Balance Keepers #1: The Fires of Calderon (14 page)

They walked farther into the Main Chamber. There were some kids playing diving games in the river. Core Creators, the adults who made all sorts of goodies that could be purchased in the Core Canteen, were letting other kids test out some sort of new paper airplane that shot little balls of fire. An orange-and-black CoreFish swam past in the river, letting everyone take rides on its back. There was a lot to do here, but Albert had heard the Library was the place to be in the off-hours, so they moved on.

The Library was three stories high, with rows and rows of dusty, old books. A rocky tower stood in the center, where kids and adults climbed up and down, challenging one another to reach different platforms first. Off to the left, there were two zip lines where some of the Balance Keepers were lined up to race one another. Albert waved to the Ecco boy, James, and was pleased to see that he looked like he had recovered from his run-in with the Jackalope. Maybe that meant they’d go up against Ecco instead of Argon in the next simulation.

“I’m calculating fifty-seven things to do, in this room alone,” Leroy said. He wandered off toward the rows of bookshelves, but Albert’s mind was still on his conversation with his dad from last night.

“Come on.” He waved Birdie along with him, across the library.

The Core Phone Booth was nothing more than a hole carved into the wall. An antique device hung in the corner, larger than Albert’s torso. “What happened to cell phones?” Albert asked.

“I saw this in a museum once. It’s, like, an original phone,” Birdie said.

Albert pulled the Medallion Hoyt had thrown away out of his pocket and pressed it into a little slot in the cave wall, right beside the copper phone.

“Hold this to your ear,” Birdie said. She helped Albert figure out the weird phone, and that was when he heard a voice speaking to him.

“Recipient of your message, please?”

Albert recognized the voice. The Path Hider.

“Hey! It’s me, Albert,” Albert said. “Um . . . What’s up?”

There was static on the other end of the line, then the cranking of gears. Albert imagined the Path Hider down in his room of pipes and gears, hiding the paths to the Core. “Who is this?”

“I delivered you a letter a few days ago, remember? Albert Flynn?”

“Ah, the sneaky boy who opened my envelope,” the Path Hider said. It sounded like he was talking into a tin can. “Never mind that. Who would you like to call? Your Medallion gets you three minutes.”

“My mom, in New York City.”

Albert thought he heard the hiss of steam on the other end of the line, then the cranking of more gears. He gave the Path Hider the number.

“Just a moment,” the Path Hider said.

In seconds, the phone started ringing.

Albert’s mom answered. “Hello?”

“Mom! It’s me! Are you okay?” Albert was so happy to hear her voice.

“Hey! Everything’s . . . fine. Just fine. How’s my champ doing out there in Herman?” his mom asked.

Albert smiled. “I’m great, Mom. Herm—it’s great here.” It didn’t feel right to flat-out lie.

“Are you taking showers? Brushing your teeth twice a day?”

“Oh yeah, of course I am,” Albert said, glad that Birdie couldn’t hear how embarrassing the call was becoming. “Listen, Mom, I heard about the ash falling. Are you guys okay?”

In the background, Albert’s little half sister was singing at the top of her lungs. She sounded like a squawking bird that had just had its tail feathers plucked out.

“It’s a little gloomy, if you want to know the truth,” Albert’s mom said. “They say it will clear away as soon as we get some wind coming through the city. I’m sure it’s not a big deal. Just enjoy yourself—especially that clean air—and I’ll let your dad know if things get too smoggy over here.”

Albert could tell his mom was trying not to worry him. She had a way of making things seem better than they really were, for his sake.

Now Albert’s little brother started wailing in the background.

“I have to go, honey. Make sure you’re wearing clean clothes, and eating all your vegetables. Tell your father hello for me, and be sure to make your bed. . . .”

Her voice cut off suddenly.

“Please insert another Medallion,” the Path Hider’s voice chimed in.

“But I don’t have another,” Albert said. He looked at Birdie, who just shrugged.

Albert hung up the phone. “Looks like New York’s okay, for now.”

“Come on,” Birdie said. “Let’s go check out the Core Canteen, even though you just spent our only Medallion. We can dream a little. I love shopping!”

Birdie pointed to the corner of the library, where there was a small room carved into the cave wall. There were shelves inside, lined with all sorts of things you’d expect to see at a camp store and more: glass jars full of colorful candy, T-shirts, ropes, knives, hats, compasses, and fancy backpacks. There were colored eggs with who-knew-what inside, necklaces for holding Tiles, and strange tools that were designed especially for the Core and the Realms. And there were whole sections of the packed little store that were devoted to each of the teams. Albert and Birdie made a beeline straight for the Hydra section.

Lucinda was standing behind the counter, her black snake still slithering across her shoulders. It hissed when it saw Birdie and Albert coming.

“I see you’ve made it past the first few days in one piece,” Lucinda said, then leaned closer. “How are you holding up?”

“We’re getting our butts kicked, if you want to know the truth,” Birdie said.

“Is that true, now?” Lucinda said. “Medallions are the only coin of the Realm,” she said. “You better start winning.”

Birdie had her eye on a blue wristband that doubled as a light source. It had the word
Hydra
written on it in white letters, and a sign said the wristband would light the way through the darkest corridors in the Core. Albert was looking at a baseball cap for Leroy that said
Hydra
across the front. He was also licking his lips as he looked at all that colorful candy.

Lucinda frowned. “Oh, goodness. Stop drooling. Here.” She reached into a leather pouch at her waist, and produced a Medallion.

“Have you been to the back corner of the Library yet? That’s where everyone plays Tiles,” Lucinda said. “But you have to put up a Medallion to play. If you win a game of Tiles, you walk away with two Medallions: yours and theirs. And with Medallions you can buy things—snacks, sodas, better packs, custom boots, Hydra gear—whatever you need, Lucinda has it.”

Birdie reached for the Medallion, but Lucinda pulled it back.

“You two are lucky I have a soft spot for underdogs, but I charge interest. It’ll cost you two Medallions.”

Albert and Birdie looked at each other and nodded. Who knew how long it would take them to win a simulation? This might be their only chance to get some Hydra gear and candy.

“We’ll take that deal,” Birdie said.

Lucinda dropped the Medallion into Birdie’s hand. “The Tiles room is on the far wall over there, behind the pillar all those goofballs are climbing on. There are some Tile masters in that group, some real sharks. Watch your back.”

They found Leroy and dragged him into the Tile room, which had enough space to fit about twenty people or so, kids and adults. The Tiles stations were stone pedestals with flat tops about two feet square, and all but one of them were occupied by people playing Tiles. Albert recognized the game as the very same one Pap played with his porch buddies.

Ellery and Jack had a game going, and waved them over. Albert, Leroy, and Birdie watched as Ellery and Jack concentrated like they were in the middle of a serious chess match for a good five minutes.

Finally, during one of Jack’s turns, Ellery spoke.

“So, you found your way to the Tiles Competitions,” Ellery said. “It’s like a way of life down here.”

Now it was her turn again. Ellery leaned forward, moved a Tile across the board, and stacked it on top of another one. It was kind of like dominoes, but the Tiles were stacked into levels of five. It looked confusing. Albert had never been any good at Tiles when Pap tried to teach him. There was a lot of memorizing symbols and logic involved. It just jumbled his brain and frustrated him.

He’d never thought Pap’s information would be useful.

“I know this game.” Birdie smiled. “It’s like mah-jongg. I
always
lose. Albert, are you any good?”

“Define
good
.” Albert laughed. “Because sure, I’m good, if losing to your grandpa
every single time you play
is your definition of
good
.”

Birdie just rolled her eyes. Leroy, on the other hand, observed with great curiosity, saying nothing as the game unfolded.

With one more triumphant move, Ellery won and the game was over. She leaned forward and took both Medallions from the center of the board.

“Aw, man,” Jack said, scratching his head as if he was still thinking of moves he should have made. He ran his arm across the tabletop and pushed all the Tiles that had stacked up into a rectangular opening on one side of the playing surface, then stood up and walked over to where Albert was standing.

Ellery held up the two Medallions in victory and got up out of her seat, too. “See you guys later! I’m going shopping!”

Jack’s Fury team partner, Peter, settled down in Jack’s old spot. He had a mega black eye.

“Stupid Belltroll raptors,” he said. “They pack a mean punch. All right, who’s playing me?”

Leroy scooted forward. “I’ve never played, but I’ll give it a try.” Albert was a little surprised at Leroy’s enthusiasm, but he supposed that if he had a Synapse Tile, he might be inclined toward stuff like this, too.

Birdie placed their one Medallion on the center of the tabletop, and Peter did the same. A new rack of Tiles rose on both sides, one in front of each player, and the match commenced.

At first, Leroy wasn’t doing so well. Albert watched, holding his breath. Peter’s stacks were twice as high as Leroy’s. For a second, Albert wondered if maybe this was a big mistake. They were going to be in debt to Lucinda if they didn’t win!

But then, halfway through the game, Leroy smiled. “Time to bring on the heat!” He stacked Tiles on top of one another, strategizing like a whiz. Albert was amazed. Leroy played like Einstein.

“Go, Leroy!” Birdie clapped her hands.

“I feel like I’m actually
good
at something for once!” Leroy grinned.

When the match was over, Peter groaned and shook Leroy’s hand.

“Nice game. You’re a pro at this, Leroy.” Peter headed for the door.

“Did you guys see that?” Leroy asked his pals. “I just . . . crushed him. I don’t think I’ve ever done as well at any kind of game in my whole life.” He looked really proud of himself.

“You were incredible, man!” Albert said, nodding his head. “And we won another Medallion!” Birdie clapped her hands again. She held the Medallion up so that it glittered in the light of the blue flames on the walls.

“Who’s next?” Albert called out. “Our man Leroy is new at Tiles, but he thinks he’s all that.”

Players came running to beat the new kid. By the time the next hour had passed, word had spread throughout the Core about Leroy the Tiles whiz. The room was packed with people watching. Farnsworth arrived from his daylong nap and barked with excitement. Petra wasn’t far behind. Grey, Aria, and Terran even came to cheer Leroy on, though Albert noticed that they were looking a little worse for wear these days—Grey had a nasty snakebite on one hand, Aria’s hair was singed on one side, and Terran looked like she’d lost half an eyebrow. Still, they were as enthusiastic about Hydra as ever.

“This guy’s in
our
Realm!” Grey clapped Leroy on the back.

“Just wait—someday he’ll be a part of the First Unit!” Aria said, her green eyes glittering.

Leroy beamed. Albert watched, cheering his friend on as Leroy won nine matches in a row, and even came close to beating Carissa, who wasn’t only the Belltroll Apprentice, but also a Tiles champion.

As the last game of the night came to a close, Albert wondered:
What would it be like to play Tiles like Leroy, and be really, really brilliant at something like this?
He leaned forward, chewing on his thumbnail, trying to make sense of the game. He looked at Leroy’s Tile dangling from his neck, and wished he could understand the secret of how his own Tile worked.

As Leroy picked up a Tile and moved to place it across the board, Albert’s eyes went blurry. He rubbed them, confused for a second.
Oh man, I hope I don’t need glasses.

But when he opened his eyes, the blurriness was gone. For just a few seconds, as Albert looked at the Tiles board, he saw
everything.
All the chances to win by picking up a Tile, replacing it with another, moving one left, another right.

Then, just as suddenly as the knowledge had come, it went away. The game was as confusing as it had been moments before.

“Birdie,” Albert whispered. “I think something weird just happened.”

“Yeah!” She nodded, still watching the game. “Leroy is owning
everyone
at this
.
That’s what’s weird!”

Albert shook his head. Leroy placed the final Tile, and the room erupted into cheers. Soon people started filing out, taking the fun into the main part of the Library. Albert stood alone—he couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that what had just happened was significant.

“Albert?” Birdie and Leroy were waiting for him, huge grins plastered on their faces. Birdie had a handful of Medallions that glittered like stars. “Come on. We’re going shopping!”

Leroy beamed. His face fell when he looked a little closer at Albert. “You all right, man?”

Albert shook it off. “Yeah, I’m okay. I guess.” He smiled weakly and followed his friends out of the room.

T
he next time Albert saw the Pit, it had been transformed into the most dangerous-looking course yet. A jagged copper mountain stretched all the way from the floor to the ceiling, filling the center of the simulation. It was shaped like a volcano, narrower as it rose, and slick along its sides. Barrels hung precariously from swinging cables, surrounding the copper formation.

That wasn’t the only thing different, though. The observation deck was packed; it looked like the entire Core was in the stands.

“Team Hydra!” Professor Flynn said into his MegaHorn. “Welcome. I’ll explain the crowd in a minute, but for now, you should know that there are real dangers here, more than in the past two simulations.” He was more serious than usual. “The First Unit reported last night that there is indeed a very serious Imbalance in the Calderon Realm.”

Albert felt his stomach drop all the way to his toes.
A serious Imbalance?
That means if something goes wrong, a training team might have to enter the Realm!

He wasn’t sure if that made him excited or scared. Maybe a little bit of both.

“Looks like they’ll be calling on Argon in no time, boys,” Hoyt called out, as he and his team came in late.

“That won’t happen if you’re tardy again, Mr. Jackson,” Professor Flynn scolded.

Albert and his friends stifled their laughs. He couldn’t help but notice that a good portion of the crowd was laughing, too.

Professor Flynn spoke again. “Quiet, please, everyone. I called you here today because I have some information to share about the situation in Calderon. I thought today’s Competition would be a good place to illustrate what we’re up against, because it’s important for our training units to know what they may be getting into.

“The barrels you see here are a crude representation of the many flying creatures in Calderon, including King Fireflies. As mentioned last week, the current Imbalance in Calderon has affected these creatures in unexpected ways.”

Professor Flynn nodded to Trey, and Trey blew his silver whistle. The barrels began spinning around the copper mountain like swings at an amusement park. Each barrel was held aloft by four cables. Some of the cables snapped forward and back, lurching the barrels off-balance. As if that wasn’t alarming enough, the barrels began shooting fireballs. Albert felt himself swallow hard. Things had just gotten a lot more serious.

“Grey, Aria, and Terran report that the King Fireflies, usually gentle creatures, have gone berserk. They are flying erratically and spitting fire.” Professor Flynn took a moment to compose himself. “I am sad to report that much of the Realm has been burned to a crisp.”

There were some gasps from the crowd. Birdie grabbed Albert’s hand.

“The fires set by the King Fireflies are the source of the ash clouds on the surface of the earth, of course,” Professor Flynn continued. “The question is, what is causing the King Fireflies to behave this way?

“Our Core Historians have determined that there has been one other instance of King Fireflies going mad in the history of the Realms, centuries ago. Our records from that occurrence show that a stagnant Sea Inspire was to blame.

“As many of you know, the Sea Inspire is the underground lake beneath Calderon Peak. It’s the King Fireflies’ source of nutrition, like nectar is to butterflies.

“But the Sea Inspire’s nutritional qualities depend on the water cycling through four underground tunnels below Calderon Peak, a process that essentially filters the water.”

“Like the pump in my aquarium back home?” someone to Albert’s right said. It was Slink.
No way.
Slink has pet fish?
Albert never would have guessed that in a million years. Hoyt gave Slink a quick kick in the boot and Slink hung his head.

“Exactly, Mr. Parker. If the water doesn’t cycle through, bacteria can grow.”

“That’s lame,” Mo said. “Why’s this such a big deal? Toss some chlorine in there and we’re done.”

“Not so fast. You’re a Second Term Balance Keeper, Mr. Haxel. You should know why it’s not that easy.” Professor Flynn looked at Mo with a raised eyebrow, daring him to answer.

Mo mumbled something under his breath that Albert couldn’t hear.

“Speak up, Mr. Haxel. You have a pretty large audience, after all.”

Mo took a deep breath and spoke in a loud voice. “The Realm always provides the Means.”

Huh?
Albert thought.

“I’ve seen that somewhere!” Birdie said, louder than she intended to, Albert guessed.

“It’s in the Main Chamber,” Leroy said, “carved in the stone above the entrances to the three Realms.”

“That’s right, Mr. Jones. Good memory.” Professor Flynn winked. “The Realms are natural systems—different from the nature we know on the surface, yes, but natural nonetheless. That means that while the Realms sometimes naturally fall out of Balance, they also provide the Means to Restore Balance again.”

“Wait a second,” Albert said. “I thought it was
our
job to restore Balance.” If the Realms could fix themselves, was all this training for nothing?

“Ah—providing the Means to Restore Balance is quite different from actually
using
those Means to Restore Balance, Albert.
That’s
what Balance Keepers are for.”

“All right, all right,” Hoyt said impatiently. “The drain pipes are clogged up and the King Fireflies are going all nutso from drinking the nasty water and setting things on fire. We get it. What’s that got to do with the Competition?”

Albert had to admit he was wondering the same thing.

“Your challenge today is threefold. Find the Means to Restore Balance, which Trey and I have planted in the Pit, deliver the Means to the top of Copper Peak, and release the Means’s contents into the mountain.”

“But what
is
the Means to Restore Balance?” Birdie asked. “What are we looking for?”

“Good question, Miss Howell,” Professor Flynn said. “Unfortunately, we don’t have an answer for Calderon yet—it appears that that part of the Core records has gone missing. What we do know is that the Means to Restore Balance is another liquid that must be released into the mountain.”

“Like how Pap uses Drano when the pipes get clogged in the post office?” Albert said, chuckling to himself.

“Exactly, Albert, though we prefer not to think of the Realm as a giant toilet.” Professor Flynn winked at Albert. “In the simulation today, you’ll be looking for a giant acorn. You Cedarfell boys are familiar with them, I assume?”

“Yes, sir,” Albert, Leroy, and Slink said together. Hoyt and Mo mumbled something a little less polite.

“Let’s get started, then,” Professor Flynn said. “Keep your wits about you, Balance Keepers! Trey! The whistle!”

Trey blew his whistle again, and the Pit reacted even more fiercely than before.

The barrels started to buck even more wildly. Some of them shot more blue fireballs. They’d dealt with fire in the Pit, but it had been stationary before. Seeing it shoot all over the place made Albert a little nervous. In Calderon, it would only be worse. And who knew what other dangers the Imbalance would cause?

“Find the acorn, release its contents in the Peak, and your team wins!” Professor Flynn said. “On my count. Three, two, one. Begin!”

The crowd went wild as Albert, Leroy, and Birdie huddled up together to talk strategy. Hoyt’s team did the same.

“All right, guys,” Albert said, taking the lead. “This is serious business. Where should we start? Leroy, do you see anything around here, any clues about where the acorn might be?”

“Well, we always had to go up before, so I’m guessing that the chances of the acorn being down here, within our reach, are pretty low,” Leroy said. “But those barrels are at least twenty feet over our heads, and getting to the top of the Peak won’t be easy.”

Albert nodded in agreement.

“So we’ll climb the walls,” Birdie said. She pointed at the sides of the Pit. They were like giant rock-climbing walls, with foot- and handholes every few feet, though Albert noted that regular rock-climbing walls didn’t have fire bursting forth from them at any given moment.

“It looks like the ground is trampoline style again,” Leroy noticed, bouncing a little. “If we fall, it’s cool. We’ll live.”

“You’re not scared?” Birdie punched him on the shoulder, laughing. “I think our Leroy’s growing up.”

Leroy’s face reddened. “Maybe I am. Besides, today is about proving to Hoyt that I’m not afraid of him.”

“Attaboy, Leroy!” Albert said. “Come on, let’s do this!”

They ran forward and started climbing the outer walls of the Pit, side by side. Ten feet up, Albert’s foot slipped and landed in Birdie’s face.

“Sorry!” Albert cried out.

Birdie shook her head and blinked her eyes a few times. “I’m okay; keep going.”

Across from them, Hoyt was already at the top. Albert knew Hoyt’s Speed Tile made short order of climbing challenges. He wished all over again that he knew how to make his own Tile help him out. He had certainly done things in the Core that seemed impossible, but he couldn’t say for sure those moments had been his Tile at work. And if it
was
his Tile, he certainly didn’t know how he was activating its powers.

“What’s next?” Birdie asked, halfway to the top. She clung to the wall like a bug. Albert and Leroy climbed up beside her, their muscles tired from hanging on. Blue flames shot out from holes all around them, bursting forth with a sound like a giant blowtorch.

“I guess we jump for it,” Leroy said. “First to the barrels, then maybe to the Peak?”

The barrels were spinning around Copper Peak, soaring past in a blur.

“We’ll have to time it just right,” Albert concluded. “Leroy, you want to call the shots on this one?”

“Now that’s a job I can do,” Leroy said. “All right, get ready. When I say jump, jump!”

Albert and Birdie watched as the barrels swung past. If Albert looked at only
one
barrel, it was easier to focus. He counted the seconds, trying to time it just right. He knew Leroy would have it all figured out, so when he heard his friend counting down, and then screaming,
“Jump!”
Albert pushed off the wall, leaped into midair, and crashed into a barrel. Somehow he was able to hang on as the barrel sailed by and to sit astride it like a cowboy as it bucked and swayed. Behind him, Albert heard Leroy’s command, and saw Birdie jump from the corner of his eye. Leroy waited a few more seconds, then leaped from the wall and clung to a barrel.

It looked to Albert like Leroy’s Texas upbringing was finally paying off. Leroy’s horse-riding skills were turning him into a barrel-riding rodeo champion.

“Yeehaw!” Albert screamed, laughing as Leroy soared past like a pro.

Out of nowhere, Albert’s barrel went wild. One of the cables snapped and he slid backward, somersaulting into the open air. The rubbery floor of the Pit bounced him back up, and he clung on to the rock wall. He glanced around to see where Hoyt was, but from his position on the wall, he couldn’t tell who was who up above. “These teams are neck and neck! It’s a new day, ladies and gentlemen!” Professor Flynn shouted.
Well. Better climb faster.

The crowd, so large in size, was naturally louder than they had been in previous simulations, but also more enthusiastic. People actually knew who Hydra was now, probably from Leroy’s massive win in Tiles the night before. Petra was up there again, calling out a Hydra cheer. Albert heard the names of his own team:
Come on, Birdie! Ride that thing, Leroy! Climb, Albert, climb!
The swell of voices told him the crowd was on his side, and it gave him a huge boost of confidence. He climbed with a new purpose and energy, then leaped into the air from the side of the Pit. Albert could not have landed more awkwardly on a barrel, but somehow he’d done it. All three Hydra team members were riding bucking barrels around the Copper Peak. Now they just had to find the acorn. Albert trusted Leroy’s guess that it was somewhere up here. He looked closely at the Peak, trying to get a glimpse of
something.

But the barrels spun wildly, bucking like crazy, and Albert had to concentrate on holding on. Finally, the barrels calmed down a bit and Albert could really look around. He saw that Hoyt, Mo, and Slink were riding behind him. Team Argon was right on their tails.

“Folks, we have ourselves a race!” Professor Flynn yelled.

“Now what do we do?” Albert called to Birdie and Leroy.

The barrels started spitting fire at one another. The one Slink was on shot fire at Albert’s. Albert leaped just in time as his barrel burst into blue flames. He landed on Leroy’s barrel. When he did, Leroy’s barrel went wild.

“See anything?” Albert shouted into Leroy’s ear.

As if in answer to Albert’s question, the Copper Peak started to ooze something green and slippery from the rock. Albert knew there had to be something important about this event, but he couldn’t quite figure it out.

“I forgot to mention,” Professor Flynn suddenly shouted into the MegaHorn, “the bacteria has also caused a strange sludge to ooze from the mountain. Take caution!”

But green ooze was the least of Albert’s problems. Suddenly, Slink’s barrel came crashing into Albert and Leroy’s, and all three players burst into the air like popcorn. With the extra height from the collision, Albert saw a flash of a familiar shape at the very top of the Peak.

Gotcha!
Albert said to himself. He knew he’d seen something important and hoped Team Argon hadn’t spotted it yet.

He curled into a tight ball and hit the rubbery ground like a wrecking ball. The floor launched him, shooting him high into the air until he reached his arms out and grabbed a barrel flying past.

He spotted the shape again. It was there, at the very top, right where the green goo was spilling out.

Unfortunately, it seemed like Hoyt had caught on, too. Hoyt was shouting commands to his team, instructing them to get to the top of the Copper Peak.

Albert tightened his grip on his barrel as Slink leaped from his own barrel onto the Copper Peak. Slink landed on a slick, narrow pathway that wound around the mountain, but his feet slipped and he fell off in an instant. Albert watched as Hoyt tried next, but he jumped too far, tumbling over the edge and down to the floor of the Pit.