Leven quickly knelt down. He pushed both his palms into the circle of water and let the liquid pull him in. The shallow spill made the act of diving in a bit more painful. Leven could feel the floor of the room scraping against his stomach as he was dragged all the way into the spill.
Once under the water, Leven flew again. This time, however, he flew much lower and quicker across the ground. He twisted his body to dodge trees and buildings and anything over ten feet tall. Then, as if a giant fist were closing around him, he felt his lungs and body collapse. His breath was gone, and his eyes felt like they were going to jump out of their sockets. Two seconds later he was thrown to the ground ten feet away from where he had once been trying to fall asleep.
Leven caught his breath and sat up. He patted down his arms and felt his head to make sure it was still connected. Confident that he was whole, he crawled back into the tent and to his spot next to Geth. He thought about waking the others up and telling them what had happened, but he was now so tired that all he wanted was sleep. As he closed his eyes, he could hear Clover.
“Where were you?” Clover whispered.
“I’ll tell you in the morning,” Leven answered.
“Oh, I get it,” Clover said. “Wow, that was a long bathroom trip.”
“It wasn’t . . .”
“I might have some leaves you can chew that will settle your stomach.”
“I’m fine, really.”
Clover patted Leven on the shoulder. “You’ve had a huge day.”
“I’ve had a huge month,” Leven added. “Hey, are there any important trees here in Foo?”
“I think all trees are important,” Clover answered. “Imagine the view without them.”
“I mean, is there any one single tree in Foo that stands out?”
“They talk about the oldest tree sometimes,” Clover answered.
“They?”
“I mean, I was taught about it in school.” Clover yawned. “I don’t think very many people have ever seen it or are allowed to go near.”
“Where is it?” Leven asked.
“The island of Alder,” Clover replied.
Leven’s stomach lurched and popped.
“You sure you don’t want those leaves?” Clover asked.
“No, thanks, I’m fine, really.”
Clover let it go, and Leven finally found a bit of sleep that would be disrupted well before sunrise.
Chapter Three
Allergic Reaction
Careful, you knob!” Ezra barked. “Just because I have the power to turn you into a pile of green dust doesn’t mean my head’s not sensitive.”
Dennis carefully untangled the small snag in Ezra’s purple tassel and gently set the toothpick down on top of the stove.
Ezra shook his sensitive head and growled. “What kind of world is this that I have to depend on anyone besides myself?”
“It’s a crazy planet,” Dennis laughed.
Dennis stood up tall and stretched his back like a lanky cat. He was wearing his wrinkle-free pants and white, stain-resistant shirt. But on top of those he had on the purple robe that had once belonged to Antsel. The robe was burnt in spots and torn at the hem, but it still looked regal and otherworldly.
Dennis sat down on the small couch in the large RV that the U.S. government had provided for Ezra and him. There were two beds at the far end, a big bathroom, and a medium-sized kitchen that was connected to a nice, spacious section just for hanging out. It was in that hang-out area that Dennis and Ezra were now relaxing.
“Nervous?” Dennis asked.
“About what?” Ezra argued.
“Things are happening,” Dennis said blandly.
“What a brilliant observation,” Ezra mocked. “And just to be clear, I’ve never been nervous in my life. I’ve been angry, mad, confused, and out for blood, but I’m not the nervous type.”
A fly trapped in the RV began to smack up against one of the windows, trying to get out. Ezra reached out as if to help, and a tiny string of green energy shot from his hand and zapped the fly. The poor thing shook and then fell down on top of the stove.
Ezra smiled as he stood over his catch. “Do you want a wing?”
Dennis looked closely at Ezra. The thin toothpick began tearing off the wings of the dead fly. Ezra’s purple tassel wriggled as he blinked his single eye. His body was covered in green nail polish and his right leg had been torn off and replaced with a paper clip. Ezra was an extraordinary toothpick, but one of his most impressive features was the fact that he now glowed slightly. Ever since he had taken a dip in a barrel of something that had been hidden in a military bunker outside of Albuquerque, he was illuminating. The dip into the goo had not only made Ezra glow, it had given him strong and fantastic powers.
Dennis rubbed his forehead with his right hand.
“Something changing?” Ezra asked.
“I’m not sure.”
Ezra dropped the dead fly’s wings and leapt up and off the stove. He landed on top of Dennis’s head. “Oh yeah, something’s happening.”
The small traces of Sabine that still remained existed only in the form of words that moved across Dennis’s bald head. What was left of Sabine seemed to be able to communicate with the Dearth and spell things out for Ezra to read.
The information had been invaluable.
Ezra and Dennis had used the knowledge to impress people and convince the authorities that not only were they needed but they alone were in the know.
“What’s it say?” Dennis asked.
“The exit is about to be opened.”
“And?”
“And the world will never be the same again.”
“That sounds ominous,” Dennis said.
“I don’t care about religion,” Ezra said. “I just want to get my hands on Geth.”
“And once you do?”
“I will make him suffer for every ounce of confusion and hurt I have ever had to experience,” Ezra cackled. “And I might break a few of his bones.”
“What about me?” Dennis asked. “What’s my role?”
Ezra slapped his forehead. “Do I have to think of everything?”
“I’m not used to thinking,” Dennis admitted honestly, his head still hurting due to the influence of Sabine. “But it seems to me that we might be in over our heads.”
“Quiet,” Ezra demanded.
“I mean, when thousands of people come through that entrance, what makes you think they’ll listen to us?”
“Shut up,” Ezra screamed.
“We don’t even know who’s coming.”
“I know you saved my life and I promised not to hurt you, but I have my limits,” Ezra yelled. “Now be quiet.”
“But the Dearth might kill us all.”
Ezra shook. “Do you want this to be your last day alive?”
“That’s what I’m saying,” Dennis said, standing up.
“No, I’m talking about me killing you.”
“You wouldn’t,” Dennis said boldly, and he threw open the curtains. “You owe me, and I’m just saying that you have no guarantee that the Dearth won’t just clean his teeth with you. Look at all those people out there.”
Ezra hopped up on the windowsill and looked out at the thousands of soldiers and tanks all gathered around Blue Hole Lake. “What about them?”
“Most are holding weapons and anxious to use them,” Dennis said. “And you might be able to kill flies, but I’m not sure even you could hold back all those soldiers.”
Ezra looked at Dennis and began to tremble and shake. His single eye blinked rapidly as the tassel on his head whirled and fluttered.
Dennis stepped backwards.
Ezra leaned his pointy little head back as he shook. Then, with one amazing yelp, he sneezed. Dennis flew across the RV and into the couch as all four sides popped out and the roof shot up twenty feet. The sides fell away and the roof ended up two hundred yards to the west on top of a military mess tent. All that was left was the base of the RV, along w
ith the stove and couch.
Soldiers came rushing over by the hundreds to see what had happened as Dennis climbed up onto the couch and then to his feet.
He looked down at Ezra.
“That was me sneezing,” Ezra said. “You wanna see me belch?”
Dennis picked up the smiling toothpick and put him behind his ear as soldiers helped them down.
“To answer your question,” Ezra said. “Your role is to carry me around and act like the second most important person in the room. Clear?”
Dennis nodded carefully so as to not send Ezra flying.
Chapter Four
When It Comes to the Subject of Tim
It was the foggy moment between solid sleep and an approaching morning. The night, still dark, was thinning around the edges as a grey, soapy film washed over it. Those with any sense were still asleep, while those awake were either filled with worry or up to no good.
Winter was awake, and she was filled with worry.
She stormed in from the other tent and kicked the bottom of Leven’s right foot as he slept. “Where’s Tim?”
Leven turned over and sat up quickly. He rubbed his brown eyes, and instantly they began to glow gold. He looked at Winter and smiled as if she were a dream he couldn’t fully remember.
“What are you smiling about?” Winter said, blushing. She picked up Leven’s robe from the stony ground and threw it at him. “Tim and Azure and Janet—they’re not in our tent anymore.”
Leven stood up and quickly put the robe on. “Geth!”
Geth lifted his head up and looked around in confusion.
“Tim’s gone,” Leven told him, his voice filled with authority. “And so are Azure and Janet.”
“Why?” Geth asked casually. “Did someone take them?”
“I don’t think so,” Winter answered. “I was sleeping right next to them.”
Geth lit a small candle. The candle flickered to life, the tiny flames whining about being awakened.
“I know Tim wanted to get to his family,” Leven said. “Maybe he thought we would stop him, so he left. How far do you think they might’ve gotten?” he asked Geth.
“It depends on when they left,” Geth answered.
“They left about an hour ago,” Clover said, materializing.
“You heard them?” Leven asked.
“Yeah, it was just after you came back.”
“You went somewhere?” Winter asked Leven.
Leven shrugged. “That’s not important; we should find Tim.”
“I would have mentioned them leaving,” Clover said. “But Tim was pretty insistent about me staying quiet. He said they were taking Azure because he promised to show them the way.”
“So you saw them go?” Winter asked incredulously.
“I was writing in my dream journal,” Clover said defensively.
“At two in the morning?” Leven asked. “Why didn’t you tell us they had left?”
“I had an interesting dream,” Clover insisted. “What does it mean when you dream about barns?”
Leven and Winter just stared at him.
“Besides,” Clover went on, “Tim told me to keep it quiet.”
“Since when have you done what you were told?” Winter asked.
“They didn’t belong here anyhow,” Clover argued. “It’s always been us four . . .”
“Stop it,” Leven said. “Tim can’t be too far, not with Azure’s condition.”
“And he’s going the same place we are,” Geth pointed out. “There’s absolutely no reason for any of us to worry about the fact that he got a jump on us.”
“Tim’s going to Oklahoma?” Winter asked in disbelief.
“Well, Reality,” Geth answered. “Besides, there’s no need to worry. Either Leven stops what’s happening to all of us, or this chapter of Foo and Reality closes for good.”
Winter was about to speak, but she stopped and held her finger to her lips. “Do you hear that?” she asked softly.
Clover materialized on Winter’s left shoulder. His leafy ears twitched as he opened them wide.
“Hear what?” Leven whispered.
Winter kept her index finger up to her pink lips as Geth noiselessly drew his kilve up from off of the ground.
The air was silent. The ground wobbled just a bit as the bulk of Foo continued to shift and change. Leven opened his mouth to speak, but before any words came out, the sound of scraping bones against stone could be heard softly outside of the tent.
“Maybe we should just get a couple more hours of sleep,” Geth pretended, moving quietly away from the side of the tent. “We have no way of catching Tim, and things will probably look better in the morning.”
The faint sound of something clicking against stone could be heard. Leven looked down and saw a single black, bony toe sliding below the hem of the tent.
Leven pointed toward the toe and looked around for his kilve. Winter, however, was approaching the problem weapon free. She twisted and hurled herself into the intruder.
The tent collapsed and several skeletons showered down on top of Leven and Geth. Winter pulled herself up over the tall one she had broken apart, and with a twist disconnected his skull from his bony neck. The head of the black skeleton screamed at her as it flew through the air.
For the record, it was not screaming nice things.
Geth produced his kilve and masterfully sliced through the tent. He then tore through two black skeletons, turning them into nothing but one big pile of dark bones.
“More over there!” Geth yelled.
Leven pushed the tent away and could see five more skeletons silhouetted by the bigger moon. They were about twenty feet up above them. They pounced and clattered down on Geth and Leven, banging sticks and tossing fistfuls of dirt into their eyes. The dirt stung Leven’s eyes, and as he wiped at them he could feel two skeletons brutally beating up against him with sticks. Leven looked at them, surprised to feel no wound from their blows. Then, as if it were the most natural thing he could do, he grabbed hold of both the sticks they were holding and forcefully shoved them back and into the ribs of the skeletons. Leven shook the sticks violently—bones and sinew snapped and popped as the skeletons rattled to death.
A skeleton bit Winter on the side of the neck. She wrapped her arm around it and threw it on the ground. She then stomped on it until it broke apart.
Leven just watched.
“Are you okay?” Winter asked.
Leven didn’t know what to think. There was fear inside of him, but it felt like an old, outdated emotion that he should get rid of—like a shirt long out of style. Fear didn’t seem to fit him any longer.
“I’m fine,” he replied.
A huge black skeleton with a gigantic rib cage and massive bones jumped out in front of Leven and swung his right arm, hitting Leven in the face. Leven stumbled back and the skeleton jumped forward, throwing Leven to the ground.
“You would choose for us all,” the skeleton seethed. “Who are you to decide our freedom?”
The skeleton threw his dark skull forward and cracked it up against Leven’s forehead. Leven jammed his right knee up, compressing the skeleton’s torso and ribs up into his neck. The skeleton screamed and rolled off of Leven, falling apart as he moved away.
“Nice,” Clover said from somewhere nearby.
Leven stood up and watched Geth wipe out the remaining two skeletons. Then Leven, Winter, and Geth stood with their backs to each other searching the dark morning for any sign of more assailants.
“Those skeletons aren’t much sturdier than the Eggmen,” Clover said, materializing on top of Leven. “They break up pretty easily.”
“So what was that about?” Leven asked, breathing hard.
“The Dearth hasn’t given up on you,” Geth said. “He will send who he can to destroy you before you can destroy him. And so many have been under his influence for so long that they know nothing but darkness.”
“Do you think there are more?” Winter asked
, her body shaking slightly from the fight.
“I don’t hear anything,” Geth answered.
It was completely silent.
“You know, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen any black skeletons alone,” Geth said excitedly.
“They weren’t alone,” Winter reminded him.
“I mean, they almost always travel with avalands,” Geth explained.
Now Leven smiled. He and Winter scurried across the stones and up over the rocky ridge from which the skeletons had just jumped down. Above the ridge, the largest moon lit the wide prairie like a giant sheet of glass. Not far from where they stood there were eight huge mounds of dirt.
Leven looked at Winter.
“It beats walking,” she smiled.
“I agree,” Geth added, standing by Leven’s side.
“Do I have a say in this?” an invisible Clover asked.
“No,” all three answered.
“Well, you still have a hand sticking to you,” Clover pointed out.
Leven looked down and saw the hand of a black skeleton clinging to the side of his robe. He pried the fingers open and tossed it away.
“Creepy,” Winter moaned.
Leven moved quickly, running across the prairie and directly toward the avalands. The beasts were as large as small hills and had stony, clifflike sides. Leven reached up and grabbed a small tree sticking out of the side of the biggest avaland. He pulled himself up as if doing a chin-up and then twisted his legs to the side to help push himself onto the back of the beast.
The avaland’s large, stony eyes opened. It breathed in through its cavelike nostrils and then breathed out, dusting half the prairie.
“Come on,” Leven said, reaching down to Winter.
She grabbed hold of the protruding tree just as the avaland stood. Winter’s hands slipped, but she was able to flip one leg over the tree and shove herself up. Leven pulled her close to him and smiled.
“Remember the first time we rode one of these?”
“I think I was passed out,” Winter said.
“Well, then, this ride should be better,” Leven said, smiling. “Ready?”
“Of course,” Winter replied, and she held onto Leven tightly.