“Can I borrow your phone?” Xavier asked Levi. “Evan’s got mine. I need to text my dad, make sure he picks me up on his way home.”
“Sure.” Levi handed his phone to Xavier.
“It’s so cute that you two have to share a phone,” said Brianna.
“Actually, it’s not,” said Xavier. He took Levi’s phone, closed out of the UNSEEN app, and began texting.
Suddenly all the lights in the building flickered and went out.
“What just happened?” Brianna asked. Around them kids hooted and giggled at the sudden darkness. Some used the light of their phones to find their way.
“Power outage,” said Xavier, glancing around. “Good thing we’re leaving. . . .” He looked down at the phone again, but instead of his message to his dad, the Crest of Ahoratos was glowing on the screen. “Hey, look at this,” he said slowly, showing the phone to Levi. “The Crest came back.”
“That’s weird,” said Levi.
Just then the image seemed to lift off the screen, hovering in the air before their eyes.
Brianna took out her phone and stared at it. “Mine’s doing it too!” She watched as the Crest rose up from her phone screen. The two hovering Crest images soon began to shift toward each other, joining together in midair. They rotated, slowly at first, picking up speed.
“Just like the last time!” Brianna whispered. “Quick! Grab it!”
“The others will see us,” Xavier said, looking around nervously.
“They aren’t even looking!” Brianna retorted. “Besides, they can’t see it. Only we can. Come on. Together!” She reached out toward the floating Crest. Xavier and Levi did too. Suddenly they felt as though they had just jumped onto a speeding merry-go-round, flung into motion, spinning so fast they couldn’t see the room around them at all.
The lights flickered back on. Mary Stanton emerged from the office just as the three kids disappeared into thin air. She dropped her Starbucks. Again.
Chapter 6
The Infinity Space
Evan and Manuel gazed at the unending sea of whiteness around them. There was no landscape at all. Just empty, colorless space.
“Where are we?” Evan asked. “This doesn’t look like Ahoratos. Usually there’s—stuff. Trees and grass and stuff. It’s like being inside a jar of cotton balls.”
“Yes, very strange,” Manuel answered in his scientific voice. He reached out tentatively to touch the whiteness around him. It felt very close, and yet he couldn’t actually feel anything. “Invisible cotton balls.” He bent down to see if there was a solid surface under his feet. There wasn’t. “There is no earthly reason why we are still standing here and not falling through.”
“No earthly reason,” Evan said with a little chuckle. “Got that right.”
“Of course we could be falling and not even know it, if we are in an area of microgravity.”
“Micro-what?”
“Like astronauts in space—they look like they’re floating, but they are actually falling at the same rate. . . .”
Evan knew Manuel was about to explain a bunch of stuff he didn’t really want to hear about at the moment. So he interrupted: “Where is everyone else?”
Just then there was a noise, one Evan had heard once before—a noise like a garbage disposal trying to grind up a ham bone. And suddenly his brother Xavier was standing there too, along with Levi and Brianna. The three of them stared around, dumbfounded, blinking.
“Hey guys!” Evan said. “’Bout time you showed up.”
“Evan?” said Xavier slowly, squinting, as if he didn’t trust his own vision. “Manuel?”
“Where are we?” Brianna asked nervously.
“Ahoratos!” said Evan. “I mean, probably.”
“There’s no floor,” said Xavier, bending to feel under his feet as Manuel had done. “What are we standing on?”
“Gravity,” said Evan. “According to him.”
“Microgravity,” said Manuel. “What I think happened is—”
“How do we get out of here?” asked Levi, interrupting.
“We need to find the Water,” Xavier said, knowing that any delay in finding the Water could have disastrous consequences. Those were the instructions Ruwach had given them the first time they came to Ahoratos. They had to go through the Water in order to get to the Cave, where they could get their armor. It was dangerous to be in Ahoratos without their armor. Ruwach had told them that plenty of times.
“Yeah,” said Evan, a tad nervously. His eyes darted around half expecting a sand grobel or bolt of lightning to strike like they had before.
“But . . . there’s no Water here,” Brianna said. “There’s like—nothing here.”
“Literally,” said Levi.
“Maybe it’s like the dome!” Evan said. “Remember the dome that Levi was trapped in? That was invisible.”
“But it was still solid,” Xavier said. “And we could still see the ground. I can’t see anything through this white stuff except—more white stuff.”
“Actually, we’re not standing on anything—” Manuel tried to explain about the microgravity thing, but everyone continued to ignore him.
“We really need to find the Water,” Evan said, more nervous.
“Maybe the Water is invisible,” said Brianna.
“Then how are we going to be able to get into it?” Levi asked.
For reasons that Evan couldn’t pinpoint, the mysterious instruction he’d received the day before floated across his mind like a waving banner:
Ask and it shall be given.
“Maybe we could just ask for it,” Evan said.
“Ask?” Levi said, cocking an eyebrow at him. “For the Water?”
“Didn’t you read the instruction from yesterday? ‘Ask and it shall be given.’ Maybe that’s what it was talking about,” Evan answered. “So—let’s just ask.”
He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled up into the white blankness around them. “Ruwach, if you can hear me, please give us the Water!”
He expected to hear his own voice echo back to him, as it usually did in large places like this. But it actually sounded as though his voice just evaporated into space, or like it never even left his own mouth.
They waited, but nothing happened.
“No echo,” said Manuel, mirroring Evan’s thoughts. “That confirms my suspicions that wherever we are has no walls, no ending. It’s like an . . . infinity space.”
“Infinity space. Cool,” said Levi, nodding his head thoughtfully. “Guess that means we aren’t going to walk out of here.” He let out a laugh, like he was making a joke. No one else thought it was funny.
“If there’s no air, how are we breathing?” said Xavier.
“The fact that we are breathing means that there must be oxygen in the atmosphere,” Manuel said.
“So where are we? We’re not on earth, and maybe we’re not even in Ahoratos—are we like . . . between the two?” Brianna asked. “Are we—stuck?”
“Yeah, like maybe the Crest-portal-thing ran out of gas or something,” Levi said. He laughed again.
“I seriously doubt a portal would run out of gas,” said Manuel, perfectly serious. “Still, it is not a very propitious situation for us at the moment.”
“Pro . . . what?” said Evan, still disbelieving that an eleven-year-old would use a word like pro-whatever-it-was for goodness’ sake.
“It means promising.”
“Well why didn’t you just say that?”
A new sound interrupted them, a sort of high-pitched squeal, like a rusty-hinged door opening. The kids stopped talking and looked up, as the sound seemed to be coming from somewhere above them. It was hard to tell, though, as sound in this place didn’t reverberate—it died as quickly as it began.
“What is it?” Brianna whispered,
searching the empty space above them for the source of the sound.
It was something. Something. Although they weren’t sure quite what. The squeal seemed to be getting louder and closer until it—whatever it was—began to materialize before them. A transparent curtain of some sort, about five feet wide but extending so far above and below them that no end could be seen. The surface of the curtain appeared to be moving, rippling like a thin veil of water.
“Water! See?” Evan gloated. “Told ya.”
“That’s the Water?” Brianna asked, peering at it.
“Weird,” said Levi. “Kinda looks like water, but not really.”
Manuel slowly reached out to poke it; his finger went right through. “It does feel like water,” he concluded. “But it’s very peculiar.” He walked all around to the other side of the thing, scratching his head.
“Can you see me?” he asked.
“Sorta,” Brianna said. “You look—wavy.”
“Ah, interesting,” Manuel said, coming back around to their side. “Some sort of visible wave form, perhaps, although it must be far more dense than it appears. . . .” Manuel began mumbling to himself, sorting out various hypotheses.
Evan had started walking around the strange, wavy curtain too. When he got to the other side, he poked his finger into it as Manuel had done. “Hey, look at my finger!” he said, wiggling it around.
“Where is it?” Brianna asked.
“You can’t see it?” said Evan. “What about this?” He stuck his foot through “Can you see my foot?”
“Nope,” said Xavier.
Evan pulled out his foot. It was completely dry. He came around to join the others again. “Cool. It must be the Water!”
“Well, I’m not so sure of that,” Manuel said. “It seems designed to simulate water and therefore could be some sort of trap. Might just swallow us whole.” A flicker of hesitation showed on his face. “I propose we study it further . . . I wish I had my microscope here, or at least a magnifying glass. . . .”
“There’s the Crest! I can see it!” Levi pointed to the rippling curtain, where the funny-shaped א glowed very dimly.
“Wait. . . . I see it too!” Evan said. The others soon nodded in agreement. “That must be the Water!”
“There’s only one way to find out for sure,” Levi suddenly declared. He took a step right into the mirrorlike curtain. His leg disappeared just like Evan’s had done. “See ya!” His voice was full of mischief as he stepped forward, the rest of him following and promptly disappearing altogether.
“Levi!” Brianna gasped. But he was gone before she could even try to pull him away.
“Where’d he go?”
Evan rushed around to the other side of the sheet to see if Levi would reappear there. But he didn’t. “He must be—in there,” he murmured. “Somehow . . .”
“Look!” Xavier said, pointing to the sheet, where a pale reddish tinge spread out from the center of the Crest. Red. It was the hue that always spread across the surface of the Water when someone passed through its surface. This is what made it different from ordinary water.
“Definitely the Water,” Brianna said, feeling suddenly secure that Levi was safely in the Cave. “See ya!” she chirped to the others as she nearly jumped into the rippling Water. She, too, disappeared.
“Hey, wait for me!” Evan shouted and dashed through the Water next. Xavier and Manuel were left.
“You want to go first?” Xavier asked.
“Perhaps we should wait a bit, just to make sure—”
“You can wait, if you want. But I’m going.” Xavier stepped into the Water and disappeared with the others.
“Wait!” Manuel cried, but it was too late. Xavier was gone. Manuel remembered the last time he’d almost been left behind, when he’d been too scared to cross the bridge to Skot’os. He wasn’t about to let that happen again.
He started counting, which was what he always did in scary situations. “One, two, three . . .” He stuck his foot into the Water. “Four, five . . .” He shut his eyes and lunged forward, disappearing completely before he could say, “six.”
Chapter 7
The Corridor of Keys
Xavier blinked, gazing around him in relief. His friends were all there, wearing the armor they had been issued on their first visit––the white, triangular breastplate with the glowing orb in the center, the white, plain belt, and the tall boots. Their clothes had changed to the leatherlike gray pants and shirts as well.
Manuel appeared a few seconds later, also wearing his warrior clothes and armor. His eyes were still squeezed shut. He opened one and then the other, then let out a breath.
“This place looks different.” He took off his glasses and put them in his pocket. His eyesight was always perfectly clear in Ahoratos.
They were in a long dark corridor, almost like the Hall of Armor where they’d first received their breastplates, belts, and boots. But they couldn’t see any displays of armor. Instead, tall white pedestals of various heights surrounded them. On each pedestal rested a box—the boxes were of all different shapes and sizes, some very plain and some quite ornate. The boxes and their pedestals glowed brightly as if each were lit by its own spotlight.
“Are we even in the Cave?” said Evan.
“Must be,” said Levi. “We came through the Water. But what’s in all the boxes?”
“Let’s see,” said Evan, moving toward one. He was stopped in his tracks by the clear, unmistakable voice of Ruwach booming over his head.
“Welcome once again, young Warriors.”
Ruwach was suddenly standing before them as if he’d just appeared out of nowhere—a small figure in a purple robe, his face hidden deep within the folds of his hood.
“Ruwach?” said Brianna. “Where are we?”
“In the Cave, of course. This is the Corridor of Keys.” Ruwach spread his arms to indicate the boxes. “This is where we keep the keys of the kingdom.”
“I thought there was only one key,” said Evan, scratching his head.
“I never said there was only one.” Ruwach’s voice held a hint of mystery.
“So the key to our locked rooms is in here too?” Evan asked.
The locked rooms.
The first time they’d come to the Cave, the kids had seen the locked doors, one beside each set of armor. Ruwach had told them that the contents of the rooms belonged to them but that the key to the rooms had been stolen. Ponéros had deceived Rook into taking it in exchange for great riches; but once Ponéros had the key in his possession, he threw Rook into prison. The children had rescued Rook, but for all they knew, the key they needed—the key they longed for to open their locked rooms and finally see what was inside of them—was still in the enemy’s possession somewhere in Skot’os. So every room was still shut tight, taunting the Warriors like a secret waiting to be told.
“That key is still in Skot’os,” Xavier said. “Right, Ru? I mean, Ruwach?”
“I have retrieved it,” Ruwach said. “The key to the locked rooms is here.” The kids looked at each other, shock and surprise etched on their faces.
“So we get to open our rooms then?” Levi asked.
“That is not why you are here,” said Ruwach.
The kids groaned in frustration. “Did you bring us in here just to tease us?” Evan said with a huff.
“No, Prince Evan. There is a time and season for all things. Today is not for keys. It is for shields.” Ruwach reached out one long arm toward a box near him, one of the larger boxes that appeared to be covered in brownish-green vines and leaves. The box opened, although the kids didn’t actually see Ruwach’s fingers touch it. Inside was a key. It was the same color as the box and very curvy, as if it too were made of twisted vines. He lifted the key and motioned to the kids.
“You will need your shields now,” Ruwach said. �
��The enemy is angry. You freed Rook, and Rook in turn has freed many others from the Fortress of Chaós. You will need further protection. Come. Follow me.”
Ruwach turned and began moving toward the darkened end of the room. The kids hastened to follow, excited at the prospect of getting their shields. They had seen them the first time they’d come to Ahoratos, hanging on the wall along with the rest of their armor: majestic golden shields as tall as they were, slightly curved and emblazoned with the Crest of Ahoratos. Warrior shields.
Ruwach led them down several more dark tunnels, picking up speed as he went. The kids had to stay close so as not to run into a wall or trip over each other. The light from their breastplates cast a faint glow before them, as did the tiny purple lights that illuminated the passage wherever Ruwach headed. He took several turns and then picked up speed on a long straightaway. He was moving so fast now that the kids could hardly keep up with him.
“This reminds me of that night in the forest,” Evan panted as they ran. “He’s fast for a guy with such short legs.”
“Who says he has legs?” said Levi. “I mean, have you ever seen any legs?”
Finally Ruwach stopped before a large ornate door—more like a gate—causing the kids to run into each other as they skidded to a halt. None of them spoke as Ruwach placed the key into the keyhole of the gate. It slowly swung open.
The first thing they heard was a low hum, like the rumble of an air conditioner in a very quiet room.
Ruwach moved much more slowly now, entering the new room, beckoning the kids to follow him. As soon as they did, they realized they were not in a room at all. They could see sunlight dripping in through a canopy of leaves overhead. Vines hung down from tall trees with long, curled branches and huge, teardrop-shaped leaves. The ground beneath them was not stone; it was hard-packed dirt.
“It’s a garden,” Brianna whispered. It was so quiet she couldn’t bring herself to speak out loud. Eerily quiet, except for that weird, low hum. “Kind of a creepy garden though.”
The Prince Warriors and the Unseen Invasion Page 4