by Brandon Mull
“You were created by a tragedy,” Seth said.
“Are you deliberately explaining it poorly so I will correct you?” Dezia asked. “Not a bad tactic, but I will resist the urge.”
“How were you created?” Seth asked.
“Did you actually come here this unprepared?”
“I rely on my charm,” Seth said.
“Then you came to me unarmed. Many years ago, fifteen firewalkers lost their lives inside the volcano Baga Loa. They are buried here under those coals I helped you cross. Their demise opened my gateway to your world.”
“Are firewalkers people?” Seth asked.
“You are a stranger to the islands,” Dezia said. “As nereids are to the sea, and naiads are to fresh water, firewalkers are to volcanoes.”
“Volcano nymphs?” Seth asked.
“The true volcano nymphs are lost,” Dezia said. “The firewalkers are their descendants. They live more like mortals than proper nymphs. They wed and have offspring. And they tend to Baga Loa.”
“Can they swim in lava?”
“Almost,” Dezia said. “You asked what I want. Pledge to cast my token into the volcano, and I will reveal what I know about the Everbloom.”
“What will the token do?” Seth asked.
“Your throwing it into Baga Loa will grant me greater freedom to roam,” Dezia said.
“What does that mean?” Seth asked.
“If the sanctuary fully falls, I will be able to leave this place and find a new abode,” Dezia said. “If it stands, on festival nights I will be able to explore the island.”
“Will you come bother me if you can roam?” Seth asked.
“Only if you fail to cast the token into the volcano,” Dezia said. “Such failure would enable me to haunt you.”
“How long do I have to get it there?” Seth asked.
“One year from today,” Dezia said.
“Where is the token?” Seth asked.
Dezia drifted to a low stone altar on one side of the room and gestured at a primitive wooden doll. It had reedy hair made from dried grass, divots for eyes, and a simple smile painted onto the smooth, dark wood.
“A doll?” Seth asked.
“My token,” Dezia said. “Will you deliver it to the volcano within one year if I tell you what I know about the location of the Everbloom?”
Seth doubted he would get a better offer. “Sure.”
“Then take custody of my token,” Dezia said.
Seth picked up the doll.
“The Everbloom grows somewhere within Baga Loa,” Dezia said.
“Inside the volcano?” Seth asked.
“A complex system of caves leaves portions of the mountain hollow,” Dezia said. “The firewalkers know those paths better than anyone. I am only sure that one firewalker knows the exact location of the Everbloom within those secret windings. Her name is Savani, and she is the caretaker of this sanctuary.”
“That’s all you know?” Seth asked.
“Yes,” Dezia said. “I gave you the general location of the Everbloom, and I told you who can pinpoint the exact location. Now take my token and go. Hurry. With the pool gone, I mean to collapse the outer areas of this crypt to prevent easy entry.”
“Now?” Seth asked, looking toward the room full of hot coals.
“Summon your cold,” Dezia said. “I will aid you. Then run.”
Seth mustered all the cold he could and directed it toward the coals. Again, a central aisle of coals lost their heat. He wrapped cold around himself and ran, eyes squinting against the temperature and the particles in the air.
At the far side of the coals he found Midnight. “We have to go,” Seth said. “This crypt is going to collapse.”
“That poses no problem for me,” Midnight said. “But I will help you.”
Seth had almost forgotten about the room where he needed to close his eyes. “Yes, please.”
He hurried along the corridor, again tucking his hand into his sleeve and allowing Midnight to lead him. As Seth blindly followed the wraith, he listened for the rumblings of a cave-in. By the time he opened his eyes, he felt the first tremors.
When Seth reached the chamber with the wraiths, the walls trembled, gently at first, then with greater vigor.
“Thank you,” Seth called to Midnight, running for the entrance. “Depart when you want!”
Midnight stayed close behind him. “I am free when you emerge from the crypt?”
Seth lurched and stumbled as the quaking increased. Cracks were forming in the walls. Behind him, part of the ceiling collapsed.
“Yes,” Seth said, pinballing off the walls of the corridor until he emerged from the crypt into the empty pond. Dust gushed from the opening behind him, accompanied by the thunder of falling rocks.
Facing away from Seth, on the far side of the pond, stood a gigantic creature shaped like a man, but with a tough, gray hide like a rhinoceros and lumpy muscles across his back, legs, and arms. The huge brute clutched a wooden club that might once have been the trunk of a palm tree. Even at a distance, Seth could tell he came no higher than the creature’s thigh.
The monstrosity turned, revealing a broad face with a flat nose and a huge forehead that accommodated three eyes spaced roughly in the shape of a triangle. As Seth had begun to expect, it was the triclops.
“Run!” Ronodin called from somewhere beyond the triclops, and a rock struck the monster, turning its attention away.
More dust belched from the crypt, reminding Seth that the cave would offer no shelter, but also providing Seth with some cover. Keeping within the dust cloud as best he could, Seth raced up the side of the empty pond, away from the triclops.
Once out of the muddy crater, Seth crashed into the jungle, plowing through ferns and shrubs with reckless haste. By the time he looked back, vegetation impeded his view of the triclops.
While glancing back, Seth blundered into something spongy and sticky, which to his disgust turned out to be the bell-shaped cap of a colossal yellow mushroom. Supported by a short, thick stalk, the bulbous cap went from Seth’s knees to well above his head. To his horror, Seth found that every part of his body that had touched it could not pull away—his right shoulder, right arm, right hand, right side, and right leg down to the knee were held fast as if by instant, perfect glue.
Hastily trying to wrench free, Seth made the mistake of pushing with his left palm, and that hand became immediately stuck to the adhesive surface. Seth struggled, hoping to tear off part of the mushroom or perhaps snap it free from the ground, but it was like trying to outpull a stubborn elephant.
Rather than succumb to his efforts, the mushroom, as if by some predatory instinct, leaned away from Seth just enough to lift him off the ground, causing more of his body to press against the sticky surface. Pathetically dangling from the tenacious mushroom, Seth kicked his free leg in frustration.
Behind him, the triclops roared with a primal fury that triggered enough panic to halt Seth’s struggles. Holding his breath, he prayed the behemoth would not venture his way.
Kendra crouched in the bushes near the drained pond, hands over her ears to dampen the roar of the triclops. After throwing a few rocks, Warren had hit the creature near one of the eyes, and now it was charging him. But Kendra’s attention was focused on the place nearly halfway around the pond where her brother had vanished into the jungle. She had come to the corrupted pool hoping for a clue to finding Seth. The possibility that he would actually be there had not entered her mind.
The journey to the pool had been relatively calm until the last few minutes. Hako, a grim Polynesian man with a broad chest and thick limbs, had led them along quiet paths toward their destination, pointing out hazards along the way. As they traveled, Kendra had found two fairies, Nia and Beruni, who had joined her.
The trouble began as they drew
near the pool. Hako had raised a fist, bringing the group to a halt, and after a few moments Kendra heard distant branches snapping in the jungle behind them.
“Mombatu,” Hako had whispered, crouching low to place one hand on the ground. “Scatter. Remember, he is drawn to motion. I will lure him past you.”
Kendra had raced off the path beside Tanu, the two fairies flitting nearby. Warren, Vanessa, Doren, and Knox ran in the opposite direction. Hako had previously warned that if the triclops found them, their best chance for survival would be to separate and individually make their way back to the protected area around the Monkey Maze. When Kendra and Tanu reached some bushes near the edge of the vacant pond, Tanu had pointed to a fern that would conceal her and then scrambled off to find his own cover.
Shortly after Kendra took shelter beneath the lush fronds, she heard Hako taunting Mombatu. As Hako led the triclops from the jungle into the wide depression of the empty pond, to her surprise, Kendra saw Ronodin fleeing into the trees. Hako tumbled into the mud at the bottom of the empty pond and promptly disappeared. Whether the camouflage was through skill or magic, Kendra could not see him, and neither could Mombatu, who stomped around the muddy crater, brandishing his club in frustration.
After that, the ground had begun rumbling, and seconds later, to her complete shock, Seth had emerged from the mouth of a cave in the waterless pond. Kendra had seen him only briefly before dust billowed from the opening and obscured her view. It was so unexpected that she hardly believed her eyes, but it was his face, his expression, his stance. Was Seth really alive? Was he free? Was he involved in some sort of adventure here on the island? Had she gotten lucky enough to encounter him? Somebody yelled for Seth to run, Warren started throwing rocks at Mombatu, and her brother dashed out of view.
Now the triclops was pounding off into the jungle after Warren, and Hako emerged from the mud to chase Mombatu. According to the plan, if the triclops attacked, Kendra was supposed to withdraw immediately to the protections of Crescent Beach. But having glimpsed Seth, she knew retreat was no longer an option. Not until she caught up to him.
“Did you see the boy who came out of the cave?” Kendra asked the fairies.
“Not as well as the triclops did,” Nia said with a giggle. “I only have two eyes.”
“I saw him,” Calvin said. “It was Seth.”
“I took some small notice of him,” Beruni said.
“Can you fairies lead us to the boy?” Kendra said. “Going around the pond? To avoid being seen by Mombatu?”
“This way,” Nia said, fluttering ahead.
Advancing in a crouch, Kendra followed. Both fairies were hard to miss with their elaborate butterfly wings. She could hear Mombatu bulldozing through the jungle behind her, thankfully, not in her direction.
“Kendra!” Tanu called in a stage whisper, appearing out of hiding. “Where are you going? The lagoon is the other way.”
“Seth is here,” Kendra said. “I saw him.”
“He’s here?” Tanu exclaimed.
Kendra realized he must not have been in a position to view the empty pond when Seth had emerged. “The fairies are leading me to him. I have to go.”
“Be careful,” Tanu urged. “I’ll check on Knox and the others. We’ll draw the triclops away from you.”
Kendra picked up her pace. If Seth had kept running, he had a big head start. Hopefully he was hiding. Either way, she wasn’t going to give up until she found him. If he ran faster, she would run longer.
“Beruni,” Kendra said, “fly ahead and find Seth, then come report.”
Beruni darted out of view.
Kendra forced her way through the dense undergrowth, stumbling over creepers and roots, pushing aside fronds, rustling through ivy, trying to be swift and silent, with little success at either. Mombatu roared again, the naked rage of the bellow making Kendra fear for Knox and her friends.
“Nia, remember I can’t fly,” Kendra said. “Lead me the best way for a clumsy human to go. And help me avoid anything dangerous.”
“Don’t drink from those,” Nia replied, indicating a creeping vine with leaves shaped like cups. “You’ll hallucinate for hours.”
Beruni flew back into sight. “He’s not far ahead.”
“Is he all right?” Kendra asked.
“He won’t be, without help,” Beruni said.
Breaking into a run, Kendra jumped a small trench, shoved through a curtain of vines, and wove among ferns until her brother came into view, his feet off the ground, most of his body affixed to the side of a huge mushroom the color of Dijon mustard. He was facing away from her as she approached, his free leg kicking halfheartedly. Part of her had worried she might never see him again, or that he would run from her, so finding him immobilized was a relief. But immediately she remembered the way he had looked at her like a stranger back at Stormguard Castle, and she wondered whether he would accept her help.
“Seth!” Kendra ventured in a loud whisper. “Are you okay?”
“Do I look okay?” he replied quietly. “Who are you? I can’t turn my head.”
Kendra walked around to where Seth could see her. Even with one cheek mashed against the side of the mushroom, it was amazing to see his face. For a moment she was speechless. It was her brother, frustrated, dangling helplessly. She really had found him!
“Kendra?” Seth asked.
“Do you remember me?” Kendra asked.
“Sure, from the castle,” Seth said. “The first person I can remember. My sister, according to you. What are you doing here?”
Kendra tried to resist feeling deflated by his continued lack of recognition. “Looking for you,” she said.
“Congrats,” Seth said. “I could use some help.”
“A local warned me about these mushrooms,” Kendra said. “It will slowly absorb you.”
“Unless the triclops decides I make a great topping for a fungal appetizer,” Seth said.
“I can hardly believe it’s really you,” Kendra said.
“Please get me down,” Seth said.
“Can you free him?” Kendra asked Nia.
“No problem,” Nia said. “We have experience with death knells.”
“Is that the name of this type of mushroom?” Kendra asked.
“Because of the bell shape,” Nia said. “And the deadliness.”
“Do fairies get stuck to them?” Kendra asked.
“No self-respecting fairy,” Beruni said with a sniff.
“Maybe in a windstorm,” Nia said. “Sometimes friendly animals get trapped. We help when we can. Should we free him?”
Kendra considered the situation. Seth might do anything if he were free. He might turn on her. Physically, this was her brother, but mentally, who knew? Right now, the triclops was grunting and growling somewhere on the far side of the empty pond. If she wanted to convince Seth he was helping the wrong side, she needed him to listen. It might not be smart to immediately end his captive-audience status.
“Leave him for the moment,” Kendra said, careful to speak in the language the fairies were using. “Keep watch for the triclops. If Mombatu comes this way, free Seth immediately.”
“Not you too!” Seth complained. “Not understanding the fairies was bad enough. What are you plotting?”
“I wanted to make sure they understood me,” Kendra said.
“Can they get me down?” Seth asked.
“Probably,” Kendra said.
“Then maybe we should hurry before I end up as a pizza topping.”
“First I want to know where you have been.”
Seth sighed heavily. “I get it. This is an interrogation.”
“I want to help you,” Kendra said. “But you have been working against us.”
“You shouldn’t even be here,” Seth said. “Aren’t you supposed to be watching over the d
ragon prison called Wyrmroost?”
“I was the caretaker of that dragon sanctuary,” Kendra said. “So were you. Until you released the undead at our main fort and the sanctuary fell. Now I’m not caretaker of anything.”
Mombatu roared loud enough to make Kendra flinch, though the triclops remained a fair distance away. Seth looked at her with startled eyes.
“Get me down,” Seth said. “My skin is tingling where it’s touching the mushroom. I think it’s already digesting me.”
“Where have you been, Seth?”
“You know.”
“I really don’t.”
“The Under Realm.”
“Where is that?”
“It’s the realm of the Underking.”
“And now you’re here?” Kendra asked.
“For the moment,” Seth said. “We’ll go back to the Under Realm.”
“Is it nearby?”
“It wouldn’t be fair to say too much.”
“Do you have to go back?” Kendra asked. “Could you stay? If you wanted?”
“Not really,” Seth said. “I’m trying to earn my freedom from the Underking.”
“Sounds like a great situation. Who took you there? The Sphinx?”
“The guy from the castle. Well, a puppet he sent.”
“Ronodin sent Mendigo? Seth, you were kidnapped.”
“He called it a rescue. Meanwhile, you’re keeping me stuck to a mushroom.”
“I’m on your side,” Kendra said. “I’m your sister. You were taken from your family by an evil unicorn.”
“And now you’re risking me getting eaten by a triclops,” Seth said.
“I’ll get you down if the triclops comes this way,” Kendra said.
“Are you daring me to call it?” Seth asked.
“Stop being dumb,” Kendra said.
“Stop holding me prisoner,” Seth said.
“The dark unicorn is holding you prisoner,” Kendra said.
“According to you and the other unicorn,” Seth said.
“What other unicorn?” Kendra asked urgently.
“That got your attention,” Seth said. “Help me down and I’ll tell you.”