The Clover Siblings and the Evil of Desmal Read online

  Then, there was darkness. The brothers opened their mouths to scream, but nothing came out.

  They could hear the queen’s wicked laughter as they fell through the water. It was warm and comforting, soft but weightless, and the further they went down, the more the water drowned out the queen’s laughter. Both Carter and Mason felt very sleepy. Then they felt nothing.

  Carter was the first to open his eyes and look around. This had to be a dream. He was lying on long, thick grass, greener and thicker than any he had ever seen. He turned over, looked up, and saw that the sky above him was an amazing blue with clouds like huge cotton balls. He heard the sound of flowing water. As he sat up, he noticed a long winding river with water so clear he could see the bottom, which appeared to be quite deep. There, on the bottom, lay colored crystals that reflected the sun’s rays like a rainbow. Across the river was an amazing waterfall, one like he’d never seen before. Threads of gold flowed from the falls.

  Flowers grew everywhere in bright, crazy colors like iridescent orange, blue, and all shades of purple. They were vibrant and smelled heavenly like apple pie, fresh lemons, and roses—even better smelling than any of his mother’s perfumes.

  The grass was soft under him, softer than the down comforter on his bed. For a minute he wondered if he’d died and this was Heaven. But then he suddenly remembered Izzy, and why he was there. And Mason. Oh no, where was Mason?

  “Mason! Mason!” His heart beat faster, panicking as he cried out for his brother. It felt like the times when he’d have a nightmare and sneak into his parents’ room, curling up on the floor next to their bed. “Mason!”

  “What?” Mason sat up only ten feet away, rubbing his eyes. “Man, is it already time for school? I don’t want to go. Tell Mom I’m sick. Wow, I had the weirdest dream.”

  “Uh, Mason.”

  “What? Leave me alone. You always wake me up ten minutes early. Go away.”

  “You might want to take a look around. ‘Cuz unless we’re having the same dream, this is for real,” Carter said.

  “Oh, it is very real.” They heard a deep, but gentle sounding voice. Mason jumped up quickly. The look of surprise and shock on his face made Carter want to laugh. For a minute, he didn’t feel quite so afraid. But then the voice spoke again, and the boys directed their attention down to the river where the voice echoed.

  “Come, boys. I will not hurt you. I am your sage, Seyem, and I am here to advise you on your journey.”

  The boys stood on legs that shook slightly from the recent, bizarre transport from the real world to…wherever they were now. And maybe they also shook from sheer fright at what it was they were seeing and experiencing, beautiful as it might be. They walked apprehensively down to a little man who sat on a golden rock, looking out over the crystal waters.

  When the man faced them, they both noticed how ancient he looked, his face etched with deep lines. A cane was propped next to him, held up by the smooth, large rock he sat on. He wore long, silk robes in threads of white, gold, and silver. But what the boys really took note of were his eyes. They did not look old. They were clear and bright—the most shocking shade of emerald green—holding in them a kindness so remarkable, so pure, that to look directly in them was almost blinding. The only other person with eyes as close to Seyem’s was their mother. But even hers did not glow the way the sage’s did.

  “You are brave for coming. But you had to. This is your journey. You have been chosen,” Seyem said.

  “Chosen? What do you mean ‘chosen’? Who chose us?” Mason asked.

  “Ah, you shall only discover that when you reach the end of your journey. Then you will know, and you will know why. For now, you have to save your little sister and take her away from the evil queen, thus ridding our world of her, and sad to say, your own. The queen’s ambitions do not stop with simply ruling Boysen or even earth, for that matter. No. Queen Zamora wants to control the universe.”

  “The universe?” Mason whispered.

  “Yes, the universe.” The sage nodded and stroked his hand through his silver beard.

  “Why would she want to destroy anything, especially this world? It’s so pretty,” Carter said.

  “Those answers are complicated and tragic. I believe you will learn of her reasons while making your quest. And yes, Carter, this world is beautiful, but there is another side to it. The queen has already begun to put her plan in place. She has followers who are helping her. There are many lands, many dangerous places you must go to reach your destination. You will have to battle to get to the queen and then, once before her, you will face the ultimate challenge of bringing her down.”

  “How?” Carter squeaked, choking back the fear crawling up from his stomach and lodging in the back of his throat.

  “Well, my boys, I will give you three simple rules to reach your destination. Pay attention now, for any violation of these rules will set you back, and can even be your downfall.”

  “What are they?” Mason asked, not liking the sound of the word downfall at all.

  “The first: you must always believe in yourself, knowing you have been chosen for this task for a reason.” Carter tilted his head from side-to-side. “The second rule is you must always believe in each other. For you are brothers, and a brother’s love is strong and true. It is when you doubt the other that you could have problems—grave problems. Remember, each of you has gifts, wonderful gifts. They are gifts you will discover along the way. You will begin to recognize in your brother these gifts and, once you do, your journey will become easier.”

  Mason looked over at Carter, a smirk on his face. He wondered what kind of gifts his little brother could have, besides being a pain. Oh sure, they could be buddies, but when it came down to it, Mason couldn’t see anything extra-special about Carter.

  It was as if Seyem read Mason’s mind as he interrupted the boy’s thoughts. “It is that kind of thinking that will lead you to trouble, Mason. Believe in each other, discover each other’s gifts, use them to your advantage. Or else you will surely fail, and this beautiful paradise will fall away. Your own world will soon follow.” Mason’s smirk faded. “Now the third and most important rule is to always believe and trust that there is a light within you that governs the goodness in your heart. Along the way you will meet others who carry this light, who will help you on your quest, and there are those who have no light within them—like the queen. Do you understand?”

  “Sort of,” Mason replied.

  “Carter?” the sage asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  “You will. I will simplify. Remember, one: believe in yourself. Two: believe in each other. Three: believe in the light within you.”

  Mason had to admit it all kind of sounded like some of the talk shows he’d overheard his mom listening to in the afternoons, which he thought were a bit lame. But nothing about Seyem was lame. He trusted this old sage. It was all in his eyes.

  “Yes, the eyes,” Seyem interrupted again. Mason’s eyes widened, startled that the old sage could read his mind. “They are the windows to one’s heart. And on this journey, you will come across many characters, as I’ve said. Some who are not so nice, others more beautiful and kind than you ever imagined, and, of course, some who are downright evil. Some may be disguised by physical beauty, and others not. If you are careful, and do as I’ve suggested, you will learn to read their eyes, and through those eyes, you will learn whom you can or cannot trust. You will find followers of both the queen and her darkness, as well as those we in Boysen Land refer to as light-seekers, in almost every place you go.

  “Now, before you depart, I will feed you and give you a pack with some necessary items. Other items you will pick up on the way.”

  “Like weapons?” Carter asked.

  “You will not need weapons if you do as I’ve suggested, except for one, and that will be for protection. It is not a real weapon per se, as you think of in your world. It is neither a gun nor knife.”

  “It’s the light wan
d,” Mason said.

  “Very good, my boy. Yes, it is the magical light wand and with each challenge, your wand will…”

  “Earn more power,” Carter chimed in.

  “Exactly. Now follow me.”

  The boys followed Seyem to a small cave next to the golden waterfall. It seemed as if they were walking straight into it. But just as a slight spray of water rained down on them, they entered the cave. It was enormous. The waterfall cascaded over the ceiling, which was made of crystal. As the sunlight hit it, it cast rays of light, forming rainbow shadows on the ceiling. The boys were awed.

  The cave smelled of wonderful spices. The glorious smells, similar to Mom’s spaghetti but even better than that, made their stomachs rumble.

  The back of the cave was entirely walled with clear crystal. Where the water didn’t fall, there were plants of a very deep green and flowers in reds, oranges, violets, yellows—every color imaginable. Animals with shiny coats grazed on the grass outside the cave. There were deer, rabbits, birds, squirrels, large frogs, and some creatures the boys had never seen before—one little guy had a bunny tail, a cat-like body, and a squirrel’s head. He also whistled like a bird. It was magical but weird.

  Seyem set food out in front of them on a long table made of a rich, dark wood, with intricate, gold flowers decorating the corners. It looked like spaghetti, but the taste was far better than any either boy had ever had.

  “And I thought Mom could cook!” Carter said.

  “Everything here is better, Carter—the food, the trees, the animals. But if the queen wins your sister’s soul, it will no longer be.”

  “But you seem powerful, Seyem. Why can’t you stop her?” Mason asked.

  Seyem walked over to a large bookshelf and pulled out a great, leather-bound book. It must’ve been a thousand pages long. “This is our history. It is how the queen took over. Yes, there are still many lands, and many people of the light, but there are nearly as many who represent the queen. And they grow stronger all the time. I am powerful, and I am magical, but I cannot destroy her. According to our book, she must own a human spirit in order to come into the human world. And it is other humans connected with that human spirit who must destroy her.”

  “But why does she want to be a human so bad?” Carter asked.

  “Ah, good question. There is no way to put this delicately, my boy. The human world is far more impressed and easily persuaded by evil than by good. Many humans do not realize more can be accomplished in the face of love than through evil. And so Zamora’s desire to conquer more worlds, more lands, will be made possible if she can take over Izzy’s spirit on the night of the planetary alignment. If she succeeds, she will destroy our world and enter yours, only to destroy it, too.”

  “So she will have power on earth.”

  “Yes. She will be in Izzy’s body and encompass her soul, but she will still be Zamora and retain her magic. Because she will grow from a child into an adult, her magic will grow even stronger.”

  “What about Izzy now? Is she all right?” Mason asked.

  “She will be fine, until the planetary alignment comes.”

  “What is that?” Carter asked.

  “It is when Boysen, our planet, aligns with yours, the sun, and the moon. It only happens once every two million years because we are so far from earth. Your scientists are still unaware of this phenomenon. But it does happen, I assure you.”

  “When does this happen?” Mason asked.

  “Three nights from now.”

  “What?! We have to be home in an hour, or Mom will kill us.”

  “Do not worry about time. Your time is different than ours. I assure you if you achieve victory, you will find yourself back home in time and your mother will never know you’ve been gone.”

  “But is it enough time to save Izzy?” Carter asked.

  “It is. But that all depends on you two.”

  Both boys were really afraid, but a little bit excited, too. Mason kept wondering how a video game could come to life and be so real. It seemed impossible.

  “I assure you, this is real, my boys. This is very real.” Seyem set a plate of the gooiest, chocolatiest brownies and cold vanilla ice cream they had ever seen in front of them. They quickly downed the scrumptious treats and felt sufficiently stuffed as they leaned back in their cushy chairs, rubbing their bellies.

  “Now, my young warriors, it is time. You must travel down the long crystal hallway and I must stay here for now. But do as I have said and we will meet again. As you go down the hall, you will come to a door that looks as if it opens out upon the waterfall. In front of the door you will each find a pack. Your packs will contain what you need to get started and help guide you through to the next level. Take your packs and go through the door. Thus, your journey begins.”

  Carter hesitated. “But Seyem, I’m afraid.”

  “Remember what I told you about fear. It is contrary to love, and love will get you through this. Love yourself, love your brother, and also a little hint: even though you don’t always think so, you do love Izzy. Or you would not be here.”

  Mason took Carter by the hand and squeezed, reassuring his brother. And Carter knew as they ventured down the long crystal hall, toward the door that would open onto their journey, they could find Izzy together.

  CHAPTER THREE

  PTERODACTYL POOP BOMBS

  Filled with trepidation, Mason turned the handle on the door. Carter stood behind him, refusing to tell his brother how frightened he was.

  It was dark as they walked through. Then there was a loud bang. Carter yelled.

  They both realized, when everything suddenly came into view as if someone had simply turned on a light, that the noise they’d heard had been the slamming of the door behind them. Mason turned back. “The door is gone, look.”

  “Oh, no! How will we ever get back? We’re never gonna get home,” Carter protested.

  Mason rubbed his brother on the head and, although he didn’t really believe it himself, said, “Don’t worry, I’m sure there’s a way back. We’ll just have to find it, that’s all. I don’t think Seyem would leave us stranded.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  “Okay, c’mon. We’re wasting time.”

  Turning back around, they took in the scene before them. “Well, this place doesn’t look so bad, does it?” Mason said.

  “No.” And it didn’t. In fact, it was quite beautiful; different from the paradise they’d come from, but still beautiful. It had a prehistoric quality about it: tons of vibrant green plant life, ferns everywhere, and in the distance, a huge mountain rising high in the air.

  Then, they heard it, and both nearly peed their pants. It started as a low growl, which grew louder and louder until it turned into a fierce rumble. The land beneath them shook ever so slightly. Wide eyed and frightened, Carter looked to Mason for support, but when he didn’t see reassurance in his brother’s eyes, felt even more afraid.

  “Okay, okay, Carter. It’s okay,” Mason said, his voice shaking.

  “Wh… wh… what is it? Is it an earthquake?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t think so. It’s coming from near that mountain,” Mason replied. “And I think that’s where we need to go.”

  “Nuh-uh, no way,” Carter replied through gritted teeth, shaking his head vehemently.

  “Listen, when we’re at home and we play the game, don’t we have to fight the challenge to get to the next level? To save Izzy, we’re going to have to face the challenges. This is just the first level.”

  “Oh no!”

  “Yep.” Mason nodded his head. They both knew what the first level entailed.

  “Okay, okay. You’re right. Let’s do it! I’m ready.” Although Carter tried hard to convince himself he was indeed ready for the challenge, his heart pounded hard against his chest.

  They started out slowly on the path in front of them, knowing they’d been thrown into a prehistoric time warp. Dinosaurs lived here, all sorts of dinosaurs. Volcan
oes erupted, and earthquakes shook the ground. Only if they faced the challenges head on, could they make it through.

  The loud rumble shattered the peace once again. In the distance, a blob of liquid the color of blood spurted up high into the air, looking like the cherry Jell-O Izzy spilled just that morning on the kitchen floor. Or was that yesterday morning? The boys had no idea what time it was or how long they’d actually been gone from the safety and comfort of home. A hug from Mom or a game of catch with Dad sounded a whole lot better than what they were facing now. Heck, they’d even take a scolding from their parents over this.

  Mason turned back to Carter, who was following close behind. “Open your pack and take out your magic light wand.”

  Carter did as his brother told him. “Are you afraid?”

  “Kind of. But remember what Seyem said about being afraid. Believe in yourself. We’ll get through this.”

  A piercing shriek sounded through the air, echoing off the volcano and back down through the valley they now stood in. The boys looked at each other, knowing whatever it was, it was close.

  As they rounded a bend, tramping through ferns taller than themselves, they came to a clearing. Fear stopped them, as they stood in awe of the sight before them.

  “Oh. My. God,” Carter whispered. “It’s Rex.”

  “You know what we have to do, don’t you?”

  Carter nodded.

  If they waited much longer, the tyrannosaurus rex that had cornered a baby brontosaurus against a large boulder would have its way with it, tearing it limb from limb. The baby’s mother was nowhere in sight.

  “All right, just like in the game. On my count, you get his attention and I’ll try and get as many jabs in as I can. Then, well, you know.” Mason said.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “No fear!”

  “No fear!” Carter muttered back, trying desperately to believe this was going to end well.

  “One, two, three. Go, Carter!”

  “Hey, you,” he said softly to the t-rex.