Henry Rider: Clown Hunter

Chapter Twelve

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Chapter Twelve

Ethan's scream cut through the foggy valley like a shark fin in a kiddie pool, and I was racing down the hill with Splatsy in my hand before I even had time to think.

"Henry, wait!" Jade yelled. I ignored her.

"Ethan, say something!" I yelled as I sprinted over the edge of Feverdream Field, nearly gagging as the mushrooms welcomed me by spraying fumes into the air. Cheese and crumpets, they smelled like soy sauce farts! I held my breath, charging headlong through the field.

"M- Mom?" Ethan asked. His voice came from nearby, but I couldn't see him anywhere. "Dad? You...You're both alive?"

"Marmalade!" I hissed. "Ethan, don't move! Wait for me!"

I heard a pop, and a spore cloud shot up about thirty feet to my right, so I turned to go that way.

"Idiot!" McGus said, his voice heavy with disgust. "You knew the risks. You knew the maiams would come for him! Why would you bring him somewhere like this?"

I froze, gasping in surprise. The old klaon was nowhere to be seen. But I'd heard him as clearly as if he'd been standing right beside...

The fumes!

"Get away from me!" Ethan screamed from somewhere behind me.

I spun around. "Ethan?"

"Henry?" he called back.

"Where are you?"

"I don't know! Sometimes I'm at Uncle Doug's house, sometimes I'm home with my..." He paused. "Henry, you're not going to believe this! My parents are alive!"

"They're not real, Ethan!" I shouted. "Whatever they say, don't listen to them!"

I couldn't see him anywhere. His voice sounded so close, but no matter where I looked there was nothing but mushrooms. I needed to get my bearings. I turned to look for the hill...

It was gone. So were Aesop and Jade. I was alone in an endless expanse of mushrooms and toxic clouds. I took a drag from my inhaler to calm myself — just as a shadow darted past me. I spun around, but there was nothing there. My heart started to jackhammer in my chest. Had that been real? Or was it just another—

A threatening growl came from behind me. I spun again, and Splatsy would have smashed the maiam's head if it hadn't jumped out of the way on its long frog-like legs. It landed twenty feet away, and I stared at it. I hadn't even heard it sneak up on me. Did that mean it was a hallucination? But it looked so real!

A figure burst from a nearby cloud of spores, running right between me and the maiam.

"Henry, help!" Ethan screamed just before he vanished into another fog cloud.

The maiam and I exchanged a startled look — and then scrambled to chase after him. The maiam immediately gained the lead, its long legs allowing it to leap over a dozen feet at a time. Cursing, I channeled some magic into my shoes to lend me some speed, but I already knew it wasn't going to be enough. Ethan came back into view, just a faint shadow in the swirling purple fog. With a howl, the maiam launched itself into the air. I looked up, trying to follow it with my eyes, but it was already lost in the—

It came back down like a meteor, crashing into Ethan and knocking him to the ground.

"No!" I yelled.

Ethan was pinned down, kicking and screaming. The maiam bared its sharp teeth and lowered its head toward his. I pulled Splatsy back like a baseball bat.