by Alex Bell
The shadow wolf sniffed at his fingers for a moment before flicking her tongue out at him in an affectionate gesture. Her dark eyes had lost their wild look and were calm and steady once again.
“It worked!” Shay breathed. He looked at Stella. “You did it.”
Stella felt a great glow of happiness mixed with relief when she looked at her friend and saw that his eyes were no longer silver and his hair had almost all returned to its usual color, with only a small streak of white remaining.
She opened her mouth to say something, but then a great weight of exhaustion seemed to press down on top of her, so profoundly heavy she could barely think, let alone speak.
She realized Ethan was on his knees beside her. “It’s okay,” he said, and it sounded to Stella as if he were speaking from the end of a tunnel. “You did it.”
His arm went around her, warm and reassuring. Stella could no longer keep her eyes open, and it was a relief to let Ethan take her weight as she crumpled into him, her head dropping down on his shoulder as the world faded away.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
STELLA OPENED HER EYES just a few minutes later to find herself outside in the sunshine. She was leaning against the base of a marble gazebo and for a moment couldn’t remember where she was. But then a firebird swooped by and she realized she was in the Hanging Gardens of Amadon. And Beanie was right there beside her.
“Do you feel any better?” he asked. His fingers still fizzed with green sparks, and Stella figured he must have used some of his healing magic on her.
“Yes, a bit,” she said, surprised. She still felt extremely tired, but at least she was awake.
Shay and Ethan stood nearby, both holding a hand over their eyes to shield them from the sun while they gazed up into the sky. Stella let Beanie pull her to her feet, and then she joined them.
“What are you looking at?” she asked.
“Scarlett Sauvage is up there,” Ethan said, pointing. “She flew off in that flying machine with the gremlins.”
“Oh.” Stella would very much have liked to see the flying machine in action and was disappointed to have missed it.
“How are you doing, Sparky?” Shay asked, turning to look at her.
“Better,” Stella replied. “Just a bit tired.”
Shay brushed his hand against her arm. “Thanks a million for what you did,” he said. “I’ll never forget it.”
“Very brave,” Melville agreed, tapping the tip of his parasol against the ground for emphasis.
Stella shook her head. “It was the least I could do.”
“We were thinking we should go back into the house,” Beanie said, “and gather up some more snow globes. I don’t think we’ll be able to carry them all, but it seems wrong to leave them here.”
“We should take the hot-air balloon, too, if we can,” Stella said, eyeing the gray-and-white-striped balloon tethered to the house.
“There she is,” Ethan suddenly cried, pointing. “She’s coming back this way!”
Stella followed his gaze and quickly spotted the flying machine. It was astonishing seeing such a large piece of machinery suspended in the air like that, but there was something very graceful about the way it swooped through the clouds.
“Gracious!” Stella exclaimed. “Isn’t it marvelous? It looks like it goes much faster than a dirigible.”
“Much,” Ethan agreed. Then he frowned and said, “It looked like she was flying away, but now she seems to be turning back.” He looked at the others. “You don’t suppose she has a rifle or anything like that, do you? Perhaps she’s about to take a shot at us!”
“I hope not,” Shay replied. “Though seems to me it’d be difficult trying to fly that thing and shoot a gun at the same time, and with an injured hand, too.”
“Probably not impossible, though,” Beanie said. “Captain Yancy Tuckerton Trotter once navigated a raft over the side of a waterfall with one hand while shooting a pistol at some pursuing poachers with the other.”
“And what happened to him?” Ethan said.
“He was never seen or heard from again,” Beanie replied. “Presumed dead,” as if that were obvious.
“Whatever she’s doing, she’s getting very close,” Stella said, watching the plane warily.
Scarlett was flying it straight toward them, and so low that they could see she was wearing her leather cap and goggles, with her long, dark hair trailing loose behind her.
“I think we should take cover,” Stella said. “Just in case.”
They piled into the gazebo, crouching down low against the wall as the plane swooped toward them.
“You’d better get ready to do that shield again,” Beanie said to Ethan. “Just in case she does have a pistol.”
“It’s pretty tiring, you know,” Ethan said, a bit peevishly. “I’m not sure I can do it again so quickly.”
“I’ll protect us,” Melville said, leaping up onto the wall and opening his striped parasol.
Ethan rolled his eyes. “That little thing won’t do any good at all,” he said.
“My dear boy, it most certainly will,” Melville replied. “It’s bulletproof. All gentleman flamingos carry bulletproof umbrellas with them at all times. It’s because sometimes we like to—”
He broke off as the plane swooped past them so close that they could feel the force of air from the propellers. But Scarlett’s plan wasn’t to fire at them with a rifle. As she flew by, the entire columned white mansion suddenly vanished before their eyes, along with the hot-air balloon tethered next to it. They were simply gone, leaving nothing but a big circle of dried earth behind.
Everyone gasped, and the next moment Scarlett pointed the nose of the plane high into the sky and shot away from them, quickly lost in the clouds.
“Good heavens!” Ethan exclaimed. “How on earth did she manage to do that?”
“I bet she put it in a snow globe,” Stella said. “She must have had one more with her. All she has to do is say the name of whatever she wants to go inside it, I think.”
“She’s taken all those snow globes that were inside the mansion,” Beanie said, sounding crestfallen. “We lost them.”
“Well, at least we managed to save some of them,” Stella said, giving her friend a sympathetic smile. “And we know about her now and can tell the world what she’s been doing.”
Beanie nodded. “Yes,” he said. “And we have the Phantom Atlas, too.”
“The what?”
Everyone crowded around Beanie as he produced a large, handsome leather-bound book from his bag.
“It was in a case in the library,” he said. He looked at Stella. “I took it while Shay and Ethan were carrying you outside.”
He opened the cover and they saw it contained a record of all the places the various Collectors had stolen over the years, from the Lost City of Muja-Muja to the Hanging Gardens of Amadon.
“At least now we’ll know what’s missing,” Beanie said.
“So many places,” Ethan said, gazing down at the book. He shook his head. “It’s incredible that it’s managed to go on for so many years without anyone noticing.”
“Well, people did notice that lands that were once reported as being there were missing when they went back,” Shay pointed out. “But I guess it just seemed more likely that the original explorers who discovered them had made a mistake or made the whole thing up for credit or funding.”
“At least now we know the truth,” Stella said. “And that’s a start. But it won’t help if we can’t make it back to the bridge. The balloon is gone, so what are we going to do?”
“We’ll just have to make our way through the gardens,” Shay said, sounding worried. “And hope that we come across something that might help. That’s all we can do.”
Since Scarlett Sauvage had left and didn’t seem likely to return, the four explorers decided to set up the magic fort blanket in the gardens. Everyone was exhausted and in need of a good meal, a decent night’s sleep, and some hot chocolate.
Stella told the others about the things she’d learned from Scarlett Sauvage and the Book of Frost and how the gargoyles had taken the stolen heart back to Queen Portia; then she practically fell into her bed and didn’t wake up until well into the next day, when Beanie came and apologetically nudged her.
“Sorry, Stella,” he said. “We didn’t want to wake you, but it’s the afternoon now and we should probably be trying to find a way back to the Black Ice Bridge.”
Stella sat up. She felt much better after a good rest and was ready to get up and start trying to find their way home. They set off through the gardens.
“Are you going to try opening the snow globe with your father’s expedition in it now?” Stella asked Beanie as they made their way across the rope bridge.
He shook his head. “I think we should wait until we get back to civilization,” he said. “We still have the journey home, and it will be dangerous.”
They walked across the bridge, past the ornamental pears, and began to make their way back up through the tiers of waterfalls. In one of them they noticed a shoal of blue fish.
“Goodness!” Beanie exclaimed. “They look like wish-fish.”
“Wish-fish?” Ethan replied eagerly. “Should we make wishes, then?”
“In order to make a wish, you have to give the fish one of your bad memories,” Beanie said.
“Well, that doesn’t sound so bad,” Ethan said. “I wouldn’t mind losing a bad memory or two. The fish are welcome to them.”
But Beanie shook his head. “I want all mine,” he said quietly. “They help make me who I am. I’d be a little bit weaker and a little more afraid without them.”
Stella couldn’t help thinking he was right. Whatever strengths they each possessed had been hard earned, and it would be a terrible shame to have to go through those lessons again. So they left the fish as they were and continued through the gardens.
When they got to the rope bridge they had crossed before, they noticed a garden they hadn’t seen properly when they’d been facing the other way. And the first thing they saw was the flag.
It stood right at the edge of the island and flapped gently in the breeze. It displayed the same crest they had seen on the crashed hot-air balloons back on the bridge—the crest of the Sky Phoenix Explorers’ Club.
The junior explorers stared at it, all feeling the same tug toward the flag.
“Perhaps we should take just a quick look?” Stella said.
The others immediately agreed, and so they made their way around the side of the waterfall garden to the rope bridge leading to the Sky Phoenix hanging garden. It was very large compared to most of the other islands. It was also, they quickly saw, a cage. Once they crossed the bridge, they found a locked gate that was set into a thick iron mesh that spread all the way up into the air to form a dome at the top… like an aviary.
Stella glanced at the others, trying to control her excitement. “Do you think there really could be phoenixes in here?”
“They’re just a myth,” Ethan said, although he sounded uncertain. “Aren’t they? Pretty much everyone agrees they never existed.”
“We thought the Sky Phoenix Explorers’ Club never existed, either,” Stella pointed out. “And we know that isn’t the case because I’m carrying it around in my bag.”
“That’s true, but even if a Collector took the club all that time ago, wouldn’t the birds have died out by now?” Ethan asked.
Beanie shook his head and said, “Phoenixes can live for many hundreds of years. And, even then, once they die, they’re reborn from fire.”
“So, if they’re in there, they could be the very same birds that once belonged to the Sky Phoenix Explorers’ Club?” Shay said.
“It’s definitely possible.”
They tried to peer through the mesh, but the large leaves from the trees were pressed up against the sides, making it impossible for them to see.
“If they’re in there, we can’t just leave them cooped up like this,” Stella said.
“But the gate is locked,” Beanie said.
“I can make a key, remember?” she replied, already searching for the correct charm on her bracelet.
Stella concentrated on the spell, and a moment later a small ice key appeared. But the effort of creating it seemed to make the world spin around her, and she would have fallen forward onto her knees if Shay hadn’t grabbed her arm. For a horrible moment, she feared she was going to be sick.
“You really shouldn’t do any more magic for a while,” Ethan said, taking the key from her hand before she dropped it. “One good night’s sleep isn’t enough to be back to normal, and you’re not used to it, either.”
“I know,” Stella replied. “But I’m not leaving phoenixes locked up in there.”
Ethan sighed but didn’t say anything more as he put the key in the lock and turned it. It clicked back and the gate swung open. Ethan picked up Melville and put him back in his sweater, just in case a small gentleman flamingo was a snack to a giant phoenix, and then the four of them walked in through the gate.
A path wound its way into the garden, and they followed this past various trees and bushes. It was extremely quiet, and Stella was beginning to think that perhaps there was nothing there after all.
“This certainly looks like it was once part of the Sky Phoenix Explorers’ Club,” Beanie said. “The crest keeps coming up on the path tiles. And the stone benches are in the shape of phoenixes. And the lanterns hung in the trees are shaped like phoenixes too, look.”
Stella saw he was right. Ornate brass lanterns hung from the trees at regular intervals, each one fashioned in the shape of a phoenix, clinging to the lantern with its great claws.
“Those trees over there are sizzling chili trees, and the chilies that grow on them are supposed to be a phoenix’s favorite food. And the air smells of bonfires, which is a sure sign of phoenixes.”
“And, you know, there was famed to be a giant Sky Phoenix stable on the grounds of the club,” Beanie went on, “although I don’t think it had a cage around it then. It’s one of the more far-fetched stories, because it’s said to be built in the shape of a—”
They turned a corner of the path, and Beanie fell suddenly silent as they all stared in wonder.
“Were you about to say a giant feather, by any chance?” Ethan asked.
Beanie nodded wordlessly. In fact, they were all speechless at the extraordinary sight. Before them rose a gigantic stable in the shape of an orange and red feather, which reached hundreds of feet into the air. Every strand formed a long perch on which the phoenixes rested. There were perhaps fifty of them altogether, boasting the most spectacular fiery plumage. This was obvious to the explorers even from a distance, but then one of the birds noticed them and flew down to land directly in front of them.
It was bigger even than the vultures at Witch Mountain had been, easily reaching a height of ten feet or more. It gazed down at them with fierce, intelligent eyes for a moment before suddenly spreading out its magnificent wings, which seemed to glow like embers in the sunshine—a glorious mixture of orange and ruby and even the odd flash of blue.
Beanie jumped, startled by the sudden movement, but Stella didn’t think the bird meant them any harm. Indeed, it lowered its head and shoulders and knelt to the ground, as if expecting to be mounted. Stella looked into the bird’s gleaming yellow eye and felt that there was something beseeching in its expression, as if it was urging them to fly far away on it. Moments later, the other phoenixes noticed what was happening and came down to them in a flurry of fire-colored feathers. The air was thick with the scent of smoke and ash.
“They want us to fly them,” Shay said.
Stella looked up into the sky and saw the mesh of the cage suspended above them.
“But how?” she said. “They’re far too big to fit through the door we came in by.”
They looked at each other hopelessly.
But then Beanie squinted back up at the mesh stretching above them and said
, “It looks like there’s an opening mechanism up there. I can see the hinge.”
“Well, how do we open it?” Ethan asked.
“There must be a lever around here somewhere,” Beanie replied. “Perhaps it’s in the stable? Let’s take a look.”
The four explorers walked to the ornate wooden door, carved with the crest of the Sky Phoenix Explorers’ Club. It was set in the stem of the feather, which formed a circular turret. They found the ground floor full of books detailing the care, feeding, and training of phoenixes. Many of them were inscribed with explorers’ names.
“Look at this one,” Shay said, holding up a book. “There’s a handwritten note that says ‘Property of the Sky Phoenix Explorers’ Club. If lost, please return to the club library.’ ”
There was no longer any doubt about it. There certainly had once been a fifth explorers’ club. The four children continued up to the second floor of the turret, where they discovered leather tack, including a range of saddles and reins.
The third floor contained a sort of bar, which didn’t surprise Stella very much because explorers were fond of a drink, without exception. This one contained mostly dusty whiskey glasses, as well as a few remaining bottles of firewater. It looked like mice had attacked the once elegant red furniture, and there was also an empty humidor there, once used for storing cigars. It was stamped with the club’s crest and still smelled faintly of tobacco.
The other rooms contained more paraphernalia belonging to the lost club, and the four explorers had to make their way all the way up to the very top floor before they finally found what they were looking for. In the middle of the otherwise bare room was a stand containing a single red lever, illuminated with the light flooding in from the panoramic windows. It is almost impossible for any young explorer to resist the allure of a big red lever, but this one was even more thrilling because, printed neatly beneath it, were the words AVIARY ROOF.
