I jump up and volunteer, “I’ll go back and get it, Ma! When Vik finds out what his sister’s done, she’ll be in so much trouble….”

  “Too late,” L. Roy says with a smug smile on his face. “They’re growing! This Kavita—she fed them, I presume?”

  I avoid Ma’s eyes again and nod reluctantly. L. Roy claps his hands and hops from one foot to the other.

  “The remaining dragon will have grown attached to the girl already. I could have saved precious time and mailed them directly to her instead! Maybe that’s the way to ensure the future of magic—leave it to the kiddies!”

  “Hush up, L. Roy,” Ma hisses. “I’m trying to think!”

  For a moment, we all stand under the tent, waiting for Ma to come up with a solution. Finally, Trub clears his throat and says, “I’ll take the boy back to Brooklyn, Ma. We can pick up the last dragon and come straight back here.”

  Ma shakes her head. “I appreciate the offer, Trub, but you don’t know what state that dragon is in now. It could be too big to transport if the girl’s been feeding it. And the other two dragons won’t thrive until they’re reunited with their sibling. No, this is something I need to handle myself.”

  Ma holds out her hands, and Trub pulls her to her feet. L. Roy picks up Ma’s trench coat and holds it out as she slips her arms into the sleeves. I set Ma’s sneakers in front of her, and she slips them on without unfastening the Velcro straps. Sis hands Ma her cane.

  “So much for retirement,” Ma says with a sigh. Then she pulls her purse straps over her shoulder and says, “Come on, Jax. Time to go home.”

  I don’t want to question Ma, but we can’t all fit inside the transporter. Trub puts his hand on my shoulder and says, “I’m going to stay here with L. Roy, Jax. You go with Ma, and I’ll catch up with you later.”

  My heart is already heavy, but now my throat starts to close, too. If Trub is a rolling stone, will I really see him again? I swallow hard and manage to squeak out one word. “Promise?”

  Trub pulls me close and gives me a hug. “Promise. You are one brave boy, Jaxon! But you’ve done enough for one day. Go home and give that big brain of yours a rest. Us old folks will take it from here.” Trub bends down and presses his lips to the top of my head. “Kiss your mama for me,” he whispers in my ear before walking away from the tent.

  L. Roy shakes my hand and looks at me over his glasses. “Remember, Jax,” he says solemnly, “magic will find you—if you believe.”

  L. Roy turns and salutes Ma, who just rolls her eyes. Then he joins Trub, and together they head off down the red dirt road.

  “I must make preparations for your journey,” Sis says solemnly. She grabs hold of the wooden pole holding up the tent, and instantly everything around it disappears—the orange cloth, the stool, the reed mat, and the bowl of golden mangoes.

  “I will wait for you at the gate,” Sis tells Ma. She says nothing to me before wading into the blue grass growing beneath the baobab trees. I watch Sis walk away with the staff in her hands, wishing I had the courage to blurt out a promise—I will return your dragon! But before I build up the nerve, a sudden gust of wind blows dust into my eyes, and when I clear them, Sis has disappeared.

  “Is Sis a witch?” I ask.

  Ma shakes her head. “There are different roles here in the realm of magic. Sis is a guardian—and she takes her job very seriously. She isn’t angry with you, by the way.”

  “Could’ve fooled me,” I mumble.

  “She’s mad at herself for trusting us with something so precious. We all failed her, not just you.”

  That makes me feel a little bit better. I take a deep breath and say, “Ma, can I give you a hug?”

  “Of course you can!” she cries before wrapping her arms around me.

  I hold on tight for a long time. Then I step back and say, “I’m sorry about not delivering all the dragons, but I sure am glad you’re okay.”

  Ma runs her thumb along my untamable eyebrows. “Why wouldn’t I be?” Ma asks.

  “You were attacked! I saw…something charging straight at you.”

  “What did you see?”

  “Well…” I pause and try to remember just what I saw from inside the transporter. “The leaves behind you were shaking, and there was a load roar.”

  “And then?”

  “Then you closed the door and the transporter took me back to Brooklyn.”

  I try to sound respectful, but Ma must hear the resentment in my voice because she says, “You understand why I did that, right?”

  “You probably wanted to protect the dragons…” I say.

  “And?”

  I sigh. “And I guess you wanted to protect me, too. But I didn’t want to go back to Brooklyn!”

  “Sure you did—that’s why the transporter sent you home. It reads your intention, remember?”

  Ma starts walking down the road, and I trail after her. “But I was supposed to help you! I guess you don’t want me to be your apprentice anymore,” I say sullenly.

  “When did I say that?” Ma barks angrily. “The first thing you got to learn if you’re going to work with me, Jax, is how to follow orders. When I say go, you go! Understand?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “You did exactly what I needed you to do, and that helped a lot.”

  Even though I just got yelled at, I feel a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. Maybe I haven’t lost my dream job after all!

  For a long while, we walk in silence. The baobab trees tower over us, and I start to feel their soothing energy settling over me. “Ambrose said you wouldn’t have sent me back without a plan.”

  Ma laughs. “Did that make you feel better?”

  I nod, and Ma says, “Then I’m glad Bro told you that. But the truth is, Jax, in this line of work, sometimes you don’t have time to make a plan. Sometimes you just have to use whatever you’ve got to do whatever you can. Now, I’m not going to stand here and tell you I was happy to see that dinosaur coming straight at me. Ugly as sin it was, with more teeth than I could count.”

  My eyes grow wide as I imagine Ma having to face the most ferocious dinosaur of all. “A T. rex?”

  “I doubt I’d be talking to you right now if a T. rex had popped out of the bushes! No, it was a lot smaller than that, but it walked the same way and had a funny kind of flap on top of its head.”

  I make a mental note to ask Vik what kind of dinosaur that might be. Then I ask, “So what did you do?”

  “Why, I grabbed hold of that funny flap and swung around onto its back. Of course, that was after I’d zapped it a couple of times with my cane. Not sure it felt a thing with that thick hide, though. Then I used a mild enchantment to make it more manageable. Ran like the wind, that dinosaur!”

  I wish I could have seen Ma riding on the back of an enchanted dinosaur! I don’t know if it’s the baobabs or Ma’s story that makes me feel so happy, but I can’t stop grinning. I may have lost one of the dragons, but I’ve got Ma back and we’ve got magic on our side.

  Ma pats me on the shoulder and says, “That crystal you got for me came in real handy, Jax. I used it to send you back, and then I rode that dino as close as I could get to that volcano. All that energy helped me make a giant leap forward in time. Once I was back in the twenty-first century, I sent a signal to Sis. She gathered her lovelies—her helpers—and came to get me.”

  “But how could you travel through time without a transporter?”

  “Same way I sent you back without me: piezoelectricity. Ever heard of that?”

  I shake my head and listen carefully as Ma explains.

  “The transporter is a device powered by the mind, and our brains give off electric signals. Well, crystals also give off an electric charge when they’re under pressure. So I used a compression spell that allowed me to crush the crystal with my hand. That released enough energy to jump-start the transporter, and you steered it with your thoughts. When I was ready to make my own journey, I just needed a way to contain all the energy I was trying to harness—from my own mind, the crystal, and the volcano. So I found a hollowed-out tree, used my compass to set the right coordinates, and then…I got lucky.”

  I look ahead and see that Sis is waiting for us next to the guardhouse. At least a dozen butterflies circle her head and shoulders, wrapping her in a rainbow veil.

  “The lost dragon must be returned to me,” Sis says solemnly. “The girl is no thief—she now feels bound to the creature just as it feels bound to her. But those dragons—all of them—belong here, with me. They do not belong in your world.”

  “I know, Sis,” Ma says. “And I sure am sorry things turned out this way. But we’ll get this mess cleaned up—leave it with me.”

  Sis sweeps her dark eyes over me. “The boy cannot be trusted.”

  “Hold on, now,” Ma says as she drapes a protective arm across my shoulders. “He’s had a rough first day on the job, and Jax still has a lot to learn, but I trust him and I’ll need his help to set things right.”

  “I will provide the help that you need,” Sis says.

  “That won’t be necessary,” Ma says with a smile that seems a bit forced.

  “I insist,” Sis replies in a way that makes it clear her offer cannot be refused.

  Ma simply nods, and Sis raises her hand. The butterflies gather round, and Sis selects a fiery red one to accompany us back to Brooklyn. I watch as she cradles the butterfly in the palm of her hand, whispering instructions that Ma and I can’t hear. The other butterflies wheel away on the breeze, and then the red one flits from Sis to me.

  “Hold out your hand,” Ma says.

  I do as I’m told, and the red butterfly settles in my palm. I don’t see how a flimsy butterfly is going to help us transport a fast-growing dragon, but Ma and Sis must know something I don’t.

  Sis runs her hand over Ma’s neatly braided hair and says, “Remember your promise—when you return, you will stay.”

  For a moment Ma says nothing, and part of me hopes she’ll refuse. How will I learn all there is to know about magic if Ma retires so soon?

  But after a few more seconds, Ma finally nods. Sis opens her arms, and Ma steps into a hug that lasts a long time. I look at the peaceful smile on Ma’s face and wonder if that’s how I look when Mama holds me. Finally, Ma and Sis pull apart. Ma goes over to the guardhouse and opens the door. I try to follow her, but Sis blocks my way.

  “You have in your possession things that are precious to me. See that you treat them with care and return them unharmed, boy.”

  “My name’s Jax,” I tell her in my most respectful voice. “And I won’t let you down, Sis.” I’m not sure why, but I decide to add, “I promise.”

  One of Sis’s eyebrows goes up in surprise. “A promise in this realm carries real weight, Jax.”

  “It means a lot in my world, too,” I tell her.

  Sis looks down at me, and I think I can see something in her eyes that wasn’t there before: respect. She steps aside, and I squeeze past Ma to stand inside the dark guardhouse. To my surprise, the butterfly’s red wings start to pulse with light as they slowly open and close. Maybe this little helper will come in handy after all.

  “Until we meet again,” I hear Sis say. Then the door closes, and Ma places her hands on my shoulders.

  “Ready, Jax?” she asks.

  “Ready, Ma,” I reply.

  The guardhouse shudders and then shoots upward and takes us back to Brooklyn.

  When we land, Ma pushes open the guardhouse door. I follow the butterfly out and see that we’re facing the street instead of the park. A bus lumbers along Flatbush Avenue, and the few joggers going in and out of the park barely notice me and Ma as we emerge from the guardhouse. I scan all the benches and feel a little disappointed when I don’t find Ambrose. I want him to know that Trub and I completed our mission. I want him to see that Ma’s okay. Part of me feels like I have to prove myself, especially since Ma’s had trouble with her helpers in the past. I want Ambrose to know I’m not like the others. Once we collect the dragon from Kavita, everyone will know that I’m serious about being Ma’s apprentice.

  “Should we head over to Vik’s place?” I ask Ma.

  She glances up at the darkening sky and shakes her head. “It’s too late for a messy extraction—and it will be messy. We better think on it tonight and come up with a plan.”

  Ma opens her purse and takes out the mint tin. “In you go,” she says to the red butterfly. I don’t see how it will fit, but the butterfly perches on Ma’s hand and instantly shrinks so that it can settle inside the small tin. “Just until we get home,” Ma says.

  She snaps the lid shut before tossing the tin back into her purse. Then Ma leans on her cane and heads up the block.

  “Your mama must be wondering what happened to you.”

  I feel a pang of guilt as I think about what Mama’s day must have been like. I traveled to the realm of magic while she was stuck in court. Did the judge rule in our favor, or are we homeless? I wonder what Mama will say when I tell her I want to work with Ma.

  The streetlights flicker on as night settles over the noisy, bustling city. I miss the peace and calm of the baobabs and hope it won’t be long before I get to see that world again. But if Ma goes back with me, she’ll have to stay with Sis. Maybe Ma’s plan to find the last dragon will take a long time. A “messy extraction” sounds like something painful that happens at the dentist’s office. Even though I’m mad at Kavita for stealing the dragon, I hope no one gets hurt.

  Ma doesn’t say a word as we walk back to her apartment building. But when we reach her block, she clears her throat and asks, “You know what you’re going to tell your mama ’bout today?”

  I nod and say, “The truth.”

  I hope I sound confident, but Ma must know how nervous I am, because she gives my shoulder a squeeze. I give myself a pep talk the rest of the way: Mama loves me. No matter what I say or do, that will never change.

  Mama is pacing back and forth in front of Ma’s building. The clothes she ironed so carefully this morning are now rumpled, and her face shows how tired she feels. But when she sees us coming up the block, Mama rushes over, kneels down, and hugs me hard.

  “Jaxon! Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick!” Mama pulls back and examines me from head to toe. She stands up and looks at Ma. “You need to get a cell phone.”

  Ma just laughs. “What for?”

  I try to warn Ma with my eyes, but she’s not looking at me. Mama hates it when people don’t take her seriously. She puts one hand on her hip and says in a voice that’s a bit too loud, “What for? So people can reach you, Ma! I didn’t know what happened to you two. You could have left a note.”

  Ma glances at me and wipes the smile off her face. “Sorry ’bout that,” she says in a sincere voice. “I didn’t think we’d be gone so long, but things…didn’t quite go as planned.”

  “They never do with you,” Mama mutters under her breath.

  I decide now’s a good time to change the subject. “How did it go in court?” I ask Mama.

  She smiles and strokes my cheek. “We got a stay, baby. That means the landlord can’t go ahead with the eviction.”

  “So we can stay in our apartment?” I ask hopefully.

  “For now,” Mama says, “but I still have to go back to court next week.”

  “Well,” Ma says, “I’m glad it all worked out. I better go see about supper.”

  “Wait!” I grab hold of Ma’s hand to keep her from walking away. Then I reach out and grab hold of Mama’s hand, too. This is my chance—I can be the bridge between them.

  “Maybe we should stay with Ma for a while,” I suggest.

  Mama frowns and tries to pull away, but I won’t let go of her hand.

  “You can stay if you want,” Mama tells me. “I need to keep an eye on the apartment.”

  “But there’s no water,” I remind her.

  “No water?”

  Ma looks kind of mad, so I tell her more about our awful landlord. “Last week he turned off the gas, too, so we couldn’t cook.”

  Mama looks embarrassed. Maybe I said too much.

  “We manage with the microwave,” she tells Ma.

  “You can’t manage without running water,” Ma replies. “You better come upstairs.”

  Mama doesn’t budge. “The judge ordered the landlord to turn the water back on within forty-eight hours.”

  Ma just grunts. “Don’t hold your breath.” Then she coughs a couple of times before saying, “Listen, Alicia—I know I made a fuss this morning, and I’m sorry for that. You just caught me at a bad time. But I want you to know that you’re always welcome here. You and Jax could stay in your old room—it hasn’t changed since you left.”

  Mama squeezes my hand a little too hard and looks at the ground. Mama taught me everything I know about manners, so I know it’s not polite to ignore an offer of hospitality.

  Ma tries again. “I know things haven’t been…right between us, but you’ll always be family to me.”

  That reminds me of something I promised Trub. I pull at Mama’s arm until she bends low enough so I can plant a kiss on her cheek. “Grandpa says hi,” I say quietly.

  Mama looks at me hard. “Who says hi?”

  I swallow and force myself not to look at Ma. If I look at her, she’ll think I need help, and I don’t. I’ve already decided I’m not going to lie to Mama. I take a deep breath and say, “I met my grandfather today.”

  Mama rolls her lips together. That’s what she does when she’s trying not to lose her temper and say something she might regret. Mama’s lips are sealed, but I can almost hear her counting to ten. That’s what she tells me to do whenever I get angry.

 

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