by Carrie Ryan
Marrill rolled her eyes with a sigh. “No, Ardent, listen… Wait, why are these stars dancing on a wedding cake?” She squinted at the drawing, if it could be called that. Ardent had done it himself; that much was clear. And with his drawing ability, that was the only thing that was clear.
The wizard snatched it back quickly. “Those ‘stars,’ as you call them, are people. And that’s not a wedding cake, it’s the many levels of the game. You see, they stack up on top of each other, like…” He frowned. “Well, maybe it is like a wedding cake. Hmph. Anyway.”
Marrill opened her mouth to say… something. She frowned. She’d just been about to tell him something important. She was sure of it. But somehow, the thought seemed to slip away from her. “Oh… kay…”
Fin coughed beside her. Marrill glanced over, to find him standing next to some girl she didn’t recognize. He nodded to the girl. “Marrill? Remember Fig?”
Marrill squinted at the girl. She did look vaguely familiar… and yet, Marrill had absolutely no idea who she was. Still, Fin seemed so expectant that she automatically mumbled, “Sure. We met… uh…” She trailed off, hoping the girl would fill in the blank.
Fig cocked an eyebrow, clearly amused. “Three minutes ago.”
Marrill’s eyeballs bulged. No way they’d just met.
“Told you she wouldn’t remember,” the girl snickered, nudging Fin. “That’s the whole point.”
“The point of what?” Ardent inquired, inserting himself into the conversation.
The girl grinned. “Exactly.”
“Exactly how?” Ardent asked.
Fin let out a sigh. “Exactly how you’ve already forgotten about the fake deckhands and how they signaled that ship that was just chasing us. Anyone even wonder who that was?”
Ardent absently tucked his papers into a pocket in his robe. “Well, given the sigil on the side, the nature of our recent jaunt to Monerva, and the, um… cargo we’re carrying, I assume they’re the army of the Salt Sand King.”
Marrill’s head snapped to him automatically. “Wait, what?” She couldn’t believe he’d kept that to himself! “The army of the Salt Sand King is after us? Why didn’t you say something?”
Ardent shrugged. “Well, I don’t recall you asking. Also, they’re supposed to be an army of unstoppable soldiers. It’s not like we were going to do anything other than run away from them. Besides, we’re in the middle of a terribly important mission. If we allowed ourselves to get distracted every time some army decided to chase us…” He waved a hand dismissively.
“They’re called the Rise,” the new girl chimed in. “And they are unbeatable, just like the legend says. No one can hurt them; no one can stop them. They don’t lose at anything.”
Marrill frowned. Who was this girl? Where had she come from? And why didn’t Fin seem to care there was a stranger on board?
Ardent peered at the girl… and at Fin. “ I don’t believe I’ve met our guests,” he said.
Understanding hit Marrill like a soccer ball to the gut. Ardent looked at Fin and the girl the exact same way. He didn’t remember either of them. Just like Marrill didn’t remember the girl. And yet Fin did.
The girl was forgettable. Marrill pressed her fingers against her temple, wondering if this was even the first time she’d been through this with the girl. Had they met before? Carried on conversations?
“You’re forgettable,” Marrill said, confirming her suspicion. “Like Fin. Which means… we’ve probably already met, haven’t we?”
The girl smiled at her and winked. “We’re called the Fade. The spies who can’t be seen. And yes, we have met. You just named me, actually. I’m Fig.” She said the name carefully, as though still getting used to it.
“Huh.” Marrill found it disconcerting; she had absolutely no recollection of Fig, no matter how hard she searched for something familiar about her. But then, if she really was forgettable like Fin, there wouldn’t be. Marrill had remembered Fin at first because he’d seemed so lost, just like the injured animals she always loved so much back in her world. She’d cared too much about lost things to forget him.
And sure, there’d been a brief period in Monerva when she’d started to forget him, but that had only been temporary. Now, she remembered him because he was her friend—she remembered him.
But this girl wasn’t her friend, and she definitely didn’t seem lost or in need of special care. Fig was confident, which meant Marrill would keep forgetting her. It was an intensely uncomfortable revelation.
“We can remember the Rise, though?” Marrill asked just to confirm her understanding.
“Yep. They’re the other, more memorable half of the Fade.”
Ardent clapped his hands. “Excellent. Well, that solves that. The Rise are unbeatable soldiers we can remember; the Fade are unseeable spies we can’t. Now, who are the two of you again? Because I’m afraid you’ve picked a bad time to visit. We’re on a terribly important mission, you see, and I’ve just learned we’re being chased by some very dangerous people called the Rise.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Fig said with a wink.
Ardent crossed his arms. “I’m afraid we can’t let the subject drop there, young lady. I’ve learned over my many years as a wizard that when people tell you not to worry about something, it means there is definitely something worth worrying about.”
He tucked his hands behind his back in his storytelling stance. “One time that stands out particularly, I was trolling through the Question That Shall Not Be Asked—don’t ask—when Calixto the Magister told me, ‘Look, it’s nothing to worry about, but I’m pretty sure I once burned down a small village somewhere near here.’ So, naturally, I said, ‘What village around here is made from something flammable?’ And he said, ‘Well, none of them now’…”
As Ardent droned on, Marrill tried to catch Fin’s eye to share a laugh. But he was deep in discussion with a girl she’d never seen before. As subtly as possible, Marrill slid a step closer, wondering what they could be talking about so intently.
“…the Crest of the Rise,” the girl was saying. “She’s the leader of the army.”
“Do you think she might know where my mom is?” Fin asked.
Marrill’s eyes widened with surprise. They were discussing Fin’s mom! She held her breath, waiting to hear the girl’s answer.
“Well,” the girl began. “Maybe—”
Just then, Ardent’s story reached a crescendo. “Which went exactly how you’d expect!” he declared. “Didn’t see that twist coming, did you, Marrill? Because neither did Calixto.” He settled his hands on his hips triumphantly.
For the first time ever, Marrill wished the wizard’s story had been longer. “Uh… yeah.” She scrambled to come up with a question that would keep him talking. “So, Calixto the Magister—isn’t he one of the Wizards of Meres?”
“Oh yes,” Ardent said.
She fished for something else to add. “So… he could be the Master of the Iron Ship?”
Ardent tapped his fingernails against his teeth in thought. “Interesting theory. Hmm, I suppose he could be.… Calixto did have a penchant for tyranny. Unfortunately, Calixto did not survive that night at Meres when Serth drank Stream water.” He paused. “Unfortunately for him, anyway. I suppose there were a great number of people in his magisterium who were pretty happy about it. Oh, which brings me back to that burning village!”
Marrill tuned him out and turned back to ask Fin about the lead he’d gotten on his mom. But when she did, a girl she’d never seen before was placing a hand on her friend’s arm, laughing.
“Excuse me!” Marrill chirped, grabbing Fin by his other arm and pulling him away. Keeping her eyes pinned on the interloper, Marrill asked, “Um, Fin? Who is that?”
“That’s Fig. She’s one of my people.” His expression fell. “You really don’t remember her?”
Marrill shook her head. She was pretty sure she’d never seen the girl before in her life. “Should I?”
&n
bsp; “I guess I kind of hoped, since you remember me…” But his voice trailed off.
And then Ardent clapped his hands. “So you see,” he intoned, finishing his lecture, “I was correct as always. Just like I’m right in this instance.” He paused in his musing and looked around. “I’ve already forgotten what I’m right about.”
His eyes fell on Fin and the girl, and he brightened. “Oh, hello. You must be Marrill’s friends. Please pardon my rudeness for not introducing myself earlier. I am the great wizard Ardent,” he said with a bow. “Perhaps you’ve heard of me?”
Understanding hit Marrill like a soccer ball to the gut. Ardent looked at both Fin and the girl the exact same way. He didn’t remember either of them. The same way Marrill didn’t remember the girl. And yet Fin did.
The girl was forgettable. Marrill pressed her fingers against her temple, wondering if this was even the first time she’d been through this with the girl. Had they met before? Carried on conversations?
Why did this entire revelation feel so familiar?
“Of course I’ve heard of you,” the girl said, elbowing Fin with a roll of her eyes. He stifled an awkward laugh, and she cleared her throat before asking, “So, where are we headed anyway? Because we could always turn around. Go back to see the Rise and the Crest.…” Marrill caught the girl stealing a wink at Fin, but she didn’t have the slightest clue what it meant.
Ardent shook his head vigorously. “Oh, goodness no. You may not be aware, but those people back there are an unstoppable army aligned with our newest old foe, the Salt Sand King. Besides, we are on a mission of the utmost importance.”
“Oh?” the girl said.
“Indeed,” Ardent continued. “We have to play a game!” He paused. Even he seemed taken aback by the statement. “It’s a very serious game,” he added. “The fate of the Stream is at stake.”
“Sure,” the girl said. “Well… where do you play this game? And how long until we get there?”
“Technically the game itself is a place,” Ardent corrected her. “An island, to be precise. You’ll see when we arrive. Margaham is a master of transformation and of illusion. It’s what makes him so much fun.” He turned to the quarterdeck. “Coll—how long will it take to reach the Great Game?”
Coll glanced at where his knotted rope tattoo wound its way around his bare ankle. Marrill still found it weird that the tattoo not only moved but acted as a compass, helping the captain navigate the Pirate Stream.
“Probably be a day or so. We’re taking a shortcut through the Ravingorge.” He leaned toward Remy. “Lots of odd winds and sharp teeth, which will be good practice for your tacking.”
“Teeth?” Remy seemed uncertain.
Coll lifted a shoulder. “More like fangs, really.”
The new girl glanced back toward the clouds of dandelion fluff disappearing on the horizon behind them and nodded. “Margaham’s Game. One day. Got it.”
Marrill frowned. “Got what?”
The girl waved a hand with a self-satisfied smile. “Nothing important.” She then linked arms with Fin. “How about a tour of my new home, Brother Fade?”
With a furrowed brow, Marrill watched the new deckhand escort Fin belowdecks. Coll must have picked her up in Monerva, she thought. Then her thoughts slid away, and the girl slipped out of her mind entirely.
CHAPTER 4
This One’s a Scream
That night, Fin awoke to screaming. He bolted upright. The Kraken rocked roughly from side to side. Through the shrieks, he could hear a rumbling churn, a sound like a stomach gurgling all around them.
“Must be in the Ravingorge,” he mumbled to himself. Though no one had ever mentioned the Ravingorge screaming. He slid from his bunk, snatching his thief’s bag and skysailing jacket, and headed to the door.
Before he could even get his bearings in the dim hallway, Marrill’s cabin door burst open across from him. Her head popped out, eyes white and wide in the darkness. Her cat, Karnelius, glowered from the crook of her arm.
“What is that?” she whispered.
The shrieks were high pitched and growing louder. “Sounds like it’s coming from above.” Fin started for the stairs. “Come on.”
Marrill took a hesitant step after him. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”
Fin paused. They were charging into the darkness toward the source of mysterious screams, after all. “Nope. Do you?”
Marrill let out a sigh and settled Karny over her shoulder. “Nope. Let’s go.”
They raced each other up the spiral staircase. Fin burst through the hatch first, Marrill and her cat just a step behind. But as soon as he struck the cool night air, Fin’s stomach turned. The stench hit him like mildewed rotten eggs bathed in week-old mustard.
Marrill blanched, nose wrinkling. “Ugh.” Karnelius squirmed in her arms, clearly unhappy to have been dragged into the stink. “What is this place?”
Fin looked around. The Stream had narrowed into a river once more, but this sure wasn’t the Ravingorge—the lack of teeth made that obvious. Stonework banks penned in the river on either side, broken only by muddy side channels and high, arching bridges. Gothic buildings loomed on the banks like fat spiders, their stained-glass eyes lit with candles as they watched the night for prey.
But what defined this place most was the gas. Bubbles of it popped and belched everywhere, illuminating the darkness in an odd, wavering assortment of ill-scented hues. The Kraken shook from side to side as the Stream practically boiled beneath it. This, Fin realized, was what made the weird churn-and-chug noises he’d heard earlier. The stink had a familiar tang to it, one he recognized from the trading docks back at the Khaznot Quay.
“We’re in Listerd Light Alley,” he choked over the shrieks that continued piercing the night. “Has to be. Nothing smells like Listerd gas.”
Nose still wrinkled in disgust, Marrill pointed toward the rear of the ship and the source of the screaming: Ardent’s cabin. The door hung open, the wailing sound spilling out along with an oozing flood of gelatinous goop.
Ardent stumbled out beside it in a daze, dark stains of sludge sticking his robe to his skin. He flicked his hand, and a wad of goo flew through the air. The wailing increased to a howl as it landed just at Fin’s feet. He looked down at the glob. The goo was screaming, he realized.
Just then Coll and Remy joined them on the deck.
“Ohthankgoodnessyou’reokay,” Remy breathed, clapping a hand on Marrill’s shoulder. “You too, Plus One,” the babysitter added, dropping her other hand on Fin’s arm.
Fin smiled. Remy didn’t really remember him, so much as she remembered that there was another kid besides Marrill she needed to look out for. But that was still more than most anyone else in his life had ever remembered him, and he was thankful for it nonetheless.
Coll, meanwhile, cringed, pulling a curved blade from his belt. His eyes swept the deck, looking for trouble. “What’s going on?” he shouted over the whirlwind of noise.
Ardent twitched his fingers as he waved toward the sludge. It fizzled and crackled, the screaming turning torturous. Then all at once, goop and noise evaporated, vanishing in a puff of steam. A few stubborn streaks of the stuff still clung to Ardent’s robe and Coll’s boots, emitting tinny mews of angst.
“My alarm,” Ardent said, scowling. His eyes scanned the buildings around them as more and more candles flickered to life in dark windows. Crooked shapes like broken dolls cast their silhouettes out into the night.
Turning, the wizard stalked back into his cabin, Coll close on his heels. Marrill and Remy scrambled to follow.
“What’s going on, Brother—Fin?” Fig asked, coming up behind him. She yawned as Fin looked at her. Clearly, she was still half asleep; she hadn’t even had time to put on shoes.
“Wizard alarm, screaming gel, the usual,” Fin told her. “Where did you get off to?”
She shrugged. “Found a nice pile of blankets in one of the cabins downstairs. Had to snuggle up to a really gru
mpy four-armed monster to get any covers, though. Called me a ‘squirt larva’ and grunted something about hibernating.”
Fin shook his head. He’d wondered where the Naysayer had been all this time. Though frankly, the ship was much more pleasant without him. Even with the screaming, come to think of it.
“You may want to double-check you still have everything you went to sleep with,” Fin warned her. “The Naysayer can be a bit… sticky-fingered.”
Fig cocked an eyebrow. “Now what kind of Fade would I be if I let someone else get the drop on me?”
“Fair enough.” Fin laughed. The more time he spent with Fig, the more he realized how much they had in common. He really was Fade, he guessed. It seemed weird… almost like belonging. He felt himself blushing at the thought, so he pushed it away and tilted his head toward the stern. “Let’s go see what this screaming is all about.”
They reached Ardent’s cabin to find the wizard surveying the scene. The place was a wreck, junk everywhere. “Wow, they really tossed the place,” Remy said, toeing a broken vase. The vase let out a curse, and Remy scooted away.
Ardent glanced around. “Hmm, no, this is pretty much what it looked like when I went to bed.”
Coll sheathed his blade and crossed his arms. “Then why the annoying alarm?”
Ardent beamed, moving toward a stack of ornately carved chests under the windows. “I thought it quite clever myself. I filled the chest with enhanced and enchanted unending supersonic screaming gel. Loud as anything and always one second away from a panic attack. Best part is, it’s quite sticky, making it easier to catch the thief. Hard to run and hide when you’re covered in screams.”
Ardent crossed his fingers across the top of one of the chests, knocked twice on the side, and let out a whistle. The lid flipped open, revealing a star-shaped crystal just inside—the Key to the Map to Everywhere.