Alina's Crossing: Guardians of Terrin (11 page)

I started to feel ridiculous.

“Are you ok?” asked Jeb, his
voice soft and filled with concern.

“Yes.” I said softly, wiping my
nose with the sleeve of the cloak.

I knew what he was going to say
next and I pleaded with my eyes, begging him not to go there. His eyes
responded in kind, letting me know that this was going to happen whether I
liked it or not.

Again, I knew he was right.

Way more people’s lives, people
that
were alive
, depended on us
getting this weapon safely back to Terrin. My body language showed my
submission, my head reasoning with my heart. I backed away from Jeb, assuming
my place in the “wall” between Paul and Joe, although, this time I turned
towards Jeb.

I was going to face this head
on, not with my back turned.

I nodded to him when I was
ready for him to continue.

After a few digs my mind
started to wander. I didn't really want to pay attention to what was going on.

My head was suddenly filled
with visions of the box being raised up to the surface. Over and over, the same
pictures flashed through my mind, as if being thrown at me by an invisible
force. As if on their own volition, my hands raised up in front of me, palms
up. I moved them up a few inches, willing the box to move, like I saw it doing
in my visions. I felt like I was in a zone, not really conscious of my actions
but knowing full well what was happening.

No one noticed what I was doing
until the ground started to shake. It wasn't a full on earthquake, just a
little localized one, right under my grandmother's grave. Jeb jumped out of the
way, trying to figure out why the ground was shaking underneath him.

He didn’t realize it was coming
from me.

I stepped out from the wall.

I was forcing the box to raise
up from the ground. The harder I concentrated, the more the earth shook.

‘Was I really doing this?’
I
wondered.

Several seconds later the
precious silver box had risen to the surface. It was covered in dirt but no
worse for the wear.

I walked over to the box,
gingerly picking it up, wiping away the dirt as best as I could. It looked as
unimposing as I remembered, and I ran my fingers lovingly over the carvings. I
still wondered how this little box could be some sort of powerful weapon.

The guys were staring at me. They
were just as stunned as I was. I didn't expect that and they sure as hell
didn't either. They had been fully prepared to dig it out. I didn't know how I
did it, but for the first time ever, I felt a surge of power I never knew
existed inside me.

It felt good.

I reached the guys with a huge
smile on my face, taking the lead on the walk back towards the bridge for our
return to Terrin. The guys, still in shock, followed me in silence after trying
to restore the ground, quickly grabbing up the tools they had brought. Once we
reached the bridge I gave the box to Jeb and pulled out the kelter stone I
stuck in my pocket, preparing for our return through the portal.

Confidence surged through my
body.
 
I felt as though I could do
anything and I had a thought to test that theory.

I stuck the kelter stone back
in my pocket and closed my eyes. I concentrated on the portal, remembering what
it looked like and felt like, focusing all my energy on trying to create it. I
cracked open one eye, hoping to see an immediate result, closing them quickly
when I saw it wasn't working.

I wasn't going to give up
though.

I refocused, blocking
everything out of my mind. It became quiet around me, the familiar sounds of
the city gone, hearing nothing but the sound of my own breathing. I continued
to concentrate on the portal, allowing the magic to rise up through me and this
time I felt different. I could sense it was working, my energies being
extracted from my body, creating a window to another world.

I heard Jeb, Paul and Joe gasp.

‘I had opened the portal by
myself! I was magical!’
I thought, excited.

I walked back to Jeb, a smug
smile on my face. I grabbed the box back from him, stepping aside to let them
enter the portal.

When we had made it to the 2nd
Realm and back to the dense island jungle in one piece, I started walking in circles,
excited, scared, exuberant and many more emotions I had no name for all
commenced in one fantastic outburst.

“What was that?” I exclaimed
with a huge cheeky smile. “How did I do that?”

“I don't really know Alina. You
must be magical.” said Jeb with a smile.

“But, how have I never known
that I could do stuff like that?” I asked.

“I don’t know! Maybe being
here, back in Terrin, has somehow awakened a dormant side of you.” he said
again.

“That was amazing!” I said
breathlessly,

“It was pretty cool to watch”
said Joe.

“Thank you. It was pretty cool
to do.” I said proudly.

We all walked back to the
village, each of us elated with our success.

   
That was the beginning.

CHAPTER
8

CAN DO?

We had gotten back to the
island in the wee hours of morning and I was told to go take a nap.  In a
matter of hours we would be getting organized and ready to make our trip into
the heart of Terrin. I was still feeling elated from what I had done back in
the 1st Realm and didn't think I would be able to wind down enough to sleep,
but once my head hit the pillow on my little cot, I passed right out.

I awoke several hours later
with a start, thinking that I had over slept. Then I started panicking about my
grandmother's box. I looked under the cot where I had stashed it. I felt a
little silly stashing it at all, realizing that no one here on this island
would even consider stealing it, but, I erred on the side of caution, stashing
it anyways.

I noticed a pile of leaves and
twigs in the corner of my tent. Riff made a little nest for himself but when I
awoke he was nestled comfortably on my pillow. He must have thought that my
bedding was more comfortable than the leaves and I couldn't blame him for that.
Maybe he just wanted to be close to me and that made me feel happy too. I loved
that little thing.

I went over to my wash table,
splashing some water on my face, which was very cold and did the trick to wake
me up. I attempted to straighten up my hair, having torn a piece of cloth off
my towel and fashioning a make shift hair tie with it. It wasn't pretty but it
was holding my hair back. Content that I wasn't haggard looking, I shoved the
box into my backpack and hoisted it on my back, setting out to find Jeb. The
moment I stepped out of my tent, I crashed into him.

“Oh geez sorry!” “Alina ow!” we
both said at the same time.

“Sorry Jeb! You ok?” I asked
with a laugh.

“Yes I'm fine. Why is it you
are constantly crashing and falling into things? Are you always this clumsy?”
he asked, rubbing a spot on his arm.

Riff made a loud whine,
indicating he was not happy that he had been woken up by our noise.

“Sorry Riff.” I said, leading
Jeb out of the tent.

“Me? What were you doing coming
to my tent?” I retorted.

“I was coming to wake you up.
It's time to go.” He said.

“Well I'm up and I'm ready. No
need for you to do it. I'm a big girl Jeb.” I said stubbornly.

“Look”, he said, squaring me in
front of him, “Don't go getting a big head on me now. I need you to stay
focused. Yes, you did some magic, yes it was amazing, and yes, we have to look
into your family line here and try to figure out who you really are, but you
don't know what you are capable of yet so it is not a formidable weapon. 
Your magic is not dependable. We can't rely on it so you are still incredibly
vulnerable. It will get you killed if you aren’t careful and that is not our
goal on this mission.”

He was getting heated and
upset. His face turned slightly red and he was practically seething at me.

It looked cute.

“You done?” I asked.

Jeb hesitated slightly, caught
off guard by my question.

“Yes.” He said finally.

“Good. I promise I will be
careful, ok? I won't go crazy on you.” I reassured him with a gentle squeeze on
his arm.

Jeb's face relaxed when he
realized I was going to try to be a good girl.

‘A good girl who could move things with her mind!’
I thought with a laugh.

We walked the short distance to
the Great Hall. Everyone was already assembled inside when we arrived,
including Jasser and Helix. They acknowledged me with a smile and I returned
the acknowledgement. Something about those two boys touched my soul. I felt
very protective of them and I wanted to help them.

 
I couldn't imagine witnessing what they had
living in Terrin under Shael's rule. I lived in New York, which to some may
seem like a place where one tended to struggle, but New York didn't even
compare to what these boys had to deal with nor what they had dealt with in the
past.

Jeb gathered all of us around
the table and started explaining the plan.

“Gio, Jasser and Helix will
stay with the boat. They will also leave
with
the boat if we are not back in time. We will not risk anyone unnecessarily.
Tawni and Yedwin will stay with our cloaked brother inside the kingdom, on the
shore. Paul, Joe, Alina and myself will take the remaining four cloaks and make
our way into the kingdom and to the palace. There we will find Shael and
destroy the Shadow.” explained Jeb.

“So what… no practice? No
surveillance?” I asked, stunned that this was going to be going down so
quickly. I didn't even know how the weapon worked much less have any confidence
that I could use it the way it was intended.

“Well the three of us know the
palace backwards and forwards, so getting in should be relatively easy. We know
where Shael hangs out generally.  His office, his rooms or the main dining
hall. Then, you just....you know...do your thing.” said Jeb.

“Do my thing? What is 'my
thing' Jeb? I don't even know what this box does!” I yanked the backpack off my
back, taking out the box rougher than I intended. I tried to opening it but it
wouldn't budge. I looked for any markings or any words carved into the metal.
There was none.

“What do I do with this thing?”
I yelled.

No one had any answers for me
and I wondered how I was going to use something no one, including myself, knew
how to use.

Gio put his arm around me. He
took the box from my hand, looking it over.

“I think I know how it works.
If I may?” he looked to Jeb and back to me.

We both nodded.

“I think it's not so much a
weapon as it is a container. You see these three long opening’s on this side
here?” he pointed them out on the side of the box, showing everyone. “I think,”
he continued, “that this box may trap the Shadow instead of destroying it. I
have seen many of these types of boxes before. Where there is impenetrable
magic, there is always a means of containing it. IF it is only made to contain
the Shadow, there might not be a way to permanently destroy it. But, that
doesn't mean that it doesn't have its advantage. The box, if it is only a
holder, will remove the Shadow from Shael and buy us time in trying to figure
out how to eventually kill it.” he said.

That made sense to me.

“So, how do I trap it inside?
Just aim it or something?” I asked.

 
I was begging for anyone to tell me what to do
and directions on how to do it.

“Possibly. They told me how you
procured this box Alina. Did you know what to do or did it just feel like
instinct.” he asked me softly, reminding me of the one triumph since this mess
started.

“It felt...well I saw it in my
head. It was like pictures flashing, one after the other. I saw me standing
there, doing what I did. Then I just...did it.” I explained.

“Yes, yes that is what I mean
Alina. You may just have to go on faith and prepare yourself for the fact that
the opportunity to discover how this box works may only come to you the exact
moment you need it.” said Gio, handing the box back to me.

I had to force myself to
remember that these people viewed me and my supposed abilities to rescue them
from the hell that was their daily lives as their last option. I was beginning
to feel an insurmountable pressure falling onto me. I still knew nothing about
this place or what happened to me in my past. I knew nothing other than what
the relative strangers had relayed to me.

Behind me, Jasser and Helix sat
quietly as usual. I could see their faces though, and, this time they needed no
words to convey anything, emotions or otherwise. They were worried that I was
not going to be able to fulfill my duties and they were worried they would have
to continue to live their lives, exiled as they were, although arguably safe,
on the island. They were worried they would never see their home again or their
friends.

I realized then that this
wasn't about me.

It was about them.

Everyone who has been exposed
to Shael's evil had been waiting for something or someone to save them from
their tortured existence. I had been so focused on what this all meant to me,
that I had failed to recognize who it was actually about.

I remembered thinking that I
wished there was a way I could help Jasser and Helix. Here was my chance,
staring me in the face.

I turned back to face the
group.

Jeb said not to be overly
confident. I wasn't anywhere near confident but I was determined.

I would do this.

“Let’s go.” I commanded and
everyone obeyed.

There was a subtle shift in my
demeanor that no one would recognize, but I felt it. It was like a switch had
been turned on. Something clicked when I felt the emotions from Jasser and
Helix and it put me in an entirely new place.

I wasn't scared anymore.

I wasn't frightened.

I was mad.

I was mad that these two
innocent boys had witnessed so much grief during their youth and the thousands
of others who had probably experienced the same traumas. I was mad that one
person could do all this damage and inflict so much violence on innocent people
and no one could stop him. My blood was boiling and I now had the motivation I
needed.

Confidence would have to come
later.

*********

When Jeb first brought me here,
we landed on the one side with a sandy beach. It took hours to reach the
village and we didn't have the time to make that trek. I was told we were going
to Terrin by boat and I wondered how we would get to one if we weren’t going to
walk down to the water.

We climbed well into the
mountain and up, ending up along one of the rocky cliffs that faced Terrin. I
looked over the cliff and down, stunned at the sheer height and wondered how we
were to get down.

‘Where was the boat?’
I
wondered.

“Jasser and Helix, you first.”
said Jeb as he started digging in the ground with his hands, pulling out a rope
from under a pile of leaves and twigs.

‘
We were going to shimmy down the mountain wall?’ I thought. ‘This can’t
be right.’

The moment I started to get
frightened I saw what Jeb actually had. It was a rope
ladder
.

Better, but not by much.

Jeb hooked the top part of the
ladder onto two stakes stuck deep into the ground and then tossed the ladder
over the cliff. My stomach was in knots as I watched it fall. I never knew I
had an issue with heights until that very moment. But, I was there and this was
going to happen, so I moved forward, passed all my doubts and worry,
transitioning quickly into acceptance of my situation.

I was tired of being scared of
everything.

Jasser went first, gliding down
the ladder with tremendous ease. Helix followed closely behind him, with the
same agility and speed that Jasser possessed.

I inched closer to edge so I
could watch them.

They had already gotten
three-quarters of the way down and were stopped, hanging perilously off the
side of a cliff. Jasser was hanging on one side of the rope ladder and Helix
was parallel to Jasser, hanging off the other.

I peered farther over the edge,
watching them unwrap more rope. I then saw them struggling to lower something.
The strain on their faces was evidence that whatever they were unleashing had
some weight to it.

The boys had undone a boat from
its hidden perch on the side of the mountain and had lowered it to the water.

“You stashed a boat on the side
of a mountain wall?” I asked.

“Yes.” Said Jeb with a smirk.
“We needed a quicker way to get down the mountain.”

 
‘Creative.’
I thought.

Gio, Paul and Joe were next to
go down the ladder, leaving Jeb and I alone. I was nervous about my turn down
the ladder. The rope wiggled some, indicating it was now our turn to go down.

“You going to be ok with this
Alina?” asked Jeb as I turned around to start my descent.

The rope seemed thin.

It didn't look flimsy before
when the others were on it.

“I don't really have a choice
do I?” I replied, my tone slightly elevated.

Jeb laughed, spotting me as I
made my way slowly down the ladder. The wind was blowing hard and I kept
waiting for it to swing the ladder or make it blow out from the wall and fall
back, crashing back into it with me on it.

Slowly but steadily, I went
down, rung by rung, finally making it down the face of the cliff and into Joe's
arms. He grabbed me off the ladder when I was close enough, lifting me
carefully into the boat. Jeb was close behind me, landing gracefully into the
boat on his feet.