Rebel Genius

by Michael Dante DiMartino

  Giacomo collapsed against the slope, still feeling the ache of his injuries.

  Savino got up, his feet sinking into the sliding pebbles as he walked back to the girls, who wore bemused expressions. “It’s getting late,” he said. “We should find somewhere hidden and camp for the night.”

  “And then what?” Aaminah asked. “Where do we go next?”

  Milena shrugged and looked out toward the horizon despondently. “Back to Virenzia, I guess.”

  Giacomo pulled his knees to his chest and buried his head in his folded arms. The thought of returning empty-handed to the city, where Pietro and Baldassare might or might not even be alive, was too much to bear. All the deaths, all the suffering … What had been the point? The Creator was probably looking down from the heavens having a good laugh at his expense.

  A gust of wind caught the cipher and blew it against the rock Luna was sitting on. She hopped and chirped excitedly, then grabbed the parchment in her claws and flew it over to Aaminah, dropping it in her lap.

  “What’s gotten into you?” Aaminah put the cipher back in the pile with the rest of the parchments. Luna took to the air, shining her light across the cipher’s patterns. Then she picked up the parchment and flew it back to Aaminah, waving it in front of her face.

  “What’s the big deal?” Aaminah said. “We already know what the message says—”

  She gasped and snatched the cipher from her Genius. “I think Luna’s trying to tell us something! What if this isn’t only one cipher, but two?”

  “How can it be two?” Savino asked, puzzled.

  Curious, Giacomo returned to the group.

  Aaminah showed the patterns to everyone. “When I played in the grotto, the music made the pools of water ripple like these drawings.” She grabbed the decoded message. “You all figured out that the symbols equal certain letters. But what if they’re also musical notes?”

  “You think it’s a song that will somehow show us where the Compass is?” Giacomo said.

  “I’m not sure, but it’s worth a try.”

  Giacomo looked around. “But how are you going to make ripples without any water?”

  The slope was covered in granules of sand mixed with larger chunks of gravel. Milena scooped up a handful of loose sand and shook it in her palm. The small grains jumped and danced. “Maybe we can use sand instead of water,” she said. She picked up a large round, flat stone and laid it on the ground next to Aaminah, sprinkling granules across its surface.

  Aaminah sat with her legs crossed, cradling her harp in her arms. She plucked the strings, letting each note ring out before moving to the next. Luna projected waves of yellow light into the air, but the sand remained still. Aaminah frowned. “It’s not working.”

  “What if Luna projects directly onto the stone,” Giacomo suggested.

  Aaminah snapped her fingers and pointed at the sand. Luna tilted her head down and Aaminah started playing high notes.

  Short waves spread out from her Genius’s crown and onto the stone. The sand suddenly shifted.

  Milena gasped in wonder. “Play slower,” she instructed.

  Aaminah plucked the longest string, sending out a low-pitched vibration. Long strands of light flowed over the tiny grains of earth. They bounced up and down, then in an instant formed four horizontal wavy lines.

  Giacomo scanned the cipher. “Look! It matches one of the patterns.”

  Milena jumped to her feet. “Keep playing!”

  Aaminah plucked her harp, starting with the lowest note, then moving up the strings, all the way to the highest note. When Luna’s projection created one of the cipher patterns in the sand, Milena marked the corresponding symbol on the message.

  Once the harp’s last note rang out, Aaminah studied what Milena had written, committing the sequence of notes to memory. She closed her eyes for a moment, then began to play. The sand on the stone shifted with every note, each shape matching a symbol on the message.

  Giacomo found the music haunting. The tune began with low, ominous tones, before gradually ascending into a higher octave, then coming down again, the end of the piece mirroring its beginning. He found himself surrendering to the melody as it surged through him, seeping into his skin and muscles, warming his heart, and strengthening his bones. Even though he was hearing the piece for the first time, he was sure he’d known it all his life, as if the song had been written solely for him. As the last note reverberated, he realized the others were staring at him.

  “You okay?” Aaminah said.

  Giacomo felt his cheeks, noticing they were wet. Embarrassed, he wiped the tears on his sleeve. “Yeah, I’m fine. The song was … really beautiful.”

  They gazed up at the mountain, but Giacomo didn’t know exactly what they were looking for. Maybe a flash of light? At the very least, he needed some sign from the Creator that the Compass was close.

  Aaminah sighed. “I don’t think it worked—”

  The ground shook. Sand spilled off the stone. Chunks of gravel rolled past Giacomo’s feet. He dropped to all fours to keep from sliding down the slope too. Their Geniuses all shot high into the sky and flew in loops, chirping wildly.

  “Wh-wh-what’s ha-ha-happening?” Milena’s voice vibrated over the rumbling.

  Then came five thunderous explosions.

  Huge chunks of rock broke free from the mountain pinnacles and crashed hundreds of feet to the ground.

  The tremors seemed to go on forever. The song had unleashed a force of energy so powerful, it was ripping apart the mountainside. Boulders the size of houses rolled down the slope and tumbled straight for them.

  “Get behind me!” Savino ordered.

  As everyone scrambled, Savino pulled one of his tools from his belt. He hacked his sculpting blade against the air and Nero hit the boulders with pulsating blue circles. The giant stones burst and crumbled into small rocks that harmlessly rolled past.

  The convulsions eased, then stopped altogether.

  “The Creator’s Hand…” Milena said. “Look!”

  Giacomo gazed up through the dust, where five pinnacles rose from the mountain, past the summit. As each pinnacle locked into place, a boom echoed across the valley. The song Aaminah played had reshaped the mountainside into four tall peaks like fingers, and a fifth shorter one that resembled a thumb.

  Milena’s mouth hung agape. “The Creator’s Hand…”

  Giacomo spotted a crevasse, cradled between the thumb and the first finger. A dim blue glow shone from within. “There’s the cave!” he shouted, pointing to the spot.

  He clambered up the slope until he reached a sheer wall. Then it was an exhausting climb using precarious hand- and footholds to ascend straight up the mountain’s rocky palm. His hands turned slick with sweat and his right leg ached. One slip and he’d plummet to his death, taking his friends down with him. Giacomo dried his hands on his pants and pressed on.

  Finally, he crawled up to a narrow ledge where the blue glow radiated from inside the wedge-shaped mouth of the cave. He waited so they could all share the victory. Savino joined him first, followed a minute later by Milena and Aaminah. Giacomo took a deep breath. “You ready?”

  The three nodded in reply.

  The fissure was only wide enough for a single person to enter at a time, so Giacomo led the group into the narrow tunnel. As the light grew brighter, the air cooled.

  The tunnel emptied into a cavernous room with smooth slanted walls and a sand-covered floor. And floating in the center of it, inside a rotating octahedron, was the Creator’s Compass.

  Giacomo savored the moment for as long as he could. We found it.

  Luna startled them all with the same bloodcurdling screech and clicking sound she’d made at the grotto.

  “Ugalino’s close again.” Aaminah’s voice quavered.

  In the excitement of finding the Compass, Giacomo had completely forgotten about Ugalino. And if he was close enough for Luna to sense him, he would have been close enough to see the mountain burst
apart and the peaks rise. “He knows exactly where we are,” Giacomo said.

  “We need more time,” Milena said hurriedly.

  “We don’t have it.” Savino reached for the Compass. “So let’s free this thing before Ugalino shows—ow!” The octahedron sent out a shock of energy that threw him to the ground.

  Milena helped him up. “Why did you touch it?”

  Savino stumbled to his feet. “At least we know it’s the real thing.”

  Luna flew in frantic circles around the cavern, her squawking growing more agitated.

  Giacomo’s gaze darted to Milena. “I’ll watch for Ugalino. Free the Compass!”

  Gripping his sketchbook in one hand and his pencil in the other, he ran through the fissure to the mouth of the tunnel and scanned the orange sky—no sign of Ugalino yet. He glanced back into the cavern, where Milena and Savino brushed triangular shapes in the air, while Aaminah played her flute, the notes rising and falling. The music calmed Luna and forced her to focus her energy on the Compass. Giacomo watched as wedges of blue, green, and yellow struck the middle seam of the octahedron, trying to pry it open. The energy pulsed, but the Compass’s prison remained intact.

  SCREEEEEE!

  Giacomo whipped around. Silhouetted by the setting sun, the silver-winged Genius flew straight at the mountain, Ugalino astride its neck.

  Flipping open his sketchbook, he furiously scribbled circles and triangles. Mico fired the shapes from his crown in quick, red bursts. They either missed their mark or fizzled harmlessly against Ciro.

  Ugalino raised a staff and swung, launching a helix of white light from a gem on its handle. “Ugalino’s here!” Giacomo dove into the tunnel. The attack erupted against the cliff side, shaking the cave.

  Aaminah’s music abruptly stopped. Milena fell back and dropped her brush. Savino stumbled against the wall. Their triangles of light vanished.

  Giacomo’s head rang. He tried to rise to his feet, but dizziness overcame him and he fell to one knee. He scanned the ground for his sketchbook, but didn’t see it. Panic set in. Without it, he was defenseless.

  Suddenly, he spotted it lying inches from the ledge, its pages flapping in the breeze. Giacomo crawled toward it. Ciro flew closer, blocking out the sun.

  Giacomo reached for his sketchbook, the pages fluttering against his fingers. But another blast hit, tearing out a chunk of the ledge. His sketchbook was incinerated.

  “No!” Shards of rock pelted Giacomo. The energy from Ugalino’s attack pushed him back into the cavern. He slid to a stop beneath the floating Compass, the octahedron’s spinning point inches from his head.

  Savino and Milena sprang forward and performed a dual strike. The wedges of blue and green light shot into the fissure and collapsed the tunnel, cutting them off from Ugalino. But now they were trapped inside the mountain with no way out.

  Outside, a muffled explosion bombarded the cave. The rocks filling the tunnel rattled and broke loose.

  “Try freeing the Compass again,” Giacomo urged.

  Savino, Milena, and Aaminah took stances around the octahedron and attacked it once again with triangular projections. Giacomo and Mico joined the effort.

  Another explosion. Ugalino was digging his way in.

  The glowing triangles scraped the seam of the octahedron, but the shape refused to crack.

  From the tunnel, white light burst through, sending huge rocks flying. One slammed into Giacomo, knocking him to the floor. His right arm stung from the impact.

  Ugalino marched through the rubble, followed by his Tulpa, his four arms and four legs silhouetted by the orange sky behind him.

  Panicked, Savino, Milena, and Aaminah retreated toward the back of the cavern, their Geniuses scattering in all directions.

  Even though Giacomo had seen Zanobius once before, his heart still hammered.

  Ugalino laid eyes on the Compass and smiled. “I’m impressed. I never imagined four children would find one of the most elusive objects in the world.” He looked to Giacomo. “Or should the credit lie only with you?”

  Giacomo masked his fear behind a scowl. “Where’s Enzio?”

  “He served his purpose,” Ugalino replied coldly.

  What does that mean? The way Ugalino spoke made it sound like Enzio might be dead. Caught up in his own horrified thoughts, Giacomo almost didn’t notice Zanobius’s face. The Tulpa stared at the floor, like his mind was somewhere else. His expression could have been one of remorse, but that was impossible for a Tulpa. Or is it?

  Ugalino took long slow strides, circling the Compass.

  “Good luck trying to get it out,” Savino said. “Our Geniuses couldn’t.”

  “Let me guess,” Ugalino said. “Pietro told you only the Creator’s living force can release the Compass.”

  Giacomo bristled at the mention of Pietro’s name. “What did you do to him? Is Pietro still alive?”

  “He wasn’t in great shape when I left him, but he’s cheated death once before.”

  Savino let out a wild roar and raised his pencil in a blur. His Genius shot a blue triangle, thin as a knife’s blade. Ugalino speedily raised his staff, forming a shield that shattered Savino’s attack. Then he shot out a white streak of light that slammed into Savino’s chest and propelled him across the cave, where he landed in a heap.

  “Savino!” Milena dashed over to him.

  Ugalino nodded to Zanobius, who approached the Compass. “Pietro misled you when he told you a Genius’s power would free the Compass. The Creator’s living force can take many forms, but Pietro’s too narrow-minded to understand that.”

  Giacomo felt a chill in his spine. What was Ugalino trying to say?

  Zanobius’s two right arms reached toward the octahedron. Giacomo braced himself, expecting the energy shield to hurl Zanobius away, just like it had Savino. Instead, the Tulpa’s hands dipped in as easily as if he was reaching into a pool of water.

  “My Tulpa is the purest expression of the Creator’s living force,” Ugalino said with a self-satisfied smirk.

  Without warning, Giacomo felt a burning in his chest, like his heart was on fire. For a second, he thought the Wellspring had opened again, but it hadn’t. He clutched his shirt and gasped for air.

  “Bring it to me, Zanobius.”

  The Tulpa wrapped his hands around one leg of the Creator’s Compass and tugged, but it didn’t move. Zanobius pulled harder, but it still wouldn’t budge. “It’s stuck!” Zanobius called out.

  Ugalino’s face flashed with worry. “You have four arms, use them!”

  Zanobius passed his two left arms through the octahedron and grabbed the other leg of the Compass. His four massive feet dug into the sand and he heaved, muscles pulling taut. But the Compass remained locked in place.

  Air flowed back into Giacomo’s lungs, though the burning in his heart remained. He tried to stand up, but couldn’t hold his own weight and collapsed back into the sand.

  A familiar deep voice echoed from the tunnel. “Guess your Tulpa isn’t as all-powerful as you thought.” Ozo stepped into the cavern, sword drawn. He was cut up and bloody but, to Giacomo’s surprise and relief, still alive.

  Ozo rushed Zanobius, sword raised. With a furious howl, the mercenary brought the blade down and cut clean through Zanobius’s front right forearm. The Tulpa roared and released his grip on the Compass. He stumbled back, colliding into Ugalino and falling on top of him. In the crush, Ugalino’s staff flew from his hands and spun across the ground.

  Ozo lunged at the toppled giant, who rolled out of the way and staggered back to his feet. The Tulpa stared at the stub of his arm in disbelief. Instead of blood, it oozed a thick, gray substance. His severed limb, which lay in the dirt, crumbled into pieces.

  Ozo stabbed and slashed as Zanobius dodged and swung, using his massive fists as weapons. One of the punches connected with Ozo’s jaw and he dropped with a thud.

  Ugalino shuffled on his hands and knees, reaching for his staff.

  Milena waved her brush
and Gaia fired green shards of light that exploded near Ugalino. He recoiled. Savino snatched his pencil off the ground and leaped to his feet, making cutting marks in the air.

  While Milena’s and Savino’s Geniuses pelted Ugalino with a barrage of green and blue triangles, Aaminah hurried to Giacomo. “Are you okay?”

  He clutched his chest. “Hard to breathe … Like my insides are on fire.”

  “I think it’ll go away once you take the Compass,” she said.

  “Me?” Giacomo said, gasping. “I can’t. No one can.”

  “Yes, you can,” Aaminah said. “Every time I’ve played music to heal you, there’s been something … different about the way the notes resonated with your body. I didn’t understand it at first, but now I think I know why.”

  Giacomo shook his head. “There’s nothing special about me.”

  “Your Genius showing up out of nowhere, your ability to enter the Wellspring, the way you could see the Invisibilia when none of us could…? I should’ve realized sooner, but you’re not an ordinary human.”

  The heat in Giacomo’s chest burned hotter. He gazed at the Compass and could’ve sworn it was calling to him, as if it wanted Giacomo to free it. He found himself compelled to answer.

  All his life, he had felt alienated from the world. He had always blamed it on his parents’ deaths and living on his own for so long. But maybe Aaminah was right. Maybe he felt so different from others because he was different.

  He moved toward the Compass, right arm outstretched. He closed his eyes, centering himself. He was dimly aware of Ozo’s sword clanging against the wall, Savino’s and Milena’s attacks exploding around him. But the sounds reverberated, like the fight had moved far away.

  He felt a surge of energy surround his hand as it made contact with the octahedron, then slipped through. He plunged his entire arm into the radiant form, and touched one of the Compass’s smooth, golden legs. A soothing coolness soaked through his feverish skin. Giacomo opened his eyes and pulled. The Compass slid from its resting place.

  The octahedron broke apart and faded away, leaving Giacomo in possession of the Creator’s Compass. For an object so large, it didn’t feel very heavy. His breathing calmed and the burning sensation disappeared.