Sonora, and the Scroll of Alexandria Page 6

  “Men, assemble,” said a voice from across the river. A short man jumped over the river, landing at the water’s edge. He was wearing a green-and-brown jumpsuit, army boots, a cutoff shirt, large leather gauntlets, and a green bandana that was tied tightly on his head. Two leather straps crisscrossed his chest, knives contained within their pockets. Upon his request, identical-looking men dropped from the canopy, filing into evenly spaced rows on the bank.

  The leader of these small men walked up to Allora. “I do apologize. We gnomes like to joke around from time to time.”

  “Who are you?” Tanner asked.

  “The name is Bartimus. We’ve been expecting you. Took you long enough.”

  “It’s very nice to see you again,” Allora said, remembering her run-in a couple of nights ago.

  “You as well, my dear.”

  Dax got out of the water, his clothes soaked.

  “I thought that you guys were supposed to have pointy hats and live in gardens,” Tanner said.

  “Common misconception by creatures from this planet,” Bartimus said. “Perpetuated by our love of vegetables.”

  From the ranks of the short men lined up on the bank came the sound of crunching.

  “Yollie!” Bartimus yelled. “That doesn’t mean to start eating.” From the back line, one of the gnomes dropped a piece of radish. Bartimus turned back around. “Follow me.”

  Bartimus led them through the woods and down the riverbank toward an open field. At the edge of the trees, Allora looked up to see a strange contraption hidden within the branches. Bartimus pulled out a small obsidian square. He pressed down on the sides of the object. From the ground, a door opened, and a large metal ball lifted up from the hole. The object spun on an axis, and multiple black pyramids rose up out of the metal ball. A few feet away, another sphere rose from the ground.

  “Milly wanted you guys to learn about our perimeter defenses,” Bartimus said. “These things are called automatic defensive detection sentries, or ADDS. They are used to combat any unauthorized infiltration by Sonorans.”

  “How does it work?” Tanner asked.

  “Sensors detect high levels of hadrons and deploy when skimmers, skirmishers, skippers, or other types of craft come within a certain designated perimeter boundary. We have deployed these things all over the woods. It took all summer, but Milly was very insistent on getting these things in place, especially after your run-in with those skimmers.”

  “What about those things in the trees?” Allora asked, pointing to the camouflaged disc hanging above the canopy like a satellite dish.

  “That is a perimeter shield, also known as a port inhibitor. I’m sure that you can deduce that it will make it impossible for anyone to portal into the area.”

  “Or out of it,” Katie said. Bartimus nodded. “I guess we won’t be making a quick escape if something goes wrong.”

  Bartimus walked down into the forest, where five gnomes were placing a large metal octagon onto a metal plate that was connected to a long, skinny metal rod. At the end of it was a large gray orb cupped in a basket like a catapult. Once they placed the octagon into the contraption, one of the gnomes pressed a button, and the catapult descended into the ground. Allora noticed that there were five identical holes, which housed additional catapults. The gnome pressed another button, and sliding doors shut the holes. Then the gnomes covered them with leaves.

  “That is a catapult system that launches five surface-to-orb destruction systems, or SODS,” Bartimus said, shaking his head. “Let’s just say you don’t want to be in the air when this thing goes off. It will focus on a mercury- or hadron-powered aircraft, but the blast radius can knock out anything with a shielding system.”

  They toured the rest of the defensive network that the gnomes had set up, and then Bartimus sparked a large tree trunk. He rotated his hands and then put his hand into the tree and twisted something inside. The ground next to the tree split down the middle, and two sides slid open. A light illuminated a staircase. They descended into a room with large wooden beams holding up the dirt. Inside there was a control panel with a large screen and four smaller screens on either side showing images of different parts of the town.

  “The reason Milly wanted you here was to input your hadron signature so that you can be designated as friendlies in the system.”

  Bartimus instructed each of them to place a hand on a round metal ball that popped up from a panel in front of them. They each took turns placing their hands on the ball. A short electrical surge ran through the ball, producing a small trace of hadrons that registered on the large screen. A series of numbers appeared on the display board and then went away.

  “What was that?” Allora asked.

  “Your hadron signature,” Bartimus said. “It’s like a DNA sequence, and it’s unique to each individual, so the computer can detect the specific energy signature when you come near the defensive perimeter. It will also be linked to these.” From a small compartment next to the round ball, Bartimus pulled out a black metallic bracelet that was about an inch in width, smooth, and blank. He gave one to each of them after inputting their hadron signatures. “These are your communication bracelets.” He pointed to his own and sparked it. The metal expanded up his forearm, hugging the skin-like cloth. It looked like medieval armor. Milly’s head appeared, floating above Bartimus’s armband. “We are all set.”

  “Thanks, Bartimus. I appreciate everything that you and your team are doing for us. I can’t tell you how important it is.”

  “You are very welcome, Commander Sona.”

  Bartimus instructed the others to place their armbands on their wrists. They began to vibrate. After Allora sparked metal, an image of Milly’s head popped up.

  “That is totally freaky,” Allora said, waving around her mother’s still hologram.

  “Make sure not to use these things around humans. Also, Swan wanted to speak with all of you at his house,” Milly said, her image disappearing from the arm display.

  “The armband will show an indicator light for any hadron signatures in town. Just swipe your finger along the metal,” Bartimus instructed, swiping the image to show a topographic map, with small green lights. He spread his fingers, zooming out the image showing all of Sandy. “It also includes the time, date, temperature, and all sorts of things.”

  “A smartphone for your arm,” Katie said, swiping through the different screens. “So cool!”

  Once they were done getting instructions on how to use the com bracelets, the four of them said good-bye and went back toward the hiking trail, finally arriving back at the car after another two hours. Pulling out of the gravel parking lot, they headed onto the main road toward Mr. Swan’s house. It was a wood cabin, with beautiful red-oak logs stacked on one another and a wooden-shingled roof. Round, single-pane windows had been stuck into small, carved-out holes six feet above the ground. As beautiful as the house was, the exterior hadn’t been groomed in months.

  After receiving no answer from the incessant knocking on the door, Allora turned the discolored brass knob and slowly pushed the door with her palm. Tanner, Katie, and Dax followed as she stepped into the entryway. The summer sun lit the living room. Oval light beamed through the dimly lit room. Numerous books were scattered sporadically in disorderly columns. Allora lifted a heavy, bound text, holding it at an angle in the shallow light.

  “The Chariots of the Gods: Unsolved Mysteries of the Past,” she read aloud.

  A thump sounded from behind a decrepit-looking door to the right of the dark hallway. The door opened, showing the back of a man holding a huge stack of more books. The red suspenders, curly brown hair, and brown tailored shoes gave away his identity.

  “Mr. Swan,” Allora yelled.

  The man flung the heavy stack of books, his glasses flew from his face, and he had to plant his hand on the hardwood floor to keep from falling. He twisted around with a look of fright, as if he were expecting something much more malevolent. Squinting his eyes, he found th
e familiar faces of his students staring back at him. He grabbed his glasses from the ground.

  “Didn’t you four ever learn how to knock?” he said, rubbing the glasses with his raggedy, dust-covered white T-shirt.

  “We did,” Allora said. “You didn’t answer.”

  Mr. Swan began picking up the stack of books he had tossed, carefully folding back the crinkled pages. He stacked them next to the other columns of books, rummaging around like an obsessive collector.

  “What are you doing?” Allora asked.

  “Well, ever since you found the Eye of the Titans, I’ve been trying to figure out how to use it,” he said, placing the last book onto a stack. “When Ben told me about the Eye, I didn’t believe him. It wasn’t until his death that I started to pay attention. There were really only a select few in the Triple S that actually believed the old stories about the Titan Wars.”

  “Triple S?” Dax said.

  “It stands for Sonoran Secret Service—SSS, or Triple S, as we call it. It’s kind of like the CIA of Sonora.”

  “You’re a spy?” Allora asked.

  “I was a spy,” he said. “I left the Triple S when your uncle was killed.”

  “He was in it too?”

  “Yes. It’s kind of a long story.”

  “We have time.”

  Mr. Swan seemed apprehensive about explaining the past. He stopped what he was doing to stare down his interrogator. Allora crossed her arms.

  “We were recruited straight out of the royal guard because we scored considerably high on our aptitude tests. We were very young when the coup happened. Most of the Triple S was disbanded by General Holliser when Salazar took power. He was the head of the organization. There were a few of us who were young enough to blend in with the new regime. We kept the ideals of the Triple S alive and spied for the rebellion. I think that’s why your mother still doesn’t trust me entirely. Salazar had his counterintelligence agents working nonstop to root us out, and I was caught right before I was able to escape. Ben came back for me and saved me from execution. I will never be able to repay him for that.”

  He put his head down in quiet reflection for a few seconds.

  “Before Ben was killed, he was working on a crucial piece of intelligence that had to do with the acquisition of an ancient weapon. Kronos, the king of the Titans, supposedly had it created in the last remnants of the Titan Wars, and it was of particular interest to Salazar. Unfortunately, we were never able to get details, and information regarding the Titan Wars has never been recovered. Most of what is known is myth or conjecture. The truth was so dangerous that Zeus had it all covered up.”

  “So that’s what all of the books are for,” Tanner said.

  “Yeah. I’ve been trying to find clues as to what Ben had been up to, but I’ve come up with nothing,” Mr. Swan said, rummaging through the clutter. “Before Ben was killed, he sent me a note while I was fighting in the Rebel Wars. In his note he said, ‘I found the trailhead. Come quick.’ I just assumed it related to the Eye of the Titans, but when I thought about it further, it couldn’t have been. He was given the piece of parchment years earlier, and I found the second piece in a location that Ben had never been. And then Allora found his memory orb with the information regarding the Scroll of Alexandria, so that must have been what he was talking about. My guess is that Salazar’s agents figured out what he was up to and made sure he couldn’t get any other information to me.”

  “So then how do we find this trailhead?” Allora asked, remembering her vision from the first day of school.

  “Well, first we have to find something that your uncle received a long time ago from an old friend. You’ll need to search in your uncle’s stuff, the chicken coop, and anywhere else you can to find this thing.”

  “What am I looking for?”

  “A jade cube.”

  chapter

  SIX

  Training

  “Honey, wake up,” a voice said. It was soft, but Allora could recognize it. Her mother was standing at the foot of her bed wearing workout clothes. The pants and shirt were black, hugging her skinny, strong physique. Her hair was pulled back in a braided ponytail, and she had no makeup except for red cherry lip balm. Allora glanced at the red neon numbers on her alarm clock.

  “What’s going on?” Allora asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. “Training doesn’t start for another two hours.”

  “Yeah, well, I start earlier than most trainers,” Milly said.

  Allora perked up, and her eyes grew wide. “You mean we are going to be training with you today?”

  Milly placed some clothes on the bed, nodded, and left the room. Allora smiled and got dressed. Light was barely coming through the blinds as Allora put on her sports bra, black spandex pants, and tank top. After going outside, Allora followed her mother up the path, through the forest, and into the outer realm. As soon as they went through the portal, Milly spun around and shot a hadron burst at Allora. It hit her in the stomach and launched her backward onto the floor. She struggled to regain her breath while her mother just looked down at her and smiled.

  “That was totally unfair!” Allora said once she regained her composure.

  “Fair,” Milly said, raising her eyebrow. “Do you really think that your enemy will be fair?”

  Milly walked over to a bench where there were two swords. She grabbed them and tossed one to her daughter. Allora snatched it out of the air. “What you have to realize is that your opponent doesn’t play by any rules. He is relentless and will stop at nothing to kill you.” Milly unsheathed the sword, took a sideways stance, and bent her knees. “Last year taught me that you are no longer a child. So I believe your training should reflect your maturation.”

  Allora grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled it from its sheath. She glanced around the room. It wasn’t the orchard where they normally trained. They were in a large building with marble carvings on the walls. Lining the outside of a large fighting ring were limestone pillars holding up the ceiling thirty feet above. The air smelled of sand and sweat, like a boxing gym. Shadows danced on the walls from the flicker of fire in large brass cauldrons that jetted from the marble walls.

  “Where are we?”

  “This is the training arena that I learned in,” Milly said with a smile. “It still remains at the center of the capital city of Titanis in the Keeper Academy. Amazing, isn’t it? I hope that one day you will be able to experience it in person.”

  Before Allora could prepare herself, Milly pulled her sword up and advanced. The blade came down, and the steel sparked as Allora fell backward with her sword barely stopping her mother’s attack. Milly brought the blade around as Allora blocked another attack from up high. Suddenly, Allora’s feet crossed over each other, which caused her to lose her balance, and she fell on her back with a blade to her neck. Milly stood over her daughter, victorious.

  “Always be ready for a fight,” Milly said, pulling back the blade and walking around the circle. “When you’re in a real battle, there is no room for mistakes.”

  Allora got up, wiping off the dirt.

  “And these battles that you fought in,” Allora said, “were they fought with swords and sticks? It seems like we’d be better off with guns and missiles.”

  Milly went to the side of the training circle, placed her foot on the side, and pushed down on a lever that popped up a crate. Milly withdrew a gun and placed it in her daughter’s hand.

  “Shoot me.”

  “What? Are you crazy?” Milly stood with her hands behind her back and closed her eyes. “No. No way.” Milly remained standing. Allora reluctantly pointed the gun at her mother. “Mom, I can’t shoot you.”

  “It will be fine. Just trust me,” Milly said, with confident eyes.

  Allora’s hand shook as she slowly pulled back the trigger and fired the gun. The bullet sped to its target, only a few feet away. When it came within inches of Milly’s chest, the bullet hit an invisible wall and disintegrated. Milly grabbed the
gun from her daughter. She just smiled at Allora’s open mouth and large eyes. She placed the gun back in the crate and went back to her position.

  “Now you see why guns and bullets have no effect. They are simply projectiles with an easily felt energy signature. Your body and mind will automatically shield itself from meager weaponry. It’s an internal defense mechanism. The energy produced from the gunpowder exploding attracts your hadrons like a magnet. The sword, however, doesn’t have an energy signature that is easily reflected because most are imbued with certain metals that can channel hadrons. The same goes with a bow and arrow, as you have already demonstrated.”

  “Why don’t you just make bullets out of those metals?”

  “Because even those metals won’t penetrate a hadron shield with that small of a projectile,” Milly said, pulling up her sword. “You see, the true power of a weapon is channeled through the body. That force is what gives it power. You must feel every swing and use it as though it were an extension of yourself.”

  Milly got into a fighting stance and pulled up her sword. Allora mimicked the move. For the next few hours, Milly went over many different moves and tactics. As tired as she was, Allora couldn’t help but enjoy the session. For the first time, she was able to see her mother’s skills. Milly was able to counter every move Allora made. It was as if she could sense every action. After a long duel, Allora dropped her sword and put her hands on her knees, panting from exhaustion.

  “All right, let’s take a break,” Milly said, sitting down on the edge of the training circle.

  Allora stood up, put her hands over her head, and slowed down her breathing. After a few seconds of silence, Allora saw an opening to ask her mother an important question.

  “Mom,” Allora said, pausing for another few seconds, “when you went to war, were you scared?”

  “All the time.”

  “How did you deal with it?”

  “You look at the soldier next to you,” Milly said, staring at the floor with blank eyes. “You remind yourself that you are doing this for that person, and for those at home who can’t be there themselves. You do it so that, hopefully, your daughter or son doesn’t have to.” Milly put her head against her chest and closed her eyes. She pulled back the emotions and put on a fake smile. “Sometimes things don’t work out the way you’d like.” Allora gave her mother a long hug. “I’m very proud of you, though. You gave me back that which I had almost lost.”