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  “The old man said my necklace was pretty and asked if it had any meaning. I told him it signified a special bond between my sisters and me. Then he said something very alarming. He said he had heard of me and my sisters.

  “I was afraid and asked him to leave at once. He obviously hadn’t discovered me by accident. He asked me to be calm and told me that he had been searching for us because he’d heard a rumor, and he thought he could offer us his service. He said he had helped others like us in the past, and then he turned to leave.

  “I was torn with indecision. What if his claim was true? What if I let the man get away and I could never find him again? And so I called him back.”

  “He had you exactly where he wanted you,” Mr. Night said.

  “He did. I asked what he meant, and he told me he knew of a way to separate me from my sisters so that we could each lead our own lives. He told me it was painless. He said I had to give him the talisman and allow him to separate it into three pieces. I took this to mean that he would create three necklaces, one for each of us. I was afraid, reluctant, but desperately hopeful, and so I removed the talisman. He laid it on the ground and took a glowing stone from his pocket. I watched, horror-stricken, as he suddenly smashed the rock down and shattered the pendant. I screamed, and as I watched, the three pieces shimmered and disappeared into the air. The man cursed at this and fled from Chrone Cottage.

  “He had lied about it being painless. Somehow he had managed to break not only what bound us to our cycle but also what bound us as sisters. We began to detach from one another, and the shock and agony of separation was more than we could handle. We were helpless upon the library floor until Constantine found us early Wednesday morning. It took hours of care and mending until we could speak and tell him what had happened.”

  Mr. Night’s face was grim, and he kissed Lucy’s hair gently.

  “When I described the man to Constantine, your uncle recognized immediately that he was Nero, back from a false death. Constantine sent the note to you at once, George. Then he explained to my sisters and me that there were consequences to what Nero and I had done. With the talisman broken, and our bond with it, we would indeed live as separate people, with individual life spans, but those life spans had already begun.

  “The Hag, at her great age, would soon die a permanent death, and I would follow, given enough time. Lue would have the worst of it, as she was doomed to live the longest without her sisters. You see, when the Els are properly joined, our arrangement keeps us from ever being truly alone. We have grown used to the solace of knowing the others are always within us, and we have only to reach inward should we need their counsel or companionship.

  “Lue was furious with me for not consulting her and the Hag first, and furious with me for cursing her to a lonely life just so I could be with my love. And then she ran off, and part of Chrone Cottage went with her, for it has grown used to protecting us and can be in more than one place at a time.”

  “No wonder she was mad enough to break Mr. Night’s world,” George said. “It must be awful to have part of yourself taken away without your permission.”

  “Yes. Lue was right,” Lucy said. “I made a terrible mistake, and I was devastated by the pain I’d caused. Then Constantine told me that there was a way for my sisters and me to be rejoined, and that it was vital to the well-being of the worlds and would save countless lives, if I was willing. I am absolutely willing, anything to keep my sisters alive and healthy and happy, and to keep innocents from suffering.”

  Mr. Night swelled with affectionate pride. “She’s terribly intelligent, see? And so good.”

  “Excuse me,” Cavendish said. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but the time is now four oh nine PM DWT. You currently have seven hours and two minutes until total eradication.”

  “Just a minute, Cavendish,” George said. “Lucy, why is it vital to the well-being of the worlds for you to be rejoined with your sisters?”

  “That will be answered later. But time is short, and now I must explain your next task. As you know, all three mislaid pieces of the talisman must be recovered. When you enter Astria, there will be three trials, one for each of you. If you pass your trial, you may each use your key to exit the world, and your key will turn into what you were seeking. You may then leave Astria with a piece of the talisman.”

  “That doesn’t sound so hard,” Caleb said.

  “Getting into Astria isn’t the problem,” Mr. Night said. “The problem is getting out.”

  Lucy nodded solemnly. “Astria does not easily surrender what it believes to be lost. To get out, you must convince Astria that you are not lost. It will be difficult, but remember, all it takes is one person to make the right decision to change the entire course of the future.”

  “Why does it have to be us?” Mikal asked nervously. “I don’t want to get stuck in there.”

  “I’m not trying to be rude, but since you lost the pieces of the talisman, why can’t you and your sisters get them back?” George asked.

  “Because I cast away the pieces, and as my sisters and I are one, we cast away the pieces. Astria would not find us worthy to reclaim them when I basically gave them away to be destroyed.”

  “There is a bright side,” Mr. Night said. “Children are said to have a much easier time of it in there, because they aren’t usually as adrift as adults are.”

  “That’s true,” Lucy said. “And I believe you each have the strength and courage to pass your trials.”

  The children were anxious as Lucy led them to a white door at the other end of the room. George wrung her scarf into a tangle, and Mikal was itching with nerves. Caleb had gnawed his thumbnail almost down to the quick.

  “What happens if we fail?” George asked.

  “We won’t fail,” Caleb said.

  “But what if we do?” Mikal asked.

  Lucy and Mr. Night exchanged an uncomfortable look.

  “Then you stay in Astria until the worlds end tonight at eleven eleven,” Lucy said.

  “At least we’ll have Cavendish,” George said. “He gives good advice and might be able to help us through the trials.”

  “Excuse me again,” Cavendish said, his voice sounding tinny and worried. “But I’ve just received an emergency notice.”

  “What’s it say?” they asked, crowding around Mikal, who held Cavendish.

  “It says that I’m … I’m supposed to stay here. With Lucy. I can’t go with you.”

  The children were certain it was a mistake, but Cavendish assured them it was true. Mikal tearfully gave Cavendish to Lucy, who promised to keep him safe, and with a sorrowful good-bye, the children left their guide and entered Astria alone.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  The Snaffleharp Company stepped into a world of pure white. They were blinded by its sheer brilliance and had to lift their hands to shield their eyes. When they had become accustomed to the brightness, they were finally able to observe their surroundings.

  “There’s nothing here,” George said, her voice hoarse with shock. “Absolutely nothing.”

  “I thought this world collected lost things. So where are they?” Caleb turned in a full circle, his sneakers making a squelching sound as they tried to glue to the ground. He lifted one foot to see what was causing the noise and found silken threads clinging to the sole of his shoe.

  “What in the Flyrrey is that?” George asked.

  “Beats me,” Caleb said. “It feels kind of like cobwebs. Weird.”

  “Do you think we’re in the right place? Maybe we should go back and ask,” she said.

  Mikal shook his head. “The door is gone, and everything’s white. We’ll never find our way out unless the world lets us.”

  “This must be the test,” Caleb said. “We have to figure this out if we want to go on.”

  George twisted the ends of her scarf. “But I thought there was supposed to be a different trial for each of us.”

  “I miss Cavendish,” Mikal said in a small voic
e. “Even broken, he could still have helped us know what to do.” He kicked at the sticky floor.

  “Should we just start walking? Is there any way to tell how big a space this is?” George asked.

  Caleb shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe echoes? HELLO! IS ANYBODY THERE?”

  Mikal put his hands up to his mouth and shouted, “HOW BIG ARE YOU, ASTRIA?”

  Nothing came back to them.

  “I don’t know what to do,” George said hopelessly. “Always before, there’s been something for me to do, somewhere to start. But there’s nothing here.” She sank down, and her purple skirt billowed around her. She dropped her hands into her lap and gazed around despairingly.

  “It’s gonna be okay, George,” Mikal said.

  “Not if we can’t get out of here. And we have to get out of here.” Her forehead creased into a frown, and she stared at her fingers while speaking softly to herself. “We have to get out of here for my mom and dad. They don’t even know where I am. And for my little brother. If we don’t pass through Astria and go to Selyrdor, Aunt Henrietta and Uncle Constantine will die, and Thazel and Hector and…” She looked up at Caleb and Mikal. “We all will.”

  “You’re not gonna let us die, are you, George?” Caleb asked, with his lopsided smile.

  She paused a moment and then held out a hand. “Help me up.”

  Caleb and Mikal heaved her up off the tacky ground. She tried to brush the stubborn strands of gossamer from her dress but soon gave up. She placed her fists on her hips, concentrating hard on the problem of so much empty space.

  Mikal inhaled sharply and tugged on George’s sleeve. “Look at that!”

  George gasped with surprise as she saw what Mikal was pointing to.

  A flaming letter of fire had appeared in the whiteness at their feet, etched by an invisible hand. As they watched, another letter joined the first, and another, until words began to spiral in a circle around them.

  “Holy fire and hippos,” Caleb said.

  “Yeah! Hey, that’s what I say!” Mikal said.

  George squinted and leaned low over the text to read it aloud. “To show you’re found and not lost…” She turned a bit to follow the curve of the circle. “You are bound to pay the cost.… Alone move forward to face your trial … And prove you’re free, if it’s worth your while.”

  “Does it mean we have to go off by ourselves?” Mikal asked.

  “I think so,” George said. “To prove we’re not lost and are free to leave Astria.” She bit her lip. “But I don’t want to be by myself. Not again.”

  “What if we don’t find each other after?” Caleb’s jaw was tight, and his hands were clasped into fists by his sides.

  “It’s too big out there,” Mikal said, his voice quavering. “I’m too small for my age to go off alone. I’ve never been alone before, not really. I’ve always had my dad or Caleb.”

  “Hey,” George said, reaching out to squeeze their hands, “it’s going to be okay, remember? We’ll find each other again, Caleb. And you’ve gotten so brave, Mikal. I know you can do this. We’re gonna pass our tests, and then we’ll be back together. We have to, so we can reunite the pieces of the talisman.”

  The boys looked at her for a moment. Caleb was the first to nod, a quick jut of his chin. Mikal was slower, but finally, miserably, he agreed. He dug his green dinosaur out of his backpack and clutched it to his chest in place of Cavendish.

  George threw the ends of her scarf back and straightened her spine, then took a quick count.

  “Three for backpack, four for Caleb, five for Mikal, six for … Cavendish. We’ll get him back soon, so I can still count him. Everybody have their key?” She looked them over and took a moment to brush Mikal’s hair off his forehead. “You kind of gave that dinosaur to me, so make sure I get him back, okay?”

  “I promise,” Mikal said.

  “You’d better,” she said softly, and looked at Caleb.

  Caleb just blinked his silver eyes and gave her an encouraging nod.

  George took a deep breath. “Let’s get on with it, then. We’re losing daylight … er…” She trailed off, looking at the unwavering light around them. “You get the point.”

  “We’ll just walk in different directions?” Mikal asked.

  Caleb nodded, and they all turned their backs to one another.

  “Ready?” Caleb asked.

  “I’m ready,” Mikal said.

  “Me too,” George said.

  “Okay, let’s go,” Caleb said.

  The three children each took a step away from the others.

  * * *

  “One down,” George said, and looked over her shoulder.

  But she was all by herself. Her friends had disappeared into the blank unknown.

  She turned to go on, but there, where a moment ago had been nothing, was a projector standing before an enormous screen. The projector buzzed on, flashing a beam of yellow light.

  Words appeared on the display. To prove you are not lost, you must find, and forgive the memory you keep to remind. Then a picture appeared, in brilliant color, of an outdoor marketplace. People bustled in and out of the crowd as they did their shopping. George smelled cinnamon, and her eyes burned as a vendor sliced open a ruby-red pepper. There was a drizzle of rain coming down.

  “Istanbul,” she whispered, her entire body tingling and numb at the same time.

  From the right side of the screen, a girl appeared, holding a little boy’s hand. He wore a yellow raincoat and was teasing the girl mercilessly by fidgeting with the end of her scarf. She tried to frown but only ended up shaking her head and smiling.

  George rushed up to the picture and put her hand on it, on the little boy’s sandy hair with the cowlick that never went down. But he wouldn’t be still for her to touch. He pulled free from the girl’s grasp, and she chased after him, but then the crowd moved and she was shoved to the ground. She jumped up, dress caked in mud, to search for the little boy. But he wasn’t there. She yelled his name, then screamed it, and then cried it, but he wasn’t anywhere.

  The picture sped up, and a whole night and part of a day went by before the girl returned to where she had lost her brother. She bent over the mud puddle, scooped up a handful of clay, tucked it into her pocket, and turned to go. The projector paused, showing only the empty puddle overlaid with the same words as before.

  “Why would you show me that?” George asked through trembling lips. “Just so I could lose him all over again? I didn’t want to see that!” She shrugged out of her backpack and swung it hard against the screen. She threw the pack down and kicked at it. Toad flopped out, looking limp and unloved.

  “Toad!” George dropped to her knees to gather him up. “I’m so sorry, Toad.” She held him close for a moment, and then she looked up at the words. Her face fell with understanding.

  George set Toad aside and reached back into her knapsack to remove a faintly shining orb, number twelve for Istanbul. She cradled the hikaru dorodango in her hands. She held it close to her face and focused hard on determining its exact shade of gray. She rubbed it against her cheek, feeling the grain of the dirt and every dip and hollow of the unfinished project. When she pulled it away, the color had changed from the dampness on her face.

  She got to her feet and walked back to the screen, still displaying the frozen picture of the puddle. She reached out, and her hand passed through the screen with a crackle of static as she lovingly returned the hikaru dorodango to the mud it had come from. It plopped into the dirty water, and the projector clicked off.

  George turned her back to it and took a long shuddering breath. A red door appeared just in front of her. She stuffed Toad into her bag, pulled the key from her pocket, and inserted it into the keyhole. With a flutter against her palm, the key transformed into a bright red piece of the talisman, and the door opened.

  * * *

  Mikal coughed and was startled at the sound in the absolute quiet. He glanced back at the others to see if they had noticed, but they
were gone, and he was alone.

  He swallowed, took another step, and smacked into a very hard white door. He lifted his hand to his forehead, checking for blood. There wasn’t any, and he looked up with a scowl.

  Above the door was written, To prove you are not lost, you must find the skill to perceive goodness, even in what seems malign.

  A noise came from behind him, and he started and spun around. His eyes widened as he saw a red-and-white-striped circus tent, ringing with the sound of applause. Mikal peeked between the flaps and then squeezed in and stole a seat near the front. The smell of popcorn and sweat surrounded him, and he watched, captivated, as the ringmaster announced the next act.

  “I’m pleased to present to you a legend who has conquered air and defied gravity! I give you Feliks the Fleet!”

  The crowd roared with enthusiasm, but Mikal’s jaw went slack as he watched Feliks the Fleet, his own father, bow to the crowd from atop an impossibly high perch. A pitiful whimper escaped Mikal as his father took flight, leaping and soaring gracefully above. Mikal couldn’t tear his eyes away as his father missed a bar, lost his grip, and plummeted to the earth with a sickening thump. The spectators were chased from the tent in a jam of confusion and curiosity, and even when there was no one left but his father’s body in the center of the ring, Mikal sat staring.

  Then the tent faded away, and his father with it, replaced by Caleb leading a younger Mikal through a grassy meadow. A breeze lifted, cooling Mikal’s tearstained cheeks as the scene changed again. There was Caleb fighting to keep them together, scavenging for food and blankets, always letting Mikal eat first and making sure he was warm enough. Then Caleb with a relieved expression on his face as he led Mikal to the mausoleum that would be their home, a place where they could be warm and have enough to eat and where nobody would try to separate them. Then George came, and Mikal saw how scared she was, even though she tried to sound brave.