Ivy picked up her club.
“Tell me everything,” she repeated.
“Of course,” Luke squeaked.
He told her the whole story—how Giant and his friend had first appeared, how Luke had fled and the Greens had attacked, how Giant had offered to help him save the Blues. Ivy listened carefully.
“Everything that fly rider told you was a lie,” Luke explained. “The Giant isn’t Demon, and I don’t control him with magic—the Bin King’s just saying whatever he can to frighten the Reds into surrendering. I swear on my life, Ivy, I’m not lying to you!”
Ivy nodded. “I believe you.”
Luke sighed with relief. “Thank you.”
“You’re not clever enough to lie,” she said. “What I really want to know is this—if the Bin King’s going to attack again, then what difference will it make for you to talk to the Red Queen?”
“We have to reunite the tribes,” said Luke. “Like we were in the beginning, before everyone spread across the desert! It’s the only way to stop the fighting. It won’t be easy, but if the Red Queen and I can meet with the Bin King, then maybe we can both…”
He stopped. Ivy was cackling with laughter.
“What’s so funny?”
“Reunite the tribes?” said Ivy. “Luke, the Bin King’s not going to listen to peace now! And even if you had a whole week, you’d never persuade the Reds to forgive the Blues for what they’ve done to us!”
Luke’s face fell. “What have the Blues ever done to you?”
Ivy stared at him, shocked.
“Luke—look around. The Reds live in complete poverty. We give everything we have to the Greens in exchange for a morsel of rancid food. Did King Adam step in to help us when the Reds were starving to death? No, he just built walls around Blue Castle to keep us out. He’s got blood on his hands—and that means you do, too.”
Luke shifted on the chair. He hadn’t known anything about that. He really wished he’d read more of those library books instead of falling asleep.
“Look,” he said. “I don’t blame you for hating the Blues—I would, too. But I’m not my father. And believe me, I’m not keen to make peace either. You really think I want to shake hands with the Bin King? He destroyed my kingdom and enslaved my people! He tried to have me killed!”
Ivy frowned. “Then why are you doing this?”
Luke sighed. “Because this is about saving the whole Floor. Everyone, even the people we don’t want to. And besides, Giant says we should.”
Ivy raised an eyebrow. “What is it with you and Giant?”
“He listens.” Luke shifted on the chair again. “And ever since he spoke to me, I’ve been thinking about what reuniting the tribes would actually mean. The Bin King wouldn’t control the food anymore. Everything would belong to everyone. There’d be no more fighting, no more starvation…no more kings. Just one Floor, helping each other to survive. Doesn’t that sound like something worth taking a risk for?”
Ivy’s eyes flickered between Luke and her club.
“You really believe that could happen?”
“I do.”
“It’s completely mad.”
“I know.”
Ivy looked at him for some time, her eyes weighing it all. Finally she put down the club.
“Fine, you win. I’ll help you stop the war.”
Luke’s heart filled with relief. “Really? You mean it?”
“Trust me, you need all the help you can get.” She untied him. “But there’s no point looking for the Red Queen. She’s not going to listen to a word you say, and neither is the Bin King. You might have had a chance when everyone thought you controlled two huge monsters, but now that they’re gone, you’re about as scary as my grandmother.”
Luke didn’t know anything about Ivy’s grandmother, but he imagined she was pretty terrifying.
“But there is someone who might listen to you,” said Ivy. “Someone whose opinion people care about. And with him behind you, then who knows…you might just have half a chance!”
“Who?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” said Ivy. “The Wise Man!”
Luke gawped. “The one from the Book of the Floor? Why?”
Ivy gave him a look. “You have read the Book of the Floor, haven’t you?”
“Er…yeah, most of it,” Luke lied.
Ivy walked to the shelves beside the bed and picked out a copy of the Book. It was very different from Luke’s: while his had been made from the finest moth wings and bound with rare curtain fibers, Ivy’s was cheap paper and had been opened and closed so many times that it barely held together.
“Here.” She flipped to a page and handed the book to Luke. “Read that.”
THE BOOK OF THE FLOOR
PART 3: THE RETURN OF THE WISE MAN
I. After the tribes had scattered and settled in their new homes—the Reds under the Bed, the Greens in the Bin, and the Blues at the Castle—the Wise Man came looking for them. And to each tribe he said the same thing:
II. “What are you doing? You were supposed to be exploring the flipping Floor, you idiots, not building different flipping kingdoms on different sides of the flipping room. We need to return as one tribe and work together, or we’re well and truly stuffed.”
III. And at each kingdom, the people gave the same reply: “We shall not reunite, for us Reds/Greens/Blues will have nothing to do with the Reds/Greens/Blues.” [Delete as applicable.]
IV. To which the Wise Man said: “But we must work together to bring back the Great One. If we do not do it soon, then DEMON will come and destroy us all!”
V. But the people did not listen. And so the Wise Man retreated to the desert and started his own tribe at the Holy Mountain: one where people were neither Red nor Green nor Blue. And there the Wise Man busied himself for many weeks, searching the desert for that which would bring the Great One back….
Luke glanced up. “The Wise Man wanted to reunite the tribes, too?”
Ivy nodded. “He’s your answer—someone with clout. After everything that’s happened, people are bound to listen to him! If we get the Wise Man on our side, then there’s a chance that the Red Queen and the Bin King might listen to you, too!”
“But how do we find him?”
Ivy tapped the Book. “It says right there—the Holy Mountain. And everyone knows how to find that: follow the Sky Compass!”
She led Luke out of the shack and pointed high above the desert. There, right in the center of the ceiling, was a huge four-pointed star.
“Reds have been using it to navigate the Floor for weeks,” said Ivy. “Head toward that, and we’ll find the Holy Mountain. We have to be quick, though—the Greens could attack at any moment! It’d help if we had a flea, or—”
Luke gasped. “Excelsior!”
They found the flea still tied up outside Ivy’s saloon. The moment she saw Luke, she growled, wriggling her abdomen and stamping furiously. Luke gave her a hug.
“Oh, girl, don’t look at me like that—I’d never leave you!” He tickled her thorax. “Who’s the best flea? Who’s the best flea?”
Ivy smiled. She handed Luke his crown and sword.
“Here, you can have these back now.”
Luke was confused. “You’re giving me back my sword?”
Ivy shrugged. “Anyone who’s that nice to a flea has got to be OK.”
Luke patted his steed lovingly. “Excelsior’s more than just a flea—she’s my best friend. I’ve had her ever since she was a pupa. I found her in the desert, all alone and half starved and—”
“Her name’s not Excelsior.”
“Huh?”
Ivy pointed at the flea’s side. “See those markings? It means she’s from Red territory—we mark all our fleas with symbols to show
their breed and name. Her name’s not Excelsior.”
“Oh,” said Luke. “What is it?”
Ivy read carefully.
“ ‘Miss Binkles.’ ”
Luke was horrified. “Miss Binkles?!”
“Yep.” Ivy leapt onto Miss Binkles’s back. “Come on, Luke, we’ve got a war to stop! Remember, you don’t have Giant helping you anymore….It’s all up to us!”
Luke climbed up beside Ivy. “See, that’s the only bit I don’t understand.”
Luke gazed at the Bedroom Door, still closed on the farthest wall.
“Giant wants us to become one tribe, right? But why? And if he wants it so badly, then why isn’t he still here, trying to help us?”
Luke shook his head.
“I mean, what could he be doing that’s so important?”
Max and Sasha were having makeovers.
The two boys were tied down to the Ping-Pong table. The Sparkle Pony Summer Club had been working their magic on them for some time: Max wore several layers of sparkly eye shadow, while Sasha had been bronzed a shade of orange called Luscious Carrot™.
“Joy, please! Let us go!” Sasha begged.
“Nuh-uh, Sasha!” Joy laughed. “You have to do everything we say, remember?” She started untying the ropes that held the boys to the table. “Girls, get the scissors! It’s time to do their hair!”
The boys took their chance to escape. They flew out of the games room, the girls following close behind in a hurricane of glitter. They made it to their dorm just in time, slamming the door and shoving a chair under the handle. The girls clawed at the wood, hissing like cats and waving lipsticks menacingly under the frame.
“Wow, I’ve never seen them this bad before!” said Sasha. “At least all their candy’s in here with us. If they had more sugar now, they’d probably…”
He stopped. Max was sitting on the edge of his bed, staring miserably at one of his fantasy books. The cover showed a battle between two kings—one good and one evil, their swords locked, surrounded by their ruined kingdoms and thousands of dead and wounded. He sighed.
“Look at us. Mr. Darrow’s world is upstairs, fighting for survival. Millions of people are relying on us to come back.” He threw the book across the room. “And we’re stuck down here, getting our nails done by a bunch of five-year-old girls!”
Sasha sat beside him. “I know it’s frustrating, but if Joy squeals on us, then Mr. Darrow’s secret will be discovered and we’ll be expelled!” He patted Max on the back. “We just have to wait till she’s calmed down a little. Then we can go back upstairs.”
“We don’t have time for that!” Max groaned. “Don’t you know about the butterfly effect?”
Sasha looked blank.
“Mr. Darrow told me about it,” Max explained. “Imagine if, a thousand miles away, a butterfly flaps its wings. It doesn’t affect us, right?”
Max spread his arms wide, holding them out to the room.
“But the world is made up of trillions of tiny things that are all connected to each other. That one small gust from the butterfly’s wings could join up with another gust of wind, which travels up into the atmosphere and joins up with a billion more tiny bits of wind, and it grows and grows…until a thousand miles later, that one small gust has become a hurricane!”
“What’s that got to do with us?” said Sasha.
“It means one small change can ruin everything. Think about it—we swatted a fly and it started a war. What if it keeps building? What if Luke fails and the Bin King takes over the floor, and it’s all because of us?” He shook his head. “I can’t let that happen. This is about more than keeping Mr. Darrow’s secret safe—there’s a whole world counting on us!”
Sasha groaned. “But even if we could get into Mr. Darrow’s room, those flies are going to attack us again the second we step inside! What can we do?”
Max smiled. He reached into his pocket…and pulled out Mr. Darrow’s microscope goggles.
“Do you have a phone?”
* * *
Mr. Pitt marched into the foyer of the Pitt Building. It was the stunning centerpiece of the new construction, with a polished wood floor, a high glass ceiling and a gigantic X-shaped walkway that ran from one side of the first floor to the other.
“Oi! Foreman!”
The foreman was talking to a handful of his exhausted workers. He had the look of a man who had spent several weeks being shouted at.
“What is it, D—I mean, Mr. Pitt?”
Mr. Pitt was furious. “What are you still doing in here? The foyer’s finished! I told you to start cleaning the grounds—the governors will be arriving soon! The school has to look perfect!”
The foreman glowered at him.
“It might look finished, Mr. Pitt, but there are a number of safety issues that need attention. Most of the building work has been done too quickly, and if we don’t fix it now—”
“There’s no time for that!” Pitt snapped. “All of you outside, now!”
The foreman shared a look with the workers, and they stormed out. Mr. Pitt smiled. Even he’d been a little worried that the work wouldn’t be completed in time, but he had to admit that the Pitt Building looked magnificent. He was one step closer toward the fruition of his grand plan. Nothing could ruin it now.
His cell phone rang.
Mr. Pitt looked at the screen, and frowned. It wasn’t a number he recognized. “Hello?”
“Er…hello!”
The voice on the end of the line was high-pitched and wobbly. It sounded like somebody trying to hide an American accent.
“Who is this?” said Mr. Pitt.
“My name?” said the voice. “Of course! I’ll tell you my name right away! It’s Mrs., er…Journalist.”
Mr. Pitt raised an eyebrow. “Mrs. Journalist?”
“No, that’s not right,” said the voice. “Sorry. What I meant to say is that I am a journalist. A journalist called Mrs….Max.”
It sounded like someone in the background was getting pretty annoyed with Mrs. Max. “How can I help you, Mrs. Max?”
Mrs. Max cleared her throat. “Well, Mr. Pitt, I have some excellent news for you. I’m from the magazine Great Boarding Schools Monthly, and we’d like to interview you for an article about what an inspirational headmaster you are!”
Mr. Pitt gasped. “That’s wonderful!”
“We need to do the interview right away!” said Mrs. Max. “Our office is on the other side of town, so if you leave now it should take you only twenty minutes to—”
“Can’t we do the interview over the phone?” said Mr. Pitt.
There was a long pause.
“That’s a really good question,” said Mrs. Max. “Er…because…”
“Is it because you need to take my photo as well?” suggested Mr. Pitt.
“Yes! That’s it!” cried Mrs. Max with relief. “We need your photo! Now, as I said, it’s a twenty-minute drive from St. Goliath’s, so—”
Mr. Pitt was already running to his car. “I’ll be there in ten!”
* * *
Max and Sasha were crouched in the bushes outside their dorm window. Sasha put away his phone and tapped Max on the shoulder.
“Did it work? Is he leaving?”
Max followed Mr. Pitt’s car through the microscope goggles. Even from this far away, he could still make out the look of delight on the headmaster’s face as he sped through the gates.
“Yes! Let’s go!”
The two boys shot from the bushes and into the sparkling new foyer of the Pitt Building. Sasha whistled.
“Wow! Look at that walkway! This place is amazing.”
Max shrugged. “Mmph. Looks amazing, sure.” He pointed to a staircase. “See those screws? They’re supposed to be lined up. A rush job! That could cause
all kinds of problems later on. Mr. Darrow always used to say—”
“Sorry I asked,” muttered Sasha.
They snuck down the corridor until they found the sports hall. All the equipment was piled in the middle of the room. Max rifled through it until he found what he was looking for: a fencing mask, a handful of skipping ropes and a big whiteboard and pen.
“There!” he said. “Now, let’s take these to the boardinghouse and—”
Max froze. A man was striding across the sports hall toward them with a face like thunder—the foreman.
“You two! What are you doing?” he shouted. “This is a building site!”
Max panicked—they’d been caught red-handed. The foreman pulled his phone out of his pocket.
“I’m calling Da—I mean, Mr. Pitt right away! You, with the eye shadow and the earrings—what’s your name?”
Max glowered. “They’re not earrings! They’re hearing aids, and…”
And that was when Max remembered that being severely deaf could sometimes be severely useful. He turned to the foreman and smiled.
“I CAN’T HEAR WHAT YOU’RE SAYING.”
The foreman looked blank. “What?”
“I’M DEAF.” Max pointed at his hearing aids. “I CAN’T UNDERSTAND WHEN YOU’RE SHOUTING AT ME LIKE THAT. IT’S ACTUALLY QUITE UPSETTING FOR ME, IF YOU MUST KNOW.”
Sasha’s eyes lit up. “That’s right! Don’t you know how insensitive it is to shout at someone with hearing problems? That’s the sort of thing that can get you fired!”
The foreman panicked. “Hey, there’s no need for that, I didn’t realize—”
Sasha patted him on the back.
“Hey, don’t beat yourself up about it. It’s an easy mistake to make, isn’t it? Anyone could do it!”
The foreman nodded gratefully. “That’s right!”
Sasha smiled. “We’ll just take what we need and go. I’ll make sure Max doesn’t make an official complaint against you. Sound good?”
The foreman looked relieved. “Yes! Thank you!”
Max and the Millions Page 9
