By the time Mothball finally stopped next to an oak tree the size of a small building, Tick was desperate to throw up. After all the dodging and weaving through the maze of trees in the forest, his insides felt as if someone had shaken them like a maraca. When Sato pulled to a stop and lowered the Windbike to the mossy floor, Tick jumped off and ran over to a clump of bushes, where he spewed out every last morsel remaining in his stomach.
Paul made a wisecrack, but by the looks of his green face, he didn’t feel much better. Sofia and Sato seemed fine-as did Mothball-and Tick wondered if it was because they’d been driving.
Mothball removed her backpack and started pulling out all kinds of stuff. A tarp, some blankets, a little stove, packets of food.
“I thought we were in a hurry to meet our spy lady?” Paul asked, still walking off his nausea.
“What’s that?” Mothball asked, concentrating on setting up the stove. “Oh, no, that be tomorrow morning when we meet Annika.”
“Then why all the rush?” Sofia asked.
“Wanted to get far away from the deadies, I did.” Mothball shivered. “The battleground where all those people died is downright spooky if ya ask me. Thought it best to be away a bit before we set up camp.”
“So what do we do all night?” Paul asked as he leaned over Mothball’s shoulder, not bothering to hide his interest in whatever she planned on cooking.
“Eat up, we will. Rutger prepared some right tasty dinners. Rest a bit, get some sleep. We’ll be meetin’ Annika just as the sun comes up, down by where the river that flows through Mistress Jane’s fortress comes out and hits the Forest of Plague.”
“How do we know for sure she’ll be there?” Sato asked, still sitting on his Windbike. “Maybe she’s turned on you.”
“She’ll be there, Mister Sato, no worries.” Mothball ripped open a silvery pack of goop and poured it into a pot on her small stove. “One of our finest, Annika is.”
“What if she’s been captured?” Sato persisted.
“Then ya better be prayin’ Master George survived his little battle and brings us back.”
Tick sat down on a fallen log, unhappy that they had hurried to get here only to sit and wait for tomorrow. It was going to be a long night.
~
“Here you are, Mistress.”
Frazier handed over the cylindrical pack of wires, nanochips, and instruments that made up the Chi’karda Drive, the heart and soul of her Barrier Wand.
Jane took the odd-looking package through her open bedroom door, examining it as though she suspected it wasn’t the real thing. “You put the Wand back where it always rests for the night?”
“Yes, I did. The trap is set.”
“I can’t wait to find out why Annika has betrayed me,” Jane said with a nasty smile. “How fun it will be to remind her why it’s best to be on my side of things.”
“Loads,” Frazier muttered, almost forgetting himself. “The fangen are ready, Mistress, and are already moving into their hiding positions.”
“That should be an interesting sight to watch-them sniffing along, bumping into things.” Jane pointed a finger through the crack of the door. “Remember, we need the Realitants alive. This is the perfect opportunity for me to learn what that weasel George is planning.”
“Yes, Mistress Jane,” Frazier said. “The fangen will be very… eager, but I’ll do my best to restrain them.”
The night was dark and cool, and Tick slept surprisingly well until Mothball shook him awake a couple of hours before dawn. He jumped at first, but his senses came back to him quickly.
“Time to be movin’, it is,” she whispered, then moved on to the next person.
They’d all slept on a wide blue tarp, each one of them given a single blanket to make it through the night. Tick had never felt too cold, and the soft undergrowth of the forest floor made for a nice mattress. All in all, he felt well rested once he got up and his blood started flowing.
After a quick breakfast of granola bars and apples, a unified hush settled on everyone as they helped Mothball pack up her things and stuff them into the backpack. The forest was mostly quiet, the occasional buzz of an insect or howl of an animal in the distance the only sounds.
Tick didn’t know if he’d ever felt butterflies so intense as he did at that moment, waiting to hop back on his Windbike and fly off to meet Annika the spy. From what he’d heard about Mistress Jane, he doubted she would be very merciful if they blew the mission and got captured. What if Sato was right? What if this was all a trap? What if something went wrong? Tick tried not to think about his fears, putting his trust in Mothball and Master George.
“Everyone, gather ’round,” Mothball said once she’d swung the backpack onto her shoulders. They moved together into a tight circle, intently awaiting instructions. “Just yonder there’s a small break in the trees. Once there, we’re going to fly up and over the roof of the forest to make it easy goin’. Just follow me, and we’ll make our way to the meetin’ point by the river. Once Annika comes with the Barrier Wand, we’ll scuttle away right quick and head back for the old battleground in the forest. Got it?”
“Yeah,” whispered Paul. “Sounds pretty easy to me.”
“What do we do if something goes wrong?” Sato asked, seeming to show a little more interest in the group. “What is-how do you say? — our Plan B?”
“Yeah, what if this Annika lady doesn’t get the Wand to us?” Paul asked.
Mothball paused. “Then we fly like the dickens back to the battleground to regroup.”
“Why do I not feel assured this has all been thought out?” Sofia asked.
“Annika’s been preppin’ for months for this, she ’as,” Mothball replied. “But if we don’t get the ruddy Wand, won’t matter much in the end. If we’re to have any ’ope of defeatin’ the Mistress, we need to trap her ’ere for a long time.”
“Then let’s do it,” Paul said, holding his hand out, palm to the ground.
Tick got the idea and did the same, putting his hand on top of Paul’s. Sofia followed suit, then Mothball. Everyone looked at Sato, whose face was hidden in the darkness. After a long pause, he finally gave in, placing his hand on top of the pile.
“Promise me,” he said looking around the circle. “Promise me you people won’t betray me.”
His words surprised Tick, and by the shocked silence from his friends, he figured they were just as taken back.
“Promise me!” Sato yelled.
“Just who do you think-” Sofia began.
“No,” Mothball said, cutting her off. “Sato ’ere had a bit of trouble in his past. Right deserving of his doubts, he is. Sato, I promise I won’t be the one doin’ any betraying. You can bet yer best buttons on that one.”
“Me, neither,” Paul quickly added. “Sato, we’re in this together, man.”
“Yeah,” Tick agreed. “We’re not going to betray you.”
“And you?” Sato said to Sofia.
“I think you need an attitude-”
“Sofia!” Tick snapped, surprising himself.
She paused for a long time. “All right, all right. Sato, I promise I won’t betray you, even though that sounds really lame. We’re all a team, here. Okay?” She said the last word sarcastically, as if to preserve her dignity. “Can we quit holding hands now?”
“On three,” Paul said, ignoring her. “On three, yell… Go Realitants. ”
“Oh, come on,” Sofia complained.
“Just do it,” Paul replied. “Pump us up for some prime-time action and adventure. Ready?” He bobbed his hand up and down as he counted. “One… two… three… GO REALITANTS!” He threw everyone’s hands up in the air as he shouted the last part with enthusiasm.
Tick and Mothball half-heartedly said the words with him, but Sato and Sofia didn’t make a peep.
“Man, you guys are pathetic,” Paul muttered.
“Let’s just get on with it, Cheeseball,” Sofia said. “Let’s go get us a Barrier Wand.”
And with that, they got on their bikes and flew toward the tops of the trees.