Hoyt stepped forward out of the crowd.
“My team is ready,” Hoyt said proudly. “Just say the word.”
“I like your determination,” Trey said. “But all the same, I think we had better check the score, don’t you think?”
Trey held out his fist and revealed a round ball in his palm. He tapped the top with his free hand, and a holographic image of the Main Leaderboard appeared in the air. Tiny blue balls of flame appeared in columns above the team names, one team at a time.
Ecco had twelve fireballs.
Team Fury had fourteen fireballs.
Terra and Sapphire were deadlocked at sixteen.
Argon had eighteen fireballs.
Finally, Hydra’s score appeared. They had thirty-seven fireballs.
The Main Chamber burst into chatter.
“How is that possible?” Albert whispered to Leroy.
For the first time ever, Leroy didn’t have an answer. He just took off his glasses and cleaned the lenses on his shirt, like maybe he was seeing the scoreboard wrong.
“There’s no way we’ve earned so many points,” Birdie said, shaking her head. “No way at all.”
She was right; Albert had to agree. They hadn’t even competed in the Pit that many times. Sure, they’d been practicing at night, but those scores weren’t counted. . . .
Were they?
“They cheated!” Hoyt yelled above the din. The crowd gasped. He turned to Hydra and gave them all a pointed glare. “And besides, we’re way better than them!”
“Enough, Hoyt!” Trey silenced him. Then he turned to Albert, Leroy, and Birdie. “Curious, wouldn’t you say, that you’ve come so far ahead of Team Argon? You’ve competed twenty-eight times in the Pit. How is it that you’ve gained thirty-seven wins?”
A silence fell over the proceedings, and then someone stepped forward from the crowd.
“Professors?”
Albert turned. It was Slink, and his face was white like a sheet of paper.
“Hydra’s been practicing at night. I’ve seen them sneaking out.”
“Hydra, is this true?” Trey spun around to face the three of them, but looked straight at Albert, his expression registering somewhere between admiration and disappointment.
“Well, yes, but . . . ,” Albert began.
“Sir, I’ve also read all one thousand seven hundred and eighty-six pages of the Core Code.” Slink stepped out of the crowd. “It never states that a team cannot practice during their free time.”
The crowd gasped again. Hoyt gave Slink a nasty look. Albert gave him a nod of thanks. Slink sure was full of surprises.
Hoyt shouted out complaints. “But they snuck out! They should be expelled!”
But Professor Bigglesby spoke, cutting him off.
“The leaderboard rules above all. It is decided that Hydra will enter the Calderon Realm in search of the First Unit.”
Everyone clapped and cheered for Hydra, thrilled to see the underdogs getting their day. A first-level training team was going to enter the Calderon Realm.
“We’re really going in?” Birdie asked Trey.
“Yeah, you’re really going in.”
“I don’t feel so good,” Leroy said, clutching his stomach.
Albert wrapped his hand around his Tile and closed his eyes.
Please, he thought. Help us find Grey and Aria.
And help me find my dad.
CHAPTER 20
Entering the Realm
Trey spent the next thirty minutes briefing Albert, Leroy, and Birdie on the Calderon Realm. They holed up in Professor Flynn’s office, poring over maps, reviewing what Professor Flynn had started to teach them that day the alarm bell went off. The last time I really saw my dad, Albert thought. His absence now was like a big, black hole in the pit of Albert’s stomach. He had to find him. And soon.
Trey told them how after they passed through the entrance tunnel to the Realm, they’d go through the Ring of Entry, and then the Ring of Gold, where they would be followed by things they didn’t want to encounter—they shouldn’t turn back once they began crossing.
“You’ll want to keep a good pace, too,” Trey said, “and don’t jump—there are many things that could fly overhead. All of them are sharp clawed and good at grabbing jumping Balance Keepers.”
“Who signed me up for this?” Leroy asked, his voice suddenly trembling. “And can I unsign?”
“It’s going to be fine, Leroy. Stop making a scene,” Birdie said. But even she looked terrified.
Albert patted Leroy on the back and gave him a look that said: We got this, bro. Settle down.
Trey continued. “When you clear the Ring of Gold you will come upon the Forest of Thorns. There you will find the biggest, blackest, oldest tree in Calderon: the Tree of Cinder. Hissengores are known to sleep there—real Hissengores that will kill you, not just knock you out with their bad breath—so beware.”
“Kill us?” Leroy gasped.
“Leroy, you’re freaking me out! Stop it,” Birdie said, but she grabbed his hand anyway, and squeezed it tight.
Trey went on, showing no sympathy about the anxiety he was creating. “Beyond the Tree of Cinder, there are dangers of every kind, including some we probably don’t know about. It’s likely the First Unit is trapped or lost somewhere beyond this point.”
“So our mission is to get through the two Rings and the Forest of Thorns, and find Professor Flynn and the First Unit,” Leroy said, checking things off on his fingers. He seemed a little less anxious now that he had a to-do list.
“Yes,” Trey said, “but that’s only part of it. Ideally, you’ll find the Hissengore eggs and restore Balance to Calderon, too.”
“But even Grey and Aria haven’t been able to do that!” Birdie said. “Professor Flynn hasn’t been able to do that. It’s the whole reason Terran left!”
“And the Hissengore eggs might not even exist!” Leroy said, shaking his head.
“Terran left because she lost her courage,” Trey replied to Birdie. He turned to Leroy. “You three must have faith—the Realm always provides the Means.” Now he turned to Albert, too. “And you three are some of the most talented Balance Keepers I’ve seen yet.”
“Why can’t you come with us?” Albert asked. Birdie and Leroy nodded.
Trey smiled sadly. “An Apprentice is bound to the Core. If I could go with you, I would, but I have to stay here and care for the others. You have no choice but to enter the Realm. The entire world above is counting on you three.”
The weight of Trey’s words hit Albert in the gut like a semitruck.
All his life, his parents were there to protect him. Now the tables were turned, and it was up to Albert to save them all.
“What if we screw up?” Albert asked. “What if we don’t make it out of there?”
Trey swallowed, hard. “If you do not discover Professor Flynn and the First Unit, and restore Balance, the destruction above will spread past New York, and fast. This must be contained at once.”
“What if we get lost?” Leroy exclaimed.
“With your Synapse Tile, Leroy, I doubt you will allow your team to get lost.” He looked pointedly at Albert for a moment before he spoke again.
“Professor Flynn needs you. Grey and Aria need you. Whatever the circumstance, whatever you run into inside of Calderon, the three of you must be brave.”
Trey turned back to the maps. He handed them to Leroy. “This is your time to shine, Leroy. You are more talented than you know.”
Leroy gulped, but he nodded. Albert gave him an encouraging pat on the back. Leroy and Birdie both looked as scared as Albert felt. He smiled at them. “We’ve worked hard, you guys. We’re ready.” He hoped they believed his words. He hoped he believed his words.
Ten minutes later, Hydra returned to the Main Chamber, where everyone from the Core waited. Even Argon was there, Hoyt and Slink separated by Mo in the middle.
“Don’t get knocked out by King Fireflies, Hydra,” Hoyt said
, a half sneer on his face. “But if you do, I mean, that’s cool with me.”
“Shove off, Hoyt,” Jack ordered, from the back of the group. “In case you haven’t heard, Hydra earned this shot.”
Hoyt rolled his eyes. “When these three fail, it’s going to be up to me and my team to clean up their mess.”
“Ignore him,” Albert whispered to Leroy. “He’s just trying to rattle us.” Albert stood up tall and took in the scene.
The Professors were lined up near the river to Calderon, and behind them, all the students and workers stood waiting. Even the companion creatures had come. There were bright-colored birds soaring around the massive chandelier, a pink monkey swinging from one of the pipes, and a lizard with two heads and four orange eyes blinking at Albert, Leroy, and Birdie.
Albert felt his stomach turn a somersault as they walked up to the entrance to Calderon. The huge door was like an impenetrable wall that stood between them and what Albert knew would be the biggest adventure of their young lives. Professor Bigglesby approached Hydra, a silver box cradled in his hands.
“This is for you,” he said, holding the box out. “I hope you won’t have to use it.”
Albert took the box and lifted the lid. A dagger lay inside, glowing like a pale star. When Albert closed his fingers around the hilt, the dagger lit up a bright green. It felt as if the weapon was alive in his hand.
“The blade was forged in a powerful poison,” Professor Asante said, handing Albert a leather sheath. “It won’t kill any creatures you encounter, but it will paralyze them for a short time. Don’t let it touch your skin. You’ll be sorry if you do.”
Albert carefully holstered the blade into the leather sheath. “I think you should keep it, Leroy,” he said. “So you can fight off whatever comes your way. You’ve always wanted to be a ninja. Now’s your chance.”
Leroy nodded gratefully, then tucked the sheath into his boot and stood at attention.
“Are you three ready?” Trey asked. “Remember what you’ve learned?”
“Don’t die,” Leroy said.
“Keep our wits about us,” Birdie added.
“And find my dad,” Albert said.
Trey looked worried. He leaned in and lowered his voice.
“Remember, the entire world is counting on you three. Find the First Unit and the Professor, and restore Balance. If you don’t come back in six hours, I’ll send in Team Argon.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Leroy said.
The river in front of Albert’s, Birdie’s, and Leroy’s feet began to swirl like a whirlpool and the water started to bubble and steam. A wave rose up, rushing toward the door to Calderon. It crashed against the old wood with a loud whoosh! Albert ducked, thinking the water was going to drench everyone around the door. But instead, the water was sucked into a wide hole that had appeared near the bottom of the door. When the rush of water subsided, the hole in the door remained.
On the other side was nothing but deep, dark emptiness.
“Bravery is a Balance Keeper’s greatest attribute,” Trey said, placing a hand on Albert’s shoulder. He looked at Leroy and nodded, then to Birdie, and gave her a faint smile. Albert realized Trey thought he might never see the trio again. The very thought gave Albert chills down to his toes.
Birdie grabbed Albert’s hand, then Leroy’s. Farnsworth scurried through the crowd and let out a good-bye howl. His eyes shone like blue fire on their backs.
Trey looked at the timepiece on his wrist.
“Your six hours begins now. Make the most of it.”
Albert looked at the hole in the giant door and thought of what Trey had said: first the Ring of Entry, then the Ring of Gold.
Albert squeezed Leroy’s and Birdie’s hands, and together, Hydra stepped through the hole in the door and entered Calderon for the very first time.
It didn’t take long for them to realize the water had traveled down a twisting, turning tunnel that got darker as it went. After a few tentative steps inside, they went more boldly, touching the slick walls as they put one foot in front of the other. Behind them, they could hear the hole in the door where they’d entered begin to close up, the walls caving in from the top, and turned to look. When little more than a shaft of light was left of the outside world, they saw Farnsworth’s eyes flash to life. The dog jumped through the small opening that remained in the nick of time, and arrived at their sides with his bright blue eyes shining upward.
“You’re staying with me,” Albert said, kneeling down and hugging Farnsworth to his side. “Don’t go wandering off like you did in the forest outside of Herman, little guy. This place isn’t safe like it is there.”
They continued on. As they walked, Albert could feel Birdie and Leroy both shivering on either side of him—the air around them was freezing, like a snowy New York night.
“When will it end?” Birdie asked through chattering teeth as they turned this way and that, unable to see more than a few feet ahead. Even Farnsworth’s lighted vision seemed to evaporate into the dense darkness of the tunnel walls.
“I’m pretending like I’m eating a big bowl of Fruity Pebbles right now,” Leroy said. “Everything is cool. We’re not in a narrow, dark, creepy tunnel that might turn out to be the way into a monster’s stomach. I’m just chowing down on sweet cereal. I’m good.”
“Just keep walking,” Albert said. “It’s got to end sometime.”
The air started to get warmer, and soon, Albert was wiping sweat from his brow. His Hydra shirt was sticking to him like wet paper.
“We’re close,” Birdie said. “I can feel it!”
The darkness began to clear, first to a deep gray, then to a color as pale as ash. The walls of the tunnel seemed to fall away, leaving a gray hue that went on and on like a stormy sky.
They had emerged into a charred clearing, where trees had been burned away. Ash floated through the air, falling across Albert’s shoulders like snow.
“You guys,” Albert said, taking in the sight. “We’re standing in Calderon.”
Beyond the burned-out trees, in a wide circle, was a lush jungle. The paintings back in Professor Flynn’s office had been so green and bright that Albert had expected Calderon to be . . . well, not like this. With all the ash, the colors were muted and dampened, as if the world had begun to wither away.
Despite all of that, Calderon was still wildly beautiful.
Vines crisscrossed their way through the trees. Neon butterflies the size of birds flitted back and forth in the canopies. A Hexabon monkey lounged on a low tree branch, its hairy belly no doubt full from the fresh bananas that hung overhead. The creature dropped a peel to the ground and burped loudly, looking down at the gaggle of three intruders and their dog as if to say: What are you lookin’ at?
“Over there, you guys,” Albert said, wiping ash from his brow. He pointed beyond the jungle, in the far distance. “Calderon Peak.”
It was incredibly narrow and tall, twisting high up into an ash-filled “sky.” It was more the color of a sheet of metal than the blue, cloud-spotted skies they were used to on the surface. Light appeared to be coming from everywhere and nowhere at once, leaking in from openings in the distant ceiling of stone.
“I wonder if the light comes from the surface or somewhere else?” Leroy asked out loud. He was terribly curious about everything he saw, but they were on the most important mission of their lives. Studying the wonders of the Calderon Realm would have to wait.
“The Peak is a lot taller in here than it was in the Pit,” Birdie observed nervously.
“Yeah, this place is way bigger than I imagined.” Albert nodded.
“And dangerous,” Leroy groaned. He pointed his long, skinny arm into the sky. There at the very top, high above the ash and the twisting spiral of the mountain, was an angry, whirling mass of gray.
“New York must be up there. This is bad, dudes,” Albert said.
“I’m not a dude,” Birdie said. “We should get moving. Six hours isn’
t much time. It looks like it will take us at least that long just to climb the mountain, assuming we find the Means to Restore Balance before that.”
“Oh!” Albert said, and reached into his pocket, pulling out a piece of folded paper. “I almost forgot. Petra gave me this. I asked him to do some research on the silver eggs while he was on cleaning duty in the restricted area.”
“Albert,” Leroy said, “that was an excellent idea. How come you didn’t tell us before?”
“I didn’t want to get your hopes up,” Albert replied. “And I still don’t. I haven’t read this myself.”
The three of them gathered around the note.
It looked like Petra had copied out a section from the journal of a Balance Keeper named Roderick Heckleson from 1597:
“. . . the shining orbs were found in the Forest of Thorns and retrieved after a great toiling . . .”
Beneath that, Petra had written,
Shining orbs = silver eggs?
“Sounds good to me,” Birdie said. They kept reading.
From the same journal, dated 1599:
“. . . saddens me that the Forest of Thorns has burned to the ground . . .”
Petra had written,
So no more eggs?
“See,” Albert said, “I didn’t want to get your hopes up. If the silver orbs were the eggs, they wouldn’t have survived this fire anyway. I guess we’re back to square one.”
“Hold on, Albert,” Birdie replied, “Leroy’s up to something.”
They turned to Leroy, who had a look of intense concentration on his face. After a moment, he nodded to himself and looked up at them.
“Whatcha got, Leroy?” Albert said.
“The silver eggs are in the Tree of Cinder.” Leroy smiled.
“But Petra says the Forest burned to the ground,” Birdie said.
“It did,” Leroy replied. Albert suddenly saw a spark back in Leroy’s eyes that he hadn’t seen since Leroy was forced to stop playing Tiles. “But Trey said the Tree of Cinder was the biggest, oldest, blackest tree in the whole forest. Black because it’s been burned, and oldest because it survived while new trees grew up all around it. It’s likely the Hissengores made their nests in the tree, because it was the only safe, established place at the time.”