Finally, with a huge lurch, Talon reached for the rope that Samheed held out to him. But the eel began to slip from his other hand, so he grabbed on again. Neck outstretched and mouth open, Talon lunged and grabbed the end of the rope in his teeth. The eel switched and twisted, yanking Talon and hauling Samheed off the magic carpet, but the theater director hung on and dangled from the rope until his magic carpet caught up to support him.

“Everybody pull!” Samheed shouted to the others on the side of the volcano. “As hard as you can!”

They pulled, and slowly they began to reel in Samheed and Talon. Once Samheed was above the side of the volcano, he hopped off the magic carpet and helped the others pull Talon and the eel and whoever else was still attached to the submerged end onto dry land. Everyone stared at the rope as they strained, pleading silently that Carina would soon surface.

With its tail fully out of the water, the eel fought harder than ever. But Simber soon appeared, his jaws clamped around the eel’s throat and his wings flapping wildly. A second later Carina surfaced, even more tangled in the fishing line that was hanging from the eel’s mouth. She drew a few ragged breaths before being dragged back under.

“She’s breathing!” Thisbe said, giving Seth an encouraging look. “She’s going to be fine.” She pulled on the rope as hard as she could—she wasn’t about to let Seth lose his mother. Not if she could help it.

Seth nodded, unable to speak. But he felt a little better.

As they strained and pulled Talon and Simber and Carina toward them, the volcano shivered. The still water on the opposite side of the volcano tremored. But because everyone was singularly focused on the rescue, none of them noticed it.

The volcano trembled again, then shook harder and plunged swiftly downward. The Artiméans screamed. Fifer’s birds scattered into the air, while everything and everyone else was swallowed up by a heavy rush of water.

No one let go of the rope.

No one let go of the eel.

Everyone but the falcons went together into the volcano network with no warning and no plan and no idea which portal to exit through and no clue if Carina and Simber were still attached to the other end of the eel.