I wish I could fly.
Several large female turnfins left their roosts and fluttered around Eva, their tiny claws pricking her arms and shoulders as they landed on her. In unison they flapped and rose.
Eva’s feet slowly lifted from the roof of the shanty. Her white hair danced around her face as she watched Loroc retreating from the attacking birds. The turnfins carried Eva away as the red sun sank into the horizon, soaking the world in darkness.
EPILOGUE
Eva Nine sat on the bough of a wandering tree as night cooled the land. The tree was traveling south on the border where the salt flats met the Wandering Forest. Eva had instructed the tree, like the turnfins, to carry her far from Rovender, Otto, and the Halcyonus, for fear that Loroc would give chase. She waited for a warship or a warbot to come blasting out of the forest in ambush, but none came.
What do I do now? Eva had hoped Arius would have answers. She had hoped Arius would still be alive. “Arius, can you hear me?” she called out.
There was no response.
I need to help Rovender, but the Halcyonus all hate me. I could go warn Zin and Queen Ojo, but I’m sure they are aware of Cadmus’s attack by now. I can’t go back to New Attica. . . . Where do I go?
As she looked out and watched the fog roll in from Lake Concors, Eva sensed something. It was a feeling. A signal coming from far out in the salt flats.
Danger.
She stood up and scanned the horizon. In the murk she saw nothing, though the feeling was stronger now. Several voices, feral and different from any she had ever heard, were on the prowl and closing in on their prey.
“Will you please follow them?” she asked the tree. The wandering tree obliged and ambled out onto the flats.
Before long Eva noticed largish creatures running through the fog past the trunk of the tree. She peered over the edge of the bough but saw little detail. Their movement reminded her of sand-snipers, but these creatures were smaller. Eva hopped down to one of the tree’s lower branches for a clearer view.
Who are you? She thought out to the creatures.
We hunt. We eat. We share, many voices replied.
One of the creatures ran by. It looked somewhat like a small pale-patterned sand-sniper.
Out in the fog Eva could hear their clicking calls. She also made out the distinct sound of scratching—like claws scuttling on metal.
What are you eating? she asked.
We open. The egg. We eat, the creatures replied.
The wandering tree approached the creature’s prey.
It was the Bijou.
The ship had crash-landed on the flats and was now crawling with a dozen ghostly white sand-snipers. The creatures were snapping at the hull with their powerful graspers and yanking off pieces of the ship in an attempt to enter it.
“No!” Eva jumped down from the tree. There is no food here for you. Only danger. Disperse!
The ghost-snipers scurried off the ship and disappeared into the fog. Eva could hear them chittering and circling just beyond her vision. She listened to their voices. They were planning another invasion on the ship once more snipers arrived. Eva was not sure if she would be able to hold them all off.
“Wait here,” she said, and patted the trunk of the tree. Then she ran off toward the Bijou.
The smoldering ship was on its side with its landing gear extended. The hull was riddled with bullet holes and covered in thick gunky foam. Through the cracked windshield Eva could see sparking wires in the cockpit. She ran over to the entry ramp. The ramp was cracked open and crates were spilling out, blocking any entry. “Hailey! Hailey! Are you in there?” Eva called. She put her arms inside the open ramp and tried to push the crates aside.
A hand from within grabbed hers, and a muffled voice called out, “Eva?”
One of the crates tumbled away, revealing a bruised and battered teenage pilot.
“Hailey Turner.” Eva helped him out of the wreckage. “Am I glad to see you.”
“Me too.” Hailey limped out from the ship. “Remind me to tell Vanpa he was right about Cadmus.”
Eva laughed despite the situation. She sensed more ghost-snipers gathering in the fog. “Come with me,” she said, helping Hailey over to the tree.
“You look different, Eva. Did you change again?” Hailey studied her in the moonlight.
“Yeah, I did change.” Eva pushed her white bangs from her eyes. She thought about all that she had been through since she’d first met the pilot. “But this is me. The real me.”
Hailey smiled and stroked her hair. “I like it. It suits you.”
Eva climbed up onto the nearest branch and reached out with her hand. Taking it, Hailey hoisted himself up next to her. The wandering tree meandered away from the wrecked Bijou and into the fog of the night.
End of
BOOK II
THE ORBONIAN ALPHABET
A common alphabet is used by the inhabitants of Orbona. The chart that follows is the key to unlocking their written language. The main alphabet consists of thirty-two characters (as opposed to the English alphabet, which comprises twenty-six), and many of these are derived from symbols of familiar objects, actions, or ideas. They are shown in alphabetical order with the compound letters at the end, although this is not the order Orbonians would use. Orbonians would align similar symbols alongside one another so that their youth could identify different characteristics more easily.
Capital letters are larger versions of the lower-case letters. Proper nouns use a large version of the letter with the remainder of the word written to the right of it, as can be seen here in the word “Lacus”:
There are many shortcut symbols for small words like “of” and “the,” both of which are included on the chart. However, the focus here is on the main alphabet so that readers may be able to decipher Orbonian writing in this and future books.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Just as Eva Nine has transformed and matured as a character, I feel that I too have grown as her storyteller. And, like Eva, I needed help from my friends to do it.
As always, I thank my ever-faithful managers, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Julie Kane-Ritsch, as well as publicist Maggie Begley, who have continued their unending support for this story, for me, and for all that I do.
I can’t express my gratitude to the team at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers quite enough. Jon Anderson, Justin Chanda, and Anne Zafian continue to inspire me with their incredible enthusiasm and passion for quality bookmaking. Of course my editor, the always-vigilant David Gale, helped guide me through the harrowing plot of this second book in the trilogy.
I am indebted to my two story gurus, Steve Berman and Heidi Stemple, who aided me with those adventurous turns and momentous twists that needed the extra attention. Trusted friends Holly Gibson-Fischer; Rob Carlo; (the illuminating) Paige Kelley; and my assistant, Ashley Valentine, offered feedback and cheered me on.
I enjoyed enlightening conversations with old friends like Jeff Miracola, Jim Gaynor, and Colin McComb, who provided ideas for aspects of Eva Nine and New Attica. Additionally, I had inspiring story discussions with Ari Berk and Chase Palmer. I am grateful to you all for taking the time to talk.
While the words and plot slowly came into focus for Eva and company, my sketchbook began to fill with visions of futuristic cities and alien landscapes. Scott Fischer was with me every step of the way, critiquing and offering creative solutions. The digital aspect of the illustrations was completed with the help of the diligent David White. All of this was done under the guidance of my effervescent art director, Lizzy Bromley. I am proud to share the art in this book and for that I thank you all.
Lastly, I must thank my two heroes—my wife, Angela, and my daughter, Sophia. Your love and support kept me going day in and day out. I could not have cre
ated this without you. You are my WondLa.
Never abandon imagination.
TONY DITERLIZZI WOULD LIKE TO THANK
EVERYONE AT SIMON & SCHUSTER WHO WORKED
ON A Hero for WondLa:
President
JON ANDERSON
Publisher
JUSTIN CHANDA
Deputy Publisher
ANNE ZAFIAN
Editorial
DAVID GALE
NAVAH WOLFE
Design
LIZZY BROMLEY
TOM DALY
Managing Editorial/Copyediting
AMY BARTRAM
DOROTHY GRIBBIN
JENICA NASWORTHY
Production
MICHELLE KRATZ
Marketing
LAURA ANTONACCI
CHARLIE CORTS
MICHELLE FADLALLA
HOLLY NAGEL
CHRISSY NOH
MATT PANTOLIANO
LUCILLE RETTINO
COLIN RILEY
DAWN RYAN
ELKE VILLA
VENESSA WILLIAMS
Publicity
PAUL CRICHTON
ANNA MCKEAN
Sales
TERESA BRUMM
JIM CONLIN
MARY FARIA
VICTOR IANNONE
JERRY JENSEN
BRIAN KELLEHER
LORELEI KELLY
KAREN LAHEY
MARY MAROTTA
CHRISTINA PECORALE
LYNDA WOJCIK
Subsidiary Rights
NICHOLE BEAULIEU
JACQUELINA GUTIERREZ
DEANE NORTON
SY SUNG
STEPHANIE VOROS
Legal
VERONICA JORDAN
KATHLEEN NOLAN
JENNIFER WEIDMAN
Supply Chain
CHARLES MELTON
IAN REILLY
Audio
CHRIS LYNCH
ELISA SHOKOFF
LOUISA SOLOMON
CHRISTINA ZARAFONITIS
TONY DITERLIZZI is the visionary mind that conceived of the Spiderwick Chronicles. He has been creating books with Simon & Schuster for more than a decade. From fanciful picture books like The Spider and the Fly (a Caldecott Honor) to young chapter books like Kenny and the Dragon, Tony has always imbued his stories with a rich imagination. His series the Spiderwick Chronicles (with Holly Black) has sold millions of copies worldwide and was adapted into a feature film.
Inspired by stories by the likes of the Brothers Grimm, James M. Barrie, and L. Frank Baum, The Search for WondLa series is a new fairy tale for the twenty-first century.
Books by TONY DITERLIZZI
THE SEARCH FOR WONDLA
JIMMY ZANGWOW’S OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD
MOON-PIE ADVENTURE
TED
THE SPIDER AND THE FLY
Written by Mary Howitt
G IS FOR ONE GZONK!
KENNY AND THE DRAGON
ADVENTURE OF MENO
by Tony DiTerlizzi and Angela DiTerlizzi
BIG FUN!
WET FRIEND!
YUMMY TRIP!
UH-OH SICK!
THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES
by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES
THE FIELD GUIDE
THE SEEING STONE
LUCINDA’S SECRET
THE IRONWOOD TREE
THE WRATH OF MULGARATH
ARTHUR SPIDERWICK’S FIELD GUIDE TO
THE FANTASTICAL WORLD AROUND YOU
CARE AND FEEDING OF SPRITES
BEYOND THE
SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES
THE NIXIE’S SONG
A GIANT PROBLEM
THE WYRM KING