And like all of Kitty’s plans, it involved making money. “If I give you up to Dreadbane along with the other Mysticons,” she said, “do you have any idea how much gold I could get for you, hero?”
Zarya stared at Kitty, wondering what her old friend was thinking.
*
The Mysticons moved through the tunnels in Dreadbane’s lair, getting closer to the center. Kitty and her pirates had collected the other Mysticons and were now pretending to trade them to Dreadbane. While Kitty was negotiating a deal with General Tibion and Dreadbane, the Mysticons snuck off the ship. It had taken some stealth moves, but they’d finally gotten past the skeleton guards and were inside. Now they just had to find the Dragon Disk and the missing Codex piece.
Arkayna pressed a button on her bracer. “Malvaron, we’re in,” she whispered.
“Move fast,” he replied. “It’s nearly zero hour.”
The tunnel passed a cavernous throne room with a giant statue of Necrafa. “There’s the Dragon Disk!” Piper said, pointing inside. There, hovering in a corner, was the gold Disk. It was just a few yards away. “Come on, let’s grab it!”
“We don’t want to risk blowing our cover,” Arkayna said. “We save the city first, then we come back for the Dragon Disk.”
They turned down another tunnel, running as fast as they could without being noticed. They came to a fork in the tunnel, and Arkayna held up her staff to figure out the best way to go. “The magic aura is strongest down here,” she said. “Tazma must be this way.…”
“Move it, pirate!” a familiar voice yelled. The Mysticons ducked into a bend in the tunnel to hide. General Tibion marched Kitty past them. Her hands were tied behind her back.
“Looks like Kitty’s business deal went bad,” Arkayna whispered.
Zarya threaded an arrow in her bow, ready to strike Tibion down. But Piper put her hand on it to lower it. “Bad idea, Zar,” she said.
“A fight would alert the whole lair,” Em whispered.
“Then I’ll save her quietly,” Zarya said. No matter what Kitty had done, she and Zarya had history together. Zarya couldn’t just let her be taken prisoner by Dreadbane. Kitty would spend her whole life locked up in his dungeons.
“Zarya,” Arkayna said, “what about saving the realm?”
“When pirates raided my village and captured me,” Zarya said, “Kitty could’ve escaped, but she gave herself up so she could protect me.”
“Aww,” Piper said. “Now I can’t hate her!”
Arkayna’s face softened. She paused, considering for a moment. “Go get your girl,” she said finally. “We’ll meet up at the Dragon Disk.”
With that, Zarya took off down the tunnel.
EIGHTEEN
THE MYSTICONS CONTINUED on without Zarya, finally reaching the room where Tazma and Dreadbane were. Nearby was the Codex piece they’d stolen. Zarya’s Codex piece.
Dreadbane and Tazma were working on something called a celestial focus. The long, gold-and-blue artifact had helped their spell throw the meteor shower off course. Luckily, they were continually being distracted by a couple of foz that were running around the room.
Piper and Em worked quickly, placing three orbs near the back of the celestial focus while Tazma and Dreadbane were snarling at the foz.
Then the Mysticons hid in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to blow the artifact up.
“It’s time, my liege,” Tazma said. “Time to level the city.”
“We’ll raze the city when I say,” Dreadbane replied.
“Their time is up,” Tazma muttered. “Raze the city!”
“I am the decider, and I will decide,” Dreadbane shot back. He waited a moment, then nodded. “Now, Mage. Rain down fire and brimstone on Drake City!”
“Elcalarum despotio,” Tazma said, reciting the spell, “feyarium!”
The Mysticons saw their chance. Em reached for her bracer, about to push the symbol on it that would make the orbs explode. But before she could detonate the bombs, Piper grabbed her hand.
“Ohmygoblin! Stop!” She pointed to the celestial focus. Two foz were sitting right next to the explosive orbs. If Em detonated them, the foz would be blasted to bits.
As Tazma finished her spell, the entire room trembled. Then the focus glowed and released its beam. The meteors changed direction. The Mysticons heard the roar of the fiery rocks as they approached the city.
“By the Hammer of Harmon,” Em said, her throat tight. They could see the balls of fire getting closer. She still had her finger on her bracer, but the foz were right next to the orbs. She just couldn’t bring herself to do it.
“What do we do?” Piper asked. “We can’t blow up the focus with those two cutie-pies there!”
“Maybe we don’t have to,” Arkayna said, studying the celestial focus. It moved ever so slightly, guiding the meteors.
“We can make the meteors miss,” Em said, finishing her thought.
Arkayna stormed out of their hiding spot and aimed her bracer at Dreadbane. “Unleash the Dragon!”
“Fly, Phoenix, fly!” Piper yelled, freeing her Mysticon avatar. The Dragon and Phoenix rushed toward Dreadbane and Tazma, who turned in horror. The Dragon slammed into Dreadbane, knocking him back. The Phoenix swooped down on Tazma, but she dove behind some rocks before the Phoenix exploded in a flash of gold magic.
As Arkayna charged toward the celestial focus, Dreadbane felt around for his sword, eager to fight back. “First the foz invade my lair,” he said, flinging some bone shards at Arkayna. “Now the Mysticons?”
Arkayna dove for the focus, but just as she did, Tazma’s black shadow tentacles circled her, Piper, and Em. Tazma came out from her hiding spot and held the Mysticons in the air, making them face the meteor shower. “Time for your city to burn,” she sneered.
Dreadbane approached Arkayna. His hand glowed with a dangerous magic. “Witness the ruin and destruction,” he said to the Mysticons. “Then I’ll turn you all to bone. Just like your pathetic queen and king.”
NINETEEN
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! Three magic arrows flew past, breaking the captured Mysticons free from Tazma’s shadow tentacles. Arkayna dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way just before Dreadbane could touch her with his dark energy. She looked up to see Zarya. She was perched on a ledge above them, her bow smoking.
“Hey, tall, dark, and creepy!” Zarya said. “You’ve got something of mine!”
“The Codex piece,” Tazma said. “No!” She ran toward it before Zarya could get it.
“Battle Unicorn, charge!” Em shouted. She sent her Mysticon avatar to rush Tazma, knocking her back.
Zarya grabbed the ancient book and opened it. A swirling blue energy surrounded her. It turned into a magic bracer that coiled around her wrist. She felt more powerful than she ever had before. Energy surged through her entire body. She aimed at the celestial focus and smiled. “Time to howl!” she yelled as her Mysticon avatar, a blue energy wolf, emerged from her arm. The Wolf jumped onto the celestial focus, knocking the meteors off course. Then it tackled Dreadbane to the ground.
The girls watched as the burning meteors changed direction, heading back out into the galaxy. As soon as the Mysticons knew Drake City was safe, they turned to go.
“You Mysticons have ruined everything!” Dreadbane cried after them.
“Oh, we’re not done,” Zarya said. “Choko, go find your friends.”
Choko scampered over to the two foz who’d been hiding at the edge of the cave. They still had Em’s magic orbs. Together they pushed them onto the celestial focus; then the foz rolled away. Once Em was sure everyone was safe, she detonated the orbs with her bracer.
In an instant, the focus exploded into thousands of pieces. The Mysticons ran off before the smoke had even settled.
They heard Dreadbane mutter “I hate foz season” as they ran through the tunnels.
They passed the cave with the Dragon Disk, but the Disk wasn’t there. Someone had taken it. Th
ey wanted to stay and find it, but Dreadbane’s army was already after them. There was no time.
“We’ll get the Disk another day,” Zarya said.
“At least we got the Codex piece,” Em said, trying to hide her disappointment.
They ran as fast as they could through the tunnels and out the front gates of Dreadbane’s fortress. There was only one problem: The pirate ship wasn’t there. The fortress was suspended in the air, thousands of miles above land. The Mysticons were completely trapped.
“Kitty totally bailed on us,” Em said as Dreadbane, Tazma, and dozens of skeleton warriors appeared behind them.
“Hold the line, girls,” Arkayna ordered.
The Mysticons turned around, and Em moved out front, putting her shield in between them and the army. But Tazma’s magic was too strong. She pushed the Mysticons back, inch by inch, toward the cliff’s edge. In just a few moments, they’d fall to their deaths.
When they were right at the edge, certain it was all over, the flying pirate ship appeared behind them. Kasey was at the wheel. He looked over and smiled. “Mysticons! All aboard!”
The girls leapt from the ledge onto the deck of the ship. Em tumbled on top of Kasey, who cushioned her fall. “Nice catch,” she said.
“Yes, you are,” he said, smiling.
“Pink Skullz!” Kitty yelled, appearing at the helm. “Let’s show these villains a little love.”
The pirates blasted Tazma, Dreadbane, and his army with cannon fire. The whole fortress was surrounded by smoke as the pirate ship flew away. It wasn’t until Zarya was sure they were safe that she turned to Kitty.
“Didn’t think I’d leave you behind, did you?” Kitty said with a smile.
“Not for a second,” Zarya said. Maybe Em and Piper had thought they’d been abandoned, but she knew that wasn’t Kitty’s style. She might be ready to do almost anything for some gold, but she was also definitely a no-pirate-left-behind girl.
“Oh yeah,” Kitty said, reaching into her pocket. “Here!” She pulled out the Dragon Disk and handed it to Zarya.
Zarya stared down at the golden Disk, knowing how lucky the Mysticons had been simply to escape Dreadbane’s wrath. Now they were high in the air, soaring toward the moon. And they had the Dragon Disk and all four pieces of the Codex.
Nothing could stop the Mysticons now.
The Mysticons train under Tazma’s guidance.
Arkayna faces off with Tazma.
Drake Central Station hangs high above the city.
Tazma holds the Mysticons prisoner and clutches the first Codex piece.
Arkayna feels the power of the Mysticon Dragon Mage bracer.
The Mysticons meet Barnabus, Magi Mall’s security goblin.
Dreadbane directs his skeleton army to attack the Mysticons.
Piper is thrilled to gain control of the Mysticon Phoenix bracer.
The Mysticons study a carved map of the Cosmoverse.
Arkayna apologizes to the Astromancers on behalf of the Mysticons.
Nova Terron and the other Astromancers sit in judgment.
Arkayna uses the Celestial Forge to create a copy of the Dragon Disk.
Em smiles as she takes command of the Mysticon Battle Unicorn bracer.
Sky Pirate Kitty and Zarya confront each other.
Zarya lifts high her Mysticon Wolf bracer.
The Mysticons hold their ground against their enemies.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sadie Chesterfield is the author of dozens of novels for children and teens. She lives in California. When she isn’t writing, she loves traveling the world, eating delicious food, and hiking in the mountains with her pit bull mix, Ralph. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Part One: A Betrayal
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Part Two: Fun and Games
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Part Three: The Missing Piece
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Part Four: Dreadbane’s Lair
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Photos
About the Author
Copyright
Mysticons characters, designs, and elements © 2018 Nelvana Limited. Mysticons, Nelvana, and Corus are trademarks of the Corus Entertainment Inc. group of companies.
Imprint
A part of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC
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mackids.com
All rights reserved.
If you dare to steal this book, even just one page, you will face the wrath of an angry Dragon Mage!
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
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Book design by Heather Palisi
Imprint logo designed by Amanda Spielman
First paperback edition, 2018
eBook edition, June 2018
eISBN 9781250165053
Mysticons: Quest for the Codex Page 5