Alosha

by Christopher Pike

  “We all die,” she whispered, and as the words came out of her mouth, she remembered that she had said them to him before. When his son Jira had died. Only then she had been trying to console him. Jira had been one of her best friends, and Ali recalled staying with Lord Vak through a long dark night as the elven king wept in agony over the loss of his only child. That is why Paddy had given her a strange look when she had asked about Jira. Even then, the leprechaun must have suspected who she really was.

  She had worked no fairy magic that night, but Lord Vak had felt her love, for himself and Jira, and that had been magic enough. He had been grateful.

  Perhaps he remembered that night now. His knife hand trembled.

  “You have turned your back on all the elementals,” he said, as if trying to convince himself. “It would be right to kill you.”

  “Humans and elementals are both dear to me. I turn my back on no one.” Calling his bluff, she added, “If you’re going to kill me, kill me now.”

  Angry, he let go of the Yanti and withdrew the knife.

  “It is either us or them!” he shouted.

  “Why?” she demanded. Yes, why, the one question that had never been answered, by Nemi, Paddy, or Radrine. Lord Vak was bitter.

  “You know why! Because of the Shaktra! It drives us here!”

  So the elementals had problems of their own, she thought.

  “Then let us unite together, humans and elementals, and fight it!” she said, not even knowing what it was.

  He looked at her like she was mad. “Geea, what is wrong with you? The Shaktra came from the human kingdom!”

  Oh no, she thought.

  “It did?” she gasped.

  He shook his head and stepped away and picked up the spear he had dropped. With his back to her, he seemed to stare out at the mountain, the trees, and the town many miles below. Perhaps his gaze even reached as far as the sea, where the moon shone on the water as if it were a vast field of ice. For a long time he stood there, silent.

  “You have taken my army from me,” he said finally, his back still to her. “And I can take the Yanti from you and get it back. But I will not do that, not tonight. I will not kill you.” Slowly he turned, looked at her, and sighed, as if saddened by the rift that had come between them. “I owe you, Geea, I have not forgotten the many kindnesses you did for my family over the long years. Nor have I forgotten the love you and Jira shared. But next time we meet there will be no debt between us—tonight settles all. I warn you, the next time the needs of the elementals will take precedence over the hopes of humanity. And if on that day you choose to stand against us, you will die.”

  “I understand,” she said, and nodded.

  Lord Vak also nodded, out of respect, and then turned and walked toward the center of the mound. Even before he reached the hole that led down into the cave, and the bamboo structure that had held the Yanti, he vanished. She could only assume he had his own secret way of traveling between dimensions.

  For a long time Ali stood silent with the now still Yanti around her neck. She did not know what to say, how to feel. Cindy had recovered enough to stand, but she was not talking either. All around them the air was so calm the only thing left for them to hear was the beating of their hearts.

  Her mother was alive. The thought was an echo inside her.

  Her mother was not dead.

  Cindy finally came over and gave her a hug and the tears Ali was close to crying turned to laughter and they giggled in each other’s arms like thirteen-year-old girls, which was, after all, what they were.

  Karl had left the rope for them to climb down—bless his hairy heart, Ali thought—and soon they were beside their friends, with Paddy and Farble all excited about what they had seen, and Steve just itching to yell at her. The first thing Ali did was take the tape off his mouth.

  “How dare you accuse me of being . . .” he began.

  “Steve,” she interrupted.

  “What?”

  “I’m sorry.” She would have to explain later how she’d had to use him to get Karl to drop his guard. Steve’s muscles were in knots from being tied up, and he was shivering. She was sure he wouldn’t understand right now.

  He shook his head. “That’s not good enough. You owe me . . .”

  She grabbed his head. “Steve?”

  “What?”

  She gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

  “I’m really sorry,” she said.

  He thought about that, then shrugged. “It’s okay.”

  They had no supplies left, and no energy in their bodies to make the long journey home. On the hike to the top she had worried endlessly about such a situation, and she was glad she’d had the good sense to ask the Yanti to leave behind one of the elementals’ canoes.

  Unfortunately, her friends were not happy about the idea of riding the canoe back to Breakwater.

  “Let me get this straight,” Steve said as they hiked toward the front of the mound. “You want us to jump in this canoe and use it—first to snowboard down the top of the peak—and then to float back to town?”

  Ali nodded. “We’ll race off the snow and into the river near the tree line. The river will be strong enough by then to keep us moving. It’ll be fun.”

  Steve frowned. “You can’t use a canoe to ski down a mountain.”

  “Why not?” Ali asked.

  “Because it wasn’t designed for that,” Steve said.

  “Elves made the canoe. Who knows what they designed it for?”

  “What about the falls?” Cindy asked. “What do we do when we come to them?”

  Ali shrugged. “I’ll use my powers. We’ll fly over them. Trust me, there’s nothing to worry about.”

  “You’re sounding like a princess again,” Cindy warned.

  The remark would have hurt before. Now she only laughed.

  “I am a queen,” she said.

  EPILOGUE

  When they arrived back in Breakwater—after what could only be described as an unusual ride home—the gang was faced with the problems of Paddy and Farble. With enough makeup and ethics lessons, Ali could see the leprechaun functioning successfully in society. Indeed, now that he was the only leprechaun left in their dimension, she was sure he was going to strike it rich.

  But the troll was going to be a problem. Especially since they had not fed Farble in two days. On the wild canoe ride home, he had begun to paw Paddy and Steve again, making them nervous. Ali was not sure where to put him.

  They stood at the side of Mercer River, on the beach, where the river joined the sea. The elf canoe was pretty light, and Steve was going to carry it home and put it in the garage and save it to ride waves. He had changed his mind about what it could be used for.

  It was five in the morning and the sun would be coming up soon. The ocean was oddly quiet—as was the rest of town—and the air chilly. Ali figured that the fireworks on the mountaintop had not been seen by anyone other than them. It was a shame in a way, it might have helped humanity understand that there was an elemental kingdom just around the corner.

  “Why don’t we have breakfast together at the all-night diner?” Steve suggested.

  “Great idea,” Cindy said. “I want bacon, eggs, toast, and coffee.”

  “Aye. Eggs and toast would be tasty,” Paddy agreed.

  “I can’t, I need to check on Ted,” Ali said. “But you guys go ahead without me. Get Farble some steaks to go, at least half a dozen. He can wait out back until you’re done.”

  “That many steaks is going to cost money,” Steve said.

  Paddy cast an uneasy eye at the troll. “Laddie, it’s money well spent. Aye, Paddy still has his bag of gold. It will be my treat.”

  “Cool,” Cindy said. “I’ll have a milk shake, too.”

  Ali spoke to the leprechaun. “Paddy, I want you to get some makeup at the drugstore, cover up your green skin. Where do you plan on sleeping tonight?”

  “Don’t worry about me, Missy. Paddy will get a motel r
oom.”

  Cindy laughed. “Do you have a credit card?”

  “Aye. Got one before we left.”

  They all assumed he was kidding, but maybe not.

  Ali turned to Farble. “I’m going to leave you with my friends, but they’re going to feed you soon. Just sit in the Dumpster at the back of the diner, out of sight, and they’ll bring you some meat.”

  Farble nodded at the mention of food but looked sad that she was leaving. He stretched out a claw and patted her back. Incredibly, he still had her white sweater tied around his neck, if it could still be called white. It looked like it had been used to wipe down a gang of coal miners.

  “Geea,” Farble said with feeling.

  Ali stroked his hairy hand. “It’s okay, I’ll see you later in the day.”

  “But where’s he going to sleep?” Cindy said.

  “The Barker house is empty,” Steve suggested. “It sold last week and no one is supposed to move in for a couple of months. I bet we could sneak in the back and fix up a room for him. We could make sure to cover all the windows so he doesn’t get burned.”

  Ali felt relieved. “That’s a great idea. Could you take care of it for me?”

  “No problem,” Steve said. “You could stay with him if you wanted, Paddy.”

  The leprechaun shook his head. “Paddy likes his privacy.”

  Ali gave them each a hug before saying goodbye. She wanted to thank them a million times over, but that was the great thing about having such great friends, she didn’t have to. There was really nothing to say. They each knew they had helped save the world. At least for now, she thought.

  The battle had been won but the war was not over.

  Cindy pulled her aside for a second as the others headed for the diner. “Is your mother really alive?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Ali said.

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yes.”

  Cindy scowled. “That dirty rat kidnapped her!”

  “He’s worse than a rat.” Ali hugged her again. “Don’t tell the others, not yet.”

  Cindy understood. Kissing her on the cheek, she chased after the others. Ali waved goodbye and headed for the hospital.

  The clinic was silent, as would be expected at such an early hour. Ali didn’t see a soul as she crept in the back door and walked toward intensive care.

  It was just her luck to find the starch-faced nurse on duty again. Ali knew she could not get in to see Ted without being caught, so she walked straight up to the desk.

  “How’s Ted Wilson doing?” she asked politely.

  The old nurse gave her one look and got to her feet. “I thought I told you never to come back! Why are you here at this hour? I’m going to call your parents!” She grabbed Ali’s arm, twisting it back. It should have hurt, but it didn’t. Her fairy powers continued to hum along at full strength. Ali merely looked up at her.

  “Has there been any improvement?” she asked.

  “No. The doctors say he’s going to die. Are you happy?” The nurse began to drag her toward the door. “Now get out of here you little . . .”

  Ali shook free. “I want to see him. And I don’t want to be disturbed.”

  The nurse’s face flushed an angry red. She looked like she was going to pop a blood vessel. Again, she tried to grab Ali’s arm. “I’m going to call the police on you!”

  Ali took a quick step back and smiled. “You don’t want to do that. In fact, you don’t want to mess with me at all.”

  The nurse went to shout some more but Ali had heard enough. In a blur too fast for normal eyes to follow, she grabbed the woman by the arms, put her out in the hallway, and locked the door behind her. The nurse almost fainted with the drastic maneuver, then went screaming down the hall. Ali figured she would have at least a few minutes alone with Ted. She hoped that would be enough.

  Cubicle six, behind the green curtains. Ted looked awful when she entered. If anything his skin color was more lifeless than the other day, and the doctors had put a plastic tube into his throat to help him breathe. He was unconscious; it scared her that she could not feel him in the room anymore. Maybe she was too late. . . .

  Quickly, she moved to his side and put her left hand on his bandaged forehead and her right hand over his heart. She closed her eyes, like before, but this time she did not concentrate on her power. She merely stood there silently and wished that he would get better.

  The Yanti around her neck began to heat up. Because her eyes were closed, she didn’t know if it also began to shine with spiraling colors, but she did feel a strange power enter the room and flood her body. The energy was different than before, much softer, and she was reminded of her mother for some reason. Perhaps there was a connection she was missing. The love that flowed through her right then could have been the love of a parent for a child.

  The Yanti burned—it felt like a large coin that had been plucked from a fire and placed on her chest. The energy in her hands increased and she felt Ted begin to stir.

  Ali opened her eyes; Ted did likewise a minute later. He looked at her, dazed. Using a technique she had learned watching TV, she quickly removed the tube from his throat. He coughed as he tried to speak.

  “Ali. What am I doing here?” he asked.

  “You had an accident, but now you’re going to be better.”

  He frowned when he saw all the tubes and wires hooked to his body. “It must have been a bad one. Where’s the doctor? What are you doing here?”

  Tucking the Yanti beneath her shirt, she smiled and brushed a hair from his eyes. “Let’s just say you helped me the other day when I was hurt, and I came to pay you back.”

  When she got home, the lights were on and her father was standing in the kitchen with the phone in his hand. His face was drawn and gray, but it broke with relief when he saw her come in. He practically dropped the phone on the floor.

  “Ali! I’ve been looking all over for you! I called Cindy’s house from the road and they said you were here but when I called here no one answered. I’ve been worried sick about you.”

  “How long have you been home?” she asked, thinking fast.

  “Only a half hour. Where were you just now?”

  “I went to see Ted Wilson, he had an accident. I wasn’t at the hospital long.” She added, “I’m sorry if I scared you. I didn’t mean to.”

  He knelt and gave her a big hug. “That’s okay, Hunny Bunny, as long as you’re fine. Was Cindy with you? Her parents are looking for her.”

  “She’s having breakfast with Steve and some other friends. She’ll be home soon.”

  “How is Ted?”

  “Much better. He said he feels like he’s ready to leave the hospital.”

  “That’s great news. Boy, I got so worried about you when I couldn’t reach you. I didn’t even make it to Florida, I just turned around and drove home.”

  “Oh no. I messed up your delivery.”

  He held her at arm’s length. “You did, you naughty girl. I suppose I should be mad at you, but I’m too happy to see you right now.”

  “You can yell at me later.”

  He nodded. “Deal. Hey, what’s this coat? I’ve never seen it before. And your face has dirt on it.” He wiped the dirt off. “Were you and Cindy hiking in the woods tonight?”

  She hesitated. “A little bit.”

  Her father paused and then frowned. Reaching out, he pulled off her hat. She had not taken it off since she had been at the top of the mountain.

  Her father gasped. He wasn’t the only one.

  A wave of bright red hair tumbled down from her head.

  “You dyed your hair!” he exclaimed. “Ali, it looks like your mother’s hair!”

  She studied the color in the kitchen light. She could only assume that when she had stood in the red beam that stretched between the Yanti and the moon, her hair had been affected. It was interesting how it sparkled exactly like her mother’s used to.

  “Do you like it?” she asked her father.
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  “It’s beautiful.”

  “I like it,” she said, thinking of all that had happened that night. It was true, the war between humanity and the elementals was far from over; there were many mysteries left to solve. All the doors in the mountain would have to be explored—as well as the caves—and she needed to learn exactly what the Shaktra was, how it had come into being, and how it could be stopped.

  But first she had to rescue her mother.

  She would do it. She was not afraid. She had power.

  Ali reached out and gave her father a hug and stroked the back of his head as he buried his face in her red hair. He had been through a lot, they both had, but the time was changing.

  “Everything’s going to be all right now,” she said.

  Ali’s Story Will Continue in the Next Book in the Series,

  The Shaktra.