On land? Arthur staggered to his feet, only just noticing where they were. He caught his breath as he stared up into the golden balloon. A complicated system of circuit boards, wires and transparent pipes twinkling with nanotech particles covered the inner surface. Arthur was no mechanics expert, but it looked like the purple flames were collected by a huge flume before being dispersed throughout the components. It had to be some kind of engine.
“No way,” Ren whispered, tipping her head back as she pushed herself up. “You’d better stay down, Cecily. This will trigger your vertigo.”
Standing on tiptoe, Ren and Arthur peered over the edge of the basket. Below, the desert was very nearly pitch black. A caravan of camels lit by flaming torches made a dot-to-dot through the dunes on their way to the city. Arthur felt his face flush. Not once in his whole life had he ever imagined he’d be soaring this high.
“Quite a view, isn’t it?” their kidnapper said, behind them. “You can see all the way to the eastern shores of the realm from here.”
Arthur turned around to study the man in more detail. Under a battered knee-length leather coat, he wore a pair of loose-cuffed trousers and a colourful shirt. A pristine white turban covered his hair.
It was then that Arthur spotted a hooded black robe slung over the side of the basket. A Wonderway stood in the opposite corner, with Cloud curled up beneath it. A cluster of levers and strange controls sprouted from a box on one side, which was fixed with a brass nameplate that read: LULU.
“You’re … Amaros Ba, aren’t you?” Arthur blurted. “You’re the one who was following us.”
Right then, a wispy red ball materialized in front of where Cecily was still sitting. She had barely grazed it with her fingertips before it dissolved and a quartz realm-key dropped into her hand.
Amaros Ba smiled. “I’d say congratulations, but technically I found you, not the other way round. I’ve been watching you since you arrived. I had a hunch there was something different about you right away.”
Makes sense, Arthur thought. According to the information on that postcard, Amaros Ba had spent his life documenting the people and places he saw on his travels, which meant he was probably very good at observing things.
“How do you know we’re not safe in the city?” Ren asked curtly, folding her arms. She obviously hadn’t forgiven him for kidnapping them.
Amaros pulled a notebook from inside his coat and opened it to a position marked by a leather bookmark. “Firstly, your clothes are stained with dirt like you’ve been wearing them for days. Secondly, you were able to gain access to Milo Hertz’s old headquarters. And thirdly, every single mimic in the realm is after you.” He shut the book. “All of this led me to believe that you were likely enemies of Hxperion, on the run.”
Arthur raised his eyebrows. The explorer really had noticed everything – including the secret entrance to Milo’s headquarters. “Talking of mimics, why isn’t there one with us now? Don’t they watch over you like hawks?”
“They used to,” Amaros replied, grinning. “But with a T-class trailing me everywhere, I stuck out like a sore thumb and it became too easy for wanderers to find me and complete the realm-challenge. After several thousand wanderers complained, the T-classes were given new orders to spy on me less frequently.”
“You’re lucky,” Arthur said, thinking of Tomoe Gozen. “I’m not sure the other heroes enjoy as much freedom.”
The explorer’s bushy brows drew together. “You three seem to know a great deal more about the secrets of the Wonderscape than most wanderers,” he observed. “Who are you, and how do you know Milo Hertz’s password?”
Arthur glanced at Ren and Cecily, wondering if it was safe to trust Amaros Ba with the truth.
Cloud trotted over to Cecily and licked her hand before settling himself in her lap. “I think we should tell him,” she said, stroking Cloud’s head. “We need all the help we can get – and Cloud doesn’t seem too worried.”
With them all in agreement, Ren took it upon herself to recount the we’re-from-four-hundred-years-ago speech. She told him everything that had happened to them, and what they’d learned so far. Amaros Ba made notes as she spoke, an expression of genuine fascination on his face.
“So now that you’ve opened all the closed realms, the next part of your mission is to learn which one Milo was sent to,” he said, rubbing his beard. “I may have something that can help you on your quest.” Reaching into a pocket on his cloak, he withdrew a palm-sized tin. Inside it was a stack of small transparent patches, veined with copper. “These are skin-mounted inhibitors – shadow patches to most people. You wear them on the back of your wrist.”
“What do they do?” Ren asked as Amaros handed her one.
“T-class and V-class mimics identify wanderers by scanning the data stored in their Wondercloaks,” Amaros explained. “Mimics can see how much DIRT a wanderer has spent, which challenges they’ve completed and where in the Wonderscape they’ve been. Shadow patches feed false data into a Wondercloak, effectively giving the wanderer a new identity.”
Arthur remembered the V-class in Tomoe’s realm studying his Wondercloak as if she was reading something. Now he knew why. “So if a mimic sees us, they won’t know we’re us?”
Amaros grinned. “Exactly.”
“You can’t have got these from a vending machine,” Ren commented suspiciously, pressing the patch onto her skin.
Arthur placed his shadow patch on the opposite wrist to the one he wore his watch. It was soft and rubbery like silicone. The transparent part faded into his skin, leaving only a few metallic lines visible.
“No, these aren’t available from Hxperion. They’re only distributed by a few select traders,” Amaros answered with a wink.
The Wonderscape must have a black market, Arthur realized. It was such a big place, it didn’t surprise him there would be criminal activity going on right under Hxperion’s nose.
Cecily wobbled as she stood to collect her shadow patch, lifting three fingers to her temples. “Erg, head rush,” she murmured, reaching with her other hand for the basket wall to steady herself.
“I expect that’ll be the Wonderways,” Amaros said. “Do you have dizziness as well?”
She appeared to wait till the feeling of light-headedness had subsided before replying. “A little.”
“If you travel through too many Wonderways too quickly, you experience desynchronosis,” he explained. “You need to rest.”
Arthur wished they could. He yearned to be tucked up in his own bed at home. Even setting his alarm for school the next morning felt strangely appealing.
Unexpectedly, a bright light streaked through the air a few metres from the basket. It was followed by a screeching whistle that made Arthur wince. Amaros lunged for the controls as the craft lurched. “We’re under attack! Take cover!”
Arthur risked a peek over the side of the basket. In the desert below, a trio of T-class units were operating some sort of rocket launcher. He dropped to his knees and clung to the basket walls, his blood pounding.
“They’re trying to bring us down,” Amaros shouted. “We’ve got to climb out of their range.” There was a thunderous roar as he opened the burner and a blast of purple flames appeared over their heads.
“It’s T-classes!” Arthur yelled at Ren and Cecily. “They must have followed us!”
Another two missiles hurtled past in quick succession, missing the top of the balloon by a whisker. Arthur scanned the basket for parachutes in case they had to make an emergency escape. His whole body was shaking.
As they drifted higher, the ship passed through a layer of misty cloud. Droplets settled on Arthur’s skin.
“That’s it,” Amaros said, lowering his voice as the burner switched off. “That’s as high as I dare go.”
At that moment, a postcard fell out of the sky and landed on the floor of the basket, between everyone’s feet. Arthur bent down to pick it up but as he touched the paper, it unfolded into a holographic scre
en that hovered in the air like a glowing window.
“Hello, wanderers,” Tiburon Nox said, smiling.
18
Arthur froze, staring into Tiburon Nox’s cold blue eyes. He was dressed impeccably, his mullet neatly combed and a gunmetal plus-sign brooch fixed to the collar of his buttoned-up black shirt. The shoulders of his oil-slick Wondercloak glistened at the sides of the screen.
“Apologies for the interruption to your gaming experience,” he began in a measured tone. Grabbing hold of the basket walls, Arthur peered over the edge. The bright lights of similar holographic displays were dotted across the dunes. Every wanderer in the realm was watching this message.
“You may have noticed, in the last few hours, mimics in some realms have been arming themselves. On behalf of Hxperion, I want to reassure you that this is all part of a planned security drill.” His lip twitched into a slight sneer and Arthur caught a flash of the Tiburon he’d seen in M-73’s recording. “As you know, Hxperion prides itself on staying one step ahead of any … threats which may have an impact on your visit. Drills such as these allow us the best chance of deleting such threats, should they arise.” The numbers 33, 89 and 105 flashed up in the corner of the message. “The drill is concentrated in these realms, for now.”
As quickly as it had appeared, the screen folded in on itself and the postcard vanished in a puff of red gas. Arthur was left blinking dazedly at Ren and Cecily. “Realms Thirty-Three, Eighty-Nine and One Hundred and Five – they’re all the ones we’ve been to. These threats – he’s not talking about outside forces, is he? He’s talking about us.”
Ren angled her head so she could see Arthur’s watch. “Well, in twenty-six hours he needn’t bother deleting us,” she noted grimly. “We’ll be goo by then anyway.”
“If they’re following this ship, then the shadow patches won’t help us.” Arthur felt his chest tightening and tried to steady his breathing. Things had gone from bad to worse.
“But they will when you reach another realm,” Amaros said, laying a hand on his shoulder. “A true adventurer never knows what is around the next corner. I travelled for over fifty years and when I needed food and shelter, people from other planets invited me into their homes. When I required a bath, I stumbled across natural hot springs. And when I was seeking entertainment, I came upon a snake-charmer or a soul-wrangler or a star-flare surfers’ convention.” He smiled to himself. “Now, that was something…”
Arthur feared they might have to listen to all of Amaros’s adventures and would have turned into three puddles of slime before he was finished, but then the hero shook his head. “Anyway, that’s a story for another day.” He checked his notebook. “If I’m not mistaken, in order to get home and free the other heroes, you need only discover which realm Milo Hertz is trapped in.”
“Yes, but that’s an almost impossible task,” Arthur said. “There are hundreds to choose from, and all we know is that it’s one Tiburon designed.” He felt frustrated that he hadn’t had time to take a photo of the realm list earlier, but if he had, he might not have made it out of Milo’s headquarters alive…
Amaros stroked his beard. “There is someone who might know where Milo is, another hero.”
Arthur frowned. He’d thought heroes didn’t have any contact with each other. Tomoe had said they were forbidden to leave their realms.
“I don’t know her name,” Amaros continued, “or what she is famous for, but I do know it will cost you four hours’ hard work to meet her.”
Four hours? Arthur glanced uneasily at Ren and Cecily. “I suppose we could spare that if it means getting home. What do we have to do?”
Amaros turned to another section in his notebook. “Some time ago, I noticed that wanderers who had visited Realm Forty-Two were all humming the same tune. Whenever I heard the lyrics I jotted them down and it quickly became apparent that whoever was teaching the song was hiding messages within it.”
Of course. Wanderers were the only people who moved freely between realms; it made sense that they would have to carry any communications.
“Disguised as a mimic, I began teaching songs in the taverns here, hoping my lyrics would travel across the Wonderscape and be heard by other heroes. Soon enough I was talking with the hero from Realm Forty-Two.” He lifted his chin. “There is a network of us now, all communicating through song. I’ll admit I’m not the best composer in the group, especially since Beethoven joined us, but my tunes are effective enough.” He crouched at the foot of the Wonderway and tapped 42 into the keypad. “Friend, do you have the realm-key?”
Cecily passed it over and soon the hefty black frame was replaced by a spiralling mass of blue smoke. The door in the centre was made of gnarled tree roots, as if woven by nature itself. Arthur tugged on the straps of his rucksack, preparing himself to face yet another realm. He tried to find solace in what Amaros had said about not knowing what was around the corner. There could be a good surprise on the other side of this door.
“Be careful,” Amaros warned. “According to your story, this will be the fourth Wonderway you have passed through in two days. You need to sleep. I’ve seen what happens to wanderers who overdo it.”
Cecily rested Cloud down and took hold of his lead. As Ren pushed the door open, sunlight poured in from the other realm, making them all squint. “It’s morning,” she said, shading her eyes with her hand. “I can see a sun rising.” She nodded goodbye to Amaros Ba before walking through.
“Thanks for everything,” Arthur said, offering Amaros a weary smile as he and Cecily plodded after her. Just as he stepped over the threshold, he realized there was something he’d forgotten to ask. “Wait!”
But as he turned round, the door vanished.
“What’s wrong?” Cecily asked. They were standing in the middle of lush green countryside. Birdsong filled the air and the sky glowed gold with the light of dawn.
“I forgot to ask him about the Wonderskill you will have received,” Arthur said, remembering that she had collected the realm-key. He shrugged. “I guess you’ll learn about it later.”
Cecily unfastened Cloud’s lead and he scampered off to roam the terrain. Compared to the dry, barren landscape of the desert, the fields around them were abundant with life. Ferns and shrubs carpeted the rich red-brown soil, and insects buzzed in the trees. A set of tyre tracks led downhill towards a wide dirt road, where a rusty old safari bus had stopped. Arthur could see figures milling around outside.
“I don’t feel so good,” Cecily said, swaying. “I think I need to sit down.”
Without warning, Ren collapsed into the long grass like a sack of potatoes.
As Arthur went to help her, his vision blurred like he was having a head rush and before he could steady himself, his legs gave way. Then everything went black.
Cloud’s barking was getting quieter. Arthur lifted open his eyelids, feeling groggy. His cheek rested against soft earth and he felt the sun on his skin. In the distance, he spotted a heavyset woman wearing a brightly coloured dress moving towards him. Her hair was tied with a scarf made of the same patterned material and as Cloud ran up to her, she kneeled to greet him.
“Hello again,” he heard her say in a rich voice, as the little dog wagged his tail and jumped on her knees.
Arthur pushed himself onto his elbows, watching the two of them together. Despite the fact that his mind felt like cotton wool, something was obvious.
Cloud knew this woman, which meant he had been to Realm Forty-Two before.
19
Arthur shook Ren’s arm. “Ren, wake up.” She was lying on her back with her mouth open, catching flies.
“Huh?” Ren rolled onto her side and got a face full of grass. “What the—?!” she spluttered, batting the blades away. “What happened?”
“We fell asleep,” Arthur said, nudging Cecily’s shoulder. He glanced back at Cloud, trotting happily towards them. The lady who had been stroking him had disappeared.
“Erg, I feel like I was knocked over
the head,” Cecily groaned, rubbing her temples.
Arthur thought back to Amaros Ba’s warning. It must have been that last Wonderway they’d travelled through; it had sapped all their energy. “Cloud just recognized someone,” he told them, getting to his feet. “She was here, in this field. She wasn’t wearing a Wondercloak and she didn’t have hover-wheels for legs, so she must be the hero of this realm.”
“Did you see where she went?” Ren asked.
He squinted into the distance. “No, but that old safari bus is the only place people seem to be hanging around. We should try there.”
Cecily brushed soil off her leather jacket as she stood. “How much time have we lost?”
Arthur read his watch. His mind was too fuzzy to make the calculation but he felt Newton’s Wonderskill help him out. “Eight hours,” he concluded grimly. “Which means we’ve got just under eighteen hours to get home.” He tried not to think about what would happen if they didn’t succeed. They’d come so far he had to believe they were getting closer.
Shouldering their bags, they set off towards the bus. Although the mid-afternoon sun beat down on their backs, it was nothing compared to the stifling heat of the desert. They’d only been walking for a few minutes when two puffs of red gas burst in the air, and swirled to form words:
WONDERSCPE
REALM 42: FOREST OF THE LEOPARD
Loot: Realm-key
Travel with wonder,
The message was promptly followed by a riddle scroll, which landed in the grass. Cecily cleared her throat before reading the contents aloud:
“Once you’ve travelled the hero’s road,
Seen the truth and broken the code,
Consider where your steps should lay;
Look to the trees to show the way.
Nature gives us all we need:
To save the future, plant a seed.”
Wonderscape Page 16
