Third Earth, page 23
Great. Another life at risk. I suddenly knew what I had to do, and it did not include taking Colucci to Third Earth.
“No way. You’ll get eaten by the first dragon who sees you. They have laws about who visits their planet.”
“You were banned. You’re just as illegal as me.”
“Okay, yeah, but I’m a wizard, and their regent asked me to find out who infiltrated their government. Now I have proof of a spy. They’ll let me in.”
“What if you get found out by one of those dragon radicals, huh?” Colucci threw out his arms and puffed his chest. “They ate you once, already. Can you stop them, Miss Big Shot?”
“I have a better chance than you.”
“Dang it, kiddo!” His face reddened with determination. “I’m just gonna have to make you see.”
I knew right away that he intended to shake some sense into me. I surrounded myself with a thick light shield as he reached for my shoulders.
“You can’t stop a dragon if you can’t stop—”
Crack. His fingers crumpled into my shield. At least one of them broke. He danced away holding one injured hand close to his chest and shaking the other.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Are you okay?” I felt so bad. I didn’t mean to hurt him.
“Cool!” Kymm exhaled, ignoring Colucci’s injury. She picked up a pencil and threw it at me. It bounced off my shield and spun over the table. “Can it stop bullets? Will it stop dragon teeth?”
“I hope I don’t have to find out. Now that my truth works, I’m going to sneak in, make sure the imposter hasn’t killed anyone else, and tell the Odonatas everything.”
Colucci mumbled a few curses under his breath, then glared at me. “Temnon thinks you’re the liar. How you gonna convince him to help?”
I lowered my head. I was worried about convincing him too. But I had to. I had no choice.
“I’ll make him see.” I said it quietly. “Like I made you see.”
His face and trembling hands froze, and the loony grin slid off Kymm’s face. They remembered. I once forced the truth into Colucci when he tried to have me arrested. It stunned him into a paralyzed lump.
“Yeah,” he agreed, all his frustrated aggression gone. “That’ll work.”
“But can I still have the taser?”
He bent over his broken hand, chuckling. “Oh, you’re takin’ more than that.” He winked with a sly sideways smirk.
25
Invasion of One
Colucci would have made a terrible companion on Third Earth. When I transported with him to his dingey little apartment, he turned green and scrambled to his toilet to vomit. But to be fair, I’m sure the broken bones in his hand didn’t help his stomach at all.
Once he finished, he opened a spare bedroom and showed me his impressive collection. I refused guns, rocket launchers, and hand grenades, but I accepted a canister of tear gas, a flash bang, and a high-powered taser. Colucci even dug out an old, but still useful, set of NY police riot gear and strapped a gas mask onto my belt. I hadn’t thought about how I was going to breathe without an enchantment.
It only took a few minutes to learn how to use the taser. Turned out, my gift of truth gave me perfectly accurate aim. Who knew?
Colucci shook his head helplessly at me, his face still a sickly, pale-green color.
“I should be going with you.”
“You were awesome, Colucci. This gear is perfect,” I said. “Sorry about your hand. Go see a doctor, okay?”
“Don’t need to,” he said with an ironic grimace. “I know a guy.”
His face softened into—what? Compassion from the jaded former detective? I had to be dreaming.
“Be careful, kid.”
“I will. Thanks.”
I backed up to make sure he didn’t accidentally fall into the Jent Path. The streets of Second Earth suited his talents better than the dragon world. Slapping my thick, somewhat baggy pants, I said, “Earth 22.”
“You’d better come back,” he yelled as I fell into space. “Your mom will kill me if you don’t!”
The long ride gave me plenty of time to fill my magic and center myself. Not to mention the time I needed to think about everything that could go wrong and how to minimize the chance of total failure. Near the end of the Fulcrum, as the pressure built up, I felt fairly prepared.
In Po Lan’s royal reception chamber, the chamber guard recognized me, and once he officially greeted me, he dashed off to fetch the king. A few minutes later, Po Lan burst through the doors, his arms wide, and his shadow appropriately sized. Whew.
“Cousin,” he cried, “a delightful surprise.”
I accepted his purple toga hug with reluctance and endured him patting me on the back with gusto.
“Have you come to replace the stolen book?” he hoped. “We still have not found it.”
“What about Ranah? Have you found him?”
“We are searching every city on Earth 22.”
“You haven’t sent word to search other planets?”
“No Jent Paths have been accessed.”
“That’s right.” I confirmed to myself. “Jent Paths are carefully regulated. He must have another way to travel between worlds.”
Po Lan shook a jangling, ring-laden finger at me. “That is quite impossible, dear cousin. One cannot travel between worlds without a Jent Path.”
“Dragons can.”
He considered it. “Yes, I suppose that is true. In a few, exceedingly rare cases, dragons and other types of magical creatures can bypass space, but Ranah doesn’t know any dragons. And I’m certain there is nothing magical about him.”
“Unless Ranah isn’t actually Ranah.”
I showed him my mental images of his servant with the huge shadow. Then I showed him the same shadow effect on Syran and Thayn.
“I visited the real Thayn in the spirit world,” I continued. “He confirmed that he had been murdered.”
“But this can’t be,” Po Lan sunk to a Grecian-type bench in shock. A long, sad breath escaped his lungs. “I’ve known Ranah since we were children. His mother treated me when I was ill. He has always been Ranah, weak and painfully submissive. You don’t suppose—could it be that the real Ranah is also murdered? I shall summon a necromancer to confirm his fate. My poor, little friend.”
“King Po Lan,” I said. “I’m so sorry about all of this, but do you know why he stole my history?”
“I can speculate.” His dark, round eyes went serious. “This person—this enemy—he is a calculating one. Dear Agnes, that book may be the key to your destruction.”
I scoffed with a huff, and he leaned forward earnestly.
“Do not dismiss this. Knowledge is power. Second Earth has been hidden for millennia. That book, and your mind, are the only access to what your world is capable of.”
Well, that scared me. Who was this imposter guy?
“I need to get to Third Earth before he sentences Lumi to the Nia Nega Abyss.”
“Your sciftan protector? Gracious. Such tragedies in so short a time. How can I help?”
“Will you open a Jent Path to Third Earth for me?”
“Once again, you ask for too little. I’ll send my armies to protect you.”
“I must go in secret. This man who can change his appearance works for an evil mastermind. If he sees an army coming, he’ll just run away and kill someone else to impersonate. We’ll lose him and any chance of discovering who the mastermind is.”
“Then this is about strategy rather than strength. Our Stone connects to the jeweling district. I’ll arrange for a foreman to take you with a shipment of gemstones.”
“Perfect,” I said. “Once I’m on Third Earth, I can transport.”
“Good. I shan’t sleep until this imposter is caught, but thank you for teaching me the key to recognizing him. Enlarged shadows, how odd.”
King Po Lan hurried away, having the sense to appear completely natural. Good for him. He was so excitable, I worried he’d raise suspicions. A short while later, he returned with a heavy-set guy and a rolling cart full of uncut diamonds. I remembered the guy’s orange mustache.
“This is Sal,” the king introduced. “He is well-known in the jeweling district. He will help you to Ri Dauch. If you vanquish the heartless foe who took my friend, I will be again in your debt.”
“I don’t keep track, Po Lan. Favors are for giving.”
“Third Earth,” called the foreman.
“Take care of her, Sal.” Po Lan stepped out of the circle of light. “Every blessing be on your mission, cousin.”
We fell into the Jent Path, traveling to the planet that had so thoroughly defeated me only hours before.
26
A Fossil with Fangs
The sight of Third Earth’s hostile environment caused all kinds of twinges and prickles in my legs. My feet kicked on their own every few seconds, and a needle stab of pain drove into my right second toe. I squeezed my toes into my heavy boot until it faded. Sal’s grand plan was to hide me in a shipment of royal jewelry, destined for the Hall of Ri Dauch, but he wasn’t sure how to explain my presence if I triggered any alarms. The stout foreman didn’t fill me with confidence.
A jungle close to the size of Australia and protected by a glimmering enchantment stretched across the cracked surface of the dragon world. The Jent Path sent us to its edge, into a smallish city with giant forges and dragon workers outfitted with tools.
“These are the best jewelers on the planet,” the foreman said. “Good stock, them.”
“Will they let me pass?”
“Best cover that white hair of yours,” he suggested, “then we’ll see.”
I slipped on my gas mask and covered my white hair with a helmet. The bulky, black riot gear made me appear bigger than I was.
“That’s no good,” Sal mentioned, his orange mustache drooping in a frown. “The landing pad is usually empty. I’ve never met them before.”
Freaking heck! The Jent Path opened right into a circle of dragons hungrily eyeing our decent. They had to be watching for intruders. Transporting was my only hope of getting out of here without being seen. While still insubstantial, I built a picture of the dim hallway where Iloress ate me. If she could hide there, then I could too. I concentrated on the hallway, focusing on every detail I remembered.
“Just let me speak to them. I’ll get you past security.”
I shut out Sal and all the roaring, heat, and flying sparks.
“Arch Mage?” Sal said. “Are you casting a spell? Wait! You can’t trans—”
I released my magic along its intended path as soon as my feet touched the ground, but a powerful force jerked me in another direction. Instead of the spacious, clean lines of the dim, stone hallway, my vision cleared to tree trunks, tangled roots, and leaves bigger than me.
Oh, for pity’s sake! Now what?
I pulled off the uncomfortable gas mask and sat on a tree root arching out of the rich soil to think. I closed my eyes and retreated into my magic. Recharged and free from the spell that bound it, my ocean glowed with the intense light of my dad’s heavenly glory.
Interference again, I remarked casually to the ocean.
My magic hummed.
Did we miss a spell when we destroyed the last one?
No, it assured me.
My legs prickled with uncomfortable tingles. Probably because of stress.
Then someone is blocking the entrance into the Hall of Ri Dauch, I deduced.
My white ocean glowed, and I swished a finger across its surface. Sparkles glinted in the ripples. I used the beauty of my magic to distract myself from the growing pain in my legs.
Ugh! I remembered. It’s not even Fake Thayn. Maudine said, as an enemy of Third Earth, I’d be recognized if I entered the atmosphere. This is just a typical security spell. Drat it.
Being Arch Mage can be difficult, my magic said. That was a truth if I ever heard one. If we’ve landed in the jungle, my magic changed the topic matter-of-factly, you’d be wise to stay alert.
Huh? Why? Oh, crap. Jungle. My nerves exploded in pain as a wave of panic engulfed me. Dragons raised dinosaurs for food. And where did they raise the dinosaurs? In regulated jungle ecosystems.
I opened my eyes to feel my booty rattling against the tree root. A huge stomping shook the ground. A giant tree tilted to the side as an enormous reptile pushed past it.
It was a tyrannosaurus rex.
I thrust myself backward and fell on the ground behind the tree root. The sudden movement attracted the tyrannosaur. Nostrils flaring, it lowered its head close to the thick root. My hair and clothes followed the inhaling breath, then flattened against me as the rex blew out again. It opened its jaws. A nauseating stench hit me as the rex salivated at my scent. Under the arch of the root, I saw the putrid pool among bits of rotting flesh still stuck in its teeth.
I stifled the urge to gag. Now what? My stabbing legs were useless.
A hundred yards behind me, a big tree grew high above the others, and I got an idea. Unfortunately, so did the tyrannosaur. It decided to take a bite. It widened its jaws and lunged at me, catching the thick root in its back teeth. The root held the mouth open while I stared at a sturdy branch high in the tree. Blocking out the stench and the rasp of teeth sawing at the root, I willed my magic to send me with all haste to that branch. Since it was within view, I didn’t have to focus too hard on my destination, and the spell readied quickly.
With one last chomp, the rex’s teeth severed the root and slammed on a pool of blue light. I jumped ahead to the tall tree, but I transported to a place I could see, so the safety platform I was used to didn’t engage. My boot tilted on the round branch.
I screamed as I fell, alerting the tyrannosaur to my new position. He crashed after me as I tumbled from branch to branch, finally landing lower than I’d aimed for. I wrapped both arms and legs around the branch to get my bearings, all while that brainless brute thundered closer and closer.
“Move!” I shouted to myself.
Forcing my cramping legs to carry me, I shakily climbed a tree for the first time in my life. Adrenaline raced, and I scrambled up as the tyrannosaur kicked off its powerful hind legs and clamped its jaws on the thick branch I’d just left. With a twist of its head, it wrenched it from the trunk.
I had to transport again before the dinosaur chomped the tree into matchsticks. I spotted a small clearing up ahead. I gathered my magic and frantically reached for my belt. Just as I formed the spell, a deafening crash shook the tree out of my grip. Falling backward, I sent my magic along the path, and a pool of blue light splashed into the open, waiting jaws. Well, blue light and an open can of tear gas.
I fell in the clearing with a soft whump. Bellowing in pain, the rex pushed its face along the thick, leafy ferns to clean its eyes of the fuming chemicals. It didn’t see me leap ahead this time. Whew. I rolled over and crawled under the leaves, trying to put some distance between me and the huge carnivore. My rescue mission was in danger of total failure. I couldn’t save Grimmal and Lumi or reveal Fake Thayn to the regent if I died in this jungle. I had to get out of here, but I didn’t even know where “here” was or how to get to the Hall of Ri Dauch.
I crawled under the leaves, lost in thought, until my head bumped something solid. A tree? I should be so lucky. I ran into a leg. A leg with scales and thick talons that wrapped around me and lifted me out of the undergrowth. Terrified out of my wits, I came face to face with a pair of wide, surprised blue eyes.
“Bandlash!”
A small burst of fire spurted from the little dragon’s mouth, and he dropped me.
Arch Mage Agnes? With his weight on his back four feet, he pushed aside the foliage to find me on the ground again.
I stood up to talk to him. “What are you doing here?” I asked.
His forked tongue extended to a tree and plucked a small, green oval from a branch. Picking natsa fruit, in case that nice princess comes back. What are you doing here?
“Running from a hungry tyrannosaur.”
If it’s caught your scent, it won’t give up until it finds you. Bandlash stuck out his dragon tongue to taste the scents on the air. Yes, it’s on your trail.
“Will you please help me?”
Help? No, I couldn’t. You’ve been banished. That’s why the transportation security spell sent you to the jungle. Were you trying to get to the Hall of Ri Dauch to murder the regent?
“Bandlash, listen,” I pleaded. “I’m not the bad guy here. My gift was altered by a bad wizard who turned my truth into lies. I know who he is now.”
The tyrannosaur sniffed, blowing ferns as it followed my scent. Bandlash didn’t seem concerned by the looming dinosaur, but my hammering heart pumped so much oxygen to my head it made me dizzy.
You’re trying to trick me because I was nice to you. Iloress said you spread lies. You are an enemy to dragons.
“I’m not. Ambassador Thayn is! The regent asked me to find traitors, and I found one.”
Bandlash plucked me off the ground and stared at me right in the face. That doesn’t make any sense. How can someone from another planet be a traitor to ours?
I regretted blurting out about Thayn without thinking. I didn’t know who Thayn worked for. What if Bandlash was a radical? He didn’t seem the type, but he feared Iloress. She might have forced him into the secret society. Nothing was simple on this crazy planet.
The tyrannosaur’s huge head exploded from a bank of bushes, sniffing the air triumphantly. Bandlash squinted at me for several long seconds, then held me out to the rex like a delicious snack. He wasn’t as tall as the ancient dinosaur, but with his front third raised, my legs still dangled six feet above the ground.
Admit you’re lying to me, he demanded.
What? Freaking cuss-buckets! I was going to die on this planet!
“I can’t,” I cried, as the gross, brown teeth moved closer. “I blasted away the curse on me. I can’t say I’m lying when that’s a lie.”
That horrible, rotting breath made me gag, and my legs kicked on their own, stabbed by my nerves.
