Chapter 16: No Way But Forward

Eli was awake before dawn. He packed his bag slowly despite the typhoon in his stomach.

"Where were you!" his had mother scolded. "Out for the whole night? My son's becoming a delinquent." She almost sobbed.

Eli stepped towards her to offer comfort but she trapped him by the wrist and yanked him forward. All grief was gone from her eyes when Eli yelped in pain.

"Where?" she asked coldly and jammed her thumb into his side. The pain made his tail curl. She pulled him to the couch and healed his injuries. She didn't interrogate him. She simply healed him and went about her chores with cold indifference. That was her. She always healed him when he was hurt, but when she could tell that he walked into the hurt himself (and she could always tell), she was not kind about it.

Eli grinned softly as he stuffed his bag with all the things he thought he'd need. A lantern, batteries, bandages, snacks. After, he waited for Corin's arrival. The day became hot before there was a knock at the door. Eli pounced for it but his mother beat him. She opened the door to Alice.

"Morning Miss Wisp." She beamed. "Is Eli awake?"

"Right here!" Eli said quickly.

"Sorry about taking him away so early," Alice said.

"Don't worry." His mother fanned her hand. "Every boy becomes a man eventually."

"Mom!" Eli roared as Alice all but fell over laughing. He stepped for the door but turned to hug his mother. She shouldn't have known that anything was different, but for some reason, she hugged him as though she didn't want him to go. "I'll be back soon," Eli said with a smile. When he and Alice reached the gate of the walkway she called out.

"Don't get her killed, kitten!" She waved them away with a smile.

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"I'll be back soon, huh?" Jen Wisp said under her breath. "Just like his father, saying things he has no way of controlling. Ain't that right, Ren." He was nowhere in sight, but she knew he was listening.

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It wasn't long after they left Eli's house when Alice explained why she came instead of Corin. "The old man's a bit famous," She said. "He can't be seen entering just any home otherwise you'd drown in reporters."

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"Yeah, my mom would hate that." He shuddered at the thought.

"He did tell me where we should meet though. Back in the forest…it's a bit of a hike."

'A bit' was an understatement. The hike was two hours through thickets and thorn bushes along a trail so thin it may well have not existed. By the time they reached their destination, even Eli was winded.

"We're here," Alice said. "I think."

'Here' was a small hiccup in the usual trees and shrubbery.

"You sure?"

"Of course I'm sure," she said while tapping the side of her head. "I'm one hundred percent sure that I'm eighty-five point five percent sure."

Eli huffed.

"Maybe we're here early."

Eli stepped forward and sat in the shade of a bare stone cliff and pulled some trail mix from his bag. By the time Alice noticed he was halfway through.

"Hey! give me some of that!"

Eli paused, grinned, then began inhaling the snack.

"Hey!" Alice pounced.

"You two sure have gotten close," A deep voice stated. The pair froze in place, Alice on top of Eli as she gripped the bag.

"Gramps!" She said when Eli let go of the bag which made it fly into her face. Eli laughed as he freed himself. The old man chuckled as well. "Ha.Ha." Alice mocked as she picked nuts and berries from her blonde hair. "What took ya so long?" She asked annoyed.

"I got lost."

Alice gave the poor old man a mouthful. The atmosphere was so lively that the pair should be forgiven for not noticing the look in Corin's eye. The look of a man who was not oblivious to the danger he was putting these kids into.

"Come with me you two." Corin gestured for them to follow. Alice gave him another earful for making them take another hike. After another while of trudging through the forest, Corin came to a stop at a stone structure. "We're here," he said gesturing to the structure.

"There's nothing there," Alice said, worried about the man's mental health. In response, Corin only smiled. He then turned, aimed the palm of his hand at the structure, and closed his eyes. A tingling sensation ran through both Eli's and Alice's bodies. Then, in an instant, where there was once only a smooth stone wall, laid a door, ancient and intricately carved with figures and symbols. Alice and Eli were amazed.

"Before I open it is there anything you two want to do?" Corin asked. At first, the pair shook their heads. but then Alice suddenly remembered something. While she was flipping through the journal Corin called Eli. "Here, son," He handed Eli an unmarked jar of gel. "If either you get hurt just use some of this."

Eli accepted it.

"Dibella said to just put it on the injury and you should heal."

Eli's eyes turned to saucers.

"Dibella?! The healer?!"

"Use it well, son" Corin said with a smile.

"Here it is," Alice said as she approached the pair. She held the book open on a page with boldly written words in the top corner. "I think they're clues for something." Alice showed Eli a few lines of words. The first line said 'NOT REAL', the second line said, 'IDENTITY', the last said 'CONNECTION', and another piece of information was jotted in the far corner, 'DON'T GO ALONE'.

"What do they mean?" Eli asked.

"Don't know," Alice said feigning a frown and lifting her hands, "we'll just have to go inside to find out." After talking about it for a while the pair turned to Corin and told him they were ready. Corin turned to the door and, with hesitation, opened it. A cool gust of wind escaped chilling Alice and Eli to the bone. The pair approached the door and saw that the interior was impossibly black. Dread, like a thousand spiders, crept on their skin from hollow pits in their stomachs. But the burn of determination pushed them forward. They looked at each other and nodded in perfect synch, they were ready.

Slowly they moved forward. every fibre of their being told them to turn. turn around, run, and don't stop running until you're home. But they didn't. They marched. Step by step. Inch by inch until, eventually, they were inside. The spear of light from the exterior thinned until the door shut behind them, trapping them in darkness. Eli fumbled with his knapsack until he found his lantern. He pulled it out and lit the hall.

Alice turned to him. "On a scale of one to ten, how scary do think this is going to be?"

"Is ten the limit?." The crack got a round of nervous laughter.

"Anyway, no way but forward. Right?" Alice said though it sounded more like a question.

"No way but forward," Eli repeated. and with that, they were off.