Discover the Destroyer

by K. A. Applegate

  Would she sell out her half sister? No, April wouldn't open the gateway between worlds and let the horrors of Everworld spill into her precious real world.

  But Christopher would. And I couldn't let him.

  "It was a trap, wasn't it?" I asked. "You sent in a team to steal from Nidhoggr. You wanted him to come after it."

  "They wanted Nidhoggr to come after it?" Christopher shrilled.

  "No one wants Nidhoggr coming after anything! Have you people ever seen him?"

  The queen almost laughed. Her husband looked shamefaced.

  Obviously this had been his idea. A fact that could be useful to me.

  If I lived long enough to use it.

  "What did Nidhoggr agree to pay you for stealing from us?"

  the king asked.

  I decided to try the truth. "He took our hearts. He replaced them with . . . with rubies. In a few days the rubies will catch fire and kill us. Unless we bring him the stone, the sword, the spear, and the cauldron of the Daghdha."

  The queen did laugh this time. "He can have the cauldron, for all I care. The magic cauldron that never fails to provide food? No one goes to the cauldron and comes away hungry, no matter how many times, how many men. It is always full." She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "What they don't tell you is that the food it supplies in such abundance is garbage."

  "It needed salt," her husband grumbled.

  "Needed salt? It wasn't fit to feed a human, much less any self-respecting fairy. Boiled cabbage and half-rotted beef. They're using it for the pigs, and the better class of pig refuses it!"

  "Corned beef and cabbage?" April whispered.

  "Irish food," Christopher muttered.

  "So," the queen summarized, "Nidhoggr is not so great a fool that he fails to smell the trap you have laid. He does not come rushing in pursuit only to be skewered like a piece of mutton.

  Hah!"

  The king turned, reluctantly I thought, to the Hetwan. "It would seem we have failed."

  "Yes," the Hetwan agreed. "Ka Anor will not be pleased."

  "We're all sensible folk here," the king said, spreading his hands wide in supplication. "We've done our best. We all lose by this, all lose equally."

  "Ka Anor is not tolerant of loss," the Hetwan said.

  "It's the fault of these human fools," the king said. "I'll have them killed immediately."

  It all happened too fast for me to intervene, to say a word, to stop anything.

  The king raised his hand.

  The captain signaled his men.

  In seconds we —

  "No! We have the witch. We have the gateway to the Old World. They won't tell you, they'd rather die, but she is the witch Ka Anor seeks, the gateway."

  The words were out before I could even think of shouting stop.

  And in any event I'd have been too stunned to react quickly.

  It wasn't Christopher.

  It was Senna.

  She was on her feet, hand outstretched, finger pointing.

  Pointing at April. "There! There is the witch Loki brought from the Old World."

  Chapter

  XVI

  There was a shocked, disbelieving silence.

  "What would Ka Anor pay for this witch?" Senna asked the queen pointedly.

  Too fast. She'd been perfect. Perfect. She'd chosen her moment, said the right words in the right way. We could deny April was the witch all day and night. Senna had already marked us as her protectors. We were suspect. Senna, as the informer, was not.

  And what was worse was the realization that we could not give Senna up. Could not turn the accusation against her. We couldn't give Ka Anor the true gateway.

  "The girl asks an interesting question," the queen drawled to the Hetwan. "What would Ka Anor pay?"

  "The witch is Ka Anor's by right," the Hetwan began.

  The queen cut him off with a rude noise. "This is the Fairy Kingdom, Hetwan. We do not cringe in terror every time your master's name is mentioned. Ka Anor eats gods, not mortals. And mortal we are, for better or worse. Which leaves us to contend only with Ka Anor's slaves. And how will Ka Anor feed al you Hetwan without our market?"

  The Hetwan showed no reaction. He didn't argue the point.

  "The witch is for sale," the queen said with a delighted laugh. "I doubt Ka Anor can pay as much as Nidhoggr's treasure, but I think he will pay well. Very, very well."

  "It will take me some days to go to Ka Anor and hear his answer," the Hetwan said.

  The queen waved her hand airily. "Take all the time you need.

  We will keep the witch safe and sound for you."

  "David," April pleaded with me.

  "Don't worry, we'll get you out," I whispered. "We can't give them what they want."

  Her eyes flashed hatred. At me? At Senna? Maybe she didn't see any difference between us. She knew she was trapped. She knew I was right.

  I hoped she knew I was telling the truth, that we would get her out. "Take the witch to the dungeon, place her under triple guard, night and day," the king said, reasserting himself. "As for the others . . ." He glanced at his wife.

  "The girl has bought their freedom. For now. But you Old Worlders should know that you may not leave our domain. If you try we will order you killed." To the fairy captain she said, "Give them their belongings and remove them. They smell."

  April was dragged off. At least the guards were gentle. Maybe fearing her alleged powers. Maybe not wanting to damage their queen's property.

  Fairy guards carried us from the room, literally carried us, probably impatient with our slowness. They pushed us out, threw April's backpack and my sword out after us, and slammed the palace door shut. Suddenly we were alone, just the four of us.

  April's absence was a larger fact than the presence of any of us.

  We were standing outside the somehow

  smaller-than-expected door of an impressive and unusual castle built not of massive limestone blocks but of serpentine-patterned bricks overlaid with gold. Or maybe they were solid gold. The fairies didn't have Nidhoggr's astounding wealth, but they weren't on food stamps, either.

  We were no longer in the marketplace. This had to be the city.

  Narrow streets, high walls, all perfectly clean, sterile even. We were the only humans on a street populated by swift, bustling fairies.

  I was on guard, half expecting Jalil or Christopher to assault Senna. But it was me that Jalil turned on.

  "Was that evidence enough for you, David? You think now maybe you can figure out what Senna's about?"

  "You were seconds from being dead," Senna said calmly.

  "Now you're alive. Free. Thanks to me."

  Jalil refused to look at her. He kept his angry face turned toward me. "She's right, you know. She's absolutely right. But that's not the point, is it, David? Do you see the truth about her? When it suited her she sold us out to Hel. When it suited her she sold April out."

  True. Of course. But necessary. Much as I hated it, Senna had saved us while I was still fantasizing about grabbing my sword.

  And yet, the ease with which Senna had made the choice to give April up. Couldn't ignore that. Couldn't pretend it hadn't made my insides squirm. If only I could talk to Senna.

  Later. Now I had problems.

  "What do you want from me, Jalil?" I demanded. "You want me to kill her? Is that it?"

  Christopher said, "It sure would solve a lot of problems, wouldn't it?"

  I yanked my sword from its scabbard. I held it out for Christopher. "Here. Do it."

  "Screw you, David, she's your —"

  "How about you, Jalil? Here. Here's the sword. Kill her."

  For a long, horrible moment I thought Jalil might do it. But then his eyes wavered, looked away.

  "I've had it with this crap," I ranted. "Whenever it's convenient you push me out front and say, 'Go, David, take over.'"

  "Like I said, David, we aren't into going down with the Titanic just because you can't see the ice
berg."

  "You know what, Jalil? Then you carry the sword and do what needs doing. You want me to lead, then when it hits the fan you bail out on me. This goes both ways, man, both ways. You want a leader, then you have to follow. A little, at least. I never pretended to be perfect. I haven't lied to you and said, 'Follow me, I know what the hell I'm doing.' I don't know what the hell I'm doing. I'm in the middle of a tornado here and you're sitting there all smug saying, 'Hey, man, don't mess up.'"

  "Okay, chill, dude, take it down a little," Christopher said.

  "People are looking at us."

  The street was mostly empty. But some nearby black-suits were taking an interest in our argument. Night was falling fast and Fairy Land wasn't the kind of place where they put up with people shouting in the streets.

  I lowered my voice. It wasn't easy. I was pissed. All the more because I was aware, aware in every brain cell, of my own failure.

  April taken prisoner. About to be sold off to Ka Anor. Guarded by little people I couldn't even think about challenging.

  We had no weapons that could impress the fairies. Nothing.

  We were powerless. It's why the queen had cut us loose. The fairies thought they could handle Nidhoggr if he flew in, and maybe they could, they weren't fools. If they could handle Nidhoggr, if even the old dragon had realized that himself, what chance did we have?

  In my chest was a stone that would burst into flame and kill me.

  Unless I stole from the fairies and somehow escaped. Only now, on top of that, I had to rescue April in the process.

  "What the hell do we do?" I asked no one in particular. "What do we do?"

  "The little turds were gonna nail Large and Crusty, man,"

  Christopher said, echoing my own thoughts. "They were actually trying to draw him here."

  Jalil sighed, letting go of his own anger. For now at least. "My guess is that it was a two-sided deal: The fairies set up Nidhoggr, get him out in the open. Then the Hetwan kill him. They must have some weapon. The fairies get his treasure, it's all they care about, and Ka Anor gets a clear path for his invasion of the Underworld."

  "Businessmen, man," Christopher snorted appreciatively. "You have to give it up for these fairies. They wil take risks for a dol ar."

  "They control and tax what is probably Everworld's premiere market. Sort of the New York Stock Exchange meets the Mega Mall," Jalil said. "I wonder if that's a weakness?"

  "What?"

  "Money. They are some greedy little creeps. If we could . . . I mean, is there anything they wouldn't do for money?"

  "What are you going to do?" I scoffed. "Bribe the people who live in a gold castle? Get real. Buy Nidhoggr's stuff back?"

  "Yeah, maybe," Jalil said. "Maybe that's exactly right. I mean, that's the thing about greed. Enough is never enough. Even too much isn't enough."

  "And what do we have to trade?"

  Jalil shrugged.

  "Out with it," Christopher prodded. "I've been watching you, Jalil. You got some idea back in the market. I heard gears turning in your head."

  Jalil shrugged. "Back in the market I saw copper. Sheets and ingots. Copper wire, too. Not a lot, but it wouldn't take much."

  "For what?" I asked.

  Jalil slid me one of his sidelong looks. "To wire up the fairies."

  I hesitated. It wasn't my plan. I didn't have a plan. It was Jalil's plan. But that wasn't the point, not really. The point was to climb up out of the hole we'd dug for ourselves. Whoever got the credit.

  I looked at Senna. "Can you help us?"

  "How? Use my magic to make the queen release us?" She shook her head. "Doubtful. One on one, maybe. But she's watched too closely. And anyway, women . . ." She shrugged. "Her husband, the king, yes, I could handle him if I could get close. But the queen is the real power."

  I thought that over. "We need an investor. A venture capitalist.

  And we need protection. What do we have to sell? Telephones?

  What exactly are you thinking, Jalil?"

  ''Telegraph. That would be easiest, all you have to do is set up a key to interrupt the power. Couple of magnets. Some wire. A power source." He shook his head. "What am I even talking about, man? They don't have electricity."

  "We can make electricity," I said. "I mean, we can, right?"

  "Sure. A river or stream or whatever, a water-wheel. I'd need wire, I'd need trained carpenters, trained blacksmiths, or whatever."

  "What do the fairies need with a telegraph?" Christopher asked. "Fast as they are?"

  "They aren't faster than electricity."

  "The market." I laughed. Maybe this was my idea after all, in part at least. "The money guys buying and selling near the center of the market? What are they buying and selling? Econ class: They're buying and selling commodities. Come on. To the market."

  "Hey, I don't know about you, Bruce Wayne, but I'm beat,"

  Christopher complained.

  But Jalil's eyes were shining. All the anger between us was forgotten. There was the sound of awe in his voice. "Oh my god,"

  he whispered. "Mr. Jones? My name is Mr. Dow. Pleased to meet you."

  "What are you two even talking about?" Christopher demanded.

  On our way. If he followed, fine. If Senna followed, fine there, too. But for the first time since before we'd reached Hel's city I felt like I had a clue.

  It was a good long walk to the market and my optimism had faded long before we got there. Night will do that to you.

  Darkness eats optimism.

  Halfway there we rested on a rise more or less equidistant between market and city. It was set up as a resting place. They had a neat, clean little outhouse, a couple of benches, and strategically placed shade trees that were obviously irrelevant to us. Strangely, though, they had planted a tall hedge that blocked the view of the castle and the city. We could see the market, lights winking out one by one. But the city view was blocked.

  I don't know why but this fact pissed me off. There was something a bit too Disney about Fairy Land. Too controlled.

  I pulled out my sword and made a slash in the hedge.

  Vandalism, that's all it was. Anger turned into stupid action.

  "That's right, get us busted for cutting up the plants,"

  Christopher said as he exited the outhouse.

  I ignored him. Pushed my head into the hedge, into the slash I'd made. They didn't want me to see the city, too bad, that was all the more reason for me.

  It turned out to be a stunning view. The gold towers of the city glittered dimly in moonlight. There were lights on in the castle's keep. No doubt the fairy queen giving the king hell over his wasted plan to nail Nidhoggr.

  "Shouldn't we get going?" Jalil said behind me.

  "Yeah. We should." I pulled back, tried to fluff the stiff branches back in place to cover the damage I'd done. I felt disappointed.

  Weird, but I'd had the feeling there was something important to see. An instinct, maybe. Something. And now I had the feeling I'd missed something.

  I looked again. The city. Towers, al round. Bigger ones gilded with crenellated roofs. Smaller ones clustered at the edge of the city, all topped with pointed roofs. I shook my head in wonder and puritanical disapproval: I'd swear the pointed roofs were tiled with diamonds.

  We made it back to the market. It was late and shut ing down.

  We traded our assorted house and car keys for a late dinner of mutton stew. The proprietor was about to throw the food out. I guess strange bits of brass were better than nothing.

  Then we found a bare bit of ground under the awning of an apparently abandoned stall and slept.

  I took first watch. I stayed awake this time. Jalil fell asleep as soon as he could, excited alternately by the prospect of becoming a wealthy mogul and of crossing over to do some research in the real world. Christopher was already asleep.

  "I could take a watch," Senna said.

  She was leaning back against one of the poles that held the tattered awning up.


  "No," I said curtly.

  Silence. Then, "She's fine. They'll take good care of her until the Hetwan returns. There'll be a bargaining process, probably over the course of days. They'll feed her, shelter her. She'll have a bed to sleep on."

  I didn't have anything to say. I adjusted my clothes to be as comfortable as possible. It was cooling off fast now that the sun was down.

  "Which is better, David, to do a harmful thing with the best of intentions? Or to do the useful thing, whatever your motivations?"

  "I remember kissing you," I said. "I remember how it made me feel. Even with all that's happened, all the terrible things that are in my brain now, I remember every detail of kissing you."

  "I remember it," she said.

  "A million years ago. A million miles away."

  We were sitting, facing each other, her knees drawn up, my legs crossed. A chill breeze ruffled her hair, blew golden strands forward across her gray eyes.

  I shivered. From cold. From exhaustion. From memory.

  "Sit here," she said. "Sit by me, David."

  I felt the need for her. For warmth. For softness. For her lips on mine, for the magic that would soothe all my doubts away. I was cold inside and out. Sad and alone. The rush of the big plans had gone away when Jalil fell asleep. All I had now was the knowledge that I had lost one of us, lost April. That I was not trusted. That I had not found the way to save us.

  I started to move toward Senna. Leaned forward and on hands and knees crawled to her. Not magic, not this time. Or at least a simpler magic. I wanted her. I wanted her to be real to me.

  I wanted that moment back when we had been side by side in the front seat of my car and every cell of me had wanted her. It had been uncomplicated then. Lust that was simply lust, and need that was only need. And love, maybe, yes, maybe love.

  I would have crawled to her then, too, crawled and pressed my body against hers and my lips against hers and held and touched and demanded.

  Now I crawled knowing there was no truth in it, knowing there would never be love, but crawling just the same because I was weak and she was strong and I wanted it to be that way. I had to go to her because I had to, that was all. Because she was where I had to be, because there was no going back.