Rebel Genius

by Michael Dante DiMartino

  “Mico, get out of there!” Giacomo screamed. But the warning came too late. The stone monster backhanded the tiny Genius, swatting it out of the sky. Giacomo felt a tremendous force slam into him. He hit the ground hard.

  Giacomo’s head rang. Through his blurry vision, he saw the statue’s two massive feet stamping straight for him.

  Ozo roared, “Now!” He and the Bull yanked on opposite ends of a chain, pulling it taut and tripping the statue. As it toppled, a shadow fell over Giacomo. He rolled out of the way a split second before the statue slammed into the earth, shaking the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust. The stone giant lay still.

  Dirt-covered and dizzy, Giacomo rose to his knees, dimly aware that Aaminah was playing her flute near the cliff’s edge. With each staccato note, Luna projected yellow hexagons that attached to the blue ones, extending the bridge.

  Giacomo picked up his sketchbook and staggered over to Mico. He scooped up his limp Genius and held it in his cupped hands.

  “Mico!”

  The Genius let out a single chirp and fluttered its wings weakly.

  “You’re okay…” Giacomo said, relieved.

  “Giacomo, we need your help!” Milena yelled. He rushed to the edge of the cliff. The other three Geniuses hovered over the chasm at even intervals, projecting portions of the bridge, but there was a gap between the end of Aaminah’s section and the other side. “You have to finish it,” Milena said.

  She might as well have asked him to fly them across. “I don’t know how,” he said.

  “If you can project a circle, you can project a few hexagons,” Savino urged.

  “Mico got hit, I don’t know if he’ll be able to—” But then to Giacomo’s shock, Mico rose out of his hands and flew over the gorge, taking his place between Aaminah’s Genius and the opposite cliff side.

  “He seems fine to me!” Savino said.

  In his sketchbook, Giacomo drew a six-sided shape, copying the glowing ones that made up the bridge. Mico projected a few rows, but before the bridge was completed, the hexagons broke apart and hundreds of specks of light floated away, like red dust in the wind.

  “It’s not holding!” Giacomo glanced behind him where the noseless statue was pushing itself back to its feet. The fingerless statue grabbed Baby Cannoli by the arm and hurled him through the air, where he slammed into Old Dino.

  Malocchio drew her bow, firing an arrow that pinged off the statue’s back. The stone giant whirled around, but instead of catching her gaze, it stared straight at Big Dino, who was running past her.

  He screamed as he transformed into stone.

  Giacomo’s heart beat as fast as his Genius’s wings. He wasn’t going to let anyone else meet the same fate. He looked at the gap in the bridge. I can connect it. I have to.

  “Ozo, start getting everyone across!” Giacomo shouted.

  Ozo deflected a wild swipe from the noseless statue and glanced at the unfinished bridge. “I’d rather try my luck with these two!”

  The statue caught Sforza by his long hair, whipped him around like a lasso, and flung him into Spike.

  Old Dino hugged his son’s stony form, wailing. Little Dino pulled him away. “Leave him, Dad! There’s nothing you can do.”

  The rest of the mercenaries were caked in dirt and blood from being repeatedly pummeled and tossed around. They couldn’t take much more.

  Giacomo locked eyes with Ozo. “I’ll finish the bridge! Start crossing!” He turned back to the chasm where Gaia, Nero, and Luna held their sections. Aaminah’s playing became faster and more intricate. Sweat beaded on her forehead.

  Giacomo closed his eyes, visualizing the six-sided shape he needed to create.

  “Hurry up!” Savino pressed.

  “Let him concentrate,” Milena said.

  “Retreat!” Ozo called out.

  Giacomo opened his eyes and put pencil to paper, sketching a series of interlocking hexagons, like tiles on a floor.

  Row by row, Mico projected red hexagons from his crown, filling in the missing part of the bridge. Ozo and Valcaro held off the statues as the remaining mercenaries limped to the cliff’s edge. Little Dino placed his foot on the green section, checking to see if it would hold, like it was winter’s first ice and he was worried he’d fall through.

  “Go! Now!” Ozo barked. Little Dino went first, followed by his father, then Spike, Sveva, and the rest. The bridge gave slightly under their combined weight, but it held solid.

  Giacomo filled the page with hexagons, as Mico projected several more rows, completing the bridge. Savino stepped onto it, then Aaminah, who kept playing as she jogged across. Milena pulled Giacomo and they followed. He was careful not to remove his pencil from his sketchbook—a broken connection meant a broken bridge.

  Behind them, Valcaro fired off a final shot. The fingerless statue raised its good hand to block the attack, but the metal ball blasted through its palm. The hand crumbled away, leaving a stump at the wrist. Valcaro backed onto the bridge, then ran past Giacomo, followed a moment later by Ozo.

  At the other end, Little Dino and Old Dino made it safely across. Relief washed through Giacomo as his part of the structure held up.

  “Go, go!” Milena urged, letting everyone pass her. The statues stomped onto the bridge, losing their balance and unleashing a wave that rippled the tiles. Milena almost toppled off the side, but caught the back of Giacomo’s collar, nearly dragging him off with her. Giacomo pitched forward, pulling her back to safety.

  The statues righted themselves and stalked unsteadily toward the group. Racing for the other side, Milena and Giacomo crossed onto Savino’s section of the bridge. Milena lowered her brush and Gaia’s projection vanished. Row by row, Milena’s green tiles dissolved into specks of light, but the statues kept ahead of the widening gap.

  As soon as everyone had crossed the halfway point, Savino let his pencil drop and Nero’s beam flickered off. In quick succession, his blue hexagons vanished.

  The disappearing tiles caught up to the noseless statue and on its next step, its foot met only air. With a loud groan, the statue plummeted into the chasm.

  Ozo reached the other end and joined the rest of his mercenaries back on solid ground. With the other statue closing in, Giacomo’s group sprinted across the yellow part of the bridge. When they reached Giacomo’s section, Aaminah pulled the flute from her lips. The music cut off and the yellow hexagons separated, breaking into bits of light.

  As the children neared the other side, the final pieces of Aaminah’s section broke away. The fingerless statue slipped, but immediately found support on the red hexagons, and regained its momentum.

  Giacomo waited until Milena, Aaminah, and Savino careened onto the dirt of the opposite side, then yanked his pencil off the page. Mico’s gem went dark, and the last remaining section of the bridge began to fade.

  He glanced back as the vanishing bridge overtook the fingerless statue. It paused in midair for a split second before plunging down toward the bottom of the gorge.

  But Giacomo realized his timing had been off—he’d released his hold on the bridge too soon. Panic swept through him. I’m not going to make it!

  The remaining hexagons gave way underneath Giacomo’s feet, and he dropped. As the wind surged around him, he let out a primal scream that threatened to tear his throat apart.

  Ozo ran to the cliff’s edge and whipped his chain into the chasm. Giacomo’s left arm shot out to reach the lifeline. After what felt like an eternity, his fingers wrapped around the sun-warmed links. The chain pulled taut, swinging Giacomo like a pendulum. His shoulder slammed against the sheer rock, and he nearly lost his grip.

  As he dangled, Mico flew to him, chirping in distress.

  “I’m okay,” Giacomo said breathlessly.

  He began to rise, slowly at first, then faster. Mico pitched in, his tiny claws clutching a link as he strained. Giacomo appreciated the effort, even though Mico wasn’t having much of an effect. When Giacomo reached the top, Ozo, the Bull
, and Zatto gave one last yank, launching him over the ledge. He sprawled on the ground and let out gasps of relief. Mico flew around his head, chittering happily.

  Aaminah fell to her knees and threw her arms around him. “That was so close…”

  “I know,” Giacomo said, still in shock.

  Savino helped Giacomo to his feet. “You had me scared for a second.”

  “You had us all scared,” Milena added.

  “I don’t think anything’s broken,” Giacomo said, rolling his left shoulder, which throbbed. Ozo wrapped the chain back into a loop around his belt. “Nice trick,” Giacomo said. “Thanks for saving my neck.”

  Ozo replied with a single nod.

  “What? We don’t get a thank-you for saving your hides?” Savino griped. “Giacomo could’ve died.”

  “Two of my men did.” Ozo spat into the dirt by Savino’s feet. “The rest aren’t doing much better.”

  Giacomo looked over at the injured mercenaries who nursed bruises, cuts, and probably a few broken bones. Old Dino howled in pain as Little Dino shoved his father’s shoulder back into its socket. Tears filled the old man’s eyes. Giacomo wasn’t sure if they were because of his injury or from losing his oldest son.

  Ozo addressed everyone. “Our horses are gone, along with all our supplies and food. But I know a castle a couple days’ journey from here. We can regroup there and figure out our next move.” Ozo trudged off, followed by a line of the wounded.

  Giacomo started to follow. “Wait,” Savino called out. He waved the children in close and whispered, “This is our chance to ditch Ozo. We’ll have better luck on our own.”

  Milena shook her head. “We won’t survive very long out here without food or supplies. If there’s a place to get more, that’s where I’m heading.”

  “I’m with Milena,” Aaminah said. “Plus, these people are going to need some healing. I’ll be able to help them once Luna gets her strength back. Forming that bridge took a lot out of her.”

  Giacomo looked at Mico, who had joined Luna atop Aaminah’s head. They both looked exhausted.

  Savino faced Giacomo. “What about you?”

  Ozo rubbed him the wrong way too, but if not for him and his crew, Giacomo would be lying with the statues at the bottom of the gorge.

  “We should stick with Ozo,” Giacomo said.

  Milena nodded sharply. “Then it’s decided.” She headed after the mercenaries, leading Aaminah and Giacomo away.

  Savino kicked the dirt while Nero let out a shrill cry.

  “Don’t get all pouty about it,” Milena called back.

  Savino fell in line behind them. “I’m not. I just think we’re making a huge mistake.”

  “You’re entitled to your beliefs. But it doesn’t make them right.”

  While Savino and Milena carried on bickering, Giacomo’s thoughts turned to the two statues. Baldassare had mentioned how artists in the past had tried bringing statues to life. Could those two have been some kind of ancient Tulpas? And assuming they were, why did they attack?

  Their mission had already brought about death and suffering, and they weren’t even close to their destination. Giacomo didn’t want to think about how much worse it could get, especially if they crossed paths with Ugalino’s Tulpa.

  9

  MASTER AND APPRENTICE

  We’ve arrived at the place of your birth, Zanobius. Virenzia …

  Ugalino’s voice echoed in Zanobius’s head. From the sky, Zanobius glanced down at the sprawling walled city that lay nestled between two mountain ranges, a long river winding through it to the sea.

  He struggled to recall even one moment of his life in Virenzia, but his memory resembled a half-finished mosaic with hundreds of missing tiles, making it impossible to determine what the full image was supposed to look like. Once in a while, Ugalino would fill in a gap by telling a story from Zanobius’s past. But inevitably, another blackout would hit and tiles would break off, depriving him of the whole picture.

  Ugalino’s voice cut in. Baldassare Barrolo’s villa is down there.

  Zanobius spotted a vast estate on the side of a hill overlooking the city. Ugalino dipped his Genius closer to the mountainside. The tops of trees whipped past Zanobius’s feet.

  SCREEEEEE!

  Zanobius’s ears rang from the piercing sound. A blue-and-gray-feathered Genius burst out from behind the villa and hurtled straight at them. It was nearly as large as Ciro, but this one had a round head, a small, hooked beak, and a large gem in its crown.

  Hold on! Ugalino wrapped his arm around Ciro’s neck.

  Zanobius’s four hands gripped handfuls of feathers a second before the oncoming Genius slammed into Ciro. The impact thrust Zanobius from Ciro’s back and into the air. The villa spun upside down, then right-side up. He clipped the top of a wall, then tumbled across the ground as pieces of stone rained down.

  Stunned, but otherwise unharmed, Zanobius stumbled to his feet. Nearby, Ugalino caught himself by creating a glowing net between two trees. With a twirl of his staff, the diamond dimmed and the pattern vanished.

  Overhead, the two Geniuses battled in the sky, swooping and snapping. Ugalino winced and grabbed his side as Ciro took a claw to his flank.

  Ugalino thrust his staff toward the sky. Spiraling light struck the enemy Genius, driving it away from Ciro.

  Inside, Ugalino commanded. Quickly!

  Ugalino blasted the doors open and they raced into the courtyard. Inside stood two men—one large and portly, the other hunched and frail.

  “I thought I recognized your Genius,” Ugalino said to the old man. “There’s actually a little part of me that’s happy to see you’re still alive.”

  His master seemed to know the old man, though Zanobius had no idea how. “It’s interesting that Nerezza chose to show you mercy. Quite unlike her.”

  “She might not have taken my life, but she took enough.” The old man stepped into the torchlight. Zanobius could now see the man’s pupils were foggy.

  Ugalino let out a surprised chuckle. “Rather ironic, don’t you think?”

  “What is?”

  “The man who lacked any artistic vision can no longer see,” Ugalino said, smiling smugly. “And now I find you taking refuge with one of Nerezza’s councilors.” Ugalino glared at the portly man. “Rather cowardly, even for you.”

  The blind man raised a trembling hand and pointed his paintbrush at Ugalino. “You are the coward. Hiding behind that abomination of yours all these years, removing the diamond from your Genius’s crown … You’re a disgrace to every artist who’s ever lived. I should have thrown you out of my studio the second you came to me wanting to create a Tulpa.”

  “You never were a very inspiring teacher, Pietro,” Ugalino shot back.

  Zanobius was surprised to hear that his master had studied with this man. Had Ugalino ever told him? Or was that information he’d lost during a blackout?

  On a second-floor balcony overlooking the courtyard, a boy in black clothes and a woman in an elegant night robe ran out and gazed down at Zanobius in fright. “Baldassare,” the woman shouted. “What’s going on? Who are these people?”

  “Go back to your rooms!” Baldassare ordered, but the boy and the woman didn’t budge.

  “The lives of so many great artists were lost because of you and your Tulpa,” Pietro ranted. “Countless Geniuses have been destroyed!”

  “Not by my hand,” Ugalino said defensively. “I’m not responsible for Nerezza’s tyranny.”

  “If not for your creature, artists wouldn’t be forced to live in the shadows.”

  Now Zanobius was the one who felt defensive. How was he to blame?

  “It doesn’t have to be that way anymore,” Ugalino said. “That’s why I’m here, Pietro. Your patron, Signor Barrolo, has been collecting information that can help me strip Nerezza of her power and put things right.”

  “I’m not sure what you’re looking for,” Baldassare said, “but you’ll be leaving empty-handed.”<
br />
  “You know what I want,” Ugalino said firmly. “The Creator’s Sacred Tools.”

  Pietro waved his brush. From the sky, his Genius shot orange squares of light straight at Zanobius and Ugalino. They leaped aside as the attack exploded, kicking up dirt and rock.

  Ugalino spun, drawing a wide arc with his staff. A bright wave emanated from the diamond and spread across the courtyard, knocking Pietro and Baldassare onto their backs. Then he turned his staff on Pietro’s Genius, striking its wing with a blaze of light. Ciro quickly followed up, grasping the wounded Genius in his talons and driving it down into the roof. The defeated Genius fell limply into the courtyard, near its unconscious master.

  Ugalino created an energy swath that cut through the pillar underneath where the woman and her son stood. The balcony crumbled and they plunged into the courtyard.

  Bring the woman to me, Ugalino said.

  Zanobius pushed aside a chunk of marble and found her. She had been stunned by the fall, but as soon as Zanobius lifted her, she began kicking and screaming.

  Baldassare rose to his feet. “Let her go!” he demanded.

  Ugalino stared the man down. “Tell me where the Compass is.”

  “I don’t know!” Baldassare wailed. “Please … I swear I don’t know anything!” Tears began to stream down his fat cheeks.

  “That thing’s going to kill Mom!” the boy cried, climbing from the rubble. “Tell him where it is!”

  Baldassare’s face turned red. “Enzio, stay out of this!” The man turned back to Ugalino and fell to his knees. “Please … My son doesn’t know what he’s saying. Don’t listen to him.”

  “Then say goodbye to your wife,” Ugalino said coldly.

  Zanobius wrapped a hand around the woman’s throat and waited for the order. She gasped for air.

  “Stop!” the boy said desperately. “Let her go and I’ll tell you where the Compass is.”