Seth scrambled toward the bunk bed to wake his brother and heard the desk chair creak under the weight of the stranger. He froze, feeling his heartbeat thundering in his ears like the large drums in band class. He needed to wake up Jared. Now.
"I'm afraid that will do you no good," the voice said, as if reading his mind. "I used a little sleeping powder to make sure your brother didn't wake up."
"Did you hurt him?"
The voice laughed. "He's fine. It's you I'm after."
A shiver ran through Seth as the chair slowly turned toward him. He froze, staring in disbelief at its occupant. A blurry creature faced Seth, changing from tall to short, from fat to skinny. Its head changed from a man with dog ears to a duck with a beard, to many other muddled combinations, each consistent with a tuft of frizzy blue hair coming from the top of its head.
"The name is Belvedere," a cat's paw stuck out from the blurred being, quickly morphing into a feathered hand with bright pink nail polish, then into green and scaly claw.
"What are you?" Seth asked, clinging to the wall behind him.
"A shapeshifter, of course," the figure answered. "Why I'm the Head Guardian of the Crossroads and you're looking at me like I'm a PollyDoodle or a FarsWaggle!"
The creature looked down to its extended hand and blurted out, "I'm sorry, I forgot that when I'm in your world I can't keep to one shape."
"A shapeshifter?"
"And a Guardian," Belvedere added. "Now, I need you to come with me."
"I'm not going anywhere. I don't even know what you are!"
"So much to explain and so little time," Belvedere said, looking genuinely distraught.
"Seth?" a voice came from the hallway outside his bedroom door. "Can you keep it down?"
"Hello!" Belvedere said as Marin appeared. She screamed and ran from the bedroom.
"Oh, dearie me," he said, standing up and running after her.
"Leave my sister alone!" Seth said running after the shapeshifter. The two followed Marin into the bedroom at the end of the hallway.
"Mom!" Marin yelled, "Mom, help! There's something in the boys' room!"
Entering behind Belvedere, Seth found Marin on the opposite side of their mother's bed. The floor was covered in their mother's bedding and she was nowhere to be seen.
"What did you do to our Mom?" Marin asked, pointing at Belvedere.
"I did nothing," he claimed. "I am here to help. There must have been an information leak; let's call it what it is, a Security Breach, a full-out red alert! Someone must have found out I was coming!"
"I must be dreaming," she insisted. "This can't be real!"
Belvedere lifted his hand in the air toward Marin and poofs of dust surrounded her. She fell face first onto their mother's bed.
Seth climbed on the bed beside his sister. As he rolled Marin over, a loud snore escaped her lips.
"Don't worry, that's the sleeping powder I told you about," Belvedere said. "It really works in a jiffy."
Seth shook his sister's shoulders. "Marin! Can you hear me?" He looked up at Belvedere with a glare, "Wake up my sister, right now!"
"Fine," Belvedere said and snapped his fingers.
Marin sat up and looked at Seth. "Good morning," she smiled, raising a hand to his face and pinching his cheek. "How's my little brother?"
Seth knocked his sister's hand away but she kept reaching up to him. "What did you do to her?"
"Sorry," Belvedere giggled. "It's a side effect to the sleeping powder. Makes the person a wee little bit groggy, or is it giddy? I can never remember which. Oh well, it only lasts for about twenty minutes. Personally, I like her better like this."
They heard the back door open, followed by footsteps running up the stairs. "Stay behind me," Belvedere warned as he jumped in front of the children.
The hallway floor creaked outside the bedroom door.
"We know you're out there!" Belvedere said. "You can't hide from me. I'm Head Guardian of the Crossroads."
"Belvedere?" Mrs. Ogle's voice called from the hallway.
"Tulia?" Belvedere replied.
"Of course it's me," Mrs. Ogle appeared in the doorway. She took off her hood which revealed the same tuft of blue hair as Belvedere. "But please, I prefer to be called Mrs. Ogle now."
"What on earth are you doing here?" he asked.
"Funny you should ask me that," she said. "Seeing as you are the one who banished me here."
"I did not banish you. You ran away."
"You abandoned me. Mother would have been very upset with you had she not shifted into a cloud and blew away all those years ago. Anyway, you're lucky I was over here. Someone needed to keep an eye on these wee ones, especially this last year.
"Whoa," Seth said. "You two know each other?"
"Knew is more accurate," Mrs. Ogle said as she rolled her eyes. "At least, I thought I knew him. What kind of brother makes his sister leave home!"
"You're siblings?" he asked.
"Barely," she said. "I didn't inherit the shape-shifting gene. Apparently that makes me less worthy of travel than my brother."
"Tulia," Belvedere said. "Please don't start. We have more important things to deal with at the moment."
"We need to wake up Jared," Seth said, still fighting off Marin's pinching fingers.
Everyone followed Seth back into his bedroom.
"Okay, Belvedere," Seth said reaching up and pulling back Jared's blanket. "Snap him out of it!"
Instead of snapping his fingers, Belvedere gasped. Marin burst into laughter.
"What's the problem?" Seth said turning back to the bed. "Just snap-"
Jared's bed was empty, except for the book he had been reading earlier.
"I thought you said you gave him that sleeping stuff?"
"I did. This is not good. No, no, no it is not good. We have to go now."
"Where are we going?" Marin asked.
"Where's my brother?" Seth demanded.
"Don't you see?" Belvedere said reaching out and grabbing Seth's shoulders. "They took him too."
"I am not going anywhere until you start giving some better answers."
"I will share everything once we are safe. The longer we stay here, the more you two are at risk. I'm sorry for this-" Belvedere said as he snapped his fingers.
"Sorry?" Seth watched as Belvedere's body stretched tall and then shot upward.
Before he could react, there was a gentle tugging at Seth's hair. His entire body felt lighter as his arms lifted from his sides. Soon his entire body pulled upward, stretching out like an elastic band. He shot up into the air catching a glimpse of the roof of his house as his vision blurred. Gravity pushed against him, pressing his chin against his chest. Within seconds, his feet touched the ground and the rest of his body slumped gently back into place.
"What was that?" Seth yelled, jumping from the spot he landed on.
"A leap," Belvedere smiled. "This is my home and no one can harm you here."
Seth stood, stunned as he looked around. He was no longer in his bedroom. He now stood in a rocky cave, lit up by tiny orbs of light strung along the walls.
Marin grabbed his shoulders and spun him toward her. "What's going on?"
"I don't know," Seth spat out, as she squeezed him tight. He hated to say it, but he was grateful to see her. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. A little groggy, but okay. Where are we?"
Belvedere turned toward the children. His body was still, no longer shifting into a variety of shapes. A mane of soft fur surrounded his human face, topped with his tuft of blue hair standing straight up in the middle.
"Children," Belvedere said to Marin and Seth, "there is much I have to tell you, but first we must find out who has kidnapped your brother and mother. They will not be harmed; I can assure you as they are much too valuable."
"Valuable!" Seth sputtered. "This is all just ... crazy." He felt his temper rising. "Show us something that proves you know where they are!"
"Follow me to my desk," Belvedere said, walking toward a pool of water in the center of the cavern. Seth watched as Belvedere climbed invisible stairs up to spinning globes above his desk.
"How are we supposed to get up there?" Seth asked.
"The stairs of course, silly boy," Belvedere motioned behind him. "Climb. What's not always seen can still exist."
"Come on," Marin called to Seth as she ran to follow Belvedere. Seth watched her inch toward the pool of water with her hands out.
Seth looked around. White crystals hung from the ceiling, some reaching as far as the floor while others perched above like pointed spears. Next to Seth, buried in the wall, sharp stones protruded like little fishtails. He reached out and flicked one, which in turn flapped back at him, causing its counterparts to flap in unison. He jumped back in surprise and landed in a pile of pearls, which began squeaking and rolling about, knocking Seth onto his back. The crystals overhead came crashing down around him. Belvedere was suddenly at his side, pulling him out of the way.
"You must be careful in here, my boy," Belvedere said shaking his head. "The Crossroads is not accustomed to guests. No, it definitely is not. This entire cave is a booby trap to keep those who should not be here from discovering her secrets."
Marin ran over and helped Seth onto his feet. "I thought I told you to follow me," she said, with her usual irritation toward him. Seth pushed her hand away and got himself up off the ground. He walked past Marin and followed Belvedere to the pool of water. He didn't need Marin telling him what to do here. She knows as much about this place as I do.
Soon Seth was standing next to Belvedere, with Marin on the other side of the shapeshifter. In front of them, four orbs floated in the air like balloons. The one in front resembled Earth.
"What are these?" Marin asked.
"These are the Four Words of Life," Belvedere said, stepping back to let the two siblings look up close. "I'm going to search them for your mother and brother."
"I don't know why you're wasting time," Mrs. Ogle said from below. "I know where they are."
"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Seth asked looking over the desk at her. She smiled up at him and winked.
"That wouldn't have done us any good," Mrs. Ogle said. "They were already here."
"Well, who was it that took them?" Belvedere asked.
"The mother was taken by a trail of light," Tulia explained. "I saw it before I entered the house."
"Where did the boy go?" Belvedere asked, peering over the desk at his sister.
"That's tricky," Mrs. Ogle explained. "I saw the light chasing a trail of darkness and then leave with the mother. I did not witness the darkness leave."
"Light and darkness?" Belvedere said. "This is very odd."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Seth asked.
"It means your mother should be somewhere around here," Belvedere explained as he waved his hand in front of the orbs. The large orb began to spin, growing smaller as it spun faster. Then suddenly the orbs shifted positions, and the next one began to grow larger until it doubled in size from the other three smaller orbs circling it.
Seth looked closely at the sphere: its surface was dark and stormy on one half, and sky-blue on the other. A breeze came off the orb, brushing against his cheek.
"It's a rather blustery place."
Seth jumped at the sound of Mrs. Ogle's voice directly behind his left ear. She grinned at him as he turned his head back to the orbs.
Belvedere pushed between the two siblings. "I can't imagine what it's like seeing this for the first time. Even I, Head Guardian, am still in awe at all the magic in the world. Now watch this!"
Belvedere quickly tapped twice on the world. The sphere zoomed in on the location he touched, getting closer and closer until suddenly they were looking at their mother. She was lying on a bed surrounded by curtains.
"Is she okay?" Marin asked.
"She's sleeping, dearie," Mrs. Ogle said.
"What about Jared?" Seth asked. "Where is he?"
"That's a problem," Belvedere said, zooming out from their mother until all Four Worlds were back into view. "I knew your mother would be there because all trails of light come from Boreas. I have no idea where trails of darkness originate from."
"We need to go see mom," Seth said. "She'll know what to do."
"Exactly right, my dear sir," Belvedere agreed. "Nothing is ever so important as reuniting a family. Let's get going, shall we?"
"I am going with the children," Mrs. Ogle spoke up.
"No," Belvedere said, scratching his head. In the spot he scratched, a long mane of white hair began to grow.
"I don't care what you think," Mrs. Ogle said. "Just because you were born 6.7 seconds before me, you always think you can tell me what I can and cannot do. I have watched over these children for the last year. I will not stop now." She placed her hands on her hips and stared her twin down.
Belvedere stared back, but his eye began to twitch and as it twitched his eyebrow began to grow longer and longer until it curled around under his nose into a mustache. The shapeshifter grabbed at that mustache and seemed to mull over her words.
"Fine," Belvedere said."
"How do we get to her?" Seth asked.
"Place your hands around the orb," Belvedere explained, closing his eyes. "Then think about where you want to go, and you will leap there."
Seth reached out his hands and then pulled them back quickly. "It hurts!"
"It's part wind," Belvedere said. "Wind is a powerful force when it picks up speed."
"Don't worry, dearie," Mrs. Ogle said. Put your hands around it and focus. You won't get hurt. It's in your head. You're overthinking and over-analyzing. Breathe and relax."
Seth took a deep breath and stared at the orb of Boreas. He lifted his hands up and felt the winds against his fingers again, but this time he didn't pull back; he pushed against them. Suddenly, he was yanked into the air, and when he opened his eyes, he saw streaks of stars passing by him at the speed of light. With a small jolt, the stars disappeared and Seth found himself floating in the middle of a bright blue sky.
*** END OF CHAPTER THREE ***************************************************************
1. Do you like the teaser at the top of this chapter? It doesn't provide as much info as the trailer (which is at the top of the prologue), but it's a fun snapshot of a scene later in the novel.
2. Do you like the idea of "leap" travel?
3. Ahh! Tulia is back. Did you expect to see her so soon? Do you like that she's been watching over the kids since Seth was born that fateful night in the prologue?
****END OF WATTPAD FREE FEATURE****
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