“That was Ross and Todd’s responsibility,” Natalia said.
Todd, whose legs were still wrapped in webbing, struggled to open his backpack. His gloves stuck to the zipper, and he couldn’t break free. He did, however, manage to open the compartment where the map was resting.
“Here, let me help,” Ross said as he reached into the backpack. He pulled out the map, but it was stuck to his hand.
“You two are nitwits, do you know that?” Raven said, walking over to pry the map away. There was a loud rip. A portion of it was stuck to Ross’s hand while Raven held the rest.
“Okay, this is the temple,” Raven said, pointing to the center of the map, “and this is where they were supposed to drop us off.”
“We’re not that far off track,” Harley said. “There should be a stream nearby that’ll lead us straight there.”
“Let’s hurry up before something else shows up and tries to turn us into a midnight snack,” Todd said.
THE TEMPLE
Finding the stream wasn’t difficult. The forest had come to life thanks to luminescent mushrooms that were stuck to virtually every rock and tree. They cast the dense landscape in a strange yet beautiful glow. Firefly Pixies added their glimmer to the mix as they danced through the forest to the musical sounds of night creatures.
“I’ve never seen anything this beautiful,” Natalia said after one of the pixies blew her a kiss.
Being the jealous sort, as most faeries were, Honeysuckle rolled her eyes. She despised others of her kind, particularly if they were beautiful, so when one of the Firefly Pixies flew too close, she leaped from Brooke’s shoulder to chase it away.
“What do you think, Sumner?” Xander asked as the Relic Hunters stood beneath the canopy of trees.
Max looked around the clearing. Yi was glowing like an ember as he stood next to Ernie. Raven had the hood of her jacket pulled tightly over her head, and the Toad brothers kept looking over their shoulders and into the shadows of the forest whenever they heard a noise.
“I think we should send Ernie ahead to scout things out,” Max finally said. “According to the map, we should be close, but we don’t know if anyone is waiting for us.”
Ernie raised his eyebrows, surprised that Max would pick him for the task.
“Like Von Strife?” Denton asked. “Is that why you’re sending Tweeny? Because he’s going to lead us to another trap?”
“What did you say?” Harley moved toward Denton with clenched fists.
Max stepped between them. “Let it go. Both of you.”
“Are you up for it, Agent Thunderbolt?” Xander said, ignoring Denton’s protest.
“I guess,” Ernie said, shrugging. He looked over at Denton, who was seething.
“Of course he is,” Natalia said. She winked at Ernie, who offered a half smile in return.
Without another word, Ernie raced away. Vegetation swayed as he shot through the forest. He leaped over gnarled tree roots and skirted around oversized toadstools. Agent Thunderbolt was moving so fast that the night creatures had no idea he had come and gone.
“What took you so long?” Harley asked when Ernie returned less than a minute later. Though he had spanned more than a half mile in less time than it took some people to tie their shoes, he wasn’t sweating or breathing abnormally.
“I found the temple,” Ernie said to Xander as light from the iridescent mushrooms reflected in his brass goggles. “It’s not very far.”
“What about Von Strife?” Xander asked.
Ernie lowered his eyes. “I didn’t see anyone,” he said, his voice barely a whisper.
“Clocks?”
“Nothing.”
“Why do I feel like we’re walking into a trap?” Xander asked, biting his lower lip.
“See? I’m not the only one,” Denton said.
“I don’t like it either, but Ernie doesn’t have anything to do with it,” Max said, his voice terse. “Something isn’t right, but I don’t think we have much of a choice.”
“Here’s the thing,” Xander said. “If this mission is so important, why is it our field test? I mean, don’t you think they should have sent a THOR unit or something?”
“That’s what I would have done,” Max said. “But Strange doesn’t think like most people do. He must have a reason for sending us instead. Let’s just hope he’s right.”
Xander sighed before turning to the rest of the group. “This is it,” he said. “I need Denton at the rear. Agent Thunderbolt, you take the lead. Raven and Yi will go in the middle. You guys can see farther than the rest of us. Everybody else, fall in line and keep your eyes open. We could be walking into a trap.”
Ernie led the Relic Hunters—including the other changelings, despite their reluctance to follow him—to a clearing that was dominated by a massive stone structure covered in vines. A waterfall roared in the distance, blanketing the landscape in a thick mist that made it difficult to see.
“It looks just like it did in the SIM Chamber,” Todd said.
“That’s the point,” Raven said. “Let’s get this over with so we can go home.”
“Hold on,” Xander said, grabbing her arm as she started for the path that led to the temple. “Has anyone seen Professor Strange?”
“He said he’d be watching us,” Todd said. “Maybe he’s using hidden cameras or something.”
“He’s here; we just can’t see him,” Max said.
“I hope you’re right,” Xander said before turning to Catalina. “You’re up first.”
Catalina nodded, but her Bounder imp shook as he hid behind her. He scampered up her legs and clung to her like a frightened child.
“It’s okay, Scuttlebutt,” Catalina whispered in his ear. “You’re going to do great.”
Scuttlebutt’s bottom lip quivered. He looked like he was about to cry, but Catalina patted his back before starting through the undergrowth toward the temple. The others followed in single file, watching the shadows for any sign of trouble.
The only way to open the door to the temple was from the inside, which meant that Catalina’s Bounder had to dig his way in. She placed him next to the wall and knelt down to stroke his cheek. “Are you ready?”
The imp shook his head.
“Sure you are,” Catalina said. “We’ve done this dozens of times in the SIM Chamber. All you need to do is make a tunnel so you can reach the lever on the wall inside. We’ll be back together before you know it.”
The Digger imp sighed before wiping a glob of snot from his nose. Then he turned around and went to work. With long fingers, the imp tore into the soft earth. Dirt sprayed into the air, and before long Scuttlebutt had dug a hole deep enough and wide enough that he was already beneath the temple.
“Has anybody seen any Vampire Pixies?” Ross asked.
“Not yet,” Todd said. He was wearing a string of garlic around his neck as he carried a wooden stake in one hand and a hammer in the other. Ross had an identical set.
The group heard what sounded like two boulders scraping together before the doorway into the temple slid open. When the dust settled, Scuttlebutt was standing there weeping.
“You did it,” Catalina said.
As she smothered the imp with kisses, Natalia adjusted the arms on her Phantasmoscope to check the faerie spectrum for any magical traps or trip wires.
“I don’t see anything,” Natalia said from the doorway.
Harley slipped his backpack off his shoulders to unzip the front pouch. He pulled out an iron sphere that was the size of a grapefruit and hit a button, and a stem popped out. After Harley wound it up, the gears started to crank, and the sphere came to life. It lifted into the air with at least a dozen beams of blue light shooting into the darkness. He followed that up with five more spheres, and soon the drones were scanning the interior of the temple, looking for traps.
“I made a few adjustments last night,” he said as he watched his machines. “The sensors should pick up any loose stones or unusual cracks i
n the walls.”
The drones lit the interior of the temple in a ghostly blue. The only other light was coming from a skylight, which cast a single ray of moonlight over a pedestal.
Thanks to the faerie blood that coursed through him, Ernie didn’t need very much light in order to see.
He took a careful step through the doorway, half expecting the door to crash down on his head. It didn’t. Once inside, Ernie got down on his hands and knees to wipe the sand away from the floor.
“It’s just like the SIM Chamber,” he said once he saw the first stone. Then he looked up into the recesses of the ceiling, wondering if there were any Vampire Pixies waiting for them in the shadows.
FINDERS KEEPERS, LOSERS WEEPERS
A gust of wind swept through the room, swirling until it formed a funnel of sand. Moments later, a creature larger than a troll started to take shape. Its shoulders were wide, its arms long, but it didn’t have any eyes or a mouth.
Yi walked into the temple, fire bursting throughout his body. As he raised his hands to unleash a torrent of flames, the sand monster struck. Its arm stretched across the distance like pulled taffy and hit Yi in the chest. The force sent him flying, and his flame was doused as his head struck the ground.
“Go!” Kenji said, instructing his drake to finish the job, but the tiny dragon couldn’t produce enough flame to turn the sand to glass. The sand monster wrapped its granular hand around the tiny dragon and threw it against the wall.
Blinded by rage, Kenji ran toward the creature. Raven tried to hold him back, but she couldn’t get a very good grip. As Kenji’s foot touched the first stone, the ground started to rumble. Just as in the SIM Chamber, the sand started to drain, leaving a forest of columns spanning a deep pit.
Kenji took a running leap at the sand monster as it stood on one of the pillars. He screamed as the monster’s arm shot out, pounding him in the chest. Kenji flew backward, gasping as the air left his lungs. There was a sickening crack as his head hit the stone wall. Kenji slumped down, unconscious.
Brooke ran over to help Kenji as Max lifted his gauntlet to unleash a spray of blue fire, which engulfed the sand monster. Its chest turned to glass that quickly spread down its arms and legs, and then up its neck. The monster fought to break free, but cracks spread up its now-glassy arms and legs. It teetered before shattering.
“Let’s move!” Xander said. “We have less than a minute to pull this off.”
Sprig, who had taken the form of a spider monkey, leaped from Max’s shoulder before turning into a griffin. She beat her wings and flew toward Natalia. As Natalia lifted her arms, Sprig grabbed her wrists. They flew over the pit, and Sprig dropped Natalia onto the small island where the pedestal stood.
Natalia mistimed her fall. She landed hard, twisting her ankle as she fell to the ground. Her Phantasmoscope flew from her hand and skittered toward the edge of the island. Natalia winced as she stretched her arm. The handle of her Phantasmoscope slipped over the side. Natalia’s fingertips grazed one of the lenses, but she couldn’t reach it in time. She watched the Phantasmoscope fall.
“No!” Natalia shouted.
Sprig pinned her wings to her sides before she dove into the shadows of the pit. Natalia had crawled to the edge of the island, where she watched Sprig reach for the Phantasmoscope. There was a clanking sound, and the griffin rose back into the air. Natalia’s eyes were wide, and she held her breath as Sprig circled back toward her.
Sprig morphed back into a spider monkey before landing nimbly on the island with the Phantasmoscope grasped firmly in her tail.
“I could kiss you,” Natalia said, though she didn’t. Instead, she took her Phantasmoscope and turned to the Schrödinger Box, which sat on the pedestal.
“The drone isn’t picking anything up,” Harley said as one of his inventions hovered over the pedestal.
“Neither am I,” Natalia said.
“So what are you waiting for?” a taunting voice rang out. The Relic Hunters recognized the voice, and a wave of panic spread through the team.
Everyone turned to see Smoke standing on one of the pillars. Sprig started to screech as she did a series of backflips with her teeth bared.
“Cute pet,” Smoke said as he watched Sprig morph back into a griffin. Her claws scraped against the stone of the island as her wings spread wide in a show of aggression.
With Smoke distracted by the faerie, Denton took a running leap before he launched across the chasm to where Smoke was standing. He wrapped his arms around Smoke, and the momentum took both boys over the side. In a flash, they vanished, only to reappear halfway across the room on another pillar.
Denton was on top of Smoke, his knees pinning Smoke’s shoulders to the ground. He raised his fist, but Smoke vanished. Denton punched the ground as Smoke reappeared on the island with Sprig and Natalia. Sprig lashed out with her talons, but Smoke was already gone. So was the Schrödinger Box.
“Where did he go?” Xander said.
“I’m right here,” Smoke said. He was standing on one of the pillars with his arm wrapped around Raven’s neck. She was fighting to break free, but his grip was too tight.
Max raised his gauntlet. It was crackling with energy that reflected in his eyes.
“I hope you have good aim,” Smoke said, baiting Max. “I’d hate to see what would happen if you hit her instead of me.”
“I don’t care!” Raven shouted as Max narrowed his eyes. “Do it!”
“What are you waiting for?” Smoke asked.
“I said, do it!” Raven shouted.
Max lowered his arm.
“That’s what I thought,” Smoke said.
“Wait,” Obadiah Strange said, walking out from the hiding place where he was observing his students.
“Look, everyone, it’s the indestructible man,” Smoke said mockingly.
Strange raised his hands in surrender. “Perhaps we could strike a bargain before things get messy.”
“Why would I, when I can just take what I want?” Smoke said.
“Leave the girl and take me in her place,” Strange said.
“No!” Ernie shouted, racing over to stand between Smoke and Strange. “You can take me.”
Smoke smiled as he raised an eyebrow. “It’s tempting,” he said. “It really is, but Von Strife made a special request for this one.”
“That’s only because I’m a bit out of his league,” Strange said.
Smoke frowned. “If I wanted to, I could just take you both.”
“I suppose you could try,” Strange said, “but I don’t think you’d like the results.”
“You’re bluffing.”
“Perhaps.”
Smoke stood there, his eyes brimming with indecision as the Relic Hunters watched the terrible negotiation for Raven’s life unfold.
“We can take him,” Harley said.
“Yeah,” agreed Yi.
“If you so much as sneeze, I’m out of here, and I’m taking her with me,” Smoke said, his eyes never leaving Strange.
“This is your last opportunity,” Strange said. “Choose wisely.”
“How do I know this isn’t a trick?” Smoke asked.
“You’ll have to trust me.”
“Yeah, right.”
Strange narrowed his eyes as he bared his wooden teeth.
“Fine,” Smoke said. He let go of Raven and pushed her in the back.
“Wait,” Ernie said, spinning to confront Strange. “You can’t just leave us here.”
“For all we know, there could be a clockwork army waiting outside,” Harley said.
“There isn’t, is there, Mr. Thorne?” Strange said.
Smoke shook his head.
“But they’ll kill you, just like they killed Robert,” Ernie said. His voice was strained with emotion as his body shook.
Obadiah Strange looked down at Ernie, and his eyes softened. A somber smile spread across his lips as he placed his hand on Ernie’s shoulder. “There are some sacrifices worth making,”
he said.
“But—”
“It will work out in the end,” Strange said, following his words with a wink. Then he took Ernie’s chin so Ernie had to look him in the eyes. “I promise.”
Ernie nodded and turned to Smoke. His eyes were filled with anger, and he spoke with determination. “No matter where you go, I’m going to hunt you down. I don’t care if it takes a hundred years. You’re not going to get away with this.”
“I told you,” Smoke said before he disappeared. He reemerged next to Strange with the Schrödinger Box tucked under his arm like a football. “Von Strife isn’t the villain.”
Before Ernie had a chance to respond, Smoke placed his free hand on Strange’s shoulder. Then they vanished, leaving the Relic Hunters alone in the temple.
PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1
When the Relic Hunters missed their check-in, Dr. Thistlebrow, Ms. Merical, Ms. Butama, and her spriggan were sent to look for them. They found the students huddled inside the temple with a raging bonfire just outside the doorway to keep the beasts of the jungle at bay. Needless to say, the teachers were shocked by the news of their colleague’s disappearance.
Word of Obadiah Strange’s abduction had spread through the Templar community long before the article appeared on the front page of the Chronicle the next morning. The fact that Von Strife was brazen enough to take a teacher from Iron Bridge Academy was one thing, but to take one as renowned as Strange was another.
Panic spread as people wondered whom Von Strife would take next. Some went into hiding while others bought weapons. There was talk of clockwork armies marching through the streets of New Victoria under Von Strife’s banner, rounding up people to place in camps until their souls could be harvested to power his strange machines.
Ernie was inconsolable in his grief. He refused to go to school, much less answer his phone. Dealing with Robert’s death had been difficult, but losing Strange had put him over the edge. When Natalia rode her bike to his house, he refused to answer the door.
Like the others, Harley was upset as well. Instead of sulking, though, he went to work. It had been three days since Strange’s disappearance, and Harley had spent every waking hour in Monti’s lab, forsaking his classes in order to finish the portal scanner so they could find Strange, as well as Hale.
Grey Griffins: The Clockwork Chronicles #2: The Relic Hunters Page 19
