Free Rivers of Fire (Atherton, Book 2) by Patrick Carman

what he thought they should do.
    The plans he had were not what she'd expected, but there was something in them that rang true. It was a real solution that just might work. It had the advantage of at least getting them more time.
    "The only problem is that I'm not sure those in the grove or the Village of Sheep will go along with a plan like that," said Maude. "Someone will need to go ask them."
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    *** CHAPTER 10 FLYING ROCKS
    Edgar glanced over his shoulder, and he saw that he and his companions were utterly trapped in the Highlands. For some reason he thought of the old wooden cup he'd always carried to Mr. Ratikan's house when it was time to get his water ration. He felt small, as if he were looking up from the bottom of the wooden cup, unable to escape.
    "How are we going to get out of here?" asked Edgar. It struck Edgar as odd that they hadn't been more focused on this very obvious and disastrous problem looming close in their future. They would need to get out at some point, and Edgar was the only one of them who could climb.
    "We'll figure that out when the time comes," said Vincent firmly, as if it were a question he was unwilling to address even if he knew its answer.
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    The giant wooden doors to the House of Power sat closed in front of them, and there was not a sound from inside the courtyard. The only noise came from around them, an echoing murmur of rocks grating against rocks as the Highlands continued their slow descent.
    How far could it fall? thought Edgar. He made quick work of the wall, climbing up to the top and turning back. Vincent carried with him a length of the rope that had snapped loose at the cliffs, and he flung the end up to Edgar. Soon the rope was secure, and Vincent was inside the fortress with Edgar. The two removed the beam over the wooden gate and opened it.
    "Let's be slow in our exploration," said Vincent, motioning Dr. Kincaid to pass through the doors and into the courtyard. "There might be someone inside with a weapon, waiting for just such a moment as this."
    Already the courtyard was beginning to show signs of neglect. The brightly colored flowers seemed particularly delicate. The petals were brown and flaking at the edges and the long stems drooped toward the ground. The hedge was parched and leaves hung limp from small trees planted between the stone walkways. And there was a fountain to one side that was empty. There was a sadness about it, as if it had lost its reason for being. It was the deadest-looking thing in the courtyard.
    The House of Power was showing the symptoms of death more sharply than other places in Atherton, as though the truth of its great beauty were being brought to bear: It was a fragile beauty, held together by great effort. The Highlands lacked the
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    rugged sense of having been useful. It was a place with a colorful candy coating, hiding very little underneath.
    "This place had a shabby kind of splendor, even at its best," said Edgar, pride welling up inside him. "The grove is still beautiful, even without any water." He touched the bag that held the three young figs and felt them squishing around inside, and he felt a little closer to home.
    "Where has all the water gone?" asked Vincent. He looked at Dr. Kincaid with some alarm, and it seemed to Edgar that Vincent had expected the fountain to be bubbling with life. "I assumed that Lord Phineus was holding all of the water in the House of Power for himself and his loyal followers."
    "I was thinking the same thing," said Dr. Kincaid. "I hope there are no more surprises awaiting us today."
    Vincent was already moving slowly ahead. "Do you know the way?" he asked. "I can't be sure."
    "I know the way," said Dr. Kincaid. "Follow the center path. It will snake back and forth through the ivy-covered terrace and end where the stair begins. We must go up the stairs in the middle."
    Edgar was startled that Dr. Kincaid would be so familiar with the House of Power. Hadn't he been trapped in the Flatlands with