“We need to get out there,” she said. “We only have eleven hours left.”

“But what are we going to do?” Paul asked. “We’ve looked everywhere. There’s no point in looking anymore. We’re just as well off staying here.”

“Well, we have to do something!” Sofia insisted.

Tick groaned as he flopped back on his bed. “I’m with Paul on this one. All we’ve figured out is that something is supposed to happen at five o’clock. At this point, running around the town makes no more sense than sitting here, holding hands and chanting to the time gods.”

“Chanting to the time gods?” Paul asked. “Tick, you’re losing it.”

Sofia huffed as she took a seat. “Then think. What are we missing?”

No one answered, and they all remained silent for several minutes.

Paul snapped his fingers. “The last line of the riddle says, ‘Make sure your feet find the air,’ right? Well, maybe we’re supposed to catch a train and go somewhere else by five o’clock. Someplace called ‘air’ or something like that.”

“Hmm,” Sofia said. “That’s possible. The whole underground railroad system is kind of weird. There must be something about this place, a reason he sent us here—maybe it is the train!”

“I’ll admit it’s better than chanting to the time gods,” Tick said. “Let’s go.”

~

The streets were surprisingly busy for so early in the morning; most of the people out and about were heading down the stairs that led to the underground railroad.

“These people must all work in another city,” Tick said. “No wonder they have to leave when the sun comes up.”

“Good thing we’re not the only ones awake,” Paul said. “I didn’t want that cop barking at us again.”

They followed the crowd to the ticket counters, old-fashioned brick windows where old men took money and gave out printed slips of paper. Holding some of the local currency given to them by Phillip, they waited their turn.

“Next!” a white-haired man called out, a scowl scrunching up his face like he was having a kidney removed.

Sofia stepped up first. “We’d like three tickets for . . . a train.”

Somehow, the man’s face screwed up even tighter. “Well, that’s real nice to know you have that figured out, missy. How about telling me where you want to go?”

“Oh.” Sofia looked back at Tick, who shrugged.

“How many trains are leaving soon?” Paul asked.

“What kind of a fool question is that?” the old man grunted. “As many as you’d like. As few as you want. Now are you going buy a ticket or not?”

Just when I thought it couldn’t get any weirder, Tick thought.

“What are our options?” Sofia asked. “We’re tourists, and just want to do some exploring.”