Alosha (21 page)

The creature appeared a cross between a human, a lizard, and a bat—probably closest to the last. Coated with black scales, the fairy had claws instead of fingers, and a long dark tongue that lashed out as they came near.

“Death!” it hissed at them in a foul voice.

“Yeah, right. You're going to die, Snake Face,” Cindy said.

“Shh!” Ali cautioned. The fairy had dropped its fire stones. They lay in the dirt at its feet, smoldering like hot coals that needed only a splash of fuel to ignite.

But above, the flock of dark fairies drew closer. They saw what she saw, and probably guessed what she was up to. They could swoop in at any second, rescue their fallen partner and the deadly weapons.

Why did they hesitate? They must be afraid of her.

Letting go of Farble's hand and easing the pack off her back, Ali knelt and picked up a rock. The dark fairies—there were four now—hovered above her energy umbrella. She could feel how high up it reached; it seemed they could as well.

They hissed as she stood and cocked her arm to fire. Quickly, they withdrew farther, like bees moving away from a poison flower. Was that how they saw her? Could she use their fear of her against them?

“I'm taking the fire stones!” she shouted. “In exchange you can have your friend back!”

They hissed, and their translucent wings moved in a dizzy blur. But they did not change position. Ali kept her rock ready.

“Cindy,” she said quietly. “Go get the stones.”

“Me? What if Snake Face tries to bite me?”

“Cindy,” Ali said with a note of impatience. “I don't know how long I can hold them off. Take the backpack and kick the stones into it and let's get out of here. Hurry!”

Cindy stepped forward and used her feet to shove the stones into the pack. They were not large; they could have fit in the palm of their hands. Ali was not even sure if they were hot. Nervous, Cindy shoved a fair amount of dirt into the pack as well. Then, to top things off, she kicked a clot of mud in the wounded fairy's face.

“That's what you get for burning my arm!” she shouted.

Cindy hurried back. Farble patted her on the back and Cindy smiled. Her rock still held ready, Ali began to lead her friends away from the scene.

“Stay away from us!” she shouted. “If you come back again, you'll all die!”

The dark fairies buzzed loudly. But they did not descend to lift their partner away until Ali and her pals were almost out of sight. She was sure of their fear now, but she wondered if that was enough to keep them away.

Overhang was the perfect name for the ledge that stood above their heads. The mantle jutted out from the rock wall like a petrified flying saucer that had crash-landed on the side of the mountain a thousand years ago. Ali could see why Karl had insisted they reach it before nightfall. Maybe if she had listened to him, the attack of the dark fairies could have been avoided. It was a perfect place to take shelter.

Now they just had to see if the guys were all right.

Ali's heart pounded as they hiked up the final few feet.

A head poked over the ledge above them. “Hello down there?”

“Steve?” Ali cried. “Is that you?”

“It is I. Karl and Paddy are resting behind me. Do you need a hand?”

“Sure,” Ali said, reaching up for help. She had Karl's pack on her back again; it was heavy. But Steve suddenly withdrew his hand.

“What the heck is that?” he gasped, looking past her.

“That's Farble, he's a troll. Help me up.”

“We're not going to tell you his real name,” Cindy snickered.

“What are you guys doing with a troll?” Steve wanted to know.

Ali sighed. “It's a long story.”

Finally, they were all together again, alive, and in one piece. Ali supposed they had a lot to be thankful for. Yet the night had taken its toll.

Karl had taken a hit to the stomach. The burn was more serious than Cindy's. Ali marveled that he had been able to make it to Overhang with the dark fairies on his trail. Sitting with him in the shadow of the ledge, she opened the first-aid kit to treat the wound.

“What you really need is a doctor,” she said.

“You'll do fine, Nurse Ali.”

“I'm no nurse,” she replied, thinking of Ted in intensive care. Was he still alive? Taking out the disinfectant, she leaned closer. “Does it hurt?”

“Only when I think about it.”

“Which is every two seconds?”

“Right,” Karl said. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Why do we have a troll for a friend now?”

“I saved his life in the fire. I think he can help us.”

“He doesn't want to eat us?”

“He has been behaving himself. But I think we better feed him soon.”

“Sounds like a relationship built on trust,” Karl muttered.

“You have to get to know him. His name is Farble.”

“I heard he had another name.”

“That Cindy. Sit still, I have to clean this mess,” she said.

The center of his jacket had been burned to a crisp. He was lucky he'd had it on, and that it had been thick. Otherwise the bolt from the fairy could have burnt his guts. She peeled away the charred remains of the coat to get a better look. His skin had already begun to blister.

“What happened after we left?” she asked.

“We kept getting pounded. They hit Paddy's whiskey bag. The bottles exploded like gasoline. We wanted to give you guys the best head start we could, but we couldn't remain at the camp. So we split up and ducked into the fog. We would have been dead without the cover. For a while—for me at least—it seemed I had lost them. But when I got here, they were waiting for me.”

“Waiting for you?”

Karl frowned. “It was weird, it was like that. They were hovering outside. I was lucky to get inside. Had to fight my way in.”

“How did Steve and Paddy get inside?”

“Steve was here when I got here.”

“He got here before you?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Wow. It shows you the energy fear can give you.”

“Yeah. He was lucky. He didn't have a scratch on him. Paddy came a few minutes later. The fairies hit him a couple of times but that leprechaun is tougher than he looks. He helped us defend the place until you arrived and saved us.”

“I didn't save you.” She sprayed his stomach with the disinfectant and he jerked. “Okay?”

“No problem.” He took a painful breath and added, “Sure you saved us. We saw what you did from up here. That took guts.”

“It took more magic than guts. How did you guys defend yourselves?”

“Rocks mostly.”

“Nothing else?”

“No.” He hesitated. “Sticks.”

“So you took the hit in the stomach here? I thought you got it back at the camp.”

“They hit me a few minutes before you got here. With me down, it was looking pretty scary. I didn't think Paddy and Steve could hold out much longer.”

“How much supplies were you guys able to save?”

“None.”

Ali gasped. “What?”

“We don't even have our water bottles.”

“The sleeping bags?”

“They caught fire with Paddy's whiskey. I'm sorry, Ali.”

“Don't be sorry, it's not your fault.” She paused, thinking frantically. “Can we make it to the top without supplies?”

“You saved my backpack. We have the crampons, the rope, and the ice axes. Sure, we can go a day without food. Water's the problem. You need tons of it to hike at this altitude.”

“What about the river?” she asked.

“We'll leave it behind after a few more hours of hiking.”

“There's snow higher up. We can melt it for water.”

“We need fire to melt snow.”

She thought of the fire stones, told him about them.

He nodded. “That might work. But we won't have anything to get down with. No food, no sleeping bags, no cell phones.” He gestured to his ruined coat. “Nothing.”

“Do you want to turn back?”

“Do you?” he asked.

Again, she thought of Ted. “I can't. I have a responsibility.”

“To see this through to the bitter end?”

“I know that sounds dramatic, but yes, I have to see it through. The tree told me that I was the only one who can do it. And I believe him.”

“The tree was a him?”

“You know what I mean, Karl. But none of that applies to you guys. You're hurt. You should go back.”

He stared at her a long time. “You've changed in the last few days.”

“You mean, the powers I've gained?”

“It goes deeper than that. You're like a different person.”

She smiled. “Better or worse?”

“You scared those creatures tonight. I told you, I was watching from up here. You scared me, Ali.”

She lost her smile. She saw that he was serious. Another friend that looked at her funny. Here she had thought how cool it would be to have magical powers. The price of her abilities was adding up quick. She could end up even more lonely than before.

“More reason you should go back,” she said.

He shook his head. “I think it's a reason to stay.”

“Why?”

“Because I think you're going to be on the winning side.”

T
he others were still resting when Ali stood and hiked from the stone ledge of Overhang and down into the trees. The clouds had cleared. In the east a faint light had begun to appear, and Venus shone like a hard diamond against the black-blue sky. The cold, crisp air was too invigorating to sleep in—at least to Ali, but then again she had a lot on her mind.

In her hands she carried the fire stones. They were not hot.

She did not know how she stumbled across the pond. Suddenly it was just there, at her feet, and she decided it was as a good place as any to sit and think. Kneeling near the water, she was pleased to see how clear and still it was—an almost perfect mirror of the sky. If anything, Venus looked brighter in the
pond. The light of the planet flickered over the icy surface like the gleam in an angel's eye.

“The planet of love,” she said to herself.

Ali picked up the fire stones and casually rubbed them together.

A red bolt of energy erupted and stabbed the pond.

A gusher of steam exploded into the air.

“Ouch!”

“What?” Ali gasped. Did someone say ouch? The bolt had shocked her silly, but not as much as the miraculous way the water settled back down. Why, within seconds it was as calm as when she had walked up to the pond.

“How is that possible?” she whispered.

A voice spoke in her mind.

“I have a little magic of my own.”

“Nemi!” she squealed.

“Hello, Alosha.”

She clapped her hands together. “This is great! This is just what I needed!” Quickly, she closed her eyes so that she could hear him better.

“To shoot me with your fire stones?” he asked.

“Don't be silly. Nemi, I thought you were dead!”

“You mean, you thought I was a tree?”

“No. Yes!” She added, “I don't know who you are. You never told me.”

“Why worry about me? You don't know who you are.”

“Ah. Is that a test question?”

“As a matter of fact it is. That is the seventh test.”

“Why don't you just give me the answer and save us both a lot of trouble?”

“That would be no fun. You will find out. But first you must conquer air, space, and time.”

“So I have a hurricane to look forward to? Or will it be a tornado? We don't get too many of those in the Northwest.”

“Air is a mysterious element. Consider what is carried through the air—the greatest of all human inventions.”

“I don't understand,” Ali said.

“That is why it is called a test.” Nemi added, “The tests don't have to be in order. You might solve one before the other.” Nemi added, “You just have to stay alive.”

“How can you be so encouraging and so dark at the same time?”

“It is the way I am.”

She had to smile. Yet the smile did not remain.

“I have so many things on my mind,” she admitted.

“That means the test of air is around the corner.” Nemi added, “What troubles you?”

“Lots of stuff. The gang almost got wiped out last night. The dark fairies could come back at any time. We have no food or water. Everything feels like it's falling apart.” She shook her head. “I feel like I was the wrong person to trust with such an important mission.”

“Aren't you being too hard on yourself? You have done well so far, considering the obstacles. You are still alive, that is a miracle in itself.” Nemi paused. “Something else troubles you.”

“Yes.”

“You feel something is wrong that you're not seeing.”

“Yes. How do you know?”

“I am a smart tree. Or a smart pile of ash, however the case may be.”