The Mirror-Knights close the circle. They do not speak. They move like machines. Each knight has a body made of jagged glass. In their chests, the kids see their own faces. Everett looks at a knight and sees himself. But his reflection looks small. It looks like a boy who is lost.
"Do not look at the glass!" Clara warns. She holds her book high. "They show you your doubts. They want you to feel weak."
"I do not feel weak!" Audacia yells.
She raises her heavy oak shield. She runs at the nearest knight. She is fast, just like she is in the backyard. She slams her shield into the knight's chest.
CLANG!
The knight does not fall. It is solid. It pushes Audacia back. Audacia skids on the red dust. She breathes hard, but she does not quit.
"My sword does not hit them," Everett says. He swings his blade of light. The blade passes through the knight like it is hitting a ghost. "They are made of reflections!"
The Mirror-Knights raise their glass shards. They prepare to strike. The air is cold around them.
Robbie reaches into his leather bag. He pulls out the Blue Ball. The marble is very bright now. It pulses with a warm, rainbow light.
"The Ball!" Robbie shouts. "It is the opposite of the mirrors!"
Clara flips the pages of her book. The gold ink shines. "Rule Number Six!" she cries. "Rule Number Six says: Truth is a light that breaks the dark!"
Everett understands. He looks at the Blue Ball in Robbie's hand. He looks at his own sword. He touches the tip of his sword to the glowing marble.
A spark of blue fire jumps from the marble to the sword. The blade is no longer just light. It is solid. It hums with power.
"Now!" Everett shouts.
He swings his sword at the Mirror-Knight. This time, the blade hits.
CRACK!
The glass knight shatters into a thousand tiny pieces. The pieces fall to the red dirt. They turn into simple sand.
Audacia sees this and grins. She touches her shield to the Blue Ball. Her shield starts to glow with a soft gold light. She charges again. She hits another knight. The knight breaks like a window.
"It works!" Robbie cheers. He holds the marble high.
The light from the Blue Ball hits the remaining Mirror-Knights. They do not like the light. They shrink back. They cover their glass faces.
"Begone!" Everett commands. He steps forward. He is not a boy in a red towel anymore. He is a leader.
The last three knights turn and run. They disappear into the shadows of the red rocks. The valley is quiet again. The only sound is the bubbling of the distant lava.
Everett puts his sword in its scabbard. He looks at his friends. Their armor is dusty. Their faces are red from the heat. But they are safe.
"We win," Robbie says. He puts the marble back in his bag. "Our first battle."
"It is only the beginning," Clara says. She looks at the black tower in the distance. "The Citadel is far. We have many rules to follow before we get there."
"Then let's go," Audacia says. She adjusts her shield. "The Captain is ready."
The four knights walk across the Crimson Plains. They move toward the mountains. They stay close together. They know that the Dragon Egomania is watching. He knows now that the Chosens are real.
The wind whispers through the rocks. It sounds like the word ego. But the kids do not listen. They listen to the sound of their own footsteps, marching as one.