by Peter Telep
“Well, bro, if I never see you again—”
“Don’t say that. You were born for this.”
“If you say so. Anyway, check it out. Right now I’m linked to one of Julie’s spies, and you need to see what we’re up against. Let me show you.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
Dozens of masks hang in the gloomy sky over New York’s Times Square.
The enormous neon signs and flat screens flashing with commercials are absolutely meaningless because everyone’s staring up—
As thunder rumbles and thousands of crackling blue bolts rain down from the eyes of all those demons.
Huge crowds stampede toward the buildings.
But they can’t escape.
Bolts latch onto people and rip them from the mob. They hover for a second, shrieking in shock and terror, and then they vanish in clouds of smoke.
One guy wearing only underwear and a cowboy hat swings his guitar like a mace against the bolts. Before he can rear back again, he’s carried into the air, kicking and screaming.
More beams sew across the hot dog vendors and tourists and cab drivers and everyone else unlucky enough to be there, but I guess it doesn’t matter where they are. Everyone will be taken. The masks are on a mission.
And they… are… relentless.
Keane takes me to Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, where scorch marks cover the famous Walk of Fame. We’re in the point of view of a mask soaring down toward people scattering like ants.
We pull back and grab at least ten, maybe twenty people with just two bolts because the energy splinters into nets that drop onto the crowd. I’ve never seen a mask this powerful.
And suddenly, we’re hurtling backward, up and away, to look over the entire city, with masks hovering everywhere and people vanishing by the second.
In the next breath, we’re in Paris, with the Eiffel Tower in the distance—
But there’s a halo of masks lording over it and zapping people like mindless machines.
More chaos. More faces gripped in agony.
More pain. Suffering. People being turned into slaves…
The air reeking of melted wires and static and burning flesh.
And it’s happening everywhere else, too, in Rome… in Tokyo, Moscow, and in London, where military fighter jets have launched a counterattack on the masks.
But it’s useless. The blank faces absorb the rockets and missiles and grow even stronger.
Waves of more fire like I’ve seen in old WWII movies soar up from the ground. But again, the masks don’t care. They don’t even attack the military. They continue abducting their slaves. Nothing can stop them.
Finally, at my request, Keane takes me to my own high school in Winter Springs, where special accelerated summer classes for gifted students are still in session.
The ceiling above the cafeteria explodes, and through the gaping hole come bolts like the feelers of some electronic insect, probing through the room as kids freak out and lunch trays clatter across the floor.
My old buddies Ira Drazen and Ricardo Hernandez are there, shoving their way toward the exit doors—
As a bolt divides into hundreds and clears out the entire room in a second, leaving behind smoke and backpacks and small cartons of milk spilling over the tables.
With a blast of chills, I snap open my eyes and return to the temple in Verbena.
“Where’d you go?” Meeka asks.
“I was on Earth,” I answer, gasping for air. “It’s horrible.”
“Bastards,” Meeka snaps.
“Doc, look!” Steffanie shouts, pointing.
I glance up toward the hole in the basement’s ceiling.
No, we’re not under attack.
Actually, it’s our time to fight.
Millions of scholar blossoms from all over the planet have detached themselves from their stems and soared into the air like strange birds. They’ve gathered in massive flocks to fly at incredible speeds across oceans and continents.
Now they’re beginning to arrive here, in Verbena, joining together to spin down in a perfect funnel. Some are larger than others, while some are paler gold, as if they’re older. Some spin faster, others slower, but every one of them coils around us to plunge straight into the engine’s portal.
The hum and windstorm they create nearly knocks us off our feet. Thousands more follow, leaving behind a sweet smell, like cinnamon or mirage or warm coffee.
Whoa. They keep coming… and coming… like they’ll never stop…
“Where are they going?” Meeka cries.
“To Earth,” I answer. “To the Galleons’ ship! To help us fight!” I wave everyone over to the stairwell. “Come on! They’re waiting for us up top.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
With a lump in my throat, I lead everyone up and across the ruined temple. We head onto the street, where about twenty more scholars float above us, waiting.
“They’re here for us,” I say.
“Are we doing that?” Steffanie asks, waving her finger at Tommy, who self-consciously rubs his chest.
“We have to,” I answer. “But it doesn’t hurt.”
Her lip twists. “I don’t know, Doc.”
“Listen to me. They’re not flowers. They’re just like the queen robe, and they’re the reason my father sent people to Halsparr.” I turn to Cypress. “Your Mum and Dad went there before there were scholars on Flora. They did experiments to help us beat the masks.”
“I understand now, Doke,” she says.
“They’ll help us fight?” Meeka asks.
“Yes,” I answer. “By helping us carry those who can.”
Someone gasps from behind us.
It’s Hedera. She closes her eyes and raises her arms as one of the scholars passes through her jacket.
She shivers and snaps open her eyes. “I’m with her now,” she says in a breathy a voice—
A voice that comes from her throat—not from the persona of her head projected over her palm.
Wow, this is her real voice, which sounds fuller, a bit lower, but just as sweet as the Hedera we know and love.
Our heads draw back in shock.
“Hedera, I like your voice,” Cypress says.
“Hedera, do you realize—”
“I know, Doc! I can feel it inside. And I’m not sure if this is temporary or permanent, but I’ll take it!”
“I feel like it healed my wreath, too,” Tommy says. “Or at least it did something.”
“This is all great,” Meeka says. “But can we trust them? And exactly how do they help us fight?”
I lift my chin at something over her shoulder.
Seeing this, she turns to face a group of knights glistening in white armor. Masks of Galleon.
Twelve, maybe fifteen in all stand there, including Rific, Tommy’s right hand man, along with Grace and Zach, who both smile at me.
And now another gasp—
As Tommy steps in front of us, saying, “Nobody move.”
“I’ll take care of this,” Cypress says, dropping down to one knee and lifting her palms.
“No!” I scream and then block her. “They’re here to help! Hold your fire!” I wave off Cypress and then rush past her to take Grace’s hands. “Where’s Julie?”
My mother lowers her eyes. “I’m sorry, Doc.”
“What happened?”
“She helped us escape, but he got her at the last second.”
“We need to kill him. Somehow.”
She nods. “Julie made sure we’d have enough people. She made sure. And she wanted you to know that.”
“She’s not gone yet,” I say. “I just know it.”
I curse and face the group. “All right, everyone. You need to connect with one of these scholars and accept it—and that means everyone, even you, Cypress, and all of you masks.”
“And then what?” Meeka asks, still doubting the plan.
I harden my voice. “Then we get down to business.”
&nbs
p; CHAPTER SIXTY
Meeka faces the scholars. “I don’t know about this…”
“Doke, tell us what’s going on,” Cypress adds.
I take a deep breath. “Watch…”
My heart races as I lift my arms and a chill rushes down my spine. I reach out—
And connect with one of the scholars
I’ll call her she because the voice in my head sounds young, female, and extremely excited:
“Wow, so you’re Doc? Your father told us about you. And now we finally get to help. This is wonderful.”
“I hope so,” I answer with a shiver.
I glance down, pull up my shirt, and see the scholar blossom attached to my body.
Okay, yes, this is wonderful… and frightening as hell. I have this thing attached to my body, and I don’t know if it’ll ever let go. Dr. Arabelle didn’t mention what happens after.
Well, it’s too late now. So with another shiver, I glance up at Grace and nod.
She raises her arms. A scholar spins forward and plunges past her armor and into her chest, vanishing with a web of golden energy.
She blinks hard and faces me, her eyes widening as she connects with the scholar. “Oh, yes, I’m ready now, Doc. And I’m so proud of you...”
I choke up and then address the group: “The woven on Halsparr gave my father the idea. The only way to defeat the Armadis and their masks is to become something greater. Meeka, remember when you said we need a billion more badasses like Cypress?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Well, we’ve got them. And they’re us!”
I reach out with one hand and literally draw my mother’s knightly persona into my own body—
As if she we were my persona or an immortal I carry.
And now we’re linked as one, along with our scholars, who allow the connection to be possible.
Even more amazing is that I’m still in my body, even though it feels like a persona, with the scholar and Grace pulsating inside my wreath.
I close my eyes and, with my mother’s help, I explode into the air…
And now I’m glancing down on the entire group.
They gaze up in wonder.
And terror.
Because now…
I am a Mask of Galleon.
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
Another mask arrives at my side, and even though its face looks blank, there’s a flash from inside that expression. Wow, it’s Hedera. She smiles and shares her thoughts:
“I’m with you, Doc. Ready to fight.”
“Awesome,” I answer. “Come on...”
We return to the ground and release the masks from our bodies. It’s the strangest feeling, like having a warm towel peeled off your face. My clothes smell like burned wires.
Grace notices it, too. She’s shaken but says she’s okay and glances back up at the sky.
Meanwhile, Hedera, who was carrying Zach, lifts her chin toward the doctor. He makes eye contact with me and grins with excitement.
I smile back and feel good about giving him and the others a chance to break free. Maybe they’ll never be real people again, but at least they won’t be slaves.
Someone shouts Meeka’s name. The owner of that tiny voice rushes from the back of the group. She’s the smallest mask among them.
My heart sinks.
Yes, she’s still wearing a suit of armor, but she hardly looks intimidating.
It’s little Rose, one of our rumms who once wore a black beanie because she was losing her hair and withering away from radiation poisoning.
She was abducted by the masks, who healed her body so they could enslave her. We managed to rescue her, but then they captured her again. This time she wasn’t as lucky. She couldn’t fight the urge to transform. Even Tommy couldn’t stop that feeling.
And now she can never go back.
However, that’s not on her mind right now. She rushes forward wearing a huge smile and takes Meeka’s hands in her own. “Princess Meeka! Will you carry me?”
Meeka leans over to answer, but her lips tremble and she bursts into tears as she squeezes Rose’s hands.
And then another sad surprise as Wexx, who was in charge of the rumms, wanders over to Stephanie, glancing down in shame at his armored chest.
As they talk, I shout again for everyone to link up with a scholar and then with a mask.
I wave over six of Tommy’s former men and introduce them to Roam and his grren.
“So you expect these animals to carry us?” asks the tallest guy, tugging nervously on his thick beard.
“They’re not animals,” I answer. “They’re smarter than us. You’ll see.”
I speak briefly with Roam’s translator. She tells me their blood is “hot,” and they are prepared for battle.
The rest of Tommy’s men step back, shaking their heads and refusing to do anything.
“Look, you wanna be slaves forever?” I ask them. “It’s only a matter of time before the Armadis realizes you’ve broken free. Julie can’t block them forever. This is your only chance. You link with these grren and you fight!”
Tommy steps up beside me but doesn’t way a word.
The bearded guy considers everything I’ve said, and then, after another exaggerated breath, he finally agrees.
“Good,” I tell him. “Now let’s do this.”
Tommy squeezes my shoulder. “Nice work.”
“Thanks.”
He heads off toward Rific, who seems embarrassed by his suit of armor. Tommy mutters something and then swats at Rific’s shoulder plate. Rific smiles, steps back, and then draws something from inside his armored sleeve.
Now I’m grinning. Rific has removed his blue bandana, the one he was wearing when we first met him. He told me he wears it for good luck. With a nod at Tommy, he slips the bandana over his forehead and adjusts the fit.
After asking Rific if he’s ready, Tommy takes a deep breath and literarily pulls Rific into his wreath.
Just then, Cypress accepts a scholar and nods toward someone else we recognize: Daliah, the prospector from Chrysantha.
“I’m sorry this happened to you,” Cypress tells her.
“Just carry me, and we’ll free all of our people.”
Cypress nods. “I wasn’t sure I could because I carry Mum, but the scholar says it’s okay. I can still do this.”
“Then I’m ready,” Daliah says.
I shift away from them and head over to Meeka, who has just accepted a scholar and will carry Rose, who clutches her waist. “Are you okay?”
“It’s not fair,” Meeka says, her voice cracking as she glances down at Rose. “She never did anything to them.”
“I know.” I lean over and smile at Rose. “You’ll help us so this never happens again, right?”
“Hell to the yeah,” she says.
“Who taught you that?”
“Keane,” she answers proudly.
I grin and then ask for a moment alone with Meeka. Rose makes a face, puckers her lips to tease us, and then trots off.
Meeka looks at me, waiting.
“I know this is so crazy.”
“It is,” she says.
“And I know we shouldn’t trust Julie.”
“We shouldn’t,” she says.
I grab her shoulders. “I have to tell you something. Julie said she loves me, but it’s too late.”
“Why?”
“Because… I love you.”
She frowns. “Doc, you don’t know what you want.”
“You’re right. I didn’t. But then you showed me.”
She starts to tremble. “If you’re lying…”
“I’m not.”
She stares more deeply. “But I’ll always be second best.”
“Me, too.”
“No.”
She reaches into her pocket and tugs out that bluish-gray sirk that belonged to her boyfriend Swiff. She rescued him from the nomads, but then he died… and the rumms say she never got over him.
; She rolls the coin through her fingers, glances at it once more, and then hurls it into the ruins.
I’m about to move in and give her a soft, tender kiss, when she grabs my head, yanks me into her, and kisses me hard and fast, Meeka style. There’s something desperate about the kiss that I can’t explain.
I pull back and say, “Keep close.”
She smiles tightly. “So I can save your ass.”
“Exactly.”
I drift off, because now Tommy’s heading back toward me and clearing his throat. He speaks in an exaggerated military voice: “Your troops are organized and ready for battle, sir.”
“Thanks for making me more nervous.”
“Comes with the territory.”
I nod. “I should say something to everyone.”
“You should.” He winks and starts away but is interrupted by Meeka. She whispers something in his ear.
He nods and straightens his shoulders, preparing for something. With a glimmer and flash, Val’s immortal leaves Meeka’s body and returns to his, where it belongs.
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
A few seconds later, just after I’ve gathered the troops, Keane connects with me. Out of breath, he asks that I watch what’s happening through his eyes:
As the masks continue to attack and abduct people on Earth, there’s chaos aboard the ship in orbit—
Because the scholars have jumped through the portal and arrived.
They penetrate the tubes and link up with the prisoners inside, both human and grren, even while the prisoners are unconscious.
Those essences who were part of the healing wreath are also connected to scholars.
At the same time, the scholars link with each other and increase their power. In just minutes they’ll be able to break the Armadis’s grip on the prisoners.
Arabelle predicted this would happen. However, he never discussed the part of our plan involving Keane, the part we came up with together. No power in the universe could guess what Keane’s about to do.
And we have no choice—because while it’s true that we can free the prisoners, create an army, and dismantle the ship, that still won’t stop the Armadis.
