"What?" Zann cried. "What should we do?"
"I can't stay." Ello was already rushing off.
"Just—please—get yourself to safety!" he called out over his shoulder.
"What are you waiting for?" Gliss exclaimed. "Let's get inland!"
"Wait," Perda said. "I might have a better idea."
Zann noticed that Perda looked thoughtful. "What is it?" he asked.
"I couldn't sleep, so I've been lying here thinking about how we can get off this world," Perda said.
"I may have come up with a plan."
"This is never going to work." Gliss' voice shook as she glanced over the edge of the balcony at the dark, churning sea below. "It's a crazy plan!"
"She's right." Darb sounded doubtful. "Too many things could go wrong.
Maybe we should think about this some more."
Zann glanced down too. The waves were wilder than ever.
He wasn't sure if it was because of the growing storm, or because of the gulpers still swimming below their hut. Probably both.
"I think Perda's plan could work," he said.
"I know it's risky. But it could be our best chance of ever escaping from Skellia."
Perda nodded. "Let's join friction."
She held out her hands. Zann touched his palm to hers.
Then he looked at Gliss and held out his other hand.
She still looked scared. But she joined her palms with the others.
"Stand in the middle of the circle," Zann told Darb. "And hang on to Zing."
Darb nodded. Grabbing the dragon, he ducked under his friends' arms.
"Ready?" Perda closed her eyes. "Protect!"
"Protect!" Zann and Gliss chorused.
Instantly they were surrounded by a glowing orange bubble.
"Let's hope this Shield spell is strong enough," Perda said.
"And let's hope Darb really can tell one gulper from another," Zann added.
"I'm pretty sure I can," Darb said.
"Pretty sure?" Gliss echoed. "Or really sure?"
"Just come on." Perda sounded impatient. "Over to the edge, everyone."
They shuffled to the edge of the balcony, still contained within the Shield bubble. "Wait," Gliss said. "What happens next?"
Perda rolled her eyes. She'd already explained her plan several times.
But when Zann looked at Gliss, he couldn't help feeling sorry for her. She looked really scared.
"We need to find that first gulper," he explained again.
"The one Darb recognized back on the beach."
"Right," Perda continued. "That gulper probably swallowed our wormhole, since it was the first one to arrive after we came through."
"And we already know that even the strongest magic can't destroy a wormhole," Zann went on.
"That means the wormhole will probably still be intact inside the gulper."
"At least for a while." Darb sounded nervous.
"If gulpers feed on magic energy, won't the wormhole be digested eventually?"
"That's why we shouldn't waste any more time talking about it," Perda said. "Let's go! One, two, three . . . Jump!"
As they all leaped off the balcony, Zann held his breath, hoping the Shield spell would hold.
Splash! The glowing bubble sank under the waves, but the water didn't get inside.
"It's working!" Perda cried. "We can still breathe!"
"Look out!" Darb pointed. "A gulper—and it's not the one we want!"
"Away!" Zann yelled, rubbing his hands together.
The bubble bounced away from the gulper.
"More are coming!" Gliss exclaimed.
"We have to find the original gulper," Perda cried. "Darb, do you see it?"
"I'm looking." Darb was peering through the glowing orange wall.
"There! I think that's the original gulper coming at us right now."
"It's going to swallow us!" Gliss shrieked.
"That's the whole idea," Perda reminded her.
But her voice shook a little as she said it.
Zann didn't blame them for being scared.
He felt his own throat go dry with fear as the gulper swam closer, its enormous mouth gaping open, ready to swallow the entire group. Gulp!
"Aah!" Zann cried as they were sucked into the gulper's mouth.
For a moment he couldn't see anything.
The inside of the gulper was dark and slimy.
"It looks like they don't only eat magic," Perda said, wrinkling her nose at the smell.
"They eat fish and other stuff too."
"Does anyone see the wormhole?" Gliss asked.
"There it is!" Darb pointed.
Zann spun around and saw the wormhole glowing in the darkness.
"Hurry!" he cried. "It looks kind of weak already!"
"Quick, everybody join hands," Perda said.
Zann grabbed Perda's hand. She grabbed Gliss' hand, and Gliss grabbed Darb's. Darb picked up Zing.
Then Zann touched the side of the bubble. "Is everybody ready?"
When the others nodded, he muttered, "Dissipate."
He quickly sucked in a deep breath of air as the Shield spell bubble disappeared.
The kids were plunged into watery coldness.
Without the orange glow of the bubble, it was even harder to see.
But the wormhole threw off a faint glow of its own.
Zann kicked his feet, moving himself through the water with his free hand.
Soon he felt the wormhole tugging at him. Its pull was surprisingly strong—so strong that he felt his hand slipping away from Perda's!
"No!" He screamed, accidentally sucking in a mouthful of the disgusting water.
Perda quickly restored the shackles that had bound their arms together back in Magica, and Zann felt his arm clamped safely to hers.
A moment later the wormhole sucked them in, pressing all the breath from their bodies for a second before tossing them into the rushing whirl of the vortex.
As Zann tumbled head over heels, he heard a sharp scream behind him.
He glanced back just in time to see Gliss lose her grip on Perda's hand.
"No!" Gliss shrieked.
A second later she, Darb, and Zing were swept away out of sight!