The Chief Justice looked at Zachary. “You have had plenty of time to decide your fate. Make your statement, now, or I will decide the method of execution for you.”
Zachary was horrified. He had been unable to think of anything to save them. This was really it then. He had finally run into a situation he couldn't talk, bluff, or trick his way out of. Well, he wouldn't go quietly, he resolved. Once he was outside the guards just might find him to be more slippery than they imagined.
Zachary opened his mouth to speak . . . and heard his sister's voice from beside him. “Lisgar, Zachary, and I will be thrown over a cliff,” she said robotically. Her eyes were closed and her face scrunched up in total concentration.
Zachary stared at his sister in confusion. Now that she had pulled this statement out of some deeply focused recess of her brain her face relaxed. She glanced at him and did something he wouldn’t have expected in a million years. She winked. Very quickly, but unmistakably. What in the world did she have in mind?
“A strange statement,” observed the Chief Justice. “But one that will suffice for our purposes.” He cleared his throat and using his loudest, most formal voice said, “For the record, the human girl, Jenna Lane, has made a statement on behalf of the condemned prisoners in accordance with our customs. Her official statement is, ‘Lisgar, Zachary, and I will be thrown over a cliff.’ This is a true statement,” he announced. “Take them out and execute them,” he said to the chief guard.
The guards began to escort the party to the door, but the chief guard stopped after only a few steps. “Uh . . . Chief Justice?” he said timidly.
“Yes.”
“Uh . . . how should we execute them?”
“What do you mean, how?”
“Should we feed them to a Smorg or throw them over a cliff?”
“Throw them over a cliff, of course,” barked the Chief Justice, annoyed.
“Uh . . . but Chief Justice. That's what she said we would do. So her statement is true. For true statements, don't we have to feed them to a Smorg?”
The Chief Justice raised his eyebrows. “I suppose you’re right, at that.” He paused. “Okay, so feed them to a Smorg,” he ordered.
“Uh . . . I'm not very smart, so you'll have to forgive me. But if we feed them to a Smorg, then the girl's statement is false. She said they would be thrown over a cliff. For false statements we have to throw them over a cliff. And you just said that we couldn't do that, because then her statement is true, in which case we would have to feed them to a Smorg—which we can’t do because then her statement is false.” The guard looked at the Chief Justice helplessly, scratching his head.
The Chief Justice frowned and began thinking about the problem. The girl had made a statement as required. And although the truth or falsehood of the statement flipped every time they tried to carry out the execution, one could easily tell if it was true or false as he had specified. He had to admit that the statement met all of the rules he had given them.
And yet it left them with no way to execute the three prisoners.
The girl had outsmarted them.
The crowd looked on intently. What would the Chief Justice do now? This was a contest that would live on in history. The room was deathly silent.
Suddenly, the Chief Justice began laughing. His laughter continued for a very long time before he was able to catch his breath and become serious once again. “These humans,” he announced to the crowd, “missed the very last riddle in their Challenge. But by making a statement that completely ties our hands with respect to their mode of execution, they have more than made up for this miss. Unless I hear strong objections from this gathering, by the power of this office, I deem them to be worthy of Mesrobia. And as such, I hereby award them and their Swishmer friend citizenship.”
The delighted spectators all stood and began cheering, roaring their approval.
They were free. Jenna grinned from ear to ear. She was glowing so much she was sure that she looked like a neon sign.
This time, it was she who had pulled off the miracle.
And it was an incredible feeling.
CHAPTER TWENTY
The Search Continues
Zachary smiled from ear to ear as if a death sentence had just been lifted from his shoulders—which it had been. “You did it Jen!” he exclaimed. “That was brilliant. Absolutely genius!”
Admiration? From Zachary? Incredible, thought Jenna, beaming.
“Thanks Zack,” she said almost shyly.
And then, taking her completely by surprise, her brother hugged her. He actually hugged her. It was a quick hug, but given that she and Zachary had been fighting and teasing each other since they could both talk, it had enormous significance. And then, as if this hadn’t been shocking enough, seconds later both she and Zachary were hugging Lisgar, who drew them close with her antennae; her affection for the humans unmistakable. She was cool to the touch, and while her red exoskeleton looked to be as hard and smooth as shell, thousands of nearly invisible hairs covered her body, so she was far softer than they had expected.
Incredible. Hugging an enormous wasp, whose appearance was far more terrifying than anything Jenna had ever conjured up in her worst nightmares, was not exactly something she thought she would ever be doing. And yet, it felt natural.
“I can never thank you enough,” said Lisgar, radiating joy. “I wish there was something I could do to repay you.”
“You don't owe us anything,” said Zachary softly, and Jenna nodded her agreement beside him. Both were surprised at the remarkable level of affection they had developed for Lisgar in such a short time. After having to fight for their lives seemingly every second since they had gone through the first portal, having a companion who was kind, gentle and understanding had been more important than they could ever have guessed. In fact, she reminded them a little of their own mom, and given her appearance, this was saying quite a lot.
“We’re just glad we could help you get back to your family,” said Jenna. “You’ve been wonderful to us, and I’m sure you’re the same way with your own kids.”
As she said it, Jenna realized just how awesome her own parents were, and that she had taken them for granted far more than she should have. She vowed that this would change if they were ever reunited. The possibility that she would never see her parents continued to be more frightening than anything she and her brother had gone through since leaving their kitchen.
Lisgar bent over and squeezed Jenna tightly, holding the hug for a long, long time. “Don’t despair,” she said softly, guessing exactly what Jenna had been thinking. “You’ll find your parents. I just know it. After watching you and your brother together, I know that nothing can stop you.” She paused. “And when you do find your parents, tell them for me that I think their children are very, very special—although I’m sure they already know that.”
Lisgar’s kind words could not have been more gratifying to Jenna. She had always been so sure that her parents were disappointed in her. Maybe this was something she needed to reconsider if her life ever got back to normal. They were always telling her they were proud of her. Maybe she should start believing them a little.
The crowd was still producing a loud roar of excited conversation. The Chief Justice had let the three new citizens embrace and celebrate for a few minutes but finally interrupted them. “The portal back to Lisgar's world will be appearing about three miles from here in just a short while and it won’t stick around long. If she misses it she won’t have another chance for two weeks.”
The Chief Justice instructed a guard to lead Lisgar to the portal. After a warm goodbye to her human friends and one last wave at the door, she was on her way.
It took nearly an hour for the crowd to clear the building. They stood in line, everyone wanting a chance to talk to the two humans. Finally the crowd was gone and they were alone with the Chief Justice, now their friend. The Challenge and its aftermath had been exhilarating, but it was nice to finally have a little
quiet and calm in the room.
“I have news,” the Chief Justice announced to them after everyone had left. “It seems my answer to your question, Jenna, was incorrect. One of my men approached me after the contest to tell me that he had seen an adult man and woman of your species on Mesrobia. Just a few weeks ago.”
“Fantastic!” said Jenna. These had to have been their parents. “Are they still on Mesrobia?” she asked eagerly.
“No. In fact, the reason no one bothered to report this to me is that they were here for only a minute or two. There is a group of four portals, right next to each other, a short walk from here. Apparently, the humans were seen from a distance arriving through one of the portals, and then immediately leaving through another.”
“Does the man who told you this know which one they left through?” asked Zachary.
“I’m afraid not. It happened too quickly. But it was definitely one of those four.”
“Can you take us there?” said Jenna.
“I’d be glad to,” replied the Chief Justice. “Follow me.”
While they walked, the two humans told the Chief Justice about the arrival of the first portal in their kitchen that had swallowed up their parents, and how they had come to be on Mesrobia. “You seem to know everything about the portals,” said Zachary. “Now that we’re citizens, can you tell us their secret? And how we can get back home once we find our parents?”
The Chief Justice frowned and stopped walking. “Well . . . about knowing everything about the portals,” he began, looking guilty. “We act like we do. We tell the visitors we invite here that we do. But the truth is that we really don't know that much. Mesrobia is connected by portals to so many other worlds that we need to protect ourselves. If these other worlds all think we have knowledge of the portals they don’t have, and can use this knowledge to our advantage, they’ll think twice before trying to attack us.”
Zachary’s heart fell. He could understand why the Mesrobians pretended to know more than they did, but he had been so hopeful they would finally be getting some answers. “But I thought you said if we passed the test you could return us to our world.”
“I can return you to the world you came here from. But that’s all. I just assumed you came here from your own world.”
“Is there anything you can tell us about the portals?” asked Jenna.
“Not a lot. We know that they’re all the same size. We know some are stable, while many appear and reappear at regular intervals. And that most of them are one way. Notice that after you arrive on a new world, the portal isn’t usually still open behind you for the return trip. The portal that Lisgar will take back to her world is not in the same location as the one that brought her here.”
“What causes the portals to exist in the first place?” asked Zachary. “Magic?”
The Chief Justice laughed. “I guess that’s as good an explanation as any. I have no idea. What causes the sun to exist? Maybe that’s magic too.”
“Is there any way to control them?” said Zachary. “To spring them open where you want?”
“Not as far as I know. If you’re suggesting someone controlled a portal so it would appear under your parents, on purpose, I highly doubt it.”
Zachary frowned. As time went on it seemed they were getting further away from solving this puzzle rather than closer.
They finally arrived at their destination, a small, pyramid-shaped building. There was nothing inside except the four active portals the Chief Justice had described. The kids examined each of the four. They looked through the first and were greeted by a blizzard raging across a barren arctic landscape. It looked colder and less inviting even than the North Pole. They were unable to see through the next two portals at all, which the Chief Justice said was sometimes the case. The final portal was a window on an arid desert without any signs of life as far as they could see.
“Which one will you take?” asked an interested Chief Justice.
Zachary raised his eyebrows. “Well, the ones we can see through give us a choice of freezing to death or getting baked to death,” he said. “My parents would have taken one of the middle two, that's for sure.”
Jenna nodded her agreement.
Zachary turned to her. “Your choice, Jen,” he said. “You’ve earned it.”
This was a small gesture, but the respect behind it was huge. Pride swelled up inside of her. There was no difference between the second and third portals, but ever since she could remember she had a fondness for the number three. Perhaps it would be lucky. She pointed at the third portal. “Let's try this one,” she said.
It promptly disappeared, almost as if on cue.
The Chief Justice frowned at the portal’s bad timing. “It will return in about ten minutes,” he said reassuringly. “Unfortunately, I have to leave now. Just wait here until it returns.” He met Zachary’s gaze. “But before I go, I want you to know that I will honor your request and find a way to change the trespassing law so that it works but doesn’t punish the innocent.” He paused. “And thanks. Thanks for providing the kick in the pants I needed to do what I should have done in the first place.”
He took two steps back from the humans. “I know that you have to try to find your parents without delay,” he said. “Which is very much a shame. We would have loved for you to stay here for a while. You two are very, very impressive. Naturally, as Mesrobian citizens, you will always be welcome here.” He looked at them warmly. “Good luck to you both.”
“Thank you,” said the two humans together as the Chief Justice exited the building, leaving them alone to await the return of the portal.
Their mood was the best it had been in a long time. Their parents had been seen alive fairly recently, and if they got lucky and chose the right portal, they might be right on their parents’ heels. Things could have been better, but they also could have been a lot worse.
“While we’re waiting,” said Jenna, “any new ideas as to what’s going on? Or what the worlds we’ve visited might have in common?”
Zachary paused in thought before finally shaking his head. “None. Each world has different types of civilizations. They all have different numbers of portals. And the natives all have different levels of knowledge about them.”
“Yeah. That about sums it up,” said Jenna dejectedly.
“There is one thing they all have in common, of course.”
Jenna regarded him quizzically.
“The air,” he said simply.
“The air?”
Zachary nodded. “You know, the atmosphere. Oxygen and nitrogen—like on Earth. I mean, there are planets in our solar system with poison atmospheres that would kill us in minutes. Some planets don’t have any atmosphere.”
Jenna gulped. “Thanks for reminding me. As if I don’t have enough to worry about when I go through a portal.”
“And then there’s gravity,” continued Zachary. “The gravity on all the worlds we’ve been on so far is almost exactly the same as Earth’s. Which is good. Because as cool as it would be to land on a planet as small as the Moon—where we could jump six times farther than we’re used to—if we landed on a planet like Jupiter, its gravity would instantly squash us into paste.” He looked ill as he imagined this fate. “And then there are planets that are thousands of degrees hot. Or have deadly radiation. Or are totally volcanic. Or are— ”
“Okay, okay,” snapped Jenna. “I get the point! There are all kinds of ways for us to die horribly the instant we step through a portal. I get it.”
Zachary scrunched up his face. “Sorry,” he said meekly. “I’ll stop now.”
He paused in thought. “You know,” he said, his voice now taking on a guarded enthusiasm, “I’ll bet the portals can only open between worlds that can support our type of life. I mean, so far that’s been the case.”
“You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”
“Well, yeah, but the more I think about it, the more sure I am that it’s true. I mean, it hasn
’t just been true for us, but for Mom and Dad also.”
Jenna brightened. “Good point. And they’ve been on a lot more worlds than we have.”
“Exactly.”
“And if there were portals that led to instant death, the Chief Justice would have mentioned it, right?”
“Right,” said Zachary. He frowned and added, “Although I wish I would have thought to ask him that.”
They stood in silence for several long seconds. “We’re not getting anywhere, are we?” said Zachary.
Jenna shook her head and then shrugged. “How do you solve a puzzle when all of the pieces are totally unrelated?”
“Good question,” said Zachary miserably. “I only wish I had a good answer.”
As he finished speaking, the portal Jenna had chosen suddenly reappeared in front of them.
Jenna eyed it warily. “Should we go through?”
Zachary nodded, and then sighed deeply. “Maybe we’ll find some answers on the next world.”
Jenna took her brother’s hand and looked down at the shimmering portal. What would await them on the other side? Their parents? Some answers? Or maybe a planet full of poisonous air.
“On three,” said Zachary, still holding his sister's hand.
They closed their eyes as had become their custom. “One, two, three,” they said as they took a small jump forward into the center of the portal.
They felt an all too familiar sensation and then firm ground under their feet. The climate was slightly damp and on the chilly side, but reasonably pleasant.
They opened their eyes.
And saw nothing. And saw nothing.
They gasped in horror.
They were completely blind.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Tentacles
They closed their eyes tightly and then reopened them.
There was no difference. It was totally, completely, black either way.
Jenna was still holding her brother's hand. She clutched at it for reassurance. She held her other hand up an inch from her eyes. She couldn't see it at all.
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