“Turn right up here,” Pigeon instructed as they approached Mayflower, the whine of multiple sirens growing louder.
“Hang on,” the horse said, increasing his gait to a full gallop.
*****
Racing down a sidewalk on the far side of Mayflower, Nate could not believe how easy it was to maintain a full sprint. All his past experience combined to insist that his lungs should be burning, his legs should be aching, his side should be sore. Instead, he felt no more winded than he would on a leisurely stroll, leaving him free to enjoy the exhilaration of the night air in his face as he rushed along a side street in a dark neighborhood.
Before long the night came alive with the cry of sirens, but he doubted whether any of the emergency vehicles would travel the minor residential streets separating him from Mr. Stott’s house. Holding the ship in both hands, he tried to run smoothly enough to avoid making the splits in the hull any worse. The once-handsome ship had sustained some serious damage. Nate just hoped they had not messed up whatever map it contained. He worried about how Mr. Stott might react to the broken masts, tattered sails, crushed hull, and whatever little pieces had fallen off.
Nate turned down Clover Lane, crossed a few empty streets, and soon found himself on Limerick Court, still running at top speed. It was amazing how much ground you could cover with a tireless sprint!
The sirens were behind him now, their cries waning as they arrived at their destination. Ahead the street was still and dark, no lights in the windows, no cars on the road. Then a light came on as the door of a parked sedan opened down the street, not far from Mr. Stott’s house. Nate abandoned the sidewalk and spied on the car from behind a bush.
To his dismay, the big round guy from the candy shop got out. He appeared to converse with somebody before he ducked out of sight. Nate covered his mouth. They were planning to ambush him when he brought the map to Mr. Stott. He had almost sprinted into a trap.
Taking out his cell phone, Nate dialed Mr. Stott. The old magician picked up after a few rings. “Hello?”
“Mr. Stott?” Nate whispered. “Can you hear me?”
“Sure. What is it?”
“Mrs. White has her goons guarding your house. I think they’re trying to ambush me.”
“Are you in immediate danger?”
“No.”
“You have the map?” Mr. Stott asked.
“It was rough, but yes, I think so. I have the Stargazer.”
“Excellent! Nate, just go home. You can bring me the ship in the morning.”
“Okay. Talk to you tomorrow.”
Nate hung up. Staying low, running across front yards instead of on the sidewalk, he hurried away from Mr. Stott’s. It made Nate glad to think of the big round guy waiting disappointedly for him to show up.
Nate sprinted along side streets until he reached Main. After waiting for a car to pass, he dashed across and cut through Summer’s neighborhood. He ran up to Mayflower to avoid the creek, and then rushed along the jogging path toward Monroe Circle, senses alert.
When he reached the bottom of Monroe, Nate saw a gray horse walking down the middle of the street. The sight was so unusual that he retreated into the undergrowth by the creek and fell flat. He watched the horse wander onto the jogging path and clomp away toward Mayflower.
Once the horse was out of sight, Nate raced up the street to his house, flung open the door, and locked it behind him. He rushed around the ground floor, making sure all the windows and doors were locked, then did the same upstairs. He went to his bathroom, where the light remained on, but Trevor was not in the mirror. He flashed the light on and off and waited a moment, but his friend did not appear.
Nate went to his room and set the mangled ship in his closet. The Stargazer was a mess, but it was mostly in one piece. Even the broken masts were held to the boat by tangles of netting and string.
Nate took out his cell phone and called Summer. She answered on the second ring. “I’m glad you called,” she said. “Did you deliver it?”
“No, the big guy from the candy shop was waiting to ambush me. It seemed like he had others with him. So I came home. I figured my mom could swing me by there on the way to school. Are you and Pidge okay?”
“We rode home on a talking horse,” Summer said.
“I think I saw it!” Nate said. “Was it gray?”
“That’s the one,” Summer said. “He was really friendly.”
“Nice use of the Brain Feed.”
“We left our bikes behind, which might come back to bite us, but honestly, I’m just relieved we made it. That was scary.”
“I know, what was with the monster candy? It was like Melting Pot Mixers on steroids!”
“It was freaky,” Summer said. “Are you going to school tomorrow?”
“For sure,” Nate said. “With all the people around, school is probably the safest place for us right now.”
“I don’t want to see Denny there,” Summer said.
“Neither do I,” Nate agreed. “You think he’s okay?”
“I’m sure. Eric and Kyle would have been after us faster if they hadn’t been helping him get unstuck.”
“Maybe we can hide out during lunch,” Nate said.
“Bring your candy just in case.”
“Always. Hey, Summer, you were amazing tonight. You saved the day with that Sun Stone.”
“What are friends for?” She sounded very pleased. “See you tomorrow.”
“Yep.”
He hung up.
His digital clock said it was not quite two-thirty. The whole escapade had taken place in less than ninety minutes. Nate spit his gum into the wastebasket by his bookcase and turned off the lights. He leaned back on his bed, told himself he would undress after he rested his eyes for a moment, and faded off to sleep.
*****
Nate snapped awake, certain he had heard glass breaking. His room was dark; the clock read 3:46 a.m. He lay still, straining his ears, hearing only silence. Had it been a dream? He had smashed through a lot of glass earlier in the night—maybe his subconscious had been reliving the adventure.
He could not shake the conviction that the sound had been real, and decided he had better check it out. He reached over, clicked on his reading light, and saw a bubble floating over his bed. Chills raced down his back. It was the size of a baseball, like the bubble they had seen in the alley by the museum, like the bubble Pigeon had described hovering near the Nest.
Transfixed, he stared at the little sphere, uncertain exactly what it meant, knowing it was a bad sign. The floor in the hallway creaked. Terrified, Nate forced himself to move, plunging a hand into his pocket. The bubble streaked out the door. Nate got up, putting an Ironhide in his mouth, watching the doorway, wondering if he should call his parents.