death. They were now so close to the giant, swirling disc beneath them that Charlie could reach out and touch it—which he tried to do.
But there was nothing to touch.
His hand passed through it, followed by the rest of the boat. And then they were falling, end over end, through the air—but it was air! Charlie gasped, breathing in deeply as the blessed oxygen put out the fire in his lungs. Even though they were tumbling wildly, the over-the-shoulder restraints kept them firmly secured in their seats. Charlie could see snapshot glimpses of things around him—the yellow of crystals, a pillar of red fire—
We’re in the Nether, he suddenly realized. We’re freefalling through the Nether.
Freefall.
Where had he seen that word before?
“Push the button!” he screamed at Violet. “The big red button on the dash—punch it!”
Violet, groggy and disoriented, saw the red button with the words WARNING: USE ONLY DURING FREEFALL. Focusing all her energy, she reached forward and pressed it.
There was an intense hissing sound, like air rushing from a tire. Transparent balloons burst out of the sides of the speedboat and inflated instantly. They covered the small craft in a kind of cocoon, slowing its descent. Through them, Charlie could see the blurry image of what looked like sailing ships—hundreds and hundreds of them—on the ground far below.
The Guardian boat plummeted down before finally slamming into the deck of an old freighter. It bounced up like a rubber ball, spinning as it did, and Charlie caught a dizzying glimpse of the enormous red disc through which they had fallen. It was now above them, glimmering in the distance.
And then they were falling again, tumbling wildly.
After a couple more bounces, their crazy speedboat came to a stop. The protective balloons deflated, and the over-the-shoulder restraints unlocked with a satisfying clonk.
They had arrived.
“Well…that was interesting,” Theodore said, raising his restraint.
“Everyone okay?” Charlie asked as he unlatched himself.
“I’m not sure,” Brooke replied, breathing frantically. “I think so. Do I look okay?”
“Heck, yeah!” Theodore said. “You look great.”
“I’m okay, too, Theodore,” Violet said wryly. “Just in case you were wondering.”
“Oh, definitely. I was gonna check on you next. Totally.”
“Uh-huh.”
They all stepped out of the boat and looked around. They were in the middle of a giant graveyard of wrecked ships, piled high like automobiles in a junkyard. The ones on the bottom were old and weathered, getting newer the higher up the pile you looked. Above it all, the giant red disc—which Charlie now realized was some kind of portal—loomed like a dying sun.
“We call it ‘the Anomaly,’” a voice behind them said.
They turned to see the Headmaster walking toward them, weaving her way deftly through the remains of the hulking, crippled ships.
“Headmaster!” Charlie exclaimed. “We got your message!”
“Yes, yes, I see that you did.” Her eyes glinted in amusement. “You’re standing in what’s known as the BT Graveyard. Very few humans have ever laid eyes on it.”
“BT Graveyard,” Charlie repeated. “That stands for Bermuda Triangle Graveyard, right?”
The Headmaster nodded. “As you might have guessed, the Anomaly draws ships toward it from the Earth above and deposits them here.”
“The Anomaly…this is what the Guardian protects, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. We’re not sure what it is, exactly—some type of tear in the fabric of the Nether, perhaps.”
If it’s a tear, it sure is a big one, Charlie thought.
It was enormous—a hundred times larger than even the biggest portal he could open. It burned with a red fire instead of the usual purple. It seemed to remain always open and it actually attracted things to it, like a magnet, allowing everything but seawater to pass.
Not a drop comes through, he thought with amazement as he stared up at it. Just then, he
But there was nothing to touch.
His hand passed through it, followed by the rest of the boat. And then they were falling, end over end, through the air—but it was air! Charlie gasped, breathing in deeply as the blessed oxygen put out the fire in his lungs. Even though they were tumbling wildly, the over-the-shoulder restraints kept them firmly secured in their seats. Charlie could see snapshot glimpses of things around him—the yellow of crystals, a pillar of red fire—
We’re in the Nether, he suddenly realized. We’re freefalling through the Nether.
Freefall.
Where had he seen that word before?
“Push the button!” he screamed at Violet. “The big red button on the dash—punch it!”
Violet, groggy and disoriented, saw the red button with the words WARNING: USE ONLY DURING FREEFALL. Focusing all her energy, she reached forward and pressed it.
There was an intense hissing sound, like air rushing from a tire. Transparent balloons burst out of the sides of the speedboat and inflated instantly. They covered the small craft in a kind of cocoon, slowing its descent. Through them, Charlie could see the blurry image of what looked like sailing ships—hundreds and hundreds of them—on the ground far below.
The Guardian boat plummeted down before finally slamming into the deck of an old freighter. It bounced up like a rubber ball, spinning as it did, and Charlie caught a dizzying glimpse of the enormous red disc through which they had fallen. It was now above them, glimmering in the distance.
And then they were falling again, tumbling wildly.
After a couple more bounces, their crazy speedboat came to a stop. The protective balloons deflated, and the over-the-shoulder restraints unlocked with a satisfying clonk.
They had arrived.
“Well…that was interesting,” Theodore said, raising his restraint.
“Everyone okay?” Charlie asked as he unlatched himself.
“I’m not sure,” Brooke replied, breathing frantically. “I think so. Do I look okay?”
“Heck, yeah!” Theodore said. “You look great.”
“I’m okay, too, Theodore,” Violet said wryly. “Just in case you were wondering.”
“Oh, definitely. I was gonna check on you next. Totally.”
“Uh-huh.”
They all stepped out of the boat and looked around. They were in the middle of a giant graveyard of wrecked ships, piled high like automobiles in a junkyard. The ones on the bottom were old and weathered, getting newer the higher up the pile you looked. Above it all, the giant red disc—which Charlie now realized was some kind of portal—loomed like a dying sun.
“We call it ‘the Anomaly,’” a voice behind them said.
They turned to see the Headmaster walking toward them, weaving her way deftly through the remains of the hulking, crippled ships.
“Headmaster!” Charlie exclaimed. “We got your message!”
“Yes, yes, I see that you did.” Her eyes glinted in amusement. “You’re standing in what’s known as the BT Graveyard. Very few humans have ever laid eyes on it.”
“BT Graveyard,” Charlie repeated. “That stands for Bermuda Triangle Graveyard, right?”
The Headmaster nodded. “As you might have guessed, the Anomaly draws ships toward it from the Earth above and deposits them here.”
“The Anomaly…this is what the Guardian protects, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. We’re not sure what it is, exactly—some type of tear in the fabric of the Nether, perhaps.”
If it’s a tear, it sure is a big one, Charlie thought.
It was enormous—a hundred times larger than even the biggest portal he could open. It burned with a red fire instead of the usual purple. It seemed to remain always open and it actually attracted things to it, like a magnet, allowing everything but seawater to pass.
Not a drop comes through, he thought with amazement as he stared up at it. Just then, he
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