"Let's get out of here!" Zann exclaimed. "Hurry!"
He and Perda yanked the others back through the wormhole before it could swirl shut behind them.
Zann was relieved when they were back in the vortex.
"That was close," Perda said.
"Yeah," Zann agreed. "But what if Wyssa is in Fardark? Or Morb?"
"That definitely looked like the kind of place where they would hang out," Gliss said with a shudder.
"It doesn't matter," Darb said. "It was too risky to stay."
"Right," Perda agreed. "And if Morb and Wyssa had gone there, they probably would have moved on by now anyway.
Nobody would stay in Fardark for long."
Zann thought of something. "Actually, we know my parents aren't there.
The skies in Fardark are dark, not blue.
Plus, Perda and I didn't see any creatures small enough to live in those tiny houses."
"Are you sure your dreams are showing you where your parents are?" Darb sounded dubious.
Zann had told his friends about his latest dream while they all walked back to the wormhole in Chronos.
"The more dreams I have, the more sure I am," Zann replied.
"I think the images are coming from my message stone.
The most realistic dream I had was when we were resting in Wyssa's home world." He remembered something else.
"Also, I bet that was Wyssa's world we passed the time I had the waking dream! Remember?
All I saw through that wormhole were some trees with purple leaves—just like the ones in Wyssa's world!"
Gliss looked confused. "So we passed Wyssa's world twice?"
"Yeah. Perda and I ended up in Fardark twice too." Zann shrugged.
"That does seem weird, now that I think about it."
"Not really," Perda said. "I did some research on the vortex back in Swamp Bottom, and—"
"You did?" Zann broke in.
Perda shot him a look. "I told you I was thinking about becoming an explorer.
I started preparing by reading all your parents' books, including the one called Voyages Through the Vortex."
"Oh." Zann was surprised she had read all of those books. "What did you find out?"
"Haven't you read your parents' books, Zann?" Gliss asked.
"Sure. I mean, some of them." Zann shrugged sheepishly.
"Actually, I've mostly just looked at the pictures of the cool monsters and stuff.
They wrote the vortex book when I was really young."
"The vortex isn't like a regular road or tunnel or anything like that," Perda explained.
"It's just a magical space between worlds that's always shifting in unpredictable ways.
Nobody knows exactly how it works. That's why it's important to have an experienced guide like Wyssa if you're not experienced yourself.
You also need strong magic to help you navigate.
Otherwise you can get yourself in trouble—at least that's what the book said."
"Your parents must have pretty strong magic, huh, Zann?" Gliss said. "Even though they're not Reds?"
"Yeah. Plus they have lots of experience traveling between worlds."
But for once Zann wasn't really thinking about his parents.
Perda's words had reminded him of Venna. She'd had very strong magic.
But she'd been under a Dousing spell when she fell into the wormhole. What had become of her?
He pushed the thought aside, realizing that Perda was still talking.
"So there's no way to predict which wormhole we'll pass next," she was saying.
"The next one could lead back into Magica.
Or it could take us into Fardark yet again.
Or into a brand-new world—maybe even one that's never been discovered before."
"Or World X," Zann murmured.
"Let me get this straight." Gliss sounded worried.
"We have no way of finding a wormhole back into Magica?"
Perda shrugged. "Not unless we get lucky."
"Or find Wyssa," Darb said. "Or somebody else who can guide us."
"Like my parents." Zann felt a tingling on his forehead.
The marks were glowing again. "Hold on!" he said, reaching for the next wormhole.
As he grabbed the wormhole’s edge, he caught a glimpse of blue sky.
He tried not to get too excited though.
Lots of worlds, including Magica, had blue skies. Still, he couldn't help hoping.
Splash!
"Drat—glurb!" Zann gurgled as he felt himself sinking under water.
"Oh no," he thought. "Did we land in Skellia again?"
But he quickly realized that this water was much calmer than the rough seas of Skellia.
It was also much cooler than the boiling lake in Drac.
When Zann came up for air, his friends were bobbing in the water nearby.
"Where are we?" Zann asked, pushing a clump of wet hair out of his eyes.
"I don't know," Gliss said. "But it looks nice."
They were in the middle of a large, tranquil lake.
Pretty silver and gold fish darted around, nibbling at the swaying water grasses.
On shore a green lawn sloped gently up to a lush forest.
A gleaming city of elegant spires and towers stood atop a hill in the distance.
When Zann and his friends swam to shore, they heard birds singing and felt a warm, gentle breeze.
The ground was soft and springy beneath Zann's feet.
He snapped his fingers to conjure dry clothes.
"Good. Our magic works here," he said. He touched his hair to dry it.
"I just have one question. Why are so many of the wormholes located over water?"
Darb started to laugh. Then he stopped, leaning closer to stare at Zann's forehead.
"Uh-oh," he said. "Zann, your face is clean!"
"Gee, thanks," Zann said. "Yours looks pretty clean too."
Perda gasped. "No, Zann. This is a problem!" she cried.
"When your head went under water, Wyssa's fingerprints must have washed off.
We have no way of tracking her anymore!"