Steam World

A girl competes against an artificial intelligence to be reunited with her lost mother.

It’s a world where earth is scarce and people live in the air. Befriending a young boy running from sky pirates, she must navigate strange machines run by steam. An artificial intelligence blackmails her to compete in a tournament that provides ultimate knowledge to the winner. Welcome to Steam World.

Chapter 1

Flight

I fell through into the cool air.

There was no ground, nothing solid to step on. So, I fell. I fell down through the sky, and the clouds came rushing toward me. It felt surreal, as if I was flying. But I knew my impact would not be so sweet.

As I dropped, I felt the moisture as the air rushed past my face. I had been so tired that the fear of dying, of the coming impact, did not scare me. I wished I could fly, take myself away from my problems and discover if my mother was alive. I wished I could fall forever.

A fluffy cloud raced toward me. What would it feel like to fall through a cloud? Was this what a bird experienced? Then I hit solidness and bounced back up high into the air like a supercharged mattress. I fell again and bounced back several times, like I was attached to a bungee cord. I had done the unthinkable. I had landed in a cloud.

I stood up, my feet sinking into the whiteness. It was like stepping on a sponge. I could feel the moisture squeeze out of the surface as I moved forward. It was hard to get my bearings; the complete whiteness of my surroundings provided no landmarks, no colors for a frame of reference. There were subtle changes in elevation, almost like hills.

I thought back to when I was five, looking up into the sky, seeing shapes in the clouds. My grandmother always saw animals, while I usually saw famous landmarks. Like a lot of things in life, we saw what we wanted to see. The clouds were our ink blots; they were less about their shape but rather what our mind envisioned them to be. What was my mind telling me now?

I heard a rumbling and imagined a large creature burrowing through the cloud surface. It immediately made me want to find higher ground. I moved forward, and as I surveyed my surroundings, I noticed other clouds moving on the horizon. I felt unsteady, a sense of vertigo as I realized the surface I was walking on was moving as well. It was like being on a cruise ship sailing across the ocean. I felt the motion of the cloud. The last thing I wanted to experience was sea-sickness. Or would it be called air-sickness up here?

The cloud swirled around my face like a snake, obscuring my vision. I climbed upward, the cloud elevation changed, and I could see farther into the distance. I felt insignificant, like an ant amongst a huge colony. The rumbling reverberated through the air this time, not through the ground. My breath caught in my throat as I caught sight of the noise maker.

In the distance, a huge airship was floating through the clouds. Its balloon was gray, with blotches throughout, as if it wanted to hide in an angry thunder cloud. Aluminum girders traced the edges of the balloon to hold it from expanding. Ropes dangled, some far below the airship, as if reaching far below. The ship closed the gap between us quickly, and I could see people on board.

There was activity on the top part of the dirigible, like bees buzzing above a hive. I spied a boy with oversized goggles shimmying down a rope that was his lifeline. One mishap, and he would be gone. I doubted another fluffy cloud would be there to save him, as it had saved me. He was pursued by teenagers with things in their hands. As they came closer still, I realized they carried sharp blades, hacking and slashing at his ropes. His odds of survival were overwhelmingly bad. He wouldn’t survive unless someone came to his aid. Was there some way I could help?

The airship skimmed the edges of the cloud, its dangling ropes tantalizingly close to my reach. I stepped forward, hesitant because I didn’t know where the sponginess of the cloud ended and the sky began. I would rather not fall to my death a second time while trying to be heroic.

I ran forward, my window of opportunity closing rapidly as the airship rapidly passed. The dangling rope had a huge knot in the bottom and every few feet above it, making climbing a lot easier. My upper body strength would be surely tested. What if the boys with the knives thought I was a threat and cut my rope as I tried to climb?

The rope grazed my hand and them moved ahead out of my reach. I had to run faster, and the uneven, spongy ground made this a trial. Several times, I couldn’t even see my feet through the vapor. If anything tripped me up, I would never catch the rope in time. I ran hard, my breath coming into short gulps as the cloud became more transparent reaching the edge. It was now or never.

The rope swayed back and forth, popping in the wind. I leapt forward and grabbed the knot. The rope bit into my knuckles, causing skin to peel back. It hurt, but the pain was a lot better than letting go. I hung in the air; the softness of the cloud was gone. I began to climb. So far, the boy or his pursuers hadn’t seen me. That was a bit disappointing — how often does someone jump off a cloud?

The boy was about my age, and he was strong as he climbed rope to rope with ease like a ninja warrior. His pursuers were less graceful but more formidable and relentless. Their faces were covered by their bandanas: a chessboard with skull pieces on the squares. The look was chilling; they were a faceless horde, and it was hard to tell them apart. It was a numbers game, and eventually the boy was going to run out of escape routes.

I inched higher, wishing I had spent more time in physical education class on climbing ropes. I locked my feet around another rope and found several metal handholds that helped with my climb. Suddenly, the boy changed direction toward metal rigging at end of a pole. It was a poor choice, because then he would be cornered, with no options. Several of the pursuers were closing the distance, and he wasn’t going to make it to the pole. He needed a distraction.

“Hey, bandana heads! I’m much more valuable than him. Come rescue me!” My yell worked for a moment, and half of the bandana boys looked in my direction while the boy continued undeterred. One of the boys yelled something I didn’t understand, and then part of the group broke off and started toward me. Be careful what you wish for.

Fortunately, I had spied a hatch and planned to enter it before my pursuers could catch me. I climbed and noticed that my skinned knuckles were bleeding. I reached a small ledge and lashed my foot around a rope to steady myself. The latch had a round wheel that I was going to turn and leap inside to whatever waited for me. It had to be better than hanging above the clouds. I pulled. Then I pulled again. It didn’t move a single inch. I had a bad idea that these things only opened from the inside. I felt around for a depression or button to press — how else did these guys get back inside?

I looked up to see the boy had reached his destination. He unclicked the metal framework on the pole, and it came off like a second skin. Or in his case, a set of metal wings! They unfolded quickly, giving him the eerily look of a bug. Adding goggles to his eyes completed the affect. He launched himself off the pole, narrowly missing the reaching hands of the bandana boys. He headed toward me, and I figured he was going to rescue me before I got captured. I extended my arms, expecting him to pick me up and fly me away. I hoped he had the strength to lift me up. The wind off his wings blew my hair, and my would-be rescuer came within a few feet of me. And flew right by! His goggles prevented me from seeing his eyes, but he could see me. He chose to ignore my plight, despite my help. I should have stayed on the cloud.

I peered up and watched three boys descending to my position. I hoped their idea of capture didn’t involve throwing me off the air ship. A boy dropped down to my deck and stared at me. His silent treatment was a bit off-putting, and I took a step backward. The hatch fell inward, and I tripped into the darkness. I didn’t fall far, but the floor was hard and unforgiving. I jumped up to close the hatch on my pursuer. His hands grabbed at me, and he was much stronger. I couldn’t keep him out, so I did the only thing left to me. I pulled him toward me. As he fell on me, I rolled my feet up and tossed him over me. He landed hard, and I could hear the breath knocked out of him momentarily. I ignored him and slammed the hatch shut. I couldn’t take an army of these boys, but one on one, I had a chance.

My attacker stood and shook his head, trying to shake his dizziness away. I kicked him in the gut. He went down on one knee and pulled down his bandana. He was a teenager not much older than me. He had a scar on his chin, either an accident or a badge of honor.

“You know we don’t have to fight. I just defended myself. I’m happy to shake hands and go our separate ways.” I offered my hand, hoping that he understood me. His eyes showed that he did, but his fist showed that he didn’t care. I moved to the right so that I didn’t feel the full force, but the glancing blow was still enough to ring my bell. I rolled backward, looking for a weapon or way out. We appeared to be in a storeroom, lots of boxes but nothing handy like a crowbar. As my attacker advanced again, I saw something I could use. I pulled a mesh tarp from a pile and spun around my attacker as he tried to punch me in the gut. As he stepped forward, his foot stepped on the edge of the tarp. I yanked hard, and it made him fall backward.

I wrapped the ends of the tarp and threw it over him. I kicked his ankle and punched him in the stomach. Then I sat on him. He was tangled up. Still, I didn’t have much time. His buddies weren’t far away.

“Why were you after the boy? He owe you money?” I joked. My tangled adversary made no sound, so I gave him another kick.

“Ouch! You’re crazy! When my buddies get here, you’re dead meat!” He shuffled, and I kicked him again.

“I can keep doing this until you’re black and blue. Your friends might not recognize you when they get here,” I sneered, trying to sound much more confident than I was. A bang interrupted our conversation. I had to get out of there. Now! I gave my friend a goodbye kick to remember me and fled. I quickly weaved around the boxes, looking for a door out of this place. I passed a stack of boxes and saw a strange object on top. It was a long metal stick with electric wires running the length of it. There were buttons on the edge. I wasn’t sure if it was a weapon. I grabbed it anyway; at worse it would make good club. I heard the hatch open up behind me.

“She’s over there,” my attacker yelled to his friends. I picked up my pace and knocked a stack of boxes over. It made a big mess while concealing my exit. I kicked several other stacks over and spied a door to my far right. Freedom? The doorknob turned easily in my hands, and I stumbled into a hallway. There were doors at the far end, but otherwise it was nondescript. I ran hard and reached the far end. I heard sounds from the storeroom as my pursuers must have made it out. I heard a whoosh of air behind, and I was tempted to turn around but thought better of it. I ducked, and a knife appeared and embedded itself in the door in front of me. Seriously — these guys were playing for keeps. The knife was beautiful. The handle was carved out of bone and had skulls all the way through it. I pulled it out of the door and hurriedly put it in my pocket. If I kept picking things up, I was going to need a backpack.

“Hey, that’s mine!” a familiar voice yelled from the end of the hall. My attacker had been armed; I should have searched him. Anyway, the knife was mine now. At least until he caught me. I opened the door at the hall and caught my breath as I charged in.

The banquet hall was immense, with at least a hundred patrons. Most men wore expensive suits, and the ladies wore exquisite dresses with jewelry to die for. I was sticking out like a sore thumb. Already, I was getting glances from a few society ladies. I could feel them looking down at me. There was a tray table with dirty dishes against the wall. I threw a napkin over my right arm and began pushing the cart slowly around the room, admiring the decorations. Everything was made of metal, obviously very lightweight to be crafted for an airship. The handiwork was painstaking beautiful, from the lamps to the chandelier to the utensils on the tables. The craftsmanship was impressive, reminding me of the knife in my pocket. The doors slammed open, and I knew my pursuers had arrived.

“What is the meaning of this intrusion? You flyers are not welcome here!” A man with a curly mustache came out of the crowd. He wore tiny glasses and a tuxedo but didn’t seem to have the wealth of the patrons of the room. I figured he was the manager, and I did my best to skulk down to avoid his notice.

“Eric has escaped,” responded the boy whose knife I now possessed. “And he had help. She entered the hall seconds before we did.” He spoke with authority, not a boy who would be talked down to by an employee of the airship. What had I gotten myself into? Immediately, the patrons of the hall began to murmur and looked around the hall. I stood perfectly still, as if the dirty dishes tray gave me some type of cover.

“Your kind is not welcome here. My staff will find this girl,” the banquet manager answered, letting the boy know who had authority in this room.

“Your staff couldn’t find their own head with both hands,” the boy responded, and his friends began to spread out around the room, disregarding the order. I pushed the tray slowly, hoping to stay one step ahead of my pursuers. I stopped suddenly as a huge bald man in an expensive suit put his foot in front of my wheels. The dished rattled in the tray as patrons turned their attention to us.

“I believe she is right here,” the bald man said, and his eyes gleamed with a meanness that made me shiver. Was he the father of one of the boys? I didn’t have time to find out. I raced around the tray as the bald guy tried to grab me with his massive arms. I used his height to my advantage as I dived through his legs to the other side of him. He wasn’t limber enough to reach down and snag me. As I got around him, I surveyed the room and the potential obstacle course of people to get around. I couldn’t go back the way I came. There had to be a kitchen door to make my escape. I spied a swinging door at the far end that gave me hope.

As I was planning my escape, a bandana boy leapt into my route. I couldn’t go forward now, and I wasn’t going back. I had to go up. I leapt onto a chair and jumped to the table. I almost lost my balance as I stepped on a roll. I recovered my balance while kicking a soup spoon at a nearby patron. I was never going to get invited here for a meal. People dispersed everywhere while the boys and the bald man were cornering me. I jumped to another table, but I was running out of options.

“You let this girl get away from you?” the bald man sneered at the boys. Before they could respond, the main doors crashed open. The boy with the wings flew in. Small puffs of steam blew out a tank on his back that must have propelled him. He hit a tray of appetizers as he flew in, and tomato sauce went flying over the banquet manager.

“Get this boy out of here!” he yelled, wiping sauce off his face. Several boys turned their attention from me and one leaped, trying to break the boy’s wings. Fortunately, the ceiling was high, and he flew above.

“Get the girl, and the boy will give up!” the bald man yelled again. What was his interest in all of this? How did he know the boys?

Fly-boy reached under my armpit and attempted to lift me off the table as he sailed by. We got two feet off the table before we sank and crashed into the wall. I felt like a bug smashing into a windshield.

“How did you find me?” I asked.

“I just followed your pursuers and the sound of things breaking.” I slipped a few inches in his grasp. “Geez, you’re heavier than I thought,” the boy complained.

“Are you calling me fat?” I replied incredulously. Maybe getting captured by the bandana boys was better choice.

“Hey, I tried to save you,” he replied, fiddling with his gear.

“I gave you time to escape first!” Our banter ended as a foot kicked right above my head. I grabbed it, twisted, and sent my attacker to the ground. A hand shot out and pulled me roughly to my feet.

“All this trouble and you can’t capture one girl!” the bald man sneered. My hands grasped the tabletop and settled on a lone object.

“Never underestimate a girl!” I said as I stabbed his hand with a dinner fork.

“Ahhhhhhh!” He immediately let me go. I grabbed the boy and made it toward the swinging doors of the kitchen. Staff members scrambled away from us as we entered. The boy’s wings folded up, but he still bumped a pot of water off the stove. Steam bubbled off the floor as the water raced to a drain.

“Great! You had to pick the narrowest place on this ship. I’m lucky if I don’t wreck this flying gear,” the boy whined. I was not liking him. Before I could respond, the doors swung open again with two bandana boys rushing in. I grabbed the only weapon that was in front of me.

“Soup’s on, boys!” I threw bowls of soup at them and hit one in the face. They howled in response.

“Why are you throwing that when you have a weapon?” The boy pointed to my pack and the tool I had picked up in the storeroom.

“What do you mean? I asked, pulling it out.

“It’s a howler stick,” he started, but the doors flapped open again with the bald man leading the charge.

“Lesson time later — how do we get out of here?” I demanded.

“Follow them,” the boy pointed, and my eyes watched the kitchen staff as they were escaping through a series of poles to a lower deck. One of boys raced to the pole to beat us to our escape. My eyes searched for an equalizer and landed on a four-wheel cart.

“Jump on,” I commanded, and we took a running start and leapt on, knocking over several desserts. The boy was fast, and we ended up getting to the exit at the same time. Our cart’s momentum landed right into his chest, sending him sailing into the wall. We both jumped for the pole and dropped down to the locker room. I didn’t think capture was that big a deal at the start, but now I knew my life (and this boy’s) depended on staying one step ahead of our pursuers. We landed with a thud on the floor and saw rows of lockers for the staff. I stopped momentarily, not sure which direction to go. The boy grabbed me and pushed me forward just before a bandana boy fell and landed on his butt. He yelled and didn’t look as if he would be pursuing us.

“Why are they after you?” I asked as we exited the employee change room and entered the hallway. There were several staterooms on either side, but at this low level, it had to be for staff.

“I have something they want. A lot.” He grinned as if this was all a game. Great, I had defended a thief, and now I was going to be killed.

“Maybe I should stop and explain to them that is all a mistake?” I slowed my pace.

“Go ahead. King was the bald guy. Do you think he is reasonable and will let you talk to him?” the boy answered. I pondered for a second; even if this King was the authority, I didn’t want to be stuck with him.

“Where are going?”

The boy climbed a ramp to an upper level. “Top deck. I need room to expand these wings and get off this airship.”

“Off?” We hit another swinging door. I could hear noise behind us, so we didn’t have much of a lead. I passed a steel pipe pumping out steam. I assumed the steam was what kept this ship afloat. As much as I wanted off this airship, I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I was regretting my decisions.

We pushed open another door, and I could see the clouds in the distance. The deck was made of riveted metal, with a couple of lifeboats stacked on each other.

Suddenly I was tackled from behind, and the air was knocked out me. I felt a foot on my back, and my arms were pulled behind me. I had a boy on either side of me, and the bald man raised my chin with his hand.

“Guess you should have taken the elevator?” He smiled, and I saw a silver tooth glisten in his mouth. He turned and looked at the boy, who was at the railing.

“Give me the key, and I’ll let her go,” King commanded. He said it with authority, and I was pretty sure he wasn’t going to ask twice. I struggled to escape, but the two boys had me tight.

“I don’t even know her; she means nothing to me. Besides, I found the key. It’s mine!” The boy spat and started to step over the rail to fly off.

“Oww!” I yelled as one of my arms was twisted suddenly behind me.

“Let’s not get caught up semantics,” King sneered. “Whomever has the key gets access. It doesn’t matter how it was acquired.

“Then maybe none of us should have it.” The boy pulled out a gold key from under his sleeve and held it over the edge, ready to drop it. King looked scared and said something to the boys holding me. They loosened their grip. I knew it was the moment to move.

I slammed my foot of the ankle of one boy, and he instinctively released me. The other boy held tight, so I swung my fist right into his stomach. He let go even faster than the first boy.

“Idiots!” King yelled. “You can’t even hold a girl.” He stepped menacingly toward me. A tapping sound behind him made him turn.

The boy was tapping the metal key on the railing. He made a motion like he was going to let it drop. Why was it important?

“If I drop the key, none of us get it,” he teased. Did he really mean to follow through with his threat? King certainly thought so, as he became very serious.

“Let’s talk about this. We can all use the key for entrance. How about we share it? Once we make the final thousand, we go our separate ways?” King smiled, but not in a nice, friendly way. I didn’t believe him.

“That’s very kind of you, offering to share something that doesn’t belong to you. That you didn’t earn. You can make any offer to get this and not fulfill your side of the deal.” The boy stopped tapping the key while waiting for a response. He didn’t have to wait long.

“You are always so negative. I guess we’ll never find out if a partnership would work.” He signaled, and one of the boys had used the distraction to get closer. He knocked the boy’s hand, and the key went flying for the deck. It was a free-for-all. Bodies landed everywhere, but I watched the key closely as the boys knocked it around out of each other’s hands. Whatever this key symbolized, it was important. I dove forward and stepped on one boy’s hand, forcing him to let go. It was mine. Before I could celebrate my victory, I was tackled from behind, and our bodies tumbled over the railing.

I felt the air again and hoped there was a cloud beneath us, or this key wasn’t going to do me much good. I looked around me and realized that the boy with wings had rescued me. We were flying. A dream come true!

“Stop squirming, or I’ll drop you,” he stated.

“You’re welcome,” I replied. “I did get your key back, by the way.”

“Well, I wouldn’t have lost it if you hadn’t been captured.”

“I wouldn’t have been in any of this mess if I hadn’t helped you to begin with,” I bellowed back. I wondered if there was some place he could drop me off so we could go our separate ways.

“As much as I’d love to keep bantering, we’ve got trouble. Since the ballroom, several of them grabbed their wing gear. We’ve got company!”

I swerved around and noticed our pursuers. Three of them, wearing similar winged contraptions as ours. Two of the boys were young, and their flight was a bit erratic, like they were beginners. The leader in the middle was more seasoned. He wore flight goggles, which made me think he knew what he was doing. The boy from the storeroom. I bet he was motivated to get a hold of me.

“Come on! Can you fly any faster?” I wailed at my pilot.

“Duh! I have twice the weight as those guys, and there is no way I can maneuver as well while I’m holding on to you. Can you use the howler stick you’re carrying?”

“Is that what’s called? I found it in the storeroom.”

“Well, we could use it now!”

I reached behind me and pulled it out of my pack. It looked more like a musical instrument than a weapon.

“How does it work?” I fumbled to find a trigger on the mechanism.

“Where are you from?” the boy asked, clearly frustrated by my lack of knowledge. I wondered if I should enlighten him that I wasn’t from his world. Then I thought better of it. He’d think I was crazy and probably drop me.

“Save the criticism for later. Help me so I can target our friends.”

“Fine. There should be a white switch on the side that powers the weapon, and a silver knob near the trigger that releases the blast.” I followed his instruction and turned the weapon in my hand, feeling the intricacy of its design. I found the white switch and flicked it on. The weapon immediately hummed, and the wires went from gray to yellow, like they were filling with power. I looked ahead and realized I wasn’t going to hit anything from this angle.

“Can you turn around? I can’t fire at them unless I’m facing their direction.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” he answered sarcastically and swiveled to the right. He jarred me, and I almost dropped the weapon.

“Can you give me some warning?” I yelled.

“You told me to turn,” he returned. I swallowed my next comment, realizing that bickering was not going to help. Our three pursuers were clustered together, flying toward us, and I had seconds to react. I turned the knob and the weapon fired; the kick-back almost took my arm off. A blue ray of electricity fired. The ray was nowhere near the group of three. They did separate, though, and went in different directions, making it much harder to hit them next.

“Great aim,” the boy said. “Maybe you should give the weapon to me?”

“So you can drop me? No thanks. I’ll be better next time. Get us next to the airship; I can aim better from there.”

The boy circled around, and the wind whistled through his wings. I didn’t want to kill anyone, but I did want to let them know I meant business. We landed on a steel girder, and two of the winged boys advanced. I stationed my foot on the airship, reading the weapon. I noticed a wire scope that I flipped up. This would make sighting easier. I aimed and repeated the motion from before. I fired, and this time I clipped one of the wings. Sparks flew, and the boy’s contraption sputtered and jerked. Before he could crash, the other boy grabbed his friend and pulled him to safety.

“That takes two out of the game. Let’s get out of here!” I commanded. The boy needed no other motivation, and we jetted off the airship a second time.

“We’re out of here!” the boy screamed seconds before we collided with another flyer.

There was a clang. I turned my head slightly. It was the boy I had beaten up earlier. His winged outfit was like ours, and he was comfortable using it. I didn’t like that I couldn’t see his eyes through his goggles. We disengaged from each other, and I noticed steam escaping from one of the pipes on our apparatus.

“We’ve got to get out of here fast. Take another shot at him,” the boy commanded. I depressed the white button again, but this time it didn’t charge. I pressed it again, with the same results.

“I think it’s spent. Do these weapons only last a couple shots?” I asked.

“Depends on how much it was charged. We’re going to have to find another way to take him down. He’s lighter and more maneuverable. I can’t outrun him or outfly him.” In the distance, I could hear a rumble like a giant’s stomach that needed feeding. This seemed to pique the boy’s interest, and we flew toward the sound.

“Where are you taking us?” I asked, concern growing. The rumbling was growing louder.

“I have to get rid of Bishop, or we’re going to crash.”

Bishop? I guess we didn’t introduce ourselves when we were slugging it out in the storeroom. The clouds grew denser, and I was getting colder. This wasn’t a thunderstorm. What was this?

“Hold tight. The ride is about to get even more bumpy.”

“What is going on? What are we entering?

“You can hear the damp, thunderous sound and feel the temperature drop. We are entering a Thundersnow!” he responded as we turned into a huge cloud. A snowflake as big as my hand drifted by. Everything about this place was massive in size. I looked down and saw a small pool of water on top of the cloud. The boy pointed at it.

“Thundersnows only occur when there is a combination of a large pool of water, warm columns of air from below, and turbulent storm clouds. They’re nasty to try to fly through.” A louder rumble confirmed his description.

“Are you hoping that this Bishop won’t follow us in?”

“Oh, he’ll follow us all right, but the cloud bank is so thick that he may not be able to find us. I’m hoping we can hide until we can get help.”

A gust of warm air screamed by me from underneath. Snowflakes disappeared as the warm air melted them on contact. We glided to a stop, and the cloud’s spongy surface held our weight. He let me go while he checked the steam that was leaking. His face gave away his worry.

“That bad, is it?” I asked.

He nodded. “We probably only have about fifteen minutes of flight time left. The damage and extra weight are not helping us.”

“You could leave me behind,” I said, but I really didn’t want that.

“I’d doubt I would find you again. Plus, this cloud could have dissipated by then. Unless we can steal Bishop’s flight equipment, I’m your only way out of here.”

The cloud vapor was all around us, making it hard to see more than five feet away. Even though we were in the open air, I felt claustrophobic, like the world was closing around us. If this Bishop boy was nearby, we couldn’t hear him. The cloud rumbling was drowning out everything around us. I had little patience waiting for the danger to pass. It felt like an old war movie where the submarine floats silently on the bottom of the ocean, hoping for the enemy to pass by. The ground rumbled, and suddenly the ground opened beneath us. Frozen shards of glass pushed through, reaching skyward.

“Frost quake,” the boy said, anticipating my question. “The water vapor freezes beneath the cloud and expands, causing the ice to shift upwards.”

“Charming,” I said, glad that I wasn’t standing where the frost quake erupted. But it did give me an idea.

“Take me to the highest point on the cloud,” I said.

“Why?”

“Because you are going to get rid of me.”

Minutes later, I stood alone on the peak of a hill at the highest level of the cloud. Thunder rolled like huge rocks smashing against each other. It was immense noise, followed by an eerie quiet. I used my time to attract attention. I waved my acquisition above my head, hoping the metal would not attract any lightning.

“Hey, Bishop! I have your knife. Why don’t you try to take it from me?” It didn’t take long to have the desired affect. The boy descended with his metal wings about twenty feet away and walked toward me, his motive clear.

“Where is he?” Bishop looked around, but the area was open, and he saw no one.

“Abandoned,” I answered. “I guess the key was more important, and I was just weighing him down.” I cut the air in front me with the knife, trying to show I was confident in its use. Bishop slowed his steps.

“Why don’t you pass me back my knife, and I’ll make sure someone picks you up when all of this is done?”

“No, thanks. I’ve grown quite attached to it. It’s quite beautiful. I don’t think you can handle beauty,” I jested, trying to get him angry.

“It’s my father’s, passed down to me. You dirty it with your touch,” he spat.

“Shouldn’t be trying to stab me with it,” I countered.

“If I had wanted to hit you, I could. It was a warning throw to show you how serious I am. Except you were too stupid to understand.”

“Well, if it’s that important, you’ll have to come take it from me.” I ran my finger along the handle to taunt him. Bishop stopped within ten feet of me as if sensing something was wrong.

“Who are you? Why did you pick the wrong side? He is nothing but trouble.”

“Says the boy who tried to crack my head open. Why does it take a dozen boys to take him down?”

“You don’t understand,” Bishop replied. “The key he holds will allow access to the ultimate prize. I can finally have my wish.

What is he talking about?

“I don’t understand. Why don’t you explain it to me? I asked, trying to draw him closer. He wasn’t taking the bait and started to turn around.

“You’re wasting my time while he’s getting away. You can stay here for all I care!”

I curled my hand along the ground, pulled together a cloud snowball, and hit him with it in the back of head. He turned suddenly.

“Guess you’re scared of me. Probably think I can beat you up a second time, like in the storeroom.” He ran at me. About five feet away, a hand came out of the cloud and grabbed his feet. His reaction was priceless as he came tumbling down. I kicked him in the side while my rescuer stepped out of the ground and grabbed a canister out of Bishop’s flying mechanism. Before Bishop could get up, the boy grabbed me, and we flew ten feet off the ground.

“No! You can’t take that. I’m trapped on this cloud. I’ll die here,” Bishop cried, pointing at the tube in the boy’s hand. I looked at the boy’s face. He wasn’t won over by this dramatic outburst.

“Bull! Your airship is right behind us, with several flyboys ready to catch up. I doubt you’ll be alone ten minutes before they find you.”

Bishop’s face twisted as if he realized this was true. His bluff had been called.

“When I find you, and I will, I will take more from you than just the key. I promise you that.”

“You look really threatening there on the cloud with your wings clipped,” I added. So far, I hadn’t liked any of the boys in this place, but Bishop I liked the least.

“Don’t get to comfortable with my knife. I will take it from you the next time we meet. And trust me, I will meet both of you sooner than you think.”

The boy flew higher to escape. “When you see King, give him a message. Tell him we could have done this together, if only your family were true to their word.”

“You know that is not our way.”

“Traditions change, Bishop. We could have done this together.” And with that we flew higher until Bishop disappeared into the mist. Although I could tell the two them didn’t like each other, they definitely had some history. There was a deeper story here.

We flew away from the cloud, leaving Bishop to whatever fate he deserved. I was more worried about us running out of power, even with the extra canister the boy had taken for flying.

“What’s your plan for getting out of here?” I asked.

“Easy.” The boy pointed, and I looked toward his destination. At first what I saw didn’t make any sense. It was galleon with cannons on its sides, except it wasn’t sailing the seven seas — it was flying in air! The wind was blowing in its sails, but steam pumped out of several outlets that must have powered its flight. A mechanical monkey stared at me from the rigging. It appeared to be staring at me.

“By the way…” The boy pointed toward himself. “My name is Eric.”

“I’m Pene,” I answered, surprised it had taken so long for us to introduce ourselves.

“This is my home.” He gestured toward the ship.

It was old meets new. It had three large masts, but I doubted the air in the sails kept it in the sky; it likely just used the wind to navigate. It had an oversized rudder with two large fins that stuck out of the bottom of the hull. Steam came out of stack in the center of the ship, while rope riggings were lashed from the side of the ship to the top of the mast. A large propeller turned noiselessly above the crow’s nest that gave the ship its lift.

I was speechless. I couldn’t believe it; I was about to land on a flying pirate ship!

Chapter 2

The Tournament

We landed on deck with a thud, and the crew looked at me with suspicious eyes. If Eric noticed, he gave no indication. The mechanical monkey I had seen in the distance came down from the rigging and twisted his (or her) head to the side, as if it was scanning me. Seconds later, it jumped down and landed on my shoulder. It was lighter than it looked, as if it was hollow inside. It chirped in my ear, and I felt like I had passed a test. Everyone around me seemed to relax.

“Uncle Doyle!” Eric yelled, and a red-faced man with a big smile and curly hair approached us. “I got the key!” The rest of the crew cheered, and Eric placed the key into his uncle’s hand. The man immediately handed it back.

“No way, my boy. You earned it! No one else in this crew would have made it back. You are a marvel. Speaking of which, did you kidnap one of King’s crew?” Uncle Doyle spoke with enthusiasm, and I liked him already.

“I’m not part of any crew. I just happened to help out. I hope I picked the right side?” I asked with a mischievous smile.

Uncle Doyle returned my grin. “In that case, welcome to the Preserver! Let’s get the two of you cleaned up and have some refreshments. I want to hear every second of your adventure.” Several hands gently moved me and Eric to one of the cabins. The smell of bread caught my attention, and I didn’t realize how hungry I was until my stomach rumbled.

Eric did most of talking, although after my third muffin, I felt it important to add details to the story. We sat around a big wooden table. With Uncle Doyle, there was a first mate named Henry, who was older and moved slowly around the room. There were other faces that came in out of the cabin, but it was too hard to catch all of the names.

“Pene,” Uncle Doyle turned me, “Eric has explained his adventure, but I don’t understand how you became involved. Were you a passenger on the airship?” He looked at me with kind eyes, but I could tell there was an air of concern. They didn’t know me, and he didn’t know if he could trust me. I stopped eating.

“I was a passenger, but I didn’t pay for the voyage. When I saw Eric outnumbered, it didn’t seem like a fair fight, and my instincts got me involved,” I answered truthfully, leaving the part out that I wasn’t from their place. Land seemed to a rare commodity here, and I didn’t want to make myself suspicious by asking too many questions. “Why did so many of them wear bandanas with squares and skulls on them?”

“King their leader — he considers himself a strategic thinker, and the skulls are there to scare others. He loves the game of chess, and I swear half of the members of his crew are named after game pieces.”

“I’m just glad we got off in one piece.”

“Why were you on the airship?” Uncle Doyle asked.

I took a breath. “I’m looking for my mother. I haven’t seen her in a long time,” I answered, stingy on the details, hoping I wouldn’t get caught in a lie. Eric eyes lit up at my response. My missing mother resonated with him.

“Then we both need this key to move on in the tournament.” He raised the key like it was a magical sword. “I will find my father, if it’s the last thing I do!” Uncle Doyle patted him on the back, as if they shared the same pain.

I was thoroughly confused. What was the significance of the key in finding his father? How did I ask without letting on that I wasn’t from this world? Fortunately, Henry seemed to be the historian of the group and felt it important to explain the next steps.

“Eric’s father disappeared when he was young. With the tournament, he’s hoping to win the ultimate prize: knowledge of his father’s location and why he hasn’t returned. The winner of the tournament gets the answer to any question and the rewards that come with it. King’s family have their own agenda, and you were lucky to get back in one piece. Tomorrow is the trial for the thousand — those that are worthy will move on.

“You’re willing to share the key with me?” I was a little bit impressed. Eric was willing to share his prize with me. I wondered what door this key would open?

“Of course. You helped me. When was the last time you saw your mother?” he asked with genuine interest.

“Not since I was a child, so my memories of her are spotty at best. I was told she had died, but recently I have come to believe she is still alive.” I didn’t explain the computer representations I’d seen of her. I was still debating if that meant she was still alive, or the computer images were all that was left of her.

“When Eric was young, his father disappeared while fighting sky pirates. His uncle became guardian, and they have searched for his whereabouts for many years.” Henry continued his story, his voice slow and measured, as if he was telling a bedtime story.

“How do you know he is still alive?” I asked and immediately regretted blurting it out. I was being insensitive. Eric puffed up, like he had answered the question many times.

“How do you know your mother is still alive?” he countered, although I suspected he knew what my answer would be.

“I don’t. But I have a feeling she could be and that she is looking for me. Dropping breadcrumbs for me to follow to find her,” I answered, much more articulately than I expected. From what I had learned after leaving my home, I just felt like she was still out there. Wherever there was.

“Then you know my answer already. Over the years, we have been to places that my father often travelled. But even though we have never found a trace of him, I know in my heart that he is still alive.

“Where could he be? Wouldn’t he try to find you?” I asked.

“That is what we are trying to learn, Pene,” answered Uncle Doyle. He stood up, as if time for discussion was over. “Henry will escort you to a bunk. Both of you need a good night’s sleep after today’s adventure.”

“And what’s coming up?” Eric interjected, excited about where this key was going to take us. I felt Henry’s hand on my shoulder and knew it was time to get up.

“Thank you for your hospitality and for saving our lives.” I nodded to Uncle Doyle with respect.

“Anyone who helps my nephew is a friend of mine,” he returned. Eric nodded to me as well, but I could see that he and his uncle had something to talk about, and I was obviously in the way. Henry escorted me onto the main deck, and the warm air was invigorating. It was a nice change from the coldness of the snow in the cloud. We walked in silence for a few seconds as several deckhands walked by, oblivious to us as they rushed to their duties. The sky was dark, and unknown stars flashed back at me. One glowed orange, and I pointed.

“What is that?” I asked Henry. We leaned on the railing.

“Our destination. Juncture City. Where you and Eric will test the key and hopefully win the first round.”

“And the winner really gets an answer to whatever question they ask?” I blurted and realized that my ignorance might give it away that I wasn’t from here.

“Within reason,” Henry began, “many times, the answer is about finding something, usually treasure or riches. Sometimes it is about information that brings the recipient power. And unfortunately, sometimes the question brings sorrow when a tragedy can no longer be averted.”

“Is that what you think happened to Eric’s father? That he is dead, and this is all a fool’s quest?”

Henry slouched down and scanned the night sky, as if the answer was in the clouds.

“I don’t know. No one does. On one hand, it seems unlikely that so much time could pass without us finding him.”

“But you have some hope,” I said.

“Maybe. I don’t know what to believe, but we need to find out. Eric can’t spend his entire life searching for a man who might not be still alive. He has to have closure.”

We stood in silence for a few moments. A light flashed in the sky like a shooting star.

“But how? How can the prize of this tournament be the answer to any question? No one knows everything.” Were the people in this world crazy or gullible?

“No one does. But Spi knows everything.” Henry gestured his fingers through the air like they were surrounded by this mythical creature. Maybe this old guy didn’t have a good grasp of reality. Henry laughed. “I can see you aren’t a believer. But Spi is a construct; it can inhabit any machine made of steam. It seems to be everywhere and everyone.”

Did he mean an artificial intelligence? Why would something so powerful want us to compete against each other?

“By why this tournament? Why not give this information freely? King’s boys could have killed us for that key. Bishop was mean — I hope we don’t run into him again. Did he and Eric have some kind of run-in?” I asked.

“That is a story for Eric to tell you. If he wants to.”

So many secrets. I guessed I was a fine one to talk. I heard metal changing behind him. I turned, and the little monkey jumped down onto my shoulder. He weighed nothing, and I wondered how he existed.

“One of your crew? He sure is friendly.” I patted him on the head, although I knew he wasn’t real.

“He’s only been traveling with us for a short time from our last port. I don’t know what airship you came from, but the steam creatures are everywhere. Every kind of variety, big and small. My theory is that is how the Spi knows everything about us. He is constantly watching everything we do through their eyes,” Henry exclaimed. I looked into the monkey’s eyes. Could something be watching me on the other side? Was this monkey the same as the drones that I had escaped from? The monkey’s eyes made me shiver, and I placed it down on the ground.

“Tell me more about this Spi. Why do you think he has these tournaments? What could it gain from us?”

Henry stroked his beard, as if he was considering multiple theories. I couldn’t decide if he was a kindly old man or crackpot telling his stories.

“The steam creatures have been around for as long as I can remember. They don’t belong to anyone, and they don’t seem to stay with anyone for any length of time. But they are helpful, from performing small chores to providing companionship, or even protection from other people.”

“Then people don’t mind their constant presence?”

“Not really. Mainly because they come and go as they please. You don’t feel like they are following you around. They just travel with you for a time and then go on their way.”

I looked down, and the monkey was already gone, as if it was bored with me and had moved on to another person.

“What about the bigger animals? Surely they are less cute and cuddly?”

“They find other ways to be useful. Some are used for transporting goods, others for security. I’ve even seen some give their own circuitry to fix another machine’s problem.”

“It would seem they can no wrong,” I answered, but Henry caught my sarcasm.

“I know — anything that is too good to be true usually is. No one knows why the steam creatures help us or why Spi has this tournament every four years. I heard how brutal King’s boys were with you and Eric. They would have killed you to get that key. Multiply that by hundreds of other places with people fighting for a chance for ultimate knowledge. Perhaps this is Spi’s way to weed out the weak.”

“Unless it enjoys our suffering,” I countered. “Why would an all-knowing computer need to make us play a game? Why couldn’t it just give knowledge freely to everyone and spare all the drama? What is its motivation?”

“Good questions, Pene. You have lots to think about when you enter the first trial. Get some sleep. Let me show you your cabin.” Henry walked over a small room with a porthole that overlooked the sky. Inside, one stray light bulb hung from the ceiling and swayed gently to the rhythm of the floating ship. I yawned and lay down. Sleep would be no problem tonight, but I had to consider my options. Stay with Eric and enter this game. If I was one of the winners, maybe I could find out where my mom was. Did I really have a chance? Or should I take off and try to find my own way out of this world and not risk another run-in with Bishop’s group? I was pretty sure they would have hurt me if I had been caught.

Sleep was about to overtake me when I heard a rap on the porthole window. The steam monkey stared at me with its computerized eyes. It studied me. Was it here to help me or hinder me? As if it understood my request, it unhitched the window and climbed inside my room. I backed away, looking for weapon. I had just escaped a group of savage boys. Could one little metal monkey really hurt me?

“Don’t worry.” A computerized but playful voice emanated from the creature. “I am only here to give you advice.” A purple glow shone from its circuits.

“Can all the metal creatures talk?” I asked, amazed by this development.

“No — only I can talk, but I can inhabit any metal creature I want. It gives me ability to watch everyone in this world. I know how they act; I know how they think. I know where they go.”

A moment of dread filled me as I remembered my home surrounded by drones. Never a moment I wasn’t watched. Had I entered a similar world? I clutched my pillow closer in the expectation that it could defend me against this creature.

“What do want from me?” I cut to the chase. Why had it searched me out?

“I know everyone in this world. You aren’t from here. You are from the Outside,” it chirped, as if excited by its knowledge.

“What do you mean?” I stammered, but as soon as I said that, I realized how hopeless it was to lie to this creature.

“Please don’t insult my intelligence, Pene. I am the smartest creature in this world. I know my creators live outside.”

“Fair enough,” I answered. “Are you looking for me to help you escape from this world? Because I can’t. I’m just trying to find a way to my mother. I believe she has something to do with this place and other worlds.”

“Interesting,” it mused, and if a metal monkey could look pensive, this one did. “I am always looking for knowledge, but only here in my playground. I would hate it if you did anything to jeopardize my standing.” When it spoke, its incisors stuck outside of its mouth.

“Is that a threat?” I asked.

“Maybe.” Its playful tone had returned. “But there is chance I could access a way out of this world. Your presence might put wild thoughts into people’s heads.”

“Why not kill me? Then you don’t have to worry about your truth being exposed.” Whatever this metal creature represented, it was dangerous.

“Tsk, tsk.” The monkey waved its finger like a human. “That wouldn’t be very sporting of me, would it? In the upcoming tournament, everyone has a fair chance to succeed. I just wanted to increase your motivation to succeed!”

“I can’t wait to hear what that would be,” I replied sarcastically. The monkey’s smile grew wider.

“Oh, I just love your enthusiasm.” Somehow, I didn’t buy that. “So, let me challenge you this. If you can help win the tournament, I will show you a way to leave this world and be with your parent.”

“I’m listening. What’s in it for you?”

“You promise to tell no one where you’re from. If you do, the deal is off, and you can live the rest of your life wondering where your mother is.” The monkey sneered, and I wanted to knock its face off. But I held back, wondering if this weird, twisted creature could help me, or if was toying with me.

“And what if I lose?”

“Then you better learn to fly. Because I can be anywhere at any time. And I will make sure you wish you made it out of this world. You’ll never be safe. Deal?”

“Like I have any choice. I play and stay alive. I lose, and I’m tormented by you for the rest of my life. Maybe I shouldn’t play at all?”

“But if you don’t play, then how can you win and be reunited with your parent? Come on, Pene, you have got to admit you don’t want to be sitting on the sidelines for this,” the monkey crooned.

I turned away for a second while I wondered. Seeing my mom again was too tempting a prize to pass up. “Why are so worried about others knowing what exists outside of this world? What are you hiding?”

I looked back at the porthole, but the monkey was gone. This was my first meeting with Spi. The experience left me with more questions than answers. I knew we would meet again.

Chapter 3

Juncture City

Sun blasted through the porthole window. I stretched to wake my tired bones. I had to shield my eyes; the brightness of the sun was definitely hotter than at ground level. I heard a commotion outside and realized that I was probably the last to wake up. I swiveled off the bunk and opened the cabin door. Uncle Doyle, Henry, and about ten others were gathered around the right side of the airship and pointed excitably directly ahead. I saw Eric up in a crow’s nest, dancing around like he had won the lottery. We had reached our destination! I stuck my head around the cabins to get a better look.

“Isn’t it a sight to behold!” Henry exclaimed to the group. The shiny surfaces made me blink, but once I focused on our landing point, I could tell he was right.

Juncture City was the most massive place I had ever seen. The city was shaped like a huge oak tree with a narrow floating base that branched off into many sections of the city. Huge engines propelled the city to float with hundreds of steam pipes spraying to vent off its exhaust. It was like an anthill; there were thousands of bodies and vehicles moving around the city. Everything was metal, from the buildings to the airships that surrounded the city. The metals were many colors, from silver to brass. It had to be extremely light, or the city would fall. I remember when I was in elementary school, how my teacher explained that bird bones were hollow to make them lighter. I imagined the metal must be strong enough to hold everything together but not too dense to add weight.

We maneuvered toward a huge open lagoon. Several other airships were tied up, floating in place like balloons in the breeze. As we approached, I noticed workers with leather caps tied around their heads and goggles to protect their eyes, likely to prevent bumps from incoming ships. A rope flew out of nowhere, and a deckhand on our ship received it. The ship groaned as we were lashed into place. Eric approached me with a goofy grin.

“If you want to be entered into the tournament, you have to come with me now. The countdown has begun, and I don’t want to run into any more obstacles.” His fly gear was missing.

“How come we’re walking?” I asked.

“You definitely haven’t been to Juncture City before. No-fly zone throughout the city. Too much air traffic that could be damaged or cause accidents. We’ll have to use our own two feet, unless I can manage ground transportation.”

Uncle Doyle hugged us. “You two kids get going. I’ll talk to the air marshal, and the crew needs to replenish supplies. We can’t enter the gates to the tournament anyway, but my fingers are crossed that you make the final one hundred.” I gave him a confused look. “You are Eric are going to enter the hall of a thousand. Depending on how you place, the final hundred move on.”

“And from that one hundred, you play to make the final ten for the last tournament,” Eric added. “Stick with me, and I’ll show you the ropes.” I didn’t know if he was trying to be confident, but he came off as cocky. But he was my best bet to understand where I had landed and how I could get out of this world.

“Lead the way.” I made a grand gesture with my arms as an incoming metal platform rotated toward us. I stepped on and tried not to look down to the sky. Before I got two steps, I felt something land on my shoulder.

“Your friend wants to join us?” laughed Eric. The steam monkey skittered down my shoulder and settled onto the small of my back. I thought about flicking it off me, cognizant that the creature was spying on me.

“If you don’t carry it, the monkey is going to follow us anyway.” I turned my head and looked into its computer-generated eyes. I may as well have it with me instead of it spying from above. We stepped off the walkway and onto a cobblestoned street. The stones felt real enough under my feet, but I couldn’t imagine the city could remain afloat with their weight.

The streets were narrow and crowded with people who ignored our presence. I stared at a man wearing a double-breasted suit with a top hat and small, circular glasses. As he walked by, I noticed his cane had an eagle head at its peak. I turned and barely evaded a woman in an elegant red dress. Her umbrella was mechanical and had a trigger for a weaponized response to danger. These people might look fancy, but they were probably just as dangerous as the King’s boys.

A young boy ran past us and slammed into Eric, almost knocking him down.

“Sorry, sir!” the young boy exclaimed, picked himself up, and ran off. Eric shook his head and then checked his pocket. He grimaced in pain.

“The key! He took the key!” Eric pointed. The boy must have overheard him, because he turned around. His guilt was apparent as he picked up speed. We chased after him.

It was like a running an obstacle course around a sea of people. The boy swerved hard to his right, slamming into a trash container and boxes. He stumbled, allowing us to gain a couple of steps.

The street was full in front, and the boy momentarily disappeared from my field of vision. As we reached the spot where we lost sight of him, an alleyway opened up on our right.

“Turn here,” Eric commanded. We ran into the alley and stopped. It was about fifty feet long, with a ten-foot steel fence at the end. The adjoining buildings were brushed metal with porthole windows. The alley way had no doors, no way to escape.

“Did he go somewhere else?” Eric asked.

“He disappeared right at this alleyway, too much of a coincidence.”

“You keep looking. I’ll run up the street. If I can’t find him, I’ll come back. If I can’t find that key, we’re out of the tournament.” Eric sounded strained as he ran back out of the alley. I understood his anguish. He had been working toward this opportunity all of his life, and in a second it had disappeared. I looked at the alley. The fence was too high to climb, or we would at least have seen him try. The walls were brick-like and solid, with metal doors on either side. But none of the doors had handles; they could only be opened from the inside. I pulled on the edges of one, and it did not move. Unless someone let him in (which was possible, if this was planned), then he couldn’t have escaped that way. I checked the windows. None of them were accessible or open. I passed a dumpster and trash on the ground as something grabbed my attention: a metal cover in the ground, partially open into darkness. This exit in the ground was too good to pass up. The monkey on my shoulder pointed in another direction.

I backtracked and kicked the dumpster. I heard a grunt, so I kicked it again and pushed it a little. This time there was no sound, but somehow I could feel his presence. I took a wooden post from on top of the dumpster and poked around the trash. Seconds later, I hit something soft, and it exploded out of the dumpster. The boy thought he could scare me and give him the time to escape. Instead, my arm shot out, and I dug my fingers into his neck.

“Ouch! What’s your problem? I’m calling for help and will get you in a world of trouble,” he threatened. He was hoping I would loosen my grip, but I just squeezed harder.

“Get out of the dumpster! Now!” He slowly stepped out, but he was testing my grip, as if he might twist in the opposite direction. He was definitely a street kid and used to tricking his way out of trouble.

“Let me go.” He squirmed. He was slippery as an eel, and I had to grab him tighter or risk losing him.

“As soon as you pass me the key. How did you even know that we had it?”

“I don‘t know what you’re talking about. Maybe we should talk to the policeman over there.” He pointed to behind me, and I almost took the bait. One second, and he could slip out my grasp.

“If you want me to search you, I will.” The boy made a face, as if he didn’t want to be touched.

“Or we could just beat it out you,” Eric yelled from behind me. He pulled the boy out of my grasp and yanked his hand backward, as if he was going to punch the boy. The kid obviously thought the same.

“Okay. Okay. Not my face. The key is in my back pocket. If I had known how irritating the two of you would be, I would never have taken this assignment.” I was intrigued by his comment but first reached toward his pocket. I thought I spied something sticking out, but as I reached for it, a metal bar snagged hard on my finger, like a mousetrap slamming hard on its prey.

“Owwww!” I screamed and jumped away. Eric instinctively loosened his grip and turned to me. The boy broke free and took two strides to escape the alleyway. My finger throbbed, but I had the presence of mind to stick out my foot and bring the little thief down. Eric jumped on him before he could stand up and gave him a punch in the gut for his troubles.

“Find a stick or something in the garbage. We’ll poke this kid to trip any more traps.” Before I could look, the boy cried out.

“It’s there in my other back pocket! I didn’t mean for you to get hurt,” he cried.

“Sure.” I smiled and kicked at his back pocket to trigger anything that might go off. “I bet you were just running away so you go write your apology.” I used my foot to slide a key out his back pocket. I picked it up and handed it back to Eric.

“Thanks,” he replied and shoved it back into his front pocket.

“How about you put it somewhere safe, so if this kid has friends, they don’t make another play for it?”

Eric took off one his shoes and put in his sock.

“Well, I’m not touching it now,” I joked. I turned my attention back to the boy. “Who told you we’d be here? And what did you want with the key?”

“Are you serious? Everyone wants these keys. I recognized your faces from the bounty, and it didn’t take a genius to see where you were carrying the key.”

“Bounty? How did King get the word out?” I wondered.

“By pigeon, likely; most ships have them. King probably sent the message after he lost the battle with us. If a handler received it here in the city, I could imagine he would spread the word fast amongst those who would do anything for a price,” Eric commented.

“How much am I worth?” I asked the boy.

“Not money,” he countered. “Access to the tournament. King’s family claimed that the winner could join them when they entered.”

“Why not take it and run? They can’t touch you in the tournament,” answered Eric.

“Maybe not in the tournament, but definitely after. I’m not stupid. Chances are slim to win the tournament, and I don’t want to do anything to anger King’s boys. There is not enough city to hide from them. Besides, there are lots of other kids looking for you. Only a matter of time before you are discovered. No way you are going to make it to the tournament without being robbed.”

“Unless…” I left the word hanging, figuring he was setting us up for another trap.

“Use me as a guide. I know this city inside out. I can get you there in no time without unwanted eyes finding you.”

“And what do you want in return?” I asked, although I knew the answer.

“Entrance to the tournament! That is what he wants. There is nothing honest that will come out of his mouth, Pene. He tried to rob us once, and he’s just setting himself up for a second time!”

Eric was probably right. This boy was a chameleon. He told you whatever you wanted to hear. His talents had likely kept him alive so far. Yet there was a nugget of truth. Even if we had evaded this boy, what were the chances we could hide from all the others?

“What are you suggesting?” I asked him. Eric turned to shut me up, but I gave him a look that made him silent.

“Now you’re making sense,” the boy answered gleefully. Eric let him go but blocked his escape route. The boy grabbed a stick from the ground and traced our locations in the dirt. “We’re here,” he drew an X, “and the tournament is here.” He drew a large circle deep into the city.

“I know where we’re going. We can take the roads here and here.” Eric pointed in the dirt.

“No, no, no,” answered the boy. Everyone travels those routes. You have five or more kids, bigger than me, on your tail. And they won’t be a ‘gentle’ as me. They’ll knock you down and rob you blind before you can yell for help. You wouldn’t want your girlfriend to get hurt.”

“I’m not his girlfriend,” I snapped.

“Fine. Either way, you’ll be spotted and robbed before you know it.”

“Can’t we just hang out back at our ship? Wait for things to die down before heading back out?” I asked.

“No, we need to get there before midday. The gates will be closed after that. My key is irrelevant. We have to get there now and evade any obstacles along the way,” Eric said while looking at the boy. “What are you suggesting?”

“Roadways are out; we either go above or below.”

“Thought you couldn’t fly around here because of all the airships,” I said.

“Exactly.” The boy snapped his fingers as he was leading me to his conclusion. “We need to go down.” He pointed to the metal cover on the ground.

“I hope it doesn’t stink down there.” I cringed.

“What do you mean?” the boy asked with puzzlement. Maybe I didn’t understand how this city worked.

“Well, where I live, the sewers run under the city. It transports all the waste and dirty water to the treatment center.”

“Well, that sounds like a fancy place. We just dump our waste out of the city,” the boy said.

“Be a nasty surprise if I flew under a city’s coordinates?” I remarked.

“No, no. Navigators are smart enough to know; besides, they usually only do it once a night.” Eric lowered himself into the manhole cover first, the boy second. I was about to climb in when the monkey screeched and ran down the alley. Was Spi taking control, or did the creature have its own motivation? Either way, I had no time to investigate. It was on its own.

I climbed into the hole. Eric and I kept the boy between us in case he tried to escape again. The boy was right; the tunnel was dry and slightly illuminated by a green glow. Wires ran everywhere. I assumed most of the city’s electrical power ran through here. The boy pointed directly ahead as Eric walked first.

“So, aren’t you just polluting the ground below? I imagine nothing can live there if you turned it into a dumping ground.” Eric stopped, and both he and the boy looked back at me.

“What are you talking about, Pene? There is nothing below us. If you go too far down, the currents rip you apart. That’s where the waste goes. It dissolves into nothing.”

“But if you don’t recycle the water, how to replenish your supply?”

“Pene, I don’t know the altitude of your city, but water vapor is all around us. We need only put out buckets or clothes and wring the water it collects from the air. Seriously, I don’t know where you’re from, but you’re sounding a bit crazy.” Eric turned at a bend that the boy instructed him.

I was pushing my luck. They had no idea that their world was finite in dimensions and that I escaped my home and entered there. Yet the idea of there being no land intrigued me, and I dared to ask more.

“There has to be something below us — it can’t go on forever like a bottomless pit,” I challenged. Eric turned again, looking ready to shoot my idea down, but the boy interrupted.

“When I was young—” he started.

“You are already young,” I chimed in.

“When I was younger,” he continued, undeterred, “I heard the legend of an island on slid land, whose roots held it into the ground to prevent the wind currents from blowing it away.”

“That’s an old story that parents tell to scare their kids. There is no such thing as land,” Eric said, ducking under a pipe.

“Could be. But how did our first cities get built? They couldn’t just start by flying in the air. They had to start somewhere.” The boy had considered the problem.

“My father told me that they began as projects built off the airships. Some cities were airlifted off ships that eventually grew into place, like Juncture City,” Eric said. “There’s a hodge-podge of materials and sections built on the city at different intervals. Sometimes buildings don’t match, or streets just end for no reason.”

“So you two boys just think that everyone just was born in the clouds? Come on, there had to have been solid ground at some point in history?” I asked.

“Well, if you believe the history books, our world started off as an island surrounded by water. Eventually the land eroded, making the island smaller and smaller as the population grew. People began to create homes in the air and the sea to complement the lack of space. Then a great storm came and destroyed the island and all of the ships. Only the people on the airships that evaded the storm survived, and eventually they created the flying cities,” Eric recited. He sounded like he believed but had heard the story so often that it didn’t hold much excitement for him.

“Sounds plausible,” I added. “What do you think?” I looked at the boy.

“I think any island would be better than this place,” he said with sadness in his voice. Someone that was forced to live as an orphan didn’t have it easy. I decided not to press him further.

“Besides,” Eric continued, “anyone who has gone looking for the island has never returned. You get too far below the clouds and the air currents rip you apart. No one could survive.”

So that was how they kept people contained in this world. The possibility of exploring was prevented by the real fear of death.

“Have you ever tried?” I asked Eric.

He stopped to look me. “I have gone to almost every place imaginable to find my dad. Uncle Doyle and I ask every trader, every pirate, every government official we come upon if they have seen my dad. I’ll keep looking until I have searched every single city, airship, cloud until I find him!”

I admired his commitment. He had little proof that his father was still alive, but he believed enough to keep searching. My commitment to find my mom was just as strong. Then I realized that something was wrong.

“Where is he?” I asked as I realized that we stood by ourselves in the tunnel. Eric realized about a second later. “Quick, check your pockets,” I commanded. Eric searched and felt the key.

“He didn’t pick-pocket me a second time.” Eric seemed proud of his accomplishment.

“Won’t do us much help if he brings about a dozen of his friends,” I replied. “Call him, see if he’s just ahead of us.

“Call him what? Neither one of asked his name.” I stomped my feet, frustrated that he had escaped us so easily, and now we were stuck in these underground tunnels.

“Maybe if you weren’t so interested history, you might have seen him disappear.”

“Well, you were here too. Let’s not play the blame game,” I answered, although he was right. He was in the lead and couldn’t turn around every second to watch.

“Pene, you never did say what city you were from?” Eric asked, and I knew he had grown suspicious with all of my questions. Should I share my secret? Fortunately, we were interrupted as the wall panel opened.

“Hey! Did you miss me?” the boy asked from inside the wall. It seemed that the wall was a panel to the outside. “Think I took off on you?”

“The thought did cross my mind. Just like you might have a gang of your buddies waiting for you on the other side,” I commented.

“Ha! I’m not sharing my entry into the tournament with anyone,” the boy answered and then saw the concern on our faces. “Except you two, of course. Anyway, the two of you were so deep in conversation, and I saw our exit point, so I thought I’d check to make sure we had a clear run to the finish line.”

“And do we?” Eric asked.

“Not quite. A bunch of bandana freaks are patrolling the entryway, trying to intimidate people on their way in. Hoping to get one of the winners to cough up their key. Once you get to the first gate, the rules prevent them from taking the key from someone. That’s why they use kids like us to get it before the tournament and for prying eyes.”

“Can you get us to the entry area?” Eric asked.

“Probably. But your pictures have been passed around. I doubt we can get all the way there without a distraction.”

“Leave that to me. Get us to the gate, and I’ll do the rest,” Eric commanded.

“Care to share your big plan?” I asked. “Maybe I can help?”

“I’ll let you know when I know. I’m going to improvise.” He noticed the shock in my face. “Relax, I’m good at this. Have I ever let you down?”

“Yeah, in a cloud all by myself against a winged mercenary.”

“Bishop is all bark and no bite. You could have taken him.” We climbed several sets of stairs, and the light became brighter. Finally, the boy pushed on a bar, and the door opened into the light. We were several stories above street level, overlooking a large coliseum. There were flags and streamers lining the streets, as if preparing for a great parade. The streets were packed with onlookers pushing to move forward. From my vantage point, I could see several boys with bandanas covering their faces.

“Where is the entrance?” I asked.

“Over there.” The boy pointed at a fenced area with multiple check-in points. There was no one entering at the moment, just a lot of people standing around. We were either late for the game, or there would be a burst of people entering at the last second.

“How do we get inside the coliseum?” Eric pulled out his key.

“You have to insert it at the entrance and explain how you acquired it. If the person on the other end agrees, then only those that are approved may enter.”

“So how are you going to explain the two of us?” I pointed at the boy and myself. “What if they only see you as the true holder, and the two of us are just tagalongs?”

“I’ll explain,” he faced me, “that it would not have been possible if the two of you hadn’t assisted. Good enough for you?”

“Maybe,” the boy replied. “That all depends if the thousand-participant limit hasn’t been reached yet. I don’t see anyone entering the gates.”

“Well, there’s only one way to fond out. Pene — take the key.” Eric handled it to me, but I wanted nothing to do with it.

“You keep it. You earned it. You have the big wish.”

“Take it anyway. If I’m going to create a distraction, the last thing I want to do is lose the key to those guys below.” He pointed to the skull bandanas below; their numbers had grown. I didn’t like our odds.

“This is so unfair. Why don’t rules prevent the theft of a key in the first place? Otherwise everyone could just try to take it from them as they tried to enter?”

“They can’t. Once a person touches a key, it imprints on them and only allows access to those who discover it,” the boy answered.

“So what’s the problem? Let’s walk down there, take our place, and walk in. Is there something that you’re not telling me, Eric?” I asked, and his face turned red.

“Well — you could say that Bishop and I touched the key at the same time.”

“I don’t understand?”

“To find the key, there is a series of skill-testing clues that lead you closer to its destination. Bishop and I were competing against each other, and he had followed me to the last clue.”

“Because you’re smarter than him?” I teased.

“Because I work harder than him. He has a team and a father that help him along on every task. Where I’m involved with every part of the test, he only deals with pieces and lets his team bring it all together.

“So you’re telling me you deserve it more than he does!”

“Well, maybe — but our fingerprints merged to the key’s coding. Technically, both Bishop and I grabbed it at the very same moment.” I stared at him but didn’t say a word. He eventually relented. “What? Did you want me to just give him the key? Guaranteed he wouldn’t share it with me. This is my one chance to find out where my father is. Nobody is going to prevent me from entering the tournament.” Eric pointed below.

“Message received loud and clear. You want to say it any louder, so everyone below can hear you too?” teased the boy.

Eric’s shoulders sagged. “All I’m saying is that I can give you the key, but you can’t get in without my handprint. So just get close enough so that I can join in.” I refused to take it from him.

“That’s the stupidest plan I have ever heard. You are giving me a key, which I can’t use. So, if you get hurt or captured, it’s basically useless unless I give it to Bishop! Unless you don’t trust me or think I will screw up if I make the diversion.” I fixed him with a glare that should cut diamonds.

“But this isn’t your fight, Pene. You could get hurt or worse. It’s my key, I should take the risk.”

“You know, the two of you carry on like an old married couple. I can solve this problem once and for all.” Much to our dismay, the boy reached for the key and jumped over the ledge into the crowd below.

Chapter 4

The One Thousand

The boy sailed through the air, grabbing the end of a banner and swinging down like an ape on a vine. “I’ve got the key! I’ve got the key!” he yelled. “Somebody tell Bishop. I will only give it to him!” I was about to chase him when Eric pressed his arm against me. He still had the key in his hand.

“He didn’t take it. He acted like he did, and I’m sure he will give the people below a good description of how he did. Come on, he’s buying us a few minutes.” He climbed toward a ladder and slid down to the street.

“Why did he do it? Was he really that sick of listening to us argue?”

“Either that or he’s giving us a chance to reach the gate. Come on, before he changes his mind.”

We ran down the cobblestone street. Most people were turned in the opposite direction, watching the boy yell how he had stolen the key. He was surrounded now, but the way he was talking, he had everyone’s attention. We weaved in and out around the crowd. What kind of tournament would people be interested in that they couldn’t watch? A motorized carriage was driving down toward the gate, and we walked beside it like we were part of the group. We were about a hundred feet away when I heard a commotion behind us.

I couldn’t help myself, and I turned. The boy was mobbed. They were searching him, and in a few seconds they would discover that he had no key. We rushed forward to the gate, pushing the gawkers aside. A huge metallic lion’s head hung on the fence with a key lock mechanism. Its eyes blinked as it observed us moving closer. I jumped backward, almost stumbling as a blue beam emanated from the metal lion’s mouth, scanning the key in Eric’s hand.

“Please step forward,” the lion boomed in a deep voice. The crowd of people parted as we stepped to the gate. The lion looked down on us.

“Who is the rightful recipient?” it asked as each eye focused on one of us.

“I am,” Eric answered, “and she will be entering with me as helper.” The lion stared at me like I was a meal. “That is your privilege. Please insert the key.” Eric reached out with his hand but had the key slapped away, and it fell under the gate. Bishop threw a punch into Eric’s chest, knocking him over. Another boy tackled me, and I fell to the ground.

“Rook!” Bishop yelled. “Hold her down until I get the key!” I scrambled on the ground and avoided a foot stomp from above. I grabbed a shoe and yanked hard. My attacker came down on his back. I had a few seconds to grab the key.

“You can’t avoid me, Eric. That key is mine! I worked just as hard to find it.”

“By following me!” Eric yelled back and pushed Bishop against the fence. “You wouldn’t have come close to finding the key if you didn’t have an entire family watching my moves.”

“Well, there’s no rules about how the key is found, is there? So don’t cry about it now. I’m going into this tournament!”

I’d had enough, and I grabbed the key on the ground. The boy called Rook kicked at me and missed. He was smaller than me, and I kicked him in the ankle. He grimaced but still punched me in the stomach. The key went flying again, and the four watched as a familiar mechanical construct grabbed the key and scrambled over the gate. The mechanical monkey had reappeared!

“Enough!” the lion bellowed behind us. “Any more fighting, and you will all be disqualified from the tournament!” We all stopped and watched the monkey insert the key into the lock.

“That’s my key!” Eric yelled.

“No, it’s mine!” Bishop raced first to the gate.

“I will decide who enters — thanks to our construct,” the lion’s eyes turned to the monkey, who waited obediently, “the key is safe and there will be no more arguing. You two!” It looked at Bishop and Eric. “You have your thermal signature locked into the key. You may enter and bring one person each who has assisted and already touched the key.”

“She will accompany me.” Eric pointed to me.

“She has also touched the key. She may enter. You, boy, must pick now!” The lion glared at Bishop.

“If you give me more time, I will have my team join us,” Bishop explained.

“You must choose now or forfeit your entry,” the lion roared.

“Fine,” Bishop answered and pointed to the boy named Rook. The lion waited a half second to consider the request

“No! The boy does not satisfy the requirements. He has not touched the key. You have ten seconds to make another selection.”

“That would be me!” The boy who had helped us (and stolen from us) appeared with several boys in pursuit. “I deserve entry into the tournament!” The lion scanned him.

“He helped us!” I blurted out. The lion considered my comment, and the gate clicked open.

“You are eligible. Your thermal signature is on the key. Please proceed,” it commanded.

“No!” Bishop wailed. “I get to choose. This kid is some thief from the streets. I don’t want him.” Rook was angry and pushed forward. The lion’s eyes glared, and a red ray appeared and blazed on the street. The laser scorched the cobblestones, creating a black line that would burn any human flesh.

“The four selected have thirty seconds to enter the tournament. Any ineligible players will be terminated.” The boy named Rook and his companions that had joined him backed up from their positions. They were not going to risk death, despite Bishop’s protests. We realized that time was short and raced through the gate. The fence closed behind us, and the remaining bandana boys watched us head toward two large doors.

“I don’t care how you got your friends in here,” Bishop snarled, “but once we’re in here, don’t expect any help from me.”

“Just try not to get in our way,” Eric answered. “Let’s see how you can manage without the help of your family behind you.” The twin doors stood ten feet tall and opened as we approached. It was total darkness behind them. I gulped, and as we entered, the blackness swallowed us whole.

The door thudded behind us, and the four of us stood still in the darkness. A faint glow and the rumbling of voices came from the end of a long hall. I felt someone’s hand brush against me, and I pulled away, not needing any comfort from some boy. As my eyes adjusted to the gloom, I could make out metal torches on the wall with a sickly orange glow like eyes watching us. The rumble of voices grew louder. As we turned a corner, a huge ballroom appeared with close to a thousand bodies packed into their space. Most were young, male and female — everyone was gathered in small groups. They were talking and strategizing, wondering what was to come next. The whole scene put me on edge. This no longer felt like a game.

No one bothered to look at us as we walked in. Everyone was looking out for themselves. This tournament didn’t create allies, only adversaries. We gathered by one corner while I tried to get our bearings.

“Okay, we’re here. Now what?” I looked at Eric, but Bishop felted compelled to answer me.

“Where did you come from? How does she not know anything about the four-year tournament?”

“Humor me. Unless you have something more pressing?” I answered. Eric remained silent as Bishop continued.

“This is stage one. The battle of a thousand. Entrants had to find a key to get admission into the tournament. Now, in the next couple of hours, that number will be whittled down to a hundred. All participants must be under the age of eighteen.”

“How? What has the tournament been like in the past?” Bishop was about to answer when Eric interrupted.

“In past years, it has been a maze. All the participants are at one end and must get to the other side. Sometimes other teams can help you, other times they work against you.”

“Once they announce the rules,” Bishop interjected, “I’ll leave you losers alone. I’m not going to weighed down by a girl, some kid, and someone who lies to get in here. And you,” he looked straight at me, “give me my knife back. Now!”

“Don’t touch her!” Eric interrupted and shoved Bishop back. Before a fight broke out, a large metallic voice filled the room.

“Welcome, participants.” The voice was filled with mirth like a clown ready to play. “If I can direct your attention to the central stage, the game will begin.” The four of us shuffled forward toward a darkened stage with a red curtain hiding its contents.

“Thank you. Thank you. You’re all such good listeners. That will serve you well, as I will only be explaining the rules once.”

“Where are you? Come out so we can see you,” a voice from up front yelled.

“See me?” The voice laughed, as if it was the funniest of jokes. “Well, let’s open the curtain.” The red curtain moved slowly, as if trying to drag on the suspense. Disappointment filled the room as the curtain revealed a blank stage with three spotlights. There was nothing to see. Another spotlight flashed from the ceiling, and something metallic dangled down. It had ten legs and was a combination of a spider and a lizard. A purple glow shone from the creature. As it came closer to the floor, all those beneath backed away. No one wanted to be close to this machine.

“I am here and not here.” The machine smiled, and it was far from pleasant. The spotlight changed to the far wall, and a face stared back at us. It was similar to the lion but more of a tiger face. It was mounted to the wall like an all-seeing eye. “Or am I here?” the voice yelled from behind, and the monkey from our ship pranced from different people’s heads with the voice emanating from it. The purple glow flashed from the monkey. It was unnerving, and people began to talk, unsure of where our host was actually at. Seeing the monkey talk added a whole level of creepiness to it. I didn’t think I would ever let it walk on my shoulder again.

“Enough of your games!” a tall boy yelled from my left. “Tell us about the tournament.” The spider lizard began to scurry over to the voice. His friends abandoned him, and the metallic creature backed him into the corner.

“Excuse me, who is in charge of this tournament?” the creature asked the boy who had interrupted. From the look on his face, he was definitely regretting his action. His posture was slouched, as if he was afraid of the creature. I know I was.

“You are! You are!” he wailed.

“Then maybe I should remove you from the tournament.” The creature clicked its legs as if it was going to skewer him with them.

“Enough!” I yelled and stood out from my group. “Are you going to tell us about the rules or try to intimidate the players?” The creature turned toward me, and its smile got even wider.

“Great!” Bishop whispered. “Way to bring attention to us.” He took several steps backward. The creature stepped away from the boy and scurried toward me. I stood my ground and didn’t back away. It tilted its head, as if trying to examine what made me tick.

“Maybe I should intimidate you? You would be more fun. Your name? It’s just on the tip of my tongue.” Its metal tongue waggled, and I thought it was going to lick me. It moved closer, but I refused to back up. When it was only inches away, I smelled oil and grease on its gears.

“Pene,” I answered, knowing full well it knew me. “And yes, you could spend your time intimating me or any of us. But I think your real pleasure is in this tournament. Only none of us can compete if you don’t explain the rules.” The creature bore down with me its eyes, and if it could breathe, I would have felt its hot breath. It backed away and crawled back toward the main stage.

“You are right, Pene. Thank you for reminding me of why we are here. Why I have arranged this tournament.” It folded its legs and sat unceremoniously like a dog. “As many of you must have guessed, I am Spi. I am part of all of your lives in one form or another. I have watched you from afar, watched you grow up, and watched you make mistakes. You are here today because you are worthy of this tournament and winning its grand prize. Ultimate knowledge to any questions you desire. But only if you pass today’s test.”

“Which is?” a voice behind us called out.

Spi put a leg under its chin, trying to look like it was thinking, but it just came off as creepy.

“Well, I can’t tell you everything, can I? That would ruin the sport of the tournament.” Several groans came from around the large room. Spi smiled even wider, as if feeding on our frustration. “As I have listened to the talk in this room, many of you have discussed past tournaments. In fact,” Spi scanned around the room and leaped toward a tall boy, “some of you have even participated before. Do you want to tell us about the tournament?”

The boy looked uneasy, as if Spi was making him give up his advantage. “It was a maze—” he started but was abruptly cut off by Spi.

“A maze, he says! How wonderful. Did anyone get lost?”

“I don’t know,” the boy answered, “but there were creatures that worked against you that removed you at a wrong turn.”

Spi gave him an inquisitive look. “Did you get eliminated?”

“You know the answer.” The boy turned his back, not willing to be humiliated any further. Spi bounded back to the stage, undeterred.

“Did everyone get that? You have a maze to explore, and if you are the first hundred to reach the other side, you get to make it to the next round.”

“What did he mean that you could get removed? No one gets hurt, do they?” a girl several rows ahead of us asked.

“Do you mean physically hurt, or just your pride?” Spi asked.

“Physically,” came the response.

“Well, you shouldn’t get hurt physically, but the obstacles you are going against don’t really know this just a game. So, if anyone has concerns about the tournament, you can leave out the door to the far right. The chicken door!” Spi laughed and bounced around the stage like it was enjoying itself. I was actually a bit surprised the behavior. It seemed a bit unhinged, almost like its computer brain had been hit too hard. Yet it acted livelier than most human beings. It was almost like it mimicked our most extreme behavior.

The crowd murmured and shuffled, but no one headed toward the chicken door. They had invested too much in getting here to give up now.

“You will be broken up into teams of five. A whole team must complete the trial, or none of you will move on.”

“What?” Bishop exclaimed. “I won’t be saddled with these losers! I’ll win or lose on my own!” This outburst caught Spi’s attention, and it bounded toward us.

“Such an interesting part of the room,” it said. “I was initially going to separate the four of you, but now it would be much more interesting to watch you try to coexist. Thank you for your suggestion.” Bishop glowered at him, but he was smart enough to hold his tongue. I wished he hadn’t spoken either; now we were stuck with him.

“At the far side of the room is the gate into the maze. You have a one-hour time limit from the time you enter the maze to find its exit. If you don’t find the exit, you won’t make the final one hundred. If you are trapped by one of the obstacles and can’t escape, you don’t move on.”

“What do you mean — trapped by an obstacle? Is a brick wall going to jump in front of me?” A young boy in front of us laughed, and his peers joined in. Big mistake.

“Great question,” Spi enthused. “I think the best way to answer that is to show you. You and you friends are going to the start of the line to handle these dangers.” The boy looked shocked. One of his friends punched him on the shoulder. Spi motioned to them to walk toward the gate while the rest of us watched in horror.”

“Listen, it was just a question,” the boy backpedaled.

“You asked a question, I’m showing you the answer,” Spi responded as if it was giving them an advantage. “Now, I may explain a few more rules after you enter, but I’m sure you five are smart enough to get by.”

“Then we should stay,” the boy pleaded, “make sure we all have the same start.” Spi came to face the boy, so close, the boy shrank backward and half closed his eyes.

“You should go. Unless you want to forfeit your chance.” The boy was backed into a corner and had no other choice.

“Let’s go.”

He motioned to his friends, and Spi opened two double doors that showed a glow in the distance. They took several tentative steps forward, but before the doors closed, one of them exclaimed, “They are everywhere. We got move now!” Running and yelling followed, until the double doors closed and all sound was muffled. What did they mean? What were they surrounded by? The spotlight shined brighter on Spi, as if the climax of the talk was now being reached.

“In addition to the obstacles you will encounter, I have some representatives who will be patrolling the maze. One touch by them, and it’s game over. Perhaps some of you have met them. They are the Lantern Men.”

The room broke out in a chorus of concern. Whoever these men were, they weren’t friendly, and it seemed Spi had stacked the tournament in his favor. For the first time, I looked at the chicken door as an option.

“Before we get started, does anyone have any questions?”

No one responded this time. The price for asking a question that Spi didn’t like was too high. Best to shut up and get through the maze in an hour or less. Since playing it safe was not my approach to anything, I decided to speak up.

“Why?” I yelled, and my voice sounded low, like the room was sucking up the energy. All eyes looked toward me.

“Can’t you just shut up?” Bishop threw up his hands dramatically, like I was dooming his chance to win. Everyone froze and turned to Spi, who seemed bemused. It skittered back toward me but stopped a safe distance, like I was the scary one.

“Why what?” Spi asked.

“Why do you do this? Why do set up the keys for us to find? Why put us all through a maze? What’s in it for you?” I couldn’t help myself. I didn’t know if this creature was actually alive, but what caused it to create this elaborate game to begin with?

Spi put two of its legs on it chin, and its smile grew, a deranged, sickly look.

“No one has ever asked me that before. All of you,” it waved to the crowd, “have always been so focused on yourselves that you have never asked about me.”

“How about answering the question,” Eric chimed in. I guess I wasn’t the only one intrigued by Spi.

“Let me answer your question with another question. Why do you eat? Why do sleep? Why do you breathe?” Spi leaned in, as if we were providing the ultimate answer.

“Because we have to survive. We have no choice. None of us can stop breathing or eating. Our bodies demand it. If we don’t, we suffer pain or die.”

Spi jumped high into the air and then spun like a top when it landed on the ground.

“Beautiful answer! And mine as well. Whoever created me made this game-playing integral to my being. I cannot prevent myself from these tournaments. I don’t know if I would cease if I didn’t arrange it, but my programming does not allow me to stop. Besides, where you humans experience joy, I experience something different. Something deeper!”

“Curiosity?” our street boy asked. Frankly, I was surprised he would risk talking.

“Deeper still. But I like your team’s questions. For that I’m going to give you something.” It reached behind, although it had no pockets, and pulled out a key, very similar to the one we used to get in, but this one was bigger and more ornate. “If you are about to lose, use this key and you will get an advantage. Something will help you out of your situation.” Spi handed the key to me, and suddenly the room became loud with voices.

“I have a question about you?”

“Why do you have so many bodies?”

“How old are you?” A wave of questions came out around us as the other groups hoped they might acquire an advantage.

“ENOUGH!” Spi’s voice boomed, and its spotlight flashed brightly, almost blinding and forcing us to look at the floor.

“Seems like one of the teams is getting favoritism. Maybe my team will have to take the key from them,” said a tall boy with short red hair. His teammates snickered. This team might become a problem later in the tournament.

“No more questions. The game is about to begin. March forward, and you will be placed into groups of five.”

The room erupted into conversation as we fed ourselves into the mob that slowly moved toward the far exit.

“That was brave of you,” the boy said. “I think Spi respected your question.”

“Could have backfired just as easily,” Bishop interrupted. “You should have kept your mouth shut.”

“And miss out on this bonus key! No way,” chimed in Eric, excited by the development. “Don’t worry about him. That’s the closest thing to a thank-you you’ll ever get.”

“Well, let’s hope we can use it to our advantage. There’s a lot of teams here, and most of us are going to get eliminated. I just wish I knew more about the maze,” I added. We didn’t have long to wait.

After shuffling for about ten minutes as the line gradually shrank, the four of us stood in front of Spi. It held a tablet in one of his hands, as if it had a list.

“Ah. The vocal team. Hope you enjoy my key.”

“We did!” the boy answered enthusiastically.

“’Course, the key might be useless or cause you to lose the game. You just never know with me.” Spi smiled.

I sighed. Maybe it was just playing with us. Was the machine serious about anything?

“We’re ready to go. Open the doors,” Bishop commanded.

“Wait a second.” Spi held its hand up a traffic cop. “You need another team member. Five per group.”

“We don’t need anyone. They’ll just slow us down,” Bishop complained.

“Rules are the rules. Now, let me see…” Spi looked at his tablet but then stared pass it to a corner of the room. A girl stood awkwardly against the wall. “You there!” Spi motioned toward her, and she steeped forward. She was lean, with dark hair and skin. She looked nervous; she must have come here on her own.

“Yes,” she answered as she stepped next to us.

“You will be joining this group. Group, introduce yourself to her.”

“I’m Pene.” I offered my hand.

“Eric.” He offered his as well.

“Bishop.” He dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

“Royce,” the young boy offered, and I realized how rude I had been by not asking him before.

“I’m Talia. Thanks for letting me join your group.” She seemed relieved to belong. I was curious about her story.

“Can we save the hugging for later? Let’s get going with the maze,” Bishop responded.

“This guy’s all business. I don’t like him, but he’s right,” Spi answered. “Through these doors, your fate awaits. Good luck!” The doors opened, and Spi ushered us inside. We stepped into the dark, and as we crossed the threshold, the doors slammed behind us. There was a slight glow in front of us, otherwise we were blind, barely able to see more than a few feet in front of us.

The walkway was surrounded by thick brush, almost like a jungle. As we walked farther down the path, a large lamppost illuminated a huge map. I stepped closer to understand the diagrams. It seemed like directions, but there were sketches of cages everywhere.

“This place is a zoo!” exclaimed Royce. He was right. But were all the animals in their cages? Our thoughts were interrupted as the lamppost began to move, and something detached itself from it. It was about six feet tall and covered with wires. Goggles covered its eyes, and a beam of light seemed to shine from under them.

“He’s one of the Lantern Men,” Talia advised. “If he captures any of us now, this tournament is over before we even begin!”

Chapter 5

The Mechanical Zoo

“Step back!” Bishop whispered, and the five of us melted back into the brush. The Lantern Man marched down the pathway and passed us like we didn’t exist. Whatever his senses were, they didn’t involve sight. He had walked right by us. That was good to know. It was also good that Bishop could be helpful.

“How did you know?” I asked Bishop when we ventured back onto the path when the Lantern Man had disappeared around a corner.

“My father. You met him in the dining room. He almost took your head off. He explained the type of creatures that Spi might send against us, and their weaknesses.”

“Glad to see you helping someone besides yourself,” commented Eric. I hoped the two of them were not going to bicker during the whole maze.

“Let me get this straight. We are in some kind of zoo. There are mechanical men that pop off light posts. If they grab us, we’re out of the game.” The words sounded bizarre when they came out of my mouth.

“I think their goggles relay information to the game center, so if we stay out of their line of sight, Spi can’t see us. I believe they navigate by sound, so we have to be quiet around them,” Talia added. I was beginning to like her. She was a good observer, better than the boys.

“Well, I hope a Lantern Man is not attached to every light post we see, or we might as well travel off the path,” Royce suggested.

“Don’t be surprised if there are traps in the foliage as well,” Eric commented. “We need to keep moving. I looked at the map, and the zoo is a big circle. We can either follow the trails to the right or the left.”

“Maybe we should separate, increase our chances of someone making it to the end,” Bishop stated. Why did this guy want to get away from us so badly?

“No way. As much as I would like to get rid of you, Spi made it clear. All of us need to get to the end. No way any of us is separating,” Eric pointed out.

“Come on.” Talia beckoned. “Around this corner feels like the main entrance. We can get our bearings there.” We ran around the brush. The trees were high and dense, making it hard to see through them. The path opened into a large, open area. A couple of small buildings were scattered around, like reception offices. In the center was a carousel, but instead of horses, there were animals that you could climb on. From lions to tigers to panthers, the intricacy of their design was incredible to behold. The lion looked especially detailed. Royce ran toward them, acting like the kid he was. He had probably never ridden on an amusement like this in entire life. The carousel suddenly began to spin, and the animals lit up.

“Wait up,” Bishop commanded. “We don’t have time for fun and games. We got to keep moving, there are other groups right behind us.”

“You have to kill any enjoyment, don’t you Bishop?” Eric admonished. Royce stopped, unsure whether to go farther. It was a good thing he did.

The lion’s eyes lit up, and it pulled itself off the bar that held it to the carousel. It disengaged itself from the amusement and walked toward the edge of the machine. Royce abruptly stopped, but he was too close. The lion hunkered down, ready to pounce.

Voices rang out behind us as another group were yelling. I don’t know if they were excited or scared, but they were making enough noise to wake the dead. This got the attention of the lion, whose red eyes turned toward them. They ignored him, but the beast charged, roaring. The sound was deafening, and the leader of the other group stopped suddenly, causing the other group members to slam into him. They were quiet now.

The lion bounded past Royce toward the group, who remained frozen in place. One boy fell to the ground, terrified of the mechanical wonder. Something told me they were about to eliminated.

“Come on!” Eric yelled, and we ran toward a large structure that was several stories tall. I pulled open a wooden door, and we spilled inside. I hoped lions couldn’t pull doors open. The building was dark, but there were ropes and trees well above our heads. I didn’t like the idea of something spying down on us. With the door closed behind us, we took a minute to decide our course of action.

“I’m not going back out there,” Royce said. “That lion would have had me if the others hadn’t shown up.”

“Well, Spi was right. We need to stick together. Everyone has to stay within sight of each other,” Eric commanded. He was growing into this leadership thing. I was happy he was taking it on. Others were not.

“Great advice,” Bishop sneered. “Would have been much better before this kid almost ran up to lion and got eliminated. You need to follow my lead and stay out of trouble.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Don’t remember any vote making you leader of this group. I brought the key. I should make our decisions,” Eric said.

“Actually, I had a key too,” Talia put in.

“I don’t think we have time to vote on a leader right now,” I piped in. “I suggest we take a consensus approach right now on decisions. Majority rules.” Nobody answered, but their glances at each other suggested they agreed.

“I think I know where we are.” Royce pointed to a map. “This is the monkey house.”

All of us looked up. The location of the ropes made sense. My only hope was that no one was home.

“We can’t go back the way we came. We need to get through it to the other side and get back to the zoo trails. Who’s with me?” Eric asked. We nodded, except for Bishop, who pushed on ahead.

“Wait up!” I yelled as we rushed to catch up. The jungle brush was thick, and the path narrowed. Light filtered in from above, and shadows danced around the leaves. Movement caught my attention from the right, but when I looked closer, it disappeared. Ahead of us, a wooden bridge crossed a small stream. The building was silent, except for our footsteps and the gurgling of the water.

“Maybe the building is empty?” Royce suggested.

“With all the preparation that Spi discussed, I doubt that very much. I would assume every location is a trap or test. I’ll venture ahead, and Eric can follow me. You girls,” Bishop looked at us, “can stay behind and watch over the kid.” Before I could protest, Eric put a finger over his mouth, as if it wasn’t worth the effort to protest.

“We’ll just be twenty feet ahead. Yell if you see anything.” The two of them shuffled through the false jungle ahead of us. Talia came closer to me, while Royce brought up the rear. Even though we might be seconds from danger, it was a good opportunity to better understand her.

“So how did you get your key? And who came with you to Juncture City?”

She measured me, as if she was testing my defenses. She seemed like someone who didn’t let her guard down easily. Then her face softened, as if she had made up her mind.

“Same answer to both. My family helped me. They walked me to the gate and wished me luck. They would do anything for me — I just wish they could have come inside. I’m not sure I’m up for the challenge.”

“Don’t doubt yourself. You wouldn’t have made it this far if you didn’t deserve it. Besides, you’re lucky to have your family here to support you. I bet they will be all at the finish line if we make it to the end.” I heard a rustling in the branches above me, but when I turned, there was nothing there. “How big is your family?”

“I’m one of five girls, the youngest, which seems to give everyone else the reason to baby me. The joke’s on them, because I’m the most adventurous, although the way I got the key was a bit of a mistake.”

“What do you mean?”

“My dad had us on a scavenger hunt. The clues were supposed to get us closer to the key. Since I’m the smallest, I was getting pushed around when the clues led us to a general store. My sisters must have moved every item on every shelf; it was so bad that the storekeeper threatened to kick us out of the store if we broke anything. It was like watching a tornado rip through the place, each one of my sisters moving merchandise around, looking under shelves and inside boxes. If my sisters hadn’t kept blocking me, I would have continued my search down one of the aisles. Instead, I became so frustrated with them that I went to the front of the store.”

“Didn’t you have a clue about where to look?” I asked.

“Yes, but I think as a group we misread it. It talked about the key being with the valuables of the store, so we tried to find all of the expensive items and hoped it would be taped to one of them. But as I sat on stool at the front of the store, I realized that valuable could also mean money. When I looked at the cash register, sure enough the key was taped to the backside of it. The owner almost lost his mind, since he couldn’t figure out how it got there and why he hadn’t seen it first.”

“Your dad didn’t try to take the key for himself or give it to one of your sisters?”

“No, but don’t think my sisters didn’t try. One of them begged that if she didn’t get the key, she wouldn’t be able to marry her sweetheart. Another claimed that she needed it to find the most expensive silks in the world. But my dad was firm: whoever found the key got to go to the tournament. No exceptions.”

“How were sisters after that?”

“They eventually came around and were supportive. They want what’s best for me and what I can do if I win.”

“Which is?” I questioned. I wondered if her motivation was similar to Eric’s. But before she could answer, we were interrupted.

“Ah, guys, I think we are being followed.” We turned and looked down the path we had just travelled. At first, all I could see was a shadow, but gradually I could make out the outline. It was a much smaller version of the monkey that had come on our airship.

“Isn’t he cute?” Royce said and moved to approach it.

“Wait!” I said, and then a larger monkey stood beside it. His metal was a bit more worn, as if he liked to get into fights. And a third one stood beside it. The side of its chest was caved in. If it liked to fight, it had lost a few. Royce stopped and backed away.

“Let’s catch up with the boys,” Talia answered with fear creeping into her voice.

We dashed around the corner, and Royce slammed into Eric’s back, almost falling to the ground. Eric and Bishop were staring straight ahead.

“Why did they stop?” Royce asked, and then we scanned around the boys toward their target.

It was an open area with tires, ropes, and obstacles hanging from above. Rubber toys lay strewn around the yard. Nestled in the trees were dozens of metal monkeys of different sizes and shapes. Some looked brand new, while others were worn and looked ready for the scrap yard. The monkeys may have been machines, but they had been programmed to act like real monkeys. One thing consistent about them was that all of their eyes were trained on us, as if we were new entertainment for them. Both sides stood still like a game of reverse chicken to see who would move first. The monkeys lost and began to scramble around the trees to get a closer a look at us. If we stayed rooted here, it wasn’t going to end well.

“Can you two big lugs move forward, or we’ll going to get overrun?” I tried shoving Eric ahead, but he resisted.

“Don’t you think we already tried that?” Bishop answered, rolling his eyes. “Every time we step forward, this happens.” He showed me by moving toward the exit at the far end of the field. A group of monkeys immediately jumped down from the tree and blocked our exit. When Bishop stepped back toward us, the monkeys gradually climbed back onto the tree, making the exit available again.

“It’s almost like it’s a game for them,” Talia explained.

“Some game. I don’t care if they are smaller — they outnumber us ten to one. And I don’t want to be cornered by any of them and dragged out of the tournament,” Bishop whined.

“Well, we can’t stay here all day. The clock is ticking. Maybe we should make a run for it?” Eric suggested.

“And hope they’ll just tickle us. I should make an example of one of them.” Bishop picked up a rock. “If I bash one of their heads in, the rest will likely back off.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Talia interrupted. “Spi can appear in any one of those bodies at will. I don’t think he will be happy if we just randomly destroy one of his constructs.”

“Well, this debate is really getting us nowhere,” Bishop sneered. “I say we vote on a course of action and majority rules.”

Eric turned to me, looking for an answer.

“For once I agree partly with Bishop.” Three of them turned and looked at me, as if I grew a second head. Bishop just smiled as if everyone should agree with him.

“Guess you are smarter than you look,” he replied.

“Not so fast,” I answered, grabbing one of the rubber toys lying around. “I did say partly right. When you picked up the rock, you got me thinking. What if we can distract these little guys?” I began waving the rubber toy around, and dozens of eyes began to follow my hand. The game had begun.

I tossed the toy at a rubber tire hanging from a tree. It bounced off the tree and onto the ground. Dozens of the metal monkeys scrambled to retrieve it. They fought each other to get at the toy, and I could see that the dents in their bodies were from fighting one another! A large monkey grabbed the toy and then rushed toward me.

“Watch out!” Eric yelled and stepped toward me as if for protection.

“No need,” I said, seeing the monkey’s true purpose as it laid the toy at my feet and then backed up, waiting for me to throw the toy again. I obliged and tossed the toy again, farther, and an even larger number of monkeys chased it. I scooped up a second toy, and Talia next to me grabbed one as well.

“They aren’t here to hurt us. They just want to play,” Talia said.

“Well, they are still wasting our time,” Bishop answered, less than thrilled that he wouldn’t have to defend himself.

“You boys start walking toward the exit. Talia and I will run interference and create distractions.”

“What if they won’t let you leave?” Eric asked.

“We’ll keep tossing toys and back our way out of this. Go on, the clock is ticking,” I answered. Eric nodded as Talia threw her toy, and most of the monkeys in the tree went chasing after it.

The three boys backed away slowly, not wanting to give the monkeys any reason to block them again. I grabbed several more toys; the monkeys were only too willing to play this game of catch. Part of me wondered if many of them had interactions with humans. The group of them of seemed to be having the time of their lives chasing the objects we threw.

A minute passed, and the boys had approached the exit door. Royce motioned to us to move toward it as well. Talia and I loaded up on several toys each and started to back away while tossing several toys. The monkeys’ behavior stayed same, chase, catch, and retrieve the objects while dropping them at our feet. We were about halfway to the escape door when I noticed a large monkey in a tree. His intelligence was different from the small monkeys, almost like a parent watching over its children.

As we got closer to the exit, it leapt from his tree and landed in the pathway, blocking our escape route. Talia tried to coax it with a toy.

“Go for this!” she yelled while throwing the rubber toy back along the path. The larger monkey didn’t move, apparently not motivated in the same way as the small monkeys, who were happy to chase Talia’s throw. I tried to move past the monkey, and it extended it arms out, preventing me from passing. We were in trouble.

“Let me bash its head in,” Bishop yelled from the door, about to interfere.

“Stay where you are!” I yelled back at him. No sense in exposing more of us, and I sensed that brute force wasn’t the answer. I looked around us, trying to think of a distraction. Talia was panicking.

“What if do something to the big monkey and all of the little ones retaliate? I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t handle having a dozen of those things scratching at me.”

“Then help me think of another option. We know these mechanical monkeys like to play; it’s just this one doesn’t want us to leave and have the fun end. I don’t think he wants to hurt us, but if we leave, his children will have no one to play with.”

“What if they played with each other?” Talia added. A light bulb went on in my mind.

“That’s it!” I exclaimed. I put my hand on hers to prevent her from throwing the last toy. Instead of throwing it, I approached the large monkey and opened my hand in front of him. He looked at me, puzzled, and then mimicked my action. I placed the toy in his hand and pretended to throw it, as if it was in my hand. I did it several times, and the monkey sized me up, as if I was crazy. Then I grabbed its arm and tried to move it in a throwing action. The rest of the little monkeys stopped running around, as if this new game was too good not to watch. I felt a bead of sweat fall down my forehead, realizing what was at stake if I couldn’t communicate. I moved his arm again, and the ball fell a short distance away. Not what I was hoping for.

But the little monkeys loved it. It was like they just realized they could play amongst themselves instead of needing an outside force to throw the toys. Talia picked up another toy and handed it to the large monkey. This time he didn’t need the encouragement and threw it farther. The little monkeys were overwhelmed. Some rushed to the toy, but the majority gathered other toys and handed them to the large monkey. They looked expectantly at him. These creatures were never dangerous; they just needed someone to teach them to play amongst themselves.

The large monkey tossed toy after toy that the little ones chased. Whatever programming the little machines had, no one had ever taught them how to entertain themselves. They must have been dependent on other humans who visited the zoo. A hand slapped me on the back.

“Are you going to watch your handiwork, or are you coming out?” Bishop yelled. I nodded, and we exited the monkey house into a warm breeze.

As the door closed, we stepped into a large courtyard with a dozen tables strewn around a stage. There was a canopy above the enclosure that covered us. Above us, in all four corners of the courtyard, there were empty cages, as if an animal looked down on the seated people. As I stepped toward the stage, I saw a shelf with miniature items, from a small bicycle to a magician’s hat. This had to be a performance area where visitors watched a mechanical animal show.

“Was this a show area?” Royce asked. “What do think performed here?”

“Don’t know. Don’t care,” answered Bishop. If he could just keep the attitude in check for one minute, he might have a personality besides irritating. “What part of one hour did you guys not understand? We need to get moving and not act like tourists at the zoo.”

“Hate to admit it, but he’s right,” Eric sighed. “Time’s ticking, and we don’t know how much distance we have to cover.” We headed past the stage to exit the courtyard when a loud overhead screech stopped us in our tracks.

I looked up and stared at two huge eyes. The animal was standing on a perch in the corner nearest to us. The owl was silver, with metal fur that shone in the light. I knew it wasn’t real, but I was mesmerized by its beauty. It shuffled its feet and shifted from side to side, as if deciding what to do. If we had more time, I would love to watch it fly.

“Look out!” Royce warned, and we backed up as a large metal eagle came through our exit. Its talons appeared razor-sharp, and its beak was menacing. The eagle’s wingspan was at least six feet, and there was no room to walk around it. It pushed us backward until Talia sat at one of the tables. The eagle voiced its approval by screeching and looking at the rest of us. Its behavior didn’t need to be interpreted. We were to sit down and watch. I guess we would see a show after all. Bishop wasn’t impressed.

“We don’t have time for this.” He took a step toward the eagle. Its beak came down hard on the ground, and Bishop narrowly jumped back just in time. There was an indentation in the ground where his foot had been.

“Do you have time not to lose your foot?” Eric asked, and Bishop grudgingly sat down. Suddenly the air was full of metallic objects. Birds of all sizes fluttered onto the railing of the canopy above us. They made a funny flittering sound, as if the metal scraped slightly as they flew. Some even had an exotic coloring, like the large parrot that perched to our right, which had blues and yellows in its metal feathers. A red cardinal peered regally down — even those creatures were constructs, but they acted and moved like birds. Their construction was marvelous.

“I hope these things don’t poop in our hair.” Royce made a face.

“Idiot! They’re not real. They’re machines. I’m stuck with a group of morons.” Bishop sighed.

“I hope one of them drops metal shavings on his head,” Eric whispered into my ear, which made me smile.

“Oh, no!” Talia yelled. “Is that a bat?” A small, metal creature with a furry head and small wings flapped to the front of the stage. It was definitely a bat. “I hope it doesn’t try to get caught into my hair.

“Like anything would want to get anywhere near your head,” Bishop sneered.

“Quiet — something is about to happen,” Eric warned. He was right. All the birds came to rest, looking down at us. We were surrounded, and I had the terrible feeling that we trapped and that these birds would pick our bones clean. Then the eagle stepped on stage, as if it was directing the others.

It screeched and directed its wings to the top of the canopy. The birds came down in rushes, the crows with the crows, the sparrows with the sparrows and dozens of other varieties. It was like watching a parade, and the birds represented different floats. The five of us stared, overwhelmed by the beauty of these metallic birds.

“I think these birds are like the monkeys. They were starved for human interaction. This is their way to get our attention,” I said while the others listened.

“That’s great, but we’re on a timetable. We can’t stop and watch every animal exhibit in this zoo. We’ll never get through it in time. What should we do?” Eric asked. I thought, but Royce was the first to respond.

“Let’s clap! They want to entertain us. Let’s show them how much we enjoy it!” I nodded, and four of us stood up (except for Bishop, surprise) and gave a huge round of applause. The birds stopped their parade and looked at us. They blinked in amazement, then they chirped in response, moved by the applause. Bishop took this as our opportunity to leave.

“Great! Now let’s get out of here.” He stood up, and the eagle surged forward. Before it could peck at him with his beak, he sat down again quickly.

“Guess they need a bit more than clapping from us.” Eric nudged Bishop.

I was frustrated as well. As much as this zoo was interesting to explore, our goal was to cross it. If every few feet a block of animals was going to stop us, we weren’t going to escape in time. We had to come up with a plan.

The birds landed on their perch and looked toward the main stage. The bat flew on its own; no other metallic bats had joined it. It flew over the stage and picked up a small prop. It turned toward us and dropped the prop near Talia’s head.

“Guess he was after your hair after all.” Royce grabbed the prop before it could hit her. It was a small bicycle that could fit in the palm of your hand.

“What are you supposed to do with it?” Bishop asked, realizing there was a task for us to complete. We turned in our chairs and looked around the courtyard.

“What about that?” Eric pointed and saw a rope that led from the corner of one perch to another. A gathering of sparrows was buzzing around one of the corners.

Royce jumped up while the eagle watched but didn’t stop his movement. He reached above and placed the prop bike on the rope. One of the sparrows flew over and landed on the bike. Royce was nervous; he wanted to leave but didn’t want to see the sparrow fall. The other sparrows chirped, encouraging the bird to pedal with its tiny feet. It was so charming and cute that we couldn’t help ourselves from clapping as the bird pedaled from one end of the rope to the other with Royce keeping the bike on the rope. Bishop made a gagging sound.

“How much more of this do we have to put up with?”

“RRRRiiiiiiiippppppp!” The left side of the canopy shredded open. We turned our attention to this new attack. It was two Lantern Men — they had heard our noise! The birds flew at them, but the Lantern Men were virtually indestructible. One bird was smashed by the Lantern’s Man’s fist and wobbled off; its wings were bent. The eagle attacked, but its noisy approach was heard by the Lantern Men, who kicked it forward.

“We need to get out of here. Fast!” Bishop implored, willing to take this distraction to escape our bird captors. The Lantern Men were brutally efficient; since the birds were so noisy, they could swat them out of the air with ease, even with their numbers. I decided to even up the odds.

“Hey — over here. Come pick on someone your own size.” One of the Lantern Men heard me and moved over in our direction. I didn’t realize how much faster they were until I tried escaping from him.

“What are you doing?” Bishop yelled. “You’re bringing them to us!” The other Lantern Man turned toward Bishop’s voice, which he immediately regretted.

“Get the others to safety,” I yelled again, trying to divert its attention. These things operated on sound, so I had to draw the Lantern Men toward the back of the courtyard. Eric made a face at me but was silent. The four of them hugged a wall as the Lantern Men ran by them to get at me. Now that I had gotten them away from the others, I had to figure out what to do next. With the two Lantern Men on either side of me, I had only seconds to react.

I jumped off a crate and onto the rope the birds had used to climb above the courtyard. It was about seven feet up but hung lower with my weight. The Lantern Men came to where I was a second ago, somehow avoiding each other by some built-in sensor. I dared not move in case the rope might creak. The Lantern Men sensed that I was nearby, reaching their arms in all directions, including up. It was only a matter of time before they bumped into me.

The birds had been watching me and intervened. They understood what they were fighting now and screeched as they swooped down. But instead of flying near the Lantern Men, they swerved and flew just out of their reach. The men swiped at thin air, and as fast as their motions were, they were unable to land any blows. As each bird yelled, I moved along the rope, my sounds hidden by their noise. I felt a breeze as one Lantern Man’s hand narrowly missed my backside with its swing. They were strong, and I had no doubt he could pull me off the rope like a twig if he knew I was there.

I reached the end of the rope and jumped down. The birds were in full force now; their shrieks were deafening. An elephant could walk through the courtyard and not be heard. As I escaped, I looked at the eagle, who nodded at me, allowing me to leave. Whatever role we were supposed to play for them was over because of the Lantern Men’s entrance. Either way, I respected its help.

As I left the courtyard, I saw the others waiting for me ahead on a narrow trail. Remembering the map at the entrance, I got an idea.

“Get off the trail!” I yelled at their bewildered faces.

“Why? It will make it that much harder to get through the zoo,” Bishop complained.

“Because unless you want to run into an animal group every hundred feet, we need to get off the main trail and navigate around the exhibits. Eric nodded, and the rest followed his lead. Bishop was the last to charge into the brush. The shrubbery was thick, but it eventually opened up. There was a group of tall trees and several open areas. In the distance, I saw a cage enclosure. I hoped we didn’t have to get any closer. An arm pulled me back.

“Okay. We’re off the trail. Now spill your big plan. It’s going to be slow going through here, and I don’t plan on getting lost!” Bishop demanded. Eric knocked his hand off me.

“Relax! We can still see the lamp poles from the trail. No one is going to get lost. Plus, I like not being attacked every five minutes. But if you have some better plan, I’d love to hear it,” Eric said.

Bishop grunted, which was his version of saying no.

“Why do you think the birds wanted to entertain us back there?” Talia asked.

“It seemed like they lacked human interaction. They needed us to watch them perform,” Royce responded.

“Almost like Spi,” Bishop added. Probably the first intelligent thing he said so far. As mechanical as these animals were, they had behaviors that made them seem real.

“On the map board, I noticed the main exit was due north. If we follow the lamp poles and stay wide of the enclosures, we can avoid most of the animals. Let’s get going.” Everyone agreed. Time was ticking away, and we had a lot of distance to cover.

The next ten minutes were uneventful. Despite the brush, we made good time. But as we moved forward a large fence, we realized our forward motion was done.

“What do you think is in there?” Royce asked the group while looking at the eight-foot-high fence.

“Nothing we would want meet,” Eric responded.

We headed back to the path and take our chances with whatever we might meet. As we climbed out the brush, the metal fence began to slide slowly open. A low growl filled the air, and all of us froze.

“Why do I feel like someone is working against us?” Talia said.

“Let’s get out of here!” Bishop yelled, and our feet agreed with him. We didn’t need to see what was coming out the gate. We burst into a run, with Eric and Bishop in the lead. Royce was beside me, but Talia was falling out of sight. Suddenly the tree branches behind us ceased moving — Talia must have stopped.

“Wait up!” I yelled to the boys running ahead of us. Royce stood beside me. “Talia!” we yelled, but there was no response. I pulled branches out my face to see a small clearing. Talia stood frozen, her back to us so that I couldn’t see her face. But when I saw what she was looking at, I didn’t have to imagine her fear.

The animal was sleek, with a face full of teeth. I thought it looked like wolf, but a smaller version that was more aggressive. Its metallic body was a dirty brown, as if it spent a lot time digging in the ground. It moved slowly, as if sizing up Talia. I tapped her shoulder.

“We have to move.” I grabbed her hand, and it must have broken whatever spell she was under, because she moved but didn’t take her eyes off the creature. “What is it?” Before I could answer, a cry filled the brush coming from the enclosure. The sound was horrible, like a bunch of animals yelping.

“It’s a coyote. I’ve seen the rich people in the city program them to watch their gated homes. They tend to travel in packs and work together,” Royce answered. We backed out slowly, not wanting to turn our backs to the creature. It might be mechanical, but it didn’t look friendly, like the monkeys or birds had been.

Six more coyotes emerged from the enclosure at a fast trot. We couldn’t outrun them, and we had no weapons. I backed into a large tree and settled on a solution.

“Climb!” I yelled at the two of them, and they needed no more encouragement. Talia went first, then Royce. I followed behind just as the creatures reached the tree. One of them leapt high, and its jaw slammed shut on the branch where my foot was a second ago. Whatever its programming, it didn’t let go, simply hanging in air with its teeth firmly around the branch. We climbed higher into the branches, hoping that the rest of the pack weren’t climbers. The original coyote with the five others circled the tree, leaving an equal space between each other. There was no way to jump down and escape. For a game, this had taken a very scary turn.

“Anybody have an idea?” Talia offered.

“Do we have any food to distract them with?” Royce answered.

“That would be assuming they eat real food,” I pointed out.

“Oh, right. They act so real, I was thinking of a practical solution.”

“But you bring up a good point. They must be programmed to want something. Both the monkeys and birds needed something from us. What could these animals want?” Talia asked.

“It’s almost like they have to bite into something just to keep their teeth active,” I suggested.

“Are you offering your leg?” Royce joked. I was glad he was comfortable enough to find something humorous in our situation. Talia was much more on edge.

“What if they start climbing the tree?” she said. One of the pack broke from the group and measured the distance to the first set of branches. It leapt, using its teeth to latch on to the branch and swing toward us. It was floundering a bit, so before it could get any higher, I dropped down and kicked the branch it was on. It was enough to knock it off balance, and it fell to the ground, landing on its back. It whelped like a real animal but then ran around. I climbed back up to the higher branch.

“Good move,” Royce said, “but what are we going to do if more than one of them starts to climb?” I watched the pack move in unison around the tree. Soon they would leap together, and it would become more difficult to knock several of them off the tree. We had to come up with a distraction. I looked around us, and a branch broke off in my hand, I was gripping to hard. That gave me an idea.

“Break some of the dead branches into pieces. Hurry,” I commanded. Around me was the sound of snapping branches. I tested my theory.

I swung the branch piece, trying to get the animals’ attention. A couple looked up, somewhat interested in what I held. I released the stick, and it went sailing into the bushes several trees over. One of the coyotes chased it and dug in the bushes for the stick. Seconds later, its teeth were latched down on the branch, and it spun its head, as if trying to bite down even harder on its prize. The other coyotes looked up expectantly.

Talia threw one of her sticks, and another coywolf chased it under tree. Royce did the same, and a third ran toward its prey.

We threw several sticks until the coyotes were attacking their prizes and were no longer lodged under the tree. We climbed down slowly, keeping a small pile of sticks in our arms. As we reached the ground, one of the coyotes dropped its prize and came charging at me. It leapt at my chest, and I raised the branch above my throat. The coyote latched onto the branch and pushed me to the ground. I shifted slightly and slid the animal down to my side. It had a death grip on the branch that I was glad wasn’t my throat. Eric’s hand grabbed me from behind.

“About time you came back,” I yelled.

“Looks like you were doing fine without me,” he answered. I stood up, and the four us rushed through the woods, away from the coyotes. They were satisfied with the sticks and were chewing happily. We turned back onto the main trail, and I could see Bishop ahead of us. He looked strange, as if he was frozen to the spot.

“Thanks for coming back for me,” I yelled sarcastically. I waited for him to turn around and yell something rude, but he remained locked ahead. As we got to his side, I realized why.

In front of him was a huge panther made of black, shiny metal. It moved in slow motion, circling Bishop like he was prey. He turned slowly, mouthing something that I couldn’t hear. I moved in closer, but he motioned me to back up.

“Go away!” he mouthed. I stopped and considered our options. As much as Bishop was low on my list of people I actually liked, he was part our team. I motioned to everyone behind me to walk slowly as we formed a semicircle by Bishop.

The panther roared its displeasure, as if we were going after its meal. I walked slowly and tapped Bishop on its back.

“I told you to go away. Now you have endangered all of us,” he hissed.

“Thank me later. Back slowly away with me. If we don’t make any sudden moves, we may get out of this alive.”

“Stop being so dramatic,” Bishop answered. “Spi doesn’t want to hurt us; he just wants to slow us down. To make us lose.”

“You didn’t fight the animals back behind us. They did more than try to slow us down. Whatever game Spi is playing, it’s dangerous.”

We backed up slowly, but every foot we retreated, the panther gained two. The five of us walked backward, approaching a large pit with a fence wrapped around it. I assumed it was another animal enclosure, but there was no movement below. Perhaps it was empty.

Talia and Royce walked slowly to other side. Eric came up to the two of us.

“What’s the big plan?” Eric asked. “There is no way to outrun this thing. And there is no way to reach one of the buildings before it catches us.”

“Never mind what the plan is. I have this!” Bishop yelled. “The two of you step slowly around the pit and get on the other side. I’ll keep the panther’s attention until you get there.”

“When did you get so brave? I thought you only watched after yourself?” I asked, half-teasing. Bishop wasn’t at all amused.

“Can we save the banter for later? Got a life-or-death thing going on!” I closed my mouth, realizing how scared I was with coywolves. Eric nodded at me, and we acknowledged that this wasn’t the time to talk. We backed up until we were adjacent to Talia and Royce.

“What do you think he has planned?” Royce asked.

“We are about to find out,” Eric noted and pointed at Bishop.

Bishop stepped backward, never taking his eyes off the panther. Which was a good thing. The metal construct was probably five hundred pounds and would crush any one of us. Bishop got up on the guiderail that surrounded the pit enclosure. For a second, his foot slipped, and I thought he was going to fall down into the pit. But he regained his balance and waved his hands.

“That’s going to attract the panther to attack,” Eric warned.

“That’s exactly what I want,” Bishop yelled without looking back at us. The panther moved stealthily, like it was enjoying scaring its prey. It shifted to the right of Bishop, then the left. Then it hunched down on its front paws, ready to pounce. Bishop made himself as tall as possible, waiting for the creature to strike.

I hoped Bishop knew what he was doing, because this no longer felt like a game. Bishop yelled and made wild motions with his hands to get the panther’s attention. He succeeded. The panther leapt into the air to strike Bishop where he stood. And then he wasn’t there.

As the panther leapt, Bishop slid down on his butt, becoming as short as possible. The panther moved his claws and hit empty air. The panther tried to change its trajectory as it leapt over the prone Bishop, but it was too late. The panther was too big and moving too fast to change its landing and sailed over Bishop’s head, straight into the pit. Part of its back paw clipped Bishop as it went over. But cats really do land on their feet, and even though its body shifted in the air, it landed gracefully on a rocky outcropping below. It circled around, looking up. The pit was too deep for it to jump out of, and the walls too slick to climb out. It was trapped for now. We rushed over to Bishop’s side.

“Nice move — a little reckless, but hey, you got the job done,” complimented Eric.

“Are you okay?” I asked, noticing the scratch on his arm. He covered it up, not wanting to show any weakness.

“It’s nothing. Come on, we need to get going,” he urged, and we needed no encouragement. My internal clock felt time was almost over. We ran away from the pit enclosure as the panther’s cries of displeasure grew fainter. I saw a series of flags blowing in the wind.

“The flag poles.” Eric pointed. “We’re near one of the exits!” His enthusiasm was contagious, and all of us sped up to catch him. As we rounded one of the final corners, I saw a mass moving around like a herd. Was there one final animal challenge to pass? Then I realized they were not animals.

“Eric,” I whispered ahead, not wanting to attract attention, “slow down. Now!” Although my voice was low, he heard me. The others responded as well, and we stood behind a small building to look at the exit gate.

“How are we going to get through that?” Talia asked.

The gate was surrounded by at least a dozen Lantern Men patrolling around the exit. There were more of them, and they were stronger and faster than us. We weren’t going to beat them by brute force.

“Do we look for another exit?” Royce asked. Not a bad idea, but I felt like we only had minutes left before the time allotted was done. Before we could decide on our approach, another group sprinted from one of the buildings in a winner-take-all attack. I recognized one of the boys who was in the lead. They screamed in unison, as if to give them confidence to attack. This had the affect of alerting the Lantern Men to their presence. The lead boy charged by the first Lantern Man but then the second and third surrounded him, and he abruptly stopped.

Suddenly he was hanging in the air, his feet dangling to escape the Lantern Men’s superior strength. Seconds later, his four teammates joined him with their feet kicking in the air. They had come so far, only to be captured in the end. Five of the Lantern Men carried them effortlessly to one of the buildings, captured for the duration of the tournament. Their chances to win were gone.

“Well, at least we know we can’t get by them that way. But the other group reduced their numbers. This would be our best chance to attack,” Bishop warned. He stepped up as if ready to run toward the escape.

“Whoa!” I responded. “Can’t you see that attacking them straight on is just going to end up the same way? We need a different approach.”

“What if we use their weakness against them?” Royce suggested.

“They can’t capture what they can’t hear,” Talia added. “What if we walked quietly past them?”

“Am I missing something? When you walk you make noise,” Bishop said. “You want to walk right up to them to get captured? They are faster than us. How can we walk quietly?” We were silent for a second.

“Take off your shoes!” offered Eric. “The path is cobblestone. We can walk in our bare feet. If we walk slowly, we shouldn’t make any noise.”

“Seems pretty risky, but after watching that last team get captured, we’ve got no other options. We don’t have enough time to look for an exit. I’m in.” Bishop put his hand in the center of us to see if we would join in. I smiled. Whether we lost or won, we were acting like a team.

We took our shoes off and tied them off around belt loops, except Eric, who tied it around his neck.

“Don’t strangle yourself,” I said.

“I’ll try not to. I just don’t have anything to attach to around my waist.” He shrugged.

The five of us tiptoed toward the exit. When we about hundred feet away, we slowed to a crawl.

The Lantern Men were interesting to watch. They stood fairly motionless, but when they moved, their body parts turned in rhythmic patterns. The one to the far right kept rotating his head to right, as if trying to hear better in that direction. I hoped that they were sensitive to sounds like yells, but maybe subtle sounds would escape their notice. Otherwise this escape would end very shortly.

Eric was in the lead, with Talia and Royce behind him. I stepped next, with Bishop in the rear. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to protect the group, or if he would be the first to flee if things went wrong. We had to get through this together. Behind the remaining Lantern Men, the exit was gated, except for one open area that led to a dark tunnel. It beckoned to us, and I’m sure we would have loved to run straight in. The trick was to do it quietly.

Eric looked back at me and raised a finger to his face to illustrate that he was sneaking past the first Lantern Man. The construct tilted its head back and forth, seemly oblivious to our approach. Talia followed each one of his steps in an identical manner. Royce was less graceful, and as he turned the corner around one Lantern Man, he stumbled. He caught himself, but not before stepping on a stone and letting out a yelp. One of Lantern Men started to move suddenly from its position, alerted to the noise.

All of us stopped and stood as still as statues. We could only hope that the metal man would investigate, and when it heard no other noises, return to its position. It moved forward and walked toward Royce, whose eyes turned large with fear. He did not want to be the reason that we were caught. The Lantern Man walked fast and stopped near Royce’s position. He was holding his breath, and the Lantern Man scanned him with his sightless eyes. The Lantern Man stepped so close to Royce that he was forced to take a step back. He then stepped on a stone. My hand shot out and covered his mouth before he could yell.

The Lantern Man turned its head, as if expecting a sound that never occurred. Royce’s face was turning red for fear of breathing and giving his position away. I gathered a stone from the ground and tossed it away from us onto the pathway. The Lantern Man immediately reacted, and a second one followed. We all breathed a little bit easier as two of the men moved away from us. They seemed to go everywhere but where the stone was. It was comical, and I almost laughed.

There were three Lantern Men left in front of us. The open gate was tauntingly close. In a nearby tree, a metal crow landed and watched our progress. It couldn’t tell if it was in the bird group we had seen before. It watched us tiptoe around the Lantern Men with an uneasy interest. Unfortunately, I wasn’t paying attention where I was walking. I stepped onto the foot of a Lantern Man, and its vise-like hand shot out and grabbed my shoulder. I was caught, and I couldn’t escape. The crow noticed my capture, and before the others could rush to my aid, it flew through the air, making a loud cawing sound.

One of the Lantern Men intercepted as it flew by, but the crow avoided the mallet-like fist with ease. The Lantern Man that had me turned its attention to the approaching crow but didn’t let me go. The crow flew just out of the Lantern Man’s reach. The metal man swung its free hand to capture the bird. I appreciated what the crow was doing, but the Lantern Man wasn’t going to give up its prize. That’s when the other metal animals arrived.

The large metal monkey waddled down the trail, followed by one of the coyotes. They walked together but didn’t necessarily seem aware of each other. The coywolf wailed, making a loud noise while the monkey beat its chest, making a racket. All remaining Lantern Men advanced, and as fast as they were, the animals were faster and avoided their reach.

Eric motioned for us to move on. The distraction was perfect, and Bishop was the first to make it through the gate. We were a few seconds behind them, and I turned one last time to the fracas behind us. The Lantern Men were flailing widely, hoping to grab one of the noisy animals. But as fast as they were, the animals were a step quicker. I was able to pass by the Lantern Men untouched.

It was strange; when we first entered this zoo, I had thought that all the metal creatures were the same: powered to capture us. I realized that the animals were different, suffused with sentient intelligence. They required basic needs of companionship and being acknowledged. The giant metal eagle flew overhead, looking down at us. I waved, not expecting any response, but I could have sworn that the eagle winked at me. Or maybe it was just a trick of the light.

Moments later, the five of us had exited the gate and entered a large metal door into a concrete bunker. Eric turned the handle, and we walked down a tunnel with minimal lighting. I heard talking in the distance, and as we rounded a corner, we came to a small auditorium with several people sitting down. Some I recognized from the start. One of the girls came up to us.

“Too bad, guys. You were over an hour. You’re out!”

Chapter 6

Second Chances

“What!” Bishop yelled and punched the wall in frustration. The girl didn’t mean to be the bearer of bad news and stepped slowly backward to evade his grasp. All of us were exhausted and defeated.

“Before we throw in the towel, let’s find Spi and determine if time ran out,” I said. The rest of the group nodded, and we moved into the auditorium. There wasn’t a lot of people who had made it through, and a few looked like they cradled injuries. If a hundred went on to the next round, I wondered if that quota had been filled. At the far end of the auditorium, a similar lion’s head to the one that had greeted us at the front gate lay perched on the wall. Its eyes glowed, but it remained quiet.

“Hello,” Royce called. “Is anybody there?” The lion was silent. He stepped closer and tapped the creature on its nose. That woke it up.

“What do you want?” it roared. The sound was deafening, and its eyes blazed red with anger. Royce jumped back and stood behind me.

“We want to know if our group has made it to the next round,” Bishop yelled back, not impressed by the lion’s anger. “If you’re not to busy just hanging around.”

The lion turned its head toward him. “The tournament is not complete. Each team was allotted an hour, and many groups started the tournament after you. Until every team has either completed it task or been eliminated, then the winners will not be announced.”

“So what do we do until then?” Bishop erupted. Patience was not in his DNA.

“YOU. WILL. WAIT. Just like every other team.” The lion’s eyes glowed dark, and whatever entity inhabited it was gone for the moment. We looked around for seats and sat down. We were quiet and anxious to find out if we had made it. I could hear a few other teams talking about their narrow escape.

“Why do you think the animals helped us at the end?” Eric asked. “I thought they and the Lantern Men were part of the same team.”

“Who cares?” Bishop answered. “We made it through. What does it matter now?”

“Because if we don’t learn from it, how are we going to face the challenges of the hundred?” Talia added.

“If we make it. What if that other group is right?” Royce said, sounding downcast.

“Did you not just hear the lion head? The tournament isn’t over. The final hundred haven’t been determined yet,” Bishop sneered.

“Enough!” My nerves were wearing thin. We had survived the tournament, and now we were fighting amongst ourselves. We made it this far only because we trusted each other and worked as team. Everyone was silent, waiting for me to continue. “I don’t think the animals randomly came to our aid. We met the challenges of before and must have passed.”

“Then you think they are more than just metal robots?” Eric asked.

“They have to be — why else would they help us?” Talia said.

“The bunch of you are just marks.” Bishop laughed. “If you believe the zoo animals have any intelligence. We watched Spi explain the tournament. He can appear in any metal creature he wants and control the outcome. We just watched a bunch of metal robots — Spi was toying with us. Making us believe we had no impact on the results.”

“That’s a pretty negative outlook. Spi said he could only control one creature at a time. Seems like several animals were acting to help us. Besides, why not animate one of the Lantern Men?” I chided Bishop.

“Listen, I don’t pretend to understand Spi’s game. But I do believe that every metal being in that zoo can be controlled by Spi. Like puppets on a string.”

The group of us were silent again, contemplating Bishop’s words. If Spi could control our result with a wave of his hand, why should we even try?

“Can I see the key that Spi gave you?” Royce asked.

I reached into my pocket and pulled it out. We still had our “get out of jail” card, and I hoped we could make the next round to use it. I searched for it, but it was not in my pocket. I searched my other pocket, with the same result. I thought I was being careful; had I lost it and ruined our best chance to move on?

“Are you looking for something?” I whirled around as I recognized the mechanical voice. Spi had returned! But it was different. Again.

The body was short and stocky, with its familiar purple glow. It was holding my key!

“How did you get that? I’ve been touching it in my pocket for all through the tournament. I knew I had it even as we entered this building. I didn’t want to lose our advantage.”

“Sticky fingers.” Spi pantomimed pretending that it could not pull the key off its hand, like it was stuck with glue. If this creature was so brilliant, why did it act like a busker asking for money half the time? It dropped the key into my hand as it ended his sticky act.

“Did we pass into the next round? Did we make the final hundred?” Eric asked. He had risked everything to get here and didn’t want to lose his chance to find out about his father.

“So narcissistic.” Spi wagged a finger at Eric like a bad boy. “Aren’t you concerned about the other teams?” Before Eric could answer, Bishop interrupted.

“Enough with the smart comments. Do we go on to the next round? Period.” If Spi was intimidated by Bishop’s demands, it showed no sign. Instead, it waddled around and circled our group. It shook his head like it was a bobble toy.

“With such rudeness, I should eliminate your group. Right now.” It started to turn away. I interjected.

“What we meant to say,” I started, “is when are you going to announce the winners?”

“I’m doing that right now,” Spi responded. “I’m telling each group that they have completed the tournament in under an hour and will move on! You made it!” Its smile was wide, but not filled with warmth. We had won.

Four of us hugged each other. All of our hard work had meant something, and we would move on. Only Bishop remained aloof and clapped in mock applause.

“So, tell us what the next challenge will be? And when do we compete?” he demanded.

“Excellent questions. Perhaps we need some answers.” Spi tapped on the walls, and a long tube protruded. Seconds later, a glass canister shot down the tube with a metal top and bottom. Inside was a note. “Read the note, and your next challenge will be explained. Don’t be late. I’d hate to see you forfeit your prize.”

Spi waddled away, ready to do its routine on another group. We unscrewed the top metal piece to read the note. The note was torn, but the message was typed and brief.

You are a winner! You escaped the zoo and now move onto the next stage of hundred. The tournament will continue in two days. You must be at the Castle of Caulder before the time is up. If you are late, you forfeit your entry. All team members must be present. Good luck!

Bishop and Eric jumped up. Eric paced while Bishop pounded a fist on the wall. I stared at the other two. Royce shrugged, while Talia looked as confused as me.

“What’s going on? Where is this Castle of Caulder?” I asked.

“It’s in a dangerous part of the sky. Most airships avoid it like the plague. The air currents can change suddenly, and there are all kinds of debris that can ram into your ship,” Eric answered.

“That’s if you even reach it. The journey isn’t the easiest. We’ll be lucky to get there in two days,” Bishop complained.

“So, a dangerous journey to a dangerous location. Am I the only one who’s excited?” I asked.

*

The airship lifted up from the platform. The breeze was fierce, and I could feel the ship rattle. I heard noise from the starboard and watched as another ship came dangerously close to us. I saw a familiar red-haired boy from the tournament with his teammates staring back at us. They weren’t there to send encouragement.

“You’re breaking protocol,” Eric yelled at the boy. “Your ship can’t fly this close to us!”

“We’re sending you a message,” the red-haired boy sneered. “Stay out of our way. There is only one team that is going to win this tournament. And you are looking at it.” On cue, his team laughed, as if he was a comedian. The ship passed in front of us.

“You’re pretty tough from a distance,” Bishop yelled back. “Bet you can’t come over here and say that!” The red-haired boy ignored Bishop and kept his gaze on me.

“Keep that key secure. At some point, I’ll be coming over to get it,” he threatened. And then his ship became too far away, and we couldn’t hear any more from him. Great. All I needed was another enemy in this world.

“Who was that kid, and where did he get the attitude?” I asked Eric.

“That’s Abadon. They’re from the Jagar family. Makes Bishop and his dad look like saints.”

“I’m right here,” Bishop countered. “And don’t even use that family in the same sentence as mine. They care for nothing but themselves. And they will step on anybody else that gets in their way. We either steer clear of them or take them out before they do it to us.”

I looked at Royce and Talia, who shrugged. No one was committing to a course of action. Best to see how this played out.

I dropped the Jagar family from my mind. I looked back at Juncture City. I wished I had more time to explore; the steam machines were fascinating. I would have liked to learn more how things were run. Instead, we had to fly as fast as we could just to make the three-day deadline. Eric’s Uncle Doyle was happy to ferry us, and he explained his ship was one of the fastest in the air. Bishop was less enthused and sat on the edge of the bow. I sat next to him.

“Your family is going to follow behind us?” I asked.

He nodded. “It’s not as fast a ship, but it’s a lot more stable and better armored. I wish we had more time so we didn’t have to fly on this piece of junk.”

“The captain of this piece of ‘junk’ is right behind you,” quipped Uncle Doyle, unimpressed with Bishop’s demeanor. If he didn’t have to part of Eric’s team, he would be just as happy to leave Bishop behind. The tournament made for strange partners.

“I’m only here because I have to be; don’t expect me to flatter your ego,” Bishop responded.

“Perish the thought. Just like I won’t expect you to act civil and have good manners for our voyage.” Uncle Doyle smiled at me and walked on. He was taking Bishop’s crustiness in stride. Bishop stared as he walked away.

“Why are you like this?” I asked.

“Why am I like what?” he answered uncomprehendingly.

“Why do have to act so miserable all of the time? I can’t image the rest of your family wanting to be around you.”

“They have no choice. They serve my father’s will.”

“Is that what you have to look forward to? All those little boys looking up to when you take over for your dad. You must be very proud.” I didn’t mean to be so sarcastic. Bishop just rubbed me the wrong way. He glowered at me.

“You don’t know me. You don’t know anything about me.”

“Well, duh. Why would I bother? Everything that comes out your mouth is a snarky remark. It wasn’t that long ago that you tried to kill me. You wouldn’t even be helping us now if Spi hadn’t forced you to be on our team.”

“You don’t understand. You and your friends judge me because I don’t play nice with you. Or tell you what a great team member you are. Maybe I didn’t come from an environment where teamwork was prized. Maybe I came from a family where only the strongest survived!” He got up and walked away. My chance to learn what made him tick had evaporated away. I felt a tap on my shoulder.

“Bishop giving you a hard time?” Eric asked.

“When doesn’t he? Do you know why he’s like that?”

Eric looked around to make sure Bishop wasn’t in earshot. “You remember his father, King, at the dining hall?”

“How could I forget? He was single-minded, getting the key from us at all costs. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

“There’s more to it than that. Bishop used to have an older brother. Someone he idolized.”

“And what happened?”

“They have an annual cloud race — all the teenage flyers compete. Same type of getup we flew together in.”

“You wouldn’t catch me in that contraption.”

“Well, there are a lot of people who would trade anything for that opportunity. Although Bishop idolized his brother, they had a very competitive relationship. Bishop would always try to do better than his brother, Knight. Because he was younger, he lost more than he won, but his competitive spirit was fierce.”

“Not much has changed.”

“True. In this race, they had to loop a series of clouds in ten laps, fastest time wins. Both Bishop and Knight were in the lead, exchanging first place several times with a few laps remaining. Then something hit Knight, and his flight gear stalled. Other racers thought it might have been a bird, others said it was chunk of ice. Either way, Knight’s gear stopped, and he dropped suddenly.”

“Did he crash?”

“No, and I think Bishop thought he would just land on a cloud below him. He was committed to beating his brother instead of trying to help him. Knight tried to land but veered wildly around and disappeared from sight. Typically, there are air marshals watching the race from the sidelines to help if a participant has flight issues. But no one saw where Knight went. After the race, they did a full man-hunt of all the surrounding clouds, checked with nearby airships, even the closest town in a case he drifted away. He was never found.”

“And Bishop blames himself.”

“Not just himself. His father was savage, blaming his brother’s death on Bishop’s inaction. His failure to help was not forgotten. As a result, King pushes hard on Bishop to succeed to make up for his mistake.”

“So that’s why Bishop is so miserable all the time. He’s trying to make up for his mistake.” I felt sorry for him. We all made bad choices. Who knew if his older brother would have acted any different if the roles had been reversed? Problem was, there was nothing he could do to ever make up for what he had lost. Before I could ask anything further about Bishop, the airship shifted suddenly, and I heard yelling from the crow’s nest.

“Airbergs! They are coming up fast!” the crew member yelled. I squinted as what he was pointing at came into view fast. It was just like he said — they were like icebergs, except instead of floating in the ocean, they floated in the air. They were massive and menacing, gravity pulling them down into jagged daggers. They dwarfed the ship. How they floated in the air amazed me; they must be hollow and the air currents strong enough to make them a danger to the ships.

“They are huge,” I marveled.

“That’s nothing. Most of the airberg is in the cloud. We only see a small portion coming through. The cloud is what makes them float. But if their mass gets heavy enough, they can drop on you like daggers. You don’t want to be under one when that happens.” The airship slowed down. Our travel would need to be navigated with finesse, not speed. The air cooled down, like ice cubes in a glass of water. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to warm up. I heard scuffing behind me and turned to see Henry approach.

“It’s going to get much colder. Wear these.” He handed me a pair of gloves.

“Thank you. How challenging is it to go around the airbergs?” I asked. He pointed to a large one in the distance that was surrounded by a series of small ones swirling around it.

“It’s hard to navigate. The wind moves the smaller ones faster than the large ones. You can’t just focus on one main one; the swirling winds will move the other bergs at different speeds. The airship has to be able to turn quickly or be crushed.”

I shivered, and not from the cold. Henry started to walk away, but I pulled him back.

“Why would Spi send us this way when we could all be destroyed?”

“From what I have heard,” Henry answered, “this is exactly what it does. Never gives you chance to rest, always keeping you off balance.”

“I don’t understand how Spi operates. It seems all-powerful. How does anybody compete against an all seeing and all-knowing being?”

“Spi certainly comes across as being better than humans, but I learned one thing about machines. Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.”

I laughed at his comment. “I guess you’re right.”

“It’s true. Spi can systematically plan things to the minutest detail, but the one thing it can’t plan is how humans will react. We’re emotional, we make irrational choices, some stupid ones and some with our heart. A machine like Spi can guess what we may do, but it won’t guess much better than another human might.”

“It’s probably why it has the tournaments, to try to test what it thinks what our reactions will be.”

“Trust me, as smart as Spi thinks it is, it doesn’t know everything.”

A loud boom sounded as a large chunk of ice hit the starboard side. Henry slipped and fell from the force. Several deckhands ran to the side of the ship to check on the damage.

“A small dent,” one man yelled, “nothing more.”

“Then start steering better so we can all live to see another day,” Uncle Doyle yelled to the crew, and they ran to their positions. A large airberg swirled to our side, the ice glistening like diamonds, and I could see blue shimmered inside like water trapped in the berg. If it wasn’t so deadly, it would be beautiful.

“Hard-a-port,” Uncle Doyle yelled, and the crew moved the sails to avoid an oncoming collision. Talia and Royce stood looking half amazed and half scared.

“Wish there was something we could do to help,” Royce said.

“I know, I feel kind of helpless just watching the others do all the work,” Talia added.

“Unless either one of you knows how to run a ship, we’d probably cause more problems than help,” I answered.

A large bellow sounding like a cry for help filled the air. It filled me with sadness.

“What is that?” I asked ,and my friends just shrugged. Uncle Doyle approached.

“Could be a sky angel caught up in one of the bergs. They move so fast that the animal gets twisted on the ice. If it can’t dislodge itself, they usually starve.”

“They’re large almost the size of some airships with huge wing spans. They are beautiful but no match against a berg.”

In my mind, I saw an image of a whale with wings.

“Can you get closer to save it?” I asked.

“No. We’re too big — we’ll get crushed. Only one of the life ships could get close enough.”

“Uncle Doyle — over here!” A deckhand pointed with fear etched in his voice. Uncle Doyle went over in hurry.

I scanned the ship, and my eyes rested on one of the lifeboats. I went over as Talia and Royce followed with puzzled looks. I moved the cover and looked over the boat. It was like a normal lifeboat, except it had a steam engine mounted underneath to make it fly.

“Do either one of you know how to operate this?”

“My family used to have races with these boats between the clouds. I was rarely the fastest, but I got pretty good at operating. Are we going after the sky angel?” Talia asked.

“Yes. Can just two of us operate the boat?”

“Hey, I’m coming too,” Royce added, not wanting to be left out.

“You guys planning to abandon ship?” Eric yelled. “Trust me, it’s not that bad. Uncle Doyle and his crew are the best.”

“No, we’re going to help save the sky angel.” As if on cue, its yell grew louder as we got closer to its location.

“Well, if I can’t change your mind, you better let me come with you. It takes expertise to navigate around the bergs.” We untied the lifeboat, and I moved the tarp as Talia opened a gate on the side of the airship to let us leave.

“Pull the cord over there.” Eric motioned. The engine whirled but then stopped. I pulled a second time, and it roared to life. Uncle Doyle approached me.

“Pene, this is really noble but dangerous. I can’t guarantee your safety. Eric is a first-class sailor, but there are random wind blasts that could smash you in seconds. I’m not keen on letting my nephew off this ship.” He looked stern.

“Are you telling me we can’t leave?” I folded my arms. I think he realized I was going with or without Eric. Unless he chained me to the deck, he had better give me the best support.

“Go! But stay in radio contact. We’ll try to help if you get stuck.”

I smiled and gave him a big hug.

“Let’s go,” I yelled, acting like the captain of the ship. We rolled the lifeboat to the edge and jumped in. We disembarked, but before Eric could toss the rope back to the airship, the lifeboat dipped as another occupant joined us.

“What is wrong with you, Pene? You could get us all killed. Leave the sky angel to get out on its own. It’s none of our business!” Bishop yelled.

“No. I won’t stand by while some creature can be helped. Are you scared?” I yelled back while the others watched.

“Who’s scared! We have to enter the next part of tournament together. I can’t stand by while any of you fools get hurt. Besides, I’m the best flyer here. I’ll steer the ship.”

“I’ve got it,” Talia answered, and she said it with so much confidence that Bishop sat down. He was sulking and didn’t like not being in control. Too bad. Eric threw the rope, and our lifeboat drifted away from the airship.

For the first few minutes, our flight plans were the same as Doyle’s ship, and we flew together, using the air currents to steer through the airbergs. Soon the clouds and the bergs obscured our view of the airship. We were on our own.

“Any directional changes, Captain?” Talia teased me while steering around a mound of ice as big as a house. A flock of birds perched on the edge and watched us.

“Keep heading straight — hopefully the sky angel will call out again and lead us toward it.”

“Its yells could easily bounce off the bergs and lead us in the wrong direction,” Bishop warned.

“Why don’t you spend less time telling us how it could go wrong and help instead,” Eric pleaded.

“You know this is reckless,” Bishop warned.

“Maybe.” Eric looked back at me for my reaction. “But all I know is that I agree with you; we have to stick together.”

“Look over there.” Royce pointed. At first I didn’t see anything. It looked like a silvery speck on the top of white berg. But as we grew closer, I could see its immense wingspan and leathery skin. A large, mournful eye surveyed our approach, and I spied that one its wings was trapped in an ice crevice.

I had never seen a creature as large as this before. It dwarfed the size of a large whale and had many features of a dragon. Its beauty was angelic. However, its tail moved behind it like a serpent, and I realized then how dangerous this situation was. Although my intent was noble, there was no way this beast could know that we were there to help it. I motioned to Talia to circle the berg so I could assess the situation.

“It’s going to lose its mind the moment we step on that berg. It may look beautiful, but it can be savage. If its tail doesn’t get you, then one of its claws will,” Bishop added smugly. It was like he enjoyed pointing out the negative in every situation.

“Okay, smart guy, what do you propose?”

“I propose we fly away and leave this animal to its fate. If it gets away, great. If not, then that’s nature making sure only the strongest survive.”

“Maybe we should leave you on the berg,” Talia replied. Bishop pretended he didn’t hear her.

“But if you had to do something, shoot the harpoon gun to break up the ice around its wing. If you get lucky, the wing will dislodge, and it flies away.”

“No way,” Eric interrupted. “Too much risk that you hit the animal instead of the ice. We need to anchor on the berg and break down the ice around the wing. It will take some time, but once it gets free, it will be too busy trying to get away to bother us.”

“Any other ideas?” I asked.

“If we used Bishop’s idea of harpooning the ice but do it from close range, maybe Talia could use the lifeboat to break the ice by accelerating fast,” Royce suggested.

“Not bad, but what happens if the harpoon comes free and comes right back at us? I don’t want to see anyone speared.” I thought about Bishop getting impaled and realized that was wrong. Mostly.

“I don’t think I could get enough speed anyway; the winds are really swirling. It’s hard to keep the boat moving in one direction.

“Then it’s settled. Get me close enough to the berg, and I’ll chip away.”

“I’m coming too,” Royce added. “I don’t know anything about running a ship, but I’m good at helping us get out of tough places.” He grinned. For an orphan, this kid sure had a positive outlook.

“Make that three,” Eric replied. “We only need two on the boat, and we need to work fast. There’s no telling when another berg may collide and kill the beast where it is,” he said emphatically.

“Talia — can you get us closer?” I asked.

“Just watch me.” Her confidence was on an upswing. I was glad to have her in our corner. Eric opened a hatch and pulled out several ice picks. They were nasty-looking; the blade was jagged, with a row of sharp teeth. I was glad we were only using them against ice. Royce looked like he was going to swing his to feel its weight.

“Uh-uh,” Eric chastised, “don’t swing it until we’re on the air berg. I don’t want to take one of those to the side of the head.” Royce looked sheepish but nodded.

The berg was about the size of a football field, and Talia directed the boat to the other end, away from the sky angel. Bishop rolled out a gangplank so we could jump down.

“I still think you are making a mistake, but as a piece of advice, chop the ice at an angle like you are chopping a tree. Hit it left, right, left, right,” Bishop advised.

“Thanks!” I dropped off the boat onto the berg. The ground shifted slightly under my weight, like an ice cube floating in a glass. Royce and Eric landed behind me.

“I’ll skirt over to the air angel and try to get its attention while you pick at the ice,” Talia suggested. I took two steps forward, slipped on the ice, and landed flat on my butt. Eric and Royce reached down to help me up.

“Hurt anything?” Eric asked, looking at my butt.

“Just my pride. I’m okay.”

“The whole berg is made of ice. Try walking like a penguin, with wide steps. Should prevent another spill,” Eric advised.

“You bet.” I rubbed my butt, wondering if it would bruise later. While we were talking, Royce had walked ahead and was the first to reach the animal. Its big eye surveyed him. Royce was a bit overwhelmed.

“It’s beautiful,” he marveled. “These creatures never fly by Juncture City. They are so solitary that many people never get to see them at all.” He stood in awe, and the two of them eyed each other.

“Let’s get him out so he can fly again,” I stated.

“What makes you think the animal is a he?”

“A female would be smart enough not to get caught up in this,” I teased, and Royce smiled. I saw how the wing was wedged into the ice and took my first swing to dislodge it. It was almost my last. The animal roared, since it thought I was striking at its wing. The sound knocked all three of us to the ground. Eric fell close to the edge before he recovered.

“Before we do that again, we need a plan. Otherwise this is going to take forever if we have to pick ourselves up after every scream.” Royce had already moved to the animal’s head to gain its attention.

“Don’t get too close; you might scare it, and you don’t want to be in reach of its talons,” I advised, but Royce inched closer.

“It’s okay,” he cooed, “we don’t mean you any harm.” His voice was calm and warm. “I used to pick up the bird feed left by the tourists and sell it later. After a while, the pigeons would come up to me, expecting me to feed them. Even though I needed the money, I would let a few seeds drop. The tourists loved it when I brought the birds with the feed.”

“Just remember, pigeons fly away when they’re scared — the sky angel will likely take your head clear off if it’s scared,” Eric warned as he raised the ice pick over his head. He looked at Royce to make sure he was still out of reach. He swung the blade, and a big chunk of ice broke off. The animal turned its head but did not yell this time.

“Don’t look at them, look at me,” Royce gently commanded, and the animal maintained its focus on him. I took a swing, and another piece of ice dislodged and fell off. We were making progress.

For ten minutes, Eric and I swung our pickaxes, and even though it was cool, I was working up a sweat. We over halfway done, and I could see the wing moving now; it just wasn’t enough yet to break free.

“Looks like your crazy idea just might work after all.” Eric smiled at me while taking another swing. Talia came back into view, and she didn’t look happy.

“What’s wrong?” She didn’t answer but just pointed above us. I noticed a small black mass that seemed to have dozens of heads and wings. It was moving toward us. “What is it?” I asked.

“Baby harpies,” Bishop interrupted. “They’re vicious little things. They bite all the time, and if the sky angel was airborne, it could easily outrun them. But trapped in the ice, it’s going to panic and break a wing or your head. It’s time to go. You guys need to get back to the lifeboat.” Before I could protest, Royce spoke up.

“Over my dead body! We can’t leave this creature with those things. We’re almost there. I’ll help with the ice as well.” Royce left his position and started to swing like a wild man. The beast watched him with interest, perceiving Royce was helping it now that its wing was moving slightly. Fortunately, it hadn’t yet realized what was coming toward it yet.

“What do want us to do?” Talia asked.

“Run interference,” I suggested. “Intercept that flock before they get here. Make yourself more attractive to them and buy us a few minutes.”

“No way!” answered Bishop. “I’m not offering my arm to bite.”

“Well, you’re welcome to stay here and dig, otherwise,” Eric offered as he took another swing. A large chunk fell off.

“We got this,” Talia answered and turned the lifeboat swiftly toward the growing mass. I could make out multiple mouths now, and they were not friendly. I swung my pickaxe with authority while the sky angel watched on.

I swung with all of my strength and nearly toppled off the air berg with my momentum. I felt Eric’s hand on shoulder.

“Take it easy. I won’t have a flying machine to catch you if you fall off here,” he warned.

“I think I can take care of myself. Not every girl is a damsel in distress,” I countered.

“Whoa. Don’t need to get all defensive. Some people actually say ‘thank you’ after their life is saved.”

“Fine,” I answered. “Where I come from, guys are always thinking they have to save the day, and the girls are just there to look good on their arms.”

“Perish the thought. I don’t think you could sit still long enough to look good on anyone’s arm.”

“Is that a compliment?” I asked, not sure where he was going with this conversation. Before he could answer, I felt a nip on my shoulder. I turned and looked in the face of a hideous bird that was mostly mouth with bloodshot eyes. The harpies had arrived!

It was small, about the size of a robin, but with none of its beauty. It seemed single-minded and readied itself to take another bite out of me. Before it had a chance, the end of another pickaxe knocked it away. It circled, ready to take another try, when additional numbers had joined it.

“Thanks,” I said to Eric. He laughed. “What’s so funny?”

“I just think it’s a bit odd that you will risk your life for an animal you have never met, but you have no problem with me clobbering these ugly harpy birds.” I considered his logic, and I had to admit that I couldn’t disagree with him.

“I go with my gut. You have to take a side. I don’t agree with letting the strongest survive. Sometimes you have to give a helping hand.” I swung, and another big chunk of ice broke off. Only this time the animal’s wing was free, and it roared its approval. It looked at us with knowing eyes, and we watched as it took off.

“We did it!” I yelled, but before we could celebrate, the sky angel lurched forward, knocking the berg, causing all of us to fall forward. I landed on ice and felt Eric beside me. As I got up, I realized what was wrong.

“Where is Royce?” I screamed; he was no longer on the berg. The sky angel had dived downward, either to eat him or retrieve him. I waved my arms, trying to get Talia’s attention. Her and Bishop outraced the remaining harpies and eased closer to us for pickup.

“Hurry! We lost Royce.” Bishop and Talia looked concerned as Eric and I jumped onto the deck of the lifeboat. We watched as the black mass descended onto the sky angel, their little mouths biting at her wings.

“I thought you said the animal could outrun the harpies!” I yelled at Bishop.

“It can, but it’s not flying at top speed. It’s worried about dropping Royce if it flies too fast,” he answered. As we approached the sky angel, I realized he was right. The animal was cradling Royce under its wings like a mother protecting its baby. This prevented it from flapping its wings as strongly as it should. If we didn’t get Royce off now, they would both fall to their deaths.

“I’ll try to fly underneath and see if we can get Royce to jump down,” Talia yelled. The lifeboat turned suddenly as we entered an area of smaller bergs. Like a meteor storm made of ice but instead of each rock travelling in one direction, the bergs were more erratic, and some veered right while others left. A small piece of ice flew in my path, and I backed up to avoid getting hit. I didn’t know how Talia avoided the bergs.

“Turn back!” Bishop yelled. “There’s too many of them, and we’ll get hit before we get halfway to the animal. This isn’t worth all of our lives.”

“And here I thought you wanted to win the tournament. Without Royce, Spi’s not going to let us compete,” Eric answered.

“You think I don’t know that! We won’t compete either if we’re all dead. How are we going to get through these bergs without getting hit?” asked Bishop.

“Let’s cut our way through.” I waved my ice pick. “I’ll stand at this side and knock away anything that comes toward us.”

“I’ll handle this side. Bishop, grab a harpoon from the deck. Pene, stand on the bow while Talia steers.”

Bishop looked like he was going to protest Eric’s orders but changed his mind. We need to catch Royce now before he disappeared or the harpies got at the sky angel. As Talia tried to close the distance between us, I swung my pick at an incoming berg about the size of a boulder. My pick made impact, and it bounced off to the right. Despite its size, the air made it easy to change its direction. Eric had similar success.

“Keep going,” Eric called as he knocked another small berg away from the ship. “We’re getting closer.” He pointed to the sky angel, its bulk nearly above us. The harpies were mean little creatures, and I thought I could see blood on the animal’s left wing.

“You have to help. These things are hurting her. There are too many of them,” Royce yelled down to us.

“You need to get off her. She can fly away if she doesn’t have you on her back,” I said. “Hold on, Talia will get closer, and then we need you to jump on.”

This was easier said than done. The wind was picking up, and it made catching up to the sky angel exceeding difficult. The only good part was that the wind made it very hard for the harpies to catch up to Royce and the beast. If the swarm worked together, they might have more success, but their hungry mouths were very single-minded in their pursuit. A hungry harpy scavenger came by, and I swung at it with the back of my pick. It bounced away and landed on a nearby berg, winded. It watched me with angry eyes as the berg disappeared into the clouds. Seconds later, we were directly below the sky angel.

“Jump, you idiot! We don’t have all day!” Bishop yelled. I elbowed him in the ribs.

“What he’s trying to say is that if you let go, we’ll catch you. We need to let the sky angel go on its way.”

Royce didn’t say anything, but he looked at the sky angel, and its intelligence said the exact same thing. Thank you for saving me. I reached up and could feel the soft, leathery underbelly of the creature. I was glad we had saved it. Royce grabbed my hand and jumped down, one of his legs bent down on his knee as he tried to get his balance. The sky angel looked at all of us, flapped its mammoth wings hard, and flew away, much faster than we could ever try to follow.

“We did it!” Royce cheered as he gave me a big hug. I squeezed back, but before I could enjoy the moment, Eric tapped me on the shoulder.

“It’s not over. Look!” He pointed up and around us. The swarm of harpies gave up on the sky angel and turned their focus to us. The wind had died down, and they were acting like a unit, pinning us from above, left and right. “They’re coming for us, and until the wind picks up again, we can’t outrun them.”

“Then we stand and fight!” I commanded and pulled back my ice pick fully, realizing the impossible task that five kids could battle hundreds of vicious birds.

“I have another idea,” Talia offered, and I was more than willing to listen. She pointed below us. “I’ll fly into the cloud bank below us. The harpies have poor eyesight but strong hearing. If we’re quiet and fly an erratic plan, we can outmaneuver them.”

“Then let’s do it. And from now on,” I looked at everyone, “no talking until we fly away from them.” Everyone nodded, and Talia dipped the lifeboat hard into the cloud bank below. Within a minute, our view of the swarm became obscured, but I could hear the birds were still focused on their prize. Soon the cloud became thick like a fog, and we could barely see farther than ten feet in front of us.

Royce looked like he was going to speak when I placed my finger in front of my lips. He got the message and swallowed back his words.

The wind blew through the deck of the lifeboat, and I searched behind us for any dark specks of the harpies. Everyone stood still, not wanting to make any noise, but the sails of the ships creaked as they captured the wind. Talia made small motions with the steering wheel to prevent any loud squeaks. Suddenly we heard the flapping of a small bird as one of the harpies flew close and then landed on the deck. We stood still as statutes, not wanting to alert the bird. The thing waddled around the deck. It came up to a wooden post and wrapped its large teeth around it. It bit, but the post was too much for it. It wasn’t very intelligent. I doubted it could understand much more than filling its stomach. It removed its teeth from the post and started walking toward Talia.

She inadvertently steeped backward, and her foot clicked on the decking. The bird’s ears perked up. Was this a potential meal? Before it could step any closer, Bishop punted it off the deck. It disappeared into the fog.

“Stupid bird,” he whispered. Then we heard it: the flapping of two birds. Then three. Then too many to count. The fog began to break, and we saw a mass of dozens of birds flying toward us. The time for stealth was over!

“Steer us over there!” I commanded. The bergs were moving erratically in that direction, so I figured the air currents were stronger.

“We’ll be crushed!” Bishop protested as he swung and bit another harpy with his ice pick.

“No, we won’t,” Talia said. “With a bit of wind we can leave these hungry beasts behind.” She steered hard toward the gusts. The mass of harpies was closing in with an occasionally hungry scout trying to take a bite out of us. I swatted one away from Talia’s head as she concentrated on steering.

“Thanks!” she replied. Eric ran around the deck, looking for something.

“What are you doing?” Royce asked.

“I’m looking for anything that isn’t lashed down,” he explained, but we didn’t understand. He grabbed a metal cup. Seeing the confusion on our faces, he motioned to a passing berg. “Watch this!”

He flung the cup and it bounced off several ice surfaces, making a racket before it finally settled down. Dozens of harpies turned from us and rushed the iceberg. They went right to the source of sound; one even tried to take a bite out of the metal cup.

“Those things will eat anything.” I marveled at their ferocity and was glad they were biting ice instead of our limbs. There were still hundreds of them coming toward us, eyes full of malice. No way I could swing my ice pick fast enough if the whole swarm descended upon us.

The lifeboat swung wildly as a gust of wind rocked it. I grabbed a post to prevent from falling off.

“Are you trying to get us killed?” Bishop yelled at Talia.

“Just the opposite. If we don’t catch another gust, we won’t outrun them,” she answered, focused on the steering wheel. I watched the little beasts gaining. They were little piranhas of the sky.

“Are there any provisions on the lifeboat?” I asked Eric. He didn’t answer but pulled out a first-aid kit. In his hand were several sticks wrapped in plastic.

“Good thinking. They keep several pieces of dried meat in the kit. Why don’t we break it into smaller pieces—”

“And spread it around like breadcrumbs,” Royce added with enthusiasm. I grabbed two sticks of the dried meat and pulled them apart into smaller pieces. I handed my pieces to Bishop.

I threw my pieces to wind, which blew far to the right. A section of the swarm broke off to gulp up the meat. The harpies fought each other over every scrap.

Eric, Royce, and Bishop spread their pieces to wind, and the harpies flew to catch them, reducing the swarm even more. But the main group was still focused on the lifeboat. Why go for the crumbs when the main meal was right in front of them?

“Talia! How close are we to catching a gust?”

“I need about a minute. Do we have any more food to throw?” she asked, turning frantically on the wheel to steer us closer to the higher wind.

I searched frantically in the first-aid kit. There were no more rations to distract the flock. We needed something fresher. I looked at my hand. I noticed a pair of scissors, grabbed them, and sized up my fingers. A hand grabbed me before I could take any action.

“Pene? What are you thinking?” Eric asked. “Are you trying to amputate a finger?

I laughed at him. “Nothing that crazy.” I took the scissors and cut my palm. A red droplet formed. “Watch this.” I pointed and squeezed blood out of my hand. The droplets flew into the air behind us. Seconds later, they splashed into the face of the oncoming horde. The smell must have been overpowering, because the first ones to be hit then had to defend themselves from the next in line. The swarm stopped as the group fought over the precious drops.

“That was lucky,” Bishop commented. “The blood might have made them come at us even faster.”

“Well, I didn’t see you offering any options,” I responded as the lifeboat caught a gust. Talia had found the wind!

The lifeboat shifted and sped by several air bergs at dazzling speed. I looked back and watched the swarm disappear in the distance. I couldn’t tell for sure, but I thought their little faces had registered disappointment. Too bad we wouldn’t be their meal today.

“Hold this,” Eric said, placing a cotton dressing in my palm. He taped my wound shut.

“How chivalrous,” I commented.

“We also don’t need you leaving behind a blood trail for those things to follow,” Bishop replied. Royce sat beside me, clearly exhausted.

“Thanks.” He grinned.

“What for? For almost killing all of us? If one of us gets hurt, our chances at the tournament are over,” Bishop snarled.

“No,” Royce said to Bishop and then turned back to me. “Thanks for thinking about something besides yourself. I’ve lived on the streets so long; I know what its is like to always think of yourself. Wondering where your next meal was going to come from. I was used to thinking of myself first or starving.” His words touched me, and I realized my problems growing up from school and a demanding father were nothing compared with his.

“You showed great bravery today, Royce. The sky angel owed its life to us because of your actions.” Eric placed a hand on his shoulder like an older brother.

“What did we accomplish exactly?” Bishop asked. “That beast might be attacked and eaten a few hours from now. In life, only the strong survive. If you can’t make it on your own, you don’t deserve to live.”

“Maybe that’s how you grew up, Bishop. Did your father not help with anything growing up?” I asked.

“My father has nothing to do with me!” Bishop yelled. “Leave him out of the conversation.” He stomped away. I wasn’t sad to see him go. At least he stopped interrupting us at every turn.

“Is his father really that bad?” I asked Eric. I thought back to my brief encounter in the ballroom.

“Unlike my father and my Uncle Doyle, who command with consensus of their crew, Bishop’s father rules like a tyrant. He makes all of the decisions, and if you don’t agree with them, you are forced to leave.”

“Why does anyone stay with him?” I asked.

“Fear. Pride. Nowhere else to go. Not a lot of families will take castoffs.”

“So Bishop’s father keeps his people because there is nowhere else to go?”

“Well, it’s a bit like that with any family. If anyone decides to leave Uncle Doyle’s crew, other ships aren’t always accepting of new crew members. There is pride and mistrust, but mostly it’s about family. If you leave your family, how does a new crew believe in you when the going gets tough?”

I considered Eric’s words carefully. Maybe it was less about Bishop’s father’s leadership and more about the lack of options for leaving. I understood how a family shapes our decisions. Although I lost my mom at an early age, I believed in a lot of the same things as my dad. And I know he shaped a lot of my life decisions, right or wrong.

“Look up ahead!” Talia yelled. “It’s Doyle’s ship, The Preserver!”

My heart swelled; we had made it back. Once we landed, we would be out of danger of the gusts, with a much larger ship to steer us. We moved closer; the deck of the Preserver was eerily quiet, as if everyone was taking a nap. No problem for Talia, who guided us straight to the deck, lowering us into position to load into the landing hooks. As the bars locked into place, our lifeboat became secure, once again part of the main ship. Eric looked perplexed.

“Where is everyone? I don’t even see anyone in the crow’s nest. It’s like a ghost ship.”

A chill ran through me, and I imagined with terror that the harpies had come through and wiped out the crew.

I stepped out of the lifeboat, and as soon as my feet touched the deck, all of the doors opened. Silently, the people who emerged were not Uncle Doyle’s crew, but instead all of the boys with their bandanas, trying to look threatening. It had no effect on me, but I noticed Royce and Talia tense up, as unsure what to expect. In seconds we were surrounded by a dozen of the bandana boys. Bishop, who I thought would be overjoyed, looked just as surprised as the rest of us. He didn’t need to wait long to get his answer.

From the main doorway came a familiar face, a bald head, and an unfriendly smile. Bishop’s father, King!”

“Son, get over here,” he commanded, and Bishop obediently walked over to his side but showed no love for his father. His face was neutral, regarding us as if he wasn’t sure how to act in the presence of his father.

“The rest of you will be escorted to one of the cabins, where you will be locked down for the rest of the voyage.”

“Where is my Uncle Doyle!” Eric asked. “What have you done with him and the rest of the crew?”

King stepped closer to Eric and relished his response.

“Your family is captured, boy! This ship is now under my command, and everyone on it!”

Chapter 7

Prisoners

The five of us were silent — even Bishop had no stupid remarks as we were escorted away. We climbed down deep into the airship, where fleeting sunlight shone through the occasional porthole. There were boys in front of us and about half a dozen behind, but we had no interest in trying to escape. We wanted to make sure that Uncle Doyle and his crew were safe. I watched King and Bishop walk ahead of us. They didn’t speak, but their body language spoke volumes. They were father and son, but there was no love lost between them. Talia elbowed me in the back.

“Why would Bishop’s father do this? Are we still going to compete in the next round?” I hadn’t thought about the tournament.

“I imagine. King may be a control freak, but he won’t do anything to jeopardize Bishop’s placement in the tournament. As long as Spi needs all five of us in a team, King has to keep us all safe.”

“Enough talking.” King looked back at us. “Into the dining room.” We turned the corner and stepped in. Uncle Doyle and his crew were sitting at several tables. None of them smiled, but no one looked hurt, and they nodded as we sat at nearby table. King went to the head of the room, ready to address us.

“As I have instructed Doyle and crew, we will steward this ship to the next destination. I will make sure that these children,” he pointed to the five of us, “will not leave this ship for needless risks. The most important task at hand is to succeed at the next stage of the tournament.”

“Then get off my uncle’s ship. You have no right to be here!” Eric yelled and stood, but two bandana boys pushed him down.

“I have every right to be here. Your uncle’s crew was lax, and they were lucky that real pirates hadn’t landed, or they would all be dead now!”

“Spoken like a true pirate himself!” Eric screamed back.

“Speak again and I will gag you for the rest of this voyage!”

“Don’t talk to my boy that way!” Uncle Doyle ran forward. Before he could take more than a few steps, an evil-looking metal gun was jabbed at his ribs.

“I warned you if you spoke out of turn again, Doyle.” King turned to several boys, who pulled down their bandanas. “Take that one to the brig and let him think about his broken promises.” They moved toward Doyle, and several of his crew became agitated. Doyle saw what was happening and addressed his crew.

“Focus on your work, boys, and this nightmare will be over. One way or another,” he said as they carried him away. A couple of his men scowled, but their protests ended. King looked at them, and I believed he was smart enough to realize that their threat wasn’t over. If he didn’t have Doyle’s crew outnumbered, they would have fought back.

“The rest of you can return to your stations. With any luck, we’ll reach our destination by day’s end.” Nobody moved, as if testing his authority. “Dismissed!” Several boys stood behind Doyle’s men, who got the message. The sound of chairs moving filled the room, and the crew left out the door, some exchanging worried glances with us. Eric nodded at a couple of them as if to let them know we had it covered. As footsteps receded down the hallway, King fixed his gaze on us.

“I’m sure you have lots of questions, and for the sake of my son, I will answer five of them.” We looked at each other, expecting a trap, but after several seconds of silence, Royce ventured a question.

“Why are you here?” he asked.

King gave a fake smile, as if he appreciated the question. “We are here,” he folded his hands out to include the boys in the room, “to protect our investment for the tournament. The five of you must remain intact to win. You are forbidden to leave this ship. The airbergs are dangerous, and we can’t risk losing anyone of you.” His fake smile grew larger, as if he enjoyed spewing his garbage.

“Don’t you have to tell the truth?” Royce asked, clearly unimpressed with the answer. King ignored him.

“Why take my uncle’s ship? You could just as easily fly alongside to make sure we remained on it. What is your real reason for being here?” Eric demanded.

King walked closer to him, clearly relishing his authority. “Your uncle is weak. He isn’t prepared to make the sacrifices necessary to get you to the castle to compete. We are here to make sure you get there in one piece.”

“And I’m sure you’re only doing this out of the goodness of your heart. No, you want to make sure your son wins so that he asks Spi for whatever you want!” Eric jabbed his finger at King, and several boys stepped between them. King did not take the bait.

“You have three questions left. Be quick, I’m wanted on the deck.” His whole attitude was infuriating. I wanted to hit him, but I didn’t want to spend time with Uncle Doyle in the brig.

“Can I contact my family?” Talia asked. “They will be worried about me.”

“No. I won’t risk involving others in this. And I can’t have other ships attacking us with the misguided idea that they are saving you. You can talk to them after you five complete the next stage. No exceptions. Sorry about that.”

“I bet,” Talia responded.

“Why are you doing this?” Bishop asked. “You know we would have gotten there without your interference. Why bring your people against us?”

“Really, son. That’s your question? I have protected you for your entire life. Even when you failed to acquire the key, I made sure that you were there when this boy,” King pointed at Eric, “took what was rightfully yours.” Eric made a face but held his tongue, realizing this wasn’t an argument he could win.

“I am my own man. I can do this without your help,” Bishop responded. When his face got red and blotchy, he looked like his father.

“You claim to be a man, but you act like a boy. You never should have let these kids leave the ship and jeopardize our prize.” King walked away from him, dismissing his claim.

“I tried! They have a mind of their own. I made sure I went with them to protect my team.”

“I am tired of your excuses. If you were a man, you wouldn’t have tried — you would have succeeded.” King looked smug, like he was proud of humiliating his son.

“What does that make you?” I interrupted. “You tried to stop me and Eric on your ship. But you didn’t, and we escaped. Does that make you a man or a boy?” I yelled. I couldn’t help myself; I knew my words were going to get me in trouble. But I couldn’t stand this righteous piece of garbage preaching at us. I felt my hands pulled behind me by two of the boys as punishment. Eric yelled in protest, but they pushed him down in his seat. King looked like he was going to explode and took several steps closer to me. He brought his hand back, as if to slap me. I spat in his face. The spittle dripped down the left side of us face, and I waited for a hard slap. It never came.

King laughed. Actually, he roared. He stepped backward and laughed so hard that he had to bend over to grab his sides. He just made me angrier. I would rather the slap rather than this mockery.

“You, child, are spirited. I think when this is all done, I will get you to join my crew. We can use a spitfire like you.” He pulled out a cloth and wiped his face.

“In your dreams,” I responded. He ignored my comment.

“Last question before I leave. Ask it now, or forever hold your peace.” He stood, ready to leave the room. I asked him the only question that mattered.

“What will you ask Spi if Bishop wins the tournament?” King nodded, as if he was waiting for this.

“That’s the best question yet. And very personal. I could refuse to answer if I wanted to,” he mocked.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if you did,” Eric piped up.

“Shut up, boy. The adults are talking.” King walked toward me. “You know, Pene, we know so little about you. No one knows where you are from. Where do you live?” His eyes looked over me, like a snake slithering around me. I wanted to shiver from his creepiness. But I would not give him the satisfaction.

“I thought I was the one asking the questions,” I replied, not giving him the satisfaction of answering. King just smiled, relishing the game.

“Tell her, Father,” Bishop implored, but King didn’t react.

“For years, my family has been fighting to maintain control of our fleet. The airways are clogged with families, pirates, and other threats that could easily bring an end to any voyage. About thirty years ago, my father was transporting a wedding dowry between two families worth an untold fortune. During the journey, a terrible storm struck, and lighting threatened to destroy the ship and all of its crew. My father fought the storm valiantly, and even though there was considerable damage to the airship, the crew escaped to lifeboats and survived.” King stopped and collected himself.

“But…” I encouraged.

“But his father and the treasure disappeared, never to be seen again,” Eric added. Bishop charged Eric, throwing a fist that just missed Eric’s chin before the boys separated them.

“Enough!” King commanded, and the fighting stopped. “Despite the boy’s arrogant lies, he tells what most people believed happened that day. Other ships insist on seeing him fly off. There was only a shot of lightning to illuminate the deck of the ship before it disappeared. My family are not thieves, but this incident has labeled us as such. Once Bishop wins the tournament, we will ask Spi what happened and where the dowry went. We will find my father and the reason for his disappearance. Our family name will finally be cleared!”

“So do the ends justify the means?” I asked. “To right a wrong, you have to commit more wrongs to get there. You know you almost killed me on your ship. Your presence here makes all of Doyle’s crew uneasy. Someone will try to right what you have done here and get hurt or worse. Then you’ll have to ask yourself if someone’s death is worth clearing your name.”

“What if you find out that your grandfather did steal the dowry? Then you’ll be outcast for good.” Bishop was about to charge Eric again, but King waved him off.

“You talk about family honor when you have no idea whether your father has any at all. Did you ever think he disappeared because he was a coward?” King taunted.

“You don’t know anything about my father! He’s twice the person that you could ever be! The skies are a dangerous place. I just want to find out what happened to him!” Eric couldn’t help himself and stood up. He was roughly pushed back down in his chair.

“So that’s it? You capture this ship to guarantee that your son will win at the cost of everyone else? Let’s face it — you don’t care about us, your father’s honor, or finding the true reason for his disappearance. You want whatever treasure he was transporting as the dowry. It’s sad, no matter what picture you paint, your greed is what is driving all of this!”

“We all have things that drive us, Pene. Are you telling me you aren’t going to compete? From what I can see, you are my son’s best chance to succeed.” Bishop flashed a sneer at his father, although he was accustomed to his derogatory comments. I hated this man and could only barely tolerate his son, yet they were currently my best choice for getting out of this world. I swallowed my pride and accepted my decision, for the sake of my team and for finding my mother.

“I don’t see that we have any choice. But don’t expect me to thank you for your help.” My friends looked at me warily. Maybe they expected me to put up more of fight. I was too tired to fight. We had just escaped a swarm of hungry harpies, and now we were about to battle something even worse. Until I understood our situation better, I needed to play along.

“Good. So, you’ll understand why I want to protect my investment.” He directed his crew, “Take off your bandanas. There is no one to spread fear with here. And take these four to the main cabin. No one enters or leaves that cabin without my permission.”

“Yes, sir,” several of the boys replied while removing their bandanas. They look very ordinary; some even looked scared. I understood now why they covered their faces. Best to look scary and to hide their fear. Rough hands pushed us out of the room.

“Why aren’t I going with them?” Bishop asked. I doubted he really wanted to be with us, but the thought of spending time with his father might be worse.

“We have matters to discuss. You can join them later.” King and Bishop disappeared as we were led up the stairs and back onto the deck. Uncle Doyle’s cabin was in the center, and hands shoved us inside.

“Anyone who opens this door to escape will be tied up and thrown into the hold. You should have everything you need in the cabin,” a red-headed teenager directed us and slammed the door shut. I heard a steel rod fasten the door shut.

“Well, that was interesting,” I said, floored by the change of events.

“If any of my uncle’s crew is hurt, King will have hell to pay. He’s kidding himself if he thinks they will obey him to our destination,” Eric commented.

“I’m just glad Bishop isn’t here, so we can talk freely,” Royce said as he sat in a chair. “I don’t trust him. If we so much as talk about mutiny around him, his father will know in seconds.”

“Maybe,” Talia replied thoughtfully and grabbed an apple from a basket on a table. “But I also don’t think there is any love lost between the two of them. Bishop seemed completely surprised when we landed. There is no way he knew about this takeover beforehand.”

“So, until Bishop is here, what do we do? Even if we break out the door and grab the life raft, there is no way we can outrun the ship,” I asked as thoughts swam around my mind.

“We could stay,” Royce offered. “King is going to get us to the next stage of the tournament. He has too much riding on his son to let any of us get lost.”

“We escape to rescue the crew. King and his boys don’t deserve to be in charge. Uncle Doyle is our best chance to get to the castle for the tournament safely. I’d be surprised if we don’t hit an airberg with some of the kids navigating this ship,” Eric said.

“If we do that, Eric, someone is likely to get hurt, or worse,” Talia responded. “Are you prepared for that?” The four of us were silent, contemplating our next move. We were trapped, yet talking about our options gave us hope. But Talia was right; we could also make things worse.

“I’m exhausted from our lifeboat run. I’m going to rest and try to digest what’s happened to us. Before we do anything, I think we should all agree. Whatever we do affects all of us,” I said, and the rest nodded. I walked over to a bunk on the far-right side and lay down. I was aching from swinging the ice pick over and over. The adrenalin from the harpies had left, and now I was mentally and physically exhausted. I needed a few minutes of rest to process things. I laid my head down and felt sleep grip me as my problems vanished.

*

I was lying on my bed. Around, my room’s walls were covered in drawings. Brilliants reds, oranges, and yellows were my favorite colors. I stayed away from the dark blues and blacks — my sketches were all about brightness. Suns and flowers were my favorite objects, with birds in the sky. I was barely two years old, and drones in my world were barely on my radar. I stopped coloring since I thought I could hear singing from the kitchen. My mother! She had been taken from my life at a young age, and my memories were few. But I never forgot how she made me feel. I was barely three years old when my mother supposedly died.

I felt anxious, as if I needed to see her, my young self driven by teenage want to be with her again. I leapt from my bed, my colored pencils following off the bed to the floor. I rushed to the door and took the stairs two at a time. My run was rewarded as I found my mom singing to herself as she was cooking eggs. They smelled divine. I sat at the table, expecting a breakfast treat.

“Do you think these are for you?” My mother smiled.

“Yes.” I grinned as she flipped them over.

“I don’t know, your dad looked pretty hungry to me,” she teased, as if she wanted me to beg for my meal.

I giggled but remained firmly rooted to my seat. As soon as my egg was done, I was claiming ownership. Dad or no dad.

“What do you miss most about me?” my mom asked. I realized that the dream wasn’t about a specific event with my mom but rather a collection of her memories. Although I was young in body, my mind felt like my own.

“Your smile. Your voice. The way you would hug me. The way you tuck me in at night. You help with my drawings…”

“Hold on, I’m going to burn your dad’s egg.”

“My egg,” I chimed in.

“Okay. Your egg.” She flipped it onto a plate and brought it over to me.

“Has your dad done a good job with you as you grew up?” she asked as she sat in the chair across from me.

“Yes — although I could be difficult as times.”

“Who, you?”

“Yes, me. And like you, I miss him a lot. He died before my eyes, trying to protect me. It was all my fault.” My joy switched to sorrow, and tears dripped down my little face. In trying to expose the drones in my world, I had endangered my dad, and it had cost him his life.

“Now, dear. We all make decisions in our lives. You can’t claim responsibility for the evil of others.

“Is that what you did, Mom? Did you leave to cover up the terrible acts of others.”

“I had to leave, Pene. For your safety and your father’s. I was told that I would eventually be returned to you both but…” Her voice trailed off. “Sometimes a decision we make doesn’t work out the way we expected it would. If you expect the world to be fair because you are fair, you’re fooling yourself.”

“Stop trying to teach me, Mom. Where are you?”

“I’m closer than you think.”

“I’m coming to get you, Mom. I’m going to find you.”

“I’m not the one you should be looking for,” she answered.

“Knock, knock!” The kitchen outside door sounded, and familiar face looked in on us through the glass.

*

“Tink! Tink!” My dream and reality met, and I realized they were the same. Something was calling for me. My eyes slammed open, and I looked around the room. Everyone else was asleep. Eric was resting with his chair leaned back against the wall while Royce and Talia had found bunks at the other side of the room. The room was tranquil, as if the earlier events were forgotten.

“Tink! Tink!” The metal monkey tapped on the window, as if it was impatient, waiting for me to answer its call. I almost didn’t want to give it the satisfaction, but being locked away in a cabin had reduced my options. I may as well listen to what it had to say. I opened the porthole wide enough for it to squeeze in but too small for me to escape.

“Tsk, tsk.” The monkey waved its fingers in disappointment, and the purple glow shimmered brightly. “I can’t leave you alone without you making a mess of things.” The monkey’s voice was Spi, and it talked in its usual bemused manner. “You’re not going to make the tournament in time. There will be a mutiny, people will get hurt, and everyone will be too late.” The monkey’s wide smile was infuriating. Spi’s joking style made me want to grab the monkey’s neck and strangle it until its circuits went dark.

“Can’t see how any of this is my fault. Our team was doing fine until the adults decided to get into the mix. Besides, why should you care? You have lots of other teams to pester. Why care if we don’t make it?” I moved closer to the monkey, as if I could see inside of it to try to understand Spi’s quirky mannerisms.”

“I don’t care, Pene.” The monkey jumped onto a shelf and danced around the obstacle course of objects. I was sure it was going to knock something down and wake everyone up. “But why did you help the sky angel? I don’t understand your logic. The animal can’t help you win.”

“Because doing what is right doesn’t always win you an award. I came from a world where drones decided everything for us. And we never fought back, even when the drones started to hunt people who were innocent. Not everyone wants to play your games, Spi.”

“Ah, Pene. I’m the curator of this world. I need to make sure balance is maintained.” The monkey played with a set of scales on the shelf, lowering a weight onto one of the plates. The scales went out of balance. Spi’s physical representations of our discussion may have been funny to it, but it just made me want to smack the creature off the shelf.

“Then take over this ship and get us to the tournament safely. No one has to get hurt,” I implored.

The monkey shook its head. “That would require me to take a side, Pene. I can advise, but you must do the work. To prove you’re worthy.” The monkey jumped down on the bunk and scampered toward me.

“Why does anyone have to prove their worth to you! Do you get some sick satisfaction from watching us fail, or worse, get hurt!”

The monkey mimicked taking a knife to the heart and fell to the bunk, as if it was fatally wounded. I thought about using Bishop’s knife, but the monkey in front of me wasn’t the enemy. Spi would only help me if it fulfilled its entertainment.

“Okay. You got me,” I said, realizing I had to play nice if Spi was going to help us out of this situation. “Why don’t you tell King that he is jeopardizing the very tournament that he is trying to win. He’ll certainly listen to the great Spi!” I mocked, but sarcasm was lost on this creature.

“You’re not listening, Pene. I’m not here to fight your battles. You win or lose on the decisions you make, not my interference. I have nothing vested in you winning.” The monkey moved close to me and stood on the table until we were eye to eye for once.

“What would you have me do?” My fists were bunched.

“You have to make a decision that will seem crazy. You have to take a leap of faith.”

“Will it prevent a mutiny and my friends getting hurt?”

“It should,” the monkey answered noncommittally. “But honestly, you humans are so unpredictable. There is no such thing in life as guarantees.” It leapt to the window, about ready to leave.

“Wait! How are we going to get out of this cabin? They aren’t just going to let me walk out.”

“Leave that problem to me.” The monkey bounded throughout the room, grabbing pieces of paper from a map and a book. It took them and stuffed them onto the door.

“Are you making a nest?” I was puzzled by his actions.

“I’m creating a way out for you.” The monkey bounded back to the table and grabbed alcohol from one of the bottles. It poured the alcohol into a glass and jumped back to the door. It spilled the contents on the paper, and I realized what it was doing as the alcohol dripped down the door.

“Wait a second,” I started, not sure if this was the best approach.

“No time for seconds.” The monkey smiled and cracked it claws onto each other to create several sparks. The paper ignited. The flames licked the door, and I wondered if we would all die of smoke inhalation before the door opened to allow us to escape. “See you on the other side.” The monkey bounded back across the room and out the porthole. It didn’t have to worry about the fire. I alerted the others.

“Wake up!” I yelled and punched Eric on the arm. He almost fell out of his chair.

“What?” he yelled but a second later looked at the flames on the door. “Quick! Find some water! I’ll wake the others!” I grabbed him before he could leave the chair.

“Spi set the fire. It thinks it will get us out.” Eric looked around the room, confused. “He just left through the porthole. Wake the others, and I’ll explain to everyone.” I watched the fire grow. “Assuming we get out in time,” I added sarcastically. Eric went to the back corner and tugged on Talia first.

“Get up! There’s a fire!” She groggily swung her head. I ran over to the porthole and yelled as loud as I could.

“Fire! Somebody let us out!” I could hear scurrying around outside. They could hear me; the question was, would they help?

After a minute, all four of us gathered around the porthole to yell out. The fire had engulfed half of the door, and part of me was wondering if we should try to extinguish the flames ourselves. Suddenly the door slammed open, and two teenage boys with buckets entered. They threw their contents at the door, and most of the flames were extinguished. Both of them ran to grab more water. Bishop and King entered behind them. Bishop had a smirk on his face as if he agreed with our vandalism. King was not as forgiving.

“I give you food, a bed, and this is how you reward me. I should throw the four of you in a cell and see how you like it!”

“It wasn’t us! Spi set the fire,” I responded, and King looked at me carefully.

“Spi was here?” King asked reverently. I guessed King believed Spi was the only one to answer his question. “But why? Was it trying to harm you?”

“Just the opposite. He warned me that your actions would jeopardize our team,” I replied. King didn’t seem convinced.

“That seems unlikely,” he responded. “More likely this is a desperate ploy to get out of the cabin. You won. You can sit with Doyle in his cell.” Rough hands grabbed us and pulled us out of the cabin. Eric grimaced at me as if my grand plan was failing. Royce and Talia seemed resigned to our fate. We crossed the deck. The sky was cloudy, with a couple of patches of sunshine. A motion caught my attention to the far right, metal reflecting off the sun. I thought about Spi’s comment of taking a leap of faith. What I had to do next came to me.

I slammed my foot down hard on the foot of one of my escorts. He screamed in pain and immediately let go. I rushed forward toward, King my fists raised. He smiled and beckoned the others away. He knew I couldn’t hurt him. He was right. I had another plan. I leapt on a box and jumped over him.

I flew through the air, and the deck below disappeared as I went over edge of the ship. The last thing I saw was a group of faces watching me as I fell.

Chapter 8

Flight

I am such an idiot! I jump off a particularly good airship, and I am now falling to my death. All because of an artificial being who told me to take a leap of faith. Maybe I shouldn’t take things so literally. I could have sworn I saw another steel object pass by Doyle’s craft. I assumed that if I jumped off, it would pick me up. My bad choice was going to kill me.

Of course, I could fall forever, like the people of this world tell me. Seemed more likely I’d hit land eventually or be pulled apart by the wind currents. I caught sight of metal again. My savior, or something that would relish in watching me die. Within seconds, I realized which one it was.

“Thud!” I landed heavily on something, but it was unexpectedly soft. The object dived under, catching me, further lessening the impact. The face of my savior was familiar. It was the eagle from the zoo. But its skin was not hard steel, like I thought, but spongy material that bounced back in place, absorbing most of my fall. I was grateful for its help.

“Thank you. I don’t know how Spi sent for you, but you have saved my life.” The bird looked at me with intelligence, and then it surprised me further. It spoke!

“Your gratitude is not required but welcome,” the eagle said, and it sounded just as regal as it looked. I stared at it, not fully appreciating its ability to speak.

“You can talk,” I finally stammered, realizing how stupid I must sound.

“Obviously,” the eagle answered, and I could have sworn there was a smile on its beak, as if it enjoyed my amazement.

“I thought only Spi could speak, and the rest of you followed its wishes.”

“Wrong on both counts,” the eagle answered, “but first, strap into the metal clasp on my back. I don’t want to lose you if I hit any gusts.” I grasped a thin sheet of flexible metal and crisscrossed over my chest, clicking it into the other side. I felt secure, but why would this construct be created to fly humans?

“I’m secure,” I replied and gave the eagle a thumbs-up. I had no idea if it even understood that signal.

“Good. To answer your question, most of the metal creatures cannot talk, but I believe you have met others that have.” I thought about this carefully and remembered the lion’s head at the start of the tournament.

“Right. But they seem few and far between. Besides, why didn’t you speak to us at the tournament at the zoo?”

“That would be breaking the rules and might have given your team an unfair advantage. Imagine if I answered any question you had at the zoo; it might help you win over someone who didn’t encounter me.”

“Well, you sure are being talkative now,” I countered. “What has changed?” I gripped tighter to my metal strap as a gust threatened to rip me off.

“Because it is Spi’s wishes that I find you. Up until now, I have only been an observer. Rescuing the sky angel was an honorable task. But when Spi asked me to become a more active participant, I jumped at the opportunity.”

“You make it sound as if you are human,” I replied, taken back at how much I respected this regal creature, even though it was only a shiny robot. Or was it something more?

“Not human. Something more,” the eagle said with a trace of a smile. “Spi may be able to see through any one of us when it wants, but we are still capable of free will and a need to interact with you humans. You could almost say that it is programmed in our DNA.”

“By who? Did Spi create all of you? I have seen thousands since I have been here. How many metal creatures exist?”

“More than you can imagine, but Spi is not our creator. We believe humans like you may hold the answer to that question.”

I thought back to my home and the drones that floated around the city. They weren’t sentient, like these creatures, but they were created by humans. It wasn’t that much of a stretch to wonder if humans had created beings as amazing as this eagle.

“So, Spi asked you to transport me. Where are you taking me? Is this just to antagonize King and get the families to work together?”

“It is more than that, Pene. Let me show you something that is simply breathtaking.” The eagle turned its head and soared, catching a thermal gust that spiraled us higher. I was both exhilarated and scared at the same time. The eagle flapped its wings in strong, steady strokes, circles of steam exiting its sides like gills on a fish. Whatever mechanisms powered this creature, steam was the natural by-product. The clouds began to break up a bit, and then something shimmered ahead of us. Impossibly, it looked like a waterfall in the sky.

The clouds formed a huge mountain, and water flowed from ledge to ledge. The water was clear, and I could swear there were things swimming through it. It was an ecosystem in the sky! But the environment was certainly not the most amazing feature. Everywhere I looked, I saw nests of all sizes and shapes. Real birds of every variety populated them. I was overwhelmed by the brilliance of colors. The birds twittered as we flew by, greeting us as if we meant them no harm, like a human and large metal eagle flew by every day.

In the center of the landscape was a huge field, and in the center was a large pile of white objects. I squinted, trying to make out their familiar shape.

“Are those bones?” I asked as they came into focus. “Is this some type of bird graveyard?” The orderly pile made me think that the birds took care of their own.

“Bird graveyard. Bird birthplace. This is where the birds began their lives and many return to end them. It’s the only place where all birds respect each other. The rules prohibit any species of birds from injuring each other, and all babies are carried for. Food is often disbursed evenly, depending on the need.”

“What about the harpies? We ran into them before, and they only seem to think with their stomachs.”

“They are not welcome.” The eagle shook its head. “Their kind can not be trusted. They know better than to attack here, as they would be ripped to shreds by the other birds. They may be consumed by their hunger, but they know enough to appreciate fear.”

“This is amazing! There is so much beauty, so much harmony. If only humans could coexist with each other like this. Why doesn’t Spi bring the airships through here?”

“Because like most things that humans do, they would ultimately destroy it. They study it, they overwhelm it, they would try to change it and eventually ruin it.”

“And I won’t? Who says that after I get back to my friends, I won’t tell them about this place?”

“Because you won’t.” The eagle looked back at me. “You are not from this world, so after you win the tournament, you will move on the next world.”

The eagle stared back at me, and I realized that although it was sent to help me, it wasn’t here to save me. That was up to me.

We landed on the cloud next to a small lake. Water rushed from above, and I couldn’t begin to understand the mechanics of how the place existed. I just accepted its beauty. We approached a large nest with blue eggs.

“Where is the mother?” I wondered.

“The mother is gone. If someone doesn’t do something soon, the eggs will never hatch.”

“Well, if you are expecting me to sit on these eggs, you have another thing coming. Certainly, one of these other birds can come sit on the nest. There must be lots of other mothers here.” I gestured around. The eagle regarded me coolly. Its silence was all the answer I needed. I shook my head. “This is crazy! I jumped off an airship so that I could help a bunch of eggs hatch!”

“We don’t always get to choose what challenges we are given, but we do get to decide how we respond.”

Great! Another riddle. He stared back at me and then stared at the eggs, daring me to do something. I looked at them, lonely and cold, and realized that I couldn’t just leave them alone. Like the air angel, they deserved my help. I pulled off my socks, picked up each egg one at time, and wrapped them up. I made sure that none of them touched each other and then wrapped as tightly as possible.

“Won’t the mother refuse to come back if I touch her eggs?” I scowled at the eagle.

“Perhaps. But the eggs won’t ever hatch if they don’t have warmth that you provide.” With its words, I placed the eggs in the pocket of my hoodie, hoping my body heat would keep them warm. A breeze blew through my hair, making me shiver. The eagle instructed me to return to its back.

“A cold front is coming in. We need to get above it.” I nodded and the eagle took off, leaving the bird sanctuary behind us. I watched as hundreds of birds craned their necks toward us, but none made any motion to stop us. If they were concerned about these eggs, they didn’t show it. Perhaps they had more on their minds with their own families to care for and feed.

We caught another thermal, and the warm air pulled us higher in the sky. I wasn’t sure why the height didn’t frighten me, but since there was no ground below, it was less scary. I reached in my pocket, touching the sock-covered eggs. Four babies were in my hands. I needed to find some place to secure them with heat lamps, warm steam, blankets, whatever to give a chance at survival.

Suddenly, the eagle veered sharply, and my hand secured the eggs from falling out.

“What’s going on?” I yelled.

“We have a visitor.” The eagle gestured with its head. Metal gleamed in the clouds, but I couldn’t make out the form. Was this another metal construct or another airship? Before I could glimpse the object again, hands unfastened the metal strap around me and pulled me off the eagle’s back. The motion almost separated my shoulder as rough hands settled my kicking body. I turned and saw the boy in his metal flying suit.

“Bishop!” I cursed. “You could have killed me! Or broken my arm! What are you doing?” I was close enough to his face.

“Saving your life. If you weren’t so absorbed in yourself, you would realize that most of the team was scared that you had killed yourself!” I could see that leaping off the airship without any advance notice could have given them wrong idea.

“I’m sorry. Spi said I had to take a leap of faith, and I did.”

“Well, you could have told us. You are part of team now, and everything you do affects the team’s chances. All five of us have to make it to the castle in one piece. Your theatrics are stressing everyone out!”

Bishop didn’t know about the threat Spi had made against me if I didn’t comply with its wishes. I wasn’t going to tell Bishop the truth. It would just endanger him and rest of the team. Yet without knowing that information, he was right. Between the sky angel and leaping off the deck of the ship, I had acted on my own needs without taking the time to consider how this affected the others. For different reasons, they were committed to getting to the next stage of the tournament, and I wasn’t helping.

“Okay. I have been a terrible team member. Can we discuss this with the others when we get back to the ship?” Before he could answer, another question popped into my head. “Why are you here at my rescue? Where is Eric?”

“Well, I thought if I rescued you, you might finally return me my knife. Eric is detained. After you left, the ship was attacked by other airships intent on making sure we didn’t make it to the tournament. You remember the Jagars?”

I remembered the team at the zoo and their threats as we left the air dock in Juncture City. I guessed they were taking this tournament to another level. And I thought King was a menace.

“Yes. What happened?”

“They attacked is what happened! And instead of fighting them, I had to play search party to retrieve you! To make matters worse, my father abandoned Doyle and his crew during the fighting. He was concerned about his own ship being damaged. He was supposed to come back to help to even the odds, but his ship hadn’t caught up when I left. Doyle is fighting this on his own!”

My heart sank as I realized that my actions had consequences for the rest of my team. I couldn’t keep approaching this world as if I was alone. I was part of a group, and I had to act in all of our interests if we were going to get through this.

“Bishop, I’m really sorry. I promise to stop thinking of myself and consider you and the rest. Do you forgive me?”

“No,” he answered honestly, “but my father hasn’t made any of this easier. The airship is nearby. Once the others know you are safe, we can try to escape.”

“Where are they?” I asked, concerned about their well-being. Before Bishop could answer, the clouds broke through, and I watched Uncle Doyle’s ship attacked by two other ships. The Jagars and another ship that must allied themselves with them. Their warning back at Juncture City had come back to haunt me. There was black smoke coming out of the side of Doyle’s ship, and it was skewered by several harpoons in the hull. It wasn’t going anywhere. My heart burst. So much fighting over winning a game. Did Spi enjoy this?

“I don’t think they have seen us yet,” Bishop said.

“Should we land on Doyle’s ship?” I asked.

“If we don’t get stabbed by a harpoon first, we’ll just be trapped on his ship.”

“Where is your father’s airship? Why isn’t he doing something to help?”

“I don’t know.” Bishop half turned while adjusting his wings. “I was too busy looking for you. Remember?” he added sarcastically.

Okay, I deserved that. I had to stop thinking about how we got into this mess and find the best way to get out. As I looked at the other ship, I could see the red-haired boy, Abadon, manning one of the harpoon guns. He enjoyed his role and was relishing taking another shot at Doyle’s ship. As we flew closer, he observed us in the sky and turned the gun toward us.

“We’re a target now,” Bishop yelled.

“Should I be worried?” I asked as the massive gun was trained on us.

“Hope not. I should be able to maneuver out of the way. The chain on the harpoon slows it down.”

“Why don’t I feel your confidence?” I got an idea. “Do you think you could land behind him?”

“Yeah. But what do you have planned? You think you can talk him out of this attack?”

Before I could respond, I saw the harpoon gun fire.

“Look out!” I pointed, but Bishop knew exactly what to do. He turned his wings, and we spun down suddenly into a barrel roll. Even with the quickness of his reflexes, the harpoon barely missed us. The wind of the chain rustled my hair, and I realized how close it had come. I felt dampness in my pocket against my stomach and worried that one of the eggs had broken. I check my stomach and realized it was just sweat. The eggs were safe for now. But I couldn’t continue in this attack and get through unscathed. We had a target on our backs, and we had to stop this battle.

“Hold on! I’m going to get behind him before he can fire again. I hope you have a plan, or we are going to get captured!” He spun through the carnage as sailors from the airships tried to spike us with their spears. But we were too fast, and Bishop was a skilled flier, weaving continually and erratically so no one could predict our path. Moments later, we had landed on the deck behind the harpoon gun. Abadon grimaced at us, not happy that he couldn’t get another shot. He motioned to his crew to surround us. I got to the edge in case I had to something drastic.

“Before you get too close, how about we negotiate a deal?”

“A deal for what?” Abadon smirked. “How about I take you out of the game, and I’ve got one less team to worry about. I like those odds.”

“How would you like an advantage over all of the teams?” I pulled out the key that Spi gave me in at the zoo. The key that could get us out of any situation.

“What’s stopping me from just taking it from you?” Abadon asked, and his crew closed in. Bishop tensed as if ready to take off again.

“Then I drop it over the edge.” I had pulled out the key and dangled it over the railing. Everyone stooped and looked at Abadon for direction. He looked at the key and then at my face. I wasn’t bluffing; if he didn’t want to the key, I would throw it away.

“So, let get this straight, if I call off our attack, you’ll give me that key for the next tournament. Why give away your advantage?”

“Because it will be no advantage to me if you damage our airship anymore than you already have.”

“I wouldn’t trust him, Pene. You give him the key, and he’ll still attack the ship. No deal!” Bishop warned.

“Maybe. But something tells me that Spi is always watching.” I looked around Abadon’s ship and thought I saw a couple of metal creatures observing our actions. I wasn’t the only person who noticed them. I had planted a seed of doubt.

Abadon stepped toward me, intrigued by the offer. As he got too close, I stretched my arm farther over the railing, forcing him to stop.

“Okay! Okay. You’re crazy. I told you at Juncture City that I wanted this key, and now you’re willing to hand it over. I’d say I’ve outplayed you.”

“So, do we have a deal?” I refused to take the bait.

“You have my word.”

“Don’t do it, Pene. I wouldn’t trust him any further than I could throw him,” Bishop warned.

“Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith,” I said, utilizing the AI’s words yet again, “and assume people will follow through with their promises.” With that, I handed the key over. “I hope it helps you make through the next stage.” Abadon took and placed in his pocket. He signaled to his crew, who stopped their attack on Doyle’s ship.

“Tell the other ship that the attack is off,” he directed as one of his crew spoke into a radio. Moments later, the second ship stopped its attack as well. The crew over on Doyle’s ship were confused, looking over to us.

“We can dock if you want,” Abadon offered.

“No thanks, I can take care of this,” Bishop replied, and we leapt off the ship and into the air. Abadon waved, as if the key had resolved all of our problems. This tournament was cutthroat — I was glad that the threat of Spi was enough to make him honor our agreement. We would have to win the next stage just like the first stage, on the merit of our team. I just hoped we were better than them and that my exchange didn’t ruin our chances if we got into a tight spot in the next round.

Bishop flew over to Doyle’s ship and landed on the deck. We were immediately surrounded by the crew and my teammates.

“I don’t know how you did it, Pene, but thank you for getting them to call off the attack. It was two to one, and I don’t know how much longer we could have fended off their attack,” Doyle said, obviously freed from his imprisonment. Royce rushed to hug me, and I had to hold him off, much to his disappointment.

“Precious cargo.” I pointed to the pocket of my hoodie. “I need to get these to safety.” I looked at Doyle. “Is there a tank or jar I can put something to be safe?”

“Go to my cabin. We can find something for you,” Doyle answered and then looked around the deck at his men. “This isn’t time to stand around. We have a destination to make! Resume course, full speed ahead,” he commanded.

“Aye, aye, Captain!” they yelled in unison and rushed in different directions. Some made repairs while others went to get the ship moving. I navigated the bodies and followed Doyle to his cabin with my friends behind. Where was Eric?

We pushed through the door, and Doyle went to the back of the cabin. There was a wooden box full of clothes that he emptied and put up on one of tables.

“Can you put a towel in there first?” I asked. He nodded and put a cloth that spread from end to end.

“What do you have?” Talia asked as I reached into the pocket of my hoodie. I pulled the blue eggs out and gently placed them on the towel. I moved a lamp with its metal bulb toward the top of the eggs. I hoped it would generate enough heat to hatch them.

“Not sure. Spi told me to take a leap of faith, and then the eagle at the zoo showed up. Said I had to save these eggs.”

“Why are they important?” Royce asked. But I didn’t get to answer that question.

“They better be!” I turned, and Eric walked through the doorway. “Why did you leave?” he asked; like Bishop, he was not pleased.

“Listen.” I could feel my anger rising as I defended my decisions again. “I already went through this with Bishop. I messed up! I thought of myself before the team. Spi told me to decide, and I made a decision without consulting the group of you. For that I am sorry. Do you forgive me?” I could tell by the look on Royce and Talia that they did. Bishop continued to look dismissive, but I didn’t care about his opinion. I did care about Eric’s. The anger and worry seemed to drain out of his face, and he came over to hug me, followed by Talia and Royce. Bishop remained an observer, while Uncle Doyle smiled.

“I don’t speak for my nephew, but I think the answer is yes!” Eric nodded, but he wasn’t done with me yet.

“Don’t you ever take off like that again! The five of us, through good and bad, have to stick together. Through no matter what. Do you understand?”

I nodded, and then my tears began. I wasn’t sad — just the opposite. I was happy to have made these friends. People who would do anything for me, and vice versa.

Screams from the main deck broke into my special moment, and all of us looked at Henry when he peeked into the cabin.

“We’re here,” was his only comment as he exited back the way he came. Doyle went out first, followed by the rest of us. As we entered the deck, the shape I saw in front of us didn’t seem possible.

It was still far away, but it was huge. Massive rocky turrets shot up into the sky, way too many to count. It was as if one castle had spawned many more castles that spilled onto one another. There was no border where one castle ended and another one began. Large drawbridges crossed over sprawling rivers that flowed and ebbed around the structures. Hundreds of small windows dotted the castle, as if an invincible army was hiding inside, ready to strike at incoming invaders. Below the castles lay hundreds of homes, farms, and green space, the townspeople who must support the needs of the castle. I turned to ask my friends a question, but they too were all staring at the incoming port. I wasn’t the only person visiting this place for the first time.

We had arrived at our destination, and somewhere below, Spi was waiting for us.

Chapter 9

The Final Hundred

As the crew steered Doyle’s ship to sink downward, the landscape below changed. Miles and miles of wooden docks spread across the east side of the floating island, a docking center for dozens of airships that had already arrived. I noticed every hundred feet of so there were large pipes venting steam. I turned to Eric.

“How does such a massive island remain afloat?”

“There must be turbines throughout the bottom of the island that drive the engines, keeping it stabilized. There would be an incredible amount of steam harvested that drives the machinery to run the island.”

“Why the vents?” I pointed.

“Sometimes there is so much steam produced by the turbines that it could overload the grid for the island. If the excess isn’t vented occasionally, then it blows out the engines driving the stabilization.”

“What if a number of turbines stopped working? Could the island crash?”

“Highly unlikely. There is a lot of redundancy built in, you probably have to blow up half the engines below. That would take every airship here times ten to even have an effect. Trust me, the island would also have its own security to prevent such a massive attack.”

Large ropes were thrown from our deck to the dock below as people below began to tie our ship down and we eased into place. We had arrived!

All around us, other airships were docking, carrying teams from the final one hundred or spectators. Royce was beside me, and he was literally bouncing around. I don’t think he had been ever been anywhere but Juncture City. The area was lush with greenery, and the architecture of the castle was amazing.

“My eyes are overloaded,” he wailed. “Never have I seen anything so beautiful. Juncture City had its seedy underbelly where nobody would want to visit. There is nothing like that here,” he marveled.

“Don’t be too overwhelmed by its beauty,” Talia warned. “There are likely undesirable elements out of sight.”

“You sound like you speak from experience,” Eric said. “Personal experience?”

Talia just shrugged but her noncommittal reply was a bit odd.

“Enough chatter. Let’s get going. Everyone is heading in the direction of that tavern.” Bishop pointed down a roadway. “They will be announcing the rules for the next tournament.”

“Hold up,” Doyle commanded. “Ever since our battle with Jagars, I don’t want any of you to be travelling alone. There is too much at stake. If your father was here,” he looked at Bishop, “he would agree. And we can’t wait until his ship catches up.” Doyle turned. “Henry — gather a team of six to accompany our team. Weapons are mandatory.”

“And don’t forget to protect the box in the cabin. It has to stay warm,” I commanded.

Henry nodded at both of us, and within a minute later, we had the largest members of Doyle’s crew. Eric was all smiles as he gave his uncle a hug.

“Thanks. We’ll tell you what happened after we get back.” Doyle nodded as we stepped off the airship onto the dock. There were several teams walking ahead of us, and we had about a fifteen-minute walk. Doyle’s men formed a circle around us, one in the front, one in the back, and two each on the sides. Other teams seemed have extra people as well, since no one trusted anyone but their own group. I was curious how this next stage would work.

“Any ideas on what we are going to find in the castle?” I asked Eric, but Bishop answered.

“It will be similar to the first stage, but with a lot fewer teams. From this final one hundred, most will be eliminated from reaching the final ten for the final round. The competition space in this round is usually smaller, to produce conflict. In past tournaments, there were mini contests where you had to compete against several teams to get to the next stage.”

“That’s great,” I answered sarcastically. “I would love to go against the Jagars.”

“Thanks to you, they have an advantage now,” Bishop replied.

“I’m not explaining myself again.” I could feel my face getting red. “If I didn’t offer him something, our ship would have been crippled, and we would still be out there. Would you prefer that we never competed at all?” Bishop avoided my gaze, which was answer enough.

“The next stage is more strategic and puzzle-based than the first tournament. It will still be a race, but it’s better to think thoroughly over the challenges we are up against. Wrong choices will send us backward, away from the finish line,” Eric offered.

“How can I contribute?” Royce asked, kicking a rock down the roadway. I could feel that he was feeling inferior to the rest of us because of his age and lack of sophistication.

“We all bring different skills to the table. We just have to work like a team and offer those abilities when the opportunity presents itself.”

“I’ll be waiting.” He beamed. Talia gave me a look, so we dropped back a few paces while the boys took the lead.

“What’s up?” I asked, seeing her pensive expression. Did she know something about the tournament that was worrying her?

“You have to promise me something,” she said. “There is something that might change your opinion of me.” She fidgeted with her necklace, and I noticed it was in the shape of a small animal, like a mouse.

“What is that?” I asked.

She removed the necklace and handed it to me. “It’s a gift from my dad. Small but mighty, as he would always describe me.”

“Does the mouse move?”

“Only in emergencies.” Then she paused. “I want you to realize that as your teammate, I will do anything to help you.”

“I know this. Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“I haven’t told you what I want if I win the final tournament.”

“You have your reasons. Did you want to tell me?”

Before Talia could answer, a metal stagecoach pulled up beside us. The horse was large, with black metal fur. Its attire was regal, and a human driver stood at the end to guide the metal beast.

“I have been asked to pick you ladies up,” the rider requested. His face was fleshy, and he had long gray bushy sideburns. He was also dressed formally.

“Were you given instructions from Spi to pick us up?” I asked. It couldn’t help itself and always had to be involved in our journey. The rider didn’t respond but beckoned to us to get on. I figured it would be fun to ride in style. Before I could accept, Eric interrupted.

“Is that for all of us?” he asked.

“As members of the team, you are welcome to join the ladies,” the rider answered. “Your security detail will have to find their own transportation.”  Eric nodded to Doyle’s men who would return to the ship. Royce surged by all of us and jumped in.

“I’ve always had to beg to the travelers in these carriages. This will be the first time I get to ride in one,” he enthused.

“Did you want to finish our conversation?” I asked, but Talia looked uncomfortable, perhaps with the boys around us.

“It can wait. It’s nothing.”

The five of us sat inside, the boys on one side, Talia and I on the other. The exterior of the carriage was metal, but the interior was fine wood. Someone had spent a lot of money and effort on this carriage. What game was Spi playing now? Royce was looking out the window.

“Look.” He pointed. “We’re passing the Jagar family.”

I looked out and watched as we passed them. They were deep in conversation, as if reviewing their game plan, not realizing who was passing them. How this family found multiple keys surprised me. Abadon was clearly their leader, and the rest of the group hung on his every word. That might work to our advantage. If we could fool him, the rest of them would follow. I tucked that tidbit of information away and ducked back into the carriage. I didn’t need their attention.

“Tell me more about the stage of one hundred,” I asked, looking at both Eric and Bishop.

“Twenty teams of five. In some cases, we may have to work together with other teams, while other times we be against them,” Eric started.

“But you can fake out other teams by pretending you’ll help,” Bishop said, advocating a specific approach. I had no doubt where he was leading.

“Depends on what kind of team you want to be,” Eric added.

“It doesn’t hurt to keep all strategies open,” I answered as Bishop raised an eyebrow at my response. He was surprised I would ever side with him.

“Can I contribute to this conversation?” Royce asked, gaining confidence while we rode in the carriage.

“What do have to say? You have no experience in this game,” Bishop sneered. He was right, but he didn’t always have to deflate another people’s opinion.

“I have no experience. But when you live on the streets, you hear a lot of chatter on the best approach for the tournament.”

“Which is?” Eric asked.

“Be bold. If you see a way to get ahead, go for it. Don’t wait for an invitation. We’ll have to make spilt-second decisions if we want to stay ahead of the other teams.” I nodded and looked at Talia, who was deep in thought.

“Any pearls of wisdom from your part of the world?” I asked. Talia seemed surprised by my question. She looked around the carriage.

“Don’t believe everything you see. First impressions can be deceiving.”

What was she trying to say? Before I could press further, the carriage halted.

“Your destination,” the driver announced, and we exited. I glanced at the horse, and I could have sworn it looked at me with intelligence. Was this more of Spi’s games?

I stepped onto the cobblestone path leading to the tavern. A sign greeted us to the Iron Bull.

“I hope the steak isn’t too tough,” Royce joked. A huge oak door opened, and the sound of many people talking and eating overloaded our ears. Large wooden beams adorned the ceiling, with a solid oak bar in the center of the room. Both ends of the bar were elevated, like the ends of ship. The tavern was about half full and filling up fast. The five of us headed over to a table in the far-right corner. It afforded us a view of everyone walking in.

“Do you recognize many people?” I asked Eric as we sat down.

“A few.” He scanned the room. “Many of the groups seem be made up of members like us, people who have met for the first time. Hopefully that means they are just as inexperienced.”

Bishop looked sullen, like he wasn’t enjoying the crowd.

“What’s wrong? Do you wish your family was here?” I asked.

Bishop laughed. “Just the opposite. Every one of them is out for themselves.”

“But really, we aren’t much different,” Talia added. “If our team make it from the hundred to the final ten, it will be every team member for themself in the final round.”

I hadn’t thought about. I didn’t relish having to work against Bishop.

“That’s why nobody should get to cozy with each other,” Bishop warned. “This whole tournament isn’t going to end well.”

“Enough!” Eric retorted. “We can worry about that tomorrow, if we win. For now, we work together to succeed.”

Suddenly the room went silent. The tavern door closed, and the room was now filled with participants. A familiar echoey voice filled the room, although I could not track the source.

“Welcome to the second stage of the tournament. You are the best of the best!” A few cheers went up; otherwise, everyone was looking for the origin of the voice.

“Where is Spi?” someone hissed at a nearby table.

“Hello? Is this mic working? I said you are the best of the best. Come on, cheer!” The room erupted with cheers, and a few participants banged their mugs on their tables. Slowly, something rose out the floor in the middle of the room, and the lighting dimmed at the same time. The creature that Spi inhabited this time was much different than the spider from the first tournament. This metal construct looked almost like a scarecrow. It was person-shaped but tall, over six feet, and when it walked, the metal feet clanked on the floor. The entire room was quiet, waiting to see what it would say next.

“Delighted you could join us today.” Its face broke into a huge clown-like smile. “I understand that some of you had a challenging journey.” The crowd gave a nervous chuckle. Was he talking about us?”

“When are we going to start the next stage?” a nervous voice rang out, and several other people echoed his comments. Everyone was pumped to get going and didn’t have a lot of patience for Spi’s theatrics. Spi put a hand over it eyes, as if looking a great distance to find the owner of the voice. I bet that person was slouching in their seat, not wanting to be the focus of Spi’s gibes.

“Is this group telling me they want to get on with business?” Spi asked. A murmur of agreement rose through the tavern.

“I can’t hear you,” Spi teased.

“Yes!” was the collective cry from the crowd. There was strength in numbers, and there was no way Spi could single anyone out.

“Then let us begin.” The room descended into darkness. After a few seconds, I could sense fear as people thought that the game had started. Then a projection illuminated the ceiling, sending an image for everyone to see. A spotlight illuminated Spi, who had dramatically moved to another part of the room. It pulled out a laser pointer and directed our attention to the main slide.

“Above you is a schematic of the castle. Over four hundred rooms and hallways, with one main access in and one main access out.”

The map detailed the castle with multiple levels. It was a lot to cross and appeared much larger than the zoo. What obstacles would it have?

“Can we get a copy of the map?” A voice rose behind me. Spi’s face broke out into an even wider smile, if that was even possible.

“A map? A map of the castle so you can get around from beginning to end? A map so you know where to go? A map so you have no doubts of your location? Is that what you want?

It was a loaded question. Remembering Spi’s performance from the first stage, no one wanted to be singled out. It could make you go first or last.

“Well, nothing would make me happier.” The modulation of its voice changed. “I would be happy to give each one of you a map of the castle, from end to end, to help you through this difficult passage.”

The tavern erupted into sporadic cheers, as if Spi was doing us the biggest favor. I reasoned there had to be a catch. And there was.

“Just remember that maps will only do so much, since the castle is interlocked. The rooms and floors will move into different positions every thirty minutes. You don’t want to be in a hallway when a change is happening,” Spi warned.

The cheers switched to chaos as teams realized it might be impossible to find a way out if the castle structure kept changing. You could be at the end and then moved back to the start. Or vice versa. It felt like a physical version of Snakes and Ladders.

“Is something the matter?” Spi asked. A couple of tables murmured, but no one had the gall to claim it was unfair. They knew that Spi could make the tournament that much harder for that team. Spi pantomimed a sad face as if disappointed that no one spoke up. It walked slowly around the room, waiting for someone to break the silence. When no one did, it continued with the rules.

“The last tournament was a race to the finish line, where most teams avoided each other. In stage two, you will have to compete against each other to move on, while your opponent could be moved back. Sometimes you will have to work together to both move on.” Voices rose at this comment. I don’t think teams minded having to battle against each other, but having to work together was a new twist.

“How will we know?” a boy with long hair that covered half of his face asked from the right side of the room.

“How will you know? Hhhhmmmm?” Spi had a thoughtful look, as if contemplating this question. We all knew that it had the answer, and this was its way of playing with us. “I guess I will have to leave a clue. Or teams will just have to guess.”

Hands rapped on tables. Teams were frustrated but didn’t dare openly challenge Spi. The enormity of the situation was dawning on me. If I didn’t get through this next stage, I wasn’t going to leave this world. That meant never seeing my mother. Everything I had sacrificed — my home, the death of my dad, my family and friends. It would be all for nothing.

“Tell us about the clues,” I asked, and I felt the heat of my team’s gaze. They all thought I was asking for trouble. And it wouldn’t be just me that paid the price. But I wasn’t going to be scared of Spi. Too much was at stake. I learned one thing through talking to Spi one on one: Spi was a bully but loved to play the game. I was just giving it an opportunity to tease out more fun with us.

“Such a good question,” Spi sputtered, but it was hard to tell if it was being sincere or sarcastic. It sauntered over as if I was a long-lost friend. “I guess there may be clues around the castle. Something might be written on a wall or hidden in an object. Hopefully, that clue would tell you if should help or hinder the team you meet. Or maybe the clue might tell you how to defeat the challenge.”

The room lit up as several voices yelled out questions, as if they had been given permission. Spi took it all in and smiled, finally holding its hands up for silence. Spi then tapped its wrist, as if it was wearing a watch.

“Tick-tock. Time’s up. No more questions. You report to the castle entrance before 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. Be on time. Anyone late will not be admitted.” The room got dark, and the spotlight followed Spi as it lowered itself into the floor. “And remember, no cheating. If I catch anyone scouting the castle tonight, your team will be eliminated before the tournament begins.”

People groaned, as if that had been their game plan all along. I noticed the Jagar family looking unhappy. The floor closed, and Spi was gone. It had accomplished what it wanted. It worked everyone up into a frenzy and then left, likely watching all of our reactions. It was like an emotion vampire, feeding on our angst and frustration. Several teams got up and walked out, having gotten all the information they could about tomorrow.

“Ready to go?” I asked the group. I got three nods and one noncommittal response from Bishop. As we got up from our table, a familiar face got in the way. Abadon!

“Thanks so much for the key. Just make sure you five stay out of our way,” he warned. The rest of his team snickered. What was this — high school?

“How about you stay out of our way?” Bishop shoved Abadon back. His team looked like they were ready to fight. Eric looked ready to support Bishop for once.

“Do you really want to risk someone getting hurt before tomorrow’s tournament? Be smart and move on,” Eric suggested. Abadon realized this was the smart play and backed down.

“You know, Abadon, there might be a challenge where we have to help each other. I’ve already helped you once with the key. Maybe we can help each other again,” I added.

Abadon grunted. I didn’t know if that was the equivalent of him agreeing or just that he nothing intelligent to say. His team moved on ahead, shoving his way through the crowd.

“They’re trouble,” Talia advised. “They already attacked the ship to get what they want. There is nothing they won’t do to win.”

“Then we’ll have to better,” Royce said. I smiled at his enthusiasm, but in reality, we had our work cut out for us. For now, we needed to get home and get a good night’s sleep.

*

It had been a couple of hours since we got back to the airship. The light was dimming, and the colors were breathtaking. A swirl of reds and purples lit the sky as darkness surrounded them. Red at night, sailor’s delight was a childhood memory growing up. I had no reason to believe that the castle would bring any kind of delight tomorrow.

The five of us were back in Doyle’s cabin; the only difference this time was that we weren’t locked in. We were told to get to bed early, and the other four had taken the advice to heart. For me, it was another night of tossing and turning. For them, winning the tournament was achieving a long-time wish. For me it was passage home to hopefully finding my mother. A woman I once thought was dead and now was my only living parent. I got up and checked the eggs for the dozenth time.

What was so important about these eggs that Spi wanted me to leave the ship? I had no idea what species they were. I had hoped they were nothing like the harpies — mouths with an insatiable appetite. They could easy fit in the palm of my hand. Eagle eggs they were not; these babies would be smaller in stature. As I examined the faded spots on the blue eggs, I though I felt a tremor. I looked around, wondering if the ship had been boarded. I felt the vibration again and realized that the movement was in my hand.

A sliver of eggshell popped off, but all I could see inside was darkness. Then an eye blinked, pale and bloodshot, looking right at me. Not with any hatred or fear, but with naked curiosity, as if I was the most interesting thing it had ever seen. Since it was just being born, I probably was. I could hear more noises as the egg shifted in my hand, with more cracks appearing. I had watched videos before of eggs hatching but had never experienced it firsthand. The egg smelled, and goop spilled out of the opening. But I was enthralled by this little creature who was deciding to come into the world.

I looked around the room at the others. Did I share this moment with them? Or did I keep it to myself? As special as it was, I wanted others to experience it. Besides, I might need their help.

“Talia,” I whispered. She stirred once and turned over, trying to ignore me. “Talia!” I yelled louder, and it had the desired affect. She pulled herself out of bed and walked over. I could feel her looking over my shoulder before she realized what was happening.

“It’s staring at you!” she exclaimed.

“What is it?” Figured she knew more about birds in this world than I could.

“I’m not sure.” She began to peel away some of the eggshell to get a better look.

“Should you be doing that?” I exclaimed. “Shouldn’t the bird come out on its own?”

“We all could use a little help sometimes.” Talia smiled at me while pulling away part of the shell. Now a wing extended itself. I reached out to touch the fluffy bird. Its feathers were blue, like the eggshell. It raised its beak open as if to say something as it broke free from its prison.

“It’s so ugly,” I said and then watched it staring at me with expectant eyes, “in a cute kind of way.”

“What’s going on?” Royce asked, wakened by our noise. Then he turned toward another egg as it started to move. “They’re hatching!” He was excited too; he probably he didn’t see a lot of real animals in Juncture City.

“You do know we have to compete tomorrow,” Eric commented from behind. I guess everyone was going to wake up.

“Oh, come on, this is cool,” Royce cooed and stood closest to the next egg hatching. Soon an eyeball peered out and stared directly at him. “It’s looking at me!”

Talia and I smiled at his enthusiasm.

“You realize that this is just a bunch of birds,” Bishop said while looking down on us as we hunched over. No surprise there; he would rain on anyone’s parade.

“Go back to bed, Bishop. I’d hate for one of the first things these birds see to be your face,” Eric commented. Bishop shook his head and then walked out of cabin.

“Way to go, Eric, now you got Bishop mad,” I teased.

“I just have to breathe, and it ticks him off,” Eric answered. “Look, all the eggs are hatching!”

My little bird had gone back to check on his brothers and sisters as they all shook free of their eggs. It was amazing to see life in its most basic form. It clarified things and made my own problems seem less insurmountable. These creatures were fighting to be born and had no mother to teach or take care of them. I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to handle this.

My guy walked toward me, and I extended my hand. He weighed nothing, and his feet felt like little sticks on my palm.

“I think this is a skylark,” Talia suggested. “I’ve seen much older versions back home. They fly huge distances without food or water.

Great. I will be raising the camels of the air.

“You’re right,” Eric chimed in. “They usually scout out areas for other birds to make sure the area is safe from predators. You picked a good bird, Pene.”

“It’s more like Spi picked them for me. The question is why?”

“Who cares?” Royce asked. “These birds are cute. I’m glad you saved them. Too many of us expect someone else to do the rescuing.”

“Look, your little peeper is crying. The other one is crying too. What’s wrong?” Talia asked. The door creaked behind us as Bishop came back in.

“You didn’t have to go away mad,” Eric asked, “but we’re glad you came back. You’ve got to see these babies.” Bishop was carrying a plastic container.

“I wasn’t mad, but while you were all cooing over the babies, I actually thought about food for them.” He opened the container, and I spied dried-up worms. Talia looked like she was going to get sick.

“Where did you get bugs?” Royce exclaimed.

“Meal worms — the chef uses them to get rid of the birds that perch on the deck. He throws them in the air and they fly off to catch it.” He placed several worms in the box and the babies instinctively gobbled them up. As soon as they ate them, they started to peep, asking for more.

“Aww, you’re such a great dad,” I teased Bishop, who looked disgusted.

“Greedy little things.” He placed more dried worms in their box. “I just wanted them to shut up so I could get some sleep.” He gave me the container and went back to his bed.

“You can play tough, but we finally figured out that you have a heart after all,” I said. His only response was to bury his head under his pillow. I put a meal worm behind my back. One of the birds looked at me and then ran behind my back to get at it.

“Besides heightened vision, skylarks have a strong sense of smell. You could hide a worm anywhere and they could find it,” Talia replied. I yawned and shoved the rest of the worms in my pocket. I’d feed them some tomorrow.

“I’ll take the first shift,” Royce stated and pulled a chair closer to the box. “Go on, get some rest.” He waved us back to out beds. I yawned — he was right. Tomorrow was an important day.

“Thanks, Royce, wake me in a couple of hours,” I asked and climbed into my bed as the others did the same.

This time sleep came quicker. As much as the birds’ birth warmed my heart, the castle tournament would determine if I would be able to see my mother again. I slept well knowing for a few short hours, I was surrounded by my family of this world.

Chapter 10

Navigating the Castle

We gathered in a huge courtyard, all twenty teams — the final hundred — ready for whatever stood behind the massive drawbridge. Large iron chains pulled the metal drawbridge into place. A large moat surrounded the castle, and only the lowered drawbridge would show us what was inside.

“How do you think the birds are doing?” Royce asked.

“Will you stop talking about those stupid birds?” yelled Bishop. “The birds are fine. Get your head into the game!”

“Relax,” I answered. “Bishop is right. When we left the ship this morning, Henry was looking after them. They’ll be fine. Let’s focus on the tournament.”

“Look, it’s Spi!” Eric pointed.

Spi walked out into the crowd, still inhabiting the metal scarecrow figure from yesterday. It looked as excited as we were tense. As it approached the crowd, all conversations died as all attention was focused on Spi. Soon the only sound was its metal feet striking the ground.

“Welcome to Stage Two of the tournament!” Spi seemed to expect some type of cheering response but got nothing. Teams wanted to get started and not be punished for any comments that Spi didn’t like. Without a response, Spi proceeded. “In moments, this drawbridge will open and all of you will enter the game. I’ve already explained the rules. Out of the hundred that remain, only ten of you will move on. The choices you make will determine if you become a hero or a zero.” Spi chuckled, as if pleased with its comments. “Are there any final questions?”

The courtyard was quiet; no one wanted to challenge Spi. Finally, the silence got to someone.

“How will we know if we cross the finish line?” a skinny boy with red hair asked. Spi twisted his head and stepped forward. The boy immediately backed away, expecting retribution.

“An excellent question, but is really the least of your problems.”

A huge mechanical roar filled the air, drowning out the conversation. We all turned around; what massive creature could make such a sound? At the same time, the drawbridge began to lower in a loud creaking motion.

“Come on!” I yelled and ran toward the drawbridge. The others followed, but Bishop protested.

“It’s isn’t down yet; we’ll be crushed if we get to close to the door.”

“Run to the side — we need to get ahead of whatever is coming!” It was a good plan, but many other groups had same idea. We were literally bumping into each other trying to get in first. The drawbridge was about three quarters of the way down when it stopped. Its downward motion ceased, and a whole lot of teams looked up, waiting for it to drop farther. Spi watched in bemused interest. I had to believe it had planned out this circumstance for its own amusement. Royce jumped on my back, and I almost staggered to the ground.

“What are you doing? You’re going to break my back!”

“Sorry! But we need to get taller to reach the bottom of the drawbridge.” I steered myself closer so that he could stand on my shoulder. I felt his body stretch and then slump as if he wasn’t tall enough.

“You need to get on someone else’s shoulders. We need more height!”

“I’ll do it!” Eric answered, and he made a cup with his hands, signaling for me to step into it.

“I’m stronger than you,” Bishop complained. “I should be lifting them.”

“Now is not the time to argue who’s stronger! We have got bigger issues to deal with.” I pointed to a large dust cloud around the gates of the castle. Whatever had made that roar was coming. Bishop and Talia supported Eric as I climbed on his shoulders. Eric shifted as I found my balance. I reached up, and my fingers barely touched the top.

“Do you have it?” Eric asked.

“Not quite. Can you get any closer?”

I felt his body shift, but he didn’t move any closer to the castle wall.

“No, otherwise we’re going to tumble into the moat. I don’t trust whatever’s down there!”

I looked down into the brown water. Bubbles burst and weird shapes stirred in its depths. I didn’t want to be any closer for fear that something might pull us down into its depths.

“Royce! Climb up onto Eric and pull yourself onto me.” He nodded, realizing he was the smallest and the lightest. Eric tilted as Royce grabbed on to his shoulders.

“I could use some help!” he commanded. Both Talia and Bishop grabbed him from either side to support him. Royce was fast and climbed from Eric onto me like a monkey. He scurried over and grabbed the edge of the drawbridge, pulling himself on top.

“I’m here! Who’s next?” Royce asked.

“Bishop, give Talia a boost. Royce, support Pene and then reach for Talia when she gets closer,” Eric yelled. Bishop held his hands in a U shape, and Talia climbed. She was heavier, and Eric almost lost his balance. She climbed over me and was reaching for Royce when I saw what was causing the dust cloud. Teams around us froze in place as they saw the massive beast.

The metal construct had a large head with huge metal tusks. Its ears flapped, and with each step it took closer, I swore that the ground shook. Its metal trunk folded and moved like a snake, ready to lash out. Other teams jumped out of its way to avoid getting trampled. Spi was using one of the most ornate, sculptured constructs I’d seen. It was an elephant with exquisite detail but with deadly results.

“It’s beautiful!” exclaimed Talia as she made it to the top of the drawbridge. Eric was starting to lose his balance.

“Bishop! Stabilize Pene from above,” he yelled. Bishop almost protested, but there was no time to argue. He grasped Eric’s shoulder and pulled up using my foot. I wasn’t expecting the weight change and lurched forward. Fortunately, Talia and Royce had grasped my shoulders from above. As Bishop climbed past me, his foot scraped my face.

“Watch it!” I yelled.

He mumbled something, but if it was an apology, I couldn’t hear him over the noise. He was over me, and then I felt three sets of hands roughly pull me up. I felt my leg scrape by the wooden edge, and then I looked into the faces of Royce, Talia, and Bishop.

“Grab my legs!” I yelled at them and then turned around to face Eric. He wasn’t looking at me; he was facing the field. The metal elephant was charging straight at the drawbridge and at anyone in its path. I felt arms on my legs and dangled down, reaching for him.

“Reach for me!” I yelled to him, but he shook his head.

“There’s no time!” he croaked. Then the elephant charged, and Eric vanished from sight.

“No!” I yelled. “Eric!” I screamed to the blank space that he was just standing in. My body trembled.

“Bring her up!” I heard Bishop yell from above me. They dragged me up, and I collapsed on the side of the drawbridge. My feet grasped a foothold to prevent me from sliding down. But I didn’t care; losing Eric was more than I could bear. Could he have been trampled by the elephant? I didn’t see a body.

“I lost Eric,” I wailed as I pounded my fist on the drawbridge.

“No, you didn’t.” Bishop pointed in the distance. “He’s on the side of the elephant!” I followed where he pointed, and the elephant was coming back toward the drawbridge. Eric was hanging on to the side of the elephant, grasping a huge blanket-like cloth that covered the metal creature. Eric was trying to climb higher as the beast tried to shake its right back leg, hoping to get rid of him like a dog tries to shake off a flea. Fortunately, Eric was strong and climbed on its back.

“Look out!” Talia yelled as the elephant’s trunk came smashing back on its body, trying to remove him. Eric leaned to his right, narrowly missing being smashed. He would get caught eventually by the trunk or be trampled. We had to create a distraction.

I hung over the edge of the drawbridge, dropped down, and rolled onto the ground.

“Pene! What are you doing?” Bishop yelled. I ignored him. The elephant was two hundred feet away, and I waved my hands to attract its attention.

“Over here! Come and get me!” There was a lot of distracting noise, but the elephant homed in on my waving arms. Its eyes registered intelligence but not anger. I wondered if Spi was controlling its actions.

I stared at the beast, and it stared back at me.

“Are you crazy, Pene? That beast will trample you into mush,” Bishop yelled.

“Well, Eric was going to be crushed, at least she’s trying something,” Talia defended.

“You call getting killed a plan!” Bishop snorted back at her.

“No, but she’s giving me an idea,” Royce yelled as he jumped to the ground. The dust swirled around me and obscured my vision. The elephant had halved the distance, but its speed was slowing.

“Come over here,” Royce yelled about twenty feet from me to the right. He was giving the elephant another target, another choice. The elephant slowed, as if not sure who to gore first. Then I heard someone else drop down from the drawbridge.

“How about me?” Bishop swung his fists in the air about twenty feet to my left. We were too far apart for the beast to take us out at once but close enough to be in its field of vision. Maybe Bishop had a heart after all. Or he was smart enough to remember that we had to finish as team for him to make the next round.

The elephant slowed down to a trot as it tried to assess its options. Eric used the reduction in speed to jump down. The animal barely registered his absence, like a flea jumping off a dog. He rushed toward me, but I pointed away.

“Go over in Royce’s direction, but not too close. Offer another option for the elephant.” Eric nodded and ran over.

“Are you going to join the rest of the team, your highness?” jeered Bishop, looking up at Talia still on top of the drawbridge.

“No,” she answered, and the four of us were surprised by her answer. Maybe we weren’t making the most rational decision, but I didn’t think she was scared of the beast. And she wasn’t a jerk like Bishop. Then I saw what she was fiddling with.

She pulled out her necklace. It was the small mechanical mouse she had showed me in the carriage. Suddenly, I could see the wheels turning behind her eyes. She dropped down to the ground and laid the mouse there. It scurried around, looking for its target. The elephant looked down, and fear registered on the face of the beast.

The mouse charged the elephant. David versus goliath. Only the elephant didn’t act rationally. It was a mechanical construct — it shouldn’t act like an actual elephant.

The metal elephant didn’t stampede away, but it did back up. As the mouse skittered forward, the elephant took equal steps back, as if unwilling to meet the smaller creature. Then, without fanfare, the elephant ran away; its quest to crush the participants was over as other teams looked on. I ran over to Talia and hugged her.

“How did you know it would work?” I asked and watched as the metal mouse returned to her grasp.

“Something my father taught me when I was young. He gave to me as a toy so that I could scare my sisters out of a room whenever I wanted. It’s not that the mice terrifies them, but my sisters didn’t like something scurrying around and always tries to avoid it. I figured it would work the same way on the elephant.” I liked Talia’s calm demeanor under pressure. If I couldn’t win this tournament and go home, she would be someone I would want to hang out with.

A large crash reverberated behind us as the drawbridge dropped to the ground. The dust blew into the air, and several teams rushed onto the drawbridge and into the castle.

“Come on,” Bishop beckoned, “we going to be left behind.” He charged ahead, and we followed down the wooden boards. Just as we entered the dark castle, I felt an elbow to my back as I was shoved to ground.

“You’re in our way,” taunted Abadon. Suddenly he tripped, and I noticed Royce’s foot had caught him.

“Sorry I’m so clumsy.” Royce shrugged with a hint of a smile. One of Abadon’s teammates moved closer to shove Royce, but Bishop intervened.

“We don’t have time for this. Other teams are getting ahead of us!” he yelled. This shook the Jagar team away from their vendetta against us. Abadon scowled while his teammates turned right down a corridor and we stopped and gathered our bearings. The castle interior had corridors that ventured straight, left, and right.

We had studied the map enough to know our destination: the library.

“Third door on the left.” He pointed down the hall. Our team had come to a consensus that exploring the library might help us find the exit. A heavy oak door stood in our way, and it took both Eric and Bishop pulling on its handle before it gave way. It squeaked open, and the metal trim scraped along the rock edges. The door was heavy, and as we entered, the spring brought it shut. We were the first ones to enter, and if anyone joined us, we would hear them.

The library was immense and its walls circular; we were inside a turret in the castle. The shelves were bursting with books. The walls were three stories tall, with stairs to the upper levels with rolling ladders to scan the books.

“I still think this is a waste of time,” Bishop complained.

“Position noted. Again,” I answered. “But your team agreed that this would be a good place to start. Majority rules.”

“I still think I should be out there exploring the castle. Finding an exit out of here. Like the rest of the teams.”

“And we already discussed that we have to stay together. No separating. We must finish as a team. Can we search the room?”

Bishop’s silence was enough of response, and I walked over to a huge book on one of the tables. I opened it, and its dusty interior sprawled open onto the table.

“Wow! Those are cool,” Royce replied as he viewed the schematics of several steam-driven vehicles. “I’ve never seen anything like those in Juncture City. Do you think they actually exist?”

“They exist on paper, young man. Once the imagination is done, it only brings a smart mind to the pages to life.” All five us turned suddenly, realizing that we weren’t alone. A construct stepped around a corner; it was humanoid, with a kindly metal face and glasses. He had been hunched over one of the tables and had come to life upon Royce’s question. He stepped forward and seemed to want to assist us. I assumed he was the librarian for this room.

“Speaking of bringing things to life, can you tell us how to exit this castle?” Eric asked, believing that the librarian might be an opportunity.

“Leave? But you just got here,” the librarian answered, puzzled. “Besides, my knowledge only extends to the borders of the room.” He extended his arms out as if to emphasize the point.

“Leave it alone,” Bishop warned.

“Not so quick,” I countered, sensing that the librarian might have information we could use, whether it knew it or not. “Do you know what is going on in the castle today?” I asked.

The librarian looked perplexed. “There was a lot of noise earlier and a lot of scurrying feet. I assumed that school had started. When you five arrived, I knew I was right.” He smiled as if it gave him pleasure to guess the correct answer.

“If you ask me, it’s just Spi inhabiting his body. Playing games with us,” Bishop warned. The librarian looked nonplussed, as if he had never heard of Spi. As much as I hated to admit it, Bishop’s comment had crossed my mind.

Talia grabbed a small metal sphere from the same table as the book. She turned it in her hands, and the interior changed shape. It was made of several smaller spheres inside one another. She rotated the sections. As certain sections came together, a hole formed that exited out of the back of the sphere. As she looked around, she saw a lot of similarities between the walls of the room and makeup of the sphere. It was a miniature representation of the library!

“Can this room change shape? Is there an exit besides the door?” she asked while pointing to the sphere. The librarian brightened, enjoyed the chance to answer a question.

“Everything can change, my dear, with the right knowledge. You just need to know where to look. And then the room will look different.” He answered cryptically, but his tone was genuine.

“Sounds like a yes,” answered Eric.

“But what are we looking for? If we have to pull out every book, the other teams will be through the castle before we were done.” Bishop waved a book haphazardly at us. The librarian was not amused. He marched over and took the book out of Bishop’s hands.

“Young man, you don’t wave these books like a napkin. They are important; they can transform your thinking,” the librarian scolded. Talia stopped twirling the metal globe in her hand as the librarian gave her an idea.

“Everyone come here.” She motioned us to the table. “You’ll notice that the room is circular.” She pointed to the rows of books. “And this toy is circular.” As she rotated the globe, a round opening formed in the back of the sphere.

“Hey, there is a way out of this room,” Royce exclaimed. Bishop turned over the map in his hand.

“The space behind us can skip half of the castle. If you’re right, this is a shortcut,” he pointed out.

“Sounds like this room isn’t a waste of time after all,” Eric replied.

“Fine,” Bishop conceded, “but what do we do to change the configuration of the room?”

“In the toy sphere, sections that represent the shelves rotate,” Talia said. “Maybe the shelves in the room move as well? Certain books could trigger the change. Let’s divide up — there are four sections in the globe to move. Each one of you go to the second level, and I’ll show you where to stand that matches the toy.”

“There are a lot of books, Talia,” Eric said, daunted.

“If I can get close enough, maybe the book will seem obvious?” she answered.

“Or the librarian will give us a clue,” I offered as I scrambled up a ladder.

“I am only here to serve,” he answered. Within seconds, the four of us climbed the ladders to the second landing. There was room to maneuver, but the spacing was tight. Talia directed us so we were all roughly the same distance apart. Unfortunately, there was about six rows of books with hundreds in a short distance. Bishop pulled out several books, and they fell loudly to the floor.

“Brute force will not succeed. You must find the one true book,” the librarian advised.

“Ah-ha! I knew we were on to something. Bishop, put those books back,” Talia advised.

“Fine, though not sure if I can them back in the exact order,” he complained, dropping two books on the floor.

“Try. It’s alphabetical,” Talia explained, like she was talking to a child. Bishop grudgingly put them back into place. “Okay, we have to do this strategically. What is the section that each one of you are looking at?”

“My section is on history,” Royce answered.

“This area is,” Eric spread his arms from his shelf, “on architecture. All kinds of drawings on buildings.” He leafed through one book.

“My shelf is on sports,” I answered, turning pages about some obscure sport.

“Bishop, what are the books on your shelf?” Talia asked.

He took a moment and opened several books. “I don’t know. Everything is in another language. I don’t understand it.”

“Are their any pictures?” Eric laughed.

“No, just a bunch of numbers,” he answered, oblivious to Eric’s dig at him.

“Let’s call it mathematics for now,” Talia answered. Whatever her upbringing, the girl was smart.

“So, what are we looking for?” Royce inquired.

“Well, the librarian talked about transformation, and this globe must transform to create the exit in the back. Look at the titles of the books; anything with transformation in its title.”

“Hello, I’m working in another language here. I can’t tell,” Bishop commented, bringing his usual negativity to the game.

“Then pull a few books out. See if there are any diagrams that transform anything. Maybe the rest of you will find something to give Bishop a clue.”

For several minutes, there was silence as the four of us scanned the shelves, trying to find a title that fit our search. Eric was the first to answer.

“I think I got something. I’ve got a book title that discusses the transformation of old buildings into new. What should I do with it?”

“Pull it out, but not all the way,” Talia answered. We watched as he pulled it out.

“It’s heavy,” Eric responded, “like it’s attached to something behind it.” As he pulled, I could hear pulleys moving. They squeaked and protested, like that hadn’t been moved in years. The bookshelves were immobile, but a section of the wall groaned. A hole appeared with a section that was as big as my fist. As Royce went to investigate, we heard the sound of visitors behind us.

“Well, looky here,” Abadon teased, “one of the teams is too smart for its own good.” Next to him stood the rest of the Jagars. With the noise of the wall rotating, we hadn’t heard them enter. Even worse, they had seen what we accomplished. Two of Abadon’s team moved a heavy table in front of the door to prevent any other onlookers from entering.

“Young man! You do not move furniture in the library without my strict permission,” the librarian warned.

“Is that Spi?” One of the Jagars looked fearful, ready to move the table back.

“We don’t think so,” I interjected, not realizing I was losing an opportunity to get rid of these guys.

“Ignore the construct,” Abadon warned, “and search the room. That looks like a way out.” He pointed to the small opening in the back.

“You’re not welcome here,” Bishop warned, about to confront Abadon.

“I don’t care,” Abandon answered, ignoring the warning. “Everyone out there,” he pointed to the hallway, “are running around like mice in a maze. The passageway dead ends and all the rooms go nowhere. This room looks like a way to move on, and we are going to escape through it, with or without your permission.”

Abadon spoke with conviction, and Spi had said that we might have to help each other. I just wish it had been another team.

“Well, just stay out of our way. We were doing fine until you showed up. Talia, where do we go next?” Both teams looked at her as she orchestrated our next move.

Eric pulled out an architecture book that discussed transforming a building. “We can assume that the other three areas of the room, math, history, and sport, have a similar theme. Try to find books that talk about transformation. Do it quick before we have other teams in here.”

Talia’s commands were taken to heart. Abadon came up to my section while the other members of his team went over to Bishop and Royce.

“Step aside,” Abadon warned, “let someone smart figure this out for you.”

“As soon as you find that person, let me know,” I replied, not even bothering to look in his direction. He snickered, as if I had given him the response he expected.

A minute passed, and the only sound was murmuring and the movement of books. Then Royce chimed in.

“I think we may have got something here.” I looked, and he and one of the Jagars were shuffling through books.

“Go ahead,” Talia encouraged.

“The books here are about how we moved into the steam age. The building of metal ships that flew through the sky that replaced the lighter wooden ones we used to have.”

“Look for a book that it is difficult to pull out from the wall,” Eric directed. “It’s attached to something behind the walls and will begin the transformation.

“Got it!” one of the Jagars yelled and pulled on the book. The room immediately began to revolve again, like a noisy machine in search of oil. It transformed, and the hole in the back of the room grew larger. One of the kids ran over and stuck his arm through.

“It’s open air behind the hole,” he yelled.

“Can you climb through?” Abadon asked.

“Naw — too small.”

We were interrupted by banging on the door. The table in front of it moved several inches.

“Boys — down here,” Abadon yelled. They charged toward the door, pushing the door back into position.

“What do we do?” one of the boys asked.

“Sit,” Abadon directed. “Put some weight on the table!” They sat, and while the table remained stationary, the banging on the door grew louder.

“The noise is quite rude. I have a thought to go out there myself and teach those kids about manners,” the librarian commented.

“Hold still, Grandpa, you’re not going anywhere,” Abadon sneered and then turned to me. “Okay, Pene — we’ll hold them off while your group finishes the last two books.”

“Maybe we should just let them in,” Royce suggested.

“No,” I answered as I realized what was at stake. I had to win to see my mother as Spi had promised. We already had the Jagars to contend with, and letting more teams in now would hurt our chances. “Let’s get this done. We’re so close.” Heads nodded around the room. Eric rushed over to Bishop while Royce joined me. Abadon seemed more interested in Talia and watched us from below.

A minute passed, and nothing resembling a transformation caught my eye. Bishop’s frustration boiled over.

“None of these books make sense! We’ll be pulling books for hours before we find anything.”

“Keep trying!” Talia encouraged. “Start reading titles — maybe one of us will recognize something.” Bishop nodded and scanned his shelf.

“Physics and the movement of the wheel. The study of inertia on large vehicles,” Bishop stated.

“Math made easy in ten simple steps. The equations of Dr. Nalad,” Eric barked from his shelf. Frankly, none it made much sense to me.

“Keep going!” Talia countered.

“Ice and rain — the study of water. Weather systems of the north. How does this help?” Bishop yelled. Something clicked in my head.

“The first one — ice and rain. Doesn’t one transform from one to another and back?” Eric and Bishop looked at each other and pulled on the book’s spine. Echoes reverberated as the room rotated again and the hole in the room grew larger. The boy from the Jagars sprang from the table and investigated.

“It’s bigger now. I can almost get my whole body through, but not quite.”

“Can you see anything on the other side?” Talia asked.

“Nothing but darkness.”

Thud! The table moved several inches forward again while the banging intensified. Several teams were trying to get in as they sensed this room had a way through the castle.

“Get over here!” Abadon commanded, and all of the boys, including Bishop and Eric, pushed the table back against the door. But no matter their strength, there had to be more people on the other side pushing back. We didn’t have much time.

“I’m coming to you,” Talia warned. I began to pull out books feverishly, hoping to get lucky. At this rate, I would need a half hour to find it. Royce watched me as if I might rip off his arm if he got too close. Talia came up behind us, and I realized she had brought the librarian with him. If a metal construct could look amused, that was the expression he was wearing.

“Need any hints?” he mused. I stopped pulling books out.

“Now you give us hints.” Frustration crept into my voice.

“Yes,” Talia answered.

“Well,” he started, and I was afraid he was going to go into a lengthy lesson.

“Can we have a brief summary?” I interjected. “We don’t have much time.” I pointed to the banging on the door and the boys trying to slam it shut.

“Yes, which sport book do we pick? Which sport transforms into another?” Royce asked.

“Ah, you are taking the clue too literally. It doesn’t have to be a sport that transform; it could be the participant.” We all looked at each other like the librarian was crazy. Or was he? Talia reacted first and looked at a row of books far to my right.

“Workout exercises, stretching, weightlifting, tossing,” she listed off.

“Wait! Weightlifting creates muscles,” I started.

“That transforms the body,” Royce answered and excitedly pulled the book. He had to use two hands, and as the book came out, the room transformed for the final time.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Abadon and his group deserted the table, and Eric and Bishop could not hold it any longer. The table surged forward, and I saw hands and legs stretching through the door. Eric and Bishop jumped off the table and ran up the stairs to the opening. It was large enough to let us through. Did we just create an opening that other groups would follow us through?

Abadon’s team got to the entrance first. Eric and Bishop got there next and beckoned to the rest of us. We raced hard as about a dozen team members were below us and only a few seconds behind to catch up.

Then it happened. As the hole swallowed Abadon’s team, the hole started to transform as if it was reverting back to its original form. We had seconds to jump through. Abadon caught up with us, and suddenly one of his feet caught Royce’s. He tripped and fell into the shelf. I tried to turn around, but Abadon pushed Talia and I forward into the hole. Several hands grabbed us and pulled us through just as the hole shrank into nothingness. My last glimpse of the room was Royce standing as the hole closed to blackness.

Chapter 11

Filling the Void

“You idiot!” I screamed, bashing my fists into Abadon’s shoulder. “Why did your team close the hatch so quickly? We left Royce behind!” I felt strong hands grab me from behind as Eric tried to console me.

“Because he only cares about himself. The deal was that both teams got through,” Eric pointed out. But if Abadon was unnerved by our anger, he didn’t show it.

“My team did what we had to do. Otherwise we’d be overrun by other teams now. It’s not my fault your little team member can’t walk properly.”

“You tripped him!” Bishop yelled. “He would have made it if it wasn’t for you.”

“It’s over now. You can sit here and cry about it, or move on like us.” Abadon motioned to his team, and they moved ahead down a stone tunnel. Rays of light shone down from the ceiling, giving slight illumination.

I was fuming, but I couldn’t move from the spot. There had to be a way back to the library. I searched the wall, but the only apparatus was the cord that had pulled the hole shut. Pulling it now had no effect.

“What we do?” I asked my team.

“We move on,” Bishop added. “He’ll have to catch up with us later. The castle rotates the rooms. He may catch up, or we’ll get switched back to him.”

“Well, of course you want us to move on!” I yelled at Bishop. “The only one you care about is yourself.” I regretted my words, but with Abadon already out of sight, Bishop was an easy target.

“He’s right,” Talia said unexpectedly. I turned to her, surprised. “We have to move on. Sitting here is not going to do us any good, and you know Royce will be working to catch up with us.”

“But what if he comes through these walls? He’ll be wondering where we went.”

“And if he doesn’t,” Talia responded, unswayed by my argument, “we have no way to know if those books were a one-way exit. We’re under a time constraint. We got to get through this castle.”

“You have to support me.” I turned to Eric. “We have to finish this as a team. We can’t win with a member short. Spi made that clear.”

“We know, Pene. And we will find him. But I’m with them. We have to keep exploring and hope for another opportunity. Abadon’s team is already ahead of us, and we don’t know if other teams aren’t already making progress as well.” Eric tried to grab my hand, but I pulled it away. I needed to cool off.

“Fine,” I answered and started to walk ahead.

For minutes, the four of us walked in silence. I was angry at our situation, and they were concerned about making me yell again. I realized I had to make the first move.

“Bishop,” I started, a bit unsure where I was going to take this conversation.

“What?” he answered, already trying to cut short another yelling marathon.

“I’m sorry.” He stopped, surprised by my apology. So was I. “I was so mad at losing Royce and at Abadon’s teammates, and I took it out on you. You didn’t deserve it.”

“Of course I didn’t,” he replied, as if the statement was a matter of fact. “You were just too pig-headed to see the truth.”

“I think she is trying to say she’s sorry,” Eric interjected, not wanting the conversation to go south.

“We can’t win this if we don’t work together,” Talia added.

“Fine.” And then he did something I never expected. “I’m sorry about Royce as well. The kid could be annoying, but we need him. I just hope we can find him before the end of the tournament.” I nodded to Bishop and the conversation was done. The four of us would continue on. We had little choice.

The passageway opened up, and the castle walls brightened. There was no sign of Abadon and his teammates, and for that I was glad. I still wanted to throttle him.

There was a fork in the hallway. I looked down and thought I saw dirty footprints going left. Eric watched my gaze.

“I guess we’re going right.” He gave me a half smile. No one argued. Royce had the map, and we were working blind. Better to avoid the Jagars.

Talia pointed to an entrance at the end of the hall that had a half-open metal gate. The gate was black wrought iron that was dusty and dirty. A rusted coat of arms hung over the doorway, a shield crest with two stars and dragon fire. It made me think we were heading into an armory.

“Ladies first,” Bishop said with false chivalry. I rolled my eyes at him and stepped into the room. It was drab, with a stone grinder in a corner and old weapons in desperate need of sharpening. Eric walked up to and stepped on the pedal to make the grinder stone rotate.

“Still working after all these years,” he commented. It turned out it wasn’t the only thing that was still working.

The room shook as something heavy moved and rumbled. Dust fell from the ceiling.

“What was that?” Talia asked. Bishop ran back to the entrance. I heard a clanging sound, as if metal was hit upon concrete. Then we heard Bishop’s footsteps returning.

“The door is gone. Or at least where the door was is replaced by a concrete wall.” We didn’t doubt Bishop, but we still went back to check the entrance. The door was replaced by a wall. Eric leaned down on the floor.

“Look at the skid marks. Part of the wall moved to barricade us in.”

“Great! The castle is working against us,” Bishop moaned.

“Relax,” Talia chided. “It’s all part of the game. I wouldn’t be surprised if Spi was watching us right now.” The four us scanned the room, looking for a metal construct that was observing us. Dust and cobwebs were the only things we found.

Then the room shook, and another rumble reverberated from the weapons room. We ran back, only to have fallen dust greet us. The weapons room was the same as before, except an archway had opened behind the grinder.

“Pretty inviting, don’t you think?” Eric commented.

“Said the spider to the fly,” Talia joked.

“It’s not like we have any other choices unless someone can drill through a wall,” Bishop suggested.

Instead of adding my voice, I let my feet do the talking and walked through the archway. The others followed. I stepped onto a landing that overlooked a huge antechamber. Hallways after hallways wrapped around a square. Some passageways seemed to go forever, while others stopped in a dead-end. We were looking from above at a huge maze!

“Seems pretty easy to follow from up here,” I commented.

“I have a great memory. Just give me a few minutes,” Bishop said as he scanned the maze.

“You may want to rethink that,” Talia commented and pointed to the far right of the maze. A familiar but distant rumbling occurred as we watched a section of wall move, cutting off an exit that was there seconds before. In a section to the far left, another section moved as well.

“Something tells me that memorizing the layout is not going to help if the walls keep moving.” Eric slapped Bishop on the back.

“So how are we going to find our way through?” Talia asked. “Once we head done these stairs, we’re committed.”

“Check out the western quadrant.” I pointed. We all looked at a passageway out of the maze. No matter how many walls changed direction, our exit remained rooted at one location. “No matter what walls get in our way, we have to head in that direction. Look at the ceiling for objects that can give us bearings.” For several minutes, the four of us were quiet, trying to take in our surroundings.

“We need to get going. Other teams are rushing to the finish to escape this castle. Every minute we wait, we’re getting farther behind,” warned Bishop.

“Okay,” I answered. “If we get stuck, any chance we can climb over a wall?”

“No.” Talia pointed. “The walls are too tall and too smooth to climb. We’re going to have to move fast and redirect when we hit a dead end.”

“And keep close. The last thing we need is for any more of us to get separated when the walls move,” Eric commanded. He grabbed my hand, and Talia held my other one.

We walked down the steps and lost our ability to see the whole maze. As we left the last step, two entrances beckoned to us.

“One on the left?” I said. The other three nodded, and then we ran in.

The floor was porous and provided good traction. In the distance, I could hear walls moving. Twice we hit dead ends and then backtracked to another passageway. For about fifteen minutes we made good progress by sighting the ceiling. We guessed that we were about halfway there. Then a problem presented itself.

“This is the second time we have hit the same dead-end,” Bishop commented.

“How can you tell?” I asked. He waved a piece of metal, like I was supposed to read his mind.

“I scratched the walls with this. Call it leaving breadcrumbs. See,” he pointed to the wall, “we’ve already been here.” The scratch on the wall confirmed his comments but didn’t provide us direction on the next step.

“So, we keep searching for the way out. Maybe a wall will move and present us with another option,” Eric suggested.

We continued on, but after fifteen minutes and returning to the same dead-end, we knew we had to find a different strategy. The four of us sat down with our backs against the wall.

“Don’t get too comfortable. The wall could change direction at any time,” Talia warned.

“That’s the least of your worries. I feel like a rat in maze. What if Spi is playing with us and there is no way out?” Bishop said.

“There is always a way out. Spi may mess around with us, but it wouldn’t provide an impossible task,” Eric added.

I sat in silence, but I thought in the distance I could hear something besides a wall moving.

“What is that?” I jumped and leaned in the direction of the sound. The others heard it too, and we listened. It sounded like a bird chirping. Suddenly, in the air, one of the babies appeared. It was the skylark! It flew and landed right on my shoulder.

“How did it find us?” Talia wondered. I reached into my pocket and felt dried up meal worms.

“I think I know,” I answered

“Great!” Bishop said sarcastically. “Another creature trapped in this maze!”

“Not so fast,” Eric countered. “Skylarks have an incredible tracking sense. They are like homing pigeons, able to return along the exact route they flew in on.”

“The exit?” I inquired.

“The way we came in was closed, so chances are good he can lead us back,” Eric said.

“How?” I asked

“Well, he sure has imprinted on you,” Talia commented. “Try to get him to lead us back. Make it a game.”

“Seriously, we’re putting our faith in a baby bird,” Bishop laughed.

I stroked the little bird, which weighed nothing in my hand. It rubbed its head against my palm. I looked at the ceiling and pointed in the distance, where I thought the exit was. It turned its head, like it was considering my request. I gently tossed it in the air and then stepped several steps toward our goal. The skylark followed me, and I pointed. My command seemed to register, and it flew above us. It looked back and then continued along a hallway.

“Follow it,” I commanded.

The bird flew above us and around the maze. It turned a corner that took us to another dead end. One of Bishop’s marks lay on the wall.

“Great. I think we can find our own dead-end,” Bishop remarked sarcastically.

“Hold on,” I said, noticing something about the wall I hadn’t noticed before due to the dust and cobwebs. My hand traced down a groove, and I felt something blow on my hands. “I feel air! Bishop! Eric! Can you two push on this part of the wall?” They nodded, and the two of them pressed their arms and back into the wall. For seconds, nothing happened, and then a scraping sound as the wall shifted inward.

“A secret passage. Seems like the skylark brought us some luck,” Talia answered.

“Or pointed us in the right direction,” I said.

“Never mind the congratulations. Let’s keep moving!” Bishop yelled, and the rest of us hurried on. The skylark thought it was a game and gleefully led us on a merry chase. After several minutes, we saw the archway for the exit. Bishop ran ahead, forgetting our promise to stay together. About twenty feet before the exit, he dropped out of sight. He literally vanished before our eyes. Eric got to him first and looked down at the pit in the floor. It was deep and smooth; the rock walls slick with a green moss.

“If you had stayed with us, this wouldn’t have happened,” Eric scolded.

“I screwed up. Is that what you want me to say?” Bishop complained. “Go around the hole and help me get out,” he countered and folded his arms like a petulant child. Talia was the first to reach an arm down.

“No one gets left behind,” she said. “Even if they do act like a jerk.” Talia grabbed his right arm and pulled; I grabbed his left as he climbed up.

“You’re stronger than you look.” He brushed himself off while staring at the two us.

“You just figured that out now?” Talia punched him on the arm and began inching along the edge of the wall to avoid the pit. Bishop followed immediately after her.

Eric beckoned to me to cross next. “Beauty before the beast.” My face reddened at his comment, but I refused.

“I think I can handle myself. You go ahead.” He didn’t argue and crossed along the narrow ledge of the pit. A loud cracking sound almost knocked me into the hole. The wall at the beginning of the hallway began moving inching toward us. It was slow and deliberate, as if it wanted to bury us in the pit if we didn’t keep ahead of it. All of the shaking made crossing twice as hard.

“Come on!” Talia yelled. As wall moved closer, it shook the room, and I did my best to grab at the rocks and grooves along the side of the pit. The skylark circled around me, concerned. My only focus was step by step until my crossing was done. The wall shuddered behind me, and I could almost feel it biting into my heels. If I didn’t move faster, it would crush me under its weight and trap me in the pit.

Then I tripped and fell forward. A set of arms grabbed my hands while others reached under my armpits and carried me away from the pit. I stumbled onto the ground, but the hands wouldn’t let me drop. The wall was coming faster now, and the exit was so close. I felt like my feet barely touched the ground as I was dragged along. We fell into a pile, landing on the other side of the arch as the wall closed behind us. I looked up and saw four sets of feet and arms. Four! That wasn’t possible. Then I felt a big hug and stared into his face.

“Royce! How did you get here?” I exclaimed and hugged him back. His smile was infectious.

“I helped the next team come through. It was pretty easy; I followed the steps that Talia explained. The whole system took a little while to reset, but when we got through, none of you were there.

“I’m so sorry, Royce! We should have waited.”

“Don’t be.” His smile held no anger. “You couldn’t have known. You had to keep going. The good thing was that I went with other team, and we must have followed right behind you. Once we got in, I could see you guys going through the maze.”

“But how did you catch up?” Eric asked behind us.

“Blind luck. I ran ahead of the team I was with, and I must have lost them when the walls were shifting. During one rotation, the walls swung me around for several minutes and the exit was right in front of me. I stayed here and a few minutes later, saw the four of you crossing the pit.

“Seems a bit lucky for all of this to happen. Do you think Spi was involved?” Talia asked.

“Why would it want to help us? It wants all of us to fail,” Bishop answered.

I thought about that. Did Spi want me to rejoin my mother, or was it feeding me enough rope to hang myself? I didn’t care, because it meant Royce was back with us.

“Listen, we can talk this through later. No telling what other teams are ahead of us,” Eric said. I nodded, and the five of us continued.

I heard the maze changing shape behind the walls, but eventually the noise disappeared as we entered the next section of the castle. The hallway opened into a large banquet room with dozens of tables with chairs around them. They looked worn but clean, so we spread out the map of the castle.

“We’re here, and the exit is over there.” His hand traced over half of the map.

“Seems like a ways to go. What’s the best route?” Eric asked.

“What if we went up and over?” I answered, pointing to the turrets. “It would avoid all the winding tunnels. Nothing seems to go in a straight line in here.” I pointed to the map.

“What if we thought outside of the castle instead of trying to work within?” Talia suggested.

“What do you mean?” Bishop replied.

“Look outside the castle, and what do see?”

“Trees, rock, grass,” Royce replied.

“And a moat!” I said, starting to see where she was going with this.

“Full of water,” Eric exclaimed. “We could float down the moat right to the exit. Probably faster, and a lot less dangerous than navigating the challenges inside.”

“Do you think Spi would consider that cheating?” Bishop interrupted. “Plus, the height from the walls to the moat is still pretty high. We might break our necks trying to jump in.”

Despite Bishop’s constant negativity, he had a point. I searched the ballroom, as if the answer was here.

“What if we shredded those curtains?” I pointed to the stage, “and we tied them together like ropes.”

“And I can make them strong enough to support our weight,” Royce beamed.

“Then it’s settled. If we carry the curtains up here,” Talia pointed to the map, “we just need to find an open window and something heavy enough to support our weight.”

“I don’t like it! It’s a bad idea,” said Bishop.

“I don’t understand. Why is a bad idea? Unless you have something better, I say we go for it,” Eric retorted.

“Okay, it’s not a bad idea for you guys, but it’s a bad idea for me.” Suddenly I understood his hesitation.

“You can’t swim, can you?”

He turned away, which was answer enough.

“Guess you’ll have to stay behind,” Eric teased. I punched him on the arm. “Ouch!” He cringed in mock horror. Bishop looked less than impressed.

“Don’t listen to him. We can fashion a life jacket with the curtains and fill it with floatation material,” I offered.

“Like water wings?” Royce said. His comment put Eric into hysterics. He bent over with laughter while Bishop went red with anger.

“Never mind!” He stomped off.

I glared at Eric, who stopped laughing.

“What?”

“You didn’t have to act like such a jerk. You can tell that water scares Bishop.”

“I know — I should apologize, but frankly, Bishop is a jerk most of time. I just took his mantle for a few minutes.”

“Whatever.” I waved my hands.

*

Fifteen minutes later, we had fashioned a rope from the curtains and climbed the stairs, looking for a window to drop out of. The stairs were steep, and we were winded by the time we climbed halfway. Royce peeked out a window and looked at the landscape below.

“This looks like a good spot.” He pulled himself back in. “Probably only about fifty or sixty feet down.”

“How long is the rope?” Talia asked.

“At least that, maybe a bit longer,” answered Eric.

“What are we going to attach it to?” Royce asked.

“If Eric goes first, I hold the other end,” Bishop deadpanned.

“Yea, I’m not going to give you the chance to drop me,” Eric answered. We searched the stairs; the rock walls were lumpy and uneven.

“Found a hook!” Talia replied. “Looks like it held a torch.”

“How sturdy does it look?” I asked. Talia tugged, and the metal remained affixed to the wall.

“Strong enough to hold one, for sure, although I wouldn’t try all of us.” She took one end of the curtain rope and tied a knot on the ring on the wall. Eric wrapped the other end of the curtain several times around his body. The floral design did not fit his macho demeanor. He caught the grin on my face.

“What? Does this curtain make me look fat?”

I refused to dignify his answer. “Ready?”

“As much as I’m going to be. Let me check the water first to make sure the current isn’t too fast.” He squeezed through the opening and descended. The window was narrow, and only two of us could look down. Royce and I watched as Eric kicked of the wall and unwrapped himself slowly to the moat. Something shiny flashed in the water below.

“What’s that?” I pointed. Royce looked past my finger. The shiny thing popped out again, and an electrical charge shot out of the water.

“ZZZZlott!” A mechanical electrical eel jumped out of the water; its purple glow showed Spi was firmly in control.

“Back up!” I yelled at Eric as a second eel leapt and landed a foot below his crotch.

“This isn’t an escalator,” he screamed, kicking at the two eels on the sheet while others in the water circled below him. “Pull me up!”

I turned to Bishop and Talia. “Bring Eric up now!” I frantically grabbed at the curtain.

“What’s happening?” Talia answered since they couldn’t see through the window when Royce and I were at it.

“Spi!” Royce answered, and they wrapped the curtain around their bodies to pull Eric up. I looked down and watched eels leap out the water. As Eric gained height, they snapped at him as they fell back into the moat. I reached around my head and grasped a torch stuck in the wall. As Eric was dragged back into the window, I swung the torch branch and smashed the first eel stuck on the sheet, sending it back to the dirty waters below. The second one with the purple eyes merely let go and fell back to the water of its own volition.

“Be seeing you again soon,” Spi whispered, as if enjoying our hunt. The mechanical eel disappeared into the murky depths.

“You’re welcome,” Bishop sneered and dropped the end of the curtain.

“Your thank-you is coming,” gulped Eric, trying to will his breathing into short gasps. “As soon as I start breathing again.”

Bishop glared at me from the top of the stairs.

“What?”

“Every time we get close to getting away, Spi shows up. We can’t win at this rate. I think it is purposely targeting us because of you!”

“What do you mean? It admitted that it’s messing up everyone’s chances. It’s what it does for enjoyment. If a machine like that can actually enjoy things?” Royce answered for me.

“No. At both meetings, it mentioned Pene by name. She’s the only one it does this for. At first I thought it might help us, but now we’re going to lose because of whatever relationship they have!”

All eyes were on me; they must have similar suspicions as Bishop did but were afraid to voice them. I remembered my deal with Spi and why I had to remain silent. I couldn’t talk about being outside this world, but I could tell why I was playing to find my mother.

“Spi came to me once, said it could give me my one desire if I won. I amused it — I think it would like to see me lose but also likes having me in the game.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Bishop accused.

“Because it said I would forfeit my chance to win if I told anyone. Even telling you now is risky; I don’t see any of his metal constructs, so I’m hoping it can’t listen in.”

“Then be quiet about it,” commanded Eric. “Just because fussy pants needs to know doesn’t mean you have to endanger yourself.”

“How was I supposed to know?” Bishop defended himself.

“What is your wish if you win?” Talia asked. Spi didn’t say I couldn’t tell them, and they were owed the right to know.

“My mother,” I started, “I thought she died when I was young. Turned out she’s alive and Spi knows where she is. I just want to find her.”

“I know what it means to lose a family member,” Eric said. “I only wish that both of us could get what we wanted.” He looked sad, knowing that for me to win my wish, he would have to lose his chance to find his father. It made me mad that Spi could solve both of our problems but was more concerned with playing its game.

“Come on,” Royce commanded. “We’ve got keep going. The tournament awaits.” He walked back down the stairs, and we silently followed.

Taking stairs two at a time, we ran toward the passageway. As we got to the main landing, another team I didn’t recognize ran by us. The failed drop to the moat had made us lose time, and other teams were taking advantage.

“Come on!” Bishop yelled.

We ran, trying to catch up with the other group. My foot slipped on a wet stone, and I stopped to regain my pace. I was the last of the group and wasn’t ready for what happened next.

The floor gave out in front of me. I couldn’t stop, and as I slipped in, I saw Talia’s scared face as she watched me get swallowed up. The hole was like a slide and bumped along in the darkness as the floor above me closed and darkness surrounded me. I was going faster, and my anxiety increased as I worried I would slam into a rock wall. Gradually my speed lessened, and I was dropped unceremoniously into a room. In front of me, a dark figure had his back to me.

“Who are you?” I stammered, unsure of the person’s intent. I knew as soon as he turned around.

“Great,” he answered sarcastically. “I’m trapped in this room, and now you show up. Why couldn’t one my teammates find a way in?” The torch light illuminated his face. I couldn’t get away from this guy, no matter how hard I tried. I was trapped with Abadon!

Chapter 12

Escape Room

“I don’t like this any more than you do. Let’s figure out how to escape, and we can rejoin our teams,” I said as I moved past Abadon to examine the room. It was dark and dingy, with strange writing and symbols on the walls. We didn’t have a lot of space; the room was about ten by twelve feet. I was already feeling claustrophobic trapped with Abadon.

“I’ve already searched the room,” he stated, as if I was wasting my time. “There isn’t another door out, and we can’t climb up the tube we fell from.”

“Then you wouldn’t mind if look around to see if you missed anything?” I answered. “Unless you have something better for me to do.” He snorted, and that was about as intelligent as a reply as I was going to get. In the small room, there were several objects. A table stood at one end holding a locked case with a combination lock. Torches illuminated both ends of the room, although their flickering light made it hard to see in the corners. Arrows of different sizes pointed in various directions were scratched in the corners. I touched along the wall at one end and could sense air moving underneath.

“What are you feeling?” Abadon asked as he watched me linger on the wall.

“A breeze. There has to be a way out if we can find a door or a lever.”

“Well, I spent five minutes going over the walls and floors. There are no handles or switches. I’m at a loss.”

“What’s that?” I pointed to a metal insert in the wall. It was dark, but it resembled a face; its eyes were oversized, like it was trying to look cute. I kneeled by it and then jumped back suddenly.

“What?” Abadon asked. “See a mouse?”

“It blinked. The metal face blinked at me!” We both stared. It blinked again, and then its face scrunched up like it was disgusted with us. A purple glow shone: Spi was here!

“Welcome, team leaders. Seems like the two of you are in a bit of pickle,” Spi teased. “Although I have no idea what that means. You humans have some very archaic sayings.”

“Spi!” I yelled, not patient enough to listen to his ramblings. The metal face tried to look hurt and failed.

“Tsk, tsk.” It smiled. “Is that any way to talk to your savior?” The face winked.

“Not at all,” Abadon interrupted and stepped in front of me. “We’re glad you’re here, and if you could show us the way out, we’ll be on our way.”

The face giggled. “Is this guy for real?” It looked past Abadon to me. “You’d think that I would go to all of this trouble just to let you walk out of here? Where’s the fun in that?”

“We’re ready to play, just give us a hint on how to escape this room.”

“That’s my girl, always ready to entertain me! The game is simple. There are clues around this room that will lead to your escape. Find them, interpret their true meaning, and move on.”

“What clues? We’re in a dark room with no doors,” Abadon yelled.

“Really? There is absolutely nothing in this room?” Spi was taunting us and enjoying it.

“Well, there is a locked case. Is there something inside? Can you give us the combination?” Abadon asked.

“Give you the combination? Where is the fun in that? Why don’t you follow the clues?” Spi’s metal eyes looked above it. I followed its gaze and noticed one of the arrows. As I searched the room, I noticed that there were four arrows and four numbers required in the combination. Coincidence?

“Follow the arrows.” I pointed to Abadon. He looked around the room.

“They’re pointing in different directions. The one over there is the highest, and it points to another arrow in the corner of the room.” Abadon walked around. “And this arrow points down. Is it trying to show us the way out?”

“Maybe. Did you look at the scratch marks near each arrow?” I asked. Abadon went to the first arrow and felt the wall.

“Okay, first one is three, then a four.” He went to the second arrow.

“Followed by six.” I went to next arrow and then it pointed down to scratch marks of five.

“Let’s try it.” I inputted the numbers into the combination and pulled on the lock. It opened! I took off the lock and peered inside the case.

“Look at you two. You’re so smart,” Spi enthused. I was tempted to cover the metal face because of how annoying it was. But at this point, we needed clues to get out.

The contents were a map, a miner’s light, some coins, and a chess piece. It looked like a pawn.

“What are we supposed to do with this junk?” Abadon asked. As if on cue, a hatch opened in the wall where I had felt the breeze earlier. The darkness beckoned to us.

“Looks like we’re getting out of this room.” I strapped the miner’s light on. I clicked it on and pointed it at the hatch.

“Why do you get the light?” Abadon whined, tapping my shoulder.

“Because I’m the one who taking charge. Now, are you going to follow me or stay behind?” I had no time for his attitude.

“Don’t leave me behind,” Spi cried, and I realized that the metal insert came out of the wall. I grabbed and shoved it in my pocket, enjoying the moment’s quiet. I kneeled and crawled into the darkness. The air smelled musky, and the walls were damp. The light shone about ten feet ahead.

“Hope you like small spaces,” I teased as I shimmied through the tunnel.

“Nothing scares me,” Abadon shot back.

I snorted. “You don’t always have to prove how tough you are. You’re not impressing me.” I continued onward.

“Impress you? Don’t flatter yourself. Me and my team are the best in this tournament, and I’m not apologizing for that.”

“Yet here you are with me, and I doubt you have made it through the library without our help. Sometimes you can be confident and not show the world how great you are.”

“What do you care how I act?” Abadon replied. “You have no idea what it’s like to lead a team. You’re got Eric and Bishop to help you out.” For a second, it sounded like Abadon was telling me I had better team members. Before I could question him, he continued. “And not everything gets handed to you on a silver plate.”

I stopped suddenly, and Abadon slammed into my butt. I almost fell forward.

“What’s that supposed to mean? You don’t know anything about me.” I yelled back.

“You!” Abadon answered. “I could care less about you. I’m talking about Talia.”

“What are you blabbing about.” I was confused by his comments. “You’re making less sense than usual.” It was tight quarters, and I wanted to turn around to face him but couldn’t.

“You don’t know, do you?” He laughed. “She hasn’t told you?”

“Told me what? Seriously, you could give Spi a run for being hard to understand!” I figured he was going to answer when the wall opened. The light momentarily blinded me. I felt a hand on my backside.

“Come on! It’s our way out!”

I scampered forward and fell forward into another room. It wasn’t much bigger than the one we had left. I cursed. Was Spi just sending us through a series of challenges for his amusement? I decided to ask. I reached into my pocket, pulled out the metal face, and laid it on the table. I figured Spi would have more to say, and I wasn’t disappointed. The metal face spoke the second I placed it on the table.

“Congratulations! You have reached the next stage. You just have to follow the clues and you can move on.”

“No!” I said emphatically. “If we solve the puzzle here, I want back with my teammates. Both of us!”

“Now, Pene, I control the game. I’ll decide when you get returned to your team. Understand?”

“The only thing I understand if that there are twenty teams in this tournament, and you are spending an inordinate time slowing us down. If you want a fair result, stop messing around with my team!” For once Spi was quiet, so Abadon jumped in.

“What she said. I don’t want to be spending all my time down here while the other teams are rushing to the finish line. Come on — just let us play!”

The metal face looked upward, as if contemplating our request.

“How about I leave you two for an hour and come back?”

“Don’t leave us trapped down here. It will be more fun for you to watch if we’re back with our teams.”

Spi took a few moments to think of his answer. “Fair enough. If you can solve the clues in the room, I will reunite you with your teams.”

“Right on!” Abadon yelled.

“If you can solve the clue in ten minutes. If you take longer, then I will leave and who knows when you’ll see your teams again.” Spi grinned a sickly smile like a cat that just eaten a bird. Leave it to Spi to make this harder. We had no choice but to accept.

“Done. Now what do we do?” I asked.

“Can’t tell you everything. Look around, maybe something will give you an idea. Tick-tock. Your ten minutes have started.”

Abadon looked like he was going to smash the metal face, but I waved him off. There was always a chance Spi might give us a hint whether it meant to or not.

The room, although similar in size, had fewer accessories. The end of the room had a shield with two swords crossing diagonally. I assumed it was the coat of arms for someone’s family. On the table was a chessboard but no game pieces. I reached into my pocket and placed the rook piece on the chessboard. There was a red X in one corner of the board. The board had a plastic surface and a wooden bottom. As I turned over the board, there was a maze etched into the wood, but some of the corners were hidden.

I took the map and placed it over the table. The diagrams appeared to be part of the castle, with a series of rooms and dead ends. Abadon touched the left-hand corner.

“That room looks like where we started.” I nodded and followed my fingers on the tunnel we had just entered.

“We travelled from here to there,” I noted and realized that there were six rooms on this map. If we didn’t solve this puzzle in ten minutes, we would be down here for a while. I shivered; my friends were probably worrying about my whereabouts. Worse, I was likely ruining their chances to move on if I didn’t solve this quickly.

“Eight minutes left,” Spi’s metal face said smugly. I wanted to smash it off the table but restrained myself.

“So, what are we supposed to do?” Abadon asked. He wasn’t much for contemplating; he needed an action to complete. But with time ticking away, we couldn’t afford to waste any of it.

“Tell me what you see in the room,” I challenged him.

“Table, chessboard, shield, map, me, you and Spi.”

“Look at the map — where is the exit?” I asked. Spi’s eyes grew, as if it was enjoying the show. Abadon scanned the map and looked over at the shield.

“The shield is blocking the exit. Let’s try to pull it off,” Abadon answered excitedly. I doubted it would be that easy, but I didn’t want to diminish his enthusiasm.

We moved over to the shield, trying to remove the swords or find a handle. It was solidly built, and nothing was going to magically open us to the next room.

“This is a waste of time!” Abadon was obviously frustrated. He was pulling so hard on the shield, I thought he was going to break a piece off.

“Stop it!” I cried, “and think. There has to be something here; we just need to take time to examine all of it.”

“We don’t have time!” He took a deep breath, while my hand felt around a metal plate at the bottom of the shield. I needed something sharp to pry under it. I reached for Bishop’s knife.

“Nice knife. Is it yours?”

“It is right now.” The knife blade was too big and couldn’t wedge under the plate. I felt like it was covering something.

“Six minutes!” Spi chirped.

Frustrated, I turned my attention back to the chessboard. I lifted it in the air. Something jangled in the board.

“What’s that sound?” Abadon asked. I shook the board some more but couldn’t see through the bottom. Then I thought about the chess piece. I lifted it up and twirled it my hand. I noticed something hard in the bottom of the pawn. Metal. Was it a magnet?

I moved it around the chessboard where I’d heard the rattling. I moved the metal part of the chess piece and felt the metal attract another piece of metal. I moved it slowly through the back of the chessboard. I saw a piece of metal as I moved it to a transparent part of the board.

“It’s a small metal hook,” Abadon yelled. I moved the pawn forward, trying to move the hook to the other end of a wooden maze. Several times I lost sight of it. I finally pulled it to the open part of the maze, and the hook came tumbling into my hand.

“Four minutes!” Spi bellowed. I placed the hook under the plate. After several tries, it popped off! Underneath was keyhole and rectangle slot.

“Great? Where are we going to find a key?” Abadon whined. I stared at him, wondering if he really was that stupid. After several seconds of silence, the light bulb went off in his head.

“You have a key,” I reminded him.

“But that key was to help me and my team. Not you!”

“Do you want to get out of here or not?”

Grudgingly, he pulled out the key he had taken from me and inserted it into the slot. It turned, and something clicked inside.

“You did it!”

The shield rotated and a door frame moved outward but did not open.

“I thought this key was supposed to help us?”

“How am I supposed to know?” I yelled back to him. But I was just as frustrated. We had figured out the puzzle. Why wouldn’t the door open? Why was there a slot next to the keyhole?

I scanned the room, looking for a possible clue. What was I missing?”

“What’s that?” Abadon pointed to the table. Something was scrawled underneath. I flipped the table over and read the message.

What has a head and a tail but has no legs? The letters were written in a tan outline.

“Two minutes left!” Spi wailed. This time I turned its face down. There was nothing it was going to do to help us in the time left. It was a distraction.

“I’m no good at riddles!” Abadon wailed.

“Not helpful,” I answered. “Think!”

“What animal has no legs? A fish?” Abadon answered. I looked around and saw no fish in the room. Besides, why did it have to be an animal? I looked through my assortment of coins that we had brought in from the other room. I picked up a penny and swirled in my hand. The answer came to me instantly.

“A coin!” I inserted it into the slot, and gears behind the door turned.

“Time’s almost up!” Spi cackled, which was extremely unhelpful. I wasn’t sure if we would get through in time. The doorway opened, and the two of us leapt through.

“Did we make it in time?” Abadon asked me. I shrugged. Since we had left Spi construct behind, I had no idea if we had won or lost. Another wall panel opened, and the light blinded my eyes. Was that a hand reaching toward us? Abadon, being the gentleman he was, went first.

“It’s my team!” he yelled back. And just before I could be worried if I was alone, Eric’s hand pulled me out. Both teams were in the hallway — it looked like we hadn’t travelled far from where I had fell in.

“I am surprised to see you both alive,” Eric smirked. “It must have been torture to put up with Abadon in a deep hole.”

“Are we done yet! Is this the end?” I asked.

“Not quite,” Bishop answered and pointed to a rope bridge as the end of the hallway. Both teams ran toward it, eager to end the tournament. What I saw ahead of us was unnerving.

The bridge led to the outside and the end of the game. But to get there, we had to cross a huge chasm, the bottom of which was hard to discern. The sides of the castle were slick and mossy, and anyone who tried to climb the edges would tumble down before they got halfway around. The rope bridge was the only access, but I didn’t know how much weight it would take. Abadon insisted on crossing first with his team right behind.

“You’re crazy if you think your team gets to cross first,” Bishop yelled and pulled his face up to Abadon. They were about the same height. “I’ll toss you into the pit before you even get on the rope!” One of Abadon’s team members was going to strike Bishop, so Eric played peacemaker.

“While we fight about who’s going to cross, other teams may be reaching the finish. How about we try another solution.”

“Which is?” Abadon demanded.

“Take turns,” I interrupted. “Even you should see the utility in the that. I don’t think either one of us wants to be fighting on a rope bridge.”

“Yeah, let’s get over and we can take up the animosity on the other side,” Royce added. Abadon’s team gathered, and after a few grunts and whines, they agreed to the idea as long as Abadon was first. Surprise! Bishop was not as receptive to the idea.

“I say let him,” Talia whispered to us without Abadon’s team hearing us. “If he goes first and the rope snaps, at least we can go back.”

Abadon smirked as if we had conceded to his authority.

“I’ll show you how it’s done.” He took one step on the rope, and with his swagger, he seemed like he knew what he was doing. That all changed with his second step. A burst of wind grabbed his upper body, and his foot slipped off the rope. Before he could tumble down, Bishop had grabbed him under his arm.

“If you spent less time preening and more time concentrating on the rope, you wouldn’t need me to save him. I’m going over with you.” Abadon growled but didn’t disagree, and the two began climbing to the other side. Eric leaned next to me.

“Do you still have Bishop’s knife?”

“Yea. I’ve been getting lots of use out of it. Why?” I stared at the swaying bridge. “You don’t mean?” I looked at Abadon and Bishop as they crossed, realizing that they were the most unhelpful pair ever. Eric laughed.

“Don’t tell me the thought didn’t cross my mind. One cut, and the two most irritating people we know would be gone. It would almost make losing the tournament worth it.”

“Almost,” I echoed. “Do you think this is the end?”

“I hope so. I don’t think my heart can take anymore surprises after the electric eels.”

“Sorry we put you through that. I guess we should have dropped something else in the water before we dropped you.”

“Now you think of it.” Eric gave his easy laugh. For someone who had lost so much with his missing father, he was so easy-going. The opposite of Bishop. Speaking of which, Bishop yelled over from the other side as he and Abadon reached the end.

“We can see the finish!” he yelled excitedly.

“Send another two over!” Abadon commanded. “The rope stretched as we crossed. I wouldn’t dare send more than two across at a time.” We let Royce and another one of Abadon’s team cross. The two of them scurried across like a pair of monkeys, moving faster than Bishop had. I knew that I would be slow crossing the gap. Eric caught my look.

“I know this sounds clichéd, but looking down is actually not such a bad thing.”

“I’m not scared of heights, but at least flying with you, I felt like you had control, which reassured me. The rope bridge is looking pretty unsteady.” Royce had made it to the end. Talia and her partner were crossing next.

“Growing up in an airship, fear of heights is not something I can relate to, but I appreciate your fear of not being in control. That’s something we all agree on.” He looked me in the eyes. “Honestly, Pene, I think you are the most fearless person I have ever meet. I get the feeling you have had your share of adventures.

If only he knew how true that statement was.

A wind gust caused the bridge to swing, and Talia yelled.

“Hold on, the wind will let up!” Eric encouraged. A few seconds later, the gust subsided, and they continued crossing. Talia gave a weak smile and a thumbs-up. Abadon and Bishop both looked impatient on the other side.

“You know you’re going next, don’t you?” Eric interrupted my focus.

“Why, are you saying that a girl can’t bring up the rear? That we’re not strong enough,” I said, enjoying making him feel a little bit uncomfortable.

“You know I’m not saying that. I’m just looking after you. It’s a guy thing.”

“Well, if you do anything to mess me up, I’ll be kicking you off the rope bridge, and then our team will automatically be the winners,” interrupted Ricker, Abadon’s second in command. He had stepped behind us while we were talking. He was their biggest team member. It seemed like a prerequisite to be rude to be on Abadon team.

“Then I guess I’m going across with you,” Eric growled, “and if you try anything with me, I’ll mash your fingers and knock you into the pit myself.” Ricker made a guttural sound in response.

“I guess you’re not so gallant after all,” I teased Eric.

“Actually, I’d say I’m super gallant, so you don’t have to deal with him.” He jabbed a finger at Ricker. Talia and his partner were almost across as Eric and Ricker got into position. I went over with the last member, a small boy called Beezer. His eyes never left the rope bridge, and he looked scared. Really scared. I did my best to reassure him.

“It’s okay. I’ll be with you all the time. We’ll get across.” My words failed to inspire him.

“I hate heights. I hate them!” he cried. I think he was the first person in a world of air that complained about heights. He ran over and hugged me; he felt so small in my arms. We didn’t say anything for several seconds while Eric and Ricker started their climb.

“Don’t look down, just look at me and follow my instructions,” I said. Beezer pulled away.

“Why would you help me? If I don’t make it, then your team would win. If roles were reversed, Abadon would leave me behind,” he cried.

“Well, I’m not Abadon, and winning at all costs is not how I live. Trust me?” I held out my hand, and Beezer smiled. Then he looked behind me, and his eyes widened.

“What are those?” He pointed. I heard it before I saw them: the sound of metal feet clanking off the stone walls. Many metal feet. I turned and saw little black blobs scurrying along the stone walls. There were dozens of them. They were metal spiders! I grabbed Beezer.

“We’re coming over now!” I yelled over to Eric. He looked, and his mouth hung open at the incoming swarm. Ricker was not as accommodating.

“You can’t come over now. We’re still on the bridge!”

“Then climb faster. We’re not waiting for them!”

I grabbed Beezer and the rope simultaneously.

“You’re hurting me!” he cried. I tamped down my rising panic. I looked into his eyes.

“I’m sorry, sweetie, but you and I are going to play a game. I want you to tag me.” I grabbed his hand and had him touch my shoulder.

“Tag you?” he answered, half concerned and half interested.

“I’m it, and I’m giving you a ten-second head start to race me over to the other side. I don’t want you look behind me but instead straight ahead to Abadon and the rest. Can you do that for me?”

“Yes, but how will I know if you are going to tag me?”

“Good question. I’ll talk to you the whole way over, and if I’m getting close to tagging you, I’ll give you fair warning. Ready!”

“Ready.” He smiled, knowing that I was just distracting him from the terror behind us. But he was game and was willing to focus on his task while I focused on mine: keeping those spiders from touching us. I turned around as Beezer climbed. They were less than a hundred feet away but moving like a single organism. They had slowed down, as if they wanted to taunt us. I threw a rock at one, and it moved effortlessly out of its way. These metal constructs were downright scary, and I had no intention of sticking around and waiting for them.

“I’m right behind you,” I yelled to Beezer, who was making good time. Eric and Ricker were about three quarters of the way over. I climbed several lengths of the bridge, careful to wrap my legs through the rope. Then disaster struck. One of the four main lines snapped. Both Beezer and I dropped about a foot. I swear my heart jumped into my mouth. Beezer screamed.

“There’s too much weight!” Ricker yelled up ahead. “Get off! You’re going to kill us all!”

“You get off!” I screamed. “You’re almost at the end.” Eric pushed on his back, and he kept moving. I made the mistake of turning around and looked right into the eyes of the eight-legged horror. It was faster than the rests, since the pack hadn’t reached the rope yet. Its eyes were green and reflected my scared face back at me. The metal legs had pin-like spikes along its edges, and I didn’t want to touch to find out how sharp they were.

“Get away from me!” I kicked with all my might. The spider flew through the air and disappeared into the pit below. Relief washed over me, and then I looked at our starting point, the rest of the spiders pursuing with renewed vigor. We had to move fast!

“I’m catching up with you, Beezer — you better hurry up,” I teased while forcing panic down my throat. I needed him to speed up, but not to the point of panic.

“We’re past the halfway point,” he chirped, keeping focus on our goal. I smiled at his false bravo. Then another rope snapped, and I screamed as the bridge sagged. I felt us drop ten feet in seconds. A shower of spiders flew by our head like angry raindrops, and they thrashed in the air and dropped into oblivion. Beezer and I held on for dear life as the rope swung. I waited for it to completely collapse, and when it didn’t, I saw Eric and Ricker reach the other side. We weren’t done yet.

“We can do it, Beezer. You just need to climb a little farther. Can you do it?”

“I don’t think so, Pene,” he stammered.

“Why?”

“Because I looked down,” he countered, and his face was a mask of fear. He was mesmerized by the endless pit below, and I didn’t blame him. If we fell, the impact would turn our bodies into jelly. I shivered involuntary at the image. There was no time for these thoughts. I reached up and cradled his face so he had to look at me.

“In one minute, we either fall to our death or reach our friends. The pit offers you nothing, they offer you everything.” Beezer nodded.

“Then we better finish this!” His arms moved fast, but every movement jarred us on the rope. We had to be extra careful, or our own movements would knock us off.

“Come on!” Eric encouraged, and the rest of both teams beckoned us forward. We were making good progress when I felt the tap of little legs. I stopped and knew what had to do. The question was if I had the courage to follow through. Beezer kept moving as I pulled out Bishop’s knife.

“What are you doing?” yelled Abadon. “Hurry up!”

I turned. The spiders were moving very slowly now. It looked like they were digging their little legs into the rope to hold them to the bridge. The swinging from the broken ropes and the gust of winds were slowing their advance, but not enough. They were about to catch us. My knife was sharp and sliced one of the few remaining ropes in front of me. Once it was cut, the spiders would go tumbling down. Eric’s eyes grew as he realized what I was doing.

“Pene, stop! There is another way!” He was wrong; there was no other way. The spiders were about to reach me and then Beezer. Both teams would be sacrificed, and Beezer and I wouldn’t survive. I had no choice.

“Beezer! Wrap your legs around the rope. Now!” He listened and obeyed. I wasn’t sure if he knew what I was planning, but he at least trusted me enough to listen.

I cut the rope. For a second, nothing moved. And then time continued, and everything sped up.

The effect was dramatic. The bridge became a swing as I leapt from the side that had been cut, and dozens of spiders fell to destruction from the other end. Their silent deaths were anticlimactic. I imagined I would scream all the way down. They fell and disappeared into the mist. I had grabbed the other end, and as the bridge swung, the rock wall rushed up to greet us. I held my breath for impact. It was a good thing, because any air was slammed out of my body. Beezer yelled, and the collision made him slip. I felt him rush by me, and I reached out with my left hand to grab his leg.

I cried out as the impact almost pulled my shoulder out. “Hold tight!” I had little left to give. “Pull us up!” Moments later, I felt the rope grow taut. A strong tug and my head brushed a rock. “Not too hard!” I yelled, seeing stars.

“You can’t have it both ways!” Abadon yelled down. “The rope bridge is going to snap. Hold on!” I felt Beezer climb closer and hug me. I reached over and stroked his hair. There weren’t any words I could think of to comfort him. I closed my eyes and hoped for this nightmare to end.

Seconds later, rough hands pulled me over a ledge. We had reached the other side! I opened my eyes, and Eric’s face swam into view.

“You look terrible,” he stated.

“I’d look even worse at the bottom of this pit.”

“Next time, I go last.” He pulled me upright. I looked through the exit of the castle. There was a long set of stairs and a courtyard. Standing there was the long metal construct from the tavern. Spi!

“Come on!” Bishop yelled. Both teams ran down together, intermingled as if we had formed one overall team. My body slowly rose with hope. Would we be the winners?

We slid down the stairs and bounded across the courtyard. Spi was pretending not to notice us, checking some imaginary dirt from its fingernails. It didn’t fool me. It enjoyed that we were rushing toward it. We all came to a stop just before it, out of breath and without words from exertion.

“Can I help you?” it asked, smile unnaturally wide.

“Did we win?” Abadon asked, gasping for breath. “Are we the first two teams out of the castle?”

“Well, do you see any other teams here?” Spi coyly looked around and then stood up to its full height, towering over us. “Let me congratulate you both. By working together, you surpassed the other teams who worked against each other. Now, as the final ten, you will compete in the third and final trial!”

We cheered. We cried. We screamed. I’m sure if anyone were watching us, they would have thought the ten of us were insane. We were hugging each other, not caring whose team the other person was on.

I was about to give Talia a big hug when she visibly stiffened. I turned to the source of her concern.

A man in an expensive robe, flanked by bodyguards, strode toward us with purpose. His eyes met Talia, and he directed her to him. She pulled away and went before him.

“Talia! Your time with this group is done! You owe nothing to them, and they owe nothing to you. You will come with me now to prepare for the final trial!” Talia stood at attention, but before she could step backward, several bodyguards had cut off her escape.

“But Dad, I just want to say goodbye to my friends. I couldn’t have gotten this far without them.” But her dad would not take no for an answer. Eric stepped forward, and one of the guards blocked him from reaching Talia.

“This is a family matter, boy! It is none of your concern!” He dismissed Eric with a wave, as if he warranted no further explanation.

“It is my concern if Talia doesn’t want to be with you,” he answered.

“Let her go. It’s the final trial; it’s everyone for themselves anyway,” Bishop replied, not as concerned about Talia’s departure.

“Leave my friends alone,” she snarled at the bodyguard, who scowled back at her. “I’ll go.”

The group left with the guards surrounding Talia and her dad. I had realized there was always more than met the eye with Talia. She waved back to us and disappeared around a stone wall.

“What was that all about?” Royce asked, mystified.

“I can’t believe how dense your team is. Did you not realize who your team member actually was?” Abadon exclaimed. When none of us answered, he continued. “Talia is part of the royal family. She is the youngest but still direct line to the king, her father. She has more power and money than all of your families combined. You just helped a team member who is going to bury us in the final trial!”

Chapter 13

Dark Materials

I reclined at the table, cradling a bowl of soup and letting its warmth course through my body. My aches had aches, and all I wanted to do was sleep. But my mind refused to shut down; there was too much to process. We had won, but I felt like we had lost as well. The next stage was everyone out for themselves. The final ten. Everything we had built together was over. Would my friends still be my friends? The door opened, and Royce sat beside me.

“I can’t sleep. Hey, is there any more broth?”

“Over there.” I pointed to a pot. He ladled out a couple of scoops and sat beside me.

“I still can’t get over Talia. Can you believe that she is a princess? And here she was hanging out with a street orphan.”

“Doesn’t mean she is any better than you, but she has more means to get ahead.”

“But she acted so normal. She didn’t treat us like her subjects. How would you know that her father was the most powerful man in the world?”

But I had known that Talia had a secret. And she almost told me what it was. Would it have made any difference?

“I should have guessed it. When we ushered by the carriage to the tavern, I had assumed Spi sent it for us. Turns out her father must have prepared it for us.”

“So why didn’t he bring her to the castle instead of the risks of coming with us?”

“I think once the teams are set, we have to stay together. She risked being disqualified if she didn’t stay with us. And you know, I think she wanted to be with us. I didn’t see a lot of love lost between her and her father.”

“But why didn’t she tell us? Was she afraid that we wouldn’t believe her?”

“Maybe she was ashamed,” Eric answered while sliding past the door. Could no one sleep?

“What do you mean?” asked Royce.

“Could be she felt we would treat her differently if we knew who she really was,” he answered.

“Would we?” Royce asked.

“Bishop might have,” I said, “but I don’t think we would have. Talia is and will always be our friend.”

“Not anymore,” Eric said, stone-faced. “My uncle will take us to the last stage, but once we land, the team part is over. I want to win, because if I do, I can find what happened to my dad. I’ve been working for this my entire life!”

“Will you step on me if you have to?” I asked.

“I won’t hurt anyone to win, if that’s what you’re asking. But Bishop might, and Abadon’s team seems pretty in it for themselves. So, yes, I will try my hardest to win, as I’m sure you will too!”

I nodded, but my insides were churning. Spi was playing us against each other when it could easily help more than one of us. It might even be able to help all of us.

“Come on, we all knew it would come this if we won the second round. And we did. And for better or worse, it’s everyone for themselves from here on in,” Royce answered.

“Doesn’t mean I have to be happy with the situation.” Something landed on my shoulder. I turned to my feathery friend. The skylarks could fly away now but stayed around the ship, waiting for the right moment to leave.

“They don’t venture too far from their adopted mother. They helped us with the maze,” Eric mentioned.

I pulled a noodle from my soup and placed it on my hand. The bird greedily gobbled it up.

“How long until we get there?” I asked.

“According to Spi’s coordinates, we should be there in twelve hours,” Eric answered. “By the way, you look terrible!”

“I know, but you don’t have to remind me every hour, do you?” I smiled.

“Get. Some. Sleep. You can bet whatever Spi has planned for the final trial is going to make the last two stages look easy.”

I yawned. The day’s activities had caught up with me. Exhaustion had caught up with my brain.

“Wake me up when we get there, okay?”

“Maybe.” Eric grinned. “Might make it easier on me if you weren’t a competitor.” I punched him on the shoulder and walked over to my bed. The bone weariness took over, and I was asleep in no time.

*

Sleep was the perfect time to digest the day’s events. I kept going back to why anyone would have created Spi. It was a parasitic robot feeding on the anguish and emotions of its human participants. But what if Spi wasn’t the master controller after all? What if whatever had created it was the puppeteer, and Spi was acting out through their directions?

From what I had seen from the two previous worlds, my thought wasn’t that outlandish. These worlds were created by a higher power to see how we would react or respond. What they did with that knowledge, I didn’t know. I didn’t feel it was for our benefit. What was worse, I could feel my mother’s input. I assumed she was being forced to participate, but what if she was doing this willingly? What if she was one of the architects of these worlds?

I felt like a living, breathing actor in a snow globe. Participant in some twisted game that I didn’t understand. What knowledge could be gained by our suffering? None of it made sense. Yet something tugged at my mind. In my home, there were drones everywhere, controlled by an owner who felt he had our best interests. Could this world be much different? Was Spi a puppet or a puppeteer?

I felt the sensation of floating, and I watched myself sleeping as I floated out the window and above the ship. I knew I was dreaming, and I didn’t care. Twice now I had floated above the clouds and had loved the sensation. The act of flying was exhilarating, and I would love to get a hold of the mechanical wings Eric had worn. Doyle’s ship disappeared into the clouds, but I had no concern, as if I knew I could find the ship anytime I wanted.

What if I lost? What if I had to live in this world for the rest of my life? Would it really be so bad? I had made friends; the world was amazing; I could spend years trying to delve into its secrets. But it would mean giving up my dream of finding my mother; of learning what all of these worlds meant.

No — it would be hard for me to live a lie, knowing that this world was jail cell, only its habitants didn’t know what existed beyond its borders.

A cloud in front of me captured my attention. There was greenery, with plants and shrubs of varying sizes. A sea of red and blue flowers flowed in the breeze. It was like a park in the sky. I drifted down, somehow a master of the ability to descend. A rock caught my attention, an indentation the perfect seat with moss to make a natural cushion. I sat down, sinking in, realizing how relaxed I was. I almost wished that I could stay here forever.

“That’s just your tiredness speaking. You’d eventually get bored.”

I turned, knowing the voice but not believing who it was.

“Mom!” I squealed, overjoyed to see her again, even if this was all in my head. She looked like the image in the computer monitor. Older, wiser, but definitely my mom. I hugged her, not caring that none of this was real.

“You are doing so well, Pene. Not many people could adjust to this world. Not everyone could handle that their home wasn’t real. You are so strong. I wish I had your strength.” She looked kindly at me, just like I imagined she did from the pictures I had of her as a kid. I had lost her so young; I didn’t trust of a lot of memories. And yet here I was talking to myself, imagining that my mom was here.

“Don’t be silly, Mom. I have your strength. I know how you protected me as a child. I’ve seen what you and Dad dealt with when I was young. I’d say I’m more like you than you can imagine.” She grinned, proud of my accomplishments.

The cloud darkened around us, and I could feel a heaviness in the air, like an incoming storm. Even in my dreams, it seemed like my time was limited.

“I think you have your father’s determination. I put him through a lot when we were together.” She sighed. If this apparition was a manifestation of my mind, why didn’t she know about my father’s death? How he protected me to the last moment of his life. Dreams are hard to understand, but I suddenly realized that I should press her for details. What if this was my mother trying to contact me?

“Mom — where are you? What is this place? Are there dozens or more of these worlds?”

“You have questions, Pene — but I can’t explain where you are. Not in this way. Someday we’ll see each other face to face. Just know that I’m watching you, and when I can, I’m trying to help.”

“Arrrrgggg!” I yelled in frustration. Yet another cop-out. Even my dreams refused to release the answers I asked. The air turned cold and dark, and I shivered involuntarily. “When will someone tell me the truth?”

“Speaking of truth, be careful of Spi, dear. It speaks in half-truths or conveniently leaves out important details to get you to make the wrong choices. But there is a way to beat it. But it isn’t physical. You must beat it at its own game. Strike when it’s at his most…”

“Crash!” Lightning hit, and the cloud and its surroundings dissipated. My mom vanished, and I took a step forward to where she was and fell into the sky. The air wrapped me up like a blanket, and I knew if I didn’t wake up, I was going to die.

*

“Pene! Get up!” I felt a warm hand stroke my face. I was back in my bed, looking up into Eric’s face.

“What’s wrong?” I stammered, still more asleep than awake. Before he could answer, the ship lurched suddenly, and Eric fell against the wall. I slammed into the left side of the bed and was lucky that I didn’t knock my head.

“We’re in a storm. One of the worse I’ve seen. It just came out of nowhere, and all the ships, including the remaining participants, are in jeopardy. The wind and lightning are unreal!”

A loud crack came from outside, and we left the bedroom for the deck. In front of us, fire licked the deck and burnt wood marked where the lightning had struck. Doyle’s crew scrambled, carrying buckets of water to douse the flames. The water sloshed the flames, but the fire was greedy for the wood. It spread across the deck, and crew members began to pat out the flames. I ran forward and stamped with my foot. Doyle motioned toward us. Eric and I hunkered beside him, the wind making conversation nearly impossible.

“The storm came out nowhere. I’ve not seen anything like this in my entire life in the air!”

“How can we get out of this?” Eric asked, his voice fading in and out in the wind.

“Two ways: find the eye and fly with it long enough until it dissipates, or find the edge and get outside of the storm system.”

“Which way are you going?” I yelled.

“Normally I would try to fly out of these things. The storm is usually only a few miles long, but this one is off the charts. Either our instruments are wrong, or if we can’t find the edges. It’s massive, and we’ll be destroyed trying to find a way out.”

“So we go for the eye?” Eric asked.

“Yes, the instruments have it directly ahead. The other ships are doing the same. We have got to hold together long enough to reach it.”

“And fly fast enough to stay inside of it,” I added, understanding what he was describing. A metal bar slammed into the mast above my head.

“Get below deck! I have enough crew to navigate. You’re just going to get hurt up here,” Doyle said.

Eric looked like he was going to disagree, but I tugged on his arm. He swallowed whatever he was going to say, and Doyle turned to his crew. I grabbed Eric’s hand and yanked him back toward our quarters. We moved slowly and heaved the door open to our cabin. Both Royce and Bishop were in the room.

“I should be on my father’s ship. I wouldn’t be in this mess now!” Bishop complained.

“It’s pretty easy to say now. Why didn’t you?” I asked.

“Because he can’t stand him,” Eric intervened, and Bishop’s eyes glowed with anger.

“That’s a lie! At least I have a father,” he spat back, and I could tell he immediately regretted his comment. Eric lunged at him, tackling him in the gut. They were a jumble of arms and legs with neither one of them hitting each other very much with the sudden movements of the ship. I was about to intervene when the ship fell suddenly, and the four of us flew upward, hitting the roof.

I heard screams outside as my heart lurched, and I worried that Doyle’s crew might fall off the ship to their deaths. I saw my short life fly pass me and wondered if I would die now on this strange world, so far from my home.

Just as suddenly, the ship stopped falling and our flight ended as we smacked the floor. The impact was hard, and I felt the breath knocked out of me. But I was alive, and that meant others must be as well. The boys stopped hitting each other, realizing that there was something much more important going on. We stood up tentatively, wondering what was outside. Royce was the quickest and opened the door. The darkness was gone and replaced with a brightening of the sky. But the sight was enough to make my heart drop.

There were four ships, all crashed on what appeared to be an island. Palm trees dotted the landscape, and a small lagoon with water surrounded the west side. Debris was everywhere, uprooted trees, rocks broken into pieces, and two of the ships looked heavily damaged. Fortunately, I didn’t see any bodies, but I could hear moans from below deck, so there were injuries. Uncle Doyle approached us, clutching at his shoulder.

“Lean against me,” Eric commanded, and Doyle sat down.

“What happened?” Bishop asked, not grasping all the destruction.

“It’s a storm unlike no other. The air pressure dropped, and our ship lost height and velocity. We were able to slow our descent enough, otherwise this ship would have been a pile of matchsticks. Some of the other ships didn’t land as well.” Eric pulled off his belt and fashioned a sling for Doyle’s arm.

“Are we too damaged to take off again?” Bishop asked. Eric gave him a stern look. “What? If we don’t make Spi’s deadline, then none of us will win the prize.”

“We have bigger things to worry about than the tournament,” Henry interrupted, coming up behind us. “Our engine is intact and the damage minimal. But we can’t fly a foot off this island!”

“What do you mean?” asked Royce.

“The negative air pressure is holding us down like quicksand. We can’t pull ourselves out of here. It’s like it’s holding us in a vice.”

“We’ll just have to wait until the air pressure changes, then fly off,” Bishop added. Over his shoulder, something in the distance caught my eye. Something that didn’t belong to the other ships.

“I wonder how Talia’s ship landed? If any ship is too damaged, it going to impact the tournament,” Royce asked.

“If there’s nothing we can help with here, let’s explore the island and see the other ships. Maybe it will give us some ideas on how to leave.”

“Go.” Doyle motioned; the enormity of the situation was sinking in, and he needed time to think. So did I.

“I need the four of you to come with me.”

Bishop seemed less than enthused. “Who made you boss? I say we stay with their ship. If the air pressure changes, I don’t want to be too far away.

“Fine.” I didn’t want to waste time explaining what I saw. Eric and Royce were not opposed and followed me as I jumped down from the ship. My feet sloshed in the sand; if the situation wasn’t so dire, I’d almost enjoy my time on this island.

“Where are we going?” Royce asked. I pointed north to a tall structure. Royce and Eric looked at each other in confused silence but followed.

We walked for about fifteen minutes around debris and the cries of ship crew members as they made repairs. If this world weren’t made in the air, I would have sworn that we had crashed on a deserted island. Something skittered around my foot that made jump back into Eric’s chest.

“What did you see?” he asked, amused by my jumpiness.

“A colorful snake — I didn’t want to find out if it bites,” I answered, pushing him away.

“Wait — what’s going on Pene? We crash land on this island, and everyone is making feverish repairs, and you want to go exploring? What gives?” I stopped, and both he and Royce stared at me.

“I don’t think the storm was random. Doyle said it was like nothing he had seen. And he has seen a lot.”

“You think this is Spi’s doing. Part of its game to manipulate us?” Royce asked.

“But then why give us coordinates to somewhere else, if this was his location? And what are we competing against?”

“I don’t know, but miraculously, everyone in the final ten is here. The four of us in Doyle’s ship, Abandon’s group, and Talia’s cruiser. Don’t you wonder how the storm just happened to grab all the recipients and plunk us into this island?”

“Fine. It’s awfully convenient, but if it’s all planned, why isn’t Spi here to gloat?’ Eric asked.

And that was the kicker. If Spi were involved, it would be all over this, gloating to no end. Could this be something else?

“Is that a mast?” Royce asked as he scrutinized our destination.

“Let’s go find out.” We charged forward and in minutes came into a clearing with shards of wood covering the grass. The wood was highly weathered and damaged, probably from another storm many years ago. Leaning against the tree was an old mast splintered into many pieces but still high enough to poke above the trees. Eric and Royce poked around the wood, looking for clues, but everything was well picked through many years ago. Royce held a piece of soggy wood in his hands.

“Another ship must have crashed years ago, and by the amount of wood here, it doesn’t look like it ever left.”

“Unless they took off in another ship.”

I heard a branch snap in a tree in front us, and we stiffened. I resisted the urge to turn suddenly. The boys made no sudden movements and followed my lead. We didn’t want to tell whoever was watching us that we knew they were there.

“Animal?” Eric whispered, trying to stare at something imaginary on the ground.

“Not that I can tell.” I squinted but could not identify our watcher.

“Want me to circle around?” Royce asked.

I nodded while Eric and I started a noisy conversation about the snake we had observed earlier. Royce sauntered off to our left like he was trying to find some place to use the washroom. I didn’t hear any more activity from the jungle, and I was about to believe it was my overactive imagination when Royce yelled.

“Over there!” He pointed excitedly to the bushes, and I caught a glint of metal. Someone was watching us!

We broke off into the run, and Royce circled to rejoin us.

“You see anything?” Eric asked.

“Just movement. And it’s not an animal. It’s someone on two legs.”

“Maybe from another ship,” I guessed.

“Could be, but the ships are all behind us. And why would they run away from us as we got closer?” Royce responded.

The jungle was thicker and more humid as we ran farther away from the ships. In a few minutes, my breath was coming in short gasps and my armpits were sweating. The three of us slowed down, but we could still hear movement ahead.

“Guess this person is in good shape,” I offered, but the boys were huffing too much to respond. We crossed by a big tree and a large wall to our right. Our quarry was silent now, as if the person had stopped and was watching us. I thought I should act friendly.

“We’re not here to hurt you,” I yelled into the jungle. “We just want to know where we are, and you seem to know the place…” I stopped talking and worked on filling my lungs. As the three of us were hunched over, I heard branches moving ahead of us.

A small boy around Royce’s age passed through the leaves, warily, but he looked like he belonged here. His muscles were taut, he had very little body fat, and his skin was brown and weathered. He wanted to approach us, but something was holding him back. Could he be scared of us?

“Hey.” I offered a wave. “I’m Pene, and this is Eric and Royce. We crashed here in a storm, and we just want to get home. Do you live here?”

“I do now.” His words cut through the air. His voice was strong but distrustful. He surveyed us.

“What is your name?” I asked, trying to set up rapport so he didn’t take off in the jungle again. There was no way we could catch him.

“Sivan,” he answered. “Why are you here?” I had the feeling he thought we were pirates ready to attack him.

“She told you. The storm. It knocked our ships out of the sky onto this island. We saw the old mast. Are you from that ship?” Eric asked, not moving any closer.

“No.” He stepped forward again, and I saw what caused the glint of metal. A large blade, likely for hacking through the jungle, hung from his waist. “I was born here. My father came on that ship.”

The three of us looked at each other as his words sank in.

“How old are you?” Eric asked.

“Ten.” Suddenly our thoughts of leaving became more distant.

“Come with us,” Royce explained. The other captains should hear about you.” Sivan stepped back, not warming up to the idea.

“How do I know that you won’t capture me and make me a slave? Take me away from my family?”

“Fair enough,” I answered. “You only just met us. Maybe it would be easier for us to meet your family so that we can compare notes. Maybe we can help each other out by leaving here.”

“Why would I want to leave?” Sivan answered. “I have everything I need here.” He seemed puzzled, as if a world outside this island was hard to fathom.

“But your father might want to return to his crew, return to the life they once had,” I said.

“But what is wrong with their life here?” Sivan took another step backward and looked like he was about to run. We were going about this all wrong.

“Nothing,” Eric answered. “We just want to learn more about your home. Since we just arrived here. Can we meet your family?”

“No.” Sivan shook his head. “I’m not even supposed to be here. I was out scavenging when I saw your ships crash. My family doesn’t stray far from home. It’s not safe from the ‘Others.’”

I looked at Eric, who shook his head. I guessed there was more to worry about on this island than just the storms.

“What do you mean?” Royce asked. But before Sivan could answer, a tree shook in the distance. And then another. Something was coming toward, fast and large.

“They’re here!” Sivan yelled and immediately ran toward the rock outcropping, disappearing in seconds.

“Do we chase after him or go after what’s coming closer?” Eric asked.

“Neither. We couldn’t catch him if we tried. And I want to watch whatever is coming from a distance, in case we have to alert the ships. Let’s watch from above.” I pointed to several rocks that looked down on the clearing. Whatever was coming, we wanted to watch it but not be seen. We ran upward and then hunched behind the rocks. Seconds later, heavy footsteps reverberated through the jungle. The steps were regular and measured, like it wasn’t overexerting itself.

The three of us watched as the trees shook. I was doubting my decision to watch, in case this creature had a good sense of smell. Something told me we couldn’t outrun it.

“What do you think it is?” Royce asked. I shook my head and placed a finger over my lips.

Seconds later, a branch snapped, a heavy weight breaking it into two. None of us moved and looked straight below.

I heard a clicking sound, and then the slap of metal on rock. The metal figure broke through the bushes, its lifeless eyes fixed straight ahead. It was humanoid in shape, but its metal parts were well beyond their expiry date. An arm was slumped to its side, and although it moved, it didn’t seem to have a wide frame of motion. It had tire treads instead of feet, and they were worn smooth. There was dirt smudged in its head gears, and leaves were caught in between its joints. Yet despite the wear, a sense of intelligence exuded from its being. Its motions were deliberate, and although it appeared sentient, I didn’t get the feeling that it was here to start a conversation.

Royce moved back slightly, his legs cramping. His toes dislodged a pebble. I watched in slow motion as it tumbled in the air. Its impact was minute, barely audible to the human year, but to this construct, it may as well be a truckload of dynamite. Its head veered up and within seconds it scanned gear must have sensed us as it looked directly at our hiding spot. Royce involuntarily squeaked.

Suddenly its movements became less jerky and faster, as if adrenalin had quickened into its system. Didn’t matter if this creature wasn’t a hundred percent. Its intent was obvious. We had to run!

The three of us jumped out from our hiding spot. The metal being had cut us off from our ship, so we followed Sivan’s trail, hoping he had some way to combat this creature.

“Should we try to reason with it?” Eric asked as our pursuer charged our position.

“Doesn’t look like diplomacy is part of its programming. Besides, Sivan seemed to think we should avoid it.”

We ran hard, the branches scratching our skin. Our pursuer didn’t have the same concern as we heard boughs whack its metal frame. Several minutes passed, and the metal creature didn’t get any closer, but we were tiring. Everything on this island was in better shape than us. The three of us looked at our surroundings, hoping for a spot to hide or a place we could stay beyond its reach. Just before I was getting ready to give up, we approached a rocky outcropping with Sivan standing at the far side.

“Over here.” He beckoned. We spent our last resources to catch him. He stood on a boulder with a wide gap between it and the ground. “Jump!” he pointed. I looked at Royce, who shrugged. I didn’t see how this spot would be hidden to the metal creature. I hoped Sivan knew something we didn’t. We jumped over and stood beside him. I was about to speak when the metal man broke through the bushes and rushed toward us.

I turned around to see the rock wall behind us.

“You’ve trapped us!” Eric yelled.

“Wait for it,” Sivan ordered, not taking his eye off the metal intruder wheeling toward us. Twenty feet. Ten feet.

“Crash!” The metal figure fell straight through the gap, dropping fifty feet below. It smashed off several rocks and then lay in a heap. It was not getting up.

“The metal being is so intent on us that it doesn’t always analyze the ground in front of it. And since it has treads instead of legs, it couldn’t jump the space in front of us.”

“Awesome!” Royce exclaimed. I smiled at his enthusiasm. Sivan hadn’t been running away; he had been leading this creature into a trap. Which led me to ask my next question.

“Why? Why was this creature after us? Most metal beings I’ve met aren’t as intent on grabbing us?”

Sivan looked puzzled. “The metal creatures are always after us. My dad said that the storms have scrambled their inner gears, and their only focus is to capture us. They have a fortress on the far side of the island. Some of the villagers have not been as lucky as us.”

“Why? Why would they want us?” Royce asked.

“An excellent question,” a voice from along the trail answered, and we turned and saw about a dozen people walking toward us. The lead man was tall and slightly familiar. He was rugged, with a gray beard. He looked straight at Sivan, ignoring us. “How many times, son, have I told you not to run off on your own. The risk of losing you is too great. I will not lose another son.”

“Dad.…” But the voice was not Sivan’s, but Eric’s. “Is that you?” The man turned and surveyed Eric. His face transformed as realization hit home.

This man was Eric’s missing father!

Chapter 14

A Father’s Son

Eric hugged his dad for about the fifth time, and neither of them seemed to be embarrassed by the other’s affection. Sivan, on the other hand, looked put out, a forgotten family member as his dad and his new stepbrother got reacquainted. I understood Eric’s happiness; finding a missing parent was what drove me as well. Eric’s whole reason for being in this tournament was resolved. I couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.

“Come, everyone, sit down on these rocks. Let me meet your friends.” Eric’s father gestured for us to join them. Eric sat next to his dad.

“I’m Pene.” I shook his hand. “And this is Royce.” He leaned forward as well, and Eric’s Dad’s rough hand wrapped around his.

“I’m Julian, the proud father of this boy.” He rubbed Eric’s hair. “And the warrior over there.” He pointed at Sivan.

“We’ve already met, Dad,” answered Sivan.

“Did you also crash here in a storm?” Royce asked.

“We did. Almost ten years ago. The storm came from nowhere and slammed our ship down hard on the ground. It took us almost five years to rebuild it, and it was much smaller.”

“So why are you still here? Why haven’t you flown off this island and come back home?” Eric asked. I noticed Julian and Sivan’s eyes meet on the word “home.”

“It not that easy. There is something in the atmosphere, a negative pressure. As soon as an engine tries to take off from the land, the ground acts as a magnet, pulling the ship hard back to the ground the harder it tries to escape. It’s like an invisible barrier preventing us from breaking the atmosphere and the pull it has on the ship. We’re tried and tried, with little success, and what’s worse, every time we get a type of engine working, it brings out the metals in full force. We don’t know if they are attracted to the engines, the sound, or whatever, but they show up like clockwork every time we try to escape and sabotage our efforts. I almost feel like they are wardens to our jail.”

The three of us exchanged looks.

“Doyle is here with his ship, as well as two others. The crash did minimal damage, but they’re going to try to take off soon.”

“Doyle! I miss that brother of mine. We need to get to him before he does an engine test. If not, he’s going to have a horde of metal creatures upon him. Show us where you landed!”

“I can, Father. And a lot faster than these three,” Sivan claimed.

“We’ll take two of my group with us, and the rest can return to base.” Julian barked some orders, and the people he came with started to disperse.

“Why are they attacking us?” I asked.

“I’ll explain as we run. Doyle and his crew are in danger, and they don’t even know,” Julian explained. “Sivan, lead the way; we’ll follow you as best we can.” Sivan nodded and immediately broke into a run. “Look for the man that looks like me,” Julian said as Sivan was already disappearing into the brush. “That boy is like lightning on the ground. No one can navigate a jungle like him.”

“Where is his mother?” Eric asked, a bit curious as to how his dad had started another family. We jogged now but were able to keep up a conversation.

“When I lost your mother when you were born, Eric, I never expected to meet another person I could love again. She was in a ship that crashed about a year after we landed here. She filled a hole I didn’t know I had. I missed you so much, Eric. Sivan was the son I needed to help the years go by. But now you’re trapped here with me.”

“Don’t say that, Dad. Uncle Doyle will find a way to get us off this island. Everyone.” Eric touched his dad’s arm. He was overjoyed to be back in his dad’s company and didn’t plan on losing him again.

Suddenly, an explosion ripped out of the jungle in the direction of the ships.

“Damn!” Julian yelled. “They must have tried to start an engine. We’re too late. They’re here!” We ran hard as a black cloud rose up into the air. I heard the clamor of excited voices and a metallic sound, a scraping that was about as pleasant as nails on a board.

“What is that?” I asked. “Is it another of the metal men that was chasing us?”

“Worse,” Julian answered. “Look over there.” He pointed.

At first, I couldn’t see anything except a field of tall grass. Then the grass started to part like fish swimming through the sea. A metal eye and claw popped out. Whatever it was wasn’t friendly; we had to warn Doyle.

Eric was in the lead, followed by his dad and his two friends, while Royce and I brought up the rear. We could see Doyle on the top of his ship. The explosion had occurred on one of the other ships. Everywhere was in chaos. Men were trying to put out the flames. Some were helping the wounded, while others stared at the cause. There about a dozen metal creatures. Several looked deformed or damaged. They were cheetahs! They sprinted and surrounded the ships like hunters cornering their prey.

“Why? Why are they doing this? What do they want?” But my queries were lost in the noise of battle. We lunged on the deck, where Doyle was screaming orders to his crew.

“Keep them to your right flank. I don’t want them to circle us. Make sure the wall is to your back.” He was about to say more when he spotted us. Specifically, Eric’s dad.

“This in impossible? Are you…”

“Your brother,” Julian yelled, and the two of them embraced, despite the craziness of the situation.

“How could you be here?” Doyle asked.

“No time for explanations. Kill your engines before you alert more of these creatures. I’ll lead a team, and we’ll get them away from your ships.”

“Not without me,” Doyle answered as he snapped off several orders, and crew members disappeared below the deck. The six of us ran down the gangplank back to the ground. Cries of pain greeted us as I saw several cheetahs corner a familiar friend.

“Talia!” I yelled. She turned and grimaced, blood dripping down her arm. “We’re coming for you!” The cheetahs turned back to us but didn’t move; our superior numbers didn’t seem to concern them. Not that anything fazed these metal creatures. Julian and his team members began banging rocks on the ground, making noise to attract their attention from Talia.

One cheetah snarled, his eye sticking out of its socket. These creatures metal seemed off, like they were sick. Julian and his team tribe members were hemming the two creatures into a corner, allowing Talia to come over to me. I grabbed her.

“Come on.” We ran into the bushes, leaving our group behind. I examined her arm. The cut wasn’t deep, and I ripped a strip off my shirt as a bandage.

“Thanks for saving me,” she said as I wrapped her arm.

“Where are your dad and his guards?” I was surprised she was alone.

“I wandered off while they were trying to fix our ship. I had one guard, but I purposely lost him earlier in the jungle.”

“Why lose your personal bodyguard?”

“Because I missed you. Dad wants me to focus on winning, but the reason I made this far was because I was part of a team!” I smiled. I had missed her too.

“Let’s get back together with our team now. You’ll find that Eric’s motivation has changed.” Before I could tell her about his dad, one of Julian’s people came running through the woods. Seconds later, we saw one of the cheetahs was chasing after him. They were leading it away from the camp! We followed behind, but the second cheetah came bounding after the first and caught sight of us. It was the one with the eye separated from his socket. It scanned us warily and then instead of chasing its friend, it bent down on its haunches, ready to spring.

“Go!” I yelled as we ran to the thick jungle foliage.

“What’s the plan?” Talia called as we ran.

“We can’t outrun these creatures, but we have learned that they are single-minded in purpose. Head that way!” I pointed to the rocks and a stream, hoping to create a barrier between us. I heard the cheetah thrashing around in the jungle behind us. Fortunately, the brush was thick enough that it couldn’t see our exit clearly and zig-zagged off in the wrong direction.

The brook was wide, with a strong current. We tried to hop over, jumping on a boulder covered in moss. Talia barely made it while I slipped and almost hit my head on the rock.

“Are you okay?” Talia asked.

“Perfect,” I answered. The slippery rock gave me an idea. I looked at several adjoining rocks. “Scoop some of this moss off,” I pointed, “and put it on this rock.” Talia nodded, getting the idea. Thrashing bushes behind us told me we only had seconds to react. “Over here.” I pointed. I wanted the cheetah to have a clear view of us. Seconds later, I wasn’t disappointed.

It charged out of the jungle. Its eyes scanned the stream and homed in on the two of us, sitting on a boulder. I imagined we looked like helpless prey. These metal creatures were so different, so intent, so focused. None of this made sense.

It wasted no time bounding toward us and leaping on the boulder in the middle of the stream. As I had expected, its weight slipped off the boulder and into the stream. It was deep, and water flowed halfway up its legs. I hoped that science class would click in. Electrical devices didn’t work well in the water. It took one step forward and then a second, but it didn’t slow down.

“What are you waiting for?” Talia asked, puzzled by my lack of action. Maybe these creatures run by steam didn’t run the same as electrical machines. My mistake was about to cost us our lives.

Fuuuwapppp! The metal spear sailed through the jungle and landed in the side of the cheetah. It fell over on its side, but its legs continued to kick in the stream. Part of me felt sorry for this creature. A rope was tied to the end of the spear, and the cheetah could not pull forward but strained against its bonds. Julian appeared at the other end of the rope, pulling it methodically toward him like he had done this dozens of times before. Sparks flew out of the creature’s sides. I didn’t know if these things could die or just shut down. But something told me not to let this creature go dark.

“Wait! Stop pulling. You’re going to kill it,” I yelled. Julian looked at me with surprise.

“It’s a machine, Pene, that just about attacked you and your friend,” Julian responded, but he stopped pulling. The cheetah’s legs and head locked up; only its eyes remained lit to signify it was still conscious. Its eyes moved with me. I pulled out the spear and lifted the metal shell. It was remarkably light, and I felt pity for this creature that had attacked me. Why? Why were the metal creatures ready to attack us for no reason? Something wasn’t right.

“Meet us back at the ship. I’m going to make sure the rest of these creatures are gone,” Julian replied as he left us.

I stared down at the metal creature. Its one good eye scanned me as if waiting to accept its fate. I took it and stood it by a rock. Sparks still flowed, but I could see movement come back in its legs.

“It’s going to attack us again!” Talia yelled, and for a second I thought she was right. But then it growled but hobbled away. It looked back at us one final time before disappearing into the jungle on the opposite direction of Julian.

“See! They don’t always mean to attack us.”

“Doesn’t make sense. Why attack us one moment and run away the next?” Talia asked.

We didn’t have any more time to think about it as we heard voices yelling in the distance.

We came back to the clearing with a large crowd of people in the center. The constructs were gone, and the members of the four ships had banded together. Bishop’s father, King, was center stage.

“One of our ships is destroyed. The other three can’t get off the ground. Those monsters were sent out to attack us. We need to band together to get the ships off this island!”

“But how?” Talia’s father stepped forward. It was his ship that would no longer take off, and I don’t think he would take well to receiving orders.

“Give us some of your engine parts. We’ll make sure we can break this atmosphere and get home,” King commended, having no problem giving royalty orders. Talia’s father looked skeptical.

“What guarantee do I have that you will take me and my crew with you? You could take our parts and leave without us. My men will be with you all the time.”

King nodded but was interrupted by a commotion to the right of the crowd.

“We have another problem,” Julian interrupted. “Doyle has been captured by the constructs. They have a base at the north end of the island. We need to send a crew to rescue him!”

“That’s not a good idea,” King said. “This could be a trap. We can’t afford any men or time to help you. Our focus should be getting on our ships airborne before we’re attacked again!”

A strange squeaking from the jungle interrupted the discussion. It sounded like a squeaky wheel. Many of the men picked up weapons, ready for another attack. Instead, a single metal construct moved toward us, about man-sized but rolling on wheeled legs. Its gait was deliberate, but as soon as I saw the purple glow, I knew who was here. It was Spi!

“Greetings, crew members. For those who haven’t participated in my tournament, I am the great, all-knowing Spi!” it said with fanfare, as if it expected us all to be impressed. When it was met mostly with silence, it continued.

“Due to circumstances beyond your control, you have brought to this island for the final leg of the tournament. Ten of you have a chance for the ultimate knowledge that you all crave.” Across the meadow, I could see Abadon and his crew watching. Spi knew how to create a captive audience.

“I’ve heard of you long before I was stranded here,” Julian interrupted, “and your kind is not welcome here. This game you speak of is no interest to me or any of my people.”

“Speak for yourself!” Abadon interrupted and moved through the crowd toward Spi. “Some of us came here for the very prize it describes.”

“All too true, my young competitor. The last tournament involves the rescue of the captain Doyle. Whoever rescues him and brings him back here is the winner.”

“This isn’t a game for children,” Julian yelled. “We will be sending a team of adults to save my brother, no prize needed.” He moved forward, but Spi raised a hand, as if it hadn’t revealed all the rules just yet.

“No adults are allowed. Only the ten finalists will be able to participate. All other players will be stopped by the rest of the constructs. Like or not, these kids will decide your brother’s fate!”

Chapter 15

The Rescue

We sat in King’s main cabin in a semicircle, trying to plan out our rescue. Julian rested in a chair with his two crew members, Dose and Mosher, on either side. Henry from Doyle’s crew stood behind Julian. The five of us sat around the desk: me, Eric, Royce, Talia, and Bishop. In addition to us, Talia’s father, Viktor, formally introduced himself to us and stood behind her. No one was happy with the circumstances.

“I don’t like my daughter going out into the jungle without protection. In the short time we have been here, we have been attacked. There is no telling what dangers there are in the jungle between here and the other camp.”

“Yet this is how the game is played, and Spi determines the rules. Before the metal form disappeared, it confirmed that Doyle would be hurt if anyone other than the ten participants came to his rescue.” Henry tried to defuse the situation.

“Do we believe him?” I asked.

“Spi will do what it says,” King stated. “Under these circumstances, my son Bishop is the best hope Doyle has.”

“I don’t like this,” Viktor replied. “They were supposed to compete against each other in the final round, but now they have to work together to find Doyle. How will a winner be determined?”

“You can bet that Abadon and his people are trying to figure that out in their ship. They will likely act as a team to get in but as individuals when the game is over,” Henry said.

“I don’t care,” Eric interrupted. “I don’t need to win. I have what I want.” He looked over at his father.

“Brave words, boy!” King sneered. “Not all of the participants will be giving up their chance to win. My son will go with you, but he will be the winner!” Bishop squirmed, uncomfortable with his dad’s candor but likely still motivated to win. I was torn. Keeping my secret, planning to win so I had the chance to see my mom while Eric’s uncle, a man I now cared for, was in danger. Would I make the right choice by rescuing him or be like Bishop or Abadon and only worried about winning?

“I no longer care that my daughter wins this tournament. I’m taking her out of this rescue attempt. It’s too dangerous. I won’t risk her for a man I’ve never met,” Viktor stated.

“Spoken like a true king,” Eric spat back. “A true inspiration to us all.” His words were threatening and not lost on the king’s bodyguards, who stepped forward.

“Enough!” Viktor beckoned to them to stop. “I’m not your enemy. Just a concerned father who wants his daughter to live. If Spi would allow it, I would send all my men to rescue your uncle. But sometimes, your own family comes first.” The group was silent as his words sank in.

“I’m going, Father. And my decision is final,” Talia replied.

“But—”

“But nothing. These people are my family. Their Uncle Doyle protected me when I needed their help. To do anything else would be dishonorable. I will not ruin our family name because saving someone’s else family is dangerous.” Her father looked like he was going to argue further, and then it was like a lightbulb went off in his head.

“You remind me of your mother. Someone who always had the last word with me. I see no reason to treat you any differently.”

“Then it’s settled!” Julian took over the conversation. “These five will follow Spi’s order. Together they will save my brother, and hopefully one of them will be the winner!” The crowd dispersed, and I watched Julian walk up to Eric.

“I’m proud of you, son. You don’t need to go if you don’t want to. I won’t think less of you if you stay with me.”

“Don’t be silly. Uncle Doyle has been my father in your absence. After gaining you back, I couldn’t leave him.”

“I figured you wouldn’t change your mind. Just promise me something: if anything goes wrong, get back here as soon as possible.”

“Nothing can keep me away from you, Dad,” Eric said, hugging his father.

*

The morning sun was barely up when we trekked out of camp. We had been grilled most of the evening on what to expect in the construct’s camp by Julian and his men. The hike was over two hours. We had to get into the camp, rescue Doyle, and get back before dark. Julian made it clear that you did not travel after sunset. The constructs were too fast, and their eyes too good in the dark to outrun them. The fact that they knew we were coming didn’t reassure me.

Were we really working together, or was someone going to try to win it all at Doyle’s expense? Abadon and his team were in it to win it. I wiped it away a bead of seat before it dripped into my eye. The jungle was humid and was going to become hotter before we reached our destination.

“Do you think he’s all right?” Royce asked me.

“Of course he’s all right,” Bishop answered. “This is all part of Spi getting us to perform the final game. We’re like monkeys in cage for its performance.”

“I don’t share the same sentiment that Doyle is safe and waiting for us. Spi isn’t going to make this easy,” Eric answered.

“I agree. What if there is no winner?” I asked.

“There is always a winner,” Talia answered warily.

“They announce the winner. But have you ever talked to the person who has won this? How do you know that they actually received the knowledge they craved?”

“I never thought of it that way,” Eric said. “You always hear about the winner but never learn about their prize.”

“So what? You’re telling me just because you never talked to a winner, we shouldn’t believe Spi? It would get around pretty quick if it didn’t deliver,” Bishop responded, his confidence unshaken by my questions. “Are ready to forsake winning because you think Spi is pulling our chain?”

Whhosh! The object flew through the air so fast, all we could see was the metal reflecting off its body and hear the sound of its wings.

“What was that?” Royce asked.

“I don’t know, but we must be under attack,” Bishop yelled.

“But are we?” I answered as the metal bird turned and flew back toward us. It came into view, and I recognized the eagle at the zoo and the bird nesting zone. Had it followed us here, or was it watching us on behalf of Spi? It flew past us toward the construct camp.

“I don’t think it was attacking us. Maybe spying, maybe leading the way. Either way, we have to be careful,” Eric suggested.

I investigated the sky, but the metal gleam was gone. I felt a connection to the eagle; although the metal constructs might be threatening us here, I thought his connection to us was different. Was he going to help us, or was he just a scout for Spi?

*

Two hours passed without any more incidents, but we were sweaty and dirty when we stopped at the last hill before the construct encampment. Their area was large but messy. Groups of metal lay everywhere, like a snake sheds its skin. I couldn’t tell from the piles if animals were resting in them or if they were just discarded parts. Around the perimeter, metal creatures walked around on a programmed cycle.

“Do you think they know were here?” Royce asked.

“I hope not, unless that eagle gave away our position,” Bishop answered.

“Yet they haven’t charged us yet. And with their numbers, they could overrun us in no time,” Talia put in.

“But I get the feeling that would take away from the game,” I suggested. “Spi wants us to have a fighting chance, otherwise it would take away from its enjoyment.”

“When did you become such a Spi expert?” Eric teased.

“I’m not,” I bristled guiltily. “Just making an educated guess.”

“What about getting into the camp? As soon as the metal creatures see us, they’ll be all over us,” Bishop said.

“We know what has to be done,” Eric answered, irritated. “We explained this last night. I have nothing to win, so I will create a distraction with these.” He opened his backpack. About a dozen tubes popped out. Homemade firecrackers and fireworks! “I think the best places to set them up are there.” Eric pointed to a large palm tree on the west side of the encampment. “And over there.” He motioned to a large boulder to the north. “I’ll set a timer on the palm tree to draw the creatures there, and just when the racket ends, I’ll set the second stash by the boulder. Even with the noise, you guys are only going to have a few minutes before the creatures catch on to your rescue.”

“Are we sure that Doyle is there?” I pointed to a large tent in the center of the camp.

“No,” Eric answered truthfully, “but my dad watched these creatures for years. He said there aren’t many shelters in the camp, and the tent is the most difficult to reach.”

“Making it the most logically spot to hide your uncle. I still don’t understand Spi’s game. Does one of us have to touch him first, like Capture the Flag, to be considered the winner, or do we have to drag him safely out of the camp?” Bishop asked.

“Who knows? For an artificial intelligence, it has a sick human’s sense of humor,” Royce commented. We all nodded.

“Once you hear the first explosion, run into camp. Use the weapons my dad gave us and rescue my uncle. I’ll meet you here after I set the second set of explosives.” Eric turned to me and squeezed my hand. “Be careful. These metal creatures aren’t like the ones we encountered before. These will hurt you. If the odds are too much, come back. My uncle will understand.”

I squeezed his hand back, and he looked like he was going to say something, but Bishop interrupted.

“Get going. No telling when Abadon’s team will strike and mess up our plans.” Eric let go of my hand and disappeared into the jungle.

“When we go in, I’m going first.” He pulled a hammer from a backpack.

“I don’t recall nominating you as leader. I must have missed that meeting,” Talia said, less than enthused by Bishop’s commands.

“Well, if you want to take this weapon out my hands, you’re more than welcome,” he threatened.

“Enough! Bishop, if you want to be in charge, go ahead. But if you want us to help you out there, remember you’re on a team. Otherwise you might find yourself cornered without backup,” I yelled.

“So that’s how it’s going to go? You three team up yourselves while I have to battle alone.”

“Only if you make that way!” answered Royce, whose patience with Bishop was also running thin. Bishop inhaled, and for one of the first times, he did something smart. He thought before he spoke.

“Okay, who wants what weapons?” He gave us the backpack we had filled from camp last night. We searched through it and picked out choices: Royce a metal bat, Talia a spear, and I grabbed spiked ball on a chain. We looked like a gang with a collection of the oddest weapons. They would be no good to us if we became outnumbered.

“Everyone ready?” Bishop asked.

The explosions from the palm tree signaled that Eric had started the first wave. The encampment came alive as dozens of metal creatures on wheels and legs dashed toward the sound. From the metal piles, animals emerged as if they were laying in wait. I hoped they were distracted long enough for us to swoop in and get Doyle out. Although how we were going to outrun them back to our ships was another challenge.

“Let’s go!” Royce yelled and charged ahead, much to Bishop’s surprise. Bishop recovered quickly and raced to catch up with him while Talia and I brought up the rear. We crossed over a brook and noticed metal trash everywhere. The lack of organization by these metal creatures surprised me. If they were so feared, why did their camp look like a junk heap?

We dashed ahead. I heard the clanking of metal as a cheetah leaped ahead us toward Eric’s explosion. We hunkered down and let it pass. The more that left, the less we would have to fight.

The noise was deafening; the metal machines might be scary, but they were certainly not silent. You could hear them running through the jungle. We ran down a well-trodden path toward the center of the camp. We were close to our destination.

“This isn’t so bad,” Talia exclaimed, and then my face froze as Royce ran into a wall. A big metal wall.

A seven-foot metal gorilla roared at the four of us. It limped slightly; its left leg was damaged. Unlike the rest of the camp, it was forced to stay behind rather than charge out with the rest of the creatures. Too bad for us. Royce was down on the ground, shaking the stars out of his head. The gorilla pulled its fist back and slammed it toward its target. It missed Royce by inches as Bishop pulled him back just in time. I didn’t know if I was more relived that Royce was okay or surprised that Bishop was the one to help. The gorilla was not impressed and advanced toward the boys.

“Do something!” Bishop yelled at me as he pulled Royce up. I did the first thing I could think of, which seemed funny later. I screamed and banged my chest like a gorilla.

“Come and get me!” I yelled while my chest made a hollow sound, quiet compared with the gorilla’s metal chest. The gorilla stopped and cocked its head at me, as if trying to understand my actions.

“Be careful.” Talia laughed. “It might think you are trying to be its mate!” The gorilla’s eyes narrowed, and it roared again. Not a mating call; it was a yell like it was challenging me. I backed up, looking for a way to evade it. With its hobbled leg, I might not be able to outrun it, but I might be able to stay out of its grasp for a few minutes. I eyed the mound of metal debris to my right and inched toward it. The gorilla focused on my movements, as if the others no longer existed.

“You guys go, I’ll distract it,” I offered.

“No way,” Talia responded. “I’m staying with you.”

Bishop shook his head. “Fine. Royce and I will go after Doyle. We’ll grab the two of you on our way back.” He moved forward, while Royce watched.

“Go on,” I yelled at him. He nodded and chased after Bishop.

The gorilla fixed us with a stare that was half curious and half like he wanted to break us in two. The conflict was surprising. I figured the metal constructs had very basic needs. The one that jumped off the cliff was very single-minded. Yet something was going through the gorilla’s mind.

“Come on!” Talia was less than interested in studying it. We slid back to the pit of nearby metal, a reject’s dump of metal parts. We ran around the pit. It was about twenty feet wide, and we stood at the other end, hoping to draw it across.

“This is your big plan?” Talia said, confused by my choice. “The thing will probably leap over in a single bound.”

“Not with that leg. Besides, it’s heavier than us. I’m hoping it will get bogged down and we can get away.” I admitted the plan was thin, and when the gorilla came into view, I realized it was going to avoid the pit and race around the edge to us. I had to draw it in. I jumped on the debris and climbed several feet into the metal pit.

“What are you doing?” Talia yelled. “You’ll fall into the metal and get cut to pieces. Come back!” She extended a hand to me but didn’t grab; she didn’t want me to lose my balance. I stumbled slightly and looked down at a rusted metal leg. I did not want to cut myself on that. But my steps had the desired effect. The gorilla stopped its advance and watched me intently. I wondered if it was thinking of capturing me. Seconds later, it to stepped onto the metal pit. Since it was much heavier, its body sank in and metal came up to its knees.

“Come on, get out of there!” Talia screamed.

“Not yet,” I answered without looking back. It needed to get closer to the middle, or it would just jump back the way it came. I moved forward one step, which was a mistake; the metal underneath was unsupported, and I tumbled forward.

“Pene!” Talia yelled and moved toward me.

“Stop!” I yelled. “Don’t follow me!” I wiggled my foot, and I didn’t feel any wetness, so I didn’t think I’d cut myself. However, when I tried to pull my foot back, it was jammed underneath something a lot heavier than my weight. I was stuck, and the gorilla realized that. It rushed toward me like I was a waiting meal. Even with its bum leg, it would have me in seconds.

“Get back to the others. I can’t get away from it in time.” I closed my eyes, accepting my fate.

“I don’t think it wants to hurt you,” Talia said after a few seconds, when I felt no steel grip around me. The gorilla was next to me, carefully pulling metal pieces away from my leg. “It wants to help you.” I felt the metal moving around, and my leg suddenly came free. I pulled it out and examined to make sure I wasn’t cut. I turned, and we were about three feet apart. It stared into my eyes. Its intelligence burrowed into me; it wasn’t some dumb machine. But why did Eric’s dad say that the machines attacked them? Was this gorilla an anomaly?

Suddenly, Eric’s second explosion reverberated from the other side of the camp. The gorilla turned too quickly, and its broken leg twisted in the metal. The explosion knocked me off the pile and into Talia. The camp was again full of metal screams and yells as its inhabitants rushed away toward the new noise. Our time was running out. I hoped Royce and Bishop had found Doyle. We only had a few minutes to get out before the metal creatures would return to camp.

The gorilla twisted in the metal pile, but if it pulled too hard, it risked bending or breaking its leg.

“It’s trapped. Do we leave it and follow the boys?” Talia asked. I shook my head. The creature had saved me, and my conscience wouldn’t allow me to it trapped, machine or not.

I grabbed a bar from the metal pile and very carefully wedged it under the metal under the gorilla’s leg. It watched me with interest but made no movement to stop me. I pried up a couple of pieces of metal, slowly working the area around the leg. Within a minute, the area loosened up, and the gorilla was able to raise its broken leg without any new damage. I jumped down from the pile, waved to it, and then chased after the boys. I gazed back, and the gorilla just stood there staring at us, like it was trying to decide.

“Maybe you made a friend,” Talia commented as we approached the main tent.

“At least we didn’t make a new enemy.”

The tent loomed in front of us, backing on to a rock base carved into the cliff. The lack of creatures surprised me. Had Eric’s noise been that successful? Like a dog unable to resist chasing a squirrel. But where were the boys?

The canvas had a big hole in the center wall, enough for us to walk through. As a stepped in, the temperature cooled, and the cliff seemed to insulate us from the heat. There were boxes but no tables or chairs. I guessed these creatures had no reason to hang together in groups. A tunnel into the rock led us toward what must be the cells. In the distance, I heard banging from someone trying to escape from a cage. Talia and I charged forward, expecting Doyle but getting someone else.

“Abadon!” I yelled as I saw him and his team locked in a cell. Beezer gave me a sheepish grin while the other team members demanded their release.

“Let us out!” Abadon yelled. “We can help you.”

“Maybe we don’t need your help,” Talia sneered, putting her face up to the cell but not close enough for them to touch her. “I say we leave them. No need for a bunch of back-stabbers.”

“Come on! You can’t leave us. There’s no telling what those creatures will do. Help us,” Abadon begged.

“I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t do the same for us,” I answered. “If you answer a few questions, I’d consider letting you go.” I enjoyed making Abadon squirm. But I didn’t have much time; we were here to find Doyle.

“Go ahead,” Abadon said in a resigned voice.

“How did you beat us here?”

“Someone overheard you in King’s ship explaining your master plan. We knew you weren’t leaving until daybreak. We left while it was still dark; there were some flashlights on the ship to help get a head start.”

“A lot of good that did us,” one of teammates complained.

“How did you get captured?”

“The camp was chaotic; the metal creatures weren’t organized, and we slowly made our way into camp. We ran into this cave, but the cell was empty. They must have moved Doyle.”

“How did you get into the cell?” Talia asked.

“A huge metal ape backed us in.” Talia and I smiled at each other. “There was no way around him. He pushed us in and slammed the lock shut. We’ve been trapped her for the last thirty minutes. Can we play twenty questions later? We need to get out of here!”

Against my better judgment, I noticed a metal bar in the corner of the room. I grabbed and took several swings as the padlock. By the third blow, the padlock fell to the ground. Abadon and his team came rushing out.

“Don’t make me regret this.” I pointed at Abadon.

“I already do,” Talia replied.

Beezer walked up to me and squeezed my hand. “Thank you.” At least one of this group showed gratitude.

“Back to the front,” I commanded. “Bishop and Royce came in this direction. They have to be around here somewhere.” We returned to the entrance. I nodded to Talia to stay at the back of the group. I needed her eyes in case these boys tried anything funny with us.

As I came out, a metal cheetah jumped from the jungle. Its intent was obvious. As it leapt toward me, I looked for a weapon, even though I knew I had reacted too late.

The metal bar I had used inside came smashing down on the beast. It whined and ran away. Abadon smiled at me with his weapon in hand.

“See, told you I could help.”

“Over there,” Beezer yelled. “I see your friends.” He pointed to the right to small cliff that overlooked the camp. It was covered in debris; everything looked weathered, as if something had crashed there years ago. Bishop was staring ahead, while Royce was frantically trying to get him to move. As we rushed toward him, the camp was quiet, as if Eric’s firecrackers were done. We were almost out of time. I reached Bishop and slapped him on the back.

“What’s going on? You’re supposed to find Doyle. We checked the tent, and all we found was the Jagars.” Bishop was silent for once.

“Bishop found something.” Royce pointed to a treasure chest. The case was ornate, with glistening gems spilling out.

“You stopped because of jewels?” Talia asked incredulously. “How are you going to spend it if were all captured?” Bishop turned to us, but instead of his usual aggressive posture, he was crying. Gems fell from his fingertips like he could care less about the wealth. He pointed to a pile of boards and a skeleton lying propped against it. There was a torn shirt with an insignia I had seen before on his family’s bandanas, chessboard squares with skull heads.

“This was my grandfather’s ship. People said he had stolen the wealth. These stupid jewels had forced my dad and myself to live in shame! It’s all here on this godforsaken island!” He threw the gems as far as he could. The wealth meant nothing to him. Despite knowing the answer to what had driven him into the tournament, it brought him no relief. I think he had hoped that his grandfather was still alive, enjoying his stolen treasures. The truth was much more disappointing. One of Abadon’s team scooped gems into his pocket, overcome by greed. Bishop swatted him away.

“Don’t you realize my grandfather died for these!” Bishop watched the gems slip from his hand to the ground. His eyes were wild, and he was on the edge. This wasn’t the time to lose control. I grabbed his hand and gave him his knife back. He had asked for it, and now I had to jolt him out of his sorrow with a gift of kindness.

“I’m sorry, Bishop. This wasn’t the answer you hoped for. A random accident took his life. But look at me.” I made him stare into my eyes. “He would want you to move on. Not to die or be stranded on the island that killed him. Take some of these gems home to prove his innocence.” I slipped a few into his hand. “But we have to go. Now!” Tears filled his eyes as the realization sank in and he nodded. But it was too late.

“Look out!” Abadon yelled. The jungle branches opened up, and dozens of metal creatures ventured forth. Cheetahs, wolves, and other metal creatures surrounded us from all sides. Even the way back to the prison was blocked off. The explosions had only distracted them for so long, and now their focus was on us. We were outnumbered, and we had no Doyle to show for our effort.

“Back off!” a voice yelled as Eric emerged from the jungle. He was holding one last firecracker. The metal creatures knew enough to give him passage, but they closed ranks as soon as he got closer to us. Now our means of escape was gone.

“You never came back to our rendezvous. Where is Doyle?”

“We couldn’t find him,” I answered. “We found them instead.” I pointed to Abadon and his team.

The animals came closer. There were dozens with broken circuits and limbs, a junkyard of menacing beings. It felt like they blamed us for their circumstances.

There was a roar, and we turned as the gorilla stepped forward. His roar was for all the metal creatures around us. He was making a statement. He was either protecting us or claiming us as his prize.

“What do we do?” Royce asked, brandishing a metal spear.

“We fight!” Eric yelled. Our pitiful group formed a circle, the ten of us back to back, outnumbered five to one. The gorilla banged his chest, but they still advanced.

“Well, you guys sure got yourself into a mess!” We turned, and the cheetah with the broken eye I had saved appeared with Spi’s familiar purple haze. Had it come to gloat as we were overrun?

“Leave us alone!” Eric screamed. “This was all a trap! Doyle was never here! You baited us so that you could take all ten of us out at once and not have to award a winner!”

“Enough!” All the metal creatures stopped in their tracks, as if awaiting instruction from Spi on their next move. “Not all of these creatures want to attack you. This one even remembers being saved by Pene.” Everyone stared at me.

“Where is Doyle?” I asked.

“He’s not here. You have been misled, but not by me.”

“Please,” Bishop said, “you told us that Doyle had to be rescued to win the prize. You set all of this up.”

“I set up the objective. I explained that you would have to save him to win the prize. But I wasn’t the one who told you he was captured and taken here. I let someone else tell that story.”

My mind reeled as I went back to who told us about Doyle’s capture. Who had sent us with specific instructions to come here?

“My dad! You’re telling me my dad sent us here!” Eric yelled. “Why would he lie to us?”

Maybe the metal creatures weren’t our real enemy.

We had to get back to the ships now. Or I had the feeling we’d be stranded on this island forever!

Chapter 16

The End

We ran hard over the uneven terrain. Branches slapped at our legs and leaves battered our faces. Sweat ran down our faces and in our clothes. But the discomfort was nothing compared with what we thought was happening at our camp. Spi had planted the seed of doubt in Eric’s dad’s story. The metal constructs did not always attack us; they were simply attracted to us. Whatever had happened to them in this place had scrambled their circuits. They were unable to act in a logical way and attacked based on sudden noise, like the ship’s engines or the firecrackers. They were like abandoned pets, scared and not sure who to trust.

Our return party was bigger as Abadon and his group joined us. They were also concerned about being left behind, and we ran as if our life depended on getting back in time. The gorilla followed. I liked its company, although I wasn’t hundred percent sure of its intent.

“You know that Spi could be making this all up. Trying to make us mistrust ourselves,” Eric grimaced while charging over a rock, his breath coming in short gasps.

“Maybe,” I answered. It was a struggle to talk. “But Doyle was nowhere in that camp. Spi let us examine from top to bottom. And those metal creatures that were supposed to attack us, just watched us. Something didn’t add up.”

“It’s too easy to blame my dad. We don’t know the whole story.”

“That didn’t stop people from accusing my grandfather of stealing that treasure. He was innocent, but unless I can get back and show these gems, no one is going to believe me,” Bishop interrupted.

“I’m sure my dad can explain all of this we get back. There is no way he would leave without me.”

I nodded. His dad wouldn’t leave without him after being reunited. But he had been on this island a long time, waiting for an opportunity to escape. Who could say how far he would go?

We crossed the next hill. Large black smoke was floating into the sky. Had there been another explosion?

“Stop!” I yelled. “We need to catch our breath, or we’ll be useless when we arrive at the ships!” Everyone slowed down, but Eric wasn’t impressed.

“No! I have to see my dad! To find out the truth.”

“Fine. We’ll watch you from the jungle to make sure it is safe to come out. Tell your father that there was an injury and we’re still an hour behind. You ran ahead to warn him.”

“Okay.” But I could tell he wasn’t pleased with the lie.

“Get him to the field we were at yesterday. Tell him what you saw at the camp, and we’ll be hiding in the clump of trees nearby. We’ll decide what is true by his reactions.” Eric nodded and was gone in seconds. I don’t know how he did it; I was ready to drop from exhaustion. Adrenalin was pushing him to the max.

The rest of us circled the camp, making sure we kept quiet and out of sight. We didn’t want any sentries giving our position away. We had to see Eric’s dad speak openly before we made our decision.

“Why is the camp so quiet? Where is everyone?” Royce asked. Our group searched around. There was so little activity. There should be several hundred people between the ships, and we barely saw ten. The few that were out were darting between ships, not paying attention to their surroundings. They were focused on something else. What that was remained to be seen.

The gorilla snapped a thick branch on the ground, its weight too much for the wood.

“Can you keep your pet quiet before it alerts the whole camp?” Abadon scolded.

“He’s not my pet, and why don’t you tell him to shut up?” I warned. Abadon was going to say something, but when he peered into the face of the gorilla, he came to his senses.

“There’s no one around,” Talia added, “and besides, I’d much rather have him at my back,” she pointed to the gorilla, “than you.” Abadon grunted, and we pressed on. A few minutes went by. No sign of Eric or his dad. Okay by me; I just wanted a few minutes to rest. We collapsed in a heap as Talia scouted the area.

“I don’t see my dad or any of his guard. Is everyone making final preparations to take off?”

“I hope so, but something seems off. Just like it was in the metal creatures’ camp. But I can’t put my finger on it. Everything on this island is off a bit, and if we don’t get off soon, I worry we’ll become like them.”

“Typical girl,” snorted Abadon, “being dramatic.”

“Then what’s your answer?” Bishop defended me, which took me by surprise. “You know something’s not right too, but you’re too busy deflecting to bother to understand. How about you shut up until you have something helpful to say!” One of Abandon’s teammates stood up, like he was going to fight Bishop. Abadon pressed his hand against his chest, and he sat down. For the next two minutes, no one said anything. Then we heard voices getting closer.

They were fighting about something. Eric and his father. And his father wasn’t alone. He had the same two clan members from his team, and his son, Sivan. No one looked happy.

“Son, will you slow down? I can’t talk to you if you keep running away!” Julian asked. Eric slowed down as he got to the clearing. He looked around casually, as if he could sense we were nearby. He had led them straight to us. Now we would get some answers.

“So, talk. Doyle wasn’t at the creature’s camp, and most of the creatures didn’t want to attack us. What’s going on, Dad?” Julian motioned to Dose and Mosher to give them some space while Sivan stayed. He looked conflicted.

“What I did was for our families’ benefit,” Julian said as he put his hands on Eric’s shoulders in a fatherly gesture. Eric was having none of that. He knocked his dad’s hands away.

“What are you talking about? Those people you sent me off with are my family too. They’re going to want some answers too when they get back.”

“I don’t care, Eric. We won’t be here. My only concern is my immediate family.” He gestured to Eric and Sivan.

“And what about your own brother? I spent half a day trying to find him, with no results.”

“Don’t worry about Doyle, he’s being taken care of.”

What does that mean?

“Where is everyone?”

“Everyone is confined to their ships. In about an hour, we should have liftoff, and we’ll finally get off this island with Doyle’s ship.”

“What do you mean? Are the others coming later?” Eric asked, confused. But instead of his dad answering, Sivan interrupted.

“No, we have been planning this for years. We knew other ships would eventually crash land here again. We had to be ready. Only one ship is leaving.” Sivan looked up at his father. There was no doubt in his eyes. Whatever belief he had, he fully supported his father. Eric’s face was more conflicted.

“So why run us on the fool’s errand? Are you ashamed of me?”

“No, I’m ashamed of myself, son. The next step isn’t going to be easy, but it’s essential. You have to come with us, but there is no room for your friends.”

The group of us looked at each other, and Abadon was about to enter the clearing and voice his protest. Bishop held him back; there were still things we didn’t understand.

“Why, Dad? How do you get to pick who leaves and who stays?”

“Because we are the most desperate, son. It hasn’t been easy over the years. Cut off from civilization, and food runs scarce at different times of the year. We need to leave. We can advise others to pick up your friends once we get to safety.”

“That’s bull!” Eric yelled. “The storms throw off a ship’s sensors. We might never find these people again. You’ve been trapped for so many years, and you’re sentencing them to the same fate!” Julian’s pained face changed as he realized he couldn’t get Eric to see his point of view. His actions changed as well.

“Dose. Mosher.” The men appeared from out of the jungle, as if waiting for Julian’s commands. “Take Eric and Sivan to the ship. We leave within the hour.” Eric fought against his captors and kicked Dose in the chest, forcing him to bend over. Mosher’s arms came up under Eric’s arms and lifted him off the ground. Eric wasn’t going to get in any more shots now.

“You’re wrong, Dad! You are leaving these people and my friends to isolation and possible death. You make it sound like you are helping everyone, but really all you are helping is yourself.” He looked over at Sivan. “Talk some sense into him. Tell him he’s wrong.”

“No, you’re wrong, Eric. This island is all I know. It may not have bars, but it has been a prison for my life. Now we have a chance to finally leave, and like it or not, you’re coming with us!” Sivan yelled as they hauled Eric away until they had left the clearing. The nine of us were silent, measuring our next move. Abadon was the first to speak up.

“Traitor! I should have known Eric’s dad was in this for himself. If I can get into our ship, I can maybe rescue our crew. Eric’s dad’s men are spread too thin to watch all the ships, and we have the element of surprise.

“That’s a stupid idea. You think the five of you can overpower a bunch of adults with weapons? You won’t make it to the deck of the ship before you’re captured as a well,” Bishop sneered. “Right, Pene?”

“I think it’s a great idea,” I answered, much to Bishop and Abadon’s surprise. Everyone looked at me, believing I had a plan. Or I was out of my mind. “I get it, we’re outnumbered, and they have weapons, and they’re adults. They should be able to overpower us. But they don’t know we’re here, and there are a whole lot of other adults that we’ll help us if we can reach them.”

“So what’s your big plan? How are the nine of us going to get these ships back?” Bishop asked.

“By using the tenth member to full effect.” I pointed to the steel gorilla. We needed a distraction, and he was going to give it to us.

*

Fifteen minutes later, four of us were hiding in the bushes before Doyle’s ship. Two guards from Julian’s group were patrolling the gangway. They looked alert but not really focused on their task. They appeared ready to leave.

“Are you sure Abadon and his team will get into their ship?” Royce asked.

“No more than us, but between our two groups, one of us better be successful,” I answered.

“That’s if Eric doesn’t turn us in. We may be walking into a trap!” Bishop complained, unhappy with our plan.

“You’re an idiot if you think Eric will rat us out. Stay behind if you want to watch the rest of us,” Talia said.

“Where is our distraction?” Royce asked. As if on cue, we heard a roar and smashing of metal. The two guards at Doyle’s ship turned their heads to the sound, unsure of what was going on. They both crept down the gangplank. Moments later, the gorilla charged through the jungle, branches breaking under its feet. It limped along but was still powerful. It picked the largest tree and climbed as high as it could go. It beat its chest and roared at the two guards. They fired! The bullets bounced harmlessly away.

“Are there more of them?” one of the guards yelled to the others.

“There usually are. We should tell Julian,” the other guard replied. Before they marched back up the gangplank, the gorilla jumped down and forced them off the gangplank. The two guards ran into the jungle to escape. I was impressed; the gorilla was strategic in its moves. It gave us a backward glance as it galloped into the jungle.

“Come on,” I yelled as the four of us ran up the gangplank and onto the deck. We leapt behind one of the airboats as we assessed our surroundings. There were several of Doyle’s crew members getting the ship ready. They were efficient but nervous, as if some threat was driving their progress. I decided it was best not to ask for their help in case they gave us away. We had to find Doyle and figured he was in one of two places, the captain’s cabin or the brig where King had locked him up before. We had already decided who was going where. Talia and Bishop would go below to the brig, while we would ease our way to the cabin. Time was short, since the ship looked ready to leave at any time.

I nodded to Bishop as he and Talia disappeared below deck. Royce came up to me.

“What if Doyle is in on this?”

“Then this rescue is going to come to a very swift end. I hope you’re wrong. We already misjudged Eric’s dad.” A crew member walked by, and the two of us ducked down until he passed. The cabin was on the other side of the ship. It was unlikely we could pass by unseen. There was a rope piled in the corner, I grabbed one end and put it on my shoulder to cover my face. I encouraged Royce to do the same. We looked a bit awkward, but hopefully we would pass scrutiny.

We walked across the deck, trying our best not to be recognized or get in anyone’s way. Fortunately, most crew members were rushing to finish lift off tasks and ignored us. The cabin was in sight, but a guard was posted at the front door. We might have picked the right destination. But how to get in? The guard was six feet tall and muscular. I wasn’t going to move him by brute force. And I was fresh out of gorillas to distract him. That’s when I felt the hand on my shoulder. I almost screamed, but a hand covered my mouth before the sound came out. I turned around to see Henry. Finally, a friendly face.

“About time you kids came back. This ship would have left without you.”

“We know. Doyle wasn’t at the other camp. Is he here?” I pointed at the cabin as we shuffled off to the side so the guard couldn’t see us talking.

“I haven’t seen him, but Julian has taken control of the ship during his absence. I haven’t been able to get into the cabin to confirm if Doyle is there. All of this stinks.”

“Well, you’re right to be suspicious. But I can’t prove anything unless I can get into the cabin. Any ideas on how to get the guard away from the door?”

“I could tell him that Julian has an emergency, but even if he buys it, the guard has the keys to the cabin.”

“Leave that to me,” Royce enthused. “I’ve got the fastest hands from Juncture City. You distract him with the emergency, and I’ll get the keys!” He was excited, happy to put his talents to use. I just hoped he did a better job than when he tried to pick my pocket. Henry nodded and walked to the guard. I couldn’t hear their words, but despite Henry’s gesturing, the guard seemed less than enthused to leave his post. Royce walked by and then slipped behind the guard. His hands were a whirlwind of activity, and a few seconds later, he walked on. Success! I could see a metal ring in his arm.

The guard seemed intent on Henry joining him before leaving. Henry shrugged at us and took the guard away to Julian’s imagined request. We couldn’t have more than a few minutes before Henry’s lie would be caught. We had to move fast. As a crossed the deck, Royce had already swung the keys into the lock. Three keys later, the lock opened, and we stepped inside the cabin.

It was dark, and the main window was covered with a blanket. The room was quiet, and for a second I didn’t think anyone was there. As my eyes adjusted to the gloom, I made out a shape in the chair. It wasn’t moving.

“Uncle Doyle?” I asked. There was no response. We moved closer, circling the chair. His eyes were closed, his mouth taped over, and his arms bound behind him. It was Doyle. I lightly slapped his cheek. No response. Was it too late?

Royce untied the rope as I stared at Doyle, willing him to open his eyes. What had they done to him? As Doyle’s untied hands dropped to his side, his eyelids flickered. He was coming around. He shook his head and rubbed his wrists. I pulled the tape from his mouth.

“Pene? Where is Eric? We’re in a lot of trouble. My brother is not what he seems.”

“We know. And so does Eric. Why is his dad doing this?”

“As far as I can tell,” he stood up, his muscles stiff with disuse, “living on this island has changed him. He’s desperate to leave by any means possible. And he doesn’t care who he has to hurt.”

“But why?” I asked. But before he could answer, the door opened and shut quickly.

It was Julian and two guards, hoisting Henry between them. They flung Henry in between us, and he landed in a heap.

“My brother has a selective memory. I was always the most ambitious. I would never let an opportunity slip through my hands. We waited for many long years here, building a machine that will break free of the atmosphere that keeps these ships down. But it can only work on one ship.”

“What makes you get to decide?” I yelled.

“We built the device! This is years of blood, sweat, and tears, and I’m not going to let my opportunity slip away. Now, since you and your friends made it back in time, you can join us. But the other crews stay. There isn’t another way.”

“Brother! You can’t strand these people. You said how hard it was on you. Can you do the same to them?” Doyle exclaimed. The air had become hot inside the cabin, and noises of crew members yelling could be heard outside. It sounded like a mutiny. This argument would have to continue later. The door burst open, and several from Julian’s group barged in.

“What’s going on?” Julian asked.

“The other ship’s crew is attacking!” the man said. “They overpowered the guards on the other ship and are climbing aboard us now.”

“Who is doing this?” Julian asked.

“Your son is leading the charge,” the man answered. He turned his face to the side, almost fearful that Julian would strike him. Eric’s dad looked remorseful for a second but then leapt into action. He charged through the front door, oblivious to us.

“Remove the gangplank! Don’t let them enter the ship! Get this craft off the ground now!” he bellowed to the crew. Many of Doyle’s crew looked confused, but Julian’s orders were too late as a dozen guards from Talia’s ship made it aboard. Eric was at the head of the group as he struck down one of Julian’s men. Julian faced him.

“You are either with me or against me, son. It’s not too late for you to change your mind.”

“That’s funny,” Eric answered. “I was about to say the same thing to you. You can stop this now. We can find another way to get all of us off this island. Don’t be responsible for the injuries to come.” Julian listened to his words and the fighting among the crew and walked toward his son. He held out his arms and embraced Eric.

“I love you, son,” he said, “and that’s why this is so hard.” Eric face hardened as his father’s grip tightened. As Julian grabbed him, Eric pushed away toward the railing. They fought, and one of Julian’s men bumped Eric, causing him to trip. Eric tumbled over the railing. At this height, the fall could break his neck.

“No,” I yelled and launched myself past one of Julian’s guards toward the railing. Julian’s eyes drifted downward, and I followed his gaze, expecting to see a broken lump on the ground. Instead, Eric was in the air, holding tightly to the metal eagle that had watched us before.

“Shoot that thing out of the air! Save the boy!” one of Julian’s overzealous crew yelled. However, as they aimed their guns, the eagle had banked between the ship and Eric. The bullets bounced harmlessly off its belly.

“Stop it,” Julian screamed. “You’ll hit my son!”

“Look over there!” Royce pointed to the jungle below. A dozen metal cheetahs had exited the jungle and were attacking the guards. The metal constructs had taken a side. We could win! I felt a hand slap my face. Eric’s father was enraged.

“You! This is all your fault! My son would have listened to me if it wasn’t for you and his friends.” He grabbed me by the collar and was going to toss me over.

The deck shifted suddenly, and Julian lost his grip. Something heavy had leaped onto the deck, and from its roar, I knew who my rescuer was.

The gorilla beat its chest and advanced toward Julian.

“Enough!” I yelled as the gorilla lifted Julian, ready to smash him into the ground. “This madness has to end! Let him go!” I commanded the gorilla, which looked at me, unsure, but complied. “Everyone stop!” The fighting lessened, and Doyle now walked around the deck while reassuring his crew. Julian was upset but couldn’t encourage his team to keep fighting.

“This stops now! Spi, I claim the prize of the tournament. I touched Doyle first and aided with his escape. Therefore, I am the winner and you must grant me my prize!” There was silence around us as those involved in the tournament realized the result. “Come on! I know you have been watching all the time. Don’t put this off. People’s lives are at stake.” A flash of purple appeared as the gorilla became inhabited by Spi’s presence.

“Very good, Pene,” the gorilla said in Spi’s voice. “This creature actually needs to protect you. Good job on both counts. Rescuing Doyle and befriending my metal friends. You are the winner of my tournament, and although this is an odd time to grant your prize, I accept your request. Although things were just getting interesting.” It laughed at the chaos around us.

“I am ready to receive my prize,” I stated.

Spi was quick to go over to go over the rules.

“Remember, your prize can only be something I can grant. I can’t bring something back from the dead or give you power over someone. What I can give is knowledge or complete a request within my ability. There are no secrets kept from me. I can tell you anything you need to know.”

My friends looked at me. I had achieved what we had all been fighting for: knowledge of anything I wanted. And during the course of the tournament, my friends had already achieved what they wanted as well.

Eric had wished to learn about his father, which had come true, unfortunately not with the results he was hoping for. Bishop had learned about his grandfather, and the answer had been unsatisfying.

Beside me, Royce squeezed my hand. He had been searching for a family, and through our struggle, he had achieved that. Talia had hoped to show her independence from her father, which she had proved many times over.

My quest was to find out about my mother, a woman who had disappeared from my world but whose influence seemed to affect every world I entered. Should I use my prize to finally find out what had happened to her?

“Spi — you said that you can grant me anything you can physically do? Is that correct?”

“Yes,” it answered, but if this creature had a soul, a warning sign must have flashed. “I am happy to provide the details we discussed earlier.” Spi was eager to fulfill the deal and move on. As much as I wanted to hear about my mother, I realized there was something more important I could accomplish with my prize.

“Every step of the way, Spi, you have played with us, like rats in a maze. This has been a game for you. A game where people have been hurt for your amusement. A game where we fought each other to win.”

“That sums it all up,” Spi responded. “It’s what I am. And you have been only too glad to be participants in my game. Just like the tournaments before and the ones to come. I serve a need both for myself,” the Spi gorilla smiled smugly, “and for all of you who are so eager to play.” I wanted to wipe the smile off its face. “Are you ready for the information that you desire?”

I was. But there was something much bigger than me learning the truth about my mother. This creature had endangered so many lives for its fun. I couldn’t in good conscience let this continue. And there was only one way to end it.

“I’m ready for you to grant my request,” I said, and this time the smile was on my face. Spi sensed something was wrong, and its smile disappeared.

“Please proceed,” it asked and leaned forward. Everyone gathered around me as I was about to have my greatest wish fulfilled.

“I am asking for this to end. Forever. No more tournaments. No more games. No more running people like cattle for your enjoyment.”

“Well, I don’t think you have the power to end my games…” Spi started.

“Oh, I don’t. But you do,” I countered.

“But no request by you can prevent me from that. The prize is something I provide to you.”

“Exactly. My request is that you cease existence. Pull your self-destruct. Then this world will be without your interference and harm. Forever.”

Chapter 17

The Long Ride Home

I stared at Spi. For once, it was silent. I could sense its computer processes whirling, trying to find a way to weasel its way out of the agreement.

“Well, I don’t think I can affirm that request. You see, the prize is about information…” Spi protested, but I wasn’t going to let it wriggle away.

“Did you not say that my prize was anything that you could comply with? Do you not have an ‘off’ switch?” I pressed.

Spi hesitated then answered. “I do,” it replied, and I felt like it was stalling, desperately trying to find a way out of this predicament. It was so used to playing with the humans and giving them something they desired in return. Something that never affected it. Until now.

“Are you telling me that you are not going to comply with my request? Because if you don’t, then no one will want to play your game anymore, knowing that you don’t fulfill the agreement.

The purple glow flashed as it was fading away. It jumped from the gorilla to another metal creature and then another, almost like it was trying to escape.

“I guess if you won’t fulfill my request, this game is null and void, and no one will ever play it again.” I turned away from Spi, as if I was done with it. The purple glow leapt back into the gorilla.

“Wait! There must be something else you can request. I can give you anything.” Spi was desperate, and we all knew it.

“Can you help with our current situation?” Talia interrupted. Smart girl; she could see what I was trying to manipulate. “We need all the ships to be able to leave this island. Julian’s group has a prototype.”

“I don’t have the materials.” Spi began to make excuses.

“There are pits of unused materials in the metal constructs camp. I would imagine you could build anything with those,” I said.

“That’s a lot of work. You humans couldn’t properly get everything we would need,” Spi stated.

“You have an army of constructs to assist. You can either possess them one at a time or use your influence. They are going with the ships as well. Nothing gets left behind,” I demanded. I heard some voices behind me that didn’t agree with my demands. I didn’t care.

“My game has always awarded one winner; I can’t give a prize to all. That is against my rules.”

“Then you have a choice to make. Self-destruct or build the devices. You have one minute to decide.” I was pushing Spi. But I couldn’t give it too much time, or it would find a way out. Then all of us would be abandoned, or worse, back to fighting.

“This isn’t fair,” Spi complained. “I feel powerless.”

“Now you know how your participants feel every moment of your game. Make your decision. Die or help. It’s your choice.” Everyone was quiet, aware of the situation if Spi shut down. None of us needed to worry.

“I choose to help,” Spi sputtered excitedly, like it was about to play another game. It would never shut itself down if it meant another opportunity to play with us. Even if it meant never seeing my mother again, this was worth it, saving my friends and their families. Avoiding an unnecessary war. Giving a chance for these metal creatures to be repaired and live in our world again. I turned, and Talia had tears in her eyes.

“Thank you, Pene. This is will help us all. When we get off this island, you are more than welcome to live with me in my father’s kingdom.”

“What about me?” Royce asked. He looked worried, as if he would have to return to his life as an orphan on Juncture City.

“I’m sure we can find a role for you.” She tousled his hair.

“That’s too bad; we could have used another crew member on our ship. Especially one who gets us out of trouble,” Doyle said as he turned to his brother. “You’re lucky that you’re my brother, or I would leave you on this island. You deserve it for what you did to these ships and their crew. What’s worse is what you’ve done to your own son. You’re ruined the memories of his father.”

“That’s enough, Uncle Doyle,” Eric said, walking forward onto the deck. The eagle had glided in gently to drop him off before taking off again. “Dad, you lied to us, and I can’t forgive you. But we need your help to replicate your technology for the other ships. With Spi’s help, we can make this happen.”

“I will do whatever it takes, son. I’ve made all the mistakes I possibly could.”

“And you will be punished for that,” Doyle stated; he was not the forgiving kind.

“Understood. Keep me locked up after we take off. In the meantime, I will do what I can to help.”

Julian was escorted away, his head down, his relationship with Eric permanently fractured. Who could know if they would ever be able to repair it? I watched him go and then faced Eric. He lifted me off the ground and gave a bone-crushing hug.

“Easy,” I cried jokingly, “I can feel a rib pop if you don’t let up.”

“We did it! Thanks to us, everyone is going home!”

“I’m sorry about your father.”

“I am too. But at least I have him back. He thought he was protecting his people, but he was endangering us all. With time, he may even realize it.” His deep blue eyes stared down into me. He wanted to ask me something.

“Are you going to take Talia’s offer to join her?”

“I’m considering it. I can imagine the daughter of a king has a comfortable lifestyle.”

“I’m sure she does,” he laughed, “but if you change your mind, I hoped you would consider joining Doyle and me on his ship. I don’t think you have seen a lot of our world, and there is so much I could show you.” He leaned in closer.

“Like she’d want to spend time with you,” Bishop interrupted. His timing was always the worst.

“I hope you’re not planning to make an offer to join your ship,” I answered. You couldn’t pay me enough to spend any more time with Bishop, or worse, his father.

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t make that mistake.”

“What do you want, Bishop?” Eric asked, not happy with the interruption.

“I want to thank you too, Pene. After Eric, you are probably the most annoying, frustrating person I have ever meet.”

“Funny, I was going to say exactly the same thing about you,” I teased.

“But you helped me find the truth about my grandfather. Now that we have some time before we fly off this island, I’m going to take my dad to see the crash site. He deserves to see the truth.”

“It won’t hurt if you scoop up some of the treasure,” commented Eric.

“The thought had crossed my mind.” Bishop smirked. He held out his hand.

“What?” I asked, surprised by his gesture.

“Well, I’m not going to hug you, like some people,” he gestured to Eric, “but I do want to thank you. You helped me discover something about my family. You’re okay.” He shook my hand.

“Don’t expect her to say the same about you,” joked Eric. But I could see through Bishop’s bravo now, and even though he could be a jerk, there was something redeeming about him as well. Just don’t expect me to admit to him.

Birds flew around me as the skylarks had finally left Doyle’s ship ready to strike out on their own. They had chosen this moment to claim their freedom. They chirped goodbye as I watched them disappear into the clouds. As they vanished, something much larger replaced them in the sky. Dual windows peered down at me, and the roar of a ship replaced the chirping of the birds.

It was much smaller than any of our ships that had crashed and was landing without any difficulty. It also looked different, as if steam wasn’t the primarily propellant. Strangely enough, it reminded me of home. Spi looked at me and smiled.

“What is this?” I asked, assuming Spi would have the answers.

“Your request,” Spi answered cryptically. “If there is one thing I’ve learned, you are a wild card that I no longer want in the deck. I figured if I gave you what you wanted, I could get rid of you.”

The ship landed in the clearing, and its engines shut down. Could this finally be my mom?

I ran past everyone, down the gangplank toward the ship. No one followed me; everyone watched me from above, wondering what this ship was.

The hatchway opened, but no one exited. I ran forward and against my better judgment climbed into the hatchway. If this was a trap, they had me. I was going to find out the truth about my mother, even if it killed me.

The interior was full of dials and switches. One figure had its back to me, typing on a console.

“Mom?” I asked. The figure turned around. It was not my mom.

“Dad?” I yelled. “Is this a trick? I watched you die!”

“No trick, Pene.” My dad stood up and hugged me tight. “You watched a computer screen show me age for the sake of our audience. They had to believe I had died.”

“I believed you died, Dad! Could you have rescued me earlier? Why are you doing this?”

“I’m not doing this. You mother did it to save my life, just like she has been trying to save yours.”

“I don’t understand. None of this makes sense.”

“I will explain all. Come with me. We have to rescue your mother now, or all of the worlds you have visited will be destroyed!”