Crystal Keepers

by Brandon Mull

  “Think Roxie knows we’re up here?” Cole asked.

  “I think she has other problems on her mind,” Constance said.

  “She finally gets to pick on somebody her own size,” Cole said.

  “We don’t want her to see me coming,” Sidekick said. “If she reshapes the harmony bomb, all we do is drop a little bot on her. I’ll detonate before I hit the ground. A wall surrounds Sector 20. I’ll blow up a little below the middle of the wall, to help limit damage outside the sector. The blast will be enormous, but since Sector 20 is deserted except for Aero, the explosion could realistically hurt nobody besides the two targets.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Hunter said.

  They fell silent again. Old Zeropolis drew closer. Cole could see the big wall around Sector 20. Roxie continued straight at it.

  Hunter brought the glider around in a circle as Roxie scaled the wall. Cole craned to keep his eyes on the dragonbot as they slowly turned.

  “This is going to happen,” Hunter said. “Make sure you fastened your seat belts. I’m not sure what the blast wave will feel like.”

  “She’s doing so well,” Constance said, her voice thick with emotion. “It can’t be easy fighting off Aero for so long. They’re both so powerful, neither can take out the other.”

  The pain in Constance’s voice reminded Cole that Roxie had been her only friend since the supercomputer was built. “Are you okay?” Cole asked.

  Constance scrunched her nose. “Not really. I wanted a lot of things for Roxie. She really did have a dream of making Zeropolis a better place. I don’t know how she went so wrong. I never pictured this. I have to keep telling myself that the Roxie I knew must not have been real. She was a facade.”

  “I’m sorry,” Cole said.

  Constance shrugged. “Given the way things went, this is probably for the best. In a way, she’s finally protecting Zeropolis. I like to think that might be part of what is driving her.”

  Cole suspected it had more to do with Roxie protecting herself and becoming the ultimate robotic predator. But he kept the thought to himself.

  Roxie made it over the top of the wall and clambered down the far side. Hunter banked the glider to cross her path.

  “You ready, Sidekick?” Hunter asked.

  “Ready,” Sidekick affirmed.

  “Nova?” Hunter asked.

  “Waiting for the signal from Sidekick,” Nova reported.

  “Let’s hope this works,” Hunter muttered.

  Cole thought about what it would mean if the bomb failed. Roxie would tear apart Aero, and then what? How would they stop her? Would they just have to flee? Maybe.

  “Here I go,” Sidekick said. “Don’t ever say we bots never did anything for you!”

  “Duck and cover,” Hunter said.

  “Woo-hoo!” Sidekick cried as he fell.

  The glider climbed steeply, curving away from Sector 20.

  “Don’t look at the blast,” Googol suggested. “And cover your ears.”

  Cole kept his eyes heavenward. Just after he covered his ears, light filled the sky. The brilliance vanished in a flash but left him dazzled. A moment later the glider rose violently, as if clumsy, invisible hands had shoved it upward. The aircraft shook violently and twisted almost sideways. Cole flopped around in his harness. Even with his ears covered, the boom was deafening.

  Then the glider leveled out. Body sore, ears ringing, Cole looked down and back. Moonlight revealed the swirling column of debris and smoke that filled Sector 20.

  “We did it?” Cole asked tentatively.

  “Looks that way,” Hunter replied.

  Cole started to laugh.

  His brother joined him.

  CHAPTER

  39

  THE NEXT RIDE

  Cole, Jace, Dalton, Blake, and Hunter sat on a bench watching an abandoned, overgrown park, and throwing little bits of their sandwiches to the squirrels. The sun was warm, the afternoon still, and from where Cole currently sat, there was little sign that yesterday Zeropolis almost fell under the power of a giant robot.

  The blast in Sector 20 had left much of Old Zeropolis unaffected, though the north side of the wall had exploded outward, and other portions had cracked and buckled. A dispersing mushroom cloud still hung over the blast site. Hunter had taken the glider up in the morning to confirm that most of Sector 20 was now a charred crater.

  “That hat keeping you cool?” Dalton asked.

  Jace removed his leather cap with flaps on the back and stared at it lovingly. “This might be the best hat ever. The only bad thing about wearing it is I lose sight of it.”

  “I heard about these new inventions called mirrors,” Hunter said.

  “I could look at it all day,” Jace said. “How can I ever repay Roulette?”

  “I love that you were shopping while we were running for our lives,” Cole said.

  “She remembered I wanted to go to Headgear,” Jace said. “We ended up right by it after running from the Zeroes. She asked me what I wanted to get, told me to stay put, and came back with it.”

  “However you’re going to thank her, you better do it quick,” Dalton said. “We leave town before long.”

  “I can’t believe they have the monorails running,” Cole said.

  “Zeropolites are resilient,” Hunter said. “None of the tracks or trains were harmed. None of the computers running the systems either. Crazy as she was, Roxie had respect for other machines. The rail tinkers just had to retune some crystals.”

  “You guys are really leaving today?” Blake asked. “No pause?”

  “Two of Mira’s other sisters are in trouble,” Cole said. “The monorail can take us to the borders of Necronum.”

  “You’re making a full tour of the kingdoms,” Hunter said. “You entered Zeropolis from Elloweer, and you’ll exit on the other side.”

  “I expect to keep going,” Cole said. “I want to find the Grand Shaper of Creon and see how we can get home permanently.”

  “You’d leave all this behind?” Hunter asked, waving a hand. “The psychotic supercomputers? The mysterious evil shapecrafters who want you captured?”

  Cole chuckled. “I want my biggest problem to be homework again.”

  “You know there might not be a way,” Hunter said seriously.

  “Trillian thinks there is,” Cole said.

  “Trillian brainwashes or kills everyone who gets near him,” Hunter said. “You might not want to trust everything you think after meeting with that guy.”

  “I’m not giving up,” Cole said.

  “I get it,” Hunter replied. “I just don’t want you to be crushed if it turns out to be impossible.”

  “It’s great you found out that Jenna is in Necronum,” Dalton said.

  “Wait, Jenna Hunt?” Hunter asked. “Do you still have a thing for her?”

  With Blake and Hunter watching him, Cole felt kind of cornered and embarrassed. A couple of years ago, back before Hunter was taken, Cole had liked Jenna more openly. And Blake wasn’t supposed to have any idea.

  “I used to,” Cole said casually. “Now we’ve become friends. I’ve been really worried about her.”

  Blake gave Hunter a playful shove. “You should marry her. You can be Hunter Hunt.”

  “I don’t think I’d keep her last name,” Hunter said.

  “Do you know much about Necronum?” Dalton asked.

  “I’ve been there less than the other kingdoms,” Hunter said. “It’s the creepiest place in the Outskirts, and has the weirdest shaping. But I generally know my way around. The Temple of the Still Water is in the heart of Necronum, a good ways from the border.”

  “We may not go there first,” Cole said. “Our first mission will be to check on Honor and Destiny. I hope they’re all right.”

  “Are you sure
you don’t want to come with us?” Dalton asked, patting Blake.

  “Googol and Nova made it pretty clear they want me to stay,” he answered, sounding a little cocky. “They think my skills will be key as they rebuild.”

  “You’re their superstar,” Dalton said. “You saved the day.”

  “Cole thought of linking Roxie to Aero,” Blake said. “It was pretty clutch.”

  “It was a crazy call, little brother,” Hunter said. “I’m not sure I would have had the guts to make it. I think you nearly gave Googol a heart attack. But it really did save the kingdom.”

  “Here come Mira and Constance,” Jace said. “Looks like they have company.”

  Cole turned to see Mira approaching them from across the park. Beside her trundled a short, green-and-white cleaning bot.

  “No way,” Cole said. “Is that Sidekick? Already?”

  They got up and walked to them.

  “Sidekick?” Cole asked hopefully.

  “I’m back,” the robot said, sounding the same as ever. “I hear I nailed it.”

  “You can still see the cloud,” Dalton said, pointing at the sky.

  “How’d they rebuild you so soon?” Jace wondered.

  “I guess Googol built a replacement for me a couple of years ago,” Sidekick said. “He never told me. Maybe he didn’t want to ruin my confidence. I think I lasted longer than he expected.”

  “You do a lot of dangerous things,” Dalton said.

  “Googol worked quickly to prep Sidekick and get all his saved memories loaded,” Mira said. “He thought you’d want to see him before we left.”

  “He was right,” Cole said, squatting in front of the little robot. “After yesterday, I think we should change your name. Sidekick doesn’t fit anymore. You should be Hero.”

  “Aw, thanks, Cole,” Sidekick said. “It’s a generous thought.”

  “You don’t seem to love it,” Hunter said.

  “Being the center of attention doesn’t work so well for me,” Sidekick explained. “I work better outside the spotlight.”

  “Then we can make it an honorary name,” Cole said.

  “I’ll take that,” Sidekick said. “An honorary title it is. I’m a three-foot-tall cleaning bot if I stretch. Calling me Hero is like naming a big guy Tiny. But it’s the best honorary name I could have ever hoped for.”

  “Any word on Abram Trench yet?” Blake asked.

  “He hasn’t surfaced,” Constance said. “Word is out that he built Roxie, though. People are outraged. There’s already a big movement for him to resign. I think he’s finished as Grand Shaper.”

  “Who will take over?” Dalton wondered.

  “Some people want Googol,” Constance said. “Everyone knows he helps lead the Unseen, so that won’t happen. Sounds like the frontrunner right now is Clayton Barnes.”

  “Really?” Hunter asked. “He’d be good. I mean, he’s on the High King’s side, but that’s inevitable. He’s more down-to-earth than Trench, and nearly as talented.”

  “Nothing is settled yet,” Constance said. “You guys will have to hear what happens from far away.”

  “Constance is going to stay here,” Mira said. “It wouldn’t be too smart to gather four of us in the same place while we’re still in so much danger. And the Unseen in Zeropolis can use her help, especially now that she has her shaping powers back.”

  “That’s right,” Cole said. “How does it feel?”

  “It hit me last night in the glider after Sidekick blew up the computers,” Constance said. “It all just came flooding back, like it had never left.”

  “You didn’t give us a reaction,” Hunter said.

  Constance blushed a little. “You guys were all so happy after the blast. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

  “She’s never been very demonstrative,” Mira said. “It’s about time to go.”

  “Hunter told us Necronum is creepy,” Dalton complained.

  “Did he mention the echoes?” Mira asked.

  “No,” Dalton said. “What echoes?”

  “Never mind,” Mira said. “If we don’t leave soon, we could miss our train. Joe is waiting with warboards for us to ride. Some of the Crystal Keepers will escort us to the station.”

  They all started walking. Cole fell in beside his brother.

  “Are you good at the shaping in Necronum?” Cole asked.

  “I can hold my own,” Hunter said. “It’s the haziest form of shaping. There are less combat applications than with other forms. It has a lot to do with life and death, and certain things that happen after death.”

  “What’s so creepy about that?” Cole asked sarcastically.

  “You did good here, Cole,” Hunter said. “Thanks for trusting me. Even so, I can hardly believe Mira agreed to let me join you.”

  “It’s hard to argue against your loyalty after all you did,” Cole said.

  “It’ll be nice to move on,” Hunter said. “I don’t get many friendly looks among the Unseen.”

  “I’m excited to find Jenna,” Cole said. “Still, I have kind of a bad feeling about this next kingdom.”

  “Might be because you know Nazeem is there,” Hunter said.

  “It doesn’t help,” Cole said. “The worst thing going on in the Outskirts is all the shapecrafting. It’s how Stafford stole his daughters’ powers. It’s where Carnag and Morgassa and Roxie came from. It’s what blocked me from my powers. Owandell is behind it all. And Nazeem is behind Owandell.”

  “At least we won’t be bored,” Hunter said.

  “I’m glad I’ll have you with me,” Cole said.

  “Me too, little brother.”

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I ended up with a tight deadline for this book. A special thanks to my wife and family, who put up with me pretty much disappearing for the last month and writing nonstop. Also, the publishing team had to work fast and be flexible, so thanks to Liesa, Mara, Mary, Lauren, Julie, and everyone else at Simon & Schuster who helped this book release on time. Even with the aggressive schedule, I believe the book reached its full potential!

  This book involves some magical technologies, blending science fiction and fantasy in a way I’ve never attempted before. I appreciate the friends who helped me think through some of the technology I could include or create for this story—Adam (who talked to me about AI and computers, among other things), Paul, Jason, and Tuck.

  My amazing agent, Simon, and my fabulous editor, Liesa, gave me early feedback that led to significant improvements in the story, so thanks for making me look good, guys. I owe my gratitude to the other early readers who gave me suggestions, including my indispensable wife, Mary, along with my mom and uncle Tuck. Cherie and Liz lent some aid as well. It’s a shorter list of readers than usual, because everyone who helped did so on a speedy schedule.

  Thanks as always to the terrific team at Simon & Schuster who help get my stories out of my head and into the hands of readers. This includes Liesa, Mara, Mary, Christina, Carolyn, Jodie, Lauren, Jessica, Mike, Brian, Jeannie, Julie, and many more. Thanks also to Owen for another awesome cover.

  And of course I owe my thanks to you, the reader. Thank you for going on this adventure with Cole, Mira, Jace, Dalton, and all the other characters. I’ll talk to you more in my Reader’s Note. You can find out more about my future books at brandonmull.com, like me on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter @brandonmull.

  NOTE TO READERS

  Three down, two to go! I hope you liked this one. We’ve really got the story going now, but just wait—I think I saved the most interesting kingdoms for last. Thanks so much for your interest. Without you, this wouldn’t be my job, and these stories would not exist.

  Every time an author writes a new series, it’s kind of like starting over. Even if people liked some of my other books, they may not be sure about the new one
s. Plus, plenty of people have never tried any of my books. If you find this series worth reading, please let others know. That will enable me to keep new books coming. I still have a lot of stories I hope to tell!

  The first three Five Kingdoms books came out roughly six months apart. The last two will be released one per year. This is partly because I’m also starting on Dragonwatch, the sequel series to Fablehaven. It will continue the main Fablehaven storyline with the same main characters. If you haven’t tried Fablehaven yet, now might be a good time to give it a try.

  Also, those who have read Beyonders have already noticed that Five Kingdoms contains some references to Lyrian (the world in Beyonders). The biggest references are coming in book four. It is absolutely not necessary to read Beyonders to enjoy any of the Five Kingdoms books. I deliberately wrote Five Kingdoms so it would be self-contained. But if you like a big, epic adventure, the three Beyonders books will take you on a fun ride, and you’ll of course enjoy the crossover references more.

  For me, the near future will involve finishing Five Kingdoms and starting on Dragonwatch. For updates on my projects or to connect with me online, visit brandonmull.com, like my page on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter @brandonmull. Keep on reading!

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Laura Hanifin

  Brandon Mull is the author of the New York Times, USA TODAY, and Wall Street Journal bestselling Beyonders and Fablehaven series, as well as the Candy Shop Wars series. He resides in Utah, in a happy little valley near the mouth of a canyon with his wife and four children. Brandon’s greatest regret is that he has but one life to give for Gondor.

  MEET THE AUTHORS, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT

  KIDS.SimonandSchuster.com

  authors.simonandschuster.com/Brandon-Mull

  Also by Brandon Mull

  Five Kingdoms

  Sky Raiders

  Rogue Knight

  Beyonders

  A World Without Heroes