The seven warpers held hands in the underground prison. "We have to gather our magical reserves to do this right," Izzy explained. "You two are new to magic, and I've never been the best at using my energy wisely."

"And how do we do that?" Jodie asked.

"Um, well... good question."

Jodie looked at her, deadpan. "You mean you don't know?"

"Yes!" Izzy squeaked. "No. I-it's hard to explain. Meditation in this case is kinda like sleeping on fast forward. Concentrate on the feeling of magic inside you–"

Joe snapped his fingers. "The tiggly-wiggly"!

Fred furrowed his brow. "The wiggly what now?"

Izzy nodded. "Draw the tiggly-wiggly energy into the center of your being like a deep inhale, then let it out in a controlled breath. Think of what you want to happen, then force the tiggly-wiggly to make it possible."

Joe squared his shoulders. "Okay."

"Hold on," Samantha said. "You two understood… any of that?"

"I think so, actually," Jodie said, and Izzy couldn't help but grin. "Alright. I'm ready."

The three of them closed their eyes. Izzy let her mind go blank. The buzzing cicadas, smell of damp earth, and warmth of her friends' hands bled away until the only sensation left was the warmth of magic blooming in her gut. The soft drumming of pins and needles crept up her spine and spread throughout her body, humming to be unleased.

"I think I feel something," Jodie murmured.

"Good," Izzy said. "Now say, 'Iseray'."

The three of them repeated the command in unison. For a moment, nothing happened.

"I don't feel very floaty," Fred muttered. The others shushed him.

Izzy didn't feel floaty, either. Then, the ground drifted from her feet. Slowly but surely, the seven of them rose into the air, like bubbles in water approaching the surface. Izzy opened her eyes to see a green glow surrounding them, lighting the dark cavern.

Sam yelped. Fred started to cheer but a look from Samantha cut it short. Freddi screwed her eyes so tight it looked painful.

The vibrations in Izzy's gut gathered into a painful tug, but she bit the inside of her mouth and ignored the pain. They were ten feet away from the surface. Five. They were almost out, almost free–

"What is going on down there?!" A voice yelled from above.

Izzy's stomach hit the ground. A guard peered at them floating mid-air. He yelled and stumbled back.

Jodie screamed and the light dimmed around her. Their smooth ascension halted, and the seven of them wobbled in the air like a prop on a fishing line.

Before Izzy and Joe could right the group, Freddi opened her eyes and looked down. She shrieked and let go of Jodie and Sam's hands in a panic. The two managed to catch her before she fell, but the move made them dip. They hovered unsteadily as they bumped against the wall.

They were too close to fail now. Izzy gripped Samantha and Fred's hands tighter and pulled all her friends up the last few feet, pushing through the pain threatening to tear her gut.

Once they were all a few feet out of the hole, the magic sputtered out. They fell to the dusty ground in a heap on top of each other.

Izzy groaned in pain, but not from hitting the ground. The pins and needles were digging into her bones. Her magic was spent. She struggled to stand with the others.

"We made it?" Sam laughed in disbelief. "We made it! I can't believe we made it!"

"Freddi." Samantha helped her friend stand. "You can open your eyes now."

Freddi vehemently shook her head, her fingers covering her eyes. "N-no thank you. Never again!"

"N-not so fast!" The guard from earlier– apparently having recovered from his initial shock– brandished a spear at them. "I don't know what manner of magicians you are, but I will not allow you to escape!"

He charged, the tip of his spear aimed right at them.

They all yelled and jumped out the way, but Izzy was too slow. In an instant, the spear tip pointed right in her face.

Izzy held her hands in surrender. The guard, unimpressed, pushed into her until she was teetering on the edge of the hole. Her friends called her name in panic, but she barely heard them over her heart pounding in her ears. She caught herself from falling and stared at the spear tip, unable to think clearly.

The guard's spear lit up green and jerked violently to the side, dragging the man along with it. Izzy scrambled from the hole and noticed it was Joe controlling the spear. He zigzag his hands in all directions and flopped the guard around like a rag doll.

The guard let go of the spear at the wrong time and tumbled into the hole, landing with a thud.

Izzy stared at Joe in awe as the others went to check on the guard.

"He's okay!" Freddi called.

"But we won't be when he calls for backup," Fred said. "Let's run."

Samantha rubbed her chin in thought. "If I remember correctly, there's a temple dedicated to Isis near the palace where we can hide."

"Are you nuts?" Sam asked. "The palace is swarming with soldiers!"

"But the Ptolemies haven't used that temple in years. It'll be the last place they'll suspect us."

The group nodded in agreement, albeit some less enthusiastic than the others. They followed Samantha to the temple.

Sneaking back onto palace grounds was no easy task, but fortune was on their side. Samantha got turned around a few times and they would've been caught three times over if not for some convenient pillars and foliage to hide behind.

They finally came across the temple of Isis and ducked pasted the twin sphinxes guarding the entrance. Despite the warm night and the torches casting dim light along the walls, the inside was cold and somber– lack of use turning the air stagnant. In the center of the temple stood a statue of Isis, the once vibrant paint faded and cracked. The statue, Izzy thought, was a blend of Greek and Egyptian styles.

Izzy tore her attention from the statue, chastising herself for getting distracted during their prison break.

"Is it really safe to be here," Freddi asked, eyeing the statue as if it were spying on them.

"The Ptolemies tried to synchronize the culture and religion of Greece and Egypt," Sam explained, "but they still thought of themselves as Greek. So they should overlook this place. Right, Samantha?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, yeah. Of course."

"That's reassuring."

Samantha telling Sam to relax and his retort faded to the background. Izzy placed a tentative hand over her stomach. The pain from overexerting herself was still there, but not as prominent– as if the tear was healing itself. "Are you two feeling alright?" She asked Joe and Jodie.

Jodie nodded. "I'm fine."

"Me too," Joe groaned.

Izzy raised a brow at him.

"Okay. I'm a bit sore but it's no big deal. I think I pulled a magic muscle."

"Don't push yourself," Izzy said.

Joe waved away her concern. "I'll be fine. Besides, you're the one who pulled us out at the end. I should be saying that to you. You're the reason we escaped at all."

They smiled at each other, and Izzy's cheeks warmed from the compliment. "Well, it's not like I didn't have help. And you saved me back there, too."

"Yeah, but we still–"

"Alright!" Jodie said, grabbing everyone's attention. "Everyone's caught their breath. We need a plan."

There was a pregnant pause before Joe said, "We can't keep sneaking around with all seven of us. Eventually, we're gonna get caught and thrown into a worse hole."

"I shudder to imagine a worse hole," Samantha muttered.

"Let's split up," Fred suggested.

Sam clasped his hands together. "Great idea! That way, it'll take them twice as long to kill us!"

"Do you have a better idea?"

"... not really."

"They'll find out we escaped sooner or later." Jodie motioned to Freddi and Samantha. "We're more familiar with the palace. We'll make our way back to the guy's room and grab The Book. It should still be there."

"You all can't go," Sam said. "If you're caught, the group will be cut in half and we'll have no way to find you."

"And they'll would all be sitting ducks out here," Freddi said.

"I'll go with Jodie," Izzy said. The six of them stared at her, with Jodie the most concerned.

Izzy cleared her throat. "I-I mean, Jodie knows exactly where she left The Book. I could be back up. It would be the quickest way, right?"

There was another reason Izzy wanted to go. Of course she wanted to get The Book, save Cleopatra, and go home, but she also wanted to show Jodie that she was trustworthy. Izzy didn't go out of her way to befriend or impress people who didn't like her. She was used to people not liking her, but Jodie was Joe's cousin and something about that stung Izzy in a way she didn't recognize or like.

"Hold on," Joe said. "Are you sure you're alright to go? Getting us free seemed to take a lot out of you."

"I feel better now," Izzy said. It was mostly true. "As long as it's okay with you, Jodie."

After a while, Jodie nodded. "I guess that's fine."

Fred slung an arm over Izzy's shoulder. "You got nothing to worry about, princess. Izzy here knows all kinds of sick moves. She'll have your back."

Jodie rolled her eyes. "Fine. If Isadora and I aren't back in ten minutes—"

"Panic?" Freddi suggested.

"Preferably not, but panic if you must." Jodie motioned for Izzy to follow her. "Come on."

The two of them easily made their way to the boys sleeping chamber with Jodie leading the way. They stuck to the shadows as they snuck through gardens, hiding behind columns and statues. They circled the palace, crouching when it looked like someone was close to spotting them through a window.

Eventually, the Mediterranean came into view. "I remember the boys' room overlooked the bay," Jodie muttered. They came across the large circular window and Izzy stayed back as Jodie carefully peered in. "Aha!"

Right on Joe's bed was Jodie's satchel with The Book peaking out of it.

Jodie told Izzy to cover for her, then climbed into the window to retrieve her satchel. Izzy scanned the area around her. All was going smoothly until a figure came into view, a palace guard on patrol duty. He hadn't noticed Izzy, but she didn't want to stick around until he did.

Quickly, Izzy shimmied through the window and crashed on the floor.

Jodie whirled and glared at her, her satchel hung across her shoulder. "What are you doing?"

Two sets of approaching footsteps cut Izzy off before she could explain. The chamber had no doors. They couldn't sneak out before getting caught, so the two pushed themselves against the corner between the wall and Joe's bed to hide.

The footstep drew closer, and the voices more audible. "–sure about this dream, Your Majesty?"

It was Ahmose, Cleopatra's guard, addressing the Pharaoh. Izzy tried not to gulp loudly and get them caught.

"It was clear as day!" the Pharaoh insisted. "The serpent spoke to me. It confirmed my fears about the foreigners. They worked with Berenice to steal my Cleopatra away. The serpent said to save her I would have to sacrifice King Fred's priestess."

Izzy's heart sunk in terror. Jodie frowned and glanced at Izzy but didn't say anything.

"Get the priestess out of the pit and remove all her jewelry. The exchange will take place on the Pharos of Alexandria."

Their steps faded down the hall as quickly as they came, carrying their voices with them. Izzy spun her earrings with shaky fingers. "H-he's gonna trade me for Cleo based off a dream with a talking snake?" A look of dread washed over Jodie's face. "Let's get back to the others. At least we have a clue where Cleopatra might be." Jodie didn't seem doubtful of the Pharaoh's dream, which made Izzy more fearful. Not only did Berenice want her, but she (or whoever she was working with) wanted her earrings taken away. They were rose gold, but it sounded like the snake from the Pharaoh's dream didn't want her jewelry for itself. It gave more credence to Izzy's theory, but she really, really didn't like it.

The two girls made their escape out the window– Jodie followed by Izzy. On their way down, Jodie's footing slipped. She rolled her ankle fell on her rear. Her hand flew to cover her mouth, but not before she yelped in pain.

Izzy helped her up. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Jodie tried to stand on her own but winced when she put weight on her feet. "No! Not fine."

"Here." Izzy put an arm around her for support. "Lean on me. I got you."

Jodie shifted her weight to lean against Izzy and they made their way back to the temple.

They were about halfway to there before things went south.

The two rounded a corner and came face-to-face with a spear-carrying soldier. Izzy placed herself between him and Jodie. They were about ten feet apart but that didn't make the spear pointed at her chest any less intimidating.

"Priestess of Isis! By decree of the Pharaoh, I order you to come with me."

"You need to tell the Pharaoh he's being set up!" Izzy said.

He ignored her– of course– and charged.

What happened next was so impulsive, Izzy's dad would've had a heart attack on the spot.

Instead of dodging or begging for mercy or anything that would've been smart, she stepped out of the spear's way and grabbed the shaft mid-thrust. Izzy twisted the spear up and kicked him in the gut, wrenching the weapon from his hands.

The soldier stumbled back, but regained his ground and glared at her. He lunged at her. Izzy jumped out of his way and whapped him on his head hard with the shaft of the spear. He crumbled to the ground, face first.

Izzy rolled him over and made sure he was still breathing. He was. Izzy sighed in relief then turned to Jodie. She looked at Izzy equal parts amazed and shocked.

"Isadora, that was–"

"Don't tell the guys I did that," Izzy pleaded. "They still haven't let go of what I did to the guy holding the gun to my head."

Jodie shook her head, her stunned look replaced with a serious one. "We'll discuss that later. Right now we need to leave before he wakes up looking for us and his spear."

Izzy nodded and broke the spearhead off against the side of the palace, leaving her with an improper bo staff. She had no clue how to use one. There were bo staffs in her Tae Kwon Do classes she hadn't really used one before, but she'd seen the more advanced students do it. That would have to be enough practice for now. "Get on my back."

"It'll slow us down," Jodie protested.

Izzy shook her head. "I've carried Sam across a football field when he sprained his ankle before. This is nothing."

"But–"

"You can trust me. I promise."

Jodie frowned, like what Izzy said hurt her. Izzy was about to apologize– even though she wasn't sure what for– when Jodie sighed. "Alright. Let's go."

Izzy helped Jodie on her back and they made their way back to the temple.

Jodie and Izzy made it back to the temple of Isis unscathed. Their friend immediately greeted them.

"We were so worried!" Freddi cried. "We thought you two had been captured with how long you took."

"Nice staff." Joe said. "Good idea."

Sam pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do I even want to know how you got that thing?"

Fred laughed at Jodie on Izzy's back. "She got you pulling slave duty on a retrieval mission?"

"For your information," Jodie said as Izzy eased her to the floor. "Isadora offered to carry me. I hurt my ankle."

Fred kept chuckling as he knelt in front of Jodie.

Jodie's eyes widened. "W-what are you doing?"

"I know how to wrap a busted ankle." Fred tore off a piece of his tunic with his teeth. "Just ask Sam. Which one did you hurt?"

Jodie folded her arms turns away. "The left one. Just... hurry up and fix it!"

"Yes, ma'am."

Izzy explained what happened on their "retrieval mission", with Jodie chiming in now and then to add in something Izzy forgot to mention.

"Wow," Freddi said. "Sounds like some dream."

"The ancient Greeks and Egyptians both believed dreams held messages from the gods about the future," Samantha explained. "If the Pharaoh believes his dream then nothing's going to stop him from turning Izzy over."

Izzy shrunk in on herself and rubbed her arms. Jodie hissed at Samantha, "Not helping."

Fred stood, done with Jodie's ankle, and turned to Joe. "Didn't the same thing happen to you back when we were stuck in Antarctica? But instead of a snake, your mom was a penguin or something?"

"Yes, but that was because–" Joe's draw dropped. "You don't think–"

"It's Mad Jack," Izzy finished.

An awful beat of deafening silence passed when she said his name.

"We can't be sure," Joe said.

"Yeah," Fred said. "For all we know, the Pharaoh made his dream up or something."

"Berenice tried to kidnap me, not Cleo," Izzy said. "There's no reason she should even know who I am. Besides, Mad Jack already knows about my earrings and what they do. It's gotta be him."

There was a long moment of silence where they all exchanged worried looks.

"And you're sure the Pharaoh didn't mention The Book at all?" Samantha asked Jodie.

"I'm positive."

"You don't think he's trying... that again," Freddi asked.

"He can't be. We would've known."

"Are you sure? We had no idea about her."

Fred interrupted, "Something you want to clue us on?"

Suddenly, Freddi gasped, and they all turn to see what scared her.

A burly guard marched up the steps, holding his curved sword, a khopesh, in his hands.

Despite her friends' protest, Izzy stepped in front of them, staff in hand, trying not to look like a terrified rabbit caught in a trap.

The man let out a dry laugh like he was amusedly caught off guard. "No need for that. I'm not here for a fight."

"Yeah, right," Fred said. "And the sword is just for show."

"Maybe don't antagonize the man with the sword?" Sam said.

The man moved closer, his features becoming clearer in the light of the fire.

Izzy lowered her weapon. "Ahmose?"

"How can we trust you?" Joe asked. "Your boss kinda wants us dead."

"I serve my Pharaoh." Ahmose knelt in front of Izzy and placed his sword on the ground. "But I also protect the princess. And I believe the villainous scum that took her has nothing to do with any of you."

Izzy frowned. "Even after you heard about his dream?"

"How did you–"

"Priestess magic!" Samantha said. "Don't question it."

He nodded, accepting the answer. "If you did have something to do with the princess' disappearance, then you would have escaped. I tried to reason with the Pharaoh but he is...incensed."

"Yeah, no kidding," Fred muttered.

"He can't be reasoned with. So I've decided to escort you to the Pharos of Alexandria to help me save her."

Izzy lowered her staff completely and looked at him. He looked back with unwavering honesty. "Okay."

"'Okay?' Sam asked. "Shouldn't we discuss this as a group?"

"I know, but I trust him."

"This could all be a trap," Joe said.

"Do we even have a choice?" Samantha asked. "If we say no, he could take us in. If we say yes he could turn us in, too, but he could also help us!"

Freddi wrung her hands. "That's a lot of ifs."

"Freddi, it's two."

"Two too many!"

"He's already found us," Fred said. "He hasn't attacked. I say we join him and hope for best-case scenario."

"Fred," Joe said. "Best case scenario, we end up fighting my uncle where we could get vaporized into desert glass."

"Better than staying here where we will get executed."

"Funny," Sam interjected. "They both sound pretty bad."

"You can't be–"

"We're wasting time!"

Everyone flinched at Izzy like a door slammed in their face. Izzy shrunk back and held the staff in front of her like a shield.

"I'm sorry, but if Mad Jack has Cleopatra, then..."

Izzy didn't even know how to finish that sentence. If the others could, they didn't say it for her.

"No, you're right." Joe turned to the rest of the group. "I think we know what we have to do.