The Legend Thief (23 page)

Sky shrugged.

Em
tsked
.
Without waiting, she stood and headed for the bowling lanes. Sky and Crystal hurried to follow.

"Well, Hazzleweed, if we can just take a peek at the pinsetter on lane nine ... Was it eight or nine, dear? I can't remember," said Em.

"I-"

Em cut him off. "I suppose we'd best check both."

"You can't go there," Hazzlebark croaked, stepping away from his wall as they passed and falling into step behind them.

Hazzleweed took one look at Hazzlebark, another look at Sky, and then she scurried away.

"You've done it now,
boyo
," Hazzleweed muttered as she fled.

"Excuse me?" said Em sweetly, addressing Hazzlebark without slowing. They reached the head of lane name and started walking toward the pit.

Sky glanced around nervously. Everyone had stopped what they were doing and had slowly started gathering around the lanes. Someone turned off the music and the place grew eerily silent.

Sky thumbed a canister of Fog in his pocket, and he could see Crystal doing the same.

"I said you can't go there!" Hazzlebark growled.

Em stopped a few steps away from the pit and slowly turned to face Hazzlebark. She spoke soothingly, as if afraid to startle him. ''I'm quite sorry, Mr. Hazzlebark-"

"Just Hazzlebark!" he shouted. His pockmarked skin seemed to be boiling, turning a deep copper, and smoke actually rose from the surface.

"Oh no
... ,
"Sky muttered. He glanced around and noticed that everyone's skin seemed to be coppery and smoking. "This is not good.
.. ."

"What?" Crystal whispered.

"Sorry ...
Hazzlebark ,
"
said Em gently. "We're just looking for shoes, nothing more."

"You will go!" Hazzlebark breathed heavily.
"Now!"

Sky grabbed Crystal's arm and pulled her away from

Hazzlebark, little by little.

"What's going on, Sky?"
Crystal hissed.

Em moved closer to Hazzlebark, her voice soft and comforting. "Hazzlebark-that's a lovely name. Is it Dutch?" Hazzlebark narrowed his eyes. "Leave ... don't make me ... you need to . . . you need to go." Air wheezed in and out of his lungs and he planted his hands on his thighs as if recovering from a long race.

"We will," said Em. "''m walking to the door now,
see
?" Hazzlebark 'seemed to calm down, the smoke lessening.

His eyes focused on Em.

Sky was a few steps away from the pit. He saw movement through the far windows: T-Bone, Andrew, and Hands creeping up.

He took another step toward the pit. If something on the pinsetter could save Exile, it was worth the risk.
"Hazzlebark!
The boy!" someone screamed.

Hazzlebark spun away from Em and his smoldering eyes locked on Sky.

"Not good
... ,
"Sky chirped.

"I think you made him mad," Crystal whispered.
Hazzlebark's
eyes were
literally
smoldering.

"I ... warned . .
.you
..."

Hazzlebark burst into flame.

Time seemed to slow, and then everything happened at once. Hazzlebark threw a giant glob of fiery, fleshy copper just as Sky grabbed Crystal and jumped into the pit. The copper struck the thin façade over the pit, sailed through it, and crashed into the reinforced outer wall, splattering and setting it aflame.

Sky felt around on the pinsetter. His hand brushed across a package too small to be a sword. He snatched it from its hiding place just as the music flipped back on.

Burn, baby, burn, disco inferno!

Burn, baby, burn, burn that mama down!

T-Bone, Hands, and Andrew crashed through the door, crackling with electricity and holding Tin shields in front of them.

Everywhere, people screamed and burst into flames. Hazzleweed, who was safely locked away in the DJ booth, cackled above the noise and sang along, adding her own lyrics.

"Got you mad now, Hazzlebark! Burn, baby!" she hooted, looking the same as before except healthier, happier, and far more insane.

Fiery balls of copper splattered everywhere. Em flipped out of the way of one fiery ball, dropped into a split to avoid another, rolled, and spun back to her feet, avoiding several more, almost like she was dancing. Glancing at Hazzleweed, Sky saw that she
was
dancing as she switched on a new song, something hard and thumping.

"I take it those are Harrow Wights?" Crystal shouted.

"Yep!"

Sky and Crystal jumped the gutter to the pit on lane eleven, searching for a path to the door.

"When they get mad," Sky continued, ducking down to take another peek, "their blood boils and melts pockets of cop per scattered throughout their bodies! The hot metal ignites their skin as it seeks out and they burst into flames! When their fire goes out, the copper will cool, and then we'll be in real trouble!"

I can only imagine how horrible that would be!" Crystal yelled sarcastically.

They dove into the pit on lane twelve just as fiery metal crashed into lane eleven. Sky and Crystal leaped onto the pinsetter.

A copper ball blasted into the pit, knocking out the pins and leaving the Harrow Wight with a seven-ten split-a difficult shot even under the best of circumstances.

Another flaming ball crashed down the lane, just missing the conversion, and the sweeper arm dragged the remaining tenpin into the pit.

Sky and Crystal watched the melted and smoking
pinsgine
how horrible that would be!" Crystal yelled sarcastically.

bounce in the pit and get sucked up into the pinsetter while the burning copper balls rolled into the ball return and disappeared, leaving ruin in their wake.

"We've got to get out of here!" Crystal yelled.

Metal punched through the facade, sailed between them, and smashed into the outer wall. Through the hole, Sky saw Hazzlebark glaring back at him.

"Run!" Sky shouted.

Sky and Crystal scrambled from one pinsetter to the next. The thin facade exploded all around them. Molten balls flew past again and again, splattering everywhere. Pinsetters malfunctioned, spitting out flaming pins.

Sky leaped to the side, dodging a burning pin. He jumped to the next setter, racing after Crystal.

Through a giant hole, Sky saw a fiery ball headed for Crystal.

"Crystal!
Drop!"
Sky screamed.

Without hesitating, Crystal twisted and fell off the pin setter, crashing hard to the lane below. The fiery ball flashed through the facade, just missing her.

Looking down, he saw Crystal lying motionless, with Harrow Wights closing in.

Ripping the mint tin from his pocket-and silently thanking his friends for the timely birthday present-Sky leaped through the burning facade and activated the shield. Flaming rubble collapsed around him as the shield spun out.

He landed in front of Crystal and raised the Tin just as molten metal hit, driving him sliding backward. The fiery ball bounced off the shield and crashed back into the Harrow Wight, knocking her to the ground.

With the shield in one hand, Sky grabbed Crystal by the arm and dragged her away from the facade as a huge chunk broke free and plowed into the lanes. They'd nearly reached the last lane and the outer wall, but they were trapped and Sky knew it.

The fire sprinklers kicked on and spit out a pathetic stream of rusty water. The drops popped and sizzled against the molten skin of seven advancing Harrow Wights, filling the alley with steam.

Just before the· steam enveloped them, Sky saw copper seep into the Harrow Wights' palms, and they reared back, preparing to throw.

Sky dropped Crystal's arm and brought his Tin shield up as the balls hit. He pushed forward against the onslaught, striving to keep the Harrow Wights from Crystal.

Clearing the rusty water, the fire sprinklers sputtered and then spat out a massive stream that dissolved the steam and brought everything into focus.

Through a gap, Sky spotted T-Bone, Hands, and Andrew fighting their way to the exit with Em. Andrew yelled something at Sky, but it was lost within the thumping music.

Hands disappeared under a wave of Harrow Wights, and T-Bone and Em jumped forward, struggling frantically to free him. Andrew yelled again, pointing at the outer wall just behind Sky.

Before Sky could figure out what Andrew meant, a Harrow Wight stepped between them, blocking Sky's view. Its fire had burned out and its body was encased in a splotchy rusted copper, shiny and flexible as flesh in some places greenish blue, formless, and unyielding in others. Its arm chopped down.

Sky ducked, expecting to see the shield's sharp edge cut through the arm just as it had cut into the sewer wall. Instead, the monster's arm rebounded into the
air,
undamaged save for a small cut that quickly filled with more copper.

The monster took a step back. Its face was partially corroded and hard-bereft of features-while other parts were fleshy and bright.

Looking at that fleshy part, Sky realized he was fighting an insane Hazzlebark. Sky clicked the Tin handle, and the sharp edge rolled safely inward.

Hazzlebark swung again. Sky pivoted, knocked
Hazzlebark's
arm aside with the shield, and rammed him with his shoulder to no effect.

Sky yelped in surprise.

Hazzlebark roared. Sky pulled a Fog canister from his coat and clicked it on, but before he could throw, Hazzlebark grabbed his wrist and
squeezed.
Sky screamed and dropped the Fog.

Hazzlebark kicked the canister into the burning rubble of the facade and it exploded weakly. And in that moment Sky knew what Andrew wanted him to do.

With a click, Sky sharpened the edges of the Tin shield and swung at Hazzlebark with his free hand. Hazzlebark let go of Sky's wrist and stepped back.

Sky let the momentum carry him, grabbing another canister from his coat as he spun. Before Sky could throw it, Hazzlebark snatched his wrist again. Sky dropped the canister and it crashed uselessly against the outer wall.

Sky brought his Tin shield around, but Hazzlebark snatched his other wrist so that he now held both. Another squeeze and the Tin fell from Sky's
limp
hand and landed upright in the gutter, the sharp edge lodging into the wood.

Hazzlebark rotated Sky's arms and lifted him.
He
head-butted Sky.
Once.
Twice.

Sky tumbled to the ground. Blood streamed from his face. Through the blood, he saw Em and T-Bone collapse under the weight of more than a dozen Harrow Wights. Andrew raised his Cross-Shocker, but a Harrow Wight tackled him, and he too disappeared in a mountain of smoldering bodies.

Sky closed his eyes against the pain. He was all that was left.

Hazzlebark kicked him to his back and his Hunter's Mark warmed as Hazzlebark spoke, his voice like grating iron. "Give me what you found."

The other Harrow Wights closed in, their fires spent, their faces and bodies like
Hazzlebark's
, but each uniquely grotesque.

Sky pulled out the package. "What? This?" he slurred, his lips feeling too big for his mouth and his mouth feeling too big for his head.

Every Harrow Wight in the alley stopped what they were doing and turned to face him. Hazzleweed shut off the music.

As
Harrow Wights moved closer, Sky could see the others pinned to the ground.
Hands wasn't
moving. T-Bone, Em, and Andrew looked beat-up, but conscious. Sky could see Andrew's hand slowly drifting toward his Core.

Sky turned his attention back to Hazzlebark. "The package is mine," Sky spluttered, his mouth feeling like it was full of molasses.
"Special delivery."

"You cannot stop us," Hazzlebark croaked. "You betrayed us long ago. Tonight Exile will burn."

Sky slipped a Jumper canister from his pocket.

Hazzlebark reached down and lifted Sky up by his coat, flames shot from
Hazzlebark's
hands. Phineas’ old coat resisted, but Sky could feel his ugly pink shirt burning where
Hazzlebark's
hands touched.

"You want the package?" Sky spat. "Then catch."

Sky flipped the package into the air.

The Harrow Wights watched, mesmerized.

From the corner of his eye, Sky saw Andrew kick out at the Harrow Wight pinning him down. The Harrow Wight let go and Andrew hit his protective Shimmer. A crackling blue nimbus popped up around him, pushing the Harrow Wight away.

Andrew rolled and snatched up his Cross-Shocker.

In that instant, Hazzlebark released Sky and reached for the package. Sky locked his arms behind him and clicked on the Jumper canister. The force propelled him up toward the package.

As
he snatched it from the air, Andrew pulled the trigger on his Cross-Shocker. Two electrified prongs shot through the alley, between a Harrow Wight's legs, then bounced off the Tin shield Sky had strategically lodged in the gutter, went behind the crowd of Harrow Wights, and smashed into the Jumper canister Sky had dropped against the outer wall earlier.

The canister exploded.

The concussion punched a massive hole through the brick and sent Harrow Wights flying.

Shock waves caught Sky as he grabbed the package, and flung him tumbling through the air. As the ground spun toward him, he pointed the Jumper canister and squeezed to slow himself. Even with the boost, he crashed hard and rolled to a stop.

The place was a charred and soggy ruin. Harrow Wights were scattered everywhere, groaning. Sky spotted T-Bone racing for the hole in the outer brick wall, with Hands slung over his shoulder. Andrew ripped Sky's Tin from the lane while Em carried Crystal gently in her arms.

"Come on!" Andrew cried.

Sky shook himself and ran for the hole as Harrow Wights stirred around him. Many were out cold, and he could see the copper seeping back into their skin. In a few hours they'd grow new flesh, but until then they'd be ugly, ugly, ugly.

Sky reached Andrew and the others.

"Are you all right?" Em asked, looking worried.

Sky wiped blood from his nose. "Yeah, I'm okay." He felt like death.

Outside, he saw T-Bone opening the sewer grate.

As they started to leave, Hazzleweed called out to Sky, "Bedlam can save her, you know!"

Sky stopped and turned to face Hazzleweed, who stood a short distance away on the upper level by the DJ booth. "Save who?" Sky asked.

"Your sister-the one you came with," Hazzleweed said. "But he won't do it for free!"

Sky got a sick feeling in his stomach. He scrambled frantically through the rubble until he caught up with Em and Andrew. Very slowly, Sky rolled Crystal forward in
Em's
arms until he could see her back.

''I'm sorry, Sky," Em said quietly.

Crystal had dropped, just like Sky had told her to. But she hadn't dropped fast enough.