Читать книгу The Tomb of Shadows - Peter Lerangis - Страница 17

“JACK, NO!” ALY cried.

Torquin let out a roar. He turned and lifted Brother Yiorgos off the ground like a toy soldier, but the sound of a gunshot made him freeze.

Brother Stavros stood with one arm raised high, a revolver in his fist. Smoke wisped upward from the barrel, from where he’d shot in the air. His other arm was locked around Aly’s neck. “Don’t make this hard for us,” he growled.

Torquin let Yiorgos fall to the ground.

“Vre, Stavros, this is not a movie,” Brother Dimitrios said. “Let go of the girl.”

Aly pushed herself away from Stavros’s grip. Yiorgos rose, grimacing. They all stood, bodies angled toward me. In the dim light I couldn’t see anyone’s face clearly, but I gave a sharp warning glance to Aly and Torquin. I did not want them to get hurt.

Lifting the sacks, I curled my hands underneath. The material was worn and ripped, and my fingers felt for the holes.

There.

Quickly I slipped my hand inside the brown sack. I felt the warmth of the Invisibility Loculus. That was all I needed. Just to touch the surface.

I knew I was fading from sight by the look on Brother Dimitrios’s face. Utter shock.

He lunged forward. I leaped aside, spinning to the right. I untied the top, pulling out the entire Loculus. Tucking it under my arm, I held tight to the other sack.

Brother Stavros scooped his gun off the ground, where it had fallen.

Anything and anyone you touch becomes invisible.

I grabbed Aly’s uniform. With a grin, she turned toward Stavros. “Face, meet foot.”

He looked around, baffled at the voice coming from nowhere, and he never saw the swift kick Aly planted on his jaw. As he fell unconscious, Aly hooked her hand into Torquin’s belt. “Your turn.”

“Time for Whac-a-Massa,” he said.

Together we moved toward Brother Dimitrios, angling from the side. He stood, trembling, staring in the direction we’d just been. “This is the biggest mistake you can possibly make. Trust me. Also, striking a man while invisible is ungentlemanly conduct.”

“A little to the left,” Torquin replied.

As Brother Dimitrios flinched, the red-bearded giant delivered a haymaker to his jaw. Dimitrios’s feet left the ground. He flew back into Brother Yiorgos, and both men hurtled backward, smacking into a tree.

The three men lay there, inert. Torquin flexed and unflexed his fists. I could practically see smoke coming from his ears. “Good day, gentlemen,” he grunted.

I took Mom’s cell phone from my pocket. It had betrayed us. It was the reason they’d found this place. And I was not going to be taken advantage of again.

I reared my arm back and threw the phone into the jungle.

“Let’s get out of here before more of them come!” Aly said. “We have what we need.”

“You’re welcome,” I said.

Aly smiled sheepishly. She threw her arms around me, nuzzling her head on my shoulder. “Jack, you’re the best.”

“Mush,” Torquin said.

I pulled the Loculus of Flight from its sack. We would use both Loculi to get to the beach quickly, airborne and unseen.

But all I could think about was the phone. And its owner.

I don’t even remember the flight back to the beach.

* * *

I do remember seeing the shining hull of Slippy from high in the air. And Fiddle’s relieved smile as I let go of the others’ hands, making them visible as we touched down on the sand. “Where’s Jack?” he shouted, running to greet us.

Aly nudged me in the side. As I put my Loculus down in the sand, Fiddle jumped back. “Aaaghh! Don’t scare me like that!”

“Sorry, it’s the Invisibility Loculus,” I said. “It makes you invisible. Which is useful when you’re flying over enemy territory.”

He nodded. “You got them both—awesome! Cass, Bhegad, and Dr. Bradley are on board. We’re ready to book.”

I slipped the Invisibility Loculus into its sack, grabbed them both by the canvas tops, and ran after the others toward the jet. “How’s the professor?” Aly shouted.

“Dr. Bradley’s doing the best she can. They’re in the back of the plane. We managed to get a lot of equipment from the hospital—for him and for you.” Fiddle slowed. “Dr. Bradley can continue your treatments for a while. If you guys die, our dream is over. The KI really goes down in flames.”

“Sorry to spoil things for you,” Aly remarked.

Fiddle blushed. “Plus I care about you guys. Seriously. We all do. Now come on. They’re going to find us. While you were gone, more Massa flew into the compound. Top brass, I think. Huge plane.”

As we raced the final few yards to the jet, Cass appeared at the jet’s hatch, at the top of the ladder. “Sgniteerg!” he said. “Hope you’re impressed I could say that.”

Aly bounded up the ladder. “Just glad you’re feeling … terbet?”

Cass winced. “I think you mean retteb.”

Fiddle put his arm on my shoulders. “Good luck, tiger. Thanks for saving my sorry butt. You’re in the hands of the Jolly Red Giant now.”

“Aren’t you coming with us?” I asked.

“I found some more of our people in the jungle,” he replied. “A small group, mostly injured and scared. I don’t know how they made it out. But along with the prisoners from the dorm—it’s a core, and who knows how many more we’ll find. I want to stay here with them. Build a force, if we can.”

“The Massa will wipe you out,” I said.

Fiddle gave me a wry grin. “Best brains. Biggest muscle power. Which would you bet on?”

“Good point,” I said. “I feel sorry for the Massa.”

I gave Fiddle a bear hug and scampered up the ladder. As I took a seat near Aly and Cass, Torquin squeezed his frame into the cockpit. From the back of the plane, Professor Bhegad’s voice called out feebly: “Children … Aly … Jack … Cass … Marco …”

He was lying on a set of cushions against the rear bulkhead. Dr. Bradley had managed to strap him down and was adjusting the drip on his IV.

“All here,” I said gently. “All three of us. Marco is … gone, Professor. Remember?”

Professor Bhegad looked confused for a moment. “Yes,” he finally said. “Of course …”

The engine started with a roar. “Belts!” Torquin said.

I strapped myself in. Over the engine noise I heard a high-pitched cry. I figured it was a seagull.

Until my eyes caught a motion at the edge of the jungle. People.

I shone my flashlight through the window. Two figures were running across the sand toward us, waving their arms. One of them was much faster—someone broad-shouldered, with a slightly bowlegged gait and flowing brown hair.

“Marco?” Aly said.

But my eyes were fixed on the other person—older, female, her head covered by a bandanna.

“Stop the plane!” Cass shouted. “Let’s find out.”

“Too late!” Torquin replied.

The jet began to turn. I grabbed binoculars from the floor and peered through. The woman and Marco stood shoulder to shoulder now, looking up at us. Shaking her head, she removed the bandanna and flung it to the ground.

The breath caught in my throat. As the jet turned its pontoons toward the water, the coast grew smaller. Smoke passed across the moon’s surface like lost ghosts.

“Jack?” Aly said. “What did you just see?”

I let the binocs drop from my fingers. “My mom.”