The Tempest Haven: Butterpond Mysteries, #3

By Emmie B.

The shield protecting Butterpond has fallen. Eleven Roots are locked up in holding. Time is running out. 

 

Maya, Meghan, and Mira are stuck in a holding cell at the Guardian Station with eight other thirteen-year-olds for a crime they didn't commit. There are two Roots on the outside, but they have no hope in those two breaking them out. They didn't believe the truth. 

 

Time seems to be moving slowly, but that doesn't make their hour any longer. 

 

Maya is tired of all the roadblocks that just keep getting in their way. It seems like one thing after another. She must choose whether to continue on or throw in the towel. Will she choose the path for her purpose, or will she choose the path of least resistance like her parents want? 

 

Meghan is still reeling from what happened at her testing. Can she be a good leader if her default method for getting out of a tight spot is lying? Can she lead these people, her classmates, into a life or death situation? 

Mira is ready to end all of this. Her anxiety about Haven's well-being is sending her into panic mode. He hasn't spoken to her since they left the library. Are they already too late? Will they even make it out of the jail cell in time to save Haven from dissipation? 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Emmie B.
• Release date: Oct 18, 2021
• ISBN: 9781953798213

Book preview

1

Before today, my biggest worry was telling my parents that I loved to play contemporary music. That I longed to write and play the music that spun its way around my head. I wanted to be the Magical version of Lindsey Stirling. That seems like such a long time ago now.

If you’ve read Mira and Meghan’s stories, then you know we went on a quest to find the Founders hat, but found a trunk full of Founders instead. They sent us back to town with the mission of finding all the Roots and performing a spell together in order to strengthen the shield.

And if you’ve read Meghan’s story, then you know a Guardian came and locked us in a holding cell at the Head Guardian Office while they did paperwork or something.

This is the end of our story. Hold on to your seat, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

The one room Guardian’s office was quiet except for the keys on the Guardian’s clacking keyboard and the radio he let play.

The New England area can expect to see several inches of snow starting tonight and heading into the morning. A blizzard like we haven’t seen in about five years is coming this way, ready to blanket New Hampshire, Virginia, Connecticut, Rhode Island and even heading towards New York and Maryland. My suggestion, make sure you’ve got water, flashlights, blankets and a charged phone with some downloaded music. We may expect spending several days inside, the radio announcer crackled through the speaker. He must’ve been listening to a station outside of Butterpond. We were never hit with any blizzards. Honestly, we barely got two inches of snow.

I sat on the cot, looking straight out the bars to the wide picture window. I could see snow falling.

It made sense. We were a week into November and the air outside was turning icy. Occasionally a gust of snow-filled wind would blow through the window, cooling the room. The building apparently didn’t have an air conditioning system.

I sighed, turning to the clock as it ticked our precious time away. Meghan had tried and failed to come up with a way out of the jail cell.

Fifteen minutes of our precious hour gone. Only fifteen minutes, but it felt like an eternity.

Mom and Pa were going to be furious with me over this. I could practically feel their wrath already.

Hey did you hear something? Mira asked, breaking the room’s verbal silence.

I looked up at her, coming back to my present situation. What? No. I was thinking.

I know. I could practically hear you thinking. You are not a subtle thinker, but listen.

I did. After a moment, I heard a small thump and then there was a flashing light outside and a noise that sounded similar to a bomb let loose about fifty feet from the Guardian's station.

I heard it that time, I said.

Mira rolled her eyes at me.

You kids stay put and don’t try anything, the Guardian said, hurrying from his seat, grabbing his lightstick on his way out. I’ll be right back.

Where are we going to go? Meghan grumbled, rolling her eyes.

The Guardian didn’t hear her, and ran outside, his gait off-kilter, to investigate.

After about thirty seconds, two heads popped in from the back door.

Hey guys, Charlotte, one of Meghan’s teammates, said, a wide grin on her face.

Would y’all like to get out of here? Gabe Paz, another classmate of ours, asked, holding the keys to our prison.

2

N ope, Meghan quipped. I want to stay right here and rot to death. Of course we want out, open the doors already.

Gabe obliged, laughing. The doors swung open and everyone started out the cell in slow, halting steps, trying not to step on one another.

I thought you said they didn’t believe you, I whispered to Meghan as we waited for our turn for freedom.

We didn’t, Charlotte said through the bars on the side of the cell. Gabe was ready to head to a real celebration, but I convinced him to go talk to that librarian you mentioned.

Why? Meghan asked, confused.

Well, I’ve known you for a lot of years and you’ve always been straight with me. You tell me when I’ve got something on my face and if my hair is out of place. Most other people in our class would let me go around with sloppy joe on my cheek. They think it’s funny or something, Charlotte explained. I never thought you were lying about what was going on. I just thought that maybe whatever was going on in your home life had affected you. I had concerns.

Meghan’s cheeks went from a translucent white to the red of a very ripe tomato in a matter of seconds.

Thanks, I appreciate that, Meghan said. Her voice sounded wobbly.

Charlotte smiled. No problem. Besides, if the town is no longer its own entity, then we have to play sports like the Magicals in the human world and that just won’t be as fun.

Agreed, Meghan replied, laughing.

Relief flooded through me as I made it out of the cell doors. It was good to be free. Someone passed me a glowing choker necklace with an amethyst stone in the middle, my Root artifact, and the silver rings I wore. I thanked them, clasped the choker around my neck and began adding the rings to my fingers.

All right, I think it would be best if we split up into groups by location of where you should be according to the map, Meghan announced, back in full leader mode.

That sounds excellent, Gabe said, looking out the window. But we’ve gotta go right now if we’re going to make it out. He’s coming back.

Mira, now at the front of the group, folded the map she’d retrieved and turned to Charlotte.

Lead the way,