ARKAYNA LOOKED DOWN at the buckets, then up at the countless stairs in front of her. Was Tazma serious? Why was she being punished for being the strongest and most experienced flyer? Didn’t the other girls need her help in training?
Tazma knew Arkayna wasn’t happy, but she left her there and returned to the other three Mysticons, who soon were back to running flying drills on their griffins. Zarya, Piper, and Em dive-bombed their targets, taking them out with arrows, hoops, and power blasts. They had more time and space to execute moves without Arkayna there to steal all the attention.
As Piper swooped down and took out an orb with her magic hoops, Tazma said, “Excellent. When the Dragon Disk senses that all of you are committed to your quest, it will reveal the first riddle. The riddles will lead you to the hidden pieces of the Codex. And each piece will give you special powers. Once all four pieces of the Codex are combined, your powers will increase one-hundred-fold. Just as the original Mysticons used the Codex to destroy old evils, like Necrafa, Queen of the Undead, you must use it to destroy new evils.”
Piper, Em, and Zarya listened to Tazma as they flew through the air. Anticipating their new Mysticon abilities becoming even more powerful, they were more determined than ever. They homed in on three targets up ahead, imagining they were Dreadbane and his skeleton warriors. The Mysticons blasted the targets one by one, then let out a cheer.
It felt good to soar through the air together, protecting the realm. Maybe they still needed to build up their skills, but they were starting to get the hang of this whole “hero” thing.…
* * *
The next day, Piper, Em, and Zarya were tending to their griffins. Em held up a bucket of oats in front of hers. “Come on, Topaz,” she urged. “Eat your oats.”
“She’s probably freaked out by Dandruff the Grey,” Zarya said as she polished her griffin’s armor. She pointed up at the Star Chamber, where the Astromancers could look down on everyone in the Academy. There, in one of the small circular windows, was Nova Terron, the leader of the Astromancers. “He’s so creepy…,” Zarya muttered.
“Good night, Nova Terron!” Piper said, knowing he couldn’t hear her. “Sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugbears bite.”
She waved up at him, and he slammed the window shut.
When the Mysticons had first met Tazma, they’d thought she was unfriendly. She was blunt, cold, and could be really sharp with them. But Nova Terron made her look like the Grand Welcoming Committee of Gemina. The old Astromancer was always stewing about something.
“Awww, he’s so cute,” Piper said.
“At least Tazma’s not a thousand years old,” Zarya said.
“She’s pretty amazing,” Em chimed in. “Working her way up the ranks couldn’t have been easy.”
“Yeah, Tazma’s the best!” Piper added.
“Tazma is the worst!” a familiar voice called out. They looked up to see Arkayna on her griffin, Izzie. She flew down and landed right beside them. “She totally hates me.”
She hopped off Izzie and stormed toward the elevator doors. Em followed behind her, trying to calm her down. “Whoa, take a deep, cleansing breath,” Em said.
But Arkayna just ignored her. She strode into the elevator and pushed the button to take her to the top of the tower. Em was left outside, still talking to her as the doors shut.
“Tazma does not hate you,” Em said. “She’s probably just pushing you harder because she believes in—” Em was left staring at the elevator doors, which had shut in her face. “You,” she finished in a sad voice.
Arkayna saw her target as soon as the doors dinged open. Tazma was studying mystic symbols in the Star Chamber, a troubled look on her face. The Dragon Disk was just a few feet away.
Arkayna was seething. Why was the rest of the team able to practice ducking and diving on their griffins, while Arkayna had to haul water like a servant? She’d been training to protect the Dragon Disk her entire life. Wasn’t it a waste of her time and talent to have her filling a fountain?
“Do you have any idea how hard it is to lug those buckets up those stairs?” Arkayna asked, storming toward Tazma. “My hands hurt; my legs hurt; my hair hurts! I am the Dragon Mage, the leader of the Mysticons! This is humiliating! Not to mention pointless!”
“So this is all about you, then?” Tazma asked.
Tazma’s brother, Malvaron, also an Astromancer and assigned to help the new Mysticons, wandered in. He immediately sensed the tension between Arkayna and Tazma. “I’ll come back later,” he said.
“No, it’s fine!” Arkayna said. “I was just leaving.” She turned and strode off, but then the elevator doors opened again. Piper, Em, and Zarya stepped out. They’d followed Arkayna up here, worried about what she’d say to Tazma.
Arkayna looked at her fellow Mysticons. What was she going to do? Give up? That wasn’t an option, not when her friends were counting on her.
“I get it,” she said, turning to Tazma. “This isn’t about me. It’s about us … as a team.”
She turned to go, but a blinding light erupted out of the Dragon Disk. The gold Disk floated off its pedestal and moved toward them.
“The Dragon Disk senses your commitment,” Tazma said, obviously pleased.
The Disk projected a series of letters into the air in front of them. Arkayna and the girls huddled together, trying to decipher the message.
“Sweet—your first riddle!” Malvaron said. “Let the quest for the Codex begin.”