Rumi's Riddle

# Blurb

When the shadowwalkers were victorious in their battle against the Ant Queen, they hoped their work to save Caldera was done. But the rainforest has begun to rumble.

Rumi, a scholarly tree frog who can control the wind, must bring his band of animal friends to face the greatest danger they've ever encountered-the giant volcano beneath the jungle itself. While the volcano roars, rumors of a mysterious evil blanket Caldera-the Elemental of Darkness has emerged and is building a legion of followers.

When the shadowwalkers are forced to divide and conquer, Rumi finds himself an unlikely leader and must grapple with his own secrets before he can unlock the full scope of his magical powers. Can Rumi rally the shadowwalkers to save their rainforest home?

# Plot

Rumi, Sky, Mez, Chumba, Lima, Gogi, and newly reborn Auriel (with Banu following in their wake) race toward the distant smoke and the source of the rumbling earth. Auriel had let on in a non-verbal way that he knows how to stop the volcano, which is what brought the group to their next course of action. Due in part to Chumba's inevitable daycoma, they take shelter in an abandoned den to rest and wait for dusk. While Chumba and Lima sleep, Rumi begins to recount his and Sky's experiences in finding the magic lens, with Sky to fill in anything he misses.

Rumi details the flight across Caldera, and how he and Sky reached a beach and the cliffs containing the Cave of Riddles the boto described. After solving their first puzzle involving knowing the phases of the moon and then being riddled by a strange, fish-like creature named Kalk, Rumi and Sky make it to their third and final challenge. Creatures they hear in the dark explained that in order for the duo have the lens, they must allow the creatures to explore their minds to decide if they are worthy. Rumi reluctantly relented and started to get taken back to his painful past at the swamp of his birth. Back in the present, Rumi's story gets interrupted by more stronger rumblings from the volcano. The Veil having just dropped, Chumba and Lima awaken. As they head closer to their destination, the group retrieves Banu for his water shield to deflect the volcano's blasts when needed. Mez and Chumba's cousin, Yerlo, appears, having come for aid in rescuing the rest of their family back home. Mez and Lima (who lived with Mez's family during the year off) leave right away, dragging Chumba and Yerlo in a leaf litter during the day. They take with them one of Sky's feathers as a way to communicate and keep in touch.

The rest of the shadowwalkers go towards the ocean to build a boat for possible evacuation. They find the manpower they need in the daywalkers tailing them to be near their supposed savior, Auriel. As they travel on, Rumi uses Sky to look through the feather that is with those heading toward panther territory. Mez, Lima, Chumba, and Yerlo have already arrived, and their family leads them all to the source of their troubles. Within the center of a clearing filled with nightwalker cultists, is the Elemental of Darkness. It is Mist, Mez and Chumba's cousin. And the white panther now has the powers of Mez, Lima, Rumi, Sky, and Gogi. Hidden, the panthers, the bat, and Rumi through the feather watch Mist give a speech to his followers, further turning them against the daywalkers. Knowing where the spies are, Mist rallies his cult to attack. Just then, Rumi is broken out of the vision by Sky, who is worried for his wellbeing. The macaw convinces Rumi to take time to calm down before going back in. In the meantime, Rumi continues the story of the Cave of Riddles to Gogi from where he left off.

Rumi's tragic past is finally fully divulged. He accidentally killed everyone in his home swamp with his wind magic (except Big Rumi). The frog was brought back to the cave and he and Sky were given the lens. They escaped from the now collapsing Cave of Riddles and headed back to the other shadowwalkers. After finishing up the tale, Rumi is assured by Gogi that no one thinks any less of him because of an accident. Rumi goes back to checking on Mez, Lima, and Chumba. He sees them get captured, but Chumba is able to defeat Mist in a duel and break up the nightwalker cult. Mist runs away in a rage. Chumba stays home while Mez and Lima start the trek back to their friends.

Using Banu to part the water and keep them from drowning, he, Rumi, Sky, Gogi, and Auriel descend into the depths of the ocean to find the heart of the volcano as illustrated on the carvings in the Cave of Riddles. They traverse the ruins of the two-leg civilization and reach the tunnel leading to the volcano. Rumi, going further ahead to keep up with Auriel, falls down a chasm and out of Banu's air bubble. He swims after Auriel and is lead to the source of the eruption. Auriel dives toward the magma, causing an explosion and sacrificing himself. Rumi returns to the others, and they realize they need to redirect the lava. Using their elemental magic, the eclipse-born drill a hole farther out to sea. Once finished, the air bubble bursts. Sky takes Rumi into his beak and gets to shore along with everyone else. The macaw nearly dies from ingesting Rumi's anxiety-induced poison, but Lima is there just in time to heal him. The fading volcanic signs and the distant eruption in the ocean prove their success.

During the shadowwalkers' journey inland, they are ambushed by Mist. Mez, all out of forgiveness, seemingly ends her cousin's life. But Mist's immortality he absorbed from the Ant Queen comes to light. He gets knocked out, and the friends decide he needs to be taken out of Caldera. So, with their captive in tow, Mez, Rumi, Lima, Sky, and Gogi board the newly constructed ark and sail out to find land beyond their rainforest, intending to return.