by Brandon Mull
“It’s no joke,” Harmony said. “You know your geography?”
Violet gave a cocky chuckle. “If you can stump me, it’s more than the instructors can do. I baffle them all the time.”
“Then you know the location of the Locked Shrine?” Harmony inquired.
“In Necronum, near Dobson,” Violet said. “Not far from the infamous Gamat Rue.”
“Sounds right,” Cole said.
“Can you open a wayport to the Locked Shrine?” Harmony asked.
“No problem from Creon,” Violet said. “It would be fun. I’ve never gone to Necronum. I opened a way to Zeropolis for my trial. It’s a popular destination since you can take the train back to Junction City. Such tall buildings!”
“Can you attempt to open a way to the Locked Shrine from here?” Harmony asked. “It’s to check on my daughter Miracle.”
“I’d need a lot more power,” Violet said. “At full strength I can’t even feel for a location in Necronum from Junction.”
Harmony looked to Cole. “Ready to give it a try?”
CHAPTER
5
THE LOCKED SHRINE
I have to hold your hand to establish the connection,” Cole said.
“I bet you use that on all the girls,” Violet replied.
Cole noticed Harmony turning away to cover a laugh. Violet held out her hand.
“Try not to fall in love,” Cole said, gingerly touching a couple of her fingers.
Her power was not as brilliant as some, but steady and strong. Cole focused and forced energy into her power.
“No way!” Violet exclaimed. “I can see Necronum easier than I could ever see Creon from here. Unreal.”
“I’ve never encountered anyone like him,” Harmony said.
“I see the Locked Shrine,” Violet reported. “I can open a wayport. I’ve never felt this . . . ready.”
“Please do,” Harmony said.
A shimmer appeared in the air in front of Violet, somewhat indistinct, but basically oval in shape, taller than her and almost touching the ground. “I feel like I could hold it open all day,” Violet said.
Cole was no longer touching her, but he maintained the connection and continued to energize her power. “You could if I keep helping you.”
“Are you sure your ability will work the same in Necronum?” Violet asked. “If not, it’s a long walk back here. And an even longer trek to Creon.”
“I’m pretty sure,” Cole said. “It’s untested. We’re about to find out.”
“Are you wearing the High King’s seal?” Violet asked. “How did I miss that?”
“I probably shouldn’t wear it openly,” Cole said, tucking the medallion under his shirt.
“Wait, who does he work for?” Violet asked Harmony.
“Stafford and I both support Cole in this mission,” Harmony said. “Every now and again our interests align in a manner that allows cooperation.”
“We should go,” Cole said.
“If you find Mira, bring her back here,” Harmony said. “I wish to see her.”
“Will you want to keep her here?” Cole asked.
“That is between my daughter and me,” Harmony said.
“Okay,” Cole agreed.
“Don’t worry, Your Highness,” Violet said. “We’ll be back. I’m the one taking us places.”
“How do we use the wayport?” Cole asked.
“Step through,” Violet offered.
After giving a little wave to Harmony, Cole stepped into the rippling oval. A sensation of focused pressure swept across his body as he passed through the wayport. Immediately he stood on a grassy slope. A series of terraced ponds were arrayed before him, overflowing into one another down the incline, fed at the top by a stream. Beyond the lowest pool, the stream flowed away. In the midst of the tiered ponds, about halfway up, smoldered the charred remains of a building, thin tendrils of smoke rising from the debris.
Violet stepped through beside him. “I still felt the energy from you after you stepped through,” she said. “Good thing. If waywalking to Necronum had cut off the connection, you could have been stuck here alone.”
“I still feel the connection,” Cole said. “I’ll break it.”
The shimmering wayport vanished.
Violet gave a little gasp. “That was abrupt. I went from full to empty in an instant. What happened here?”
“Was that our shrine?” Cole asked.
“I’m afraid so,” Violet said.
“I thought you saw it before we came,” Cole said.
“I saw the area,” Violet said. “I don’t see a perfect picture. It’s not like looking with your eyes. I get a general sense of an area. I was focused on the locks.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s unlocked at this point,” Cole said.
“Calling it the Locked Shrine is wordplay,” Violet said. “The locks are the surrounding ponds connected by gates and sluices so the water levels can be adjusted.”
“You sound like a travel guide,” Cole said.
“I read a lot,” Violet replied. “We’re looking for Miracle Pemberton?”
“Mira,” Cole said. He turned around. There was not another person in sight. “I guess everyone got scared off when the place burned down.”
Violet shook her head. “There’s water all around it. Buckets, people!”
“It was probably an attack. Plenty of enemies want my friends captured or dead. Harmony told me Mira isn’t dead. But she is in the echolands.”
“Then her body has to be somewhere,” Violet said.
“Maybe somebody snuck off with it,” Cole said. “Should we take a closer look?”
“My power feels dead now,” Violet said. “Completely drained. I can’t see Junction or Creon. I can get no read on opening a wayport. Aren’t you curious to see if we’ll be able to get back?”
Cole took her hand and forced power into her. It felt no more challenging than it had in Junction.
“Amazing,” Violet said. “Never leave me, Cole. You’re my new best friend. I feel superb. Like I haven’t opened a wayport in a month. And now I can see other kingdoms better than I could in Creon. I could open a way back to Harmony’s tower right now. From this same spot! It’s usually tough to open a new wayport in a place where another wayport was recently established. Not with you around.”
Cole released her hand and let the connection to her power lapse.
“And I’m spent again,” Violet said, slumping a tad. “Like I should be. It should take days for me to open another wayport in an ideal spot. And even with a year to rest, opening a wayport in Necronum would never happen.” She grabbed Cole by the shoulders. “Do you realize all we could do together?”
“Open ways?” Cole tried.
Releasing him, Violet looked around, eyes blinking rapidly, hands waving like a conductor. “We could travel the five kingdoms! We could fearlessly explore remote corners of the world, knowing the return trip would be easy. The far reaches of Necronum, Elloweer, Zeropolis, and Sambria have not been properly mapped. Wayminders won’t often open wayports to the distant corners of the world because the journey back is too long and arduous. Only the bravest explorers attempt those kinds of expeditions. We could do it whenever the mood hit us!”
“True,” Cole said. “And being able to teleport around will help us on our mission.”
“We can travel as no Wayminder has traveled before,” Violet continued. “We can open ways whenever the desire strikes. Breakfast at the Prismatic Falls in Sambria, lunch at a marsh town in Elloweer, and dinner on top of Skybreaker Tower in Zeropolis.”
“Except we have a mission,” Cole reminded her again.
“We have to find Mira,” Violet said.
“That is only the beginning,” Cole said. “Have you heard of torivors?”
“Only two torivors ever came to the Outskirts,” Violet said. “The Lost Palace in Elloweer is one of the forbidden destinations. It holds Trillian. The other torivor, Ramarro, was
lost from history.”
“Ramarro was trapped in the echolands,” Cole said. “I fought him with some of the princesses and some friends. He is coming back.”
“An actual torivor?” Violet asked.
“So powerful he can bend reality just about however he wants,” Cole said. “You’ll keep all of this secret?”
“I swear,” Violet said. “And I believe you, by the way, even though it sounds absurd. If Queen Harmony is backing you, and you really have been helping her lost daughters, I might be ready to believe anything.”
“I promise I’m not kidding,” Cole said. “Or wrong. Ramarro is locked in a vault in Creon. It’s really powerful. A guy named Kendo Rattan built it.”
“Of course he did,” Violet said. “The most famous Wayminder of all time. The father of our shaping discipline. The first and greatest of Creon’s Grand Shapers.”
“Strong or not, the vault may not hold Ramarro for long,” Cole said. “We have to find a way to stop him before he gets free.”
Violet scratched her head. “That sounds impossible.”
“All part of the fun,” Cole said. “First we need to find Mira and my friends. Let’s have a look.”
Cole started working his way around the terraced ponds toward the scorched remnants of the Locked Shrine. He had to hop little channels of water, walk along the tops of wooden dams, cross little footbridges, and climb a variety of stairs and ladders. As he neared the ruins, the reek of charred wood grew stronger.
“Think whoever burned down the shrine is still watching the place?” Violet asked. She followed a few steps behind Cole.
Cole paused to look around. “I hope not. I don’t see anybody. If trouble shows up, we open a wayport and scram.” He started walking again. “I just realized I don’t have any weapons. Do you?”
“Wayminders don’t carry arms as a rule,” Violet said.
“Why not?”
“We offer transportation services to any who will pay,” Violet said. “We work hard to stay politically neutral. By not carrying weapons, we generally don’t get attacked.”
“Spend time with me, and you’re going to get attacked,” Cole said. “You might want to think about getting a weapon.”
“Our order has norms.”
“Does it really matter? Are you even a full Wayminder yet?”
“Of course I’m a full Wayminder!” Violet exclaimed. “I’m young, not incompetent! Do you think Harmony would give you a trainee?”
“Aren’t you a student?” Cole asked.
“The School of Minding in Junction City is for graduate studies,” Violet said. “Only true Wayminders can attend. The training happens back in Creon. Junction would be a difficult place to learn. Our shaping is so much weaker there. But it allows for interesting studies.”
“So no weapons for you,” Cole said.
“Not likely,” Violet replied.
A small moat surrounded the circular jumble of smoldering debris, the water dark and still. It was too wide to jump.
“There must have been a bridge,” Cole said.
“Not anymore,” Violet said. “Do you really think we’ll find anything in the ashes? Your friends can’t be in there. Not if they’re alive.”
“Probably not,” Cole agreed, staring at the fuming timbers. “Maybe we’ll find a clue? Some sign? Where else can we look? If Mira went to the echolands from nearby, her body has to be in the area.”
“The closest town is Dobson,” Violet said.
“If the shrine was under attack, it probably means Mira was discovered,” Cole said. “I doubt they could have made it to the town.”
“Unless they had an early warning,” Violet said. “Mira could have slipped out before the attack started.”
“Harmony felt like Mira went to the echolands from this shrine,” Cole said.
“Maybe she meant from the vicinity,” Violet said. “Or maybe her body was smuggled to Dobson. Getting to the town is no big deal for us. Normally I wouldn’t open a way to travel a short distance, but with you around, why not? Actually, I could open a wayport to the other side of the moat if you want to poke around.”
“Sure,” Cole said. “Let’s go across.”
He took her hand and infused her power with energy, and the air nearby became distorted. Cole could see another shimmer on the far side of the moat.
“Go ahead,” Violet said.
Cole stepped into the near shimmer and came out the other one. He looked back at Violet and watched her come through.
Holding his hand over his nose and mouth to help with the potent odor, Cole roamed the burned rubble. He didn’t climb where blackened timbers had piled up, choosing instead to skirt the fringes. He saw no bodies or bones. Maybe everyone had evacuated? Or maybe the attackers had carted them away?
“Hey!” a voice called from the far side of the moat.
Cole spun around to find a young boy staring at him. He had black hair and faint freckles and was perhaps seven or eight. Cole walked to the edge of the moat. “Are you here alone?”
“No gold or nothing over there,” the boy said. “I already checked.”
“How’d you get across?” Cole asked.
“Used a board,” the boy said. “Skinny one. I have good balance.”
“I’m not hunting for gold,” Cole said.
“What are you looking for?” the boy asked.
“Some friends,” Cole said.
“Maybe I can help,” the boy said. “I came here a lot.”
“Did your parents work here?”
“I don’t have parents,” the boy said. “The shrines are good about giving orphans work and food. A little schooling, too. What’s your name?”
“Cole. What’s yours?”
“Arie,” he said. “You’re really named Cole?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“I’m supposed to check,” the boy said. “Have you ever been a slave? Answer true.”
“Yes.”
“What was your first slave job?”
The kid clearly had knowledge of him and was vetting him. “Sky Raider.”
“What do Sky Raiders say before a mission?”
“ ‘Die bravely,’ ” Cole said. “To avoid getting jinxed.”
“What was the name of the little robot in Zeropolis?”
“Sidekick.”
“Who is your brother?”
“Hunter.”
“Okay,” Arie said. “You pass. Who is the girl?”
Cole looked over his shoulder to find Violet standing behind him. “My friend Violet.”
“Wink if she’s trouble,” Arie said more quietly.
“She’s on my side,” Cole assured him.
“Looks like it’s just the two of you,” Arie said. “I’m supposed to fetch somebody who wants to talk to you. Somebody who knows about your friends. Wait here?”
“Is the person far?” Cole asked.
“Not too far,” Arie said. “We were keeping watch for you.”
“Who burned this place down?” Cole asked.
“Enforcers,” Arie replied. He spat disgustedly into the moat.
“Are they gone?” Cole asked.
“I think so,” Arie said. “It was quiet all afternoon until you came along.”
“When did it burn down?”
“Last night,” Arie said. “I’ll be back.” He scampered off.
“If he’d tell us where he’s going, I could open a way,” Violet said.
Cole shook his head. “It might scare him. He’s acting as a scout. Plus, it would give away our secret advantage. We better just wait.”
“Should we go back across the moat?” Violet asked.
Cole scanned the fuming ruins. “Yeah. I didn’t find anything useful.”
“Not unless we can find a use for burned wood,” Violet said.
They joined hands, and she opened a wayport back to the other side of the moat. Cole stepped through, and she followed.
“It doesn’t tire you out?
” Violet asked. “Giving me all that energy?”
“Not really,” Cole said.
“You used to be a slave?”
“When I first came here,” Cole said. “I’m from Outside. A place called Arizona. My friends were taken by slavers. I came through and tried to help them but got captured too.”
“If you’re from Outside, a Wayminder must have helped the slavers.”
“The first person I met here in the Outskirts was a Wayminder.”
“You have a freemark,” she observed.
Cole held up a hand to look at the mark. “The Grand Shaper of Sambria changed it for me.”
“Naturally,” Violet said. “You know Miracle Pemberton. Why not the exiled Grand Shaper of Sambria?”
“I’ve had some adventures,” Cole said.
“Some Wayminders have helped slavers,” Violet said. “I don’t agree with slavery.”
“That’s something we have in common,” Cole said.
“Plenty of us don’t,” Violet said. “Wayminders, I mean. We’re not supposed to get too political, though. We aren’t noisy about it.”
“Sometimes you have to get loud,” Cole said. “Even when you’re not supposed to.”
Violet nodded. “I agree. It’s all about finding the right moment.”
“Wait, you’re a Wayminder,” Cole said as something occurred to him.
“You’re catching on!” Violet said with a little grin.
“I mean, can you open a way to my home?” Cole asked. “To Earth? To Arizona?”
“In theory,” Violet said. “I’ve never opened a wayport to the Outside. That’s very advanced. I’d need more instruction. I’ve never found a connection to Earth. Where in Arizona?”
“Have you heard of Mesa?” Cole asked.
“Phoenix area,” Violet said. “Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer Gilbert? Or Chandler?”
“How do you know those places?” Cole exclaimed. Plenty of Americans who lived outside of Arizona hadn’t heard of those cities!
“I told you I’m good at geography,” Violet said. “Can’t get enough of it. Earth is the main place Wayminders visit outside of the Outskirts. There are rumors of other worlds, but I’ve never heard specifics.”
“I hope to get home someday,” Cole said.
“A visit wouldn’t be too hard,” Violet said. “I know some Wayminders who could get you there. A few could even do it from Junction.”