“We made it,” she said, letting out a breath of relief.
“Yeah,” said Finn. “So, we found the pool. But how are we going to carry out the water?”
“Good question.” Ivy looked all around. “I don’t see anything useful,” she said. “Just a bunch of rocks.”
“Maybe we could use our helmets,” Finn said.
Ivy considered it. “Maybe, but then how will we protect our heads?”
“Good point. I really wish Ruwach had given us something to carry water with when he gave us those gifts,” said Finn, discouraged. “Instead of just making our hands glow.”
“Wait.” Ivy thought back to that day when Ruwach had put something in their hands. It had looked at the time like nothing. Just a flash of light. But when she had said she couldn’t see anything, Ruwach had said something she only now remembered.
She looked down at her hands. She took a breath and held them together straight out in front of her, palms up.
“What are you doing?” Finn asked.
Ivy didn’t answer. She waited. Then she felt a warmth in her palm, a tingling, and a glow rose up from her skin, as it had that day Ruwach had touched her hands. And then, to her surprise, she saw something.
A small clay pot with a rounded handle and a tapered neck with a stopper. In her hand.
Finn gasped. “How did you do that?”
“I didn’t do it,” Ivy said aloud. “Remember what Ru said when I told him I couldn’t see anything?”
“You will in time,” Finn said, repeating the words he now remembered. “Let me try that.” He too held out his hands, and they were instantly filled with another pot. The pots looked very old-fashioned, like they’d been sculpted by hand long ago, in another age.
“But they’re so small,” said Finn. “They aren’t going to hold much.”
“This is all we’ve got,” said Ivy. “It has to be enough.” She glanced at the water. “Do you see anything swimming around down there?”
Finn bent over to look. “No.”
“Good. Then maybe we can just fill our pots and get out of here.” She pulled the stopper out of the pot and bent down at the edge of the pool. Holding the pot by the handle, she carefully dipped it into the water.
Before the pot even touched the water, a huge splash knocked her backward. A leviathan rose up from the depths, its jaws snapping just inches away. Ivy fell backward, gasping, the little pot flying from her hand. Suddenly the pool was filled with dark, circling shadows, twisting and turning around each other.
“Where did they come from?” she sputtered, getting back up. To her dismay, she saw that her pot was now floating in the pool, rocked by the waves of the breaching leviathans. “Oh no, now I’ve lost it!”
“It’s okay,” said Finn. “We still have mine.”
“We need both. Ruwach gave us each one. I have to get it back.”
“But the leviathans . . .”
Ivy shoved the stopper in her pocket and took out her small red seed-shield. “Should have done this the first time,” she said. “I’m going out there to get the pot.” She thrust her arm out straight, the seed tight in her fist. The shield deployed, a net of tiny red seed-lights all around her.
“I’m coming with you,” Finn said. He took out his Krÿs and extended it to its full length. “No more hands for the shield,” he said.
“I’ve got you covered,” Ivy said.
Finn stood back to back with Ivy, close enough that they were both covered by the shield.
“On three, ready? One, two . . . three.”
They stepped out onto the pool together, bracing themselves. Their boots held them above the water, which rocked violently with the sudden reappearance of the leviathans, breaching full force straight into the air, opening their wide jaws to display rows of sharp teeth. As soon as they hit the shield, they fell away, repelled by the force field the shield created. But they continued to badger Ivy and Finn as they struggled to keep their footing on the rolling waves, which pushed the clay pot farther and farther away from them. Finn would slam his sword on their heads, which made them fall back into the water but otherwise did them no damage. And for each one he managed to strike down, two rose up in its place. Ivy struggled to keep her shield deployed in the rocking waves as she bent to grab at the pot, which continually rolled away from her just before she grasped it.
“It’s like playing an endless game of Whack-a-Mole,” Finn said breathlessly. “They keep coming back. More and more of them.”
“Stay with me! I need to get that pot!” Ivy said. A strong wave had suddenly pushed it toward her. “Almost got it! Hang on!”
She bent forward, bracing herself to keep her balance, her fingers just touching the handle of the pot before she was knocked backward by another mountainous wave. She fell into Finn, who grabbed her before she hit the water. Both of them stared in amazement as a monstrous leviathan rose out of the pool, twice as large as the others, slitted yellow eyes fixed on them.
Ivy had only one thought: there was no escaping this thing.
CHAPTER 34
Sybylla
The mammoth creature rested on its coiled snake body, its small flippers suddenly growing into elongated arms with sharp claws. It was quite different from the other leviathans Ivy and Finn had seen before, with a more streamlined body and large, winglike gills of green and gold. Its head was sort of triangular, with long, almond-shaped yellow eyes. It opened its mouth, revealing gleaming teeth. This is it, Ivy thought. We’re dead.
Then, to her utter surprise, the creature began to speak.
“Why do you attack my children?”
Its voice had a strange, soft, almost feminine quality. Ivy and Finn stared, openmouthed. The creature made no move to attack, yet the Warriors could feel its menace, its danger, right through their armor into their skin.
“We meant—your children—no harm,” Ivy said in a trembling voice. She lowered her shield and nudged Finn to put away his sword. He did so, reluctantly. “We just needed a little water.”
“Why do you take my water?”
“To help our friends,” Ivy said. “And it’s not your water. Technically. It belongs to the mountain.”
“It belongs to me!” The creature’s voice rose to a high pitch. The yellow eyes flashed like lightning. Ivy gasped softly; Finn put one arm around her. “You took my water. You injure my children. Now you will never leave this place.” The creature ruffled its giant gills in a very threatening manner. Then it said, more softly, “Unless you help me.”
Ivy and Finn, who had been searching frantically for some kind of escape, glanced at each other.
“Help you?” Finn said cautiously.
“To free my children.”
“Free your children?” Ivy asked, speaking slowly, as if she didn’t understand.
“My children and I once roamed a wide, beautiful sea, filled with fishes, with mighty waves. But Ponéros caught us in his nets with promises of an even wider, more beautiful sea. Then he brought us to this place. A tiny pool under the mountain. My children are all crammed together, unable to play as they used to. They long to go back to the sea. But I cannot find the way.” The creature’s voice had become almost forlorn. “Ponéros says he will keep his promise, once this war is won. But I don’t believe him anymore. He is a liar.”
“That’s true,” said Ivy. She suddenly began to feel sorry for this creature. “What’s your name?” Finn nudged her, nervous. She ignored him.
“Sybylla,” said the creature.
“Sybylla,” repeated Ivy. The name sounded familiar. “Well, I’m sorry about what happened to you and your children. We can’t help you find your way to the sea. But with this little pot of water”—she pointed to the pot floating a few feet from her—“we will be able to destroy Ponéros’s fortress. Maybe then, you will be free again. And yo
u can find your way home.”
“Don’t tell her that,” whispered Finn. “She’s probably a spy for Ponéros.”
“You humans think you will destroy Ponéros’s fortress?” Sybylla let out a strange, hissing laugh. “That is not possible. You are too small. Too young.”
“We’re Prince Warriors,” said Finn.
The name had a strange effect on Sybylla. She drew back, her eyes closing, as if she had been hit by a sudden gust of wind. “No, you are much too young and weak to be Prince Warriors,” she whispered.
“We are not,” said Ivy, drawing herself up to be as tall as she possibly could. “Let us take our pots of water and go, and we will prove it to you. Or, you can keep us here forever, and you will be here forever too. You and your children.”
Sybylla seemed to think about this for a long time. Then she slowly uncoiled her snake tail and slithered toward them. Ivy and Finn froze, pressing together slightly. Ivy’s heartbeat slowed to a dull thud; she could feel the giant creature’s rancid breath on her own skin. She still held the seed in her fist, ready to raise it if necessary. But she was afraid to make even the smallest move.
“Two children,” said the creature, her burning yellow eyes roving over them, “and two measly pots of water will bring down Ponéros?”
“Yes,” Ivy whispered, swallowing the lump in her throat. “They will. We will.”
Sybylla closed her eyes and drew back her head, cobra-like. Then she reached out with one graceful arm and plucked the pot from the water. She held it up a moment, examining it. Then she dropped it into Ivy’s hand.
“Thank you,” Ivy murmured, her fingers closing around the pot. “Thank you—Sybylla.”
Sybylla regarded Ivy a long moment and tilted her head ever so slightly, as if she were trying to understand something. Then she rose up, her body unfurling, and flung herself headfirst back into the pool again.
The water went still.
CHAPTER 35
Phase Two
The Warriors waiting in the snow bunker had just begun to give up hope when Ivy and Finn appeared, carrying two small pots of water.
“That’s it?” said Evan, staring at the tiny vessels in disappointment.
“I know it doesn’t look like much,” said Ivy. “But these were the containers Ruwach gave us, so they must be enough.”
“Technically speaking, that small amount will only produce enough of an explosion to maybe singe a few eyebrows,” said Manuel. “Assuming the Lava Forgers have eyebrows.”
“Well, this is what we’ve got,” said Finn. “We almost didn’t get out of there at all. If it wasn’t for Sybylla, we’d still be in there.”
“Sybylla? Who’s that?” asked Levi.
“The leviathan,” said Ivy. “But she was bigger. I think she was the mother of the others. She called them her children. She looked pretty scary. But she actually helped us.”
“Sybylla is her name?” Levi asked.
Ivy nodded.
“That’s . . . interesting,” Levi murmured to himself.
“She wants us to help free her children from Ponéros,” said Ivy.
Evan was bewildered, “How in the world are we going to do that?”
“No idea,” said Ivy. “But we told her we would destroy the fortress, so she helped us get out of there. After scaring us half to death.”
“We’d better get moving then,” said Xavier. “Time for Phase Two.”
“So you now have a Phase Two?” Ivy asked.
“Yes. Well, sort of. First we need to find the path Levi and I used the last time. Then Levi and Brianna will carry the water up the mountain to the fortress. In the meantime, we’ll need to gather the rest of the Warriors and take over one of those skypods.”
“You’re going to take over a skypod?” Finn asked, lifting one eyebrow.
“Yeah. That way we can see what’s going on in the fortress and let the Warriors on the ground know when the attack is coming.”
“Okeydokey.” Ivy shrugged, then she and Finn handed their pots of water to Levi and Brianna.
“You sure you don’t need help carrying them up?” asked Ivy.
“We’ll be okay,” said Brianna. “Thanks. And . . . good work. I knew you could do it.” She smiled at Ivy, who smiled back.
“Thanks,” she said.
“So, how do we find the path?” Brianna asked.
“There were these two big rocks that marked it,” said Levi. “We’ll need to find them.” He stuck his head out of the snow bunker and glanced up at the sky. It had stopped snowing, and the sun was out, shining brightly, though the top of the mountain was still shrouded in the dark poisonous cloud. “It’ll be easier going now, but we need to keep a lookout for Askalon patrols.”
“That reminds me,” said Finn. “We ran into one of those too.”
“An Askalon?” said Evan, wide-eyed.
“Yeah. Finn jumped up on it and opened the hatch. And it was empty,” said Ivy.
“He did what?”
“Came at it from the back,” Finn said. “Like Brianna said, it can’t see behind. But there was no one inside. We think they are being operated remotely.”
“Of course!” said Manuel. “They are programmed to attack movement!”
“Okay. Let’s do this.” Impulsively, Xavier stretched his arm straight out into their midst, his hand out flat. One by one, they all put their hands over each other’s. The orbs in the center of their breastplates began to spin, churning out words that hovered in the air over them. Words they’d heard before but were glad to be reminded of again:
Be strong and courageous.
Do not be discouraged.
You are never alone.
Xavier got out of the bunker and stood straight, waiting. As if sensing his humility, his breastplate began to pulse softly. He turned around until the pulsing changed to a steady glow.
“This way,” he said.
“Better than a compass,” said Manuel.
As soon as the others stepped out of the bunker, a cloud descended upon them, materializing out of the air, draping over them like a soft blanket.
“Ruwach,” whispered Evan with a smile.
They walked in single file with Xavier leading the way. The cloud hovered over their heads, masking their movement. Their boots were able to glide quickly and silently over the snow, just like skis. They could hear the growling engines of the Askalons patrolling through the forest, churning out webs of ice.
“How much longer?” asked Evan.
“Stop asking,” said Xavier. It was difficult to see too far ahead, because the cloud blocked their view as well as the view from above. It was like walking in their own personal fog.
Finally, they nearly collided with a large rock jutting out from the side of the mountain, through the snow.
“This is it,” said Levi, relieved. As they got closer, they could see the identical rock right next to it, with a narrow space between them. But the path between the rocks was covered by fresh snow. “It’s hard to see the path though.”
“It looks slippery,” said Brianna. “And steep.”
Levi put his boot in the space between the rocks, where the path was supposed to be. He instantly felt his foot shiver as long cleats burst from the bottom of the boot. “We’ll be okay,” he said.
“Wait,” said Xavier. “That skypod overhead is the only one that has a clear view of the path you’re taking. We need to get rid of the Bone Breakers up there first. You remember what happened last time.”
Levi nodded. “Right.”
“What happened last time?” asked Evan.
“The birds attacked us,” said Levi. “They were attracted by the Glimmer Glass; it was shining in the sun. So probably now they’ll be looking for us.”
“How are you going to get rid of the Bone Bre
akers?” asked Brianna.
“Hmmm,” Manuel scratched his chin thoughtfully. “I think I have an idea.” He dug into his pocket and pulled out the flower bulb Ruwach had given him in the Garden of Red.
“A flower bulb?” Evan said, arching an eyebrow. “What are you doing to do with that?”
“Plant it, of course.” Manuel smiled crookedly. He took several deep breaths. Then, softly counting to himself, he began to creep out into the snow. He tiptoed like a super spy, stopping often to check his position and look around furtively. His movements were a little comical, and Evan started to giggle. Xavier nudged him.
When finally Manuel had found the spot he was looking for, he bent down and started digging furiously into the snow. He had to stop every so often to blow warm air into his hands and shake them out. But he kept digging until he was down so low he practically disappeared.
“Is he seriously trying to plant a bulb in the middle of Winter?” said Ivy.
“This is Ahoratos,” said Xavier. “Anything can happen.”
Manuel finally resurfaced and low-crawled back to the others under the shelter of the cloud. His hands were red and stiff with cold, and his fingers were covered in dirt. A broad grin carved his face.
“All set.”
“What’s supposed to happen?” said Finn.
“Well, I’m not exactly sure. But I have an idea why Ruwach gave that flower bulb to me.”
The Warriors waited, staring at the hole that Manuel had dug. Nothing happened.
“Are you sure . . .” Evan began, but Xavier nudged him to be quiet.
After what seemed like an eternity, something started to poke up from the hole. A greenish stalk, easily seen against the backdrop of white. It grew taller and then split into several stalks that spread out over the snow and unfolded into purplish-white petals. Flower petals. The petals grew to almost the size of a small car, and then they started to curl upward, forming a large bowl.
“A flower?” said Ivy, sounding skeptical.
“A big flower,” said Evan.
“That’s cool, but how’s that going to help?” asked Brianna.
The Winter War, epub Page 16