by Tony Abbott
“Keeah, everyone,” said Galen, “today has already seen our challenges begin. Let us hope we are up to all of them. First we must save Portentia. Then we stop Ving and Ming. That’s our mission, short and sweet. Come!”
After securing their pilkas, the little band dashed over the rise and ran into the yard. They hid where they could, then crept through the mill’s gate at the last possible moment. By the time the door slammed shut, the seven friends were crouched in the shadows of a narrow passage.
They heard the creaking wheels of the wagon, the stomping of the bandits’ heavy feet, and the moaning of Portentia echoing from the halls. But the moment they stepped down the passage, they found that the mill was a maze of twisting hallways and tight passages, steep ramps and abrupt dead ends.
When several passages crisscrossed one another at wild angles, the little band stopped completely.
Julie groaned softly. “I can’t believe we already lost Portentia. This place is so crazy.”
“To confuse unwanted visitors, no doubt,” said Galen. He peered into a passage lit by a single wall torch, then turned. “Keeah, as our leader today, what do you think we should do?”
The princess frowned into the gloom, then at her friends. She shrugged. “Split up?”
Galen nodded. “Exactly what I would have said. If I may choose sides, Nelag and I shall follow the left hall. My staff will light our way.”
“Max and I can take the middle passage,” said Julie. “It’s not too dark.”
“Eric, Neal — we’ll follow the light,” said Keeah. “Above all, let’s find Portentia!”
With a nod, Galen disappeared down the side hall, with Nelag trailing behind him.
Julie and Max entered the passage in the middle.
Keeah took a deep breath. “Guys, let’s go.”
With every step forward, their hearts beat faster. Since the tunnel was low, both Neal and Eric had to duck when they passed under the torch. The moment they did, the passage twisted and turned. But just when darkness fell again, another torch lit their way.
“Nice of them to give us light,” said Keeah.
“Uh-huh,” said Eric, pausing under the next torch. “Except unless there are five identical torches lighting five identical passages, I think we’re going in circles.”
“Are you serious?” said Neal. “Should we go back?”
“Or would that be part of the circle?” asked Keeah.
Eric kept staring at the light. “And did anyone notice how the flames aren’t that hot? They’re not even warm —”
All of a sudden, the fire flared wildly, then dripped off the torch and settled on the floor.
“Whoa!” gasped Neal, jumping back.
The “flames” sat on the stones, three slender ribbons of silver, each with a tiny upturned head.
“Silfs!” Keeah exclaimed. “They’re silfs!”
Silfs were snaky underwater creatures loyal to the Sea Witch, Keeah’s aunt Demither. When the silvery creatures wanted to hide, they often disguised themselves as flames.
The three creatures bowed to Keeah. “Princess-s-s-s!” the first one hissed. “It’s good to s-s-see you … only not here!”
“What are you doing in the stone mills so far from your undersea home?” Keeah asked.
“The pirates-s-s captured us-s-s,” the silf replied. “To tell them s-s-s-something.”
“But we es-s-s-scaped before they could ask us-s-s-s-s,” said the second.
“We are quite s-s-s-slippery, after all,” said the third. “Besides, we cannot lie. We mus-st tell the truth, no matter who asks-s-s us-s-s. To keep from telling any s-s-secrets-s, we hid!”
The three friends looked at one another.
“Maybe the hawks think that the secret is in the water,” said Eric.
“Good one,” said Keeah. “And that’s why Ming is here. She can go in the water and Ving can’t. Or doesn’t want to.”
Eric nodded. “That makes sense.”
“Have you seen Portentia?” asked Neal. “She rhymes and tells the future. Plus, she’s a rock.”
“The hawks-s-s took her to the dungeon with all the other magical stones-s-s,” the third silf said. “When we s-saw her, she was trying to find a rhyme for … bandit. This-s-s way!”
Keeah nodded. “Let’s go.”
The three friends crept after the silvery snakes. Into tunnels, up ramps, and down stairs they went until they found a passage so dark that not even the silfs could light it up.
“We are near,” said one of them.
All at once, they heard murmuring from somewhere in the darkness. Stepping ahead, they realized it was a voice they knew.
“Oh, I’m not free,” it said. “But that’s not all. For soon I’ll be a great big wall!”
“It’s Portentia!” whispered Keeah.
The three friends and three silfs found the large stone sitting in a great room. Thick chains held her down. She was rocking back and forth, struggling to free herself.
“Portentia, we’ve found you!” said Eric.
“Oh, dears!” she said. “I just can’t stand it! Chained up by that dreadful bandit!”
“Good rhyme,” said Neal. “You really know your words.”
“How’s this for rhyming words?” snapped a voice from the shadows. “You’ve just been captured by hawk-winged birds!”
“That’s pretty good, too,” said Neal. “Hey, wait —”
They didn’t wait.
Amid a blaze of real torchlight, bandits sprang out of every crevice and nook in the chamber and seized the children tightly. There were dozens of hawk creatures dressed in the ragged uniforms of bandits, all staring with menacing eyes at the captives.
And there, not far away, chained so tightly they couldn’t budge, were Julie and Max. Next to them, his face grim and dark, was Galen himself.
“Holy crow,” cried Neal. “We’ve all been captured!”
It was impossible to fight. Eric, Keeah, and Neal were quickly bound with chains like the others. Then, in a loud flourish of flapping wings, two figures appeared in the chamber.
Ving swaggered in, wearing a long purple cloak, his dark feathers blazing, his claws gleaming in the torchlight. “Hi, folks!”
Next to him, with wings as red as the setting sun, her beak as shiny as ebony, her eye patch trimmed with diamonds, was none other than Ming herself.
With a rustle of feathers and a breathy whisper, the pirate princess spoke.
“At last. All our guests have arrived!”
The dungeon sparked with electricity when Ming stepped over to Galen.
“You!” snarled the wizard, glaring into her single eye.
“And you!” Ming laughed brightly. “We meet again, dear wizard.”
Even though he struggled, there was nothing Galen could do. Bandits and pirates continued to crowd the chamber until there was barely room to move. Eric realized that the only way to really tell them apart was that the pirates wore eye patches and earrings, carried cutlasses, and mumbled “Arrrh,” while the bandits had clubs in their belts, satchels over their shoulders, and eyed the children silently.
Ming glared at the captives. “You all look so mopey. Maybe this will cheer you up. Ving? The plans!”
“What about them?” asked Ving.
“Bring them!” she said.
“Why me? Why not you?” he said.
“Because I’m older than you!” she said.
“By twenty seconds!”
“Oh, just do it!” Ming squealed.
Her twin brother muttered to himself. He snapped his claws, and several bandits pushed their way through the crowd. They carried rolled-up blueprints, sketches, and something under a purple cloth. They set these on top of a flat gray stone that the children recognized as having come from the Ring of Giants.
Ving removed the purple cloth. “Ta-da!”
Underneath the cloth stood the model of a vast city. It had walls of gold with jagged spikes ranged around the top. Many tow
ers stood inside the walls. The summits of the towers were shaped like hawk heads, with razor-sharp beaks and black eyes staring menacingly in all directions.
“What’s that terrible place?” asked Julie.
“The city of Mokarto,” said Ving.
“Remind me never to visit,” said Neal.
“Where is it?” asked Galen.
“Nowhere, yet,” said Ming. “But it’ll soon stand right here in Feshu. With the help of these stone mills. And your princess here —”
“Me?” Keeah asked.
“We’ve gathered all the magical stones we need for our magical city,” said Ving. “There is only one thing more we need. And you, Princess, will tell us where to find it!”
“Fat chance,” snapped Keeah. “Besides, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
It was then Eric realized that the silfs must have escaped again, for they were nowhere in sight. Not only that, he noticed that someone else was missing, too. He leaned toward Galen.
“Where’s Nelag?” he whispered.
Galen sighed. “Lost,” he whispered.
Eric understood. Nelag must have gotten lost in the passages. But at least he was free. Maybe he could even help them escape.
A hawk bandit with knobby knees, a large red mustache, and an even larger belt buckle entered the dungeon.
“Your Majesties!” he said. “Come along to the viewing tower. The first stones are coming from the mill. Mokarto is beginning to rise!”
Ving laughed. “All right, then. Everyone to the roof! Let’s see our city taking shape!”
The hawk creatures dragged their prisoners from the chamber. Up they went through the passages, floor by floor, until they emerged on the mill’s large, flat roof.
The first thing the children saw was that the purple cloud had grown huge. And it had darkened as the afternoon wore on.
“Living in the past is like trying to breathe without air,” said Ving, striding across the rooftop. “That’s why we conjured the Purple Dawn. Now we’re building a magical new home in your world. Behold Mokarto, the terrible city of thieving thieves!”
The friends were shocked at the vastness of the construction going on before them. Hundreds of hawk bandits were busily moving stones. An outer wall stretching for miles was rising course by course. The hawk-headed towers, too, were beginning to take shape. One after another, buildings were going up, and streets were winding around and around, until Mokarto stretched all the way from the plains of Feshu to the coast.
The worst part was that the stones emerging from the mill were nothing like the ancient magical stones that had entered the mill. Now they were smooth and square and bore a deep golden color.
Ving chuckled with glee. “We tried once before to live in your world. We tried to bring Tarkoom back, but you sent us back to the past in a heap. This time, we’re building from scratch. And because Mokarto is made of magical stones, it’ll be invincible!”
“All we need,” said Ming, glaring at Keeah, “is one simple thing. The gate to Mokarto will open only with the legendary Key of Mokarto. Ring any bells, honey?”
Keeah stared back. “I’ve never heard of it. How could I know where it is?”
Ming grinned coldly. “The Key of Mokarto is hidden somewhere under the sea. Legends say that Demither showed you where.”
“Demither? When?” said Keeah. “I’ve never heard of the key!”
“Oh, you have,” said Ming. “Though you may not remember. But … the silfs might. Since you are Demither’s niece, they are loyal to you. They will tell us where the key is if they know you are in trouble. Of course, if I must, I’ll make you walk the plank to unlock your memory —”
“Too messy,” said Ving. “Let’s put her in the cage of light instead!”
Before she could move, Keeah was released from her chains and pushed onto a strange pedestal on the roof. Sizzling bars of light shot up around her in a wild crisscrossing pattern, trapping the princess securely inside the cage.
“Why, you —” cried Galen. “I’ll not stand for this!” With a single powerful blast, he burst his chains and lunged at the bandits, taking down three of them. Twirling on his heels, he leaped toward the pirates, knocking down five more. He blasted the chains away from the children, then cried, “Keeah, duck!”
He aimed a blast at the cage of light, but Ving flew at him quickly, tackling the wizard. They both tumbled from the roof, while the children ran.
“Pirates, stop them!” shouted Ming. She flew across the rooftop toward them.
Galen had disappeared, but the children didn’t get far. A horde of pirates yelling “Arrrh!” stopped them cold.
Snarling in anger, Ming commanded her forces to take the friends down to the darkest room in the deepest level of the mill.
The sad procession tramped lower and lower into the depths of the mill. It was almost half an hour before they reached a big iron door.
“Arrrh! Welcome to the Blast-Proof-Dungeon-That-Can’t-Be-Escaped-From. Arrrh!” growled a disheveled pirate. “Ooh, a magic hat!” He grabbed Neal’s turban and shut the door with a bang.
For a full five minutes, the kids heard the slamming of ever-more-distant doors.
At last, it was quiet.
“Oh, this is just great!” said Julie. “No Keeah. No Galen. Not even Nelag! There’s no way to call Flink and get help. Boy, what I wouldn’t give for a small army of hog elves to help us now. Gryndal probably knows these mills backward and forward. If we could find a way to … to … oh, what’s the use!”
Neal rubbed his head. “I could have gone into the future and found us a way out. But without my turban, I’m just boring old Neal again. Boring old hungry Neal.”
Max crawled on the ceiling, searching for cracks in the stone. “I do hope Keeah’s all right in that dreadful contraption,” he said. “If Galen and Nelag can get free, they just might be able to rescue us.”
Eric had been vainly searching the walls for a way out when he suddenly froze. “You guys, I just thought of something. Maybe we’re not trapped in this dungeon. At least, maybe I’m not. I made a phantom of myself once. I split myself in two, and both halves could do stuff. If I do it again, I could get out of this cell. I can free Keeah. We could call Flink. We can get help for all of us —”
Julie frowned. “Wait. Do you have powers as a phantom?”
Eric didn’t remember using his powers as a phantom. “I’m not sure. But being half in here and half out there has got to be better than just being in here.”
“If I could be in two places at once,” said Neal, “I’d want them both to be restaurants. But, you know, whatever.”
While the sounds of the construction grew louder, Eric closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. An odd feeling, almost like drifting off to sleep, fell over him.
Then, as one part of him remained in the dungeon with his friends, he sensed another part begin to slip away. Feeling like no more than a ghost of himself, Eric pressed his hands against the wall once more.
And he fell right through it, head over heels, until he lay in the passage outside.
Finding himself in the dim passage just outside the dungeon, Eric looked down at himself. He seemed normal. Two arms, two legs, two hands, two feet.
“Excellent,” he said to himself. “I actually did it.”
Looking to the right, he could just make out a troop of bandits at one end. When he peered the other way, he nearly screamed in surprise when he saw Galen hiding in the shadows.
“Hush!” hissed the wizard. “Come here.” Galen motioned him into the shadows. “I slipped away from Ving — after giving him a taste of my staff! So, are you a phantom?”
Eric nodded. “I’m going to try to free Keeah, call Flink and ask her to get the hog elves, then find a way to shut down the mills before Mokarto is finished being built.”
The old wizard smiled deeply. “A tall order, Eric. Today is a day of challenges indeed. I cannot join you just yet. I have one trick up my slee
ve, but only one. Ming has a power over me I cannot explain. That is my challenge. Now, be watchful. And remember, not everything is as it seems to be. Think like Nelag. Think opposite!”
With those strange words, Galen was gone.
Eric tried to hold all that in his head, but it refused to make sense. “Never mind,” he told himself. “I have my own mission.”
Creeping down the passage, he realized that if he closed his eyes for a second he could see inside the dungeon as if he were still there. When he tried this, he heard Neal talking to him.
“… and if you see something to eat, bring it back here … I mean, it doesn’t even have to be muffins, anything would be great … just bring lots …”
“Neal, I’ve got a job to do!” Eric told him.
“I’m just saying …”
Shaking his head to clear it, Eric was back outside the dungeon again.
Darting from one passage to the next, always staying clear of the troops of bandits and pirates marching everywhere, Eric finally located a door leading outside. He slipped through it and found himself out on the roof.
Keeah was still trapped in the cage of light. Both Ving and Ming were nearby, talking to each other.
Arguing with each other, Eric thought.
He crept as close to the edge of the parapet as he dared. He knew that even though he was a phantom, he was still visible.
Ving paced across the top of the mill, pausing every few seconds to check his sketches and watch the construction.
“Why else would I invite you, sister?” he said. “You’re not my favorite person, you know.”
Ming glared coldly at her twin. “And I’d rather be sailing. But Mokarto needs both of us, or it won’t exist. And if it doesn’t exist, it’s back to the past, and I’m tired of the past. The food is so … stale!”
“Did someone say ‘food’?” asked Neal from the dungeon.
“Quiet. I’m listening!” Eric hissed. He noticed Icthos circling the parapet. The bandit landed on the roof and limped over to Ving and Ming. He was carrying a small brown box.
Eric couldn’t see what was inside, but when Ving and his sister opened it, the silvery glow on their faces told him that the silfs had been recaptured.