Again, Ali was struck by Karl’s annoyed reaction. She had not really noticed it the first time.
“How will we know we’re going the wrong way? We won’t know anything until it leads us outside.”
“I agree,” Steve said.
“You can’t simply ignore what Paddy’s saying,” Cindy added.
“Trust me,” Alison said.
Famous last words, Ali thought.
The gang prepared to pass through the red door. Ali acted fast. Slipping out of the shadows, she stepped through the open yellow door, into the center of the third cave. She watched as Alison reached for a button on her shirt to tuck into the corner of the first door frame.
Right then Ali tore off the same button on her shirt and let it bounce on the floor.
On the floor of the third cave. Just beyond the yellow door.
Alison paused and looked over, and she saw the button!
Why was Alison able to see it when she couldn’t see her?
Ali was not sure. She had just hoped Alison would.
Yet when Ali had been stuck in Radrine’s prison cell, it had been the buttons—and not her watch—that had reacted to the two time frames. She suspected it might have had something to do with where she had placed the buttons when she had hiked the length of the cave. The first set of doors they had come to were still a mystery to her, but it was possible they had something to do with time. There had been three, after all, and there were always three dimensions to time: past, present and future.
It was a mystery she would have to solve later.
Stepping away from the group, Alison walked over and picked up the button. Almost, Ali reached out and touched herself. At least her long hair, seen from behind, looked better than she had thought. But she would have to do something about the front, maybe get bangs.
At least Alison still had her hair. Radrine had cut off her’s.
Ali watched herself study the button, the confusion on her face. Actually, they were both confused. Because when she had dropped the button for Alison to see, the button on Alison’s shirt had suddenly vanished. Now it was in Alison’s hand, and it must have been freaking her out because she had not even torn the button off her shirt.
“Take the yellow door! Take the yellow door!” Ali shouted at herself. Maybe a part of Alison heard her, at least inside. Alison continued to stare at the button, thinking. The others were already a dozen feet into the first cave.
Then Ali saw something miraculous; they probably both did. For a few seconds the button in Alison’s hand glowed with a faint green and blue light. The light was warm and hypnotic; neither of them could take their eyes off it. Suddenly it focused into a beam and Ali saw it pierce Alison’s eyes and enter her brain. Shaking her head as if she had just been awakened by a slap, Alison looked around for the others.
“Take the yellow door! Take the yellow door!” Ali shouted at herself.
Alison called to the others. “Wait!”
The gang turned around and came back.
“What is it?” Cindy asked.
Alison hesitated. She looked at the button again.
“Are you changing your mind?” Steve asked.
Alison swallowed. “Let’s take the yellow door.”
“How can you change your mind?” Karl asked.
Alison thought a moment, then shrugged. “I’m a girl. I can do that.”
The gang was agreeable. Ali shouted out with joy. Yet Alison paused to peek once more into the first cave, on the other side of the red door, just before she closed it. Did Alison suspect what she had just missed? The skeletons and the demons? Ali would have relished telling her twin that some tests were better taken only once.
The cave began to climb, not steeply, but bad enough. Once more they were forced to take frequent breaks, and their thirst grew swiftly. Ali felt so dry she would have traded everything she owned for a glass of water. But all she had were the clothes on her back, and no one could see her anyway.
Ali stayed close to Alison, feeling like a shadow, checking out the time on both their watches. She did not think the split between them could go on much longer. She noticed, as time passed, that the times of the two watches were coming closer together. She was now only nine minutes behind Alison, she seemed to be gaining a minute on her every ten minutes. In an hour and a half they should come into sync.
“What will happen then?” Ali wondered. She was still worried about a major explosion. What a mess that would make of their plans.
They passed what appeared to be a group of six tunnels—three round entrances opened on either side of the main cave. These possessed no doors, and without exception, they seemed to lead slightly downward. The gang passed them by without hardly a pause. It was unlikely any of them led to the outside.
Yet they intrigued Ali.
Ali found herself struggling to keep up. To her surprise, Steve seemed to have gotten a second wind. He walked up front beside Karl, with Paddy and Farble in the middle. Ali found herself in the back with Alison and Cindy, the three of them—or the two of them—huffing and puffing together like they sometimes did during PE class. But Ali was more exhausted than her double, who had not had to hang upside down for hours and then fight with Radrine. Yet she feared to fall behind, to be away from Alison when the two times met.
She watched as Alison glanced over at Cindy.
“How are you doing?” Alison asked.
“I would rather be home in front of the TV, drinking a vanilla shake,” Cindy said.
“Please don’t talk about food or drink,” Alison snapped.
Cindy nodded. “Here we’re near the end of this amazing adventure and it’s all I can think about. I guess that means I’m a shallow person.”
Ali saw that Alison was about to agree with Cindy. The closer their time zones came to each other, it seemed the more she could read Alison’s mind.
“Be nice to her,” she told Alison. Her double paused and glanced over her shoulder. Ali smiled and waved but Alison didn’t notice. Yet Alison acted like she had heard something.
“It just means you’re hungry,” Alison said sweetly.
“Probably,” Cindy agreed.
Alison paused. “Cindy?”
“What?”
“I want to apologize,” Alison said.
“For what?”
“For being so bossy. For acting like I know everything. I’ve been a real pain in the butt these last two days.”
Good girl, Ali thought. She felt like a guardian angel handing out sage advice over her double’s shoulder. Everyone in the world should have the chance to see themselves from the outside, she thought. They probably wouldn’t like what they saw.
“True. I accept your apology,” Cindy said.
“You don’t want to yell at me first?” Alison asked.
“I’m too tired.”
Alison continued. “I think it was something I had to learn, that I could make mistakes. It was a test in its own way. That’s why I think I had to go the wrong . . .” Alison caught herself.
“You had to go the wrong what?” Cindy asked.
“Nothing,” Alison said, puzzled by her own remark.
Definitely her double must be hearing her thoughts to make such a slip. Ali took it as an encouraging sign. She didn’t want to rejoin her other half and end up schizophrenic.
The next hour and a half was a killer, for Ali more than any of them. Again, the time she had spent in the dark fairy’s hive had taken more out of her than she had realized, and the slope of the cave kept getting steeper. Try as she might, she could not get enough air in her lungs. She thought of wrapping her arms around Alison’s waist and asking to be towed along.
Ali knew they were getting near the end of the tunnel, however. The air had cooled and she could smell the waiting snow. After all she had gone through inside the mountain, it would be good to get outside.
A light appeared up ahead. With a shout of excitement the gang rushed forward. Alison followed at first, b
ut then began to lag behind. Ali herself had no choice but to plod along. Her head ached and her muscles burned—she was completely spent. But she managed to pull behind her double and recheck Alison’s watch. Their time zones were now only seconds apart.
Perhaps Alison sensed that. She stopped in mid-stride.
Ali put her hands on Alison’s shoulders, much as the bright green being had touched her after the accident, one year ago. The light at the end of the tunnel seemed to increase, or else it was the same light from that mysterious night, come to revisit. The walls of the cave shimmered with a green radiance—with hints of blue—and a wave of silence swept the length of the tunnel.
Ali felt herself split in two. She was as much in Alison’s mind as her own. The green being had probably felt the same when she had held her. Yet she spoke to Alison and her double finally heard her with her own ears. The seconds on the watch continued to tick. Almost time, but not quite yet. . . .
“Stop,” Ali said. “Do not turn around.”
“Who are you?” Alison asked, stunned by the voice, the invisible grip.
“You do not know.”
“I know that.” Alison tried to turn. Ali felt the power of the earth element flow through her arms and she was able to stop her double. All her tiredness fled, and she was filled with a surge of wonder and joy. Her double struggled in her arms. “Why can’t I see you?” Alison demanded.
“You will, soon.”
“When?”
“In a few seconds. What is happening now is true magic. You have passed all the tests, even the test of time, and you are about to understand who you are.”
“No. I have several tests left to take.”
“No. I took them for you.”
Alison sucked in a deep breath. “Who are you?”
“You.”
“Who am I?” Alison asked.
Ali came closer to Alison and spoke in her ear. The feeling of holding herself went beyond déjà vu. She did not simply remember the green being, she was her. Wasn’t that the answer to the greatest mystery of them all?
“It is a mystery,” she told herself.
Alison wanted to weep; she trembled with fear. “I don’t understand.”
Ali hugged her, and for a moment she felt one with her double, and one with the green being that had saved them that night. Of course there was no Ali, Alison, or green being. Time truly was a mystery. There was only one.
Their watches finally synchronized, down to the last second.
“That’s because you’re sleeping,” Ali told her double. “You’re dreaming about the past and the future. All you have to do is wake up.” She whispered in Alison’s ear. “Wake up, Alosha. And turn around.”
Her double turned and their eyes met. Ali did not see her, however, nor did her double see her. They were suddenly both gripped by the same vision of the green being who had rescued them from the fire that dark night. They both remembered the creature’s face. The magical light that flowed from her enchanting eyes. The hypnotic colors of the jewels in her golden crown. And most of all the love that radiated from her gentle heart. They both remembered who they were.
She had saved herself that night.
She was Alosha, queen of all the fairies.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
When Ali Warner came out of the cave, she was whole again.
The cave opened on a snow-packed ridge that overlooked the rear of the mountain, a forest she had only seen pictures of, and read about in books. She thought it fitting to see a new world when she had just been given a new understanding of herself.
With the moon rising on one side and the sun already set on the other, the peak was bathed in various colored lights: red, white, and orange—blended together like different flavors spread over a gigantic snowcone. A narrow ridge led away from where they stood, toward the top, with sides as steep as a witch’s hat. The ridge was long and sheer. Ali estimated they had three miles left to hike, perhaps two thousand feet still to climb. They had not gained as much altitude inside the cave as she had hoped.
Yet the cave had done them a favor. The elementals who had already come through the Yanti were probably on the front of the mountain, waiting for their partners to enter the human dimension before joining forces to attack the town. Hiking up the rear, her gang did not have to worry so much about being spotted. They would have the advantage of surprise when it came time to take the Yanti back from Lord Vak.
Ali felt as if her body was charged with atomic energy. Even though the trees were miles below, she could see individual leaves on the branches, and hear the birds as they snuggled into their nests for the night. She had all of Queen Alosha’s powers at her disposal, and she knew they would not leave her until this night was finished, if indeed they ever left her again.
The others stood around her, coughing from thirst and the dry altitude. Yet the view had taken their breath away as much as the thin air. As the twilight blended into night and more stars emerged, Ali had to ask herself if she had ever seen a more glorious sight. The view alone had been worth the journey.
Still, there was much to do, and not all of it would be pleasant.
Karl stepped to her side and nodded toward the peak. “We can make it before the moon is straight overhead. But we need water and we need it now. Can you melt some snow with the fire stones? I can put some snow in my cooking pot if you want.”
Ali nodded. “Give me your pack, I’ll do it.”
“You need to rest as much as we do. Let me help.”
“No. The altitude suits me. I feel great.”
Ali took his pack and retreated to the cave opening. She wanted to hide as best she could. The glow of the fire stones would be visible for many miles.
She hated to use an instrument of the enemy to make water. But even though she could feel her powers alive inside, she did not know how to use them all. They were in a hurry, they had to drink. The fire stones it would have to be.
Ali sorted through Karl’s backpack before she brought out the stainless steel pot he had brought along. There was fresh snow all around; she only had to reach out and grab a handful. Yet the snow was probably older than it looked. The last major storm to go through Breakwater had been in April. Still, there was no pollution this high up. The water would be fine.
She had much better control over the stones than before. While her friends sat and rested, she squeezed out a narrow beam of laser light and heated the side of the pot. In less than a minute she had a warm quart of water, which she offered first to Steve. He drank it down in five seconds.
“I could use two more of those,” he said, handing the pot back to her.
Ali smiled. “There’s plenty where that came from.”
For the next half hour she made water and let the others drink their fill and regain their strength. Farble needed the most fluids. She made him ten pots before he nodded his big head in satisfaction. She was so happy to see him alive, sitting not far from Paddy. She felt so much love for all of them.
Except for one. The traitor.
She knew who it was now. She remembered everything her twin had gone through, in and out of time. The clues had been there all along, she just hadn’t recognized them. Now all the pieces of the puzzle were in one place, in her head, and the picture they showed her was not pretty.
Karl came up to her as they stood and stretched and mentally prepared themselves for the final push. She had given him his pack back, and he had the rope in his hand.
“I think we should tie ourselves together,” he said. “We can loop the rope through our belts. That way if one of us slips and begins to slide down the side of the ridge, we can save them.”
“That’s a great idea. Do you want to lead the way?” Ali asked.
“I probably should. I have the most experience.”
“Tie me behind you, and give us space from the others. I need to talk to you alone.”
“About what?” Karl asked.
“Let’s talk when we’re up on th
e ridge. It will be safer.”
He was confused but he turned to do what she asked.
Before Karl strung them together, Ali took the leprechaun aside and spoke to him alone. “Is the Yanti at the very top?” she asked.
“Aye Missy.”
“Did you actually see it when you came into this dimension?”
Paddy looked nervous. He stared at her strangely. He was extremely sensitive, in his own way. Perhaps he suspected she had undergone a major change inside.
“Didn’t see it, Missy. Paddy came out of the cave, walked down the snow.” He added, “Didn’t talk to a soul.”
“You talked to the dwarves, Paddy. Then and last night.” She raised her hand when he went to protest. “Don’t worry, I know all about your deal with the dwarves, and I know you had a chance to turn on us last night and you didn’t. I trust you, Paddy, I really do. But I need to ask you another question.”
Paddy trembled. “How does Missy know these things?” he asked.
She smiled to reassure him. “Missy learns quick. You say you came out of a cave on the top. Was it at the front of the mountain? On the town side?”
Paddy nodded. “Aye. Opened at the front. But Paddy does not like dwarves. They . . .”
Ali interrupted. “I told you, you don’t have to worry about that. What I want to know is, could the Yanti have been above the cave you came out of?”
Paddy considered. “Aye. Must have been near for it to work.”
She patted him on the top of the head. “Thank you. You have been worth your weight in gold on this adventure.”
Paddy’s eyes gleamed. “Could Missy get Paddy a large pot of gold when the adventure is finished?”
Ali laughed. “We’ll see.”
Karl roped them together. Steve ended up behind Farble, in the rear. He was not happy about it, but Ali had made sure he ended up there.
“Why do I have to hike behind the troll?” Steve demanded.
“It is for your own safety,” Ali said. “You’re the most tired and stand the most chance of slipping off the ridge. Farble weighs as much as all of us put together. He can act as an anchor for you.”