one?”
“My granddad taught me that before he died. He was one of the best players around.” She crumpled up a candy wrapper and stuffed it into her purse. “I could never play for the city league.”
“Why?” Jacob asked. He immediately felt like an idiot. “Right, you’re a girl. Well, they’re dumb. You’d be a great player.” He paused. “You are a great player.”
“Thanks, Jacob. Maybe one day I’ll be able to play.”
“It’s just a stupid league. You know some folks in the Highlands don’t even call it Cork? That’s what my dad says. Some of them just call it League.”
Alice nodded. “They use those rubber balls. They don’t use cork. Have you ever played a game of Cork with one of those?”
Jacob shook his head.
“I have to say, they’re better than corkballs. You can bounce them off the ground to score. I mean, you can do that with cork too, but it’s a lot harder to do. I think—”
Someone screamed in the distance. An explosion of sound shook the stones beneath their feet. Jacob’s heart leapt and he froze.
“What was that?” Alice asked, her voice rising to a very high pitch.
Jacob stood up. He could see some dust in the distance, but no more.
“Oh, gods,” Alice said as she stood up beside Jacob. Her hands flashed up to cover her mouth, and there was a choked scream behind them. Another cloud of debris went up in the distance. Something moved on the top of the wall.
Jacob saw a pair of knights pointing to the shadow. It vanished and then reappeared. Whatever it was, it was fast.
It was close.
Too close.
A whistle sounded, and more knights gathered in the Courtyard. More whistles blew.
“No,” Jacob said. The shadow moved near the top of the wall again. Jacob watched with a rising sense of horror as the top edge of the stone began to buckle. “No!” Some of the knights started to run. They all shouted.
“To the city! The wall has fallen! Run, you fools!”
Disbelief caused him to hesitate for only a moment before he grabbed Alice by both her arms and stared into her eyes. “Run, Alice. Follow the knights. Run!” He pushed her toward the knights and turned to start in the opposite direction.
She nodded as tears and terror rolled over her face. “Where are you going!”
“Charles doesn’t know! I have to warn him and find my parents! They stayed home because Dad’s sick!”
“They’ll sound the bells,” Alice said. “I’m not leaving you here!”
Something huge reared up over the collapsing wall. It looked like a Walker, giant and segmented with countless legs, but it was a brilliant blue. Its faceted eyes sparkled as the rest of its body surged up and over the wall. One thing Jacob had learned a long time ago: the most colorful bugs were the deadliest.
“Go!” Jacob shouted, and it sounded far more cruel than he’d meant it to. “I’ll find you!”
Alice turned and ran, following the rush of the crowd.
Jacob watched her for a moment and then dove into a crowd of screaming festivalgoers. Charles and his parents would both be in danger. Jacob grunted as someone bumped him, tripping him and knocking him to the ground. Dirt and grit ground into his palms as he scrambled up off the cobblestones. Something like a chittering screech echoed down the street. It was the cry of the invader, Jacob knew, but he didn’t know what it meant. Another cry sounded in the distance. There were more.
Jacob stayed close to the houses as he ran, and gradually the crowd thinned. Everyone had taken shelter in their homes, or run toward the city walls, while the knights defended the citizens’ retreat.
Something crashed behind him, but he didn’t look back. He pulled his gloves on as he approached the lift. Jacob’s feet pounded the cobblestones, and his heart beat like it was trying to get him to run faster than he was already moving.
Don’t look back.
Don’t look back.
Jacob didn’t pause as he reached the edge of the cliff. He dove for the pole that
“My granddad taught me that before he died. He was one of the best players around.” She crumpled up a candy wrapper and stuffed it into her purse. “I could never play for the city league.”
“Why?” Jacob asked. He immediately felt like an idiot. “Right, you’re a girl. Well, they’re dumb. You’d be a great player.” He paused. “You are a great player.”
“Thanks, Jacob. Maybe one day I’ll be able to play.”
“It’s just a stupid league. You know some folks in the Highlands don’t even call it Cork? That’s what my dad says. Some of them just call it League.”
Alice nodded. “They use those rubber balls. They don’t use cork. Have you ever played a game of Cork with one of those?”
Jacob shook his head.
“I have to say, they’re better than corkballs. You can bounce them off the ground to score. I mean, you can do that with cork too, but it’s a lot harder to do. I think—”
Someone screamed in the distance. An explosion of sound shook the stones beneath their feet. Jacob’s heart leapt and he froze.
“What was that?” Alice asked, her voice rising to a very high pitch.
Jacob stood up. He could see some dust in the distance, but no more.
“Oh, gods,” Alice said as she stood up beside Jacob. Her hands flashed up to cover her mouth, and there was a choked scream behind them. Another cloud of debris went up in the distance. Something moved on the top of the wall.
Jacob saw a pair of knights pointing to the shadow. It vanished and then reappeared. Whatever it was, it was fast.
It was close.
Too close.
A whistle sounded, and more knights gathered in the Courtyard. More whistles blew.
“No,” Jacob said. The shadow moved near the top of the wall again. Jacob watched with a rising sense of horror as the top edge of the stone began to buckle. “No!” Some of the knights started to run. They all shouted.
“To the city! The wall has fallen! Run, you fools!”
Disbelief caused him to hesitate for only a moment before he grabbed Alice by both her arms and stared into her eyes. “Run, Alice. Follow the knights. Run!” He pushed her toward the knights and turned to start in the opposite direction.
She nodded as tears and terror rolled over her face. “Where are you going!”
“Charles doesn’t know! I have to warn him and find my parents! They stayed home because Dad’s sick!”
“They’ll sound the bells,” Alice said. “I’m not leaving you here!”
Something huge reared up over the collapsing wall. It looked like a Walker, giant and segmented with countless legs, but it was a brilliant blue. Its faceted eyes sparkled as the rest of its body surged up and over the wall. One thing Jacob had learned a long time ago: the most colorful bugs were the deadliest.
“Go!” Jacob shouted, and it sounded far more cruel than he’d meant it to. “I’ll find you!”
Alice turned and ran, following the rush of the crowd.
Jacob watched her for a moment and then dove into a crowd of screaming festivalgoers. Charles and his parents would both be in danger. Jacob grunted as someone bumped him, tripping him and knocking him to the ground. Dirt and grit ground into his palms as he scrambled up off the cobblestones. Something like a chittering screech echoed down the street. It was the cry of the invader, Jacob knew, but he didn’t know what it meant. Another cry sounded in the distance. There were more.
Jacob stayed close to the houses as he ran, and gradually the crowd thinned. Everyone had taken shelter in their homes, or run toward the city walls, while the knights defended the citizens’ retreat.
Something crashed behind him, but he didn’t look back. He pulled his gloves on as he approached the lift. Jacob’s feet pounded the cobblestones, and his heart beat like it was trying to get him to run faster than he was already moving.
Don’t look back.
Don’t look back.
Jacob didn’t pause as he reached the edge of the cliff. He dove for the pole that
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