Camellia pondered a new message on one of the green terminals: Draw a triangle, equal sides. It is blue. Now draw another triangle, tip to tip, on top of the other. The second should be upside down. Only two sides are even. The top side is short. It is purple. New triangle, tip to tip, on the left. Only two sides are even. It is pink, bleeding into red. Draw another triangle, tip to tip, on the right. Only two sides are even. It is green…

The instructions continued for quite a few lines, in Groazan no less. They told Camellia how to create a geometric pattern. At first, the pattern was easy to follow, with similar shapes on all sides, but eventually, each side became unique, with different shapes fit against each other.

Camellia could only imagine what the pattern should like. She understood how to go about making it, though she would have to draw it very carefully.

The last part of the puzzle was more cryptic: What is the meaning of this asymmetry?

“What the hell is this?” Meladee asked.

Camellia glanced around. Everyone looked at her.

Rooks raised her eyebrows. “It’s addressed to you, Camellia. Do you know what it’s supposed to mean?”

“No. Well, I know it’s a puzzle, but I don’t know the answer.” Camellia looked at the directions. With her mind’s eye, she drew the pattern as far as she could, but it was too complex to complete mentally.

“Is it a spell?” Adalhard asked.

Meladee groaned. “God, I hope not. I’ve never seen magic like that.”

“Well, we need to keep moving,” Rooks said. “Think about it, Camellia. Everyone. If it’s a spell, it could be a problem.”

Cernunnos walked close to the terminal and read the lines. “Maybe, it alludes to the prison.”

“The place where we can find Ul’thetos.” Camellia frowned. “Maybe…”

“Come on.” Rooks walked away.

The army moved forward.

Many steps and one short break later, the group rounded a bend. Camellia looked up from the long trudge and saw Benham, stopped by a train. He called back and waved them on.

Camellia quickened her pace. Now, she saw that one yellow passenger car trailed behind a long line of cars. Camellia hoped the train could carry them forward.

Eva and Sten rushed to the train and found the doors. Eva grasped one door, and Sten grabbed the other. Together, they forced the doors apart. They held them open, and one man tried to enter.

“Stop right there. No one boards,” Rooks ordered. “We don’t know if Ul’thetos can drive these. Wait until we’re sure.”

Her disappointed crew collapsed in the tunnel behind the train.

Rooks did the same. “I need a break. I haven’t done this much walking since I was a cadet. Sten. Eva. Go ahead and find the engine.”

“We will have to go aboard.” Sten pointed to the car.

It stayed close to the walls, leaving a meager space. Sten could probably get through, but he obviously didn’t want to.

Rooks nodded. “That’s fine for you two. You can jump off if it starts to move.”

Eva and Sten climbed aboard. They walked through the train.

Camellia watched them through the windows. She followed, not inside but next to the cars. She didn’t mind the tight space. She slipped in and started forward. No one followed her.

Soon, Eva and Sten outpaced her, and she couldn’t see them through the windows. She traveled alone, quiet dark ahead and quiet dark behind.

Compared to their walk through the tunnels, the train was short, and Camellia reached the front sooner than she expected. She spotted Eva and Sten through the first car’s large windows.

She kept walking and peered at the train’s nose. It hovered just out of sight, but Camellia could see it was an odd shape. She walked around to the front of the train. She stopped and gasped as she beheld…

“Loopy.”

Camellia stood to the side of a giant, yellow face. The large eyes were closed, and the mouth wore a wide grin.

“He’s real.” Camellia breathed.

Camellia waved at Eva through the windshield and jumped up and down.

Eva and Sten saw her. They forced the car door open, and came outside.

“That wasn’t safe,” Sten scolded. “I presume you walked outside the cars. What if the train had started? You could have been…” Sten stopped and stared at the face.

Eva touched it. She smiled. “Meladee will love this.”

Camellia mimicked the motion. The material felt smooth and possibly flexible.

Sten also touched the car’s face.

“It’s a robot,” Eva said. “Maybe, it can contact the station and operate itself. Maybe, we can convince it to send false location information while taking us exactly where we want to go.”

“Yes,” Sten agreed. “But it appears to be in some kind of standby mode.”

Eva looked under the train. “Let’s see if we can switch it on.”

Sten stroked his chin. “Let’s.” He ducked down and found a panel under the train. He gestured for Eva to hand him a tool.

She did, and the two went to work.

Camellia stroked Loopy’s face a bit longer. Then, she returned for the Commander.

An hour later, everyone gathered. Camellia retrieved the Commander, Adalhard, Cernunnos, Meladee, and Benham. Even Alim, Inez, and Eder joined the group. Everyone watched the strange train.

Rooks stood with her arms crossed. “So, this thing might talk?”

“Yes,” Sten warned. “I’m positive that we implanted a strong suggestion against tracking. We just need to make the train aware of the new rule.”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Sounds too good to be true.” Rooks motioned to the train. “Be my guest. Wake it up.”

Camellia felt her stomach drop. They were about to talk to the strangest Lurrien she had seen yet.

Eva smiled and complied. She sprang back.

Loopy’s eyes popped open, and it rolled forward. Its smile left its face, and a look of horror replaced the grin. The train stopped. Its eyes searched the tunnel.

“Are you functional?” Eva asked in Lurrien. She stepped slowly ahead of the train, so it could see her.

Loopy’s eyes snapped to Eva. It smiled. “I function.” The lips didn’t move quiet right. “I’m not stopped at a designated station. Was there a problem?”

“Yes,” Eva said. “You’ve stopped between stations. Do you think you can get moving again?”

Loopy rolled its eyes to take in the tunnel. “Are you riding?”

Eva nodded. “We plan to. Can you take us to the animatronic jungle?”

“Yes, all aboard!” Loopy called. The car’s doors slid open.

Rooks held up a hand to forestall any boarding. She gestured for Eva to talk a bit more.

“We will board in a moment. But first, we have a new rule. We need you to send false information to central about your location and where you are going.” Eva waited.

“Why?” Loopy asked.

“An enemy has captured central,” Eva said. “But, we need your help to get through the tunnels. You have to lie to central.”

“I can do that, but if the other trains don’t know where I am, we might run into each other on a crossroad.”

“We’ll take that risk.” Eva crossed her arms. “The other trains are likely shut down. So, it might be best if you move at slower speeds.”

Loopy’s eyes looked side to side and then ahead. “I can move at two thirds speed and stop in time for a halted train.”

“We have an agreement?”

“I will send false data to central,” Loopy agreed. “All aboard!”

Eva nodded at Rooks, and everyone turned their attention to the Commander. She gestured for them to board and pulled out her com to tell her crew to get on the train.

Camellia and her friends jumped inside the first car. While Eva and Sten moved ahead to monitor the train’s communications, Camellia searched for a nearby seat. Inez and Eder scooted into one, fought over the window, and split up. Rooks sat with Inez, and Cernunnos reluctantly took a seat with Eder. He stared wistfully at Rooks. Meladee and Benham, of course, sat together. Benham graciously allowed Meladee the window. Camellia didn’t think it much of a loss. What could they see but tunnel walls?

“I detect all passengers are onboard. In fifteeen seconds, the doors will close. Please stay clear of the exits.”

A few moments later, Loopy warned, “The doors are closing.” Then a ding sounded, and the train zipped forward.

Camellia fell into Adalhard’s lap. He oofed but grabbed her tight around the waist.

Sten laughed shortly. “I believe this method of transportation would meet even your high standards, Commander Wren.”

“I could do without the face, but yes, we’ll get there in record time. Is Loopy cooperating?”

Eva eyed the train’s communications. “Yes, very much so.”

“What’s our arrival time?” Rooks asked.

Eva posed the question to the train, “What is our arrival time?”

“We will arrive at the Animatronic Jungle in six hours and twenty-three minutes. Please enjoy your ride. Snacks and concessions can be found in the dining car to the rear of the train.”

Camellia understood the Lurrien. She’d had a good teacher in Eva. Adalhard and Cernunnos had only just begun to learn, but they probably understood some. Of course, Sten and Eva spoke fluent Lurrien. Everyone else was in the dark.

“What did he say?” Rooks asked.

“Six hours and twenty-three minutes. Snacks are in the rear of the train.” Eva stood at the front and looked ahead.

“That’s the one he lost – the yellow caboose,” Benham whispered. “It doesn’t matter because all the food was rotten.”

Rooks relayed the travel time to her crew, via her com. Then, she sat back to rest. Everyone relaxed, and the car grew quiet. The group dropped into slumber, even Camellia.

Beep Beep. “Object on the tracks. Do not be alarmed. We will stop until the track is cleared.”

Camellia woke and looked around. “What’s happening?”

Eva stared out the windshield.

From her seat, Rooks asked the same question. “What happened?”

“There’s a train in the crossing,” Eva said. “I’m not sure which one, but we can’t go anywhere with the other train in our path.”

Everyone crowded around the windshield. Camellia got a front row perch, due to her lack of height. She saw a junction ahead. The green train stretched across the tunnel: Zaggy.

Sten beckoned Eva to the door. “We can just disable the standby switch and let this new train know to send false information. Now that we know how everything works, this will only take a few minutes.”

Eva crossed the car and joined him.

Rooks held up a hand. “Wait, we could use this as a diversion. Something to confuse Ul’thetos.”

“That shouldn’t be necessary if we tell the train to report false data,” Sten argued.

“You misunderstand,” Rooks said. “We know the creature has eyes at central. But, the creature might watch the stations too. I want to send a group to a different location. Pretend that group is after the main prize. I want Ul’thetos to second guess our movements. This second train is just the thing we need. Pick a destination. As far north as the green train goes.” She gave the order to Adalhard and Camellia.

Adalhard whipped out the map.

Camellia answered, “Station 27 is the northernmost for the green line. It’s a good candidate, but we would be truly separated.”

Rooks looked at the map. “True, but if this works, Ul’thetos will attack the group in this area and miss whoever is on the way to the head. Now, what’s at this location? What would be a good target?”

The green line traveled from the southeast corner to the northwest, not quite reaching the outskirts.

“Zaggy is the education line,” Adalhard said. “It travels between schools and museums.”

Rooks frowned.

Camellia pulled out her sketchbook and flipped through. “No, that’s good. There should be a space travel museum near that station.”

Camellia showed everyone a sketch of an ad. Lurrien ships, drawn with stark angles, leapt from the page. Lurrien writing declared the museum home to a fleet of old ships.

Adalhard checked the map. “You’re right. That museum is near station 27.”

Camellia glanced at her own drawing. “You can take people there, and Ul’thetos might assume we want more ships. That’s what we came for last time.”

“Museum ships?” Rooks smiled. “We’ve got to be desperate. It’ll work. Now, who will reach their destination first? Jungle team or spaceship team?”

Eva glanced at the map. “Zaggy will reach the museum first.”

Rooks looked upward, toward the ceiling. In silence, she thought. The moment stretched on. “I’ll take the bulk of our forces to the museum. I know. It makes sense to have more people go after the head, but that’s a stealth mission. Get in, drop the bombs, get out. We want Ul’thetos to be distracted by the larger force. We want Ul’thetos to assume we’re all headed to the museum. As if, we’ve broken our engagement to seek the head.”

Meladee nodded. Eva stood straight and serious.

Camellia’s eyes grew wide. “That’s exactly what Ul’thetos would think. It thinks I’m flaky and don’t keep my word.”

Rooks smiled. “We know that’s not true, but it’s good that Ul’thetos doesn’t.”

Camellia thought Ul’thetos might know her better than her friends. Obsidian Mirror.

Rooks looked around the small group. “Cernunnos, Inez, Eder, Alim. You will come with me. Eva, Sten, Camellia, Adalhard, you’ll all continue to the animatronic jungle. You get one mage. I’m thinking Meladee. Benham, you’re welcome to go with either group.”

“I’ll go to the jungle.” He nodded his thanks.

“Okay.” Rooks paused. She seemed to wait, maybe for objections.

None came.

Rooks continued, “The A team is going to take the bombs to the jungle and find the head. Meladee, if necessary, you’ll have to make repairs on the bombs.”

“I can do it,” Meladee nodded.

“Good. I know I’ve got my mages a bit backwards in terms of placement...” Rooks looked at Inez and Eder. “But, I just can’t send you two to meet this thing.” Rooks again addressed the entire group. “The rest of us will defend the museum. I’m confident the Ferrans will be mage enough for us.”

Inez seemed excited. Eder, as expected, less so, but he probably felt bad about both options.

Camellia marveled that she was part of the A team. She would visit Ul’thetos’ head, and she would help destroy it. Then, she would sort out her flakiness and the little problem with the Obsidian Mirror.

Zaggy, the green train, pulled away. Camellia watched it go. Eva and Sten were the only ones to have heard its voice. Both described it as zany. Sten thought that its voice box had deteriorated. Eva declared it a poor choice by the creators.

The team, now dubbed jungle team, all sat in the forward car. Camellia and Adalhard shared a seat. Meladee sat beside Benham, and Eva stayed near Sten. The bombs rested between all of the groups.

Loopy giggled. “The track is clear. We will be on our way to the animatronic jungle. Three hours and twelve minutes remain of our trip. If you would like to visit the refreshment car, head to the rear of the train.” The bell sounded, and the train drove forward.

“It still urges us to seek refreshment,” Eva said, with some amusement.

“Should we tell him?” Meladee bit her lip. “About the refreshment car? Or do you think it would embarrass him, like not wearing pants might embarrass us?”

“I don’t want him to think he has to go get it,” Camellia whispered.

Eva opened her mouth, maybe to defend the train, but no words came out.

Maybe, Loopy would insist that he couldn’t travel without the refreshment car. He had mentioned it several times on their trip, and he was the pleasure line.

“We shall let him feel complete,” Eva declared.

“Yes, I think he would like that,” Camellia agreed.