“I’m going to ignore that. Your not-very-veiled implication that I’m some type of alien ... well, it’s just rude.”
“Are you kidding me? Don’t ignore it.” Lucy interrupted me to glare at Quarn. “What do you mean: ‘Earthling’?” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Is Abby an alien?”
I groaned. It was time for the conspiracy theories.
“I knew it.” She was triumphant. “There’s no way someone gets to be as gorgeous as Abigail and then is also tall. On top of that her lips are full and perfect and naturally red without one ounce of lipstick. Come on, it’s not natural.”
“You’re not natural,” I retorted weakly.
Lucy was always harping on about how unusual my lips were. I was just happy they matched the blood-red of my hair and not the black.
Lucy glared. “Oh, I’m sorry, Extraterrestrial. Did you forget to put your happy skin on today? What, is green not your color?”
Quarn interrupted. “Sorry to cut this short. As amusing as the pair of you are, we need to move before the gangers regroup. I’m good, but even I have my limits.” He was still near the entrance to the alley, scoping it out.
“I’m. Going. Nowhere. Without. Lucy.” I had to spell it out.
He looked between us for a second before nodding. “It does not matter. I don’t have the power to send one of you there, let alone both of you.”
“How do we get more power?” Lucy looked around eagerly. “I’m ready. We digging for coal ... oil?”
I laughed. Fossil fuels. We’d have more chance of finding a magic wand.
He shook his head. “Nothing on Earth. The dead zone is more encompassing than we’d ever anticipated. I’d need a storage amulet, which is rare. A sacred stone, even rarer. And, as a last resort, a power on the other side to assist.”
I smiled. It spread broadly across my face. “Quarn, this may just be your lucky day.”
Moving to the wall, I retrieved my pack before reaching in to unearth the stone. Cupping it with care, I held it out in front of me.
“Is this a sacred stone?”
It was impossible to describe his expression. A sense of reverence fell over him. He stepped forward, laying a hand lightly, respectfully, on its blue surface.
“No, this isn’t, Aribella. This is something much more than that – it’s one of the royal pair, the most important stones in our world. Your … mother sent it with you ... I thought it was lost.” He whispered the last part.
I interrupted. “Mother? You know my family?”
He nodded. “Your mother, Lallielle, is one of my oldest friends.”
I shuddered, trying to fill my compressed lungs with air. “Does she have long dark hair? Green eyes a little lighter than mine?”
He nodded again.
I swallowed loudly, my throat suddenly dry. I’d guessed right for once.
I was filled with a strong urge to find her. “She was in my dream. She told me about the stone and then it just appeared. Could she have anything to do with this?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. Which is not a comfortable place for me. I would have said not possible, but with the dream-spanning Lalli must have found a way.” A thoughtful look crossed his features. “The stone has power. It may have decided that it would come to you.”
He was reiterating my previous feelings: this stone was powerful. Still, I wasn’t that comfortable with its sudden appearance after so many years absent. In my world the very things you either want or need do not just appear before you. I’d proceed with care when it came to this stone.
“So now you have enough power, right? To get us to dreamland. Abby needs to meet her family.” Lucy’s blue eyes were huge.
Quarn held out a hand for the stone. At the last second before it left my hands, I realized I didn’t want to part with it. Despite my hesitation, I released it. We were out of time; I was surprised the gangers weren’t back already.
He cradled the solid weight to his chest. “I don’t know if this will work. My aim is to open a doorway, long enough for two energies to cross. Then it will close. No one will be able to follow and you will not be able to return.”
I grabbed his arm and, yes, may have stomped my foot like a child.
“Two? How many ways do I have to tell you? I’m not leaving without Lucy.”
He stepped away, dispelling my hand. “No, Aribella, it’s I who cannot leave.” His demeanor changed. “There’s something I can’t ... won’t ... leave yet. The time-frame has been accelerated and I’m not prepared.”
He seemed oddly vulnerable; the normal piercing of his blue eyes were dulled. I would have pried further, but a sense of panic consumed me.
“How will we survive without you? We have no idea what we’re doing.”
“You’re stronger than you think, Aribella. Don’t doubt your instincts. I have seen them serve you well on these streets. The same skills are required when you step through the door.”
Lucy linked her arm through mine. “Abbs! You haven’t told him about the forest incident.”