The Legend Thief (3 page)

Sky scrambled out from under the door as a three-foot-tall monster lurched through.
The monster-a Marrowick-walked on small stumpy feet and the tips of waxy wings that sprouted from its back and folded over its shoulders.
Its
melted face quirked to the right and sloped down into sunken cheeks and a lopsided chin. It stared at Sky with empty eye sockets, and as Sky watched, shiny white eyes bubbled to the surface, forming out of the wax.

The Marrowick let out a pathetic-sounding hiss as Sky climbed to his feet and slowly backed away.

"That doesn't look so bad," T-Bone muttered.

"Where's its mom, do you think?" Hands asked, looking around nervously.

"I don't think they have moms," Andrew replied. "They're plants."

"Everything's got a mom," Hands stated. Andrew and Crystal glared at him.

"Present company excluded, of course," Hands corrected.

"We want to help you-" Sky started, but before he could finish, the Marrowick charged.

Surprised, Sky raised his Pounder and pulled the trigger.

A glob of goopy ICE solution shot out and smashed into the Marrowick. The ICE ripped through the creature, splitting it in half. Sky stared at the two halves in horror, wondering what had gone so terribly wrong. He'd meant to freeze it, not hurt it!

And then, before his eyes, the halves re-formed, changing into two smaller versions of the original Marrowick.

Sky backed away.

A fluttering sound filled the alley, coming from the open door. "That sounds menacing," Andrew commented, raising his Cross-Shocker.

Scores of pint-size Marrowicks burst out of the bowling alley, shrieking, waxy fingers grasping.

"Oh, come on!" Sky yelled in frustration, hardly believing his bad luck. He fired and fired.

Marrowicks swooped at him. Sky hit his protective Shimmer and a blue nimbus of light shot up around him. The first horde of foot-tall Marrowicks crashed into the light and bounced off.

From the corner of his eye, he saw flashes of electricity and globs of ICE flying.

The Shimmer fell and another horde hit, lifting Sky into the air.

Crystal hit a Marrowick with ICE, and Andrew shot his Cross-Shocker, sending two electrified prongs into the waxy creature, freezing it before it could split. The Marrowick crashed to the ground, the ICE shattered, and two Marrowicks emerged from the rubble.

Hands swung his electrified Collapser staff around like a bat, while T-Bone swatted with his electrified Shocker gloves, knocking Marrowicks from the air.

More flashes, more ICE. Marrowicks split and split again with each hit, swarming them as they grew smaller and smaller.

Warm wax flowed across Sky's skin, leaving a tingling feeling where it touched as dozens of tiny Marrowicks dragged him through the air. He hit his Shimmer again and the Marrowicks blew away from him, spinning. He crashed to the asphalt.

Marrowicks swooped down, gobbling up their fallen comrades, becoming bigger and bigger as they did. With a
whoosh,
scores of small Marrowicks rushed together, smashing into one another.

Sky struggled to his feet. Before he could get all the way up, the Marrowicks re-formed into a single twelve-foot-tall monster right behind him.

Sky
turned .
"B-big," he stuttered dumbly, staring up at it.

For the third time in as many minutes, Sky hit his protective Shimmer as the Marrowick backhanded him, sending him flying through the open door and into the bowling alley snack bar, where he smashed into a bucket of nacho cheese.

Outside, he saw Andrew flailing in the air, firing his
CrossShocker
at the few Marrowicks that hadn't merged yet as they carried him toward the main body and its greedy hands. Electrified prongs from the Cross-Shocker sailed everywhere, lighting up the alley bright as day.

Beyond Andrew, Sky saw T-Bone punching Marrowicks from the air until they swarmed around him like mosquitoes. Hands and Crystal worked around T-Bone, Hands dancing about like a madman, while Crystal fired from behind the Dumpster, kicking at Marrowicks trying to drag her from hiding.

But the ICE wasn't holding.

Through the bowling alley windows near the front, Sky saw red and blue flashing lights and shadows creeping close, guns out, flashlights swinging. He had seconds to act.

Planting his feet against the snack bar, he hit his jetpack like Jumpers. The force shot him through the splatter of nacho cheese and built-up deep-fryer grease caking the floor. He slapped a button on his Core shoulder pads as he
slid ,
and nasty thick Fog streamed behind him, filling the bowling alley, and then he was through the shattered doorway and back out side. He crashed into the largest Marrowick, knocking it down as the smaller ones released Andrew.

Andrew landed on top of the Marrowick just behind the wings and rode the Marrowick like a bronco as it struggled to rise.

The force of the Jumpers slammed Sky into the curb at the far side of the alley. He lurched to his feet, flinging clumps of grease and cheese everywhere. The Marrowick noticed the police flashlights coming through the bowling alley and around the building. With .a screech, it burst into hundreds of miniature Marrowicks and swarmed away like angry bees, knocking everyone to the
ground .
Sky's Fog petered out.

He helped Crystal to her feet, but before they could chase after the Marrowick, dozens of monstrous black-and-white birds shot out of the nearby woods, cawing madly. They were smart (but not that smart), loved homemade phosphorescent crackers, and their skeletons glowed green under a black light. But, most important, they'd saved Sky from Solomon Rose last year.

Piebalds.

"Calm down! I can't understand you all at once!" Sky hissed, anxiously watching the police close in.

The Piebalds kept chattering.

"What?
Now?
I can't do that now!"

"CAW!
CAW!
CAW!"

Something was terribly wrong, but he couldn't understand what amidst all the chatter. He glanced at the bowling alley, the forest, the road, taking it all in; he could make it if he rushed.

"All right, but it'd better be quick." Frustrated, Sky closed his eyes, opened his senses, and let his mind fill in the blanks a trap-building technique Phineas had taught him years ago.

He imagined himself standing in front of a window. Through the window, he imagined the Piebalds flapping and cawing, the moon rising, the trees growing, until the image in his mind vaguely resembled his actual surroundings. He spot ted the nearest Piebald and imagined a rope leading from the window to the Piebald-from his body to the Piebald's body, as it were.

Sky opened his imaginary window and stepped to the Edge, doing something Phineas had never taught him-something he'd figured out after edgewalking with Errand last year.

A strange wind picked up, arising from everywhere and nowhere, buffeting Sky. He struggled to hold his imagined world together, fixing more and more details until the winds calmed down. Normally, he'd spend several minutes working on details and shaping the Edge-the strange space his mind had to cross to reach the Piebald-until it was stable and safe, but he only had seconds, not minutes.

Taking a deep, calming breath, he stepped onto the rope and lurched forward, leaving his body behind. Almost immediately the winds rose up again, stronger than before. Sky made the mistake of glancing down. The road below shifted and the asphalt began to boil. Frantic, he pushed on, focusing on the rope and the Piebald.

The wind uprooted the trees and sent them flying through the air. Sky's imagined world fell apart around him. A raging storm of darkness and crackling energy seeped through the road. Sky focused, recalling detail after detail. But as the road re-formed-driving the storm back-the tightrope began to shake and the Piebald's feathers shifted color. Sky focused all his attention on the rope and the Piebald, letting the rest of his world fall apart.

The storm roared in from all directions, throwing the fractured remnants of his world to the four winds. Boiling light and freezing darkness tore at his mind. He stumbled and, for a moment, feared he'd fall as he had the first time he'd edge walked, when Errand had pushed him into Rauschtlot's mind and he'd tumbled through that storm and felt his conscious ness torn apart until he'd nearly forgotten who he was.

The tightrope slipped away and Sky jumped the last few feet, reaching for the Piebald. As he touched it, the world shifted around him and he was suddenly in the Piebald's head, seeing the memory it wanted to show him, the whole complicated process over in less than five seconds.

And what he saw terrified him.

Frantic, and hoping the monster hunters noticed his collapsed body, Sky forgot about all else and leaped from Piebald to Piebald, heedless of the distance and the rushing storms ripping at him- the tightrope barely formed before he jumped to the next. Sky moved faster and faster, ignoring more and more details until Piebald stick figures flew over childlike landscapes that ripped apart the second he entered them. He leaped before the next Piebald's image even formed in his mind. Wings sprouted from his back and the storm exploded around him. He sailed through the hidden forces of the
world ,
the chaos of the Edge.

Gale-force winds pounded him, tearing at his mind, ripping him apart.

He smashed into the last Piebald and the storm finally disappeared. In seconds, he'd leaped across a distance that would've taken a Piebald precious minutes to fly.

Pimiscule Manor spread out below him with its domed tower, wandering corridors, and sprawling wings, and he saw in real time what he'd only glimpsed in the Piebald's memory: dozens of dark figures creeping through the woods, gardens, and fields surrounding the manor, closing in on his home and his unsuspecting family within.

He heard a rumbling on the cobblestone drive, and then Hannah, his sister, pulled up in front of the manor in her beater car-a gift for her sixteenth birthday. She climbed out and casually strolled into their brightly lit home carrying her pom-poms, perfect as ever. A sign on the door read HAPPY THIRTEEN SKY!

The Piebald whose mind Sky was in dropped lower and Sky saw that the figures wore dark cloaks and hoods and had bows and arrows slung over their shoulders. Some carried silver knives, boomerangs, and bolas, and other, stranger weapons and gear. They were all dearly hunters . . . but from where? Who were they?

Sky found it hard to focus. He'd never edgewalked like this before. He tried to flap his wings, realized he wasn't the Piebald-just a passenger in one-and asked it to swoop in for a closer look.

He spotted more hunters creeping through the grove of dead trees east of the manor-how many, Sky couldn't tell, but a lot. A
whole lot.
And more farther down the hill to the east, near his school, Arkhon Academy.
Ages
varied-old, young, male, female. Some looked no older than Sky, and he didn't recognize any of them.

There were still a few hunters in Exile-mostly retired whose identities Malvidia, the head of the Exile hunters, kept secret. Sky didn't number himself or his friends among the Exile hunters, nor did Malvidia, for that matter, so he didn't know much about them. The Exile hunters' ranks had swelled last year when Solomon's prison had opened and several hunters, previously thought dead, had emerged after being locked in time for eleven years. But even so, Sky felt certain that the Exile hunters had nowhere near these numbers, not by half. Not by half of a half.

These hunters weren't from Exile. Sky didn't know much about it, but he knew there were different hunter orders and societies in different parts of the world. He also knew that every hunter order outside of Exile answered to the same group: the Hunters of Legend. They were the oldest order of hunters, the most powerful,
founded
by a mysterious woman known only as the First Hunter. There were never more than thirteen at a time, and they'd gotten their name centuries ago when they'd hunted
Legend ,
the most evil monster in the history of the world. Sky had only read bits and pieces here and there about their origin, but he'd read plenty of stories about their individual members. And he knew something else, too: Phineas had once been a Hunter of Legend, and so had Solomon Rose.

But if these hunters answered to the Hunters of Legend, then what were they doing here, in Exile? And, more important,
why were they at his house?

Sky saw a red-haired boy at the front of the group hold up his hand, and all the hunters came to a stop a short distance from the manor. They took up watchful positions and then seemed to meld into the shadows, disappearing from his sight. The Piebald, and Sky
within ,
swooped toward the red-haired boy who'd held up his hand, and who appeared to be their leader.

As Sky drew closer, he spotted a large group of hunters dragging someone toward the leader. When he realized who it was, he groaned. It was Sheriff Beau, his friend, in need of help, and Sky was stuck in a bird!

Beau's hands were tied behind his back and his face was battered. His clothes were torn and he had cuts everywhere. The dozen or so hunters guarding him looked even worse. They pushed him forward until he collapsed at the feet of the red haired boy, who looked fourteen or fifteen and was roughly the same height as Sky, but with a stockier, more muscular build.

The boy looked surprised when he saw Beau, but then his expression changed and a smirk appeared on his face as if he were laughing at some private joke.

"Hello, mates," said the boy with a thick British accent. "What's all this, then?"

"We found zips guy sneaking up behind us, Chase," said one of the hunters with a faint Austrian accent. "Claims to be zee sheriff, but he fights like an Academy of Legend-trained hunter. He took out ten of us before we realized he was zero." Bea u spit out a mouthful of blood. "Where's Morton, kid?

It's time he and I had a little chat."

"Busy, I'm afraid," Chase replied.

"You realize you're violating a treaty by coming here, right?" said Beau. "You stay out of
Exile,
we stay out of Europe-that was the deal. That's been the deal for four hundred years."

"Your treaty with the Hunters of Legend died with Bartholomew Elm," Chase replied. "He was one of the thirteen, and he died on your watch."

Beau scoffed. "So, because your envoy got eaten by a Wargarou, you're going to break a four-hundred-year-old treaty? Are you sure you're not here because
Phineas
finally died, so you thought you could step in and take control of Exile? Because I promise you, Phineas wasn't the only thing in Exile you should fear."

Chase shrugged. "You'll have to talk to Morton about all that, mate. Really, I'm just here for the boy." Chase gestured vaguely at the manor.

"Boy? You mean Sky?" Beau's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You touch a hair on Sky's head and I will personally kill every single one of you."

The Piebald squawked in agreement.

Sky was too stunned to react, both by Beau's defense of him and by the truth of it: These foreign hunters were here for him; but why?

Chase glanced up at the Piebald, looked away,
did
a double take. He narrowed his eyes.

Sky felt a sharp stab. A painful cold raced through him, and the Piebald's beak started to chatter. Before Sky or the Piebald could react, Chase looked away and the pain was gone.

"Things change," Chase muttered, looking back at Beau.

"The others have made up their mind about Sky and there's nothing we can do about it, even if we wanted to-and I do, mate. Honest. It's a shame what they're planning with the hunt and
a
ll. But there's no need for us to be enemies; we didn't come here for that- quite the opposite, in fact. We're here to help you." Chase shooed away the other hunters and offered Beau his hand. "I'm Chase Shroud-Hunter of Legend."

Beau grinned. Then, faster than Sky could blink, Beau grabbed Chase's hand, yanked him forward, drew a long knife from Chase's belt, spun Chase around, and put the knife to his throat.

''I'm Beau-Sheriff of Exile, kid. Now call off your hunters and take
me
to Morton Thresher or I'll shove this knife down your throat."

Chase held up his hands, ordering the others to back away. Then he disappeared in a wisp of black smoke, shadow slipping just like a Wargarou. He reappeared behind Beau.

Beau spun with the knife, but Chase was a touch faster. He blocked and snatched the knife from Beau's hand. Then he spun Beau around and pushed him back to the ground with his foot.

Chase tossed the knife next to him. "Keep it-you'll need it."

Beau rolled over to face Chase, chuckling. "I wouldn't have believed it-a kid your age chosen as one of the thirteen? But they taught you, all right. You must be the youngest Hunter of Legend since Alexander Drake."

"Solomon Rose, actually," said Chase. "He beat Alexander to the honor by a full year."

"Honor?"
Beau harrumphed. "Whatever, kid."

For the first time, Chase scowled. "Not all of us can be
sheriffs,
mate. The world's population of jam doughnuts would never survive."

"Hey now, just a minute-" Beau started to protest, sounding highly offended.

"Bedlam is coming to Exile, Mr. Sheriff,
sir,"
Chase cut in. "I recommend you start listening."

The forest seemed to grow quiet, and Sky along with it. After a year of studying the books in Phineas’ library, he knew the stories.
Bedlam, the oldest living son of the ancient terror Legend, who nearly destroyed the world with his dark powers.
Bedlam, brother to the Arkhon-the
real
Arkhon.
Husband of the nightmarish Darkhorn.
Father of the giant Harrow Knights, the human-size Harrow Wights, and the spiderlike Gossymers, as well as the Edgewalkers that Solomon Rose had hunted to extinction.
Bedlam, master of the Edge, who could steal into your mind and terrorize your dreams, or drag you into his and lock you away in undying madness.

Bedlam, the monster whom Solomon Rose and Alexander Drake imprisoned in Skull Valley.

Bedlam.
If possible, even more frightening than the Arkhon.

"We believe Bedlam is already here, edgewalking," Chase continued. "His army will arrive no later than tomorrow night with his body, which- lucky for all you Exile
hunters
remains trapped in the Chrysalis thanks to Solomon Rose and Alexander Drake, both
Hunters of Legend,
I might add."

"Bedlam escaped.... How is that even possible?" Beau asked
,
sounding stunned as he slowly climbed to his feet with out picking up the knife.

Chase shrugged. "No idea, mate. But you know the story.

After Solomon and Alexander locked him away, Bedlam promised to hunt down every last hunter. Maybe he's coming here for his brother, or maybe he thinks something here can free his body. Whatever the case, it looks like he's figured out a way to edgewalk from his Chrysalis and, lucky you, he's starting his hunt in Exile."

Beau spit blood on Chase's foot.
"Lucky us."

Chase glanced at the blood, looking even more amused.
"''m on your side, mate.
It's all bollocks. I don't want to see Sky hurt any more than you do...." Chase glanced up at the Piebald, and Sky felt certain that Chase knew he was watching. "But I'm a minority, and Bedlam's arrival has forced Morton's hand. By taking control of Sky, Bedlam could get everything he wants. Sky's marks would make him more powerful than if he reclaimed his own body, and with the keys to the Arkhon's prison, Bedlam could free his brother. We can't let that hap pen. Morton believes, and the other hunters agree, that if Bedlam hasn't already taken control of Sky, he soon will. Sky is untrained, weak-minded, and weak-willed-there's simply no way he could resist. And so, at Morton's request, the Hunters of Legend have declared a hunt. Tonight, one way or another, Sky
will
die."

Sky startled. They were here to kill him?
That's
what they wanted? Why couldn't anyone ever hunt him down for brunch?

Chase looked back at the Piebald. "If I were Sky, I would run and I wouldn't stop. If we don't find him, Bedlam will before the night is over. Death, madness, or escape; those are Sky's only options. Sky should run from Exile and he should start right now, before we find his friends wandering Exile's sewers with his body."

Sky startled. Chase definitely knew he was there. What's more, he knew where to find him. But was he warning him away or leading him into a trap?
And if he was warning him, why?

"Take him to Morton," Chase instructed his hunters, gesturing at Beau. ''I'm going to pay a visit to Sky's family to see if he's been acting strange lately. Looks like
it's
his birthday today-I do hope they saved me some cake."

The Piebald let out a squawk, or maybe Sky let out a squawk. ... He was so confused. Either way, they took to the air.