Alina's Crossing: Guardians of Terrin (10 page)

“Well, when the Shadow infects
someone, it takes control of the body it has entered. It also can read your
thoughts. Every memory, event, laugh, cry- everything. The Shadow records that
information. When it re-enters Shael after its job has been completed, Shael
can see everything.” He explained.

“You said that before, when the
Shadow re-enters Shael. What do you mean by that?” I asked.

“The Shadow lives
inside
Shael's body, Alina. It feeds off
of Shael's magic and in return it does what Shael wants. It's a
parasite.”  Paul explained.

“That is why we won't reveal
the name or location of our partner that stays in the kingdom in permanent
cloak. Why we won't tell you certain things. It's not because we don't trust
you, it is actually to protect you and to protect us. It lessens the chance of
information getting back to Shael.” said Jeb.

“But the Shadow was inside your
body yesterday Jeb!” I exclaimed.

Paul, Joe and Jeb were quiet
for a few moments, exchanging guilty glances with each other.

“Yes, but Shael wasn't able to
gather any information from me.” said Jeb.

“How do you know? You just
said-” Jeb cut me off.

“Alina, I took a potion before
I entered the portal which allowed me a temporary block against the Shadow. It
entered me, but it wasn't able to read any of my thoughts.” Jeb explained.

It made sense suddenly.

When the Shadow was inside Jeb,
it looked like it was struggling with something. It must have realized that it
wasn't able to read Jeb's thoughts.

I was still uneasy with all
this magic stuff. I know that for these people, magic, its blessing and curses,
were part of their daily lives. I, however, was still a newbie and I was having
a hard time keeping up with everything.

“The easy part will be locating
the weapon and snatching it away. The real mystery, which you have pointed out,
is how to activate it.” said Joe.

“Why would Shael have the
weapon that could stop him in his possession? That seems a little too easy.” I
pointed out.

“He can't activate it. It is
safer in his hands where no one else can get it. It's quite brilliant actually.
If no one can find the weapon, no can use the weapon against him. It is what I
would do.” said Jeb.

“We just have to figure out how
to get Alina into the castle.” Said Paul.

 
“I still don't know why you think I can do
this! Just because I opened the portal with that stupid tablet, doesn't mean I
know how to activate some weapon!” I screeched.

This was getting ridiculous. I
was past the point of overwhelmed.

“You didn't activate the portal
with the tablet.” said Joe. “The portal was activated by the Trell stone coming
in
contact
with the tablet. The stone
the tablet is made from is called kelter. Those two objects create magic. That
is why the trell stone you have is such a precious commodity. The kelter is
more plentiful” explained Joe.

“What we don't know exactly is
why the portal activated once the two stones came in contact with each other.”
Paul said.

“The only thing that makes
sense is that the tablet already had a spell on it and was supposed to activate
the portal once it came in contact with the particular trell stone Alina has.”
said Jeb.

I actually thought that sounded
reasonable. It was the first thing someone had said to me that I could agree
with.

“And the words on the tablet?
Am I supposed to know what all those characters mean by some innate dormant ability?”
I asked.

“We thought so, yes. But, since
you haven't been able to decipher what it means yet, it would seem that either
it doesn't mean anything at all, or the tablet isn't ready to give up the
information yet.” said Jeb.

My head was filled with so many
questions. Every time they explained one thing, it caused me to have five more
questions. It was fast becoming a vicious cycle.

‘If the kelter stone tablet did have a spell on it, who put
it there and more importantly, why? If the tablet was supposed to create the
portal once it did get near the trell stone, was it any trell stone that would
cause the portal to open or more specifically, just my trell stone, which was
the theory we all had agreed made the most sense.’
I wondered.

I decided to change the
subject.

“So this weapon, do you know
what it looks like?” I asked, specifically to Jeb.

Jeb looked sheepish. “No, I
have never seen it for myself, but I do have a drawing that the Enok gave us.
She drew it in great detail.” Jeb walked over to a shelf and opened a book,
taking a piece of paper out of it.

“What is an Enok?” I asked.

“The Enok is a very old magical
witch that lives high up in the Galo Mountains in the Gulvern region. There had
been some whispers going around that she has been able to defend herself
against Shael and the Shadow. We went to her hoping for a magical solution to
stop Shael.” said Jeb.

“I take it she couldn’t help
you?” I said, sarcastically.

“She told us that she didn’t
have the power to stop him, just the power to thwart his attacks. We wondered
how she was able to prevent the Shadow from infecting her. Was it a spell or a
potion? She wouldn’t tell us how she could survive Shael's attack but she
reluctantly gave us this drawing. She told us that if we could find the object
drawn on this paper, it would stop the Shadow and seriously injure Shael,
thereby allowing us to take the kingdom back. That is also when she told us
about you.” Jeb explained.

“She spoke about me?” I asked,
curious.

“Well, not specifically you,
no. She told us that one day there would be a champion from the 1st Realm who
could use the weapon that was drawn on the paper. This champion would be the
one who would save us all. We were given a few specifics about you, such as the
necklace your grandmother gave you, your name… things that I wouldn't possibly
know. She also gave me a few gifts.” Said Jeb.

“What kind of gifts?” I asked.

 
“She had foreseen your crossover Alina. She
told me that when I saw a portal open, I should go through it and bring back
the person I find at the other side of it. She gave me the potion to drink that
would temporarily block the Shadow from reading my thoughts when I was rescuing
you.” Explained Jeb.

A thought suddenly struck me.

“If the Enok knew that the
portal was going to form at some point, and told you ALL about it, don't you
think that maybe the Enok is the one who put the spell on the kelter tablet?
Did it ever occur to you that she might know more than what she is saying?” I
said.

“Yes, something like that had
actually occurred to us. But she wasn't giving anything else up. We tried. We
were extremely lucky to get the information out of her that we did.” said Paul,
turning the heat onto him and off of Jeb.

I was getting mad again.

“Why all this mystery? Why
can't we just get the answers we need?” I said, frustrated.

“It doesn't work like that
Alina. Everyone has something to lose. Information can be helpful, but it can
also be dangerous if the information gets put into the wrong hands.” said Jeb

He was making it seem like he was
taking a risk talking to me.

“So, you don't think that
sounds at all ridiculous?” I said.
 

This was not a situation that
you could handle blindly and unprepared. There was too much at risk, too many
people that could be hurt.

“No, I don't. It worked didn't
it? The portal opened and I rescued you. I brought you here safe, as it was
intended. There is nothing ridiculous about that.” Jeb said.

“Of course not. Of course you
don't. Do you have this picture of the weapon?”

I held my hand out to him in a
huff. He placed the paper in my hand.

I drew in a sharp breath.

Jeb, Paul and Joe immediately
stepped closer to me.

 The item on the paper was
something I recognized.

“What is it Alina? What?” asked
Jeb, with concern.

“It's...it's my...it's my
Grandmother. I..I mean...that's hers! She always told me it would be mine one
day and that this was incredibly special! I never saw her open it and I was
told never to touch it. How can this be?” I said.

I was looking at my beloved
Grandmother's special metal box drawn on this paper. It was made from solid
sterling silver, almost a foot long and eight inches wide and so heavy. It had
intricate carvings engraved on all sides that my grandmother said were words to
a song from her country.

‘Did she mean here?’
I
wondered.

She always told me she was from
Italy when I asked her, but deep down I don't think I really ever believed her.
She had no accent and could not speak the language. I knew for a fact that she
came with me to New York when I was little, after my mother had died.

“It can be because it is. Do
you have the box Alina? Do you know where it is?” asked Jeb frantically.

“Yes. I know where it is.” I
said slowly. “I buried it with my grandmother when she died.”

CHAPTER
7

CROSSOVER

“You buried it with your grandmother?”
All three men said in unison.

I didn't have to wonder what
they all that about this new development, since their faces said it all.

“Yes, well she always told me
how special it was to her, I mean over and over and over.” I explained, turning
my hands in a circle to illustrate my point. “When she died, I figured it was
special to her and it would be symbolic to me to put if with her, knowing her
beloved box would be with her forever. How was I supposed to know it was a
weapon from another world?”

“At least you know that Shael
doesn't have it.” I said.

I was chewing the inside of my
mouth, a nervous habit I had when I was caught doing something I shouldn't. In
this case however, it wasn't really my fault.

“Yes, at least.” Jeb said.

He was quiet for a moment then
sprang into action. He grabbed a backpack hanging on a hook on the wall,
stuffing the kelter tablet into it. He grabbed my arm, pulling me along after
him.

“Paul, Joe let's go. Grab the
cloaks.” he called behind us.

“Where are we going?” I asked,
looking behind me to see Paul and Joe opening a panel in the wall but Jeb was
pulling me along behind him so fast I didn't get to see what they were doing.

Jeb and I walked over to the
garden patch on the other end of the village. He grabbed a shovel laying
against the wooden fence surrounding the garden. He said nothing to me as he
continued to walk, his gait filled with purpose and intent.

It suddenly dawned on me what
his intentions were.

“Oh no, no, no, no! Not gonna
happen. We are NOT digging up my grandmother. That is OUT OF THE QUESTION!” I
yanked myself out of Jeb's tight grasp, steadying myself.

They would just have to find
another way.

Paul and Joe caught up with us,
so I ran to them, hoping they could be reasonable.

“Paul, Joe, please! Tell him we
can't do this! You know it isn't right! Please!” I begged.

I looked into each of their
eyes. I saw the sympathy they held for my situation, but neither one of them
spoke up in my defense. They too, believed Jeb was doing the right thing.

As if Jeb had read my mind, he
said, “There is no other way Alina. We have to get that weapon. I know it's not
pleasant and trust me, the idea of desecrating someone's eternal resting place
is not something I ever thought I would have to do.”

“Then don’t do it.” I said.

 
“There is no other option Alina. We could end
this tomorrow! Please understand how many lives are at risk and how many lives
you would be saving.” Jeb pleaded.

I know he made sense.

If my destiny was to fight
Shael using the weapon that was drawn on that paper, then we had to get it
back. She had told me quite frequently that box was supposed to be mine one day
and it had been my choice to put it in there with her.

I was quiet for a moment,
contemplating what we were about to do. The boys were all standing around me,
trying not to look impatient with me, and failing miserably. I knew they were
anxious to get that weapon in their hands. It was the next step, the next piece
of the puzzle needed to end this reign of terror Shael had inflicted on their
people.

“Fine.” I said reluctantly.

Jeb's face flooded with relief.

“Thank you Alina. Really.” said
Jeb with gratitude.

“We will have to figure out a
way to open a portal.” Joe said.

“I know.” Jeb said.

“Do you know where the portal
will open in the 1st Realm?” I asked as we started walking out of the village.
We had made a short stop so Jeb could kiss his girls goodnight and read them the
story he had promised them earlier.

“Yes. Maybe.” said Jeb, not
convincingly.

I had told them where my
grandmother was buried and had given them several landmarks of the surrounding
area where the cemetery was located. Joe knew the location I described since he
was from New York as well.

“Meaning....? We could just
materialize in someone's living room?” I asked, with a laugh.

‘How would we possibly explain that?’
I wondered.

“It's a possibility. I'm new at
portal jumping too. I just know that we have to coordinate this side with that
side and that is where Paul and Joe come in. They are familiar with the
landscape on the other side and can help.” Jeb explained.

“Ok fine, but if we land on
someone's couch, I'm going to let you do all the talking.” I said.

Jeb laughed and agreed.

We stopped a short while later
deep into the innards of the island. The brightly lit torches we carried with
us provided adequate lighting but I was still freaked out. It wasn’t the dark
that was scaring me. It was the task that lay before us.

 
Paul and Joe were walking around in circles,
quietly talking to themselves. Jeb and I stood a little back from them, waiting
for them to figure out the coordinates.

“You doing ok?” asked Jeb
quietly.

“Sure.” I said sarcastically,
holding the tablet clutched to my chest like a baby. I had flipped the trell
stone necklace around to my back so I didn't accidentally open a portal where
one should not be opened.

Jeb was quiet again which was
fortuitous because I wasn't in the mood for small talk anyway. Paul and Joe
walked back towards us looking satisfied. I guessed they had figured out our
landing spot. It was time to go back home.

“Ok, we think we got it close
enough. If we are right, we will land under a bridge in Central Park. If we are
wrong, we will still end up in the park. It's dark out so there should be
minimal exposure risk.” said Paul.

“So, the days and nights are
the same?” I asked.

“Yes.” Said Joe.

Joe grabbed the cloaks, handing
one to each of us.

It didn't look magical to me.
It looked like any other plain, creepy black cape with a hood. I thought that
the moment I put it on, I would feel different or the others would vanish in
front of my eyes but neither of those things happened.

“Are you positive that we are
invisible?” I asked, unconvinced of my invisibility.

“Yes, I'm sure. The only ones
who can see us now is each other. Go ahead and open the portal Alina.” Jeb
urged.

I sighed heavily.

‘Here we go again’
I
thought.

I had learned that the
combination of the two elements, the trell stone and the kelter tablet, created
magic, but I wasn't sure exactly how to activate it. I turned my necklace
around, pulling the tablet close to it. I put one finger on it, then my whole
palm, just like I had done back in the museum, but nothing happened. I tried
again, repeating my movements with the same results.

No glowing. Zilch.

I looked up at the men, sighing
loudly in frustration. “It's not working.” I said, stating the obvious.

“We can see that.” said Joe,
just a little too sarcastically for my liking.

“I don't understand.” Said Jeb,
with a confused look on his face.

Paul then chimed in. “What if
it's not working because the tablet was a one way trip. It already fulfilled
its purpose. Maybe if we just found some regular kelter, it might work.”

Jeb and Joe separated and
started looking on the ground all around them. I guess they thought Paul's
suggestion was valid. I took my backpack off, putting the tablet back inside
since it was apparent I wasn't going to be needing it for the duration of this
mission.

Joe was quickly victorious in
the search for the rock, running over to me with a three- inch piece of kelter.

“Help?” I said to all of them,
my eyes pleading.

I didn’t know what to do.

Paul came up behind me, putting
his hands on my shoulders.
 
He told me to
relax and close my eyes. I obeyed, inhaling and exhaling several times, clearing
my head.

“Ok, Alina, picture the portal
in your mind. Can you see it?” asked Paul.

I nodded.

I could see it perfectly.

I could remember how I felt
inside of it and what it felt like and looked like. I could remember how there
appeared to be no floor below me but feeling something solid underneath my
feet, holding me up. I could remember the breath-taking beauty.

“Envision the portal opening up
right in front of you. When you feel confident about the picture in your mind,
confident that the portal will be there, bring the kelter stone up to your
trell stone.” encouraged Paul gently.

I had the vision of the portal
in my mind. Opening my eyes for a slight peak, I noticed that the trell had a
slight glow to it.

“Good Alina, now keep
concentrating. Let the magic flow through you and then project it out.” Said Paul.

He was a good coach.

The harder I concentrated, the
more light the trell stone started to emit. All of my concentration was focused
on this one task.

Amazingly, the portal opened, the
colorful spinning depths enticing me to enter. I smirked, feeling pretty good
about myself. I headed in first, the men filing in quickly behind me. The
portal was the only thing about these past few crazy days that I actually
enjoyed and I was excited to be going in again.

The portal was just as
beautiful as I remembered, the dazzling lights and swirling colors just as
vivid. The guys were just as taken with the portal as I was, their faces filled
with awe and delight.

The trip to the other side was
brief.

We landed not quite under the
bridge as Paul and Joe had predicted, but close enough. I don't know how they
did it, but I was quite impressed. We were quite alone as we stepped out and I
braced myself for what was to come.

I was feeling more anxious the
closer we got to the cemetery, even though I was back in familiar surroundings.

I was home, but, it looked
different to me. I know I had been gone only about two days, but everything
looked...different and I didn't understand why.

Jeb, Paul and Joe were trying
to remain quiet and dignified because they too grasped what we were about to
do, although no one felt worse than I did. Seeing the discomfort on their faces
was helpful. I knew they didn’t want to do this either.

Joe looked tenser than usual.
He kept looking behind us, tripping over his own feet because of his lack of
attention at where he was walking.

Twenty-five cloaked minutes
later and some fancy footwork to avoid pedestrians on the streets, we arrived
at the little cemetery that held my precious grandmother. I knew exactly where
to go because I visited her grave every week. Even in the dark, my sense of
direction and footing was sure. I started talking to myself, or rather, talking
to my grandmother, apologizing.

“Grams, I am so sorry for what
I am about to do.” I said out loud, not caring if they heard me. “I am really,
really sorry. I didn't know what the thing was when I stuck it in there with
you. Please forgive me.”

Jeb walked up to me, squeezing
my shoulder in reassurance.

No words were needed. I knew he
knew how I felt about this.
 

I stopped in front of a large
headstone, my grandmother's name and pertinent life information, carved into
the massive stone. It was sobering to see this familiar site, knowing full well
what our intentions were.

Jeb grabbed the shovel, giving
instructions. “You three form a wall around me and block as much of this area
as you can. I will dig as quickly as possible. We have three hours of dark
left. That should be enough time.”

I heard Jeb break the ground.

I had my back to him. I might
have given permission for this to happen but I wasn’t going to watch it. I was
biting my lip, tapping my foot and every other anxious little tick I could
think of to distract myself.

I heard the shovel dig into the
ground and heard the soft plop of the dirt as it fell where Jeb tossed it. I
heard his next dig and his next dig. Every time he went into the ground,
inching closer and closer to my grandmother, I cringed.

This wasn't right.

“Stop Jeb! Just stop!” I
yelled, breaking out from the wall Paul, Joe, and I formed.

Jeb looked at me, surprised by
my sudden outburst.

“We can't do this. I'm sorry,
but we can't. This doesn't feel right.” I sobbed, full on crying now.

I didn't care if they saw me
cry.

I was not going to let them or
anyone else dig up my grandmother.

Jeb, who was trying to remain
sympathetic and compassionate, put his arm around me. I started sobbing into
his chest and he held me, just letting me cry. After several moments,
unhindered by any words from anyone, my wails turned to sniffles.