“I know you, don’t I?” said Simon. “At least, I think I do. This is so weird. I feel like I’m having a déjà vu on repeat.”
Zoey’s head pounded, like someone was hitting it with a hammer. She glanced back towards the kitchen. Her mother and father were laughing together. They seemed so happy. But then their voices sounded watery and far away. Her gut told her that something was off . . . but what was it? She couldn’t put her finger on it.
“Zoey?” questioned Tristan. “You’re frowning like you have a headache or something.”
“Yes . . . no . . .” Zoey inspected Simon at the foot of the stairs. He was talking to himself and seemed lost.
“Something’s wrong,” she said. “I feel it.”
Tristan leaned forward. “What’s wrong?”
“All of this.” Zoey raised her arms. “You, Simon, me, my parents. It’s an illusion.”
Tristan knocked on the wall. “Feels pretty real to me. You sure you’re ok?”
The ground wavered, and Zoey felt like she couldn’t stand. The more she thought that this world was an illusion, the more the illusion faded, like a curtain was being lifted and the truth was being revealed.
Tristan looked confused.
“It’s not real,” she insisted. “None of it. You guys—this is a trick! Remember?”
“Zoey?” Her mother stood in the hallway. “Are you going to invite Tristan in for some breakfast?”
Zoey felt as though her heart was breaking. Part of her wanted to stay in this illusion with her parents. It was all she’d ever wanted—a real family—a mother and father, but they weren’t real. This wasn’t real. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
“This isn’t real!” she howled. “It’s a spell.”
As soon as she said it, more of reality came to her. She remembered the white fortress, the white sorceress. The Minitians. This was their doing.
The layers of illusion folded and twisted her sense of reality. Zoey felt like she was floating away from her body. She felt scared and out of control, like she would never find her real self or the real world again.
Ignoring her mother, Zoey grabbed Tristan’s hand and pulled him down the steps. With her other hand, she grabbed Simon’s and squeezed. “This is an illusion. We’re not really here.”
Simon shook his head. “I’m feeling weird. I think I’m going to puke.”
“You’re not going to puke.” She pulled her friends in closer. “We just have to break through it—”
“Zoey,” crooned her mother. “Why don’t you come in? Your father wants to show you what he’s thinking of getting you for your birthday. It’s real special; you’re going to love it!”
More tears spilled down Zoey’s cheeks.
“This . . .” her voice cracked. “It’s . . . not . . . real. I’ve never met my parents. I’m an orphan! Remember?”
Tristan hesitated. “I—I remember. Yes. You told me about it the first time we met—”
“That’s right.”
“Zoey, I love you,” said her mother as she stood in the doorway. She reached out. “Come, my darling girl. Come give your mother a hug.”
“UH!” shouted Zoey. “Get out of my head. This isn’t real!”
“This isn’t real,” repeated Simon. “If this isn’t real, then where the heck are we? What is this place?”
Zoey ignored her mother. “I don’t know, but we’re definitely still in the fortress. Come on guys, we need to break the spell—”
“You’re too late,” laughed her mother. “You have failed, Zoey St. John. Now you must pay for what you have done!”
Suddenly, her mother’s face warped, and her body stretched. Her skin turned paper-white; her clothes shimmered and became white robes.
The high sorceress snapped her fingers.
Holes opened in the ground beneath Zoey’s feet. She pushed Tristan and Simon aside just as tendrils of black smoke broke through.
“RUN!” she screamed.
“Where?” said Simon. “If this isn’t real, where are we supposed to go?”
“This way!” Zoey pulled Tristan and Simon with her. They ran down a street, leaped over a garbage can, and came to a halt in front of a deep pit.
“Is this part of the illusion?” asked Simon, gasping for breath. “If it is . . . I want my money back.”
“Why aren’t we waking up?” said Tristan as he tested the pit with his foot. “I mean, now that we know it’s an illusion, why isn’t the spell breaking?”
“I don’t know, maybe it takes time.”
Zoey glanced behind her. The sorceress was following behind them. Tall black tendrils of smoke rippled beside her like great waves.
Somehow, Zoey knew they were in the same fortress. They were running around aimlessly, back and forth like hamsters in a cage, while all the sorceresses watched in amusement.
They tore down the street. But when Zoey thought they were reaching the end of the road, it kept going on and on, as though it were being stretched in a visual effects scene.
How could they break free of the spell? She hated the white sorceress for playing with her head. It wasn’t fair. Her eyes welled with tears. She wanted to scream. How could this have happened? It wasn’t supposed to happen this way.
And then she heard chanting in a language she couldn’t understand. The voices were all around them in the air.
The street and buildings grew more solid, and the smell of pavement and freshly cut grass grew more intense.
But she knew it was a trick, a trick of the mind. The Minitians were trying to drive them insane. Desperately, she tried to break free. But it was like trying to fight off a god—it was pointless.
The light intensified and lit up the chamber. Then a beam of light shot out of a crystal and hit her square in the face. At first it hurt, like a slap in the face, but then she couldn’t feel anything at all except for the burning in her eyes.
She tried to blink, but her eyelids wouldn’t respond. Even when she tried to look away—she couldn’t. It was as though the light had trapped her.
Zoey felt like she had jumped into a freezing lake. She felt colder and colder. The beam of light was sucking the energy out of her. Her soul was being pulled into the crystal.
Her body hardened and cracked as thick scales formed over her skin. But she knew it wasn’t scales. She was turning into crystal.
The hardness reached inside and clamped down on her lungs. She was suffocating. She was dying. She wished she could have spent more time with Tristan. She thought she heard a voice call out her name, and then another voice screamed angrily.
Her vision blurred. The light disappeared and there was only blackness—
Zoey felt her body float. She thought that this was what it was like to be dead. Her soul was floating away . . . .
She hit the floor hard with a thump.
She blinked the white spots from her eyes and looked around. Tristan and Simon moaned on the floor next to her. They hadn’t been turned into crystals. They weren’t dead.
Zoey was happy to feel a stabbing pain in her side and legs. She wasn’t dead. Maybe a bruised rib—that was good.
The crystal still hung in the air above their heads, but its light was dimmed as though someone had shut it off.
“Is this heaven?” said Simon, as he lay on his back with his eyes open. “Am I dead? Can I have a girlfriend now?”
Zoey scrambled to her knees and felt her energy slowly return as the blood rushed back into her body. She rubbed her hands to get the blood flowing again. “No, you’re not dead.”
“Oh,” said Simon. He struggled to a sitting position. “For a minute there, I thought we were goners for sure. I felt my life being sucked out of me, like the lights were going out, and I’d never wake up.”
The Minitians still stood around them in a circle. Their bodies shifted as if they were waiting for something. Maybe this was just the beginning and they were going to keep torturing them.
As the blood surged back in
to Zoey’s legs, she wondered if she could outrun them.
Tristan rubbed his eyes and stretched his legs. He turned to Zoey. “Why do you think they stopped—?”
High sorceress!
Zoey turned towards the sound of the new voice.
A Minitian came towards her from the other end of the chamber. Her white face was expressionless. She lowered her arms and crossed the room. Her black robes spilled around her like waves of black water, and the other Minitians parted and let her through.
She stood face to face with the high sorceress and pointed to Zoey and her friends.
You cannot take the lives of these children. They are innocent.
The high sorceress didn’t move. When she spoke her voice was soft but full of anger. Why did you stop me? What is the meaning of this, Muttab?
“Muttab!” Zoey scrambled to her feet, but Muttab raised her hand and Zoey halted.
These mortals dared to enter the white fortress! said another Minitian. They should pay the price.
They should die like the others. They are evil.
“Who is she calling evil?” exclaimed Simon. “They’re the ones trying to kill us!”
Muttab turned and addressed the Minitians. Sisters, these children are no threat to us.
The high sorceress cocked her head. But how can you be so sure, Muttab? How else did they find us if they were not aided by our enemies? Only powerful dark sorcerers can find the fortress. You know this. How do you know these are not dark sorcerers disguised as children to trick us? Do not be fooled, sister.
Muttab motioned towards Zoey. The red-haired child is called Zoey. Her mother is my friend—
How can that be? Said the high sorceress. A friend you say? Minitians do not make friends with mortals. How can this child’s mother be your friend?
Muttab turned and faced Zoey and for a moment Zoey thought she could see her face change, as though the white mask softened, but it was difficult to tell what her mother’s friend felt.
Her mother sought our help years ago, began Muttab. She searched for the fortress, but could not find it. Her powers weren’t strong enough, unlike her daughter’s. And one day, beyond the boundaries of our magic and fortresses, I sensed a deep and profound sadness. As I began my search for this sorrow, I found the mortal, Elizabeth.
Elizabeth begged for my help, continued Muttab. She had a child with her, this child.
She pointed at Zoey, and Zoey tensed.
She told me of her own abilities and of the dangers that followed her and her little girl. She asked for a concealment charm, to hide and protect her child from evil—the same evil that threatens this world today.
The Minitians shifted nervously.
And just like her mother, the blood of the Originals flows in the girl’s veins. She has the power to manipulate portals and create her own. That is how she found us.
Zoey is not the enemy. Her mother is my friend, and I’m sure Zoey came here for a good reason.
All the Minitians’ invisible eyes were on Zoey. It was a really creepy feeling, but she found the courage to speak up.
“High Sorceress,” said Zoey. Her voice was braver than she felt, but she stayed on her knees. She knew she had spoken out of turn again, but she didn’t care.
“I apologize if coming here was wrong and in violation of your sacred castle laws, but we meant no disrespect. Honest. We wouldn’t have come if we had a choice, if the sake of the world didn’t depend on it.”
The Minitians fidgeted. Their voices cried out in Zoey’s mind.
What does this child know of the fate of this world?
As if in answer, the ground heaved, buckled, and rolled like water. Zoey stared transfixed as a large fissure opened up and cracks snaked around the marble floor. A giant piece of the castle’s ceiling fell and crashed with a thundering boom inches from Zoey.
The red sky was black with ominous clouds and lit up by a phenomenal lightning display. The thunder clap that followed shook the earth, and the sound waves, as strong as any earthquake, smashed into the walls of the castle.
“Zoey! Watch out!”
Tristan pushed Zoey out of the way just as a chunk of stone from one of the columns crashed to the floor and shattered into millions of tiny pieces.
The Minitians cried out as they scrambled for cover as more of their castle walls crumbled around them. Everyone panicked, except for Muttab and the high sorceress, who didn’t move.
The earthquake finally ended, and the thick gray dust settled.
Zoey coughed the dust from her lungs and turned to Muttab. “What’s happening to your fortress?”
It was the high sorceress that answered.
It is dying . . . .
“But how can it die?” asked Zoey. “It’s a building made of stones. It’s not alive?”
It is alive, said the high sorceress. Her voice was consumed with pain, and Zoey could feel the faceless tears in her voice.
She continued. This fortress is alive with our magic. Our magic is tied to this world, as is the fortress. The white fortress is the core of our power. Our magic flows in and out of it like blood in your mortal heart. The world is dying and thus our magic and fortress will die, too.
The white Minitian hung her head. Zoey couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, even though she had just tried to drive them insane.
Zoey, said Muttab with a hint of urgency in her voice. What help do you require from us?
“We need a potion or a spell to make us invisible,” said Zoey. “I’m not even sure you can do that, but it’s the only way that we can get through to the portals and shut them for good—”
“But we still need something to destroy them,” noted Simon.
He turned to the Minitian. “Um, Muttab . . . do you guys have like explosives or something that can blow up the portals? We kinda lost ours.”
No, said Muttab. Our magic doesn’t work in that way. But I can help you with an invisibility potion. The rest I’m afraid is up to you.
“We’ll find a way to shut them down,” said Tristan, his voice full of courage and determination. “The hardest part is to get past the Alphas undetected. Once we’re on the other side, we’ll have enough time to look for something to use to blow up the portals. All we need is to find something equivalent to the UEC bombs.”
Zoey smiled at him. “We’ll find something. I know we will.”
The ground trembled, and this time the windows above exploded. Shards of glass shattered on the ground like heavy rain.
“If we don’t get out of here soon,” said Simon as he plucked glass out of his hair. “There’ll be nothing left of us.”
Muttab grabbed the high sorceress’s hand. Do not fret, sister, there is still hope. Hope in these children.
I am sorry I ever doubted them.
With that the white sorceress turned on her heels and disappeared down a dark tunnel.
Quickly, said Muttab. Follow me.
Zoey dashed after Muttab as she led them through one of the tunnels. They arrived inside a chamber the size of an office. The room was filled with jars churning with green slime, scrolls of old parchment, pots with strange spidery-looking yellow plants, countless empty pots, and mountain of decrepit books. The only source of light came from two large candles mounted on the walls.
Muttab crossed the room. She picked up a small glass container that looked like a saltshaker. But instead of salt, tiny green sand-like crystals filled half the bottom. She gave the vial to Zoey.
Just a small amount will do. Don’t use too much.
“Why?” said Simon as he peered curiously at the container in Zoey’s hand, “What will happen if we use too much—?”
Suddenly, the shelves rattled and collapsed. The jars and pots, parchment scrolls, and books all crashed to the ground. The castle roared and howled, like it was in pain. Zoey jumped out of the way as a strange slimy ooze neared her foot.
Come on, urged Muttab. You must hurry. It’s not safe for you here.
The Minitian’s legs were long, and Zoey struggled to keep up. They dashed into the larger chamber with the shattered Seeing Crystal, but the other Minitians were gone. Without stopping, Muttab crossed the chamber in giant leaps. Zoey followed the sorceress through the foyer and out the front doors.
Keep running, she urged. Don’t stop and don’t look back until you reach the shoreline. Go!
“But what about you?” said Zoey, “I have so many questions! I want to know about my mom—”
Muttab pushed her away. There’s no time! Get your mother back, Zoey. And shut the portals before it’s too late. Go on!
“Let’s go, Zoey,” pressed Tristan. He grabbed her arm and pulled her along.
“But—”
Zoey forced back the tears in her eyes. With a final look back at the Minitian, she ran down the white sand path with Tristan and Simon.
The ground shook beneath their feet again. A large crevice split open in front of them, and they leaped over it as a large section of the path crumbled away into the sea. But they didn’t stop. They didn’t look back until they reached the beach.
Zoey turned with her heart in her throat.
A giant cloud of dust erupted where the white fortress had once stood gleaming like a jewel in the sun. Now there was nothing but a pile of rubble.
Chapter 12
A Teaspoon of Magic
Zoey, Tristan, and Simon hid behind a large pine tree and watched as an army of agents battled with masses of moving red uniforms and vile, ominous beasts. Tall spider-like creatures with raw, leaking sores hacked at an unsuspecting female agent. Her scream died in her throat as the creature broke her neck and then wrapped her in a cocoon. An Alpha hybrid creature with furry moth-like wings and two giant bug eyes grabbed two agents at once and tossed them like basketballs into the mouth of a dinosaur.
Agent Barnes and Agent Lee stood back to back and fought with a red lizard the size of an elephant with three heads and long purple tongues like whips. But they were still far from the portal. Their science officer, a young woman, shot small lightning bolts at the blue portal. But the bolts bounced back, and the portal didn’t even shimmer.
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