Part 4 (1/2)

She pressed her face against the window, staring at Oakland shrinking beneath her as they ascended into the clear blue expanse of sky. Below them, toy cars raced on thin ribbons of highway, and she couldnt imagine real people living in those tiny dollhouses. At ten thousand feet in the air, the world, which had always seemed so huge to her, had suddenly shrunk.

Hours pa.s.sed, and Valerie drifted to sleep, her eyes heavy from staring out her window at the endless miles of puffy clouds.

Later, Valerie couldnt decide if what she heard had been a dream.

Whats happening? Where am I? she heard a gravelly voice ask with a hint of panic.

Its okay, buddy, were safe, Thais voice replied soothingly. Were on a plane.

She opened her eyes to see who he was talking to, but the seat next to his was empty, as it had been for the entire flight. Thai had his earphones on, and when he saw she was awake, he quickly turned his attention to the movie playing on the screen in the seatback in front of him.

Who were you talking to? she asked.

He pulled off his earphones. What did you say?

Nothing. Never mind.

She leaned back in her seat, drifting back to sleep. She must have dreamed the conversation. After all, it wouldnt be the first time that shed had a dream that seemed real.

Chapter 7.

Valerie awoke for the second time with a shock as the plane touched down with a thud, trembling as it raced down the runway. Instantly she was wide awake.

Welcome to London Heathrow International Airport, the friendly voice of the flight attendant announced.

Im in a brand new country! A whole new continent, and a new time zone, even! Valerie exclaimed. Even if she failed the test and had to go back to the hospital, at least she had the chance to see some of the world.

Okay, get a grip, kid. Low profile, remember? Thai scolded.

She suppressed her urge to smack him and held on to her good mood. Thai navigated through the airport and expertly led her outside to jump on a bus to London. When they arrived at the downtown bus terminal, they grabbed their bags and began walking.

Valerie thought she would drown trying to take in all the sights that floated by. Landmarks that she recognized from movies and her history books jumped out at her every time they turned a corner. Big Ben, the Tower of London, she was seeing them in all of their three-dimensional glory.

Unbelievable, Valerie whispered as she and Thai boarded a red, double-decker bus. Can we sit on top? A bus with two floors!

Sure, he said, grinning. Try not to let your eyes pop out of your head or anything.

She ignored his snarky comment, to enthralled with the sights. Cant you feel it?

Feel what?

The weight of the history in this place. I mean, these buildings have been around since before the United States was even founded. Thats centuries-old dirt on that library! William Shakespeare walked these streets!

London even smelled different to her. She never imagined that a country that spoke her language could feel so foreign. All the buildings seemed darker and older than the buildings in California, but their age gave them dignity. The storyteller in her was entranced as she imagined the centuries of drama that had played out in this city. But all too soon, Thai said it was time to get off.

Would it kill us to spend one day in London, Thai? Theres so much to see! I wonder if its true that the palace guards wont move, no matter how hard you try to distract them. And the crown jewels, Id love to”

It wouldnt kill us, but it might kill you, he said, not unkindly. Were on a quest, and neither of us can rest until weve accomplished it. With that he held out his arm, directing her down some stairs to the underground train, which Thai called the Tube.

Hes right, Val, Cyruss voice whispered softly in her mind. She couldnt see him, but she knew that hed been watching over her the entire time.

Okay, fair enough. So where are we going, exactly?

Were going to Salisbury, where well camp for the night. At dawn, were going to Stonehenge.

Stonehenge? My test is at Stonehenge?! Valeries voice rose an octave in excitement.

Keep it down!

Sorry. This is great! Ill get to see some sights after all! I cant believe thats where this magic test happens. How has no one found something out about this? I mean, archeologists are digging up that place all the time. And how will we get in and out without being seen?

Enough with the questions. Youll see for yourself when we get there, Thai snapped. She shook her head. He should have slept on the plane ride, like she did. But soon, she was too distracted looking out her window at the English countryside to even think about Thai or his mood.

This is our stop, Thai announced as the train screeched to a halt in Salisbury.

Lets not wait until tomorrow. Lets go to Stonehenge now. Im sure its not too late to catch an afternoon tour, Valerie pleaded. It would be nice to see the monument without the pressure of having her magic tested”and the disappointment if she failed.

We need to go just before sunrise. No one will be there, and dawn is the time on Earth when the rules binding magic are the weakest.

It cant hurt to scout the place out before we go tomorrow, to get an understanding of how its laid out.

I guess that makes some sense. And youre going to give me a headache if you dont take it down a notch. But you do have a point. Ive never been there before, either.

Look, Thai, theres a bus leaving for Stonehenge right now. Its a sign.

They jogged over to the bus and boarded it in time. As the bus sputtered along the b.u.mpy road, Valerie strained her eyes to catch her first glimpse of the tall stones. Her heart jumped as Stonehenge appeared in the distance. Even from miles away through a dirty bus window, it was more majestic than she had ever imagined.

Gigantic rectangular stones stood vertically, roughly in a semicircle. Some of the stones were joined at the top by large slabs that connected the vertical stones. Inside the half circle were more stones, some that were standing and a few that had fallen over. Despite the obvious toll that time had taken on the ancient monument, toppling many of the boulders over, it still possessed a majesty and mystery that took her breath away.

Valerie almost felt as if she was in a trance as she and Thai paid the entrance fee and walked down the visitors path. They could only walk around the perimeter of the ruins, and she had to fight the urge not to break the rules and run inside the ring of stones.

As she took it all in, a boulder in the distance caught her eye. Look at that stone all the way over there. Why is it so far away from the rest?

I think thats the Heel Stone. There used to be a second stone next to it, and the sun would rise and s.h.i.+ne right through the two stones and onto the altar stone that stands in the middle of the ring of tall stones, which is called the Trilithon Horseshoe.

She looked at him in amazement, and he grinned. What? I like to read. You think I didnt research the place where the secret to leaving this planet is? Im your guardian. I have to know what to expect.

Do people know what this place was built for?

Well, they dont know about the test, if thats what you mean. But it wasnt built only for that reason. People used it to learn about the stars and the seasons, for religious reasons, and for burying important people when they died.

Can you feel the power of this place? Its humming in the ground.