by Brandon Mull
“A shaper that strong doesn’t just disappear,” Mira said. “He must have shaped something that killed him.”
“Have you been there, Mango?” Twitch asked.
“Just the borders,” Mango said. “People don’t go there, so I’ve never monitored the area.”
“Are there still roads?” Twitch inquired.
“Three roads,” Bertram said. Cole noticed that the old semblance spoke with more clarity and authority when travel routes were involved. “Hard to guess their state of repair. We can hope they’re passable. If so, it would prove a clever shortcut to Middlebranch.”
“The soldiers don’t seem to be headed that way?” Mira clarified.
“Not presently,” Mango said. “There is no guarantee they won’t change course.”
“If the nearest soldiers turn toward it, would we arrive before them?” Twitch checked.
“Probably,” Mango said. “Barely.”
“I say we go for it,” Jace said. “We can handle whatever some kid dreamed up.”
“The place has a reputation for a reason,” Twitch pointed out.
“And we’ve all survived some dicey sky castles,” Jace said. “I’m not saying it’ll be easy. But this is more our thing than fighting legionnaires. Think of it as a big castle.”
“I hate the castles,” Twitch said. “Why do you think I ran away?”
“You hate them,” Jace said, “but you survived them. We have better gear than ever. We’ll be working together. The legionnaires won’t follow us in, especially if they have no idea we’re in there.”
“We can’t let the legion find us,” Mira said. “What do you think, Cole?”
Cole paused before answering. He certainly didn’t want to head to deadly shaping grounds that might feel like a giant sky castle. But he wanted to get caught by the legionnaires even less. “Are there other options like Brady’s Wilderness?” Cole asked Mango.
“East of Cloudvale, the brink curves away more toward the north,” Mango said. “So you could go northeast or east. That seems to be where the soldiers are heading, probably because it’s the most sensible place to run. There are no decent hiding places that way unless you head off into the wild on foot. Even if you take the autocoach by the cleverest routes, if the legionnaires continue in that direction, they’ll overtake you by tomorrow.”
“It sounds like we should try the Brady place,” Cole said.
“I don’t love the idea,” Twitch said. “But I agree.”
“All right,” Mira said. “Bertram? Can you take us to Brady’s Wilderness?”
“Brady’s Wilderness,” Bertram said. “Then past there to Middlebranch, I gather?”
“Unless we’re forced to turn aside,” Mira said.
“I know how we’ll go,” Bertram said. “Let’s hope the roads have held together enough for us to pass.”
“I’ll keep scouting,” Mango said. “You’ll hear from me if we need to rethink our maneuvers.”
“Thanks, Mango,” Mira said as the bird leaped from her shoulder, wings flapping, and disappeared out the window.
“Didn’t take long for things to heat up,” Cole grumbled.
“Did you think those legionnaires would disappear?” Jace asked.
“I hoped they’d look in the wrong place,” Cole replied.
“It’s easier to check the right place when you look everywhere,” Twitch said.
They clomped along in silence for a moment. Cole glanced over at Twitch. “You never told us about the wings.”
“Oh yeah,” Jace agreed. “We have time now. You’re from Elloweer? One of the natives?”
“I guess the secret is out,” Twitch said with a nervous laugh. “I’m one of the grinaldi. People call us springers.”
“Never heard of you,” Jace said.
“Plenty of people don’t know about the grinaldi. We’re not numerous. We have wings, but we don’t fly for long distances. The wings are used to enhance our hopping.”
“How does the ring work?” Cole asked. “Did you bring it from Elloweer?”
“No,” Twitch said. “If I had the ring, I doubt I would have been taken as a slave. I found the ring in the supply room at Skyport and chose it as my special item. I’ve never had to use it until yesterday.”
“The ring shows his true form,” Jace explained.
“Why aren’t you always in your true form?” Cole asked.
“I sometimes forget that you’re new here,” Twitch said. “Elloweer is full of unusual beings. Some of them can’t leave Elloweer. They come up against a barrier. Others, like me, change to human form if they leave.”
“And the ring switches you back,” Cole said.
“Rings like this are rare,” Twitch said, holding it up. It was silver, with a strip of tiny blue gems all the way around. “They’re crafted by Ellowine enchanters. I’m not sure how one ended up at Skyport, but there it was, so I claimed it.”
Cole thought back to the slave wagons. “When the slavers were in my world taking my friends, one of them looked like a golden wolfman. I never saw him again.”
“One of the lupians,” Twitch said. “A warlike people. You don’t see many with golden fur. He must have reverted to his true form in your world.”
“Show us what you really look like,” Jace said. “I never got a good look.”
“Not when I was carrying you?” Twitch asked.
“My mind was on other things,” Jace said.
“Mira told us her secrets,” Twitch said. “We know where Cole comes from. But I don’t know much about you, Jace. Why don’t you tell us about your past, and then I’ll show you my true form.”
“Not much to tell,” Jace said with a slightly uncomfortable smile. “I’ve been a slave all my life. Never knew my parents. I hated being controlled, and nobody could break me. I still found ways to have fun. And I worked really hard at not working hard. Owners got sick of me. I was traded a couple of times, and finally they sold me to the Sky Raiders. Best thing that ever happened to me. I could finally live. It was dangerous, but I could do my own thing most of the time. Okay, let’s see your bug parts.”
Twitch rubbed his lips, one of his eyelids fluttering. “Thanks for putting it so delicately.” He unbuttoned his shirt and took it off. “My wings ripped the old one,” he explained.
Twitch slid on his ring, and a pair of insectile antennae appeared high on his forehead. A quartet of translucent wings were now on his back, two on each side, like a dragonfly, but folded downward. Pulling up one pant leg, he revealed that his leg looked like it belonged to a giant grasshopper.
Cole flinched a little but tried to keep his expression composed. The bug legs were a little much.
“You’re knees are backward,” Jace said.
“From your anatomy, yes.” Twitch laughed. “But I can jump, like, twenty times higher. And I can kind of fly. Although I may not look it, I’m also quite a bit stronger.”
“Being human must feel so limiting,” Mira said.
“It does,” Twitch said, tapping his fingertips together in rapid succession. “It’s part of the reason I’m so careful. Picture if you were suddenly weaker and slower and your Jumping Sword was malfunctioning.”
“Were you a big risk taker back home?” Jace asked.
“I’m careful by nature,” Twitch clarified. “Among my people, it’s seen as a positive trait.”
“They sound really exciting,” Jace teased.
“We prefer quiet, happy lives,” Twitch said, taking off the ring. The wings and antennae vanished. “But we don’t always get what we want.” He started putting his shirt back on.
“What about you, Cole?” Jace asked. “What was your life like before coming here?”
“Easy. Compared to this, I mean. My parents took care of most things. We have a nice house. My sister thinks she’s awesome, but she’s not too bad, especially compared to slavers and scorpipedes. I went to school. I played sports.”
“Sounds like you were rich,”
Jace said.
“I didn’t think so,” Cole said. “Maybe compared to some people. We were about average.”
“Did you ever get your hands dirty?” Jace asked. “Work in a mine? Or a field? Did you handle livestock? Build a house?”
“Nothing like that,” Cole said. “Mostly just school and sports and goofing off.”
“Rich must be average where you’re from,” Jace said. “Sign me up.”
“I’d love to,” Cole said. “Who knows if I’ll ever make it back there?”
“One step at a time,” Mira said. “Kind of like back at Skyport. First priority? Survive today. Second? Survive tomorrow.”
“How long until Brady’s Wilderness?” Twitch asked.
“Barring delays, we’ll arrive tomorrow morning,” Bertram said.
“Then I’m going to get comfortable,” Jace said, snuggling into his corner of the coach. “Wake me if something tries to kill us.”
CHAPTER
26
BRADY’S WILDERNESS
Chocolate chip cookies the size of hula hoops floating in a pond of milk gave Cole his first warning that something was out of the ordinary. He squinted out the window in the morning light. Bushes and small trees grew intermittently on the muddy bank beside the pond. Rocks and sticks littered the shore. Everything looked like a normal woodland pond except for the creamy white liquid and the huge, unmistakable chocolate chip cookies doubling as giant lily pads.
Twitch had curled up on the floor of the autocoach between the seats. Jace was wedged in his corner. Mira had her head on Bertram’s lap. They all breathed like they were sleeping. The old semblance stared sedately out the window.
Cole had only dozed intermittently through the night. Despite the smooth ride, he had struggled to get comfortable sitting up. Mango had visited before sunrise to confirm that the legionnaires were veering north and south of them—not into Brady’s Wilderness. Too anxious to sleep, Cole had stayed awake since the cockatiel’s visit, watching for trouble.
“Guys,” Cole said. “Check this out.”
Mira popped up as if she hadn’t been fully asleep. “What is it?”
Jace leaned forward blearily to look out Cole’s window, then promptly snapped more awake. “Are those cookies?”
“And milk,” Mira said.
Twitch sat up, stretching. Still on the floor, he was too low to see outside. “Everything all right?”
“Yep,” Cole said. “Just a cookies-and-milk pond.”
“I want one,” Jace said. “Stop the coach.”
“We have food,” Mira said.
“Dried meat and biscuits,” Jace said. “No cookies.”
“They’re probably stale,” Cole said. “The milk has to be spoiled.”
“It doesn’t smell spoiled,” Jace said. “This is shaping. The normal rules don’t always apply.”
“Could be a trap,” Mira said.
“I’m just the guy to spring it,” Jace said. “Remember that castle with the candy garden? Best day of my life.”
“We’re being chased,” Mira said.
“We haven’t stopped all night,” Jace replied. “The bird told us we’re ahead of them. It’s time for breakfast.”
“Okay,” Mira said. “Stop.”
The autocoach immediately responded.
“You’ll be careful?” she asked.
“I’ll dive blindfolded from the highest tree I can find.” He opened the door and hopped down, golden rope in hand. “You coming, Cole?”
Cole fumbled for his sword. “Sure.”
Mira placed a hand on his arm. “You don’t have to go.”
“Giant cookies,” Cole said by way of explanation as he jumped out of the carriage. It felt good to stretch. He buckled his sword belt.
“Come on,” Jace said, already marching off. “You keep watch while I lasso a snack.”
Cole hurried after him, one hand on the hilt of his sword.
At the edge of the milky pond, Jace crouched and cupped milk into one hand. “It’s cold.” He brought his hand to his lips. “Mmmm. Rich and creamy.”
Shaking the milk from his fingers, Jace stood and cast his rope out to the nearest cookie. The golden rope wrapped around the target multiple times. With a flick of his wrist, the rope yanked the oversized cookie out of the milk, but it broke apart, soggy remnants splashing down.
“Not very solid,” Jace said.
Cole knelt on a flat rock that slightly overhung the pond. Below, milk lapped against the stone and the muddy bank, yet the milk didn’t seem to have any dirt in it. He dipped a finger and found that Jace was right—it was quite cold.
Jace ensnared another cookie, then hauled it in slowly, bringing it to where Cole knelt. “Help me get it out.”
Cole reached underneath the cookie. Although the top was firm, the underside was mushy. Working together, Jace and Cole lifted it out of the milk, Cole’s hands sinking into the underside until reaching a more solid portion. Milk dripped down his wrists into his sleeves and onto his shoes. Holding his half of the sodden cookie required all his strength.
With their prize between them, Jace and Cole shuffled back to the autocoach. Cole tried not to breathe too hard. His arms burned with the effort. Mira got out as they drew near.
“You’re not bringing that in here,” she said.
“Why not?” Jace asked.
“It’s a gooey, drippy mess,” Mira said. “We’ll eat some out here.”
“Break off pieces,” Cole suggested.
Using two hands, Mira snapped off part of one of the edges. The chunk was too big to take a normal bite, but she gnawed at it. “Wow, this is good.”
Twitch got out as well and snapped off a piece. His eyes lit up when he tried a bite.
“Get some for us,” Jace said. “We’re too busy holding it.”
Mira set her piece aside and broke off two more.
“Should we chuck it?” Jace asked.
“You want any, Bertram?” Cole invited.
“No time to bother,” the old man replied. “I’m just here on holiday with my grandniece and grandnephews.”
Swinging their arms, Cole and Jace heaved the cookie sideways, and it whumped down, flattening a circle of tall grass. They accepted their hunks from Mira. “We should get moving,” she said.
“They won’t follow us in here,” Jace said. “Nobody wants to do battle with milk and cookies.”
They all climbed back into the coach. Cole found that the cookie tasted freshly baked, with a hint of warmth as if it had barely cooled. The soggy parts were extra good. He only had one chocolate chip in his piece, but it was bigger than his fist.
Cole chomped on his cookie as the coach rolled along. Eventually, his stomach started to protest. He worried that eating more would make him sick. “Anybody want the rest of mine?”
“I’m done,” Jace said. “They’re too messy to store.” He tossed it out the window.
“Leaving a trail of cookie crumbs?” Twitch asked.
“They won’t know we did it,” Jace said.
The others chucked their pieces as well.
Cole watched out the window, looking for another cookie pond or anything else out of the ordinary. He didn’t have to wait long. The next clearing they passed was full of upright dominoes, each bigger than a mattress, white with black markings. Hundreds of them formed a winding path, ready to fall if the first toppled.
“That is so tempting,” Cole said. “I love knocking over dominoes.”
“We can’t stop for everything,” Mira said. “One of these times it will be a trap.”
“I can’t believe somebody didn’t tip them over a long time ago,” Cole marveled.
“Maybe somebody did,” Mira said. “They might stand back up on their own. Don’t forget, these were shaped. Who knows what they can do?”
“Use the bow,” Jace said. “Target practice.”
“Right,” Cole replied, excited. Jace had returned the bow to the storage compartment last ni
ght. Lifting the hatch, he retrieved it and handed it over.
While pulling the string to his cheek, Cole felt the arrow appear. They had passed the first domino, but in a minute, he would have a clear shot at the last one. Once it was in full view, he released the arrow, which hit the target a little higher than where he had aimed it. The domino rocked backward and fell into the next, creating a clattering chain reaction. The dominoes fell fluidly, the motion snaking around the field until the last slapped down flat.
Everything seemed very quiet after the noise of the dominoes had stopped—until they heard some distant roars, long and low and savage. They all looked at one another.
“Maybe not the best idea to announce our presence,” Twitch said.
“The baddies will figure out we’re here either way,” Jace said.
“We wouldn’t want to try to sneak by them or anything,” Mira said.
“Sorry,” Cole said. “I wasn’t thinking.”
“If we have to blame somebody,” Jace said, “the guy who shot the arrow is first in line.”
“I don’t want to place blame,” Mira said. “I just want to live. I vote we stay in the coach from now on.”
“I’ll second that,” Twitch spoke up.
“Thirded,” Cole said.
“I’m going to keep my options open,” Jace said.
“Majority rules,” Mira informed him.
Jace held up his wrist. “Doesn’t rule me. I’m free.”
Mira rolled her eyes. “I’m technically a princess. I could declare this a monarchy.”
“You’re even more technically a fugitive,” Jace pointed out. “No offense.”
“Whoa,” Cole said.
As they curved around the next bend, a cupcake the size of a hill came into view—vanilla cake with chocolate frosting. Everyone crammed to his side of the coach to have a good look.
“Rethinking your policies?” Jace asked.
“I’m still full from the cookie,” Mira said. “Besides, how do you even get started on something that big?”
“We’ll need mining equipment,” Cole said.
“Check out my side,” Twitch said.
Everyone went to the other side of the coach to stare at a lemon meringue pie as big as a circus tent. In front of the epic pie, s’mores the size of card tables were scattered among the wildflowers, oozing marshmallow from all sides.