I fought a grin, but then stopped myself. Why was I fighting this so hard?
“How far should we jump, do you think?” Maybe my maps could help. I checked in my bag and pulled out a map. “Okay, the King’s Crypt is here, and we are here, so…”
Find the King’s Crypt. The arrow behind my eyes spun. I knew the direction; now I just had to figure out the distance.
Ryo leaned over my shoulder. “Can’t we just leap?”
“No.” I bit my lip as I measured the distance between the tunnel and the King’s Crypt, and then compared it to the widest distance on the map. “It’s not magic, it’s math.”
“Okay, but don’t bite your lip, it’s distracting.”
I grinned at him. “Oh, do you find me distracting, Prince Ryo?”
His eyes warmed, no trace of humor masking them. “You know I do.”
My breath caught. Math. Think math. “So…” What was I saying? “Let’s try ten percent.” I tucked my map back into my bag. “Brace yourself, and don’t let go of me.”
“I won’t.”
10 percent. This time I ripped us from the tunnel with my eyes open. The setting blurred as we raced through it, through city and forest and dry desert. Then through mountains and a grassy coast that smelled of salt water.
My fists clenched. I’d overshot. The world was way bigger than I’d estimated. I tried to dig in my heels but nothing could slow my step. We plunged into the ocean and deep under water. That’s when finally the traveling stopped. I clung to Ryo’s drenched fingers as waves pulled him away from me. His hands shot forward, clutching me against him.
I turned under the water as we reached the bottom and aimed my steps again. A shadow swam past, large and not worth waiting to see. Bubbles burst out my mouth as I held tight to Ryo and waited for the pulsing column to reach the bottom. 5 percent.
We shot forward. Out of the ocean and into a coast covered in hip-high grasses as far as I could see. We were soaked, my clothes plastered to my body. I let go of him and shook out my messy hair. Ryo’s hair lay flat against his face. I laughed. Seaweed covered his nose so I plucked it off.
“Maybe smaller steps?” Ryo suggested as he pulled a piece of seaweed off my shoulder.
It took three more steps, but as we traveled closer to the crypt I got the feel for how far each percentage would take us.
The Savak had stopped attacking the crypt. Scattered bones lay still on the ground. A chill ran up my neck as I took that last step toward where we’d left Grig. The horses still grazed, all three of them, but I couldn’t find Grig. Where was he?
Deactivate Traveling Boots? my game vision said. I nodded.
My damp clothes chilled as I searched the woods. Find Grig, I told my vision. The arrow in my eyes didn’t spin. My damp clothes chilled against my back.
I let go of Ryo’s hand.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“My arrow isn’t pointing to anything.” My jaw trembled. “Grig’s not here.”
“What?”
Find Grigfen, I thought again, sterner this time. The arrow behind my eyes spun and then tipped upward.
I followed where the arrow pointed to where the Savak Wingships flew in a V.
“They got him,” I said. “The Savak grabbed him.”
22
GRIGFEN
The last time I flew across an ocean, I had an aisle seat, so I did not enjoy the view this much.
The claws digging into my shoulder, however, were less of an improvement. I’d write a sternly worded letter to the airline, if it wasn’t actually a scaled beast lifting me a hundred meters over an ocean filled with sea creatures and a fathomless bottom.
A chill wind whistled through the quiet air. My powers were stripped by the height, too high for the ghosts’ song to reach me, let alone their bones. My pocket, once full of healing blossoms, now felt suspiciously flat. It was silent and cold, but Mother of Dragons, that view. Horizon to horizon, clouds painted the blue sky, marred only by the line of error.
Savak Wingships filled the sky, carrying Devout and Devani prisoners, some awake, some injured but not past the power of a hibisi blossom. What were they going to do with us all?
I scanned to my left. A pair of Wingships carried a large chest hanging from chains. Another Wingship held a Devani woman, her legs kicking, like she was fighting her capture. Devani symbols drawn in kohl covered her eyes. She swore and the symbols began to glow. Blue as cobalt. No player indicator hung over her head so she must be an NPC. She drew ice from her fingers and shot blades of glistening blue upward and into that soldier’s stomach. The Savak screeched as a blow caught him, and then he dropped her. I gasped, my gaze falling with her until a massive horned creature with the teeth of a shark leapt from the glittering water and snatched that Devani as if she were a piece of kibble.
I held on tighter to those claws cutting into my shoulders. Not fighting, not fighting.
Not yet anyway.
In the distance, far as the horizon, a noble ship burned, a pair of Savak Wingships pilfering its contents. I was grateful to be carried by a zomok, or whatever Ryo called them. The thing seemed almost friendly in comparison, except for the claws and the serpentine face and the armor across its scaled wings.
Fog seeped over the rocky shore, like the clouds had fallen from the sky. Rocky peaks broke through, tiny islands with jagged green cliffs. A jagged spire of stone reached toward the clouds. Nestled inside the mountains, a pristine castle cut through the sky.
The Island of the Savak.
As we sailed into the fog, a chill sent shivers up my back. No one who landed on the Savak shore ever returned. The sea-salted air changed as we bobbled toward shore, the rich scent of the hibisi in bloom, fragrant as a cheap perfume, mixed with the smell of something strange.
Off.
Rotten meat.
When we crossed over land, the Savak Wingships split into two groups: one heading toward the castle, the other toward caves and the nests of zomoks. I didn’t care for either destination. Below me trees ripped past. Solid ground. No sea creatures.
I think I could survive a fall.
Och, I was going to regret this.
I tugged at the whispers of ghosts in the trees below me, drawing their light and their bones. A spirit of a zomok soared up, up with the shards of its bones. I thrust my hands up, and the bones stabbed the creature in the neck. It released its grip on my shoulders.
And down I fell. My stomach tightened as air ripped past me, ruffling my robes. The ground grew closer. I pulled at ghostlight to soften my landing, and bones came from the ground, hitting the pads of my feet, slowing me down. I kept tugging, whispering an ancient word. The bones formed a frail stilt beneath my feet, long as my fall. It snagged against some underbrush, and the thin stilt bent, then cracked. I free-fell about three meters, and the impact stung like a thousand pinpricks up my back.
Oy. Ouch. Ow.
I rolled my landing, scrambled to my feet, and hid behind a tree. The zomok screeched and drew attention.
But I was well rested now, thanks to the bump on the head. I summoned a fog, and scanning the new spells I’d unlocked from grabbing Edvarg’s book, I found a spell that could shift me transparent.
I gripped the tree trunk and held tight until the world stopped spinning from the fall. I couldn’t take a straight step for a good minute. I kept turning left, like my controller had jammed sideward.
Above me, the zomok searched the ground, snorting and slobbering, a bone still stuck into its side. I crept into the woods, ducking under tree branches above me, each step light and careful to not alert the zomok. That wouldn’t be enough. I pulled ghostly beasties to use as cover. A translucent bear joined me, followed by an ice-blue fox, a deer with a missing leg. I wasn’t alone. A ghost was as good as a friend to a boy who’d about died.
Now if only I knew where I should be going …
I wandered through the forest, collecting items where I could, hunting meat or information
. Anything. I had to stay alive until Dagney and Ryo won the game. I could hide in these woods, grind some points, and keep out of danger. I could survive out here.
But I’d prefer to do more than survive. I mean, I was a top-ranked player. Just because my character was a tad squishy, that didn’t mean I couldn’t help.
And an item from the Armor of Irizald was hidden somewhere on this island. Ryo said the Crown of Visions was in the Seer Spring.
And this boy of Scotland was ready to do some light thievery.
My robes snagged a thorny plant and it ripped the hem. I walked westward until I heard some zomoks chomping on something not dead enough to sing to me.
Not that way, then.
I crept backward. Away. East, perhaps. I wandered until I found a path. I glanced one way toward a dark forest and the other toward a castle. All right. Which way? This was a lot harder without Dagney. Hopefully they were doing okay without me.
I puffed out my cheeks then held up my palm and summoned a ghost. Something small. Something whistled a mourning tune within the dead tree branch. I twitched my fingers and coaxed it out.
The ghost of a black-and-white bird followed its bones to my hand. I pet its head. “Where to, bird?” I tossed the spirit up. It flapped its wings then flew away from the castle.
So not that way.
“The Seer Spring,” someone whispered.
I closed my eyes and grinned.
I turned. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“Glad to see you too,” she answered.
I opened my eyes. This version of my Bluebird wasn’t quite right. Her face was plumper, her arms thick with muscles, even under a raven cloak. But by Galaga did she make my heart flutter.
I crossed to her side. “That’s not what I meant. It’s not safe.”
“Okay, bye.” Bluebird waved, static flickered, and she disappeared.
I let out a laugh. “Wait! Come back.”
Leaves crunched. Where’d she go to now?
I dropped my hands and called to the sky. “If you’re insisting on helping, I guess I wouldn’t mind knowing which way to the spring?”
Bluebird reappeared in the bushes. She staggered back, her hand on her head. Her gaze met mine.
“You all right, pal?”
“I’m fine. I just.” She sighed. “That seemed easier in my head than actually doing it.”
“Ain’t that the way.”
“I’ll take you to the spring. Ms. Takagi says that’s where the Crown of Visions is hidden. Apparently it’s supposed to help you see the future. But how is that going to work in a video game, especially with all your brains all tied together? If all your brains are adding input into the neural net, then maybe it makes predictions based on the inputted history and thought patterns. You could see what people are likely to do, make real-time predictions. Like the application possibilities of that technology is absolutely staggering when you think about it.”
Her raven robe billowed behind her as she made her way up a hill. Her bare feet didn’t make prints on the ground.
I jogged to catch her.
“I’m sorry. I’m babbling.”
“I like your babbling. And truth to truth, I’m kind of used to it. How long did you go on about Stormpilot—”
“How dare you, you know I’m still hurting about that.”
I grinned.
Her return smile was small, and full of light.
Jings was she beautiful. “Let’s go,” I said. “Me and you. Let’s go nab us a crown.”
“I want to, but…”
“But what? It’ll just take an hour or so, I figure. We go in through the clerics’ halls, maybe do a couple of side quests, earn some buff resources, and then we go get the Crown of Visions and do a victory dance.”
“I can’t.”
“It doesn’t have to be a good dance.”
“It’s not—”
I didn’t know why it was so important she stay with me. I just didn’t want to say goodbye just yet. I didn’t want it to be our last one. This was the way the game was supposed to be. Me and her.
“I know it’s a risk, but we’ve been training for this for months. We can’t do one mission?”
“Grig.”
I knew the way she said my name, and this time she said it like it was a no.
“Oh.” I scratched my ear and searched the woods for, well, for a reason to look away, to be honest.
“It’s…” She inhaled sharp and deep. “I want to live.”
“All right, that’s fine. You can point the way, and I’ll do it on my own, that’ll be fine.”
She reached for my arm, but her fingers slid through my freckled skin. “Grig, there’s something I need to tell you.”
I drummed my fingers against my chest. “I appreciate what you’re risking to help me. I really do. But it’s not worth risking your life, so it’s probably best—”
“I have muscular dystrophy.”
My eyes found hers. “Wut?”
“I know you know I have a disability, and that I can’t reach above my head, but it’s more than I’ve told you. I can’t…” She trailed off, her eyes closed tightly. “I hate admitting when I can’t do things, because I can do anything, you know? I can drive a car, I can go to college, I can sneak out of my house and qualify for an international contest, and find an amazing guy from across the globe, but I can’t stay here. My life matters, and I have to fight extra hard to say that.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
She wouldn’t look at me. “I liked when you didn’t know. I liked who you thought I was.”
Apparently I wasn’t as bright as I thought I was. How much work did she go into to hide this from me? That time when she fell asleep with the laptop by her … Was that because she couldn’t move it?
How serious was muscular dystrophy? I didn’t know enough about it. I wanted to run a search for it, to know everything about what we were going to face. But my heart settled quickly. No matter what would come, it didn’t change anything, not for me.
“You could have told me.” I said. My voice was calmer than my mind.
“I know. I know.”
But I could have asked more questions. I looked at her, really looked. She always seemed so tough, but she seemed so breakable now, like she was made of porcelain.
She closed her eyes. “And that’s why I didn’t tell you. I’m not … argh.” Her eyes flashed open wide. “I can’t log out.”
I remembered, suddenly, my granddad, the way he hated when people didn’t know what to say, when people talked around his illness. I knew how to handle this. “Why would you log out? We’re having a conversation.”
“When it comes to fight or flight, I have wings and I run.”
“Not very fast.”
Her face froze. “That’s not funny.”
“It’s a little funny.” I touched her arm, and I could feel her skin. I swallowed back my worry. “I don’t run. It’s not in my nature. So you can flit around all you like, little bird, but once your heartbeat settles, you can come find me. If you need to go, I’ll be okay. But I’m not quitting on you.”
“You sure?” she asked, her eyes glistening.
I had to be enough for her. “You can trust me with who you are. I promise you, love. I can handle it.”
“I’m Zoe. By the way.”
“Zoe.” I savored the way her real name felt in my mouth.
She bit her lip. “I like how you say my name.”
I smiled. “I’m Griffin, by the by.”
“I know,” she said. “I looked up all your information before we ever talked.”
“I figured. You’re a curious girl.”
She drew a breath like she drew a sword and she faced me like she faced certain death. “I’m not going to get better, Grig.”
I drew a shallow breath. “That doesn’t matter.”
“In fact, I’m just going to keep getting worse.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
My voice trembled, and I fought it. I wanted to be strong for her, but the idea of losing her like I lost my granddad broke my resolve. I stepped close. So close the feathers from her robe tickled my skin. So close I could see the fear in her eyes, see the moment she almost gave up on me. “I’m not running.” I touched her cheek and she leaned into my hand. It was a promise. An oath. And I’d break all my bones before I broke it.
What did it mean that I could touch her? “You can’t log out?”
She stepped back, her eyes wide with panic. “Oh yeah, no, that’s bad. I’m trying. Just give me a minute.”
Her skin raked with static. I reached for her and couldn’t feel her. The sky flashed red. I heard thunder and lightning flashing at the horizon. “I’m going to have to damage the source code to break free.”
My throat clenched. We both turned away from the sky.
“Go,” I whispered.
She pointed up the path. “That way,” she mouthed.
I nodded and she disappeared. And when she left she took a pixilated line of sky with her.
* * *
I felt more alone after she left. But I’d get back to her. I made a promise I wouldn’t run, and I was going to keep it.
I followed the path until I found a cleric holding a lantern at the side of the path, like he was just waiting to give me a side quest. Silver hair, pale skin, his long red robe stained on the edges. And when he bowed, the light glinted off the gold markings on his forehead. “The Seer Spring said you were coming to aid us in our fight against the queen.”
“You are an enemy to the queen?”
He bowed. “I am but a simple servant of the goddess. I am no warrior like you. We could use your help.”
I nodded and he turned. I flexed my fingers and followed him, ready at any moment to draw bones to me. One thing I knew about video games was that the enemy of my enemy could very possibly be another enemy.
There wasn’t anything suspicious about his bare feet walking the path, or the flash of his pink heels, though that was the most color about him. He seemed sapped of color, his skin almost gray. The roots of his hair were a deeper brown than the pale tips.
Glitch Kingdom Page 19