The Pillars of Ponderay Read online

  Birdie took the clipboard and together the three of them read through the papers that were attached.

  Leroy finished in about two seconds flat. “Chance of . . . hold on, does that say dismemberment?”

  Tussy shrugged. “The training exercises for Ponderay are quite grueling. But I assure you, nothing like that has happened in at least ten years.”

  “I’m gonna be sick,” Leroy whispered.

  Albert patted him on the back and signed the documents. But even his hands trembled a little. Birdie signed next, and with lots of encouragement, Leroy finally signed, too.

  Tussy grinned, but it sort of looked like the expression belonged on a hungry shark.

  “Great,” Tussy said. “Let’s get started.”

  She turned on her heel and marched around the edge of the Pit to the bleachers where a few Core people were already sitting, ready to watch the action.

  Right in the front row were three people who made Albert’s hands curl into fists.

  Hoyt, Slink, and Mo. Team Argon.

  They were Hydra’s archenemies, and total jerks. Hoyt smirked as soon as he saw Albert and his friends. He turned and started whispering to his team, and they all laughed louder than was necessary.

  “Wow, really mature,” Birdie growled. “Looks like they haven’t changed a bit.”

  Tussy hardly seemed to take notice as she stopped at the edge of the bleachers.

  “You’ll be wearing these today.”

  She scooped up three bags and tossed them to Albert, Birdie, and Leroy.

  “The climate in Ponderay will be completely different from what you’re used to. This is no Calderon, if you get what I mean.”

  She laughed, but no one else did.

  Albert opened up his bag and peered inside. It was a pair of thick blue pants, almost like a wetsuit, and a long-sleeved blue Hydra shirt to match. Knee-high boots were also included, and these had a similar waterproof feel to them, with Velcro and snaps. Birdie and Leroy had the same stuff in their bags.

  Tussy pointed to a small, curtained-off area at the edge of the Pit cave.

  “Change, please. And quickly. There’s no time to spare.”

  Birdie went first, and a few minutes later, all of Hydra was decked out in their new gear.

  The clothes stuck to Albert’s skin like glue. It was weird, but he felt like he was about to be some kind of space hero or underwater traveler. He was sweating in minutes, and he hoped the temperature inside the Pit would be better suited for this kind of gear.

  Tussy nodded in approval and motioned for Albert and his friends to enter the Pit. As usual, there were two orange platforms, one on either side of the Pit. This meant Hydra would already be competing. No warm-up, no practice, just full-on head-to-head from the start.

  Albert looked across the Pit. Hoyt’s team was piling onto their platform, wearing similar outfits in shades of orange.

  “You know, I think I’d almost rather be back in that cooking class right now,” Leroy said.

  Albert sighed, but he felt the familiar weight of his Master Tile around his neck. He had to be a leader.

  “We beat them last term,” Albert said, facing his friends, “and we’ll do it again now.”

  Birdie and Leroy nodded, then all three of them walked back to Tussy.

  “This training will be quick and dangerous,” Tussy said, filling them in on what she’d apparently already shared with Argon. “We’ve calculated that we have seven days—just one week—before the situation in Ponderay becomes so dire that we’ll have to send in another team. At the end of those seven days, whoever has the highest score on the leaderboard will become the Ponderay First Unit, and along with Professor Asante, will enter the Realm to try and find the Means to Restore Balance.”

  “Wait,” Leroy said. “Professor Flynn said we’d be competing to be a backup unit to the Ponderay First Unit. Now we’re competing to become the Ponderay First Unit? What happened to the old First Unit since this morning?”

  Tussy sighed. “They quit.”

  “They quit?” Albert, Birdie, and Leroy said in unison.

  Tussy nodded. “Like I said, this is a terrible Imbalance we’re facing, and we don’t totally know what we’re dealing with since no one’s entered Ponderay in decades. Not everyone is brave enough to stick around and put their lives on the line. Anyway, now we’re replacing them, and seeing as you three did so well last term, you’re first on our list of prospects.”

  Tussy crossed to the bleachers and stood at the ready while Albert and his friends piled onto their platform.

  “This is just great,” Leroy said. “The First Unit actually chickened out!”

  “Didn’t we see them last term?” Birdie asked. “Wasn’t their leader, like, totally fearless?”

  “Apparently not.” Albert shrugged.

  Tussy clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “All right, Balance Keepers, enough standing around. Let’s begin!” She blew a whistle, and their platforms began to sink.

  The last time they’d been in the Pit it was full of all sorts of Calderon things: tall twisting spires, hanging vines, and suspended barrels that spun like King Fireflies.

  But today, as their platform reached the floor, Albert had no idea what he and his friends were in for. Right now, the Pit was empty. Just a big, deep hole in the ground. Albert hopped off of their platform, and Birdie and Leroy followed suit.

  The ground was the same, at least. That strange, trampoline-like floor that acted like it wanted to suck Albert’s feet under.

  Overhead, Tussy blew her whistle, and suddenly the ground started to tremble.

  “What’s going on?” Leroy asked.

  “Who knows.” Birdie shrugged.

  Albert was too busy watching to say anything at all.

  Across from him and his friends, ten holes appeared in the floor, at least three feet wide each. There was a big boom that almost made Hydra topple over.

  Faster than a bullet from a gun, ten rock pillars shot out of the holes, stretching so high that Albert had to squint to see their tops.

  “Whoa,” Albert said, his mouth hanging open.

  “Sweet molasses,” Leroy added.

  From overhead, Tussy spoke into a MegaHorn.

  “Today’s task is straightforward. At the tops of these pillars—which I’m sure you know are stand-ins for the Ten Pillars of Ponderay—are ten large Tiles. You want your team to collect more Tiles than the other team, plain and simple.”

  “What are the rules?” Birdie called up.

  Tussy smiled like a shark again. “There are none.”

  “Nice,” Albert said, bouncing on his toes.

  Across from him, he saw Hoyt sneering his face off.

  “Balance Keepers, are you ready?” Tussy yelled into the MegaHorn.

  Six voices answered. “Ready!”

  The whistle blew and the madness began. “Let’s split up!” Albert said to his friends. “Each of us take a different pillar, and try to work our way to the top.”

  “How?” Birdie asked. “We can’t just shimmy up a pillar that size!”

  Leroy, who had been busy staring at the pillars, shrugged like he’d figured out a plan ages ago. “There are holds in the pillars, every four feet or so. We can use those to scale the sides.”

  Albert turned to stare at the pillars. Sure enough, he saw the holds Leroy was talking about, little divots in the rock formations. Perfect for putting a hand or a foot inside. It was just like a rock-climbing wall.

  “He’s right.” Albert grinned. “Let’s go. Move fast. And watch out for Hoyt. I have a feeling he’s not going to take this lightly.”

  “Got it, boss.” Leroy nodded. He turned his hat backward.

  “Let’s cream them!” Birdie clapped her hands.

  His friends both raced away. Albert sprinted across the Pit floor, losing sight of them as he zigzagged between pillars. Albert heard someone scream and looked up to see Slink falling through the air. He smacked the g
round next to Albert, only to be sucked under and shot right back up again.

  “Nice one, butterfingers!” Hoyt screamed.

  Albert looked up. Hoyt was already halfway up a pillar, using his Speed Tile to scurry like a Hexabon. Across from him, Birdie was just starting the climb.

  Leroy was nowhere to be seen.

  Move fast, Albert.

  He reached an empty pillar, and started the climb. It was tough work, especially after having been away from the Core for so many months. It couldn’t hurt to practice with my Tile. Albert closed his eyes for a second. He pictured the symbol that he’d studied back in his room in New York. It sort of looked like a dumbbell. Iron Grip.

  Still focusing on the symbol, Albert made his way slowly up. Iron Grip was working, because even though Albert’s arms and legs were tired, his fingertips never slipped from the pillar. He was climbing fast, and in seconds, he was halfway up.

  “Just a little farther!” Albert told himself when he saw a handhold about a foot over his head.

  He reached for it, was about to grab a hold, when it simply disappeared.

  There was nothing Albert could do.

  He fell, fast, toward the bottom of the Pit. When he hit the floor it sucked him under like a soft blanket, then shot him back up in the air.

  Iron Grip! Albert thought, focusing on the dumbbell symbol again, and as he soared past a pillar, he reached out and grabbed hold.

  “Hey!”

  Albert looked down to see Birdie a few feet below him on the same pillar, clinging to its side like a spider.

  “The handholds disappear, be careful!” Albert said.

  Birdie nodded, a fat bruise on her forehead. “I learned that the hard way! Keep going, I’ll move to another pillar!”

  Someone screamed, and Albert saw Leroy and Hoyt fall off opposite pillars across the Pit.

  “Move, Albert!” Birdie cried from below him. It spurred him back into action.

  A few times, Albert’s hand or footholds disappeared, and he nearly fell off again. But with some major Tile concentration, and a determination burning like fire in the pit of his stomach, he climbed until he was perched just below the top.

  A little bit more! Albert stretched, picturing his little half siblings reaching as hard as they could for the countertop where his mom hid the candy jar. Finally, Albert’s hand closed over something smooth and hard, about the size of a salad plate. The Tile!

  “Albert Flynn is the first to collect a Tile!” he heard Tussy say into her MegaHorn. Overhead, the crowd cheered, and Farnsworth howled. “One point for Hydra! They’re in the lead!”

  “Yay, Albert!” Leroy screamed from across the Pit. “You . . . did . . . it!”

  From up this high, Albert watched as Hoyt summited a pillar across from him.

  “One point for team Argon!” Tussy yelled, and Albert frowned. Hoyt had grabbed a Tile and was waving it in the air for the screaming crowd.

  Uh-oh, Albert thought. Time to step up my game.

  Hoyt dropped down to the floor, then raced to another pillar and started the climb. It was almost like instinct, what Albert did next. Tussy hadn’t said you had to climb all the pillars. You just had to collect the Tiles on top of them. Albert was already high in the air. He tried to hoist himself up higher and get his whole body on top of the pillar. That way, he could simply stand and leap from one to the other. But Albert soon realized he wasn’t strong enough. His muscles were screaming with exhaustion.

  I need to use the Strength symbol, Albert thought, and he focused with all his might on an image of what looked like a mountain, tall and strong.

  Albert felt his arms and legs start to tingle as the Master Tile worked its magic. He put all his effort into hoisting himself up, and sure enough, it worked. Albert was crouched on top of his pillar like a mountain lion on a boulder.

  “Two points for Hydra!” Tussy screamed, and Albert saw Birdie with a Tile clutched in her hands.

  “Yes! Nice job!” Albert screamed.

  “Another point for Argon!” Tussy yelled, as Mo grabbed a Tile off the farthest pillar, then leaped down to the floor.

  Albert stood up on top of his pillar. Even though there was no wind in the Pit, he thought he could feel his pillar swaying. A little to the left, a little to the right.

  That was when it started to move.

  And it wasn’t just his pillar. It was all of them. They were spinning in a wide circle around the Pit.

  They weren’t moving fast, but the spinning disoriented Albert, nearly causing him to topple overboard.

  It’s just like being on a merry-go-round, Albert. No big deal.

  But just as Albert got his balance, the pillar began to move faster.

  Okay, like being on a slightly demented merry-go-round.

  As they rotated faster, the force picked up and threatened to knock Albert to the Pit floor—along with the Tiles.

  “The Ten Pillars have minds of their own!” Tussy said into the MegaHorn. “When the Realm of Ponderay is balanced, the Pillars stand strong and steady in the middle of the Silver Sea. But the Imbalance seems to have caused the Pillars in the Realm to begin rotating like this. Better think fast, and grab more Tiles, before the spinning knocks them off!”

  Almost as if in response to Tussy’s words, the pillars sped up even more. Now they were moving at a speed Albert was definitely not comfortable with—there was no way his mom would have let him ride a merry-go-round at this speed. Albert’s mind buzzed, and his body felt wobbly and wrong. He just knew he was going to fall.

  “Abandon ship!” Leroy screamed from somewhere below.

  Albert didn’t want to give up. He stooped to his knees and clutched the edges of his pillar as it zoomed around. He could see the next pillar in the circle just a few feet away and the Tile on top. If he could just jump far enough . . .

  “Another two Tiles for Argon!” Tussy yelled into the MegaHorn, and it was enough to distract Albert from picturing the symbol he needed to make the leap. He saw Slink and Mo both waving Tiles in the air, smiles on their faces.

  “No!” Albert stood and tried to leap, but the momentum from the spinning pillar threw off his jump. He knew he wouldn’t land on the next pillar, but he wouldn’t go down that easy. As he began falling toward the Pit floor, Albert stretched with all he had left in him. His hand scraped the top of the next pillar, and his fingers closed over a Tile. He clutched it to his chest as he continued falling to the floor.

  “Hydra barely snatches a Tile!” Tussy cheered. “Four total points!”

  Seconds later, Hoyt grabbed a final Tile. “That makes six for Argon!” Tussy shouted, just as Albert landed hard on the Pit floor, his legs crumpling beneath him. Ten Tiles were claimed, four for Hydra, and six for Argon.

  The pillars slowed to a stop, signaling that the competition was over. Argon had actually won.

  “We were so close, bro,” Leroy said, helping Albert up. Birdie stumbled over. Her ponytail looked like a giant cat had just used it as a toy. Across the Pit, team Argon was celebrating.

  Tussy barked out a command. “What are you doing, teams? I didn’t tell you to stop competing!”

  Albert’s jaw dropped. He wanted to say something, but Hoyt was quicker to react.

  “But all the Tiles are gone! We won!”

  Tussy laughed, but it sounded more like a dog’s deep bark. “Not so. You need to learn the meaning of exhaustion, Balance Keepers. I’ve given you one minute to take a break, while the Pit resets itself. When it’s ready, you’ll begin again. You’ll go until I tell you to stop.”

  The pillars stood at the ready, and somehow they looked even bigger to Albert.

  Tussy took a deep breath, and blew her whistle. As the Balance Keepers began again, Albert thought he saw her smile.

  The competition went more slowly this time. Exhaustion began to settle in.

  After another hour had passed, everyone was injured in some way. Leroy had lost a shoe and stubbed several toes. Birdie’s nose was
bleeding, and Albert had a big gash on his shoulder.

  Still, they put everything they had into it.

  It was Birdie who grabbed the ninth Tile, and Hoyt who grabbed the tenth.

  Finally, Tussy blew her whistle.

  The pillars sank to the bottom of the Pit and Albert’s knees went out from under him. Everyone was lying, all broken and bent, on the trampoline floor.

  Hoyt hardly had the energy to celebrate when Tussy announced that Argon had won the second round 6–4, too.

  Albert put his head in his hands, and Leroy muttered something about needing a strawberry milk shake.

  “I can’t believe it,” Albert whispered, still gasping for a good breath.

  Last term, they’d won so many competitions in the Pit that Hydra became a First Unit. They were pros now, a part of the big leagues in the Core. They’d saved the world.

  But today was different.

  Today Hydra lost.

  CHAPTER 8

  The Guildacker Float

  Albert felt a strange sense of déjà vu as he and his friends left the Pit.

  “I can’t believe that just happened,” Birdie said.

  She clenched her jaw so tightly that Albert was afraid her hair was going to rip out. “They beat us. They actually won!”

  “We’re just a little rusty is all,” Albert offered. But he felt downright defeated. “Hoyt’s a Pure, remember? He’s probably been sneaking into the Pit like we used to do, training up for this while we’ve all been on the surface. And it’s not really fair. If we would’ve known Tussy was going to make us work so hard . . .”

  “We can’t use that as an excuse,” Birdie countered.

  “You’re right,” Albert said. “I guess we just have to suck it up, guys. We lost, fair and square.”

  “It’s never fair when you’re up against Hoyt,” Leroy added. He was wringing his hat in his hands. “But what if we’ve just lost our mojo?”

  “You can’t just lose mojo,” Birdie said. “Especially because it’s not a real thing.”

  “Oh, it’s real,” Leroy argued.

  Albert laughed. “We’re a team, guys. We were named the First Unit for Calderon only a few months ago. We’re just getting back in the swing of things.”