"What now?" asked Kevin.
Adam had a rough plan that again relied more on luck than he preferred.
"Now we go back to Elianora's and then we find the Heartstone," he replied.
Kevin looked surprised. "Are you crazy? Those men are in the tunnel back to Elianora's. Not to mention the fact that we don't know where the Heartstone is hidden and Elianora told us to keep the key away from Larix."
"They'll be trying to find me in town, so I don't think they'll be at Elianora's by the time we get there. We'll have to be quiet so we can be sure."
Kevin didn't look convinced.
“They’ll expect us to hide in the tunnels or in town. Us going to get the Heartstone won’t be what they expect. It should give us time to get it and get out of town. We can come back after we hear the fog is gone.”
Kevin looked slightly more convinced than before. “That sounds reasonable. The only problem is we still have no idea where it’s hidden.”
"I've been thinking about that. I saw the direction Elianora pointed when Larix asked her where it was, and it confirmed my suspicion." Adam told Kevin the location he suspected, and Kevin's face showed enlightenment.
"On top of that, we have the key and they don't," said Adam.
"Speaking of the key, have you looked at it?" said Kevin.
Adam hadn't had a chance to think about the key yet, but now that Kevin mentioned it he thought he should take a look. He had felt a strange lump in the bag when he found it and figured it was probably a unique key, like all the other unique things associated with the Sentinel League. Right then, he had the time and the desire to take a look.
He pulled the bag from his pocket. The knot in the drawstring took a bit of work, but soon he opened the top, reached inside and drew out the key. When he opened his hand, both he and Kevin were surprised.
"It's just a pebble," exclaimed Kevin.
Adam chuckled. "I should have expected that. I knew it wouldn't be a regular key, but this one has me confused."
"Do you think someone found the real key and replaced it with this?" asked Kevin, pointing at the small stone.
"It's a possibility, I guess, but I doubt it. I have no idea how this works as a key, though." Adam's mind was going through possibilities as he spoke. It could fit in a hole, or maybe it has some property we don't know about, like the aluminum magnet, he thought.
"Maybe it's a Kurling rock that’s easy to control," said Kevin.
"Good idea, I didn't think of that. Whatever it is though, I don't think we should waste time wondering right now. I'm sure we can figure it out when we need to," said Adam, not completely sure he could.
Adam placed the pebble back in the bag, then back in his pocket.
"Man, I hope you're right," said Kevin.
"Onward," exclaimed Adam.
Back through the teacher’s lounge they jogged and through the door into the basement.
"I wonder what they tell the teachers about these sliding doors if they aren't part of the Sentinel League?" asked Kevin.
"If we get through this, we'll have to ask someone. I'll bet it's pretty good," said Adam.
He was quiet as he approached the door and listened for sounds on the other side. When he was almost certain it was clear, he removed the plywood sign and opened the door. The Lumiens were on and no-one was waiting to surprise them.
"We should be as quiet as possible on the way. I'll stop and listen every once in a while, just to make sure no-one is in here with us. The chances are that they won't come back down the tunnel, but there's no point risking it," said Adam.
Kevin nodded and they were on their way. They walked at a brisk pace, careful to make as little noise as possible. After a while, Adam stopped and listened for a few seconds. Hearing nothing, they continued at the same pace. That process repeated a number of times until they made it back to the door to Elianora’s shed.
Adam listened at the door before opening it. That time he listened for a full minute, but it seemed like ten. The sound of the mechanism was like a fire alarm, at least to ears that were used to the silence. Even the door sliding open sounded like a freight train on rails.
The workbench on the other side of the sliding door was broken away, no longer giving Adam cover. He felt as if he were naked, although he was sure that Larix and his men had left the area. Kevin stayed back a few steps, just in case they had to run again.
Adam stuck his head out a little, like a gopher peeking out of a hole. He listened while he looked, and soon felt slightly safer. He signalled to Kevin, and when Kevin was at the door, Adam motioned for Kevin to hold it open so he could run into the tunnel if he was in trouble. Kevin understood and Adam stepped into the shed.
Although he felt certain no one was outside, Adam had an uneasy feeling in his gut as he peered out the shed door. He stayed still, looking around as meticulous as he could manage, but saw nothing. Then, without much thought, Adam jumped into the doorway and did a strange dance. A moment later he froze and searched the farmyard. If anyone saw him they would be chasing him down, but he saw no-one. He waited there for a full minute until he was sure he saw no movement.
"Come on out. Nobody's home," Adam said to Kevin.
Kevin walked over to Adam. "Why did you do that dance? You have a death wish?"
Adam chucked, "I knew if anyone was in the yard they would have chased me. You would have slammed the door behind me for an easy escape."
Kevin still looked confused. "Yeah, but don't you think it would be tough to run if you got shot by one of those darts they used on Elianora?"
Adam realized how lucky he was at that moment, turning red in the face. "Uh, yeah...I guess you're right. I never thought about that. Sorry."
Kevin brushed it off like it was no big deal, but both boys knew they needed to think before acting.
Adam surveyed the yard. If only there was some type of transportation available to get to their destination. It was a long way to get there, and he would prefer it if they didn't have to walk.
"Let's check the buildings and see if there's something we can drive," said Adam.
Kevin nodded and walked to the barn, while Adam went to the shed next to the garden. Besides the tool shed and the main house, those were the only two other buildings in the yard.
Adam opened the garden shed, and looked around. As he expected of Elianora, the building was tidy and well organized. The only mode of transportation he could see was the riding lawn mower, so he left to see what Kevin found.
Kevin was in one of the stalls, looking through a pile of stuff. The first time they came through the barn they didn't notice much, as their minds were occupied with other things. Now, they saw that Elianora had a lot stored in the barn. Again, in typical Elianora fashion, it all was placed perfectly and looked as though it had just been dusted, even being stored in an old barn. A lot of piles were covered with drop cloths.
"Anything?" asked Kevin.
"Not unless we want to ride the lawnmower," he replied.
"Maybe not. We can walk faster than that, plus it’s so quiet out that they might hear it from town," said Kevin.
Kevin resumed looking and Adam went to the other side of the barn to start. It wasn't surprising to see that Elianora had collected many things, considering her age, but what she had stored in the barn would have been amazing to investigate if they had time. Paintings, pottery, goblets, and many statues were hidden under each of the drop cloths. Even to Adam's untrained eye, the quality of the pieces looked amazing. A lot of the art resembled Elianora. He didn't have time to look closely, though, so he kept searching until he met Kevin at the back of the barn.
"Do you think it's worth looking in the loft?" asked Kevin, pointing up at the access hole and the ladder built onto the wall.
"I'll take a peek," said Adam nodding. "If there's nothing, we need to start walking."
Adam climbed the ladder and stuck his head up through the hole. The windows in the loft let in just enough of the dim light from
outside that he was able to see. He looked around for a few seconds then climbed into the loft.
"Hey, I thought you were just going to look," exclaimed Kevin.
"Find me a rope," said Adam from the loft. He had seen a bicycle and was looking around for a second one.
The bike he found was an old one, probably from the 70’s. Even though it was old, it seemed to be in perfect condition. It was an adult bike with a large banana seat and high handlebars. The entire thing was painted with flowers, and the pedals were petals. Adam guessed that it was an art project of Elianora's and had never been driven.
"Found one," Kevin called up to the loft. "Do you want me to come up, or do you just want me to throw it to you?"
"Just chuck it up," said Adam. He picked up the rope after it landed in a heap on the floor.
"Couldn't you find me a bigger rope," said Adam, teasing Kevin. The rope was about an inch thick and 20 feet long.
"You said 'find me a rope'. I found you a rope. Nowhere in there did you give me specifications," Kevin shot back.
"It'll work perfect," said Adam, hoping Kevin realized he was just teasing. "Go wait under the hay loft door. I'm lowering something down,"
"What is it?"
"You'll see," said Adam. He walked over to the hay loft door and found the latch, opening it to see Kevin already waiting.
There was a pulley on the beam that stuck out above the hay loft door, but there wasn’t a rope in it. It was beyond Adam's reach, so he couldn't thread the rope into the pulley. He decided that he would just have to tie the rope to the bike and lower it manually.
"Close your eyes and turn around until I tell you," said Adam.
Kevin gave him a questioning look, followed by a look that questioned Adam's sanity, and finally a look of compliance.
Adam wheeled the bike to the door then tied the rope to the frame.
"Ok, come and get it," said Adam.
Kevin turned and looked at the bike, then laughed.
Adam lowered the bike, and threw the rope down afterward. He closed the hay loft door and soon came out of the barn.
"Where's the one I'm going to ride?" asked Kevin, with a hopeful note in his voice. He was clearly not a fan of the flowery bike in front of him.
Adam shook his head, "This is it. We’re going to have to double."
Kevin hung his head. "Really? Are you sure? I could just run."
"This will be the fastest way," said Adam. "It's in perfect shape and the seat is big enough for us both."
Kevin didn't look any happier. "Just promise me you'll never speak about this to anyone."
Adam chuckled. "Hey, I'm not exactly jumping up and down at the thought of riding a flowery girl’s bike through the countryside with you, but at least there are no unicorns or streamers on it! I'm definitely not going to be telling this story as part of my 'How I spent my summer vacation’ essay when school starts."
Kevin broke a smile, happy that Adam seemed uncomfortable too.
Adam squeezed the tires to check the inflation. Years of checking tires that way had made him a pretty good judge of pressure with only his fingers. He was surprised that they were inflated properly. Even the chain looked like it still had the factory grease on it.
"I'm driving," said Kevin.
Adam nodded. "We can trade off once in a while." He was nervous about being a passenger, as he had always driven and never had been a passenger on a bike.
Adam sat on the bike at the back of the seat, and Kevin sat on the front. It was uncomfortable already as there was nothing for Adam to hold on to. He put his hands on Kevin's sides and said, "Ready."
Kevin shook his head, kicked off and began pedaling. Adam was uncomfortable because he felt so little control on the back of the bike. Having nowhere to rest his feet made every bump vibrate from his butt all the way to his teeth. He couldn't wait for Kevin to tire out so he could have a turn at driving, but he knew Kevin was a workhorse who wouldn't tire easily.
On they rolled down the road, listening to the crunch of the wheels on gravel. Adam was lost in thought as they drove, wondering where he would find the entrance when they arrived. He knew the Heartstone would be underground, but how to get to it was a complete mystery.
Kevin slowed down and finally stopped. "Sorry, I can't do any more. Your turn."
Adam stepped off the bike and Kevin slid backwards. Adam had just noticed that it was now lighter out, as they were out of the shade from the haze surrounding Grayson. The summer sun would be up for a while yet.
Adam stepped back on again. "Ready?" he asked.
Kevin's hands grabbed Adam’s sides. "Mark and Jimmy better not ever hear about this. We'd never hear the end," Kevin said.
"If it were them instead of us we wouldn't ever let them live it down, so you know I’ll never say a word," replied Adam.
He kicked off and started pedaling. Kevin was surprised by the start and grabbed tight onto Adam's waist.
"Whoa there, you don't need to hang on that tight," said Adam.
Kevin relaxed his grip as they reached a steady pace. Adam struggled to keep the same speed as Kevin had maintained. Even though he rode his bike every day that the weather allowed, he felt the extra weight in his legs right away. He didn't know how he could make it very far, but kept pedaling. Thankfully for Adam, the road was flat and straight, unlike the hill Kevin powered up to get out of Elianora's valley. After a while, Adam found a pace a little slower than Kevin's, but he was able to maintain it without much trouble.
The exercise and repetition of the pedals got his mind working overtime. Adam thought about everything he had learned in the recent past, but his mind kept returning to the pebble in his pocket. It was a key, he was sure, but didn't know how.
Adam's pace slowed as he began to get tired, and soon he had stopped. They had made it most of the way to their destination in a short time.
"We're almost there, but I need a rest," said Adam.
"I know what you mean," said Kevin. "It's not that easy to be a passenger on this thing either. When I'm older and have back problems I'll know why."
They stood and stretched for a few moments.
"What if they get there before us?" asked Kevin.
Adam thought for a moment, "They won’t. Without the key there’s no use coming out here, so we should have plenty of time to get the Heartstone and get away. I think they’ll waste a lot of time just searching for me. Hopefully that gives Jimmy and Mark time to wake up Gurpreet and Don. They’ll have some plans for defending the town…I hope…”
"There's a lot more luck in that plan than I care for," said Kevin, "but I can't think of anything better. Let's get moving." Kevin pointed to the seat and waited for Adam to get on.
Soon, they neared their destination. The equipment for the weather monitoring station was housed in a giant ball situated in the middle of an empty field. In the distance, it looked like a golf ball on a tee, ready for some giant to strike at any moment.
Adam watched the ball grow steadily as they approached, wondering how much luck they would need to get through what was ahead.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX