The Prince Warriors

by Priscilla Shirer

  And then something even weirder happened. A giant gust of wind swooped into the basketball court and began churning the water. The puddle on the court was now spinning into a whirlpool, rising up into the air. Manuel’s mouth dropped open in alarm. He motioned to his new friends to come over and look. Levi got up and went to stand by him.

  “Do you see that?” Manuel said, pointing.

  “Yeah,” said Levi. “Some crazy rain.”

  “What’s the matter?” Brianna had come over as well and was looking over Levi’s shoulder.

  The wind was so strong now it bent the trees around the court nearly double and blew the swings up and over the swing sets in full circles. The whirlpool in the basketball court grew taller, churning even faster—it looked now like a small tornado.

  Xavier and Evan joined the others at the door. “What’s going on?” said Xavier.

  “It’s bad,” said Evan. “Like last night.”

  Xavier and Evan glanced at each other.

  “Look!” shouted Brianna. “Are you all seeing what I’m seeing?”

  Hovering in the air above the fast-growing tornado was a large golden image of the Crest of Ahoratos. It turned slowly, glimmering through the dark sky.

  “Whoa!” said Evan.

  What they could not see was Ruwach, in the midst of the whirlwind, twisting his robed arms in a circle as if making the winds go faster, picking up more and more of the rainwater and spinning into the air.

  “Come, Warriors.”

  “Did you hear that?” Xavier said.

  “Hear what?” said Brianna.

  “Come, Warriors. Into the wind. Now!”

  “I heard it, too, I think,” said Evan. “It sounded a little like—Ru.”

  “Ruwach,” Xavier said. “And yeah, it did.”

  “Into the wind!”

  They all heard it that time. The kids looked from each other to the tornado that whipped even higher. They didn’t have to speak it aloud. They knew what they were supposed to do.

  “Should we tell your dad?” Evan asked, glancing around the room. The kids were absorbed in their activities, ignoring them. A group of girls had put on some music and were dancing. Mr. J. Ar was by the office door, talking on his phone. He didn’t seem to notice the kids standing at the door.

  “I think he’ll figure it out,” said Levi.

  “Let’s go!” said Evan. He was the first to move, pressing open the door and charging into the rain. Xavier followed close behind, ducking his head against the wind.

  “Come on!” said Brianna, pulling on Levi’s arm. “Hurry! Before someone notices us!”

  Levi turned to Manuel. “You too.” He grabbed Manuel’s sleeve and pulled him out after him.

  Manuel tried to resist. “No . . . no . . . dangerous . . . my inhaler!”

  Levi ignored his pleas as he followed Brianna out into the rain.

  “Let’s go!” Brianna said. “We’re going back to Ahoratos!”

  * * *

  Mr. J. Ar heard the door slam shut and looked up. Frowning, he glanced around the room and noticed that the five kids, including his son, were no longer there. He went to the doorway and looked through the window, just in time to see them disappear into the whirlwind on the basketball court. Mr. J. Ar folded his arms and sighed, smiling to himself.

  Landon, still standing out in the rain, saw them disappear too.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Into the Wind

  The kids spun crazily as the whirlwind lifted them off the ground, sweeping them toward the dark sky. The wind was so fierce it made their skin ripple and took their breath away. Xavier struggled to open his eyes to see where the others were—he saw Evan tumble past him and reached out to grab his arm.

  “Stay together!” Xavier shouted over the keening whistle of the wind, although he felt his words being pushed back down his throat. Levi managed to get hold of Brianna, then he reached out to grab Evan’s other arm. Brianna tried to get to Manuel as he pinwheeled by, but she couldn’t get a grip on his flailing arms and legs.

  “Hold still!” Brianna shouted at Manuel.

  “We’re gonna die!” wailed Manuel. He grabbed his glasses before they flew off his face, holding onto them like an anchor.

  “Oh please!” Brianna cried in frustration.

  One of Manuel’s legs knocked against Xavier, and Xavier caught it before Manuel could whirl away again. Brianna grabbed the other leg, so they held Manuel upside down, but it was better than nothing.

  “What’s—hap—pen—ing?” cried Manuel. He let go of his glasses to wrap his arms around one of Xavier’s legs as the kids continued to spin faster and higher.

  “Not sure yet!” Xavier shouted back. “Just hang on!” They banded closer together, shutting their eyes, holding onto each other for dear life.

  After what seemed like an eternity, the wind began to lessen, and the kids dropped downward, slowly at first, but then gaining speed.

  “We’re falling!” Manuel shrieked. “We’re going to die!”

  Within seconds they dropped out of the whirlwind and onto soft ground. And, just like that, the sun came out. The wind was gone. It was quiet, except for the distant sound of rushing water. The kids rolled to sitting positions, shaking their heads and gazing around them.

  Manuel adjusted his glasses and stared, blinking, sure he was seeing things. He wasn’t at the Rec anymore. He knew that for certain. He was nestled in soft grass at the edge of a steep chasm. Far below was a shallow, fast-moving stream, water rushing over rocks and large boulders. He looked up to see a bridge spanning the chasm. Only Manuel had never seen this kind of bridge before. It started on one side as a dreamy, cobbled bridge covered in vines and moss, with stairs leading up to the center. But right in the middle it morphed into black riveted girders, like an old railroad bridge. The other side of the chasm was draped in fog so dense that no details were visible. The sky was really odd too—it was a kind of golden color on one side, but dark red on the other. Both sides were dotted with large, lumpy gray objects that looked like floating rocks.

  “Where are we?” Manuel whispered. “Canada?”

  “Welcome to Ahoratos,” said Levi, shaking off the dizziness in his head.

  “This is Ahoratos?” Manuel blinked several times to make sure he wasn’t imagining things. “What’s over there?” He pointed to the other side of the chasm.

  “I think that’s Skot’os,” said Xavier, standing up for a better view. “Although it looks different now than it did before.”

  “Skot’os?” Manuel said. He remembered that word from the book his mom had given him. There was something very unpleasant about it.

  Brianna stood up, brushing grass off her clothes. “My hair,” she said, corralling the loose strands of her hair back into a neat ponytail. Manuel gaped at her, unable to believe that she could be so concerned about her hair after such an ordeal.

  “We’re back,” said Evan, jumping up excitedly. “Can you believe it? That was fast. Only where’s the Water? We need to get to the Water!”

  “Down there,” said Xavier, pointing down to the stream below. They all looked—the Crest of Ahoratos shimmered on its surface. It was definitely the Water.

  “How do we get down there?” Brianna said, frowning. “Seems a little steep to climb down. And we don’t have our boots on.”

  “I think we’ll have to jump,” said Xavier.

  “Jump?” Manuel paled. “Jump? It’s like four hundred feet at least! We’ll be killed, our bodies dashed on the rocks . . .”

  “Oh man,” said Evan, shaking his head.

  Levi got up and looked over the edge. “I’m kinda with Manuel on this one.”

  Brianna made a disgusted noise. “What are you all so afraid of?” she said, tossing her ponytail. She marched to the edge of the chasm, straightening her shoulde
rs. She looked down, feeling the blood drain from her face as she saw just how far down it was. But the Crest was there, floating on the Water. She had to show the boys she wasn’t afraid, that she could do anything they could do. She raised her head and took a deep breath. “Like this.”

  She shut her eyes and jumped. Manuel cried out and looked away, unable to watch what happened. He heard—nothing. Not even a splash.

  “She did it!” Levi said. Manuel opened his eyes and looked down into the chasm. Brianna was nowhere to be seen, but there was a faint tinge of red in the Water around the strange symbol.

  “See the red color?” Xavier said. “I saw that when Evan went into the Water the first time. I think it means she made it to the Cave. She’s safe.”

  “That’s good,” said Levi with a sigh of relief.

  “There’s a cave down there?” Manuel pushed up his glasses. “Must be deeper than it looks,” he mused.

  Levi laughed and went to the edge. He looked over once and shrugged. “Here goes nothing!” he said. And he jumped, doing a flip in the air before diving straight down. Manuel watched this time as Levi descended to the Water—but instead of being dashed on rocks he seemed to go straight through without even a splash. And there was that red tinge again, appearing briefly then vanishing.

  “You good to go, Van?” Xavier asked his little brother.

  “Sure, no problem,” said Evan. He stood at the edge of the chasm, hesitated only briefly, then held his nose with one hand and stuck his other hand in the air, as if he were holding a sword. “Ahoratos!” he yelled, like a battle cry. Then he jumped and disappeared into the Water below, leaving only that tint of red. Manuel shook his head in disbelief. Then he saw that Xavier was looking at him. He backed away slowly, waving his hands in the air.

  “No . . . no . . .”

  “Come on,” said Xavier. “I’ll help you. Grab my hand.”

  Xavier went to the edge of the cliff and put out his hand for Manuel, who took a few tiny steps toward him.

  One, two, three . . . Manuel counted the steps in his head. Four, five, six . . .

  Manuel always counted when he found himself in terrifying situations. His mother had taught him that a long time ago. If you’re going through a bad time, start counting. He wasn’t sure why, but he always did it. Yesterday, in the mummy incident, he’d gotten to forty-three.

  Seven, eight . . .

  He reached out and took hold of Xavier’s whole arm.

  “When I count to three, we’re going to jump, okay?” Xavier said, locking his arm around Manuel’s so he wouldn’t be able to let go.

  Nine, ten . . .

  Manuel nodded stiffly.

  “One . . .”

  “Wait!” Manuel said. He took off his glasses and shoved them in his pocket. “Okay.”

  Xavier nodded. “Two . . .”

  He never said three. He jumped on two, taking Manuel with him over the edge.

  Manuel let out a bloodcurdling wail as he dropped into the chasm, certain he was going to die once again. “Eleven, twelve!” He shouted these last two numbers out loud, knowing they would be the last words he would ever utter. Not very memorable, he thought bleakly.

  Within seconds they hit the Water. Manuel thought his heart had stopped beating altogether. He felt a whoosh, like he was being flushed down a toilet (something he had never imagined actually doing), and then he waited for the end.

  When he opened his eyes again, he was standing on solid ground. He didn’t seem to be dead, nor was he even wet. He raised his arms and felt his face, his chest, his stomach. He looked down at his legs. Everything was intact and appeared to be working. He pulled his glasses out of his pants pocket, expecting them to be smashed to pieces. But there wasn’t a single crack in them.

  A luminous landscape appeared before him: blue mountains and icicles and snowflakes . . . wait . . . no . . . They weren’t mountains or icicles. They were . . .

  Xavier came into view, grinning.

  “Welcome to the Cave,” he said.

  * * *

  A cave?

  If this was a cave, it was the strangest one Manuel had ever seen. The rock formations glowed as if lit from the inside. Little puffs of light floated on the air around him. And most amazing of all—he was completely dry. He was not even wearing his own clothes anymore. He glanced down at the thick gray shirt and pants—the Crest of Ahoratos glowed faintly on his chest. When did I change? he wondered. Perhaps he had been knocked out by the fall. Or maybe, he concluded, this is all a dream.

  “You’ve brought a friend, I see,” said a big, echoing voice. “Welcome, Prince Manuel.”

  Manuel couldn’t tell if the voice was inside or outside his own head. He turned to see a tiny, purple-robed figure standing before him, his face concealed by a large hood. The other kids were gathered around him, dressed just as Manuel was.

  “Uh, hello,” Manuel said in a shaky voice, wondering why the voice in the hood had called him a prince.

  “I’ve been waiting for you. Don’t be afraid. I am Ruwach. I am your guide when you are in Ahoratos.”

  “Nice to . . . meet you . . . Ru-wach.” Manuel bent forward in an awkward bow (’cause that’s what princes do, right?). Evan stifled a laugh. “I’m glad to be here . . . I think.” He tried to sound casual, so the others wouldn’t think he was a complete chicken. It wasn’t really fair, after all—obviously they’d been here before.

  “You have to come to the Cave first,” Evan said, stepping forward with great assurance, “to get your armor. And you always have to come through the Water. It’s marked with the Crest—you know that symbol from the book—so you can’t miss it. That’s really important.”

  “Armor?” Manuel said.

  “Yeah,” Levi said. “You can’t survive in Ahoratos without it.”

  “Is it . . . dangerous there?” asked Manuel.

  “Sometimes,” said Xavier.

  “There are Forgers,” Brianna said. “And sand grobels. And evil butterflies called Ents. And sometimes the ground turns to quicksand, and sometimes buildings fall down, and you really have to be prepared.”

  “Hey, guys, take it easy on him,” Xavier said. Manuel’s mouth had dropped open in alarm. “He just got here.”

  “You need to get your armor on,” Evan said. “Right, Ru?”

  “Don’t call him that,” whispered Xavier, giving him a little shove.

  “You are right, Prince Evan. Come, Prince Manuel.” Ruwach reached out one robed arm toward Manuel, letting him know he was being summoned. “Follow me.” The guide turned and began moving toward one of the dark tunnels. Manuel felt compelled to follow.

  “The rest of you need to get prepared as well.” Ruwach spoke to them without breaking his step. “The Sparks will show you the way.”

  “Sparks? Is that what they’re called?” Brianna said. “Ohhh, I love it!” She cooed at one of the brilliant specks of light that was twinkling merrily and flitting in front of her eyes. “So pretty!” The Spark flew off down a darkened passage and Brianna hurried after it. Xavier, Evan, and Levi followed their own Sparks down other tunnels.

  “Come, Prince Manuel!”

  Ruwach had almost disappeared from view, so Manuel hurried after him. Despite having to run, Manuel didn’t start wheezing or feel the need for his inhaler. I can breathe, he thought. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been able to run and breathe effortlessly at the same time. Did this Ruwach fellow have magic powers? What was he anyway? Random questions floated through Manuel’s calculating brain. Everything he had seen and heard from the moment he jumped into the tornado had made him question everything he thought he knew about the world. Ahoratos seemed to be a realm of infinite possibilities. He was scared—but excited too.

  The darkened tunnel lit up as they moved, and Manuel’s attention was soon drawn to the suits of armor that
lined the wall. So many varieties, some the likes of which he’d never seen before, some very old-fashioned and some futuristic. There were names and dates listed on each set. He wanted to stop and examine them closer, his scientific brain whirring with theories. But Ruwach did not slow down.

  Then, without warning, Ruwach stopped and spun around. Manuel skidded to a halt.

  “This is your armor,” the guide said, pointing to some objects arrayed on the wall, accompanied by a small placard with his full name and birth date. Manuel stared—it hardly looked like armor at all. Not nearly as impressive as some of the others he’d just passed by. The sword was nice, though, and the shield looked rather grand. The breastplate, however, was nothing but a thin white plate with an orb in the center. The belt and boots were also plain white and unadorned.

  “Is that—armor?” he asked, not wanting to offend the guide, who was rather intimidating despite his size.

  “Belt first.” Ruwach removed the belt from the stand and handed it to Manuel. “Always, belt first.”

  The belt glowed with some strange symbols as Ruwach held it out, then the symbols disappeared, replaced with a word: TRUTH.

  “Truth?” Manuel read.

  “The belt holds everything together,” said Ruwach mysteriously.

  Manuel took the belt and looked at it blankly, as the others had done, not sure what to do with it. But when he held it to his waist, it wrapped around him as if it had a will of its own, the two ends melting together.

  “Fascinating,” he said.

  He did the same with the breastplate, wondering at the weirdness of its shape then marveling at how it stuck to his shirt, conforming to his size as if it were made just for him. He tapped on the surface uncertainly.

  “Seems rather thin,” he remarked. It didn’t look like it would stop a sword blow or even a spitball, for that matter. And Manuel knew all about how spitballs felt. “What does this do?” He slid a finger over the orb, as if trying to make it spin.