. Her body was shaking. Ernie tried to look her in the eyes, but he couldn’t. “Robert is dead because Otto Von Strife tore his soul out of his body. We didn’t have anything to do with that.”

“We could have fixed him,” Ernie said. He was mumbling. His voice was barely a whisper.

“I hope you don’t honestly believe that,” Natalia said. “We did what we did to save your life, and this is how you thank us? I know you’re upset because your friend is dead, Ernie, but this is pathetic.”

“Forget it, Natalia,” Max said. The gauntlet disappeared, turning back into the Codex ring. “Let’s just go.”

Natalia started to say something else, but she closed her mouth. Then she stomped through the woods back to the snowmobiles. Harley, Max, and Sprig followed, leaving Ernie alone with the other changelings.