Crusade Across Worlds (38 page)

“We going now?” Jace stands, the Carring
hide still snug around his body.

I look at Pallooloo. “You said the Pweboles
are nearby?”

“Pweboles are here. Pweboles wait for
Pallooloo’s command.”

“What do you mean they’re here?”

I’ve barely finished asking when suddenly,
all at once, thousands of tiny blue lights illuminate the corners
of the cave, revealing an audience of round, furry balls with big
eyes, long cobalt noses and two pairs of legs. The lights are the
size of seeds and are held in the cobalt, monkey-like hands of the
Pweboles who stand shoulder to shoulder around us. The entire
floor, stairs, second level and entryway are all filled with the
short blue creatures, each one staring at us.

“Jesus!” Walker jumps back.

“Pweboles no harm humans,” the closest one
to him says, his nasal voice shrill.

“They’re cute,” Pratt laughs, reaching out
to pet one. She scratches the top of his furry head and its eyes
close as a set of feet strums the ground over and over.

“There’s um…” Mae smiles uncomfortably, “so
many.”

“Is this all of them?” Reid asks.

“Pweboles hide in all caves and
tunnels.”

“So there’s more?” Able asks.

“How many?” Jace follows up.

“Caves and tunnels
all
over
Larupip.”

“So there’s even more of these little
bastards creeping around?” Walker scans the Pweboles with an
impressed grin. “Well, shit.”

“Pallooloo,” I address the king. “Can you
take us to where the fighting is—the
main
fighting. There
should be bombs. Uh, like loud—
really
loud—sounds. Do you
know where that is?”

“Pallooloo knows.”

Just as we all move to a stand, a pained
voice calls from below. “Not trying to be a drag,” Werzo winces,
his hand hovering on his upper torso, “but I don’t think I can
walk. Like, at all.”

“How are we going to move Werzo?” Walker
fastens the Carring hide around himself, forming a makeshift
jacket. “We can’t carry him the whole way.”

“What?” Reid passes him. “Too much for a
tribesman to handle?”

He crosses his arms. “Well how far are we
talking?”

“Pweboles carry,” Pallooloo says and the
short blue creatures trickle between us. Their hands go under
Werzo’s body. He protests with startled sounds of discomfort but is
lifted about three feet off the ground. The Pweboles are already
scurrying forward, holding the Rogue above their heads as they make
for the other end of the room, at the opposite end of where we
entered.

“There’s another way out?” Jace grins.

“Caves and tunnels all over Larupip,”
Pallooloo repeats.

The king moves forward, falling in with the
rushing current. A piece of the wall shifts to the side and the
Pweboles pour through, carrying Werzo on his back.

“Uh, guys?” He goes head-first and
disappears into the darkness. “Guys?” A little of the tunnel is lit
with a blue glow from the seed-lights, but after a turn it
disappears.

Reid looks back at us. “Who’s got a
Traxpire?”

Jace, Walker, Booker and Able raise
theirs.

“And me. Fallon’s got her whip which means
Pratt and Mae—stay in the middle. We’ll try and get you some guns
when we can. All right, everybody ready?”

We all nod and Reid follows the Pweboles
filing out of the room. I’m behind him and then it’s Pratt and Mae
with the others behind them. The ceiling is high, but the walls are
even narrower in here, allowing only one person through at a time.
I’m not sure how the Pweboles are able to carry Werzo. Being so
small, they might be able to fit about three across, but for the
rest of us, it’s one after the other.

We move quickly, following the curve of the
tunnel, letting the Pweboles lead the way. Their blue lights
illuminate the tunnel ahead in a dim cobalt glow. Except around me.
The walls reflect a soft pink hue and I hope it reaches all the way
back to Walker. I look down at my Callix and smile. It’s wrapped
around my left wrist which Reid pulls along behind him. We travel
in silence for about twenty minutes or so. It’s hard to tell
because we just keep walking, keep weaving through this underground
tunnel that seems to go on and on. At one point, Mae tugs on my
right hand.

“How much further do you think?”

“No idea. We were only here for a little
while last time. And it was only in one area.”

“It can’t be that much further,” Jace calls
from somewhere behind us. “Can it?”

“I feel like we’ve been down here for
hours,” Walker says. “I’m forgetting what the sky looks like.”

“It hasn’t been hours,” Able laughs, then
pauses. “Has it?”

“I’m sure we’re almost there,” Reid squeezes
my hand just as the walls shake around us. We all stop, our
collective breath held as dust falls from the stone ceiling. The
Pweboles ramble indecipherably in their nasally voices. Reid looks
back at us. “Must be getting close.”

We travel for a little while longer, the
thunderous booms growing louder and louder, shaking the tunnel
every few minutes. Finally, we stop, and the Pweboles begin their
nasally chorus again, all speaking over one another, carrying on
about something.

“What?” Booker calls. “What’re they
saying?”

“Hell if I know,” Able says. “Boss?”

“Pallooloo? Is this it? Pallooloo? Which one
of you is—?”

The Pweboles turn and facing us, they start
shifting back and forth. “Pallooloo says we are here.”

“Okay,” I scan the area, looking for an
exit. But I don’t see one. I don’t see anything different from the
narrow tunnel we’ve been traveling through for the last half hour.
“Where is it? Where do we go from here?”

“Up!” They all point their blue fingers.

“How?”

“Up!” they repeat and then, one by one, they
jump on one another’s shoulders, creating a Pwebole-ladder into the
darkness above.

“Uh…” Able chokes behind me.

“What’s going on?” Walker calls.

“Cool!” Pratt laughs, wiggling her way
forward to get a better view at the blue net ahead. “Can we really
climb them?”

“Are they expecting us to?” Mae whispers to
Able.

“Guys?” Booker calls.

“Guess we’re going up,” Reid says. Gently
lifting my hand, he uses the Callix’s light to illuminate the make
shift ladder. Some are still holding their lit seeds, but many have
dropped them, so it’s mostly a dark blue haze leading into the
darkness.

“Up?” Jace asks.

“Are we that far down?” Booker calls.
Another hard boom rocks the cave as dust rains around us.

“Looks like it,” Reid turns to me. I already
know what he’s going to ask and I nod.

I close my eyes and concentrate on Clarence.
We’re underground but coming up.

A pause.
Where?

The walls shake again.
Wherever that last
boom was. The Pweboles took us through the underground tunnels.
We’re probably right underneath it.

Where are you coming out? You might be on
enemy territory.

I open my eyes and focus on the Pweboles on
the ground. I point to the ladder. “Where does this lead?”

“Up,” they repeat in nasal unison.

“Yes, but where? Is there a landmark nearby?
A big rock or a…a…” but I can’t think of any other obvious places
in a white wasteland.

“
Trees
,” they all sing.

“Trees?”

“Pweboles arrive to the forest.”

“Forest,” they all sing again, nasally and
in tune with one another.

Closing my eyes once more, I focus on
Clarence.
They say we’re in the forest…near the trees. Are there
trees near you?

Well, since I’m currently leaning against
one, I’d say you’re spot on.

And the Vermix aren’t in any part of it?

Not here. They’re around the other side of
the hill. As long as you don’t poke your head out into barren
white, I think I’ll be able to get to you.

Okay. We’re coming up.

I open my eyes and look at the others.
“Clarence should be right on top of us and the Vermix are just
behind a hill.”

“All right,” Able asks, rubbing his hands
together. “Who’s first?”

“Me,” Reid volunteers, probably to confirm
it’s safe for the rest of us. “Make sure Werzo is somewhere in the
middle. He’ll need help getting out.”

“So you’re just going to…” Mae frowns at the
blue ladder, “…climb that thing?”

“We’re all going to,” he begins his climb as
the Pweboles all chant,
up, up, up.

Reid’s feet have just passed my head when I
start after him, clutching onto the furry forms and hoisting myself
up. If this is hurting them, they don’t seem to mind because their
nasal chorus never ceases with the encouraging word. I’m about ten
feet off the ground and surrounded in a pink and blue glow when I
hear Able helping Mae below me. Looking down, I reach for the next
Pwebole when something hard grips my arm and yanks me up. I’m about
to fight back, to scream, to reach for my whip to attack, but then
I see Clarence sliding me toward him. I’m being pulled through a
small opening and suddenly everything is white again.

“Good to see you, kid.”

It’s good to see him too. I’m about to tell
him this when a frigid chill sweeps over me, coating my exposed
skin in goosebumps. I forgot how cold it was out here. How bitter
and icy. Snow flurries whistle pass, drifting in and out of the
stark, leafless trees. Reid stands behind the closest one,
surrounded by a heavy mixture of Dofinikes and Nerwos. They’re
stationed at every trunk in the thick grouping, shouting commands
to one another while firing orange blasts at the massive hill
across a flat white plain.

“All right, who’s coming next?”

I glance at the cave opening near the foot
of a trunk. “Should be Mae.”

“Oh boy,” he lets out a breath and crawls
further into the darkness. Half his body is sticking out of the
narrow space.

“Reid,” Sampson rushes over with a look at
me. “Fallon. You both made it. Where are the others?”

Clarence backs out of the hole with his
hands clamped around Mae’s elbows. He drags her through the snow
and she’s pale-faced and flustered, as if that was more difficult
than she’d anticipated.

“I see.” He nods.

“So where is it?”

“Blovid is carrying the Shadow Bag. We
didn’t think they’d follow us here, but—”

“Can it be moved to Arosin?”

“I’m afraid they suspect the other moon as
well. There may be an army waiting for us there,” his eyes darken,
anger and guilt swirling around in them, “likely bigger than this
one.”

“How many are here?” Reid asks.

“A couple hundred. The majority has stayed
on Nerwolix, as have the Nerwos and Mybyncians.”

“And how many Arizals?” I ask.

“Around the same—a couple hundred.”

“Well that was uncomfortable,” Able wipes
his hands on his tribal shorts. “I think one of them licked
me.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Jace scoffs behind
him. “They licked all of us. Hey, help me with Werzo.”

Both Rogues assist Clarence as Sampson looks
between us. He moves closer and leans in. “How is he doing? You
think you have healed him well?”

“He’s still alive,” I say, and then think of
the Zingfinolds I left behind. And Tucker. But I can’t think about
that now. That’s something for later, when I have time to come to
grips with what I did.

A bright orange blast strikes a tree a few
feet from Reid and on instinct, we all duck. Another explosion hits
a second tree and someone screams. They’re firing on us with more
force than we have to retaliate.

“What’s the plan?” Reid asks.

“I’d like to get both Gifts in one location,
but right now it is the unlikeliest of situations. I don’t know
where we can regroup. When we last left Nerwolix…” he closes his
eyes.

He doesn’t have to say it. Neither do I. But
I can’t help the whisper that escapes. “Did you see Zinnollo?”

He shakes his head. “I saw the flames.”

A knot tightens in my chest.

“We can’t return there.”

“Then where to?” Reid asks. “There’s got to
be somewhere we can go.”

“Arosin is ideal. Reuzkimpart wouldn’t dare
bring his army to Thias on Nerwolix, and I doubt he wants to stick
around in this cold.”

“He’s here?”

“If not yet, he will be.”

My stomach drops. Then this is it. Today.
Today is the day I’m supposed to kill Reuzkimpart. The image of me
slaying the Vermix leader flashes to mind and I try to connect any
dots that would link that vision with today, now. I have the whip.
That’s how I’m supposed to do it. But the background was hazy and
unclear. Is it going to happen here, on Larupip? Or on Nerwolix? Or
somewhere else?

“But what about the Floating Ruby?” I
ask.

“It’s on Arosin. Qippert made the journey.
He says he hasn’t spotted any Vermix yet. But that doesn’t mean
they’re not in a different location,” his eyes flicker to something
over my shoulder, then back to me. “You saw the planet. It’s vast,
like it is here. Reuzkimpart could be holding half his army on the
opposite side of the moon.”

“Whew,” Walker hooks his hands on his hips,
the Carring hide pointing out over his elbows. “That was fun.”

“Fun?” Booker shakes his head. “More like
terrifying.”

“Only because you thought you were going to
kill those Pw-Pw…” Walker fumbles, scratching the back of his head.
“Pwobo things.”

Pratt approaches, wrapping her arms around
herself. “Forgot how cold it was.”

“Everyone out?” I spin. “Where’s Werzo?”

“Here,” the word is mumbled, obvious pain in
his voice. Propped up next to the cave’s slender opening is the
wounded Rogue. He’s resting against the snow-covered stone, his
bloodied hand clutching his side. Wincing, he forces himself to
make eye contact with me before resting his head back against the
rock. Next to him, Pweboles emerge from the narrow opening one by
one, squeezing out of the cave in a long blue line.