“It’s all right,” he said, even though it wasn’t. Jam had done his best, and he couldn’t be mad at him for that. “We’ll find another way. Maybe I can hitch a ride in your suitcase. Or maybe—”
“You don’t understand. Security is too heavy, and the General has entire armies at his command, including at least seven different battalions of sharks. You’ll never sneak in, Simon. It’s impossible. Believe me, I’ve spent my whole life trying to sneak out. It just won’t work.”
Jam sounded so utterly defeated that Simon stopped himself before he blurted out something painfully optimistic. Jam knew Avalon better than any of them. If he said there was no way, then there was no way.
While he did his best to cheer Jam up, Simon spent the rest of the day in a fog. He had to do something to stop Orion from getting the underwater piece. Even if it was dangerous, even if Jam thought it was impossible, he still had to try. Sometime in the middle of Tracking and Survival, he found himself deeply upset at the universe for ever putting him in this position. He didn’t usually complain, not really, but it was all becoming too much. How was he supposed to keep these secrets, save the world, and do his homework on time?
After his final class of the day ended, Simon trudged toward the Alpha’s section, but before he could reach it, a breathless boy named Tomas ran up to him. “The Alpha wants to see you right away,” he panted, readjusting the black armband that had slipped down to his elbow. On it was the silhouette of a grizzly bear.
“He does?” said Simon, panic edging toward him. “Is everything okay?”
Tomas nodded. “He’s in the pit.”
Simon all but ran down the hallways, his mind whirling with possibilities. Had the General called and told him what Jam had suggested? Had something happened to Nolan or his mother?
By the time he reached the sandy pit, he was so tense that his muscles ached from the strain, and he burst in on two dozen students from the mammal kingdom as they took turns throwing each other. They all turned to stare at him, and Simon’s face grew hot.
“Pay attention!” called Vanessa, who must have been overseeing the training. Most of the students returned to their drills, and Simon spotted Malcolm at the top of the spiral staircase that led to the upper floor. His uncle leaned against the railing, watching them with a strange look on his face. But he didn’t look frightened or upset, the way Simon would have expected if it were anything bad. The fist around his stomach loosened its grip as he began to climb up the bleachers.
“Hey, birdbrain!” called Garrett, who was a year older than Simon and much, much bigger. While he was one of Nolan’s best friends, he’d never forgiven Simon for humiliating him multiple times, and he always had an insult to throw. “Spying on us before the tournament? You know that’s illegal, right?”
“I’m not spying,” called Simon half heartedly. “I already know what you can do, and it’s not exactly something to brag about.”
The other students laughed, but Simon didn’t dare turn around to see the hateful look that was inevitably on Garrett’s face. With immense reluctance, Simon trudged up the steps, ignoring the jeers from the students below.
“I don’t really have to fight, do I?” he said miserably. “They’ll eat me alive.”
“You have to learn how to survive a fight with the other kingdoms, Simon,” said his uncle without so much as glancing at him.
“I already know how,” he said. “Fly away.”
Malcolm chuckled, even though Simon hadn’t meant to be funny. “Your mother would be proud to see you in the pit. She was an excellent fighter.”
“Is,” corrected Simon. “She is an excellent fighter.”
His uncle’s smile fell. “I meant that she was an excellent fighter when we all attended the L.A.I.R. But yes, you’re right. No doubt she’s only gotten better since then.”
An uncomfortable silence settled between them. While Simon loved his uncle, they didn’t know each other very well, and the subject of his mother was a touchy one. “Tomas said you needed to see me,” he said cautiously. His uncle finally looked at him and frowned.
“I received an interesting call this afternoon.”
“Oh?” he said, his voice breaking. Self-conscious, he cleared his throat. “I bet you get a lot of interesting calls.”
“Not as interesting as this one,” he said. “General Fluke informed me that his son apparently wanted to bring you and your friends home with him for the holidays.”
His mind raced. “Yeah. Jam’s really worried about going home after the whole Arizona trip, and—and we thought it’d be good for us to go with him. Moral support and all.”
“Mm. I see. Moral support.” Malcolm raised an eyebrow. “It wouldn’t have anything to do with Orion being spotted nearby, would it?”
Simon exhaled sharply. “He was? How close is he? Is he still there?” The moment he spoke, he regretted it, but he couldn’t take it back. Instead he watched his uncle, not bothering to disguise his hope. Every day he worried Orion might have found the piece and moved on, but if the General himself said he was still there …
His uncle slouched. “I know you want to find your mother, Simon. I want to find her, too. But running across the country on a wild-goose chase isn’t going to help bring her home.”
“It might,” said Simon. “It’s worth a shot, isn’t it?” But even as he said it, the words felt sticky in his mouth. Sending the packs after Orion meant sending his uncle after Orion, too, and Simon had promised himself he would never put another member of his family in danger again. Besides, his mother didn’t actually want to be rescued. When he had tried in Arizona, she had gone back to the Bird Lord, insisting she was better off leading him away from the real pieces. That had hurt more than Simon wanted to admit, and part of him still ached at the memory of her flying away from him to return to Orion. But as much as he hated it, she was right. Her misdirection was the only thing that would likely buy Simon the time he needed to find all five pieces.
Malcolm let out a low growl. “You know it’s too dangerous—”
“I know,” he mumbled. “I don’t want anyone else to get hurt. I just—I want to see her, that’s all. I want to make sure she’s okay.”
“It isn’t safe for you to go anywhere without me,” said Malcolm. “You and Nolan learned that the hard way this morning. He won’t be flying again any time soon. At least not using his wings.” He grimaced, the lines in his face deepening for a moment. “The General has called an emergency summit with the leaders of the remaining kingdoms to discuss the situation with Orion. Apparently something your friend said to him struck a chord.”
A tiny ember of hope sparked inside Simon, and he looked up at his uncle, hardly daring to believe it. “An emergency summit? You mean—”
“You, me, and Nolan will be spending our Christmas in the generous hospitality of the Fluke family.”
Malcolm’s expression soured, but it took everything Simon had not to whoop with excitement. It had worked. They were really going to Avalon.
Except—