If it weren't for the impounding rain, Mordecai would be a lovely place to visit.

  With any resort-type island without sandy beaches, Kevin would maybe one day go fishing here. Well, if he knew how to fish, that is.

  The boat ride led inward slowly through a causeway between buildings, much like how Venice is. Even though the rain clouded much of the landscape, the buildings themselves felt haunted as they cascaded upon themselves.

  "Like reaching for the tower of Babel, perhaps," Kevin said under his breath.

  However, one thing was notably absent that everyone on the boat might have picked up by now. People.

  When they left that morning, it was only a four to five-hour jump to the city. Even with the rainstorm, it would be only midday, yet no one was around.

  No one was peeping through the windows. He could hear machinery around, but beyond that, it was nearly impossible to detect from where.

  "Boatman, where are all the people?" Carl asked, picking up on the same thought.

  The boatman continued to steer the rudder from the back, not looking in his direction. "There are people, Carl Jackson. You have only to wait and see. And you may call me Calix. A simple but humble researcher."

  "Researcher, huh?" Kiyo asked. "What are you researching?"

  "Ah, Tsukiyo Rinostante," Calix replied, not missing a beat in naming everyone. "Why the water, of course. And it's weeping tears."

  "Carl," Kevin said, leaning low to him. "He is giving me the creeps, and between you and me, I think we have been here before."

  "Yeah, I know what you are saying, bud. This place is way too familiar. Like we should know this or something."

  The boat landed on a docking pad near the inlet of the city. The caravan rolled off the ramp and settled a few feet inward, on a small inlet.

  The rain continued to hammer down on them, as there was no type of shelter from it. The buildings themselves were islands, and to reach them would require a boat unless there was a land pass on the other side. However, the structure that they were on now felt like a concrete rooftop of another building, and perhaps soon will also be engulfed by the rising tide.

  Calix moved past the Caravan, and Kevin noticed the odd way he walked. It was almost like shuffling, or stunted of sorts, and beyond the large rain coat that covered everything but his red eyes, he did catch what appeared to be a tail that poked barely out with every step.

  "Paz," Carl said as she stood next to him. "That guy is a Spore-Beast, right?"

  "Yes," she replied slowly. "Crocodile type. He is also conscripted. We need to put our differences aside. Danger is upon us."

  Carl nodded. "I am, for once, in agreement. I have your back if you watch mine."

  When Calix approached the edge of the platform, a large rumble shook the ground, and next to him, the floor opened up to reveal a large metal hatch or an elevator. "Please, let us get your Caravan inside. You will find much more room down below."

  Mia hesitated, but when she saw Bryson move forward, she guided the wagon onto the metal platform, which rocked when they stepped on it. When everyone was on board, they descended, and when the overhead covering closed, for the first time, they were out of the rain.

  And into something else entirely…

  Kevin felt like he was going down into Atlantis itself, as they descended into the lake, and Mordecai looked like a regular city, except the place was encased in a large wall.

  "Dr. Corvius Blackwing's ultimate design," Calix said, giving information nobody wanted. "An all-encompassing self-contained unit designed to hold back the tears, and allow the freedom to live."

  "Corvius…" Mia said under her breath. It was low enough for only those next to her to hear it. That name meant something, and Kevin felt that it should mean something to him as well.

  They reached the bottom of the landing pad, and the Caravan rolled out onto the paved street.

  The air around him felt thick but breathable. It also tasted stale, kind of like when you put your face in front of an air conditioner. Buildings of all sorts were scattered throughout the area, some of which looked like they reached the top of the lake, even beyond it.

  Those might have been the ones he saw above the water. They appeared like stone pillars that were constantly getting rebuilt on top of each other by the varied colors of the stones.

  Calix returned to the elevator, and it rumbled again as it slowly ascended. "Down the road, you will find your Advent Guard Station. I do hope you enjoy your stay here at Mordecai."

  And with that, he was out of sight.

  "Wow," Pizer said. "Didn't even give us a chance to thank him."

  "It is what it is, Corporal," Bryson commented. "Park the Caravan over near that structure. I want to find out why the Advent Guard Beacon is down and get the hell out of this place."

  That was the most words Bryson has said all morning. He wasn't wrong. However, they did have their mission. It would have been Kevin's mission as well if the whole Sword Master problem hadn't intervened in any way.

  The cobblestone street made walking across it a precarious event. The road was extremely uneven, and yet, it still felt better walking than riding. Not that they have been on the road for days, but he had enough bumps and turns with the Caravan to last two lifetimes.

  So much in fact that Kevin tripped and fell onto the ground. One of his hands touched a puddle of water, causing another vision in his head.

  Master, you have arrived. Find me!

  A memory crossed his mind. It looked like he was in a lab of sorts. Maybe a science facility, and a young girl running down the halls. It was still fuzzy, and the memory quickly escaped him as an explosion in his mind brought him back.

  "Hey, you ok?" Pizer asked.

  He shook it off. When he looked up, he noticed something against the wall. A large blue pipe. No, he squinted. It was a clear pipe, and blue water flowed through it. It lined the wall of the building, going up into the skyline.

  "Now that is a weird-looking water pipe," Kevin said.

  Carl stared at him. "And why are you concerned about a water pipe?"

  "I don't know. Looks funny."

  "Seriously," Carl replied. "This whole world looks funny."

  "Hey," Carl noted. "Anyone seen Mia or Kiyo? I mean, I get Paz as she tends to go off on her own, but those two did not come in with us."

  "No, Pizer said. "I do not think they followed us."

  It was then, beyond the wall, that he saw someone staring at him. A young woman had bunny ears. Another Spore-Beast? When she caught him looking, she quickly disappeared, and when he was curious about who or what she was, he didn't see her again.

  The Advent Guard building did not look anything like its counterpart in the Commons. In fact, if he were to make a comparison, it would seem like they walked right into a mobile phone shop. The building was huge in its outer shell, yet inside, there was only one room, and that room had two small doors, and it did not look like either of them went anywhere else.

  Advent Guard symbols adorned the walls, like it was some sort of ritual prayer circle inside a church. At the desk, there was a Rowen slouching in front of a computerized screen, and by the looks of it.. Doom scrolling. Next to him was a jar filled with different colored marbles.

  "Hmm. Ya know, this is the first time I have seen a Computer since coming back to this place," Carl motioned to the desk.

  Kevin smirked. "That is what intrigues you? Not the semi-ritualistic cult vibes. Seriously, what is up with this place?"

  Bryson stormed the counter. "Hey, I have questions."

  "Yeah," the man said, not paying any attention. "You have to pay the tax."

  He must have meant the jar, as there was nothing else in the room to give any clue as to what he was talking about.

  "Tax?" Bryson said. "You are an Advent Guard. There is no tax. What is going on here?"

  "Yeah, so what," the man replied… barely.

  Between the incident at Rivergate and now, Bryson's temper was through the roof. He grabbed his collar with the Captain rank and shoved it in the man's face. "Listen here, I am a Captain of the Advent Guard, and you will…"

  The guy behind the desk now looked irritated, but not at the shouting of Bryson, but perhaps he got in the way of his scrolling. He reached down and opened a drawer, pulled out a handful of insignias, and rank patches to be accurate. "Yeah, we have lots of captains here. Lots of 'Commanders'. Lots of Lots. Now, if you do not mind, pay the tax or grieve somewhere else."

  "Son of a —" Bryson slammed his hand on the desk.

  "Cap'n, I got this," Pizer scooted up and placed a green Resonance Marble into the jar. "Maybe that will work."

  Bryson calmed down and refocused. "Why is the Advent Guard Beacon down in Mordecai?"

  The man finally tore him away from the screen and stared at the 'tax jar.' "Beacon is not destroyed, man, just underwater. Celia doesn't really care, though. The Weeping Child never does."

  Bryson's face flushed crimson as he leaned over the counter. "What did you just say?" he shouted, his voice echoing through the empty room.

  At the same moment, Kevin's pendant pulsed against his chest, a warm vibration that sent tingling across his skin.

  The man behind the desk didn't even bother to look up. His only acknowledgment was a single finger lazily detaching from his mouse to point at the tip jar, before returning to his endless scrolling.

  That must have put Bryson over the edge as he picked up the computer screen and threw it across the room. It crackled and smashed against the wall. Yet, when he did it, one of the cords somehow got wrapped around the guy's neck, and it came clean off as well, hitting the wall with sparks flying off the body.

  Kevin jumped and saw Carl's smile at the absurdity of it all.

  "Dude…"

  The guy, however, did not react as one might have reacted when a precious toy gets violently destroyed. The headless automaton rose from its chair, sparks sputtering from the torn wires of its neck. Black fluid with bluish streaks in it, not blood, dripped onto the floor and sort of… crawled or oozed past them heading out the door, all on its own. The headless 'thing' calmly collected its tip jar and walked through the back door as if nothing had happened.

  "What the fuck?" Pizer backed away, bumping into a wall. "Did that just—was that thing even human?"

  Carl commented. "I guess that's the equivalent of taking your ball and going home, I suppose."

  Pizer's hand went to his weapon. "Captain, I've seen some weird shit in my time with the Guard, but that? That ain't right. Something's very wrong here. People don't just... function without heads."

  "Maybe they're not people anymore," Kevin murmured, the blue pendant against his chest suddenly feeling heavier. "Maybe that's what happens when you stay too long in Mordecai."

  Bryson stood frozen, staring at his own hands with a look of horror, as if he couldn't believe what he'd just done. "I didn't... I didn't mean to..." He looked up, his eyes wild. "Something's influencing us. Making us more violent, more erratic."

  "The water," Carl said. "It has to be. We need to find the others and get the hell out of here."

  Pizer nodded, glancing nervously at the black fluid pooling on the floor. "Preferably before we all lose our heads—figuratively or otherwise."

  "I don't know where they could be at," Bryson said, frustrated. "Check the places that probably sell booze, but first, go back to the caravan. Pizer goes with them. I am going to have a lovely chat with the Machine-operated Tax Man."

  "Hey," Kevin said. "He made a funny."

  Nobody giggled, however… "Too soon, bud," Carl replied.

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  Back on the street, they looked around and walked a bit, checking the area out. "Do you think he will be ok?" Pizer asked. "He is rather in an unusual mood as of late."

  Kevin said while checking a sign that said Resonance Lair. "I am sure he will be just fine. You know, you do not have to come with us if you want to still keep an eye on him."

  "What, Captain? And miss out on transforming into the Sword Master again? No way."

  Kevin shrugged.

  They walked back to the Caravan, and they realized that no one was there.

  "Hey, you know, Kevin," Carl said, looking at several of the buildings. "I think you are right. We have been here before. But the direction is all wrong. Take a look at that pyramid top, for example."

  "Yeah, what about it?" Kevin glanced in the direction of the pyramid's top structure.

  "I remember the half moon weathervane mounted on its tip, and look, if you stand right here, you can see it. At first I thought I was trippin on the way down, but do you not get a sense of deja vu?"

  He couldn't see what Carl was seeing. He tried to look at it from all angles, but eventually he just shrugged. "I don't know. If you say so."

  "Hey, do you think the Blue Power Sword caused all this?" Kevin asked.

  "I don't know, it has been so long ago. It could be the spirit that is inhabiting it, much like Kalaraq is in the Fire Sword."

  "What was the name of it, cause for the life of me, I do not remember."

  "I think it was Nimuel-something…" Carl said, trying to remember. "Some goddess of Armargosa that I am sure of."

  Pizer yelled from inside the Caravan, "Hey guys, come look at this."

  Inside, Pizer was staring at a section of the wood. Blue liquid seeped out of it, following a small trail along the ground and out of a small hole.

  "Yeah, that is not unusual at all. Could it be one of those Resonance Balls that malfunctioned or something?"

  "Maybe," Pizer said, feeling around the water but careful not to touch it directly. "I think there is something underneath it."

  He grabbed a nearby shirt and wrapped his hands before feeling with one of his knives along the edge of the panel.

  "I sure hope Mia doesn't mind us damaging her caravan," Kevin said.

  Pizer pulled on the panel, and it came up effortlessly. "Yeah, normally I am all about privacy, but what if this is what caused them to go nuts yesterday?"

  Pulling the panel away revealed several unusual contents. A handful of drawings rolled up in twine, a set of small porcelain toys that resembled little advent soldiers. It was then that Pizer pulled up several bottles of alcohol, with one of them leaking the blue residue.

  "Now, I am sorry I didn't find these sooner, Mia, but I am confused."

  "What is wrong?" Carl asked.

  "The bottle is empty, yet it's still spilling liquid all the same. See?" he turned the bottle over, and when Kevin half expected a slosh of liquid to come out, instead it was a steady stream. However, the bottle itself was empty."

  "Yeah, this is not creepy at all," Carl said, looking at the pictures. It depicted a child's drawing, with what could be her parents, but in another one, it was of a large yellow oval scribbled in with a figure of a guy in ninja attire, and two smaller ones, one with long wavy black hair and a boy holding five swords.

  "Kev, this picture," Carl said with his hands visibly trembling, holding the child's drawing up to catch the dim light through the caravan's window. His voice had dropped as if speaking any louder might summon something unwanted.

  "Holy shit, Kevin. This is impossible. How could Mia's daughter have drawn this? We didn't even know about the portal then." Carl's voice cracked with disbelief.

  "Wait, what is that? It's wet." Kevin pointed at the paper, noticing a strange sheen.

  "Here, let me see." Carl took the drawing back, squinting at it. "You think a kid drew this? Look closer. That's not crayon—it's tears. Blue ones."

  Kevin took the paper, his brow furrowing as he studied the crude crayon lines. His fingers traced the damp spots cautiously. "Yeah, I see it. Why does Mia have a drawing of us going through the portal? That's... that's not possible." He shook his head, suddenly uncertain. "I didn't go through the portal... or did I? I don't remember now."

  "Wait, you don't think..." Carl glanced around, looking to where Pizer was before meeting Kevin's eyes. "Did her daughter draw this? I do not even remember her even being there?"

  "Like, what, some sort of premonition?" Kevin said, giving an uneasy scoff. "That would be what you're saying, ya know. Like the kid was psychic or something."

  "Well, perhaps, but..." Carl rubbed the back of his neck, the drawing shaking slightly in his grip. "We should ask her about this when we see her. There's got to be an explanation."

  "Yeah, I can see how that conversation would go." Kevin rolled his eyes, mimicking a casual tone. "'Excuse me, Mia, but why does your deceased daughter have a picture of us looking at a portal thirty years ago?' I'm sure that'll go over real smoothly."

  "OK, well, you didn't have to put it so morbid," Carl winced, carefully placing the drawing back where they found it. "Hey, what if she isn't dead. It would explain all the inconsistencies, like the explosion and drowning bits. What if something… took her?"

  Kevin was thinking of the same terrible suspicion taking root in his friend's mind.

  "Whatever, just put it back," Kevin said, his attention already shifting to the strange blue liquid seeping across the floor. "Hey, so, are we going to address that liquid spill, or the fact that the ones in Bryson's jars of dirt are doing the exact same thing? Because that can't be a coincidence, and I'm getting major creep vibes from all of this."

  The jars of dirt that Bryson collected at the dry water bed oozed out blue crystallized liquid as well. It somewhat forced its way through the sealed top and leaked in an organized pattern out of another one of the caravan's holes.

  Pizer followed the leak outside. "Well, the leak goes west and down the street.

  "Should we follow it?" Kevin asked, following the trail with his eyes.

  Carl said. "Finding others is the priority. It seems the leak was going in the general direction of our search anyway, so let's do both and eventually… one of our curiosities will be answered."

  Following the blue liquid trail proved easier than expected - the luminescent substance creating what amounted to a supernatural breadcrumb path through Mordecai's silent streets. Each droplet pulsed like a beating heart-light, as if alive and conscious.

  "Where are all the people?" Pizer asked, his voice echoing slightly in the deserted thoroughfare. "I mean, we've only seen that ferryman guy since we got here, and of course, that Tax Act machine-man. It would be strange that they all just died out."

  Carl straightened, lightning dancing briefly between his fingers. "Maybe they're not gone," he said, his voice dropping lower. "Maybe they're watching us right now."

  Kevin shot him a sideways look, brows furrowed. "You ok? You're starting to sound like one of those doom-prophecy street preachers back home."

  "Well, do you have a better explanation than?" Carl gestured at the empty buildings surrounding them. "Cities don't just empty out for no reason."

  Kevin's mind flashed back to the strange blue-tinted crabs they'd encountered earlier, the way the creatures felt almost hypnotized by the glowing substance. He rubbed the back of his neck, uneasy. "I don't know, maybe they're all underground or something. Maybe there's some kind of shelter system we don't know about."

  He kicked a small stone, watching it skitter across the abandoned street. "But for a huge place like this to go silent all of a sudden, you'd think someone would've noticed. Someone would've raised an alarm or something, right?"

  The blue liquid abruptly pooled before them, coalescing into what almost looked like an arrow, pointing toward a building across the street. Through the grimy windows, movement caught their eye - a flicker of light, a shadow passing.

  Both Carl and Pizer turned their heads to see a resemblance to a restaurant. It became apparent to him when they turned, as he also saw movement inside, and sure enough, it did look like a diner. One that he hoped would be full of people and answer his ominous question.

  Except, the bar was exempt from patrons.

  The only ones there was Mia, and now that Kevin got a better look, was a Spore-Beast cat? He was wearing a purple and black vest and corduroy pants. But the unmistakable polka dot pattern could only resemble nothing more than a cheetah. A fedora on his head complemented the attire, and he could only attribute it to a certain wear that Port City would only offer for Spore-Beasts.

  He was behind the bar serving drinks to both himself and Mia. When the boys stepped in, he welcomed their appearance.

  "Oi! Rather, Hello in your speech? Took you long enough, Sword Master. Come on in and have yourself a seat. The lass and I were just passing the time!"

  Pizer was the first to speak up. "Hey Mia, you ok?"

  She looked up, almost depressed, even. "Damn place has no alcohol. It's root beer."

  "Or, sarsaparilla, as Port City's finest specialty." The Spore-Beast poured several more glasses, "I am even surprised they had some in the back. Here, sit, fellas, and have a taste."

  Kevin was hesitant, "Uh, I think I'm good."

  "Yeah," Carl said, sitting down.

  "Nonsense," the Spore-Beast said. "You.. think, oh Chester here will serve you poison, eh? No, no, no, my friend! Looks, she has a ball with the stuff."

  "Chester lies," Mia replied, obviously drinking it. "It is still not beer."

  Kevin noticed a small shift in Chester's behavior. He peered out the door through which they entered, crossed his brow, and then returned to normal when he spoke. It was subtle, but it was something.

  With each of them their own drink, Chester hopped on the banister behind him and sipped his own cup.

  It was indeed root beer, and for the life of him, he hasn't tasted such a superb quality in a long time.

  "Now, my wayward friends," he said curiously, "and we are all friends here, why are you in this saddened villa? I noticed your Caravan descend from the topside, which none has dared since I have been here. But I've only been here for a few days or so."

  Carl passed his drink. "I think it is customary to ask you first, as we are your apparent guests and you wouldn't be so comfortable with us if you did not have anything up your sleeve."

  "Ah, yes, my friend, and you are so quite right. Allow me to introduce myself!" He grabbed his hat off his head and did a few tricks with it before setting it down. "I am Chester Cunningham, Investigator of the… abnormal sorts."

  That last bit startled them when Chester's face turned serious in almost a heartbeat. Carl stiffened and was about to go into a defensive mode when a voice came from behind the door.

  "Don't mind him. Believe it or not, he says that about every legend that we come across."

  A young Spore-Beast woman, this one with bunny or rabbit ears, walked inside, heading to them. She wore multi-pocketed brown coveralls that contrast with her snow white fur, and there is an apparent notch on her left ear, like someone took a huge hole puncher to the side of a piece of paper and missed the alignment.

  "Mira!" Chester said, forming a grin, "Do not be rude! I am paying you to be humble."

  She rolled her eyes. "I seriously doubt the rudeness, as you will always overdo it. And you do not pay me, remember."

  Chester shrugged and poured a glass for Mira. She took a stool next to Mia and sipped. "Oh, that's good. This is straight from the import of the city, right? I swear you have a keen sense sometimes, Boss."

  "My sense is something not to undervalue my faithful assistant," he replied. "Anyways, like I was saying. What brings you back to this place, my humble legend of legends? You are here for the Dagger, aren't you? The one that cuts sorrow?"

  Kevin shifted uncomfortably. "You seem to know a lot about me, and I do not remember this place."

  "This is where it all started," Mia said, trying to drown herself in the root beer.

  "Do not be so heart-missing, my dear Mia. As much as this is a surprise, it seems like the past revisits us all in ways unseen. Many are welcoming of sorts, yet for some… only grief."

  Mira spat out her drink. "Hey, don't be goofy in front of him. You always said you wanted to meet him one day. And when you do, you get all goofy."

  "Well, this is all lovely and all," Carl said. "But we were only here to pick up Mia. Speaking of which, Mia, where is Kiyo?"

  She didn't respond.

  Mira used her hands as a prop. "Oh, you are looking for the skinny Rowan girl, about my height, with black hair? She was walking with another Spore-Beast. A green cloak, in fact. I was going to tail them when you three walked out of the building."

  "The Green Cloak is A Champion of Retsam," Chester said to himself. "Those lunatics are always looking for a fight. Believe in the Retsam as their one true Creator." He laughed. "What nonsense. What if that green cloak only knew that her loyalty is but another Rowen legend! A normal pointed-ear biped. She would call us heretics for sure."

  A silence among them gave the cheetah pause and a curious look. He took off his hat and dusted it before putting it back on. "You mean, he hasn't shown up yet. You're third in your little band of misfits. Ajinin."

  The name sparked memories. Ajinin Retsam. The guide in the adventure thirty years ago when they fell through the portal and into this land. Carl looked surprised as well. How could he have forgotten Ajinin? The kind and yet so serious mentor. The one who guided them to all the swords and helped push back the Great Darkness.

  "Oi!" Chester said, slamming his mug on the counter. "Come now, out of your heads, both of you. You are among friends and have no time to be alone with your thoughts."

  "Sorry," Kevin said. "Who are you again?"

  "What? Did you forget? Hey, Mira lass, give them my card! It has my face on it and everything!"

  Mira opened one of her many pockets and pulled out cards for each of them. On it was a picture of.. a greyhound bus? No, it was the greyhound dog, and in bold letters was CUNNING INVESTIGATIONS. Below was a number to dial in with a Resonance Comm Device.

  "Mia here was telling me a sad story of how about thirty years ago, she lost a wee lass here in Mordecai, where the weeping tears were not as high. But I think she has some words to tell you, oh Legendary Warrior. I can't get enough excitement knowing that you are actually real."

  He paused again, with Pizer nodding as well, like he was ecstatic.

  "Well, go on, lass," Chester said. "Tell them what you wanted to tell me."

  "Mia, what is going on?" Carl asked.

  Mia swallowed her drink, and Chester poured some more into her cup. "Captain, you don't know this, but before you came along, I was once an Advent Guard soldier."

  Kevin knew this part, as when he was 'hollow', he had studied records on all his team and contacts. "Yes, I know that. But it was a long time ago. What does it have to do with what's going on?"

  "Captain, will you just shut up and listen. Sheesh, I need a drink. And not this shit." Mira put a hand on Mia's back to comfort, and she nodded to continue. "The argument between me and that Mama's Boy was about our child that we lost way back when. It was here in Mordecai. If she were alive, she would be about Kiyo's age. Oh… poor Kiyo," she said, putting her head down as if remembering the incident yesterday. "Well… our mission was to escort and guard a certain scientist who was on her way here with her team. They were… I do not remember what they were researching, actually."

  "Lass, it is ok," Chester said. "You can rest. You see, gentleman, this place brings a lot of harboring dark memories for both of them. What she is talking about is the Incident at Mordecai, in which the destruction of the Calaveras Dam resulted in the flooding of the valley."

  "My parents were telling me this story," Pizer added. "The Dam explosion took a lot of lives, and it affected both the Rowen and Anbar in what some say was the catalyst for all the infighting."

  "Yes, yes, yes. All correct answers, save one," Chester replied. "The Incident at Mordecai wasn’t a dam break. It was a containment breach."

  Everyone stared at the investigator as if he was going to continue. Mira let loose a fake cough that must have signaled for him to continue.

  "Right. The Drowned Child of Mordecai," Chester said, twirling his hat between his paws. His playful demeanor slipped for just a moment, revealing something stoic underneath. "A tragedy with as many versions as there are tears in that lake."

  "Just tell us what you know," Carl pressed.

  Chester's eyes flashed. "Now, where would the fun be in that? Besides..." he leaned forward, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "some truths are better discovered than told. Especially when they have teeth."

  Mira rolled her eyes. "What my cryptic boss is failing to say is that the answers you seek are beneath us. In the chambers where they tried to stop it."

  "Stop what?" Kevin asked.

  Chester and Mira exchanged a glance.

  "The weeping," Chester said simply, tapping the side of his glass where blue-tinged liquid clung to the rim. "But the real question you should be asking isn't what's in the water." His smile returned, too sharp by half. "It's who."

  "Hey," Carl said. "We should be really getting back to what we were doing." He stood up, and Pizer followed. "Mr. Chester. Miss Mira, it was nice to meet you. Strange and weird. But it's whatever. Let's go, Mia, we have to find Kiyo and Bryson. And Paz, of course."

  "Yes, but before you get off too, don't you want to at least reclaim Nimuel and the Power Sword of Water?"

  Kevin's palm twitched. His pendant flashed blue.

  Mira ran a hand through her hair and shook her head. "Boss, choose the correct inflection…sheesh, you sound like a bad guy."

  Chester raised his hands. "Hold up now there, amigo, remember. Inves-ti-gator. Not your enemy. However," he pointed to the door. "It would seem," he continued, "that somebody else likes root beer as well."

  The lights around the bar dimmed, and the root beer in their cups turned streaks of blue around the glasses. Kevin lifted up his hand and noticed that the wooden piece he was bracing against was wet with moisture, as if it had started crying for no reason.

  "Dr. Morbidus," Chester said pleasantly, though his fur now stood on end. "I was wondering when you'd drop the charade." He hopped the bar and grabbed Mia's hand. The way he grabbed it made it look like he was protecting her from something. "Mia, my dear, your daughter did not drown, or die for that matter. She was taken. By him."

  The ferryman's neck twisted as he smiled, teeth gleaming like rows of broken glass. Water streams from the sides of his mouth like his gums are drowning in the air. The air in the room grew heavy, oppressive, as more red eyes appeared in the darkness behind the ferryman. They poured into the room, blocking any possible escape route.

  Kevin's hand moved to his baton, the pendant at his chest flaring and pulsing a bright cerulean. Beside him, Carl's gloves sparked lightning. Pizer reached for his daggers.

  "The Sea of Sorrows…" he rasped, lifting the hood off his face. His eyes are pools of blue.

  …

  … welcomes you."