The Legend Thief (10 page)

Sky dragged the coffin out of the water and stopped to catch his breath. Sky and his dying cargo had floated through the Sleeping Lands on their morbid ship, moving swiftly with the currents and rowing through the swamps using branches he picked up along the way. He pulled out his pocket
watch ,
checked the time (half past late), and started moving again.

The grove had rejuvenated him and filled him with new found strength, but the high had long since faded. Exhausted, he pushed on, refusing to let this woman die. The birthday sign still hung on the manor door when he crashed through, dragging the coffin behind him.

He was so tired, he hardly noticed all the people in birth clay hats staring at him. Someone tooted a party horn, making a sad sound.

Sky collapsed to the ground, sucking air.

"Sky!"
Mom cried, rushing over. "Where have you been?"

"
Ewww
!
Is that a coffin?" Hannah chirped, sounding disgusted. Next to her stood Derek Webber, the captain of the swim team, her latest "friend," since she'd broken the football captain's heart a few months ago. Derek was tall, with long, muscly arms, a perfect smile, and dark, tanned skin. He stared at Sky with an expression of perplexed horror. In his mouth he held a recently tooted party horn.

In the corner Sky saw Andrew and Crystal, very dirty, but alive. His heart skipped a beat and he nearly started to cry. He had reassured himself over and over that they had survived that Nackles had gotten them out-but until now, he hadn't believed it. He had hoped, but hope had abandoned him so many times. He had chased after the Marrowick and then the hunter as much out of curiosity and instinct as out of fear of what he might find when he returned home. But he should have remembered what Phineas had taught him: "Sometimes the hardest things to believe are the only things worth believing at all."

He wiped his eyes and smiled at them. They looked every bit as relieved as he did. Sky glanced around, wondering where T-Bone and Hands were hiding. And why were his parents still throwing a surprise party? Hadn't Andrew and Crystal told them what had happened?

Then, in the shadows behind Andrew and Crystal, Sky saw Chase Shroud. Chase raised a plate of cake, toasting Sky in greeting, before taking a humongous bite and, by the looks of it, enjoying it thoroughly.

Before Sky could figure out what was going on, the hunter in the pine box groaned.

'There's a woman in this box!" Dad exclaimed. "Helen! She's injured! Get your supplies!"

As Mom raced for the kitchen, the others gathered around.

Sky stood, still wheezing. He watched Crystal, worried at how she might react. "I think it's-"

"My mom
... ,
" Crystal muttered in shocked disbelief.

Her mouth hung open and her eyes were wide. Reaching down hesitantly, as if fearing she might slip away, Crystal took her mother's hand and started to cry.

Sky's heart broke as he watched the flood of agony wash over Crystal's face. She was always the strong one, the glue that held them together; he had never seen her look so anguished before. For three years Crystal had believed her mother was lost, and now Cass was lying in a coffin with an arrow in her heart, dying in front of her. Sky couldn't imagine how Crystal must feel. He could get close, maybe, because of what he had suffered with Phineas and Errand, but he had learned over the last year that pains were like snowflakes: Each one was unique. Sky wanted to reach out to Crystal, to help her as she had helped him so many times before, but he didn't know what to do, and fear of doing the wrong thing-of making her grief worse-paralyzed him.

Before Sky could figure it out, Andrew put his arm around Crystal-the gesture awkward, but sincere. Crystal seemed to relax the tiniest bit and her tears fell more freely, in great drops.

Mom rushed back in carrying a small bag, her fingers deftly sorting through it. She reached the coffin and her face froze. "Cass ..."She glanced at Cassandra, then at Crystal. She put her hand on Crystal's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "She'll be okay." With her normal efficiency, Mom shook herself out of her stupor and set to work. "Herman, Chase-carry the coffin into the kitchen."

"Of course, Mrs. Weathers," said Chase sweetly, taking one last humongous bite of cake. Chase handed his plate to Sky. "Stay close," Chase whispered, "we need to talk."
"Hannah, my bag."
Mom shoved her bag into Hannah's hands. "Crystal, just ... hold on."

"Shouldn't we call an ambulance? Or the police?" asked Derek.

Everyone stared at Derek. He was the only one in the room who knew nothing about monsters and hunters.

“It'll be okay, Derek," Dad said reassuringly. "Helen's well trained, and Sheriff Beau should be along shortly. Can you grab that corner of the coffin?"

Derek hesitated and then, reluctantly, helped with the coffin.

Andrew detached himself from Crystal. He whispered something in her ear and she nodded. Then he crossed to join Sky, holding him back as the others left the room.

Sky stood watching as they carried the coffin out of the foyer, too tired to follow even if Andrew hadn't stopped him. He could hear Mom barking orders down the hall, and then her voice trailed off and disappeared as they headed for the distant kitchen in the east wing. If anyone could save Cass, Mom could.

Sky and Andrew shuffled their feet. Sky wasn't quite sure what to say and, apparently, neither was Andrew. The problem was, he had so much to say and didn't know how to say any of it. So instead, he gave Andrew a quick pat on the arm, and Andrew grinned.

"I thought you were dead," said Sky. "Nope," Andrew replied eloquently.

Sky grinned. "Where are T-Bone and Hands?"

''T-Bone went to find Malvidia," said Andrew. "Hands
is
tracking down Tick, Lazy Eye, and Squid. Everyone was supposed to meet here to start our search for you. We saw the hunters come back all green and puffy, so we knew you were still alive."

"Tick's coming?" Sky asked
,
surprised despite all that had happened. Tick was, of course, the football team captain, who Hannah had dumped a few months ago. He-along with Hannah, Lazy Eye, and Squid-had also been instrumental in locking Solomon's prison last year.

"Yeah.
According to T-Bone, he's still heartbroken over Hannah, but he hasn't given up," said Andrew. "Plus, after we made them honorary monster hunters last year . . . well, we didn't really know where else to turn if Malvidia refused to help."

"Tick's persistent, I'll give him that," said Sky. He paused.

"What happened down there?"

"You saw the explosions," said Andrew. "They knocked us back and out of the worst of it. Nackles led us to the surface after the cemetery collapsed. By then, you were gone. So we split up. Crystal, Nackles, and I waited until the hunters returned, to make sure you were still alive. Then Nackles took off-"

"Where?"

"The Sleeping Lands somewhere-she didn't say," said Andrew. "
Either that or she did say and
I couldn't understand her. My Gnomon isn't really all that great. But they've been there for a few days, by the sounds of it-her and Rauschtlot. They're working on something. She wanted to come here, to help search for you, but with so many hunters around, we thought it wouldn't be safe. She was only back in the cave to collect some kind of baking fungus from the walls when she heard us."

"Baking fungus?" Sky scoffed. "I wonder what they're up
to?
"

Andrew shrugged.
"Beats me.
Crystal and I came back here to wait. That's when we found Chase. He's the Hunter of Legend you mentioned-the one who fought Beau and led the hunters to the manor, right?"

"The same," Sky replied, wondering how Beau was faring. Whatever else happened, Sky felt certain that Malvidia would work out a deal to save Beau. Even though Beau wasn't technically a hunter anymore, Malvidia relied on him far too much to let these hunters have him.

"Well, Chase is pretending to be a friend from school-a
hunter
friend ,
" said Andrew. "We've played along because we weren't sure what he'd do if we didn't."

"So that's why you didn't say anything to my parents
... ,
" said Sky.

Andrew nodded. "We need to get you into hiding. T-Bone should've been back by now-not a promising sign. You handed these hunters over to Malvidia, but if she was on their side to begin with-"

"She'll keep her promise," Sky insisted, hoping it was true. "She's a heartless killer and a horrible person, but once she gives her word, she keeps it."

"Then maybe something else went wrong," said Andrew, sounding skeptical. "But whatever the case, if the hunters honestly believe Bedlam's controlling you, they're going to hunt you no matter what Malvidia does. We need to get you out of here."

''I'm not running anymore," said Sky, shaking his head. "Crystal needs me, and maybe T-Bone and Beau, too. Besides, I'm tired and it won't do any good. They know I'm here." Sky gestured at the hall where Chase had disappeared. "They're not going to just let me leave, and if I tried now, a lot of people could get hurt."

"And you think we're all just going to stand around and watch while they kill you?" Andrew asked. "People are going to get hurt one way or another."

"Not if I can help it," said Sky. "Look, my plan either worked or it didn't. If it did, great. If not, I'll improvise. I told them where to find the antidote for Bolger venom-I let them live even after they tried to kill me. That has to count for some thing. Plus, I know things now, things they'll want to know about Bedlam and what he's after. I have leverage."

Andrew frowned. "All right, Sky. If this is what you want, we're with you. But if things go badly, don't think we're just going to stand by and watch."

Sky nodded to show that he had heard Andrew, not that he agreed with him.

Through the window, he saw Hands approaching with Tick, Lazy Eye, and
Squid .
They were all dressed in full hunter gear: Pounders, Shockers, Jumpers . . . everything. "Looks like reinforcements have arrived."

As they watched, Lazy Eye accidentally set off his cross bowlike Cross-Shocker. Electrified prongs and trailing wires rocketed out and hit Squid, who fell to the ground writhing while Tick and Hands laughed.

Andrew scoffed at the sight. "We're dead, aren't we?"

After briefing them on the situation and making sure Squid hadn't suffered any permanent damage, Sky led the new arrivals to the kitchen where they found Crystal and the others. They'd removed Cass from Alexander's coffin and placed her on the table, lying on her side. Crystal stood by her mother, holding her. From where he stood, Sky could see the arrowhead sticking out of Cass's back.

Mom shuffled in and out of the pantry, bringing out her strange medicinal supplies.

Andrew crossed to the table, putting himself protectively between Chase, who was helping hold Cass in place, and Crystal. Hands positioned himself on Chase's other side, staying out of the way, but close enough to intervene if Chase got any ideas. Crystal looked up. Her eyes were red and puffy. Sky gave her a weak smile. Brushing a strand of hair out of her face, she dropped her gaze.

There was no more space around the table, so Sky, Tick, Lazy Eye, and Squid moved to the bar to join Hannah and Derek.

Derek looked them over. He gave Tick a curt nod-captain to captain, rival to rival-before pitching his voice low, but not low enough that Sky couldn't hear him. "Why are they dressed like that? I didn't know ... I mean ... they're not ... they're not
Goths,
are they?"

Hannah shushed him.

Dad held the arrow steady and Chase grabbed it with some cutters. "One, two,
three
..."

SNAP!

Chase cut off the fletching.

''This is nuts," said Derek. "She should be in a hospital." Hannah grabbed Derek's hand, holding it tight. Sky saw Tick cringe.

Dad examined the cut. "It's more bone than branch- looks like you were right, Helen. It's either Dovetail or
Gilead .
..
possibly
Harksplitter.... It's so hard to tell what it is without the bark. We can hope
it's
Harksplitter, though I don't know why anyone would use it on Cass. Sky, did you get a look at who did this?"