Esora, now half-blind, lunged for Lambda’s leg, but missed by just a few inches. Following Lambda's lead, we sprinted down the corridor, despite Esora's outraged shouts of, “You'll pay for this!” After a few turns, Gabrielle announced that we had reached the outer boundaries of the portal-blocking spell and could now teleport. After the insanity of our escape, I was glad when Delta chanted, “Opatay clekavra!” and we dashed through the glowing blue portal.
Well, until I set foot on the other side.
Chapter 15
The portal had teleported us to a barren desert. Sand stretched as far as the eye could see in all directions. Just looking at all that sand made me thirsty. My dehydration from being in Mallum’s dungeon probably didn’t help. I gulped down about half of my water canteen.
“You were a fool to come here, Thomas,” a voice growled from above us.
A massive sphinx, about twice my height, held Tom in her sharp, catlike claws. Her fur was the same color as the sand.
“It wasn’t exactly my choice, Sekarra. And, like I’ve told you a million times, I go by Tom,” Tom informed the sphinx. Then, to the Legendary Keepers, he asked, “Are you guys going to help me or not?”
“Bad kitty!” Felix scolded Sekarra. “Put him down!”
“Wow,” Tom said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “Thanks a lot, Wilson.”
Sekarra whirled on Felix, snarling. “You dare insult my intelligence, human?”
“Who says I’m human?” Felix challenged.
“You’re human, Potato Brain,” I informed him.
He grinned. “Or am I?”
Sekarra paid him no more attention. “I told you that if you ever returned, you would never leave alive,” she reminded Tom.
“How can you leave dead?” Felix asked, scratching his head. “Isn’t that kind of impossible? I mean, unless—”
“You aren’t helping!” Tom struggled some more. Steven summoned his Object, the Lightning Bolt Amulet, and readied to strike.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the sphinx warned. “You know the rules: no riddle, no leaving. If you kill me, you’re stuck here forever.”
Steven looked apologetically at Tom, lowering the amulet. “She’s r-right, Tom. W-we can’t do m-much if we’re stuck in Okevina f-forever.”
“Great,” Tom groaned, frustrated. “You guys are officially unhelpful.”
Kappa snorted. “Yeah, right. May I remind you that we’re the ones who got you out of Mallum’s dungeon?”
“Fair enough,” Tom said. Then, to Sekarra, he asked, “Could you please put me down?”
“After all the trouble you put me through during your last visit? Not a chance,” Sekarra replied. “Any last words?”
“No need for them,” Tom informed her. “You know the rules: you can’t eat any of us unless we answer the riddle incorrectly.”
Annoyed, but bound by the same ancient rules as us, Sekarra set him down. “Very well,” she said. “You want a riddle, you will receive one. However, I must make you aware of a few things.”
“Oh goody,” William commented sarcastically. We all whipped around to look at him, then exchanged looks.
“Johnson!” Tom thundered. “How did you get out of the dungeon? Why weren’t you with the rest of us during the rescue?”
He shrugged. “I had to take care of something, then once I was out of the portal-blocking spell’s range, I took a portal here. No big deal. Now let’s handle Miss Sunshine Kitty.”
Sekarra glared at him, but continued on. “Anyway, if your answer is correct, you can pass. If you answer incorrectly, I will eat you. All of you. I cannot say the answer to the riddle, even indirectly, or you automatically receive safe passage. That means that if the answer is an object or person, I cannot say the name of it, even if I am not saying if it is the answer or not. Also—”
“For crying out loud!” Tom interrupted, having grown impatient. “Stop stalling! Just tell us your stupid riddle!”
Sekarra raised her eyebrows. “If you’re sure,” she said.
“I am,” Tom responded.
Sekarra rolled her eyes, but recited her riddle.
It can tell you something, but it cannot talk
It can take you places, but it cannot walk
What is it? How can you know?
It is something you can carry wherever you go
It is important to some, to others a bore
Think really hard, because truly you know
Regina’s Legendary Object, the Leather Book, appeared in her hands. “I’ve got this,” she assured us as she opened it.
Fast as lightning, Sekarra smacked the book out of Regina’s hands. It fell to the sandy ground, then vanished. “You already broke one of the rules! No magic…items…allowed.”
“I don’t remember that one,” Delta commented.
“It was one of the few that Thomas didn’t let me tell you,” she explained. “Which is why I’m letting you off with a warning.”
“That’s not suspicious at all,” Tom said sarcastically.
“Well, you did interrupt her,” Lambda pointed out.
They continued arguing for about five minutes, which was long enough for me to decipher the riddle. Especially since the answer was one of the things I knew like the back of my hand.
“Book,” I said, interrupting the argument. “The answer is a book. It can convey information without communicating verbally. You can imagine the places it describes, so it feels like you’re there.”
“Very well,” Sekarra said, her pointed teeth clenched. “You may pass, but you will later regret it.”
“I wish I had some way to decipher your riddles,” Tom sighed. “I have a feeling that I’ve missed a lot of crucial information.”
“Sekarra lied to you during your last visit. She has the Locket,” Regina said.
Tom whipped around to face Regina. “What? How could you have possibly known anything about that?”
Sekarra smirked. “Well, well, who do we have here? Dyseo Fa’ema, I presume.”
“Presume all you want. I left that life behind a long time ago,” Regina shot back, her hand over her sword hilt, ready to pull it out on at a moment’s notice. “Look, the Magenta has returned. The time has arrived for the Objects to return as well.”
“My apologies, Dyseo Fa’ema—” Sekarra started.
“Don’t call me that,” Regina said, her teeth gritted.
“—but I have specific instructions regarding the Bronze Locket. I can’t hand it over to just anyone?”
“We aren’t ‘just anyone’, Sekarra,” Lambda corrected her. Both Kappa and Delta shot him warning looks, which Lambda ignored. “We’re VIPs, you know.”
“What exactly do you mean by that?” Sekarra inquired curiously. “I have never heard of these…VIPs. Who are you?”
“We are very important people,” Lambda answered superciliously, straightening in attempt to look important. He tilted his chin up too high, put his hands on his hips, and posed like a snobby superhero. I tried to resist the urge to laugh, but failed miserably, so I ended up releasing a snort instead.
“Uh huh,” Sekarra said skeptically, glancing back at me. She definitely didn’t believe us.
“We’re Eikosi Tessera agents,” Kappa corrected. “I’m Agent Kappa, this is Agent Delta, and the idiot is Agent Lambda.”
“Hey!” Lambda protested, returning back to his normal self. “You just blew our cover!”
“Does that mean we can go back to headquarters?” Delta asked hopefully. “Alpha said he had an important mission for us for after we rescued our friends.”
“I’m with Delta,” Kappa said. “I’m tired of Beta and Gamma getting all the good missions.”
“Majority rules,” Delta stated.
“Fine,” Lambda yielded. He turned to Gabrielle. “You know how to contact me if you need us.”
Gabrielle nodded. Delta opened a portal, and the Eikosi Tessera agents left us on our own.
“So, h
ow about that Legendary Object?” Felix asked hopefully.
“I’m not giving it to you!” Sekarra snapped. “You answered my riddle correctly, so scram!”
“Not without the Bronze Locket,” Tom insisted.
“Like I said before,” Sekarra said, growing frustrated now, “I have specific instructions regarding the Bronze Locket.”
“My father gave you those instructions!” Tom exploded. “For the sake of all that is good, give it to us, please! We need the Locket to save the Dimensions!”
“Not my problem,” Sekarra stated.
“What did your instructions say?” I asked.
“Well, they didn’t say to give the Bronze Locket to the VIPs,” Sekarra responded. “Or the Eikosi Tessera agents, for that matter.”
“I don’t know how that’s relevant,” William told her. “We’re the Legendary Keepers.”
“And Valida is the Magenta,” Selene added.
“Please tell me the instructions included us,” Steven muttered.
“They did, actually,” Sekarra told him. “Yes, Magenta Valida Smith is the intended recipient of the Bronze Locket.”
“Yay!” Felix cheered.
“But there is a price,” Sekarra informed us. “Magenta Valida will owe me a favor. I do not know when I’ll collect it, but she will be in my debt.” She made eye contact with me. “Do we have a deal, Magenta?”
I looked at the others for help. Unfortunately for me, they all seemed every bit as confused as I felt. I had no idea what Sekarra had planned for this “favor” I would owe her.
“What kind of favor are we talking about?” I questioned.
“I don’t know yet,” Sekarra admitted. “But you’ll owe me.”
As much as I hated debt, I couldn’t see any other logical option.
“Fine,” I agreed. “We have a deal.”
“Allow me to be the first to congratulate you, Magenta Valida Smith,” Sekarra congratulated me, handing me the Bronze Locket. “You are the newest wielder of the Bronze Locket.”
“Thanks,” I said. I fastened it around my neck.
“We’ve got the Locket. Let’s go,” Tom said.
“Surget flammak,” Sekarra chanted before we could even open a portal.
The pain hit me like a pile of bricks. I fell to my knees and screamed as the pain slowly traveled down my arms and legs. Every part of my body was on fire.
“What did you do?” Selene demanded, drawing her sword.
The pain intensified until I was in tears. I screamed so loud my voice went hoarse.
“Wait for it,” Sekarra commanded, watching me closely.
Pain stabbed at my head, my stomach, and my back. I tried to scream, but I ended up with a hacking cough instead. My face was turning purple from the lack of oxygen. I felt like I was going to cough out my guts.
Then, without warning, it stopped. I dropped all the way to the ground and just lay there for a few moments, gulping down air, despite its dryness. The Legendary Keepers crowded around me, each making sure I was okay in their own way.
“Get her some water,” Regina ordered.
“We need to get her out of here,” Tom decided.
“Are you okay, Val?” Selene asked, propping up my head with her bag.
“She needs cake,” Felix announced. “Hey, Steven, did you bring any of Gabrielle’s cake?”
Steven shook his head wordlessly. Selene rolled her eyes. “Felix, Gabrielle hasn’t made cake for over a month. Even if we had some at headquarters, I doubt any of us would have brought any.”
William snapped his fingers. “That gives me an idea. We just have to get Valida through a portal.”
I sat up, grimacing as pain stabbed every muscle I was using. Felix grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me to my feet. I cried out from the pain, but he kept me from falling. He draped my arm around his neck and scooped me up, bridal style.
“Problem solved,” Felix said. “Continue.”
“I’m probably going to regret this,” William admitted. “But it’s the best shot we’ve got. Opatay clekavra Sibolana.”
Chapter 16
Felix gently set me down on my own two feet, but kept my arm around his shoulder so I would remain upright.
“Welcome to Sibolana,” William said.
I looked around me. The portal had taken us to the edge of a large field full of every starch known by humans, including potatoes. On the other side of us—the side that Felix, Selene, and I were standing in—was a land full of candy.
My jaw dropped. “Whoa,” I managed.
A teenage girl, only an inch or two shorter than me, greeted us. “Welcome, strangers, to Capserra,” she welcomed. “I am Queen Buttercup, the Starch Queen. What brings you here?”
A little too loudly, Selene whispered, “Hey, Will, I thought you said we were in Sibolana.”
“Capserra is in Sibolana,” he answered at a similar volume. “And don’t call me Will.”
“I like your potatoes,” Felix complimented enthusiastically. “The bigger the solanum tuberosum crop, the better.”
Queen Buttercup beamed.
“How can you remember so much about potatoes, yet forget everything I ever tell you?” Tom questioned. “Who knows that much about potatoes, anyway? It’s weird! You’re weird!”
“Ah, but you knew that solanum tuberosum means potato,” Felix pointed out. “I’m also educational.”
“Queen Buttercup,” William addressed the queen, bowing. “We seek the Candy Queen.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You seek Makeki? Why?”
“She’s an old friend of mine,” William replied.
Buttercup nodded. “Okay, but she is in the middle of one of her parties. You know how those get.” She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, “GREYSON!”
A tall teenage boy, about a head taller than the queen, joined us. He bowed to the queen, clipboard in hand. “Yes, Your Majesty?”
“Do you remember if we were invited to Makeki’s latest party?” she inquired.
Greyson nodded. “Yes, we were cheerfully invited. Are you going to attend?”
Buttercup nodded. “I am going to escort our guests there. You may join us, if you want.”
“Sure,” he said. “I mean, the more the merrier, right?”
As we crossed the border from Capserra to Kalolana and walked toward a giant, gingerbread castle, my head became less fuzzy and I leaned less and less on Felix. By the time we made it to the giant graham cracker doors, I didn’t have to lean on Felix at all and had removed my arm from around his neck.
The moment I stepped through those graham cracker doors, I felt as if I was in a whole new Dimension. A sugar crystal disco ball spun, suspended from the ceiling by a rope made of licorice. There was a stage in the front of the giant room, on which sat a surprisingly modern D.J. station. Manning the station was a short boy in a licorice-red shirt.
“The Giant has returned!” a little girl squealed happily. “And he brought his friends!”
Everyone at the party cheered. I searched the room for anyone that might be a queen. To my surprise, I found many, but the most noticeable was presumably Makeki.
The Candy Queen appeared to be the age of a third grader. She had dark hair, the color of dark chocolate. Her face was sprinkled with freckles. Her red dress was literally woven from very strong, but tiny, licorice strands. It reached the ground, concealing her feet. Most noticeable of all was her large candy crown, about the size of her head.
“Welcome, Giants!” she greeted us. An average height blonde girl followed close behind her.
“They're normal height, Your Highness,” the blonde girl corrected. “You're just short.”
“Nonsense, Malianna!” Makeki said dismissively. “They’re of your kind: the Giants!”
“So why is an eight-year-old in charge of a kingdom of candy?” Tom asked William.
“I’m fourteen!” Makeki protested. “You Giants are bad at guessing ages.”
“Not rea
lly.” Malianna wrote something down on her clipboard. “You have some time between now and your evening party. What do you want to do?”
“Food Fight,” she answered innocently.
“I wouldn’t advise that,” Malianna warned. “Especially after last time.”
For just a moment, Makeki’s look of disappointment was heart-wrenching. Then, her face lit up.
“Wait a minute,” she said, straightening her candy crown. “I’m the queen. You’re my advisor.”
“Meaning…?” Malianna prompted.
“I don’t have to listen to you!” The Candy Queen grinned like a kid on Christmas, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
Malianna sighed. “Do you ever listen to me?”
Makeki ignored her and jumped on stage. She grabbed the DJ’s microphone. “In celebration of the visit of the Giants…” She paused for dramatic effect, the screamed, “I DECLARE A FOOD FIGHT! TO FREEZER FLATS!”
The party guests cheered and stampeded out the door, leaving just Makeki, Malianna, the Legendary Keepers, and me in the gingerbread castle.
“Just don’t blame me when things get out of hand,” Malianna requested.
“Don’t worry!” Makeki assured her as she ran out the graham cracker double doors. “I will!”
“Oh boy,” Malianna said sarcastically. “This is going to be fun.”
◆◆◆
At William’s request, Malianna led us to Freezer Flats, a large, flat area made entirely of ice cream. She led us to the battle, staying close to the side that was catapulting pies.
“Welcome to Numelua,” Malianna said. “Home of ice cream, milk of all kinds, and hurt stomachs for lactose intolerant people like me. It looks like Capserra, Kalolana, and Olakina are teamed up against Kahmea, Maikarra, and Numelua today. Watch out for flying tacos.”
“Hey, Miss Magenta,” Felix whispered, “what are tacos?”
“You don’t know what tacos are?” I asked in disbelief.
He shrugged. “I’m no Earthen, so no.”
“Okay.” I thought for a moment, trying to find the best way to sum up such a wonderful food. “It’s basically a bunch of meat put in a tortilla. Oh, and sometimes the tortilla is fried. You can also—”
The Magenta (The Legendary Keepers Book 1) Page 7