A Crystal of Time (The School for Good and Evil The Camelot Years #2) - Soman Chainani Page 0,107

reaching back and handing Sophie a fold of fabric. “Kindly fasten your snakeskin.”

Sophie unfurled a blanket of transparent scales and draped it over her and her friends’ heads. Its cold, waxy surface crinkled against Agatha’s cheeks and the bag on her arm.

“That’ll keep you invisible till we get to the king’s palace. Can’t have anyone seein’ ya on the way or you’re dead, dead, dead,” said the gnome, pedaling onto a lone track in the dark, which reminded Agatha of the roller coaster at the Gavaldon fair. “Non-gnomes are banned in Gnomeland, ever since King Arthur expelled us. Any gnome catches ya and they have full right to put a knife through your eye. A squirrel wandered in the other day and got barbecued for Friday Feast.”

Sophie yanked more of the snakeskin to her side.

“King Teapea sent me to fetch ya,” the gnome prattled. “Teapea letting humans hide in Gnomeland?” He whistled skeptically. “Either he wants somethin’ from ya or he’ll kill ya to warn any other non-gnomes who get too close. Don’t think ya have anything to worry about, though. It’s not like you’re King Arthur’s family or anything.”

Agatha’s and Sophie’s eyes shot to Tedros.

Tedros slid deeper under the snakeskin.

“To be honest, I didn’t even know the king was home,” the gnome rambled obliviously. “Comes and goes without warning, often for months at a time. But then I get word from the palace that there’s humans roaming near the stump, lookin’ for a hiding place, and I’m to bring them to him.” He pedaled faster, approaching a steep drop—

“Met the blond one before when I found her with the Sheriff’s group. Then she went back to look for you two,” he said to Agatha and Tedros, gesturing at Sophie. “Meanwhile, I took the Sheriff’s group to the palace. Sheriff crammed all his friends in that enchanted sack of his. Stuffed it in the back seat and none of the gnomes had a clue. You three, on the other hand, stick out like a hog in a henhouse, so keep your arms and legs in. This thing ain’t meant for humans!” He hurtled down the dip, sending the snakeskin flying before Agatha and Sophie grabbed it down. The gnome tore around a curve, knocking Agatha aside and whacking Dovey’s ball into Tedros, who almost fell out of the cart.

The gnome glanced at his passengers. “Should have introduced myself. I’m Subramanyam, page boy of Crown Royal Regis Teapea, king commander of Gnomeland. Well, not always page boy.” In a puff of dust, he morphed into a girl gnome. “Get to choose if I’ll be a boy or a girl forever on my thirteenth birthday. I’m thinking I want to be a boy, because most of my friends are choosing to be girls, so. . . .” He turned into a boy and grinned at his passengers. “Bet you’re jealous we gnomes can do that.”

“Not really,” said Sophie, Agatha, and Tedros at once.

“Just call me Subby,” said Subramanyam, turning around and pedaling hard. “Don’t worry: whoever’s chasin’ ya can’t track you here, no matter what kinda magic they got. Can’t find a kingdom if ya don’t know it exists! Best view in Gnomeland is coming up on the right. It’s rush hour, though—stay under that skin!”

Agatha looked over the side of the cart and clutched Tedros’ leg in surprise.

A colossal, swirling course of tracks funneled miles down into the depths of the earth, with hundreds of bright orange rickshaws and bicycles speeding through various dips and climbs, shuttling gnomes who honked their horns loudly, the horns mimicking cat meows. In the center of this meowing, madcap highway lay Gnome City: a massive neon metropolis held together by luminescent green vines, which not only strung all the gnome-sized buildings and cottages and towers in a giant pulley-system, but also seemed to power them like electric circuits.

Subby streaked into the traffic jam, veering up onto the edges of the track to bypass bicyclists and rickshaws piled with gnomes, angry meows blasting at him from every direction. Spiraling down through downtown Gnome City, they passed restaurants (Petite Pete’s Puny Eats, The Elvish Maiden, Num Num Gnome), shops (Gnome Garden Grocery, Teeny Tots Daycare, The Beard Brothers’ Barbershop), as well as the Slight & Mighty Gym, Smallview General Hospital, and the Fun Puddle, a pint-sized waterpark with slides so steep that a baby gnome rocketed off one, bounced onto the highway, ricocheted off their rickshaw, and landed in the lap of the driver next to them.

Every