Every now and then Kitten slowed and sniffed the air again, then charged up a different hallway, always seeming to follow the same red arrows. But would she find her beloved Crow before he was struck down too? She raced, veering close to the wall when more and more blue-uniformed soldiers ran past her. Sometimes she had to dart between their feet. Magically she avoided being crushed, but how long would that luck last? Despite knowing she had seven lives left, she didn’t want to lose even one of them to these smelly keepers of the bones. She had to get to Crow, and fast—or there wouldn’t be a rescue team left.
In Pursuit
Fifer and Crow soared into the mouth of the cave, blinking hard as their eyes began adjusting to the firelit passageway. The hammock skimmed the floor and dipped precariously into the rushing river as they crossed it. The birds rose to the ceiling to lift the cargo a little higher as they continued into the catacombs.
“Wooo!” cried Fifer, thrown backward in the hammock as the birds screamed forward. “We are cruising!”
She regained her balance and planted herself on her knees, holding on to the edge of the hammock. Crow did too, and they could finally see where they were going again. Talon and Alex were a short distance in front of them, Talon taking care not to scrape his big bronze wings or body in the narrow passageways. He held Alex around the chest, and the head mage’s robe flapped in the breeze. There was no one around.
“This seems too easy,” Alex called out warily to Fifer and Crow. “Something feels off. Don’t let your guard down.”
“Okay, Alex!” said Fifer. She grabbed a handful of scatterclips in one hand and a clay shackle component in the other. She glanced at Crow, whose jaw was set in a hard line. He held his slingshot and a sharp stone.
They flew through the hallways, Alex and Talon making split-second decisions as they tried to decipher the symbols on the walls, choosing the paths that went downhill. They saw no one for many minutes. And then they came to an intersection.
A group of soldiers heard and saw them coming, and they lined up across the hallway to stop them, swords raised. “Everyone hold on!” shouted Talon. He turned his body to shield Alex, made a fist with his free hand, and put his head down. Without slowing, Talon slammed head- and fist-first into the center of the lineup, sending several soldiers flying and skidding left and right. Alex fired off a series of backward bobbly heads, blinding highlighters, and shackles, which cleared a wide enough path for the birds to advance without being struck down. Fifer cast her components at the remaining soldiers, hitting two and missing one, leaving him to help his fellow soldiers back to their feet.
They kept going. The soldiers charged after them but couldn’t keep up.
When Talon and Alex reached another intersection, they did the same as before, and the results were just as predictable. Behind them Fifer nailed all three of her opponents this time. They pressed forward, seeing no one again for a long distance.
“I hope the others are all right,” shouted Alex. He was deeply worried about them, imagining that the majority of the soldiers would be stationed near the elevator entrance since that one seemed the most vulnerable of the three.
When they neared a third intersection, spotting more soldiers on the run toward them, they heard a familiar cry. “Mewmewmew!”
“It’s Kitten!” cried Fifer, looking around. “Where is she? Does anyone see her?”
Talon reversed his wings and stopped suddenly, forgetting to warn the birds. The falcons screeched and veered around him, trying and failing to stop in time. Some of them hit Alex and others crashed into the wall, causing chaos in the narrow hallway. Crow and Fifer were thrown from the hammock and found themselves rolling and scrambling among the birds to get to their feet.
Alex leaped out of Talon’s grasp and ran to help them. But just as Alex, Crow, and Fifer were upright and reaching for their weapons, the soldiers from the intersection reached them and began swinging their swords, knocking them down again. More birds squawked, others lost hold of their ropes, and several scattered to save their own lives. Feathers flew everywhere. From the ground, Alex began pelting spells expertly at the enemy like he was a teenager again. Fifer grabbed a handful of components as she rolled and dodged the swords and cast freeze spells and scatterclips, trying to protect Crow, who was scrambling to get away.
Alex got up, sending a steady stream of spells at the soldiers as Talon plowed into a line of them. Then Talon chased after a few who were trying to make a run for it. With him far down the passageway, one sneaky soldier who’d been faking injury jumped to his feet. He slid behind Alex and grabbed him, holding his arms down and pressing a dagger into his back.
Alex struggled but couldn’t free himself from the soldier’s grasp. “Fifer!” he yelled, trying again to get loose.
The soldier jabbed the dagger harder into Alex’s back, making him yelp.
Fifer turned to see what had happened. Her eyes widened. “Alex!” She took a step toward him, but the soldier jabbed him again.
“Argh!” Alex cried, then tried to wrestle free. “Stay back!”
“Fifer,” said Crow urgently. “Here!”
Fifer stopped and turned to Crow.
Crow, who’d been fumbling in his pockets, pulled out the heart attack components that Scarlet had given him. He shoved them at Fifer. “Take these!” he cried. “I don’t trust myself to do it right. Just say ‘heart attack’ when you throw one.”
Fifer took them as Alex called out for help again. He had a wild, frightened look on his face that Fifer had never seen before. It scared her. But she didn’t dare get closer, worried that the soldier would stab Alex again. She looked at the heart attack components, then up at her brother. The soldier was using him as a shield. Could she risk trying to hit the soldier without hitting Alex by mistake?
Alex had seen the exchange and heard what Crow had said. He stared at what Fifer held in her hand. Then he flinched and cried out in pain again as the soldier brought the dagger to his throat. “If the girl makes a move, you die,” snarled the soldier in Alex’s ear.
But Alex had been threatened before, many times. And he wasn’t about to let this soldier kill any of them. “Fifer!” he yelled. “Do it! Use three!”
Fifer froze. She’d never even used one of these before, much less the lethal dose of three. But the soldier was threatening her brother’s life. Cringing, she picked three of the heart attack components and shoved the rest in her pocket. Taking aim and praying to miss her brother, she wound up and, focusing on the soldier, let them fly. “Heart attack!”
The components sailed through the air. Alex closed his eyes and swallowed hard, holding himself deathly still. All three of the little red hearts missed Alex. But they didn’t miss the soldier. They struck him right where Fifer had aimed.
The soldier’s face paled, and an instant later his dagger slipped from his grasp and clattered to the ground. His body dropped next.
Alex blew out a breath and stepped away from the soldier. A moment later Talon came flying back. Fifer ran to her brother.
Shaking, Alex grabbed Fifer and hugged her hard, not letting go. She could feel his heart pounding. “That,” Alex said quietly near her ear, “was brilliant work. Brave and precise and true, just as I knew you would do it. Thank you, Fifer. You’ve saved me.”
Fifer’s eyes shone. She’d saved Alex’s life. And he’d trusted her to do it. He’d instructed her to use a lethal dose of a spell, knowing he was putting his own life in danger but not hesitating, believing in her to get it right. She didn’t have any words to say back, but her heart soared. They released their embrace, and smiled, and Fifer nodded. “You’re welcome,” she managed to whisper. Alex rested his hand on her shoulder and gave it an extra-brotherly squeeze. And then they turned to see some of the other soldiers getting up to fight, and the moment was over. But Fifer knew she would never forget it.
Kitten mewed again, and Talon located her and swept her out of the fray. Then he plowed into the soldiers who were
getting up.
“Let’s keep moving!” Alex shouted, running over to Talon.
Fifer signaled to the birds to regroup.
In the larger space of the intersection, Shimmer and the birds flocked together again and straightened out the hammock, then took their ropes in beak and waited. Fifer laid down one last struggling soldier with a backward bobbly head, then grabbed Crow’s sleeve, and the two ran and dove into the hammock before the soldiers could revive and come after them again.
Talon swung around with Alex and tossed Kitten to Crow, who caught her and set her on his shoulder. Then Talon and Alex continued forward. The birds took off right behind.
Seeing that the hallway before them was clear, Alex turned his head to look back at Fifer. “Are you okay, Fig? That was a big spell you did.”
Fifer smiled. She’d known it was a major one, and she’d thought briefly before about what it would be like to use a lethal spell like that. But in the moment she hadn’t really had time to dwell on it. She knew she could do it, and she needed to do it, so she did. But it dawned on her as they traveled through the passageway that over her lifetime, being as powerful as she was, and reading about the adventures in Artimé and knowing the stakes her brother and the others had faced in the past, this hadn’t been a difficult decision at all. She hadn’t hesitated, and she didn’t have any regrets. She would do anything to save and protect her friends and family. And she wouldn’t blink before using another lethal spell on the next enemy who threatened her brother. “I’m okay. Are you?”
“I’ve never felt better in my life,” said Alex. “You’re an excellent partner, and I’m so glad to be fighting alongside you.”
“I think the same about you, Alex,” said Fifer, imagining them fighting many battles together and wondering with pride what Lani would write about her in future books.
They exchanged a look of mutual respect and admiration. Fifer could tell by the expression on Alex’s face that this adventure, plus the near-death experience, had truly made him come alive again in every way. Here was Alex the hero from Lani’s books, right in front of her. Fifer’s heart soared—seeing him in battle for the first time that she could remember, his spirits so high. She loved every part of this. And he’d trusted her with his life. She was feeling just as euphoric as he most certainly was.
“Mewmewmew!” cried Kitten from Crow’s shoulder, pointing. “Mewmewmew!”
“That way?” guessed Crow. “She’s leading us to the others!”
“Mewmewmew!”
“Are we nearly there?” asked Fifer.
Kitten nodded.
“We’re nearly there!” Fifer called to Alex. She looked down at Kitten. “Are there any more intersections with soldiers first?”
Kitten nodded wildly. She held up her paw and extended a single tiny claw.
“One more intersection?” Crow asked.
Kitten smiled and nodded again. Then, her duties complete, she yawned and curled up in the folds of Crow’s shirt.
“One more intersection, and then we’ll be there,” Fifer called to Alex and Talon.
Crow set down his slingshot, took Kitten off his shoulder and slid her into his pocket so she could sleep. “Well done, Kitten,” he said, and she began to purr.
As they neared the next intersection, they couldn’t see any soldiers.
“Perhaps they’ve gone to the elevator area to fight,” Talon said, sounding worried. He went forward into the large space, and suddenly a group of men and women jumped into view. Swords slammed into the bronze man, clanging like a thousand ancient bells, sending him hurtling off course. Startled and spinning, Talon shielded Alex the best he could and tried to take the brunt of the swings.
Behind them the falcons put on their air brakes, but they didn’t have enough time. The hammock swung wildly, which messed up Fifer’s aim, and she accidentally sent a clay shackles component into Alex. It pinned his arms to Talon so he couldn’t throw.
“Whoops, sorry!” said Fifer, starting to panic. “Release!” she called out, freeing him. Then she pelted the soldiers with scatterclips and blinding highlighters. She was starting to run out of components. As she fumbled with the bag to reload her pockets, a sword went flying through the air straight at them, knocking two falcons to the ground and continuing toward the hammock. Crow, who’d turned to fire off his slingshot at a soldier, didn’t see it coming. The sword hilt barely missed Fifer and smashed into Crow’s head. He slumped against Fifer, unconscious.
Fifer shrieked his name, then kept flinging components until they were out of immediate danger. When she had a moment, she looked at Crow again and gasped. He had a lump on his head the size of a platyprot egg. “Oh no!” She checked him over and was relieved to see he was breathing, just knocked out.
“Let’s push through this mess!” Talon called out.
“Right behind you!” Fifer said, signaling to Shimmer. The birds regrouped, leaving their two fallen ones behind, and diligently followed Talon.
When they finally neared the elevator passageway, they were relieved to hear sounds of battle—which meant the Artiméans were still alive and fighting. But then they saw that their team members were either wounded or doggedly fighting the mass of soldiers, looking like they were about to collapse.
Talon landed and set Alex on the ground. Fifer jumped out of the hammock, leaving Crow, still unconscious, for the birds to protect. Talon began punching soldiers left and right, and Alex and Fifer worked as partners, flinging spells at the rest of them, giving the others a chance to recover and take a breath. They fell into a routine, as if knowing instinctively what the other was about to cast and working to enhance the effects.
With Talon’s great help, finally all the soldiers in the elevator area were down and unmoving, and the Artiméans had a chance to fix up their wounds.
Alex and Fifer exchanged a satisfied look. “Good work,” Alex said, giving her a quick side hug.
“You too,” said Fifer, squeezing him around the waist and peering at the thin cut on his neck where the threatening soldier’s dagger had left its mark. The blood had dried by now, and the wound looked like it would heal fine on its own.
“Let’s go help the others,” said Alex. “And check on Crow. He’s going to have quite a headache when he wakes up.”
Fifer nodded. The faster the others were back on their feet, the sooner they could start their search for Thisbe. They tracked down Carina’s medical bag and helped to administer the healing salves to whoever still needed them.
After a while Crow regained consciousness and left the hammock to help Fifer and Alex. Fifer gave him some medicine for the huge lump on his forehead, and soon everyone had recovered enough to continue with the quest.
“Let’s find Thisbe,” said Alex. He quickly assigned duties pertaining to the new job of breaking down crypt doors. Talon led the way with Alex and Fifer right behind. Lani and Samheed followed.
“We’ll take care of these goons in the hallway so they don’t wake up,” said Carina. She and Thatcher showed Seth how to do a permanent freeze spell, and the three began to freeze the many soldiers in place.
Talon went to the first crypt and knocked tentatively on the door to see what it was made of. “Clear the area!” he called, in case there was a person behind the door. Then he smashed his shoulder into it, breaking the lock and ripping the door off its hinges. He stumbled inside the crypt. A frightened girl with black eyes screamed and cowered behind some bones, but it wasn’t Thisbe.
“Come out, come out,” Fifer said, running inside and waving the girl toward the door. “It’s okay. Do you know where Thisbe is?”
The girl looked puzzled and shook her head, then said something in another language.
Fifer shrugged helplessly. “Sorry,” she said. “I don’t understand. Thiz-bee,” Fifer repeated, slower this time, in case the girl would at least recognize her sister’s name. But the girl shook her head again.
“Let’s keep going,” said Alex, glancing around u
neasily. “I don’t want to spend any more time down here than we have to. There may be more soldiers. And I’d like to get out before the Revinir learns we’re here.”
Talon led them to the next crypt. He smashed in the door like he’d done before, and this time Samheed ushered out a bewildered black-eyed boy. He and the girl they’d freed began talking fearfully together when they saw each other. They pointed to Talon, who was clearly unlike anything they’d ever seen before, and then at the soldiers being frozen on the floor. They started sneaking away.
Lani stopped the black-eyed children and tried to convince them that they were safe as Talon freed another boy and two more girls. But with the frightening happenings and scary bronze-winged man breaking down doors, combined with not being able to speak their language, it was impossible. The five of them pushed past the Artiméans and ran through the catacombs, out of sight. Lani and Samheed gave up trying and let them go.
Talon continued to the last crypt in the hallway.
“This has got to be hers,” said Fifer, “unless Dev lied. I wouldn’t put it past him.” She stood on one side of the door, watching anxiously as Talon stepped back and prepared to break in. From the other side Alex strained to see. With extra exuberance, Talon smashed against the door and pushed it aside, then got out of the way so Alex and Fifer could be the first to enter.
“Thisbe!” Alex called out, going a few steps inside the dark room. “Are you in here?”
Fifer moved in behind him, trying to look around him and over his shoulder. “Thisbe!” she said. There was no reply.
At first Alex didn’t see anyone at all—there was only a stub of a lighted candle near the door, its fire being drowned by wax. Imagining how scared Thisbe must be, he called out again. “Thisbe, it’s me, Alex. We’ve come to take you home.”
He thought he saw movement off to one side, and he stepped toward it. “Thisbe?” he said softly.
From out of the shadows came a horribly familiar face—it was the face that had plagued his nightmares for a decade. “Thisbe isn’t here anymore,” said a familiar voice. “But I’m glad we finally meet again.”