“You can turn off your light, Link.”
“Huh?” Lincoln asked and looked over at Jack, who pointed upward. Lincoln looked up. He was staring at the moon and several stars. He had been so focused on maintaining his light that he hadn’t noticed the cavern ceiling had a giant hole in the middle of it. He blushed and extinguished his light.
“Must be an extinct volcano,” Jack guessed.
“So why did the panther on steroids bring us here anyway?” mused Skylar out loud. “The place is empty.”
Lincoln glanced around the cavern. There were eerie pillars of rock everywhere, as well as hundreds of nooks and crannies obscured by dark shadows. But as far as he could see, Skylar was right—the place was empty. No signs of life, nothing. So why were there two saber-tooths guarding it?
“It’s an extinct volcano, right?” asked Milo. “Maybe they brought us here to be sacrificed.”
“Not funny, Milo,” said Kennedy. Lincoln didn’t bother to look. He knew she was rolling her eyes.
“Why don’t we spread out and look around?” suggested Jack. “We’re already here, we should at least—”
Jack never finished his thought, because just then two new saber-tooths emerged from behind a large boulder. They moved to the center of the cavern and stopped, never taking their eyes from the recruits.
“I feel like I’m living in the freaking Ice Age,” muttered Jack. “What’s next, dinosaurs?”
Whoosh! Lincoln recognized the unmistakable sound of something flying through the air. He and his friends looked up. The yeti from the Challenge was plummeting toward the bottom of the cavern. One of Lincoln’s friends gasped.
Boom! The ground shook as the yeti landed just inches from the two saber-tooths. The recruits’ knees wobbled. The yeti took a step forward. Where it had landed, there were two large footprints sunken several inches into the rocky ground. As the creature saw Milo, the guarded expression on its face changed to one of intense anger. It snarled in rage.
“Good to see it remembers me,” Milo deadpanned. “Maybe someone else should try talking to it?”
“We mean you no harm,” Lincoln shouted. It shifted its focus from Milo to Lincoln and released a menacing growl. Lincoln could feel the sweat forming on his forehead. “The academy’s been invaded and we’re the only ones who escaped. Please ... we need your help.”
Lincoln could hear the desperation in his voice and hoped the yeti could too. More importantly, he hoped that Milo was right and the yeti truly could understand what he said. The yeti stopped growling and stared at Lincoln. After a moment, it gave a slight shake of its head and turned its back on the recruits.
“Wait,” protested Skylar, taking a step forward. As she did so, she must have crossed some unseen line. The two saber-tooths sprang into action. They jumped at Skylar, paws outstretched ready to strike, snarling.
Lincoln reacted instinctively. He jumped between Skylar and the saber-tooths and shot an air blast. It crashed into the giant cats, throwing them backward and into one of the cavern walls. They howled in pain and rose from the ground. Lincoln didn’t give them a chance to attack again. He used the earth rite to create a hole in the rocky ground beneath the two saber-tooths. They disappeared from view.
The yeti heard the commotion and whirled around. It glared at the recruits with its dark red eyes and then walked to the edge of the hole and peered inside. The sounds of the saber-tooths angry snarls echoed back and forth inside the cavern. The yeti roared into the hole. The snarling ceased immediately.
Lincoln glanced at Skylar, who raised her eyebrows. The yeti turned away from the hole and looked back at the recruits. What happened next was something Lincoln thought impossible, even at the academy.
“That’s a deep hole, boy.”
The recruits stood dumbstruck. The yeti could talk! It spoke in a deep, guttural voice that was almost impossible to understand, but still, it had spoken.
“W-w-what?” Milo stammered.
The yeti didn’t answer, and for a moment, Lincoln wondered if they had imagined the entire thing. But then he realized how ridiculous that would be, five people all imagining the same thing. It sounded almost as ridiculous as a ten-foot-tall yeti who could talk.
The recruits approached the hole cautiously, making sure they stayed on the side opposite the yeti. When they got to the edge, Lincoln took a final glance at the yeti, leaned forward, and peered into the hole. Lincoln couldn’t see the two creatures he could hear circling the bottom. The hole was too deep.
“You want to join them?” The yeti’s deep voice startled the recruits yet again, and they leaped back from the hole, shaking their heads. The yeti stared at them with what must have been the yeti equivalent of a smirk.
Milo was the first to speak, his fear overshadowed by his excitement. He motioned to the hole. “Can they talk too?”
The yeti shook its head. “They understand, but only I speak your language. I am the closest thing to human here.”
“What’s your name?” Milo asked.
“The Keepers call me Samson.”
“Well then, Samson it is,” Milo said, brazenly walking to the other side of the hole and sticking out his hand. “No hard feelings about the Challenge, right?”
Milo’s hand disappeared as Samson grabbed it and squeezed. Milo’s eyes widened with pain.
“Of course not,” Samson said with a smile that looked more like a grimace.
“We need your help,” said Skylar.
“For what?” he asked.
“To save our friends.”
“Why would I help you?” countered Samson. “What happens to the academy does not concern me.”
“You can’t be serious,” Lincoln protested.
“Watch yourself, boy,” growled Samson.
Lincoln ignored the warning. “You do know that nothing like you guys still exists outside of here, right? This is the one place left on the planet where you can live without being hunted down and killed ... or trapped and put on some TV show ... or locked up in a lab. You need the academy more than we do.”
“When the time comes, we will defend ourselves.”
“Now is the time,” Lincoln yelled, startling his friends. “Help us, before it’s too late.”
“He’s right,” added Milo. “It’s now or never. If we wait, we won’t get a second chance.”
The yeti clenched his fists. He looked ready to explode. He marched away from the hole and approached the biggest rock pillar in the cavern. With a snarl of rage, he punched the giant mound of rock. It shattered. Rock flew everywhere. Lincoln dodged a large piece and stumbled. He fell headfirst toward the hole. Skylar grabbed him just in time.
“Thanks,” he whispered.
“Consider it payback for saving me earlier,” she whispered back.
“Very well,” Samson snarled. “They will wish they never stepped onto academy grounds.” He whistled loudly. A few seconds later something large soared into the cavern, landing gracefully on the ground below.
“No way,” whispered Milo.
Awestruck, the five recruits stared at the creature. It was even taller than Samson, and like him, it was completely white. It had the head and paws of an oversized polar bear merged with the body, wings, and tail of a dragon. Most of its body was covered in thick scales, though a patch of white hair ran from the top of the creature’s head all the way down its back to its tail. The hair stuck straight up several inches, reminding Lincoln of a thick Mohawk. The creature folded its wings across its back and stepped forward.
The five recruits were so engrossed with the incredible creature that they failed to notice Samson bow low to the ground. Lincoln felt a hard tap on his shoulder and turned to see Samson urging the recruits to copy him. They quickly did so, rising only after Samson did.
“The academy has been invaded,” Samson informed the creature. The creature snorted. “These children ask for our help. They say we must strike now, before it is too late.”
The creature
began to make a series of grunts, clicks, and growls all jumbled together.
“Milo,” Kennedy whispered as the creature continued making its sounds, “what is that?”
“A bregon,” he answered. “Basically, it’s a dragon from Antarctica. They’re awesome. Instead of fire, bregons shoot ice from their mouths. They’re unbelievably quick on ice, land, or in the air. They’re even rumored to have magical healing properties. I heard that the Founders brought one here forever ago and that it was still alive, but I just assumed it was a bogus story to scare first-years.”
The bregon stopped making sounds, leaped back into the air, and flew out of the cavern.
“He goes to gather more creatures,” said Samson. “They will meet us outside the cave. Follow me.”
“Wait,” Lincoln said. Using his powers, Lincoln lifted the two saber-tooths from their hole and placed them gently on the ground. “Sorry,” he apologized. They glared at him and then trotted out of the cavern.
Samson led the recruits back through the passageway and out of the cavern. Lincoln counted fifteen creatures surrounding the cave entrance. There were several saber-tooths, four of the giant panther-like creatures, a few yeti, all smaller than Samson, two large dragons, one red, one black, and the bregon. They paced, crawled, and jumped from one spot to the next, clearly unaccustomed to sitting still.
The recruits approached, cautiously fastening the extra NE wristbands they brought with them onto the creatures’ arms, legs, or paws. Some of the creatures were so large this task proved to be next to impossible. Lincoln snapped an wristband around one of the panther’s legs and then held in a laugh as he watched Kennedy trying to do the same with the black dragon. Its leg was much too bulky to fit inside the wristband. Finally, Kennedy gave up and snapped it onto the tip of the dragon’s tail.
Lincoln approached the bregon, wondering if he would have to do the same. But as he got close he saw that the bregon’s legs were much smaller than the larger dragon’s. He crouched down and gently snapped the wristband in place. The bregon stood still, watching him through its hauntingly deep blue eyes. Lincoln patted it on its side and then stood back up as Milo began to speak.
“The rest of our friends are waiting just beyond the Barrier.” Milo pointed in the general direction. “We need to hurry. We only have five minutes before they leave.”
The two dragons and the bregon approached the recruits and then lowered their bodies to the ground. “Hop on,” Samson ordered.
“You’re joking,” exclaimed Kennedy.
“It’s our only chance to make it,” Samson growled. “Now get up there!”
“Awesome!” Milo said, eagerly stepping forward. He climbed onto the back of the black dragon and then held his hand out to Kennedy. “Come on, princess.” Reluctantly, she grabbed his hand and allowed him to help her up. “Get closer,” he added with a smile. “Don’t be shy now ... ouch! Geez, I was only kidding.”
Jack hopped onto the red dragon. Lincoln grabbed Skylar by the hand and led her to the bregon. It lowered itself to the ground as they approached.
“Thank you,” Lincoln whispered to the bregon as he and Skylar climbed onto its massive back.
“Hold on tight!” Samson yelled at the recruits, who were busy securing themselves to the creatures.
Milo was turned the other way, looking at his dragon’s wings. He wheeled around, facing Samson. “What was that?”
“I said—” Before Samson could finish, both dragons leaped high into the air, flapping their wings and quickly rising into the night sky. Startled, Milo lost his grip, and he and Kennedy slid down the dragon’s back, nearly falling to the ground below. Luckily, the dragon noticed and slowed down, pushing them forward with the tip of its tail. Milo grabbed hold of the dragon’s thick neck. As soon as they were secure, Kennedy let go of his waist with one of her hands and punched him hard in the arm. Then they were off, chasing after Jack as they rose higher and higher under the moonlight.
Skylar wrapped her arms around Lincoln’s waist and leaned her head against his back. Lincoln grabbed onto the thick Mohawk in front of him. The bregon leaped into the air, flying gracefully through the night sky and quickly passing both dragons. The flight was so exhilarating that for a moment Lincoln forgot where he was, enjoying the wind rushing through his hair and Skylar holding him tight. If only they could stay like this forever.
A few minutes later, they burst through the NE Barrier, followed closely by the two dragons. Lincoln spotted his friends hidden in a grove of trees. The bregon saw them as well and dove downward, coming to a sudden stop just before crashing into the ground. It landed with a thump, ten feet from where Sean and the others remained hidden, staring at the bregon with shock and amazement. Sean finally moved, standing from his crouched position and raising his eyebrows questioningly at Lincoln.
Lincoln grinned. “We’ve brought a few extra friends.”
CHAPTER 22
THE BLADE OF BETRAYAL
THEIR PLAN WAS QUITE SIMPLE. THEY would split into two groups. The first group would create a distraction to draw the roamers away from the tower. The others would then sneak inside and attempt to free the academy faculty, hoping that together they could free the others and defeat Xander and his Legion.
Milo, Sean, and Kennedy would be responsible for creating the distraction. The first-years and Guga would be going with Duncan to raid the tower. Milo checked his watch. “The best time for us to make our move will be in an hour, around three-thirty. That should give us plenty of time to get everything ready, and the sun will still be down, giving us cover. Hey, Link, can I talk to you for a sec? Everybody else, get in your groups and get ready.”
As the rest of their little army divided into two groups, Lincoln and Milo huddled near a pine tree, just out of earshot from their friends.
“What’s up?” Lincoln asked.
“I want you to be the one in charge of your group.”
“Lincoln was stunned. “W-w-what? Why me?”
“Why not?” replied Milo.
“I’m no leader. And I’m younger than everyone else here. What about Jack or Skylar? They’re ten times the fighters I’ll ever be. Or Guga? He’s older and more experienced.”
“And you crush them when it comes to using the rites, but that stuff doesn’t matter. You proved to me that you should be the one when you took charge at the NE Zone. Without you,” Milo nodded at the creatures, “they wouldn’t be here. Trust me. You have what it takes.”
Lincoln glanced toward their friends. Sean and Kennedy were atop the two dragons, surrounded by half of the remaining NE creatures. The others were gathered in their own little circle a few feet away. All of them were staring at him and Milo. Lincoln turned back to Milo and gave him a very slight, nervous nod.
“Excellent!” exclaimed Milo. “Wait twenty minutes after our distraction before you raid the tower.” Lincoln nodded again. “And keep an eye on Duncan. The last thing we need is someone stabbing us in the back when we least expect it.”
They walked back to where the others waited, and Milo hopped in front of Kennedy on the black dragon. “Okay, everybody, Link’s agreed to the plan. He’s going to lead the tower group.”
Murmurs of approval rippled through the little army. A feeling of immense relief rushed through Lincoln. He had been convinced the others would hate the idea of him being in charge. He looked up at Milo. “They already knew?”
“Of course,” answered Milo with a smile. “I had to make sure there wasn’t going to be a mutiny, didn’t I?” He pointed to his chest. “Trust your gut, Link.”
The black dragon jumped into the sky and rose fifteen feet into the air. Milo gave his friends an exaggerated salute and shouted, “Good luck, academy defenders. Make me proud.”
The black dragon rose high into the sky. With a leap and a flap of its wings, the red dragon gave chase, Sean’s arms wrapped tightly around its neck. The rest of the creatures in Milo’s group followed on foot.
“What now, fe
arless leader?” Jack asked as those that remained watched the two dragons fade into the night sky.
Trust your gut. Milo’s final piece of advice was one Lincoln was going to follow right now.
“We go to the dorm. There’s something we’re going to need.”
“IT looks empty,” Jack whispered. He and Lincoln were crouched next to several pine trees, watching the entrance to the Finn dormitory. The others sat farther back from the path, well hidden from possible patrols. As far as Lincoln could tell, the place was deserted.
“That’s what worries me,” Lincoln whispered back. Time was running out. Lincoln hated being rushed into things, but they needed to move if they wanted to make it to Roemick Tower before 3:30 a.m.
“Remind me what we’re looking for?” Jack whispered.
“Healer’s Tonic. It helps Guardians regain energy used up by controlling rites. I’m hoping it will work for Samson too. Let’s go.”
The two of them crept toward the dormitory and tiptoed up the wooden stairs onto the porch. So far, so good. The front door was cracked open. Lincoln pushed it open a little further. It creaked loudly. He winced, and they crouched down, certain that someone was going to burst through the door and attack them. But no one came, and after a moment, Jack stood and pushed the door open the rest of the way. The great room was trashed, the furniture broken and scattered everywhere.
They stepped inside and made their way to Lincoln’s room. For a moment, Lincoln hoped that whoever trashed the great room left the bedrooms alone, but then he opened his door.
His room had been ransacked. His bed was broken in half and flipped upside down. The mattress was shredded. His desk was tipped on its side against a wall, the drawers yanked out and tossed across the room. Clothes were everywhere. There were even holes in the walls, as if someone wanted to make certain nothing was hidden behind the sheet rock.
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