Balance Keepers #1: The Fires of Calderon (19 page)

They turned to Leroy, who had a look of intense concentration on his face. After a moment, he nodded to himself and looked up at them.

“Whatcha got, Leroy?” Albert said.

“The silver eggs are in the Tree of Cinder.” Leroy smiled.

“But Petra says the Forest burned to the ground,” Birdie said.

“It did,” Leroy replied. Albert suddenly saw a spark back in Leroy’s eyes that he hadn’t seen since Leroy was forced to stop playing Tiles. “But Trey said the Tree of Cinder was the biggest, oldest, blackest tree in the whole forest. Black because it’s been burned, and oldest because it survived while new trees grew up all around it. It’s likely the Hissengores made their nests in the tree, because it was the only safe, established place at the time.”

“You’re a genius, Leroy,” Birdie said, giving Leroy a quick hug.

“All right,” Albert said. “We have a plan! Let’s find the eggs first, and hope we see my dad and the First Unit along the way.”

“All right, boys,” Birdie said. “To the Tree of Cinder!”

She forged ahead across the burned-out landscape, Albert and Leroy behind her. They were at the edge of the jungle in no time.

The Ring of Entry was heavy with warm humidity that made it hard to breathe. A high canopy of jungle trees towered overhead, and the underbrush was thick at their feet. Albert felt like he was trying to tunnel through a thousand tangled ropes. He put Farnsworth in his backpack and zipped it up tight, so just the dog’s head poked out.

“Stay in there, please,” Albert said. Farnsworth whimpered, but winked a bright blue eye.

“Hey, guys, watch this!”

Leroy and Albert looked overhead and saw that Birdie had climbed halfway up into a tree with curvy branches. Now Birdie leaped out into the open air, grabbed a hanging vine, and began swinging.

“This is going to be a faster way through this jungle,” she said, latching on to a vine even farther away. “And a lot more fun.”

“That girl is
always
right,” Leroy said.

“Let’s get up there,” Albert said, and in a flash they were both climbing the same tree Birdie had scaled moments before.

Once they understood how to pass through the Ring of Entry, the three of them swung their way through the jungle, flying over branches and mud bogs that surely would have threatened to suck the boots right off their feet. They were most of the way through the Ring of Entry when they came upon a wide bog that contained no trees at all.

“We’ll either have to go around or walk this part,” Albert said when they were all standing together on the same limb of the same tree.

“Looks muddy down there,” Leroy said, but they all looked around the sides and saw how far it was around the bog. If they could cross without sinking, it would be the faster way by far. They hopped off the tree and started across.

Some of the bog bubbled with wet mud like a prehistoric tar pit. Other parts were sloppy like quicksand. Albert tested it out, stepping with one foot into the bog. He sank at once, and when Leroy and Birdie helped pull him out, he’d nearly lost a boot.

“We can’t go in there,” Albert reasoned. “We’ll sink, or drown, or something.”

“I won’t drown,” Birdie reminded him. She turned to Leroy. “Isn’t there some kind of power that Albert can use?”

Leroy thought for a moment, then nodded. “Weightlessness. You remember the symbol, right, Albert?”

Albert went through the list in his mind.
Weightlessness
. “It’s a symbol in the shape of a square, with an
O
in the center?”

“That’s the one.” Leroy nodded.

Albert had an idea. If he tried really, really hard, he might be able to imagine two symbols at once. He’d been planning to try it out in the Pit next week, but they’d been called on to enter Calderon first. He didn’t even know if it was possible. But as he thought of the problem, a symbol popped into his mind. Unity—two triangles, interlocking.

“Grab my hands,” Albert said to his friends. He closed his eyes and pictured Weightlessness in his mind. Slowly, he felt himself growing light as air.

“Albert,” Birdie started, but Leroy shushed her.

Then Albert pictured Unity. Instantly, the Weightlessness went away.
Picture them together. The square, the triangles . . .

The symbols appeared inside his head, drifting together until Albert saw something entirely new. Two interlocking triangles, with the square in the center.

“Your Tile is doing weird stuff, Albert,” Leroy said. “You’re getting the wrong symbol.”

“Omigosh!” Birdie yelped.

“Albert, what did you
do
to me?” Leroy exclaimed. “I feel like I’m full of bubbles!”

Albert kept his eyes closed, but he could feel his Master Tile working its magic. “Step forward. Guide me across, but don’t you dare let go of my hands. I’m using two powers at once, guys, so we can all be Weightless together. Hurry. I can’t keep this up for long.”

Slowly, Leroy and Birdie walked across, guiding Albert, who focused so hard he felt like his brain was going to explode. They stepped forward onto the bog, their bodies so light that they might as well have been made entirely of air. With each step, the mud stuck to their feet, but they were able to keep moving without getting sucked under.

Keep the symbols in your head. Don’t you dare let it fade, or the three of us will sink!

Finally, Albert felt his feet touch solid ground.

“We made it, man. You can stop now.”

Albert opened his eyes. He crumpled to the ground, gasping for air as his Master Tile changed back. There were white spots in his vision, as if he’d just been smacked across the back of the head.

But he’d done it.

“That was really something, Albert.” Leroy knelt down beside him. “Your dad would be proud. You okay?”

The pounding in Albert’s head was already fading. “I’m fine. No worries.”

“You guys?” Birdie said beside them. She stooped down and plucked something out of the thick goo.

“Oh man,” Leroy said. He helped Albert up, and then moved in beside Birdie to get a closer look. When Birdie held out her palm so they could lean in, Albert felt his heart drop to his toes.

It was his dad’s Tile.

T
he Tile was etched with that strange megaphone shape. Albert would never forget that symbol.

“It’s all right, buddy,” Leroy said, when he saw Albert’s frown. “He probably just did some amazing flip and lost it on the way. No big deal.”

“Guys, my dad is a
Professor.
He would never lose his Tile. We all know he wouldn’t,” Albert said.

Birdie put a hand on Albert’s shoulder. “We’ll find your dad, okay? And we’ll give him back his Tile. He’s fine, Albert. I’m sure of it.”

Albert wanted to believe Birdie, but his stomach ached, and his heart kept banging harder and harder against his chest. He was more afraid than he’d ever been before. Albert took the Tile and strung it around his neck. It settled against his own with a soft
clink
.

Wherever you are, Dad, please hang in there. I’m coming for you. I’ll find you, I promise.

“The best thing we can do for your dad right now is keep moving,” Leroy said. “I don’t like the looks of this. None of us do. But we’ve got to stay on track.”

“You’re right,” Albert said. “Let’s look for more clues.”

There were footprints that led out of the mud, but they were going in all directions, like the First Unit and Professor Flynn had been in a moment of complete chaos.

“What happened to all of them?” Birdie asked. “So close to the Calderon entrance?”

“And where are they now?” Albert wondered out loud.

“Well, we won’t know unless we keep moving,” Birdie said. “The Peak is a long way off and six hours will be gone before we know it.”

“More like five,” Leroy said, glancing at his timepiece. “We’ve already burned an hour.”

“All we need to do is get the silver eggs,” Albert said. “Then we’ll run to the Peak and restore Balance.”

“Somehow I doubt it will be that simple.” Birdie shook her head.

“We have to rescue the First Unit, too,” Leroy said. “Don’t forget about that.”

Albert nodded and stared up at the Peak far overhead. “And we don’t even know where they are.”

Suddenly, there was a blast of wind, and a fresh plume of smoke appeared in the sky not far from where they were—more creatures must be infected and blowing fire. The whole experience was strange. Ash kept falling on Albert’s nose. It almost felt like he was in some huge, burning jungle, far across the sea in the real world.

But this was Calderon. The sky was not a sky, and the wind was not wind—at least not the kind of wind Albert knew up above. He had to keep reminding himself of that.

As they made their way along, hopping through trees and swinging on vines, the jungle slowly started to thin out. Soon Hydra was standing on the edge of what Albert knew was the second ring of Calderon.

Before them lay a field with golden grass taller than the trio’s heads.

“It’s the Ring of Gold,” Leroy said. “That wasn’t so bad. We’re really moving.”

But Albert wasn’t nearly as upbeat about their prospects. He was sure the terrain would become more treacherous and difficult to pass as they got closer to the mountain itself.

The tall grass, like the jungle before it, grew in a ring around the entire Realm.

“It’s like walking through a thick cornfield back home in Oregon,” Birdie said. “I hate not being able to see in front of me.”

“Or behind,” Leroy said, glancing over his shoulder and listening. “Uh-oh . . . I think something is following us.”

Albert heard the noise—a rustling in the grass, coming from directly behind them. The noise got louder. Farnsworth started to growl from Albert’s backpack, just as the grass bent and two massive hairy feet appeared.

“Run!” Albert cried.

He took off at a steady pace, his friends following close behind. Huge blades of grass slapped him in the face, and he couldn’t see where he was going, but he didn’t dare stop.

“Just keep going, straight like an arrow!” Birdie called from behind him. “Remember what Trey said. Don’t turn back once we start crossing.”

“Oh man, oh man, I don’t like this part!” Leroy shouted. He sprinted past Albert like an Olympian.

Other creatures flew low overhead, doing flybys as if they could tell someone had entered the Realm. Their shadows were dark and wide, fast as lightning. Whatever they were, they made no sounds other than the flapping of huge, leathery wings. Farnsworth barked from Albert’s backpack as if to ward the creatures off, but still they flew overhead. Albert thought about jumping to take a look, but Trey’s warning rang clearly in his head:
Don’t jump. There are many things that could fly overhead. All of them are sharp clawed and good at grabbing jumping Balance Keepers.
Whatever made the rustling noise pursued them all the way to the end of the Ring of Gold. By the time the grass started to thin, Albert was nearly out of breath. Leroy burst through the edge of the field first. He stopped so abruptly that Albert and Birdie smacked right into him. They all tumbled to the ground. Albert braced himself, waiting for the creature to burst forth from the Ring of Gold . . . but the creature never came.

“That was terrible,” Birdie said, through gasps for air. “I’m good at swimming, not running!”

“Sorry about that one, guys. But I wasn’t about to run in
there
,” Leroy said.

Albert stood up and brushed himself off. When he saw what stood before him, he felt his jaw drop. Goose bumps lined his arms as he took it all in.

“The Forest of Thorns,” Birdie breathed beside Albert.

It was full of skeletal trees with twisting trunks and spidery branches. Glowing, red vines hung from the trees like threads of string, moving slowly on a hot breeze. The trees themselves were blanketed with sharp thorns as long as drumsticks and—Albert swallowed hard—around some of these thorns were long Hissengores snaking in every direction.

“Talk about spooky,” Leroy said, shivering. “Why couldn’t it be called the Forest of Fluffy Bunnies or something?”

Leroy was right. Albert watched the shapes and shadows that moved every so often in the Forest of Thorns, as if there were living things stalking in the darkness.

A mournful howl broke the silence, carrying toward them from the forest. They all stepped backward into the tall, golden grass.

“That didn’t sound inviting,” Birdie said, fixing the laces on her boots.

“Neither does
that
,” Albert said, because the rustling in the cornstalks was back. This time, Albert could tell that something large and heavy was pounding toward them.

“Guys,” Albert said, “I think we should—”

Suddenly, Farnsworth leaped from Albert’s backpack down to the ground and bolted out into the open floor of the Forest of Thorns.

“Farnsworth!” Birdie cried. She chased after the dog. Albert chased after Birdie, but Leroy stayed frozen in place.

Albert skidded to a stop. “Come on, Leroy! We gotta move!” Albert yelled. He saw Birdie getting farther and farther ahead.
“Leroy! Now!”

To Albert’s right, a cluster of cockroaches the size of mice scurried across charred earth with a strange clicking sound. Hissengores slithered and hissed in the trees overhead. From Leroy’s direction, Albert heard the mournful roar again, only closer now.

“Let’s go!” Albert called.

He whirled around again, just in time to see a dark shadow move in the tall grass behind his friend. Albert watched, horrified, as a giant, three-clawed hand covered in matted fur came down toward Leroy’s head.

Almost without even trying, the Speed symbol popped into Albert’s head, and he was by Leroy’s side in a flash.

“Look out!” Albert cried. He grabbed Leroy by the wrist, and hauled him out of the way. The beast roared, and Albert lost the symbol, but it didn’t matter—they were already far away, sprinting into the Forest of Thorns in the direction Birdie had gone, or at least, the direction they thought she had gone.

“I don’t want to know what that was!” Leroy said, breathless, when they finally slowed down. “But thanks.”

“No big deal. I’m getting good at Speed. But we shouldn’t have split up.
That
was a bad idea!” Albert groaned. “Come on, look for clues; we have to find Birdie and Farnsworth.”

Leroy took the lead, watching the forest floor for signs of footprints. Albert was impressed. Leroy tracked like a hunter, using his Tile to help them catch on to Birdie’s trail. They spotted footprints—four paws and two human boots. Finally, they heard Birdie’s shouts in the distance.

Albert started running again. They rounded a large tree the size of a bus. Birdie stood on the other side. “Watch out!” Birdie called. “Overhead!”

There was the sound of rushing wings above them. Albert saw the look of terror on Birdie’s face and he realized he was in serious danger.

He turned, afraid of what he might see, but curious all the same. He recognized the beast from their research in the Library. It was a Gullpacker. Or Gillnacker? Guildacker—that was it—a flying beast with wide wings and sharp talons. He thought Guildackers rarely left the sky over the Ring of Gold, but this one was either brave or remarkably angry. Albert dove to the side and rolled to his feet, just as the beast stretched its claws for Leroy.

Leroy flattened himself to the forest floor not a second too late.

Albert was about to take off running again, when Birdie cried out.

“Don’t move an inch!” Birdie hissed, standing perfectly still. Albert froze on his feet (Leroy froze facedown in the dirt), but Farnsworth didn’t get the memo. Instead, the little dog turned and began barking at the Guildacker, pointing his eyes up into the creature’s face like headlights from an oncoming car.

“Farnsworth, no!” Albert yelled, but it was too late.

Albert gasped as the Guildacker reached its talons down toward Farnsworth and snapped them shut, missing by a hair. Albert had no choice. He dove forward, scooped up Farnsworth, and backed away slowly.

The Guildacker kept snapping, trying to reach them, but apparently, the light from Farnsworth’s eyes had momentarily blinded it. The creature turned wildly off course, missing Leroy by several feet.

Albert watched as the beast veered close to one of the trees, connected hard with a flurry of thorns, and ripped long tears into its right side. The Guildacker careened into another tree, taking more damage, and then slammed into the ground, tumbling end over end. It was immediately attacked by every Hissengore within a hundred feet.

“This is our chance!” Birdie yelled. “Run!”

Farnsworth leaped from Albert’s arms and took off through the trees.

“Not again!” Albert chased after him, zigzagging between thorny trees, jumping long and hard over roots pushing out of the earth. He started to picture the Speed Tile again, and he wanted so badly to leave the Guildacker in the dust. But Albert forced himself not to use his Tile. He wouldn’t leave his friends behind to face the danger alone.

This is just like Herman. I’m just following Farnsworth to deliver a letter. There isn’t a giant Guildacker on my tail, trying to eat me. Everything is going to be okay!

Birdie followed in his wake, then Leroy, until they were far enough away that it seemed safe to stop.

“At least the Hissengores were good for something,” Albert said when they stopped for a breath.

“I can’t believe that just happened!” Birdie said, fixing her ponytail back up on her head.

Leroy’s face was caked in dirt, but he still smiled beneath it. “We just escaped a freaking
Guildacker
.”

Albert slowed to a walk as he noticed a towering black tree in front of him. It looked as if it had been burned to a crisp a thousand times over, growing harder and more impossible to destroy with each successive torching. Birdie and Leroy came to a stop beside him.

“I think we’ve found the Tree of Cinder,” Albert whispered, breathless.

There were black vines in the shadowy light all around them, like strands of thick hair hanging off the head of a giant ogre.

“This reminds me of our first Realm simulation,” Birdie said. “The one with the bell at the top. Remember?”

“It’s kind of like that silver tree, too, where Albert learned how to use Double Vision,” Leroy added.

The three of them stood staring up into the Tree of Cinder, mesmerized by how
big
it was. Albert didn’t even know where they’d start looking for the silver eggs. “Hey, guys.” Leroy broke the silence. “Where’s Farnsworth?”

Albert looked every which way on the ground, but the dog was nowhere to be found. Suddenly he heard a whimpering noise, followed by a bark. Both sounds were coming from high above, up in the Tree of Cinder. Albert craned his neck, searching through the gloom.

A few seconds later, they saw all too well what was up there. Everything about the scene was like their first Realm simulation in the Pit, but instead of a bell at the top, there was something trapped in the clutches of a dozen Hissengores, and that something had eyes like headlights pointing down at them.

Albert’s heart sank. The slithering monsters had grabbed the easiest prey they could find and hauled it up into the tree. “No way,” Leroy said. “We are not letting Farnsworth get eaten alive by Hissengores.”

“Where’s the threat from the simulation? The thing that’s supposed to attack us?” Birdie asked.

Almost as if in response to Birdie’s words, a buzzing sound, like an approaching swarm of killer bees, came toward them through the gloom.

“Oh man. I was afraid of this,” Albert said, wiping his sweaty hands on his shorts. “Climb! Now!”

Everyone grabbed a swaying black vine and started the ascent as a King Firefly broke through the trees. This one was
huge
, with four silvery wings that spread twenty feet across. Its body was oval shaped, and on its tail end a piercing light shone so bright Albert, Leroy, and Birdie had to look away. This was no Guildacker that couldn’t navigate the many obstacles in the Forest of Thorns. This was a King Firefly that could swerve expertly back and forth, perfectly dodging everything it came across. When it saw Albert and the rest of the Hydra team racing into the scorched branches of the Tree of Cinder, the creature’s big bug eyes turned to slits.