The Prince Warriors and the Swords of Rhema

by Priscilla Shirer

  “Dad!” Levi yelled. He swung his sword and struck the arm that held his dad. The Forger shook Mr. J. Ar like a rag doll and then dropped him, its arm going haywire. Xavier stepped in and thrust his sword into the Forger’s central orb. Sparks flew from its chest as it wheeled backward and slammed against the tunnel wall. It toppled over and was still, the glowing red of its eyes sputtering and going dark.

  Levi dropped to his knees by his father. “Dad? Can you hear me?” He shook his father’s shoulders. Mr. J. Ar grunted. His neck where the Forger had grabbed him had turned to metal. He could hardly move his jaw at all, making it difficult to understand his words.

  “O . . . O . . .” Mr. J. Ar waved his arm toward the tunnel.

  “He’s saying go,” said Xavier.

  “We aren’t leaving you here,” said Levi. “Can you walk?”

  Mr. J. Ar blinked in reply. The boys helped him to his feet.

  “Which way is Ivy?” Levi asked Brianna.

  “I don’t know, I got totally lost, and that Forger was chasing me,” said Brianna. “We were in the Hall of Armor. . . .”

  “The Hall of Armor?” said Xavier.

  “Not the real one. Viktor told us—anyway, the doors were open. Ivy went in, and it just closed, and she was trapped. . . .”

  “Okay,” said Levi. “We need to get back there.” He stood up and checked his armor. “This way.”

  They started down the tunnel in the direction Levi had pointed. Evan gave one last look at the damaged Forger before following.

  “That should teach you not to mess with the Prince Warriors!” he said.

  * * *

  They moved quickly; all was silent except for the sound of their boots echoing through the hallways and Mr. J. Ar’s labored breathing. The metal on his neck had started to expand around his jaw. Levi wondered now how much time they had before it spread to the rest of him. They needed to get him to Ruwach as soon as possible.

  They ran down hallway after hallway, checking the breastplate and changing course often. The hallways all looked the same, endless rows of armor and locked doors. Their progress slowed as Mr. J. Ar had more trouble breathing, until finally he collapsed against one of the doors, unable to go on.

  “You guys go ahead,” said Levi. “We’ll stay here. My dad needs to—”

  He was interrupted by a faint but furious female voice coming from the other side of the door on which Mr. J. Ar slumped.

  “Let me out of here, you slime-ball!”

  It was unmistakably Ivy.

  CHAPTER 27

  Doors

  Brianna was thrilled to hear Ivy’s passionate, courageous, outraged voice. It meant she was still okay enough to be mad.

  “Let me out, Viktor, you slimy maggot!” Ivy bellowed again. “Let me out, you rotten piece of—pond scum!”

  “Pond scum?” asked Evan, one eyebrow raised.

  “She must be running out of things to call him,” said Levi. “Ivy!” he yelled through the door.

  “She can’t hear you,” Brianna said. “I tried it before.”

  “Okay—let’s get my dad away from the door first.” Levi and Xavier shifted Mr. J. Ar to the other side of the hallway. Brianna sat down on the floor next to him.

  Levi gripped his sword in both hands and brought it over his head, like he had seen Rook and his dad do, holding it out flat so the tip of the blade was aimed at the door. He looked at Xavier and Evan, who did the same thing. “I sure hope she’s not standing right in front of the door,” Levi said. “Or this might hurt. One . . . two . . . three!”

  The three of them thrust their swords into the door. There was a sharp, hissing sound, and the door began to flash and sputter, like a television blinking on and off. Then it disappeared altogether, replaced by the greenish metal bars of a prison cell.

  Ivy stood in the center of the cell, her hands over her mouth, her eyes so big they looked as though they might fall out of her head.

  “Levi? Xavier? Evan? Is that really you?” she exclaimed.

  “It’s us,” said Levi.

  “Ivy!” said Brianna, running to the metal bars. “Can you hear me?”

  Ivy nodded and started to cry, although she was laughing at the same time. “I am really glad to see you guys.”

  There was no door in the cell, but the swords sliced through the bars like hot knives through butter. Soon there was a big enough hole for Ivy to step through. She and Brianna hugged, both of them crying. Evan stepped behind Xavier to avoid any possibility of getting caught in the hugging crossfire.

  “Thanks, guys,” she said as she broke away from Brianna. “Thanks for coming after me. I thought I’d be in there forever. . . . Mr. J. Ar!” Ivy saw Mr. J. Ar slumped on the floor, the metal creeping up his neck.

  “Forger,” said Brianna.

  “Yeah, we need to hurry,” said Levi. “We still have to find your Prince Warrior books.”

  “Our books? They’re here too?”

  “Yeah. Viktor stole them after he trapped you. And Manuel’s too.”

  Levi helped his dad to his feet. Mr. J. Ar waved his hand, indicating he was all right, although his breathing was still labored.

  “This way,” said Xavier. He led the others down the fake Hall of Armor, past rows of doors. Suddenly Xavier stopped and turned toward a door that looked completely different from the others. It was white, with a sleek, crystal knocker and sharply angled handle. It looked like a door to some modern type of mansion. His breastplate beamed steadily upon it.

  “I think this is the one,” he said. He reached for the handle and pushed. The door swung open gently, leading to a hallway wholly different from the prison cells that surrounded it. It was lined with high shelves containing boxes of all shapes and sizes, some as small as jewelry boxes and others big enough to hold refrigerators. Xavier stepped through the doorway and peered down the hall, which seemed to go on for a very long way, disappearing into total darkness.

  He examined the boxes—some were made of cardboard, some of wood, and some were silver and gold. Names were engraved in the boxes or written on the sides in a fancy script.

  “Who are all these people?” said Evan, stepping up beside Xavier to look at the names on the boxes. He opened a lid; a terrible odor poured out of the box, making him gag. “Something died in there,” he said, coughing.

  “Everything here is dead,” said Levi. His eyes had begun to water. He was seeing something the others couldn’t. But this time, there was no stinging sensation. He was getting used to the gift. “This is where Ponéros keeps all the stuff he’s stolen from people. Everything. Even their hopes and dreams.”

  “And their Prince Warrior books?” said Brianna.

  “Yeah,” said Levi. He felt something cold run down his spine, a strange feeling that he was being watched. His eyes traveled upward. Rows of green bulbs dangled from the ceiling, casting a ghastly glow over the long hallway. But there was something else up there too—thousands and thousands of tiny red dots.

  “Ents,” Levi whispered. The others looked up as well. They could not see the jagged metal wings of the Ents, only the glow of thousands of eyes watching them.

  Levi turned to Brianna and Ivy. “Stay here with my dad,” he said in a soft voice. “We’ll find the books. Dad, you might need your shield.”

  Mr. J. Ar blinked once to let Levi know he understood. He leaned against the door frame, breathing in short gasps.

  Levi turned to Xavier and Evan, tilting his head toward the hallway. He put a finger to his lips. They began to walk down the rows of boxes, reading the labels as they went. Levi could feel the Ents tracking their every move.

  When they had gone so far down the hallway that they could no longer see Mr. J. Ar or the girls, Evan stopped in his tracks and made a low noise in his throat. He pointed to a row of boxes. Levi and Xavier drew up next to him.
There they saw a box with Brianna’s name and one with Ivy’s and Manuel’s. But their names were also on boxes: Xavier, Evan, and Levi. And Finn. And Rook. All of their friends too. Ponéros had boxes for each of them.

  The kids’ boxes looked fairly new, but others looked old, the edges cracked and worn, as if they’d been there a long time and opened more than once.

  “What do you think is in them?” Xavier asked, staring at the box with his name on it.

  “I don’t want to know,” said Evan.

  “Aren’t you a little curious?” said Xavier.

  Evan thought about it, pulled down his box, and opened the lid. He let out a breath of relief. “It’s empty,” he said. “And I hope it stays empty. I don’t want Ponéros getting any of my stuff.”

  Xavier pulled down his box and opened it.

  “What’s in it?” said Evan, jumping up to see.

  “Nothing,” said Xavier. He sounded relieved.

  Levi’s box was empty too. “Guess he keeps the boxes in case he ever does steal something.”

  He put his box away and reached for Brianna’s box. He took a deep breath and opened it.

  The book was there. He lifted it out, checking to see if there was anything else in the box. He saw something scattered at the bottom—dust? Ashes? He wasn’t sure. He quickly closed the lid. Then he opened Ivy’s and Manuel’s and pulled out the books, handing one to each of the other boys. They had to stow their swords, which had retracted to the small Krÿs size, in order to carry the books.

  “Got ’em,” said Levi. “Let’s go.”

  “Wait. Ruwach said there was another one here,” said Xavier. He glanced at all the boxes, his eyes resting on the one that was labeled “Aarón Santos.” This box was much larger than the others and very worn, as if it had been used often. It was heavy too. Xavier carefully lifted the lid and looked inside. Reaching in among a lot of stuff he couldn’t identify, he pulled out a very dusty book. He cleared off the cover; the Crest of Ahoratos glowed faintly.

  “Manuel’s dad’s book?” asked Evan.

  “The real one, I think,” said Xavier.

  “Cool. Let’s get out of here,” said Levi. He and Evan each carried one book, and Xavier had two. The Ents still loomed overhead, very quiet, their laser eyes trained on the boys. Levi held the book under one arm and reached into his pocket with the other hand, fingering his seed-shield. He figured the shield would be more useful against Ents than the sword, and since he only had one hand free, he had to choose. He pulled it out and showed it to Xavier and Evan, silently telling them to do the same. Xavier balanced the books in one hand and took out his seed-shield. Evan did the same. Levi turned to head back to the entrance, where his father waited with the girls.

  But something stood in his way. Something very large and made of metal.

  The Forger raised its huge fist to grab him; Levi, with no time to think, ducked and scooted under its outstretched arm. Then with his boot he kicked the Forger as hard as he could in the back of its massive leg. He expected it to hurt, but his boot seemed to have hardened around the toe so he barely felt anything at all. The Forger pitched forward at the blow, right into Xavier and Evan, who quickly flattened themselves against the shelves. Evan managed to slip past the Forger as it made a grab for Xavier, who thrust out his shield, blocking the huge metal fist.

  “Xavi! Come on!” Evan coaxed. Xavier darted past the Forger, which spun around and roared, the sound like a bomb exploding in their ears. Thankfully, Levi and Evan had deployed their shields, which muffled the terrible noise.

  But the Forger’s roar seemed to signal the Ents on the ceiling; they descended in a flurry of clanging metal wings and flying darts.

  “Let’s get out of here!” Levi shouted. The three boys turned and ran. The Ents continued to bombard them with darts, despite the fact they bounced off the shields harmlessly.

  Levi found it increasingly difficult to hold the book and keep the shield deployed as he ran. The hallway seemed far longer than it was before. He could see no sign of his father or the girls ahead. Maybe they were gone, maybe they had been captured by Forgers and taken off to the prison. His father was so weak, and the girls didn’t have armor—

  He felt his helmet warm, tightening around his head. The thoughts that ran through his mind were instantly replaced by louder, stronger thoughts: You have everything you need. Levi felt those words shiver down his arm, strengthening his grip on the shield and the book.

  Then another Forger stepped out from the wall of shelves, blocking their path, its huge red eyes pulsing, its arms outstretched.

  Levi skidded to a stop, causing Xavier and Evan to pile into him. Levi thrust his shield toward the Forger and pushed with all his might. Resist. Resist. Evan joined his shield with Levi’s. Xavier turned his shield toward the Ents, which pressed in from the other side, forming a nearly solid wall.

  “Now what?” cried Evan. “We can’t carry these books and fight at the same time!”

  “Dad!” Levi cried out. “Can you hear me?”

  There was no answer beyond the shrieking of the Ents. Levi pushed against the Forger, who moved back an inch or two, but no more.

  “We have to leave the books,” Xavier said.

  “No, we can’t. We need them!” said Levi.

  “We won’t get out otherwise!” said Xavier. He threw the books he was carrying on the ground and fumbled for his Krÿs.

  Suddenly the Forger in front of them doubled over and collapsed sideways, knocking boxes from the shelves. Levi saw a sword come down on its neck, nearly slicing its head off.

  “Dad?” Levi yelled, wondering if it was indeed his father coming to get him. The figure was tall, broad-shouldered, his face still in shadow. But as he drew nearer, Levi saw exactly who it was.

  CHAPTER 28

  A Narrow Escape

  Finn!” Levi shouted.

  “Come on!” said Finn, pulling his sword from the Forger’s metal neck. Xavier hurriedly picked up the books as the three boys climbed over the huge Forger lying amid the toppled boxes. The Ents pursued them, screeching in rage and shooting darts as they ran all the way back to the doorway.

  Levi was relieved to see his father slumped on the floor with his fist thrust out, his shield covering the girls. Brianna and Ivy huddled together with their hands over their ears to shut out the horrific screeching of the Ents.

  When Mr. J. Ar saw the boys coming, he pushed himself to his feet, the girls helping him. Finn whirled around and raised up his shield to join Levi and Evan.

  “Take the books!” Xavier shouted, handing his books to Brianna. Ivy took the other two.

  “Go on out with my dad,” ordered Levi. “Get back to where we first came in. We’ll meet you there!” The four boys turned their shields fully on the Ents, their combined strength sending shock waves through the swarming mass. They backed away slowly, slipping through the doorway one at a time. Finn went last, slamming the door hard and leaning against it.

  “Go on,” said Finn. “I’ll hold them.” The door puckered and splintered as the Ents continued to bombard it from the other side.

  “The door can’t hold them for long,” said Xavier. He put his shield away. “We need to run—”

  Suddenly Finn jumped away from the door, shaking his hands as if he’d been burned.

  “It’s hot,” he said. As the boys watched, the door began to glow very brightly.

  “It’s on fire?” asked Evan.

  Levi stared at the door, his eyes straining, watering. Seeing. “It’s Ru,” he whispered.

  “I don’t think those Ents are going to be getting out of there for a while.”

  The four of them, guided by their breastplates, raced back to the fake Cave and the spiral staircase. Brianna and Ivy were already there, holding up Mr. J. Ar, who seemed unable to stand alone now. The books were piled on the
floor.

  “He’s not doing too well,” said Brianna, her voice laced with worry.

  “I’ll take care of him,” said Levi. “You guys take the books.” The two girls and Xavier and Evan each picked up a book and started climbing the spiral staircase. Finn was still looking around, checking the various tunnels for any sign of Forgers.

  Levi looked at his dad. The metal had advanced up one side of his face. Levi suspected it now covered his chest as well.

  “You’re gonna make it,” he whispered. “You have to.”

  Mr. J. Ar blinked. Levi took his father’s arms and put them on his shoulders. “Lean on me.” Levi took a step on the staircase. “Hold onto my shoulders. Don’t let go.” He heard his dad’s foot fall heavily on the first step, felt him leaning on his shoulders as he pulled himself up. Levi flexed his muscles against the added weight, breathing deeply. “One step at a time,” he said. “You coming, Finn?”

  “Right behind you,” said Finn.

  It was a slow, agonizing process, getting up all those stairs. Levi took two or three steps and then stopped, listening to his father wheezing, struggling for breath. One step at a time, he said to himself over and over. Sometimes he said it out loud.

  “I’ve got your back,” Finn said from time to time. Levi felt relief and gratitude knowing Finn was there to keep his dad from falling.

  Finally, Levi sensed a dim light overhead and looked up to see the other kids peering at them from the top of the mound, whispering encouragements. A few more steps and they were out. Levi turned to help his dad crawl out of the hole. Mr. J. Ar collapsed on top of the mound, breathing in short, loud gasps, as if each breath were cut off before it could finish. Finn came up last, still on guard for any attack. Levi watched him a moment, impressed with his skill. He thought Finn could probably handle most anything thrown at him now.

  “Thanks for coming,” he said to Finn. “Did Ru send you?”

  Finn nodded humbly. “He said I was ready.”

  “Yes, you sure are,” Levi responded with a smile.