Nate hoped the next assignment would involve water. If not, their second stamp would be worthless. If so, by staying in the water and the sky, hopefully the Jets could partially negate the rival club’s advantages.
“Nate!” Chris called. “Wake up!”
They were running a drill in which they practiced going from air to water and back to air again while retrieving rings. Nate stretched a fist ahead of himself and flew forward, curving near the wall to snatch a ring, then diving toward the pool. He broke the surface of the water, slowing only slightly as he skimmed the bottom to nab three more rings, then angled back up into the air, accelerating as he rose. His hair, skin, and clothes dried instantly, and he snagged a ring from the ceiling before joining the other Jets floating in the center of the room.
“Well done,” Chris applauded. “You’re getting the hang of this.”
“I hope so,” Nate said. “I don’t envy those punching bags.”
Derek currently thundered away at a heavy bag, his blurred fists attacking like machine-gun bullets. The bag jerked and jolted under the fierce onslaught.
“They can’t fly,” Risa reminded everyone. “And they can’t torpedo through water.”
“Hopefully that will matter,” Nate said. “I don’t want to be part of the next club that disappears.”
“You guys still haven’t seen Pigeon?” Chris asked.
“Not since his club lost,” Nate said gloomily. He had started sharing some information about Pigeon’s disappearance with Chris and Risa in hopes that they might eventually turn into true allies against Jonas. “His parents have no idea he’s been gone. They’ve been eating Arcadeland tacos and nachos.”
“I was paying more attention to my parents,” Risa said. “You’re right that they seem really distracted. I told them I was going to drive Dad’s car to the mall and they told me to be careful. Mom even handed me the keys. It was like they had no idea how many years it’ll be before I’m old enough to get a license.”
“My parents are out of it too,” Chris said. “Way more than usual.”
“I tried to find the Racers this morning,” Lindy said. “It was early, before dawn, and nobody was home.”
“We need to keep our guard up on all sides,” Nate said. “We know the Tanks will be gunning for us. But I’m not sure how much we can trust Jonas, either.”
“You’ve worked with magicians like him before?” Risa asked.
Nate had only dropped some hints. He didn’t want to risk telling them too much and having it get back to Jonas. “I have. Some are good, but I’ve met one who wanted to take over the world. To me, Jonas seems more like the scary kind.”
“I definitely didn’t like those wax statues,” Risa admitted. “Truth? I almost bailed when I saw mine. I mean, how creepy is that?”
Cleon and Todd entered the building. The Jets gazed down at them, and the Tanks stopped exercising.
“Today?” Chris asked. “Already? These guys aren’t messing around.”
“Jonas wants his treasure,” Nate murmured. “Let’s go hear what they have to tell us.”
Using their speed, the Tanks reached Cleon and Todd before the Jets, but not too far ahead. “What’s up?” Roman asked.
“Mr. White wants to talk with both clubs,” Cleon said. The whole area around his nose looked bruised.
“What happened to your face?” Chris asked.
Cleon tenderly rubbed his upper lip. “Basketball. I didn’t see it coming until the last second.”
“We shouldn’t keep Mr. White waiting,” Todd suggested.
They all followed Todd and Cleon out of the training facility and back to Arcadeland. They entered through a side door, and Todd led them to a conference room where Jonas White awaited, seated at the head of a long table. Katie Sung flanked him on one side, a muscular man with black spiky hair on the other.
Jonas gestured at the table. “Please, take a seat.”
The Jets and Tanks sat on opposite sides of the table. The chairs were comfy and swiveled. Cleon and Todd remained in the room, standing near the door.
“Our competition is getting exciting,” Jonas commented with a slow smile. “Two teams, both powered up more than ever. And the toughest mission yet lies ahead.”
Jonas held up a smooth stone marble. “This is the guidestone the Tanks brought to me. Was it only yesterday? How can something so small change so much in such a short time? I have yearned to know the location of the Protector for ages, and now I do, thanks to this remarkable little wayfinder.”
He placed the ball on the table, and it immediately rolled diagonally toward Katie Sung, who caught it as it fell off the edge. She handed it back to Jonas.
“Whenever we set the guidestone on a relatively flat surface,” Jonas went on, “it rolls toward the Protector. Simple, elegant, and effective.”
“Do we have to share it?” Roman asked, looking across the table at Chris.
“No,” Jonas said. “The guidestone will go to the Jets.”
“What?” Roman exclaimed, hopping to his feet. “How is that fair?” Derek had risen as well.
“I appreciate your competitive spirit,” Jonas soothed. “However, I also appreciate order and decorum. Perhaps in the future you could allow me to offer a full explanation before issuing an objection.”
Although Jonas remained calm and polite, Katie and the spiky-haired guy glared at Roman with naked disapproval. After glancing at Derek, Roman sat.
Jonas softly cleared his throat. “We have already used the guidestone to trace a path to the Protector’s hiding place. As I have long suspected, the location was not far from here. I have avidly studied these matters since well before your grandparents were born. Decades ago, I learned that the Protector resided within an ancient structure dubbed the Lodestar of the West, or the Great Western Pharos—a magnificent lighthouse somewhere on the western coast of North America. An ancient structure that had no business standing here, given all we know of the region’s history.”
“It’s nearby?” Lindy asked.
“At first I was looking for ruins,” Jonas said. “I found nothing. But then I realized a truth that the guidestone confirmed—the lighthouse is submerged.”
Roman huffed, folding his arms, clearly frustrated. But he kept his mouth shut.
Jonas nodded at Roman. “As the Tanks recognize, this provides a certain advantage to the Jets, who now also share the attributes of the Subs. Please hold all complaints until after the full briefing. As you will see, the Tanks are not yet out of the running.” Pushing against the arms of his chair, Jonas attempted to rise. He paused halfway up, trembling, and then managed to straighten. “Until now, your trials have been preparatory. I knew retrieving the Gate would provide a challenge, but I doubted that it would prove fatal. Same with the retrieval of the guidestone. That all changes with this assignment.”