“The Guardian is often busy,” AnnA said vaguely. “This is called the Celebration Center. At the age of four or five a child is called to join.”
AnnA nodded to the side of the plateau where an arched roof was held up by rows of pillars. A set of steps led up to it and Piper was immediately intrigued. “Are we allowed to see inside?”
“Of course. But Equilla is waiting for us and we must not linger.” AnnA guided her two guests up the steps and through the columns.
Inside the Celebration Center, Conrad saw different platform levels with views of the valley from every perspective. He counted eighteen kids at work, focusing with steady concentration on their own individual tasks. One girl with golden hair had no less than thirty bees and other insects flying around her. A thin, awkward boy was creating miniature wind worms in his hands next to where a very small girl was coaxing carrot seeds to grow into full-size carrots.
“I wish I’d had this place to teach me to fly!” Piper remarked with longing.
Conrad silently admitted to himself that it was an impressive setup.
“Each morning the young ones gather here to explore and celebrate their abilities.”
“You mean like school?”
“School?” repeated AnnA.
“Yes,” Conrad said. “A place of learning where children are taught math, history, and to read and write.”
“No, no, it is not like school.” AnnA shook her head, disturbed by the notion of such a place. “No, we do not wish to learn new things. The goal is to merely uncover that which is already inside of us and celebrate it into a blossoming.”
“Hmm.” Conrad watched the children’s efforts.
AnnA led him past a boy who was causing the air around him to turn from pink to blue to yellow, around a fountain that was somehow suspended in the middle of the air with no seeming intake or outlet, to a circular space that hovered several feet above the ground. Five children played on top of it.
AnnA stopped before they actually approached so that Conrad could watch. All the children appeared to be between the ages of four and six, and one of them, a curly-haired boy, had a blindfold over his eyes. He was reaching out to catch the other children, who were giggling wildly and darting away from him.
“Oh, I know this game.” Piper smiled. “We play it back at home. It’s called blindman’s bluff.”
AnnA cocked her head. “You have a game like this?”
“Sure. If you’re ‘it’ you’ve gotta catch someone and guess who it is.”
The little boy darted forward and grabbed hold of a little girl. Suddenly the two children merged into one, creating a new creature comprised of both their parts.
Piper and Conrad gasped.
“Wait,” AnnA warned.
After about ten seconds the merged entity tore apart and the two children returned to their normal shapes. A moment later they laughed uproariously.
“This game is called Habatet,” AnnA explained quickly, to quell the shock on both Conrad’s and Piper’s faces. “The children become one so that they can feel what it is like to be someone else. It awakens their natural empathy and acceptance of differences.”
“Oh,” Piper said, finding that she could breathe again. “Yeah, that’s not so much like blindman’s bluff.”
Suddenly, a fat, glossy-brown squirrel jumped up on a railing next to where they stood.
“Equilla wishes to welcome the Outsiders now,” the squirrel chucked. His voice was strangely feminine and throaty. He then bobbed up and down until AnnA fed him a nut that she pulled discreetly from a pocket of her robe. The squirrel snatched the nut up and ate it greedily.
Conrad watched the squirrel with fascination.
“This is Nuttle,” AnnA explained. “The squirrels deliver messages for us. It is very … convenient. They keep us all connected.”
“Like the internet.”
“But super cute.” Piper reached out her hand to pet him. “Hey, little fella.”
Suddenly the squirrel lunged forward, baring his teeth and making an alarmingly loud screeching noise. AnnA threw herself between the two, protecting Piper from the squirrel’s wrath.
“Go, Nuttle.” Throwing out another nut, AnnA pointed firmly away from the Celebration Center. “Your message has been heard. Go!”
Nuttle glared at Piper before huffily scampering away.
“What was that?” Piper was entirely unsettled by the squirrel’s viciousness.
“They are proud creatures. It is best not to pet them. Or get too close to them. Or look them in the eye. They will not like it.”
“No kidding.”
“We must not delay,” AnnA told her guests. “I will take you to Equilla now.”
CHAPTER
28
AnnA deftly wove through passages and stairways until she led Piper and Conrad to the very top of the mountain. “The elders watch over Xanthia and ensure our safety,” AnnA explained as she went. “Equilla is the leader among the elders.”
AnnA’s journey ended at a chamber with high ceilings and a spectacular view of the valley below. As they waited, Conrad and Piper nervously looked out at the valley, catching fleeting glimpses of a strange creature that looked strikingly like a dragon and a swarm of flies that picked up a tree and carried it off.
“I wonder what you think of Xanthia?” a throaty voice asked, interrupting the quiet.
Conrad and Piper turned to find Equilla watching them. She was a regal woman with careful eyes and a dove-gray robe that draped so perfectly about her that when she stood still, which was almost always, she appeared to be a statue. AnnA had told them that Equilla was 153 years old, but the wisdom of those years had lightened her frame instead of weighing it down.
“It’s beautiful,” Piper said, smiling. “I’m Piper.”
“Yes, I know.” Equilla returned Piper’s smile. “And you are Conrad.” A nod of her head sent AnnA away, and all her attention fell on Piper and Conrad.
“We welcome you.” She smiled. “Asanti.”
Conrad returned her nod politely. “A—thank you.”
“In all our time in Xanthia you are the first newcomers to be welcomed among us. I hope that AnnA is explaining our ways to you so that there is no confusion.”
“Yes, thank you.” Conrad was about to bring up the subject of Harrington, but before he could Equilla continued.
“That pleases me to hear.” Equilla’s eyes considered the details of Conrad’s wound. “I want you to know that the elders are here to help you with anything that might trouble you. We live in peace on Mother Mountain and our people know no lack for anything. We are happy to share all that we have and all that we are with you. From now on you will be considered one of us: a Chosen One.”
“Thank you. I wanted—” Conrad started to ask about his father when Equilla cut him off once more.
“Our history with the Outsiders is a long one. When you are settled we must take the opportunity to explain the journey of the Chosen Ones. In Xanthia we encourage you to fully embrace all that you are and experience it in every way possible, but we do not wish for you to introduce any Outsider ways that would disrupt the happiness of others. Of course AnnA will help you with that.”
“My father is here too,” Conrad blurted out. “I would like to see him. Now.”
Equilla pursed her lips. “AnnA has spoken to me of this. I know nothing of your father, nor does anyone in Xanthia. He is not here. You are mistaken.”
Conrad bit his tongue. The persistent calm of Equilla was irritating, but not as much as her all-knowing condescension.
“He is hurt,” Conrad tried again. “He would need medical care.”
Equilla turned and took a few steps away before facing them again. “I understand that Outsiders often trade in untruths, but it is not our way here. If your father were in Xanthia I would know of it, and if I knew I would tell you so. I cannot speak more truly than I am.”
“But—” Conrad argued. “If everyone was to look—”<
br />
Equilla paused meaningfully. “There are those among us who do not think that an Outsider can live with the Chosen Ones peacefully. They think our ways will be too strange for you. They wish for you to be returned to the Outside.”
“What?” Piper was suddenly confused. “You want us to leave?”
Conrad understood not only the meaning of Equilla’s message but the unspoken meanings, too. If he was going to get anywhere then he was going to have to change his tactics immediately and play by their rules.
“You’re right.” Conrad shrugged good-naturedly and smiled, making his expression calm and relaxed. “If you say that my father’s not here, then he’s not here.”
Piper’s head swung toward Conrad in shock. “But Conrad—”
Conrad raised his hand to silence her. “It’s a great opportunity for us to join you in Xanthia, and we appreciate the welcome. I’m sorry I got carried away about all of this, but, as you say, it’s different on the Outside. It’s a good thing that we’re young and we’ll learn your ways easily.”
Conrad nudged Piper pointedly. She shot him a dirty look.
Pleased that the matter was resolved, Equilla bowed her head. “We are happy to have you and eager that you are settled. We will be having a Celebration in a few days’ time. I hope that you will join us.”
“We wouldn’t miss it!” Conrad chirped. “We want to see everything.”
Conrad didn’t give Piper the chance to utter another syllable until they were alone on the balcony after being dismissed by Equilla. AnnA was waiting for them a short distance away, and the moment she spotted them she trotted in their direction.
“What was that about?” Piper hissed. “You’re going to give up on your father just like that?”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Conrad scoffed, talking quickly before AnnA reached them. “Either Equilla doesn’t know if my dad is here, or she’s hiding him. If she doesn’t know, then she can’t help us, and if she’s hiding him, she won’t. Either way we have to find him, and if we don’t act peacefully they’re going to kick us out and we’ll never find him and get back to the others.”
Piper could see the logic in this. “So your dad is here?”
“Maybe. Or maybe not. It’s up to us to find out for sure.”
“How?”
“The first thing we need to do is not cause problems. If they trust us we’ll get the run of the place and that will make it easier for us to search. Obviously if he is here, he’s being hidden, and so we’re going to have to dig around.”
“But what about the others? They’ll be worried sick.”
“The faster we work, the faster we can return. Now shhhhh.”
AnnA walked up to them and bowed. “Asanti.” She smiled.
“Asanti.” Conrad smiled and bowed back.
CHAPTER
29
As a parting gift, the marines detonated enough explosives to implode the entrance to the cave—if they couldn’t learn the secrets to the place, they decided, then no one else would, either.
This wasn’t a problem. Indeed, there really wasn’t a problem until there was, and then it wasn’t a problem—it was an insurmountable obstacle.
It took Daisy a few days to clear away the rocks and punch through, and soon enough they were standing in the caves. It was then up to Smitty to identify invisible clues that would lead them through to the secret passage. Once again, this didn’t turn out to present too much of a challenge even though the military efforts had mucked up the terrain. Smitty was able to isolate the blood that had fallen from Conrad’s shoulder and combine that trail with random strands of Piper’s hair that had fallen along their way. Progress was quick, and a few days after they had first started, J., Jasper, and all the other kids stood on the cliff where Piper had caught her first glimpses of Xanthia.
“Ahhh.” J. inhaled deeply, soaking it all in. Seeing the view made his brain feel like it was being tickled. Even though he couldn’t remember it, his body knew that he’d been here before.
Lily was captivated by a flock of seagulls that flew in circular patterns and decorated the sky with flower designs. “It’s … soooo magical.”
“Look!” Violet pointed to a group of migrating bushes.
Next to where they stood, some rocks began to hum and bounce. “What is this place?” Daisy asked as Aletha moved behind her, the small girl’s hand snaking up to grasp hold of Daisy’s shirt as though seeking protection. Unlike the other children, whose faces were filled with wonder and excitement, Aletha’s brown eyes grew large with fear.
“It’s paradise!” J. threw his arms wide. “It’s the promised land. It’s where we belong!”
“B-but where are Conrad and Piper?” Jasper was scanning the valley and the surrounding mountains.
Smitty was also searching, but the area was vast and teeming with life, most of which was unidentifiable to him. “I can’t see them.”
J. looked toward the distant mountains, squinting at them as though that might make him remember something. It didn’t. “We’ll just have to start searching. We’ll find them sooner or later.”
And that was the precise moment when everything went wrong.
On their first foray into the valley they had traveled no more than forty feet down the mountain when Kimber was sucked into voracious flesh-eating quicksand. It took all of Daisy’s strength and J.’s strategy to extract her. A full six hours later, Kimber lay panting on the ground and Smitty was pointing out where quicksand holes were dotted throughout the terrain like land mines.
Retreating back to the safety of the cliff for the night, they rested, recovered, and plotted a new course through the valley. The next day they had reached only ten feet down when they were set upon by amorous lilac bushes. Violet had made the mistake of smelling the fragrant flowers and praising them, when the bush sprang to life, wrapped its branches and leaves around the kids, and refused to release them. Happy to have such lovely “babies,” the bush rocked them and bloomed over them contently. Another day was taken up figuring out that the only way to escape the flowers’ embrace was by singing to them (upbeat Broadway-type melodies were the most effective).
The day after that they were almost scorched to death by volcanic sunflowers. Then there was a rogue river that swept them up and took them on a wild water ride before depositing them back on the cliff. After that, siren fireflies mesmerized them with their lights and enticed them to dance until they reached the point of exhaustion.
No one talked about quitting, but days were starting to stack up with no progress to show for them. The day they were attacked by a freak band of flying monkeys was definitely the low point.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Violet squeaked. “Flying monkeys? I thought they were only in movies.”
The monkeys were mischievous blighters and pelted the team with little nuts that turned out to have minds of their own too—when given the opportunity they bit the kids viciously. If the kids managed to catch the nuts and squish them, the nuts screamed like babies and pitifully begged for mercy, and, if granted, the nasty nuts immediately turned around and set about biting again. The kids took shelter behind rocks and did their best to fend off the monkeys and their dreadful nut-bombs.
“Apparently flying monkeys are not just in movies,” J. said, picking up a wiggling nut and lobbing it back at a passing monkey.
Hours later the monkeys grew bored and went looking for new entertainment. They departed as quickly as they arrived and left the kids, who did not share the monkeys’ sense of humor, disheartened, tired, and riddled with bite marks.
“Forget about getting to those mountains; we can’t even get into the stupid valley,” Lily moaned. “It’s impossible.”
“Yeah,” agreed Kimber. “The wildlife here has issues.”
“Yesterday I saw a herd of leaping lizards down there.” Smitty shook his head. “How are we gonna deal with that?”
Myrtle sighed. “It’s impassable.”
“Maybe
that’s the point,” J. considered. “It’s a natural barrier to keep people out.”
“T-too bad Piper’s n-n-not here,” Jasper mused. “She’d fly over it in a second.”
“You can say that again,” Violet said.
“Yes, yes, she would, wouldn’t she?” J. sat up straight. “This is never going to work unless we have a flyer.”
“Well, Piper’s out there somewhere and we’re here, so it’s not really an option,” Lily sighed.
“But”—J. turned to the bedraggled group, his face animated and hopeful—“if we could find a flyer, wouldn’t that be the answer to our problems?”
“S-sure.” Jasper shrugged. “But where are we going to find a flyer?”
J. paused. All the kids’ attention was trained on him, their faces trusting and open, waiting for what he’d say next. He was aware that what he was about to suggest would change their mood drastically.
“I happen to know where there is another flyer.”
“A-a-another flyer?” J. had Jasper’s full attention. “Who?”
“She’s different than when you knew her,” J. said quickly. “Her name is Letitia Hellion and she’s my sister. But she’ll help us.”
A ripple of undisguised horror passed across the kids’ faces.
“No!” Kimber said emphatically.
“Double no.” Lily crossed her arms over her chest.
“You’ve got to be crazy.”
“Dr. Hellion is evil.”
“I disagree,” J. stated calmly. “And I would say that at this moment she is our only hope. And the decision isn’t up to you anyway. Jasper is the leader, so he must decide.”
Everyone turned to Jasper, who felt himself shrink.
“Well?” J. was not a patient man. “Jasper?”
Dr. Hellion had so terrified Jasper that she had literally made him forget what his ability was. To seek her out was nothing short of sheer madness. Even to this day he would wake up in the middle of the night, his heart beating wildly, his forehead feverish, afraid that she was coming for him.
But one simple question made Jasper pause as he considered the matter: What would Conrad do?