“Yup. But it’s locked.”
Xavier glanced at her. “So—how many times have you been here?”
“A few,” said Ivy with a shrug.
“Just on your own?”
“Sometimes.”
“Do you know how many . . . others there are?”
“Oh, lots,” said Ivy. “Why? Did you think you were the only Prince Warriors?”
“No, it’s just that—I never saw you here before. With us, I mean.”
“Yeah, I think maybe it has to do with your friend Brianna. I’ve noticed that she’s been acting—different—lately. Although I’m not sure what I can do to help—I think she sort of hates me.”
“Why would you think that?”
Ivy shrugged. “She avoids me.” She paused, wondering whether or not she was saying too much. “Ruwach wants me to make friends with her. So far I’ve done a pretty bad job, I guess. I’ve tried to be friendly, but she just walks by as if I don’t even exist. Sometimes I catch her looking at me, but as soon as I do, she looks away.”
“Why does Ruwach want you to be friends with her?”
Ivy shrugged. “He didn’t tell me that. Of course.”
“Well, he must have had a good reason. Ru doesn’t do anything without a good reason.” Xavier thought about this. “Maybe he just wants her to have a friend. I mean, a friend that’s a girl.” She never did seem to hang out with other girls. Although lately, she hadn’t been hanging out with anybody. She’d been acting pretty weird. But Xavier had just thought it was one of those girl things. Now he began to wonder if it were something more serious.
Just then there was a noise like a heavy curtain being ripped down the middle, and the other three boys arrived, looking slightly bewildered but unhurt.
“’Bout time you showed up,” said Xavier under his breath, although he was actually relieved to see them.
“You could have told us,” Evan said with a scowl. “We almost got trapped in that place!”
“But you didn’t,” said Ivy with a smirk.
“That’s true. We are getting better at this,” said Manuel, pleased with himself. “But the sand formations were fascinating, wish I could have stayed longer—”
“Where’s Ru?” said Evan, interrupting.
“Beats me,” said Xavier.
“Bet she knows,” said Levi sarcastically, pointing to Ivy. “She seems to know everything.”
“Hey, I just got here too,” Ivy protested.
“Warriors.” The voice thundered through the Cave, making the stalactites shiver and bringing the kids’ conversation to an abrupt halt. Ruwach appeared at the entrance of one of the many tunnels that ringed the room. But he wasn’t alone. Someone stood beside him. A teenager just a little older than they were, with a dark complexion and deep-set eyes. His expression was guarded, as if he were unsure of these kids who had just arrived.
“Finn!” Ivy exclaimed, running toward him. “Remember me? It’s Ivy!”
Finn’s face softened in recognition.
“Oh . . . yeah. You’re the girl who helped me get out of the fortress.”
“She did what?” said Levi incredulously.
“I was just helping Rook out of a jam and ended up helping Finn too,” Ivy said. She turned to Finn. “You look tons better than the last time I saw you.”
Finn just smiled, a little embarrassed. The rest of the kids looked at each other in shock.
“How did she . . . ?” Levi began.
“Finn was a prisoner of Skot’os,” Ruwach announced, his deep voice commanding everyone’s attention. “He was rescued by Rook. I have melted his metal parts and broken his chains. He’s been here learning the ways of the Prince Warriors. He asked to meet you.”
“Why did he want to meet us?” said Xavier.
“To thank you.” It was Finn himself who spoke. “You rescued Rook, and he rescued me. Without you, I would not be free. I am deeply in your debt, Prince Warriors.” He bowed a little. “And you, Princess,” he said to Ivy.
“Aw, it was no big deal,” said Ivy with a wave of her hand. Levi rolled his eyes.
“Your courage has been commendable,” Ruwach interjected. “But you will need even more courage for what is coming next.”
The word next hung in the air over the Warriors’ heads, heavy and ominous.
Levi took a step toward Ruwach, his face clouded with worry. “Is this about Bean? Is she okay? My dad told us—”
Levi couldn’t finish because Ruwach cut him off. And his next words would change everything.
“A portal has been opened.”
Chapter 24
The Sypher
The kids stared at Ruwach, not understanding.
“What portal? And why?” Levi asked.
“Someone brought something back to earth, something I had not allowed.” Ruwach’s words were punctuated with an underlying anguish that the children had not heard before.
Evan felt his heart beat faster. He thrust his hand into his pocket—the key was still there. He needed to put it back as soon as possible. But then he would never get to see inside his locked room.
Xavier looked around at the others. “Not any of us,” he responded confidently. “We haven’t taken anything, except for the seeds.”
“Something very . . . dangerous.” Ruwach’s voice reverberated through the Cave. His hood scanned all their faces.
The kids looked at each other, suddenly fearful. Evan pulled his hand out of his pocket and put both hands behind his back. He glanced about, trying to act as innocent as possible, but he could barely breathe.
“Maybe it was her,” said Levi, pointing to Ivy.
“It was not me,” said Ivy, her face reddening at the accusation. “Maybe it was you.”
“I didn’t take anything!”
Levi and Ivy began to argue.
“Come on, you two, cut it out!” Xavier said. He glanced at Ruwach, who stood motionless, his hands folded into his long sleeves. Something about his stance gave Xavier the shivers. This was clearly more serious than he thought. Levi and Ivy seemed to notice it as well and fell silent. All the kids began looking at each other, wondering which one of them had taken something from Ahoratos.
Evan shifted his gaze to the floor, fear gnawing at his belly. He’s got to know it’s me, he thought. He opened his mouth to confess about the key, but Ruwach suddenly spoke aloud.
“Where is Brianna?”
Levi and Xavier exchanged looks.
“We figured you didn’t call her,” Xavier said.
“She wasn’t at the Rec with us. Her grandmother had to go to the hospital,” Levi said. He paused, thinking of something new. “Wait a minute . . . was she the one who took something?”
Ruwach did not answer.
“But she wouldn’t do that!” Levi protested. “She would never—” he stopped, falling silent again.
“What was it?” said Xavier softly.
“I think I know.”
The kids spun around at this new voice to see Mr. J. Ar, in full armor, standing behind them.
“Dad!” Levi said. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going to take care of Bean—”
“She wouldn’t listen to me. I had tried talking to her before we got the call about her grandmother, but she would barely say two words in a row. I got to thinking about that—this change in her. That’s why I’m here. I began to wonder if Brianna might have been infected by a . . . Sypher.”
“A Sypher? What’s that?” said Levi.
“It’s like an Ent,” began Mr. J. Ar, “but more specialized, more subtle. Syphers attach themselves to someone and have the ability to twist and contaminate that person’s thoughts. That’s their goal. Ponéros sends them for that purpose.”
“You mean like the jedi mind trick? Cool,” said
Evan.
“Not exactly like that. They cannot control a person’s thoughts, but they can make suggestions that are very tempting and attractive. To the point where a person may not be able to distinguish their true thoughts and feelings from those of the Sypher.” Mr. J. Ar looked at the Warriors. “Was there a time when Brianna was alone here? Where she might have come across one?”
Evan spoke up. “She stayed in the garden after we all left—I saw her in the Corner of Keys—”
“Corridor,” corrected Xavier under his breath.
“Why didn’t you tell us before?” Levi turned to Evan, his voice accusing.
“I didn’t even know she did anything!” Evan said. “I thought she was just . . . you know . . . dawdling. She does that a lot. Especially when there’s flowers and stuff around.”
Levi looked at Ruwach. “Did you know she’d taken something?” Ruwach was silent. “Why didn’t you stop her?”
“I cannot stop anyone from making wrong choices. I can only help them make the right ones.” There was deep sadness in Ruwach’s tone, rooted in love, as if he would have done anything to prevent Brianna from suffering the consequences of her choice.
Evan bit his lip, his hand going back into his pocket again. He had to get the key back in its box as soon as possible. He looked around for the little mouse hole he had seen the last time. It was so far away. He wouldn’t be able to go over there without everyone noticing. His gaze moved to the various tunnels that encircled the Cave—one of them led to the Hall of Armor, where those locked rooms were kept. But which one? They all looked the same. This Cave was way too confusing.
“So if this thing has attached itself to her,” Manuel was saying, “why can’t we just go over to her house and . . . unattach it?”
“It is not so easy,” said Ruwach solemnly. “Once the Sypher has locked on, only the person infected can get rid of it. And quite often, the person does not want to because her thoughts have been so distorted by the Sypher. You will have to convince Brianna that she must rid herself of it.”
“But you said something about a portal opening. What does that have to do with the Sypher?” asked Levi.
“If something from here is brought to earth without permission, it opens a portal between the seen and unseen worlds,” Ruwach explained. “Which will allow more of its kind to come through.”
“More—Cyclops?” asked Evan in a small voice.
“Syphers,” said Xavier, bopping him on the head.
“So that’s how it works,” said Manuel. “One Sypher will open the portal for more Syphers?”
“Not only Syphers,” said Mr. J. Ar. “But Ents as well. Think of the Syphers as Special Forces, designed to infiltrate a place and make a clear path for an invasion.”
“An invasion?” asked Levi slowly. “What kind of invasion?”
“An invasion of the Unseen,” said Ruwach.
“So you’re saying—there’s going to be an invasion? On earth? Soon?” Xavier asked.
“Very soon,” said Ruwach.
“And what can these Syphers or Ents or whatever they are do to us? Can they—kill us?” said Evan in a tiny voice.
“Syphers do not kill physically,” said Ruwach. “But they will take over the mind so that you cannot think clearly, and worst of all, you are no longer able to hear my voice and receive clear instruction from the Source. The Ents do the same thing with their darts. The dart itself can wound, but it is the poison in the dart that causes the most damage—it hardens the mind as well as the body. So all a person can hear are the lies of the enemy rather than the truth of the Source.”
There was silence, the kids pondering what this could mean.
“We need to close that portal,” said Xavier finally.
“And capture any entity that comes through the portal—Ent or Sypher or any other slave of the enemy,” added Mr. J. Ar.
“How do we do that?” Xavier asked.
“Might I suggest some really potent bug spray—” Manuel began.
“First,” Ruwach interrupted, “you will need the protection of the helmet.”
He spread one arm to the trunk. The latch unbuckled itself, and the lid creaked open slowly, releasing a wide beam of white light. Six round, hazy objects floated up from inside the trunk and hovered in the air. At first they looked like white balloons, but as they grew more distinct, the kids could see they were transparent helmets. Smooth and round with extra coverings for the ears and neck.
“Cool!” said Evan, excited.
“They’ll protect us from the Syphers?” Xavier asked.
“From any enemy force that seeks to control your mind,” said Ruwach.
“They look like bike helmets,” Levi muttered, unimpressed. “They’re gonna make us look like dorks.”
“Some of us are dorks,” said Manuel. Evan laughed. Levi rolled his eyes.
“If you go into this coming battle without your helmet, you will become something much worse than that,” said Mr. J. Ar, looking at his son reprovingly.
“Sorry,” said Levi, hanging his head.
“James,” said Ruwach, “give the Warriors their helmets.”
Mr. J. Ar nodded and moved toward the hovering helmets. He reached out to pick one. When his hands touched it, it became a solid object, no longer transparent. He handed it to Levi, who put it on his head. As soon as he did, the smooth, plastic-looking surface seemed to break into facets, each tiny flat surface reflecting and magnifying the dim light of the Cave. Even the Sparks grew interested, clustering around the helmet for a better look.
“Whoa,” whispered Evan. “It’s like a . . . a . . .”
“Geodesic dome,” Manuel finished for him.
“What’s that?”
“It’s kind of like a—circle, built on a network of intersecting circles,” Manuel said, not very helpfully. “It makes the whole structure stronger.”
“With this helmet, you can withstand all the attacks to your mind that the enemy can throw at you,” Mr. J. Ar said. “As long as it’s on your head, of course.”
“I can’t feel it at all,” said Levi. He reached up to touch the helmet, to make sure it was real. “Like it has no weight.”
“Believe me, it has plenty of weight,” Mr. J. Ar said. “You might not be able to feel it, but the enemy will.”
“Awesome,” Levi said.
After putting on his helmet, Evan began strutting around, trying to act all warrior-like. Xavier put his on and stood straight and tall, like a soldier ready for battle. He gave Evan a shove to make him stop strutting.
Ivy put on her helmet, feeling the sides and top to make sure it was really there. “Comfy,” she said. She flung her head down and up again, but the helmet did not budge from her head. “No straps either.”
There was one helmet leftover.
“The final helmet is for Brianna,” said Ruwach, taking the last piece of armor from the air and handing it to Levi. “It will be your job to see that she puts it on.”
Levi swallowed hard and nodded, taking the helmet in two hands. “Okay,” he said.
“This will help you.” From his sleeve, Ruwach produced a small scroll made of delicate paper and sealed with the Crest of Ahoratos. He handed it to Levi. “Make sure she reads it.”
Levi nodded, tucking the scroll in his pocket.
“He always has something up his sleeve,” Evan mumbled.
“Now,” Ruwach said, folding his long arms together, “Levi, Manuel, Xavier, and Ivy will return to earth with Mr. J. Ar to protect your friends and convince Brianna to release the Sypher.”
Evan perked up, realizing his name hadn’t been mentioned.
“What about me?”
Ruwach’s whole being turned to face Evan; for a moment, Evan thought he could see two eyes glowing from the depths of the hood.
“I have
a different assignment for you, Prince Evan.”
Chapter 25
The Quaritan
Evan looked worriedly at his brother and his friends. Here it comes, he thought. Ru knows I took the key. I’m gonna get it. He’s going to throw me into a pit or something. Probably with alligators. Or lions. Or maybe he’ll send me to Skot’os. After all, that’s where Rook ended up. But it wasn’t Ruwach that put Rook in Skot’os, Evan reminded himself, after he had raced through several more horrifying scenarios. That had been Rook’s choice.
“There is a quaritan in need of you.” Ruwach’s voice was surprisingly mellow.
“A what?” Evan muttered.
“There is only one way to capture the Ents, and that is to open a quaritan. A quaritan can be found and opened only by a Prince Warrior. And this one is assigned to you. You must find the right one and open it in order to capture all the enemy forces and close the portal.”
“But . . . why me?” Evan asked, backing away from Ruwach, his eyes darting to his friends. “I mean, I’m the youngest here. . . . I’m not the smartest. And I don’t even know what a—a quarreler—is! Why don’t you send Manuel? He’s way smarter. Or Xavier, he’s stronger. . . .”
“Because I am sending you,” Ruwach said. “You are the one for this job, Prince Evan. The only one.”
Evan looked at Xavier, hoping he would speak up, tell Ruwach that he would go in Evan’s place. Isn’t that what big brothers were for?
“You can do it, Van,” Xavier said instead, moving to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. “Ruwach believes you can do this, and so do I.” He paused, as if his words surprised even himself. “In fact, if Ruwach says you can do it, you’re the only one able to. Capeesh?”
“But I need—”
“You have everything you need,” Xavier said. “Right, Ru?”
Ruwach nodded.
Evan looked around to the others, who were all silent, staring at him. He felt his heart bounce around in his chest. “Well, I’ll try,” he choked out. Then he heard a noise, like wind whistling through a tunnel, and turned in time to see The Book, on its golden pedestal, speeding toward him. But he didn’t run for cover like the first time; nor did the others. They all waited for The Book to come to a screeching halt in their midst and hover, glowing radiantly.
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