The Nexus Ring Read Online Free

into the forest the way we’d come out, racing up the stairs, squeezing past the tour group, then leaping down the steps on the other side. We came back to the deserted picnic table, ­puzzled.
    “Maybe they went to the bathroom and there was a lineup. Come on, Maddy. You know Dad.”
    They weren’t at the bathroom. We wandered back to the picnic table. Still not there. “Maybe they’re at the van,” I ­said.
    We crossed the road, ­searching.
    “There,” cried Maddy. “They’re leaving. They’re leaving without us!”
    Our van was pulling out of the parking spot. We raced after it, screaming, “stop, stop!” and waving our arms. Mom and Dad didn’t even glance around. They just drove off, looking ­dazed.

Chapter Three

    As Ugly As A Troll

    M addy and I stood in the road , stunned. How could they leave without us? Maddy started to ­cry.
    I hugged her, then stiffened. “Maddy,” I whispered. “Look. That man. He’s here!”
    The man from the gift shop stood in the shadows by the boardwalk. He was grinning, a look much uglier than his scowl. We stared at ­him.
    “Your parents won’t be back,” he announced. “Unless you give me that ring. Then I’ll bring them back.”
    I glanced down at the ring on Maddy’s finger. I couldn’t believe what he’d said. How could he make people go away, and then bring them ­back?
    Maddy yelled at him, “They’ll come back. They won’t leave us!”
    “They just did! They think you’re sitting in the back seats. I put two Shadows there. They look just like you, only they’re a lot quieter.”
    “Shadows?” My voice squeaked. “What are you talking about?”
    “Little pretend children. Very quiet. No trouble at all. And Shadows make people uneasy, so no one looks too closely. Your parents won’t notice a thing.”
    Maddy slipped her hand into mine. I looked down at her; her eyes were huge and dark in her suddenly pale face. She whispered, “Josh, I’m scared. I want to go home.”
    Me too. I squeezed her hand. “It’ll be okay, Maddy. I’ll get you home. I promise.” I turned to the man. “If we give you the ring, will you bring back our parents and leave us alone?”
    He nodded, then reached out for the ring, fingers twitching.
    “Josh, I don’t think we should,” Maddy ­whispered.
    “What?”
    “I don’t like him. I don’t think we should do anything he says.”
    “But don’t you want to get back to Mom and Dad?”
    “Yes, of course. But I don’t think we should give him the ring.”
    The man stood, hand outstretched, scowling. Maddy scowled ­back.
    “Maddy, we have to get back to Mom and Dad. Give him the ring!”
    “I can’t, Josh. It feels all wrong. I just can’t do it.”
    “Maddy!” I wanted to tear the ring off her finger and fling it at the troll. What was her problem? A soft voice behind us made me ­jump.
    “Maybe I can help.”
    Maddy and I turned and stared. The tall woman from the gift shop stood behind us, cloak swaying in the ­breeze.
    “You were on the ferry yesterday,” said ­Maddy.
    “Yes,” she said. “I can help you with this troll.”
    “What do you mean?” I said. “He’s as ugly as a troll, but he’s not really one.”
    “No?” She raised her left hand, palm towards the man, and wiped in a circle, like she was cleaning a mirror. “There. Now take a look.”
    Slowly, the man’s face shifted. His nose grew larger and lumpier, his ears bigger, his skin rough. His body shifted too, becoming squat and lumpy. He looked meaner than ever. My stomach curled up on itself. Definitely a ­troll.
    He glared at the woman. “Witch!”
    She laughed, her dark eyebrows curving like wings. Even though she was wearing black, she didn’t look like a witch. She looked more like a dancer, graceful in her long cloak, with her hair tied up at the back of her neck. Except, when I looked closer, I realized she was a little strange, not quite human, ­somehow.
    She knelt by Maddy. “My name is Aleena.” She