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Once inside, I found no sign of McKenzie or Noah, so I rushed back through to the secret passageway leading to Bastian’s lair. But when I got there, it was empty. Even Bastian’s massive collection wasn’t there. My mom was gone. And so were my friends. The only thing that remained was the desk and the shattered jar from the heart I’d broken before. I rummaged through the desk, looking for a clue. For anything. But I only came up empty handed.

“No!” I groaned, my voice echoing through the empty chamber. I searched frantically for another way out, different from how I came in. There had to be some kind of passageway. How else could all these things be moved so easily in such a short time? How else could he transport my mom—a mermaid in a tank—to wherever he was hiding? And where the hell were McKenzie and Noah?

I started to turn around, but just then I heard footsteps coming from a dark corner I hadn’t noticed before. It was behind a now empty display case, shoved to the side, well designed to stay inconspicuous no matter what angle someone stood in the room. Faint voices followed the steps, getting closer.

I ducked behind the desk, shaking. As I braced myself to encounter God knows what or who, I saw shadows nearing, and I peeked out to be absolutely relieved beyond belief when McKenzie emerged from the passageway. I stood up, and she rushed to me with arms wide open.

“Oh my god, I’m so glad to see you!” She cried, squeezing me tight. I wrapped my arms around her in response. “I’m so so sorry about your mom! We tried to stop him! And we tried to stop her from making his deal, but she wouldn’t listen!”

“No, no, it’s not your fault,” I said, “I’m so glad you’re okay! You shouldn’t be down here, especially alone.” I tried to keep my voice low, just in case we had company I didn’t know about.

She released me from her embrace, pulling back to look over her shoulder. “I’m not alone.” Noah appeared to her right and behind him trailed someone I would never have expected to see here of all places. The extra figure’s eyes focused on mine and his withered hands were tucked firmly in his pockets, as usual. I was too stunned to speak, but I finally found the ability to utter one question as he and Noah stepped into the main room with us.

“Is that…Russell?” I stammered.

Noah’s eyes hardened as he looked dead on into mine. “I didn’t know who else to call. He’s the only one besides us who knows about this world.”

Russell hobbled forward. It was strange to see him in anything but his maintenance uniform from the school. But here he was in a sturdy pair of denims and loose button down work-shirt.

“Noah said you all needed help. I took the first flight to San Juan. I’m not sure what I can do, but I figure an old fisherman who believes in ghost stories is still an extra pair of hands.”

I stood, unsure of what to say. Ultimately, I decided he wasn’t wrong. The more bodies, the better, for rescuing my mom. But I had no idea what to tell him first. And what would he say when he saw Serena? How would he take it? It didn’t matter, I decided. For now I didn’t have to explain all that. I just needed to make sure we were ready to face Bastian Drake.

43

Decoy

Katrina

“Iworried when you didn’t come back this semester,” Russell said, his old familiar voice bringing some strange sense of security.

“I had to save someone I love,” I uttered.

A knowing twinkle appeared in Russell’s eye. “I would do the same.”

“Well now you might just have the chance,” I said, yearning to tell him that his daughter he thought dead was just a few miles away sitting on the beach. But at the same time, I realized it was more important than ever to see that we won back Serena’s crown. I couldn’t bear to think of Russell having to relive losing her again if we failed. Which we wouldn’t.

“What do you mean?” Russell tilted his head.

“I mean…” I couldn’t get the words out. It just didn’t feel right to tell him yet. Not here. It was too much at once. “I mean we need your help, but I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Noah explained everything to me already. I’m not afraid of something happening to me. Not if it means helping you get your mother back.”

I couldn’t believe this was the same man who hysterically warned me to stay away from the pirates at all costs. Now here he was, ready to face a man marked by Davy Jones.

“I begged Noah to come home. But he wouldn’t listen to me, not for nothing. So if he wasn’t going to leave, I had to come to him. It’s all I can do to keep him safe.” Russell spoke as if he could read my thoughts. He looked at Noah, who offered him a subtle scowl.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here either way,” I said with my best attempt at a reassuring smile. “But I don’t want to put anyone in harm’s way. We can’t just show up and attack Bastian when we find him. We’ve got to come up with a plan. Bastian will only let my mom go if we trade the sea goddess for her.”

“You found her, too?” McKenzie beamed with wonder in her eyes.

“Yes, but we can’t trade her. She’s not strong enough to defeat Bastian without the Crown.” My gaze bounced between Noah and McKenzie and then down the dark walkway that loomed behind them. “Where does this lead?”

McKenzie took a breath. “We followed it until we found where Bastian went…Don’t worry, he didn’t see us. We’ve been mapping out this tunnel system for the past couple of days. But the place he went…it looked like the inside of some old castle or something.”

“Right, but it’s easy to get lost in there. There are so many passages going in all sorts of directions. Not sure if it was an old irrigation system or a secret part of the fort. But it’s a labyrinth.” Noah looked around the corridor as if checking once more just to be sure. “I’d highly recommend a compass.” He smirked, pulling out Milo’s compass and displaying the face so that we could see the needle clearly pointing North.

“So where did Bastian go? Where does it lead?” I asked.