“Not yet. Sun’s coming up soon.”
“Have you sent anyone after them?” said Perrin, and his son nodded.
“I’ve checked on them twice, and other members of the flock are watching them. He’s examining every rock himself. Doesn’t trust us to do it for him.”
Simon stayed perfectly still. He must have slept more than he’d thought if it was almost dawn. “He’ll give up eventually,” said Perrin.
“He won’t,” said Rowan. “Members of the flock have spotted Celeste outside Phoenix. We think the council tipped her off. If she’s still on friendly terms with Rivera, she’ll have no problem getting the piece’s new location from him before we’re able to find it. The rest of the council may not go along with it, but Rivera worships her. He’ll believe her if she insists she’s only protecting the piece from our kingdom.”
A flash of Rivera’s face appeared in Simon’s mind, and his voice whispered, I’ll alert the Alpha.
He hadn’t meant Malcolm.
Rivera was leading Celeste straight to Simon—and directly to the reptiles’ piece.
With his heart in his throat, Simon willed himself to stay still and keep his breathing even. Perrin, on the other hand, didn’t bother hiding his panic. “We must alert Orion at once,” he said, standing and dropping his newspaper on the chair.
“He already knows,” said Rowan. “That’s why he’s still out there digging around. He’s convinced there’s a clue, or that Isabel is lying about the council moving the piece.”
“If Celeste and her loyalists attack, we’re sitting ducks,” said Perrin, and he peered at the rows of cages. “Stay here. Make sure the boy doesn’t cause any trouble.”
“But—”
“I said stay, Rowan.”
Perrin rushed out of the dungeon, leaving Rowan lingering in the doorway. The younger man paced back and forth for a moment, and at last he muttered, “You’re in a cage. Where are you going to go?”
Though he was talking to Simon, he didn’t seem to expect an answer. With a muttered curse, he hurried after his father, leaving the prison unguarded.
Simon didn’t hesitate. As soon as Rowan was gone, he shifted into a fly and, once he’d slipped the bars, back into a golden eagle. It was a risk, but there were other eagles in the mountain. With any luck, he would blend in.
He made it to the large open cavern with the long tables, only to discover it was empty. Maybe it was the late—or early—hour and everyone was asleep, but as Simon flew to the tunnel that led out of Beak Peak, he had a horrible feeling he knew exactly where the flock was.
He wasn’t wrong. As he soared out of the mountain and into the crisp morning air, he flew straight into a mob of countless birds flying around the peak. Every single member of the flock must have been there, prepared to fight.
Simon merged with them silently, joining another golden eagle as it glided through the air. To his relief, no one batted an eye at him. Even if the flock knew he was at Beak Peak, they must have thought he was still locked up.
Though every bone in his body screamed at him to fly toward the safety of the hotel, he couldn’t leave without his mother. Circling the mountain, he searched for her, only to spot another pair of golden eagles on a cliff, inspecting a large rock.
“Sir, we must get to safety,” said a hawk as he danced around anxiously. Perrin. “If Celeste is in the area—”
“Let her come. If she wants a fight, I’ll give her a fight,” said Orion, examining a crack in the rock with his good eye. “Does this look natural to you, or man-made?”
Members of the flock tightened their perimeter around the three of them, and Simon sucked up his courage. He would only have one chance to take them by surprise, and this was it.
He dived toward the rock, landing clumsily on top of it as his talons scraped the stone. Orion, engrossed in studying the boulder, didn’t look up. “Mom!” he cried. “Let’s go!”
“Simon?” She tilted her head in surprise, but instead of arguing, she spread her wings, and they took off together. “What are you doing?”
Behind them, Orion screeched, and the flock exploded into the air, chasing after them. Simon didn’t dare look back.
“I’m not leaving without you,” he said. “Come on, it’ll be safe at the hotel.”
His mother’s beak clenched with determination, and she dived down the slope of the mountain. Simon flapped his wings, matching his mother’s pace. He could see the lights of the resort. If they flew fast enough, they could make it. He wasn’t sure what they would do when they reached the balcony and the flock caught up, but they had to try.
Together he and his mother soared through the air at breakneck speed, hurtling toward the hotel. Simon was practically dizzy with excitement. He had done it. He had really rescued his mother. Only another quarter mile and—
“Stop!” Orion’s cry filled the quiet morning sky, and Simon felt something tug at his tail feathers. At the speed he was going, it was enough to throw him off balance, and he tumbled through the air, struggling to catch himself on the currents. But his human mind had taken over now, shoving his instincts aside, and all at once, he had forgotten how to fly.
“Don’t you dare touch my son.”
His mother slammed into Orion, and together they tangled as they half flew, half fell. Simon watched out of the corner of his eye, utterly useless—he had enough trouble simply staying upright as the ground grew perilously closer. There was nothing he could do to help his mother.
The resort appeared faster than he anticipated, and Simon angled his feathers, trying to land. His talons caught tufts of grass as he somersaulted toward a pond, skidding to a stop inches from the water’s edge.
“Mom!” he shouted, and as soon as he was on his feet, he spread his wings to take off once more. But to his surprise, his mother rocketed straight toward him, Orion nowhere in sight. The flock dived toward a point beyond the borders of the hotel, and Simon spotted a figure he thought might be a golden eagle crumpled on the ground.
His mother landed beside him and shifted back into a human. Simon did the same, and she caught him in a hug. “Are you all right? Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine,” said Simon. “We have to go, Mom—once we’re inside—”
“I’m not going with you, Simon.”
“I—what?” Her words hit him like a fist to the gut. “Mom, I’m not leaving—”
“No. I’m the one leaving, Simon.”
He gaped at her, struggling to catch his breath. “I don’t—I don’t understand—”
“And I don’t expect you to.” She looked over toward the border of the resort. The flock had gathered around the silhouette of an old man, and a bitter, twisted part of Simon hoped he was dead. “I need to stay with Orion. He’s right, you know—someone is going to find the pieces, and it can’t be Celeste.”
“So you’re going to help him?” said Simon in a strangled voice.
“No. I’m going to help you.” She brushed a blade of grass from his cheek. “I was hoping you would be older. I never wanted to burden you now, not when you’re still so young, but we don’t have a choice anymore. You have to assemble the Predator, Simon. You’re the only one who will destroy it once it’s whole.”
“But you know where the pieces are,” he said, the words thick in his throat. “We can find them together—”
“As long as I’m with you, Orion will stop at nothing to hunt us both down. Do you understand?” She jutted a finger toward the flock. “Every bird in the country will be our enemy. No place will be safe, not even the Den with Malcolm. It will be war, and we will lose. But if I’m with him—if I distract him and keep him focused on finding the pieces before Celeste—he’ll never know you’re looking, Simon. Neither of them will.”
His eyes watered, and he stared at her, not believing what he was hearing. “You told me to come here and find you, Mom.”
“No, Simon. I told you where to find the reptiles’ piece.” She cupped his face. “I
know it’s difficult to accept, but destroying the Predator is my life’s work.”
“And you care more about some stupid weapon than being a family with me and Nolan?” Simon jerked back, and his mother dropped her hands. A dark, pained expression passed over her face.
“Yes. I care more about keeping you both alive and safe than being there to make you breakfast each morning.” She pressed her lips together, but her voice never wavered. “You know I’ve never been much of a mother, Simon. That life was stolen from us before you were even born. I was lucky, having as much time with you two as I did, but—” She blinked hard. “Darryl was your family, not me. And now Malcolm and Nolan are. I hope one day I’ll fit into that equation, but right now, while the pieces of the Predator are still out there, while Orion and Celeste are still after them—I have more important things to do than to be your mother.”
Simon watched her numbly, his entire body shaking. If his leg hadn’t been throbbing from his landing, and if he hadn’t been able to feel the dewy grass against his ankles, he would have guessed this was all a dream. A nightmare. But it was real. It was actually happening.
His mother wasn’t coming with him.
“I love you more than life itself. Never forget that,” she said as she slowly backed away. Her blue eyes glittered with tears, but Simon didn’t know what to believe anymore. “Find the pieces, Simon.”
She began to shift, and Simon lurched toward her, tripping over the dirt. “I can’t, Mom.”
“Yes, you can.” She rose into the air. “You have everything you need already.”
“But—”
“If you don’t, Orion or Celeste will. Now go, while the flock is distracted.”
“Mom—”
“Go.”
She flew beyond the borders of the resort, straight toward the flock. Over the edge of the fence, Simon could see Orion sitting up now, and hot betrayal snaked through him, burning him from the inside out.
His mother was choosing Orion over him. Simon didn’t care why—she was leaving him again, like she had done countless times before. No matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried, she always left him behind.
His vision blurred as he stumbled across the grass, and when he reached the nearest door, he grasped the handle like it was the only thing keeping him upright. Several members of the flock cried out, and wiping his eyes angrily, Simon squinted into the sky, which was only now beginning to lighten along the horizon. Orion shifted back into an eagle, and the flock formed a protective circle around him as they flew back toward the mountain, taking his mother with them.
No, they weren’t taking her anywhere. She was choosing to go. And with that fact weighing heavily on him, Simon shifted back into a golden eagle and flew up toward the balcony that opened to his and Jam’s suite. His mother wanted him to assemble and destroy the Predator—fine. He would do it, but not for her. He would do it for Nolan. He would do it to protect his brother, since he was practically all the family Simon had left.
Shaking off his grief and misery as much as he could, he forced himself to focus. His mother had insisted he had everything he needed to find the pieces, but what did he have? A notebook he’d already memorized, a pocket watch that didn’t work, the hundred and twenty-four postcards she’d sent—
Something sparked in Simon’s mind, and he landed on the balcony. It was crazy, but maybe, just maybe—
He knew how to find the reptiles’ piece.
The Alpha Returns
Simon dug through the pockets of his backpack, searching for the stack of postcards. They were right where he’d left them, wrapped in a rubber band and sorted by date, and he quickly flipped through the familiar pictures.
His mother had said the reptiles’ piece of the weapon had been moved in March, four years ago. He knew that was a lie, but it must have meant something. Four years ago, he had been in third grade. His mother had visited him twice that year: once on Christmas Eve and once on his birthday. But she had sent postcards every month, the same way she had since he was two.
As soon as he spotted the picture, he knew he had found the right one. A snake with red, black, and white bands hissed on the postcard, and on the back, below the date, his mother had written in her familiar handwriting:
The Kingsnake is, as its name suggests, the king of all snakes. Immune to its venomous cousins, it is feared among its kind for eating other snakes, lizards, and birds.
That was all she had written that month—not even a “Love, Mom.” But it was all the information Simon needed.
The piece was in the room with the Kingsnake statue.
“Jam.” He dashed into the bedroom. “Jam, wake up.”
He turned on the lights and froze. The bed looked slept in, with the sheets wrinkled and an indent on the pillow, but Jam wasn’t there.
“Jam?” Simon darted through the rest of the suite and checked the bathroom. It was empty. “Jam!”
A soft knock sounded on the door, startling Simon. He rushed to unlock it. “Jam, where have you—”
He stopped. Winter stood on the other side, dressed in designer clothes with her hair freshly washed. A new purse hung from her shoulder, but despite her expensive accessories, there were dark blotches under her eyes, and she looked like she’d slept even less than Simon.
“I thought I heard you,” she said, pushing past him and closing the door. “Where have you been?”
“I—” Simon tried to find the words to explain, but he could barely admit to himself that his mother had abandoned him again, let alone Winter. “Where’s Jam?”
“Rivera came to check on you after the council meeting finished late last night,” she said. “When he found out you were missing, he was furious. He took Jam and Ariana somewhere—I think he wanted to interrogate them.”
The room began to spin. Simon didn’t want to think about what Rivera might do to get the truth out of his friends. “Where are they?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “He didn’t tell me.”
“Can you ask him?”
“I would, but he’s been gone all night.”
Simon reached for the door. “I need to find them.”
Winter stepped in front of him, blocking his way. “The guards are out there, remember?”
“Then I’ll use the back door,” he said, heading toward the balcony instead. Winter hurried after him.
“Simon—”
“What?” He whirled around. “What do you want me to do, Winter? I’m not leaving them.” Not like his mother had left him. “Celeste is on her way. We don’t have time to wait around for Malcolm to get here, and I’m not letting the council hurt my friends.”
Winter rolled her eyes. “I was just going to say good luck.”
The bubble of anger inside him deflated. “Oh. Thanks. Don’t tell anyone I was here, okay?”
“Like I was going to.”
Winter held the balcony door open as Simon shifted into a golden eagle and took flight. It was growing lighter out now, and he soared around the edge of the hotel until he spotted the secret Animalgam entrance. Landing in the bushes, he shifted back and crawled out from the foliage, nudging the button toward the ground with the toe of his shoe.
The door opened, and he hurried inside. The Animalgam lobby was all but empty, save for a woman behind the front desk. “Excuse me,” she called. “Excuse me, you shouldn’t be in here.”
“You’re right—I need to be in there,” said Simon, and he raced past the elevators toward the heated room that housed the pit of serpents. The woman shouted after him, apparently unwilling to leave her post, but he kept going, only skidding to a stop after he’d crossed the glass bridge and reached the statue of the Kingsnake. The thought of being so close to the piece and passing right by made him curse with frustration, but he would figure out a way to get it as soon as his friends were safe.
The door to the council room was closed, and Simon sneaked up to it, pressing his ear against the crack. The low murmur of voices
filtered through, and he gripped the handle, trying to make out what they were saying.
“. . . at this for hours,” rumbled a familiar voice. Crocker, the council member with the cane. “Have the guards check again. If he isn’t back by now, Orion must have him.”
“I will not accept that,” said Rivera sharply, and Simon pictured his pinched face. “The Alpha is nearly here, and she is expecting us to protect the boy.”
“What would you like for us to do? Go to the mountain and fetch him?”
“If we must.”
“Your Honors!” Ronnie the bearded dragon’s voice sounded from nearby. “The flock is here—several of our lookouts spotted Orion himself flying nearby.”
A murmur ran through the room. “Return the children to the snake pit immediately,” said Rivera.
“That’s hardly necessary,” said Crocker. “They’ll be secure in their rooms.”
“I am not taking any more chances,” said Rivera. “The snake pit. Now.”
Footsteps sounded on the other side of the door, and fast as he could, Simon darted behind the massive Kingsnake. It was just in time, too—the guards Simon recognized from the night before, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, marched an exhausted-looking Ariana and Jam into the statue room. They stopped beside the moat of vipers and cobras, however, and while one guard held on to Ariana and Jam, the other pulled the glass bridge up.
“In you go,” said the shorter of the two. “Make way—and stop your snapping. They’re not food. Move your tails, too. Don’t want to get stepped on, do you?”
Ariana paled, but she bravely led Jam underneath the platform. The guards set the bridge back in place, and Simon waited until they returned to the council’s chambers before he moved to the edge of the moat. “Ariana? Jam? Can you hear me?”
A cobra rose up threateningly, spreading its hood as a tangle of other serpents slid beneath it. “Not an inch closer, or I’ll have you for breakfast, boy,” it said in a thick accent.