Mystics 3-Book Collection (80 page)

Elizabeth begged for my help,
continued Muttab.
She had a child with her, this child
.

She pointed at Zoey, and Zoey tensed.

She told me of her own abilities and of the
dangers that followed her and her little girl. She asked for a
concealment charm, to hide and protect her child from evil—the same
evil that threatens this world today.

The Minitians shifted nervously.

And just like her mother, the blood of the
Originals flows in the girl’s veins. She has the power to
manipulate portals and create her own. That is how she found
us.

Zoey is
not
the enemy. Her mother
is my friend, and I’m sure Zoey came here for a good
reason.

All the Minitians’ invisible eyes were on
Zoey. It was a really creepy feeling, but she found the courage to
speak up.

“High Sorceress,” said Zoey. Her voice was
braver than she felt, but she stayed on her knees. She knew she had
spoken out of turn again, but she didn’t care.

“I apologize if coming here was wrong and in
violation of your sacred castle laws, but we meant no disrespect.
Honest. We wouldn’t have come if we had a choice, if the sake of
the world didn’t depend on it.”

The Minitians fidgeted. Their voices cried
out in Zoey’s mind.

What does this child know of the fate of
this world?

As if in answer, the ground heaved, buckled,
and rolled like water. Zoey stared transfixed as a large fissure
opened up and cracks snaked around the marble floor. A giant piece
of the castle’s ceiling fell and crashed with a thundering boom
inches from Zoey.

The red sky was black with
ominous clouds and lit up by a phenomenal lightning display. The
thunder clap that followed shook the earth, and the sound waves, as
strong as any earthquake, smashed into the walls of the
castle.

“Zoey! Watch out!”

Tristan pushed Zoey out of the way just as a
chunk of stone from one of the columns crashed to the floor and
shattered into millions of tiny pieces.

The Minitians cried out as they scrambled
for cover as more of their castle walls crumbled around them.
Everyone panicked, except for Muttab and the high sorceress, who
didn’t move.

The earthquake finally ended, and the
thick gray dust settled.

Zoey
coughed the
dust from her lungs and turned to Muttab. “What’s happening to your
fortress?”

It was the high sorceress that answered.

It is dying . . . .

“But how can it die?” asked Zoey. “It’s a
building made of stones. It’s not alive?”

It
is
alive,
said the high
sorceress. Her voice was consumed with pain, and Zoey could feel
the faceless tears in her voice.

She continued.
This fortress is alive
with our magic. Our magic is tied to this world, as is the
fortress. The white fortress is the core of our power. Our magic
flows in and out of it like blood in your mortal heart. The world
is dying and thus our magic and fortress will die, too.

The white Minitian hung her head. Zoey
couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, even though she had just
tried to drive them insane.

Zoey
, said Muttab with a hint of
urgency in her voice.
What help do you require from us?

“We need a potion or a spell to make us
invisible,” said Zoey. “I’m not even sure you can do that, but it’s
the only way that we can get through to the portals and shut them
for good—”

“But we still need something to destroy
them,” noted Simon.

He turned to the Minitian. “Um, Muttab . . .
do you guys have like explosives or something that can blow up the
portals? We kinda lost ours.”

No,
said Muttab.
Our magic doesn’t
work in that way. But I can help you with an invisibility potion.
The rest I’m afraid is up to you.

“We’ll find a way to shut them down,” said
Tristan, his voice full of courage and determination. “The hardest
part is to get past the Alphas undetected. Once we’re on the other
side, we’ll have enough time to look for something to use to blow
up the portals. All we need is to find something equivalent to the
UEC bombs.”

Zoey smiled at him. “We’ll find something. I
know we will.”

The ground trembled, and this time the
windows above exploded. Shards of glass shattered on the ground
like heavy rain.

“If we don’t get out of here soon,” said
Simon as he plucked glass out of his hair. “There’ll be nothing
left of us.”

Muttab grabbed the high sorceress’s hand.
Do not fret, sister, there is still hope. Hope in these
children.

I am sorry I ever doubted them.

With that the white sorceress turned on her
heels and disappeared down a dark tunnel.

Quickly
, said Muttab.
Follow
me.

Zoey dashed after Muttab as she led them
through one of the tunnels. They arrived inside a chamber the size
of an office. The room was filled with jars churning with green
slime, scrolls of old parchment, pots with strange spidery-looking
yellow plants, countless empty pots, and mountain of decrepit
books. The only source of light came from two large candles mounted
on the walls.

Muttab crossed the room. She picked up a
small glass container that looked like a saltshaker. But instead of
salt, tiny green sand-like crystals filled half the bottom. She
gave the vial to Zoey.

Just a small amount will do. Don’t use too
much.

“Why?” said Simon as he peered curiously at
the container in Zoey’s hand, “What will happen if we use too
much—?”

Suddenly, the shelves rattled and collapsed.
The jars and pots, parchment scrolls, and books all crashed to the
ground. The castle roared and howled, like it was in pain. Zoey
jumped out of the way as a strange slimy ooze neared her foot.

Come on
, urged Muttab.
You must
hurry. It’s not safe for you here.

The Minitian’s legs were long, and Zoey
struggled to keep up. They dashed into the larger chamber with the
shattered Seeing Crystal, but the other Minitians were gone.
Without stopping, Muttab crossed the chamber in giant leaps. Zoey
followed the sorceress through the foyer and out the front
doors.

Keep running,
she urged.
Don’t
stop and don’t look back until you reach the shoreline. Go!

“But what about you?” said Zoey, “I have so
many questions! I want to know about my mom—”

Muttab pushed her away.
There’s no time!
Get your mother back, Zoey. And shut the portals before it’s too
late. Go on!

“Let’s go, Zoey,” pressed Tristan. He
grabbed her arm and pulled her along.

“But—”

Zoey forced back the tears in her eyes. With
a final look back at the Minitian, she ran down the white sand path
with Tristan and Simon.

The ground shook beneath their feet again. A
large crevice split open in front of them, and they leaped over it
as a large section of the path crumbled away into the sea. But they
didn’t stop. They didn’t look back until they reached the
beach.

Zoey turned with her heart in her
throat.

A giant cloud of dust erupted where the
white fortress had once stood gleaming like a jewel in the sun. Now
there was nothing but a pile of rubble.

Chapter 12

Z
oey, Tristan, and
Simon hid behind a large pine tree and watched as an army of agents
battled with masses of moving red uniforms and vile, ominous
beasts. Tall spider-like creatures with raw, leaking sores hacked
at an unsuspecting female agent. Her scream died in her throat as
the creature broke her neck and then wrapped her in a cocoon. An
Alpha hybrid creature with furry moth-like wings and two giant bug
eyes grabbed two agents at once and tossed them like basketballs
into the mouth of a dinosaur.

Agent Barnes and Agent Lee stood back to
back and fought with a red lizard the size of an elephant with
three heads and long purple tongues like whips. But they were still
far from the portal. Their science officer, a young woman, shot
small lightning bolts at the blue portal. But the bolts bounced
back, and the portal didn’t even shimmer.

Desperation marked the faces of every agent
and science officer still standing. They were throwing anything and
everything they had at the Alphas and the giant portal. But Zoey
could see it wasn’t enough. Even if they did succeed at breaching
the Alpha army and attacking the portal, she knew that to destroy
the Great Junction once and for all, they had to shut the portal on
the Nexus side as well.

“Simon, how much time left?” Zoey was
worried that they had spent too much time in the white
fortress.

Simon pulled out his cell phone. “Just a
little less than seven hours left.”

“It didn’t feel like we spent five hours
with the Minitians,” remarked Tristan. “We could have been trapped
there forever.”

“I’m just glad we didn’t end up at the
bottom of the ocean with the rest of their castle,” said Zoey.

She pulled out the small glass vial with the
green crystalized sand. She shook it and examined it closer.
“There’s something written on it.”

Tristan leaned forward. “What does it
say?”

“
Sprinkle one teaspoon
. . .” she
read, “
over subject . . . do not . . . do not . . .
the rest
is completely worn off. I can’t make it out—”

“Let me see that.” Simon grabbed the
container out of Zoey’s hand. “
Do not . . .
I think that’s
an
A
and then
L L
—
do not all?”

Zoey grabbed it back. “That makes no sense
at all. Well, I’ll go first.”

She unscrewed the lid and tipped a small
amount of the green crystals into her palm. They sparkled in the
dim light like emeralds.

“I guess that’s about a teaspoon. Okay, here
goes nothing.”

She raised her hand to the top of her head
and sprinkled the green sand all over herself.

A cool sensation rippled over her body like
ice cubes rolling over her skin. She waited for about ten seconds
and then looked down at herself and sulked. “I can still see me.
Can you guys still see me?”

“Yes.” Tristan took the vial. “Maybe it
takes a few minutes to work. Let me try.”

He sprinkled some of the contents on himself
waited, and then gave the container to Simon.

“Maybe you didn’t sprinkle enough.” Simon
dumped the green sand over his body.

“Simon! What are you doing?” hissed Zoey.
“It says a teaspoon not a large bucketful.”

Simon shrugged and pocketed the nearly empty
container. “We’ll see.”

The three of them waited in silence, and
Zoey started to get impatient.

“Anyone noticing any changes?”

Tristan shook his head. “Nope.”

“I’m hungry,” said Simon. “Does that
count?”

Just when Zoey thought that maybe Muttab’s
potion had been defective, a rumbling sound came from her belly
like a hungry growl. And then . . . nothing.

“Hey, isn’t that Director Martin,” Simon
pointed towards the portal. “I’d recognize that ugly face tied to a
pole, upside down, and blindfolded.”

Even from the distance and covered in
shadows, Zoey recognized that hateful scowl, that condescending
smile, and those accusing eyes. It was indeed Director Martin. He
strolled among the Alphas and mystics like it was a regular walk in
the park. No one paid any attention to him, like he wasn’t even
there. He was walking straight for the portal.

Zoey’s eyes widened. “He’s got my bag!
That’s Agent Franken’s bag with the UECs. But why does
he
have it?”

“And why aren’t the Alphas stopping him?”
said Tristan.

Zoey watched as the director passed a mass
of Alphas and werewolf-babies and stepped right through the giant
blue portal.

“What the—?” Simon stepped away from the
tree and pointed.

“Did you see that? He just walked right by
them and into the portal like nobody’s business. Guys, what the
heck’s going on?”

Tristan pulled Simon back. “I don’t know.
I’d never thought
he
would be a traitor—”

“I would.” Zoey checked that her weapon was
secured on her wrist.

“Zoey, why are you smiling?” inquired Simon.
“Did I miss the memo? Is this ‘
We all love Director Martin
Day
’
?
Let’s bake him a freaking cake! I thought you
hated the guy.”

“I do hate the guy,” said Zoey. “But now we
have a chance to get my bag back—and the UECs. We find Director
Martin—”

“We shut the portals,” finished Tristan. His
smile matched Zoey’s.

“Uh . . . dudes . . . I think the spell
thing is working,” said Simon.

Zoey looked at the spot where she had last
seen Simon. At first she thought he was completely invisible, but
as she looked she could see traces of him, like an optical
illusion. But it was more than that. Grass and tree bark and
branches reflected on him. It was as though he was reflecting off
what was around him, like he was painted with mirror paint. He
wasn’t invisible, but rather he was giving off the illusion of
invisibility. And when she looked where Tristan had stood moments
ago, his body was just like Simon’s, reflecting off his
surroundings. If she focused, she could see her friends through the
illusion, almost like trick-photography. If she knew where they
were, and what to look for, she
could
see them. It was
ingenious. She hoped this disguise was clever enough to fool the
Alphas. They only needed a few minutes to get through to the
portal.

“This is so awesome,” exclaimed Simon’s
voice. “Think of all the things we could do! If we live though
this, I could totally use the green stuff again and check out the
girls’ washrooms. I’ve always suspected theirs was nicer than ours.
Plus it doesn’t smell like pee.”