by Michael Dahl
Mara felt a hand on her shoulder. Dr. Hoo was standing behind Mara, tears filling his eyes. He stared down at the boiling lava. Even from this great height they could feel the heat from the molten sea against their faces.
“Uzhk had a powerful heart,” Dr. Hoo said. “An almost human one.”
Mara stared into the doctor’s eyes, seeking answers. “Was his death worth this victory?” she asked.
Dr. Hoo looked upward. “It has to be worth it,” he said grimly. “Because this war is far from over.”
Darkness closed in on them as the disc continued its ascent toward the surface.
THE FOURTH NIGHT
Tonight
A star will fade and fall
Tonight
A star will flee the sky
Tonight
A star will burn to ash
Tonight
A star will die.
— from “The Last Battle” by Phoebus Glyver
The clear, calm waters of the Zion Falls quarry usually reflected the moon and constellations overhead. But this evening, the lake did not reflect the heavenly bodies in the sky. The normally calm water was agitated. An underground disturbance sent slabs of rock tumbling down the quarry’s high walls. Giant boulders fell and splashed into the water. The lake trembled and stirred.
Then the lake began spiraling in one direction. A whirlpool formed, with a swirling hole at its center.
Above the lake, lightning flashed in the sky. And from the center of the churning eye of the whirlpool, a golden disc rose into the air.
Shouts and cries came from the surface of the disc. Their voices were loud and happy, their fists pumping in the air in celebration. Dr. Hoo stood above the rest, his three arms hanging from his body.
“The battle has been won,” said Dr. Hoo, looking down at his companions. “But the war is not over.”
Zak Fisher stood up next to the doctor. “Come on, Doc,” he said. “Can’t we just celebrate? What happened down there was awesome!”
“Yeah!” said Pablo, sitting by Zak’s feet. “We kicked some troll butt down there!”
“It’s not over yet,” insisted Dr. Hoo. He walked to the center of the golden disc. “True, the gathool have suffered a major defeat. We struck a deadly blow to the heart of their kingdom.”
“Yes!” said Zak. “I mean, did you guys see when this disc —”
The doctor held up a hand to silence Zak. “But a wounded enemy is a dangerous one,” Dr. Hoo said. “More dangerous than you can imagine. Now, more than ever, we must all stick together.”
Thora’s gaze caught Pablo’s. He looked at her from across the disc. His eyes glimmered and pulsed like distant stars.
Thora stared up at the stars. This is where it all began, she thought, just three nights ago.
Thora … Thora …
Thora heard the whisper with her mind, rather than her ears. But she recognized the voice as her brother’s.
Bryce lay near Thora on the floor of the golden disc. His hand reached out to hers. “Thora,” he said, smiling weakly.
Bryce was slowly returning to normal, but his body was still weak.
“You helped us down there,” Thora said, smiling at her brother.
Bryce tilted his head at her. “I did?” he asked.
“Yes,” Thora said. “We couldn’t have defeated Ooloom without your help.”
The monster’s name sent a sudden jab of pain through Bryce’s body. His grip tightened on Thora’s hand. “It’s okay,” she said. “You’re with us. You’re safe now.”
When Thora closed her eyes, she still saw giant creatures with sharp fangs and claws. And the monster known as Ooloom. His crown of molten lava still burned in her mind.
“Is your brother feeling better?” a voice asked.
Thora turned. Mara was standing behind her. The wind rushed past them both, whipping their long hair into their faces. Thora nodded at the older woman.
Zak’s parents were there, too, as were Pablo’s parents. Thora’s mom and dad smiled back at her. Louise’s father was also nearby.
Thora …
Thora glanced around the area.
Thora … Thora …
Is that Bryce again? Thora thought. It sounds like him. But why is he still speaking with his mind?
When Bryce had fallen under the trolls’ dark influence, they had been able to control him. They had also been able to send his thoughts to other people. Thora thought their power over him had been broken when Ooloom died.
Zion … Falls …
“That’s right,” Thora said to Bryce. “We’re back home.”
Bryce shook his head. He looked confused.
Thora noticed that Bryce’s eyes gleamed, but not like the light from the stars overhead. And it was nothing like the light she occasionally saw in her companions’ eyes.
Falls … the whisper repeated. Zion … falls …
Thora felt an icy coldness grab her heart. The voice. It isn’t Bryce, she realized.
Slowly, Dr. Hoo lowered the golden disc onto the lake. The whirlpool had disappeared. The waters of the quarry were calm. As they looked down, they saw the stars glimmering in the water.
The disc settled on the surface like a golden raft. Then it floated gently in the middle of the lake. Dr. Hoo stared at the shore. The light that was reflected in his glasses seemed as red as blood. “Look,” he said, pointing.
Above the western edge of the quarry, thick black smoke billowed into the sky. The bellies of the clouds there glowed an angry red.
“Is it a fire?” Thora asked.
“It’s the town,” said Dr. Hoo. “Zion Falls is under attack.”
Zion … falls …
It wasn’t only Thora who heard the whisper in her mind. The others heard it now too.
Zak Fisher’s father, one of the humans rescued from the trolls, looked up at his son. “I thought you defeated them,” he said.
“We outsmarted the general of the troll’s army,” said the doctor. “But while we were busy underground, they launched an attack up here.”
“I should have thought of that,” said Mara. “I’ve read all your books about the gathool. I should have known they would trick us.”
“They live by deception,” said the doctor. “They distracted us from the bigger battle while we were busy fighting Ooloom.”
Louise shuddered at the name. “That ugly giant,” she said. Her father hugged her tightly.
Pablo stood up next to the doctor. “You said this was a bigger battle?” Pablo asked.
Dr. Hoo returned his gaze to the fiery clouds swarming in the west. “Yes,” he said. “Bigger because more is at stake.”
Zak shook his head. “I don’t get it,” he said. “I thought we petrified their entire army.”
“That is true,” Mara said, nodding. “But as long as their leader lives, they can always add to their army.”
“Add?” repeated Pablo. “How?”
“Thora,” said Bryce, staring up at her through his broken glasses. “The town …”
“Don’t worry, Bryce,” Thora said. “We’ll think of something.”
Pablo looked over at the whimpering Bryce. That’s how they replace their fallen warriors, Pablo thought. The most powerful trolls had minds that could invade human thoughts. An invisible force was reaching out once again to try to take hold of their minds. Pablo felt his memories and thoughts being prodded and poked.
Stick together, Pablo told himself. He tried to think about his friends. About the abandoned silo where they had fought together. They were the golden band. The four star-touched companions. Victory was possible, but only if they stayed together.
Thora’s face was pinched. Pablo could tell she was trying to fight the dark thoughts too. Zak kept running his shaky fingers through his air. Louise was crying into her father’s shoulder.
“Fight it, Bryce,” Thora said, holding on to her brother’s hand. “Fight it!”
The doctor pointed again toward the west
ern edge of the quarry cliffs. “They are gathering,” he said.
Pablo and his companions stared at the cliff edge. The rocks seemed to be moving. No, not rocks, Pablo realized. People.
Hundreds of townspeople, in fact. Pablo’s friends and neighbors who had fled from their burning homes. They stood at the very edge of the quarry, side by side, in a long line. Like an army, thought Pablo.
“They’re really close to the edge of the cliff,” said Thora. “I hope nobody falls.”
Just then, the entire line of townspeople bent down. They reached their hands toward the ground.
“What are they doing?” asked Louise.
Pablo’s eyes went wide. They’re following orders, he realized.
Something splashed in the water a few feet away. Louise turned her head to look. “Was that a fish?” she asked.
More and more splashes erupted around the golden disc. Then a loud bang. And another.
“Look out!” Mara shouted.
A fist-sized rock bounced off the metal disc and struck Mara’s forehead. She fell to her knees and held her hands to her head. Lionel Tooker shielded Louise with his body. The other passengers huddled together, covering their heads.
A low hum began to fill the air. It grew louder, echoing through the quarry like the roar of a jet engine. Pablo’s eyes went wide when he saw what was happening.
The people of Zion Falls were screaming and shouting as they threw rocks and stones.
“Stop it!” Pablo shouted at the townspeople. “We’re your friends!”
Dr. Hoo pulled Pablo back from the edge of the disc. “The gathool are controlling their minds,” he said. “They cannot hear you now.”
Rocks rained down on them like deadly hailstones. Louise was struck on the forehead by a sharp stone.
Mr. Tooker ran to his daughter. “Louise!” he yelled.
A cut opened on Louise’s forehead as she sagged into her father’s arms.
“We have to get to shore!” cried Pablo.
“Swim for it!” said Zak.
The passengers on the disc leaped over and into the cold waters of the quarry. Everyone began swimming. Lionel Tooker managed to carry his moaning daughter over his shoulder as he paddled. The doctor helped Mara along with one arm while his other two slashed into the water as fast as they could.
At the edge of the quarry, the lake wasn’t as deep. Everyone was wading swiftly through the water. When a few of them walked onto shore, the rocks stopped falling.
Pablo stopped where he was in the water and looked up. “They’re backing away from the edge,” he said.
“Are they leaving?” asked Zak.
A grinding roar burst through the air above them. A pair of lights exploded over the top of the cliff as a huge SUV zoomed off the edge of the quarry, plummeting toward the water.
“What’s happening?” shouted Zak.
The SUV plunged into the lake with a violent splash.
“That’s Steve Ponto’s SUV,” said Zak. Pablo saw that Steve and another teenager from their high school were trapped inside the vehicle. Their motionless bodies were pressed against the windshield.
Pablo turned toward Zak. “We have to save them!” he said.
“No,” Mr. Tooker said. “They tried to kill us!”
Zak narrowed his eyes. “We can’t just let them drown,” he said.
Mr. Tooker shook his head and kept moving toward the shore. Most of the disc’s passengers were already on land. Thora and the doctor were herding them to safety toward the bottom of the cliff. Only Zak and Pablo remained in the water.
“Zak!” shouted his father from the shore. “Get out of the lake!”
Pablo looked at Zak uncertainly. “He’s right,” Pablo said. “We need to —”
Suddenly, a loud groan pulled his attention skyward. Another pair of lights was tipping over the edge of this cliff. It seemed to be moving in slow motion. Then they saw that it was no mere SUV. This was a 6o-foot-long semi truck.
The axles scraped along the cliff as it teetered over the edge. The truck boomed as it fell sideways against the rocky wall, its huge mass propelling it down toward the doctor and the others.
“Thora, look out!” Pablo yelled.
Thora and Bryce looked up to see the huge vehicle barreling down toward them. She pushed her brother to safety, falling to the ground in the process.
Thora rolled to her back and looked up. The falling semi bearing down on her. She instinctively covered her face with her hands.
A light burst from beside her, pulsing outward like waves in a pool. The light wrapped itself around the semi and suspended it in midair. Then, slowly, it shifted to the side, away from Thora.
Seconds later, the vehicle crashed into the ground with a resounding, bone-shaking crunch.
Thora clambered to her feet. She was about to ask what had happened when she saw Louise hanging over her father’s shoulder. The little girl’s arms were straight out, light glowing from her fingertips. The light vanished and Louise went limp.
Mr. Tooker gently laid Louise against the cliff wall next to Mara. Their eyes were shut and both of them were breathing raggedly.
Zak and Pablo had been watching from the water as Louise’s rings of light swept over them. They both let out a sigh of relief.
“She saved Thora!” Pablo said.
Zak nodded and smiled. “Yep — and now it’s our turn,” he said. He motioned for Pablo to follow him to the sinking SUV. “Let’s go! That thing could sink at any moment.”
Pablo pointed toward the shore. “We have to help your parents and the others,” he said. “Those people on the cliff are throwing cars at them, Zak! We have to stick together!”
Zak looked toward the shore, then back out to the water. “You go,” he said. “I’m not just leaving Steve to die.”
“You idiot!” said Pablo. “Do you think you’re some kind of hero or something?”
Zak grinned. “Yep,” he said. “And you’re my sidekick.”
Pablo hesitated for only a second. “I’m nobody’s sidekick,” he said.
Zak just kept grinning. “Well, are you coming?” he asked.
Pablo grunted and started paddling after Zak. Together, they swam frantically toward the SUV.
The SUV floated in the water. The air trapped inside kept it from sinking too quickly, but the rear window was open a crack and water was starting to seep in. The passengers weren’t moving.
“Hurry!” said Zak. He circled to the driver’s side of the SUV, while Pablo stayed on the passenger side. They both pulled on the door handles as hard as they could. The doors didn’t budge.
Pablo swam behind the car and tried the side door while Zak did the same. Pablo slammed his fist against the window in frustration. “They’re all locked,” he said.
“Steve, wake up!” Zak yelled through the window.
“Unlock the door!” Pablo cried.
Inside the car, Steve began to stir. Blood was trickling down his face. He tried to sit up, but quickly fell back against the seat and stopped moving.
“They can’t help us,” said Pablo. “We need something to break the windows.”
Zak smashed his fist into the window. He turned and used his elbow, ramming into the window again and again. It didn’t even crack the glass
Bubbles gurgled up from under the SUV’s hood as the vehicle sank deeper. Zak and Pablo watched helplessly as the inside of the vehicle continued to fill up with water.
The cries from the angry mob traveled across the water, their voices echoing off the quarry walls. “They have us surrounded,” Zak said.
The crowd was shouting and chanting together. Pablo recognized what they were saying. Prak tara. Prak tara. That’s what the creatures had called Pablo and his friends. It meant “children of the stars” in the gathool language. Pablo shivered in the cold water. Why aren’t the stars helping us now? he wondered.
“What are we going to do?” shouted Zak, his eyes darting back and forth between the cro
wd of people and the sinking car.
The SUV gurgled again and tipped to its side, leaving only a door and part of the body above water. The two boys climbed onto the the side of the SUV. They had to work fast, as it wouldn’t be long before the vehicle sank beneath the surface.
Zak screamed in frustration. The scream bounced off the rocky walls surrounding them and grew in intensity. Louder and louder it grew, and deeper. It was no longer the cry of a young man. It was the growl of a ferocious bear.
“Zak!” said Pablo. “Your arm!”
Zak glanced down. His right arm had grown thicker. It was covered in fur. His nails had hardened into thick claws. His muscles bulged and expanded.
With a great roar, Zak crashed his paw into the window. The glass cracked, forming a spider web. Zak brought his bear paw back and threw a second punch, causing the window to shatter.
“Yes!” shouted Pablo. He jumped back into the water and reached in to unbuckle the seat belt. Quickly, he pulled Steve through the window. Zak grabbed the other boy with his big bear paw and gently pulled him free of the vehicle.
They were just in time. With a final sickening burp, the SUV lurched beneath the water and sank out of sight. Pablo waded away from the wake while holding on to Steve’s shirt collar.
Together, Zak and Pablo swam to the nearby golden disc, dragging the unconscious boys behind them. As they reached it, the two boys half pulled, half carried the passengers onto it. Then they climbed aboard and collapsed onto their backs, panting heavily.
“Why did the trolls trap those two inside the SUV?” asked Pablo.
Zak shook his head. “I dunno,” he said. He gazed down at his right arm. The fur was slowly disappearing, revealing his normal arm underneath. He flexed his fingers. “Punching that window really hurt.”
“It’s a good thing your powers kicked in when they did,” Pablo said, turning to look behind him. “That SUV’s at the bottom of the lake by now.”
“Why didn’t my whole body change?” asked Zak. “And what about you? No armor, no weapons. A sword would have come in really handy for breaking that glass.”
