The Pillars of Ponderay (13 page)

“It's time for Round Two!” Hoyt shouted from across the Pit. He leaped from a pillar, did a front flip, and
landed in the waves beside Slink and Mo.

Albert joined Birdie and Leroy, and they compared Tiles.

“I got three,” Albert said. Birdie held up one, and Leroy held up another.

“That's five for us!” Leroy said.

Birdie squealed with excitement. “That means Argon has the other five. We're tied! We still have a chance to win this!”

Albert felt the familiar buzz of adrenaline that came from being one step closer to winning. But the competition wasn't over yet. They still had to beat Argon in the second round.

He turned and looked across the Pit, past the spinning pillars. “We're tied!” Albert shouted to Argon. “Forget about a new set of Tiles. Whoever plugs in their five Tiles first is the winner!”

“You're going down, Hydra!” Hoyt shouted.

The second half of the competition began.

Both teams dove into the waves. Hydra swam with a fury they hadn't before. Albert and Birdie held Leroy in between them, and in a matter of seconds, they'd managed to fling him onto a pillar.

Suddenly, the direction changed again.

“Hang on, Leroy!” Albert shouted.

Leroy's fingertips were white, but somehow, he managed to keep his grip even as the momentum from the
direction change threw him around like a rag doll.

Albert and Birdie avoided the tidal wave that came toward them. They separated, and Albert's heart was pounding like a jackhammer by the time he hauled himself onto his pillar. He climbed, breathlessly, toward the top, and with one final burst of energy, pulled himself up. But he couldn't get to his feet. Not with the wind, and not with how fast the pillars were spinning.

Even Hoyt was having trouble. He tried to make the leap from one pillar to another, but the wind knocked him off course, and he was catapulted into the side of the Pit.

Albert closed his eyes and perched on top of his pillar like a bird. But he couldn't think of a single Tile symbol that would help him here—Speed, Strength, Balance. Nothing would help him defeat the wind.

He tried to jump anyway. All that he accomplished was getting a fat bloody lip and a big splash into the waters below.

The fight went on.

Thirty minutes passed.

The teams were neck and neck. Hydra and Argon had each plugged three Tiles into slots.

Somehow, doing the same pattern over and over again, Albert, Birdie, and Leroy were keeping a steady scoring pace. They were working as an efficient team, but if they wanted to win, they'd have to really pull ahead.

They'd have to do something crazy.

Clang!
Albert looked up and saw Mo plug a fourth Tile in place.

“We're not moving fast enough!” Albert shouted to Birdie as they swim in circles, trying to launch Leroy onto another pillar again. “If they plug in their fifth Tile before us, they win!”

“What are we supposed to do, sprout fins or wings?” Birdie shouted.

“I don't even know if that's possible!” Albert shouted back.

They launched Leroy onto his pillar, and Birdie shot ahead and grabbed on, too.

“I'll stay here with him and we'll work on this Tile together,” Birdie shouted as they sped away.

Albert found his own pillar. He was exhausted. Albert climbed with everything he had, using Strength, but his mind was growing weak now. His limbs were trembling like leaves, and he just couldn't stay focused on the Master Tile symbols.

“Give up now, Flynn!” Hoyt shouted from his perch on a pillar.

It gave Albert just enough fury to climb up, plug in Hydra's fourth Tile, and slide back down into the water.

Now they were even again. Albert dove into the waves where Birdie and Leroy were waiting, the Tile still in Leroy's hand.

“Come on!” Birdie cried out.

“We'll finish this together!” Leroy shouted.

But Albert had other ideas. He had the Master Tile, and the power to finish this before Argon could. “Give me the last Tile!” Albert shouted. “I can do it!”

Birdie looked nervous, but she tossed it to him. He caught it and tucked it in his waistband.

He tried to swim fast. He pictured the water droplet in his mind, but it kept flickering, like those times the power started to go out in his mom's apartment, and the TV screen wouldn't keep a clear picture.

No. I can't give up now
, Albert thought.
I have to win.
He clenched his teeth so hard he accidentally bit his tongue and tasted blood. His hands were throbbing from gripping the pillars so tight, and his lip was swollen beyond belief.

Albert was
just
able to get his Master Tile to harness the power of the water droplet, when he saw a flash of orange overhead. He looked up as Hoyt, Slink, and Mo stood on the tops of three pillars. They were all holding hands, using one another for support.

Albert gasped as they leaped as one unit.

And landed, somehow, on three separate pillars.

They stooped down, and Hoyt plugged in the final Tile for Argon.

Clang!

The pillars suddenly stopped spinning. The wind died down, and the water began to disappear, draining into the bottom of the Pit.

Albert gasped, all of the strength going out of him, as
he saw the glowing leaderboard overhead, on the rocky side of the Pit.

Hydra had nine points.

Argon had ten.

Hoyt's team had won, and Hydra had lost the bet.

Five minutes later, the Pit was back to normal, and Hydra and Argon made their way out. Everyone was so exhausted that Argon hadn't even celebrated with their usual whoops and hollers.

“Remember our bet” was all Hoyt said to Albert as the two teams separated.

Albert nodded, lost in his thoughts, as Argon took the pathway down from the Pit and faded away into darkness.

Albert was shocked, not because of the loss, but because Argon had done something Hydra hadn't. They'd figured out how to work as a real team with the way they'd linked up arms and done the final steps together. Hydra had worked together in the water, but not on the pillars. With their victory today, Argon had proven themselves worthy of defeating the Pit, fair and square, no lying or cheating necessary.

Albert left the Pit in a daze, with Birdie and Leroy hot on his heels. Farnsworth didn't even run. His ears dragged across the dusty floor, and his eye lights were dimmer than a dying candle.

Hydra didn't speak, not even after they'd all gone to
their dorms, changed clothes, and met back up in the Main Chamber.

It was Petra who found them, sitting silently on the edge of the Ponderay stream, staring at the glowing numbers on the clock. Time was nearly up.

“Come on,” Petra said. He forced Hydra onto their feet. “You need a morale boost.”

The group headed to Petra's secret float room, where they helped him patch together a few final touches on the Guildacker. Farnsworth perched on top of the float, gnawing on one of his favorite blue bones.

“I just don't get it!” Birdie was saying. “We've done everything we could've done last year. How are they beating us?” She slammed her fist on the Guildacker's head, and a gold coin fell off, clattering to a stop on the stone floor far below.

“Oops, sorry, Petra!” Birdie climbed down and scooped up the coin.

“No worries,” Petra called from the wing. “The parade isn't for a few days. I've got time to fix things.”

He was lacing together more of that crazy moss, wearing thick black gloves so it wouldn't affect his skin. Leroy was glaring at the moss like he wanted to stab it. Apparently, he still hadn't forgiven it for his balloon hand last term. Birdie was back on top of the Guildacker, and she suddenly groaned and punched its head. The misplaced coin wasn't sticking. Leroy noticed her struggle to fix it,
and climbed up to her. He patiently showed her how to do it the right way.

It struck Albert, as he watched his friends working together from below, that he loved these people, and he didn't blame them for losing today. That was when something sparked to life in Albert's mind.

Something that hadn't really hit him yet.

“They're good,” Albert said. “Apparently, even better than us.”

“Don't say that! You're just panicked,” Birdie gasped, but Albert was as cool as a cucumber. He'd come to terms with the loss. He'd sat there in silence for hours, analyzing what had happened. And now he knew.

“It's true, guys.” Albert leaned forward onto his knees and sighed. “We did a good job today. Really good, and we all know it. And we were good last term. Great, actually.”

“The best,” Birdie and Leroy said together, and Petra nodded along.

“But not this term,” Albert said. “Things have changed. Hoyt might be a pig-faced jerk, but his team's got skill. They've improved a
lot.
Maybe, if we can forget about trying to
beat
them and just focus on doing the best we can as a team, playing to our strengths like we did in Calderon, maybe it'll make a difference.”

It made perfect sense. In the Pit, all Albert had been doing was stress, stress, and stress some more. To him, it
was about proving a point. Beating Hoyt's team just so he could be a winner.

But that wasn't the way it should be.

Being a Balance Keeper was about bravery and having heart, working together as a team, even when it seemed impossible to win or keep going. It wasn't about pride. It was about teamwork.

“Maybe we just need to start fresh,” Albert said. “Let's go to the Pit tomorrow and forget about winning. Let's just have some fun and enjoy being Balance Keepers.”

“Albert's right,” Petra squeaked. His face was covered in oil and sweat, but his smile was as bright as ever. “You guys need to stop worrying so much. Just have fun. I'd do anything to be a Balance Keeper.”

“I'd do anything to be such a good sculptor.” Leroy smiled, popping the last of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich into his mouth.

Petra put the finishing touches on the Guildacker's wings. They glowed magnificently. It was so realistic that Albert almost thought the float might fly away into the Main Chamber.

“Yeah, you're amazing Petra,” Albert added, and Birdie also sang his praises.

“Thanks, guys.” Petra's face instantly grew red. But he recovered quickly. “So, I love hanging out with you guys and all, but if I were you, I'd go get some rest. You're going to need it toni—I mean tomorrow,” he quickly
corrected. His face grew red all over again.

“Do you know something we don't, Petra?” Albert asked. Petra had that mischievous gleam in his eyes.

“Nope! Don't know anything!” Petra gave them a quick thumbs-up, then disappeared beneath the float to work on the gears. “See you later!”

Albert shrugged. Maybe Petra was as weird as he'd always been and they'd just gotten used to him. It made Albert smile.

Farnsworth led the way back, scurrying across the Main Chamber. Even with today's loss, and the impending doom of Ponderay, Albert noticed a change in the Core. Everyone was gearing up for the big Float Parade. The Core workers were on towering, wobbly copper ladders, stringing lights and garlands across the chandelier and the steaming pipes overhead. It was a welcome distraction to everything going on in the Imbalanced Realm.

Even the CoreFish was out tonight, giving kids free rides on its back in the streams below, making clicking noises like a happy dolphin. Overhead, Jadar soared across the crowd, screeching with glee as he chased a giant purple butterfly.

“He's adorable,” Birdie sighed, watching her companion as they crossed over a bridge.

“Adorable? More like adoraNOT,” Leroy yelped.

T
hat night Albert finally got the good sleep he'd been so desperate for. His eyes closed as soon as his head hit the pillow. He had no dreams, just blissful, beautiful sleep . . . and it was soon ruined by the bright beam of a flashlight right over Albert's face.

“Farnsworth,” he groaned, putting his arm over his eyes.

“I'm not your dog, weirdo!” a boy's voice said. Someone nudged Albert's shoulder. “Get up!”

Albert opened his eyes, and saw that Jack was standing over him. He was wearing all black, and he had camo paint on his face, making him look like some kind of soldier.

“What time is it?” Albert said, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

Across from him, a dark-haired Pure guy who Albert remembered was training for Belltroll last term, Rick, was waking up Leroy.

“It's time for the best tradition of the season,” Jack said, hauling Albert out of bed.

“I thought the Float Parade wasn't for another couple of days,” Albert said.

Jack smiled, his eyes bright like he knew a secret. “That's a great tradition, but this one is
secret.
Usually, it's for Pure Balance Keepers only. But since you and your team came all this way, you get to join in the fun.”

“And,” Rick said, arms crossed over his chest, “it's dangerous.”

“Oh, perfect,” Leroy groaned, pulling a sweatshirt over his head. “Danger is
just
what I was hoping for at three o'clock in the morning.”

The boys laughed, and Albert and Leroy had no choice but to follow them out into the darkness of night.

The Library was dark and cold when they arrived. Albert could almost imagine the whispers of all the thousands of books around him, the stories just waiting to be read. Some of the torches on the walls were still flickering, but most had gone out. Lucinda's Core Canteen was dark, with a chain-link barrier pulled down so sneaky Balance Keepers couldn't go inside and steal things when she wasn't looking.

They made their way toward the back of the Library,
filing inside the Tiles competition room.

“If it's a game of Tiles, then things are about to get interesting,” Leroy said.

The room was already packed with Pure Balance Keepers when they arrived. Birdie sat with a cluster of girls in the corner, her feet covered in fuzzy pink bunny slippers. They even had floppy ears.

“Nice footwear.” Albert nudged her with a wry grin as he came up next to her.

“Hey, they're not as goofy as that bed head you boys are sporting,” Birdie said with confidence, as Leroy helped her to her feet.

The conversation fell silent as the Apprentices appeared. Trey was in the lead. Albert smiled and waved. Trey didn't wave back. Instead, he appraised Hydra with a strange sort of stiffness in his posture. It was like he was uncomfortable to even be near them.

“Seriously, what's his problem?” Birdie hissed.

Albert shrugged. “Beats me.”

“What you're about to enter into is extremely secret,” Trey said, and though he was talking to everyone, Albert felt like he was aiming the words right at Hydra. “Due to special circumstances, a few surface Balance Keepers will be joining us this year. If you feel like you can keep this secret, raise your Tile in the air.”

Everyone did as he asked. Albert lifted his Master Tile high. Trey's eyes fell onto it, and he glared, then looked back at everyone else. “All right. Now swear on it.”

“I swear!” Albert, Birdie, and Leroy said together.

Trey, Tussy, and Fox, the male Apprentice for Belltroll, all raised their own Tiles as well.

“Good,” Trey said. “Now get ready for the best night of your lives. This is the Core Hunt.”

The room filled with whispers. But when Trey held up a hand, everyone fell silent again.

“Tussy, the box, please,” he said.

Tussy held out a box wrapped in thick white cloth. When Trey unwrapped it, everyone was standing on tiptoe to get a better look. Albert gave himself a little advantage, using Flight Vision (which looked like a bird's wings), to help him see over the crowd.

The box was old and wooden, not much larger than a textbook. Trey opened the lid and dust filled the air, dancing like little fairies. “In this box,” he said, “are fifty Tiles. Special ones, with powers you have yet to experience.”

He angled the box just a little, and now Albert could see inside. There were lots of Tiles, indeed, all different colors. He wanted so badly to get up and go to the box to see better. Albert didn't have much use for the special Tiles, not with his Master Tile, but Birdie and Leroy could really benefit from them. Trey snapped the lid shut.

Tussy stood a little taller. Her scratched and bruised face was proud, and Albert realized that even at three in the morning, she seemed ready for action. He wanted to be like Tussy, someone who looked, at all times, like a champion of the Core.

Tussy raised her voice. “Whoever finds this box will own these Tiles for the remainder of this term. And believe me. You'll want these Tiles on your side in the training Pit. I'm looking at you, Hydra and Argon.”

Trey handed the box to Tussy, who handed it off to Fox. The tall Apprentice left the room with the box cradled in his arms like an infant. Everyone watched him leave with hungry eyes.

When the door closed behind Fox, Trey called their attention back to the front of the room and nodded at Tussy.

“There are no real rules,” Tussy said. “If you choose to play dirty, then so be it. Just please, don't kill anyone. There's already enough drama going on in the Core to add a death to the list.”

Everyone exchanged nervous glances and anxious laughs.

“You'll stick to your Pit teams,” Tussy said. “Be creative and smart in your search. The box could be anywhere in the Core.”

“What do we do when we find it?” Birdie asked.

Trey laughed. “You run like the wind, and hope no one tackles you for it. Whoever gets the box back to this room first wins. Oh, and don't get caught by any Professors. Detention, for anyone out past dark, as always.”

The Balance Keepers sat around waiting for at least twenty minutes, while Fox hid the box of Tiles somewhere inside the Core. Someone tried to start up a game
of Tiles, but nerves were high, and the game fizzled out. Plus, no one wanted to compete against Leroy. It was a losing battle from the start.

“I can't believe they've been doing this game all along, and we never knew,” Birdie said to the boys.

Leroy shrugged. “It makes sense, though, that full-time Core people would have their own special traditions.”

“He's right,” Albert said. “It's pretty cool of them to let us join in. Finally, we'll get to have some real fun.”

Fox came back. There was a glow of mischief in his eyes. “It's time.”

Trey nodded, then surveyed the room. “Balance Keepers, are you ready?”

“Ready!” Albert, Birdie, Leroy, and the rest of the room called out.

Even without the regular amount of students, their voices were still as loud as the roar of an army, and suddenly it hit Albert: the Core
was
an army, with soldiers training to defend their homes both here and on the surface. Whoever had set the Imbalance was going to have a difficult time winning in the end.

While everyone else ran off to search the Core, Albert, Birdie, and Leroy stayed in the small room strategizing.

“We could go check the Pit,” Birdie offered. “I bet they'd place the box in some sort of extreme Balance Keeper challenge.”

“We could,” Albert said. “But don't you think that's
where everyone else might go?”

Leroy nodded, leaning back onto his elbows. “It's where everyone will look.”

“So then we should look in the last place they'd expect us to.” Albert chewed on his bottom lip. Leroy was grinning like a maniac. Albert sensed that Leroy already had the answer; he was just waiting for Albert to catch on. He tried to think like someone with a Synapse Tile would.

“The Library!”

Birdie nodded. “Of course! They'd put it right here. While everyone else is out scouring the entire Core, it's probably just sitting on a bookshelf somewhere close by, waiting for us to grab it.”

Leroy laughed. “Maybe my smartness is rubbing off on you guys.” Farnsworth growled and tugged at Leroy's bootlace. “But of course you've always been the smartest one, little guy.”

They set off through the Library with Farnsworth's eyes guiding their way. The rows of shelves towered as tall as the pillars in the Pit, old oak and metal somehow melded together. There had to be at least thirty rows, and as they walked past them, Albert couldn't help but picture ghosts or ghouls hiding in the shadows.

“Maybe we should check somewhere besides the shelves,” he said.

“Like the tallest part of the Library?” Birdie asked.

That highest place in the Library wasn't a bookshelf at all. It was the rock-climbing wall with the zip line
that Albert loved so much.

The three of them headed that way. Albert didn't need his Tile powers for climbing the familiar rock wall, and Birdie was right on his heels. Leroy, having gotten braver at this kind of thing since last term, was even laughing as he scaled the jagged surface.

Albert reached the top first. It was just a few feet across, room for a couple of kids to sit on top and dangle their legs over the side. The box wasn't here.

“Dang,” Albert said. “Well, it was worth a try.”

Birdie came up behind him and sat down, breathing hard. “You know what we have to do now, right?”

Albert grinned. “If you say zip line back down, I'll be your best friend.”

Leroy came up behind them. “She already
is
our best friend, bonehead.”

Birdie grabbed the T-shaped handle of the zip line and held on tight. “See you on the other side, boys!” With a giggle and a bend of her knees, she leaped from the top of the wall.

The zip line made a
zing!
noise as it carried Birdie away. When she reached the bottom, she turned a crank that sent the handle all the way back up.

“Go on then, Leroy.” Albert nudged him.

Leroy swallowed, hard. “If I die, return my glasses and hat to my mother. And make sure there's cake at my funeral.”

“Chocolate or vanilla?”

“Both,” Leroy said. “And strawberry, for good measure.”

Leroy bent his knees and leaped. “Yeehaw!” He was so long and lanky that his feet touched the ground way before Birdie's had, and from up so high, Albert was pleased to hear that Leroy was actually laughing.

He
had
gotten braver, that was for sure. Last term he never would've done that.

Albert waited for the crank to bring the zip line handle back. Up so high, he felt like he was on Calderon Peak, back in the Realm. He looked around the darkened Library like he was a king and all the books were the people of his kingdom.

The handle made it up to him. Albert had turned, grabbed ahold, and prepared to jump, when a shadow caught his eye.

It was someone ducking into the rows of bookshelves far below. It looked like a man, the figure tall and strong. But the figure was alone. It couldn't be someone competing in the Core Hunt. They'd be with a team.

Albert shivered. For days now, he'd felt like he was being followed or spied on. Could the shadow be the same person?

There was only one way to find out. He turned, clutching tight to the handle, and leaped from the rock wall.