Beyond the Forest by Kay L. Ling

Author:Kay L. Ling [Ling, Kay L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2016-10-27T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

Lana almost dropped the stone. She looked at it with a troubled frown. “Why does Sheamathan want alamaria?”

“Yeah, and why does she need a lot of it?” Jordy asked.

“Good point.” Lana held the stone out. “Does alamaria come out of the ground just like this? Or is it embedded in rock strata?”

“You mean—do miners chop it out of other rocks?” Greg asked.

“Yes, exactly.”

“We’ve been to the cliffs above the mines. I’ve seen alamaria on the ground and it looks just like this,” Greg said. “The stones get hauled away on a cart. A few always fall off.”

“So they’re alluvial,” she said.

“Huh?”

“Alluvial. You know, worn smooth by rivers and streams and eventually buried in silt.” Her hands were becoming numb and cold. “I have to set this down and get some pictures before my hands are completely numb.” She set the stone on the ground.

“Numb?” Jordy repeated, looking confused.

She gave him an impatient look. “You’ve never touched alamaria?”

“Sure, what about it?”

“It makes your hands go numb.”

“It does? Felt like a normal rock to me.”

“Maybe ‘cause we were rats,” Greg suggested with a shrug.

She shook her head. “Why would that matter?”

“Duuno, just a thought,” Greg said.

“OK if we touch your stone?” Jordy asked.

“Sure. Go ahead.”

He and Jordy took turns holding it. Greg said, “You’re right. My hands get numb right away.”

“But how does it do that?” Jordy asked.

Lana frowned. “That’s what I hope to find out.”

Greg said gloomily, “Well, it didn’t feel like this before, so if it feels different to rats we’ll know tonight.” He put it on the ground.

“Right,” Jordy said, folding his arms and giving her a dark look. “You can experiment on us. Rats are good for that.”

Oh no! Here come the rat jokes again! “Maybe you won’t turn back. Maybe Sheamathan’s power can’t get to you here.”

“Don’t get our hopes up,” Jordy said. “I bet her spell is like the timer on a bomb. It hits zero and we turn back into rats.”

He was probably right. Sheamathan’s wolfhound crossed into the Fair Lands and he hadn’t escaped the spell.

Crouching over the stone, she used her phone camera to get a couple close-ups. The photos turned out all right but didn’t really capture the shimmering iridescent flecks. Well, it was the best she could do.

“Okay, so I’m burying this again, and then I’ll see if I have something for you to eat.”

The boys were in luck. When she rummaged through her glove compartment, she found a few beef sticks and a handful of hard candies, mostly peppermints. She held them out. “I’m sorry, this is all I have.”

“Thanks. After we finish this, we still got apples,” Greg said.

She got into her car. “See you later.” She couldn’t babysit them all day.

As anxious as she was to find the hidden safe, it would have to wait, she told herself as she pulled out of the parking lot. She had a few things to do first. After breakfast she had to start a journal before she forgot important details.

Had both Jules and Elias gone to Shadow? If so, their letters could be full of useful information.

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