by Lija Fisher
Alex’s face fell and for a moment his hands slipped from the steering yoke again, causing the plane to drift to the right. “By golly, you’re right.” Alex stared blankly ahead for so long Clivo thought the plane might do a somersault until Alex finally righted them again. “Something’s happening then, kid. Either our world is growing stronger, or the magical one is growing weaker. Either way, the worlds of legend and reality are colliding.”
“In that case, I may just have a shot at finding the Hairy Man,” Clivo said with a joking laugh.
Alex looked at him, his grizzled face sad. “You just might. And that won’t be a good thing.”
“Why not?” Clivo asked, disturbed by the worry in Alex’s face.
“People need their myths, son. They need to believe in something greater than themselves. They need to believe there is still some mystery in the world. If you take that away from them, the world could be plunged into chaos. Just do me a favor—if you do find the Hairy Man, don’t ever tell anyone. Ever. The world needs its magic, and you have no business taking it away.”
Clivo looked out into the night, into the darkness that stretched before him. His dad had always said that, too—that some things needed to stay hidden. Was that why his dad had never told him that cryptids existed? Was it simply to preserve some kind of magic? To keep some sort of mystery alive in the world? Once again Clivo felt the burning frustration that he would never know the answer.
“Feel free to get some rest, folks,” Alex said, settling into his seat. “We’ll be flying through the night, so now is a good time to get some shut-eye.”
Clivo went back to his seat and tried to sleep, although all he could think about was how he couldn’t imagine a good enough reason for his father to have lied to him for his whole life, and wishing with all his might that his father hadn’t.
Sunday
XX
After a fitful night’s sleep in the cargo plane, Clivo woke just as daylight was cracking. He’d dreamed about his father and mother, about all of them traveling the world together as a family to search for cryptids. They’d eventually found what looked to be a small, harmless dragon, but it immediately attacked them, tearing at them with long claws and sharp teeth, an inferno of fire spewing from its mouth. His mom tried to escape the flame and ended up toppling over a cliff, his dad managing to grab her arm just before she fell into a chasm filled with lava.
Clivo’s father turned to him, his face red and sweaty from the exertion of holding Clivo’s mom, and yelled, “Why did you insist on coming, Clivo? I tried to keep you away from all this!”
The dragon exhaled another burst of fire and his mom and dad fell over the cliff, Clivo screaming as he ran forward. He scrambled to grasp his parents’ hands as they slipped away, but was unable to reach them before they disappeared into the river of lava. He was jerked awake with the sound of his scream still in his ears.
Clivo rubbed his eyes and looked over at Lana and Thomas. Thomas was soundly asleep, his open mouth emitting snores loud enough to drown out the hum of the propellers. Lana was awake, her fingers typing away on a phone. She glanced up and saw Clivo looking at her, so she smiled, but Clivo noticed that she slid the phone quickly into her pocket.
Ahead, the sky was just brightening over the tallest mountains Clivo had ever seen. They rose up like a field of granite towers from the snow-covered landscape. He thought about his task—to find the immortal and keep its secret safe from the evil resistance. He thought about Lana and Thomas. Something about them was still making Clivo’s hair stand on end. He trusted the Myth Blasters; he even trusted nasty Douglas. But there was something about Lana and Thomas that still seemed off.
Clivo shook the doubts from his head. There wasn’t anything he could do about it now. He needed their protection, and if having them along helped him find the Otterman first, then so be it.
Alex lowered his goggles to his eyes and shouted over his shoulder, “Okay, folks, hold on to your seats! Getting to this landing strip can be a bit tricky!”
Clivo cinched his seat belt tight just as Alex dove straight down, barely missing the peak of a mountain. Thomas awoke with a snort and immediately began screaming. Clivo closed his eyes and gripped his armrests, willing himself not to do the same. He peeked over at Lana, who was calmly putting on a fresh coat of red lipstick while humming to herself.
After what felt like a long free fall toward certain death, the plane leveled out and landed with a hard bounce on a frozen runway. They taxied for a few minutes before arriving at a small building that must have been the terminal, although it was no bigger than a shack.
Clivo climbed out of the airplane and was instantly hit by the coldest air he had ever felt. The airport was in a small valley surrounded by towering, snow-covered mountains on all sides. “Remote” didn’t even begin to describe the place.
Alex climbed out behind him, wrapping his arms around himself for warmth. “Welcome to the end of the world. This airport serves as the last outpost before the Revelation Mountains. You can get some food inside and rent snowmobiles. But if you get lost, don’t expect any help to come for you. Once you leave this place, you’re on your own.”
“Thanks, Alex,” Clivo said, shaking his hand. “I really appreciate your help in getting us here.”
“Oh, I didn’t do it for charity,” Alex said. “This junket cost you an arm and a leg, believe me.”
“That’s fine,” Clivo said, knowing that Douglas would blow a gasket at the cost. “I’m still grateful.”
“Good luck, kid. Just remember—some things aren’t meant to be found. But if you do find anything, I hope you’re smart enough to know what to do with it.”
“Me, too,” Clivo replied.
* * *
Clivo, Lana, and Thomas rented snowmobiles, packed up some food and water, and headed into the Revelation Mountains. It was a sunny day, but the air was so cold it felt like Clivo’s nostrils froze with each inhale. He had changed into his puffy down jacket and snow pants, and was relieved to see Lana and Thomas were equally well-equipped. Facing the Otterman would be challenging enough, but dealing with Mother Nature was even more dangerous. And the last thing he needed was to hear Thomas complaining about the cold all day.
“Whew,” Thomas said, pulling his huge pom-pom hat over his ears. “I am going to be complaining about this cold all day.”
“How far do we have to go?” Lana asked, jumping on her snowmobile and revving it like an expert. Her snowsuit was bright pink and clashed with her shiny red lipstick.
Clivo checked the local map and compared it to the map Stephanie had given him. He looked at the terrain, seeing that they would be traveling through a glacial valley surrounded by granite spires. “Hang on, I’m calculating the distance.”
“Before I freeze to death, please,” Thomas whined.
Lana gazed at the majestic mountains and took a deep breath. “It’s rather fitting that we’ll find the immortal in the Revelation Mountains.”
“Why is that?” Clivo asked, glancing up from the map.
“They’re both named after the Book of Revelation in the Bible,” Lana said, her eyes flashing with excitement. “My favorite quote is in there: ‘Come! Let those who are thirsty come; and let all who wish take the free gift of the water of life.’”
“That’s a good one,” Thomas said, rubbing his hands together eagerly.
“But it’s not a free gift,” Clivo corrected. “Our job is to find the immortal and keep it a secret, keep it safe from those who want to use it recklessly to dominate the world.”
Lana’s face flushed with an angry fire before she quickly smoothed her expression over. “Of course, Clivo. Don’t worry, we’ll keep it safe.”
“Very safe,” Thomas agreed with a grin. “Now onward! I’m becoming a popsicle.”
Once again the hairs on Clivo’s neck stood up. What was it about Lana and Thomas that didn’t feel right? He grunted and looked down at the map, making a quick decision. “We’re ab
out two hours away. There’s an opening in the basin just up the valley from here. We should be there by midmorning.”
Lana revved her snowmobile. “Let’s go, boys. Our journey for the ultimate is about to come to an end!”
They headed into the mountains, the cold air threatening to creep through Clivo’s layers of clothes. He was desperately trying to plan for what was ahead, but it felt like his brain was freezing. The cold pit of dread in his stomach wasn’t helping matters, either.
* * *
After two hours of traveling through the ice-crusted basin, they finally arrived at a large plateau that had a forest on one side and a short but sheer drop-off to the rocks below on the other. Clivo stopped his snowmobile near the cliff and almost lost his leg as he stepped off next to a steel-claw bear trap.
“Whoa!” Clivo said, jumping back. He studied the spring-loaded contraption designed to snap shut around a poor animal’s leg.
Thomas ran over and whistled at the trap. “Close call, chief. Looks like someone else is also eager to trap the Otterman!”
“Or is doing some illegal bear trapping,” Clivo said, glancing around to make sure there weren’t any other traps in the area. He looked at the rusted contraption and saw a long chain attached to a nearby tree. He walked around the tree, but didn’t see any other chains that would have indicated more traps. “I think this is the only one, but just be careful where you step.”
“Don’t worry; hopefully we won’t be here long,” Thomas said, pulling a rectangular black box that looked like a DVD player from his backpack. “It’s time to let the master do his work!”
“What is that?” Clivo asked as he pulled out his tranquilizer gun and fitted it with a dart.
“Well, you asked me earlier what my skill was, and here it is!” Thomas piled up a pyramid of snow and laid the black box on top of it. “What do you think?”
“For a black box, it’s totally fascinating,” Clivo replied.
“You forgot to turn it on, Thomas,” Lana pointed out.
“Oh, right.” Thomas flicked a switch on the box and a sheet of green laser shot out over the basin, into the trees, and halfway up the mountain. “Not too bad, if I do say so myself.”
Clivo had to admit it was very impressive. “What is it?”
Thomas stood proudly, his hands on his hips. “It’s a Reader of Cryptid Movement sensor. If the Otterman is anywhere within two miles of us, the laser will stun it into submission. Speaking of which, don’t let the light hit you or you’ll be unconscious for a week.”
Clivo wrinkled his face in confusion. “What if it hits a bear or a wolf?”
“They’ll be knocked unconscious, too. What does it matter?” Thomas asked in a huff.
“Well, it’s not really a sensor of cryptid movement, then, it’s just a device that stuns whatever it hits,” Clivo said, stating the obvious.
“What’s your point, smart guy?” Thomas asked, poking Clivo in the chest with his finger.
“My point is that you don’t really know how to find cryptids, and neither does this device,” Clivo said, poking Thomas right back.
“Boys, calm down!” Lana said, stepping between the two of them. “We’re on the same team, remember, Clivo? To save the world from those who seek to use the gift of eternal life for evil. Maybe this device can help with that.”
As Clivo was about to respond, several deer ambled out of the trees, right into the laser’s path. They frolicked and jumped through the light, trying to rub it with their noses and paw it with their hooves. After a few moments of play, they bounded off.
Thomas scratched his head. “That didn’t work very well, did it?”
Lana sighed heavily and faced Clivo. “Look, without you we can’t find cryptids. But without us, you have no protection. We told you who the immortal is because we trust you. Can you trust us?”
Lana’s face was filled with such innocence that Clivo’s doubts about her wavered. At some point he had taken a leap of faith in trusting the Myth Blasters; it was time for him to do the same with Lana and Thomas. “Okay, I’ll show you how to catch it.”
“Yes! What do we do, chief?” Thomas asked excitedly. “How did you find Nessie? How did your dad find twelve cryptids? What’s the secret, mate?”
“That doesn’t matter,” Lana said, swatting him away. “How do we find the Otterman? How do we find the immortal?”
Clivo looked out over the frozen tundra, his eyes behind his goggles blinking from the sunlight. He had to trust Lana and Thomas without reservation. If the Myth Blasters were right, they were close to the Otterman. He either accepted Lana and Thomas as part of his team, or he walked away. He finally made a decision.
“Here, Thomas,” Clivo said, handing Thomas his loaded tranquilizer gun. “The Otterman responds to food. Unfortunately, we’re the food. I’ll walk toward the trees as bait, and when it approaches, please shoot it before it makes a meal out of me.”
“No problem, chief,” Thomas said, hoisting the gun to his shoulder.
“And when you get it, there’s a blood sampler in my bag,” Clivo continued, walking toward the open meadow. “Just put some of its blood in there and it will confirm whether or not it’s the immortal.”
Lana looked hungrily at Clivo’s open backpack, where the blood sampler stuck up past the zipper. “Thanks, Clivo. Is there anything else?”
Clivo watched Lana carefully. “That’s it. I’ve told you everything.”
“Thank you, Clivo. Unfortunately, now that we have the tranquilizer gun and blood sampler, we don’t really have use for you anymore.”
Clivo’s stomach did flip-flops. “But I volunteered to be the bait,” he said desperately. “You need me for that!”
Thomas raised the tranquilizer gun. “I hate to tell you this, chief, but you’ve been the bait all along.”
Thomas fired the gun into Clivo’s leg. The dart wasn’t a big one, so it didn’t pierce too deeply, but it still hurt more than Clivo had anticipated. He doubled over in pain and held his leg in anguish.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Lana cooed, walking over and stroking Clivo’s head. “Did you really believe we were the good guys? Maybe if you were a bit smarter, you would have realized that your dad didn’t want to work with us because he figured out ages ago that we’re the bad guys.”
Clivo grimaced in pain. He stumbled a bit and dropped to one knee, his leg throbbing. Then he fell onto his back, and let his limbs go limp. He had taken a leap of faith and it had backfired. He should never have trusted Lana and Thomas, not even for a second. At least he knew that now, without a doubt; he just wished he had trusted his instincts earlier. In a weak voice he asked, “What are you going to do with the immortal?”
“That’s an easy one, sport,” Thomas said, still gripping the tranquilizer gun. “We’re going to turn ourselves and a few close friends into immortals and form a small yet formidable power that will slowly and carefully work toward complete and total world domination. Oh, and I plan to use my ample time to study filmmaking, because what I really want to be is a director. It’s important to have a hobby, or else living for eternity is going to feel like forever.”
Lana tilted her face toward the sky, closing her eyes to the sun as she considered the question. “Definitely world domination, of course. And I’d love to learn how to figure skate. I should be able to get a gold medal in the Olympics at some point over the next thousands of millennia.”
“Or you could just enslave the Olympic Committee and force them to give you a medal,” Thomas suggested.
Lana laughed. “I could, couldn’t I? Oh, immortality is really going to be great fun.”
“That all sounds wonderful,” Clivo said through gritted teeth. “There’s only one problem.” He grabbed the tranquilizer dart and pulled it out, wincing as blood flowed down his leg and instantly froze. He slowly stood up and held the dart in front of him, a smile of satisfaction spreading across his face. “I loaded it with an empty tranquilizer dart. If you were a bit sm
arter, you would have figured out that I was testing my suspicions that you were the bad guys.”
Lana kicked at the snow in a huff and Thomas’s jaw went slack with disbelief.
“Oh, man! What gave us away! Our accents? I told you not to use a British accent, Lana! All bad guys use British accents!” Thomas stomped his feet on the ice.
Lana grabbed the dart from Clivo’s hand and threw it into the snow. “Okay, you discovered our little secret. But I have a feeling we’re not all that far from the immortal. So, what do you suggest we do now?”
“We’re close all right,” Clivo said, backing away. “But I’m going to insist that I find it alone.”
Lana laughed. “And how are you going to do that?”
Clivo launched himself into a fighting pose and smiled. “Looks like it’s time to fight.”
Thomas ran and hid behind a tree, calling out, “Oh, boy!”
Lana observed Clivo, her head tilted to one side. “Wouldn’t it just be easier to give me the map? I don’t want to kill you for it, but I will. But you can make this easy on yourself—you can leave here and go back home. Back to Aunt Pearl and your cozy little house. Because let’s be honest, Clivo—you are in way over your head here. You always have been.”
“Just give her the map, chief!” Thomas begged, peeking out from behind the tree. “Or she will karate chop you into next Tuesday, and blood makes me queasy!”
“Come on, Clivo,” Lana said, taking a step forward. “Do the smart thing. Don’t end up like your dad.”
A seething anger boiled in Clivo’s chest. “Did you kill my father?” he asked through clenched teeth.
Thomas held up his hands. “No way, sport! That was NOT us! We may be malicious and want the gift of immortality so we can rule the world and enslave others, but we don’t go around murdering people. At least up until this moment, when Lana might do just that if you don’t GIVE HER THE MAP!”
“Your father was too smart to be tracked by anyone, Clivo,” Lana continued. “We tried, believe me. We tried to find him, but he was good. Very good. Too slippery to be tracked. No home address, no phone number. He lived off the grid. We have no idea how someone was able to find him and kill him. It’s a shame, too. A lot of cryptid secrets died with him.”