“Where were you?” Natalia asked Raven.
“Dean Nipkin wouldn’t let us go to class, so Strange came to get us.”
“What did Nipkin do?”
Raven shrugged. “What could she do?”
“Before we begin today,” Strange said before turning to Max, “it appears as though congratulations are in order.”
“Oh… um, thanks.” Max could feel his ears turning red as he lowered his eyes.
“You’re far too modest,” Strange said. “In fact, I hear the mayor has decided to give you the key to the city. That’s quite an accomplishment for someone your age.”
“Nice work, Sumner,” Xander said.
“Wow, the key to the city?” Todd said.
“That’s like…” Ross said, trying to think of an appropriate phrase. “I don’t know, it’s—”
“Impressive?” Kenji said as his drake eyed a mouse skittering across the floor.
“Yeah, it’s impressive,” Ross said.
“All right,” Strange said. “I think we’ve embarrassed the young man enough. Now I’ve put this off long enough, but it’s time to collect your accidental death and dismemberment clauses. Would you mind gathering them for me, Miss Lugosi?”
Raven didn’t move. It was as though she was locked in a staring contest with Strange, but just when it was about to get uncomfortable, she got out of her desk to collect the forms.
“Thank you,” Strange said before walking over to open one of his desk drawers, where he pulled out a small metal box connected to a wand by a spiraling cord. “Now, who can tell me what this is?”
“That’s the scanner Saxon used to find all his treasures,” Todd said.
“Yeah,” Ross said. “A Vibration Frequency Detector, right?”
“Very good,” Strange said. He spent the rest of the class talking about the first expedition he went on with Lord Saxon.
Strange and Lord Saxon had traveled to Jerusalem to find the Seal of Solomon, a signet ring that was thought to give the wearer control over demons and genies called Djinns. When he got to the part of the story where they had fallen down what they thought was a bottomless pit, the bell rang. Nobody moved.
“You’re going to finish the story, right?” Ernie asked. “I mean, you can’t just leave us hanging like that again.”
The rest of the students murmured in agreement.
“I’m afraid we’re out of time,” Strange said. “Now over the next few days, we’ll be going through some exercises in the simulation chamber.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Ross said. He was looking at Yi.
“Yeah, somebody almost blew that place up last semester,” Todd said.
“That wasn’t my fault,” Yi said.
“Well, it wasn’t a band of leprechauns,” Ross said.
Yi stood up. His fingertips started to spark, and his hands burst into flames.
OUT IN THE OPEN
Sensing a threat, Sprig popped up to see what was happening. When she spotted Yi, she pinned her ears back and lowered her head, growling as she bared her teeth.
“See what I mean?” Ross said. “The guy is a maniac.”
Strange walked over and placed his hands on Yi’s shoulder. “That’s enough, Mr. Lu. We must defeat ignorance with education, not with might.”
The entire class watched as Yi struggled to calm down.
“Relax,” Max said as he reached out to stroke Sprig. Her eyes didn’t leave Yi, but she stopped growling.
“Breathe slowly,” Strange said as he guided Yi back to his desk. “Now take your seat.”
“Think what would have happened if you weren’t here,” Todd said. “He probably would have—”
“That’s enough,” Strange said. His voice was calm, but his eyes were filled with anger. “These poor students are already dealing with the irrational fears of the people who should be protecting them. I will not tolerate bigotry in my classroom. Is that understood?”
Todd and Ross nodded.
“That will be all,” Strange said, dismissing the class.
“Nice one,” Ernie said as he put his DE Tablet in his backpack.
“I didn’t know that stating facts was a crime,” Ross said.
“That’s not the point.”
As Yi stormed down the aisle, Todd caught him by the arm. “Look, we’re sorry.”
“Save it,” Yi said. His hand was glowing like an ember as he grabbed Todd’s wrist.
“Let go!” Todd said. “That really burns.”
“Knock it off,” Ernie said.
Yi let go. Todd’s wrist had turned bright red, and blisters had begun to form.
“Come on,” Hale said. She placed her hand on Yi’s shoulder. “He’s not worth it.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ross asked.
“Let it go,” Todd said as he watched the two changelings walk out the door.
“He just burned you with his powers,” Ross said. “A real superhero wouldn’t do that.”
“Do you know how hard it was to get the other changelings to accept you two?” Ernie asked. “They don’t trust anyone, and to tell you the truth, neither do I.”
“You can trust us,” Ross said.
“Not if you make comments like that.”
“We’re going over to the tree house to finish our homework, and my mom is going to order pizza from Leonardo’s,” Max said. He was talking to Natalia, but his eyes were on Brooke as she walked past them without saying a word. She was lost in a conversation with Raven while Honeysuckle chased after a hummingbird.
“I can’t,” Natalia said. “Maybe tomorrow?”
“When have you ever had plans?” Harley asked.
“I’m studying with Brooke and Raven,” Natalia said. Then she turned to Max, who was kicking at a clump of grass. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
Natalia hesitated as she looked at him. “Okay,” she finally said. “I have to get going.”
Max turned to walk to the subway depot with Harley as Natalia went to catch up with the girls.
“Hey! Wait up!” Max heard someone call. He turned around to see the Toad brothers struggling to catch their breaths. Their faces were red, and sweat was pouring down their cheeks.
“Look, we don’t have a lot of time,” Ross said once they caught up, “but if you have plans tomorrow night, break them.”
“Do I even want to know why?”
“Round Table practice,” Todd said.
“I don’t know,” Max said. “I’m thinking about dropping out.”
“Sorry,” Todd said. “You’re contractually obligated.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s part of our contract. You know, the one where we gave you free Toad Reports,” Ross said. “You need to read the fine print.”
“Don’t look at me,” Harley said after Max gave him a pleading look.
Max turned back to the Toad brothers. “Who am I supposed to practice against?”
“We don’t want to ruin the surprise,” Todd said.
“Can you at least tell me where we’re supposed to meet?”
Todd and Ross looked at each other. “You know that house where you found all the changelings? Be there at seven o’clock.”
“You want me to play Round Table outside in the middle of winter?” Max asked. “It’s going to be ten below.”
“Don’t worry,” Ross said. “We took care of everything.”
Friday was remarkably quiet. People had stopped asking Max for his autograph, and there were no more Agents of Justice sightings. By the time night rolled around, Max was actually looking forward to playing Round Table, even if it was outside in the dead of winter. If nothing else, it was going to give him a chance to break in some of his new clockwork cards.
“You’re sure you want to do this?” Harley asked as they headed toward the house.
“I could use the practice,” Max said. Wisps of vapor escaped from his mouth
each time he exhaled, and his footfalls crunched through the snow as he walked. Sprig pranced next to them as an arctic fox.
“You realize we’re being watched, right?” Harley asked.
“I saw the one in the upstairs window.”
“There’re two more in the trees, and another one behind the thicket on the side of the house.”
“Do you think this is a setup?” Max asked as Sprig bounded up the steps.
“I guess we’re going to find out,” Harley said. He was about to knock on the door when it swung open.
“You made it,” Ross said.
There was a fire burning in the hearth inside. Ernie was there, locked in a Round Table duel with Yi in the front room. A small crowd had gathered to watch them, and from the sound of things, Ernie was ahead.
“We have everything set up,” Todd said, leading them into the house.
“It’s actually warm in here,” Harley said as he pulled off his ski mask.
“Everything’s been sealed up tight,” Todd said. “We brought in some generators, got the fireplaces cleaned out, and we even have some portable gas stoves that we bought at a sporting goods store in Bloomington. You want some hot chocolate or something?”
“Maybe later,” Max said as he removed his gloves.
There were candles everywhere, from the mantle to the stairs and just about anywhere there was a flat surface. The wooden floors had been swept clean of debris, and sheets of plywood now covered the broken windows.
“We tried to get Catalina to come tonight, but she wouldn’t do it,” Todd said. “I guess I can’t blame her. I mean, you guys don’t want to give away all your secrets before the big match, right?”
“I suppose,” Max said.
“So we got the next best thing,” Todd said. “Now look, I don’t want you to be intimidated just because she beat Xander.”
“I thought he was undefeated,” Max said.
“When it comes to sanctioned duels, he is,” Todd said. “She beat him in a street match. Twice.”
“Who is she?”
“Hale,” Todd said, in a tone that suggested Max should have already known that.
There was a group of at least a dozen changelings standing in the room, but Todd was pointing at Hale. Max watched her take a sip of hot chocolate before sitting down at a gigantic wooden spool that used to hold electrical cable. It was set on its end to make a table. Her trading cards and knucklebones were already set up and ready to go.
“Here I figured you’d be out on a date with your girlfriend,” Hale said after she saw Max. “You know, dinner and a movie. Isn’t that what normal people do on a Friday night?”
The air started to shimmer around her, and Max watched as Hale’s skin bubbled. It looked painful, but she kept smiling. Then she was gone, replaced by Brooke. She winked at Max, who just stood there looking confused. He could vaguely hear everyone’s laughter as he struggled for something to say.
“Ignore her,” Todd said. “She’s trying to get in your head. You know, to psych you out.”
“Did I do a good job?” Hale asked after she had turned back to her original form.
“I’ve seen shape-shifters before,” Max said. He was trying to sound confident, but he wasn’t sure it was convincing. Max pulled out his knucklebones and his new deck and sat down in his chair.
“Not like me,” Hale said.
“Okay,” Todd said. “This might not be an officially sanctioned duel, but we’re still going to play by the King’s Rules. That means the first person to strike his or her opponent seven times will be the winner, but if neither one of you can—”
“Yeah, we got it,” Hale said. “If we can’t get seven hits after an hour, whoever has the most points wins.”
“Exactly,” Ross said.
“Let’s roll to see who goes first,” Hale said as she shook a pair of knucklebones in her cupped hand. Max grabbed his as well, and after Hale counted down from three, they both cast their roll.
SHOWDOWN
“I hope that’s not an omen,” Hale said as she looked at the double ones that Max had just rolled. In the game, that was considered automatic failure.
“Don’t worry,” Max said. “I’m just getting it out of the way.”
Hale slipped on her Kinematic goggles before turning on the power.
The MERLIN Tech that surged through the goggles turned a simple trading-card game into a three-dimensional, interactive battle where the duelists became part of the action. In reality, they were still pitting card against card while casting knucklebones to determine their success, but the Kinematic goggles made everything seem real.
Max fired up his goggles, as did everyone standing around the table. It was the only way to watch the real action. The dining room faded and was replaced by the charred remains of a city. The sky was filled with swirling clouds, and rain fell diagonally. When lightning flashed, Max started to second-guess his decision to play with a deck filled with metal clockworks.
“Are you ready?” Hale asked. She was standing under the glow of a gas lamp on the far end of the street.
“Does it matter?”
“Good point.” Hale flicked her wrist, sending a Round Table card spinning through the air. In a flash, it disappeared, leaving something that looked like a cross between a lizard and a bird in its place. It was as big as a horse, with a head that looked like a falcon’s. Its reptilian body was covered in blue scales, and feathers crested around its neck like a mane.
“Are you going to defend yourself or not?” Hale asked as the monster’s forked tail swished back and forth.
Max flipped his card into play, and a small clockwork appeared. It was shaped like a barrel and had tracked wheels. Its head was a turret with a cannon, and as Max saw it standing in front of the monster, he realized it didn’t stand a chance.
“Are you serious?” Hale asked. Everyone laughed. Then she cast her knucklebones. The total was added to her monster’s attack value, and that released the monster. It ran across the cobblestones before launching into the air with outstretched claws.
Max shook his own knucklebones before releasing them, but the result was pathetic. He was forced to watch as the clockwork fired an errant plasma bolt that hit one of the gas lamps.
Hale’s monster landed on top of the machine, ripping off the clockwork’s turret with a swipe of its claw. The clockwork sputtered before its gears stopped rotating. It was out of the game.
Max went on the offensive with a clockwork covered in iron plating. Each of its four hands held a plasma revolver as its eye scanned the horizon, looking for an opponent.
“Multiple-attack advantage? Nicely played,” Hale said.
She countered with a pixie that looked like a cross between a grasshopper and a little girl. When the clockwork fired its first round, the pixie danced nimbly to the side. Then she stuck out her tongue. The second shot wasn’t even close. Max was ready to ditch his knucklebones for a new set, especially after the next shot missed as well.
“Can somebody get Max a hot chocolate with extra marshmallows?” Hale said. “He’s going to need something to calm his nerves.”
Max tried to ignore her chatter. He scooped up his knucklebones and shook them in his fist. He had one last chance.
“It’s about time,” Hale said after she saw what he cast.
The clockwork took aim before squeezing the trigger. Hale’s pixie tried to fly away, but it wasn’t fast enough. When the bolt struck, she exploded in a cloud of shimmering dust that turned back into a Round Table card after it settled on the street. He was on the board with his first point.
“So what’s with all the metal, Sumner?” Hale asked.
“They’re part of the new expansion set.”
“Clockwork Chaos?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s not even out yet. How’d you get them?”
“If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” Max said. “But if you’re nice to me, maybe I’ll give you my doubles.”
Max smiled. “No strings attached.”
“Very well,” Oxley said in Hale’s voice. “Just make sure you mind yourself—these streets aren’t safe for children.”
Oxley disappeared, leaving Hale standing in his place. Her green skin glistened in the rain as her antennae swayed. Over her next four turns, she scored three points to take a commanding lead. Max did his best to counter, but he didn’t have much luck.
He had no idea how to use the new cards in his deck, but Hale was managing hers expertly. She set traps and took advantage of bonuses that eliminated some of his best cards. It wasn’t long before she had five points, while Max was still stuck on two.
Then she sent a Frost dragon after him. The beast roared as it shimmered to life. Its wide mouth was filled with more teeth than Max could count, and everywhere it stepped, the ground turned to ice. It looked hungry.
Max countered with an enormous Nemesis clockwork. As it came to life, he could see the fire burning through a grate in its chest. Clouds of steam poured out from two exhaust pipes that shot up over its shoulders, and the hands on all four of its arms flexed and unflexed.
The dragon roared, but the clockwork didn’t budge. It stood with its feet planted firmly as the dragon slammed its tail against the ground. Chunks of frozen bricks shot into the air. Then, with its lip curled back, the dragon launched at the clockwork.
The Nemesis wrapped two hands around the dragon’s snout while two others took hold of its neck. Then the clockwork fell back. Its feet shot onto the dragon’s chest before it flipped the dragon over. The dragon landed with a thud, and Max struggled to remain standing as the ground shook. The dragon dissipated. Max had won.
He went on the offensive with his Nemesis, and Hale countered with a gnome. Max frowned. It seemed like a ridiculous play. After all, the tip of the gnome’s pointed red cap didn’t even reach the clockwork’s knee.
“Are you serious?” Max asked.
“Do your best,” Hale said.
The clockwork charged. With each step it took, brick cracked under its weight. All four arms were outstretched. Its eyes were glowing red. The gnome looked unperturbed. Its eyes were heavy as though it was tired. Then, as the clockwork closed in, the gnome reached into a pouch hanging from its belt. In a single motion it tossed seeds onto the ground.
Grey Griffins: The Clockwork Chronicles #2: The Relic Hunters Page 9
