“Get down!” someone screamed.
Jack dropped low as an older boy leaped over him. “Parker?” Jack breathed.
Parker looked back and grinned. “It’s good to see you, little brother!”
“Look out!” Jack cried as the spindly tree slammed into Parker, trampling him into the dirt.
“No!” Jack shrieked. He drew Ashandar and ran toward the tree. But before he’d gone three steps, something knocked him to the ground as a group of twenty or so men, women, and children tumbled to a stop all around him. What’s happening? He ignored the newly arrived Awakened and spun around looking for the tree that had trampled Parker, but it was gone. His eyes scanned the madness, searching for any sign of his brother.
Another group of fifty or so Awakened materialized out of thin air, tumbling and then rising in a daze. It was happening throughout the valley.
“I’ve heard lots of stories about the mighty warrior Jack Staples, but so far all I’ve seen is you getting knocked off your feet.”
“Parker!” Jack screamed.
His older brother stood before him tearing vines and dead branches from his body.
“It’s good to see you … but let’s talk when we’re safely out of this mess.” Parker nodded at something, and Jack turned to see a Shadule slithering toward them. The creature rose and unsheathed its bone-white blade in one fluid motion.
Jack lifted Ashandar and moved in, meeting the Shadule’s lightning-quick strikes in movements that were as natural as breathing. From the corner of his eyes, he saw a large number of Clear Eyes appear out of nothing, but there was no time to understand it.
Though Alexia had traveled through a World Portal once before, she’d been unconscious and had no memory of it. Luckily, the Gang of Rogues told her what to expect, so Alexia inhaled the emerald sea, letting the liquid fill her lungs. Every breath brought life.
She looked down and saw her mother staring at her with wide eyes, as if she didn’t understand what she was seeing. Alexia pulled her mother close, and for a long moment both women held each other in a fierce hug. Her mother leaned back and cupped Alexia’s chin. Her hands were frigid, and her skin had a silvery quality to it, but she smiled warmly. Alexia couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this happy. She wanted to tell her everything, but there was no talking in the emerald sea.
She watched Benaiah and Josiah treading water just beneath a river path. Both boys grinned and waved, then touched the river. Faster than Alexia could have imagined, they were whisked away in a streak of light.
Alexia clutched her mother’s hand as the two women swam toward the river with Juno following close behind. The moment Alexia touched the stream, she was moving so fast, she thought her skin might burn off. It was exhilarating.
The ride was filled with twists and turns and sudden drops. Alexia screamed in delight, but only a trail of bubbles escaped her lips. Ahead was what looked like a tangle of thousands of bodies thrashing about in the darkness. Before she could make sense of it, Alexia was tumbling head over foot across muddied ground.
When she stopped, she pushed herself to her feet and nearly lost her head. A birdlike creature with swords for arms swung one of its blades wildly. A fierce-looking boy with orange-tinged eyes stepped in and kicked it in the chest.
“Wild!” Alexia gasped, but there was no time to say more. Five snout-nosed Oriax rushed at them with teeth bared, even as two winged Shadule attacked from above. Alexia drew her slim sword and went to work. The enemy was too close to make use of her sling. When a body pressed against her back, she was surprised to see her mother. Madeleine Dreager had an angry look in her eyes and had already found an ax.
Her mother kissed her on the forehead. “It’s a dream come true to see you, my girl. We will catch up soon, but for now we fight!” Her mother moved with catlike grace as she leaped into the enemy and began working her ax. The enemy was upon them.
The Valley of Elah lay at the foot of a mountain nestled between two bluffs. Arthur’s breath caught as the army of Awakened approached. Camped atop both bluffs were so many Shadow Souled, they outnumbered the sands of the sea.
A small battle raged in the center of the valley. A few thousand Awakened fought at least thirty thousand dark servants. The enemy atop the cliffs watched but didn’t join. The Awakened would be finished soon enough without their help.
“It’s a massacre,” Sage whispered.
“We need to go now and rescue them,” Arthur said.
“And if the army atop the bluffs decides to join the fight?” Eric asked.
“Then we fight them. We can’t just sit here and watch our friends die.”
“When a mother eagle shoves her baby from the nest,” a voice said from behind Arthur, “it is precisely because she is sure of what she has not seen. Sometimes it is the faith of others that allows us to fly.”
Arthur spun on his heel. “Mrs. Dumphry!” he shouted.
“Though I was sure you would rise to the challenge, it does not make me any less proud that you did.” Mrs. Dumphry placed a hand on Arthur’s shoulder. “If our friends in the valley are going to survive, I suggest you do not dally. A dallier today, a sluggard tomorrow.”
Jack fought alongside Parker in a world of madness. Even with the miraculous arrival of the thousands of Awakened and Clear Eyes, they were hopelessly outnumbered. He gritted his teeth and lost himself in the movements—spin, duck, twist, thrust, step back, deflect, thrust.
He fought nine of the enemy at once as he tried to use his newest Soulprint to send them through time, but nothing happened. Three more dark servants joined the fight, and Jack could no longer stave them off. He stumbled on a root that hadn’t been there a moment earlier and hit the ground hard.
Jack threw up his hands to shield himself as the ring of Time exploded in his chest. Suddenly he knew what to do. He didn’t embrace his note but wrapped the melody around his enemy. A burst of light exploded around him, and the dark servants flew backward high into the air.
Parker stood over him, offering a hand. “What was that?”
“I figured it out is what it was.” Jack grinned as Parker pulled him to his feet. “I sent them through time, to another place. I imagined an underground cavern somewhere deep in the earth.” Before he could say another word, more dark servants were on them. Jack’s movements changed as he stalked among his attackers. He wielded Ashandar with one arm, and every time he pointed his free arm at an attacker, it disappeared in a burst of light.
Before long the Shadow Souled were fleeing the boy with the black blade. A circle of clear space formed around Jack, but he didn’t rest. He strode through the battlefield, searching for any Awakened needing his help. And then he saw her.
Alexia Dreager wielded her sword with a dizzying fury. Her friends from Belfast fought by her side, and hundreds of Clear Eyes kept the Shadow Souled from her back. Jack ran toward her but skidded to a stop when a creature appeared in front of him. He lifted his hand to send it away, but nothing happened. The creature had snakes’ eyes and scaled skin, but otherwise looked like a young girl.
“Your Soulprint will not work on me.” The creature’s forked tongue flitted in and out as it spoke. Then it attacked. Jack had once thought the Shadule were impossibly quick, but they were nothing compared to this creature. Its every movement was a blur as Jack struggled to follow it from one moment to the next. He struck out with Ashandar, but the creature was already behind him. The creature sank its tiny fangs into Jack’s flesh, every bite stinging like a scorpion.
Jack swung and swatted, kicked and punched, but he was always three moves behind. The bites were adding up. He listened for his note to take him away from the battlefield but heard nothing.
Covered in bites, Jack went to his knees. Ashandar dropped as he fell face forward in the dirt, unable to move. He felt a shiver of electricity pass over his body as a mammoth tree so
ared over Jack to crash into the creature. The creature hissed angrily and slithered away.
“Jack!” someone screamed. “I’m here.” Arthur Greaves knelt beside him, but Jack couldn’t move a muscle. Arthur heaved Jack over his back and began to run. “You’re going to be all right. I promise. I just need to get you to Mrs. Dumphry!”
Alexia slammed the butt of her sword into the belly of a five-legged beast as Wild smashed his staff between the eyes of a goat-faced Oriax. The beasts crumbled, and both children spun with weapons ready. But the Shadow Souled were retreating. An army of Awakened had charged into the valley.
Alexia wiped her forehead and turned to Wild. “I’m so glad you’re alive,” she whispered.
“It’s good to see you, too,” he said.
“Alexia, would you like to introduce me to this young man?” Her mother stood a few paces away and watched with eyebrows raised.
Alexia squealed and leaped back. “Mother, this is Wild.” She felt a burning in her cheeks. “He’s a good friend. Wild, this is my mother.”
Madeleine Dreager smiled. “I am very glad to meet you.” She turned to Alexia. “I can’t believe you’re standing before me. It’s all I’ve dreamed of.”
Though the words were right, they sounded stiff to Alexia. Mother is exhausted, she thought. She needs to rest! She melted into her mother’s arms. “Mother, why are you so cold?”
Her mother stepped back, a wary look in her eyes. “It is just the Assassin’s poison leaving my body. I will be well soon.”
“We need to go,” Alexia said. Her eyes were on the rallying Shadow Souled. Thousands more had begun streaming into the valley.
“Arthur took Jack to see Mrs. Dumphry,” Wild said. “I think he’s hurt pretty bad.”
“Arthur and Jack are here?” Alexia said. “And Mrs. Dumphry?”
“Yes. Mrs. Dumphry doesn’t think the Shadow Army will attack once we’re out of the valley. She thinks they’re waiting for something. But we need to go before we become trapped again.”
Chapter 21
A Pot of Tea
Arthur knelt by Jack’s side. “Mrs. Dumphry is going to heal you, Jack. You’re going to be okay.”
Jack couldn’t speak. He couldn’t move a muscle, not even to blink. It was the strangest thing. Aside from being paralyzed, he felt perfectly healthy. His mind was clear, and he wasn’t overly worried. More than anything, he was excited. Arthur, Parker, and Mrs. Dumphry were alive and well!
“He has been bitten by a Visperal,” he heard Mrs. Dumphry say. “They are not deadly and are mostly used to keep prisoners from using their Soulprints. But in large doses, a Visperal’s poison will cause paralysis for a time. Young Jack will be right as rain in a few minutes.”
“Do you hear that, Jack?” Arthur shouted. “You’ll be just fine. It will only take a few minutes!”
“I did not say he was deaf.” Mrs. Dumphry sighed. “He is paralyzed. There is no need to shout.”
Arthur nodded. “Right. You’ll be just fine,” he whispered. He grabbed Jack’s head and turned it. “Did you see who else is here?”
Jack wanted to leap for joy. Alexia stood on the opposite side of the tent alongside an older woman with auburn hair. Mr. and Mrs. Greaves stood to the side, watching their son with a look of immense pride.
“Can you believe I found my parents? They’ve been searching for us almost since we left Ballylesson with Mrs. Dumphry. Their scales fell off the same day as mine; can you believe that? It’s really quite amazing when you think about it. And you wouldn’t believe what they’ve been doing even if I told you. It’s a really long story, but I—”
“Madeleine Dreager,” Mrs. Dumphry said, “I am very happy to see you alive.” She met Alexia’s eyes. “You did well, child. Very well indeed.” She turned to Arthur’s parents. “Augustus and Flannery, it makes my heart sing to see you again.” Mrs. Dumphry turned her gaze back to Arthur. “But now is not the time for long stories.”
“Right,” Arthur said as he sat back down beside Jack. “Good point.”
“Mrs. Dumphry,” Alexia said, “how did you know my mother was alive? And how did you know I’d find Parker and Mr. Staples?”
“In truth, I wasn’t certain of either. I have a Soulprint I am still discovering. I often get pictures in my mind or feelings in my heart about certain matters. In some small way, my Soulprint gives me windows into the future. As for your mother, I saw a picture of her. She was wrapped in chains and locked in a steel box hidden beneath the Assassin’s throne.”
“We found her strapped to the ceiling,” Alexia said.
“The Assassin often moved me,” Madeleine said hurriedly.
Mrs. Dumphry offered a tight smile. “I’m just glad Alexia was able to find you.”
“What happened to you?” Wild asked. “When we were thrown through time, when and where did you go?”
“Ah, now that is a fun story.” Mrs. Dumphry chuckled. “I went back to the beginning.”
Though he still couldn’t move, Jack could once again feel his body, and he was relatively certain drool was dripping from his chin.
“To the beginning of what?” Arthur asked.
“To my beginning,” she said. “I arrived five thousand, twenty-four years ago, just a minute or so before my birth.”
“Why would anyone want to see that?” Arthur made a face.
“Not to the day of my first birth”—Mrs. Dumphry sighed—“but to the day my scales fell off. I arrived in the throne room and saw myself stab the poet. And I saw him forgive me.” She smiled in delight. “I can only surmise I was taken there because I was thinking of the moment as we began to travel.”
“Wait, how many years?” Arthur asked.
“You mean that you lived all those years again?” Alexia said.
“I did.” Mrs. Dumphry’s smile broadened. “And I must say, I had far more fun the second time. I’d always wondered about the moment after the poet saved Aias and me from the Assassin. So this time, I hid behind one of the pillars and watched him. When the Assassin left, I followed him out of the throne room.”
Jack remembered the moment. He’d been there with Time and had seen it too. When the Assassin left the throne room, a small figure in a hooded cloak had scurried out after him. Was that Mrs. Dumphry?
“It wasn’t just the Poet’s Coffer the Assassin stole that day,” Mrs. Dumphry continued. “He took something else.”
It took all of his energy, but Jack managed a slow, deliberate blink.
“I have always been intrigued by the blood of the poet. Before Jack’s sword fell into a pool of the poet’s blood, it was a blade no different than any other. But when it touched the blood, it became Ashandar. The poet’s cloak was also covered in his blood. Alexia’s cloak and the Atherial Cloaks that Elion gave you all came from material taken from the poet’s patchwork cloak.”
Jack tried to lick his lips but only managed to shove more drool from his mouth.
“The Assassin knew the poet’s blood was dangerous, though I doubt he understood how dangerous. After the poet whisked us away, the Assassin gathered the blood into a vial and hid it in a cavern near the very foundations of our world. It took me almost three thousand years to find it.”
“You spent three thousand years traveling through underground caverns?” Arthur rocked on his heels.
“I did,” she said cheerily. “Yet I thought it might take five thousand years or more, so you can imagine my delight when I found it and had more than two thousand years to spare.”
Arthur opened his mouth, then closed it again.
“What have you been doing since?” Alexia leaned forward.
“A little of this, a little of that,” Mrs. Dumphry said. “I took up sewing. I traveled through Africa and learned a number of fabulous new dances.”
Jack waited for more, but nothing came. Se
wing and dancing? He could blink easily now and wag his tongue, but his limbs still wouldn’t move, and he couldn’t make a sound.
“It hasn’t all been a holiday. I managed to raise an army. They should be here within the hour.”
“How many are coming?” Wild asked.
“Almost half a million, all told.”
“That be the biggest army the world has ever been seeing!” Andreal clapped his hands together.
“I have even more good news,” Mrs. Dumphry said. “I also passed a very large and impressive jungle that was making its way toward the valley. I’m not certain, but I think it originated in Brazil of all places! Besides the army and the jungle, I saw a vast number of Clear Eyes traveling here. I don’t know how many are coming, but I’d guess they will outnumber the humans.”
Everyone sat with mouths agape.
“A jungle is coming?” Arthur’s voice squeaked.
“It will be a battle like the world has never known,” Honi whispered.
“Yes,” Mrs. Dumphry said. “It truly is a sad day for our world.”
A groan escaped Jack’s lips as his fingers twitched.
“Jack!” Arthur shouted. “He’s trying to say something!”
Jack screamed as a jolt of adrenaline surged through him, and he stood up panting as if he’d just run the hundred-meter dash. “Wow,” he said breathlessly.
Arthur hugged him. “It’s so good to see you, Jack.” Then all the joy melted from his face. “I didn’t want to tell you while you were like that. But we need to find Parker. You both need to hear what I have to say.”
“What happened?” Jack said, feeling numb. “Where’s my father?” In truth, he already knew. He could see it in Arthur’s eyes.
Alexia wasn’t sure, but she thought Mr. Staples might be dead. If so, it’ll be the second time I’ve lost my father. Her heart sank at the thought even as it broke for Jack.
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