Grey and Professor Flynn glanced nervously at each other.
“There’s something else,” Grey said, shaking his head. He looked terrified beyond words. The confidence Albert had just found left as quickly as it had come.
“What? What is it?” Albert asked.
It was Professor Flynn that told him. “A treacherous monster called the Hendeca swims in the Sea Inspire. Birdie has just entered its domain.”
“What?” Leroy jumped up, too. “We didn’t read about any creature in our research at the Library. I’d definitely remember that.”
“It’s been asleep for centuries,” Professor Flynn explained, “for so long that Balance Keepers stopped thinking of it as a threat. But it seems this Imbalance has awakened it. We wouldn’t believe it either, but Grey and I saw its tentacles break the surface this morning.”
“That’s it,” Albert said. “I’m going in, too.”
“I can’t let you do that, Albert,” Professor Flynn said. “You’d never make it out alive.”
“Actually, Dad, I will,” Albert said. “I have the Master Tile, and I’ve figured out how to use it.”
His dad shook his head sadly. “Whatever you’ve heard about that Tile, don’t believe it.”
“I can’t explain how it works right now, Dad,” Albert said. “But you have to trust me. Whatever you think you know about the Master Tile, it’s probably wrong. I”—Albert looked at Leroy—“we unlocked its powers, and now I’m going to use it to save my friend.”
Professor Flynn started to say something, but Albert closed his eyes and the symbol on his Master Tile began to change. Professor Flynn watched in amazement, speechless at what he was seeing.
Then Albert turned, ignoring the cries of his dad and Grey, and dove off the pillar, toward the Sea Inspire and the monster Hendeca.
CHAPTER 23
Eleven Arms of Hendeca
The first thing Albert noticed after passing through the orange goo was that his body felt as light as a cloud. He opened his mouth and blew bubbles, and he found, amazingly, that he didn’t feel like he needed to breathe. Even though he’d done this before, the feeling was still strange.
Albert looked up at the surface overhead. It was covered in orange goo in every direction. The Sea Inspire had protected him from burns as he dove in . . . but getting out would be a different story.
I’ve really done it this time, Albert thought to himself. I’m trapped down here until I heal the Sea. I hope I can do this.
But then he thought of why he’d come down here in the first place. He had to find Birdie and get her out of here, quick. I hope the Hendeca hasn’t found her first.
He swam a circle around the stone column that rose through the middle of the Sea. It ended far above, where his dad and friends were trapped. The water itself was warm up here, but as Albert dove deeper, it cooled and took on a richer shade of blue. It was a wide, deep space, and what light there was came from four holes in the depths. He swam deeper and felt the cool water turn icy on his skin.
This must be the place, Albert thought as he arrived twenty or so feet in front of an opening large enough to walk through. He turned and spotted three more such holes on the same level, scattered around the stone walls of the deep.
The water was murky, but Albert still turned in a circle to see if he could spot Birdie. Still, every way he turned, Birdie was nowhere to be found. Neither was the Hendeca.
Albert swam nearer to one of the holes. The water here was stagnant and warm, almost like it was feverish. The closer he got to the holes, the warmer the water became.
He moved off to the side and slowly swam closer still. The light that emerged from the hole was swirly and sickly green, as if the depths of the hole were full of gunk.
Suddenly, Albert saw something that made his heart freeze like a block of ice.
On the bottom of the Sea Inspire, glowing far below him, sat the four silver eggs.
Had the Hendeca taken Birdie? Where was she?
Albert swam down, fast as a dolphin, and grabbed the eggs. He took the first of the four eggs and felt its warmth in his palm. Its light was even brighter down so deep, and holding it out, Albert could see all the way across the Sea Inspire. Something big was moving slowly in the faraway shadows.
That has to be the Hendeca.
The goo on the surface was growing brighter, shining light down onto Albert. He had to go after the monster . . . but the entire world depended on Albert right now.
Have faith in Birdie. She’s smart. She’ll be okay until I find her. Restore the Balance first. Albert turned back to his work, slamming the silver egg into the rock wall. The egg began to leak silvery fluid that looked like flowing mercury. The contents of the egg emptied out into the tunnel as if they knew where they were going. Albert let the eggshell go and it vanished into the hole, too.
Albert took the precaution of moving farther to the side of the hole, just in case something did change, and it was lucky he did. Light began to radiate from the tunnel, shedding a wide band of brightness across the water. A current began flowing, increasing tenfold by the second. Even from his spot against the wall some thirty feet away, Albert felt he might be sucked in. The green color of the water was sucked away, too, and it faded to a calm, beautiful blue. He peered farther down below, in the deepest depths of the sea, and watched as a second hole of light appeared.
It’s flowing again. It’s working!
He felt the water grow colder still, rising up from his feet, and then he sprang into action. There wasn’t much time.
Albert made sure to stay along the wall, afraid to pass in front of the hole he’d just fixed. When he’d swam far enough along the curved stone, he was careful to swing wide and land on the opposite side of the next hole. That way, he could keep going around the outer edge until all the eggs were used, without passing in front of a current strong enough to suck him into oblivion. As he approached the second tunnel, he glanced toward the stone pillar and saw giant shadows swirling once more.
Finish the mission, Albert, and fast!
Albert made quick business of the tasks at the second hole, and when he was done, the Sea Inspire became lighter still. It was then that he saw what had been hidden in shadow before.
An eleven-tentacled squid of massive proportions was slowly moving toward him. It was black as night, like an endless oil slick moving across the sea. What I wouldn’t give for this to all be a very bad dream right now.
Albert reached down and untied the laces on his boots, kicking them off so he could swim faster, and raced for the next hole. The giant Hendeca that shared his space wasn’t the only thing Albert saw. As the water became even colder, he saw millions of silver fish swimming up from far below, released from some prison they’d been held captive inside of. They almost looked like the sparkling lights in the Cave of Souls, rising up to meet him. The Hendeca shadowed Albert in the circle he was making around the Sea Inspire, but it stayed near the middle, obviously aware of the powerful current it might become ensnared in if it got too close to the outer wall.
When Albert completed the third healing, the silver fish had reached the level he was at, and he had a better idea of how deep the Sea was. The fish swam all around him. Some of them were sucked into the hole he was nearest to, only to reappear far below. It was so deep—miles, it seemed—and so bright and clear that Albert could see all the way to the bottom.
He made his way to the fourth tunnel, the final egg cradled in his arm like a football, his eyes trained on the Hendeca the whole time. He prepared to toss the egg in, but it slipped through his hands. Albert scrambled to grab hold of the egg and in that moment, took his eyes off the Hendeca.
Not a second later, the Hendeca’s eleven tentacles had surrounded him, pinning him to the wall. Its one huge eye peered down, blinking at Albert as it observed its prey. Albert felt his heart skip a beat. He twisted to find a way out.
That’s when Albert saw Birdie, wrapped up in one of the tentacles. She wa
s squirming, trying to fight her way out, but the Hendeca was the size of a two-story house.
“Birdie!” Albert screamed, but it just came out like a muddled groan underwater.
Her eyes met Albert’s. When she saw him, she looked shocked for a moment, but then she nodded her head once, as if to say:
Get the egg where it needs to go. Then you can help me.
Albert hit the final egg against the wall and watched its contents drizzle into the hole like silver honey. He felt a black tentacle surrounding him, wrapping around his waist, squeezing. Albert fought and kicked, but the squid was too strong. It pulled him away from the wall, looked at him once more with the giant eye, and drew Albert near. And then, with greater speed than he thought any creature could move in the water, the squid as big as a whale burst into action, its black body shimmering against the Sea.
It was carting them off toward a hole on the opposite side. Albert knew that he and Birdie only had seconds to get free.
We are your friends! Albert tried to call out, picturing his dad’s Creature Speak symbol, but the Hendeca didn’t make any noise. Please! Let us go!
The tentacle holding Birdie swung closer to the one holding Albert, so that they were side by side.
Birdie was trying to say something to Albert, but he couldn’t understand. She kept looking pointedly at Albert’s ankle.
The paralyzing dagger!
Albert stretched as best he could. The beast was almost to the entrance of one of the holes when Albert’s fingertips brushed the handle of the dagger.
He grabbed it, twisted it around, and stabbed it into the Hendeca’s tentacle.
Nothing happened. Albert pulled it out and saw that the Sea had washed the poison off. And the knife was so small compared to the Hendeca; the stab hadn’t even fazed it.
Albert began to panic. He ran through a mental list of Tile symbols, trying to settle on one that would help him save Birdie.
Finally, just before the Hendeca reached the cave, a symbol appeared in Albert’s mind.
It was one he hadn’t practiced yet; in fact, he thought it sounded pretty lame.
Sonar Speak.
Albert focused, hard, on the symbol’s shape, the way it looked like an open, toothless mouth, screaming. When he felt the strength inside of him, Albert opened his mouth and let out an incredibly loud and piercing sonar scream. The Hendeca began to quiver and shake.
The creature released Albert, but not Birdie. Birdie covered her ears and closed her eyes as Albert tried harder, screaming so loud that the silver fish all darted into holes and hid. Soon the Hendeca’s entire body started to quake. Albert didn’t know how much longer he could keep screaming—he felt his throat getting tired, and his mind growing weary. Finally, after one last tremor, the Hendeca released Birdie and darted off into the shadows.
Albert and Birdie locked hands and swam backward as fast as they could as they watched the Hendeca disappear into the hole, fading into the darkness.
Now what?
Birdie pointed at the floor of the Sea Inspire. Albert nodded, and they swam downward together.
As soon as their feet touched the sandy bottom, Birdie looked at Albert and pointed upward toward the surface, where they were happy to see that the goo had disappeared, cleared away by the now-flowing water.
Leap! Birdie mouthed, and luckily, Albert understood her.
Together, they bent their knees, pushed upward as hard as they could, and torpedo-swam all the way to the top.
As they shot through the surface, Jadar swooped down. They landed on his back, and the creature took them to the pillar of stone, where everyone stood waiting.
“Oh man!” Leroy cried out, pulling his friends into a hug as they slid from Jadar’s back. “You did it!”
Professor Flynn hugged Albert, too, and soon, Grey joined in. Albert was glad to see that Aria was awake, dizzy on her feet, but smiling nonetheless. Farnsworth barked and yipped around their ankles.
Birdie coughed up a little water and pulled away from the group hug. “Albert did it,” she said. “He saved me from a giant squid with eleven arms. It was bigger than a house. He used . . . I don’t know, sonar or something to scare the Hendeca away! Am I right, Albert?”
Albert nodded. He’d never call sonar lame again.
“No Balance Keeper has ever survived the Hendeca, Albert,” said Professor Flynn, “let alone saved another Balance Keeper from its tentacles. Well done.”
Professor Flynn took hold of the Master Tile around Albert’s neck and looked at it with amazement, at the power his son had figured out how to harness.
“I thought it was a useless legend,” Professor Flynn said. “We all did. You proved us wrong.”
“Professor Flynn,” Aria piped up, “look!” She pointed out into the cavernous space.
The King Fireflies were buzzing again, flying around and then diving down to the Sea Inspire and drinking from its surface. Albert watched, his breath held, as they swooped close to the pillar. But not a single one turned red or angry. The King Fireflies were back to normal again.
“Balance has been restored,” Professor Flynn said with a smile. He looked at everyone on Team Hydra, his eyes landing finally on his son.
“It’s time we went home.”
CHAPTER 24
Upon Leaving for Home
“I still can’t believe you battled the Hendeca,” Leroy said to Albert as they flew on Jadar’s back toward the exit of Calderon. “You’ve got mad Balance Keeper skills!”
“It was crazy, no doubt,” Albert said. “When that last hole was healed, the Hendeca started taking us away, like it was going to pull us into its lair. It was chilling.”
“That’s when Albert used the paralyzing knife.” Birdie beamed as she guided Jadar toward home. “And when that didn’t work, he used his Master Tile to scare it away.”
She’d told that part five or six times already, but Albert didn’t mind. It was pretty cool, what he’d done.
“I’m glad you scared him off, Albert. I’d miss you guys if you hadn’t made it,” Leroy said.
“What makes you think the Hendeca is a he?” Birdie argued with Leroy, and Albert couldn’t help but laugh. Farnsworth yipped from Albert’s backpack, clearly enjoying the ride.
Everything was back to normal again.
Albert waved at his dad, who was flying on a King Firefly not far from Jadar. His dad waved back. Albert didn’t want this moment to be over—he had grown to love Calderon with all its mysteries and dangers—but they were nearly at the far edge of the Realm. He didn’t know for sure when he and his friends would be back.
When they were close to the tunnel that would lead them back to the Core, Jadar touched down and then hopped and bobbed, taking a breather from all the flying he’d done.
Albert, Leroy, and Birdie slid from his back. Professor Flynn, Grey, and Aria landed beside them. Their King Fireflies buzzed and took flight again, heading back toward their hive.
Professor Flynn looked at Birdie. “You are forever linked to this beast now,” Professor Flynn said, seeing the concern on her face as she watched the Guildacker. Albert knew she didn’t want to leave him. “He will long for you while you are away, and he will never betray you. That is the way of companion beasts from the Realms.”
“Wait, are you saying Jadar can come with me?” Birdie asked, her voice revealing how much she wished it were true. “Back into the Core?”
Professor Flynn nodded encouragingly. “You can’t take him home, but you can keep him in Treefare.”
Birdie beamed. “But the Core is my home.”
“You are all residents of two homes now,” Professor Flynn said. “The Core, and the one you left behind. We’re approaching a time when you must return to the surface, to your old life.”
“When?” Leroy asked.
“We’ll see,” Professor Flynn answered. “Only the Libryam knows—unless you’ve been keeping track, Mr. Jones?”
“Nope,” Leroy replied, “I’
ve tried, but that’s one thing my Tile won’t let me do.”
“Well, it won’t be long now,” Professor Flynn said. “You’ve been down here awhile.”
They were at the entrance to the tunnel now.
Albert turned around and looked one last time at Calderon.
“Thank you,” he whispered, though he wasn’t quite sure who he was thanking. Then he turned and ran down the tunnel to catch up with the others.
When they reached the door to the Core twenty minutes later, Professor Flynn positioned Albert, Leroy, and Birdie in front, followed by the First Unit and himself behind. But before Albert could reach out to open the door, it opened unexpectedly.
“Let’s clean up Hydra’s mess!”
Albert looked at the timepiece on his wrist.
“Five hours, fifty-six minutes, and twelve seconds, Hoyt,” Albert said. “You’re leaving a little early, aren’t you? We still have four minutes.”
“Chickened out, huh?” Hoyt said. “I expected as much. Step out of the way and let a real team through.”
“Gladly,” Albert said, moving forward into the Core. “But you’ll have to make some room for my friends.”
Everyone from the Core was there, and they went silent as Albert, Leroy, and Birdie entered. Albert felt the crowd take in the state of the three of them—battle worn and weary, and in Albert’s case, missing boots. Albert grabbed his Tile and made sure it was visible. He didn’t want to hide it now.
“What a bunch of losers,” Hoyt said, turning to Slink and Mo, who didn’t look nearly as gung-ho as he was. “Come on, guys, let’s do it right!”
Hoyt turned for the door to Calderon and found Professor Flynn standing there. Every man and beast in the Core gasped with excitement. Grey and Aria came out next. The cheers intensified.
Hoyt turned on Birdie.
“Bet you didn’t restore Balance, though, did you? You and your Hydra lame-os aren’t that good. No way.”