“Now how in the heck are we supposed to get that one?” Lefty asked. “Unless you got one of these treasure maps it talked about.”
Brendan eyed the outlaw warily. His eyes had gleamed unnaturally when he’d said the words “treasure maps.” He remembered Cordelia telling him what the Storm King had said about not trusting anyone here and so he was suddenly regretting allowing three relative strangers into their group.
“I’m not sure,” Brendan answered. “But we have to at least try.”
“If I’m going to help you, then I get at least half of this war bounty you spoke of,” Lefty said.
“Agreed,” Brendan said.
Eleanor also noticed the greedy gleam in Lefty’s eyes and remembered the Storm King’s warning. Which is why she stayed silent, even though she was pretty sure she had already figured out how to get the third Worldkeeper. But she knew it would be safer to tell Brendan later, in private.
Brendan looked around the room. The group was silent and pensive, daunted by the seemingly impossible challenge of trying to obtain these three Worldkeepers. But he couldn’t dwell on the negative. If they didn’t decipher the cryptic hints about the Worldkeepers, locate them, and eventually bring them to the Door of Ways, they would never be able to seal off the book world from the real world. It was the only way to save San Francisco . . . and the rest of the real world.
“So what now?” Adie asked.
“Let’s start by going to the library and getting the three novels Kristoff mentioned,” Brendan said. “That will help us figure out how we’ll need to split up. The good news is that we’re already in one of these three books. I’m pretty sure this island we just washed ashore is The Terror on Planet 5X.”
Eleanor swallowed, not liking the sound of that.
They followed Brendan into the hollowed-out and blackened remainder of a library, where Cordelia was picking through the burned-up rubble. It was immediately obvious that the search for the three books was a complete waste of time. The entire library had been consumed by the fire. The few books that remained were little more than singed and tattered scraps of brownish yellow paper glued together at one end. The Lost City was the only one of the three novels that had survived the fire. And survived probably isn’t the most accurate description. It was more that the book was the only one that wasn’t completely destroyed. Only the spine remained, along with most of the front cover and about half of the pages, which were dark and mostly unreadable.
“Better than nothing,” Brendan said, handing the book to Eleanor. “Now, let’s figure out a plan. Quickly.”
He knew the Walker kids couldn’t stay together since they were the only three who had a true grasp on their circumstances. Each of the three search parties would need a Walker, further supporting the need for the three of them to split up.
“Adie and Cordelia, you guys will take The Lost City,” Brendan finally said, plucking the novel from Eleanor’s hands and giving the book to Adie. “Read as much of this as you can, and whatever you do, don’t let Cordelia see it if her eyes turn icy blue.”
“What if her eyes turn icy blue when I’m not reading?” Adie asked.
“What do you mean?” Brendan asked.
“Like, if we’re in this Forbidden Zone,” Adie said. “And we’re just about to get the Worldkeeper, and her eyes turn blue. You wouldn’t want the Wind Witch to see that either, right?”
“Good point,” Brendan said. He turned and snatched the black scarf from around Lefty’s neck.
“Hey,” Lefty protested. “That was my grandpa’s!”
“Just blindfold her with this,” Brendan said, giving Adie the scarf.
Adie nodded.
“How will we get there?” Cordelia asked. “And where do we even go?”
“I’ll draw you a map,” Brendan said as he unfolded the book world map. “According to this, the Lost City is located entirely under the sea. . . . It’s actually very close to where we are now. You guys could float there in the house.”
“There’s no way to steer a Victorian house floating on barrels, Bren,” Cordelia said.
“Do not retain apprehension,” Gilbert interrupted them. “I can assist.”
“How?” Brendan asked.
“Let me exhibit my aptitudes for you,” Gilbert said, closing all seven of his eyes. He slowly raised his hands in the air and within seconds, the sound of cracking and splintering wood came from the upper levels of Kristoff House.
The noises were rapid and fast, almost like a jackhammer made solidly of wood slamming down on an even harder wood surface. There was a massive splash outside. Eleanor ran to the nearest living room window to investigate.
“No way!” she yelled.
The rest of them followed her to the window and looked outside.
Floating on the surface of the sea, tethered to the Kristoff House’s front porch by a rope made from an upstairs curtain, was a small sailboat. The wood was unmistakably the same color as the wooden floors that lined the attic. Or used to make up the attic. The sail was constructed of more unburned curtains from various rooms throughout Kristoff House.
“You just telepathically built that sailboat out of the wood from our attic?” Brendan squeaked.
“Indeed,” Gilbert said.
“I promise to never underestimate you again,” Brendan said, patting the alien’s tiny back. “You may be an egotistical blowhard, but you are one insanely powerful little dude.”
“I will accept the flattery fragment of that testimonial and disregard the insulting segment,” Gilbert said.
“Okay!” Brendan said. “So, Cordelia and Adie will take the boat to the Lost City to find the first Worldkeeper. The Wazner’s Revenge book is the farthest away, so Gilbert and I will take his sphere ship there.”
“Are you sure, Bren?” Eleanor asked. “That’s where the most powerful Worldkeeper is.”
“It’s also the most likely place for the Wind Witch to pop up again,” Brendan said. “And Gilbert is our best chance at defeating her.”
“I undoubtedly could destroy the being you reference,” Gilbert said.
“What about Lefty and me?” Eleanor asked.
“You’re staying here,” Brendan said. “In The Terror on Planet 5X. You guys need to find the Worldkeeper that’s here . . . the one that’s always moving. Which sounds hard, I know, but this is the smallest of the book worlds, so it’s only a matter of time before you eventually find it.”
“Where will we meet back up?” Eleanor asked.
“Kristoff said we need to bring the Worldkeepers to his brother in Tinz,” Cordelia reminded them.
Brendan studied the map for a moment longer and then nodded.
“Then we’ll meet there,” he said. “It’s actually the closest-known spot to all three Worldkeepers, and the Door of Ways.”
“That’s probably not by accident,” Cordelia said.
“How do we get there?” Eleanor asked, motioning toward herself and Lefty.
“Subsequent vessel presently completed,” Gilbert said, just as another loud splash came from outside.
They peered out the window again and saw a small canoe with two oars moored next to the sailboat.
“You’re awesome!” Eleanor said to the small alien, unable to mask her wonder.
“This is accurate,” Gilbert said, nodding. “I do inspire awe.”
“Okay, I need to go draw maps for all of you,” Brendan said. “Do whatever you need to to get ready. We should head our separate ways as soon as I’m finished.”
He didn’t wait for a response as he walked upstairs toward the study to find some paper and a pen.
Eleanor and Cordelia turned to each other for a brief moment, before looking away quickly. Somehow, hearing Brendan say the words aloud one last time seemed to really cement the fact that they were all splitting up. They hugged each other, not wanting to let go. They both realized that this time, there would be no relying on each other.
This time, the three Walker
s were going to have to do their parts to save the world on their own.
“Here you go,” Brendan said, handing several sheets of paper to Cordelia.
It had taken him nearly an hour to transcribe the descriptions of the three Worldkeepers and draw a series of crude maps, showing how to get to Tinz and their respective book worlds.
“I can barely read this,” Cordelia said. “Your handwriting is horrible.”
“You’re not supposed to see this stuff anyway,” Brendan said, snatching the papers from her hands. “Never know when your eyes might turn blue!”
He handed them to Adie instead.
“Whatever,” Cordelia said, tension creeping into her voice.
“Here’s yours,” Brendan said, handing a few sheets of paper to Eleanor.
“And this is for you,” Eleanor said, pulling him to the side and handing a different piece of paper right back.
“What’s this?” Brendan asked softly, understanding that she didn’t want the rest of the group to hear.
“It’s the Nazi treasure map,” Eleanor said.
“You brought it with us?” Brendan asked.
“It was still in my pocket,” Eleanor said. “I think you’re going to need it.”
“Why?”
“Because of what Denver Kristoff wrote about the third Worldkeeper,” Eleanor said. “I thought about it while you were drawing the maps, and it just seems to make sense.”
Brendan opened the Journal and reread the last passage about the third Worldkeeper in Wazner’s Revenge. He stopped and reread a short selection several times:
Locating it will be impossible without the use of a secret map, designed by perhaps the most evil organization in the history of mankind in order to lead them back to their stolen bounties of war.
He looked back at Eleanor with an amazed expression.
“You’re totally right!” he said. “I’m impressed, Nell.”
“I’m not always just a little girl, you know,” she said.
“I didn’t mean that,” he said. “I just—”
He didn’t get to finish his sentence. A loud rumble shook the ground violently enough to vibrate his brains like a blender.
“What was that?” Adie asked.
“Probably our cue to get the heck out of here,” Brendan said, suddenly very worried about leaving Eleanor in this dangerous place.
He wrapped a protective arm around her. As much as she longed for independence, in that moment, she allowed herself to get lost in the comfort of her older brother’s hug.
Lefty was a fearless and cunning man; Brendan just had to hope that the outlaw would protect her from whatever horrors they encountered.
The three Walkers embraced in an awkward group hug, with Eleanor getting smooshed in the middle. Cordelia had seen the sudden vulnerability in her little sister’s face, and Brendan’s protective hug, and it was all she could do to not burst into tears right then and there.
“Good luck, both of you,” Cordelia said, straining to keep from crying. “And be careful, okay? I’ll see you both at the Tinz marketplace very soon.”
Eleanor nodded, wiping away at a tear.
“Unfortunately for you guys, I’ll be there too,” Brendan said, grinning in spite of his watering eyes. “And I’ll already be two verses deep into my stunning rendition of another Springsteen classic.”
This only made Eleanor cry more. But she still allowed Lefty to pull her away from her siblings. They stood in the front doorway of Kristoff House, the night sky above them dotted with billions of stars, and watched as the rest of their friends departed.
Brendan crouched down and followed Gilbert into his odd sphere spaceship. The doorway collapsed on itself, disappearing into its shiny, liquid surface. It hovered for several seconds, rising slowly at first, and in the next blink of Eleanor’s eyes it was gone, leaving behind just a single fading streak of silver across the black sky.
Cordelia and Adie pulled the sailboat closer to the half-submerged front porch and then climbed aboard. Cordelia untied the rope as Adie grabbed a paddle and pushed them away from the house. They floated slowly at first, the curtain sails hung limply. Then a light breeze caught the fabric, causing the sails to poof up and go taut. The boat drifted away with surprising speed. Cordelia raised a hand and waved good-bye. Eleanor responded in kind, wiping at her eyes with her other hand.
And just like that, Eleanor’s brother and sister were gone. She took a deep breath and told herself to stop crying. A wooden prosthetic hand rested gently on her shoulder.
“Don’t worry, kid,” Lefty said reassuringly. “You got a real tough brother and sister. And they’re smart too. I usually hate ankle biters. But the three of you have impressed me. Now c’mon, we got a job to do. Let’s find that Worldkeeper. Sooner we do that, sooner we can get off this strange island and get you back with your family. And me back to the stash of loot I buried in Texas.”
Eleanor nodded, wiping her eyes as she followed Lefty back inside the house. She looked at the papers her brother had given her a few moments ago. Cordelia had been right; his handwriting was nearly as indecipherable as Denver Kristoff’s ancient script. But she was his sister, and so was able to read his writing like she was breaking some sort of secret code.
Before she could finish even the first sentence, however, a massive, glowing, red circle appeared in the window beside them.
Eleanor and Lefty both took a step back as the huge red orb hovered, filling the entire bay window with menace. The red light felt intrusive to Eleanor, almost as if . . . right then she realized it was an eye. A huge, glowing, red eye, peering inside Kristoff House. Which meant that whatever it was attached to was massive, maybe even almost as big as Fat Jagger.
The eye disappeared, and a moment later, the whole wall crumbled as a huge metal claw ripped open Kristoff House like a can of beans. Splinters of wood sprayed across the night sky, revealing the true nature of their assailant.
Eleanor screamed.
Lefty grabbed Eleanor and pulled her toward the front door as her brain attempted to reconcile what she’d just seen.
It was a huge robot with long, metal legs that rose above the roof of the house. Its torso was short and boxy, with two arms extending on either side. One arm had a huge metal claw with seven sharp and devastating fingers. The other arm had a strange flamethrower for a hand, emitting an odd, wispy green flame that flickered in the night sky. The robot had an oval head with a single glowing red eye below a glass dome. Inside the dome sat the robot’s pilot, a purple alien with at least seven or eight tentacles operating the controls.
Green fire erupted from the robot’s right hand and engulfed Kristoff House. Lefty and Eleanor dove off the porch and into the cold sea. Eleanor surfaced, choking on salty seawater. Lefty grabbed her and threw her arms around his neck. She held on as he towed her to shore.
As they swam, Eleanor looked back and saw that the green flames weren’t really flames at all. Kristoff House appeared to be melting amid the rolling plumes of green that streamed continuously from the huge robot’s right hand.
Eleanor watched in horror as her home, their one oasis of safety through all their dangerous adventures, slowly sank into itself like a deflating balloon. Not only that, but the canoe Gilbert had built for them, their only means of escape, had also been engulfed by the green flames and was now nothing more than a miniature brown puddle.
They reached the shore, and Lefty hauled Eleanor to her feet. The sparkly black sand felt hot, even through her shoes. The combination of watching her brother and sister abandon her and seeing her house melt within minutes of each other had left her in an utter state of panic.
“Eleanor!” Lefty yelled as the robot spun around, its glowing red eye pointed right at them. “Eleanor, can you hear me?”
He gently shook her, snapping her out of a daze.
“We need to get out of here,” he said, once he was sure he had her attention. “Follow me.”
Lefty grabbed her hand an
d ran into the thick, colorful, strange vegetation that lined the shore of the island. Eleanor forced her legs to function as she ran after him. He pulled her along, pushing her legs faster than she thought they could go.
Suddenly Eleanor felt a hot blast as a wave of green flames melted a section of tree trunks directly behind her.
“Faster!” Lefty shouted. “Run faster!”
Lefty pulled her, forcing Eleanor to keep up with him. It felt like her arm was going to pop from her socket.
A wall of green flames blasted overhead, just inches from their heads. The top of Lefty’s hat melted down onto the brim like candle wax. But they kept running.
After a short distance, Lefty let go of Eleanor’s hand. She was still able to keep up, her relatively tiny size making it easier for her to weave through the thick foliage. If it could be called foliage at all, that is. To Eleanor, it was more like they were running through fields of giant psychedelic candies. There were yellow translucent tubes the size of an elevator, filled with bright red baseball-size fruits or seeds. There were massive orange flowers, some of which she swore she saw moving on their own as they passed by in a blur. The ground had changed and was now soft and spongy, like Styrofoam. And topping it all off were fluorescent purple-and-aqua vines stretched across everything in sight.
Lefty moved a few feet ahead of her, veering and running with a purpose, almost as if he actually knew where they were headed.
After running for what felt like miles, but couldn’t have been more than a few times around a track, Eleanor became aware that she no longer heard the crashing footsteps of the giant robot behind them. Lefty finally slowed and stopped in a small clearing.
Clash of the Worlds Page 15