Read The Pillars of Ponderay for Free Online Page B

and presents all around, maybe even some fake falling snow.
    â€œI’ll wait for you guys out here,” Petra said, waving Hydra through the open door. He looked into the room with longing, and Albert remembered how badly Petra wanted to be a Balance Keeper.
    â€œIt’s great to see you, buddy,” Albert said. Petra smiled as Hydra disappeared into the room.
    The door shut behind them and memories flooded into Albert’s mind at the sight of this place. As they rounded the corner into another towering cave, Albert saw the Waterfall of Fate.
    It spilled from the ceiling, pouring glittering bluewater into a deep pool below. Beneath the surface, thousands of Tiles were waiting for new Balance Keepers to come and claim them. Albert remembered the feeling of swimming deep down, stretching his arms to try and grab a Tile. He remembered the strange feeling he got when his fingers closed around the Master Tile, and the way his dad had looked at him when he’d emerged from the water.
    â€œAlbert!”
    His dad’s voice drew him from his thoughts, and Albert ran across the cave. He almost tackled his dad in a giant hug, totally losing his cool. But hey, they hadn’t seen each other in months. Sometimes it was okay to act like a little kid again, even for world-saving, Master Tile–wielding Balance Keepers.
    â€œI knew you’d make it safely here,” Professor Flynn said. He pulled away from the hug and smiled down at his son. He had the same three freckles on his nose as Albert, the same messy mouse-brown hair (only with flecks of gray). Professor Flynn wore his usual glittering green Professor’s outfit, but Albert loved that in his eyes, his dad still held the magic of youth.
    â€œThe IceBlitzer was awesome!” Albert said, grinning. “You should have seen the air I was getting on that thing! Best. Present. Ever .”
    Professor Flynn laughed. “Well, it was the least I could do. I hated to miss you at the airport, but”—he spread hisarms wide—“the Core needed me here.”
    â€œYeah, I know,” Albert said. “I’ve been monitoring the tremors. Which Realm is acting up?”
    â€œIt’s Ponderay, isn’t it?” Leroy asked.
    Professor Flynn nodded. “Very good, Leroy. Ponderay hasn’t acted up in hundreds of years. Not even a hint of an Imbalance. I’m afraid we here in the Core have taken its peaceful state for granted and have thus found ourselves quite unprepared to deal with this Imbalance.”
    â€œIf there’s an Imbalance for real,” Albert said, realizing that his suspicions about the tremors had been correct all along, “then that means what’s happening off the coast of California is because of Ponderay.”
    Professor Flynn nodded.
    A lump formed in Albert’s throat. “But Mom and the kids are in California! They’re in danger. We should tell them, and get them out of there.”
    Professor Flynn put a hand on Albert’s shoulder. “Everyone is in danger, Albert, just like last term. You know, as well as I do, that we can never share the news of the Core. This simply means that we must train harder than ever before. If we do our job right, your mom and everyone else in California will be okay.”
    Birdie stepped forward, her arms crossed over her chest. “You called us here, even though we’re the First Unit for Calderon. So does this mean . . .”
    â€œAs one of the highest-ranking teams from last term,you have been called here to do an emergency training session in case we need another team to enter the Realm behind the Ponderay First Unit,” Professor Flynn said.
    â€œYES!” Birdie fist-pumped the air. Leroy sighed and adjusted his glasses, but there was a ghost of a smile on his lips. Albert felt a flutter of excitement in his gut, but he couldn’t celebrate like the others. That was twice in one year that his family was in danger