They landed near the building, touching down lightly in the sand. Calico crouched so James’s feet touched the ground as he unhooked the harness. His chest felt raw from the leather straps, and his hands were numb from the cold, making it difficult to undo the clasp. But finally, he got it and stepped away from Calico, his legs jelly beneath him. Who knew flying was so tiring?
The others landed around them, and Katie and Rocky unclasped themselves.
“That was amazing,” Rocky said breathlessly. He smiled wide, looking no worse for wear. Katie, meanwhile, winced as she walked forward, her hair a disheveled mess.
Calico stepped toward the building. He put a hand on cracked and faded stone. How long had this structure stood here among the sand? Hundreds of years? Thousands?
“Is this it?” James said. Besides the single building, there was nothing but flat sand for miles around them. Wasn’t there supposed to be a city here?
“It is,” Calico said, still examining the building. “It’s the beginning.”
“So... where’s the rest?” Rocky said, mirroring James’s thoughts.
Myrcellus stepped forward, looking at the stone building with wonder. “The city’s ancient. It must have been buried in sand over the years.”
So there was once a city here, but it now lay beneath the sand? James tried to imagine ancient buildings, houses, and streets radiating out from where they stood. An ancient people had walked those streets, had lived entire lives. Generations had lived and died. Now it was nothing but an empty plateau. The sands of time buried all.
“Do you feel it?” Tonitrus said from beside James. The big man’s shoulders were hunched, his mouth a thin line.
James shook his head. “Feel what?”
“Power,” Afectrus said as she passed to stand next to Calico.
All of the Supers wore similar discomfort, their necks bowed and their hands clenched. Even Mungus, who normally seemed indifferent, shifted his weight and rubbed the back of his neck.
James glanced at Rocky and Katie, his eyebrows raised. They both shrugged. They didn’t feel it, either. Whatever was happening, it only affected the Supers.
Calico finally dropped his hand from the stones of the building. He looked forward—what James thought was east—and said, “It’s this way.”
Without waiting for a reply, he began walking. The others hastened to follow. James fell in step next to Rocky and Katie, trailing the Supers. How did Calico know which way to go? They were surrounded by nothing but flat sand. But the other Supers didn’t say anything, so neither did James.
They walked for some time, leaving the solitary building in the dust behind them. The midday sun shone down on the sand, and soon, sweat beaded on James’s forehead, a big change from the chills he’d felt minutes ago. A gentle wind blew, throwing grains of sand at his face. He squinted and struggled forward, the earth shifting beneath his feet.
After a half hour of walking, Calico held up his hand, bringing them to a halt. James still saw nothing but sand all around them. Calico intently scanned the grains of sand at his feet. James followed his gaze and spotted a small mark of gray among the yellow, no bigger than his fist. It appeared to be a stone, small and unremarkable.
Calico raised his hand and swept it to the side as if brushing away a fly. In response, the sand at his feet lifted and moved in a great clump, dispersing in the wind. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to reveal the rest of the stone hidden beneath the sand.
The first thing James thought of was a gravestone. It was rectangular and flat, tilted slightly toward them. Calico crouched and brushed lingering sand off the face of it, revealing letters carved in the stone. James squinted at the writing, but it was no language he recognized. The Super stared at the words for several moments, then stood. “This is it,” he said, excitement dripping from his normally measured voice.
James stepped forward, standing next to Calico. The wind was already blowing grains of sand back onto the stone, as if eager to cover it again.
“What does it say?” he said.
“It says,” Calico said, “Come forth with pure heart and great sacrifice.”
The Super reached into his waistband and pulled out a short, wicked-looking knife. Suddenly, James understood. The stone didn’t just mean sacrifice; it required great sacrifice. Great blood. For a wild moment, James thought Calico would use the knife on him. After all, Derek’s blood ran through his veins. The blood of a Super, even if he didn’t have powers. He took a hesitant step back.
But instead of advancing on him, Calico smiled. He held the blade before him, catching the desert sunlight.
“Not you, young one,” Calico said. “Not this time.” He brought the blade down with a flash of silver. James stepped forward in protest, but too late. The blade sliced across Calico’s wrist and blood spurted out, landing on the stone. It shone brightly next to the dull gray, like lightning shattering the night sky. James was reminded of what Derek had said to him once, when he’d come home battered and bruised, much to James’s dismay. Supers aren’t supposed to get hurt, James had said.
Derek had smiled through a split lip and replied, Our blood runs red, same as everyone else. And sometimes a little gets out.
Auri rushed forward, but Calico waved her back. He produced a white cloth and pressed it against the cut to staunch the bleeding. All the while, he stared intently at the stone. The blood soaked into it, and for several long moments, nothing happened. James thought for sure that this had all been for nothing, that they would be turned away just as Shäfer had been so many years ago.
But then it happened.
The desert sand in front of them, so flat and still, moved.
It was as
