Sirens wailed in the distance.
The creature charged again, crashing through several shelves and stumbling between Jon and Sarah, separating them. Jon slipped and tumbled onto one of the creature’s massive feet, accidentally hooking his belt on a rear talon. It didn’t seem to notice as it strode away, flipping Jon around like a rag doll.
It suddenly caught sight of Sarah, taking up pursuit once again. She fled from aisle to aisle, barely able to avoid its clamping jaws and terrified for her brother. She turned a corner too sharply and tumbled to the floor, but managed to crawl into a lower shelf, momentarily safe.
The massive reptile lumbered methodically, inhaling through its flared nostrils—searching, snarling and then suddenly stopping directly in front of her hiding spot, planting one particular foot only inches from her face.
Their eyes met—Jon’s fragile body helplessly secured to the beast’s lower leg. She slowly reached out, her hand shaking terribly, her lips trembling. She pressed a finger to her lips, signaling Jon to stay silent.
Sarah motioned for Jon to try and loosen his belt. He inched his hand down and fidgeted with the buckle until it slipped loose and he dropped down onto one of its lower toes. It spun its head backward, lowering its gaze for a closer look and sniffing at Jon’s trembling body. A glob of yellow saliva oozed from its mouth, dripping onto Jon's face. He clamped his eyes shut and held his breath, waiting.
It arched its head high in the air, let out a bellow and thrust its open mouth toward his foot. Jon spun off of its foot, rolling between two shelves just as the snapping jaws clamped down hard on its own foot. It roared in agony, raging over its bloody limb and tumbled into a bookshelf. Sarah limped to Jon, scooped him up and pulled him to safety, both of them collapsing in an exhausted heap.
Suddenly, the entire area illuminated with white hot plasma. The smell of cauterized flesh filled the air and hundreds of books were seared and charred, some bursting into flames. The beast careened into a tropical aviary as it let loose a tortured wail. Thousands of screeching birds broke free, fluttering up toward the domed ceiling.
Number One and Two helped Sarah and Jon away from the horrific scene. She limped badly, wincing with each agonizing step. Moments later, as they distanced themselves, an old, hunchbacked wizard approached them, his face hidden beneath a heavy hood of burlap. He reeked of death and decay and carried a small dilapidated leather bag that clanked as he shuffled toward them, dragging one lame leg.
One approached Sarah. “He help.”
“Help what?” Sarah asked, wiping her tears and runny nose across her arm.
“Pain.”
“Him?” she sobbed.
“Good wizard.”
The old man lumbered up to Sarah, careful to keep his face concealed. He made hand gestures, signaling to One that her shoe be removed. She cried out as One pulled it loose. The wizard drew a short, crooked wand from his waistband, reached into his tunic and retrieved a small leather pouch. He opened it and sprinkled a foul grainy powder over her exposed swollen ankle.
Sarah winced. The powder burned her skin a bit as it was absorbed. The wizard pressed his lips to the tip of his wand, whispered and then waved the wand several times over her injured foot, creating a twinkling burst of color over her ankle. Her skin tingled and suddenly felt cold. Then warm.
The wizard opened his satchel and retrieved a small glass vial of fluid, uncorked it and quickly consumed the contents. He doubled over in pain and dropped the vial to the floor where it shattered. With a raspy groan, he held his hands over her ankle and rubbed them together vigorously. The mysterious powder rose slowly toward his face, swirling wisps of opalescence.
Sarah leaned closer, trying to see his face beneath the shadowy hood. He leaned forward holding his breath for several moments before he began coughing and moaning and collapsed at her feet. She instinctively reached out to help as he cried out in distress, his hood falling away.
The wizard’s face appeared to be made of soft clay, pulled and stretched to one side and compressed in a horrifying grimace. His eyes were vacant and colorless. His nose and mouth were squashed against his left cheek bone and an ear dangled against his neck. A hideous array of crooked teeth protruded from his mouth, yellow and rotten.
Jon held Sarah tightly as she scrambled backward. The wizard whipped the hood back over his monstrous face, hiding his shame.
“Wait, Sarah,” One grunted, using his huge hands to steady her. “Helped you. Still have pain?”
Sarah relaxed, taking several deep breaths to calm herself. She rose to her feet and gingerly put weight on her foot. The pain had vanished. “Is he a doctor?”
“Special doctor,” One agreed. He helped the wizard to his feet. “Healer. Stole pain.”
“He took away my pain?” Sarah asked, confused.
One shook his head. “Yes. His now.”
“I’m sorry,” Sarah pleaded, touching the wizard tenderly on the shoulder. “Please forgive me. You’re very kind.”
He was sobbing and struggling to his feet as he clung to one of the bodyguards. He moaned loudly and lost his footing, rolling to the floor. His hood slipped loose and fell across his shoulders. Sarah prepared herself for the horrid sight again, but he was different. A good different. Even handsome.
“Oh my,” she gasped. “How?”
The wizard appeared to be much younger now, his skin smooth and his hair a full, thick mop of black. He grinned, his teeth bright white and straight. With an energetic leap, he was on his feet again. He quickly flung the hood back over his face before trotting away.
“How did he do that?” Sarah asked One.
“Sozo heals. Sozo takes,” One replied. “Part of you with Sozo now.”
Sarah considered what he was saying. The wizard, Sozo, had taken away her pain, felt it himself and in return, he became young again? It seemed impossible, but no more impossible than a library full of living, breathing storybook characters.
There was a low, mournful bellow and Sarah looked around for the source. No one else but Jon seemed to have noticed.
“I hear it too,” Jon said with a nod. “Worm song.”
Sozo touched Sarah’s arm. “And I as well.”
The wizard smiled and strolled away, whistling. Sarah thought about calling after him. How could he hear the song? What had he really done to her?
“Follow now,” One interrupted them, his voice low and stern. “Follow now. Fast.”
CHAPTER 29
THE BODYGUARDS QUICKLY SHUFFLED the children away from the alien dinosaur catastrophe.
“Can we go home?” Sarah asked One. “I’m tired.”
Jon groaned. “Are you kidding?”
“No. I think I’ve had enough for one day,” Sarah said.
Before Jon could argue, Seth appeared in a nearby stairwell. “Are the two of you all right?”
“Well, aside from nearly getting torn to pieces by an alien T-rex, yeah!” Jon replied, pumping his fists like he were boxing an imaginary foe.
“Right,” Seth said, frowning down at him. “I’d say you two have had quite the adventure today. But TwoSpells is something, don’t you think?”
“I guess so,” Sarah said. She looked to Jack and Jill who had finally caught up to them. “It is the coolest place I’ve ever been.”
“Now we’re talking,” Seth said, waving the guides to continue on. “There’s only one more stop. You won’t be disappointed.”
“One more stop?” Sarah asked, confused. “What do you mean?”
“The tour, of course. Liam promised, remember?” he replied, urging them forward.
“Okay. But after that we have to go.”
“Speak for yourself!” Jon exclaimed. “This place beats that smelly, boring farmyard any day.”
Sarah sighed and trudged forward, dragging her feet. Jon grinned, giving One a thumbs-up.
“Stunning place,” One grunted, leading them toward the geography section on the third level. “Will love.”
Sarah tapped One on the back. “What’s happening?”
He glanced at the Goblins. “Virus.”
“Really!” Jon said. “Stories can get the virus too?”
“Yes.” One replied simply, just as they reached their destination.
As they entered the geography exhibit Sarah gawked at the incredible array of topographical displays from around the world. There were oceans, mountains, deserts, taiga—even alien worlds. Everywhere anybody could possibly want to go. And all of it was displayed in a physical, interactive setting or through realistic holographic images.
One clambered up one of the mechanical ladders, searching for a book. He glided swiftly to the ground and led them to a table, laying it out before them.
Sarah beamed, picking up the magnificently illustrated book. “It’s beautiful. Don’t you think, Jon?”
“Cities of the Rainforest,” Jon read. “Sounds okay. Are we talking about poison frogs and giant, man-eating anacondas?”
One flipped open the book to a page displaying a lush, green canopy surrounded by mountains. He handed the book to Jon. “Read.”
As soon as Jon began reading, a portal opened before them, splashing the area with blue light. Jon’s body began to flicker and change.
Together, they stepped through the portal, but something different happened this time. A dull red light flickered from One and Two’s necks. A swirling darkness surrounded the children. Blinding speed overtook them for a few seconds before the grinding halt on page one.
And then they were there, standing in a tiny village full of primitive people who squealed at their sudden appearance. They fell to their knees before them, bowing repeatedly.
Sarah looked about for the golems, but they were nowhere in sight. They were alone, just the four of them, with no protection in a dangerous forest. Another portal opened, and then everything went dark.
Sarah lifted her head. She and the others were at the edge of a high, rocky cliff top hundreds of feet above the forest floor. The vast canopy stretched to the horizon. A tart, fruity smell hung in the mist that surrounded the bluff. Sarah could hear the chattering calls of a myriad of animal life all around her. Flocks of colorful birds flew above the treetops and monkeys swung from tree to tree. A wild cat roared deep within the shadows.
“Where’s One and Two?” Sarah asked, her stomach knotting in panic. She struggled to her feet, feeling the balmy air cling to her arms.
“Holy crap!” Jon spat, peering over the edge of the cliff. “What happened to them?”
“The red flicker,” Jill replied, casually.
“Was that what that was?” Sarah asked.
“I’ve heard of it doing all kinds of strange things,” Jack interjected. “Like a fuse blowing in the enchantment. This isn’t good.”
Sarah looked to Jon. “Let’s go back. We can go back, can’t we?”
“We’re already here. Why not explore a bit?” Jack asked.
Before Sarah could respond, she heard several voices behind her and spun around. Another group of children were on the cliff top with them. A small boy dressed in tattered rags drew a twisted brass horn from within his cloak. He glanced over at Sarah and Jon, his eyes glazed and wild. He pressed it to his lips and blew.
But no sound came out.
“Seems like it’s broken,” Jack said.
Sarah heard a beautiful, melodious tone inside her head, joining the boy’s horn.
“I—I don’t think it’s broken at all,” Sarah said. She looked around, trying to pinpoint where the new song was coming from. It sounded like—
Worm song.
Jack and Jill shrugged their shoulders. A cacophony of howls and shrieks rippled across the canopy below them. It swayed with the movement of thousands of animals.
Sarah turned to them. “They’re calling it! It’s coming! Don’t you hear it, Jon?”
Jon nodded, seemingly entranced.
“Don’t they know how dangerous the worms are?” Sarah snapped. She searched the cliff top frantically, looking for a place to hide.
Jack held his hands up. “Sarah, I’m sure—”
Suddenly, the ground began to tremble and shudder, rocks and gravel sliding down the cliff face. The sky was full of vivid color as birds took to the air to escape. In the distance, massive trees collapsed as they were swallowed up. The mist that hung over the jungle mysteriously evaporated, exposing a beautiful pyramid and stone city below.
The boy who held the horn cheered wildly and continued blowing into it. And then Sarah saw it. A massive, lumbering segmented beast. It clamped its jaws onto the side of the pyramid, easily tearing the stone free before gulping it down. Dozens of innocent villagers fled the stone city.
Jon shook his head and ran to the edge of the cliff. “Stop!”
“What are you doing?” Sarah called after him. “Come back here! Leave it alone!”
The worm paused and swung its head toward them. It began tearing through the jungle toward them. Ancient trees disappeared into the gaping maw of the voracious beast, cracking and crushing its way forward. Its body rippled and contorted as it gorged itself.
Jon looked about frantically. “Did it hear me?”
Sarah sprinted to the boy and yanked on the horn. “Stop it! You’ll get us killed!”
The boy fought her off, continuing to blow. The group of children around him laughed and cheered.
Where was the book? They could use that to get back. She searched the dusty rock for any sign of it. “Where’s the book, Jon?”
Jon whipped around. “Don’t you have it?”
“You were the one reading!”
The ground shook beneath Sarah’s feet as the worm tore closer. It opened its jaws and started up the cliff, gulping down massive boulders and vegetation. The strange children had lost their nerve and were huddled behind Sarah and Jon. The worm let loose a horrifying roar just as it reached the cliff’s edge.
Jon stood beside Sarah, mouth agape and unable to speak. The beast rose above them, ready to strike like a cobra. The air grew warmer with the smell of rotten wood and decay. Its cavernous mouth was split into four parts and clustered with razor sharp teeth like saw blades. The gaping hole was stained with red and green from the vegetation and animal life it had consumed. It had two bulbous eyes, one a deep blue and the other a brilliant green, swimming in huge knobby sockets. Whiskers sprouted from its head, shooting twenty feet into the air.
It paused, breathing deeply and rolling an eye toward them.
Sarah looked back and saw Jack and Jill crouching with the other children several yards behind them. Looking closer, Sarah could see that Jill had an open book in her hand.
But it was too late. The worm lowered its massive skull toward Sarah and Jon, its face within a few feet of them. It tilted its head sideways pressing its nostrils to them and inhaling. When it exhaled, it showered them with yellow mucus.
Sarah retched and wiped it from her face. “What do you want from us?”
Suddenly it arched back and away from them, pursing it’s multiple lips together. It began whistling an amazingly beautiful tune and this time, it seemed like everyone else could hear it too. As it whistled, it began to shrink—smaller and smaller it shriveled until it was no bigger than an average dog.
Sarah took a step toward it and it rolled onto its back, presenting its stomach. As she approached, it wriggled its back end and belched, spitting up a lump a crinkled leaves. Two leathery tongues hung from its mouth. She nervously touched its belly and it squirmed happily.
“It’s like a puppy,” Jon whispered.
“Com
e on!” Jill shouted suddenly. “We’re going to use their book. Let’s get out of here!”
Jon kneeled beside the worm. “Can we take him?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Jill answered. “We better not until we know if it’s okay.”
“But he’s harmless,” Jon pleaded as it licked his face. “I’m not going without him.”
“What harm could it do?” Sarah said, squeezing its cheek. “Look at that precious face.”
The woodworm looked to Jill and appeared to smile. Its tongues flopped out as it panted. Sarah and Jon recoiled a bit, not sure what it was doing. The twin tongues crept up over its face, slithered up and cleaned its eyes like windshield wipers. Sarah and Jon started laughing. After the worm finished washing, it wriggled its back end and brownish green drool dripped from its lips.
“It has eyes like you guys,” Jill said, joining them to pet it softly. “One blue and one green.”
“Cool,” Jon said. “We’re almost twins.”
“You would think that,” Sarah said, pushing Jon.
“Maybe it would be okay as long as it was on a leash or something,” Jack suggested.
“No leashes,” Sarah said. “He agreed to be a good boy.”
Jill looked confused. “It agreed?”
“Yeah! In a way. Right, Jon?”
“Oh yeah,” Jon replied, wiping the drool from his face and neck onto his shirt. “He just wants to be friends.”
Sarah peered at Jon’s disgusting, stained shirt. “Adding to your collection?”
Jon smiled proudly.
“It really talks to you guys?” Jill asked.
“It speaks inside our heads,” Sarah said. “Through feelings.”
“Well, okay, but if there’s trouble, you guys are taking it,” Jill said, opening the book and reading backwards, triggering the enchantment.
The portal opened and the group leapt in just as the ground began to tremble once more.
CHAPTER 30
THEY TUMBLED FROM THE PORTAL and landed in front of a family sitting at a table. They stared curiously at the group and their woodworm before quickly scurrying away, pointing and whispering.
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