“This surface is solid. How are you going—?” Evan began. Before he could finish his sentence, the huge sea monster opened its mouth and breathed out a stream of blue fire that poured out onto the dome, making a noise like a gigantic blowtorch. The invisible glasslike surface melted away bit by bit, creating a ragged hole, seared black at the edges. The kids raised their arms to shield their faces from the raging heat. Mr. J. Ar spoke to Tannyn again, and it closed its mouth, stopping the fire, smoke still blowing from its nostrils.
“Levi!” Mr. J. Ar called down to his son through the new hole Tannyn had created. His voice echoed several times. “Can you hear me, son? I’m coming to get you! Just hang on!”
Levi looked up, and Mr. J. Ar could see the fear and desperation on his face. Levi tried to speak, but his voice was too weak to carry even on the echoes.
“If Tannyn makes the hole bigger, maybe he could fit through and take us down there,” said Xavier.
“Can’t do that,” Mr. J. Ar said. “The dome might shatter and hurt him. Everyone give me your belts!” Mr. J. Ar’s voice was harsh and flat, so unlike his usual deep, humored rumble. The kids hurried into action, removing their belts and handing them to him.
“What are you going to do?” Brianna asked. But Mr. J. Ar didn’t answer. He touched the belts end to end and they fused together, creating one long belt. Mr. J. Ar put one end into Tannyn’s mouth. Tannyn clamped down on it, holding it fast, as if he already knew what Mr. J. Ar wanted him to do. Mr. J. Ar quickly wrapped the other end of the belt around his own waist.
“What are you—” Xavier began. Mr. J. Ar drew his sword and held it aloft. The long, shiny blade gleamed in the sunlight.
“Whoa!” Evan gasped at the sight of the sword, secretly longing for his own.
Without another word, Mr. J. Ar jumped into the dome, still holding the sword in the air. The belt stretched like a bungee cord as he descended. The three kids watched, breathless, as Mr. J. Ar hit the ground hard, bouncing once, then twice, then finding his footing.
The Ents tried to dive for him with their evil stingers, but they couldn’t seem to get near enough to do it. A mysterious power seemed to be emanating from the sword, holding them at bay.
“It’s like a force field!” said Evan, even more admiring of the beautiful sword now.
Mr. J. Ar undid the belt and charged toward his son’s captor, holding the sword in two hands. Sweat beaded on his brow, and a warriorlike cry rang out from his mouth. He slashed with the sword at the Forger’s head, slicing it completely off in a single blow. The head bounced and rolled on the ground, the red eyes flickering like an overloaded circuit. Sparks flew from the tangled wires that stuck out from the Forger’s metal neck like spindly tree roots. The kids, watching from above, were awestruck.
The headless Forger’s metal arm still clung to Levi, refusing to let go. Levi squirmed, trying to free his arm, crying out softly. Mr. J. Ar slashed at the arm that held his son, striking it again and again, making sparks shoot off in all directions. But the arm still wouldn’t let go. The Forger’s other arm swung toward Mr. J. Ar, its hand opening like it wanted to trap him as it had trapped Levi. Mr. J. Ar dodged the arm, dropping the tip of his sword to the ground. As soon as he did the Ents began shooting their darts at him. He swung the sword back into the air to fend them off. Levi was calling to his dad, near tears. “It’s no use, it’s no use . . .”
Xavier turned toward the others. “It’s not working. He can’t do it alone.”
“We need to help him,” said Brianna. “Let’s go!”
Before Xavier could even ask how they would do that, Brianna had grabbed the belt in both hands, wrapping her legs around it as well.
“Wait!” Xavier said. But she didn’t. She’d already begun lowering herself into the dome, one hand under the other, working her legs expertly, like she’d done this a hundred times before. When she got near enough to the ground she jumped off and lunged toward Mr. J. Ar. She grabbed the mechanical arm of the Forger and pulled on it with her whole body, as Mr. J. Ar continued to strike it with his sword.
“Let go!” she yelled.
“We should get down there too,” said Evan, watching from above. Xavier nodded. He grabbed the belt and began lowering himself down. Once he was on the ground, he held the belt steady for Evan to climb down as well.
They rushed over to help Mr. J. Ar. His attack had slowed slightly; he was wearing down under the strain of the heavy sword. Above them the Ents circled like hungry vultures, ready to dive in as soon as the sword dipped to the ground.
“Hold it up!” Xavier said, grabbing Mr. J. Ar’s sword arm and lifting it into the air so the blade caught the sun. The Ents shrieked and backed off again.
“It’s no use,” Levi said, his head dropping to his chest.
“I—can’t—do—it,” Mr. J. Ar said, gasping for breath. “There’s no way—”
“There is a way!” said Brianna defiantly. She turned to the Forger, balling her fists. “I said, ‘Let go of my friend!’” She kicked the Forger’s leg with her boot.
And something happened.
All of them stopped what they were doing and stared as a crack began to snake up the Forger’s iron leg, widening as it went.
Brianna looked down at her feet. The boots looked the same—they hadn’t sprouted any spikes. Yet they’d actually made a crack in the Forger’s solid metal leg.
“Do it again!” said Xavier.
Brianna kicked again. Another crack appeared. The Forger’s free arm swung toward her.
“Watch out!” said Xavier, reaching to grab Brianna out of the way. But then Mr. J. Ar hacked at the swinging arm with his sword, and it ruptured into a dozen pieces that scattered like shrapnel all around them.
“Keep going!” Mr. J. Ar yelled. Brianna, Evan, and Xavier kicked with all their might, making new cracks all over the Forger’s metal body. Mr. J. Ar’s sword blows were more effective now, smashing the Forger piece by piece. The Ents, disturbed by the Forger’s destruction, flew up to the invisible barrier and stayed there, trembling.
Finally, with a horrendous creaky groan, like an engine bursting, the Forger’s metal parts disintegrated into a shower of tiny fragments that fell to the ground. A sudden wind swept down from above, stirring up the fragments, gathering them, and spinning them up into a small tornado. The kids watched as the whirlwind of iron shards gathered speed until it shot upward, out of the dome. The Ents followed, shrieking and wailing in terror.
The warriors gazed up in wonder at the sight. For a long time no one could speak. It was Evan who finally broke the silence: “We did it.” There was no elation in his voice, just relief and gratitude.
Mr. J. Ar looked at him and smiled, breathing raggedly. “You did. All of you.” He seemed too overcome with emotion to say much more. Then he turned to Levi, knelt down, and reached for his son, who was still caught in the concrete-like ground. He put his arm around him slowly.
“You okay, son?”
Levi nodded silently and nestled his head into the crook of his father’s arm as best he could. But then, the ground that held him began to crack just as the Forger had done. Levi felt himself loosening, the pressure from the solid surface giving way.
“I’m falling!” he cried.
Mr. J. Ar dropped his sword and put both arms around Levi as he was pulled down.
“Help him!” Xavier said, diving in to hold onto Mr. J. Ar so he wouldn’t lose his balance. Evan grabbed Xavier around the waist and Brianna grabbed Evan, all of them pulling backward until they landed in a heap on the solid ground. They scrambled backward as the hole continued to widen, the ground melting away.
“Let’s get out of here!” cried Brianna.
The cracks in the ground slithered to the edges of the invisible dome, then up to the surface. The entire dome was soon covered in a lacy pattern of cracks like a huge spiderweb.<
br />
“It’s going to break!” Evan shouted.
Mr. J. Ar grabbed his sword and lifted it high in the air as chunks of the dome fell all around the kids, turning to dust as they did. Above them, Tannyn let out a muffled bellow as the dome gave way under his weight. He spread his wings and dove down, landing in a heap beside Mr. J. Ar. He opened his mouth, dropping the end of the belt, giving Mr. J. Ar a toothy grin.
“Gorp!”
“Hop on! Xavier, grab the belt!” Mr. J. Ar commanded, keeping the sword high. The kids scrambled up Tannyn’s neck and nestled in between the spikes on his back. Mr. J. Ar followed, grabbing a spike to steady himself.
“Up, Tannyn!” he shouted. “Keep your heads down, kids!”
The kids obeyed, ducking their heads and closing their eyes as Tannyn spread his mighty wings and shot straight into the air. Brianna screamed, the sound lost in the deafening roar as Tannyn burst out of the enormous cloud of dust created by the collapsing dome. Tannyn opened his mouth and breathed a stream of fire, clearing a path through the mounting debris. When finally he emerged from the cloud into the clear sky, he let out a bellow of triumph. “Gorp!”
Mr. J. Ar opened his eyes and, taking a long, relieved breath, sheathed his sword. Tannyn leveled out, gliding more gently through the golden sky.
“It’s okay, kids, you can look now,” said Mr. J. Ar.
The kids opened their eyes cautiously and gasped at the magnificent view spread before them, their terror almost forgotten in the sheer thrill of the ride.
“Is this really a dragon?” said Levi, his arms wrapped tightly around a spike on Tannyn’s back.
“Kinda,” said Brianna. “Isn’t he adorable?”
A few short minutes later, Tannyn swooped into the courtyard of the castle and bumped to a landing, nearly knocking all the kids off his back. Mr. J. Ar laughed, patting Tannyn’s neck.
“Good dragon,” he said.
“Gorp.”
Tannyn lowered his head so his passengers could step down his neck to the ground. Mr. J. Ar went first, helping each kid in turn. Levi was last, falling into his dad’s arms with a deep sigh.
“Thank you, Tannyn!” Brianna ran to the dragon and hugged him. Tannyn bobbed his head, his small eyes widening with something like happiness. Evan and Xavier called out their thanks as well.
“Gorp!” He let out a little burst of fire from his mouth and zoomed into the air, his wings spread wide for a split second before folding again as he dove for the lake, disappearing in another awesome splash.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The Evil Prince
Welcome back, Warriors.” Ruwach came through the glittering gate to greet them. Xavier, Evan, and Brianna ran to meet him, along with Mr. J. Ar. Levi stayed on the ground staring up at the castle in utter disbelief. He was barefoot, and one of his arms was still metal all the way up to the shoulder. When he saw Ruwach, he put his head down in shame.
“We are glad to see you, Prince Levi,” Ruwach said, coming nearer to him. The other kids watched silently.
“I’m not a prince,” Levi said. “I don’t deserve to be.”
“Son,” Mr. J. Ar said, kneeling down beside him, “Ruwach doesn’t make mistakes. He called you Prince. Just as he called me, a long time ago.”
Levi noticed for the first time that his father was wearing armor. “You?”
“And I messed up worse than you did, believe me. Most people do. But that’s the wonderful thing about being a Prince Warrior of Ahoratos. Even when you mess up, you can be forgiven.”
“But look at my arm,” Levi said forlornly, lifting his heavy metal arm. “And my boots. I lost them.”
His head was hung down so he didn’t see Ruwach move closer to him holding a pair of boots, exactly the same as the ones Levi had left behind. Ruwach set them before Levi. “You mean these?”
“My boots—how did you find them?” Levi gasped.
“They were never lost. You just lost sight of them,” Ruwach said.
“I won’t do that again!” Levi said. He reached for the boots, but his hard gray fingers couldn’t grasp them.
“Let me help you,” Ruwach said. For the first time Levi saw a hand emerge from the guide’s draped sleeve—at least he thought it was a hand, although it glowed silvery white, the fingers very bright and smooth. The glowing hand touched Levi’s metal fingers. He felt a shiver, like a bolt of electricity, pass through his body. He shuddered but didn’t pull his hand away. The metal on his arm felt warm, like it was heating up. It began to glow red and then slowly dissolved—first to a slippery, wet metallic coating, and then to a fine dust that fell away, revealing his own brown skin. All the kids watched in wonder as the pile of metallic dust was carried off by the wind.
Levi turned his arm this way and that, flexing his fingers.
“Thank you,” he said. He touched each one of his fingertips. But there remained a small metal knob on the tip of one finger, where the Ent had bit him.
“As a reminder,” Ruwach said, withdrawing his arm.
Mr. J. Ar bent down to Levi and pulled up his own sleeve. A rusted metal knot about the size of a dime sat a few inches above his elbow. Levi had never seen this scar before. He felt tears spring to his eyes and blinked them away, hoping the others couldn’t see. Mr. J. Ar didn’t say anything, just enfolded his son in a big bear hug.
“I want one too!” Brianna said. She ran up to hug Levi as well.
“Watch out for her,” Evan said to Xavier, backing away. “She’s a hugger.”
Xavier smiled slightly.
“Now, put on your boots,” said Mr. J. Ar. “And don’t take them off.”
Levi put on his boots and stood up unsteadily. The other kids grinned happily.
“Thanks, all of you, for coming to get me,” Levi said. “You were really—brave.”
“Ah, it was nothing,” said Evan. “Cake.”
“Yeah, cake,” said Xavier.
“Speaking of cake . . .” Evan said, glancing at Ruwach. “Is there—?”
Ruwach’s hooded head nodded. “And ice cream too,” he said, a trace of humor in his usually stern voice. “Better get in there before it melts.”
He spread his arms, and the great gate swung open. The four kids raced into the hall, where the long table still stood loaded with food—it looked as though nothing had yet been eaten.
Levi sat down to a huge bowl of ice cream and ate until he felt sick. It was the best feeling he ever had.
* * *
“Um, can I ask a question?” Xavier said once they had eaten their fill. “The black trees and sinkholes and the sand grobel and the Ents—why are they here? I mean, why does the Source allow them to exist? Can’t he just make them disappear? Can’t he destroy Skot’os altogether?”
Ruwach was silent a moment. All the kids watched him. It was always difficult to tell what Ruwach was actually looking at.
“Once,” he said finally, in a softer, more mellow voice than usual, “there was harmony in Ahoratos. A great prince named Ponéros had dominion over the kingdom. But he was not content with it. He wanted more. He wanted to usurp the High Throne, which belonged to the Source. He rallied many of the creatures in Ahoratos to his side—by telling them they would have more freedom and power if he were their ruler. Many chose to believe him.
“Ponéros gathered his forces and rebelled against the Source. There was a terrible war, and Ponéros lost. But instead of destroying him completely, the Source revealed his infinite justice, righteousness, mercy, and love by merely banishing him to the other side of the chasm. There Ponéros must stay until the time of the Return, the time when the Source reveals himself to the whole world. Then there will be a great upheaval, and all those who have chosen Skot’os will be destroyed. Ponéros knows his time is short.
“But he still hasn’t given up his quest. He’s recru
ited many to his cause. He has taken many prisoners, ruined many lives. The Forger that you encountered, Levi—he was one of Ponéros’s army. There are many more of them than can be counted, and they can take many forms.”
“Yeah, I know,” Levi said under his breath. “It looked just like me at first.”
Brianna stared at him. “No—it was a metal monster thing. We all saw it.”
Levi shook his head. “When I first saw it . . . him . . . he was a kid. And he looked exactly like me. Like a clone of me. He had a skateboard! He was wearing my T-shirt. His face and hands, everything was exactly like me. I thought maybe I was imagining things. But then he talked to me, in a voice that was just like mine. Told me he would help me. He got me to—take his hand.” The last words were spoken almost in a whisper.
The others stood with their mouths agape, unsure of how to respond.
Ruwach’s hood nodded. “The Forgers, like their master, are, above all, great deceivers. That is why you must always follow the Way of the Armor, because sometimes your worst enemy . . . is yourself.” The message was clear.
Levi couldn’t see Ruwach’s eyes, but he could feel them turn to him. He nodded slowly.
“Got that right,” he said.
“But what does this Ponéros guy want now?” Xavier asked. “He knows he can never rule Ahoratos, doesn’t he? He’s already been defeated.”
“Yes, you are right, and he knows that too well. His only hope is to turn the whole world against the Source. And those like you—who have chosen the Way of the Armor—he wants to trick and deceive out of experiencing the joy of the victory the Source has already won. That is why more warriors are needed to rally against him and his quest. For every victory won here, there is one experienced there—on earth.”
“But what can we do?” Brianna asked. “I mean, we’re just kids.”
“It begins with you,” Ruwach said. He folded his arms into his robes, so that he suddenly looked very small again. “You must return now. Do not be afraid. Remember, you have everything you need.”
The Prince Warriors Page 12
