Chapter 3

Chapter 3 CALLING LIGHTNING DOWN FROM A MYSTERIOUS RIP IN THE SKY…AND OTHER QUESTIONABLE IDEAS Jodi tried not to think about the rabbit. Had it gotten away? Or had the fox caught it in the end? She would never know. But she could learn where the butterflies were leading them. "Focus on the butterflies," she said to herself. There had been only one of them at first. But as it led them across the taiga biome, OTHER BUTTERFLIES HAD JOINED IT. Now there were four of them, flittering around each other. Fortunately, they were all moving in the same direction.

"I bet if a parrot swooped down and started eating those butterflies, you'd try to stop it," she said to her brother. "I don't know," said Morgan. "It might be interesting to see what would happen. Any theories?" Theo tapped his chin. "If the butterflies are stray bits of the Evoker King's code…maybe the parrot would be transformed by eating them?" "THE EVOKER PARROT!" said Ash. "Sounds cute." "I agree," said Po. "Maybe if I wore my pirate skin, he'd hang out on my shoulder."

The kids laughed. Then lightning crackled from the Fault overhead and the sound of thunder made them jump! All at once, they remembered what was at stake. Jodi knew they were entering a new biome when the trees changed. There had been nothing but spruce trees in the taiga biome. Now they were walking among a cluster of oak and birch trees. Jodi wasn't a plant person, really. But she knew her Minecraft trees. They all provided wood of different colors, and that was important to know when planning a colorful build. For the same reason, she was trying to learn all the flowers of Minecraft. But there were so many different types! Some of them could be used to make dyes, but not all of them. And usually, they were spread across an assortment of different biomes. But as Jodi stepped past the trees, she saw a huge array of flowers growing on the gentle slopes ahead. It was like a rainbow had come down to nestle in the grass. "WHAT IS THIS PLACE?" she asked in awe. "IT LOOKS LIKE A FLOWER FOREST BIOME," said Theo. "Almost every kind of flower grows here."

"Could the butterflies be attracted to the flowers?" asked Harper. "I don't know," said Ash, pointing with her blocky hand. "They seem more interested in that." Jodi saw what Ash meant. The butterflies had all gathered around a block that was hanging from a nearby oak tree. The block was yellow with bands of brown. Small openings in its sides made it look almost like a miniature house.

"IT'S A BEES' NEST!" said Morgan. "Why are the butterflies gathered around it?" Harper asked. "Do you think the next Evoker Spawn could be A GIANT BEE?" asked Ash. But Jodi wasn't paying attention. She'd spotted a sheep grazing among the flowers. Pressing herself again a nearby birch, she scanned the area for wolves and

other predators. For now, the sheep appeared safe. But how long would that last? "Psst," Jodi whispered. "Hey, Po." While the others were gathered around the bees' nest, Jodi pulled Po aside. "Do you still have that trident?" she asked him. Po gave her a suspicious look. "Yeeeah," he said, and he glanced up at the lightning that flashed around the edges of the Fault. "What do you need it for?" "I had an idea," Jodi said. "Your trident has a special enchantment on it, right? It causes lightning to strike." "When it's raining, sure," said Po. He looked up again at the Fault. "You think it'll work on the lightning that's flashing around the Fault?" "I THINK IT MIGHT WORK," Jodi said. "Okay," said Po. "But why do you want to call lightning down?" Jodi looked around to make sure her brother couldn't hear her, and then she fixed Po with her most serious expression. She asked him, "Do you remember what happened when a pig got struck by lightning?"