hands, held it in front of him, and triggered the engine. With a low whine, the sled bit into the water and pulled the trio along. As incredible as it seemed to Mark and Courtney, they were on their way to Grallion. They shot under the long, low ceiling of rock for several minutes, until Spader announced, “Open water ahead!”
They looked forward to see a ribbon of light that was the end of the ceiling they had been swimming under. A moment later they shot out into open water. Mark and Courtney looked around in wonder at the glorious coral reef that lay just beyond the rock shelf. There were schools of colorful fish swimming lazily past, a forest of red sea kelp that swayed with the current, and beautiful coral formations that made the reef look like an undersea sculpture garden.
Mark looked to Courtney. Courtney looked to Mark. They both smiled.
Spader pulled them up to the surface. When their heads popped above the water, Mark saw something that made him laugh out loud.
“It’s a skimmer!” he shouted.
Floating on the soft swells was Spader’s skimmer craft. It looked to Mark like a large, white snowmobile, with outrigger pontoons for stability. The deck was flat, with low sides so it was easy for them to hoist themselves up and in.
“Off with the globes,” Spader ordered. He opened up a hatch to a storage compartment below. There he stowed the gear, along with Bobby’s journal in its waterproof pouch.
“Everything spiff?” Spader asked.
“Couldn’t be spiffer. Spiffier. More spiff. Whatever,” Mark replied happily.
“Can I drive?” Courtney asked.
Mark couldn’t believe she was being so bold. But then again, she was just being Courtney.
“Sure!” Spader replied. “Step right up.”
The controls to the skimmer were like motorcycle handlebars that you stood behind. Courtney grabbed the handles with the confidence of an experienced aquaneer. Spader stood behind her and showed her the throttle and how to steer.
“Simple?” he asked.
“Simple,” she replied. “No more talk. Let’s go!”
Mark grabbed the side of the skimmer for safety. He trusted Spader’s driving. He wasn’t so sure about Courtney’s. Spader flipped a switch and the skimmer hummed to life. The pontoons slowly lowered themselves into the water. As soon as they were wet, Spader said, “She’s all yours.”
Courtney didn’t have to be told twice. “Yeahhhh!” she yelled and gunned the throttle. The skimmer shot forward so fast that Mark fell over in spite of the fact he had been holding on. Spader pointed her in the right direction and they were off, flying over the low swells.
“This is off the hook!” Courtney shouted with joy.
Most of the trip Spader spent sitting with Mark, his feet up casually, enjoying the ride. Mark wasn’t quite as relaxed. He held on tight to the side of the skimmer, just in case. Both watched Courtney at the controls, her long brown hair flying back in the wind, a huge smile on her face. Mark thought that it was the happiest he had seen her in a long time. He knew their mission wasn’t about having fun, but for the time being, he didn’t complain.
In no time they arrived at the massive barge that was the farming habitat of Grallion. It’s where Spader worked with a team of aquaneers who kept the floating city running smoothly. Spader docked the skimmer and led them through the aquaneer landing, up the stairs, and out onto the surface of the huge barge city. When they arrived on top, Mark and Courtney were blown away by the acres of glorious farmland. They knew that except for the city of Faar, Cloral was covered entirely by water. All their food was grown either on barges like Grallion, or underwater on the farms that were all over the territory. These were the farms that were endangered by the poison that Saint Dane had helped let loose. Seeing this farm and knowing how close Cloral had come to disaster brought Mark and Courtney back to reality. They were there because Saint Dane had taken this horrible poison to Eelong.
They soon arrived at Spader’s small apartment that was right on the edge of the city, looking out over the ocean. “Make yourselves comfortable, mates,” Spader said cheerily. The furniture was all made from some kind of molded material. There were no cushions, but it was comfortable just the same. “I hope you’re hungry. I made some cooger fish for the occasion.”
“And sniggers?” Mark asked.
“Sniggers too,” Spader answered with a chuckle.
“I’m starved,” Courtney said.
Neither had thought much about food since they left Second Earth. But now that they were relaxed, dinner sounded pretty good. Spader brought them plates heaped with the white, flaky fish. It was served cold, which was kind of weird, but delicious just the same. Spader presented a tall glass of dark red sniggers to Mark. Mark took a big, thirsty gulp of the frosty brew and experienced the horrible, sour taste that Bobby had warned of. His eyes went wide and he nearly gagged.
“Ride it out!” Spader said, laughing.
Mark held the foul, bubbly liquid in his mouth and a second later he was rewarded with a wonderful, sweet nutty taste that stayed in his mouth long after he swallowed.
“Awesome!” Mark declared with a big smile.
They all had a laugh over it and finished the meal. The trip had been a fantasy come true for Mark and Courtney, but always tugging at the corner of their minds was the real reason they were there. It wasn’t to race skimmers or chug sniggers.
“There’s something that needs saying,” Spader said, turning to business. “You’ve read Pendragon’s journals, so you know how he feels about me.”
“What do you mean?” Courtney asked. “He says you’re one of his best friends.”
“That’s saying a lot,” Mark chimed in quickly. “I know. I’ve been his best friend since we were kids.” Mark wanted to establish the best friend hierarchy right away.
“Pendragon’s like my brother,” Spader said. “But I’m afraid he’s lost faith in me, after what happened on First Earth.”
Mark and Courtney knew what Spader meant. Saint Dane killed Spader’s father and Spader wanted revenge. Badly. His hatred of the demon Traveler was so intense, it often made him lose control of his emotions. On First Earth Spader was so blinded by hate he wouldn’t listen to Bobby or Gunny and almost caused a disaster that would have led to the destruction of all three Earth territories. After that Bobby asked Spader to return to his home on Cloral until he could learn how to better control his anger.
“Be honest,” Courtney said. “Was Bobby right? I mean, by asking you to go home?”
Mark shot Courtney a quick look. It was a pretty bold question to ask somebody they hardly knew. Spader thought for several seconds before speaking.
“Yes,” he finally said. “I nearly made a natty mess of things. But coming home and pretending everything is normal hasn’t been easy. I’ve done it though, just as Pendragon asked. I hope I’ve grown up some along the way. But I’m a Traveler. I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t living for the day when I can jump back into the flume and rejoin the fight.”
“I think that day is today,” Courtney said.
Spader couldn’t help but break out in a wide grin. “I’ve been waiting to hear those words! Whatever Pendragon needs, I’m there.”
Mark and Courtney exchanged nervous looks.
“Well,” Courtney said. “It’s not exactly like that. He doesn’t know we’re here.”
Spader blinked once, then twice, as if Courtney’s words didn’t make sense. “I don’t follow,” he said. “Pendragon didn’t send you?”
“It’s worse than that,” Mark said. “If he knew we were here, he’d be really angry. He thinks it’s wrong for the acolytes to travel. He said it might somehow help Saint Dane.”
“But we’re not sure he’s right,” Courtney added quickly. “Saint Dane may have tricked Bobby into thinking that.”
“And we took the chance in coming because Eelong is in trouble, and we’re the only ones who know the real reason why,” Mark explained.
“We talked to the Traveler from Eelong,” Courtney said quickly. “His name was Seegen. But now he’s dead
