by Kobe Bryant
By the sun, he guessed he had just enough time to make it back before the discus had wrapped up.
With every step, he tried to put the Star Stealers further from his mind. He had to remember that he was Rovi Myrios of House Somni. His first duty was to the Dreamers and the next to Ecrof. For two more days, he had to refocus on the games and his teammates. That was his calling. That was his obligation.
He made it to the spectators’ van just in time. He let out a relieved sigh as the door closed behind him. No one had noticed that he was missing. And more important, he had turned over the key. Even if the guards searched him, they’d find nothing. He might not have been able to help the Star Stealers further, but he was in the clear.
Luckily, he had a seat to himself. He didn’t want to speak to anyone. He tuned out the chatter of his fellow Dreamers as they rolled through Phoenis. The minute the van came to a stop, Rovi bolted for his residential tower.
Swiftly he climbed the stairs to his room, eager to be alone. He put his hand on the doorknob, but the door was already ajar. He was certain he’d closed it.
Someone was in his room. A guard? An official? Rovi gulped, then clasped his hand over his mouth. Had they found his missing Memory Master?! If so, he was done for.
Rovi pushed open the door. “Hello?”
No one was there. They’d come and gone, whoever they were. He shut the door.
“Rovi!”
He nearly jumped out of his skin as someone stepped out of the shadows behind him.
“Where have you been?”
21
PRETIA
A HIDEOUT
“Pretia?” Rovi looked as if he’d seen a ghost. “What are you doing here?”
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said. She’d been waiting in his room for hours. She heard the other athletes return from the stadium, filling the village with the sounds of celebration for Vera’s historic victory. Several times she’d had to jump into the closet, worried that searchers were coming for her. But thankfully no one had thought to look for her in the boys’ tower.
“You’re hiding in my room, in the dark,” Rovi said. “How is that not scary?”
Pretia hadn’t thought about it like that. She’d been so desperate to see him that she’d jumped out of the shadows without thinking. Pretia took a deep breath. “I need your help.”
“Aren’t you mad at me?” Rovi asked
“I was. I am. But . . .” Her voice trailed off. “You must have had a really good reason for sneaking away, right?”
“I did,” Rovi said slowly.
“Then I guess that’s all that matters,” Pretia said.
Rovi shook his head. “Not exactly. What matters is that you refuse to see that Star Stealers are equals. You’re too much like your parents and everyone else when it comes to my friends.”
Pretia flushed. She hung her head. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not enough to be sorry. You have to think.” Rovi tapped his head. “If you’re going to be the ruler of Epoca, you need to worry about everyone in the kingdom. Not just Dreamers and Realists. I know you hate the name, but the people of Epoca need the Child of Hope—all the people of Epoca need her. House Somni, House Relia, and anyone who doesn’t fit those boxes, too.”
This accusation—this reality check—hit Pretia like a punch in the stomach. Rovi was right. The hope her parents were always talking about was for Dreamers and Realists alone. Not for the Star Stealers or any of the Orphic People. “I’m sorry, Rovi. I really am. I never thought of it that way. I never considered what it might be like to be neither Dreamer nor Realist.” She felt the tears coming and didn’t do anything to stop them. She didn’t have to be a noble princess in front of Rovi. “But I should have,” she said. “Especially because I don’t feel like I belong to either house. I don’t feel like I belong anywhere.” She was crying harder now. “I’m so sorry. I acted like a spoiled princess.”
Rovi gave her a hug. “You did. Kind of. But you also acted like a supportive Dreamer. You had a right to be worried about what would happen if I cost House Somni a medal.”
Pretia wriggled out of Rovi’s arms. “About that,” she said, wiping away tears. “How hard was it to sneak out of the village?”
“What?”
“I need your help. And . . . well, it’s for the exact same thing that I got mad at you for.”
Rovi looked at her, an expression of total disbelief on his face. “You want to sneak out of the village?”
“I need to hide,” Pretia began, “and Vera thought you’d know where to hide me until the final race.” Then, in one breathless rush, she explained her dilemma, all about the stolen key and her parents’ arrival in Phoenis and their concerns over the temple break-in. She concluded with how they were going to end her games and take her away from Phoenis immediately.
“Are you sure you want to race?” Rovi asked. “We need you, of course. But aren’t you risking too much?”
“No,” Pretia said confidently. “I want to race.” She paused. “I want to split myself. I’ve been too scared, even after the tribunal’s decision. But just once I want to show Epoca who I am.” She lowered her voice. “I might never get the chance again.”
“What do you mean, never?”
“My parents aren’t just taking me away from these games. They’re going to stop me from playing sports for good.”
“Forever?!”
“Apparently, my duty is to unite Epoca, just not by competing.” Just saying this aloud filled Pretia with unfathomable sadness. It wasn’t only that she’d miss sports. The knowledge that her future wasn’t her own weighed on her. She’d always known it, to some extent, but it all felt real now.
“That’s ridiculous,” Rovi said. “Your talent honors the greatness of Epoca—isn’t that why we use sports to determine our ruling household?”
“That’s Epocan tradition. We have sports instead of war. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to be allowed to participate.”
“But you have the most amazing grana I’ve ever seen,” Rovi said.
“Well, my parents and a whole bunch of Realists don’t seem to want me to use it.”
“For different reasons.”
“What does it matter?” Pretia groaned. “Either way, I can’t compete anymore.”
“It matters,” Rovi said. “A lot. And I want to see you use it in the 4x400. So does more than half of Epoca.”
Pretia sighed. “Perhaps my parents are right,” she said. “Sports haven’t made me as happy as I’d imagined. Everything has been so confusing and difficult since I got to Phoenis. I thought this was going to be one of the most amazing experiences of my life. But it’s been one of the most challenging, and not just on the field. I still want one more chance, though. And I want to win the Junior Epics for the Dreamers, if it comes down to that.”
“Well, that would change your parents’ minds,” Rovi said brightly.
“I doubt it,” Pretia said. She’d already won Junior Epic Gold, and her parents were still taking her away from the games.
Rovi drove one of his fists in the opposite palm. “This is all my fault.”
Pretia considered her friend.
“Did you break into the Temple of Arsama?” she asked carefully. “Did you steal the key that’s missing?”
Rovi nodded. “Yes,” he said quietly. “I did. I’m sorry. It’s my fault your parents are here. And it’s my fault they want to end your Junior Epic Games. I promise I wouldn’t have broken into the temple if I had known they’d do this to you. But it was necessary. I had to do it.”
“What are the Star Stealers using the key for?” Pretia asked.
“It’s not what your parents think,” Rovi replied. “They’re not trying to ruin the games or hurt anyone. For the last year, the Phoenician guards have been rounding up all the Star Steale
rs.”
“Why?”
“They’ve always thought Star Stealers were a nuisance, and they’re using the games as an excuse to get rid of them.”
“Where are they taking them?” Pretia asked.
“To a place called Hafara. It’s an underground prison made out of an old games pit that was used for blood sports during the time of Hurell. It’s right under the Crescent Stadium.” Rovi paused. “Pretia, we have been competing on top of my captured friends and old gang members.”
Pretia shuddered.
“You’re not going to open the prison yourself, are you?”
Rovi shook his head. “No way. I don’t even have the key anymore.”
“You’ve risked enough,” Pretia said.
Rovi’s eyes sparkled. “Well, there’s one more risk I have to take. We need to get you hidden.”
Pretia beamed. “You know a place?”
“I do. Star Stealers are experts at hiding.”
“Where?”
“Underground,” Rovi said. “With the Star Stealers themselves.” An anxious look came over his face.
“What’s wrong?” Pretia asked.
“Nothing,” Rovi said. “I’ll take you to see my friends, or what’s left of them. But I wonder if they’ll be happy to see me again.”
“Why wouldn’t they?”
“Well,” Rovi said sadly, “there are some things I just can’t do for them.”
* * *
Pretia felt her anxiety rise as she and Rovi stole through the less-traveled paths of the Dreamer Village. She burrowed deep into Vera’s enormous swim coat, pulling the hood over her face. At Rovi’s instruction, they kept to the shadows, although no one seemed to take notice of them anyway.
They darted between the utility buildings and storerooms. The deeper they went into the village, the fewer people they passed. But Pretia couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being followed.
Soon they were nearing a wall where the village ended. It was dark, and the lights of the Dreamer complex were hidden behind the buildings that abutted the wall.
Pretia hesitated. “Rovi,” she whispered. “Do you hear someone behind us?”
“I don’t think so,” he replied. “You’re just nervous. Stick with me. I’ve been sneaking around for days.”
Pretia tried to laugh to cover her nervousness, but she couldn’t quite manage. She was about to follow her best friend down into the tunnels below Phoenis, into the former River of Sand. If they were caught, she’d be in direct violation of Epic Code.
“Now, we need to scale this wall,” Rovi said. “We crawl along it for a bit, then there’s a place to drop down on the other side.”
“Wait.” Pretia was certain this time that she’d heard footsteps. “Someone’s here.”
“Come on,” Rovi hissed. “You’re imagining it.” He placed his hands on the wall, ready to boost himself up. “Hurry.”
Pretia followed his lead. “One, two—”
“What are you two doing?”
Pretia let go of the wall and fell back onto the ground.
“Are you escaping?”
“Vera?” Rovi said. “What are you doing here?”
“Um,” Vera said, “that’s pretty obvious. I’m following you. Pretia, did you think you’d go off and hide without me?”
“Sort of,” Pretia said. It hadn’t even occurred to her that Vera would want to come. “But why are you here? You can’t risk leaving the village—you’ll jeopardize your record. You’re so close.”
“I broke Julius’s record today. Now I only have one more medal to pass Farnaka Stellus.”
“Exactly,” Pretia said.
“I’m still coming with you,” Vera said. “You two are not having an adventure without me. Especially not one that was my idea.”
“Absolutely not,” Pretia said.
“This is my decision,” Vera replied firmly.
“Okay,” Rovi said reluctantly. “But hurry.”
“So where are we going?” Vera asked.
“To the Star Stealers,” Pretia explained.
“Wait.” Vera pulled on Pretia’s arm. “Didn’t the Star Stealers steal that key that’s the whole reason your parents want to take you from the games?”
Pretia shot a glance at Rovi. “Tell her,” he said.
“That wasn’t exactly the Star Stealers. Or rather it wasn’t a current Star Stealer.”
Vera’s eyes widened. “Rovi! You did that?”
“Yeah,” Rovi replied cautiously.
“Wow,” Vera gasped. “Everyone is saying the thief led the guards on the most amazing chase all over Phoenis. And escaped! That was you.” She cocked her head to one side. “That’s incredible.”
“So can we go now?” Rovi asked.
“Sure,” Vera said, scrambling onto the wall. “I’m really impressed. I’m—”
“Vera,” Pretia asked, “you’re not jealous, are you?”
“Not at all,” Vera said. “But everyone is talking about that chase. Everyone. You better tell me everything about it. Let’s get Pretia out of here first, though.”
Pretia followed Vera onto the wall. And soon they were out of the village and in the heart of Phoenis.
* * *
It was clear to Pretia that Rovi understood every inch of the city. Under his guidance, it was almost as if Pretia and Vera had turned invisible. In no time, they’d passed through the stately streets and organized plazas of the Upper City and descended into the narrow, boisterous chaos of the Lower City.
It was easier to go unnoticed here, with the clamoring vendors shutting up their shops for the night, the noisy tumult in front of the food stalls, and songs and sounds of the buskers. Rovi led them through a maze of streets. Pretia had never moved through a city so unguarded. She always had too many people watching her and protecting her.
They moved in silence until they came to the river Durna.
“I left the Star Stealers in an alcove in the tunnels a few hours ago when I brought them the key,” Rovi said as they slunk along a narrow footpath beside the riverbank. Then Rovi vanished. It took Pretia a moment to realize he’d slipped into an opening in the wall that flanked the river. She and Vera followed him in.
They were in a huge tunnel that stretched out, dark and vast.
“Is this the River of Sand?” Vera asked, awestruck.
“It used to be,” Rovi explained. “It’s been diverted. Let’s go.”
Pretia’s feet wouldn’t move. “Why are you standing still?” Rovi asked.
“The river,” Pretia began. “It’s still somewhere underground, right?”
“The river hasn’t flowed in more than two thousand years,” Rovi explained. “I just heard it circles Hafara Prison like a moat. And that’s miles away. Anyway, there’s an early-warning siren in case . . . in case anything bad happens.”
“Yeah, Pretia,” Vera added, “you saw what it looked like out in the desert. Just a dry riverbed.”
“I’ve been down here a bunch,” Rovi said. “Just tunnels. No quicksand.”
“Fine,” Pretia said, giving herself a shake. “Let’s go.”
Rovi led the way. He navigated the tunnels as if he had carved them himself. After twenty minutes of twisting and turning in the dark, he darted to the left and tapped on a wall. Pretia could just make out the faintest sliver of light.
“It’s me, Rovi,” he said, beckoning Vera and Pretia into a gap in the tunnel wall.
They entered a small alcove in which a handful of haggard, hungry-looking people dressed in the tattered, flaxen clothes of Star Stealers had clearly made their home.
A scrawny boy with shaggy black hair, slightly older than Rovi, greeted them. “Swiftfoot, you’re back!” He sounded delighted. “You changed your mind.”
“Not ex
actly,” Rovi muttered. He sounded ashamed. “I’m sorry. I’ve come for a favor.”
The Star Stealer looked at Rovi sadly. “There’s not much we can do for you.”
“Issa,” Rovi said, “these are my friends, Pretia and Vera. Pretia, Vera, this is Issa.”
The Star Stealer glanced quickly from Pretia to Vera and mumbled a greeting, then stepped aside to let them into the little chamber.
“Pretia needs a place to hide out until the end of the games,” Rovi said.
Issa glanced at her warily. “She’ll be comfortable here?”
Pretia looked around the alcove. It was pretty sparse—just a few blankets on the floor and a couple of crude benches. But it was cozy in its own way. Most important, it was a place where no one would find her.
“I don’t need much,” Pretia said. “I won’t eat much, either. And I promise I won’t cause you any trouble.” She glanced behind Issa to the ragtag group of kids in the hideout. Some waved, while others looked at her with mild interest.
“Then be our guest,” Issa said. “Any friend of Rovi’s is a friend of ours. But I have to warn you. We have very little food left. I’m going to have to risk a run to the outside world soon. I can’t promise much, though.”
“It’s all right,” Pretia said.
“Gita was aboveground scrounging for us,” Issa explained. “I expected her to return with supplies, but she hasn’t come back. I suspect she was taken by the guards.”
“Oh no,” Rovi said.
“She’s a strong leader,” Issa said. “At least she can comfort her gang in Hafara.” He glanced behind him. Then his voice grew more serious. “Rovi,” he said, “are you sure there’s nothing you can do for us?”
“I can get you food if necessary,” Rovi said.
“Not that,” Issa replied.
Pretia saw Rovi shoot Issa a warning glance. She felt some unfinished business hanging between the two friends.
As she was wondering about this, an adult stepped out of the back of the room. He was short but sturdy, as if he’d once been an athlete but had taken up more rugged pursuits. His black hair was pulled back into a small ponytail, and his olive complexion seemed pale in comparison to those of the rest of the people gathered in the alcove. “Rovi,” he said, “you’ve brought us friends, but you haven’t changed your mind about helping us?”
