by H. B. Bolton
“Thanks!” he said after catching it. “Can you make one like this for me at home?”
Evan heard some gurgling, and then the water near him rose up ten feet high. It didn’t roll forward. It just continued to rush upward, forming into an ideal wave.
Lazonia appeared off to his side. “Lie down on the board and paddle!”
Water surged forward with his body, lifting him. He felt an extra nudge into the back of his legs. He popped up; his feet were steady on the board. “Water hands” held him in place, helping him gain balance. He positioned his feet like he had seen surfers do on TV and stuck out his arms. The wave traveled toward the shore, and when it was still a little ways out, it stopped going forward. Evan was surfing the endless wave.
“Don’t think. Allow your body to relax,” instructed Lazonia, appearing beside him, moving along the crest.
Evan let go, released his thoughts, and coasted along the pipeline.
“Looking good!” yelled Claire.
“This is epic!” shouted Evan.
“Evan, let’s see if you can do this,” Lazonia hollered from the other side of the tube. She skimmed along, rushing to the wave’s lip. She took off into the air, using the wave as a ramp.
“Sure, you can do that because you have a tail, and you’re body surfing. It’s different on a board,” declared Evan, safely maneuvering along, traveling up and down.
“You have to try it,” said Lazonia. “Himinglaeva, rush him up the wave!”
“No, no, that’s all right … Whoa!” And he was swept up the arc and shot into air.
Exhilarating, thrilling, breathtaking! He didn’t want to come back down. So, he didn’t. He held himself up above the wave, controlling the board with his mental powers. He twisted and flipped, barely even touching the crest.
“Now, you’re just showing off,” Lazonia teased and splashed water at him.
He laughed and stumbled a bit, but he didn’t crash down; the wave cradled him as he fell. Slowly, the water became flat and calm. Two wave-girls emerged from sea foam: Himinglaeva and her sister, Hefring.
“Thanks. That was insane,” said Evan.
“No problem. May I keep the board?” Himinglaeva asked, and Evan slid the board over to her. “Thank you, Evan. I am going to try this. It looked like a lot of fun.”
“An experience I’ll never forget,” Evan said and trudged for the beach.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
FLY AWAY HOME
“I HAVE TO ADMIT, YOU have skills, little bro,” said Claire, as Evan reached the shore.
“Who knew, right? I don’t suppose you have a towel handy?” Evan asked, shaking water from his hair.
“No, sorry,” shrugged Claire.
“Ah, it’s alright. I’ll air dry.”
Dunkle and Barfel bounded along, kicking up the sand. They were followed by Aegir and Ran, and behind them came a long trail of people.
“Is everyone coming to see us off?” Evan whispered to Claire.
“I’m pretty sure they are,” she replied.
It didn’t take long for the large group to congregate. Evan tried to calculate just how many had arrived. He was tired of all the attention and had hoped for a quiet send off. But that apparently wasn’t going to happen.
“Sigurd, I have a surprise for you. A gift from Evan and me,” announced Claire. Sheepishly, she glanced over at Evan, who smiled. She led Sigurd closer to the shoreline and pointed toward the horizon. “Sigurd, watch over there. Evan, are you ready?”
Evan nodded and focused. A large area of water rumbled, and a warm glow materialized from below. A golden fin broke the surface. Eventually, the entire gilded whale-pod emerged. Claire stepped forward and gracefully waved her arms. As Evan held the gilded whale up in the air, Claire transfigured it into a giant sphere, rapidly spinning on its axis. With apparent ease, she stretched out the ball, forming it into a great Viking ship. As Evan carefully returned the gilded boat to water, it continued to spin around.
“It might not be enchanted, but it’s made from real gold. Do you think you can track dragons in it?” Claire asked.
“Are you offering me the use of this vessel?” questioned Sigurd.
“Yes, it’s yours. Evan and I can’t exactly take home a ship made from gold; too many questions would be asked,” she said casually.
Sigurd lifted Claire and spun her around, her feet swinging in air. She giggled like a lovesick puppy, and Evan rolled his eyes. Eventually, Sigurd set her down and placed a kiss on her forehead.
“Thank you. I believe it will serve me well,” Sigurd said and turned to Evan. “And thank you, Evan. I wondered how I was going to be able to sail the seas without a ship.”
“No problem,” said Evan. “I guess since we left our glass ship back on the island of giants, we had better make something else for us to travel home in. Come to think of it, should we go back for our ship?”
“Please, allow me to take care of it for you,” offered Sigurd.
“What will you do with it?” Claire asked.
“I will offer it to the giants, to bargain for peace and safe passage onto their island. You would not believe how difficult it is to trap dragons while also being hunted by giants.”
“I’m glad it’ll help you,” said Claire, staring at the sand. She then lifted her arms. “Okay, I better make another glass ship.”
“Wait, wait!” yelled Dr. Irving, scuttling closer to Claire and Evan. “There is a better way to travel home.”
“Should we create another submarine?” Evan asked curiously.
“No, no. You two have not yet discovered the full depth of your powers,” said Dr. Irving. “Please, allow me to demonstrate.”
With that, he stepped back and raised his arms. He lowered them, and along with his movements, feathers sprouted out from his entire body. His arms transformed into wings, and his legs morphed into talons. He now had piercing eyes, a sharp beak, and a tail made up of red-brown feathers edged with white. He was an oversize hawk!
“Whoa, one of us can do that?” Evan asked.
“Yes, I believe the person with the power of transfiguration will be able to,” Dr. Irving said, looking at Claire.
“I can change us into an animal?” said Claire, sounding both shocked and amazed.
“Yes, you should be able to. And there is something else I need to say before you leave,” began Dr. Irving. “Use your powers wisely, especially once you are home.”
“You mean we get to keep them?” Evan asked in awe. And the professor nodded. Evan continued excitedly, “I guess I hadn’t thought about whether we’d still have them once we were home.”
“Do not use them in front of others. Humans might not be able to see the magic you perform, but they will be able to see the results,” added Dr. Irving.
“I don’t understand. People won’t be able to see us use our powers?” Evan asked.
“No. Not unless you wish for them to. Magic should not be seen by mortals, nor should anything related to Sagaas. For example, your parents would not be able to see Dunkle, unless he allowed them. And if you use your power to say, throw a rock, then your parents would see the rock in its new location but have no idea how it got there.”
“What if we changed ourselves into birds? What would they see?” Claire asked.
“Again, unless you allowed them to see you in bird form, they would see you in your human body,” said Dr. Irving. “And if you speak about your time here in Asgard, they will not hear a word you are saying. They will not even see your lips move. The gods were very careful when they decided to hide Sagaas from mankind.”
“Awesome,” said Evan, looking at Claire. “What are you going to change us into? How about a dragon or something? That would be cool.”
Claire said nothing. She stood motionless as if pondering Evan’s question. “I suppose I could turn us into dolphins or something.”
“I would recommend flying; your journey back would be much faster and less tiresome,” advised Dr.
Irving.
“Right,” Claire said and looked down at Dunkle and Barfel. “Do you have any thoughts about what you would like to turn into?”
“I agree with Evan: a dragon would be rather nice,” said Dunkle. “But, I suppose it does not really matter, as long as we once again return to our imp form.”
“All right, I think I know what to do,” said Claire. “Don’t move. I don’t want to mess this up.”
“Wait a minute!” interjected Evan. “Maybe Dr. Irving should change us. I mean, no offense, but Claire doesn’t really know what she’s doing.”
“Claire will be fine, Evan,” said Dr. Irving, still in his hawk form.
Evan continued to stare at the professor, marveling at how strange it was to hear his proper English accent come from the beak of a human-size bird. Indeed, Evan was so mesmerized he hardly noticed when giant wings started to emerge from his own back.
“So, you decided to manipulate your own DNA and added wings to your human form. Very nicely done, Claire,” appraised Dr. Irving.
“I have wings!” declared Evan, stretching his neck to better see his new black feathers.
Dunkle and Barfel had become imps with wings. Dunkle’s wings matched his greenish-blue body and Barfel’s were red-orange. They too were admiring each other’s new wings.
“You look like an angel,” said Sigurd while approaching Claire.
Evan looked her way and noticed that she sort of did. She was still wearing the white dress with pearls, and her white wings were stretched out to her sides.
“And you look like trouble,” Lazonia said teasingly to Evan. She circled around him and ran her fingers over his slick feathers. “Be careful on your journey home. Do not fly too close to the water. I have a feeling there are a few bull sharks out there who would love to knock you out of the sky.”
Aegir interjected, “I will see to it that all of my sea creatures abide by my wishes. None of them shall hurt you.”
“Sir, I was wondering about what happened to Dufa?” Evan asked, as he was reminded of the rogue wave.
“She has been dealt with,” said Aegir. “You could say she will be grounded for a very long time. No more tsunamis for at least a decade. And on her behalf, I am sorry she tried to drown you.”
“Thanks,” said Evan, feeling extremely awkward. He then looked at Dr. Irving. “I suppose we should leave the Serpent’s Ring with you.”
“It must not be kept in Sagaas. It is prudent for you to return the Serpent’s Ring home with you,” said Dr. Irving.
“But, what will we do with it? Should we return it to your lab?” Evan asked.
“No, that would not be wise. You must find a new place to keep it,” added Vor, as she stood next to her hawklike husband.
“How am I supposed to know where to hide it?” said Evan anxiously.
“Dunkle will be there to help. Do not worry. You will know what to do,” reassured Dr. Irving.
Lazonia rested her hand on Evan’s shoulder. “Evan, you will know what to do.”
“Lazonia, you really helped. Thanks,” said Evan.
“I would do it all again,” said Lazonia, and a tear slowly cascaded down her beautiful face.
“Take care,” he whispered, wrapping his arms tightly around the mermaid.
“You too,” she said, and he loosened his hug.
“Claire, are you ready?” Evan asked.
Claire nodded her head and wiped away a falling tear. She approached Evan, leaving Sigurd behind. She was almost to Evan, when she turned and rushed back to Sigurd, throwing her arms around his neck. Evan was relieved that he couldn’t hear what she whispered. With her head hanging down and her hair shielding her face, she eventually joined Evan.
“Goodbye to you all!” announced Evan to the large group of onlookers. “Thanks for seeing us off. And fear not, we will see you again. It’s been real.” He waved goodbye and turned toward his sister.
“Do you think maybe you overdid that a little? You are such a nerd,” she said to him and laughed.
Chapter Thirty
LOOP-THE-LOOPS
DUNKLE AND BARFEL WERE FIRST to take to the air. They flapped their little wings eagerly and did a few loop-the-loops. Evan stretched his long jet-black wings and with a mighty force, brought them down. At once, he shot straight up. He didn’t look back to those he had just left. His sinking heart wouldn’t allow it.
“How are we supposed to know which way to go? We don’t exactly have a map,” Evan hollered toward his sister.
“Leave it to me. I know the way,” yelled Dunkle, doing another loop.
Evan peered over at Claire. She smiled awkwardly and shrugged. “I guess we follow Dunkle.”
“All right, but don’t expect me to fly in circles,” said Evan.
“Why not? Come on, live a little,” said Claire. Surprisingly, she zoomed straight up before diving down toward the sea. Just before touching water, she arched back up, ending her acrobatic stunt in a graceful loop.
“Whoa,” said Evan, and his mouth dropped open. “I can’t do that.”
“Come on, you big wimp. Try it!” she cried out while circling around a few more times.
Evan watched his sister, as she joined the imps in their frolicking. He turned back and noticed the island of Hlesey was a mere speck now. Looking down, he realized they were really high, and in the water below, colorful bull sharks followed along his path. He had a funny feeling they weren’t there to give him a friendly send-off.
“Hey guys, we need to move a little faster; we have company,” said Evan, pointing toward the sharks.
“Eek, what are they doing?” said Claire, wincing at the sight below. “Aegir said they wouldn’t bother us.”
“I doubt they’re here to say goodbye and thank you. They probably didn’t get Aegir’s latest message,” said Evan.
“Let’s go! Let’s go!” Barfel yelled and zip!—off he raced.
It didn’t take long to lose the sharks, and Evan could finally relax and concentrate on flying in a straight, horizontal line. Hours went by like this. After a while, Evan started to wonder if maybe he could have a little fun to pass the time. He added a little more power to his wings and whoosh!—he shot straight up before diving toward the ocean. Just before hitting the water, he curved into an arch and finished the loop.
“There you go. How did that feel?” asked Claire.
“Exhilarating, but I won’t do it again anytime soon,” said Evan, still catching his breath.
“Well, it’s good to see you loosen up, little brother,” said Claire appraisingly.
Moments later, Barfel announced, “There it is! There it is!”
Evan looked to where the red imp was pointing. Up ahead, the lavender mist gateway came into view. He remembered how on their voyage into Asgard, the mist had shot their boat through the winding tunnel. It was frightening, to say the least. He wondered what it would do to them on their return home.
“When we approach, dive straight into the mist. Hold your wings in tight, and allow it to take you through,” advised Dunkle.
“Don’t worry, Evan. I’m sure we’ll be fine,” said Claire. “I’ll go through first, okay?”
“Are you sure?” Evan asked, and Claire nodded.
She sped toward the glistening mist, and Evan watched as she increased her speed. Suddenly, she was pulled in and disappeared! Dunkle and Barfel also raced toward the gateway. Then they too were gone.
Evan hesitated briefly and then inched his way toward the looming mist. After taking in a deep breath, he dove. He pulled in his wings, allowing the mist to push him through. To Evan’s amazement, his body wasn’t rattled by wind. He soared through with relative ease, looping around and through the glass tunnel. In a matter of seconds, he reached the other side.
“See, we made it,” said Claire, flying over to him.
“Yeah, we’re back,” said Evan, looking around. “Hey, wait a minute. The sky is still that strange tangerine color. What’s up?”
&nbs
p; “You’re right; it is,” agreed Claire.
“We may have left Asgard, but we’re still in Sagaas. Now, we need to hop over to Terra,” explained Dunkle, as if it were something you’d say every day.
“How are we going to manage that?” Evan asked.
“Trust me, you will see,” said Dunkle, flying toward shore.
Dunkle took the lead, heading in the direction of Greenfield Village. Evan didn’t ask; he just followed along, hoping the imp’s plan was a good one. At long last, they approached Dr. Irving’s house.
“We need to kick-start your world back into motion,” said Dunkle, striding toward the front door.
“What does kick-start mean, anyway?” Evan asked, following the determined imp.
Dunkle sighed, “While you were away, time stood still. Now, we need to start it up again.” Anxiously, he rushed through the door and into the study.
“Wait a minute! You’re telling me that it’s still Saturday?” Evan asked and Barfel nodded. Evan tried to understand, but it was just too weird. “But we’ve been away for almost an entire week.”
“Evan, it’s probably best if we just roll with it,” Claire said and wandered into the study.
The hidden door to the secret room was still open. Last time Evan was here, he had neglected to shut it. Who could blame him? After all, he was racing away from what he believed was a security guard. Wow, so much had happened since that day, Evan marveled.
Barfel scurried over to the bookshelf and bounded through the open door. Claire and Evan followed the imps back inside Dr. Irving’s secret lab. The room had remained just as Evan had left it. Claire’s mess of fallen rubble sat on the floor, untouched. The illustration of Jormundgand was still on the table. And there were still a ton of cobwebs.
“Evan, you need to place the Serpent’s Ring over your arm,” instructed Dunkle. “Claire, grab onto his arm.”
“Just like before,” whispered Claire.
“Right, just like before,” Dunkle said impatiently. “Evan! Now!”
Evan slid the Serpent’s Ring up his arm. His fingertips tingled, and the room took on a warm glow. Claire reached for Evan’s arm. He became blinded by white light, and both Claire and Evan were thrown back!
