Chapter 27
Riley and I sit on his bed, each turning over the transparent boxes. They don't change colors anymore as they did on the island. They just stay a shimmering silver color. We try all kinds of methods but they don't work. I knock on it as if it were a door. Riley sings to it. I yell at it. Riley and I put the boxes together and then on top of each other, but then I remember what I did to make it change. I toss the box aside and turn my back away from it, and to my relief the box bounces to me. It starts to nudge my leg and so I ignore it longer. It begins to change colors now. I ignore it a little longer and look down at it only momentarily to see that it has developed legs and arms.
One of its arms is holding a small golden key, and it's outstretched arm waves it impatiently at me. I pick up the box and take the key.
“You have solved the mystery. Hooray!”, shouts the box, and now it glows bright yellow. I set it down and it begins to evolve. It grows so large that it towers over me. It turns golden and takes the shape of a door. Riley looks over at me astonished.
“Open me.”, says the door. I proceed to put my key into the lock, but Riley grabs my hand.
“Are you sure about this?” he asks. “We have no idea what could be behind this door. It could be anything. Good or bad.”
“I have to know.” I answer and I put the key to the lock and it clicks open. I gently grab the door handle and slowly turn it, expecting the worst because this door could lead anywhere. I open the door completely and Riley stands in front of me.
“Let me go first, Princess just in case it's bad.” he says and he jumps into the brightness without hesitation. I grab the other small box and put it in the backpack. I put the backpack on and close my eyes as I descend into a tunnel. It's pushing me from all sides and it's hard to breathe in here. The air is much colder then it was before and the tunnel swirls around in blue, white and silver. It feels like ice is pounding away at my skin. I'm so cold, and then I can see a dark hole and I'm rushing towards it because it's sucking all the colors and myself towards it. I land onto sand and I cry out in pain.
“Are you okay?” Riley asks rushing to my side and helping me up. “That was definitely a strange experience.”
“Those were the spirit doors. They were used by spirits many years ago to travel between worlds that were no easily accessible.” a tall man in a cloak says.
“Spirit doors? I thought those had all been destroyed.” says Riley.
“Well, criminals have many friends in low places. Tovla, at your service.” says Tovla with an outstretched hand. Riley takes it in his own hand. “I have been expecting your arrival for quite some time. I have so much to tell you, but we have very little time.”
“I don't understand. Why have you been expecting us? What do you need from us?” I ask, the wind begins to pick up and the sand spins around us. It stings as it hits our skin and our eyes.
“Follow me, children. We need to get indoors, a sand storm has begun.” Tovla says and we follow him into a small, dark cave. It's empty except for a bed, a stove, and a few books. “This is my home or my prison for that matter.”
Tovla walks over to his bed and pulls out a knife. My heart starts to race. Maybe, this was a bad idea coming to find a criminal who supposedly has all of the answers I need. Tovla turns the mattress over and begins to cut the middle of it open. He sticks his arm inside and retrieves an ancient looking book with frayed golden pages that has obviously seen better days and a rolled up piece of parchment. He hands them both to me and then flips the mattress back over and sticks the knife back into his robe as if nothing happened.
“I'm sure you're wondering what these things are, Princess. One of these is the prophecy. The one that says you will save the world and put it back together. It's very old and it was created by a seer who has long ago died, but the other is a book. The book explains how to use the spirit doors. They are not just doors, you see. They wouldn't be destroyed if they were only doors they can do and be many other things. The reason I am imprisoned here is because I stole the doors for the only way for you to be able to save the world is with these.”
He removes his hood so that I can see what he really is. He's a spirit, a ghost, completely transparent, yet able to grasp solid things. He was probably handsome when he was alive, but now he looks frail and brittle like the slightest wind could cut him in half. I hug him because I realize it is my fault that he is trapped her forever.
“Tovla if it is the last thing I do. I will come back to set you free.” I say. I look up into his ghostly face and a smile forms. His hollow eyes sparkle enthusiastically.
“I wouldn't have done it for anyone else. It will be a long and hard journey, but you will succeed. I have seen it.”, he says winking at me and pointing to the rolled up scroll.
“So you are the seer who created the prophecy?” Riley asks.
“Yes. And Riley don't give up on being Alison's soul mate for you are the truer of the two.” he says as we hear clawing at the door. “You must go now, children. Safe travels, hurry and retrieve the box before the Wilders find you!”
I race to open the bag and I put the ancient book and the scroll inside. I set the silver box on the floor it transforms into the large golden door with a key already in the lock. Riley grabs onto my waist and turns the key. As we jump inside I hear the sound of growling beasts and screaming and we're plunging head first into the cold. I'm shivering and I look over at Riley. His face is pale and his lips are blue but we hold onto each other tightly falling onto the wooden floors of his room. The golden door fizzles and sparks back down to size and the second one forms from the sparks and fizzles left over. Now there are just two transparent boxes sitting side by side.
“That was intense.” I say and we sit staring at the spirit doors.
“Alison, we have to be careful and make sure no one ever knows we have these because we could end up on the island of Suamar. These things were banned in ancient times because anyone who controlled them had infinite power.”
He takes them and puts them away under his bed. I open the other backpack unrolling the scroll carefully. It's yellowed and weathered but it still has symbols written all over it, symbols of a language that I cannot translate.
“Do you know what language this is?” I ask. Riley shakes his head and I turn the scroll around. There are a few pictures drawn on the other side. One scene shows a girl with black hair and purple eyes and fire in the background and the other shows her riding a large wolf with a sword in hand. I roll the parchment back up.
“Do you think anyone could translate what it says for me?” I ask.
“I know that we have great historians that work here who translate some of the archaeological finds from the ancient world. Maybe, they could help you translate it.” he says hopefully.
“That sounds good. Hopefully, we can find someone because if we don't I'll never know what I'm supposed to do to fix this mess.” I say.
“Alison, where do you think Theo is?” Riley asks, and it shocks me. I'm surprised that he even cares but then I remember that Theo killed his family and almost killed me, and I sit contemplating where Theo might be.
“Maybe, he is on the island.” I say. “That's the only place he could have gone to but he does have a teleportation device so he could be anywhere.”
“Oh.”, Riley says glumly. “Well we're going to find him and kill him.”
“What?” I ask, shocked. Should I be shocked? I mean he did try to kill me and he did actually, technically kill Riley's friends and family. I still can't imagine killing him, something burns in my stomach and I feel a faint spark of hope. I still care about Theo? He didn't kill me, he tried to protect me. He told me to run away from him because he knew that someone or something was controlling him. “Wait. Riley, Theo knew what he was doing.”
“He tried to murder you and everyone I cared about.”, he says. “Obviously he knew what he was doing.”
“That's not what I mean. He
was trying to protect me. He ran to take me to the ocean so that I could get away from him. Whenever we were swimming he was telling me to run from him so that he couldn't kill me. He didn't want me to die because he still had control over his mind.” I say. It's been his father all along controlling him. Now, I start to feel sorry for him and I wonder what it would be like to live a life like that. A life that was planned out for you where you had no choice in what you were doing or saying. Theo's mind hasn't actually ever been his own, this whole time it's been controlled by Mathew.
“So you think that he was trying to save you? I'm the one who saved you. You can't seriously feel sorry for him after everything he has done.” Riley says irritated.
“I do feel sorry for him. Imagine what you would feel like if you were being controlled and forced to do things against your will. It's not his fault that his father implanted false things into his mind. I don't think Theo would do those things on his own.”, I say.
“You don't want to kill him?” he asks. “You still love him, then?”
“I think so.” I whisper. “We have to save him.”
He sighs, standing up and he takes my hand in his. He places a small white velvet box into it and turns away. I'm left in his room silently staring at the little box too afraid to open it. I know what it is, but why would he give me something like this at such a terrible time. If I choose to open it does that mean I really do love Riley? If I choose to keep it closed am I choosing to be with Theo? When did my life get so complicated?
I stare at the tiny box, the one that holds my future. I know what I must do but I don't know who I'm going to hurt by doing it. I put it back into my pocket, knowing that my decision can wait.
A Wedding and a Final Choice