Gabriel Stone and the Divinity of Valta Read Online Free Page B

I’m going in,” Gabriel said firmly. “I’m the one who pushed him. “Hey, Piper!”
    There was no answer.
    “Piper, come back,” Brent called. “Gabe’s going in to try to find Cedric.”
    Still nothing.
    A sickening feeling grew in the pit of Gabriel’s stomach. He tried pushing it back down, and to quiet the screaming in his brain.
    Zigzag howled, sensing the tension. Gabriel and Brent bolted to where Piper had been only moments before. She was gone. Just … gone. They stared at one another.
    In the next moment, they jumped into the icy water. Zigzag flopped right in behind them. Swimming behind the waterfalls, they searched for Piper and Cedric. The water crashed down on some ice chunks, sending icy water spraying over them.
    Brent’s forehead creased. “Where are they?” he yelled over the sounds of the thundering water slapping around them.
    Gabriel couldn’t answer. A powerful pull tugged on his legs. Something—or someone—tried to yank him under the water.
    “Help!” Gabriel fought to stay above the water. He caught a glimpse of Brent struggling, too. Pulse racing, he grasped the crystal and took a deep breath, just before being hauled under the water. For what seemed like an eternity, he spun around, jerked down hard, as if he was being sucked down a funnel. He struggled against it, but he couldn’t resurface.
    Then, as if blasted from a cannon, he shot up to the surface. Brent popped up right behind him. They gasped for air. Gabriel’s limbs felt like wet noodles. The water still swirled and frothed all around them, but it was warmer, and the ice had disappeared.
    “Guys, grab this!” Piper thrust a big branch in front of them.
    They grasped the branch and Piper tugged them in until they climbed out of the pool and collapsed on the ground. A few feet away, Zigzag’s wet head surfaced. Gabriel smiled as she jumped out of the river and shook like a washing machine on spin cycle. She flopped beside him, panting.
    “What in the world, dude?” gasped Brent.
    “That’s just it, Brent,” Piper whispered. She gaped at something over Gabriel’s shoulder. “I don’t think we’re in our world anymore.”

Chapter Four
    Gabriel followed Piper’s gaze as her head moved slowly to the right. Huge mountains covered in sparkling gold dust towered in the distance, but before he could notice any more, his eyes fell on the humanoid-looking creature just feet away. It stood on two feet like a person, and had massive ears that were almost half as big as its body. A dozen glowing eyes floated around its head in a perfect circle. Gabriel blinked and shook his head. Brent rubbed his eyes, looking pale.
    The odd creature strolled up to a short bush with multi-colored branches. The branches held a mix of orange, yellow, and green berries. Even though the stumpy creature stretched to its tip-toes, it still couldn’t reach the yellow berries at the top of the bush. It stomped its foot and grumbled.
    Brent gasped.
    Gabriel reached over to cover his friend’s mouth, but it was too late. The creature wiggled its massive ears, then widened all of its eyes at once and peered directly at them. It released a shrill scream, an inhuman sound. Zigzag took off after it, barking.
    “Ziggy, no!” Gabriel yelled, but his voice was swallowed by the sharp screams.
    Just as Zigzag reached the creature, it yanked an oval-shaped device from its pocket, fumbling its fingers over a dial, before jabbing its pointer finger into a button on the device. The creature vanished into thin air. Zigzag ran around the bush, sniffing the ground where it had just been.
    Gabriel jumped to his feet. “What the heck was that?”
    “I d-don’t know,” Piper stammered. “Look around. I … I don’t even know where we are!”
    Gabriel’s eyes darted over the vast, lush landscape. His insides tumbled with fear. What will I see next? More multi-colored trees and shimmering gold mountains spread across the landscape, and Gabriel wondered