Glory Alley and the Star Riders (The Glory Alley Series) (64 page)

“
Thank you,” she said, not believing
anyone could
really
think that way about her.
“
If
what happened was for real,
how can I face anybody at school ever again?”

“Over being naked?”
Clash
dismissed her concern with the wave of a hand
.
“People like to pretend, but when you get down to it
,
underneath we’re all
just
naked people
hiding
behind a bit of fabric
.
Hold your head high for being brave enough to let it all hang out.”

“It wasn’t on purpose.”

“Did you notice how Matthew gave me his coat on the bus? The way he pushed people out of the way for me? That was really
gallant—don’t you think?
”

“
Remember, I tried to give you my coat first.”

“Have
you noticed the way
he
says something to me every time I get on the bus?”

“
Yes, I have. And he’s very
insulting.”

“Are you trying to make me feel better or worse?”

“Neither, just
stating the facts, so don’t get any ideas about Matthew being the guy for you.
Besides Mandy would kick your
butt
if she thinks you like her boyfriend.
”

“So, what should I do?”

“Stay away from him.”

“
No, not about Matthew
,
a
bout the door
, s
hould I go through it?”

“I dunno.
”

“
C’mon, you must have an opinion.
”

“I do, but you won’t like it.”

“You think I should give up the Elboni Stone, don’t you?”

“Since you’re asking, uh, yeah, I do.”

“But then I won’t get
the magic I need to help my family
.”

“What good is
magic
to a dead girl?
”

“Grandpa says never take your eye off the treasure
.
Giving it up will be like giving in.”

“What’s wrong with giving up?”

“Everything.”

“
Dying for no good reason is the worst form of giving
up.
If you ask me,
staying alive
is the best way not to give up.”

“
I don’t want to talk about this anymore
.
I’m go
nna
do it
, I’m gonna
go through the blue door.”

“Please, don’t.”

She sucked in some deep breaths a
nd stood.
“
I have to do it.
”
Afraid of losing
gumption,
she ignored
Clash
’s protest
s,
went
to the blue door
,
and
pulled the handle
. A
familiar
span of sa
nd
stretched out before her
.
Ignoring the queasy feeling,
s
he marched
on
through
with fists
tight
at her side
.

Penetrating darkness surrounded her. The familiar damp clay smell filled her nostrils. I’m in a cave, she knew that much. What she didn’t know was if she had the
Cold Crazies
or not.
Why can’t I remember how I got here? Sh
e
reached
for her helmet light, but she had no hat at all. Her hands instantly fumbled for one of the flashlights in her bag, but she had no bag.
She quickly ran her hands over the length of her body. Not a single tool or light anywhere. Her stomach dropped as if it had sprouted legs and jumped off a cliff.

“
Clash
?”
she called out hoping her spelunking partner was nearby.

No answer.

“
Partners in crime
,
”
She said,
awaiting his
customary reply
. Nothing but silence, so she answered for him. “
Friends ‘t
il the end
?”

T
he only sound was her voice echoing back
.
End, end, end.

This was the deepest blackness she’d ever known
.
Fear
rush
ed
in like a flash flood.
For all
she
knew
a
drop
-
off
could be waiting at the
very
next step
.

“Stay calm,”
she repeated from her spelunking handbook
.
“
Assess the situation
.
”

Suddenly,
s
he
became aware of
something
warm
against h
er
chest
. Fingering the
metal
, and the cord attached to it, she
somehow
knew it was a lifeline out of here
.

“Blow
...
t
he
...
whistle
...
to
...
negotiate
...
” the words fell off the tip of her tongue

She
pressed it to h
er
lips
an
d
blew
.
An oval of light the size of a door appeared and through it walked
the ugliest man she
ha
d ever seen. He was short
with mean
almond
eyes
.
His whiskers looked like slimy pink night
crawlers, all squirmy and gross. The
three-piece
suit
and
fedora made him looked like an old
-
fashioned gan
g
ster.

“Hello, figment of
the
c
old
c
razies
,” she
greeted
.

“
Hello
,
Rock Collector,” he said in a brittly voice. “
R
eady to negotiate
the
Elboni
for your freedom?”

“Uh, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Grrr,” t
he strange guy grumbled. “
S
hort term memory evaporates
behind the doors. A touch from the Paraplume will bring it back.
”
He brushed
Glory
’s forehead with the tip of
a white
feather
.
She giggled because it tickled, then everything clicked into place.

“The Bamboozle,” she said
.
“Am I there
or
here—I mean is this really
Tullah
?
”

“
It doesn’t matter.
Either
ye
leave with me and live
,
or
ye
stay here and die
,
t
he choice be yours.”

“
But you’ll only help me out of h
ere if I give up the Elboni, so
it’s not really up to me, is it?”

“What will it be?”

“I
choose to make a trade
…
a wish in exchange for the Elboni.”

“
Not an option, Rock Collector.”

She crossed her arms. “See. The choice isn’t mine at all.”
The blue light from the oval looked pretty shining off the cave walls, casting everything in
cold
sapphire
a
g
low
.
She hugged herself for warmth.
“
I
’m scared
.
”

“Naturally.
”

“But I
’m more scared of losing my family.
”

“If Wybb loses her magic,
millions on Wybb will lose everything they hold dear.”

“
Just give me what I want and I’ll give you what you want. It’s so simple!”

“Wybb has rules
.
Obedience to these rules keeps
the
magic alive.”

“Rules schmools!
”
She said, fighting back tears of frustration
.