The Implausible Adventures of Jacqueline and Lonnie

1 The Implausible Adventures of Jacqueline and Lonnie

1.1 A Dreadful Day – trudging up stairs

It was a bright November day on which Jacqueline Rainier’s life was changed forever. Her mother, Sophia, woke her as normal and she got dressed for school. She wore jeans and a t-shirt like she usually did, even though she preferred dresses. Had she known what an important day it was she would have worn something more impressive. She went downstairs and saw her mother setting the table. She helped set the table, and ate her cereal in characteristic silence.

The first clue that the day would be different, was that her mother drove her to school instead of walking. “I have to take your father to work and then I’m going to the store,” she explained. Her father’s name was Bertrand, though everyone called him Bert. His car had broken down a few days ago and they hadn’t gotten it fixed yet. Jacqueline didn’t mind. She loved being driven to school. Especially now that fall was making the walk colder.

Normally, Jacqueline loved school but today she couldn’t concentrate on her schoolwork. She was restless, though she couldn’t pinpoint why. Something seemed not right about the world. And indeed it wasn’t. During first recess Duane, a boy from her class, made fun of her “Daddy’s Little Angel” shirt. Her father had given it to her for Christmas 2 years ago and it was a little too small. But she loved to wear it because it meant that her father loved her. He was always busy at work and didn’t get a chance to play with her very often. Jacqueline loved her mother, but she always liked playing with her father best. The games he made up were funner than any they bought from the store.

She ignored Duane, just like her parents told her to, but the teasing put her in a foul mood. After recess they started math. Normally Jacqueline loved math, but today she couldn’t concentrate so when the teacher called on her she didn’t even know what the question was, let alone the answer. She was incredibly embarrassed. I’m going to be in trouble, she thought. She was such a conscientious and clever student, Jacqueline felt that not answering the question was almost the same as not obeying her teacher.

“Jacqueline Rainier, please come to the office,” the loud speaker squawked. Oh no! she thought, I’m already in trouble. But what could she do? She had never been sent to the principal’s office before. Her parents would never forgive her. They always told her to be a good girl, and here she was, being sent to the principal’s office. She sat in her chair mutely contemplating what to do. Finally the teacher cleared her throat and said, “Jacqueline? Do you know the way to the principal’s office?”

“Jacqueline? Are you okay?” she asked again after Jacqueline didn’t respond.

“Huh?” Jacqueline replied. “Oh. Yeah, I know the way.” she finally mumbled. Jacqueline stood slowing and walked toward the door. This is the worst day of my life, she thought sadly as she trudged to the school office. She made her way slowly up the stairs wondering if perhaps she should run away. But she decided against it—then she would really be in trouble.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she arrived at the office. She paused, took a deep breath, and fussed with her short black hair before opening the door. She stepped inside and saw the secretary look up. Mrs. Winkel was a kind secretary, who always smiled at the children, but as soon as she recognized Jacqueline, her face became very sad. Oh no, I’ve even made Mrs. Winkel sad, Jacqueline thought, nearly starting to cry.

“There, there dear. It will be okay,” Mrs Winkel said kindly, “Come with me please.” They walked back to the principal’s office and Mrs. Winkel knocked on the door announcing, “Jacqueline Rainier is here to see you, sir.” The principal opened the door and motioned for her to come in. Jacqueline stepped into the scariest place she had ever been. It looked much like her father’s office at work, but had several pictures drawn by children hanging on the walls. For some reason that made it all the more frightening.

“I’m so sorry. I promise I’ll pay more attention in class,” Jacqueline blurted out. Seeing the confused look on the principal’s face, Jacqueline continued, “I’m really sorry I didn’t know the answer to the math problem. It’s just that I don’t feel very well today, and…” She couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“Oh, my darling girl,” said principal Rodriguez. “You’re not in trouble. It’s that I have some very bad news. I wish I didn’t have to tell you this,” he said sincerely. This was by far the worst news he’d ever had to give a student. Jacqueline simultaneously felt a sense of relief and dread. The next words she heard would change her life forever, in more ways than anyone could possibly have predicted.

“I’m very sorry, but your mother is dead.”

1.2 A Crowded House

The next few weeks were a blur for Jacqueline. There were people at her house constantly. People she had never seen, but was supposed to know—relatives, old friends of her parents, and nearly everyone from the small town in which they lived. They all said things like “My condolences,” “We’re very sorry for your loss,” and “If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know.” Several times she nearly screamed, “Can you all just leave me alone?”

Jacqueline didn’t know how she was feeling, but she knew that she didn’t want to have to deal with all these strange people. Her mother was gone. She had died in a car accident on the way home from a trip to the store. It was completely unfair that her mom had dropped her off at school, but hadn’t picked her up. How could something like that happen? People died in wars. Bad guys died when they fought good guys. Jacqueline knew that sometimes even the good guys died. But moms didn’t die. Not going to the store. If moms could die going to the store, who else could die? Jacqueline lay awake at night, after all the guests left, worrying that her father would die next. A few times she even snuck to his room to watch him sleep.

Her father was working very hard trying to finish an important project at work. He worked for a small engineering firm which was barely making enough money to survive. He was the only one that could finish his part of the project. And the project was very important to the firm. So he woke early and stayed up late, working on the project in the morning, and making arrangements for the funeral in the afternoon. Because of the stress and lack of sleep he didn’t have time to grieve. And because he didn’t have time to grieve, he didn’t have time for Jacqueline or the housework either. His sister, Marilyn, had come right away and helped take care of things around the house.

Marilyn Stockerton and her husband, Frank, lived across the ocean in England where Frank’s family was from. Jacqueline had met Marilyn once before at Christmas time, but had never met Frank or their daughter Lonnie. Lonnie was six months younger than Jacqueline and the only cousin on her father’s side.

Jacqueline could barely remember the funeral after it was over. She knew she was sad and so was everyone else. People said nice things about her mother and she got even more hugs than she had before. But she couldn’t remember anything that was said nor anyone that was there. The only exception was her father. She could remember him talking for a few moments. He said he loved Sophia more than anything in the world, and then he started crying uncontrollably. This made Jacqueline cry even harder. Her father never cried. If he cried then things must really be bad.

Marilyn stayed for another week, but eventually she had to go back to take care of her family. Before she left, however, she offered to take Jacqueline with her. She saw how hard it was for Bert to handle things around the house. And more importantly, she saw how much Jacqueline needed support which she was unlikely to get from her father. Bert had always been one to ignore his emotions and Marilyn was afraid that Jacqueline would suffer because of it.

Bert refused her offer, however. “She lost her mother,” he said, “she shouldn’t lose her father too.”

But within a week of Marilyn’s departure, Bert changed his mind and called his sister on the phone. “I think Jacqueline should come live with your family,” he said.

1.3 A Meeting of Cousins

Jacqueline cried as she got on the plane. She was afraid of flying, but she was more afraid of leaving her father. In less than a month everything she knew and loved had been taken away from her. She didn’t know what life would be like in England, but she knew it wouldn’t be the same.

When she got off the plane the whole Stockerton family was there to meet her. “Welcome to England,” Frank boomed and gave Jacqueline a friendly hug after she came off the plane, “I’m so glad to finally meet you.” He noticed Jacqueline’s sad look and hastily added, “I’m just sad it had to happen under these circumstances.”

Lonnie could barely contain herself. “You’re going to love it here. You’ll have so many friends and you’ll just love our house. It’s out in the country and we can play in the forest, and…” she continued, but Jacqueline ignored her. How could she be happy ever again? They guided her to their car and drove home. It was a long car ride, especially with Lonnie prattling on the whole way.

Eventually, they turned off the paved road, passed through a large majestic gate, and went down a dirt lane. This must be the remains of a great noble’s estate, Jacqueline thought, her mind, for the first time, taken from the sadness she felt inside. I wonder how the Stockerton’s came to live here, she thought. It had clearly seen better days. What must have once been immaculate Victorian gardens now looked like a large suburban yard. And one that needed to be mowed at that. They pulled around behind the house. Lonnie nearly yelled in Jacqueline’s ear, “See! That’s our forest! It’s the best place in the whole world!” She then paused as if to lend emphasis to her words. But her words didn’t need any emphasis other than the reality they described.

Jacqueline stared out the window at one of the most beautiful sights she had ever seen. The sun was setting and the car was parked in the shadow of the house. Clouds glowed purple from the setting sun, providing a backdrop for the delicate silhouettes of the trees. A few lonely conifers sprinkled throughout the forest accented the nearly leafless trees. “It’s called Cedric’s wood,” offered Frank, “Some of the trees are 500 years old. One might even be 1000,” he said almost reverently. Something about the scene was sacred. It’s too beautiful for this world, thought Jacqueline. For this world where mothers can die. Somehow, not even her grief could overcome the wonder she felt in that moment.

“Come inside girls,” called Marilyn from inside the house, “It’s getting dark.” Lonnie hopped out of the car and raced inside. Jacqueline stayed in the car for a few seconds savoring the feeling. Knowing that it wouldn’t last. That it couldn’t last. Her mother was gone and her father had sent her away.

1.4 An Unexpected Find – Jacqueline is missing

To avoid thinking about her grief, Jacqueline threw herself into her schoolwork and soon was earning better marks than Lonnie. This made Lonnie a little jealous because she had always been too impatient to do well in school. Lonnie’s boundless energy allowed her to work very hard at something, but only if she was interested in it. Luckily for her, Lonnie’s parents had become experts motivators. Lonnie knew that Jacqueline’s mother had died. Her parents had told her to be nice and leave Jacqueline alone when she wanted. They said she might need some help in school or finding friends. They also said she might cry or want to be alone. But it was hard for Lonnie to understand. She had always wanted a sister to play with. Now, she had one but her sister didn’t want to play with her. Sometimes she would try to think of what it must feel like to have her own mother die, but she simply couldn’t imagine it.

One Saturday afternoon in January, Jacqueline and Lonnie were sitting in the large library of the Stockerton estate. It was a medium sized room, but all four walls were covered with books. Lonnie didn’t think it was anything special, but Jacqueline spent most of her spare time in the library. She had always loved reading, and had dreamed of owning a large library some day. It was too cold to spend much time outside, or the girls would undoubtedly have spent most of their time in Cedric’s wood.

“Hey, let’s play a game,” said Lonnie. “You be the princess and and I’ll be the dragon.” Jacqueline, who was reading a book titled “The Encyclopedia of Animals”, didn’t respond so Lonnie said it louder. “Let’s play a game.” Jacqueline gave her a nasty look. “You can be the dragon if you want,” Lonnie said generously, “though really the princess is better because the princess wins in the end.”

“I don’t want to be a princess and I don’t want to be a dragon. I just want my mom and dad back!” shouted Jacqueline.

“Geez,” said Lonnie, “I was just offering to let you play with me.” Jacqueline was being silly, she thought. “You know, being sad won’t bring your mom back,” she added, “Why don’t you just have a little fun every now and then?” Jacqueline looked at her for a second, and then ran downstairs. That was weird, thought Lonnie, Why would she run off like that? Lonnie sat for a moment, puzzled, then went to her room to play dragons and princesses with her dolls instead.

A light snow started to fall outside.

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“Where’s Jacqueline?” asked Lonnie’s father at the dinner table.

“I don’t know,” Lonnie replied.

“Well, we can’t eat until she gets here,” said her mother, “When did you last see her?”

“We were in the library this afternoon, and she got mad and left,” said Lonnie. “I think she wanted to be the dragon.”

“Where did she go?” her parents asked, concerned.

“I don’t know. She just went downstairs.” Her parents exchanged worried looks. There was little to do downstairs except go outside. But if she was outside then she could be in real danger. The sun had already set and it was snowing. It would be bitterly cold overnight. Unless she was well prepared she could easily die. It would already be very dark in the forest making it difficult for her to find her way back without a flashlight.

“Hurry, we have to find her,” said her father. “If she went outside she could be in real danger.”

They searched the entire house as quickly as they could. Lonnie searched upstairs in the bedrooms, the library and her father’s study. She was rarely allowed to go in the study, but it was clear that Jacqueline was not there. Lonnie rushed into each room, looking hurriedly in all the hiding places and yelling for Jacqueline as loud as she could. She had often played hide and seek upstairs and knew many great hiding places. Unfortunately, Jacqueline was not in any of them. Lonnie ran downstairs, starting to feel guilty for having lost Jacqueline.

In the mean time, Marilyn was searching through the downstairs rooms including the kitchen and living rooms. Frank had grabbed a flashlight and gone outside to search for Jacqueline. He searched all of the yard except Cedric’s wood. It would take all three of them working together to find Jacqueline there. It wasn’t long before they all met at the back door. Frank was out of breath from so much running.

“Should I call the police?” Marilyn asked.

“No,” said Frank. “They won’t get here in time to help. They’re nearly an hour away, by which time we’ll either have found her or she’ll be dead.” He immediately regretted saying it because Lonnie gasped and looked as if she was going to cry. “Do you have flashlights?” he asked, to which they nodded their heads in affirmation. “Alright, let’s go,” he said. “We’re going to have to split up to cover more territory, but please stay within earshot. We won’t do anyone any good if we get separated from each other.”

“We should take some blankets to wrap her up in when we find her,” said Marilyn. Lonnie dashed off to get blankets for each of them. She came back with heavy gloves, hats, and scarves as well. “Good thinking, Lonnie,” said her mom. “We’re going to need all the warmth we can get.”

They started off toward the woods, each carrying a flashlight and blankets and wearing heavy clothes. ’’We’ll take turns yelling Jacqueline’s name,“ said Frank. ”I’ll be in the middle, Lonnie you’ll be on my left and Marilyn, you on my right. I’ll yell, then we’ll wait 5 seconds. Then Lonnie yells, then me again, then Marilyn. That way at least I’ll know where everyone is, even if you two can’t hear each other.“ He paused briefly trying to think of anything that he might have forgotten. ”Alright, let’s go," he said as they arrived at the edge of the woods.

Near the house, Cedric’s wood was not too wide and they were able to easily stay in earshot. The farther they went, however, the wider the woods became and the more difficult it was for them to stay together. It wasn’t that the woods were actually too wide, it was that they all walked at different speeds depending on the terrain they had to navigate.

It was dark and cold in the forest. And surprisingly quiet. The only sounds Lonnie could hear were the yelling of her parents, and the sound of her own footsteps in the underbrush. She swung her flashlight back and forth looking for any signs of Jacqueline but she couldn’t see anything. After an excruciatingly long time they arrived at the far fence. Lonnie was scared that they hadn’t found Jacqueline. If she wasn’t in the house and wasn’t in the forest where was she? “Jacqueline!” she yelled one more time.

Lonnie swung her flashlight around straining to see any signs of Jacqueline anywhere. There was nothing. Finally she lifted her flashlight and looked over the fence, peering into the now inky blackness of an English winter night.

Nothing.

“Jacqueline!” she heard her father yelling faintly in the distance. He couldn’t be that far away, but sounds didn’t travel well in the thick woods.

Nothing.

“Jacqueline!” she cried. How did they know when to turn around and go back? They hadn’t decided on a sign for that.

Nothing.

Wait, what was that? On the other side of the fence in the Bronough estate there was something suspicious. Lonnie tried to get a better look at it to see what exactly it was. It didn’t look like Jacqueline, but she couldn’t convince herself that it wasn’t. At that moment her mother cried “Help!” Lonnie couldn’t hear her mother, but she did hear her father yelling, “I’m coming Marilyn.”

Oh, thought Lonnie, Maybe they found Jacqueline, or maybe mom is in trouble. Should I go? She hesitated for a moment, and noticed some movement on the other side of the fence, far from where she was. Lonnie knew that time was of the essence and so she decided to cross the fence instead of going to her parents. If this was Jacqueline she needed to get there soon. Her parents would find her and Jacqueline later. She had to find Jacqueline now.

She searched frantically for some way to cross the fence. She noticed a hole, with a freshly torn piece of fabric stuck to a piece of wire. That must be where Jacqueline crossed the fence, she thought excitedly and scurried through the hole. She put the blankets she was carrying through first and then squeezed through herself. She quickly made her way to where she had seen the movement and, sure enough, there was Jacqueline huddled by a tree. She was shivering, but nearly asleep.

Lonnie knew that falling asleep was the worst thing that you could do in the cold, so she shook Jacqueline and screamed “Wake up!” desperately. “Wake up! Wake up! It’s me Lonnie! I’m so sorry,” she sobbed, “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. Please! I’ll always be nice I promise! I promise!” All the while she alternated between shaking Jacqueline and wrapping her up in the blankets. I have to get her back, she thought frantically and she put Jacqueline’s arm around her own shoulder and hoisted her up. Lonnie had always been fairly athletic, but it was pure adrenalin that made Jacqueline feel as light as a feather as she helped her walk back towards the fence. Jacqueline was starting to wake up and was mumbling some thing about following the lights.

They had been walking for several feet without too much trouble when Jacqueline suddenly lifted her head, looked straight into Lonnie’s eyes and said, “we need to go there.” She lifted her arm weakly pointing parallel to the fence.

“What do you mean?” cried Lonnie, “the fence is that way!” But Jacqueline had already started walking in the direction she had pointed. Lonnie decided that it was better to keep her walking and so they went. I can still get back thought Lonnie. I’m not lost yet.

Jacqueline stopped in front of a large oak tree. In fact, it was the oldest oak tree in the forest and was known as Cedric’s tree. It was the oak Frank had said might be 1000 years old. Jacqueline knelt and started to dig around the base of the tree. “No!” said Lonnie as forcefully as she could. She tried to imitate her parents in order to force Jacqueline to obey. “We have to keep moving. What are you doing anyway?”

Lonnie shone the flashlight where Jacqueline was digging and was surprised to see an intricately carved piece of wood partially buried in the dirt. She gasped, and before she was fully aware of what she was doing, she had a stick in her hands and was helping Jacqueline clear away the dirt. As soon as the dirt was cleared away they stopped, unsure of what to do next. It was hexagonal in shape and looked like it might be a door just large enough for them to crawl through.

“Well, we may as well open it,” said Lonnie, moving to do so. Jacqueline reached out and grabbed the door with Lonnie. Together they pulled the door open easily and what they saw inside left them speechless. Finally, Jacqueline was able to find words.

“I think we found a magic portal.”

1.5 A Vicious Encounter – tree & portal

The door, for indeed it was a door, didn’t open all the way when they tried. There was still some dirt which prevented it from opening. Late afternoon sunlight streamed from inside the door, forcing Jacqueline and Lonnie to squint while their eyes adjusted to the sudden bright light. On the other side of the door it was clearly daytime. It looked like it might be springtime instead of winter. The girls gazed into a clearing in a forest. There was a path leading somewhere that the girls couldn’t see. Jacqueline thought she saw a deer behind some trees, and Lonnie was sure she could smell smoke from a nearby cooking fire.

“Quick! Let’s get inside,” said Lonnie who was still worried about Jacqueline’s safety. “We need to get you warm.” Jacqueline reluctantly closed the door and they frantically removed dirt so the door could swing open all the way. There was only room for one of them to dig at a time, so Lonnie studied the door in the suddenly dim light of her flashlight. It was ornately carved, and so was the door frame. She couldn’t tell, but she thought some of the designs were writing instead of mere ornamentation. “This is the most bizarre looking door I’ve ever seen,” said Lonnie. She immediately felt foolish because the looks of it were much less bizarre than the fact that it was a magical portal. I wonder if I just imagined it, she thought. There’s no way it can really be magic. There’s no such thing as magic. Right?

“There’s no such thing as magic,” said Jacqueline who was nearly done cleaning the dirt away from the door. “Let’s try opening it now.” This time the door opened wide. Something looked different about the scene. The sun seems brighter, thought Lonnie shielding her eyes with her arm, it must just be because the door is all the way open now. The warmth of the scene on the other side reminded Lonnie of how cold she was, and how cold Jacqueline must be. “Let’s go,” she said, “I’m freezing!” As if brought to her senses by Lonnie’s words, Jacqueline suddenly began shivering.

Jacqueline went through first. The door stood about a foot off the ground on the other side, and Lonnie held her hand as she went through. After Jacqueline had emerged on the other side she turned around and looked at Lonnie’s figure illuminated by the sun against the nearly black background of Cedric’s wood. “Come on through,” she said, before deciding that maybe she should look around first. She quickly scanned all around and decided it was safe. She turned back to see Lonnie’s feet already dangling through the door. Jacqueline grabbed a hold and helped her down. “I’m getting hot already,” Jacqueline said, unwrapping the blanket from around her and laying it over a branch of the tree.

On this side the frame of the door seemed to be part of the tree itself. It was a large oak as well, though not nearly as large as Cedric’s tree had been in England. On this side the tree was in the middle of a clearing at least 100 feet from any other trees. As Jacqueline and Lonnie looked around they noticed some mountains in the distance, and a path that ran through the meadow parallel to the mountains. The sun was nearly overhead and it seemed to be midday. Lonnie, who had a natural sense of direction and almost never got lost knew instinctively that the mountains were to the west, and the path was running roughly North–South.

“Where are we?” asked Jacqueline suddenly. After they passed through the door the energy and drive that had seemed to possess her started to fade. She felt her normal self again.

“Some sort of wilderness it looks like,” said Lonnie not sure what to make of the situation. Still she was optimistic and glad that Jacqueline wouldn’t freeze to death. It had been very convenient. “Wait a minute!” she cried suddenly. “What if we’re asleep and this is a dream? Falling asleep in the cold is the worst thing you can do! Now we’ll never wake up.”

“We’re not dreaming,” said Jacqueline confidently, not sure of how she knew it. But she did know it. “Let’s follow the road to the North,” she said, “I think we’ll find someone to help us there.”

“No,” said Lonnie. “We should stay by the portal so that mom and dad can find us.”

“They won’t find us soon,” Jacqueline replied, still unsure of where her thoughts were coming from. It made her very uncomfortable to not know how she was so confident. Maybe Lonnie is right and I’m just dreaming, she thought. Instead of expressing her doubts she simply said, “You’re right. We should stay here.”

Lonnie took off her warm clothes and organized them in the tree so they would know where everything was. Jacqueline wandered around looking at the flowers. She had once been interested in wild flowers and thought that if she could identify some of the species she might be able to determine where they were. At least the continent should be possible. For all she knew they were in South America or China. She didn’t recognize any of the species of flowers that she saw. But she was humble enough to know that this could mean she didn’t have a enough knowledge of wild flowers.

“Run!” came a cry from somewhere along the path to the South. Jacqueline and Lonnie looked up to see who was yelling, but they couldn’t see anyone. There was a little rise in the land that prevented them from seeing too far South. “Run!” it came again. They both stood up, wary. Suddenly a figure came bounding over the hill into their view. At first they thought it was a person but it moved wrong. It was jumping more than running. It saw them and yelled “Run!” as loud as it could. At the same time it raised it’s arm and pointed to the North. Something dangerous was coming from the south.

Jacqueline and Lonnie didn’t have time to wonder what it might be they simply turned and started running. The creature was quite a bit faster than they were and soon passed them. Jacqueline nearly tripped when she saw what it was. It had the body of a deer and bounded like one. But it had the arms and torso of a person. It’s like a deer centaur, she thought. Lonnie was a better athlete than Jacqueline so it was a few seconds before she had the same reaction. The creature turned it’s head towards them and yelled “Faster!”

“I can’t,” cried Jacqueline desperately. Quickly the deer creature veered to the right towards the forest. Jacqueline and Lonnie followed it without hesitation.

“Maybe we can hide,” whispered the creature a short way into the woods. “But we must be quiet.” They slowed and found cover in some thick bushes. “I hope she doesn’t set the woods on fire,” whispered the creature nervously. “Then things would be even worse. I think I would rather be eaten than burned.”

“What’s going on?” asked Lonnie sounding bewildered.

“I was running from Gleed, and I found you two lounging around out in the open like idiots,” said the creature. Jacqueline couldn’t tell if it was male or female.

“Who is Gleed?” Jacqueline asked as quiet as she could, “And what is your name?”

“Gleed?” The creature looked baffled. “You don’t know who Gleed is?” Jacqueline and Lonnie shook there heads and the creature continued, “Gleed, the deer slayer, is the dragon that has been terrorizing the country.” After a short pause it continued, “My name is Zanka.”

“Hello Zanka. I’m Jacqueline, and this is my cousin Lonnie,” she whispered. “We are from England and we don’t know where we are.”

“I’ve never heard of England,” said Zanka. “Is that in the South?”

“England isn’t South of very many places,” said Lonnie, “but we seem to have come through a magical portal, so perhaps.” Jacqueline watched Zanka carefully to see her reaction to the mention of the magical portal—but Zanka didn’t react. That must mean magical portals are common around here, she thought. I wonder what that means. Just then they heard a noise like a wounded lion coming from the clearing to the South and they fell silent. They didn’t need Zanka’s gesture to know that Gleed was near.

The bellowing came closer and they held their breath. Slowly the noise moved North along the trail, then just as suddenly as it began the roaring faded quickly into the North. Zanka was the first to speak. Jacqueline and Lonnie were still terrified.

“Welcome to the land of Nitida,” said Zanka formally. “The elders will want to hear all about this England. Hopefully they will see you. They are very busy at the moment dealing with Gleed.”

“I don’t mean to be rude,” said Jacqueline “but are you a boy or a girl? And what are you?”

Zanka gasped. “Why, I’m a girl of course! Don’t you know a centaur when you see one?” She stood up and started walking back towards the path. She paused and said, clearly worried, “I don’t really look like a boy do I?”

“No, no, of course not,” said Jacqueline hurriedly. “It’s just that I’ve never actually seen a centaur before, so I thought I should, just ask to be sure.” Zanka looked mollified.

“And I always thought a centaur was half horse and half human,” Lonnie said confused, “but you don’t look like a horse.” Both she and Jacqueline followed Zanka to the clearing.

Zanka stopped, turned around, and cocked her head to the side. “What’s a horse?” Jacqueline and Lonnie looked at each other. “It’s, um, kind of like a Centaur I guess,” said Jacqueline unsure of how to explain a horse. “Maybe you have a different name for it.” At that moment it struck her just how incredible it was that this creature could speak English. They had gone through a magical portal to who knows where, and were talking to a half-deer, half-woman. How in the world could they communicate at all?

They walked a while in silence, occasionally passing patches of burnt ground. Smoke still rose from a few. Jacqueline and Lonnie began to feel a bit apprehensive about what they were doing. Finally, Lonnie asked, “Where are we going?”

“To Uluru,” replied Zanka, then she added helpfully “the centaur village.”

“We’re very grateful for your help, Zanka,” said Lonnie, “but we should probably go back. Our parents will be looking for us and will be worried when they can’t find us. We should stay at the tree where you found us.”

“The elders will want to see you,” Zanka said simply, as if that was the only thing that mattered.

“But…”

“It’s not far, you’ll be able to see it from the top of that hill.” As they crested the hill, they saw the road bend gently to the West. In the distance thin trails of smoke rose from what must have been the centaur village.

“That’s Uluru!” demanded Jacqueline. “It’s so far away!”

“You two are very slow,” admitted Zanka. “Nevertheless, we should be there by nightfall. Then you can eat and rest. You can talk to the elders tomorrow and return after that. Do not worry. I will take care of you and return you to your parents.” Talk of food made the girls instantly aware of just how hungry they were. They hadn’t eaten since lunch time, probably 6 hours ago. And they had been either cold, nervous, or running for much of that time. They had worked up quite an appetite.

“Food would be nice,” said Jacqueline her stomach rumbling to accentuate her point. “I’m sure we can hurry back tomorrow.” Lonnie still seemed unsure, but she continued walking.

---

They arrived in Uluru just after the sun had set. Zanka had run ahead to warn the villagers. Warm food was waiting for them when they arrived. Jacqueline and Lonnie barely waited for permission before they started eating. The food itself was a thick vegetable soup. They would have considered it bland if they hadn’t been so hungry. Lonnie spooned it from the wooden bowl to her mouth as fast as she could. Jacqueline was only slightly slower. By their third bowl, they had slowed down enough to take notice of their surroundings.

They were in a large one room building. There was a fire in the center and a hole in the middle of the ceiling for the smoke to escape. There were several “beds” on the ground around the edges of the room. The beds were little more than piles of straw. Lying on one was a child, his (or her) body speckled like a fawn’s. Two does were attending them. At least Jacqueline assumed they must be females, for she also saw what must have been a male waiting by the door. She assumed he was a centaur of some importance because he had a large set of antlers on his otherwise human-looking head. She stared, trying to count the points on his antlers. Jacqueline had never known her father to hunt, but he had talked about one of his friends shooting a 16 point buck, which was apparently quite large. The flames danced, making it difficult for her to count. Probably about 10 or 11 on a side she thought.

Apart from the children having spots, and the bucks having antlers there was little difference that Jacqueline could see between the animals. Short, light-brown fur covered their entire bodies apart from their heads and the insides of their legs and arms where the fur was shorter and lighter–almost white. When they brushed up against her they felt soft and warm. Jacqueline was too tired after walking all day to do much besides eat. She didn’t even have the energy to wonder how it was that they were able to carry their enormous antlers around on their heads without deer sized necks. In fact, she didn’t even have the energy to finish eating her third bowl of soup. Two of the centaurs carried her to a bed near the fire and laid her gently in it. Lonnie followed shortly.

1.6 A Bizarre Interrogation

Jacqueline awoke the next morning cold and itchy, but full and refreshed. Lonnie was still asleep and one of the other beds was filled by a young fawn. The rest of the beds were empty and food was bubbling over the fire in the center of the room. The same buck from last night entered the hut. “Ah, you’re awake,” he said. “The elders would like to see you as soon as you’ve broken your fast. We feared to wake you in case you were in a dream state.”

Jacqueline thought for a moment. “No, I don’t remember any dreams from last night. I was very tired.” This seemed to puzzle the centaur. “What’s your name?” she asked in order to not seem rude by asking for food right away.

“I am Thosind,” he replied. “And you, I believe, are Jakeklin?”

“It’s Jacqueline. Ja-kuh-lin” she repeated slowly hoping she didn’t sound rude. He didn’t seem offended so she asked “May I have some food, please?”

“Of course.” He stepped outside and yelled something. Lonnie stirred and Jacqueline whispered, “Lonnie? Lonnie? Wake up.” Lonnie opened her eyes, sat up and moaned contentedly. “I think someone is bringing food,” said Jacqueline.

“That sounds great,” said Lonnie. They were both hungry despite how much they had eaten the night before.

A middle-aged doe entered the room and went straight to the pot of food cooking in the middle of the room. She was carrying two bowls which she filled and placed in front of Jacqueline and Lonnie. She took two spoons and gestured in four directions muttering something unintelligible before giving the spoons to the cousins. Unsure if they were supposed to join in the ritual Jacqueline hesitated. Lonnie had no such qualms and started eating immediately. The doe remained, watching to see if they needed anything else. She offered no conversation, content to watch them eat.

They weren’t as hungry this morning and the food was less enjoyable because of it. It was thick and warm, but those were about the only good qualities that Jacqueline could see in it. It had long stringy plant fibers like celery and she thought it tasted like boiled cabbage without any spices. Still she was grateful for it because she knew how hungry she would have been otherwise.

They ate quickly, having to choke down the last few bites which got somewhat gelatinous, and therefore very unpleasant, as it cooled. Then they got up, tidied each other’s hair for a few moments, and went outside. The sun was bright and warm as they stepped outside. Thosind noticed them and rushed over. “Come with me,” he said walking briskly down what must have passed for the main street of Uluru. It was late enough that the dew had dried leaving the road dusty. Jacqueline didn’t remember this road on the way in. In fact, nothing seemed familiar. She thought back to the night before, but most of it was hazy. She barely remembered anything. I must have been more tired than I thought.

Lonnie leaned over and asked quietly, “Where are we going?”

“To meet the elders, remember?” answered Jacqueline.

“Oh yeah,” said Lonnie starting to worry. “I wonder what they’re going to want.”

“I don’t know,” said Jacqueline wondering the same thing. They continued a short distance in silence. Thosind stopped in front of the largest building in the village, and motioned for them to enter. “Aren’t you coming in?” asked Jacqueline.

“I will stand watch outside,” he replied simply. The door was low by centaur standards, though Jacqueline and Lonnie could not have touched the top. It was meant to force those entering to duck, but of course it was designed for full grown centaurs, not English school girls.

After a moment their eyes adjusted to the dimmer light of the lodge and they found themselves surrounded by a dozen old centaurs. Nearly half were bucks with huge antlers. Amazed Jacqueline thought I can’t even count all those points, though of course she could have if she had the time. Jacqueline and Lonnie didn’t know what to say, so they just sat quietly, waiting. Finally, uncomfortable with the silence, Lonnie bowed to the elders and Jacqueline followed suit. This seemed to shock the elders.

One of the youngest of the centaurs, a buck sitting near the door, leaned close and whispered to Lonnie. Jacqueline couldn’t hear what he said, but Lonnie walked to the middle of the room, directly below the smoke hole. Jacqueline didn’t know what else to do, so she followed. Lonnie spoke, “Good day esteemed elders. I am Lonnie and this is my cousin Jacqueline. We have come from a far off land named England. We found a door of some kind, and followed it here where we were saved by Zanka from Gleed the desolator. We thank you for your gracious hospitality. We now with to return to England and my parents.”

The elders conversed quietly with each other for a few moments. Say what you will about Lonnie, thought Jacqueline, she’s very dramatic. I hope she said the right thing. After some time one of the elders, a large buck with reddish fur, rose. “Which of you is older?” he asked then sat back down.

“I am 4 months older,” answered Jacqueline. This caused some more murmuring amongst the elders. Another centaur stood, this time a doe with black stripes along the edges of her belly, rising in a peak to what would have been her belly button if she were human. There’s more variation to them than I noticed before, thought Jacqueline. Some of them are actually quite pretty.

“How far is England?” asked the doe.

Jacqueline and Lonnie looked at each other. “We don’t know,” said Lonnie finally. “We came through some sort of magical door. In England it is winter right now, so it must be far indeed.” More murmuring.

“How many dragons have you killed?” asked another doe sitting near the door. Her left front leg was injured and she struggled to stand and sit back down.

Jacqueline had to stifle a laugh. “Dragons? We haven’t killed any dragons. There aren’t any dragons in England.” This caused quite a stir among the elders. Jacqueline was able to hear “dragon slayer”, “killed all the dragons,” and other similar phrases coming from the elders. Most interesting was the phrase “the twins”. She had no idea what to make of it.

“How old are you?” came another question. “What are your parents names?” “How large is England?” The questions kept coming, and they kept answering them as best they could. “Have you ever fought each other?” At first Jacqueline thought it was interesting what questions they asked. “Are you taller than average?” She tried to figure out things about their society based on what they asked her. “Are you married?” After an hour of questioning, however, she began to grow bored. “What constellation were you born under?” Lonnie had started fidgeting some time ago. “Why did you leave England?”

Finally after Jacqueline and Lonnie thought all the questions had been asked an old buck rose slowly and asked, “Are you boys or girls?” The entire room fell silent instantly and all eyes fixed on Jacqueline and Lonnie. “Girls of course,” said Lonnie sounding offended. No one said anything for a moment and then pandemonium broke out. Or at least that’s how it seemed after such an orderly interrogation. One elder standing, asking a question, and then sitting down was replaced with nearly all of the elders standing, blurting out questions, and then sitting down, only to stand up and repeat the process again.

Jacqueline and Lonnie were overwhelmed by the sudden cacophony and looked around anxiously for a way out. Jacqueline was suddenly claustrophobic. Something felt wrong, but she didn’t know what it was. Before she could find an escape route the hubbub died down somewhat and the old buck rose again. The rest of the centaurs quieted and sat down as they noticed him standing. He must be one of the most important elders. Jacqueline didn’t remember him asking any other questions. She was afraid of what he would ask next. But he didn’t ask anything. He walked to the center of the room and faced the girls. He tipped his head back and said, “Thank you Jacqueline and Lonnie, you may go.” At this, the two elders closest to the door jumped to their feet and rushed to accompany them outside.

---

When they got outside Thosind was waiting for them. The elders turned around and went back in before Jacqueline could ask any questions. “What just happened?” ask Lonnie bewildered.

“I suspect they were trying to see if you fulfill the prophecy,” said Thosind.

“Prophecy?” asked Jacqueline, “What prophecy?”

“There is a prophecy that in our hour of need twins will come and rescue us. There are many who think that might be you.”

“But we’re not twins,” said Lonnie.

“Prophecies are often metaphorical,” said Thosind. “For example, it could mean that we can’t tell you apart. After all you do look nearly identical.”

“Identical?” cried Jacqueline. “How are we identical? My hair is short and black, hers is long and red. That alone should be enough to tell us apart.”

Thosind looked at them intently for a moment. “Yes. Yes, I can see that now. Perhaps you’re not so alike after all. But you must admit that it’s hard to tell the difference when your legs are identical.”

Jacqueline and Lonnie looked at each other, then down at their legs. “But we’re wearing jeans,” said Jacqueline slowly, “of course they look the same.”

“Jeans?” asked Thosind, “What are jeans?”

“They’re…” began Lonnie, “Well… clothes. Let me show you.” Lonnie reached down and unzipped her jeans. None of the centaurs wore clothes, so she supposed it would be alright if she took off her pants. She still had her underwear on after all. Thosind drew back in fear as she pulled down her pants.

“Please!” he cried, “Do not hurt yourself for me. I can see that you are a powerful witch, but please leave your skin on.” He looked away and she pulled her pants back up.

“It’s okay now,” she said. As he turned back towards them he said, “The prophecy also speaks of the twins being great witches. I can see now that it must be you. You are the Twins. Please save us!” he pleaded.

Jacqueline and Lonnie protested but Thosind wouldn’t listen.

Jacqueline asked for some water and Thosind brought them some. Lonnie hadn’t realized how thirsty she was until she took a drink. She was getting very impatient to head back to England. Her parents must be worried sick by now. Or what if her parents found the portal and came through but were eaten by Gleed? “How soon can we leave?” she asked, “I’m very worried about my parents.”

“The elders should be done soon,” said Thosind, “We’ll see after that.” Perhaps the centaurs had a different sense of time, because Lonnie didn’t think it was very soon at all. Eventually the door opened and the old buck—the one who seemed to be in charge—walked out. He tilted his head back, and Thosind did the same in reply. It must be some sort of greeting, thought Lonnie so she did it as well. Jacqueline followed suit.

“We have decided that you are likely the twins,” said the elder. “Therefore, I, Narokh, ask for your help on behalf of the entire village of Uluru. It was unexpected that you would be girls, but it is not mentioned in the prophecy.”

“Can we please go back to England first?” asked Lonnie. Narokh frowned at this, but seemed to consider it. “It is written that we must help the twins no matter their request,” he said half to himself. “Very well. I shall have a few of the strongest and fastest young centaurs take you back to the portal.”

Shortly six young centaurs, four bucks and two does, had gathered. Lonnie noticed that Zanka was one of them. “Hop on my back and I will carry you,” said Zanka. Jacqueline and Lonnie exchanged looks, neither had ever ridden a horse before, and they had never heard of anyone riding a deer.

“Okay, here goes,” said Jacqueline as she tried to get on Zanka’s back. A few of the other centaurs helped her up. Then they helped Lonnie climb onto the back of a young buck.

Riding on the back of a centaur was much harder than Lonnie thought it would be. There was no saddle so it was a constant battle to stay on. Even worse was that she worried the antlers would gouge her eyes out. After a while she took to riding bent over with her head close to the centaur’s back and her arms wrapped around his torso. Occasionally she would look over to see that Jacqueline was having an even worse time of it. She looked absolutely petrified. But, difficult as it was, they did cover much more ground than they would have on foot. It took slightly less than 2 hours and 3 changes of mounts to make it back to the tree where they had entered Nitida.

They dismounted and gathered their belongings. Jacqueline peaked through the door and noticed that it was night on the other side. They put on their coats, hats, and gloves as the centaurs watched fascinated. Lonnie heard one of them say, “I hope they come back.” Of course we’ll come back, she thought. We’ll do some research and figure out how to kill a dragon first though.

Lonnie picked up all the blankets and slung them over her back. Before she could ask Jacqueline if she was ready to go, however, they heard a low roar. All the centaurs quickly jumped up, shouting “Gleed” and headed for the woods. Jacqueline froze, but Lonnie ran and dragged her towards the woods.

But it was too late, Gleed came into view and saw them running. He bellowed and rushed towards them. One of the centaurs screamed in fear and Lonnie turned around. Thinking quickly, she pushed Jacqueline down into a small depression and laid down on top of her. She covered them hastily with the blankets. Before she was able to finish she felt the heat of dragon breath through the blankets. Her leg felt especially hot, but she didn’t dare move. “Don’t move,” she whispered forcefully to Jacqueline who was squirming underneath her. Lonnie knew that many large predators could see motion, and she wanted the dragon to forget about them as soon as possible.

She heard the dragon roar several times and the rushing of fire being belched from the dragon’s mouth, but they never felt the heat again. Her right leg didn’t stop hurting however. Indeed it seemed to be getting worse. It was almost all she could bear to not cry out. After she was sure that the dragon had left she lifted the blankets off of her and Jacqueline. The outer blanket had been nearly destroyed and the rest were badly singed. Luckily none of them had caught on fire.

Lonnie tried to stand up, but her leg hurt too much. “Ow,” she cried in pain and surprise. She looked up to see Jacqueline staring in horror behind her. She craned her head around and saw it too.

The doorway tree was on fire.

1.7 A Miraculous Healing – Lonnie healed by centaurs

Jacqueline rushed toward the tree, but it was too late. The tree was already destroyed. A few of the branches were still burning. She rushed to examine the portal which was slightly charred and had fallen to the ground. She grabbed it, nearly burning her fingers, and held it up to the frame. It still fit, but Jacqueline noticed there were no hinges. She held the right side to the frame and opened and closed the door over and over, desperately. But alas, the door was a simple slab of charred wood. “No,” Jacqueline said under her breath, then louder and faster, “No. No. No, no, no!”

She tried holding the left side, she couldn’t remember now which way it had opened. She frantically opened and closed the door. Finally she gave up and sat down heavily. She still had the door in her hands and she began looking it over. “There must be some clue,” she muttered to herself, “some way to fix this.” The carvings made no sense when she had seen them before, and now they were burnt beyond recognition. Jacqueline started to cry. The tears clouded her vision and she couldn’t see the carvings any more, so she finally set the door down on the ground and covered her face with her hands. Uncontrollable sobbing wracked her body. She kept thinking of how she would never see her father again.

After a few moments, when her sobbing had subsided, she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. She turned to see one of the centaurs standing beside her. It was Zanka but Jacqueline couldn’t tell through her tears. Zanka was crying too. Jacqueline suddenly remembered Lonnie. She wiped her eyes and looked back to where Lonnie had been. Lonnie was on the ground surrounded by the other centaurs. Jacqueline saw them lift her onto the back on one of the bucks. Occasionally Lonnie would cry out in pain as something jarred or rubbed her burned leg.

Jacqueline stood up and touched the door frame again. A piece of it came off in her hands. She looked at the front, the back, the inside. She inspected every inch for some sort of clue as to how it worked. Any nook or cranny might hold the key. She started crying frequently, requiring her to stop and wipe her eyes.

As hard as she tried, it was very difficult for her to focus. Most of the time she would stare at the door without seeing anything. Her eyes would glaze over and she would think about her mother and father. She would never see her mother again, but she had to see her father. She had to get back to him. She would focus again on the door, but for brief moments she thought she could see her father’s face, or that of her mother. For a split second she thought she could talk to them, to ask them for help. But before she could open her mouth they were gone.

“Let’s go,” said Zanka finally. “We need to get back to Uluru so the healers can look at Lonnie’s leg.” She and the other centaurs had gathered up the cousin’s few belongings and were getting ready to leave. Jacqueline noticed that the sun was about to go down. How long have I been sitting here? she thought. She didn’t want to leave. Leaving would mean giving up. But she knew she didn’t have any other option. She was going to need food and shelter soon. And she had already tried everything she could think of to understand the portal. Maybe someone in the village would know more. Maybe there was a way they could fix it. There had to be. She couldn’t be stuck here forever. Lonnie’s parents must be worried sick. They would have called her father by now and he would be distraught as well. He was probably already on his way to England to look for her. Then she wondered what would happen when they found the flashlight and and blanket she had left behind. What would they think of the door? Would it disappear? or would it simply cease to be magical like the one on this side had.

Aha! she thought, as she stood up to return to Uluru. This is all a bad dream. I just have to make the best of it for a while, and then I’ll wake up, she thought. In fact, I’m probably in my bed right now. She tried to imagine what it felt like. The sheets against her body with a pillow under her head. But she had a hard time imagining it. She realized that she had never paid much attention when she laid down. She couldn’t remember anything about her bed, not even the color of her sheets. She barely remembered the room she slept in.

Jacqueline forced herself to stop thinking. Focus on the task at hand. But unfortunately for her, the task at hand was being taken care of. Almost without her being aware of it she was riding one of the does. She could hear Lonnie to her right moaning occasionally. It seemed like Lonnie was barely conscious. Jacqueline thought back to the incidents of the day. It had all happened so fast that she could barely remember any details. But she knew one thing. Lonnie had saved her from the dragon and had been badly hurt in the process. Lonnie moaned again, and Jacqueline made a vow that she would get Lonnie back to her parents. She would do whatever it took. She would find some way to get back. She would learn magic if she had too. Jacqueline knew she was smart, but she hoped that would be enough.

---

They arrived at Uluru in the middle of the night. The centaurs in the village hadn’t been expecting them until the next day, so when they showed up early, and Jacqueline and Lonnie were still with them, they made quite a fuss. The healers were brought immediately to attend to Lonnie and one of the centaurs, who had also been injured. Warm food was prepared and Jacqueline gulped it down hungrily and then laid down.

After lying in bed for only a few moments, Jacqueline fell asleep. She was soon awakened by shouting outside. She sat up quickly, afraid that Gleed had found them. A doe in the bed next to hers lifted her head and then laid it back down. “What does that sound mean?” asked Jacqueline slightly comforted by her roommate’s calm reaction.

“They are mourning,” said the centaur. “Don’t you mourn in England?”

“Yes, we mourn in England,” Jacqueline said, “but we do it quietly.” She laid back down and started to relax again. “What are they mourning,” she asked, suddenly realizing that she didn’t know.

“The death of Lihash, of course.”

Lihash, thought Jacqueline drearily. That name sounds familiar. When she awoke the next day she realized where she knew the name from. Lihash was one of the centaurs who had accompanied them to the tree. She heard the stories of how Lihash had screamed in fright. This distracted the dragon from Jacqueline and Lonnie, but the evil wyrm had carried Lihash away. After hearing the stories several times Jacqueline felt a burning hatred for the dragon grow in her heart. For the first time since her mother’s death, Jacqueline had a purpose. Her purpose was to kill the dragon and find a way to get Lonnie back to her parents. And as her purpose grew it crowded out the sadness that she felt.

---

Lonnie awoke to excruciating pain in her right leg. She could barely remember how she had gotten back to the village. All she remembered was pain. The healers had given her leaves from some tree to chew on, and it helped dull the pain a little. Not as well as real medicine, she thought, but it’s better than nothing. The leaves had definitely worn off now though. The blanket she slept under rubbed her leg. It seemed almost malicious. She gingerly removed the blanket from her leg, its angry red color reminding her of a gloating dragon.

The door opened and an elderly doe entered. She had a younger buck in tow, probably her apprentice. They both lifted their heads to her, so she did the same back. “We’ll put this poultice on your wound,” the centaur said to Lonnie. It didn’t sound like she was asking permission, but Lonnie nodded her head anyway. Anything to make the pain go away. “We have sent for the shaman of the neighboring settlements,” the healer continued as her assistant carefully applied the poultice. “Once all three of us are here we can do a proper healing ritual.” The poultice was cool on her skin and it seemed as if she could feel the medicines soaking in to her skin. She let out a content sigh.

Lonnie didn’t do much that morning. She drank lots of water, rested, and waited for the healers. She was curious what sort of ritual they would perform. About noon the first healer arrived from the village of Mohach. He was a buck who looked, to Lonnie’s estimation, to be middle aged. Lonnie realized she didn’t even know how long the centaurs lived, but she was too embarrassed to ask. His fur was darker than most of the other centaurs, his back was a beautiful chestnut color, and his belly was tan. His antlers looked majestic as he walked into town with supreme confidence.

A few hours later, the final healer came. She was the smallest adult centaur that Lonnie had seen. She reminded Lonnie of Mrs. Pinkerton down the road. Thinking of Mrs. Pinkerton reminded her of home and of her parents. Thinking of her home and her parents gave her hope. And hope is the strongest analgesic.

The three healers spent some time talking and preparing a space for the ritual. They chose a grassy clearing bordering the south of the village. Once all the preparations had been taken care of the healers escorted Lonnie to the center of the clearing and the entire village crowded around. Lonnie saw Jacqueline fighting to get close enough to see.

The healers laid out a brightly colored blanket on the ground and told Lonnie to lay down. They walked around her, chanting for several minutes, stooping occasionally to touch her. Suddenly they stopped and turned to face the crowd. “We are here to help heal our friend Lonnie,” said the Uluru healer.

“But healing is not free,” said the man.

“Nor is it easy,” said the old woman.

“We must all sacrifice.”

“But the sacrifice must be willing.”

“Who wishes to sacrifice for Lonnie?” finished the smallest healer. The entire village stirred, and several centaurs stepped forward tipping their heads back. Lonnie looked around and was amazed at the number of centaurs willing to sacrifice for her. She didn’t know what the sacrifice would be, but she was touched nonetheless. As she looked around she noticed that Jacqueline had her head back as well, offering herself as a sacrifice.

The healers chanted some more without moving. Then they turned toward Lonnie in the center and gestured as if pulling from her and pushing to the volunteers. Strangely, Lonnie felt pain leave her, at the same time that she heard some of the centaurs gasp or moan. Lonnie looked at Jacqueline who gritted her teeth but made no sound. Her expression was one of determination.

The healers turned back to Lonnie and said in unison, “Your village has taken from you the pain, but you must always wear the mark. So it is, so it shall be.” Lonnie looked down at her leg. It was still an angry red, but she no longer felt any pain. She moved it gingerly. She felt some discomfort, but no pain. Tears of gratitude flowed down her face.

1.8 A Desperate Plan – talk w/centaurs about how to kill Gleed

A young doe named Phont had apparently been assigned to watch over them. She followed them around and tried to answer their questions. Unfortunately, she didn’t know any of the important answers. When Jacqueline asked her about the portal, she would simply say, “That is not something that I know about.” She was nice enough and made sure they were taken care of, but it was frustrating to Jacqueline to not get any answers. It seemed like Phont’s presence kept her from talking to people that might actually know something. They felt that Phont was “taking care” of the cousins. Every night the elders met, together with those of the surrounding villages. Jacqueline had no idea what they discussed, but she would have given almost anything to attend. It seemed the frequent meetings were unusual, and Jacqueline was sure they must be discussing the portal.

After a few days of this treatment Jacqueline and Lonnie were feeling restless. They needed answers. They still felt they had to get back to England as soon as possible. If possible. On the third day since the healing Jacqueline demanded that she speak to the elders. Phont politely refused, but Jacqueline wouldn’t back down. Lonnie became belligerent. Finally, Phont gave in and said she would talk to one of the elders. She returned and said, “You can attend the meeting of the elders tonight, but you are not to speak unless spoken to.” Jacqueline and Lonnie looked at each other. Jacqueline shrugged. Anything was better than waiting. But she didn’t understand how they could ask her so many questions and then not want them around.

---

That night Phont escorted them to the building where the elders were meeting. It was in Uluru tonight, so they didn’t have to travel. Jacqueline was thankful for this because her leg still hurt from helping to heal Lonnie. Luckily, because the pain was spread out over so many people, it was more of a nuisance than a real hindrance.

As they approached the meeting place Thosind was standing outside. He smiled at them, but didn’t move to let them pass. “How are you tonight?” he asked politely.

“Very fine, thank you,” said Lonnie, “May we enter?” Thosind hesitated, then moved out of the way.

“Be careful in there,” he said. “I know who you are, but not everyone does.”

What could that mean? thought Jacqueline. They entered quietly and sat down about halfway into the building on the right side. It was one of the few places where there was still room to sit. The elders chatted in the dim light provided by the small fire in the center of the room. They had arrived before it was time to start.

One of the elders from another village, at least Jacqueline didn’t recognize him as being from Uluru, stepped toward the middle of the room and tilted his head back in what was becoming a familiar gesture. I’ll have to remember to ask Phont what that means, thought Jacqueline.

“Welcome again, everyone. I think we all know why we are here. Gleed must die, but we have no way to kill him.”

“Actually, we don’t have to kill Gleed, just get him to leave us alone,” said a voice from the other side of the room.

“So you keep saying Vondak, but we don’t have a plan for that either,” said the centaur in charge. Jacqueline noticed that one of the tips of his antlers had broken off.

“I think we can get him to leave by paying him,” saying another voice, this time closer to where Jacqueline and Lonnie were sitting.

“But you are the only one,” reminded someone else.

“Please!” said broken-antlers. “We are not here to argue, but to think of how to kill him. Does anyone have any new ideas?”

Jacqueline thought during the silence that ensued. “I think I have an idea,” she said abruptly, “but first I need to know more about Gleed. What are his strengths and weaknesses?” It was actually a bluff. She didn’t have an idea, not yet at least. How could she, when she didn’t know about anything the creature? Her speaking caused some of the elders to smile, some to frown, and all of them to look towards her.

Silence filled the room, finally to be broken by a kind looking doe sitting across from them. “I don’t mean to be rude,” she said, “but not everyone here thinks you should even be here. Many of us thought you were the twins, until Gleed was able to harm you. And kill one of our own. There are even some who say that you brought the wrath of Gleed upon us.”

Jacqueline thought about that for a moment, but her thoughts were cut off by Lonnie’s angry words. “What do you mean it’s our fault? We didn’t mean to come here and be chased by a dragon! You need to help us get back.”

“What my cousin means,” said Jacqueline a little more coolly, “is that if we are the twins, then we can help kill Gleed. If we are not the twins, then we should be sent back to England. And of course the only way to do that is to fix the portal. Either way, you should let us help. And the only way that we can help is if you tell us what we need to know.” Jacqueline wasn’t sure why but she felt it would be a good time to tip back her head, so she did. She kept it tipped back for several seconds before lowering it again.

The silence dragged on. Jacqueline grew worried that she had offended them. “Very well,” said broken-antler who clearly didn’t like them, “Kisosh will answer your questions. You may retire and she will accompany you.” Kisosh, the kind looking doe across from them looked shocked, then hurt. She stood slowly. “So shall it be,” she said quietly and walked to the door. Jacqueline and Lonnie followed.

Once outside Jacqueline and Lonnie could barely contain their excitement. They would finally get the answers they needed. Kisosh looked frustrated, however. “What’s wrong?” asked Jacqueline wondering if they had missed something. Kisosh gave them a dirty look. “This is what I get for trying to be nice,” she replied.

“What’s wrong this?” asked Lonnie. “You’re going to help us get the information we need. Then we can help you.”

“We can do this,” said Jacqueline more confidently than she felt. We had better be able to do this, she thought. Otherwise, I’ll never see my father again. And Lonnie won’t see her family either.

“Alright,” Kisosh said reluctantly, “what would you like to know?”

They first asked about Gleed. As they already knew he could fly and breathe fire. “When he is in the air he is terrible! Almost nothing can outrun him. Only the fastest centaurs can stay ahead of him, and only for a short distance,” explained Kisosh. “But he’s not actually that big. I think perhaps a dozen centaurs could hold him down, if they had some way to hold on without fear of his claws or his fire. His main advantage comes from his speed.”

“Are there any other peoples that can help us?”

“No.”

“What does he eat?” ask Lonnie a little hungry herself.

“Gleed eats whatever he can kill, which usually means whatever he can surprise. He usually kills by surprising a creature and slamming into it with his claws. Luckily, he usually stays far to the south and east of the Uluru. But it seemed that your arrival has drawn him closer. If he ever finds the centaur villages he will surely wreak havoc on us.”

“Is there anything he is afraid of?”

“He doesn’t seem to like the deep woods.”

“Are there any plants that don’t burn?”

“There is fire’s bane. It helps burns to heal. It still burns, but much slower than other materials.”

“Can you get lots of rope and blankets?” asked Jacqueline, an idea beginning to form.

“How many?”

“Maybe 500 blankets,” said Jacqueline, “and lots and lots of strong rope. We’ll also need archers, stakes, and of course everything has to be smothered in fire’s bane.”

---

The next night they returned to the council of elders to explain their plan. The fastest centaurs would lure Gleed to an area where both sides of the path had trees nearby. Then one centaur would pretend to stumble and fall causing Gleed to fly close to the ground. Just before Gleed reached the centaur a giant hidden net would be raised (by means of pulleys or pulley-like systems). It would be too late for Gleed to avoid the net which would then be used to hold him down until he could be killed.

Dozens of centaurs would emerge from the woods to hold the net as well as shoot other ropes over the top of Gleed. Centaurs on the other side could grab the ropes and hold him down. Some of the ropes could be staked or tied to trees. Once he was bound tightly enough they would be able to kill him.

Naturally, Gleed would be breathing fire the entire time so the ropes would be smothered in fire’s bane. Each centaur would have several protective blankets soaked in fire’s bane to protect them from the dragon’s breath.

It was the sort of plan that would only work if everything went perfectly. They would have to practice several times to make sure everyone knew their parts. And they would have to execute the plan far from the centaur villages in case it didn’t go well. They didn’t want to lead Gleed towards the villages.

The elders were understandably nervous. “Where will we get so much rope?” “How many centaurs will die?” “Fire’s bane will still burn you know.” “Gleed is too fast to be caught in a net.” They had many objections, but they also had no other plan. By the end of the night they had reluctantly decided to pursue Jacqueline’s suggestion.

Jacqueline and Lonnie slept soundly that night, confident that they would finally have their revenge.

1.9 An Unforeseen Complication – Gleed

The centaurs began preparations immediately. Small scouting parties were sent to find a suitable location for the ambush. Once such a location was found they could add the final details to their plan.

Apart from the location, the biggest concern was how long it would take to acquire the necessary amounts of rope and blankets. The centaurs were simple people and didn’t have factories that made rope or blankets. Most made rope and blankets for their own families. Uluru and the surrounding villages started spending their free time making rope and collecting fire’s bane. No one was sure how well fire’s bane would work if it was old and dried out, so they dug up the plants they found in the forest and planted them near the village for easier harvesting later on.

Jacqueline and Lonnie were given no special treatment during this time. Kisosh would spend a few hours a day answering their questions, but for the most part they simply helped make rope. Making rope, they learned, was not an easy task. First the fibers had to be collected. This involved collecting flax from near the lake and setting it out to dry. Then the flax had to be carefully split and the pith removed from the center. After enough fibers had been collected they were twisted into rope. Since the plan required longer ropes than the centaurs usually made for their own use, several families would work together. Jacqueline and Lonnie helped in most parts of the process, and quickly became expert rope makers.

It wasn’t long before the flax began to run out, however. The centaurs had never cultivated flax because there had always been plenty. There were occasionally small patches of flax in the woods, so Jacqueline and Lonnie began spending more time there. “Hey, look at this,” said Jacqueline one day, pointing to a group of waist-high plants. “Doesn’t this look like hemp?”

“Hmm,” said Lonnie. “It does look like hemp.” Jacqueline had more book smarts. She loved to study everything. One of the books she had read during science class last year (after her work was done of course), was “A Practical Guide to North American Flora and Fauna”. She was fascinated by all the plants she read about and how they had been used by the Native Americans. Lonnie, on the other hand, had spent much of her life in the forests near her home and had knowledge passed down from the old farmers in the area. Lonnie picked a piece and crushed a leaf, smelling it. “This is definitely hemp,” she said wrinkling her nose. “If we can find enough we could make some rope.” They continued looking, but didn’t find any more hemp or flax nearby.

“Have you seen any plants like this,” Jacqueline asked Phont when they got back. She held up a specimen of the hemp they had found in the woods.

Phont looked up from her work twisting flax. “Sure,” she said absently. “There’s a bunch near Uluke.” Uluke was a few villages to the west.

“Let’s go!” said Lonnie, always ready to be doing something.

“What do you want stink-weed for?” asked Phont.

“It makes great rope,” said Jacqueline. “It’s very strong. And we’re running out of flax.”

It was a half day’s journey for Jacqueline and Lonnie, though Phont could have traveled it alone much faster. She showed them the hemp fields. The Uluke farmers had cleared large sections of the surrounding land, but there was still a lot growing around the edges of the town. In fact, they found some farmers clearing a new plot of land. They had a huge pile of hemp that they were planning to burn.

Jacqueline and Lonnie explained to the centaurs what they wanted to try. Together they took from the pile some hemp that was nearly dry and worked it as they would flax. Though it wasn’t the same, it wasn’t long before the centaurs had become adept at using this new material. And there was certainly no shortage of it. There were even a few piles that were already dried waiting to be burned.

“Let’s fill a cart and take some back to Uluru where they are running out of material,” suggested Lonnie. As she said it, she and Jacqueline realized that they hadn’t seen a cart of any kind. In fact, they hadn’t seen wheels at all.

“What’s a cart?” asked one of the centaurs helping her.

“It’s a…” started Jacqueline, “Well, it’s used to carry stuff long distances. It’s like a large box on wheels.” Before they could ask the inevitable question, she continued. “Wheels are round and used to move things over land easier than carrying them.” This explanation made no sense to the centaurs. Jacqueline thought about drawing a picture, but it would take too long to make a cart anyway, so there didn’t seem to be much point in teaching them.

“Hey,” Lonnie said. “We can use a travois! Quick get me two long poles, a blanket and some rope,” she said to the group of centaurs. After the centaurs brought the supplies, Lonnie began making a travois for Phont to carry. Lonnie had made a travois in a class once.

“It’s lucky that the centaurs are strong like horses. They’ll be able to haul a lot more than you or I,” commented Lonnie. “But why don’t they know how to make travois themselves?”

“They probably don’t need them,” said Jacqueline. “They can already haul as much as they need. Or maybe they just haven’t had time to discover it.” Then she turned to Phont. “How long have your people been here?”

“We centaurs have been here for 2374 years. We celebrate the anniversary every spring.” This shocked Jacqueline. It was far more precise, and short, than she had expected.

“Where did they come from before that?”

Phont looked puzzled, “I told you. We have existed for 2374 years.” Jacqueline and Lonnie frowned, confused and so Phont continued. “One morning the founders awoke. There were 1024 of them. We have been here ever since.”

“But they had to come from somewhere,” said Lonnie.

“The world was created the day before that. The founders could tell the world was very young. Now it is very old, but we are still learning new things.”

“Our people are 10’s of thousands of years old at least,” said Jacqueline, “and our world is much much older. And we are still learning new things.” Phont goggled at this news.

“Give it a try, now,” said Lonnie interrupting them. Phont held on to the ends of the poles. Unlike a regular horse travois, the poles crossed far behind her and had been lashed together. A length of rope spanned the two poles immediately behind Phont, making a triangle on which a blanket was laid and then tied. Phont dragged the travois to one of the large piles of hemp.

“It’s a little uncomfortable to haul it with the poles sticking out so far to the side,” said Phont. “But I think I can manage.” Several of the other centaurs, as well as Jacqueline and Lonnie began piling hemp on the blanket. After the entire pile had been stacked on the travois, Phont hauled it a ways. “It’s not bad,” she said. “I think I can haul this all the way home.”

It was nearly dusk so they stayed the night in Uluke, and set off early the next morning. Several hours of dragging hemp (Jacqueline and Lonnie occasionally took turns dragging the travois) found them back in Uluru surrounded by a curious crowd.

And thus it was that hemp came to Uluru.

---

The scouts, after extensive searching, had decided on three possible locations. Special captains were chosen to lead the ambush. Together with Jacqueline, Lonnie, and the elders, they went to look at each of the chosen locations. Thosind had been chosen as one of the captains for the actual ambush. The elders eliminated the first location as being too close to the villages in case they failed.

The next location was slightly farther than the portal tree, on the same road. The trees stood back from the trail except at one where groves on either side of the road were within 20 feet of each other. This meant that less net would be required and they could pull off the ambush sooner. It was also a place where Gleed had been seen before. The major disadvantage was that there would be little room to hide centaurs in the woods. The forest proper was too far away to be helpful, and the groves near the road were too small to hold more than a few dozen centaurs.

The final location was nearly twice as far as the second, but nearly due East instead of South East. No one had seen Gleed in the area, though it seemed reasonable that he would occasionally stray that far north. This last location, however, was the most advantageous for an ambush. The woods encroached closely upon the road affording places to hide nearly unlimited numbers of centaurs. Finally, it was decided that the second location would be the best. Having a perfect location would do them no good if Gleed never showed up. Moreover, it would be much more work to prepare the last location because of its distance from the villages. All the traveling on the road was dangerous since it left them exposed to attacks by Gleed.

They began practicing immediately. A task force, including Thosind was dispatched to choreograph and prepare the location. Scouting posts and signals were set up so they would have plenty of time to hide even if they were in the middle of working. It was imperative that Gleed not find out what they were planning.

Once they measured the size required, production of the net began in earnest. It had to be strong enough to hold Gleed, at least at first. However, it also had to be light enough to be lifted into the air quickly. They finally decided on tying every joint instead of simply relying on a sort of weaving to hold it together. This way if some part of it broke, as it surely would, the rest wouldn’t unravel. They left gaps the length of a centaur’s forearm, and every knot was triple checked.

In the villages, archers practiced shooting weighted arrows with ropes tied to them across mounds the size of a flailing dragon. Javelins were tried as well, but were deemed too dangerous to centaurs on the other side. The archers would then rush out, grabbing the ropes from the other side and staking them down. Six dozen centaurs were chosen from the best of the archers and fighters to be those who participated in the ambush. After the net was finished, they practiced the plan near the villages.

Unlike the centaurs, Jacqueline and Lonnie could climb trees, so they would be the ones to spring the trap. They each climbed a tree on opposite sides of the road. Then at a predetermined signal they would both jump out of the tree while holding onto a rope. The rope was connected to the net so that when the rope was pulled, the top edges of the net were pulled upwards. The net was heavy and slowed the cousins’ fall so that they wouldn’t get hurt when they hit the ground. They were still going quite fast, so they had to be careful. After the net was in the air Gleed would fly into it. At that point the upper edges of the net needed to be brought to the ground and secured.

This was the trickiest part of the ambush and required cutting one pair of ropes and using another pair to hold the net in place. One centaur with an ax (the centaurs didn’t have swords) would cut the upper ropes. After this, ten centaurs would pull the second ropes and secure them to the ground. During practice, they couldn’t risk actually cutting the ropes holding the net, so Jacqueline and Lonnie simply let the ropes fall slack when the centaurs pretended to cut them. The other centaurs then pulled and secured the upper edge of the net.

At this point, dozens of archers would rush out with their rope-bearing arrows to further bind Gleed. Once Gleed was sufficiently bound, a half dozen centaurs would approach and use spears to finish him off. They practiced many times until everyone knew their part.

Two dozen centaurs would remain hidden with buckets of water, fire’s bane, and more blankets, to help anyone who might be wounded. The water and fire’s bane would be used to put out any fires that might threaten the integrity of the net.

Meanwhile, the runners were practicing their relay. They did this at the actual location instead of at the village. This made their practice the most dangerous, and they were all chosen for their speed and bravery. The first runner would sound a trumpet and start running. Every mile there was a new centaur hiding waiting to spell the old one off. The old runner would hide and a new runner would take off. They were spaced and hidden such that, if they were lucky, Gleed would not see the change and wouldn’t even notice that he was chasing a different centaur. They also had scouts placed along the trail to warn of Gleed’s approach from any direction.

After it was deemed they had sufficient ropes and practice, the centaurs began smearing and soaking the ropes in fire’s bane and hauling all the supplies to the ambush location. They could only send small groups at a time to avoid possible detection, so it took nearly a week to haul all the supplies there. Luckily, their caution was unnecessary.

After all the supplies were in place it was decided to go forward with the plan as soon as possible. This meant that all the centaurs involved would have to live at the ambush site and be ready at a moment’s notice to perform their duties. Daily supplies would be brought from the villages and news would be sent back.

Jacqueline, Lonnie, and the other centaurs practiced everything several times in the new location to make sure there would be no hiccups. After their practice was finished, they spent nearly an uncomfortable week in the woods before the dreaded day arrived.

---

One morning just after dawn a trumpet sounded. Everyone got to their places within a minute, except for Jacqueline and Lonnie who had to climb to the tops of the trees. They were in place shortly after.

They waited. By practice they would have about 15 minutes to wait. Unless Gleed had found one of the middle runners, in which case it could be much less.

A few tense minutes passed. A trumpet much closer sounded indicating the final runner had left. Gleed had indeed found a middle runner. Lonnie peered into the distance. It was still too early in the morning to see well. It all comes down to Thosind’s judgment now, she thought. It was his job to give the signal for Jacqueline and Lonnie to jump from the trees causing the net to rise. I hope he can see well enough. If he gave the signal too soon Gleed would see the net and avoid it. Too late and it wouldn’t be up in time.

Lonnie waited, more nervous than she had ever been. She sat in the tree, her body itching to jump. Her arms clinging to the rope, her legs ready to push off. She was afraid her body might jump prematurely. Focus, she thought. Wait for the signal. Everything is going to work perfectly. We’ve practiced until nothing can go wrong.

A moving brown spot appeared in the distance. “I see her,” said Lonnie loud enough for those below to hear. From her vantage point high in the tree, she had a better view than those on the ground. And because of the bend of the road, a better view than Jacqueline. The centaurs tensed. Mirela was the best runner and had volunteered for the most dangerous leg, the final one. She would have to keep Gleed exactly the right distance behind her, and then stumble at exactly the right moment to lure Gleed close enough to the ground. If she wasn’t careful she might be crushed under Gleed as he became tangled in the net.

Mirela drew nearer. Lonnie saw Gleed flying behind her. He seemed too close. “Gleed,” she cried trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice. For the first time she wondered what would happen if Mirela didn’t make it. But Mirela kept running. Lonnie was struck by her beauty and grace. Humans look so funny when they run, she thought. Even as she thought it, it struck her as weird that she would notice that at a time like this.

Gleed was trying too hard to catch Mirela. He was probably frustrated that a centaur had managed to outrun him so far. Mirela drew near, stumbled, and fell. Jacqueline, Lonnie, and Thosind had switched their focus to Gleed and didn’t see her fall. They didn’t realize that Mirela had actually stumbled a few feet too early. A few of the centaurs gasped when they realized what had happened. She tried to scramble forward, but her right hind leg was tangled in the net.

Thosind watched closely as Gleed took the bait swooping down quickly. “Now!” he cried.

Lonnie jumped, her tense muscles glad to finally be released. She fell down, down, down, the rope slowing her fall. She waited to touch the ground, but she wasn’t falling fast enough. Something was wrong. Lonnie craned her neck to see what it was, but before she could see, she was jolted back upwards. She was mentally preparing to secure her end of the rope, and was unprepared for the change in motion. She nearly let go. Her arms and shoulders ached under the sudden strain. She held on despite being scratched and bruised by branches she had been able to avoid on the way down. Finally she stopped and hung in the air. She twisted around enough to see that Jacqueline was in a similar situation. The tree was in the way so she couldn’t see what was happening on the ground, but it must have been something bad. She grabbed a branch with her legs and began tying the rope. She didn’t know what else to do. Suddenly, the rope went slack and she knew it had been cut. She scrambled to the ground to help kill Gleed.

---

Unlike Jacqueline and Lonnie, Thosind had watched everything happen. After giving the order to raise the net, he turned to watch it. He saw Mirela rising with it, and knew instantly what had happened. He also knew that all their plans were useless at this point. The net wouldn’t rise fast enough to catch Gleed and they would have to fight him some other way. As he was thinking this, Gleed slammed into the net. The force of the impact was greater than anticipated but the bottom edges remained secure. The top gave quite a bit before Gleed hit the ground. The only thing holding it back had been Jacqueline and Lonnie who were jerked up by the impact.

The dragon’s tail and rear legs hit first and bounced on the ground. His snout was caught in the net but his haunches kept moving forward over his head so that he eventually landed on his back. The top portion of the net was under Gleed’s head, but most of the net lay on the ground useless.

Thosind barely had time to react. “Grab the bottom, take it over the top of Gleed!” he shouted racing to the rope securing the bottom of the net. He cut the rope, grabbed it and raced toward Gleed. Several centaurs hurried to keep up with him. Luckily, Gleed was stunned by his crash and confused by all the sudden noise and movement. This gave Thosind time to get his side of the net over the top of Gleed. Soon there were seven centaurs holding it, and ten holding the other end of the net.

On the other side of the road the commander wasn’t as quick to react. Gleed came to his senses and started thrashing while the net was still half way down his body. The centaurs holding that rope had to stop moving and pull with all their might to keep Gleed from breaking free. Gleed’s right rear leg and tail were free, and he started thrashing wildly. He belched fire from his mouth, but the net, soaked in fire’s bane, took no notice.

Centaurs poured out of the woods and started shooting their arrows with ropes as planned. They were able to pin his front and left side under the net, but his tail and leg remained free. The tail never stopped whipping around, endangering anyone who got too close. Lonnie finally jumped to the ground out of the tree and grabbed several ropes. She ran toward Gleed’s tail, knowing that it would have to be tied down before the soldiers could kill the beast.

Lonnie dropped all but one of the ropes she held. She formed a large double loop and called for help, “Grab these ends,”she told a few centaurs that she passed as she drew closer to Gleed. She waited for the perfect moment when the tail whipped around and paused just in front of her. She tossed the loops over the end of the tail, and yanked the rope to tighten it. The loop cinched up around the monster’s tail. “Pull!” she shouted, backpedaling as quickly as she could. The tail started back, but was stopped abruptly by the weight of the centaurs. They were able to hold the tail without too much difficulty and tied the ropes to some trees, pinning the tail in place. Gleed bellowed in rage when he felt his tail was captured. He let out a terrible burst of fire which caused a few of the nearest centaurs to step back in fear. The net near the dragon’s mouth was starting to show scorch marks. It still held, but was being weakened by the dragon’s breath. The centaurs continued to secure his head.

The biggest problem now was his free leg. Gleed had nearly complete freedom to use his leg and had started using it to scratch the net on the rest of his body. It was an awkward position and he couldn’t bring much power to the scratching. But a little power for a dragon is still a great thing. Several ropes had already snapped and more looked ready to break at any moment. Thosind and the other commanders shouted to secure the leg, but didn’t say how. It looked impossible to do. Any single rope would be scratched or snapped almost immediately. We need a dozen ropes simultaneously, thought Lonnie desperately. There must be some other way. How can we restrict his leg?

Lonnie glanced around looking for some clue as to how to combat the dragon. When she looked back she saw a figure streak behind Gleed and underneath the leg. It was Jacqueline! She’ll be killed! thought Lonnie. I have to do something, but she couldn’t think what. Somehow, miraculously an arrow with a rope attached flew towards Lonnie. She caught it and started to pull backwards. Two centaurs also grabbed it. “Don’t pull yet!” they heard the voice from under the dragon call. Another arrow flew the other direction and was caught by centaurs on the other side. Another arrow came to Lonnie’s side and another to the opposite. Lonnie called for help and more centaurs grabbed the new rope, ready to pull.

“Now!” came the cry. And so all pulled together. The two ropes that were wrapped around Gleed’s leg suddenly went taut and slowed the leg’s scratching. It didn’t stop it completely but it was enough that Lonnie was confident they could now subdue the beast. As if in response to his loss of freedom, Gleed, with a Herculean effort, shifted his body. Jacqueline screamed in pain and fear as the weight of the dragon landed on her legs breaking bones and pinning her to the ground.

Lonnie saw red. She dropped the rope she was holding and ran to the dragon. She climbed on top of the writhing mass of monstrous flesh. It was a truly foolish thing to do, for she had no weapon and could easily become caught in the cordage. But Lonnie wasn’t thinking rationally. She looked down and saw Jacqueline underneath the foul creature. She started punching it with her hand. Gleed could probably not even feel her feeble attempts to punish him. What he could feel were the cords growing ever tighter.

An arrow flew through the air and hit Lonnie, it’s blunt tip bouncing off her and falling into the mass of hemp and flax. She reached down and grabbed it. She turned and ran with it towards the creature’s head. She hurriedly broke the tip off, leaving her a jagged wooden dagger. She lifted it above her head and then plunged it deep into the dragon’s eye. Gleed roared in pain and spasms wracked his body. Several ropes broke from the violent movement, including those holding his tail. His tail whipped around hitting Lonnie hard from behind. She was already off balance and the blow sent her tumbling down in front of the creatures jaws, crying out as she fell. She hit the ground at an awkward angle and she had one thought before everything went black.

“That’s for hurting my cousin!”

1.10 A Haunting Dream

Jacqueline woke to darkness, cold, and excruciating pain in her legs. She gasped and started breathing shallowly. She groaned, and then cried out as she moved, causing pain to shoot up her legs. It felt like her feet were being constantly poked with burning hot needles. She struggled to remember what had happened. There had been lots of shouting. And falling from a tree. She had been frightened. They were doing something terribly important. But she couldn’t remember what it was.

What haunted her most, however, was the face of a man. A familiar looking dark-haired man. His face was kind, but very sad. Whenever she closed her eyes the face was there. Watching her. Always watching her. Sometimes accompanied by a woman’s face. She couldn’t tell what they wanted, but it filled her with sorrow.

“You’re finally awake,” said a voice from the darkness. The voice sounded kind, but Jacqueline couldn’t tell if it was a male or female speaking. She noticed for the first time, a ringing in her ears and a headache. It paled in comparison to the pain in her legs, but it did mean that she couldn’t think as quickly as she normally did. All she could think to say was, “I’m cold.” It came out quieter than she thought it would. It took so much energy to speak. She had to remember what she…

Jacqueline was asleep when the centaur placed another blanket on her.

---

Jacqueline drifted in an out of sleep for days. Sometimes she would eat, though it was painful to sit up. The healers had done their best to set the bones and assuage her pain. But it didn’t seem to help. Pain was still the first and last thing she felt when she was awake. They hadn’t been able to perform the healing ritual and so she still felt all of her own pain. It made her delirious and kept her in bed. If they had taken away the pain she would have been tempted to start working before her body was fully healed.

Slowly, Jacqueline regained more of her mental faculties. One day she awoke with Lonnie sitting next to her. “Are you okay?” Lonnie asked.

“Yes, I think so,” Jacqueline replied. “I’m hungry though.” Lonnie ran to fetch some food. When she returned Jacqueline said, “What happened?”

“I don’t know for sure,” said Lonnie. “All I can say is what they told me. After you got ropes around Gleed’s leg, he shifted his weight and crushed your feet and legs.”

“Wait,” Jacqueline interrupted, her head still foggy. “Go back. Who’s Gleed? I don’t remember much.”

Lonnie explained about the dragon and their plan to defeat it. She explained that Mirela had tripped instead of only pretending to. She explained how this had prevented the net from going high enough and how Jacqueline had risked her life to help secure the dragon’s free leg. Jacqueline began to remember what happened before the battle.

“Did Mirela survive?” asked Jacqueline.

“No,’’ said Lonnie bowing her head a little, ”She was crushed completely.“ She paused for a moment, then continued. ”When I saw you get hurt I got very angry. I climbed on top of Gleed and shoved an arrow through his eye. Then I fell off and I don’t remember anything after that. They tell me that after I poked Gleed in the eye, he started thrashing about and broke many of his bonds. In fact, they were afraid he might break free. But some of the centaurs brought spears and started jabbing him. It was a horrific battle, but eventually they succeeded in killing him."

“How many centaurs died?” she asked.

“Only Mirela, and Kochel, though many were injured, some very badly. Everyone agrees that without your brave efforts the plan would not have succeeded and all the centaurs would be dead.” Jacqueline didn’t quite believe the story. Sneaking in near a dragon to get ropes around it’s leg didn’t sound like something she would do. Jacqueline was a coward—she knew this deep inside. She had never done anything brave in her life. Occasionally people called her brave, but it wasn’t true. She had only been doing what needed to be done. One time she had helped a boy who had fallen into a lake. It was a field trip, but the grown ups were inside. She had gone out into the water to help him. People had said she was brave, but she had been scared the entire time. She couldn’t be a hero. Heroes aren’t afraid of anything.

“How long have I been like this?” she asked finally.

“Just over two weeks.”

Jacqueline didn’t have anything else to say at the moment, so she didn’t say anything. She had finished her food and she eventually fell into a fitful sleep. A sleep haunted by the man’s face. She needed to find out who he was.

---

The man’s disembodied face stared at her as if trying to tell her something. His mouth didn’t move and she knew no words would come out if he tried. Something about the rules of the dream world prevented that. He was trying to give her a message with his eyes, but it was no use. The woman suddenly appeared and they looked at each other. The look was full of love. They must be married, she thought.

The woman couldn’t meet Jacqueline’s gaze. She could only look at her husband. It seemed she was trying to tell him something. She handed him a key which he looked at carefully. He seemed bewildered at first. After studying the key for some time, he apparently understood what it was for and became excited. Jacqueline sensed that the key embodied the message he was trying to communicate. He raised the key to show her.

It was a large primitive skeleton key. The kind that might be found in a medieval museum. The key was uncharacteristically angular. It was made entirely of straight lines, except for a series of perfect circles cutting through the shaft. The circles started on the end by the handle at about the size of a pea. They became increasingly small until they vanished about half-way to the tip. And yet somehow she knew they continued all the way to the end. By that end, she thought, they must be a single atom thick.

She had no idea what it could mean. The man must have sensed this because he tried gesturing. He pointed to the key, then indicated shrinking, then turning a key and opening a door. It didn’t really help, Jacqueline still didn’t understand. The man left looking dejected.

---

Lonnie was worried about Jacqueline. She had a high fever and didn’t seem to be getting better. Nothing the healers did seemed to have much effect. Perhaps the most disturbing thing was that Jacqueline didn’t seem to remember what had happened. Lonnie recounted the story of Gleed’s defeat at least five times, and every time Jacqueline seemed genuinely surprised. And she kept talking about a man watching her in her dreams. What if she is going crazy?

To help fill her time and take her mind off Jacqueline, Lonnie tried to help the centaurs get back to every day life. They had worked so hard preparing to defeat Gleed, that they hadn’t attended to their crops as much as they should. The elders were afraid the harvest would be too small to last them through the winter. Lonnie and several of the centaur children spent their days in the woods gathering what fruits, nuts, and berries they could. Then some of the other centaurs would dry them, preserving them for the long cold winter which was fast approaching.

Lonnie loved spending time in the wilds of Nitida. It wasn’t long before she could name most of the plants and animals. Nitida was warmer and drier than England, but many of the same plants grew there. Lonnie was amazed at how similar the woods were compared to those back in England.

Every night before she went to sleep, Lonnie would touch the charred remains of the portal which had brought her and Jacqueline to Nitida. Lonnie had always wanted to have an adventure, but she had never expected an adventure to mean that she couldn’t return home. She missed her parents terribly. They must have given up on finding her and Jacqueline by now. If only she could figure out how to get back. She felt that somehow the portal itself contained the key to returning home. But she didn’t understand how it might work. She didn’t even know where to start.

She stared down at the portal. Hey, she thought, wasn’t that more charred before? She had always tried to handle the portal with extreme care so that she wouldn’t break any pieces off. But the “unicorn section” in the upper right had been so charred she would rub it absentmindedly. It seemed that now she could make out more details. Weird. It must be that rubbing has removed some of the char and left the wood behind. I should be more careful.

She laid down to think of what to do. She hadn’t known Jacqueline for that long, but she had come to rely on her. Jacqueline had a head for planning and always seemed to understand things. I need to ask the elder’s about the portal. Maybe they can help. But she knew that getting the elders to help might be tricky. It would be easier if Jacqueline could help her.

The next day she asked Kisosh what was known about the portals. Kisosh didn’t know anything, but she promised she would do her best to find out what others knew.

---

Jacqueline woke one morning with a clear head. She sat up. Her legs and feet still hurt, but she ignored them. She tried several times to stand, but the healers hadn’t been able to set all the bones in her feet and they wouldn’t support her weight. She didn’t cry out like before so none of the centaurs knew that she was awake. There were usually a few centaurs working inside the house, but today they were all out gathering food or doing other chores.

She crawled on her hands and knees to the door of the hut and opened it. It was almost noon in late summer or early fall. The sun was definitely north of them. That means we are in the southern hemisphere, she thought. I must have known that. She knew that she had forgotten much of what happened. The other girl, (what was her name? Laura?) had told her several times, but for some reason she couldn’t remember it. All she could remember was the man watching her. Trying to help her.

Today she felt different. Her thinking wasn’t clouded like it had been. Her eyes didn’t feel gritty and dark like she was looking at the world through a sand storm. Today is going to be different. Today I’m going to be productive.

“Hey,” yelled Jacqueline and an old doe looked up from preparing food. She literally jumped back. “My dear,” she cried, “you should be resting.”

“I feel much better, thank you,” Jacqueline said. “I have a lot to do. I need to figure out what has happened to me.” The old doe hesitated, then started telling Jacqueline about the dragon, and how they had defeated it. Jacqueline started to remember a few details, but she wasn’t sure if she remembered them from the actual events or from her friend’s retelling of it. Moreover, it didn’t seem important. There was something else she needed to know. Something that man was trying to communicate to her. She thanked the doe and started crawling away.

“Where are you going?” asked the old centaur. “I can take you.”

“I need to find Laura. I think she has something important to tell me.”

The old centaur looked confused. “Who is Laura?”

“The other girl. I think that’s her name,” Jacqueline said uncertainly.

“Do you mean Lonnie?” asked the doe. “She’s gone to gather food in the woods. It’s best to wait here for her.” Jacqueline grunted her thanks and crawled back to her house to lay down.

Lonnie arrived in the late afternoon and went in to check on Jacqueline. She found her sitting up mumbling to herself. Oh no, she’s finally snapped and gone mad, thought Lonnie.

Jacqueline looked up. “Tell me what happened, please.”

Lonnie sighed. “Gleed, a dragon, had been…”

“No,” interrupted Jacqueline. “How did we get here. I have a feeling we don’t belong.”

Lonnie laughed. “No,” she said, “we don’t belong here. We came through a magic portal. A door of some kind. And now we can’t get back.”

This surprised Jacqueline. “A magic portal? That doesn’t make sense. There’s no such thing as magic.”

“No such thing as magic?” gaped Lonnie. “We’re living with creatures that are half-man and half-deer. If that doesn’t prove that magic does exist I don’t know what will.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” said Jacqueline. “I suspect I’ve got a lot to remember. Please continue.” So Lonnie did. She told of how the portal had been destroyed by Gleed, and how they couldn’t fix it.

“Can I see it?” asked Jacqueline, hoping that it would jog her memory.

“I’ll be right back,” replied Lonnie. She ran to a different house, grabbed the portal, and brought it back. She handed the charred hexagon to Jacqueline who held it tenderly in her hands. Jacqueline could sense that it was important. She was sure it was the door the man’s key was meant to open. She ran her hand lightly across it and inspected some of the less charred portions. “It looks like there’s writing on it,” she said. Lonnie nodded. “Can anyone read it?”

“No. I’ve asked all the elders I know, but none of them know how to read it. But I suspect some of them know more than they are willing to tell.” Jacqueline nodded. Now she knew what she had to do. She had to use the key the man had shown her to decipher the writing on the portal.

Jacqueline brought the portal close to her face to take a closer look. But she didn’t see anything she could understand. She breathed in deeply and let it out slowly. Something seemed wrong with her breath. She breathed in again. What could it be? She breathed deeply once more before she realized what was wrong. The portal didn’t smell like fire. She rubbed some of the charred portion and smelled her finger. Nothing. “It doesn’t smell like fire,” she said half to herself. “What can it mean?”

1.11 A Deepening Mystery – triangle portal

Now that Jacqueline was awake, Phont would carry her to where she needed to go in a little travois made especially for that purpose. Despite this, she spent most of her time scrutinizing the portal and trying to decipher what her dream could have meant. Lonnie would come home after helping the centaurs all day, and they would talk. They talked about the portal, of course, but also about other things. Simple things. Things they remembered from before they got lost. Things they liked about Nitida, like the gormnuts. They were sort of a cross between almonds and acorns, and both agreed they were delicious.

For a long time Jacqueline didn’t tell Lonnie about her dream. She was afraid Lonnie would laugh at her for taking a fever dream so seriously. One night Lonnie came back earlier than usual. “It’s freezing out there,” she said. “I’m glad I still have my winter coat.” She grimaced immediately after she said it. Jacqueline didn’t have a winter coat. She had run away without one.

Jacqueline ignored her, and said “Lonnie, I think I should tell you. I had a dream,” she said.

“What kind of dream?” asked Lonnie.

“A man was watching me and trying to tell me something,” she began. “He was trying to help me, I just know it. He had a key. A very particular key. I think the key is a clue on how to fix the portal.”

Lonnie frowned. “A key? But there’s no keyhole in the portal.”

“I know. I think it’s a symbol, but I don’t understand what it’s supposed to mean. The key was an old skeleton key. It had very sharp angles. No rounded parts, except for a series of holes in the shaft.”

“Sharp angles. Hmm,” mused Lonnie. “What did the tip look like? Is there a part of the portal that has the same shape?”

“No, I already thought of that. It’s shaped like a square with smaller squares cut out of every side.”

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“A square with squares cut out…” said Lonnie to herself as she looked at the portal for the thousandth time. “A square with squares cut out. There doesn’t seem to be anything like that on the portal. Maybe it just means four. There are four panels on the portal.”

“Maybe we need to take a part of each one,” suggested Jacqueline.

They studied the portal trying to understand what it could mean, but nothing really made sense. Not for the first time, Jacqueline wished they had paper in Nitida. It would have been so much easier to write ideas down on paper to remember them. And they could have copied portions of the portal on paper and rearranged them to see if anything made sense.

After a while they stopped and Lonnie asked, “What else did you say about the key?”

“There is a series of circles along the shaft,” said Jacqueline. “They keep getting smaller the closer you get to the tip.”

“Circles…” said Lonnie again staring intently at the portal. “Circles… I don’t see any circles here. Maybe it could stand for the sun. It gets smaller in winter.”

“That’s an idea,” said Jacqueline excitedly, “but what does that mean?” Lonnie just shrugged.

Lonnie held the portal at arms length, then brought it closer. “You know,” she said, “it does look different at different distances. From far away it looks very smooth and flowing. But if you look at the details more you can see they are more angular. More geometric and less organic.” She handed Jacqueline the portal to look at.

Jacqueline looked at it, nodding. Then she squinted and brought it even closer to her face. “And if you look even closer…” she trailed off. “I think.”

“What is it?” asked Lonnie. “What is it like closer up?”

“I think it might be writing.”

“Let me see!” demanded Lonnie. Jacqueline gave her the portal, and Lonnie stared at it for a while before declaring, “We need a magnifying glass!” She got up and walked outside, handing the portal back to Jacqueline.

“Where are you going to find a magnifying glass?” mumbled Jacqueline more to herself than to Lonnie. The centaurs didn’t have any glass at all as far as Jacqueline had been able to tell.

A while later Lonnie came back with a sheet of ice the size of her palm. “Where did you get that?” asked Jacqueline.

“There’s a small pond,” Lonnie said, “more of a puddle really. The top was frozen this morning, and luckily it was still frozen when I went just now.” Jacqueline hadn’t noticed how cold it had gotten. She hadn’t really cared, because she stayed in the tent most of the time. It wasn’t winter yet, but icy winds had been blowing and the weather was unseasonably cold. Luckily, the centaur buildings were quite warm. Especially with the fire that Jacqueline kept burning constantly. The centaurs were so grateful for her help killing Gleed that they didn’t begrudge her the fuel. In fact, they had plenty of wood to burn, it was food that would be scarce this winter.

Lonnie removed her gloves and ran her palms across the ice melting the edges, but leaving the center in tact. “I saw a man start a fire with ice once,” she said as she worked. “He make a sphere, but I’m hoping a lens will be enough.” After a while she finished. She held her ice lens by the edges and brought it close to the portal which Jacqueline held for her. She grunted, sounding frustrated.

“Let me see,” said Jacqueline.

Lonnie handed it over and said, “It’s not good enough. The ice isn’t pure enough. And I don’t think it’s thick enough either.”

Lonnie was right. It wasn’t good enough. Darn! Now what would they do? “Maybe we can try again tomorrow,” she said trying to sound hopeful. Lonnie ignored her. Apparently she was already thinking. She sure can concentrate when she wants to, thought Jacqueline.

Lonnie went outside again. Maybe she’ll come up with something, thought Jacqueline. She picked up the portal and looked at it closely. She tried moving her face very close, but once she got too close she couldn’t focus.

She brushed her hand across the portal again and more charred material flaked off. She jumped thinking that she was ruining it, but after looking closely she noticed that the previously charred section was as clear as any of the rest of it. “How odd,” she said out loud. She looked at one of the other charred areas. She used her fingernail to flake off a piece. It was difficult to remove, and after it came off, the wood underneath was what she would have expected–not clear and well defined at all. “I guess I won’t be doing that again,” she said. She memorized where she had damaged it.

She stared at the portal some more. It was frustrating to be stuck inside. Occasionally, she thought about spending the rest of her life as a cripple. But she had seen a documentary on prosthetic legs, and knew that her life wouldn’t be so bad if she could get back to England. Her father wasn’t rich, but he would do whatever he could. Thinking of her father made her sad. For some reason she couldn’t remember what he looked like. She couldn’t remember what anyone from the real world looked like. Not real world, she corrected herself, regular world. This world is plenty real enough. At least the pain is.

On the portal was a picture of some centaurs, a dragon, some birds, several trees, a mountain or two, and a few geometric shapes. The shapes were in no obvious pattern. They consisted of a triangle, a square, a pentagon and a hexagon. She nearly had the portal memorized, but it still made no sense to her. She didn’t really think that by staring at it, it would suddenly make sense, but she didn’t have anything else to do. So she stared. The trees are still in the same place, she thought wryly. The centaurs, too. Something actually seemed a little different, though. She looked at the centaurs carefully. One had a small nick on one leg. I can’t believe I noticed that. I’ve been looking at this silly thing for too long, she concluded.

She took a break, looking around the inside of the building where she had spent the last several weeks. The room was longer than it was wide, and shorter than either. The roof sloped up towards the center so that the smoke from the fire would find it’s way out. It’s a shame so much heat is lost with the smoke, she mused idly. If only I had some metal or brick to make a fireplace.

She continued looking around letting her mind wander. The door was located in one of the corners. The light from the fire in the middle failed to illuminate the corners which she always found somewhat disconcerting. She would often look up and see movement in the corners. It’s just the fire dancing, she told herself, mostly convinced. There were five sleeping stations including hers. They consisted of dried grass covered with a blanket and more blankets for sleeping under. The centaurs were hardier than the girls, but they assured her they used the blankets during the winter.

Around the edges of the room were the centaurs belongings. There were baskets, jars, ropes, cooking spoons, food stores–everything they needed to survive. Jacqueline knew the inside of the room almost as well as she knew the portal. She turned back to the portal. The dragon looked different. It’s tail seemed shorter. But the trees behind where the tail would have been had as much detail as any of the other trees. So it hadn’t simply been chipped away. She put the portal down, thinking I must be getting tired. I can’t even remember what the dragon looked like.

At that moment, Lonnie returned looking dejected. “They don’t know where there is any sand,” she said as if that was supposed to make sense. “They don’t even know what sand is.”

“What?” asked Jacqueline confused. “Why do you want sand?”

“You can make glass out of sand and then we could use the glass to make a magnifying glass.”

“Do you know anything about making glass?”

“Not really, but how hard can it be?”

“Umm, pretty hard? Maybe…” Lonnie was just a bit crazy sometimes. “Let’s see what we can do in the morning.”

That night Jacqueline dreamed about the portal. The man was rubbing off the dragon and trying to show her something. She couldn’t figure out what it was though.

---

As the weather got colder, the centaurs became increasingly nervous about food for the winter. It was shaping up to be a very long, very cold winter. They had neglected their crops at a crucial time in order to combat Gleed, and now they were going to suffer for it. Some even complained that it hadn’t been worth it.

Nearly everyone had been gathering food frantically but the sources of food were running out. With snow on the ground, there wasn’t much to gather anymore. “We’re going to starve.” Lonnie heard a young buck say. “And it’s all the twins’ fault,” said a doe walking with him, “Sure, they saved us from the dragon, but what good is that if we starve to death.” The buck looked up and saw Lonnie and he nudged his friend. They continued walking in silence.

Lonnie walked back to the hut where she and Jacqueline slept. “We have to find some food for the centaurs,” she announced. “What ideas do you have?”

Jacqueline thought for a moment. “Are there berries?”

1.12 A Discovery and a Decision – portal is a map & northern centaurs all have horns

Jacqueline watched the portal carefully for the next few days. It was hard to tell but she was pretty sure the dragon’s tail was shrinking. And his fire was too. It seemed as if the rest of him was becoming thinner and less detailed. The chip in the centaurs leg had healed leaving only a line where it had once been. Almost like a scar.

“I think the portal reflects reality,” she said one night after Lonnie had returned. They slept next to each other and would sometimes whisper deep into the night. Everyone had started cutting back on food, so Jacqueline and Lonnie were hungry. Talking helped take their mind off their hunger until they could fall asleep.

“What do you mean ‘reflects reality’?” asked Lonnie.

“Well, the dragon is fading, and I think one of the centaurs has a scar on his leg,” Jacqueline said. “The charred pieces are falling off and beneath them the portal is healing. I think it can heal itself and change as the world changes.”

Lonnie considered this. “I’ve noticed that it heals itself,” she said finally, “but I hadn’t noticed that it changes. What do you think it means?”

“Well,” said Jacqueline. “I think it means that we can get some information by looking at the world. We killed a dragon, and it starts to fade. That must be the same dragon.”

“There are only a few centaurs though,” said Lonnie, “and what are the birds?”

“I think it’s a map and it can’t put everything on. So only a few of the centaurs are on there. One happened to have a cut on his leg, that has since healed. That could be Thosind. He got hurt on his leg while fighting Gleed. But it’s healed now.”

“But a map doesn’t make sense,” Lonnie said. “We’ve already talked about it. There’s no lake near the centaur villages. The trees are in the wrong direction. So is the dragon.”

“They’re only in the wrong direction if we think of North as being up. What if a different direction is up instead.”

Lonnie frowned in the darkness. “We’ll have to check it out tomorrow.”

Early the next morning, even before the centaurs left to look for food, they tried turning the portal around. Finally they thought the woods and the dragon were in the right place. “If this is right,” said Lonnie, “then southeast is pointing up. That doesn’t make any sense. Who would choose southeast as being up?”

Jacqueline ignored the question. Asking instead, “Where was the portal?”

Lonnie thought for a second. “If we’re right, it should be about here,” she said pointing. “Right about where that hexagon is.” Jacqueline nodded. A few moments later Lonnie gasped, “It is a map. And those other shapes must be other portals!” Jacqueline nodded again. “Let’s go find one of them!”

This time Jacqueline didn’t nod. “No, we can’t go now,” she said. “This map isn’t accurate enough to find them easily–it could take weeks, maybe months. And it’s almost mid winter. We’ll freeze before we find one of them. And, in case you hadn’t noticed, I probably can’t go anyway.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Lonnie said, “but if we can find a portal then we might be able to bring food back for the centaurs.”

“I still think it’s too dangerous,” said Jacqueline.

“Alright,” Lonnie replied reluctantly, “we’ll wait.”

They heard some commotion outside, so Lonnie stood, “I’ll go see what’s happening.”

After a few minutes she came back. “There are some new centaurs here!” she nearly screamed. “They’re from the mountains in the West where it’s really cold. They say they are running out of food because it’s been so cold and they made it all the way here.”

“Oh no!” said Jacqueline. “We don’t have any food either. We were going to have problems feeding only the local centaurs. How are we going to feed all the new centaurs too?”

“They say there is plenty of food here. In fact, we probably wouldn’t have met them if some centaurs hadn’t been going so far to find food. Some centaurs from a few villages over saw them while searching deep in the forest. Now they are going to all the villages to show them how to get food.”

After a few days the northern centaurs, who all appeared to be bucks, had shown everyone how to paw through the snow to find some grass and bushes that were still green. They taught which types of leaves and bark were edible–though only the northern centaurs thought they actually tasted good. But perhaps most importantly they introduced the southern centaurs to a certain type of moss that could be digested. Eating too much made the southern centaurs sick, but the northerners enjoyed it more than anything else.

The arrival of the northern centaurs filled everyone with hope. It would still be a lean winter, but they might make it through. Jacqueline and Lonnie would suffer the most since they couldn’t digest most of the northern centaurs’ diet. But with the centaurs’ nutritional needs taken care of, Lonnie started ice fishing on a nearby lake. She wasn’t very good at first, and it was cold, boring work, but eventually she was able to catch 1 or 2 fish every day which was enough to feed the girls. She just hoped the supply of fish would last through the winter.

One day, Lonnie came back from fishing with a big smile on her face. She only had one fish, so Jacqueline knew immediately that something was going on. “I just had a great idea,” Lonnie said proudly as she dropped her equipment on the floor. “I’m going to go find one of the portals. The northern centaurs can take me.” She had a smug look on her face as if there could be no arguing with her. Jacqueline was dumbstruck. The snow outside was nearly a foot deep and it was incredibly cold at night. “You see, they can find enough food to eat and I can take some of the food we have stored.”

“But…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll teach you how to fish,” she added. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. I think you’d be very good at it. You’re more patient then I am.”

And a cripple, thought Jacqueline bitterly. Truthfully, Jacqueline was a little stir-crazy, and would have gone on the expedition herself if that had been possible. Yes, why didn’t you teach me to fish earlier. She thought. Out loud she said only, “Perhaps it could work. But you would need to take plenty of food and come back if you can’t find the portal quickly. And make sure you take a good shelter. And…” Jacqueline paused. Good grief, I’m starting to sound like a mother, she thought. That reminded her of her mother which made her cry.

Lonnie didn’t understand why she was crying, but came and sat down next to her. “It’ll be fine. I can take care of myself,” she said. “After all, I killed a dragon single-handedly.” This made Jacqueline smile.

“If that was single-handed, I’d hate to see you when you need help,” said Jacqueline. Lonnie laughed. Jacqueline laughed. They didn’t stop laughing for a long time.

---

Two northern centaurs named Kotoh and Chesmon volunteered to go with her on the journey. Phont wanted to go as well, but Lonnie wouldn’t let her because she was too frail. “Besides I need you to look after Jacqueline,” she added.

That much was true. Phont had to carry Jacqueline out to her makeshift shelter on the ice, and then check on her every few hours. When she got too cold or caught a fish Phont would haul her back inside. The truth was, Jacqueline liked getting out of the house even if it meant being cold and uncomfortable for several hours. She didn’t enjoy fishing, but it was better than sitting and staring at the portal with no hope of understanding what it meant.

Lonnie packed most of the food she had saved, as well as a dozen blankets and rope to set up the tent. Kotoh and Chesmon packed what they needed, which was considerably less. Some knives, rope, and such. They planned to live off the land.

The day of their departure finally arrived and everyone in Uluru gathered to wish them good luck. Lonnie came into the tent and picked up the portal to take it with her. Jacqueline cried out in shock, “You can’t take that!”

Lonnie looked puzzled. “I have to. How else will we be able to follow the map?” This hadn’t occurred to Jacqueline and she was dumbstruck for a moment.

“What if you lose it?” she asked quietly.

“I won’t. I promise. I’ll guard it with my life.”

Jacqueline didn’t know what to say, so she simply said, “Good luck.”

“Thanks.” Lonnie came and gave her a big hug. “Take care of yourself. Don’t freeze out there on that lake.”

Jacqueline smiled and put on a brave face. “I won’t,” she replied, but after Lonnie left she turned away and a few tears fell from her eyes. She didn’t know when it had happened, but she had started to think of Lonnie as a sister instead of a cousin.

---

Lonnie walked out of the hut with the portal under her arm. Kotoh and Chesmon were going to take turns carrying the pack. Kotoh was wearing it now and so Lonnie walked over to him and secured the portal with the rest of the belongings. “Let’s go,” she said. She put on a big smile and waved good bye to everyone. Inside she was more nervous than she would ever let on. She was starting to realize what a huge endeavor this was going to be.

Chesmon lead the way, followed by Lonnie. Kotoh brought up the rear wearing the pack. They walked a while in silence. They planned to follow the road for as long as possible and would pass through two more villages before they had to leave it.

“Why didn’t the women come from your tribe?” ask Lonnie breaking the ice.

Chesmon gave her a queer look. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“Well, your tribe came down from the North, but I only see men and children,” she said. “Why is that?”

“I’m a woman,” said Chesmon. Lonnie tripped and nearly fell. “But you have antlers!” she said astonished. Chesmon started laughing.

“Of course I do,” she said. “We all do. It’s only in our southern cousins that the does don’t have antlers.”

“But,” Lonnie began to protest, but thought better of it. Obviously these centaurs were related to, but not the same as the southern centaurs. Their antlers did look different. They went farther to the back and didn’t branch to the side as much. They also came down closer to the forehead. If both boys and girls had antlers she wondered how they would kiss. It seemed like their antlers might get stuck together when they tried. Lonnie laughed at the thought.

I bet there’s a story, she thought, about two young lovers who meet in secret against their families’ wishes. One night, while they are kissing they get their antlers tangled. Their parents find out and are furious. The girl’s parents cut her antlers off as punishment and they run away to the south. And that’s why southern centaur women have no horns. Lonnie smiled.

After an hour or two of walking in silence, Lonnie said, “Tell me the story of how your people came to be.” She hadn’t thought to ask such questions the southern centaurs. She had always been too focused on accomplishing something. Either killing Gleed, taking care of Jacqueline, or searching for food. Now she had some time to kill.

1.13 A Journey Commences – crossing the river

They slept that night in a tent Lonnie made from several blankets. It was almost uncomfortably warm sleeping between the two centaurs. They didn’t build a fire because they weren’t cold and didn’t have food that needed to be cooked. Kotoh awoke early the next morning and went to find some food for Chesmon and himself. Lonnie ate some nuts while Chesmon started to take down the tent. The sky was overcast and a light snow was starting to fall. “It might storm today,” said Chesmon. “Make sure you’re dressed warmly and have some food with you.”

“Why do I need food? Won’t you be close the whole time?” asked Lonnie confused.

Chesmon looked concerned. “Sometimes in a really bad storm you can’t see or hear the others and you can get lost. Everyone should be prepared to survive on their own for a while.”

Lonnie thought for a minute. “Why don’t we tie a rope between us? That way we can’t get lost.”

Chesmon cocked her head, thinking. “Yes, I think that’s probably a good idea,” she said finally. She took one of the longer ropes and tossed it to Lonnie. “Tie yourself in the middle.”

Kotoh returned shortly and Chesmon started loading him up. She was leading today, so he would be carrying the equipment. After he was packed, they tied themselves together and set off. Chesmon snacked on the food Kotoh had found as they walked.

This day was more boring for Lonnie since Kotoh wasn’t as talkative as Chesmon had been. A light snow fell all day and by mid afternoon the snow was up to Lonnie’s knees. Even with Kotoh blazing a trail, walking was more difficult than it had been the day before. They stopped to eat and Kotoh and Chesmon changed places. But Chesmon wasn’t very talkative either.

The next day was largely the same. Endless walking through an unchanging white landscape, punctuated by occasional stops to eat cold food, or to consult the portal to make sure they were still on course. This last was difficult given the nature of the map and the snow cover. Because of the difficulty traveling, they weren’t even sure how far they had gone. The lack of landmarks, both on the map and along the trail, meant they didn’t really know where they were going.

The sky was usually overcast, the air still, and the snow fell sporadically. It seemed the entire world was asleep. Lonnie forgot what it was like to have warm feet or hands. It wasn’t that the cold was overpowering, it was merely that it was relentless. When the sun came out it didn’t warm. When they stopped to eat, the cold seeped slowly through her coat. She ripped her elbow slightly one time when she fell and could now feel every draft. Moving helped some, but it brought fatigue which in turn weakened her defenses against the cold.

The centaurs were faring much better. Traveling in similar conditions was a regular part of life for them. When they stopped to eat they would chat about old friends, and good memories. They didn’t really understand the purpose of their quest. They were young and bored and wanted some sort of adventure. Kotoh and Chesmon had been friends almost since Kotoh was born. Chesmon was two years older, and their mothers were twins. They were inseparable.

That night they made a fire. Lonnie was depressed, but the fire cheered her. She warmed her feet, dried her clothes, and heated her food. It didn’t need cooking, she just wanted to eat something that wasn’t cold.

---

Just before noon on the fourth day they came to a large river. The sun had been out most of the day, and Lonnie swore she could feel it warming her. The trees had been thinning all morning and the number and size of the hills increased. There was nothing on the map to suggest that this would happen. At least not that they had noticed. This was a little worrisome to Lonnie, but not entirely unexpected given the vagaries of the map. That the map was missing such a large river, was much more worrisome. On the other hand, the trees had largely changed from deciduous to evergreen over the last few days, which was expected according to the map. This gave her some confidence in it.

“Let’s stop,” she said as they came closer. They had crossed several smaller streams without too much trouble. One of the centaurs would carry Lonnie across so that she wouldn’t get wet, and then they would shake the water off their coats. But this river was something else entirely. Lonnie decided to name it the Thames. It was wide, and although it didn’t appear fast, Lonnie knew it wasn’t slow either. It was deep enough that the centaurs would have to swim instead of walk across. That meant Lonnie would get wet and they would have to build a fire on the other side to dry her off. It also meant a much higher risk of them being swept downstream. On the other hand, the Thames was too wide to make a bridge across. Any way they crossed it would take more time than Lonnie wanted to spend. And since it wasn’t on the map, she hoped they wouldn’t have to cross it.

They stopped and ate in silence. Kotoh finished first and said, “I’ll go downstream and look around a bit.” Lonnie and Chesmon nodded and he left. Chesmon finished next and headed upstream. Lonnie finished her food alone and pulled out the portal. The more she looked at it the more she was certain it was changing, and the rate of change seemed to be increasing. The dragon was completely gone as were all the charred areas. The centaurs moved around a little. She thought it might have to do with the migration of the Keruni, since they appeared more closely bunched than before.

Most alarming was that the entire shape of the portal seemed to be changing. It appeared to be giving birth to another side. On the left side, away from hinges, a bulge had formed in between the other two corners. There were now seven sides, making it a heptagon. Jacqueline would probably be able to tell me what that means, thought Lonnie.

She traced where she thought they had gone and looked at the triangle. We should be there soon, unless we’re completely wrong, she thought. The triangle was the closest portal on the map. All the rest would have meant a longer journey to find. She searched the map for a sign that might indicate a river the size of the Thames. It seemed like there was a small break in the trees close to the triangle which might indicate a river. But such gaps between trees were not uncommon. She looked over the entire map but saw nothing else that might help her. She sighed and put the portal back in the pack. She did not want to face Jacqueline if she failed.

She sat for what seemed like an hour, but was probably only fifteen minutes. She stood up and looked around. There was a large fir tree just a ways from where she was standing. Maybe if she climbed it, she could see something that would help.

She scrambled up the tree without much difficulty and looked out over the land. The scene was mostly white, with a few mountains in the background. The largest was to the south west. She thought she knew which one that might be on the map. The river caused a little break in the woods where some green from the trees could peak through. As she peered out into the distance she noticed how difficult it was to see. Everything was so bright. She blinked and squinted. The other side of the river looked by and large the same. To the north the woods were a bit thicker than to the south, but… “Hang on,” she said out loud to no one in particular. “That looks like a big tree over there.” After looking at it for a while longer she decided that it was a big tree. A huge tree. Easily twice the size of any of the surrounding trees.

The tree sat on top of a low hill but was difficult to see due to the snow which covered everything. But it was definitely there once you knew where to look. It looked to be a different species. It would have to be a different species to be that big.

The original portal tree had also been quite large, on both sides of the portal. Could it be? Could she be so lucky? Regardless, it was a very interesting tree, and would give her a better vantage point than where she was now. Up on the hill far above any of the other trees, she should be able to see a large mountain to the northeast. If she could, then she would be able to pinpoint where they were on the map. If she couldn’t… Well, it was better not to think of such things.

She saw Kotoh returning and headed back down the tree. When he got to camp she wasn’t there, so he looked around and watched her climb down from the tree. “Good idea,” he said. “Did you see anything useful?”

“I saw a mountain to the south,” she said, “so I think we’re in about the right spot.” He nodded. Although they were far more experienced travelers than her, the centaurs looked to her as the leader. “But what’s more interesting is what I saw on the other side of the river.” Kotoh cocked his head slightly, listening intently. “In those woods over there,” she said pointing, “there is a very tall tree. It’s much taller than any of the surrounding trees.”

“Interesting,” he said unsure of what to make of it. “What does that mean?”

“Well, if we’re lucky, it means we found the portal. If we’re not lucky, at least I should be able to climb it and see farther. I’d like to find the large mountain to the East. Once I do that, I’ll know exactly where we are on the map. This could be the first time in days we actually know where we are.”

“Ha!” he laughed. “I know where I am. As long as you know how to get back, you know where you are.” Lonnie grunted noncommittally.

“I think we should go,” she said.

“I didn’t find any better place to cross,” he said simply.

“If Chesmon doesn’t find anything better what do you suggest we do?” she asked.

Kotoh thought for a moment, then answered, “I think Chesmon or I should swim across and start a fire on the other side. Then we can bring you and the equipment across and warm everything by the fire. If we hurry we can be done by tonight.” The Keruni centaurs would have to make several trips across carrying everything above their heads. And if they dropped anything it would be gone forever. Lonnie hoped that Chesmon had found a shallower place to cross.

When Chesmon returned she reported that she hadn’t found a better place to cross either. “There are some rapids, but the river is still far too wide to build a bridge over.”

“Well,” said Lonnie eager to get going, “I suggest we go with Kotoh’s plan then. What should I do?”

There wasn’t much for her to do, though she did suggest they tie a rope around Kotoh, so that he if he tripped he wouldn’t be swept completely downstream. Kotoh took two handfuls of dry sticks. They each wore a necklace containing a coal from a previous fire which they could use to start a new fire when they needed.

Lonnie saw him shake himself off as he reached the other side. He looked cold. He quickly began building a fire. He cleared the snow about 10 feet from the river and away from any trees. Then he laid his sticks down, with some moss for kindling, and started the fire. Once it was going well enough, he gathered some larger sticks and built it up. He didn’t take time to warm himself before he started back across.

This time he took Lonnie on his back. She carried some of the blankets in her arms. The icy water swirled around her, nearly up to her waist. She held on to the blankets with her arms and used her legs to hold on to Kotoh. By the time she got the other side, her legs were numb and she didn’t think she could have held on much longer.

She rushed to the fire, careful not to put it out, and placed some of the blankets on the ground. Others she wrapped around herself as she sat in front of the fire to warm up. “Be careful not to burn yourself,” said Kotoh. “When you’re this cold it’s easy to put your legs too close to the fire and not feel it as you get burned.”

“Thanks,” she said and scooted back a bit in fear. By the time he made it across and back with the tent she was nearly warm. She got up and began setting up the tent as Kotoh went back for one last trip. It wasn’t the best spot for a tent, but it would do. He brought another load of blankets and sundry equipment as Chesmon watched. He stashed it away and then watched her as she crossed with the last of the supplies–their food and the portal.

Because Kotoh hadn’t had any problems swimming across, Chesmon started confidently. She had never been as strong a swimmer as Kotoh, however, and about two-thirds of the way through she started to struggle. The current was fast and she hadn’t aimed enough upstream. She saw that she was drifting too far downstream and she started to worry. That made swimming more difficult and she started to panic. It was only seconds before she found herself floundering completely.

Kotoh leaped into action. But it was too late. Chesmon fell on her side in the water. As she came up Lonnie noticed that she wasn’t holding the food or the portal. Lonnie leaped to her feet and raced downstream to see if she could find their supplies. She saw the food bags floating down the current, still upstream of her. She could jump into the water to try and save them, but the portal was more important.

“Where’s the portal?” she screamed. Chesmon had finally stabilized herself, and with the help of Kotoh was drawing toward the shore. Lonnie’s eyes scanned the water frantically. Up and down they raced looking for any sign of the portal. The food bags were nearly to her which meant that the portal might be there as well. She would need the food to be able to return to the village, but she couldn’t risk getting the food without knowing where the portal was. At the last moment she saw it bob to the surface twenty feet upstream from the food. She dove into the water and swam to intercept the food. She hoped she could grab it and then turn and grab the portal as well.

She reached the food and grabbed one bag. She tried to reach for the other but carrying the first made it too difficult. It was large, and getting wet. Soon it wouldn’t even float she thought. She heard the centaurs calling her name but didn’t waste time to see what they wanted. She abandoned the second bag and turn to face upstream. She looked hastily for the portal and found it was bearing down on her, but it was several feet to her right. She switched the food bag to her left hand and started swimming right. The bag of now sodden food prevented her from swimming as fast as she needed to. She had always been a decent swimmer, but now time was of the essence.

As the portal bobbed past her she reached out her arm as far as she could. She was prepared to let the food go. Luckily, that wasn’t necessary as she was able to get two fingers and a thumb around the edge of the portal. She heard the centaurs screaming to her, but she couldn’t understand what they were saying. The bank was more wooded now and it would be difficult for them to follow her.

She improved her grip on the portal and drew it close to her. As she was doing so the corner hit a rock that she hadn’t seen. She felt the portal catch for a second then release. She started desperately kicking towards shore. Eventually, she made it, but she was far downstream. She threw the sodden food onto the shore and climbed up the bank still clinging to the portal with her right hand.

She paused for a moment to catch her breath and a chill set in. She instantly worried that she wouldn’t be able to make it back without freezing. Her clothes were soaking wet–she had broken the number one rule of surviving in the cold–never get wet.

She looked down to pick up the food and start heading back. She noticed that a large portion of the portal had broken off. Nearly a third was missing. “No. No. No! No! No!!” she wailed. She realized it must have broken against the rock. But it was far to late to do anything now. She would never be able to find the other piece. She wanted to sit down and cry, but she knew if she did that she would certainly freeze to death. She wasn’t sure exactly what to do, but she knew she had to keep moving.

She picked up the bag of food with her left hand and slung it over her shoulder. She started walking back upstream as quickly as she could. At least there’s no wind, she thought trying to stay positive. A wind would have frozen her almost instantly. Soon her whole body had gone numb, even her mind. It took all of her will power to keep moving. Soon she started to feel warm, and wanted to lay down and take a nap. Everything will be better if I just take a nap, she thought. “No!” she said out loud, “I have to keep moving.” The sound of her own voice woke something inside of her and kept her going.

“Lonnie!” she heard someone’s voice in front of her. She couldn’t tell how far away it was. She could barely hear anything. She opened her mouth and yelled, “Here I am.” But only a whisper came out. She stumbled and fell forward into the snow.

1.14 A Wildlife Encounter – wolves

“Over here!” yelled Kotoh. Chesmon was a ways behind. She had gone back for blankets which would certainly be needed if they ever found Lonnie. He had heard a crash and gone to investigate. He found Lonnie face-first in the snow, her clothes frozen. She was carrying one of the bags of food, but there was no sign of the portal. _Oh no_, he thought. _All this way, and it’s for nothing._ At least he had found her and might be able to save her life.

He quickly moved the food to the side, they could deal with that later. He started undressing her. The wet clothes would have to go. He hugged her to himself trying to impart his own body heat to her. “Hurry up!” he shouted to Chesmon, and was rewarded with some crashing noises in the distance. As he picked her up to take off her right sleeve, the portal fell to the ground. “Ah, so you did find it,” he murmured. “You are one lucky girl.”

Chesmon arrived with blankets soon after Kotoh had undressed her. Chesmon hadn’t dried off, from crossing the river, so Kotoh held Lonnie and wrapped himself and her together in the blankets. “I hope we’re not too late,” said Chesmon.

“She’ll be okay,” said Kotoh. “Take the stuff back and make sure the tent is nice and warm.” She picked up the food and portal, barely taking time to notice that it was broken, and bounded back to camp, following her own trail in the snow. Kotoh had to travel more slowly, but eventually made his way back to camp as well. When he got there, the tent was warm with a fire roaring inside.

He laid Lonnie down gently on some dry blankets, and then hung the ones he had been using up to dry. They had soaked up what water was left on Lonnie’s body, so they were slightly damp. Chesmon was going through the food and setting it out to dry. Some of it was ruined, but most would be edible.

Lonnie was still asleep an hour later when the sun went down.

---

Jacqueline looked east, the afternoon sun behind her illuminating the skyline. The few clouds burned red and orange behind the bare branches of the defoliated trees. She had already caught two fish, and was waiting for Phont to come and retrieve her. She breathed slowly and deeply, inhaling the crispness of a still winter day. There’s something beautiful about winter, she thought. All the death and hardship allows something transcendent to emerge. Something found only in stillness.

Her thoughts turned to Lonnie. She had been worried, but today proved that nothing could truly be wrong forever. Every tragedy brought with the seeds of it’s own reparation. Somehow she and Lonnie would get back to England. Or they would be a force for good in Nitida. She had already started formulating plans for how she could make a boat that she could operate by herself. And maybe a sledge for the winter ice. She wished she could make a wheelchair, but the terrain was too rough for it to be really useful anyway.

Somehow, her life would have meaning.

---

Lonnie awoke early the next morning naked and weak. The sun wasn’t up and the fire was nothing but embers. She was huddled next to Kotoh for warmth. Inside the tent was warm, but she was cold. She stood up to get another blanket and realized that she was naked. No wonder she was cold. She grabbed two blankets, curled up and laid back down.

Kotoh woke up with the sunrise a few hours later. He began preparing to leave to search for food. The centaurs’ food was completely gone. What little they had left was lost with the bag. This wasn’t a problem since they could always find more. Food for Lonnie was the problem. She couldn’t eat the things they ate. If they turned back right now, they should have enough food for Lonnie to make it back. But if they waited too long before turning back, or ran into a storm on the way she could easily run out of food.

Kotoh whispered to Chesmon that he was going for food and would be back soon. He left the tent allowing little more than a puff of cold air in. Lonnie woke, more from the increasing light in the tent than from the cold air. She sat up and looked around. Her clothes were no where to be found.

“What happened to my clothes?” she asked.

Chesmon, stirred. “We left them where we found you. We were more concerned about getting you back safely.”

“Thanks,” said Lonnie sincerely. “I remember I was walking back, and then I remember waking up here. What happened?” Chesmon told her how they had found her, removed her clothing, bundled her with blankets, and brought her back. “Then I owe you my life,” said Lonnie.

“For the good of all,” said Chesmon dismissively.

“But, now what do I wear?” Chesmon looked as if she hadn’t considered such a thing. Centaurs, of course, do not wear clothing to stay warm. That was a luxury Lonnie did not have.

“I’ll go see if I can find your clothes,” she said. She got up, prepared a few things, and left.

Lonnie quickly grew bored and began repacking her food. She checked every piece to make sure it was still good, and ate a few that were borderline. I better start conserving, she thought. It might be a long trip back. Then she started the fire going again. When Chesmon returned with her clothes she would need to dry them out. Maybe even thaw them first. Ah, what a day.

She was still restless and neither of the centaurs had returned so she wrapped a blanket around her and open the tent door to look outside. It was a beautiful clear morning with only three clouds in the sky. As she looked around the edge of the tent to her left, however, her heart stopped. Perhaps twenty feet away stood a large gray wolf. He was drinking from the river. She looked around the tent farther and saw perhaps a dozen other wolves, all drinking.

I wonder why they’re not scared, she thought to herself. She was surprised, but not really scared. Perhaps they have never seen people, or centaurs, before. Lonnie retreated carefully, but not carefully enough. As she was opening the door to the tent, she inadvertently stepped on a stick. Its crack seemed like a clap of thunder in the early morning stillness. She hoped the wolves wouldn’t hear it over the sound of the river. She hurried inside and closed the door as quietly as she could.

A few moments later she heard sniffing around the tent. Soon more sniffing followed. Most of the wolves had to be sniffing around the tent. She hoped that some would follow Kotoh’s and Chesmon’s trails, leaving her with less to deal with. But as soon as she thought this she regretted it. They were out alone, without even each other. Together the centaurs should be able to hold their own against a pack of wolves. But separately, well, who knew? Especially if the wolves were desperate, as these were sure to be in such a winter.

Lonnie grabbed hold of a large stick in the fire. She hoped wolves in Nitida were afraid of fire like they were in England. Some of the snuffling stopped. Had they left? Where had they gone? She waited for a few moments. If the wolves had followed Kotoh or Chesmon they could be in serious trouble. Especially if they were surprised. Lonnie gripped the stick tighter and pulled it out of the fire. She inched toward the door with her torch flaming behind her. She slowly cracked open the door. She didn’t see any wolves, so she opened it wider. Still no wolves.

She threw the door open, and swung the torch around in front of her. There were no wolves to be seen. She looked north. Nothing there. She ran around the tent to look south. She saw the wolves sniffing the air and the ground–following a scent. They were headed downstream, where Chesmon had gone! She had to at least let Chesmon know they were coming. Lonnie raised the torch high above her head and yelled at the top of her lungs, “Wolves! Wolves!”

The wolves immediately turned around to look at her. Oh no! What was I thinking? They had clearly never seen a human before and weren’t sure what to make of her. They growled to each other.

It must be a bird–it walks on only two legs.

But where are the wings?

Be careful it might fly away.

As they drew closer, she kept shouting and waving the torch at them. They seemed to not know what fire was. Or at least not be afraid of it. They circled closer. In her frantic waving Lonnie let the blanket she had wrapped around her fall to the ground. Suddenly, she was naked, alone, cold and surrounded by wolves. I must be in a bad movie, she thought. Everything is cliche. The thought struck her as funny, and she started laughing. Maybe she had finally cracked under the pressure.

Her laughing seemed to startle the wolves who backed up immediately. She laughed at the irony of being saved by laughter. The wolves backed away even farther. Lonnie threw back her head and laughed loudly. She wasn’t laughing because it was funny anymore. She was laughing because she was laughing. Suddenly, the wolves broke and ran into the east. Lonnie couldn’t stop laughing even after she doubled over and fell into the snow.

Kotoh had already found food and was heading back when he heard Lonnie scream. Chesmon was also on her way back, but farther away when she heard. Kotoh arrived in time to watch the wolves disappear into the forest and Lonnie fall into the snow. Chesmon arrived later–just in time to help Kotoh bring a still laughing Lonnie into the tent to warm up.

After her clothes were dry, Lonnie got dressed. She had never been so grateful for clothing in her life. She felt warmer, of course, but also less vulnerable. The clothes themselves had acquired several holes from being frozen to the ground and removed. They were dirty, stained, and scratchy. But also beautiful and comforting.

When Lonnie explained what happened the centaurs seemed to gain more respect for her. “And then I thought, ’I’m naked! How can it get worse?’ ” she explained, “So I started laughing. And for some reason the wolves left.” Kotoh paled and Chesmon starting panting. “What is it?” Lonnie asked getting worried herself.

“You started laughing and the wolves left?” Kotoh asked wearily.

“Yes. It was almost like they were scared of my laugh,” she replied. “I don’t know how that could be though.”

“A laughing manticore,” whispered Chesmon.

“What? A laughing what?”

“A laughing manticore,” explained Kotoh, “is a legend. It’s a great monster that is said to eat centaurs whole. When a centaur doesn’t return from a journey it’s sometimes rumored that he was eaten by a laughing manticore. To be honest, I didn’t think they existed.”

Chesmon added, “If they do exist, and they live near here, we should go as soon as possible.”

“Based on the wolves’ behavior, I think we have to assume there is one near. I agree with Chesmon, I think we should return right away.”

“But we have to find the portal,” said Lonnie. “We can’t go back without finding it.”

“It does no good to find the portal, if we don’t live to tell anyone about it,” said Chesmon. Kotoh and Chesmon were fairly carefree–almost foolhardy. But they seemed genuinely frightened. Maybe it was better to go back. But then they would have gained nothing.

“What does it look like?” Lonnie asked.

“No one is sure,” said Chesmon. “Most who claim to have seen it say it’s a large cat, with wings like an eagle. Some say it has a snake for a tail. Others say it’s head is human. But they all agree that it laughs like a young girl before eating its prey.” Lonnie shivered. Chesmon continued, “Some say it eats its prey in tiny bites, others say it eats them whole. But they usually agree that nothing is left when they are done. No fur, no antlers, no tools, nothing.” The picture Chesmon painted was disturbing. What hope did they have against such a creature? They would have to hope that they didn’t run into it. “It’s far faster and stronger than a centaur. No one has ever survived a fight with one.”

“The tree I wanted to look at isn’t far,” said Lonnie. It was now past noon, and Lonnie didn’t want to be caught in the forest at night. “We can go tomorrow, and then head back if we don’t find anything interesting. If we do find something, then we can discuss it then.”

Chesmon nodded. “But we must stick together. No more splitting up for any reason.” They all agreed and set about making preparations. Lonnie climbed another tree and then made a map in the dirt explaining to Kotoh and Chesmon where they were headed. Kotoh found some large sticks to use as clubs, just in case. They all went to bed earlier than normal that day.

1.15 The Laughing Manticore – manticore

The next morning they woke early and broke camp. Chesmon was afraid they might need to run from the laughing manticore, and so they didn’t tie themselves together. Moreover, they all carried their own share of their food and equipment. Lonnie carried the portal. If they encountered a laughing manticore, the best thing might be to split up, and Lonnie didn’t want the portal out of her sight.

They walked slightly up hill through the forest. The weather remained sunny and was relatively warm. There were some birds and squirrels moving among the trees, making noises as they passed. That at least was a good sign. If there were wolves or a manticore nearby, there would have been silence.

The trees grew larger as they continued. None were of the size of “the tree” though. After they had gone as far as Lonnie thought they should, she climbed a tree and looked around. The tree was farther on and to the right–through about 500 feet of dense forest. As Lonnie reached the ground again, Kotoh handed the portal back to her. She gazed at it for a moment, comforted before they started towards where Lonnie had seen the tree.

After having gone about 20 feet, Lonnie stopped suddenly, startling the centaurs. She looked back down at the portal in her hand. The missing piece from hitting the rock in river was completely healed. “How…” she began but never finished her question. As she lifted it to show the centaurs she watched the markings on it twist until they were facing up. She turned the portal upside down, and again they rotated until they were up. It was a magical map and compass in one.

Chesmon frowned. “Why does it do that?” she asked.

“What does it mean?” asked Kotoh.

Lonnie sat staring and rotating the portal in her hands for some time before she answered. “I don’t know. I guess it must be that because we are close to the portal, it has more power to regenerate now. Come on, let’s find it!” She started running.

“Wait!” barked Chesmon. “We still don’t know if there is a manticore around. We still need to be careful.” He was right, of course, so Lonnie slowed. Not that it wouldn’t have been alerted to them by their talking anyway.

They arrived at the new portal tree shortly, and wasted no time in finding the portal. There was only a frame, with no door inside, as if the portal had been intentionally removed. It was shaped like a triangle. “It’s a triangle, just like on the map!” said Lonnie. “So we did find a portal. Just not the one to fit this door.”

“But didn’t you say the door was a hexagon before?” asked Kotoh.

“Yes,” said Lonnie, thinking. “It was a hexagon, and the hexagon on the map is where we came through from England. Now the door is a heptagon, but I don’t see any heptagons on the map.” Lonnie saddened as it dawned on her what that meant, “That means we don’t know where to find the portal’s frame.”

Lonnie suddenly felt more depressed than she had in a long time. She had hoped that by finding the portal, she would be able to understand what she needed to do to get home. But now she realized just how little she knew. And how much more she needed to learn.

Lonnie sat down on the ground and started crying quietly. She didn’t know what to do. Chesmon and Kotoh sat down beside her.

“When we tell the elders what we have learned they will know what to do,” said Kotoh reassuringly.

“And if our elders don’t,” added Chesmon, “then Jacqueline will. Someone will have an idea. Now we just need to get back so that we can tell them what we found out.”

Lonnie was somewhat comforted by their reasoning. Yes, she thought, If we get back, someone will know what to do next. I’ve done my part. “First I would like to climb this tree,” she said suddenly. She wasn’t sure why–they had already found the portal.

This time she took the portal with her as she climbed. She wanted to see if it behaved differently high up. The tree was large and easy to climb one-handed. She had been climbing trees since she was five, and she had been doing quite a bit of it lately.

She climbed to the top easily and looked around. The portal didn’t seem to behave differently high in the air. She noted the geography, and compared it with the map on the portal, making mental notes of details not contained on the map. Why doesn’t it include water? she thought. What we identified as the lake is actually just a blank area on the map. There are no rivers or lakes at all. She made her way around the entire tree, studying the geography of the surrounding lands.

She started back down on the opposite side of the tree from that which she had climbed up on. Shortly after she passed back into the canopy formed by the shorter trees, she glanced down and saw a nest below her. The nest was as nearly as large as the tent she and the centaurs slept in. The thought of a bird that large frightened her, but it was empty so she continued down, moving to avoid the nest.

She heard fluttering in the distance and froze, facing the tree. If the bird was returning she didn’t want to be seen anywhere near the nest. She wanted to turn and look, but was afraid the movement would alert whatever had built the nest. She knew it was likely the bird had spotted her anyway, but there was no use taking anymore risks than necessary. The fluttering grew louder, until she felt the wind blowing against her body.

Long sharp claws wrapped around her body and bit into the skin of her chest and stomach. She cried out in terror and dropped the portal which fell squarely into the nest. She was pulled off her perch effortlessly and the creature pulled her into the nest. It placed her almost gently in the nest and started laughing. It laughs like Ellen from school, she thought. For some reason that made it even more terrifying.

Lonnie opened her eyes, not even aware that they had been closed. In front of her she saw a dark red lion with huge white wings. She couldn’t see it’s tail, though it must have had one. It had the face of a lion, with the addition of goat horns. The claws that held her, were those of an eagle with white feathers covering the legs down to the ground, like a chicken she had seen once at a fair.

“What have we here?” asked a little girl’s voice. “You’re not a centaur,” it said, “nor are you satyr.” Lonnie was too scared to speak. She glanced to where the portal lay.

“Yes, you dropped something,” said the manticore, reaching for it. It turned it over and cried out in shock as it saw the other side. Lonnie immediately felt the claws let her go and she slumped to the bottom of the nest. “Where did you get that?” the girl’s voice asked again.

“I…” stammered Lonnie gaining courage, “I came through that portal. Well, it… it wasn’t here when I did. It was connected to another tree.”

“I can see that my dear,” said the manticore sweetly. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen it, but I still remember how it works.”

“You do?” cried Lonnie in amazement. “How does it work?”

“Why, just like it says it does. What I don’t understand is why you came here. There’s no use coming here, when it’s already a heptagon. This tree will never house another portal.”

“We didn’t know where else to go. We just followed the map,” Lonnie said.

The manticore looked puzzled for a moment. “You really don’t know where to go?”

“No.”

“Did you not read it?”

“We tried, but we couldn’t figure it out,” said Lonnie. The manticore started laughing. It seemed to enjoy it, at least it kept laughing for some time.

“Do you think you could help us?” Lonnie asked hopefully.

“No, I’m afraid I can’t do that. I’m strictly forbidden to interfere with Janusians,” she said as if she suddenly remembered it. “I’ve said too much already. Now be gone.”

“You’re not going to hurt me?”

“Of course not, just go, please. Before you get us all in trouble.”

Lonnie scrambled to her feet, scooped up the portal and climbed to the bottom of the tree as fast as she could. Kotoh and Chesmon were waiting for her, more scared than they had been in their entire lives. They hurriedly started back to where they slept the night before. Once they were out of earshot Lonnie started talking. No one could believe what the manticore had said. And they didn’t understand it either.

It took Lonnie a long time to fall asleep that night. She kept going over the manticore’s words in her mind trying to find some clue that would help them. At least now she knew it had a solution.

---

The sky was clear the next morning. They were all glad to be on their way home, even if Lonnie was a bit disappointed that they hadn’t learned more. The trail was easy, and they made good time. But by the afternoon clouds started to cover the northern sky.

That night the winds began to pick up, though it still didn’t snow. The next morning the sky was overcast and the wind was unrelenting. Just before noon some light snow started to fall, and lasted a few hours. They stopped for a mid-afternoon snack and rest.

“Do you think we should rope up again?” asked Lonnie. “In case the snow starts coming down?” As if on cue, a bitter north wind ripped through the forest, with a force so great that Lonnie staggered backwards.

“Whoa!” said Chesmon steadying her. The centaurs, of course, were much more stable. “We better get you roped up.” Chesmon was leading the way, so she grabbed the rope from the pack Kotoh was wearing and tied it around them. She also distributed some food for each of them to carry. When she was finished she said, “Well, let’s go,” and started off down the trail.

They walked without talking. The wind howled through the trees making conversation impossible. But Lonnie didn’t want to talk anyway. She was thinking about her time in Nitida. Sometimes it felt as if someone were watching her and Jacqueline and laughing. Laughing at their fears. Laughing at their attempts to return to England. Laughing at their entire predicament. Other times it felt as if someone were watching and trying to help. Someone powerless. Someone who could see what was happening, but couldn’t affect the outcome. She could almost feel their frustration at not being able to help. But most of the time it felt like they were alone. Alone with no one to help them. No one to talk to but each other.

Lonnie had been alone before, of course. She loved to play in the woods, and often she was the only one there. But she had always known that her parents were close by. They wouldn’t let her stay out too late or miss dinner. But now she and Jacqueline were on their own. Sure, the centaurs helped them and were their friends, but they had to make all the decisions. They had to be responsible for every choice, for everything that happened. She even felt responsible for what happened to Chesmon and Kotoh, despite the fact that they were older and more experienced than her! It didn’t seem fair. Lonnie didn’t like it at all. More than anything, she wanted to be back in England where she could ask her mum or dad for help or advice.

Suddenly it struck her that this was what being an adult felt like: Responsibility. Crushing responsibility. She instantly had more respect for her parents. She thought of when they would snap at her for staying out in Cedric’s woods too late. Or the time she had seen her father crying late at night over the bills. She had never understood what might have made him feel that way, but now she thought she had some idea. There was no respite, the responsibilities just kept piling on. And if you didn’t shovel quick enough you would be buried. But even once you were buried, the responsibility would keep piling up. Piling. Piling. Into huge mounds of cold, white responsibility.

Lonnie was jolted out of her thoughts when she tripped on a rock and fell. For a moment she didn’t recognize where she was. Everything was white. White and cold. Cold and white. Cold. Yes. Cold and white. What was cold and white? Paper? Snow? Snow was cold and white! That’s what it was. There was snow everywhere. She was in a snow storm. Her bearings came back, slowly at first, and then faster. She was walking in a snow storm, going back home. Where was home? The rope tied to her waist jerked as Chesmon went as far ahead as she was able. Lonnie tried to stand. It was more difficult than it should have been. The rope jerked again. Then, after a few seconds, it became slightly taut and remained that way.

Chesmon looked down at Lonnie. Lonnie didn’t look well. She was obviously tired, and cold. But there was something else. She seemed sick. Chesmon reached down and grabbed the rope that was tied to Kotoh. She pulled it until it was taut, and gave three quick jerks. Then she kept it taut as he walked toward them.

Kotoh arrived and looked down at Lonnie. Chesmon was already unpacking the tent. They set it up quickly and brought Lonnie inside. There was snow on the ground inside the tent, and they didn’t have firewood. “I’ll get some firewood,” offered Kotoh, but Chesmon refused. “It’s too dark out there. We’ll huddle together tonight with blankets and we’ll be fine.” After they arranged everything, they closed the smoke hole in the top of the tent. What little light there had been was gone and the tent was pitch black. The centaurs fell asleep quickly, though they slept fitfully.

1.16 A Debilitating Illness – ice fishing

The wind was still howling when Chesmon woke up the next morning. She knew it was morning because she couldn’t go back to sleep. She opened the door, but it was still dark outside. She felt through their packs and got out some food, which she ate quietly. She got some out for Lonnie and Kotoh as well.

Kotoh woke up a little later and ate. He and Chesmon chatted a little—being stuck in a blizzard was nothing new to them. What was new was being responsible for someone as helpless as Lonnie. They waited for Lonnie to wake up but she didn’t. It was impossible to tell how long they waited before they finally woke Lonnie. They gave her some food and tried to talk to her. “How are you feeling?” Chesmon asked.

“Fine,” mumbled Lonnie.

“Are you hungry?” inquired Kotoh.

“Fine,” mumbled Lonnie.

“What is your name?” asked Chesmon, starting to get concerned.

“Fine, fine, fine.” Lonnie was starting to get worked up.

“It’s okay,” Kotoh soothed, “everything’s okay.” He offered her some food, but she simply looked at it. Either she wasn’t hungry, or she had forgotten how to eat. Gently he took a nut and tried to place it in her mouth. Instead, she shrunk back and started to bat his hand away. Kotoh gave up and he and Chesmon laid Lonnie back down. She fell asleep almost immediately.

“We’ll need some water soon,” said Kotoh.

“I know,” Chesmon said, “I’ll go get some firewood. We’ll dry it out in here for a while, then start a fire. Then we can melt some snow.”

“I sure hope we can find some snow,” said Kotoh teasing her. She smiled back as she tied one end of the longest rope to her waist. She tied the other end to one of the tent posts. Snow swirled in when she opened the door. It was clearly day because the dark blur outside had turned into a white blur. The wind was blowing the snow nearly sideways. The door was on the lee side of the tent, and so the snow had drifted two feet deep in front of the door.

Chesmon took a deep breath of the warm air and plunged into the swirling white chaos. She had no idea which direction to go to find wood, so she planned to go straight forward until her rope ran out. If she didn’t find any wood, then she would swing around, keeping the rope taut, making a large circle. She really hoped the rope was long enough to find wood. It was far too dangerous to go out in the snow without a rope to guide her back. But without wood to make a fire, they wouldn’t be able to melt enough snow to survive. As usual, the centaurs would fair better than Lonnie, but even they would have a hard time if they couldn’t gather wood.

Chesmon plunged through the snow, groping in front of her, the wind deafening her, and the snow blinding her. Eventually she came to the end of her rope. She hadn’t felt any signs of trees. Perhaps the other side of the tent would be better. She walked to her right keeping the rope slightly taut. She guessed that she had walked about a quarter circle when she felt the rope run into something. She backtracked along the rope until she found what it was–a lone pine tree. She searched for dead branches but only found a few small twigs, so she broke a few green branches off and put them in her pack just in case. She untangled the rope from the tree and walked outwards until she reached the end of the rope again.

She walked another quarter to third of a circle, as she judged it, before she ran into trees. There were many pines, from which she didn’t find many branches. There were a few deciduous trees, however, and from these she broke off many branches. She searched for the driest branches she could, but they were all covered in snow by the time she got them into her bag.

Once her pack was full, she followed the rope back to the tent. She laid out the wood between them where they hoped it would be warm enough to dry out. They talked. They sang. They tried to feed Lonnie again, with similar results. In the early evening, (or at least what they thought was the evening, for it was impossible to tell), they started a fire. They got the very driest twigs they could and arrange them carefully. They used Kotoh’s ember since it was the oldest. After several tries, they were able to get a small fire going, and they piled the rest of the wood around it to dry off.

Kotoh got a small clay jar, filled it with snow, and placed it carefully on top of the fire. They talked as they tended the fire with a single-mindedness that only two Keruni centaurs trapped in a tent possess.

---

It was so hot! Hot. Hot. Lonnie writhed, trying to loosen her clothes. She was so hot. That’s all she knew. Hot. And bats. The bats were chasing her all of a sudden. They have been her friends just a little while ago. They brought her date-filled pastries. But now they wanted to bite all her hair off. Why would they do that? Of course, the porcupines told them to. The evil porcupines were at it again. Porcupines. Oh, she hated the porcupines. They were always messing with other people’s business. Changing the weather and things like that. How did they make it so cold? Lonnie grabbed the blankets she had tossed off moments before and wrapped them around her. She was shivering. And all because of the porcupines. Hopefully, they wouldn’t send the bats again. Something was following her, hiding in the shadows. What was it? She couldn’t see. She looked harder, and then screamed. The manticore was following her.

---

Kotoh wrapped a blanket around Lonnie. “She’s cold again,” he said.

Chesmon looked up from the fire. “Do you think she’ll eat anything?”

Kotoh sighed. “No, probably not, but we should try.” Chesmon took a handful of food from a pouch and handed it to him. Kotoh tenderly tried to open Lonnie’s mouth to get her to eat the food. It didn’t work though. She mumbled something about bats, and rolled over. Kotoh sighed again. Lonnie had lost weight during the last two days and the centaurs were starting to get worried. At least she drank water. When she was hot she would drink as much as they cared to give her.

Kotoh, Chesmon, and Lonnie spent two more days in the tent waiting for the storm to blow over. Lonnie spent most of the time delirious. She continued to refuse food, despite their best attempts. The two centaurs took turns going outside to gather water, firewood and a little food. They were used to going without food for days. But not Lonnie. Even in Nitida she had never missed more than a few meals. But now she had gone without food for nearly four days.

During the fourth night in the tent the wind stopped almost as suddenly as it had begun. Kotoh and Chesmon both woke up. “What was that?” asked Chesmon.

“I don’t know,” said Kotoh, “but it woke me up too.” They waited and listened, hoping to hear the sound of whatever had woken them up. Instead, they heard nothing. “Hey!” Kotoh said, “the wind stopped!”

Chesmon jumped out of bed and ran to the door. She opened it and looked outside. Sure enough, the wind had stopped and she could look into the sky. She could see the stars twinkling through a fine skiff of snow which was still falling. The storm was finally over. She came back inside. “Let’s get some sleep,” she said. “We’ll leave early tomorrow and hopefully we get Lonnie back soon enough to help.”

The next morning, it was decided that Chesmon would lead carrying the pack, and Kotoh would follow her carrying Lonnie, who still wasn’t well enough to walk. Kotoh was afraid she wasn’t well enough to ride either, but Chesmon thought they should get her back to the village where the elders could heal her.

Lonnie barely understood what was going on. She was too weak to ride in a normal way, so she sat far to the front and wrapped her arms around Kotoh’s torso. Sometimes he would carry Lonnie in his arms when she was too weak to hold on an longer.

They lost some time in the morning back tracking. They had gone a bit off the trail before they set up camp, and the new snow made it hard for them to find where they should be. But eventually, they found the road and followed it. In most places the road was bare, but in some places there were six foot snowdrifts. Usually they could go around them, but twice they had to cut through the middle. After the first such ordeal, they switched Lonnie to Chesmon and Kotoh took the lead. After the second snowbank, they set up camp for the night.

Lonnie was a little better the next day. She even ate a handful of nuts for breakfast. Chesmon and Kotoh hurried to get back to the Uluru. Because of their diligence and speed they were able to spend the night in Ulasi, one of the eastern-most centaur villages. Even for the adventurous Keruni, a permanent house and warm meal was a welcome relief. They told the villagers their story before going to sleep.

They awoke, dressed and walked the short miles to Uluru to arrive before lunch. The village had already been alerted that they were coming and the elders had assembled. Almost before they greeted the band of travelers, Lonnie was shuttled off to the healing field where the elders performed a healing ceremony on her behalf. Some of the volunteers fell ill and were taken back to their houses. Jacqueline watched it all with rapt attention. She hadn’t been allowed near Lonnie before the healing.

“Lonnie didn’t recover immediately. That means that there is powerful magic at work,” explained Phont to Jacqueline as they followed the procession taking Lonnie back to rest.

“But what could it be?” asked Jacqueline who knew a lot about science, but nothing about magic. “What could have happened?”

“We don’t know,” said Phont. “But don’t worry, the healers will figure it out. We have some very good healers, you know.” Jacqueline believed her. If there was one thing she had learned while waiting for Lonnie it was to trust the healers. On no less than three occasions, she had thought she would lose a finger or ear to frostbite. But in each case they had been able to heal her with no lasting effects.

Jacqueline wasn’t sure whether she should sit with Lonnie or listen to Chesmon and Kotoh tell about their journey. After much deliberation, she decided to listen to the centaurs. She needed some hint of what might have happened to Lonnie.

Kotoh started telling the story with Chesmon providing more details or explanation as needed. They told of how they had traveled. How they nearly lost their food. How the portal had been broken and then healed itself. How Lonnie had found the location of a portal that was no longer there. How she had frightened away the wolves, and then spoken to the laughing manticore. The centaurs all perked up at the mention of a laughing manticore. They finished by telling of the journey back and how Lonnie had fallen sick during the storm. Fascinating, thought Jacqueline. I’ll have to ask Lonnie exactly what the manticore said.

After the story, various centaurs told of previous adventures, especially those involving a laughing manticore or being stuck in a blizzard. The stories were fascinating, but Jacqueline was still worried about Lonnie, so after a while she left and went to the healers’ tent. She didn’t knock, instead sneaking in the door. The healers were so busy they didn’t notice as she entered. Lonnie lay on the floor face down, naked, her clothing placed carefully a few feet away.

The healers were examining her back. They seemed to be looking at something that Jacqueline couldn’t see. She tried maneuvering to get a better view, but there were too many of them. She couldn’t see anything. They were discussing it quickly but quietly. She was only able to hear snippets.

“…take it out…”

“…too dangerous…”

“…black…”

“…where did it come from…”

She felt like she had to know what they were looking at. She cleared her throat, but they didn’t hear her. She coughed and one of the healers looked up at her. He was a middle aged buck with beautiful antlers that swept back more than most. He stared at her as if to ask, “Why are you here?” but turned back to his work without saying anything.

She drew closer and said, with as much courage as she could muster, “Excuse me. What are you looking at?” They all stopped and looked at her. One of the elder does nodded to the others to let her see. They made way and she saw a black, swollen area on Lonnie’s back. She looked closely and saw what looked like a large white needle, or perhaps a fish bone sticking into the middle of the area.

“We have to get it out,” she said. Without thinking she reached in to pull it out. The healers on her sides grabbed her arm and stopped her.

“We don’t know what it is and if we take it out the wrong way it could kill her,” said one of the older healers. Jacqueline paled. “Do you have any idea what it could be?” he continued. “Something from England, perhaps?”

“No. I’ve never seen anything like it,” answered Jacqueline. “Is it a poisonous plant?”

“No. It looks like a bone from an animal. But we don’t know what kind of animal has a bone like this,” said another of the healers.

“The only animals they mentioned on the trip were wolves,” started Jacqueline. The healers shook their heads, and she continued “and a laughing manticore.”

The centaurs all cried out in surprise. “What? They really saw a laughing manticore?” the oldest healer asked.

“Yes. They said it grabbed her and took her to its nest,” Jacqueline offered.

“That must be it,” said the younger buck who had glared at her. “There are rumors that manticores can shoot spikes like these. The question is what do we do.”

“A manticore spine won’t be easy to heal,” said one. “They have powerful magic. It’s a wonder she has even survived this long. I would have expected it to kill her within a few minutes.”

“Perhaps it’s because she’s from England,” offered another.

Eventually they agreed that the spine would have to be taken out but everyone was afraid to take it out. If one of them were pricked it would likely kill within minutes. “I’ll do it,” said Jacqueline. “If she has survived this long because she’s from England, then I can too.”

Before the centaurs could protest, Jacqueline leaned forward and pulled the spine slowly from Lonnie’s back. It stuck at first, the barbs holding the flesh. Then it gave way. Pus and blood flowed out of the wound and Jacqueline could almost see it deflating. A sickeningly sweet smell of rot permeated the room. The healers scrambled to get rags to soak up the discharge. Jacqueline noticed that after the rags were used, they were thrown directly onto the fire to dispose of them.

Jacqueline looked at the manticore spine. It was about two inches long and pure white. There were tiny barbs up and down the length of it. At the dull end there was what appeared to be a tiny bulb. That must be where the poison is, she thought. But what would a manticore need with poisonous spines? Aren’t they fearsome enough?

After pus stopped flowing on its own, the healers gently pressed around the blackened area to squeeze as much infection from Lonnie’s body as possible. As they neared the end of their work, Lonnie started to respond. She moaned, whether from relief or pain Jacqueline couldn’t tell. Then she stirred. She tried to roll over, but the healers restrained her. She would have to lie on her stomach for some time in order to prevent any infection of the area.

Jacqueline wrapped the spine in some cloth to keep it safe and to protect people from it. She took it back to her house and put it with her belongings in a place where it wouldn’t hurt anyone. She hoped all the magic was gone from it, but it never hurt to be careful. Then she pulled out the portal and looked at it.

1.17 A Serendipitous Discovery – blood on portal

It had been over a week since she had seen the portal, but it was easy to tell that it had changed. It had another side now, and the map was slightly askew. The shapes and forest were still in the same place, but the centaurs had moved around. It’s odd that the manticore doesn’t appear on the map, thought Jacqueline. Gleed the dragon did. He was right here, she thought pointing to the place between the hexagon and the square. Maybe that’s it. Maybe the manticore doesn’t show up because he’s too close to a portal. The portal is more important, so that’s what appears on the map.

Jacqueline still didn’t understand the placement of the portals. They didn’t appear to be in any pattern she could discern. Especially if she took the shape into account. The triangle would have been the first, she conjectured, then the square, the pentagon, and finally the hexagon. Now we are looking for a heptagon. They seemed to be placed at random.

She stared at it some more. She would have to ask Lonnie exactly what the manticore said. Maybe that would provide some clue to the placement of the portals.

Lonnie spent the next few days recovering and Jacqueline spent them waiting for her to recover. When Lonnie started to wake up, Jacqueline was there and would try to ask questions about exactly what the manticore said. The questioning wore Lonnie out, however, and Jacqueline rarely got any worthwhile information out of her. As Lonnie got better over the next few weeks, she was able to tell more and more of the story. She still didn’t feel well, and she couldn’t always remember things. But Jacqueline was unrelenting.

“The manticore said he couldn’t interfere with people like me,” explained Lonnie. “What did he call me? A Jashan? Janation? Janusian? Yeah, a Janusian. Do you have any idea what that means?”

“A Janusian? Hmm. That sounds like it might come from Janus. Janus is the Roman god of things with two sides, like coins and doors. He had two heads. I wonder what that could mean.”

“Maybe it means we came through the door,” said Lonnie.

“Of course,” said Jacqueline, “that’s why he wouldn’t be allowed to interfere!”

“Then he said that he told me too much.”

“Right after he told you about not being able to interfere?”

“That’s right,” Lonnie said. “Right after.”

“Why would he say that?”

“He seemed like he wanted to help me, but that he would get in trouble.”

“If that’s true then everything he said might be a riddle to give us a clue without getting himself in trouble,” said Jacqueline.

“Oh great. Just what we need. More riddles to figure out,” said Lonnie sarcastically. Then she spoke more seriously, “Do you have any ideas about what it might mean?”

“No. But I think the spine might be part of it. I think it was trying to tell us something with that spine. Otherwise you probably would have died.”

Lonnie thought this over. “Maybe,” she said, “but what does it mean? Why would the manticore make me sick if he really wants to help us out.”

“I don’t know,” admitted Jacqueline. “Maybe we’re reading to much into this. Maybe sticking you with the spine was just a mistake. Or maybe the manticore isn’t trying to help us at all.”

For the next few days they discussed the portal and the spine while fishing. With two of them fishing they seemed to have less luck than when only one of them fished. Perhaps they made too much noise talking to each other, but the conversation was worth it. They were glad to finally be reunited and healthy—at least if they ignored Jacqueline’s legs.

One day, Jacqueline was looking at the portal and Lonnie asked to see the spine. She had only looked at it a few times. As Jacqueline was pulling it out of the pocket where she had it stored, she accidentally pricked her finger with it. “Ouch!” she cried and immediately squeezed the finger to push out the poisoned blood. The blood dripped on the portal and started to move around. It filled in some crevices in the wood that were invisible to the naked eye. With blood filling up the cracks, Jacqueline was able to see what looked like writing in the objects near where the blood spilled. She squinted. Yes, it was definitely writing. She couldn’t make it out in the dim light of the fire. “Hey Lonnie, look at this.”

Lonnie had gone to get a bandage for Jacqueline’s finger. She rushed back to look at the portal. Jacqueline pointed to the spot where her blood had made the writing legible. “What happened there?” Lonnie asked.

“That’s where my blood dripped,” Jacqueline said. “If only we had known this before!” She thought of how Lonnie wouldn’t have had to go on the journey, and wouldn’t have gotten sick from the manticore’s spine.

“Quick,” said Lonnie, “let’s get some more blood on there.” She went to reach for the manticore spine.

Jacqueline pulled it out of her reach. “No,” she said. “You’ve already been poisoned by this spine. Who knows what will happen if you get pricked by it again. It’s too dangerous.”

Lonnie nodded, and started looking around for a knife. “Besides,” said Jacqueline, “it’s too late tonight. We’ll have better light in the morning.”

Lonnie wasn’t convinced, but she agreed to wait until the morning. “But as soon as the sun is in the sky we need to read this portal. We’ve waited long enough!”

Jacqueline certainly shared that sentiment. It was nearly February, or at least that’s what it would have been if they were in England. The centaurs didn’t use the same calendar. Their months had 24 days, and it was now the month of Nardeli. “I agree,” said Jacqueline. “We’ve been here about nine months. I’m glad we’re about to go home.” They talked for a while before falling asleep.

The sun came up and shone brightly on the village of Uluru. Much of the village gathered under a large tree near the healing grounds. The healers were all present, ostensibly in case something were to happen, but in reality they were as curious as anyone as to what the portal would reveal.

Jacqueline stared down at the portal in her hands. If the blood had faded it wasn’t a noticeable amount. Lonnie held a knife in her right hand. She clenched her fist and made a shallow cut on her wrist. A single dark red drop of blood formed. Lonnie held it over the triangle. They had decided that the portals were what they would try to read first. They could read whatever else they thought was necessary later. The drop grew slowly until it fell directly on the triangle. Jacqueline watched closely, but the blood stayed as a drop. It jiggled slightly as her hands shook, but it didn’t move like the blood last night. It didn’t swirl or soak into the wood. It just sat there, inert. For a while everyone held their breath. Finally, Lonnie asked, “What’s wrong? Why isn’t it working?”

“Maybe it has to be Jacqueline’s blood,” said one of the elders who came to watch. “It was her blood that worked last time.” Lonnie bound her wound and used the edge of the bandage to soak up the useless blood on the portal. Then she took the portal from Jacqueline and handed her the knife.

Jacqueline took the knife and hesitated for a long time working up the courage to cut herself. She wasn’t as used to pain as Lonnie was and she certainly had never cut herself before on purpose. Finally, however, she did make a small cut, also on her wrist. Because she didn’t have the control that Lonnie did, she cut too much and several drops of blood fell on the ground before she realized what was happening. She quickly maneuvered her arm over the portal and dripped a drop of blood on the square. Just as with Lonnie’s blood nothing happened.

Jacqueline’s eyes began to water. “It’s not fair,” she mumbled. “Why did it work last night?” The village was silent as if mourning their failure. Jacqueline looked out into the crowd at some of the elders there. “Do you have any ideas?” she asked. “Last night I accidentally pricked myself and the blood revealed some of the secrets of the portal.”

“Where did you prick yourself,” asked one of the elders.

“On the finger,” she answered.

“No, where were you when it happened.”

“Oh,” she said, “by the fire.” They sat in silence for a moment. There didn’t seem to be a good reason why being indoors or next to a fire would cause it to work. Usually magic was more powerful outdoors.

One of the centaur children, a boy too young to have antlers yet, asked “What did you prick yourself with?”

“The manticore’s spine!” she shouted. She felt stupid for not thinking of it before. Of course, the magic of the manticore’s spine was probably more important than the blood. The blood probably acted as a dye, while the manticore’s magic did all the actual work. Jacqueline raced back to the house. She hurriedly located the spine and brought it back out to where the village had assembled.

She plunged the spine into her finger a little too eagerly and pulled it back out. Several large drops formed and fell. But this time she was ready. One fell on the edge of the portal, but the next fell on the pentagon, one in the woods, and another near the hexagon. The drops of blood began moving as soon as they touched the portal. They swirled and spread outward leaving traces of blood accenting the details of the portal. Another drop fell on the hexagon, and it joined the previous one, swirling and spreading out to cover some of the surrounding forest.

Both Jacqueline and Lonnie were staring intently at the portal and were able to see the formation of the letters. The centaurs crowded around, but weren’t able to see more than some smoke rising from the portal. Jacqueline could hear them whispering “I can’t see.” and “What does it say?”

In the sun, the letters were clear and crisp. Unfortunately, they were not Latin letters. Jacqueline and Lonnie had no idea what they meant. Lonnie pointed to the edge of the portal where the drop of blood had fallen. The writing was twice as dense there as it was on the portals themselves.

Jacqueline looked up. “We can’t read it,” she said. “Who of you can read?” A few centaurs stepped forward and took turns looking at the letters. They all shook their heads and apologized for not being able to read it. The writing wasn’t centaur either.

Jacqueline and Lonnie hung their heads. They had worked so hard. Tried so many things. And now, just when the solution was about to become clear, the whole thing fell apart. “Are there any centaurs who might be able to read this?” Lonnie asked sounding hopeless.

“If anyone can,” offered an older buck in the front row, “it would be Ipotane.” Ipotane, they would learn, was the oldest of the centaurs. Some said he was alive at the foundation of the world, but this was clearly impossible. No one can live for two thousand years. He had knowledge that no other centaur had. Unfortunately, no one had seen him for almost a decade.

“Ipotane is said to live west, in the Diska mountains,” Phont explained to them later that day. Jacqueline was cleaning the fish they had caught, and Lonnie was preparing some nuts and herbs to go with it. Phont was explaining what was known about Ipotane. Before Jacqueline or Lonnie could ask how far it was, she continued, “It’s several days travel to get to the base of the mountains. Who knows where he is in the mountains though, or how long it will take to find him.”

“Nobody seems to think he might be dead,” said Lonnie. “Why is that? If no one has seem him for 10 years, then he could be dead couldn’t he?”

“I don’t think he is dead,” said Phont. “Every spring young bucks from the villages around here go into the mountains to get their first antlers. Every year one of them gets in trouble and is guided back by a centaur they never see. They always claim he identifies himself as Ipotane.”

“But they never see him?” asked Jacqueline.

“No, they never see him. For some reason he keeps himself hidden.”

“Why does Ipotane live in the mountains?” asked Jacqueline.

“The Diska mountains are sacred to our people,” said Phont. “They are where the twins stood when they created the world. There is a power there that cannot be corrupted or controlled. It can only be brushed up against, felt tangentially. People say that Ipotane lives there because he has found a way to tap the energy to keep himself alive.” Jacqueline and Lonnie both nodded. Something about this story seemed right. It matched what Lonnie had heard of the creation myth of the Keruni.

“When do the boys go to the Diska mountains?” asked Lonnie.

“They leave in early spring and come back in the fall,” said Phont. “It takes a long time to find antlers.”

“Can we go with them?” Lonnie asked.

“Usually it’s only boys, but perhaps they would make an exception for you. They start preparing to leave in a few weeks,” Phont added.

Jacqueline and Lonnie spent the next few weeks studying the portal. Jacqueline put a few more drops of her blood around the edges. They still couldn’t read anything, but they had one corner of it ready to read if they ever found Ipotane.

During this time Phont was busy talking to the elders on their behalf. She finally convinced them to let Jacqueline and Lonnie accompany the juveniles on their journey to the Diska mountains.

1.18 A Beautiful Sight

The sun rose clear and bright above the trees. The snows were gone in the valley and the air was warmer than it had been. Young bucks were emerging from their houses. They seemed to know instinctively that today was the day to leave. Jacqueline and Lonnie were still asleep when a centaur knocked on their door. “We’re leaving, do you want to come?”

The centaur, who went by the name of Balis, was much smaller than the others. He had always been smaller and weaker than the centaurs his age. Because of his weakness he had learned to work very hard. He was known for being indefatigable when pursuing something he wanted. Despite his best efforts, he had few friends, and had therefore befriended Jacqueline and Lonnie. His hard work couldn’t make up for his lack of size in the eyes of the other bucks his age. They cared mostly about one thing–forzleball. Forzleball was a popular game played on a large field. Jacqueline and Lonnie found it vaguely reminiscent of soccer (football for Lonnie), but neither had taken the time to learn the rules.

Balis knocked again. “Just a second,” came the response from inside. Lonnie came to the door, looking disheveled, but dressed. “We’re going,” said Balis. “Today is a perfect day for it.”

“Alright,” said Lonnie, still a little sleepy. “We’ll hurry.” And they did. Most of their provisions were already in makeshift backpacks. Lonnie quickly grabbed the rest and started packing. Jacqueline hurriedly put on her clothes and within a few minutes they were ready to leave.

They opened the door to the beautiful day and Jacqueline breathed in deeply. “Ah,” she sighed. “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.” Lonnie laughed. The cousins’ mood had improved significantly in the last few weeks. Their long wait was about to be over. They were finally on their way to meet Ipotane.

Balis fidgeted. Most of the other centaurs had left already and he knew that Jacqueline and Lonnie would be slower than any centaur. Lonnie came out and lifted Jacqueline onto Balis’ back. “Thanks again for offering to let me ride,” said Jacqueline. After lots of practice, she was now able to stand on her legs, and even walk a little if she could steady herself. But she still couldn’t walk well enough to make such a journey by herself.

The first day they talked and joked lightheartedly. Even the latest leaving centaurs passed them and made camp several miles ahead. Balis was nervous about this, the centaurs believed that the first to arrive into the mountains got the largest antlers. And the size of antlers was very important for social standing in centaur society. Jacqueline and Lonnie thought it was silly that the size of a centaur’s antlers were used to judge him, but none of the centaurs thought it was weird at all. That night they enjoyed themselves. They made a fire that was larger than necessary and they danced around. Even Jacqueline “danced” around on all fours.

The next four days were uneventful as they continued traveling towards the Diska mountains. On the fifth day they started climbing which was very difficult. The Diska mountains seemed to rise directly from the valley floor with almost no foothills. There were three peaks–one to the right, one to the left, and one straight ahead but farther away. Between these peaks was where Balis said they would stay. It was the valley of Matife and the scene of the creation of the world. The twins had stood on the north and south mountains as they created. They had kept their food in the high mountain valley of Matife. When they flooded the world, their food stayed dry, and that’s why the lakes in Matife do not have any fish. The flood waters hadn’t brought the fish that high, and so they were barren. A stream ran out of the valley into the plains below. It was called the Diska River and had magical properties that were used by the centaurs who lived near its banks.

The climb to the Matife valley was steep and treacherous. They had to watch for rocks falling from above as other centaurs made their way up the mountain ahead of them. Luckily, they were at least a day behind most of the other centaurs and so they didn’t have to worry as much as they might have otherwise. Having to carry Jacqueline up the mountainside made the task incredibly difficult. There were many places where the trail was such that she had to get off and walk, holding on to both Lonnie and Balis.

When they paused to rest, Jacqueline would gaze out over the plains in awe. She could see all the way to Uluru. Her family didn’t hike when she was young so she wasn’t used to such sights. She couldn’t believe they had made it so high into the sky. Occasionally there were clouds below them which impressed Jacqueline immensely.

They spent one uncomfortable night on the cliff face. Jacqueline and Lonnie were afraid they would roll off the edge, so they took turns keeping watch.

The valley itself was lush with grass and wildflowers. There had been fir and pine trees on the climb up to the valley, but once inside valley, there were only a few scrubby pines. It was overrun with marmots and other rodents. A few eagles circled in the air, waiting to catch one of them unawares. Had the valley been in North America there would have been mountain goats, or bighorn sheep, but such species didn’t exist in Nitida.

The centaurs had already spread out throughout the valley, each following the advice of some large-antlered friend or family member. “Sleep near the river, it will make your antlers grow.” “Don’t sleep near the river, it will steal the magic from your antlers.” “Only eat before noon.” “Never eat in the morning.” The advice was as varied as it was useless.

Jacqueline, Lonnie and Balis set up camp on the north east side. They spent the next few days exploring the length and breadth of the valley. The rest of the centaurs did this as well. If there were some sort of trouble they needed to know where they could head for shelter and food. Jacqueline and Lonnie had the added interest of trying to find Ipotane. Despite looking what seemed like everywhere, they were unable to find any sign of Ipotane or his dwelling.

After a largely uneventful week of searching, Lonnie became convinced that Ipotane didn’t live in the valley. “We’ve checked everywhere,” she said one night. “There’s no place he could be living. It’s time we went back to Uluru and found some other way to read the portal.”

“No,” said Jacqueline. “We need to stay and find Ipotane. He’s our only hope.”

“He’s not our only hope. There has to be some other way to read the portal. There has to be some clue we haven’t found yet.” Lonnie thought for a moment, “We could visit the other portal locations. Maybe there will be some clue there that we can find there.”

“Ipotane is the only person that can read this portal.”

“We don’t know that,” interrupted Lonnie.

“Well, we can’t go ask the manticore, he’s forbidden to interfere, remember?” asked Jacqueline sarcastically. “Why do you think we would find out anything more from the other portal locations?”

“I don’t know if we will, I just know we won’t learn anything by sitting up here. There’s nothing we can learn in this place.”

Balis got up and walked into the night. He wasn’t sure how to help his friends decide, but he knew he didn’t want to listen to the argument any longer. He already had a lot on his mind. He hadn’t felt his antlers growing in yet. He was afraid he wouldn’t get any. It hadn’t happened for many years, but there were stories of bucks going to the valley of Matife, and returning with no antlers at all. Such centaurs never grew antlers and were considered almost completely worthless. He was sure that because he had brought two girls up to the Diska mountains, he would be the next antlerless centaur—doomed to be ridiculed and derided for the rest of his life.

Balis walked north, climbing a little onto Mt. Zimereg, the northern peak. The stars were beautiful and helped him take his mind off of his worries. He walked slowly with his head back looking to the stars. He was going to end up with no family. He pushed that thought from his mind. The stars. He stepped. The smells of the cold alpine air. He stepped. Concentrating on the minutest details of what he was doing had always helped Balis stay focused. That is what he needed to concentrate on. Step. Not the hopelessness of his situation. Step. Stay positive. Step.

The ground gave way under his foot. He yelped, surprised. There was no real danger though. Until suddenly the ground under all his feet gave way and he started sliding down the mountain toward the valley. He scrambled backward to keep from sliding. He wasn’t fast enough, however, and he slid over the edge of a drop off. It wasn’t high, perhaps only ten feet, but Balis flailed wildly as the earth fell out from under him. His right front foot caught on a rock and the entire weight of his body came down. He heard and felt his bone snap as he landed at a bad angle on his leg. He rolled a bit before coming to a stop. Instinctively, Balis tried to stand, but pain shot through the leg as soon as he moved it. He screamed, more from the unexpectedness of the pain than the pain itself.

Oh no, he thought. My leg must be broken. A broken leg meant a lifetime of dependence for a centaur. It would almost be better if I simply didn’t come back at all, than come back with a broken leg and no antlers.

Lonnie rushed out of the tent they slept in and looked around. “Balis?” she called.

“Over here,” came the reply. “Be careful.” Lonnie made her way over to Balis. She saw what happened and started heading back to talk with Jacqueline. “Stay here,” she cautioned.

As if I had a choice, thought Balis.

Jacqueline and Lonnie made a splint for Balis’ leg from two of the tent poles. They told him to stay off his leg and collected food for him the next few days. Their argument was forgotten with their new-found responsibilities. Jacqueline and Lonnie realized how much work it was to take care of a full grown, but injured, centaur. Of course, Lonnie had to shoulder the food collection for all three of them, while Jacqueline took care of the chores around the tent such as the cooking.

One afternoon a storm blew in without warning. Lonnie was out gathering food and hadn’t paid attention to the weather. She tried to make her way back, but the rain was so heavy she couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of her. She saw in front of her a figure, blurry through the rain. It was obviously a centaur, but Lonnie couldn’t make out any features. It seemed to beckon to her, so she followed it back to her tent. The figure waved good bye, as they got near the tent, but Lonnie decided to follow it instead of going into the tent. It kept walking east and north until it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Lonnie peered into the rain. She was getting cold and knew she should get back. But she no longer knew the way to go, and she wanted to remember where the figure had vanished. That might give some clue as to how to find it again.

The rain lightened for a moment and Lonnie looked around, memorizing the features of where she stood. Then she looked for her tent and, finding it, started walking in that direction. Jacqueline was waiting at the door for her. “I think I may have seen Ipotane,” Lonnie said. “He helped me find my way back here, but then I tried to follow him, and he vanished.”

Jacqueline listened intently, her heart beating faster. “Do you know where he vanished?” asked Jacqueline.

“Yes, I think so,” said Lonnie. “I’ll show you tomorrow.”

That night Jacqueline dreamed about the key again.

1.19 A Secret Door – door in the mountains

Balis hobbled along on three legs. Jacqueline and Lonnie had done their best to set the bone, but they were afraid it wouldn’t heal perfectly. Balis’ leg was healing, but he still couldn’t put any weight on it. He could no longer carry Jacqueline, so it had taken quite some time for the trio to get to the location.

“I was standing about here,” said Lonnie, “and I saw Ipotane over there before he disappeared.” Jacqueline wasn’t sure yet whether she believed it was Ipotane that Lonnie had seen. His actions fit with the stories they had heard, but something made her nervous. They scanned the side of the mountain, but didn’t see any places Ipotane could hide.

“I’ll look over there,” said Lonnie pointing to the right at some boulders. “Jacqueline can check up there,” she pointed straight ahead at a small cliff. Lonnie then pointed at some bushes and said, “Balis, can you check those trees?” Balis agreed and hobbled to the bushes, while Lonnie crawled straight ahead on all fours.

Jacqueline looked all over the cliff face. It was perhaps six feet high at its tallest. She pulled herself up, leaning against it and felt along it with her hands. There might be some hidden door. But if the door were magical, then she wouldn’t really have any hope of finding it. She felt a few cracks that she thought might be the edge of the door, or a keyhole, but she couldn’t get anything to move. Soon Jacqueline was worn out. Standing up wasn’t easy for her, and using her weight trying to open a door while staying upright was nearly impossible.

Balis hopped over to where she was standing, his right front leg held off the ground. “Did you find anything?” he asked.

“No,” she said, “I found some cracks, but I can’t get anything to move.”

“What about that doorknob?” he asked. “Did you try that?”

Jacqueline looked at where Balis was pointing. She saw a shallow groove that looked like it had been cut from the rock. “Yes,” she said, “but I couldn’t get it to move. Maybe you should try, you’re a lot stronger than I am. I’m not sure I could open it even if it was a handle.”

Balis took a few hops over to the cliff, planted his feet, and pulled with all the strength of a runty centaur. The door slid open easily, nearly causing Balis to fall over from the sudden movement. Jacqueline gaped. “I must be even weaker than I thought,” she said.

A cavern stretched back until it was lost in the darkness. The sides looked as if they had been carved in places. Jacqueline peered into the darkness. It would take her eyes a few moments to adjust. In the meantime she entered the corridor slowly, leaning against the wall, careful to watch where she placed her feet.

At the same time, Balis had backed away from the mouth of the cave. He was startled that it had actually opened. To his surprise, he realized that he hadn’t actually believed that Ipotane was real. Or at least that he lived in Matife valley. But here was proof. He tore his eyes away from the cave and hollered to Lonnie, “Hey, come check this out!”

Lonnie came scrambling back from the boulders. When she saw the dark opening into the mountain, she skidded to a stop and stared for a moment. Then she cried, “We found it!” and ran to the mouth. She went to squeeze past Jacqueline, but paused when she couldn’t see anything. She turned back to look at Balis. “Let’s go.”

They gathered a ways in and let their eyes adjust. Jacqueline’s eyes were the first to adjust and she kept going forward. But she was the slowest and Lonnie and Balis soon passed her. The corridor was tight for Balis, but he could stand upright. A full grown centaur with antlers would have had to stoop most of the way.

Just as the light was failing completely, Lonnie asked, “What’s that? It looks like there’s light.” And there was. As she got closer, Lonnie saw a large room. It was a mostly natural cavern, though some of it was clearly carved, for example where the torches were affixed. She looked back and saw Balis coming up behind her. Lonnie beckoned to him to be quiet, and pointed to the other side of the room. There was another door. Balis nodded and they started walking quietly toward the door.

They were half way across the room when Balis heard movement behind them. He turned to help Jacqueline get across the floor, but instead he saw an old centaur standing behind them with a bow drawn, the arrow pointed at him. “Get over by the wall,” growled the centaur. Balis and Lonnie obliged. “What are you doing here?” asked the centaur gruffly.

Jacqueline flinched. “We were looking for Ipotane,” she said. “We thought he must live here. We’re sorry to have disturbed you.”

The centaur grunted. “I bet you left the door open, didn’t ya?” Lonnie and Balis looked at each other sheepishly. “Speak up!” he demanded.

“Y-y-yes,” admitted Balis. “We’ll go close it,” he offered weakly.

“Bah!” grumbled the centaur, reaching for some shackles fastened to the wall. “You, centaur, come here.” Balis obediently walked over and offered his wrists. The centaur shackled them securely. He then turned to Lonnie and nodded toward another set of shackles. After she was secured, he rushed off mumbling about not closing the door.

Lonnie turned toward Balis and asked, “Who is that?”

“I don’t know,” said Balis. “I would have said it was Ipotane.”

“Do you have any ideas on how we get out of here?”

“Let me think,” said Balis. “Hey, what happened to Jacqueline?”

“I don’t know. Don’t say anything, in case she hasn’t been caught yet.”

Their captor returned a few minutes later. He mumbled to himself and began going about his business as if the two weren’t there. He didn’t seem to notice when they talked to each other, which they did mostly in hushed tones for fear of his wrath. Finally Lonnie was brave enough to ask, “What’s your name?”

“My name?” he asked. “My name is Ipotane. I’m the oldest, wisest centaur in the world, and you two nearly ruined everything.”

“But what did we almost ruin?” asked Balis.

“I have lived in this cave for over 300 years. In that time, only three people have found it. Luckily for me, they were unable to share the information with anyone else,” he said ominously. “By finding the cave in daylight and leaving the door open, you two nearly gave that information to everyone!”

“But why do you want your house to stay hidden?” Lonnie asked.

“Because I have been cursed,” he said and wouldn’t talk about it anymore. After that he ignored all their questions.

---

Jacqueline had fallen and was lying on the ground when a strange centaur rushed past her. She had tried to call out, but he was already gone by the time she did. She heard the door closing and the centaur rushing back. This time she didn’t cry out. Where were Balis and Lonnie? Why hadn’t the centaur come looking for her? Why hadn’t Balis or Lonnie? If they hadn’t told the centaur about her, then there must be reason. She determined to use his ignorance of her to their advantage. First, she had to figure out what was going on.

Jacqueline crawled down the hall towards the growing light. As she got nearer she strained to hear, making sure to stay out of the way. She could hear Lonnie and Balis talking to each other, but she couldn’t tell what they were saying. “What’s your name?” she heard Lonnie ask.

“My name?” the centaur responded. “My name is Ipotane.” So it was Ipotane! But something wasn’t right. He said he was cursed, but what was the curse?

That evening Ipotane said, “I have to go now. I’ll be back, so don’t try anything foolish.”

“Where are you going?” asked Balis.

“I have to watch the stars. I’m looking for the prophecy to be fulfilled.” Lonnie listened intently hoping to understand what was going on. “I think the twins should return soon to save the world. But I’ve said too much.” She heard him grabbing a few things and then he rushed past her towards the door. She waited until she heard the door close, and then she crawled to the room until she could see Lonnie.

“Pssst,” she hissed. Lonnie looked up and saw Jacqueline in the floor of the passageway.

“Hey, you need to get us out of here,” said Lonnie. “Ipotane is crazy.”

“No,” said Balis. “If we escape, I think Ipotane will hunt us down. He really doesn’t want anyone else to find his house.”

“Hmm,” said Lonnie, “you might be right. But what can we do?”

“Well,” said Jacqueline, “he’s waiting for the twins. What if we can convince him we’re the twins?”

Balis and Lonnie thought. Balis finally responded, “that might work.” They discussed it and decided to gamble. Jacqueline would return to their tent and get the portal. She would then bring it to the cave and confront Ipotane. Jacqueline was worried that she wouldn’t be able to get the door open, but they didn’t have any choice.

Jacqueline began crawling to the door. It didn’t take her as long to crawl back as it had to crawl in. When she got to the door, she moved into a little alcove. She didn’t dare to try opening the door until Ipotane was back inside. He might be waiting outside the door, and he could return at any time.

She waited for several long hours before she heard the door scraping and saw the night sky appear. Ipotane stepped inside and closed the door in a single smooth, practiced motion. After closing the door, he paused for a moment. Jacqueline held her breath. Then she heard him walking down the tunnel, his arm running along the wall. She waited until she couldn’t hear anything. Then she waited some more. She fumbled around looking for the door handle from the inside. Finally, she found it, and pulled with all her might. She didn’t try to keep her balance, so when it opened she fell over and banged her head on a rock.

She crawled through the door, rubbing her head. The door wasn’t open very wide and since it was night she decided to just leave it open. She hurried back to their tent and grabbed the portal. As an after thought, she brought some food. Some of it she ate on the way, but most she saved.

The sun had already appeared above the eastern horizon by the time she got back to the cave entrance. She slithered inside and rested for a second. She stood with no small amount of effort and grabbed the door knob. It took all her might to close the door, but this time she was a little better prepared and didn’t hit her head. She rested for a few moments and ate some more of the food she had brought. She was hungrier than she wanted to admit, but she saved most of the food for Lonnie and Balis.

Jacqueline arrived some time later at the room where Lonnie and Balis were kept prisoner. Ipotane was working at a desk with his back to her. She pulled the portal out and held onto it, propping herself up against the wall as quietly as she could. Ipotane was hard at work and didn’t notice. He didn’t even notice that Balis and Lonnie became silent when they first saw Jacqueline.

“Ipotane, I need your help,” said Jacqueline with all the confidence she could muster. “I need your help to read this portal to find my way back to home.”

Ipotane whirled around. His face grew red. “What are you doing here!” he bellowed.

“I need your help,” Jacqueline said calmer than she felt. “Lonnie and I are the twins and we need your help.” This seemed to confuse him.

“What do you mean you are the twins?” he said, eying her suspiciously.

“Several months ago, Lonnie and I came through this.” Jacqueline held up the portal. “We helped kill the dragon Gleed. And now we wish to return to our home. But we need your help to read the portal to find out how to get back.”

“How old are you?” Ipotane asked, but before they could answer continued, “What are your parents’ names?” Ipotane continued to ask questions as fast as they would respond. Many were the same questions the elders had asked like “Which of you is older?” Some, however, were different like, “Do you have any pets?”

Jacqueline patiently answered all his questions, until they stopped. Ipotane sat thinking for a second, trying to decide if Jacqueline and Lonnie were indeed the twins. Finally, Lonnie spoke up, “We’re girls.” She was still a little bitter that the elders had asked that. Ipotane reacted just about like she expected. He jerked his head up and stared at Lonnie. He squinted, then appeared thoughtful. He turned and went through the other door. After a while, he came back with a scroll. He was unrolling it looking for something. Eventually he found it and read it, then searched for another passage. He continued searching the scroll for half an hour. Then he turned to Jacqueline and Lonnie.

“I welcome you twins to my house,” he said calmly. “I have been waiting for you. I will assist you in any way that I can.”

1.20 A Tragic Death – Balis dead

Ipotane released Lonnie after they promised they would never tell anyone where he lived. He wouldn’t release Balis, though he did look at his leg. “It wasn’t set properly,” he said. “I’m afraid there’s nothing to be done about it now.”

That night Lonnie went to get some supplies from their tent. Almost immediately Ipotane and Jacqueline began spending most of their time reading the portal. Jacqueline pricked herself at regular intervals, expanding the readable portions of the portal until eventually the entire portal had been covered in her blood. “The portal,” said Ipotane, “is written in the original language of the twins. I can read the words, but I don’t really understand the meaning. The portal discusses things I don’t understand.”

Each of the shapes had two dates near it. The first date on the triangle was the date of the creation. The other dates on the shapes are as follows:

Shape	first date	second date
Triangle	1–1–1	1387–5–7
Square	1387–11–23	1443–3–3
Pentagon	1444–2–18	1892–9–14
Hexagon	1892–9–23	2374–7–3

“The second date on each precedes the first date on the next shape,” said Jacqueline, “but by less than a year. Perhaps these are the dates that the portals were active.”

“Yes,” said Ipotane. “That’s quite possible. But what use is that information?”

“I don’t know,” admitted Jacqueline. “Read the edge again.”

“ ’The cold days one thousand, one sun shall be,’ ” read Ipotane. “Or maybe ‘one sun is.’ It’s difficult to tell. ’The day hour circles the mountain.’ ”

“I still don’t understand what that could mean.”

“I’m sorry,” Ipotane said, “I’m not very good at reading this. I wish I had studied more with the twins when they created the world.” Jacqueline shrugged. Regrets didn’t matter now. They just had to figure it out.

“What do you think the cold days one thousand means?” she asked.

“It could be one thousand days of winter,” said Ipotane. “Or maybe 1000 winters,” he said, perking up. The only word for winter was chusen, which means literally ’cold days’."

They didn’t make any further progress that night.

The next day Lonnie spent some time outside making sure that the other centaurs saw her. Ipotane wanted to be certain that they wouldn’t come looking for any of them. He needn’t have worried. They were all too busy getting their own antlers to worry about the runt and two foreigners. Most of the boys weren’t interested in theology, and so didn’t care whether they were the twins or not.

Over the next few days, Ipotane relented and released Balis. Despite his bad leg, Balis helped around the cave. He cooked, and cleaned and organized the library. Ipotane may have been very wise, but he was a bit of a slob, or at least a bachelor. Ipotane finally decided that he would let Balis live, but his house had to remain a secret. Balis was to fake his own death in some way so that the other centaurs would never look for him.

“You two will sleep in your tent. I will send Balis to you in the morning. From that point you can fake his death.”

---

A few days later, Jacqueline and Lonnie spent the night in the tent. They got up the next morning and walked around as if searching for something. When they got to a cliff they looked over the edge and Lonnie screamed. A few of the other centaurs within earshot looked for the source of the sound. Lonnie kept screaming and they rushed to help her. The first centaur to arrive was a large, strong buck named Koshut. Lonnie pointed down the cliff, and Koshut gasped. On a ledge about 100 feet below them was the body of Balis twisted into an unnatural shape.

Koshut put his arms around Lonnie to comfort her. He carried her back to where Jacqueline was crawling on the ground screaming, “What’s going on? What happened?” He put Lonnie down, and tried to tell Jacqueline what had happened. He couldn’t find the words, however, so he picked her up and carried her to the edge of the cliff. She looked over the edge and she suddenly became quiet. Tears started to stream down her face.

A few other centaurs arrived and looked over the edge. Some stayed to comfort Jacqueline or Lonnie. Koshut was one of them. Those at the edge sat discussing what to do. One particularly intrepid centaur started to climb down the cliff face. Several of the others warned him against it. The ground gave way beneath him, forcing him to scramble back up to where the rest of them waited. Rocks rained down on Balis. One large rock narrowly missing his head.

The centaurs near the ledge finally went to Jacqueline and Lonnie’s tent, who had been taken there by the other centaurs to rest. “It’s too dangerous to get his body,” said a dark coated buck solemnly. Jacqueline started crying even louder. Lonnie looked more stoic.

“Is he dead?” she asked.

“Yes,” said another buck with large ears. “It’s possible he could have survived the fall, but he didn’t answer us when we called to him. It certainly looks like he’s dead.”

“I wish we could give him a proper burial,” said one of the smaller centaurs.

Lonnie, still looking stoic, nodded, “I’m afraid it can’t be helped. Balis wouldn’t have wanted others to die trying to bury him.” They all nodded in agreement. Later that day they held a burial ceremony. Koshut was the de facto leader of the funeral. The centaurs lined the cliff face and chanted following the Koshut’s lead.

After the prayer was finished they returned to the cousins’ tent and brought food. They stayed up late eating, talking, and remembering Balis. They weren’t able to observe all the customary rites and traditions, but they did their best.

Lonnie awoke the next morning to find her tent full of centaurs. Jacqueline was still asleep. The look on her face was pained. Lonnie wanted the centaurs out of her tent, but she recognized that they needed to follow their traditions in order to find peace with the death. She thought briefly that Ipotane might help them recover the body. She put that thought out of her head. He was perhaps the most callous person she had ever met. She didn’t know how Jacqueline could stand to talk to him. On the other hand, if it got them back to England and her parents, it was worth it.

The centaurs all left by noon. Jacqueline and Lonnie ate lunch in silence. After they finished, Jacqueline said, “Well, I guess it’s time to get back.”

“Back?” said Lonnie. “Back to where?”

“Back to Ipotane’s of course.”

Lonnie frowned. “We can’t go until night time,” she said. “And I think maybe I should stay here.”

“Why?” asked Jacqueline.

“If one of the centaurs comes back, and no one is around they will get suspicious,” she said. Jacqueline nodded in agreement. They spent the rest of the day in silence inside their tent. They were unsure of what to do. Lonnie wanted to return to Uluru. Jacqueline wanted to return to Ipotane’s. But neither wanted to talk. They still mourned Balis.

At dusk Jacqueline began to prepare to leave. She left as the sun was setting behind the mountain. Lonnie accompanied her, supporting her and even carrying her a few times. Lonnie opened the hidden door, and Jacqueline crawled inside. Lonnie closed the door without saying good bye. She walked back to the tent, laid down, and cried herself to sleep.

Jacqueline leaned against the wall as Lonnie closed the door. She breathed deeply three times before she started down the dark corridor to Ipotane’s room. It was late and Jacqueline was tired by the time she had crawled all the way there. She called out to Ipotane and he came to her. “How did it go?” he asked her somewhat coldly.

Jacqueline started crying against her will. “Balis died,” she sobbed. Ipotane laughed and Jacqueline glared at him. Sometimes Ipotane didn’t even seem human.

“Balis!” Ipotane called. The door to Ipotane’s room opened and Balis hobbled out. He was a little unkempt. He had blood dried on his neck and flank. Jacqueline blinked and cried out. “Balis!? Balis! What happened? I saw you dead? How did you…”

“Slow down, slow down,” said Balis. “I wasn’t dead, but I guess that’s obvious. Ipotane took me to the ledge and I pretended to be dead.” Jacqueline gaped. Balis continued, “It was a very long time for me to stay there not moving, but I managed. At dark I came back in.”

“But…”

“Why don’t I show you?” Balis asked. Jacqueline nodded and they started hobbling to the door and down a corridor Jacqueline had never been down. Balis grabbed a candle and led her. It was a labyrinthine journey, and Jacqueline could hear Balis repeating directions to himself. “Right. Left. Left. Left. Right…” Eventually they came to the mouth of the tunnel through which Jacqueline could see the stars. She went to step out side, but Balis held out his hand to stop her. “Careful,” he said. She looked down and realized that she was about three feet above the ledge where Balis had lain, apparently dead.

“I see,” said Jacqueline finally and they headed back. Finding their way back seemed easier.

“Why didn’t you tell us what you had planned,” Jacqueline demanded of Ipotane. “Lonnie and I were so sad. You should have told us.”

“I needed you to convince everyone that Balis was dead, and I didn’t know how good of actors you were,” he explained. “So that’s why I needed you to believe that Balis had actually died. There was no other way to guarantee that you would be convincing.”

Jacqueline frowned but accepted the explanation. “We’ll have to tell Lonnie as soon…”

“No!” Ipotane interrupted. “She must believe he is still dead. I could not keep the truth from you because you will be staying here. But Lonnie is our public face. She must continue to believe he’s dead.”

Jacqueline remained silent for a while then said coldly, “I’m going to bed.”

---

The other centaurs would occasionally come by to see Jacqueline and Lonnie. Lonnie did her best to brush them off. “Jacqueline isn’t feeling well, please don’t wake her.” “Jacqueline has gone to spend some time alone. She’s still very sad.” The others seemed to buy her excuses, and soon stopped coming by. Koshut was not so easily deterred, however. For some reason he felt responsible. He stopped by every day in the morning and the evening. He often brought food.

“Thanks for the food,” said Lonnie. “I really appreciate it. We really appreciate it.”

“Where’s Jacqueline?” he asked, ignoring her. “Why is she never here anymore?”

“She’s, uh, using the latrine,” she answered saying the first thing that came to her mind.

“I’ll wait.”

“Oh, uh. She… is very self-conscious when she gets back. With her burned legs it’s sometimes…messy.” she finished weakly. Koshut looked uncomfortable, but he didn’t move. “I really want to talk with her,” he said. “I feel that she might need some help.”

Lonnie didn’t know what to do, so she let him stay there a while. Maybe I can think of something in a few minutes, she thought. But after several minutes she still hadn’t thought of anything. Koshut stood up and paced a bit. “I think she might have hurt herself,” he said. “I should go look for her.”

“No!” said Lonnie, too hastily. “She can take care of herself.” Koshut stared at her, obviously not believing her story. He continued staring at her. Finally she looked away.

“Okay,” Lonnie said. “Jacqueline isn’t around. But you can’t tell anyone.” Koshut nodded. “Promise?”

“I promise.”

Lonnie nodded slowly. “Jacqueline found a secret place and is spending all her time there, trying to understand the writing on the portal. Something about the place makes her think she can understand it there but nowhere else. I don’t really know why. Jacqueline was always smarter than me.

“Anyway, she doesn’t want people looking for her. For some reason it will ruin the place she found,” finished Lonnie. It wasn’t exactly a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. Koshut looked at her and she met his gaze. He seemed to believe her.

“Why not just say that?” he asked. “We would leave her alone if she wanted.”

“I don’t know. Something about it having to remain a secret. I really don’t understand.” That at least was true. She didn’t understand why Ipotane needed it to be secret so badly. “Please promise me you won’t tell anyone.”

Koshut smiled gently. “I promise,” he said. “If there is anything you or Jacqueline need, please let me know.”

“I will,” Lonnie said. Koshut raised his head to her and started to walk away. “Wait,” she said, “what does that mean? All the centaurs lift their heads back. What does it mean?”

Koshut hesitated. “It’s baring our throat. It means that we trust someone, and that we respect them. It’s a kind of greeting.” Lonnie nodded, tears coming to her eyes. She didn’t know why she was crying, but simply felt sad all of a sudden. She tipped her head back to Koshut. He bared his throat to her in return, and walked away slowly. He looked back several times, but Lonnie didn’t notice through her tears.

1.21 An Unraveling Mystery – studying portal w/Ipotane

Jacqueline and Ipotane spent nearly all their free time trying to interpret the writing on the portal. Balis took over most of the work Ipotane had done previously. He cooked meals, and took care of things around the living quarters. But more importantly, he slowly took over responsibility for Ipotane’s nocturnal excursions. Ipotane showed him how to track the stars, and what their alignments meant. He wasn’t as fast as Ipotane was, but he was thorough. Balis had never felt needed before, and he liked the feeling.

Jacqueline was having the dream about the key almost every night. She told Ipotane, but he wasn’t able to understand it either. They read and reread the writing on the portal for clues.

“In lunar glow must mean in the moonlight,” said Jacqueline.

“But what does ‘the tiny piece’ mean? A seed?” suggested Ipotane.

“I don’t think so,” said Jacqueline. “It doesn’t say it will make it grow, but rather it will be brought to know. Maybe we can only find the new tree in the moonlight.”

“Hmmm,” mumbled Ipotane. “Maybe. Let’s try this one again,” he said pointing to one of the other edges.

“The time it lives could be talking about the portal. The time that it’s got a tree,” said Ipotane.

“Or it could be the time that the tree grows.”

“But wasn’t the tree you saw at the triangle still alive?” asked Ipotane.

“Yes, that’s true,” Jacqueline said. “Maybe it’s…” But she couldn’t think of a better alternative.

“Rebirth would be when the portal finds a new home,” Ipotane continued. “But how does it move while it’s alive?”

Suddenly Jacqueline had an idea. “Maybe it means that while it’s alive, the spot where the rebirth will occur is constantly moving. Let me see the portal.” Ipotane handed her the portal which he had been reading from.

“Look!” she said, “The square and the pentagon are fairly close together. The square was alive for the shortest amount of time. Less than one hundred years.”

“Indeed,” said Ipotane. “But what does this mean?” They read a little more.

“The day hour circles could be the circle of a clock,” suggested Jacqueline.

“What’s a clock?” asked Ipotane.

“Well…” started Jacqueline. “It’s a way of telling the time.” Ipotane gave her a blank stare. “It’s a circle with one hour increments on the clock. Then a pointer goes around pointing to which hour it is.” She realized how futile it was to talk like this, so she drew a picture on a slate. “Here are the markings for the hours of the day. In this case there are 12 because in England there are twelve hours in a day. Well 24 actually, but that’s another story. How many hours are there in a day in Nitida?” she asked realizing she didn’t know such a basic detail of life in Nitida.

“There are 12 hours in a day.”

“Good. So the portal location could circle a mountain,” said Jacqueline. She looked at the portal. “They all seem equally far from this mountain.” She was pointing at a large mountain to the southwest of the triangle. In fact it was the mountain that Jacqueline had used for a landmark when climbing the tree.

Ipotane searched for some string and then traced out a circle around the mountain. The portals were surprisingly close to the roughly calculated circle. Too close to merely be coincidence.

“The day hour circles the mountain,” said Jacqueline, “but what does, ‘The cold days one thousand, one sun is’ mean?”

“Let’s see if I can re-translate it now that we know a little better what to expect,” said Ipotane, already flipping the portal around to read the appropriate part. “Let’s see. It could mean winters, one thousand…”

“That could mean a thousand years,” said Jacqueline.

“And ‘one sun’ could mean one day. But I still don’t understand,” said Ipotane.

“But it would be obvious if you had seen a clock before,” Jacqueline said. “Because a clock goes around a circle twice every day. At least, that’s how they work in England. It might be that in Nitida they only go around once, or they go around many times.”

“I’m afraid,” said Ipotane, “that I still don’t understand.” It had been a long time since someone had to explain something to him so many times. But this ’clock’ sounded very bizarre.

Jacqueline nodded, and drew a circle. “Here at the top is noon,” she said trying to keep things simple. “Then every hour that passes causes the hand to move one twelfth of the way around.”

“What’s a hand?” asked Ipotane looking puzzled.

“Ah, of course,” Jacqueline replied. She drew a line from the center straight up. “It’s a little metal bar that pivots around the middle of the clock. You use it to tell you what time it is. I don’t know why it’s called a hand.”

“Ah,” said the centaur, “I think I understand. So the ‘hand’ moves slowly around and at midnight it would be here?” He drew a line from the center straight down. Jacqueline nodded. “And at dinner time it would be here,” he said drawing a line to the left.

“Well, in England it actually goes this direction.” She circled her hands in a clockwise direction. “But I don’t know which way it would go here in Nitida.” Ipotane nodded, thinking.

“Actually, to be completely honest,” Jacqueline added, “the hand goes around twice in every day in England, so that at midnight it’s back here.” She pointed to the top.

“Why?” asked Ipotane. “That doesn’t make much sense.”

“I’m not sure,” Jacqueline said. “That’s just the way it’s done.”

“So, if one thousand years is one day,” said Ipotane slowly. “Then I guess that means that one thousand years means one, or two, revolutions. Or maybe more.”

“That sounds right,” said Jacqueline. “We should be able to figure out which it is by looking at where the square is compared to the triangle.”

“I see,” said the centaur. “The square started on 1387-12-23. One thousand years would bring it back to where it started, meaning that it should be about 387/1000 of the way through the circle. That’s a little over a third. And look, there it is, about a third of the way!”

Jacqueline thought for a moment. “Yes, but if it went through two revolutions per day, then it would be about 2/3 of the way through. And if it’s going in the opposite direction, that’s exactly where it is.”

Ipotane looked thoughtful for a moment. “Yes,” he said, “You are right. Then we must look at the pentagon.” He read the portal to himself and said, “The pentagon was born on 1444-4-18, which was about 57 years after the square was born. And there it is, very close to the square. It means it must go in this direction,” he said signaling counter-clockwise.

“Which means it only goes around once per day,” said Jacqueline. “Now we should be able to tell where the next one should be.”

“It’s now the year 2375, and each thousand years puts us back at the beginning, so 375 should be about a third of the way–actually really close to the square. Just this side of it,” he said pointing.

“Yeah!” yelled Jacqueline. They finally knew where the new portal would be. “All we have to do now is go there, find the tree, and put the portal on it. Then we can go home!” She was practically dancing around.

Ipotane was excited too, though he was more restrained. Then he had a thought. “How will you find the tree?” he asked.

“The triangle tree was obvious, it was at least twice as tall as any other tree,” Jacqueline said. “How could we not find it?”

“The triangle tree is over two thousand years old, ”Ipotane said. “Was the hexagon tree as large?” Jacqueline thought about it. It hadn’t been as large. In fact it wasn’t much bigger than a normal tree. Her face fell. The new tree would probably be less than a year old. It had probably started growing when the old portal tree was destroyed.

“What do we do?” she asked.

“There’s writing on the final corner,” said Ipotane. “I have wondered why there was only writing on three corners, but now it makes sense. The three corners are the original three corners of the triangle portal. Each corner gives one clue. We’ve used the first two, and now it’s time to use the last.” He turned the portal around to read the last corner. “Let me read it again.”

“ ’In lunar glow’ has to mean that we do something in the moonlight,” said Jacqueline. “And that’s how we’ll find the tree. Or the tree will be brought to us, or something.”

“But what is the ‘tiny piece’?” asked Ipotane.

Jacqueline looked dejected, “I don’t know.” They discussed it some more that day, but had no new ideas. That night Jacqueline went to visit Lonnie and tell her the good news.

Jacqueline heard Lonnie crying softly in the tent. She opened the door and asked, “Lonnie?” Lonnie kept crying, as well as tossing and turning. Occasionally she would cry out, but Jacqueline couldn’t understand what she was saying. Jacqueline crawled in the tent and sat down next to Lonnie. “It’s okay,” she consoled her. “It’s okay, it’s just a nightmare. Wake up Lonnie. Wake up.” Jacqueline stroked Lonnie’s hair and back, trying to wake her gently.

Lonnie began to thrash more savagely and cry out more often. “Wake up,” Jacqueline said a little more forcefully. Then again, stronger, “Wake up!” She started shaking Lonnie before she woke her. Lonnie gasped and looked around. “It’s okay,” Jacqueline assured her.

“Where am I?” asked Lonnie. “What’s going on?”

“You’re in the Matife valley,” said Jacqueline. Lonnie gave her a blank stare and cocked her head to one side. She’s even starting to act like a centaur, thought Jacqueline. The centaurs always cocked their heads when they didn’t understand something. “We came to the valley to find out where the portal is so that we can get home.”

“Oh,” said Lonnie. After a pause she continued, “Yeah, I remember now,” though not very convincingly. She sighed, then said, “I was having a nightmare. It started out with me eating ice cream, using licorice as a straw. I was with my parents, but it wasn’t in my house. It was smaller, and in the city. There were no woods around. I think you were there too, and your dad.”

“My dad?”

“Yes,” Lonnie. “At least I think he was your dad. He had dark, almost black, hair, no glasses, long side burns, and kind brown eyes. He was not quite six feet tall.”

My father, thought Jacqueline. She realized that she couldn’t remember what her father looked like. It wasn’t just that she couldn’t remember the details of his face, it was that she couldn’t remember anything about how he looked. His hair must have been dark, because Lonnie said so. But Jacqueline had no way of knowing if that was true. “Describe the man some more,” she commanded startling herself with her forcefulness.

As Lonnie described the man, Jacqueline realized it was the man in the dream about the key. Jacqueline’s breath caught in her throat. My dad, she thought. A flood of longing overcame her and if she hadn’t been sitting she would have fallen over. She had been concentrating so hard on interpreting the portal that she had forgotten the reason she was trying to get back. Her father. She knew she could never get her mother back, but she had to see her father. Suddenly, her heart ached, and she thought she would die if she couldn’t be with him soon.

“…and then it grabbed me by my antlers, because I was a Keruni for some reason.” Jacqueline snapped her attention back to Lonnie and her nightmare. In Nitida she had learned to trust dreams. “So I shook and shook my head, but it held on too tight. It used it’s tongue, which was very long and skinny for a marmot. But then I noticed it was only pretending to be a marmot. It was actually a wolf. But anyway, it used it’s long, skinny tongue to drill holes through my antlers. At first they were large holes, but they kept getting smaller and smaller and smaller. After that…”

“Wait,” interrupted Jacqueline. “What about holes in your antlers?”

“Well,” said Lonnie somewhat taken aback, “the wolf used his tongue, kind of like a drill, to poke holes in my antlers. They were large at first and he would use his tongue to enlarge the hole. But by the end, he would just flick his tongue through my antlers leaving smaller and smaller holes. At some point they stopped being visible, which doesn’t really make sense for a tongue to be able to make a hole that small. But I guess it was a dream, it doesn’t have to make sense.”

“I wish it did make sense,” said Jacqueline. “Because that’s the same as the key that I’ve been dreaming about. Along the shaft of the key there are a series of holes. The first are large, and they get progressively smaller. This can’t be just a coincidence,” she said finally.

“You’re right,” said Lonnie. “Can I tell you the rest of my nightmare?”

“Sure,” said Jacqueline. “Sorry to interrupt.” But she only half paid attention. She was busy thinking about the series of shrinking holes. Could it be that ’the tiny piece’ had something to do with the small end of the holes? She listened to Lonnie’s nightmare and tried to comfort her. She almost left without telling Lonnie what she and Ipotane had found out about the new portal tree.

“Hey,” Jacqueline said as she was standing up to leave. “We found out where the next portal tree should be.”

“That’s great,” Lonnie said. “Does that mean we can go? I’m getting a little tired of explaining to people why they can’t see you.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Jacqueline said. “Hopefully we can leave soon. But we don’t know how to find the right tree.” Lonnie cocked her head again, and Jacqueline added, “All the trees we found were old. We think this new tree will be just that, new.” Lonnie nodded, understanding.

“Well, I guess I should go,” said Jacqueline. Lonnie bared her throat to Jacqueline. She really is turning into a centaur. Jacqueline thought, but she tipped her head back to Lonnie in return, not knowing what it meant.

Jacqueline turned and opened the door, to return into the night. At that very moment Koshut was standing outside. “I heard Lonnie crying,” he said. “and I came to see if there is anything I can do to help.” Jacqueline looked from Koshut to Lonnie, unsure of what to do or say. “I’m so glad I found you,” said Koshut to Jacqueline. “How have you been? I’ve been worried about you.”

Lonnie invited Koshut in, and Jacqueline followed. They talked for a while before they were able to convince him to leave. A few minutes after he left, Jacqueline said her good byes again to Lonnie and crawled out into the night. She made it back to the secret entrance shortly before dawn, and without being seen.

1.22 An Open Book – reading portal in moonlight

Jacqueline spent the next two days in bed. She had overspent herself and come down with a head cold. Balis took good care of her during this period. He made sure she had everything she might need. To everyone’s surprise, he had turned out to be quite a capable servant. And he was surprised by how much he enjoyed it.

Jacqueline had a horrible headache which prevented her from concentrating on anything, but it didn’t prevent her from trying. She was still determined to get back to England as soon as possible, so she kept repeating things to Balis in the hopes that she would be able to think of something new.

“You should get some rest Jacqueline,” he said. “Trying to work while you are sick won’t do anyone any good. It will only prolong your sickness.”

Eventually she took his advice and rested.

A few days later, after she felt better, she met with Ipotane again. “I have an idea,” she said. The tiny piece might be the portal itself. Maybe in the light of the moon it will point in the direction of the tree. Like a compass.”

Ipotane thought about this, and finally said, “I don’t think so. It says ‘will make the tree be brought to know.’ I don’t think that means it will point the direction. The word is suship, which means to know as told through another. It’s not lokop which would be to know through direct experience. It doesn’t really make sense. But,” he said, encouragingly, “it was a good idea. There is no way you could have known that nuance since you don’t speak Gemelan.”

“Gemelan?” ask Lonnie. “Is that the language the portal is written in?”

“That’s right,” said Ipotane. “It’s the language that the twins spoke to create the world. At least, according to our tradition.”

“But you were there, weren’t you?” asked Jacqueline.

“Sort of. I was one of first centaurs alive, but I wasn’t actually there when the twins created the world. I couldn’t have been since there was no world for me to be on. But after the creation of the world, the twins came and spoke to us. They told us, in our language, everything they had done. But when they spoke to each other they spoke in Gemelan.”

Jacqueline thought for a moment. “Then how did you learn it?” she asked. “If they never spoke it to you, how could you have learned it?”

“Well, I don’t really speak it,” said Ipotane. “I can only read it. One of the twins, Edyesh, lost a book. It was a dictionary between Gemelan and several of the languages of Nitida.”

“Oh,” said Jacqueline. “Like a Rosetta stone. That’s interesting. Do you still have the book?”

“No, I kept it safe for many years. I even committed it to memory, in case something were to happen to it. And it’s a good thing I did, because in the year 1443 there was a devastating fire in the centaur villages. All the books were destroyed. It was one of the saddest days in centaur history. It’s when I decided that I would have to live alone.”

“But I thought you left only a few hundred years ago.”

“I did. That’s how long it took me to prepare everything. I searched the world for a place to live. It is not easy to find a place such as this you know.” Ipotane sighed. He seemed melancholy. “And I had certain…ties, to the outside world,” he finished. Jacqueline wondered what that meant, but he didn’t seem to want to talk about it, so she didn’t ask. He continued. “I have created a place here that must remain outside the world. Here I collect knowledge that must be preserved. At times of great need the outside world will find me and I can give back the knowledge that I have saved. Now is the first of those times.”

“Anyway,” he said after a while, “we should focus on your problem again.”

“Right,” Jacqueline said, “what can ‘the tiny piece’ mean? When I talked with Lonnie a few days ago she said she had a nightmare in which a wolf carved holes through her antlers with its tongue. The holes got progressively smaller like in my dream about the key. I think that must be a clue.”

Ipotane nodded, thinking. Balis stopped sweeping the floor and looked at the two scholars. He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again. Neither Ipotane nor Jacqueline noticed. He continued sweeping. They talked for a while longer.

“Maybe the big holes represent big clues,” said Ipotane. “And the smaller holes are smaller clues. Harder to find. Maybe it means that things get harder.”

Balis finished sweeping, put the broom away and then came to stand close to the two. “That could be,” said Jacqueline. “Except it seems like the first clues were the hardest.”

Balis cleared his throat and startled the two who had been concentrating so hard they hadn’t paid any attention to him. “I think,” he began. Jacqueline and Ipotane looked at him. Ipotane seemed slightly annoyed, though Jacqueline had a kind look on her face. He hesitated before continuing. “I think, that it means the size of the writing. The map itself is the first clue and it is the largest. Then comes the writing in the three corners of the portal and on the objects in the map, like the trees. That’s fairly small, but not too small to read. What if there is even smaller writing? Writing that only shows up in the moonlight.”

Jacqueline and Ipotane looked at each other and then back to Balis. He didn’t have anything else to say, but felt they were expecting more so he continued, “And that writing will tell you how to find the tree. How to know if it’s the right one… So, you should go out on a night of the full moon and see if there is any writing that you can read.” Jacqueline and Ipotane still didn’t say anything, so he finished, “That’s all, actually.”

It was quiet for a few minutes before Jacqueline finally said. “Okay. That seems so obvious, I don’t know why we couldn’t think of that.”

“Everything is obvious in hindsight,” Ipotane said. “Sometimes it takes a true genius to point out the most obvious things. The moon is a waxing crescent tonight, so it may be a while before we can read it, but we should try right away.”

That night they went outside as a group. The wind blew across the landscape and clouds covered and uncovered the moon in quick succession. When the moonlight fell on the portal there seemed to be a slight glow coming from it. The next few nights were similar. As the moon became fuller, the glow became more distinct, and eventually Balis was even able to make out some letters. He couldn’t read them, of course, but he was able to see them as distinct shapes. Ipotane’s eyesight wasn’t good enough.

The night of the full moon was largely overcast. They waited for over an hour before the moonlight shone clearly through a patch of cloudless sky. When it did, the portal seemed to burst into flame. The individual characters each glowed brightly and distinctly. They covered nearly every conceivable surface of the portal. They covered the edges of the other letters, as if the larger letters were made up of the smaller ones. They covered the edges of all the items on the map: the edges of the trees, the mountains, and the centaurs were all covered in tiny letters. Despite the number and size of them, they had no problem in distinguishing individual characters, or reading lines of them.

Or at least they would have been able to read if they knew Gemelan. Only Ipotane could read it, of course, and he started reading as quickly as he could. “This tree is 72 feet tall, and 3 feet 4 inches around. It’s roots extend 45 feet into the ground… This is useless!” he cried. “It’s describing everything on the map. How am I supposed to know what to read?”

“I don’t know,” said Balis. “But you better hurry. The moon will be covered with clouds before too long.”

Ipotane scanned across the map reading bits to himself. He read bits about the centaur villages and the people who lived there. He read about each of the portals. He read some hidden lines about his own home and himself. But he didn’t read anything of use.

“Read about the trees,” said Jacqueline suddenly. “The trees near where the new portal should be. Near the square.”

“Of course!” he cried. “This tree is home to 324 beetles. Bah!” He moved on to another tree. “This tree has 8524 branches, and…” Suddenly he saw it. A small tree. So small it was barely visible on the map. But the writing on it’s lines was nearly twice as dense as anywhere else on the map.

“This tree,” he started almost breathless, “is the next home of the portal. This tree is 3 foot 4 inches tall. This tree has 37 branches. The roots of this tree reach 4 foot 2 inches down. The roots of this tree reach 7 foot 8 inches across. This tree is a spruce tree.” Lonnie tried to memorize all the facts about the tree, but there were so many seemingly useless one. “This tree is 35 feet 11 inches from any other tree. This tree is surrounded by 1543 carnations.” Carnations! She hadn’t seen carnations in Nitida. That must be useful. “This tree has 26 cones. This tree has one branch with…” Ipotane trailed off. The moon had gone behind a cloud. The words were no longer legible.

They waited the rest of the night, but only got a few more moments of reading time. Barely long enough for Ipotane to locate the tree and start reading. They were unable to get any more useful information.

Jacqueline wasn’t sure if she should be excited or depressed. They had found the clue they needed, but had been unable to read the entire thing. She didn’t know what to do next. Should they leave and try to find the tree. Would the clue about the carnations be enough. She assumed that a tree surrounded by carnations would be enough, but maybe carnations were common in that part of Nitida.

“Should we go try to find the tree?” she asked Ipotane finally. “Are carnations common in that part of the land?”

“I can’t tell you what to do. I don’t remember if there are carnations there. I never cared too much about flowers. Except violets. They’re so delicious,” he said wistfully. Balis also didn’t have any advice.

The next night they tried again, but the moonlight wasn’t strong enough for Ipotane to actually read the writing. Instead, Jacqueline went to see Lonnie. After she explained to Lonnie what had happened, she asked, “Should we go now and try to find the tree, or should we stay and try to read it next full moon?”

Lonnie looked at her, a funny look in her eye. “Please, let’s go now. I’m not sure how much longer I can stand living here.” Jacqueline looked back at her. It had never occurred to her that Lonnie might not enjoy it. Jacqueline was enjoying herself. She was spending every moment putting together a puzzle. But Lonnie had the harder, or at least more boring, part in the plan. Jacqueline put her arm around her cousin tenderly. “Okay,” she said. “We’ll leave the day after tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” said Lonnie, a few tears in her eyes. Jacqueline held her for a while before she headed back to Ipotane’s.

Balis helped Jacqueline pack all the stuff they needed and they took it to Lonnie’s tent the next night. Lonnie had been packing nearly all day. They finished the next morning and took off at noon. Balis had to stay with Ipotane, so Jacqueline and Lonnie traveled alone. Because of Jacqueline’s condition, it was slow going. They made camp that night about one third of the way down the mountain side.

They were awakened by a voice outside the tent. “Jacqueline,” it said. “Lonnie. Are you awake?” It took Lonnie a few moments to wake up. Jacqueline was still asleep. Lonnie walked to the door and opened it. It was Ipotane.

“Yes?” she said.

“Ah, good! It is your tent. I was afraid it might have been someone else’s.” Lonnie gave him a look, but didn’t say anything. Who else would be part way down the mountain? she thought.

“Well,” he continued. “Is Jacqueline awake?”

“She’s not. She’s very tired from all the traveling,” said Lonnie trying not to sound too annoyed.

“Yes, yes. Of course,” Ipotane muttered. “I just wanted to tell her something. When I was reading from the portal, I think I know what it said. I think it said ‘This tree has one branch with oak leaves.’ I didn’t say it before, because it doesn’t make sense and I didn’t get a good look at the writing. But I thought maybe I should tell you just in case. You never know what might be useful information.”

“Yes, of course. Thank you,” said Lonnie a little less politely than she meant to. “Is there anything else you would like to say?”

Ipotane looked at her for a moment. “No,” he said finally. Then he bared his neck to her. She hesitated, then bared her neck to him in return. Ipotane turned and walked back into the night.

1.23 A Triumphant Return – field of carnations

The rest of the journey back to Uluru was slow but uneventful. Once they arrived in Uluru, they had the unpleasant task of informing Balis’ parents of his death. The village held a funeral, with Jacqueline and Lonnie attending as guests of honor. Despite their prior experience they weren’t sure of the protocol, but joined in the chanting as best they could. Jacqueline did her best to pretend that Balis really was dead, and nobody seemed to notice anything unusual.

After a few days, which seemed like an eternity to Jacqueline and Lonnie, they were able to convince the elders to let them go in search of the tree. And, perhaps more importantly, to let a few centaurs accompany them. Thosind and Phont both volunteered to go.

Jacqueline and Lonnie showed the tiny tree on the map. They explained what they understood how to find it and what it looked like. They refused, however, to say how they had read the portal. Lonnie denied that Ipotane had helped her, and Jacqueline tried to deflect the question. “I have a feeling that this is the right thing to do,” she would say, or “we read it by the light of the moon.” Finally the elders gave up asking them questions and let them go.

Jacqueline and Lonnie had been packed for days—Thosind and Phont were also packed, so they set out immediately. The trek was farther then when Lonnie had gone to the triangle tree, but the weather was much nicer. It only took six days for them to travel and find the square tree.

They made camp in a clearing near the base of it. Early the next morning Lonnie climbed the square tree and looked out over the landscape. She could see the central mountain, and another large tree. That must be the pentagon tree, she thought. She mentally calculated the distance and the differences in her mind to get an idea of about how far away the new tree would be and in which direction.

After she climbed down she explained to her companions what she had seen. “Unfortunately, there aren’t any good landmarks that we can go off of,” she said. “It should be about ten miles in that direction, but of course that leaves a huge area to search. Jacqueline can you tell us what we’re looking for.”

“Sure,” said Jacqueline. “The tree should be about this tall,” she said holding her hand a bit above her waist. “It’s surrounded by carnations, and…”

“What are carnations?” asked Thosind.

“They’re a kind of flower,” said Jacqueline. “They were my mom’s favorite. We’ll let you know when we see some.”

Lonnie turned to Phont. “Do you think you can carry Jacqueline so that we can split up into three groups?” Phont nodded. “I want you to tell us when we’ve gone about 10 miles in exactly that direction,” Lonnie continued. “When we get there I’ll climb another tree to see if we are about where we should be, and then we can start searching. We’ll work outwards in a spiral.” The others agreed and they headed out.

Shortly after noon Phont announced they had gone about ten miles, and Lonnie proceeded to climb a tree. “About a mile that way,” she said pointing generally away from the mountain. They continued until Phont told them to stop again.

“This should be close enough,” said Lonnie. “Let’s set up camp here, and then do a little bit of exploring after that. I’m afraid we might have to search for a while and I want to make sure we all know where our base camp is.”

They set up camp and did some initial scouting. They didn’t find anything interesting, including any carnations.

The next morning they started after a quick breakfast. Everyone was excited to find the portal. They slowly spiraled outward getting farther and farther from camp. In the late afternoon Thosind called for them to come. “Are these carnations?” he asked Lonnie when she arrived. He was pointing to a large field full of red flowers.

“Yes, they are,” she said. “Let’s concentrate our efforts here.” They spent the rest of the day searching in that area but without any luck.

That night Jacqueline suggested that they keep spiraling, but they go much faster. “We’ve been looking for the tree. We should be looking for the carnations. There’s going to be a lot of them.” They agreed this was a good idea.

The next day they continued spiraling outwards. Thosind spent much of the day at a gallop. Jacqueline thought he might be trying to show off for Phont. Thosind found the next two patches of carnations and left Lonnie to search in one and Jacqueline and Phont to search in the other. Both groups carefully searched the meadows and followed the carnations until they found a huge meadow full of them.

“Wow!” said Jacqueline as Phont walked into the meadow. “They’re beautiful.” The meadow was nearly 100 feet across and over twice as long. It was entirely covered in tall carnation plants.

Just then, Lonnie emerged from another portion of the woods. “Brilliant!” she shouted. They looked at each other and Lonnie said, “I’ll go this way, you go that way and we’ll meet on the other side. Then we can search through the middle.”

They met on the other side, but the carnations were unnaturally tall and neither had seen anything. They cut across the middle of the meadow about 15 feet from each other to cover more territory. Jacqueline was the first to see the tree. “Over here,” she cried. Lonnie rushed to see it. They were very careful once they got close. If it was the portal tree they didn’t want to do anything that might hurt it.

It was a short spruce, that seemed to drown in the carnations. Jacqueline got down on the ground and examined the tree. It did have one branch with oak leaves. Under that branch was a small seven sided frame. It was smaller than the portal. In fact it was extremely small, perhaps large enough for a person’s hand to fit through. “It’ll grow,” said Lonnie to Jacqueline when she saw it.

“It better,” replied Jacqueline.

After a few moments of shock and silent thanksgiving, Jacqueline and Lonnie started dancing around and singing. Phont couldn’t help joining in, but she did make sure to steer them away from the tree so they wouldn’t trample it. The commotion brought Thosind who had made another pass in the spiral.

They had left the portal back at their camp and so they couldn’t test it right then. It was getting dark, so they determined to try it first thing in the morning.

That night, as Jacqueline and Lonnie ate their dinner, they thought about how this would likely be their last dinner in Nitida. They stuffed themselves with gormnuts and broad-leaved Nitidan arugula. They talked with Thosind and Phont about the things they would miss.

“Thank everyone for us, please,” said Jacqueline. “Without everyone’s help we wouldn’t have made it here.”

“Tell Chesmon and Kotoh especially thanks from me,” Lonnie added. “I would certainly be dead without them.” Jacqueline tried to explain several last minute ideas she had of how to improve the centaurs’ lives. Chimneys and cooking stoves. Wheels and waterwheels. Granaries and cellars. But the centaurs didn’t seem to understand her hurried explanations.

Jacqueline and Lonnie slept more soundly than they had in a long time. In fact, they didn’t wake up until the sun was already high in the sky. Thosind and Phont had argued about whether to wake them, but Phont won and let them sleep in.

Jacqueline and Lonnie didn’t take anything with them besides some water, a little food and the portal. When they got back to the portal tree they noticed that the frame was a little bit larger. It was still too small to fit the portal, but they watched as it grew before their eyes. The portal shrank a little bit as well, but not enough to cause them to worry. They would still be able to squeeze through.

When the frame was finally large enough they carefully placed the portal in the frame. It clicked into place soundlessly. Somehow the world seemed to change. Thosind put his arm around Phont.

Jacqueline breathed in deeply. Lonnie closed her eyes. Instinctively, they reached together and grasped the door. They opened it reflexively, working together without speaking.

When Lonnie opened her eyes again she was staring into darkness a bitter cold wind blowing in her face. She shivered.

“Oh dear!” said Jacqueline. “We didn’t think that the weather might be different on the other side.” They hadn’t brought any coats or anything to keep them warm. But of course the seasons would be different. They had been when they came through.

Thosind and Phont felt the chill air and saw the darkness. They became afraid, without knowing why. Lonnie, always the more daring, said, “Let me go through and see what it’s like on the other side. I’ll come back if there are any problems.”

Lonnie poked her head into the ground, and was disoriented to have it poke up out of the ground on the other side. It was cold and dark, much like the night they had left. She looked around and saw, to her utter amazement, a flashlight lying on the ground shining at the tree. “What?” she mumbled to herself. She was so curious she forgot the cold and pulled herself through. She picked up the flashlight and looked it over. It looked exactly like the one she had been using to search for Jacqueline over a year ago!

“Jacqueline!” she heard someone shout. “Lonnie!” She stood up and looked into the forest. She saw lights moving around. Before she could even think, she shouted back, “Over here!”

Oh no. What have I done? she thought. Now they’ll find me and wonder what this portal is. For some reason telling her parents, or any other adults, about the portal made her nervous. Maybe if Jacqueline got through fast enough they could hide it.

Lonnie poked her head back in the ground and said, “Hurry, Jacqueline! You have to get through here now.” Jacqueline looked confused, but she nodded and said, “Help me through then.”

Lonnie pulled Jacqueline through the portal. Jacqueline gasped as she came out the other side. “I know it’s cold, I’m sorry,” said Lonnie. “But we have people looking for us and I don’t want them to find the portal.”

Instead of replying Jacqueline hopped to her feet. Then she jumped in the air and yelled, “Wahoo!” at the top of her lungs. “I’m better!” she cried. Lonnie gaped. Something about going through the portal had healed her cousin. Slowly she reached over and closed the portal. She started pushing dirt on top of it, and Jacqueline soon began to help.

The yelling and lights were drawing nearer. Jacqueline and Lonnie scooped up the flashlight and nearly sprinted to the hole in the fence. They scrambled through yelling “Over here!” the whole time.

Lonnie’s parents were shocked when they found them. “Here,” said her father handing them a blanket, “wrap this around you.”

“What happened to your coat, Lonnie?” But Jacqueline and Lonnie paid no more attention to them than they did to the cold. They were simply excited to be back.

Lonnie’s parents rushed them back to the house. When they walked in the door, the phone was ringing. Frank went to answer it while Marilyn took the kids upstairs to take a warm bath.

“Honey!” yelled Frank. “Send Jacqueline down, please. Her father’s on the phone.” Jacqueline didn’t wait for Marilyn to respond, she simply turned around and took the stairs two at a time. She ran into the sitting room and grabbed the phone out of her uncle’s hand.

“Hello!” she cried, “How are you?”

“I’m fine, darling, how are you?”

“I’m okay,” she said, not sure how much to tell him.

“I had a nightmare about you. I dreamed that you went into the woods and got lost. You were trapped in another world. But you were taken care of by some…creatures. I tried to help you get back, but I didn’t know what to do. Your mother gave me a key, and I showed it to you. But even that wasn’t enough. You still needed more help.

“It was really scary. When I woke up I called you right away. I’ve been trying to get through for the last fifteen minutes. I just had to know that you were okay.”

Jacqueline smiled. At last she could remember what her father looked like. He was the man who had shown her the key after all. And her mother was the one who had helped him. Tears started streaming down her face.

“Are you there?” said her father on the other end when she didn’t respond. “Are you okay?”

And then Jacqueline said the words that would change her life the very most. “I’ve never been better, dad. Never better.”