The Pillars of Ponderay

  Hoyt shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep.”

  The two boys stood there awkwardly for a moment. Albert figured now was as good a time as any to try and get Hoyt on his side. Maybe, if they could try and be friends, tomorrow might be a little easier.

  Albert held out the CoreBow. “Want to try it?”

  Hoyt’s eyes flashed. He smiled, but quickly hid it away. “I guess so.”

  Albert watched as Hoyt shot the bow a few times. He wasn’t great with aiming it, but Hoyt seemed to be having a good time. They took turns shooting sticks into the trees. Albert aimed at some of the acorns. He was pretty decent at this, even knocking a few of them down. They didn’t exchange any words, but even so, Albert could feel some of the walls coming down between them.

  After a while, Hoyt handed the CoreBow back to Albert. “We should get some sleep. Tomorrow’s a big day.”

  Albert could hear the fear in Hoyt’s voice. Since the tremor, Hoyt had been different—a little less of a bully, a little more of an actual human being with thoughts and feelings.

  It was nice to see him this way.

  “It’ll be all right,” Albert said, as the two of them walked back toward camp. “The Realms are pretty cool, if you can get past knowing you’re there because of an Imbalance.”

  Hoyt shrugged. “I wouldn’t know.”

  “You will tomorrow,” Albert said.

  Hoyt stiffened.

  Albert understood how it felt, the night before going into a Realm for the very first time, not knowing what to expect, not knowing if you’d make it back alive. “You don’t have to be afraid,” Albert said.

  It was a mistake to say it, because suddenly Hoyt rounded on him. “I’m not afraid.”

  Albert held up his hands. “Right. Of course not.” He sighed and slung the CoreBow over his shoulder. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Hoyt nodded, but he wouldn’t look Albert in the eyes. “See you tomorrow, Flynn. I’m going to sleep.”

  Albert headed back to his tent with Farnsworth. Before he slipped inside, he turned and looked over his shoulder.

  Hoyt hadn’t gone to sleep like he’d said.

  He was sitting against a tree and staring into the darkness. Albert guessed he’d be there all night.

  CHAPTER 22

  Entering Ponderay

  People lined on both sides of the river in the Main Chamber. Others stood on the bridge, squished up against one another to get a good look. The Core workers were there, all the companion creatures, even the Whimzies from Lake Hall (minus their baskets of food). It seemed as if the entire Core had come to see them off.

  The Professors were lined up closest to the door to Ponderay, with the Apprentices behind them. The countdown clock had switched from days to hours now. Its numbers glowed a big 15.

  Hydra and Argon stood together, wearing new featherlight suits that were designed to withstand the fierce winds and waters of Ponderay. They were all in matching silver. Professor Asante had given them backpacks, stocked with extra protective clothing they could wear when they reached the Silver Sea. She’d also supplied Leroy with a new pair of vision-correcting goggles he could put on later, so he wouldn’t have to wear his glasses in the Silver Sea.

  “I’ve never felt so nervous in my entire life,” Birdie said, as she tugged at the long sleeves of her new jacket.

  “I didn’t even eat this morning,” Leroy groaned.

  “I ate too much,” Mo said.

  Slink shifted from one foot to another, stretching his arm muscles like he was gearing up for a fistfight. Hoyt stood beside him, staring absently into the river.

  “Deep breaths, guys,” Albert said. He stood off to the side with the CoreBow strapped across his shoulders. Somehow, the heavy weight of it against his back helped him feel a little safer, a little more like a real Balance Keeper should at this moment; not scared and trembling like a wet cat, something Albert had been doing all morning when no one was looking.

  Petra arrived to say good-bye, and Leroy gave him the Homing Tile for safekeeping while they were gone.

  “Keep an eye on it,” Leroy said, as Petra put the Tile over his neck. “If anything happens while we’re gone, it’s in your hands.”

  Petra beamed. “You can trust me, guys.”

  The crowd began singing the Core song, getting everyone geared up for the two teams to enter. It was louder than ever before, and Albert could feel his chest trembling with the sound.

  “All right, Albert?” a voice spoke from behind him.

  Albert spun around and nearly had his nose bitten off by Lucinda’s giant black snake. It hung from her shoulders, hissing as she stroked it with her bejeweled fingers.

  “Hey, Lucinda,” Albert said. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”

  She smiled and continued to stroke Kimber. “Of course, my dear. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  For a second, the two of them stood there awkwardly. Then Lucinda stooped to one knee and lowered her voice. “I brought you a gift.”

  She produced a white bundle of cloth from her pocket, eyes widening as she placed it into Albert’s open hands. He unwrapped it carefully, unsure of what was inside.

  When he saw the red Tile, he raised his eyebrows in question. It was a symbol he hadn’t seen before, with four circles. It reminded Albert of the map of Ponderay.

  “What’s it do?” Albert asked.

  Lucinda looked around to make sure no one was listening. But they were still singing away, distracted by trying to build morale for the Balance Keepers.

  “It’s a Chance Tile,” Lucinda whispered. “If you find yourself in a moment where you’ve lost hope, its power will make all the difference.”

  Albert nodded. Lucinda took the Tile from his hands and strung it over his neck. It landed with a clink on top of his Master Tile. She also pulled out a copper device that looked like a watch. “And this is a Counter,” she said, strapping it over Albert’s wrist. “It will let you know how much time you have left, before it’s too late.”

  Albert gulped, not wanting to think about what Lucinda meant by too late, but he gave Lucinda his best smile. “Thanks for all the help.”

  “Be brave, young Balance Keeper,” she said, placing her warm hand on Albert’s cheek.

  As she faded back into the crowd, Professor Flynn approached. The moment was quick, for they had only seconds before the Core song was over.

  “You did great in the Pit the other day,” his dad said as he placed his hands on Albert’s shoulders. “And you’ll do great in the Realm. Remember to work as a team, and keep your wits about you. Don’t forget to pay attention to your surroundings. Ponderay is a tricky Realm.”

  Albert nodded and looked into his dad’s eyes. They were so similar to his, and for some reason, that thought settled Albert’s twisting nerves. He was the son of Professor Bob Flynn, and he’d make it through today no matter what. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll see you soon.”

  Professor Flynn nodded. “Promise?”

  Albert nodded back. “I promise.”

  Professor Flynn squeezed Albert’s shoulders. Then he turned and headed back to where the other Professors stood.

  As the song ended, Birdie and Leroy eyed the Tile around Albert’s neck. They looked as nervous as Albert felt, and it only got worse when Professor Asante motioned for both teams to join her beside the door.

  She looked at all six of them with a certain graveness in her eyes. “If you don’t solve the Imbalance in fifteen hours, Ponderay will collapse. The world as we know it will be forever changed, and we will never be able to reverse it.”

  “We’ll fix this, Professor,” Albert said.

  Beside him, Hoyt nodded. “He’s right.”

  Well, that was odd.

  Professor Asante spoke. “Remember, time is of the essence. The entire western coast is in dire need of a savior right now. You must be that savior. We cannot afford to slip up or falter—the fate of the world is in your hands. Be brave, Balance Keepers, and may t
he hope of the entire Core carry you through.” She took a deep breath. “Are you ready?”

  Albert, Birdie, and Leroy exchanged nervous glances.

  “Yes, Professor,” Albert spoke for them. Slink, Mo, and Hoyt nodded their readiness, too.

  In the crowd, Farnsworth howled. Petra was holding him tightly.

  “I’ll be back before you know it, little buddy,” Albert said to Farnsworth. “Hang in there.”

  The river in front of Ponderay began to bubble and steam. The water churned, and suddenly it was rushing toward the door, building in height as a great wave crashed and exploded upon the old wood.

  Albert closed his eyes, ready for the wood to shatter to pieces, but instead the river went silent and still.

  A dark hole stood where the door to Ponderay used to be.

  “I’ll never get used to that,” Leroy said, wiping water off his glasses.

  “Here we go again,” Birdie said.

  Hydra held hands as they crossed over the border, and the Counter on Albert’s wrist flicked on: fifteen hours.

  Argon marched in behind them. Before they got too far, Albert looked back.

  His dad’s face was the last thing he saw. Farnsworth’s mournful howl carried Albert and his teammates into the darkness.

  The way to Ponderay was dark and cold. This was darkness so endless that no matter how hard Albert tried to make sense of his surroundings, nothing appeared. The glow from his Counter wasn’t even able to penetrate the blackness. He had the feeling that if he were to trip over his own feet and fall, he’d fall forever, never to land, never to come back up again.

  Albert felt Birdie shake off a chill beside him.

  “It’ll end soon,” Albert said. Still, his friends’ hands in his were the only things that told him he wasn’t alone. “Remember, it was the same way when we entered Calderon.”

  “Was it this cold?” Mo asked.

  “Yeah,” Albert answered. Even with the new suits they wore, the tunnel was frigid. But Albert knew that if what Professor Asante had said was true, the cold would only get worse once they entered the Realm.

  The longer they walked, the more the darkness faded, turning less black, a little grayer. The tunnel seemed to widen, and in the distance, Albert could see a pinprick of light.

  “This is it,” Leroy breathed from beside him.

  “Round two,” Albert said, and for some crazy reason, a smile suddenly broke onto his face. He lived for this danger, these wild moments in the Realms. They kept walking, one foot after the other, until suddenly the tunnel was simply gone.

  “Holy . . . freaking . . . cake balls,” Leroy said.

  Hoyt laughed. “What are you even talking . . .” His words trailed off.

  Everyone gasped, eyes widening like dinner plates.

  They stood on the edge of a crumbling cliff. The Realm of Ponderay spread out before them—and below them.

  CHAPTER 23

  Canyon Cross

  Calderon had been a struggle, a real challenge that tested the limits of Albert, Leroy, and Birdie from the second they stepped inside.

  But from the edge of Ponderay, the Realm had a razor-sharp look about it that told Albert he was about to face the wildest ride of his life.

  Albert looked left, then right. All throughout the Canyon Cross, as far as he could see, there were cliffs of a reddish brown color, like the Grand Canyon, only these had a far more sinister feel. Water sparkled at the bottoms of the cliffs, snaking through the entire Realm like a giant spool of silver thread that had unraveled.

  Albert gulped. If he fell from one of those cliffs, the outcome wouldn’t be good. They had to be miles and miles high. There would be no coming back from a fall at these heights.

  Wind whipped past them, pummeling into Albert like it was trying to knock him off course. His teeth chattered and he wrapped his arms around himself, but it didn’t seem to help. Overhead, the sky was a dark, angry gray, like the way New York City looked before a major snowstorm.

  “There’s the bridges,” Birdie pointed out.

  Across the Realm, miles away, Albert could see rope bridges crisscrossing back and forth between a few cliffs.

  Others had small lines of columns connecting them. Those small pillars looked like they weren’t more than a few feet across. If the wind blows too hard while we’re on one of those, we’ll fall, Albert thought. He shook his head as if to clear the thought away. My dad said once that bravery was a Balance Keeper’s greatest strength.

  “The Ten Pillars! Look!” Slink shouted, pointing just past Albert’s head.

  They were hard to miss.

  Right in the middle of the Realm, just as Professor Asante had said, there was a giant, sparkling silver sea. It was a great circle of water, and standing in the middle of it, like ten skyscrapers, were the Ten Pillars of Ponderay.

  From here, Albert could lift a thumb and cover them up.

  But up close he knew they’d be even taller than Calderon Peak.

  He looked at the Counter on his wrist. They had already reached thirteen. How was that possible? It felt like they’d been in the tunnel for seconds and hours and days all at once.

  Albert guessed time was a funny thing in the Realms.

  “We need to get moving,” he said, turning to look at his team. Birdie and Leroy nodded, but Slink and Mo looked toward Hoyt for their answers.

  He stood with his arms crossed, looking out at the Realm. The first chasm was just a few paces away. An old, rickety-looking bridge was the only option they had to get across.

  “We should split up,” Hoyt said. “You know, so that we can move faster.”

  Slink look a little unsure. Mo nodded, but Leroy caught on.

  “You’re just saying that so you’ll have a better chance of saving the day and getting all the glory.”

  “We need to stick together,” Albert said. “It’s safer that way. Trust me, in the Realms, you don’t really know what you’re up against. Even when it’s barreling toward you, staring you in the face.”

  “I wish I’d seen Calderon,” Slink said. He smiled at Birdie. “What was it like?”

  When Birdie realized Slink was talking to her, she opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water. Then she turned away.

  “Can it, Slink,” Hoyt snapped. “No fraternizing with the enemy.”

  Albert practically choked on laughter. “We’re not the enemy, Hoyt! We’re a team now, remember? What happened to all that talk last night in Professor Asante’s office?”

  Hoyt guffawed, then stepped closer to Albert, eyes set in slits. “You’re no team member of mine.” He poked Albert in the chest.

  “Is that so?” Albert was instantly full of rage. He poked Hoyt back.

  Birdie, Leroy, Slink, and Mo stood off to the side, staring with their mouths open.

  Hoyt responded with a doglike growl. “If you do anything, Flynn, anything to screw this up for Argon, I’ll . . .”

  “ENOUGH!” Leroy shouted, throwing himself in between both boys. “We’re not here so the two of you can act like little kids fighting over who gets the last cookie!”

  Albert and Hoyt both looked like they’d been slapped across the face.

  Leroy continued. “Now, we’re going to start our journey across this Realm, and if anyone does anything to anyone, besides helping them like a real team, I’m going to kick you into the next Realm. Do you understand?”

  Slink and Mo hid their laughter in their hands.

  Birdie looked downright impressed.

  “You sound like my mother,” Albert gasped.

  Leroy lifted his chin and stared down his nose at Albert. “Yes, well, someone has to be the voice of reason right now. I thought we’d worked out our differences yesterday. We’re all here fair and square, and nothing about that is going to change. We won’t save the Realm—or the world—if we go back to our old ways.”

  “We’re already wasting time,” Slink added.

  Albert shook it off, then looked sideway
s at Hoyt. He didn’t want to admit it, but everything Leroy said was true. “He’s right.”

  Hoyt didn’t look happy about it. He pulled the straps of his backpack tighter and sighed. “Let’s just get moving.”

  He turned to the left, then started marching away. Slink and Mo traded worried glances. Then they followed Hoyt a few paces behind.

  Albert sighed. “This is going to be a long trip.”

  “You can say that again.” Leroy nodded.

  “Let’s move,” Birdie said.

  The three of them set out, following Argon to the only way off that cliff and onto the next one: the first bridge.

  This was going to be a challenge, and Albert knew it the second they stood in front of the bridge. The chasm that it hung across, connecting one cliff to another, had to be at least a half-mile wide.

  “Point five two miles,” Leroy said, nodding, as he looked at the chasm.

  Albert took a step forward and peered over the edge.

  Wind whistled and snapped, and Albert’s stomach got a little queasy just imagining the fall. He could hardly see the bottom. He knew a river was down there, but how deep was it? Would falling from this height kill a person, even with water at the bottom?

  “This bridge looks like it’s going to snap any second,” Mo said. He stood at the entrance, one foot on the first wooden plank. “Where did it even come from?”

  The bridge was a series of wooden planks, held together by old, fraying rope. It looked like something out of an Indiana Jones movie.

  “Some of the earliest Balance Keepers made them, like, a thousand years ago,” Leroy said.

  “Great. So they’re really old and weak,” Hoyt said. Once again, the tremor of fear was back in his voice.

  But now Albert didn’t feel bad for him. He just felt annoyed.

  “It held Professor Asante, Professor Flynn, and Tussy, didn’t it?” Birdie suggested. “Surely it can hold us, if we go one or two at a time.”

  “There’s only one way to find out,” Albert said.

  He took a step forward and put one foot onto the first plank. Then, slowly, his other foot.

  There was a creeeeak. But the bridge held his weight. He took a step back onto solid ground. “All right. Looks like it might hold.”