I think the bleeding has stopped,” Aidan said, tossing a red wad of paper towels into the trash. He joined Antoinette and her dad at the kitchen table.
“Y’know this isn’t the first time Antoinette’s done this,” Mrs. Reed said, sitting down with a cup of coffee.
“Mom!” Antoinette exclaimed.
“She and her father were sparring in the basement,” Mrs. Reed continued, ignoring Antoinette’s pleas. “The Broncos scored a touchdown—”
“We had a TV down there at the time,” explained Antoinette’s dad. “I looked over for just a split second to watch the replay, and WHAM, Antoinette got me with a round kick.”
“It was an accident!” Antoinette said.
“Boy, that was a gusher!” Mr. Reed said, absently pinching the bridge of his nose. “I probably should have seen a doctor. I bet it was broken.”
“Dad, I feel bad enough already, okay?”
“I had it coming,” Aidan said. “I shouldn’t have dropped my guard, but when I saw you—that way—I just kind of lost it.”
“So my Glimpse’s name is Gwenne?”
“Yes, but she’s a blond.”
“Y’know, my hair is normally blond. I just like to dye it red.” Antoinette tilted her head back and fluffed her hair like a model. “So tell me more about Gwenne.”
“She is one of the twelve knights who went to Mithegard. We went through a lot together. She’s . . . she’s my friend.”
Aidan hoped he wasn’t blushing. From the moment he said goodbye to Gwenne, all he could think about was finding her human twin. Now that he had found her, he didn’t know what to say. He certainly didn’t want Antoinette to know how he felt about Gwenne.
“If Antoinette enters The Realm,” Mr. Reed began, “what do you think her mission will be?”
“I don’t know,” Aidan replied. “It might be a mission like mine. I was told that there were many smaller kingdoms and cities still to be reached with the message of Alleble. But—” Aidan looked hopefully to Antoinette, “I was hoping that if you go, you might do something for me.” Aidan held his breath.
“Just name it,” Antoinette said.
Aidan felt a huge weight leave his shoulders. “I have this great friend, back in Maryland. His name is Robby Pierson. Well, when I left Alleble, I had a vision of him, and he was on Paragor’s side.”
Antoinette’s parents stiffened. The room seemed to darken. Only Antoinette seemed unaffected by the mentioning of The Betrayer’s name. “How do you know?” she asked.
“He was wearing the black and crimson armor of the enemy,” Aidan explained sadly. “And his eyes . . . they flashed red.”
“But it was a vision,” Mrs. Reed asked. “Like a dream? Maybe you’ve just been so worried about him that it affected your dreams.”
Aidan’s stomach tightened uncomfortably. “Sometimes they are dreams,” he said. “But other times they happen when I’m wide awake. They just come over me, and I see things. The events that I see . . . some of them have come true. I had another vision last night. I saw my friend Robby as an attendant to Paragor himself, and the two of them were setting something free from an underground cell. It was a monster. I’m afraid it will come true if someone doesn’t reach Robby for the King.”
“I don’t like the sound of that, Aidan. Have you spoken to Robby since returning from The Realm?” Mr. Reed asked. “Have you told him about Alleble?”
“I’ve tried, Mr. Reed,” Aidan said. “He just doesn’t listen. He acts so strange on the phone—almost like he doesn’t know me.”
“That doesn’t sound right,” Mrs. Reed said.
“Okay, so you want me to find his Glimpse in The Realm, is that it?” Antoinette asked. Aidan continued to be amazed by her ability to quickly piece things together.
“Do you have a picture of Robby?” Mrs. Reed asked.
“No, but we can get one on the Net. His soccer team is ranked nationally. His picture’s on their web site.”
“I’ll try, Aidan,” Antoinette said. “It’ll be like looking for a needle in a hay stack, but I’ll try.”
“Wait a minute,” Mr. Reed objected. “You’re assuming we’re going to let you go to The Realm.”
“But, Daddy, I’ve got to go,” Antoinette pleaded. “I’ve been called. I can’t just say no thanks, can I?”
Antoinette’s father was quiet but struggling within. At last, he asked, “So, how does this work? How will Antoinette enter The Realm?”
Antoinette grinned. “Oh, thank you, Daddy! Thank you!”
“I didn’t say yes, Antoinette. I just want more information.”
Three sets of eyes turned to Aidan. He took a deep breath. “Like the poem says, Antoinette has to travel the narrow path,” Aidan began. “It’s what Glimpses call the path between worlds. My grandfather taught me to imagine a bridge over a deep chasm. Antoinette will need to picture this bridge in her mind and travel across it. Eventually, she will come to a door, The Door Within. When she passes through that door, she enters The Realm, and Gwenne, her Glimpse, will come here.”
“She’ll come here—like to our house?” Mrs. Reed asked.
“I’m not sure,” Aidan replied. “But I don’t think so. When I went to The Realm, Aelic, my Glimpse, didn’t go to my house. All I know is that Gwenne told me a person and his or her Glimpse can never be in the same realm at the same time. And that’s another thing . . . time works differently in The Realm.”
“What do you mean?” Antoinette asked.
“Well, I was in The Realm for almost two weeks in Glimpse time, but when I returned, I discovered that I had only been missing for about five hours!”
“So Antoinette could be back by breakfast?” Mrs. Reed asked.
“Maybe,” Aidan said. “I guess it depends on Antoinette’s mission. But I don’t think there’s any way to compare the time exactly. My grandfather was in The Realm for a month our time. But in The Realm, he experienced two years of adventures!”
“Two years?” Mrs. Reed echoed. “Antoinette, a lot could happen in that time. And you don’t even really know what you’re getting into.”
“You’re right, Mom, I don’t,” Antoinette said. “But you know all I’ve ever wanted, since you first told me about King Eliam, was to do something for him . . . to serve him—if for no other reason than for the fact that he gave me hope that doesn’t quit! Because of him, I will never be alone!”
Mr. Reed’s shoulders sagged. He took his wife’s hand. “A faithful servant of King Eliam would never ignore his call. It’s just that—” His voice faltered. “The Realm is at war. What if something happened to you? What if you couldn’t come back?”
Aidan stretched out on his bed and looked across the room to where he kept his scrolls. He thought about Antoinette. He wondered if she’d gone yet.
She probably left the moment I walked out the door, Aidan thought. That’s the way she is. Confident, brave, spirited. So much like Gwenne. Then again, Antoinette is not like Gwenne at all in some ways. She is too rash . . . too impatient.
After dinner, Antoinette had pummeled Aidan with questions about entering The Door Within. He told her about the bridge, about being willing to take a risk and step out there, and most of all, about staying on the path no matter what the voices told her to do! I hope she remembers, Aidan thought with a laugh. She wouldn’t want her adventure to begin like mine did—by having to climb over the mountains of Paragory.
Aidan scoured his mind, hoping he’d told her everything she’d need to know. He’d told her to try to find Kaliam when she got to Alleble. He’d told her she’d need to get fitted for armor. And he’d told her to expect to be trained—hard—for her mission. He hadn’t told her about the chores she’d probably have to learn to do. No, that little tidbit, he’d left out. He wanted Antoinette to experience the joy of “refreshing the dragon pen” just as he had!
They’d printed a picture of Robby, and Antoinette taped it inside the cover of her copy of The Story . She promised to find him if she could. But Aidan knew it would really be a one in a million chance. If she did find Robby’s Glimpse, Aidan hoped she would remember that anything that happens to a Glimpse would have an effect on his human twin. That could be tricky, Aidan thought. Robby’s Glimpse is an enemy knight. What will happen if there’s a battle?
Aidan sat up and looked out his window. I wish Dad would come home soon, he thought. Ten o’clock. He’s really late—and he’s still got Grampin’s diary!
Aidan flopped back on the bed and exhaled. He wished he was the one going to Alleble. He wanted to clown around with Kaliam, Nock, and Mallik again. He wanted to watch the sun rise between the peaks of Pennath Ador and see its rays sparkle in the glorious fountains.
But more than anything else, he wanted to see Gwenne.
There was a soft knock at Aidan’s bedroom door. His mom walked in carrying a cell phone. She did not look very happy.
“It’s your father,” she said abruptly. She handed the phone to Aidan and, without another word, shut the door behind her.
Aidan put the phone to his ear. “Dad?”
“Aidan, glad you’re still up.”
“You’re at the office pretty late. Is that why Mom’s mad?”
There was a brief pause. “Uh, no, that’s only part of it. But listen, I wanted to talk to you. The reason I’ve been at the office is that there are some problems with an account I used to have at Riddick and Dunn’s Baltimore office. We’ve been trying to hash it out over the phone, but it’s just not working. They need me to fly in tomorrow morning. I’ll probably need to be there a couple—maybe three days.”
“So, anyway,” Aidan’s dad continued, “I was thinking that maybe you’d like to tag along. It’ll give you and Robby a chance to talk about some things. What do you think?”
“Are you serious, Dad? I can go?”
“Well, you might have to miss a day of school, maybe two . . .”
No wonder Mom’s mad, Aidan thought. She never likes me to miss school.
“Uh, I’ll get over it!” Aidan said, laughing. “This is so cool! Thank you, Dad! Thank you!”
“You need to pack, and you should probably call Robby to see if it’s okay for you to drop by while we’re in town. But listen, don’t stay up too late. Our flight leaves at seven A.M. from Colorado Springs Airport.”
I won’t be able to sleep! Aidan thought after he hung up the phone.
As he packed, Aidan thought it was rather funny that Robby was going to get the truth of Alleble from both sides—from Antoinette in The Realm, if she could find him, and from Aidan back in Maryland. And face-to-face, Robby would just have to listen, wouldn’t he?
