Chapter 17: Legends

The massive wooden doors creaked and slowly swung inward.
“Whoa,” Rainbow whispered.
Griffin turned and grinned at her. “Impressive, huh?” he inquired.
Rainbow said nothing and took in her surroundings. The group was standing in an enormous room, with a high ceiling covered with skylights, which provided the light. Many doors lined the walls. Above each door hung a tapestry, each one intricately embroidered with a scene, each one different. At the head of the room, opposite of the main doors, were three large, beautiful thrones. They seemed to be carved out of giant gemstones, for one was bright crystal green, one was a cinnamon-orange colour, and the third was a pure blue. All sparkled and shone like diamonds.
Mason, without hesitating, walked up to the third door on the left. He was about to open it, when yells were heard from inside. Mason looked back to the others, eyebrows raised, then beckoned for them to come listen at the door. As he placed his ear on the door, the others all did the same. Do not ask how they all got an ear on the door, but they did. A girl inside raised her voice.
“Is that all you can do?”
A young man’s strained, agitated voice came over the sudden rings and clashes of metal. “No… I just… wanted to let you win a bit first!” He let out a quick yelp, and Mason opened the door. The others crowded around behind him to look. They were looking into a big square room, with stone walls and no windows. From the light of the torches, Rainbow and Candace could see high shelves lining the walls that were filled with weapons of all shapes and sizes, neatly organized. It seemed that they were in a training room. And indeed, it was.
In the center there was a tall, thin girl. She seemed to be about eighteen years of age, and she wore chain mail underneath her blue dress. From the belt down, her dress was cut to look like long flower petals, overlapping each other and reaching down to just below her knees. Her golden eyes flashed mischievously as she swung her sword and a plain whip at the young man with whom she was in combat.
It seemed an unfair fight, for though they were the same age, he young man wore no chain mail, only a blue tunic and leather pants. He fought with a dagger that was maybe a foot long. But a strange fact about him was that he wore three belts down his waist, and each was crowded with small pouches and phials.
The two warriors did not notice Mason and the others standing in the doorway. At the moment, the young man was climbing back up from where he was sprawled on the floor. The girl stood, tapping her foot impatiently. “This is too easy,” she laughed. “Perhaps next time I will have to choose someone with more skill to train with!”
The young man moved to a fighting stance. “Just know I am going easy on you, Miragla,” he panted.
Miragla smirked. “Oh really, Sterling,” she said, rolling her eyes.
She then flicked her wrist, snapping her whip toward Sterling’s feet, intent on tripping him, but he jumped over it and, at the same time, removed a phial from his belt. As Miragla swung his sword at his head, he ducked and began to sprinkle a fine, bright red powder on the stone floor. He circled around the room, dodging and ducking Miragla’s weapons with agility, until a red ring surrounded the two of them on the floor. Sterling dove out of the ring, and landed with a roll that ended him on his feet. Before he was even completely up, he reached into a pouch and withdrew two small stones. He struck them near the ring, and as a little spark leapt to the powder, Sterling stood, smiled, and said tauntingly, “What now?”
Flames ignited the powder and whooshed around the circle, until Miragla was standing in a ring of fire. She gave an exasperated sigh. “Sterling Richard Pounds, you are so unfair!”
“I’d say you’re about even now,” Mason laughed, while he walked into the room, followed by Griffin and Justice.
The flames died out instantly. Sterling, grinning, walked over to Miragla. While holding out his hand for her to shake, he said, “The second.”
Miragla shook his hand. “What?” she asked.
“My name,” he replied. “I am Sterling Richard Pounds the second.” Not sure of what to reply to that, Miragla glared at him. Teal eyes sparkling, Sterling turned to Mason. “Hey, little guy!” he said, tousling Mason’s hair.
Mason rolled his eyes, but smiled as he replied, “HI, Sterling. Been – er – practicing?”
“No,” Sterling answered, laughing. “I’ve been – winning!” He high-fived Mason.
Miragla came between them. “Um, I beg to differ, Sterling.” Miragla said, with a smile barely visible on her face. “You forget which of us is more skilled, and I –“
“Whoooaaa, what’s going on in here?” a voice said. A figure strode in the room. He wore a brown tunic and tight-fitting green pants that reminded Rainbow and Candace of the skinny jeans that were “in” back home. A long dagger hung off his thick brown belt. His straight, black hair nearly covered his bright green eyes. He was smiling, and walked up to Miragla. “You haven’t been hurting him again, have you?” he said to Miragla, nudging Sterling.
“Who’s side are you on?” Sterling said to him, feigning anger.
Ignoring Sterling, the new person went up to Candace and Rainbow. “Well, hello, strangers,” he said.
“Hi,” Rainbow said. “I’m Rainbow.”
“And I’m Candace,” Candace added.
“What’s up, guys?” he replied.
Rainbow glanced at Candace. “Not much, I guess. What was your name again?”
“Caradoc,” he answered. “Call me Caradoc, just Caradoc. Don’t even think about calling me Carrie.” Candace smothered a smile.
Under his breath, Griffin muttered, “What’s wrong with that, Carrie?”
Caradoc blinked, and his eyes turned a deep purple. He turned to Griffin. “I thought I heard a voice over here, did you, buddy?”
Griffin was about to laugh, then saw Caradoc’s eyes, and quickly answered him. “No! Nothing!”
Mason walked out of the room, and beckoned to Rainbow and Candace. “Come, girls,” he said, “I have something important to show you.” The girls walked out of the room. Hearing footfalls behind them, Mason turned around. “Just them,” he said to Griffin, who had begun to follow them. Griffin stopped, whirled back around, and walked back to join the others.
Mason, Rainbow, and Candace walked two doors toward the throne. They stopped before the door. This door looked the same as the others, but the tapestry above it immediately caught the girls’ eyes.
In the portrayed scene, there was a woman with flowing golden hair and an anguished face. She was on her knees, begging, pleading with some unseen being. Beside her was a tall man, he too was looking up desperately. His flaming red hair seemed to jump off the cloth. In the woman’s arms was a small baby, with locks as black as midnight. The baby was crying.
Rainbow and Candace stopped to study the sorrowful picture. Rainbow’s eyes grew damp as she felt the sadness of the scene. Candace’s heart felt pained. Mason spoke, startling them out of their thoughts.
“Lady Anguila and Lord Roberim. They were rulers once. Great rulers. They governed the whole land of Keenzendura. In those days, there was little or no evil. What little crime that was committed was always stopped immediately. Children could freely and safely roam the streets at will. Young maidens could safely take long walks through the forest, without weapon or guardian. Men needed not worry over their family’s protection, for there was nothing to protect from. But all good times must come to an end. The Lady and Lord had an evil in their hearts. A small evil that slowly grew. It began to consume their thoughts. Then their actions. They had to be punished.”
“What was the evil?” Rainbow nearly whispered, still staring at the tapestry.
“Pride,” Mason answered. “As I said before, they were great rulers, and many told them so. They became proud. And their pride led to greed. The two soon didn’t see themselves as rich and wonderful. No, they thought they needed more riches and more power. So they began to rob from their own people. To try to gain more territory, Roberim began to amass an enormous army, legions of his people. He forced all the men and boys over twelve into fighting. They went to war against Elmdeno, the land to the East. However, because of Roberim and Anguila’s pride, they were defeated. In shame, the Keenzenduran army slowly marched home. Roberim was killed in battle.
“The news of Roberim’s death reach Lady Anguila just as she had given birth to her first child, a boy, with hair as black as the raven’s wing, as dark as Anguila’s heart. It was an unheard-of phenomenon. A person with black hair had only occurred once in the history of the world, with a young maiden named Magdalene. She was the mother of the Great One’s only Son, brought to down to this world to save us all. But that is another tale. Since the defeat at the battle against Elmdeno, every child born has black hair. We all now bear it, reminding us forever of the dark sin Lord Roberim and Lady Anguila committed. Most of us had never seen anyone with hair other than black. Until you two came, of course.”
“You keep referring to ‘the Great One’,” Candace said thoughtfully. “Who is he?”
Solemnly, Mason answered. “The Great One is the Creator of all things, the Ruler of this world, and the King above all kings.”
“Oh,” Rainbow said. “He’s God.”
There was a slight pause, then Mason replied. “Yes.” Then he reached for the big brass ring that was the door’s handle. With a creak the wooden door opened. A stone hallway lit by torches was beyond the threshold. “Come, follow me,” he said, walking into the hall. The girls followed him.
“What are you going to show us, Mason?” Rainbow asked, amused when her voice echoed back to her from the stone.
Without slowing his pace, he replied over his shoulder, “You’ll see. Patience is a virtue, you know.”
Soon the hall turned into stairs which spiraled down until ending in a locked iron door. Reaching into his pouch, Mason withdrew a key.
Candace whispered to Rainbow, “That boy has everything in his pouch.”
The key, iron like the door, fit perfectly into a large keyhole on the left of the door. Mason turned it, and there was a loud clang as the door unlocked. Mason gave it a gentle push, and the door swung inward smoothly and noiselessly. Mason grabbed the nearest torch and stepped inside. The girls did likewise.
The three were now standing in a circular room. Mason went around the perimeter of the room, which was nearly ten feet in diameter, and began lighting several torches which hung on the wall. As the room slowly became illuminated, Rainbow and Candace gasped.
In the center of the room was an enormous golden gem. Its many facets sparkled silver in the torchlight. A peculiar humming sound seemed to emanate from it, and both girls were drawn to it. Rainbow stepped forward and held out a hand to it. But she quickly hesitated and drew her hand back, looking at Mason.
“May I- may I touch it?” she asked him. He nodded in approval. Rainbow placed her hand against it. It was not cold, as she expected, but warm, and energy seemed to radiate from it. She thought it seemed even larger, if possible, when next to it, for indeed, it came up to her waist.
Candace’s voice broke the silence. “What is it?”
“I was wondering when someone would ask that.” Mason leaned against the stone wall. “This is the Golden Vault.”
“But,” Rainbow countered. “Isn’t a vault like a…a safe or something?”
“And this is a rock,” Candace continued.
“So it is,” Mason said. “But it is told that when both Keystones are reunited and placed here-“ he indicated two heart-shaped indentations- “the stone will reveal a scroll that will who the three Great Rulers will be. They will renounce evil and will start the Golden Age of Keenzendura.”
“Exactly what are the Keystones?” Rainbow asked.
Mason looked at her. “The Keystones are gems made and empowered by the Great One Himself. Only two exist. They are called Palol and Tylol, or Daylight and Moonlight. The Keystone of Daylight is under my care. It gains one passage through our tunnel to Pethochos, by absorbing sunlight. Palol won’t work on a cloudy day, or in the night. But the Great One created another stone. The Keystone of Moonlight, Tylol. It is similar to the other, but this shimmering deep blue stone absorbs moonbeams. United, there is nearly nothing that can surpass their greatness.”
Rainbow and Candace were listening, wide-eyed. Then Rainbow said, “Where is the Keystone of Moonlight?”
A downcast look came over Mason’s face. “The Keystone of Moonlight has been missing for many years. I’m afraid it has come to Valrone.”

Chapter 16: Escape

When Ivria shrieked, Dana leapt to her feet. “What’s wrong?” she said. Darien and Ivria froze, eyes bulging. Then Darien spoke, rather shakily.
“Wh-where are you?”
Dana stared at him incredulously. “Right here!”
Ivria and Darien looked in her direction, but it seemed as though they stared through her. They both looked terrified.
Dana nervously laughed. “What is wrong? You both act like you’ve seen a ghost!”
“But…but…” Ivria stammered. “You’ve…disappeared.”
“WHAT?!” Dana nearly yelled. “But… that’s impossible! All I did was sit and rest my head…” Suddenly she remembered. “The tingling!” she said aloud.
“Huh?” Darien asked.
Dana walked back to the wall and sat down. She decided to repeat her actions. Slowly, she lowered her head into her hands. Once again, her finger touched behind her ear. The tingling came again. Ivria gasped and Darien clutched his cell bars tighter as the tingling subsided.
“You’re back,” Ivria breathed.
Dana stared at the two of them. “I’m going to try it again. Don’t freak.”
Ivria and Darien glanced at each other nervously. This time, all Dana did was touch the back of her ear and she tingled. “Am I gone?” she asked excitedly.
“Y-yes,” Ivria replied. Dana then laughed aloud, startling both Ivria and Darien. Then she touched the same place again. Once more, the tingling came and passed.
“Now I’m back, right?” she asked the nervous two. They quickly nodded. Dana grinned. “This is amazing!” She began laugh again.
Darien whispered to Ivria. “She’s going crazy.”
Dana stopped laughing and said, “No, don’t you two see what this means?” She stepped up to them. “I can get you both out.”

***************

Ned, the old prison guard woke up abruptly. Had he heard someone laugh? He scratched his stubbly chin and shifted in his wooden chair, causing the large ring of keys on his belt to clatter. But suddenly he froze. Were those footsteps?
“No,” Ned thought. “I imagined it.” But still, it really had sounded as if someone was walking up the dark stairway at his back, which led to the dungeon. “But there’s no one down there except the prisoners,” he whispered.
“And me,” a female voice said, quietly, but unmistakably. Ned sat up, stiff as a board. The speaker was right in this room, but when he looked around, no one was there. Ned was afraid.
“Wh-who are you?”
The voice answered. “I’m very sorry to do this, but I’m afraid it’s necessary.”
While listening to the voice, and looking round the dimly lit circular room, Ned failed to notice his walking stick seemingly float up. He leapt up and whirled around just as the stick crashed down on his head.

***************

Darien and Ivria heard footsteps come down the stairs and saw a ring of big keys float over and stop at Ivria’s cell door. “Dana?” Ivria said.
Dana reappeared and replied cheerfully, “Here!”
Then she began to fit the keys into the lock, one by one. Finally. There was a click, Ivria’s cell door swung inward on creaky hinges. Dana repeated the process for Darien’s cell, then got to work on their shackles. When Darien and Ivria were both free, they gathered underneath a torch.
There was a short silence, then Ivria spoke, “Now what?”
Dana looked at them. They were both staring at her. Oh yeah, this is my idea, she thought. “Um…” She hadn’t thought it out this far. “Well…”
“Yes?” Darien said. “Continue…”
“Well, the prison guard is out cold, but who knows how many other guards there are?
“True that,” Ivria muttered.
“So… now what?” Darien looked at Dana, somewhat exasperated.
“I guess,” Dana continued. “Just, um, ready your weapons, and… let’s go.”
She turned and began to lead the way up the stairs. Ivria and Darien, somewhat reluctantly followed. Out of the side of his mouth, Darien whispered to Ivria, “We are going to die.”
Ivria glared at him as they tip-toed up the stairs to the room Ned, the prison guard, was lying. As they passed by the elderly man, Ivria sighed. “Poor fellow,” she said. “Once his empress finds out that we’ve escaped, it will be certain death for him.”
“Tyri os var, tyri os ael,” Darien said gently.
Dana stopped. “What did you say?”
Darien looked at her. “It’s an old saying we have. It means, ‘Choose your path, choose your end.’”
So true, Dana thought, her mind going back to escaping. I need to keep thinking of a plan. Out loud, she said, “We probably should stop talking now.”
The three softly walked through the room and to another stairway that spiraled up. Where does this lead to? Dana thought. She soon found out. The stairs abruptly ended in a doorway that led out to a hallway. A long hallway with other hallways connected to it, similar to a labyrinth. Strangely, there was no one in sight. Still cautious, Dana stepped slowly out into the main hall, Darien and Ivria close behind.
Then they heard footsteps. Many of them. A voice commanded loudly, “Go bring the prisoners, her ladyship wishes to see them.” Footsteps grew closer.
Ivria gasped and whispered hurriedly, “They’re coming this way!” All of them pressed up against a wall, hardly daring to breathe. Darien spotted something. A door. Not caring where it led to, he darted over to it and opened it. He turned and beckoned to the girls.
“Come on!”
After a quick glance at each other, Dana and Ivria ran over to the doorway. Behind it, a stone spiral stairway spiraled up, seemingly forever. Bu before they had time to even think about where it led to, several Balorgran guards came around a corner and into the main hallway. “The prisoners!” one yelled.
A tall one with a red cape, obviously the leader, replied, “You fools! After them!”
Ivria darted up the stairs, followed closely by Dana, then Darien, who slammed the door shut behind them. On they ran. Up, up, and up. The stairs seemed to never end. The running footfalls of the guards were heard behind them. Still the stairs continued. Dana’s legs were burning. Her side hurt, she gasped for breath.
Finally, they reached the top to find… a dead end. The three were imprisoned in a round tower room, with no escape. The guards’ yells could be heard, growing closer.
“Oh, Great One, save us,” Ivria prayed aloud. As she spoke these words, Darien glanced up and saw…
“A trap door!” he leapt up and pushed open the square, wooden door on the roof of the tower. “Come!” he said, and lowering a hand, gave a doubtful Ivria a boost up and through the door. After he helped Dana through, he pulled himself through, and shut the door.
“Now what, genius?” Ivria asked Darien, staring down. They were now on the top of a pointed tower that was, to say the least, very high.
“We have to jump,” Dana stated.
“Jump?” Ivria asked.
They all looked down. A dark moat was below them, with who-knows-what evil living in it. “But-“ Ivria countered, but she was cut off when the trap door was flung open by the guards.
“Jump!” Darien yelled. He pushed Ivria, then, as one, he and Dana jumped.

Chapter Fifteen: Dye and Spy

The rest of the journey to Valeera was eventless for Trey, Alagasia, Chasya, and Lander. Soon, huts and several people were visible through the trees. The group passed by, without knowing, the very tree under which Rainbow had awakened. When they entered the village, Trey blinked a little, for the sun was brighter in the open village than in the tree-enclosed forest.
Trey looked with fascination on the little town. As he observed his surroundings, he failed to notice at first the wide, staring eyes that were focused on him. When he did notice the townspeople, and when he made eye contact with them, they diverted their gaze and cowered away. There was a complete silence. Lander, who was still leading, stopped and turned around.
“Alagasia, find Mason,” he commanded.
“Yes, Lander,” she replied, and began to walk away. But she halted, for a voice called out.
“’Gasia! Lander! Chasya!”
The little group began to search the crowd for the speaker. They did not have to look long. A tall warrior was running over to meet them. Trey soon found that his name was Edmund, for Alagasia, Chasya, and Lander greeted him with that name.
“Edmund, I have not seen you in ages! I thought you were dead!” Alagasia said dramatically.
“I know, it has been forever,” the young man replied, green eyes sparkling. Then he noticed Trey. “Hullo, who’s the brown-haired one?”
Trey stood taller and said, “I am Trey.”
Edmund made a slight bow. “Greetings, Trey.” Turning to Alagasia, he whispered, “What a strange name.”
Alagasia rolled her eyes and said, “Seriously.”
“Edmund,” Lander spoke. “Have you seen Mason and Sapphire?”
A thoughtful look came over Edmund’s face, and then he answered, “Who knows where Sapphire is? She’s so…so…mystical.”
“Agreed,” Chasya and Alagasia replied. Edmund went on.
“And I think Mason went to Pethochos.”
Lander gave an exasperated sigh. “That’s where we need to go,” he said. “Do you know when he will return?”
“No. But he left only an hour and half ago. He was taking two girls with him. They were strange. One had red hair, and the other had brown hair.”
Trey’s mind raced. “Rainbow!” he said aloud.
“Where?” Chasya said eagerly, for she had never seen a rainbow. The others stared at Trey, puzzled. “No, that’s…that’s one of my best friends! She came here before me! Before all of us!” he said excitedly.
“All of you?” Alagasia said.
“Just how many people from your world are in Keenzendura?” Lander asked.
The others continued to stare at Trey. He looked at each of them in turn, as he answered. “Well, two went before me. Rainbow, then Candace. And maybe one followed me.”
Edmund spoke next. “Describe these friends of yours, Candace and Rainbow.” To Alagasia, he muttered, “These names…”
Pretending not to have heard that comment, Trey answered. “Rainbow is fourteen, almost fifteen, with long, curly red hair and clear blue eyes.”
Chasya sighed. “I wish I had red hair.” A look from Lander silenced her.
Trey went on. “Candace is sixteen, with long, dark brown hair and hazel eyes, I think. Oh, and Rainbow has a bit of her hair dyed blue.
“Died?” Chasya asked. “What is that? Her hair was killed?”
Trey didn’t dare smile, and tried to explain. “No, it means she colored it like that. She um…took out some of the red, and replaced it with blue.” Everyone’s face was a blank stare.
“How did she accomplish this?” Edmund asked. “Is she an intelligent scientist, who has invented a unique formula?”
“Like Sterling,” Alagasia whispered to Chasya.
Trey did smile this time. Imagine Rainbow as a scientist! “No! She uses…hair dye. It’s kinda like paint. And she uses a brush to put it in, then it washes out, but the color…stays in.”
All but Lander had their mouths hanging slightly open and were looking at Trey as if he’d grown a third eye. A silence. Then Lander cleared his throat and spoke.
“Chasya, go buy some food and water for Trey while he lies down. The heat seems to have gone to his head.”
Not wanting to argue, Trey laid down on a bench that was in the shade. He was very tired. Sleep overtook him…

***************

Object spun around Trey. Too fast. They were only blurs. Voices echoed through his mind. The voices were jumbled together, he couldn’t understand them. Then the objects slowly stopped spinning and voices became more distinct.
Trey looked around and saw he was in a beautiful throne room. Beautiful, but dark, and he could sense the evil in it. The vaulted ceiling stretched up, it was perhaps seventy feet high. The light, what light there was, came not from windows and one might expect for a room as large as this, but from torches which shone a sickly green. Twelve tall pillars lined either side of the room, and the floor was a glossy black.
Trey was standing but a few yards from the throne, and could see and hear everything that was taking place. The throne was carved out of black marble, and on either side of it was one red torch. Sitting in the throne was a tall, pale young woman, with her hair done messily up in the back of her head. Her cheeks were blushed red. Her black eyes glinted blood-red. Her white hand clutched a scepter, which was black and, at the top, ended in a purple orb. She wore a red corset over her black dress, which, at the hem, was cut into long tendrils of fabric. A splash of red went down the front of her skirt. A cape, cut in the same manner of her dress, was draped over her shoulders.
The woman spoke to a man who was standing in front of her throne. He wore all black with a red cape. His features showed that he too was fairly young, maybe in his early twenties. His deep blue eyes looked nervous and worried. A crooked dagger hung at his belt. With a smooth, flattering voice, he spoke.
“My wonderful empress, I am afraid I have distressing news.” He paused.
The woman, uninterested, flicked her wrist. “Go on.”
“Well…” The man fingered a corner of his cape, nervously glancing around the room. Trey immediately searched for a place to hide from the man’s gaze, but then realized he couldn’t see him. A loud sigh from the woman broke the sudden silence and startled both Trey and the stranger.
“Gorlovka, I don’t waste time. Speak.” She said firmly.
“My lady, it’s the spies…they’ve” he winced. “…escaped.”
The woman stood in anger. “How?” she said, obviously trying to control her voice.
“I…I don’t know.” The man stared at his black boots, ashamed.
The empress walked up to him, and for a moment it seemed as if she was going to strike him, but she them turned and sat back down. “You know, Gorlovka, that there are many others who would love to take your job as second-in-command should I find you…less worthy.”
Gorlovka looked up at her and pleaded, “No, m’lady, please!” Then realizing a whining voice would get him nowhere, he changed his tone. “I’ll do anything to prove my worth.” He bowed.
The woman looked him straight in the eyes. “Anything?”
Gorlovka dropped to one knee. “Yes.”
The woman smiled. An evil smile. “Bring me the Keystone of Moonlight.”
Gorlovka stood. “But, it was lost many years ago.”
The lady’s sharp laugh filled the room for a brief second, then she spoke, still smiling, “You really believe that? You believe the lying tongues of those Trenadonians?” She walked over to Gorlovka. “In the town of Valeera, there is a boy called… Mason.”
Gorlovka’s eyes widened. “Not your bro-“
“Shut up!” she cut him off with a loud voice that echoed through the room. “Mason is the ‘Keeper of the Keystones’. He must have them. Both of them”
“But how-“
“Take your men and go to Valeera. Kill all who oppose you.”
Gorlovka turned and hastily walked away. About halfway down the room, he stopped. “Valrone, what of Mason?” His voice lowered to a whisper. “Your…brother.”
Valrone’s eyes narrowed. Her grip on her scepter tightened, making her knuckles even whiter, if that were possible. The room began to spin around Trey again. He could still hear her, though. Her voice came through gritted teeth. “Mason is no brother of mine. Kill him.” As everything went black, Valrone’s last words echoed through Trey’s mind.
“But bring him to me first. I want to watch him die.”

Chapter Fourteen: Pethochos

“So how did you two get in here?” Dana asked Ivria.
“There’s no time to talk about it,” Ivria replied hurriedly. “You have to get out of here!”
“She’s right,” Darien agreed. “You will get caught too if you are found down here.”
“But I can’t get out,” Dana insisted. “I can’t just leave you two here. And besides, I don’t even know how to get out.” A determined look came over her face. “I’m going to get you guys out of here.”
“How?!” Ivria and Darien replied in unison.
“I don’t know…yet.” Already Dana’s mind was forming a plan. “Do you have any weapons?”
“Hidden ones,” Ivria said, still confused. “I have a dagger.”
Darien spoke up. “And I have a vial of syliokene.”
Dana had not the slightest idea as to what that was, but if it was a weapon, she was fine with it. Then Ivria spoke up with the voice of reason.
“But even if we do have weapons, and know how to fight, Darien and I are both shackled and locked in cells. How are we going to get out?”
Frustrated, Dana sat down on the floor of the filthy dungeon, and rested her head on her hands, desperately thinking. When her head touched her hands, however, one of her fingers was placed behind her right ear. A warm, tingling sensation pulsated from her ear to the rest of her head. At the same moment, Ivria let out a small shriek, and Darien gasped.

***********

After walking through the tunnel for nearly an hour, Candace and Rainbow began to long to see the light of day. They had just finished telling Mason of their journey to Keenzendura. He listened with amazement.
“So… do you know how… and why we came here?” Candace asked him.
Mason shook his head. “Did you speak with Sapphire about it yet?” he asked.
“No,” Rainbow replied.
“I will question her about it the next time I see her,” he concluded.
The girls agreed. They soon rounded a bend, which came to a dead end. Mason lifted his arm, and looking up, the girls could see what looked like roots dangling down from the roof of the tunnel. Mason grasped the longest one. A sudden crack broke the silence and startled Rainbow and Candace. Dirt fell down on top of them, and all three of them lifted their arms to shield their faces. Sunlight streamed into the tunnel, blinding all three of them for several moments. When their eyes adjusted to the light, Rainbow and Candace gasped.
They were looking up into a vast cavern. It was lit by a single large crack on the ceiling, several hundred feet high, through which sunlight streamed. But the cavern was not half as amazing as what was in it.
When the tunnel first opened, the sounds of voices, laughter, and yells had filled the air. There was also the noise of swords ringing and clashing, and a noise the two girls did not recognize, a swooshing noise. A fortress, that seemed to be carved out of the cavern rock itself, rose up nearly touching the top. Around the entrance to the fortress, there were many people. Some were talking, some were “battling” with each other. Above the fortress, dragons with riders swooped and dove through the air in combat. The “swooshing” sound was that of the dragons’ enormous wings flapping through the air.
As Candace and Rainbow stared in fascination of the scene in front of them, Mason pulled himself out of the tunnel. They did not notice until he was until he called them.
“Rainbow, Candace, come.”
They snapped out of their trance and accepted his help out of the tunnel. Someone else ran over to help Mason pull them out.
“Hey, Buddy!”
Mason glanced back at the person who had greeted him. “Hi, Just. A little help?”
The two of them pulled Rainbow and Candace up and out of the tunnel. The girls brushed themselves off and then looked at the boy in front of them.
He was older than Mason, though not by much. Chain mail was his clothing, with a red and gold tunic draped over it. The figure of a heart with a key going through it was embroidered on the chest of his tunic. But his eyes were what caught the girls’ attention. They were a bright copper color, like a shiny new penny. He held in his hand a long wooden handle, and hanging from it on a chain was a mace with foot-long spikes jutting out of it. The mace hung close to the ground by his black, dusty boots. On his left hand sparkled a ring, not unlike Mason’s. The boy had glossy, short-cropped hair, which was, of course, black.
Mason turned to him. “This is Rainbow and Candace,” he said, gesturing towards each of them.
“Your name’s Rainbow?!” the boy blurted out.
“Yeeeees,” she replied.
“You mean, like a real rainbow?! Oh, by the way, my name’s Justice,” he answered back, laughing while he was talking. Justice made the girls, and Mason, feel happy and welcome at once.
“Come on,” Mason said, and the group began to walk toward the fortress.
“So, is your hair real?” Justice asked Rainbow, while touching it gingerly.
“Yes, it is.”
“Yours, too?” Justice asked Candace, touching her hair this time. She didn’t try to cover up her smile, or her laugh.
“Of course, it is!”
“On guard, Just!” A voice rang out as another boy ran up from behind and swung a sword at Justice. Rainbow gasped and Candace jumped, but Justice only laughed and ducked, swinging his mace at the other boy’s feet. The boy leapt over it, brought his sword down on the chain, and yanked the handle from Justice’s grasp. The whole “battle” lasted maybe fifteen seconds. Justice raised his hands in defeat, laughing. The other boy laughed as well.
“Once again, I win.”
“Not fair!” Justice complained. “You had the advantage of surprise, and you’re an elf!”
“Half-elf,” the boy corrected, grinning.
Mason joined in the conversation. “But still, a half-elf is far more powerful than a mere human.”
Justice smirked. “My point exactly.”
The two warriors who had just fought stuck their tongues out at each other. Mason shook his head.
“Come on, girls.”
The boy who had not yet been introduced bowed. “A thousand pardons, fair maidens, for being so impolite as to not introduce myself. They call me Griffin.”
“Who’s ‘they’” Justice muttered. No one answered him as the girls studied Griffin.
He was tall with fair, clear skin, and startling blue eyes. Pointed ears peeked out from behind his curly, black hair. Clothed in a light blue tunic that matched his eyes, with leather pants, a thick leather belt, and a pouch like Mason’s, he hardly looked as fierce as Justice. Yet Rainbow and Candace both got the sense that he was a very experienced warrior.
“And in case you were wondering,” his soft, yet mocking voice spoke up. “I am a year older than Justice. He is only sixteen.”
“Who cares?” Justice mumbled.
“I’m Rainbow,” she of that name said.
“And I’m Candace,” Candace said.
“Welcome, Lady Candace,” Griffin bowed to her. “Welcome, Lady Rainbow. Your names are sweet and melodious to mine ear.” The girl’s blushed involuntarily.
“Flatterer,” Mason breathed to Justice.
“Tell me about it,” Justice whispered back.
To Griffin, Mason said, “We are entering the fortress, care to come?”
“But of course,” Griffin cheerfully answered. He ran up to Rainbow and offered her his arm.
“Ummm, hi,” she awkwardly said, never having had someone do that before.
“M’lady,” he answered.
Since he and Griffin were rivals in everything, and not to be outdone, Justice spun around and offered his arm to Candace. She took it, and with a glance at Rainbow, they walked up to the fortress.

Chapter Thirteen: Kabooki

Trey stumbled over a root and lurched forward. Lander turned around. “Watch your step,” he warned, a little too late. Trey sighed and picked himself up. The foursome had been walking for about a half an hour, but to Trey, who was unaccustomed to the rough forest trail, it felt like hours. He tried to turn his mind to things other than his fatigue.
Looking up at the trees, he began to wonder what kind of plants they were. He saw more of the same kinds he had seen around the entrance to the cave, and also some new ones. One of these strange new types was a tree with bright yellow bark and long branches that were completely bare, save the tips, which each had one bright green leaf dangling off it.
Several times, Trey thought he saw a shadow dart among the trees on the left side of the trail. Then he would see it again, this time on the right. Or was it the light playing tricks on him? He was quite dehydrated. Lander’s voice interrupted his thoughts of cool, refreshing water.
“So, stranger,” he began. Chasya interrupted.
“He has a name, Lander,” she chided him.
Though his back was to Trey, Trey could hear Lander audibly sigh.
“So Trey,” he began again, glancing back at Chasya, who had a smug smile. “That is your name, is it not?”
“Yeah,” Trey replied. Hearing a stifled laugh behind him, Trey turned around. Alagasia was smiling.
“Sorry,” she said. “But that’s just a weird name.”
Turning red, Trey retorted, “It’s not half as weird as Alagasha.”
Haughtily, the girl replied, “It’s Alagasia. And how dare you insult a lady’s name!”
“You’re not a lady. You’re a kid.”
“I am not!”
“Yeah! I bet I’m older than you.”
“I am fourteen.”
“Hah! Told you! I’m sixteen.”
“You don’t know whom you’re speaking to. I am Alagasia, warrior and swords maiden of Trenadonia.”
“Well, I’m Trey O’Dell, warrior and sword…master of Mission Viejo. Hah! Bet you don’t know where that is!”
“I will admit I don’t know where that is. However, it must not be a grand place, if they send their ‘warriors’ out looking like you! You are not a real warrior at all!”
“Oh, yes I am! I have three younger brothers, and, let me tell you, there is a war going on in my house everyday!”
“I don’t believe you. You would faint at the mere sight of a weapon.”
“Speaking of weapons, I haven’t seen you use yours. You probably don’t even know how.”
“I’ll show you how!”
Alagasia drew out a dagger, and, quick as a flash, had Trey’s arms behind his back and the dagger to his throat. Chasya and Lander had been off to the side, watching with amusement, but when they heard the ring of the dagger being drawn, the two quickly intervened.
“Alagasia, stay your weapon,” Lander commanded. She tried to break free of Chasya, who was holding her back.
“But he insulted me!” she yelled back. Alagasia broke free and rushed back towards Trey, who was being helped up by Lander. Suddenly, a strange noise filled the air.
“Awooooo!”
It sounded similar to a howl, and as the sound ended, Alagasia stopped and groaned, “Not now, Chasya!”
Trey was surprised. “Chasya did that?” he thought. Another sound filled the air, an answering howl, long and clear, from farther away. Seconds later, something bounded onto the path. But Trey, who was trying to defend himself from Alagasia, could not see who, or what, it was. Suddenly, the thing leapt upon Alagasia and knocked her down.
“Chasya!” she yelled, more of a complaint, than of a cry of help.
Chasya only laughed. “He won’t hurt you, ‘Gasia.”
Trey looked up and finally saw what the thing was that Chasya had called. A large, grey wolf had Alagasia pinned to the ground on her back. Its blue eyes calmly stared into hers, as if daring her to even try to get up. Alagasia had an annoyed look on her face.
“Chasya, make him get off,” she complained.
Lander laughed. “Will you sheath your dagger?” he questioned.
She rolled her eyes and sighed impatiently. “Yes.”
“Very well. Chasya?”
Chasya nodded and looked at the wolf. “Kabooki! Come, Kabooki!” the large dog bounded over to Chasya, panting happily, and jumping up to greet her. Trey watched with fascination as the fierce-looking canine acted like a little puppy.
Grinning, Chasya looked over to Trey. “This is Kabooki,” she informed him. “Though he is only a year old, I have him well trained.”
Trey looked at him. “He’s…big.”
Chasya laughed. “Indeed, and he is not done growing!”
“Wow.”
“So, Trey,” Lander spoke, after they continued walking. “Now that you have learned never to insult a lady, will you tell us your story?”
Trey proceeded to do so, while his companions listened with fascination. When he finished, Alagasia spoke.
“So…you come from another… world?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
Trey looked confused. “I…don’t know.” Thinking maybe Lander would have an idea, Trey turned to him. “Do you know how I got here?”
Lander said nothing for a moment, and then he answered, “I don’t know. But I do know someone who might. That is one of the reasons we are going to Pethochos.”
Trey was puzzled. “What’s that?”
“You will find out when we get there. We will pass through Valeera. Alagasia, when we get to Valeera, you find Mason, I will search for Sapphire, and Chasya, you take Trey to get some food and water.”
The other two warriors nodded. “We will do as you have asked.”

Chapter Twelve: The Keystone

Rainbow and Candace followed Mason through Valeera.
“So,” Rainbow began. “Why is everyone terrified of us?”
Mason smiled. “Well, for one thing, your clothes are…um…interesting.”
The girls looked at each other and grinned. Candace laughed. “I guess they are a little different, huh?” she said, looking at Mason’s outfit, then at her and Rainbow’s jeans and T-shirts. He laughed. A musical laugh.
“Just a little,” he replied. “But I can help you with that. Another thing is your hair.”
“So does everyone here have black hair?” Rainbow asked curiously.
“Yep,” he casually answered.
Quickening their pace, the three began to walk to the outskirts of the town. When they came to the edge of the forest, Mason halted. Turning toward them, he looked a little suspicious.
“Can,” he began. “Can I trust you girls?”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Well, thanks a lot!”
“No, really,” he said.
Mason began to look straight into their eyes in the same freaky way his sister did. The girls began to feel strange.
“Of course,” Rainbow finally said. Mason stared at them a while longer, as if unsure about taking their word for it. Seemingly making up his mind, he turned and walked toward a purple boulder, about waist high. Opening his pouch, he took out a clear stone in the shape of a heart. It was as smooth as glass and rounded. The sun’s rays hit it and the stone seemed to absorb the light, and sparkle of its own accord.
“This only works if the sunlight touches it,” Mason breathed, turning back to the girls, who were staring at the stone with eyes as big as saucers. He held the stone up and said, “This is the Keystone of Sunlight. I am the Keeper of the Keystones.” He again looked intently at Rainbow and Candace. “Tell no one of this.” The girls, holding their breath, nodded.
Mason stepped over to the purple boulder. Rainbow and Candace stood on either side of him, looking over his shoulders. They now noticed that there was an indentation of a heart in the boulder, hardly visible. Mason set the Keystone on the dent. It fit perfectly and sunk in about a half of an inch. When it did, a beam of light shone out and nearly blinded them, and they covered their eyes. At the same moment, they all heard a low grinding noise. Then the light seemed to go back into the stone, and the three were able to look at the boulder again. The Keystone was sparkling on the boulder like a diamond with a thousand facets. Rainbow and Candace looked down and gasped. The noise they heard was the boulder moving back. Where it once was, there was a gaping hole in the ground, with dirt and rocks falling in. mason glanced at the girls.
“Follow me,” he said in a leading voice. To the girl’s horror, he jumped into the dark hole. However, instead of falling fathoms down as they expected him to, Mason stood about chest-high in the hole. He looked up at Rainbow, and held out his hand to her.
“Come on,” he urged. She looked unsure, and turned her head to look at Candace.
Candace smiled. “You can do it, Rainy,” she assured her, knowing that Rainbow had a fear of darkness. Rainbow looked back at Mason, who still had his arm outstretched to her. Taking a deep breath, she took his hand and stepped inside. The hole was only about three feet wide, so she was now standing awkwardly close to Mason.
“Um, you’ll have to duck and go in there until Candace gets down,” he said, pointing to the side of the hole closest to Rainy. There was a tunnel there, pitch-black.
Rainbow swallowed. “Okay.” She crouched down and kneeled on the dirt just inside the tunnel. Mason helped Candace down into the hole.
“Okay, Rainbow,” he said. “Switch places with me.” Bending down, he waited for Rainbow to crawl out of the tunnel and stand up next to Candace. Mason then crouched down and, stepping into the tunnel, reached about four down it and pulled out a torch, unlit. Putting his hand in his pouch, he pulled out a match. After lighting the torch, Mason took the Keystone off the rock and put it into his pouch again. He began to walk down the tunnel, which had stairs leading down further.
“Follow me,” he called back, his voice sounding strange echoing through the hole. Rainbow took one last look at Candace, who gave her a reassuring smile and followed Mason down. Candace brought up the rear, and immediately after she entered the tunnel, the purple boulder began to slide over the hole. Soon, the only light was the flickering torch.
As Mason led the girls down the tunnel, which soon leveled out, he began to tell them what it was for, and where it led.
“This is the passageway to Pethochos.”
Candace and Rainbow exchanged a look. Candace prodded him on. “Which is…?”
He began. “About five years ago, one of the leaders of Trenadonia-“
“What’s that?” Rainbow interrupted. Instead of answering right away, Mason stopped, handed the torch to Candace, and reached into his pouch. He pulled out a yellowed scroll and unrolled it. Candace lifted the torch up closer to the scroll, and they now see that it was a detailed map.
The map was called Keenzendura, All the southeastern corner of the map had inscribed over it in elite letters, “Trenadonia.” The other side, the northwestern part, was called Balorgrah, and right in the center of Balorgrah was a large, dark castle called Direstein. However, on the Trenadonian side, right along the border of Balorgrah, surrounded by what looked like cliffs, was a fortress with the name Pethochos written beside it. A squiggly line came from the center of it, went through the mountains, and ended at a boulder just outside of a small town, the town Valeera.
“We live in Trenadonia, which translates to ‘Realm of Light’. Our enemies, the Balorgrans, abide in Balorgrah, the ‘Realm of Darkness’.” Mason paused, and Rainbow, glancing at his face, thought she saw a sad look in his deep eyes. The boy blinked, shook his head slightly, and continued.
His finger tracing the squiggly line, Mason said, “This the passageway to the secret fortress of Trenadonia, Pethochos. We are standing in it as we speak. I am taking you to Pethochos.”
Now understanding the land of Keensendura somewhat, the girls were ready to hear the story. The group began walking after Mason had put away the map. Taking the torch back from Candace, he again led the way.
“Okay,” he began again. “About five years ago, one of the leaders of Trenadonia, a girl named Valrone, grew tired of being one of the many leaders of Trenadonia, for one of our laws is that not one, but several must be leaders. None of them could pass a law, give an order, or do anything without consulting the others first. But Valrone wanted more. She longed to be the only ruler over this beautiful land, but of course, it was not allowed. One day, she tried to murder the other leaders.”
Mason winced. “She killed one, but the others escaped. Valrone was then banished from Trenadonia. She was only eighteen years old. Before her rebellion, Valrone was loved by everyone. Her long, curly black hair fell like silk down her back. Her coal-black eyes pierced to the soul. Her soft, pale skin seemed to glow. Her scarlet lips shaped the soft sounds of her gentle and soothing voice. When excited, her cheeks would blush bright red. It was then that she was most beautiful. No one ever thought Valrone would do what she did.”
Here Mason paused again, and Rainbow thought, she saw tears in his eyes. “When she was banished, she took as many Trenadonians as possible with her. All the surrounded towns she turned to ruins, save Valeera. Valrone would attack them, and then force the people to serve her. If they refused, she killed them. Since her banishment, the province of Balorgrah, her territory she formed, has grown stronger. She declared herself empress over Keensendura.
“Seeking to find all people of this land, the Trenadonians have built Pethochos, a secret fortress. The captain of out warriors, Lander, fears that she has somehow discovered Pethochos. So he sent two spies into Balorgrah to see if she does indeed know, and hopefully hear her plans. We don’t know what became of the two of them.”
Mason stopped. Rainbow decided to ask a bold question.
“Mason,” she began. “I’m sorry if this a…personal question, but…why do you become so sad speaking of these things?”
Mason drew in a shaky breath. “Because,” he replied in a quivery voice. “Valrone…is my sister.”

Chapter Eleven: Prisoners

“Do not let the prisoners escape.”
The deep voice echoed throughout the dark hallway, which had cells on either side. The pale prison guards nodded and saluted their captain, who stood at the entrance to the dungeon with four guards.
The prisoners in question, a girl and a boy who were in separate cells, glared at their captors. The girl, whose name was Ivria, was curled up in the far, dark corner of the cell on a pile of filthy, old straw. A rat’s eyes glittered from a hole in the wall. The sickly sweet smell of rot filled the whole place.
Across the hall from Ivria’s cell was a dirty, empty cell. Well, not completely empty. A skeleton shackled to iron rings in the wall stared with its empty sockets at Ivria. She shuddered and rubbed her own shackles.
“I’ll probably be just the same soon,” she thought. “I can’t believe we got caught. Caught! We’re prisoners in Balorgrah. Captives of the enemies of Trenadonia!” She hung her head and hoped Darien was okay.



In the next cell was a boy named Darien. He was young, like Ivria, maybe thirteen. His wavy black hair was just long enough to fall into his eyes, which is exactly what it was doing. Wiping it away from his eyes left a grimy trail of dirt on his face. Leaning up against the walls of his cell, Darien scowled at the guards and their captain.
Darien’s cell was in most ways the same as Ivria’s, except for the single window. It was about seven feet off the ground and had iron bars in it. Through it came a dim light. All that was visible through it was the sky, which was a bright blue, without a cloud in sight. It was the only shred of hope in that dark, dank hole.
“No warrior of Trenadonia should be caged up in this wretched place,” he muttered under his breath.


“If they escape, it will cost you your lives,” the big captain threatened his guards. With one last withering look at them and directing an evil smile to Darien and Ivria, he turned to walk up the stairs and out of the dungeon. His black cape billowed out behind him. The heavy footsteps were heard echoing off the stone stairs, and the four guards ascended with him. What the captain didn’t see was that, as he left the dungeon, a girl appeared, sprawled at the foot of the stairs.


Dana awoke, her head spinning. She realized she was lying on wet, stone stairs and immediately sat up.
“Where am I?” she thought. Then the smell hit her. The place reeked of rotting flesh, and other things Dana didn’t want to think of. Around the corner, by the light of a flickering torch on the wall, she could see a hallway with what looked like prison cells on either side. Dana stood up on shaky legs and walked slowly toward the cells. The first one on the right contained a ghastly skeleton.
Dana shivered and looked to the other side. A girl was curled up in the darkest corner. Her long, tangled black hair covered half of her face. She was wearing a forest green dress that was short in the front and long in the back, with chain mail underneath. The buckles of her boots glared in the torchlight. No weapons were visible.
When Dana saw the girl, she gave a little start, and the girl looked up. Her hazel eyes were full of despair.
“Who are you?” the girl asked.
“I’m Dana,” said she. “Can you tell me where I am?”
The girl smirked, and Dana detected a faint hint of sarcasm in her reply. “Isn’t it obvious? We are in a dungeon.”
“But…where?” Dana was confused.
A boy looked out of the cell to the left of the girl’s. He was wearing a tunic of forest green color, and had leather pants, chain mail, and black boots. His yellow-orange eyes glittered in the dim light.
“You honestly don’t know?!” he asked Dana in disbelief. She shook her head.
The girl sighed and stood up. Dana could see now that both she and the boy had a strange symbol on the fronts of their clothing. Hastening to explain, the girl spoke up.
“Well, my name is Ivria, and that’s Darien. We’re warriors of Trenadonia, loyal to our captain, Lander. However…we’re also prisoners in the dungeon of Balorgrah. Captives of Valrone.”

Chapter Ten: A Whole New World

“I’m alive,” was Trey’s first thought. He looked around. All he could see was black. It was cold, a damp cold, and floor was hard. Trey blinked and rubbed his eyes. He could see… nothing.
“Great,” he thought. “I’m alive, but I’m blind.”
Slowly, he stood up. With his hands groping in front of him, Trey walked forward. Suddenly, the ground sloped steeply downwards, catching him unaware. Trey fell face-first and, with a yell, slid down the incline, a shower of rocks and dirt following.
When he stopped sliding, Trey lifted his face, which was now scratched and bruised. He saw a dim light up ahead. Standing up slowly, he walked toward it. Trey could see now that he was in a cave tunnel. Around the curve, the light grew stronger. Realizing it was daylight, he quickened his pace. Suddenly, he was out in the open. The sunlight nearly blinded him. Blinking hard, he managed to focus his eyes and see where he was. He had just stepped out of a cave in the side of a mountain, and stepped into a forest.
It looked like a normal forest at first, with pines, evergreens, and ferns. But as Trey walked through the trees, he began to see things he had never seen before. He saw trees with deep blue, almost black, trunks with scarlet leaves. Some bushes looked like they came straight out of a Dr. Seuss book. There were purple bushes that looked like giant pom-poms with red flowers that looked like a cross between a daisy and a rose.
Hearing a noise above him, Trey gazed up into a tree with red bark and big, feather white leaves. A grey creature was up amongst the branches, staring down at him. It looked like a grey rabbit, with a fluffy squirrel’s tail and keen yellow eyes.
“Oh, wow,” Trey said aloud. “What is that?”
As if offended, the creature began squeaking loudly and jumping from branch to branch. Its eyes had turned orange.
“Oooookay, I’ll leave you alone, then,” Trey murmured, as he walked off. “I wish I knew where I was,” he sighed.
Climbing up a slope, Trey began to wish he had water to drink. He hadn’t drunk anything since the top of the waterfall. “It feels like a year since then,” he panted. Finally, he reached the top. Trey gasped.
He was standing on what was like a smooth, grassy tabletop overlooking a breathtaking valley. It was filled with trees and plants of every color, and a river ran through the middle of it. The sky was a startling blue, bluer than our sky, with not a single cloud.
“Wow,” Trey breathed. “Maybe I died and went to heaven.” But a second look on the other side of the valley proved him wrong. Standing atop a hill on the opposite side, like a ruler over this beautiful valley, was a dark castle it was built with what looked like jagged, black stones, and had steep towers and had rough edges. One look, and you knew it was evil. They began to feel creeped out.
“How do I get out of this place?” he sadly asked himself.
Suddenly, he heard a voice behind him.
“One move and you die, stranger.”
Trey swallowed hard. He didn’t dare move.
“Who are you and state your business,” the voice went on.
“I… I’m Trey… Trey O’Dell,” he stammered in a shaky voice. “I don’t know where I am.”
A different voice, a girl spoke up, in a taunting voice. “Hah, how can you not know where you are?”
Trey heard another girl answer her, in a softer voice. “Gasia, he does look like a stranger. I mean, look at his hair!”
“I’ll bet my hair’s messy,” Trey thought.
The first voice spoke again.
“Turn around slowly,” it commanded. Slowly, as commanded, Trey turned around. Three people stood in front of him. One was a young man, probably not much older than himself, eighteen or nineteen, maybe. He was dressed in a tunic with chain mail underneath, and on the chest of his tunic was an embroidered coat of arms, which looked like a heart of two colors with a key going through it. He had brown weathered boots. The warrior stood in a fighting stance, and a sword, with flames on it, drawn and pointed towards Trey. His curly back hair ruffled in the wind, and his grey eyes had a stern look in them. Trey thought he looked like he stepped out of a medieval history book.
So did the two girls next to him. Trey figured they both looked like they were about Rainbow’s age, fourteen. The one to the right of the young man had long black hair and fierce purple eyes. She was wearing a layered purple and forest green dress, just above her knees, had chain mail on her legs, and wore brown boots with buckles on them. A cape, attached to one shoulder, blew out behind her. Her arms were bare, and the coat of arms gleamed from the front of her dress. The strap of a quiver, full of arrows, half-covered it. A bow made of purple-black wood was in her hand, and she aimed an arrow, fitted to the string, straight at Trey’s eyes. The girl warrior looked ready to kill him, and Trey believed she wanted to.
Next to her, was the other girl, with black hair, a little past shoulder length, blowing in the slight breeze. Her sky-blue dress had a slanted hem, making it short on the right side, and long on the left. She also had a cape attached to one shoulder, her right, except hers was dark green. She too wore brown boots with buckles. Two long, drawn daggers were held tightly in her hands. The hilts were dragons, and the fire coming out of their mouths made up the blades, which gleamed in the sun. The coat of arms was embroidered on her front, as with the other two. The girl’s bright green eyes stared at Trey, as if studying him.
The young man stepped forward.
“Where do you come from, stranger?” he asked suspiciously, his sword still held up.
“Um…,” Trey licked his dry lips. “Southern California. Orange County.”
The three warriors glanced at each other, confused. The archer spoke.
“Where in Keenzendura is that?”
Now Trey was even more confused. “Keenzendura? What’s that?”
Again, they looked at each other. Finally, the girl with the daggers spoke.
“It’s…here.”
Trey looked at her. “What?”
The man turned to the girls. “I believe he might be telling the truth. He doesn’t have a clue as to where he is.”
The archer looked doubtful. To Trey, the man said, “Why don’t you come with us, and we will heat your story.” Not wanting to argue and possibly be killed, Trey agreed. The warrior turned back to the girls. “Put away your weapons,” he commanded. The second girl sheathed her daggers, while the other, somewhat reluctantly, lowered her bow and put away her arrow, all the while eyeing Trey suspiciously.
The young man spoke again. “My name is Lander.” Before Trey could get over how strange the name was, he was told two more. “This,” said Lander, nodding over to the archer. “This is Alagasia.” And gesturing toward the other girl, he said, “And that is Chasya.”
Alagasia just nodded, and Chasya smiled and said, “Greetings, was it…Trey?”
“Yeah,” said he, beginning to relax.
“Come,” Lander said, leading the way back down the slope. Trey followed obediently. He noticed that they were each wearing a curious looking ring. It was a silver dragon with a sapphire eye. Trey decided he would ask them about it later, when they became better friends. Alagasia and Chasya walked behind him. As they journeyed through the forest, Trey began to really doubt whether he was in our world anymore.

Chapter Nine: Mason

“Where did she come from?” a small voice said. To Candace, it sounded like the voice was from a dream, far, distant. Her head was spinning. The ground underneath her felt like bricks.
“I don’t know,” another voice answered. “She wasn’t here a moment ago!”
Candace could hear many people talking and murmuring. All she could see was black.
“Who is she?”
“Is she real?”
“Look at her hair!”
“Can I touch her?”
“Is she alive?”
Then gasps from every voice.
“She's waking up!”
Candace struggled to open her eyes. She felt a small finger brush her arm.
“Honey, don’t poke her!” a motherly voice scolded.
“But ith thee awive?” a tiny voice lisped.
“Yes, dear. Now stand back!” the woman answered.
Candace opened her eyes. All she saw at first was a blur. As her eyes focused, she saw that she was lying on a street in a quaint little town. Many faces were staring down at her, for there was a crowd of people all around. They were all dressed in clothed similar to medieval peasant clothes. When her eyes opened the people hurriedly backed away. Candace slowly got up. She felt rather dizzy.
“Where am I?” she mumbled. As she walked towards the crowd, they all stepped aside, so she could pass through. Though blinded by the sunlight, Candace was able to observe the town. There were little thatched-roofed huts with wooden doors opened up to the red cobblestone streets. The street was crowded with people. They all had black hair and pale skin. Every one of them was staring up at Candace.
“Please,” she pleaded. “Will someone tell me where I am?” No one answered.
Candace sighed and began walking down the street. It curved and she saw a fountain. Standing around the fountain was yet another crowd of people. Out of all the dark heads of hair, one stood out in bright contrast.
“Rainbow!” Candace ran for the crowd and pushed her way through the people, towards Rainbow’s red hair.
Rainbow heard a familiar voice calling her name, and turned. Candace then saw with whom Rainbow was speaking with and came to an abrupt halt.
Sapphire turned to Candace. Their eyes met. Candace gasped. Sapphire’s small, red lips curved into a smile.
“Welcome Candace.”
Rainbow looked from Candace to Sapphire, then back to Candace again, with a puzzled look on her face.
“You… you know each other?” she asked.
Candace looked at Rainbow. “She… I…,” she stammered. Sapphire and Rainbow were staring at her, as well as the multitude of people gathered around. “I’ll explain later,” she sighed.
Smiling, Sapphire turned to the crowd. “It’s alright. You may all go,” she announced. “Cuio vae. No galu govad gen.”
Candace looked at Rainbow. “What’d she say?” she whispered, nudging Rainbow’s arm.
“It’s elvish,” she whispered back. Rainbow was a Lord of the Rings fan. I don’t know how in the world they would know that language. What she said means, ‘Farewell, may blessings go with you.’”
The crowd remained, as if unsure whether to leave or not. Sapphire watched them.
“It’s alright, go!” she insisted.
Slowly, one by one, they all walked away. Finally, one remained. He was a boy who looked to be fifteen, with shaggy hair and bright, turquoise eyes. As he turned to leave, Sapphire called out to him.
“Wait.”
He stopped, and turned back to them, an inquisitive look on his face. The girls saw that he was dressed in a dark brown tunic with leather pants and a dark blue belt. Hung over his right shoulder and resting on his left hip, was a leather pouch His dagger, on his right hip, was very detailed. The silver hilt was a dragon with a bright blue eye, and the flames coming out of its mouth made up the blade.
The boy slowly walked up to them. Sapphire smiled at him.
“This is my brother, Mason,” she said to Rainbow and Candace.
The girls looked at her, then at him. Rainbow stepped forward. She smiled. “Hi, Mason.” Holding out her hand, she introduced herself. “I’m Rainbow, Rainy for short.”
He shook her hand. She noticed he was wearing a strange ring. It was a silver dragon wound into a circle, with its head touching its tail. There were no ornaments on it, except for the dragon’s eye, which was a sparkling blue sapphire.
“Hello, Rainy,” he replied in a slightly deep voice.
After Candace introduced herself, Sapphire walked up to Mason and put her soft, pale hand on his shoulder.
“Mason, will you show these girls around while you become better acquainted?” she inquired.
“Um, sure,” he agreed. Sapphire smiled at him. “Thank you.” In a lower voice, she said, “Don’t forget to take them to Pethochos.” She turned to the girls. “We shall meet again later,” said she, in her strange, mysterious voice. Candace glanced at Rainbow, and then looked at Sapphire.
“Uh… okay,” she replied. Before she was hardly done speaking these words, Sapphire was gone. An awkward silence followed.
“Wow, she’s fast,” Rainbow quietly said, in a vain attempt to start a conversation. It didn’t work. Another awkward silence. Rainy’s eyes met Candy’s. Rainbow slowly lifted her hands to make the upside-down awkward turtle sign. Candace struggled to keep a straight face, and then they both burst out laughing. Mason just stared at them with a baffled expression on his face, which made them laugh even harder.
Mason cleared his throat. “So… do you want me to show you around or not?” He asked the girls as they recovered from their giggles.
“Yeah, let’s go,” Candace gasped, and started to follow Mason, who had walked away. They walked in silence for a while, which gave Rainbow a chance to think.
“How did Candy get here? The same way, I guess. Who pushed her? Probably Trey. I bet he and Danish are worrying about us. My family is probably worried, too.”


Candace had a few thoughts of her own.
“I wonder if Trey and Dana came. And if they did, where are they?!” Then she had a disturbing thought. “What if we can never get back?”

Chapter Eight: Keenzendura

Rainbow opened her eyes. “Where am I?” She felt strange and light-headed. As her eyes focused, she saw that she was lying on mossy ground underneath a huge tree with spreading branches. Rainbow sat up and brushed the dirt from her thick hair. Looking around, she noticed she was at the edge of a village, a village with thatched-roofed huts. Hearing something behind her, Rainbow turned and saw a pale, little girl. Her big lime-green eyes stared out from behind her tangled black hair that hung over her eyes slightly. She looked to be about five or six years old.
“Hello, there,” Rainbow greeted her.
The girl’s eyes only widened as she stared at Rainbow.
“Where am I?” Rainbow asked, hoping to get an answer.
But instead of answering, the child backed away, then bolted through the trees and into the village.
“That was strange,” Rainbow said aloud to herself.
Standing up, the confused teenager began to walk towards the village. She could see from a distance that there was a market taking place. An elderly woman was selling flowers, there were butchers selling fresh meat, farmers with their crops, and jewelers with all kinds of sparkling accessories. Little children were playing in streets while their mothers bargained with stand owners.
But when Rainbow entered the village, one by one all the people fell silent. Looking around, she noticed that everyone was staring at her, wide-eyed, as if they were afraid.
“How strange,” she thought. “Everyone has black hair!”
It was true. Some had curly hair, some straight, some wavy, but all had raven-black hair and pale skin.
“I wonder if they’ve ever seen anyone with hair other than black. That might explain why they seem to be so scared.”
The people did seem scared. Mothers held their small children close to them. Some people shrank back when Rainbow merely looked at them. A few curious children, who had overcome their fear crept up behind Rainbow and poked her, as if to see if she were real.
“This is so awkward,” Rainbow thought. “No one has spoken a word to me.”
She finally came to a fountain in the center of the town. A voice broke the eerie silence.
“Welcome, Rainbow.”
Rainbow turned, and saw a girl of about sixteen step out of the crowd. She was clothed in dark green and blue. Her hair was black, and her skin was pale, like the rest of the villagers, and her lips were scarlet. Her eyes were a piercing blue, and she stared straight into Rainbow’s eyes, and it seemed as if she stared into her soul.
“My name is Sapphire.”
“How do you know my name?” Rainbow asked.
“You were called here.”
Rainbow was confused. “Where is ‘here’? Where am I?”
Sapphire smiled. “The town of Valeera, in the land of Keenzendura.”

Chapter Seven: A Leap of Faith

“Oh, Candace, how could you?” Dana sobbed.
Candace stood on the edge, staring at where Rainbow had disappeared. She turned and looked at her friends. Dana was on her knees, head in her hands, sobbing, and Trey was staring at nothing, in complete shock. Candace walked over to them.
“I know it sounds crazy,” she said. “But…I had to do it.”
Trey’s eyes focused and looked at her. “Oh, so you ‘had’ to kill her?” he questioned angrily.
“this will sound weird, too,” Candace answered him. “But…I don’t think she’s dead.”

Rainbow stood at the top of Yosemite Falls, looking over Yosemite Valley. She turned to Trey, who was next to her.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” she asked.
“It’s amazing,” he replied.
“Don’t you just love it, Danish?” Rainbow asked, leaning over to look at Dana.
“Oh, yes,” Dana answered. “I’m so glad I came all the way up. It’s so tall.”
Rainbow’s eyes wandered back to the bottom of the fall. “Now, that I look at it, it is pretty high up.” She looked back at her friends. “I wonder if anyone’s ever fallen off.”
Dana and Trey laughed. “I doubt it.”
Rainbow swallowed, looking down at the glistening water from a dizzying height. “You could fall forever,” she mumbled, swaying a bit.
Trey steadied her, with his hands on her shoulders. “Be careful, Rainy.” He looked around. “Wait, where’s Candy?”
At that moment, Rainbow heard something move behind her, so she turned. It was Candy, and Rainbow saw a strange look in her eyes.
“Candy, what’s wrong?” she asked. But said nothing and just pushed her. “Candace, what are you doing?!” she screamed. Rainbow struggled to regain balance, and clawed at the air. Yelling, Trey grabbed her wrist, but he lost his grip. To Rainbow, everything seemed to move in slow motion. She saw Trey with his arm still outstretched towards her. Dana reached for her in vain, and screamed something at Candace. Then Rainbow began to fall. Faster and faster she fell. The drops from the water stung her face like hail. Her head felt light. One thought went through her mind. “I’m going to die.”
As her vision began to fade, she felt a warm, tingling sensation all over her. It became stronger, and Rainbow noticed she was glowing. A golden light flashed, and all went black.


“How could she not be dead?!” Trey yelled at Candace.
“I don’t know how,” Candace slowly replied. “I just…know.”
Trey started to talk again, pacing back and forth, saying something about how, logically, Rainbow couldn’t possibly be alive after falling from the top of a waterfall that was nearly 1,500 feet tall. He barely caught what Candace said next.
“I must follow her.”
Trey stopped, mid-sentence, and Dana stood up.
“Candy what do you mean?” she asked.
“Just what I said,” Candy replied. She looked at them. “And…and I want you to follow me.” Trey and Dana’s jaws dropped. “I know, it sounds crazy,” Candy hastened to explain. “And you can decide whether you want to or not,” she went on. “But I’m going, and I want you to follow me.” Candace turned and walked over to the edge.
Dana called out, “Candy, what do you think will happen?”
Candace looked over her shoulder. “I don’t know, Dana,” she smiled sadly. “I really don’t.”
Then taking a big breath, she stepped off the edge. Dana let out a little sob. She and Trey then ran up to the edge, and watched her fall. Just like Rainbow, she glowed. Then, with a golden flash, she was gone.
Trey turned to Dana. “What are we going to do?” he sighed.
Dana looked at him in disbelief. “You’re not actually thinking of following her, are you?” Trey just stared down the waterfall. Except for the roar of the water, all was silent. “Are you?” Dana repeated in a weak voice.
“I don’t know, Dana,” he moaned, turning and pacing.
Dana watched him. “I mean, how can we believe her? Candy didn’t even know what was going to happen!”
“I know.”
“What we should do, is find Rainbow’s dad and explain what happened.” she said, while thinking at the same time how hard that would be. She turned to go, but Trey stopped her.
“Wait, Dana.” She turned back. “What if something bad happens if we don’t go?”
She just stared at him. “Is everyone going crazy today?” she thought. Aloud, she sighed and said, “Come on, Trey.” Dana began to walk off again.
“All right, then. I’ll go by myself.”
Dana spun around, only to see Trey at the edge of the sheer drop.
“Trey, no!” she gasped.
He turned to face her, and in his deep brown eyes, Dana saw fear, but also a strange kind of peace. “You don’t have to follow,” he calmly said. “Like Candy said, it’s your choice.” He stared down. The elevation was breath taking. Looking back at Dana, he said, with a little smile, “Maybe this is the adventure we’ve all been waiting for.”
Turning back, toes on the edge, Trey jumped.
Dana sighed. “Oh, Trey.”


The wind whistled in Trey’s ears. It blew through his brown hair. As he fell faster, Trey thought, “This would be fun, if I wasn’t about to die, but… I don’t know, maybe I won’t… maybe Candy was right.”
Suddenly a warm, tingling feeling circulated throughout his body. A glow came from somewhere. Trey didn’t know it came from himself. A sudden golden flash dazzled him, and all went black.

Dana was left alone at the top of Yosemite Falls. The sun was just beginning to set, bathing everything in a warm, golden light. She sat down miserably on a boulder.
“I want to believe them,” she cried. “But I… I’m scared.”
A man’s calm, reassuring voice whispered to her calmly. “Do not fear, my daughter.” Dana looked around. There was no one in sight. “Your friends are safe,” the voice went on. “Don’t be afraid to follow them.”
Dana slowly stood and walked over to the edge. One of her favorite verses resonated throughout her mind. “Do not be afraid for I am with you.” Aloud, she stated the reference. “Isaiah 43:5.” Dana sighed, looking down.
“I’m always with you,” the voice whispered. Peace washed over her, and she felt afraid no longer.
“I will do it,” she breathed. “I must!” Squeezing her eyes shut, Dana stepped off the edge. It felt as if she was on a roller coaster with a never-ending drop. As she fell, the voice spoke to her.
“Trust Me… don’t be afraid… trust Me…”
Dana opened her eyes and saw the ground approaching. She began to panic. “What was I thinking?!” her thoughts screamed.
“Trust Me…”
Just as she was about to collide with the ground, Dana tingled all over and, with a flash of golden light, blacked out.

Chapter Six: Over the Edge

Rainbow woke the next morning to the sound of bacon crackling and the smell of pancakes. She looked around the tent that she had shared with Dana and Candace. Rainy could hear Dana talking outside, and Candy was still asleep. Dressing quickly, and wrapped up in a blanket, Rainbow stepped out into the crisp, cool morning light. The sun was just peeking up over the mountaintops. Rainbows grandma was talking with Dana as they cooked breakfast.
“Good morning!” Dana sang out.
“Good morning, Dana,” Rainbow answered. “Good morning, Grandma.”
Trey came out of his tent, sleepy-eyed, followed by a very bouncy and hyper Jeremiah.
“Come on, Trey, let’s eat!” Jeremiah yelled, although Trey was right beside him. Trey sighed and walked over to the girls.
“Wow. Does he always wake up this early?”
“Well, good morning to you, too,” Rainbow answered sarcastically. Dana smirked.
“Oh, “Trey replied, looking a little sheepish. “ Sorry. ‘Mornin everyone.”
As they were eating breakfast, Candace walked up to the table.
“Well,” Rainbow began. “Now that Sleeping Beauty is up…” Everyone smiled at Candace. She grinned back. Rainbow went on. “We can begin discussing our plans for today.”
Her grandma interrupted. “Hold, on girl, before you start making plans,” she paused and smiled. “Some of us are going to climb Yosemite Falls today.”
Rainbow gasped. “Really? May we go?” She had always wanted to hike up the enormous triple waterfall.
“If all your friends want to,” her grandma replied.
Eagerly, Rainbow turned to look at her friends. “Do you guys want to?”
“Sure,” Dana said.
“I’m game,” Trey agreed.
Candace looked at them. “If everyone else is,” she answered.
Rainbow’s grandma laughed. “Well, your dad, Uncle Mike and Grandpa are leaving in half an hour.”
“Oh, then we’d better get ready,” Rainbow said, cleaning up her breakfast dishes.
Later, the girls were in the bathroom getting ready. “My goodness, my hair is mess,” Dana complained, brushing her mahogany hair down.
“Oh, it looks lovely, Danish,” Rainbow contradicted her, while pulling her own red hair up into a ponytail. She looked over at Candace, who was brushing her teeth. “Candy, may I braid your hair?” Candy looked over. “Please?”
Candace smiled at Rainbow, who loved to play with her glossy, chocolate brown hair. “Okay,” she laughed.
“Thanks!” Rainbow squeaked, and skipped over to Candace.
Dana looked thoughtful. “Whatcha thinking of, Danish?” Candy asked. “Ow! Rainbow, don’t pull so hard!”
“Sorry.”
Dana looked at the other two. “You know how we’ve all been having a weird feeling about this trip? Not a bad feeling, just…weird?”
“Uh, huh,” the two girls replied.
“Well, I think whatever’s going to happen, is going to happen today.”
“Oh, wow,” Rainbow gasped. “I’ve been thinking the same thing!”
“Me, too,” Candace whispered.
“But…I don’t know,” Dana sighed, turning back to the mirror. “Maybe it’s just a feeling.”
As the girls walked out of the bathroom, they passed by Trey, who was walking back to the campsite. “Hey,” he said. “This’ll sound kind of crazy, but…”
Rainbow interrupted. “You have a weird feeling that something strange is going to happen today. Right?”
Trey blinked. “Um…yeah…how did you know?”
“Because we are, too,” Candy explained.
“You know what we should do?” Dana suggested. Everyone turned to her. “We should pray.”
“Good idea, Danish!” Rainbow agreed, and gathered the four of them into a circle.
“Dear God,” Trey began. “We’ve all been having the strangest feeling about today. Help us to have faith that You will keep us safe, no matter what kind of adventure we have.”
Rainbow continued the prayer. “And thank You that we get to come on this trip, and please prepare us for whatever comes our way.”
“Help us to remember that no matter what happens, You are always in control of everything.” Candace prayed.
Dana finished the prayer. “Help us not to fear anything, but to trust in You always. We love You, Lord. In Your name…”
“Amen,” they all said in unison.
“Oh, I forgot,” Rainbow gasped. “I told my dad we’d be back right away to do our morning devotion!” She ran ahead to the campsite with her friends following her.

“There you guys are,” Mr. Covington said as they ran up to the campfire. “We were wondering if you had left to the waterfall without us!”
Everyone laughed, and Rainbow’s dad pulled out his Bible. “Today, we’ll be reading from Ephesians, chapter 6.” The teenagers ran to their tents to get their Bibles. When they came back, they opened to the New Testament book.
“What verse, Daddy?” Rainbow’s sister, Esther asked.
“Verse ten,” he replied. “Is everyone there? Good, let’s read. I’ll start, and then Rainbow, you read the next two verses, then Trey, and so on around the circle.” He began. “’Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the full armor off God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.’ Rainbow?”
She cleared her throat. “Ahem. ’ For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness, in the heavenly places.’”
Trey continued. “’Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness.’” He looked at Dana.
She glanced up. “Verse fifteen?”
“Yep,” Rainbow answered.
“Okay. ‘ And having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.’”
“’And take the helmet of salvation,’” Candace spoke up.”’ And the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.’”
Rainbow’s dad discussed what they had just read. “Every day we need to ask God to clothe us in His armor, because, every day, there is a spiritual battle that must be fought. As Christians, we can’t choose not to fight. Satan loves to attack us, in the hope that we will give up and let evil overcome us. Now, we put what on our waists?”
Esther answered. “Truth. The belt of truth.”
“That’s right. Satan is the Father of Lies. He hates it when we speak the truth. We also put on righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, and salvation. But these are all used for defense. What is our weapon?”
“The sword of the spirit.” Rainbow said. “That’s the word of God, the Bible.”
“Yes, Rainbow,” her dad answered her. “We all have a sword to fight with. God’s sword is sharper than the sharpest sword.”
Candace nudged Rainbow. “Imagine having a sword like that,” she whispered.
“Yeah,” Rainbow sighed. She had always wanted to have a sword and learn how to actually fight with one.
Trey overheard them, and spoke up. “But we do have a sword like that. Right now we do.”
“He’s right,” Mr. Covington answered. “Don’t think that this is all make-believe. You have very real weapons and are fighting in a very real battle.”
They all pondered this.
“Another thing that helps us in battle is spiritual gifts,” he went on. The teens’ ears perked up. They had often heard about spiritual gifts, but just now, they realized they hadn’t tried to figure out what theirs were. “We all have a special gift, a gift God has given us. Some may already know what that gift is, some have yet to find out.”
Rainbow’s mom interjected. “Honey, it’s getting late, you should probably all get going,” she said, while chasing Rainbow’s two-year old sister, Tiana, to clean her dirty face.
“You’re right,” Mr. Covington answered. After praying, they all loaded up into the car and drove off. All four friends were thinking of the same thing.
“What’s my gift?”


When they arrived at the falls, the girls and Trey were amazed.
Staring up at the three waterfalls, Upper, Lower, and Middle Yosemite Falls, Rainbow breathed, “I feel so…small.”
“Yeah,” they all agreed. Entranced by the sparkling falls, they didn’t notice Rainbow’s family had walked away, until they were called.
“Hey, guys,” Rainbow’s uncle Mike called. “We’d better get started.”
About half an hour from the top, the adults stopped for another break. After five minutes, Rainbow stood up.
“Daddy,” she asked. “May we go on ahead?” He looked at her, about to refuse, but her deep blue eyes were so pleading…
“Alright, go on ahead,” he laughed. “We’ll meet you at the top.
The four friends went on ahead. Candace lagged a little behind, listening to the others talk, and thinking to her herself. She suddenly felt a presence beside her, turned, and there was the girl. The strange girl who had appeared to Candace at home!
“You!” Candace gasped, and looked around to see if anyone else saw the girl. No one was there except her friends, who were up ahead. “You’re back!”
“Yes,” the girl answered. “To give you guidance.”
Candace looked at her questioningly. “You keep saying that. Guidance for what?”
“In time, you will find out.” The girl looked up ahead along the path. “You have reached top.”
Candace followed her gaze and gasped. Trey, Rainbow, and Dana were looking at the view. And what a view! All of Yosemite Valley was visible, she could see other waterfalls in the distant haze, and Half Dome, the huge mountain rock loomed over the Valley.
“You must do what I tell you,” the girl told Candace.
“What must I do?”
The girl looked around, then leaned forward and whispered into Candace’s ear. Candace stepped back and gasped. “What?! I can’t do that! It would kill her!”
“Trust me.”
“But…how can I trust you? I don’t even know you!”
“Trust me…” the girl began to flicker.
“Don’t leave,” Candace begged, and grasped the girl’s hand. Instantly, she let it go, for it felt as if she had thrust her whole hand into an electrical outlet.
“Trust me,” the girl breathed. “Do what you must, then follow her.”
With a flash of golden light, she was gone again. Candace didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t do what the girl asked. She couldn’t! Yet, Candace had a feeling that she should. Making up her mind, but with a sinking heart, she walked up behind Rainbow. Rainbow turned to look at Candace, just as she did the unthinkable. Candace pushed Rainbow over the edge.
The roar of the waterfall drowned out rainbow’s scream, as she grabbed wildly for anything. Trey gave a shout and reached for her, barely grasped her wrist, but lost his grip. Dana wasn’t close enough to do anything, but yell, “Candy, what are you thinking?!”
Tears filled all their eyes as they helplessly watched Rainbow fall down the sparkling waterfall. Through the mist, she seemed to glow. Then, with a flash of golden light, Rainbow was gone.

Chapter Five: Yosemite

“I can’t believe we’re really here!” Dana squealed, hopping out of the car.
“What do you think?” Rainbow asked. She smiled at her friends.
“It’s beautiful,” Candace replied, stepping out of the car. Esther, Rainbow’s little sister, was skipping around the campsite.
“Yay, yay, yay, we’re here!” she screamed.
Trey nearly crawled out of the car. “6 hours stuck in a car full of girls…” he moaned.
Rainbow smiled. “Oh, it wasn’t that bad, Trey.” He just shrugged. They all looked over the campsite. It was on the left side of the road, in a circle of trees with a little path leading down to the Merced River below.
“What a perfect campsite,” Rainy breathed.
Her mom called to them.
“If you help unload the car and set up the tents, we can have lunch then wade in the river.”
“Ooooo, yay!” yelled Rainy’s 5-year-old brother, Jeremiah. Rainbow, Dana, and Trey walked to the back of the car. Dana looked back and saw Candace staring into space.
“What’s she thinking about?” Dana wondered.
Candy’s thoughts were whirling. “Who was that girl? Why did she come to me? Why can’t I tell anyone? What did she mean by an adventure?”
“Candy, you coming?” Candy looked over and saw Dana with her arms full of bags.
“Oh, yeah, sorry guys,” Candace said, walking over. Pulling a tent out, she followed Dana and carried it over to where Rainbow and Trey were waiting.
“Okay,” Rainy said. “Let’s get these set up!” After about 45 minutes, they managed to set up both of the tents in a way that they wouldn’t collapse when you merely touched them.
Dana sighed. “Now that that’s over, can we eat?” After a lunch of fruit, sausage, crackers, and cheese, they went to change to go wading. While walking to the restroom, Rainbow asked, “today we’re probably going to go on a hike, but what do you guys want to do tomorrow?”
Dana shrugged. “I don’t care. I’ve never been here before, so I don’t know what there is to do.”
“Well, I’ll ask my grandparents,” Rainbow decided. After they had changed, Trey ran ahead.
“Beat you there!” he called back to the girls.
“Hey, you had a head start!” Dana yelled back, while running after him.
“Come on, Candy,” Rainbow laughed, pulling on her friend’s arm.
“Okay,” Candy replied, and walked a little faster.
“You’ve been acting strange lately,” Rainbow said, walking next to her. “Are you feeling okay?”
Candace looked at her. “Hm? O, yeah, I’m fine.”
“Well, come on, let’s go,” Rainbow replied, skipping towards the campsite. Candace followed, still thinking over the strange girl. “She said she would return, but when?”

Chapter Four: Candace Darlington

Candace Darlington hung up the phone and picked up her cat.
“Oh, Snickers, I’m so excited,” she said, stroking the soft cat. Going into her living room, she was greeted by six other cats.
“Oh, I bet you’re all hungry,” she said, walking into the kitchen. After she had fed them all, she went back to her room. When she had shut the door behind her, she turned… and nearly screamed. A strange, beautiful girl was in her room. She wore a dark green floor-length dress, and a deep blue cloak. Her long black hair fell down her back, and her eyes… her eyes were clear blue, and felt as if they were reading your every thought. Then she spoke. A soft, gentle, yet mysterious voice.
“An adventure awaits you and your companions,” she said. Candy stared at her wide-eyed.
“How did you get in here?” Candy asked.
“I was sent,” the girl answered. “To foretell you of the adventure that awaits.”
Candace stared. “Adventure?”
“Tell no one of this visit,” the girl continued. “I will return to give you more guidance, but you must tell no one.”
“Why?” questioned Candy.
“All questions shall be answered in time,” the girl answered. She started to flicker, like a lamp with a dying bulb. “I am being drawn back,” she said. “Take heed of my words, I shall return.” The girl faded even more.
“Wait!” Candy called. “Who are you?” the girl only smiled, and with a flash of golden light, was gone.

Chapter Three: Trey O'Dell

“Josh, stop banging on my door,” Trey O’Dell yelled to his little brother.
“But, Trey, I want to come in!” Josh yelled back.
“Fine,” Trey sighed he pushed his amplifier away from the door. His 9-year old brother strolled in.
“Watcha doin’?” he asked.
“Packing,” Trey replied while playing his guitar.
“No, you’re not!” Josh said in an accusing tone.
“Please get out,” Trey mindlessly said.
“Where are you going?” Josh persisted, sitting on Trey’s bed.
“Vacation, now please get out!” Trey replied, still playing his guitar. He was practicing the band’s newest song. “Once Rain, Candy, Dana and I get this down, we can perform it,” he thought. “And if we’re good enough, maybe we can make an album. And go on tours! And…”
“Trey!”
He looked up. Josh was staring at him.
“I just asked you something three times!” Josh complained.
“Get out, please!” Trey said, trying not to yell.
“Is Esther going?” Josh continued. Trey sighed. That boy is not going to give up, is he?
“Yes,” Trey answered slowly. He knew what his little brother would say next.
“Can I go?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“You weren’t invited; now please get out of my room, Josh!”
“Fine!” Josh ran out and slammed the door.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Trey set down his guitar and finished packing. His phone vibrated. Checking it, he found a new text message. It was from Rainbow:
“I hav this weird feelng that sumthng amazng is gona happn on this trip, don’t u?”
“Woh, me 2”, he answered. Maybe something amazing was going to happen on this trip.

Chapter Two: Dana Prescott

“How does this look on me, Dana?”
Dana Prescott looked at her friend, Stacy. “Great, but… I thought you weren’t going to buy anything,” Dana slyly grinned.
“Well,” Stacy sheepishly answered. “I’m just looking.”
“Come on,” Dana laughed. “You said you would help me look for jeans.”
“Oh, yes, right!” Stacy skipped out of the store to a directory. “Let’s go to Anthropology,” Stacy called to Dana.
“Alright.” Dana walked out. Walking through the outdoor mall, Dana tried to keep her mind on what Stacy was saying, but her mind kept wandering. Passing by an art store, she saw a beautiful painting of a castle atop a green hill with a rainbow in the distance.
“Oh, how I would love to live in a castle like that,” she whispered.
“What?” Stacy asked.
Startled out of her thoughts, Dana looked at her blankly.” Hm? Oh, nothing, Stace, um, you were saying something about a tadpole?”
Now it was Stacy’s turn to look blank. “I was talking about the new iPhone,” she said. “You haven’t heard a word I said, huh?”
“Oh, yeah, sure,” Dana replied.
Stacy rolled her eyes and went on talking. Dana sighed.
“Maybe this vacation will be like an adventure,” she thought. “I hope so.”
Oh, it would be an adventure. One she would never forget.