Cyrus raced towards the eastern bendof the Ring Road and plunged into Hekswood Forest.Once over the Dead Fence, he sprinted in the direction of Edward’s tree.
“Edward, I need your help,” he said, as he arrived panting, looking upinto the tree’s branches.
Several long legs emerged out of a knot in the trunk.
“What’s going on?” the spider asked, climbing free of the hole.
“It’s Niels, come on.”
Cyrus plucked Edward from the tree and dashed towards the waterfall.Along the way, he told the spider everything, from the OddFootjournal to the loss of his brother.
“We’ll find him,” Edward said, “I promise.”
As they reached the fall, they found the South River all but dried up,leaving the usually hidden cave entranceilluminated and exposed.
“The cave-in’s destroyed the water supply,” Cyrus gasped.
With Edward on his shoulder, he ran into the cave, past the boat anddown towards the shore of the underground lake. Only it was no longer underground.Where there had once been a dimly lit shore that kissed the edge of black,watery nothingness, there was now a huge sun-lit lake, full of the brokenremains of Virkelot Village.
“Holy Sea Zombie,” Edward whispered, “It’s worse than I imagined…”
Far off in the middle of the lake, villagers screamed for help andpaddled in circles. Some tried to climb the dome-like walls of the fossilizedprison, but none had found the lone route of escape. They were too far awayfrom the cave’s shore, and the relatively small opening was lost in the vast bowl of sky-high rock.
“We don’t have time for them,” Cyrus said, “We have to find Niels.”
He collected the lantern from the ledge and mounted it to the boat’s bow, then dragged the craft to the water’sedge. Once aboard, they paddled out into the lake. Edward sprang from Cyrus’shoulder and found his way to the top of the mast. Cyrus began to steer towardsthe center of the reservoir, pushing past floating trees, swimming pigs,bubbling chests and bobbing apples. The air tasted of wet animals and rippedlumber.
“Niels!” he called out.
Instead, several other stranded andhelpless villagers replied. Cyrus saw them clinging to trees and pigs, orsitting on top of floating outhouses or barns. Some appeared to have brokenlegs and arms, others nasty cuts and bruises.
“Have you seen my brother?” Cyrus called to them, “Have you seen Niels?”
They all replied no.
“Please, help,” several called back.
Cyrus pointed to the cave opening on the distant shore.
“Head for that cavern. It leads to a way out.”
“Cyrus,” Edward whispered, “some of them are hurt. We have to help.”
Cyrus felt torn in two. He wanted to help, but Niels came first.
“They wouldn’t help us,” he finally replied, steeling his emotions, “Andnow Niels is trapped down here, maybe drowning, or worse.”
“What about your stepmom?” Edward asked.
Cyrus felt the bloody welt stamped into his ribs. Llysahad been on his mind as well. Secretly he hoped that she would never be found, that she had succumbed to some cold,dark end. He prayed that he would never have to see her again…
He and Edward began to paddle past bobbing hedges and around floatingsheds and buggies, calling out for Niels and searching the village’s driftingremains. They poked around floating trees and picked through bales of hay.
“Cyrus,” a weak voice cried out, “help, I can’t swim.”
“Over there,” Edward said, pointing to someone floating amongst a heapof brambles.
“Sarah?” Cyrus called back.
It was Sarah Heiler, the girl that had alwaysbeen nice to him. She was clinging to a wooden barrel. The barrel kept rollingin the water, making it hard for her to grasp.
“Cyrus hel-”
Sarah slipped under the water, then reemerged, gasping for air andclawing at the barrel.
Cough, hack.
“Help!”
Cyrus felt something in his chest leap. He could not let Sarah drown.
“I’m coming,” he said, paddling towards her as she splashed amongst the floatingthickets.
“Cyrus!”
Again, Sarah sunk below the surface.
Cyrus began to panic. What was he supposed to do? She bobbed up a secondtime, splashing and choking down water.
“Hurry!” Edward said.
Cyrus struggled the boat through the fringe of thick brambles.
“Cyru-”
Sarah slipped from the barrel and sunk below the icy chill a third time.Cyrus finally cleared the debris and pushed towards the center.
“Sarah?”
He watched the glassy surface.
“Sarah!”
He peered into the murk, searching for her struggling form.
“She’s drowning,” Edward said.
“What do I do?” Cyrus asked, his voice shrill.
“Jump in after her,” Edward demanded.
Cyrus looked up at the spider, terrified. Then, not giving himself achance to hesitate, he dived into the lake. The cold bit at his flesh, stabbingthrough his ribs and into his lungs. He opened his eyes. A brownish greenatmosphere surrounded him, thick and dark. He kicked forward, towards where hehad last seen Sarah. The lake water tasted of fall rain. Cyrus came up forbreath.
“Sarah,” he gasped, flicking water from his blond mop, “where is she?”
“She hasn’t come back up,” Edward said.
Cyrus sucked in a lung full of air and plunged below. His clothes wereheavy and hard to swim in, and he couldonly see a few feet before him. Sarah was drowning. He could not fail her. Hehad to try harder. He kicked and pulled with all his strength in a descendingcircle, doing his best to search beneath where last he had seen her. The firstseveral feet were green and hazy, but below that,the lake became as black as oil. Cyrus grew confused. Was he swimming in theright place? He turned back around and kicked deeper into the murk. The water grewcolder the further down he swam. His lungs started to strain. He paused in thedeep and peered about, looking up, down, left and right. She could be threefeet in front of him, and he would neversee her. The strain in his chest grew unbearable. He tried to swim further. Hisbody fought back, panicky and desperate for air. It was hopeless. He couldn’thelp anyone. Not Niels, not Sarah, not even himself. He abandoned his searchand retreated to the surface. He could feel something icy shift in his belly.Then a deep shame crawled up from his guts and wrapped its cold tendrils aroundhis pounding heart.
Chapter 12
LOST
SOMETHING CLUTCHED CYRUS around theankle and began to pull him into the deep. He
