Chapter 20: Persia
“So, what’s all this about cards, Richard?” Persia asked.
The five of them had been walking for quite a while, now. The once-fun games of Ghost had petered out after they had chosen every possible starting letter, and there was little left to amuse the group in the drab reddish-grey landscape that had started about where the train tracks had ended.
“My cards? Uh…” Richard’s eyes shifted onto a reddish-grey shrub on top of yet another greyish-red rock.
Kellie put her hands on her hips with mock sternness. “Come on, Richard. We already know about them. Just tell us already.”
“Well, fine then,” Richard answered, turning his head towards Kellie a bit indignantly, but smiling anyway.
Persia waited, but he didn’t say anything. “WELL?”
“Fine!” Richard said, exasperated. He grinned. “I got them at the Tournament last year.”
“Huh?” Kellie looked politely perplexed.
“Yeah, there was this awesome guy selling them outside the postings building.” Richard shook his head in wonder. “Can’t say I’ve ever used them, but…”
“They don’t look very useful…” said Ivy. She had gotten the case in her hands somehow and was thumbing through the cards.
“Hey, give me those!” Richard said, snatching them out of her hands.
“OK, OK,” Ivy said, a little miffed. “No need to get your panties in a twist.” Kellie made a choking noise and Persia snrked.
“Hey, guys?” Vani said, too mature even to comment on the others’ immaturity. “Which way do we go now?”
Persia looked around. To the left was more of the blindingly drab landscape, with a small whirlwind of dust. The right was slightly more promising, with two such whirlwinds. Behind them she could make out the inviting lush vegetation of the jungle-forest they had left.
In front of them was an inexplicable wall. Persia had the feeling she might have seen it somewhere before.
“Overly restrictive topics,” Richard said tonelessly.
Nothing happened.
“It’s been getting weaker and weaker every time…” Ivy offered helpfully.
“Now you tell us,” Persia said sarcastically.
“Obviously the phrase is losing its evil,” Kellie said thoughtfully. “So we just need to come up with something else it’ll react to. Like…”
“Punch buggy blue,” interjected Richard. Everyone stared, then Persia jumped as the key shot out of Ivy’s pocket to the right.
“What the…” Kellie said, surprised.
“Catch it!” Persia cried, perversely enjoying the idea of chasing a key down a dusty featureless landscape.
As they ran, Vani looked at Richard questioningly. “‘Punch buggy—’”
“Don’t say it again!” Kellie cried, “It’ll just speed up!”
“Oh, right.” Vani clapped a hand to her mouth. “But why is that so evil?”
Richard grimaced. “Obviously you were never used as a punching bag by your younger brother.”
They were all running as the key slid along the ground like some possessed snake on a plane, when suddenly it stopped. Kellie reached it first and picked it up, being careful not to look directly at it. The rest of them stopped behind her.
And Persia felt a switch coming. “Hold on, guys—”
“What?” asked Kellie.
“It’s her talent doing its multiple personality thing,” guessed Richard. Persia nodded and held her breath.
“Round and round Persia’s brain goes, where it stops, nobody knows…” Ivy said in a singsong voice. Persia glared at her—
And then it was done. Persia stood up straight and said, with a deep voice. “Let’s go.”
“Go where?” asked Kellie. Persia pointed.
Directly behind them was a castle.
“Well, that was unexpected,” commented Richard.
“Will somebody please tell me what’s going on?” Vani asked, “I mean with Persia?”
“She’s like the same Persia, but not,” Kellie said helpfully.
“Thanks,” Vani answered dryly. But she didn’t pursue it further.
Persia was definitely in a heroic mind right now. “Let’s go rescue Andrew!” she declared, and moved towards the castle.
“Andrew?” Richard perked up at the mention of his brother. “Wait, how do you know he’s here?”
Persia ignored the question as she and the others reached the castle wall. The castle had turned out to be much smaller than it had looked from farther away; it was an illusion of scale, because there was nothing else around. It was only three or four stories tall. She pushed on the large ornate wooden door in front of them.
Amazingly, it opened. Simultaneously an alarm went off.
“Well, that’s done it!” Kellie cried as they all rushed inside.
“Quick, in here!” Persia called, leading them into one of the miniature towers. The spiraling staircase inside was barely wide enough for one person.
“Where are we going?” cried Richard, exasperated, as Persia led them all up the winding stair and out onto some sort of central platform in the center of the castle.
“Trust me,” Persia said, with as much machismo as her current personality could muster.
“What are—” The words died on Vani’s lips as they entered a domed glass atrium. In the center…was a cage.
And in the cage was a metal rack with a person on it. It wasn’t someone Persia recognized. Whoever it was, he was sleeping.
But Richard had edged around to the other side of the cage, and let out a surprised shout. “Andrew!”
Kushal and Gordon came clattering loudly out of the opposite passage and froze. “Hey!” called Gordon.
It was about this point that Persia’s macho knight personality decided enough was enough, and —
“Oh, hey guys!” Andrew called brightly. “Nice place, isn’t it?”