The Pillars of Ponderay Read Online Free PDF

Core.”
    Albert looked back. He saw not even a shadow.
    But the Path Hider’s voice followed them into the darkness.
    â€œYou never know who you can trust.”

CHAPTER 5

Darkness Is Coming
    T he gondola whizzed along its track, tossing Albert, Birdie, Leroy, and Farnsworth back and forth. The cave around them was as large as the night sky, and just as dark. As they got closer to the end of the ride, something black and fuzzy flitted into the open window.
    â€œOh, come on ! Not again!” Leroy yipped like a dog.
    â€œThe Memory Wipers!” Birdie laughed and held out her arm. One of the bats landed on her wrist. It was almost as big as Farnsworth. “I love these little guys!”
    â€œLittle?!” Leroy squawked.
    â€œI’d forgotten about them,” Albert said, reaching out to touch the furry black bat. It was soft like a newborn kitten, and it started to purr.
    â€œI guess that means their songs really do work,” Birdie said, stroking the bat.
    At first, Albert wasn’t sure what she was talking about. But as he stared at the bats, a memory reformed in the back of his mind. It was from last summer, when Albert and his friends had left the Core to return to their normal lives. The Memory Wipers had swooped in and out of the open windows of the gondola, singing their strange songs. It had forced the trio’s memories of the Core to fade like near-forgotten dreams. The Memory Wipers were a vital part of protecting the Core’s secrets, keeping it safe from the outside world, and Albert smiled as he realized they’d done their job.
    â€œDid it work on you, Leroy?” Albert asked. “Even with your Synapse Tile?”
    Leroy groaned. “Yes. And I’d be happy to forget them all over again.”
    The Memory Wiper flew out the window, singing its song. Hundreds of others joined in, their voices strangely human. But before they could lull the trio to sleep, Farnsworth barked twice, and the gondola sped back up, carrying them away from the cave.
    After a few more drops of the gondola, and several screams (some happy and some not) from Albert, Leroy, and Birdie, Albert finally saw the blue flames of Lucinda’s shop come into view.
    â€œYou’re late!” Lucinda shouted. As they got closer,Albert saw a familiar black shape coiled around Lucinda’s neck and shoulders. It was her pet snake, Kimber. Farnsworth growled and barked at the sight of it, probably remembering the giant Hissengores in the Calderon Realm that had attacked the poor dog last term.
    Lucinda’s shop was basically a booth made of metal scraps fused together. It sat on a floating platform, and beside it, there were barrels tucked into the cave walls, overflowing with shadowed things.
    The gondola came to a stop just in front of Lucinda.
    â€œWe came as quickly as we could,” Birdie insisted. She leaned forward and whispered, “The Path Hider has a message for you.”
    Kimber hissed and curled tighter around Lucinda’s shoulders as Birdie whispered in Lucinda’s ear.
    When Birdie was done, Lucinda smiled and fanned her face. The trio laughed, and then Albert remembered something. “Last time, you gave us a bag of Core stuff. What do we get this time around? Colored Tiles? New boots?”
    Lucinda’s smile fell. She leaned forward on the booth, and the old metal creaked and groaned. “I have nothing for you this year but a warning.”
    Albert, Birdie, and Leroy leaned forward, too. Even Farnsworth stood on his back paws to get closer to Lucinda.
    â€œThe Core hasn’t been the same since a few weeksafter the Balance in Calderon was restored last summer,” Lucinda sighed. “There’s a change in the air around us. It feels colder, somehow. Even the flames in the tunnels don’t burn as bright. The other Balance Keepers who were able to make it here on such short notice have been training around the clock. The Professors are