‘How can you have so much faith in us?’ asked Billy. ‘You’ve only just met us!’
‘We can read a heart,’ said Spark. ‘And we know your hearts are loyal, strong, brave and true.’
‘And now you have a little something extra on your side,’ said Xing, flying round them. ‘Tell me, children, can you sense your powers?’ She gazed intently at Ling-Fei. ‘How do you feel?’
Ling-Fei blinked slowly, as if waking from a long slumber. ‘There… are other living things here in the mountain,’ she said. ‘I can… hear them.’
‘Yes,’ said Tank. ‘There are fish in the underground lake.’
‘Can she hear the fish? Is it exceptional hearing? Is that her power?’ said Buttons excitedly.
‘Be quiet!’ hissed Xing. ‘Ling-Fei, what else?’
Ling-Fei lifted her head and peered around, as if she was trying to pinpoint something. ‘If I focus, I know exactly where the sun is, even though it is outside the mountain. Isn’t that strange?’ She sounded even dreamier than usual.
‘Have you always loved nature?’ said Spark.
Ling-Fei nodded.
‘It is too early to know for sure, but it appears your power is an affinity with the natural world,’ said Xing. ‘You can sense things others will not be able to. It is a good power. I am proud. As you should be.’
‘Charlotte?’ prompted Tank.
Charlotte opened and closed her fists. ‘Well, I certainly can’t hear any fish,’ she said. ‘But I feel –’ she paused – ‘stronger, somehow.’
Tank rolled a boulder towards her with his tail. ‘Lift this,’ he said.
‘There’s no way,’ Billy said under his breath. The boulder was huge, too big even for Charlotte to get her arms all the way round it.
Charlotte squatted down next to the boulder, and put her hands beneath it. ‘I feel silly,’ she said, looking up.
‘Just try,’ said Tank.
Charlotte took a deep breath and lifted the boulder.
‘Oh, my stars,’ she said, so surprised that she dropped it immediately, almost on Dylan’s toe. ‘Did you guys see that?’
‘I should have known strength would be your power,’ said Tank proudly. ‘It is fitting.’
‘That’s awesome,’ said Billy, and he meant it. But he couldn’t help wishing that he had his pearl so he could know what his power was. He forced the feeling away. ‘What about you, Dylan?’ he asked.
Dylan clenched his eyes tightly shut and kind of grunted.
‘Dylan?’ Billy asked again, confused.
‘I’m waiting,’ said Dylan. ‘For it to kick in.’
Everyone stared at him. ‘Are you all staring at me? I can sense it! That must be my power!’
‘I… don’t think that is a power,’ said Buttons.
Dylan slumped and opened his eyes. ‘Well, you are all staring at me. At least I was right about that.’ He looked at Buttons. ‘I feel the same as I did before,’ Dylan said. He tapped the Granite Pearl around his neck. ‘Maybe it’s broken?’
‘The pearls cannot break,’ said Tank.
‘Ah. Then maybe I’m broken,’ said Dylan.
‘Dylan, don’t be ridiculous,’ said Billy. ‘We just don’t know what your power is yet. It’ll come.’
‘Sorry, Billy,’ said Dylan. ‘I should have insisted you get this pearl. It’s wasted on me.’ He managed a small grin, but Billy could tell he was embarrassed.
‘Don’t worry, Dylan,’ said Ling-Fei kindly. ‘Billy’s right. Your power will come.’
‘And your power is going to be the best one,’ said Billy. ‘I just know it.’
‘Thanks, Billy,’ said Dylan.
‘Well, I don’t know if there is a best power,’ said Charlotte. ‘But you’ll definitely get a good one.’
‘Of course you’ll get a good power,’ said Buttons.
‘When you’ve finished wasting time reassuring the useless one that he isn’t useless, might I suggest that you get back to your realm to find the fourth pearl?’ said Xing.
Dylan stared at Xing. ‘Are you sure you have a heart like Ling-Fei’s? Ling-Fei is the nicest person I’ve ever met and you…’
‘I’m what?’ said Xing, moving her face very close to Dylan’s.
Dylan squirmed. ‘You are very intimidating, that’s all.’
‘Stop tormenting my human,’ said Buttons, stepping between them. He looked at Dylan. ‘You’ll find that Xing is like a melon – hard exterior protecting soft insides.’
Xing poked Buttons in the belly with her claw. ‘You have soft insides and outsides,’ she said.
‘Enough!’ roared Tank. ‘Now that we have bonded and three of you have your pearls, there is no time to waste. The faster you can find the fourth pearl and get back to us, the better. We’ll be waiting.’
Billy cleared his throat. ‘And if we can’t find it?’ He wondered if they’d say that they would be fine with just the other three – that he shouldn’t bother coming back.
‘You will find it,’ said Spark. ‘We need all four of you to get back into our realm. We cannot do it without you, Billy.’
Even without a pearl of his own, Billy suddenly felt invincible.
‘I won’t let you down,’ he said. Then he looked at his friends. ‘I mean, we won’t let you down.’
Pork Buns And Persuasion
They left the mountain the way Billy had come in – through the hazy wall that was not a wall, down the tunnel and out into the bright sunshine.
They stared at each other as if making sure they were all still there.
‘Dragons,’ said Billy finally. ‘Actual, real-life dragons.’
‘I wonder…’ said Charlotte. She went over to a fallen log and hoisted it easily over her shoulder. ‘It works!’ she shouted. ‘The powers are real!’
Ling-Fei sat down on a rock and rubbed her temples. ‘I can sense so much… life all around me. All the plants. All the animals. Even the bugs. It’s overwhelming.’
Dylan’s belly rumbled. Loudly. He looked at his watch. ‘It’s almost lunchtime!’ He rubbed his stomach. ‘Can we get some food before we start our mission to save the world?’
‘Yes, definitely,’ said Billy. ‘I’m starving. And as far as saving the world…’ He paused. ‘Are you guys a little worried about what we’ve committed to?’ Billy suddenly was. In the mountain, next to the dragons, he’d felt fearless, unstoppable. Now, back outside in the sunshine,
