Alosha (38 page)

“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.

W
hen 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 room.”

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.

“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
.