The Pillars of Ponderay

  The Hammerfin’s body was all muscle and sinew, and its fins spanned as wide as Professor Asante was tall.

  “The Hammerfin’s best defense mechanism is to use its powerful body to leap from the waves, and its head to smash,” Professor Asante said.

  “But it’s a shark!” a redheaded girl shouted from the back of the room. “Doesn’t it, like, eat people?”

  “Man, I love sharks,” Leroy said.

  Albert balked. “You love sharks?”

  “But you’re, like, afraid of everything!” Birdie added.

  Leroy shrugged. “Not sharks, dudes. They’re cool.”

  Too shocked to say anything, Albert laughed and turned back to the lesson.

  Professor Asante tapped the aquarium glass. The Hammerfin opened its mouth, and where Albert expected to see razor-sharp, lethal teeth, he only saw gums. It was like an old man without his dentures in. Albert smiled as he remembered Leroy wrestling the great beast in the Pit.

  The room erupted into laughter and the Hammerfin swam away.

  “I love all the Core creatures.” Birdie smiled, scribbling notes on the pages of her book.

  “Wait until you see the rest,” Leroy mused, and flipped his book to the next page. “I’m sure they’re even better.”

  He was right.

  Over the course of several hours, in lieu of a Pit competition, Professor Asante showed them the rest of Ponderay’s creatures. They studied Lightning Rays, a yellow stingray-like creature with a bird’s beak. Its wingspan was four feet across, and its tail was twice as long, ending in a razor-sharp prong.

  “The Lightning Rays won’t kill you,” Professor Asante said, motioning to the ray as it sped back and forth in the aquarium, dancing beneath the water. “But if you threaten it”—she rapped the glass with her knuckles, and the ray flashed a shockingly bright orange—“its shock will provoke an intense paralysis.”

  “It’s incredible,” Birdie sighed.

  “You just like it because it has a bird’s beak!” Leroy whispered.

  “I knew I felt something sting me in the Pit yesterday!” Albert was glad now he’d only encountered one.

  Next they studied Jackalopes.

  Professor Asante was right—the Jackalopes in Cedarfell were miniature compared to the one sitting in Professor Asante’s office now. Tussy brought it out on a leash. It was about the same size as a horse. Its antlers were as large as an antelope’s, twisting and curling like pointed ribbons.

  “You’re used to seeing Jackalopes in the forest of Cedarfell,” Professor Asante said, “but these creatures’ natural habitats are caves within the Ten Pillars themselves. Don’t make the mistake of being fooled by their big eyes and soft fur—the creatures are anything but gentle to anyone who invades their territory.”

  Albert believed Professor Asante, but just barely. This Jackalope hopped alongside Tussy with its soft brown eyes wide. It had a wrap around its back leg, and was limping slightly. All the girls in the room made oohs and aahs. Even some of the boys joined in. Albert was itching to stand up and get a closer look at the creature.

  “Can we pet it?” Leroy blurted out. Albert and Birdie both whirled around to look at him. Leroy had never shown much of an interest in the Core creatures. That was two of them in one day.

  He shrugged. “He reminds me of a horse I used to ride when I was a kid. He’s kinda cool.”

  “One at a time.” Professor Asante nodded.

  The handful of students and workers took turns going up to the Jackalope, careful not to scare it. The animal seemed a little flighty, like it wanted to hop away, but it couldn’t with its injured leg. When Leroy went up, the Jackalope sniffed him all over, its giant nose working overtime. By the end of Leroy’s turn, he may as well have been the king of rabbits. The Jackalope wouldn’t leave his side.

  “What was that all about?” Birdie asked, when Leroy returned to his seat.

  He shrugged. “Beats me. But I like Jackalopes. I think I want one.”

  “Good luck finding one for adoption around here,” Albert said. “I’m pretty sure every single Pure kid and worker in the Core is wishing for one too, right about now.”

  By the end of class, everyone was buzzing about the creatures of Ponderay. Albert enjoyed getting a closer look at some new Core creatures, but he thought Farnsworth was cooler. A dog with headlights for eyes? Beat that!

  “Class is dismissed,” Professor Asante said. The students passed in their books. The Core workers said thanks for being allowed a tiny glimpse at Ponderay. Tussy took the Jackalope back to its home, which turned out to be in another secret area of the Core that only Professors and Apprentices had access to.

  Everyone was ready to file out of the room when suddenly, the door swung open.

  Professor Flynn made his way through the crowd. He was breathless and his face was red, and just like Tussy, he, too, was covered in fresh cuts and bruises. He looked like Ponderay had put him through the ringer just since Albert saw him in the Cave of Whispers this morning, but at least he was safe.

  Albert sat up straight. What’s he doing here?

  Professor Flynn stopped in front of Professor Asante’s wheelchair and leaned down to whisper into her ear. Albert looked around, at all the faces of his fellow students and the Core workers. Everyone had stopped what they’d been doing. They were all staring at his dad.

  Finally, Professor Flynn turned, straightened out his emerald jacket, and spoke. “I have a quick announcement to make.”

  Birdie nudged Albert and mouthed, What’s happening?

  Albert shrugged. He didn’t know what was going on, either. He leaned forward and listened as his dad spoke.

  “In light of recent events with Professor Asante’s injury and other—” Professor Flynn glanced at Professor Asante. She shook her head almost unperceptively and Professor Flynn continued, “—and other . . . developments in the Core, my fellow Professors and I have decided that it is of the utmost importance to remind you of how dire our situation is. Unfortunately, as of this morning, the Imbalance has escalated further. We’ve moved into a third phase.”

  Whispers spread throughout the room.

  Professor Flynn continued. “In a completely unexpected event, the Pillars have switched directions—they are now rotating counterclockwise, and at even greater speeds, now reaching seventy miles per hour. This has understandably confused the creatures and they’ve become even more hostile. The hurricane on the surface has hit full strength. Streets and homes and businesses are flooding. Power has been lost due to increasingly high wind speeds, and”—he swallowed, hard, and made eye contact with Albert—“there is a whirlpool in the Pacific Ocean. It is sucking up everything in its path, destroying entire ships and navy tankers.”

  Whispers buzzed like locusts. Birdie reached over and squeezed Albert’s hand.

  Professor Flynn went on. “As a result of this, competitions in the Pit are going to be extremely grueling from this point forth. Preparation is key. And now I must deliver the bad news.”

  “The bad news?” a Core worker asked from the back. “Isn’t what you’ve said already bad enough, Professor?”

  Professor Flynn frowned. “I’m afraid not. The Core Watchers have decided that our original timeline will no longer suffice. We believed we had seven days, which would leave us with five days at this point. But now, after much deliberation, the Watchers have given us a total of two days. In forty-eight hours’ time, we will crown a new First Unit as our victors, and they will enter Ponderay.”

  Albert’s heart froze. Forty-eight hours? That was nothing.

  Murmurs sounded all around, and Professor Asante clapped her hands to silence them. Leroy and Birdie both looked as sick as Albert felt.

  Professor Flynn pulled out a small roll of parchment. He unfolded it. “And lastly, I have the Ponderay standings.” He took a deep breath, and Albert thought he saw his dad’s shoulders droop. The whole room was suddenly as silent as a grave.

  Albert felt the
eyes of his classmates on him and his team. When his dad spoke, his voice sounded cold and empty. “Argon is in the lead by nine points.”

  Albert already knew Hydra was losing, but hearing his dad say it out loud, in front of everyone, was humiliating. Albert put his head in his hands. Leroy started chewing on his thumbnail, and Birdie punched her fist against her book. Farnsworth whined, and Albert had to hush him before he went into a full-out howl.

  “YES!” Hoyt shouted from behind them.

  A few people looked genuinely happy about the standings. Others gave Albert, Birdie, and Leroy apologetic glances and mutters. But Albert didn’t care about how everyone else felt. His eyes were on his dad.

  Professor Flynn wouldn’t look at Albert. Was his dad ashamed? Was he embarrassed, of Albert? Was he angry with Albert for not doing as well as he had last term?

  “In further news,” Professor Flynn said, rustling the paper in his hands, “I want to remind everyone that hope is not lost. We have two talented teams competing for the First Unit spot. Good luck to you both, Argon and Hydra. Be brave, Balance Keepers. You have two days left.”

  His eyes went right to Albert’s. He nodded, and in that moment, Albert knew his dad still believed in him.

  Now Albert just had to prove him right.

  CHAPTER 17

  The Battle Royale

  After lunch, Hydra technically had free time, but neither Albert, Leroy, nor Birdie seemed to be able to think about anything other than Ponderay.

  “We’ve got to win in the Pit tomorrow,” Albert said. “If Argon goes into Ponderay, I’m afraid of what might happen. They’ve never been in a Realm before, not like us.”

  “So let’s go practice,” Leroy suggested.

  Birdie and Albert practically choked on their surprise.

  “You want to go practice?” Birdie asked.

  Leroy shrugged. “Why not? I bet Argon’s been practicing. We should, too.”

  “He’s right,” Albert said as they changed directions and headed toward the Pit. “And, Leroy? I like the determination.”

  “I’m always determined,” Leroy said as he took the lead. “It’s just this whole forty-eight-hour thing that’s getting to me.”

  They passed by the clock in the Main Chamber. It had switched to counting down the hours rather than days. The glowing number 48 stuck in Albert’s mind, even after it was far behind them.

  As soon as they stepped through the door into the Pit room, they realized how wrong they were about thinking they could get some practice time in alone.

  Argon was already in the Pit.

  Hoyt, Slink, and Mo sat at the bottom on the spongy floor, talking and laughing. Albert sighed. So much for some nice private time for Hydra to really focus on teamwork. He turned to leave. Birdie and Leroy followed, but before they’d escaped unnoticed, Farnsworth barked a greeting down at Argon. Hydra’s cover was blown.

  Three heads snapped upward, and three sets of eyes locked onto Albert, Birdie, and Leroy.

  “Well, what do we have here, boys?” Hoyt called up from below.

  Albert clenched his fists, sure that Hoyt was about to sneer and make some typical, bullying remark about him and his friends.

  But instead, Hoyt stood up and smiled. A real smile, not the sneer that seemed to be permanently sewed onto his face. “We’ve really been looking forward to seeing you three today.”

  Albert nearly choked on his own laughter. Birdie just stood there, looking like she’d seen a ghost. Leroy let out a sound that went something like, “Wha-huh?”

  Slink and Mo laughed, and Hoyt continued. “We’ve decided that we’re tired of old, boring competition with you three. This is getting repetitive, every day in the Pit.”

  “So what do you want, Hoyt?” Birdie asked, finally finding her voice.

  Hoyt’s eyes glittered darkly. “We want to have some real fun. Let’s make it count, Hydra. Let’s raise the stakes.”

  Albert took a step forward, his toes on the very edge of the Pit. “You mean you want to bet on who wins?”

  Hoyt nodded. “You and I both know, Flynn, that a little friendly competition never hurt anyone. And besides, there aren’t any Professors here today to stop us.”

  “He’s playing at something,” Leroy warned, but Albert shushed him.

  This was the perfect opportunity to put Hoyt in a corner. Albert couldn’t punch him again, not like he’d done last term, without getting weeks of detention, or ultimately, an expulsion. And besides, Albert wasn’t really about that. But he’d play. He couldn’t back down now.

  “We’ll play your game, Hoyt,” Albert said. “Your team against my team. No Professors, no crowd. Just the six of us. Now. But first, I want you to swear that if you lose, you’ll stop picking on me and my team. And you’ll leave the new Core recruits alone next term. You’ll stop being a bully to everyone.”

  Hoyt tipped his chin up. “I like your fire, Flynn. I’m game. But if my team wins, Hydra has to swear not to practice outside of Pit hours beyond this session. We don’t need you getting any extra opportunities to get ahead like you did for Calderon.”

  Albert looked sideways at his friends. They formed a tight circle and kept their voices low.

  “Sounds like he plans to humiliate us in front of everyone if we lose,” Leroy said. “And then take the stage in Ponderay and save the day.”

  “So we won’t lose,” Birdie hissed. “I’m sick of looking so pathetic in front of their team. We were crowned a First Unit last term, you guys. Next term, the new recruits will be looking to us for answers. This should be nothing! We’re strong, and we can win this bet, easy.”

  “I don’t know about this,” Leroy said. “I think we should just go. We might just be setting ourselves up for failure.”

  Birdie grabbed his shoulders and shook him lightly. “Leroy! Where’s your sense of adventure? Suck it up and get ready to rumble, because we’re totally doing this!”

  Albert nodded, drawing on Birdie’s strength. “Professor Asante told us just last night that she’s looking at Argon differently. She almost seemed like she wanted to pick them.” He looked right into Leroy’s eyes. “We’ve got the guy with the Synapse Tile on our side. We need you, bro. We can’t win this without you.”

  Leroy’s chest puffed out, just the slightest. “If we lose, I’m blaming you guys for the untimely death of my cool factor.”

  “You got it, man,” Albert said. He turned and looked down at Argon. “We’re in. Let’s do this.”

  Hoyt rubbed his hands together like Hydra had just fallen right into his trap.

  No one saw the dark shadow in the corner of the room.

  Someone was watching them.

  There wasn’t a whistle this time. There was no one in the crowd to cheer the teams on, no video camera to record them for Professor Asante to watch later. It was eerily silent as Hydra’s platform took them deeper into the Pit, finally stopping on the floor.

  Albert, Leroy, and Birdie stepped off. Albert took the lead as they marched to meet Argon in the center.

  “All right, boys,” Hoyt said, his thin arms wrapped over his chest.

  “That’s boys and a girl,” Birdie growled.

  Hoyt nodded. “Boys and a girl.”

  Slink and Mo met him at his sides. Together, they looked like a bunch of prep school boys in matching orange T-shirts, not like the Pit masters that they’d somehow become.

  Hoyt went on. “I’m guessing the Pit will set up the same competition as last time. Grab as many Tiles as you can, and then we’ll plug them back in during Round Two. We’ll add up the first-round and second-round scores. No breaks, and no stopping to rest. Anything to add to that, Hydra?”

  “No playing dirty,” Albert said, forcing himself to remain calm.

  Hoyt laughed, a sound that echoed across the Pit.

  “We don’t play dirty,” Slink said. “Right, guys?” He looked sideways at Mo and Hoyt. Hoyt glared at Slink for a second, but when Slink took a step forward, Hoyt too
k a step back.

  “No, we don’t play dirty,” Hoyt sighed.

  Albert realized something just then. Slink was the biggest guy on their team, and easily the strongest. Maybe Hoyt had a little fear in him, after all. Mo noticed Albert watching closely. He stepped protectively in front of Hoyt, as loyal as a dog.

  “Enough chatter. Let’s do this,” said Mo.

  “Good luck.” Albert put on his best fake smile. “You’re going to need it.”

  The two teams lined up at opposite sides of the Pit. Albert could almost feel a charge of life in the air. They were willingly hanging out with Argon, practicing during free time.

  Hoyt crossed the Pit and punched a red button on the wall.

  Almost instantly, the Pit started to take shape.

  As Hoyt had guessed, it was similar to practice just the day before, with giant rubbery pillars and handholds that Albert knew would disappear within a few seconds of grabbing on to them. There was still the freezing, ice-cold water that started to fill up the Pit floor. The pillars began spinning, starting slow at first, then accelerating to speeds that could rival a runaway train.

  Great waves rocked the waters, so Albert, Birdie, and Leroy held hands, making a human chain.

  “There’s no creatures in here today,” Birdie mentioned. “I can’t sense them.”

  “Maybe it’s because the Professors aren’t here,” Leroy said. “Like, it’s them who set the creatures loose.”

  “You ready, Hydra?” Hoyt shouted from across the Pit. “Remember our bet!”

  Albert could see flashes of Hoyt and his team as the pillars spun by.

  “We’ll win,” Birdie said to Albert, with a look of complete and utter determination in her eyes. Even Leroy was leaning forward, like he couldn’t wait to dive forth and make Hydra’s name known.

  “READY!” Albert cried.

  The chaos began.

  Albert didn’t waste any time giving out his orders. Today they were going to win fast, and shut down Hoyt’s bullying for good.

  “Let’s all climb!” Albert shouted over the roar of the waves and the wind that had picked up around them as the pillars spun. “Get as many Tiles as you can. Let’s move fast. Don’t be afraid to take chances.”