Book Three: Part 2 Herobrine’s Message

First published in the USA by HarperCollins Publishers Inc in 2016 as part of THE ELEMENTIA CHRONICLES: BOOK THREE: HEROBRINE’S MESSAGE

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books 2016

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Copyright © 2016 Sean Fay Wolfe

Cover art © 2016 by Max Gonzalez

Design by Victor Joseph Ochoa

Sean Fay Wolfe asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780008173586

Ebook Edition © 2016 ISBN: 9780008173593

Version: 2016-02-04

To my mentor,

Kyoshi Chick Gavitt

(1967–2015)

With great respect

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Epigraph

PART I: THE ULTIMATUM

CHAPTER 1: The Free Ones

CHAPTER 2: Underground

CHAPTER 3: The New Plans

CHAPTER 4: The Last Chance

CHAPTER 5: The Battle of the Adorian Village

CHAPTER 6: Return to Nocturia

CHAPTER 7: Prelude to War

CHAPTER 8: The Battle of Element City

CHAPTER 9: Fighting a Myth

PART II: HEROBRINE’S MESSAGE

CHAPTER 10: Endgame

CHAPTER 11: The Message

CHAPTER 12: Return of the Heroes

CHAPTER 13: The Last Battlefield

CHAPTER 14: The Duel of the Gods

CHAPTER 15: The Two Cities

EPILOGUE: A Promise Fulfilled

From the Author

Acknowledgments

About the Author

About the Publisher

There was silence in the Capitol rotunda, save the sound of hundreds of pairs of feet marching. Row by row, the black-clad troops filed into lines. Jayden and G glanced around the room nervously at the dozens of dark figures positioned in the upper balcony, all of whom had loaded bows aiming down into the giant mass of soldiers.

G took a deep breath and let it out. He knew what was going on. Four days had passed since he had left Sirus alone in that obsidian chamber with a diamond pickaxe in his hand, and now Tess had ordered that all soldiers meet in the rotunda for an emergency.

Sure enough, Tess emerged on the highest, most ornate and most pronounced balcony of the rotunda, made from chiselled quartz blocks. There was no hint of joy on her face. There was only a scowl as she looked down on all the soldiers. Gazing back up at her and cowering under her intimidating leer, they were all silent. Finally, Tess spoke.

“Last night,” Tess announced, “our hostages from the Adorian Village escaped captivity.”

A collective gasp rolled across the soldiers as they realized what that meant.

“To escape, the hostages tunnelled through a five-block-thick wall of solid obsidian,” continued Tess. “This is a feat that would take at least two full days to complete if done by anything other than a diamond pickaxe. And seeing as no guards saw any sign of an escape in progress during their check-ups, this can only mean that somebody in this room managed to sneak a diamond pickaxe to the hostages.”

A collective burst of panic rose off the crowd, and though nobody dared to speak, the tension in the room could be cut with a sword.

“I know that someone among us is the traitor,” Tess said slowly as her eyes swept over the soldiers below her. “If you step forwards and reveal yourself to me now, then you shall simply be executed by firing squad, quickly and painlessly. However, if you don’t, then I shall be forced to begin interrogations, and when I discover who it is, you will be tortured without mercy before you become food for the Zombie villagers. If anybody would like to speak out, you may do so now.”

G, who was struggling to keep his own heart from exploding with panic, heard Jayden beside him take a deep breath, let it out, and then raise his hand.

“I confess,” Jayden said, a slight warble in his voice. “I did it.”

G’s mind went blank, refusing to comprehend what was happening. He turned to stare at Jayden in utter shock, totally blindsided and utterly bewildered by what his best friend had just said.

“Is that so?” asked Tess, a hint of surprise in her voice as all the soldiers around Jayden backed away from him in abhorrence. G followed suit, convinced that he had gone totally insane. “How did you do it, Drayden? And what was your motivation?”

“My name is Jayden!” he exclaimed, pulling off his black leather cap, throwing it to the ground, and stomping on it. “I am a member of the governing council of Element City and a friend of President Stan2012. I have been living undercover among you for these past weeks, working to free the hostages you have taken from us. Now, my work here is done.” A manic smile crossed Jayden’s face as he pumped his fist into the air and, with patriotic fervour, he bellowed, “LONG LIVE THE REPUBLIC! LONG LIVE PRESIDENT STAN!”