Benji took cautious steps, testing his weight on the sand before committing. The practice made for slow going. A third of the way up the dune, his methodical steps started limiting his progress, because he backslid almost as much as he advanced. At least he wasn’t sinking.

  He made his way laterally instead of climbing, still testing the sand as he went, coming back toward the front of the dune rather than looping around to the far side. After traveling sideways, he began slowly advancing upward again, apparently having found a firmer slope.

  He came to a standstill about halfway to the summit. He moved laterally again, sliding down a little as he edged sideways. Every time he tried to ascend, rivulets of sand trickled down beneath him, undermining his efforts.

  Benji backed down the slope a few steps, then began to sink. Until now, the sand had only been ankle-deep, but suddenly it was up to his knees.

  “Careful, Benji!” Zac shouted. “You’ve got this.”

  Slowly and deliberately, Benji edged to the right. The sand was now at mid-thigh. He tried to gingerly move forward and sank to his hips. “I think I’m in trouble,” Benji cried, an edge of panic in his tone. “It’s like the sand went soft everywhere.”

  “Keep perfectly still!” Zac shouted.

  Benji complied, not moving a muscle. “I’m still slowly sinking!”

  “Lay flat,” Zac coached.

  Benji tried to retreat down the hill but sank to his waist. “I’ll try to lay flat,” he yelled, panic overtaking him. He leaned back into the sand, and it closed around him until only his head remained above. “Didn’t help! Not a great technique! Oh, no. This was a mistake! Once the sand starts to feel like liquid, you’re trapped. The more I strain, the tighter it grips, always pulling me downward.”

  Only part of his face was above the sand. He was still sinking. “Sorry, guys. Tell my mom and da—”

  His lips sank beneath the sand. A moment later, no part of him was visible.

  “Benji!” Zac screamed. “No! Benji!”

  Nate watched silently, feeling sick inside. Where had Benji gone? How long could Benji breathe under the sand? Would any air filter through?

  Zac turned to Nate and Summer. “We have to help him.”

  “If we try to climb the dune, won’t we sink just like he did?” Summer asked.

  “What can we do?” Zac cried. He wheeled on Khabib. “Where did he go?”

  “He is now part of the desert,” Khabib said.

  “How many tickets for a rope?” Zac snapped. “How many coins?”

  “There is no rope,” Khabib said.

  “We have to dig him out,” Zac demanded.

  Khabib gestured at the dune. “You are welcome to try.”

  Zac stood panting, tears in his eyes. He shuffled over to Nate and Summer. “We can’t help him. There’s nothing to do.”

  “I don’t see how to rescue him,” Nate said, his eyes stinging.

  Zac sat down on the ceramic tiles and buried his face in his hands.

  Summer crouched and wrapped an arm around him.

  “He might not be dead,” Zac mumbled. “This is a carnival. How long could it stay open if it kills customers? Preston told me the carnival is designed to feel like a grand adventure. He mentioned traps that seem lethal but really just mean you’re out of the game.”

  “What are you saying?” Summer asked.

  “Kind of like your turn is over,” Zac said. “I didn’t really understand what he meant.”

  “So Benji might be safe in some underground room?” Summer asked. “With other contestants who lost?”

  “I don’t know,” Zac said, eyes teary. “Maybe. I hope so.”

  “Or he’s dead,” Nate said.

  “Roller coasters are meant to scare you, not kill you,” Zac said. “I hate not knowing. We shouldn’t have come here. It wasn’t worth the risk.”

  “We had to come,” Nate said. “And we still have to get that key.”

  “I can try it with the Clown Lips,” Summer offered.

  “No,” Nate said. “I should try with the Cannon Blast. I should have thought of it earlier. Maybe I can shoot all the way to the top.”

  “You don’t know the range,” Summer said. “You might fall short. If you hit a soft spot in the sand, you’ll probably disappear instantly.”

  “The candy gives me a better chance than trying to run up the slope,” Nate said.

  “Why did you let Benji try?” Zac asked bitterly.

  “He seemed confident,” Nate said. “Taking it slow was a good idea.”

  “Until it wasn’t,” Zac said.

  Nate went to the counter. “Khabib, is the key that little black line poking up from the top of the dune?”

  “Yes,” Khabib said.

  “I want to walk around the whole dune before I try,” Nate said. “Make sure there isn’t a better approach.”

  “Be my guest,” Khabib said. “If I were taking the risk, I would do the same.”

  Nate ventured onto the scalding sand. He stepped carefully, keeping away from the base of the dune. Hiking in the sand was plodding work, but at least he generally stayed on the surface. It took several minutes to get all the way around the dune. The back side was roughly the same steepness as the front. The sides were a little less steep, which was presumably why Benji had started there.

  When Nate returned to the canopied area, he approached Khabib. “I want to try next.”

  “The opportunity is yours,” Khabib replied.

  Nate took the Cannon Blast from his pocket. He looked at Summer. “I’m going to try to clear the dune. There are more dunes behind it. If make it over the top, I’ll grab the key as I go by. I only have one shot. If I fall short, I’ll do my best to scramble up the rest of the way.”

  “Be careful,” Zac said. “We already lost one of us.”

  “This strategy is the opposite of careful,” Nate said.

  He popped the candy in his mouth. It was sweet with a hot tang. His body tingled with energy, as if all his cells were vibrating. The feeling intensified as Nate moved toward the dune. Nate remembered Preston’s instructions: aim, bite down, launch.

  Finding the angle he wanted, Nate halted a few paces from the base of the dune. He stared up at the thin black key projecting from the top. He visualized himself flying just over the skeleton key, within reach, but clearing the summit. Staring at the space just above the key, Nate bit down.

  He shot skyward, accelerating instantaneously, the passing air a hurricane in his ears. The face of the dune blurred beneath him as he rocketed upward, reaching the summit with alarming abruptness. Arms outstretched, he intended to grab his target with both hands, but he barely got one hand around the key as he soared over the apex, stealing it from the sandy peak.

  Having overtopped the dune, Nate continued to climb, soaring in a long arc toward a larger mountain of sand. He almost cleared the second dune but clipped the top with an explosion of sand. He tumbled wildly down most of the far side.

  When Nate came to a rest, the skeleton key remained in his grasp. The shaft of the key was six inches long, with complicated teeth at the end.

  For another moment, his body felt heavy and strong. Striking the top of the dune had not hurt, nor had flipping and cartwheeling down the far slope. Every detail had seemed sharp and vivid. His senses and reflexes must have sped up during the flight, because he could now sense them returning to normal. Or maybe it was just the adrenaline subsiding.

  Nate sat up. Walking back to his friends would be a slog. He had better get started. The others would be worried.

  He stood up and brushed copious amounts of sand off his clothing. Striding along the slope of the dune parallel to the ground, Nate planned to walk around the sand heap rather than over the crest. He could barely hear Summer and Zac shouting his name, so he yelled an answer.

  “I’m all right! I got the key!”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Lux

  Trevor and Pigeon were waiting at the three-story carousel when Nate, Zac, and Summer arrived. The carousel spun behind them, music chiming, animals rising and falling like pistons. Despite the bright sun overhead, the day seemed cool compared to the desert heat.

  “Where’s Benji?” Trevor asked.

  From the look on his face, Nate thought Zac might start crying again, but he held it together.

  “We lost Benji,” Zac said. “He drowned in quicksand.”

  “Wait,” Pigeon said. “He’s gone? Like, dead?”

  “We hope not,” Zac said. “It isn’t like we saw a body. He might still be alive. I heard there are traps in the carnival that aren’t as deadly as they seem. Sort of a way to weed out contestants.”

  “Sounds demented either way,” Trevor said.

  “There was nothing we could do to save him without getting sucked under too,” Zac said.

  “Wow, this just got heavy,” Trevor said.

  “I think it was always heavy,” Nate said. “Reality is finally catching up with us.”

  “Reality?” Zac laughed bitterly. “Benji went into some secret desert dimension at a traveling carnival and disappeared. How is anyone supposed to believe that? There is no good explanation for what happened. He’s probably just going to be listed as another ‘missing person,’ and we might never really know what happened to him.”

  “I hope he’s going to turn up,” Pigeon said.

  “You were in a desert dimension?” Trevor asked.

  “Yeah,” Summer said. She explained how they’d gotten to the Dune Hunt game, and Nate showed them the skeleton key he’d pulled from the sand.

  “I wish I’d used my Cannon Blast before Benji had tried to hike up the side,” Nate said.

  “I think I’m done,” Pigeon said, taking a few steps backward. “I don’t want to be at a carnival where kids vanish.”

  Summer nodded. “This place is twisted. No game should kill people—or pretend to kill them.”

  “Maybe we should tell John what we’ve learned and let the pros take it from here,” Trevor said.

  Zac stared stoically.

  Nate studied his friends. They looked tired and scared. He was in turmoil as well. It was one thing to have risky adventures. It was something else to lose a friend. Maybe they were right.

  Nate rubbed his forehead. He had tried not to think about how hard Benji had fought to stay above the sand. But now the horror returned. Benji had gone under because he went first. They lost him because he was brave.

  Would similar bravery get them all killed? Nate scowled. If they hadn’t taken some risks to resist Belinda White and her brother, Jonas, their town would have been destroyed. Maybe even the world. Was quitting the best way to honor Benji’s memory?

  They had the skeleton key. But John and the other pros couldn’t enter the carnival. If Nate couldn’t do it, the Council would have to recruit some other kid.

  Would any other kid see it through?

  Nate sighed. “Pidge, guys, you’ve already risked so much. We’re not playing games here. This is life and death. We got the skeleton key, and one person might be enough to finish this. Mozag gave me a job to do, and I’m going to see it through, even if it gets me killed. If we don’t stop this carnival, it’ll be everywhere soon. And others will die or be lost or go missing. Losing Benji is a nightmare. But if I don’t put that out of my head for now, I could lose everybody I care about.”

  Summer looked at Trevor, Pigeon, and Zac. “I’m staying with Nate.”

  “If anyone is staying, I’m here too,” Zac said.

  “Your chances go up with more help,” Trevor said. “I’m in.”

  “There isn’t much of a choice,” Pigeon said heavily. “I don’t want this for any of us. But if we don’t do it, who will?”

  “It’s going to be rough,” Nate said. “What are our assets?”

  “Pidge and I got some candy!” Trevor said. “Preston sold them to us for three Carnie Coins. Mine is a Drip Drop. When I use it, I’ll be able to turn my body to liquid so I can fit through tight spaces while also avoiding damage. Sounds pretty cool.”

  “I got a Statue Stick,” Pigeon said. “When I eat it, I turn into a statue of myself. The material of the statue will match whatever I’m holding in my left hand. I remain a statue until I drop what’s in my hand.”

  “You eat the candy and just stand there?” Nate asked.

  “No, it’s a living statue,” Pigeon said. “I can move around.”

  “Let’s hope the statue can move fast,” Zac muttered.

  “Are we ready for the Fun House?” Summer asked.

  “Almost,” Nate said. “Sandra warned that the sleepers are guarded. We’ll need to be prepared for anything. I want to buy another Cannon Blast. And Zac should get something too.”

  “You’re talking about the shop above the Swindler?” Zac asked.

  “Yeah,” Nate said.

  “I know a better place to get candy,” Zac said. “Have you heard of the Lux Lounge?”

  The other kids shook their heads.

  “I met with some of my sponsors at the carnival yesterday while you guys were gone,” Zac said. “They’re really jazzed about my videos and how attendance is growing because of them. As a perk, they told me about the Lux Lounge. I checked it out without Benji. It’s the luxury club inside the carnival. They have a bunch of magic candy available, and it’s only one Carnie Coin each.”

  “Whoa, why didn’t you mention this earlier?” Summer asked.

  Zac smiled. “I was going to, but you guys never came back, remember?”

  “Did you already buy some candy?” Trevor asked.

  “A little,” Zac said. “I think Nate is right that going after the sleepers will be dangerous. We should load up.”

  “Where is this lounge?” Nate asked.

  Zac glanced at the carousel. “Why do you think I wanted to meet here?”

  Zac led the others to get in line.

  “Do they have Cannon Blasts at the Lux Lounge?” Nate asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Zac said. “There seemed to be a big variety, but I’m new to the world of magical candy. If they don’t have what you want, we can always go back to the other shop.”

  The carousel stopped. After the riders got off, the line surged forward. When the gate closed, Nate and his friends stopped about twenty riders from the front.

  “Next go-round,” Trevor said.

  “It’s good we’re toward the front of the line,” Zac said. “We need a specific booth.”

  “A booth?” Summer prompted.

  “See the four booths on the second floor?” Zac asked. “Decorated kind of like carriages?”

  “Sure,” Nate said. “Behind the animals against the inner wall of the carousel.”

  The carousel started turning, music playing.

  “There are two benches inside each booth,” Zac said. “They’ll sit four—six, if you squish. We’ll fit fine. I think they’re for old people who don’t want to go up and down on an animal. You can see there’s a red booth, and also blue, yellow, and green. We want the green one.”

  “Let me guess,” Pigeon said. “Coin slot.”

  “Coin slot plus a trick,” Zac said. “Even then you can be turned away. But I have official access. Same with anyone I bring inside.”

  The carousel slowed to a standstill, and the riders exited. The gate at the front of the line opened. Everyone who went through paid three tickets. Most people rushed to claim horses, frogs, storks, or honeybees on level one. Zac hustled up to the second level and went to the green booth. Nate was pretty sure they were the first riders to choose a booth over an elk or a dolphin.

  The interior of the booth was cozy, if a little hot and stuffy. Zac produced a Carnie Coin and inserted it into a slot down by their feet. A jester’s face was embossed on the wall of the booth adjoining the inner wall of the carousel. When Zac pressed both eyes of the face, a door swung inward, revealing a small room and the top of a staircase.

  Zac went first into the room, then, after the others came through, he closed the door. Posh red carpeting softened the floor and continued down the stairs, where white walls and a shiny brass railing curved downward.

  “No point in waiting,” Zac said, leading the way down.

  “How many secrets does this carnival have?” Summer muttered.

  The staircase circled down through at least ten full corkscrews before opening into a lavish lobby. Rich carpeting cushioned every step. An intricate coffered ceiling and paneled walls added sophistication. Stately busts gazed out from niches lined with ornate molding. Water babbled in numerous small fountains. One looked like a floating pitcher pouring endlessly into a basin.

  Wearing a tuxedo, Preston Wilder stood behind a podium on the far side of the lobby. Zac escorted the others to him.

  “Hello, Zac,” Preston said warmly. “I see you brought some familiar faces.”

  “You just sold us candy above the Swindler’s place!” Pigeon said.

  “I get around,” Preston said, tugging on one sleeve of his coat. “Some people wonder if I have a twin.”

  Nate could see a large, elegant room beyond Preston. People were dressed fancy. “Do we need reservations?” he asked.

  Preston rolled his eyes. “Reservations are so middle-class. But the boys do need jackets.” He eyed the four boys, sizing them up. “Just one moment.” Preston stepped away and promptly returned with four sport coats on hangars. He handed one to each of them.

  “Do I need something?” Summer asked.

  “You’re perfect just as you are,” Preston replied smoothly.

  Nate put on the sport coat. Not only did it fit comfortably but it also worked with his jeans and T-shirt. The same appeared true for the other boys.