by Aimee Carter
“What?” Felix tore himself away from the screen. “You’re leaving me behind?”
“No, I just thought—” Simon gestured to the television. “I thought you’d want to stay, since the L.A.I.R. doesn’t have a TV.”
Immediately Felix climbed up the sofa and leaped toward him, grabbing hold of Simon’s sweatshirt and scrambling into his backpack. “I’d rather have you. Wake me up when we’re in New York.”
To his credit, Malcolm didn’t object, even though Simon was positive he would’ve preferred the little mouse stay with Zia Stone. Instead his uncle nodded to the door. “All right—the rest of you, come on. We’ve got a plane to catch.”
One by one, the others stood and followed Malcolm out of the apartment. As Simon passed Zia, their eyes met, and that spark of interest made a shiver run down his spine.
“Did you put something in my hot chocolate last night? Something to make me sleep?” he blurted in the doorway. She tilted her head curiously.
“Why do you think that?” she said.
“Because—” Because he had fallen asleep so quickly when he’d planned on staying up to give himself time to escape. “Because it tasted funny, and you didn’t drink any of yours.”
Rolling her eyes, she ushered him into the hallway as she pulled the door shut. “It tasted funny because I put nutmeg in it. Family recipe, remember? And I drank mine once you went to bed. You were exhausted, Simon. You could barely keep your eyes open. I didn’t have to give you anything to help you sleep.”
Grudgingly he admitted she was probably right, but he still kept his distance as they joined the others in the corridor. She had no reason to give him anything to make him sleep, anyway. As far as she knew, he was a golden eagle. If she’d kept watch over them like he suspected, there was no way a bird that big could have sneaked past her.
The enormous cavern was much busier now than it had been the night before. There must have been an opening in the rock above them, because sunlight streamed down into the atrium, where humans and animals milled about. Simon spotted two dogs tossing a Frisbee back and forth, and he watched them wistfully. While he didn’t resent the way Darryl had raised him, he couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like to grow up with other Animalgams, even if he was a Hybred.
Zia led them down the zigzag staircase to the lower level. “There’s a garage through here,” she said, opening one of the doors that led into a hallway with white plaster walls. “I’ll drive you to the airport.”
A man Simon recognized from the night before followed them into the corridor. “Stone, got a minute?”
“Does it look like I have a minute, Keval?” she said. “Walk and talk if it’s important.”
Keval grimaced. “We’ve got incoming from the west,” he said, stepping between her and Simon. “Don’t look too good, and they’ve got kids with them. Thought you might like to handle it yourself.”
“Why? You’re more than capable,” she said, jangling a set of keys in her hand. “I’ll meet with them when I get back.”
“But—”
“What, Keval?” Zia reached the doorway at the end of the corridor and spun around to face him. “Did you suddenly forget how to do your job? I’ll be back once I’ve dropped the Alpha and the kids at the airport. If this really can’t wait an hour, then maybe I ought to find a second-in-command who knows what they’re doing.”
As she pushed open the door that led into a large garage, a low growl emanated from Keval’s throat. Malcolm grabbed the back of Simon’s sweatshirt and yanked him away, but it was too late. Inside the garage, a dozen other men and women waited, leaving no room for them to pass.
“What the—” began Zia, but Keval interrupted her.
“He may be your Alpha, but he isn’t ours.”
At once, several of the waiting men and women shifted into their mammal forms—all smaller than the predators at the L.A.I.R., but they still had teeth. Malcolm roared, and his grip on Simon disappeared as he shifted into a hulking wolf. Keval remained human, but from the waistband of his pants, he pulled out a gun.
Out of all the things Simon had faced so far, he’d managed to avoid firearms, and his blood turned to ice at the sight of it. He knew instantly Keval’s first target would be his uncle, and Simon wasn’t losing Malcolm. Not like this.
The door to the garage slammed shut, cutting them off from the other mammals. Simon heard Zia’s muffled cry of outrage from the other side, but he was focused wholly on Keval. Malcolm snarled, and Simon’s ears rang as every part of him turned to lava. He didn’t care that he was about to shift in front of his uncle and friends. He didn’t care that it would expose him as the Beast King’s heir. All he cared about was making sure his uncle got out of there alive, and this time he wasn’t going to fail.
But before his fingers could curl into claws, Jam appeared behind Keval and kicked him between the legs. Hard. Keval cried out and dropped the gun, and it skittered across the floor toward Simon.
He scrambled for it, his fingers closing around the metal handle. As he raised the weapon, however, a cottonmouth snake struck Keval’s exposed ankle with a hiss, and a shiny black spider appeared on his collar and sank her fangs into his neck. Simon had never seen both Winter and Ariana strike at the same time, and Keval’s eyes rolled back into his head as he collapsed on the floor.
“Uh, Simon? I think we got him,” said Jam.
Simon let go of the gun, his hands trembling. The wolf nudged his hip.
“Stay here,” growled Malcolm, and before Simon could protest, he pushed open the door once more and leaped inside the garage, where the red fox snarled and jumped from one small mammal to the next.
A knot formed in Simon’s throat as he watched his uncle take on three mangy coyotes at once. The wolf was bigger, but what if someone else had a weapon? Or what if his uncle couldn’t handle fighting against so many at once?
Ariana appeared beside him and picked up the gun, handling it like a favorite toy as she checked the chamber for bullets. “We might need this to get out.”
Winter shifted back into a human as well, shuddering. “We can’t go back the way we came. There might be others waiting for us in the atrium.”
“I think there’s an exit through here,” called Jam, pushing open another door halfway down the hall.
Winter scoffed. “How could you possibly know that?”
“The same way I knew how to get around in Chicago,” said Jam. “Just trust me.”
Simon grabbed Winter’s arm and led her into the dark room, while Ariana brought up the rear. With light from the hallway spilling in, Simon could make out shelves covered in paint cans, rusting tools, and old tires.
Jam hurried through the narrow storage room and out another door. They burst into the garage only feet away from the edge of the fight, and as the others bolted toward the collection of cars, Simon skidded to a stop. Malcolm was holding his own against the mammals, but there were too many of them. One wrong move, and they could easily overpower him.
“Hey!” Zia’s voice rang above the others, and she appeared in the middle of the crowd, with several opossums and squirrels clinging to her clothes. She tossed a set of car keys toward him, and Simon managed to catch it. “Get in the car. We’ll be right there.”
Simon paused, torn between helping his uncle and getting his friends to safety. Before he could decide, Ariana seized his elbow and dragged him away from the fight.
“Malcolm can handle himself. And I’ll take those.” She snatched the keys from him and pressed a button. A red Mustang beeped, and a wicked grin spread across her face. “Excellent.”
She hopped into the driver’s seat, and Jam and Winter climbed into the back. Simon stopped, glancing at the fight once more.
“If we wait for them, we’ll be in New York in time for dinner,” said Ariana, starting the engine. “If we leave now, we might actually make it to Paradise Valley. It’s your choice.”
She was right. A howl echoed through the g
arage, and sucking in a breath, Simon jumped into the passenger seat. They’d come this far. He couldn’t give up now.
“Leave the gun,” said Simon.
“But—” began Ariana.
“We’re not taking it with us.”
Grumbling, Ariana swiftly removed the bullets and tossed the empty firearm into a nearby convertible. “Spoilsport.”
She could call him any name she wanted. Simon didn’t want to be anywhere near that thing.
“You know how to drive?” said Winter dubiously from the backseat.
“My mother taught me as soon as I could reach the pedals. It’s come in handy a few times,” said Ariana, pulling on a pair of sunglasses from the center console. “Buckle up.”
She slammed on the accelerator, and Simon flew back against the seat. He managed to pull his seat belt on as they sped out of the garage, leaving the snarls and growls of the fight behind. The car flew across the dusty path as Ariana steered them toward the nearest road.
Simon twisted around and tried to get one last look at what was happening inside the garage, but all he could see was rock and dirt. He must have looked as nauseated as he felt, because Ariana patted his arm awkwardly. “Nothing’s going to happen to your uncle. They’re a bunch of squirrels and rabbits. They might try to gnaw him, but they won’t get very far. He’s the Alpha for a reason.”
“Darryl was bigger and stronger than he was,” said Simon.
“Darryl was on a glass roof forty stories above the city,” she countered. “And he was injured. Malcolm’s perfectly healthy and furious. He’ll be fine.”
Ariana may have been right, but that didn’t stop yet another round of guilt from coursing through him. After checking to make sure Felix was still in one piece, he secured his backpack between his knees and settled against the seat, closing his eyes and trying not to picture his uncle with animals dangling off him. Simon knew all too well that a lot of anything, no matter how small, could kill.
Dolphin in the Desert
Simon’s worry only grew the farther away from Stonehaven they got. Over and over, he wondered if that had been the last time he’d see Malcolm alive, and the image of Darryl as he lay dying haunted him until he had no choice but to open his eyes and pay attention to the road instead. All that surrounded them was dust and scraggly trees, with a mountain range looming in the distance, but it was better than remembering that horrible night on the roof of Sky Tower.
It took them twenty miles to reach the first stoplight, and as Ariana braked, she said, “Which way, Jam?”
“What do you mean, which way? Don’t you have a map?” said Jam.
“Yes. You.”
“But what if I’m wrong? Wouldn’t it be better to make sure—”
“Which way, Jam?” said Ariana with such force that Simon couldn’t stay silent any longer.
“Just because Jam can sometimes tell where we are doesn’t mean he has a compass in his brain,” he said testily. “If he doesn’t know, he doesn’t know.”
“But he does know,” said Ariana, annoyed, as her fingers tapped the leather steering wheel. Even with the seat as high as it would go, she had to crane her neck to see over the dash. “It must be a dolphin thing.”
“What do you mean, a dolphin thing?” said Simon.
“Dolphins can always tell where they are in the ocean,” chimed in Winter. “What’s it called? Echolocation?”
“Yeah,” admitted Jam. “It’s not GPS, but it’s better than nothing.”
“Right. That’s why Jam has a better sense of direction than most people,” said Winter, her eyes meeting Simon’s through the rearview mirror. “Like how I have a really good sense of smell. It’s been getting stronger the more I shift.”
“See? There are advantages to being a snake,” said Ariana. Winter made a face.
“Yeah, until you have to smell everyone’s body odor and dirty laundry,” she muttered. “Anyway, that’s probably why Jam is so good at finding his way around places he’s never been before.”
“Exactly,” said Ariana as the light turned green. “So which way are we going, JPS?”
He sighed. “Straight. Just keep going straight until New Mexico. Then turn right.”
“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” said Ariana, and she slammed on the accelerator again, knocking Simon back into his seat.
He was quiet for several miles while his friends speculated over Animalgams’ enhanced abilities—though twice he had to tell them his eyesight hadn’t gotten any better after shifting into an eagle—and it wasn’t until they reached a sign welcoming them to New Mexico that the question he had been mulling over in his mind formed into words.
“Why did the mammals attack us?” he said. “If Malcolm’s their Alpha, don’t they follow his rules?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” said Winter, rubbing coconut-scented sunscreen into her skin. Where she’d gotten it, Simon had no idea. “Keval said Malcolm wasn’t his Alpha.”
“It’s not that weird for a kingdom to be divided when the old leader is still alive,” said Ariana. “Malcolm should have killed her when he had the chance.”
The thought of Malcolm killing his own mother, even if she was horrible and bloodthirsty, made Simon cringe. “He wouldn’t do that.”
“Then there will always be members of the mammal kingdom who think she’s still the Alpha,” said Ariana. “That’s just how it works. In my kingdom, we die as queens. No one ever steals the throne and lets the other live.”
Simon wasn’t sure how he felt about that. The mammal kingdom was ruthless enough for him; the thought of the insects being even worse made him shudder.
“I don’t think there’s ever been a revolution like that in my kingdom,” said Jam. “My sisters keep trying to talk my father into making one of them the general instead. Take the right fork up here.”
Through the rearview mirror, Simon could see Winter giving Jam a long, hard look. “I can’t believe you’re going to be leading an Animalgam kingdom someday.”
“Join the club,” said Jam with a sigh.
Simon remained mostly quiet throughout the ten-hour trip across the desert. It was a small miracle Ariana didn’t get pulled over, but the aviator sunglasses she wore must have made her look old enough to get away with driving. Twice they had to stop for gas, and both times Ariana paid with the cash they had left. Simon could tell by her pinched expression that they were running low, and when she came out of the second gas station with snacks hidden underneath the sweatshirt she’d borrowed from him, he didn’t ask any questions.
By the time they neared Paradise Valley, it was hours after sunset. As he watched the lights of the city surrounding the tiny suburb grow brighter, the knot in Simon’s chest tightened. It had been easy to ignore the fact that he didn’t have a plan when they had been safe on the train, a thousand miles from their destination, but now that they were rapidly approaching, it felt like an impossible mission: somehow, someway, not only did they have to free his mother, but they also had to find the reptiles’ piece of the Predator before Orion could.
“We need a plan,” he blurted. “I know you said it’s fine that we don’t have one, Jam, but it isn’t, not anymore.”
“Jam said it was fine not to have a plan?” said Winter. “I’ve met the general twice, and both times I got a lecture in how ‘the key to a successful mission is a well-organized strategy.’”
Through the rearview mirror, Simon saw Jam blush. “The general isn’t always right. We have no idea what we’re walking into.”
“We have some idea,” argued Simon. “We know it’s a hotel.”
“Yeah, but we don’t know where the piece is hidden or where Orion is keeping your mother,” said Ariana. “Once we know what we’re up against, we’ll figure out the best way to find both. Right now, the most you can do is decide what you want more, Simon—to save your mom or to find the reptiles’ piece of the Predator.”
To Simon, there was no choice. “My mother,” he said immediate
ly. “But we have to find both. Orion already has the bird kingdom’s piece. If he finds all five and assembles the Predator—”
“He’ll go after Nolan and try to kill him so he can steal his powers. We know,” said Winter, and Simon could practically hear her rolling her eyes.
“The point is, if something goes wrong, you might have to choose,” said Ariana. “And normally—”
“Normally the strategic thing to do is to go after the best bet,” said Jam hesitantly. “If we know where the piece is, but not your mom . . .”
“I’m not leaving her behind,” said Simon.
“But what if it means Orion gets the piece?” said Ariana. “Is that a risk you’re willing to take?”
“Ariana’s right.” Jam’s tone was apologetic, and he leaned closer to Simon. “Saving your mom is important, but Orion’s trying to seize control of the whole Animalgam world. My father’s the General of the Seas, and Ariana’s mom is the Black Widow Queen, and your uncle’s the Alpha—” Jam swallowed hard. “He’ll kill our families, Simon.”
“That won’t happen,” said Simon, bristling. “It’s only the second piece. There are three others out there he has to find first.”
“Maybe,” said Ariana. “Or maybe in the past two months, he’s found them, too.”
“If he had, we would have heard about it from your parents,” snapped Simon, crossing his arms. “If you only want to go after the reptiles’ piece, fine. But I’m finding my mom.”
For the rest of the ride to Paradise Valley, Simon stewed silently in the passenger seat. The logical part of his brain knew his friends had a point, but after all Simon had been through, he couldn’t choose anything—even the fate of the Animalgam world—over rescuing his mother.
Using the guidebook, Jam directed Ariana to the hotel. Mountains rose up from the sprawling suburban neighborhoods around them, and Simon craned his neck, searching for any sign of birds of prey. It was too dark to see beyond the lights of the city, however, and by the time they reached the long drive of the Stilio Resort and Spa, he had resigned himself to waiting until morning.
