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  “Hey,” yelled Rommy, but the girl had recovered more quickly than Rommy realized. Within a moment, the taller girl was several yards away.

  Tiger Lily paused on top of a fallen tree and looked back at Rommy. Her face was pale as her eyes met Rommy’s and locked there. “I am in your debt,” she said. “I give you my word. I will not try to harm you or your friends again until I pay it.”

  Before Rommy could respond, Tiger Lily darted away. Finn came jogging up beside her while Rommy still stared at where Tiger Lily had been.

  “Hey, what happened?” he asked. “I heard you yell. Are you all right?” He nudged the vine, which was now limp on the ground.

  “Yes, but I lost Tiger Lily,” said Rommy.

  “Tiger Lily? You mean she was the one screaming?” He rolled his eyes. “I should have guessed.”

  Rommy nodded. “She’s the one who woke those vines, but they turned on her. I sliced her loose, but before I could call anyone over, that vine started moving. When I stabbed it, she got away.”

  Finn rubbed both hands on the top of his head, making his shaggy hair stand up on end. “What are we going to do about her? She knows where we are now.”

  “She said she was in my debt and won’t harm us,” said Rommy, shrugging, “but I don’t know how much we can trust her word. She’s besotted with Pan. That’s why she was here, to help him.”

  Finn frowned. “A debt of honor is something Tiger Lily and her people take very seriously,” he said. “I expect she won’t try to hurt us again, but that doesn’t mean she won’t tell Pan where we are.”

  They walked back over to the others. All the vines were lying limp and unmoving on the ground now. Alice perched on a stump with Nissa hovering near her. Lobo was sitting on his haunches, ears pricked forward.

  When Rommy and Finn entered the clearing, Lobo whined. He walked over to her and gently laid his muzzle on her shoulder. Rommy leaned her head against his for a moment, burying her fingers in his thick fur. Just for a moment, she let his strength flow into her.

  Finally, taking a deep breath, she told the others what had happened. “Tiger Lily ran away, but she feels she owes me a debt, so I think we can trust she won’t try to harm us again.”

  Finn added, “She’ll probably tell Pan, but she has to get out of the jungle first. We should be able to reach Unilisi before that happens.”

  Balo made a snorting sound. “I can’t believe you saved her,” he complained. “After I risk my life killing those vines, you let her go so that she can tell Pan right where we are? Sometimes, I think you enjoy almost dying.”

  Nissa hissed. “Balo, you weren’t the only one who was killing the vines.” She had her hands on her tiny hips, and the glow around her was taking on a brighter hue. “Now, stop complaining. We must prepare for Unilisi tomorrow, and it is already late.”

  Rommy felt a flutter in her stomach. “You’re right, Nissa,” she said. “We need to gather the items Little Owl told us to, and we need to leave at first light. She said the best time to pass the guardian trees into Unilisi’s grove is when dawn is just breaking.”

  Nissa called over Balo, and the two of them flew off to gather the special blossoms they would need. Rommy gathered the leaves of the fuzzy trees and then looked at Finn. “Do you have any idea how to make these into a basket?” she asked, staring at them.

  He chuckled. “Didn’t they teach you basket weaving in that fancy school of yours?” he asked, his eyes twinkling.

  Rommy laughed. “No, that’s one thing we never learned.”

  Alice came to squat next to them. Finn went over to one of the thin trees, and using his knife, made a score along the trunk. A thin line of sap oozed out. He scraped it off and then smeared it on the leaves, building them up until they formed a little cup-like basket.

  It didn’t take long before Nissa and Balo returned with yellow and white blossoms. “Balo, go kill the vines. Balo, go get the flowers. Balo, do this. Balo, do that,” the auburn-haired fairy grumbled. “Nobody even says thank you.”

  Rommy bit back a smile, stood, and walked over to where he perched on a low branch. Dropping a kiss on his tiny head, she said, “Thank you, Balo. You’ve been a big help on this trip, and I, for one, appreciate it.”

  He crossed his arms and huffed, but Rommy thought she saw him starting to smile when he turned away.

  Finn had found a few branches and leaves and started a small fire. The others gathered around it. The long day’s journey plus the encounter with the deadly vines had exhausted everyone.

  “We should get some rest,” Rommy said. “We’ll need to start out early.”

  Everyone settled down to sleep, although Rommy saw Alice look over at the vines several times before her eyes drifted shut. She hoped the girl didn’t have nightmares. For that matter, she hoped she didn’t have nightmares. Between this and all the times she’d almost died in the past week, she had a lot of material for them. Her last thought as her eyes fluttered shut was that she hoped this trip hadn’t been for nothing.

  Chapter 30:

  Meeting Unilisi

  The jungle was still dark when the small group got ready to leave their campsite. The shadowy outlines of the Viper Vines lay motionless and limp on the ground, their stripes faded to nothing.

  Rommy saw Alice make a wide circle around one as they headed back out of the clearing. Lobo once again led them with Rommy behind him. The fairies spread out, Kalen up with Lobo and Talen bringing up the rear behind Finn.

  Nissa flew next to Rommy, humming as she went. Balo had flittered further away, his golden glow barely visible.

  Lobo set a brisk pace, as they needed to be at Unilisi’s grove at dawn. The nerves that in Rommy’s stomach churned. She hadn’t even tried to eat one of the cassia fruits that Finn had gathered for her and Alice.

  Questions seemed to repeat themselves in time to her steps. What if Unilisi wouldn’t talk to them? What if they didn’t even get past the guardian trees? Little Owl had explained the words Rommy was supposed to say so that the trees would allow the group into the grove. The elderly woman had warned her that sometimes, the trees blocked people’s path for reasons of their own. And trying to get by a guardian tree was unwise and often fatal.

  At the time, Rommy had wondered what a tree could do to a person, but after the Viper Vines, she decided she didn’t want to find out.

  As the path slanted upward, Rommy panted with the effort. The slope wasn’t steep, but the ground had gotten rockier and more overgrown as they got closer to open sky, making walking more difficult. Alice stumbled against her, and Rommy put out a hand to steady her.

  “Are you okay?” she asked the younger girl.

  “I’m fine and dandy,” said Alice, although her words came between puffs of breath.

  Lobo stopped and looked back. “I do not mean to push so hard, but the sun will welcome the day soon,” he said. “Perhaps you should ride.”

  Alice didn’t need to be asked twice. She scurried past Rommy and clambered onto Lobo’s back, where she patted the big wolf on his neck. “You are the best wolf I’ve ever met,” she said, then grinned. “Course, I ain’t met too many wolves.”

  Lobo trotted on, and Rommy hurried to keep up. It wouldn’t be long now. The ground became increasingly difficult to navigate. Over last several yards, Rommy scrabbled up a steep incline onto a flat plateau. After looking around, she realized they were on the top of a small hill that rose out of the surrounding jungle. The tangle of plants and vines grew right up to a thick ring of trees that encircled the center of the hilltop.

  It was Unilisi’s grove.

  Rommy’s heart hammered in her chest so loudly she was surprised none of the others could hear it. This was it. Their quest could be over or just starting.

  Alice slipped off Lobo, and Finn came to stand next to her as the first rays of the sun peeked through the trees.

  “Do you remember the words?” asked Nissa.

  Rommy nodded. Finn reached over and squeezed her
hand. She gave him a grateful smile and her lips trembled.

  She pressed them together and lifted her chin. She hadn’t come this far to let a few nerves stop her. Squaring her shoulders, she walked toward the ring of trees. When she got about six feet from them, the branches swung down to block her way. As the first rays of dawn stretched over the grove, the leaves glinted gold and silver, their edges gleaming with knife-like sharpness. No wonder Little Owl said it was impossible to get by unless the guardian trees allowed it.

  Rommy closed the distance between herself and the trees and stood before the branches that blocked the entrance. She brought Little Owl’s words into her mind, took a deep breath, and then spoke.

  Guardians of Unilisi

  I ask for entrance

  For my friends and me

  We have come from a great distance

  To seek the great grandmother of us all

  Without her wisdom, we will fall.

  Rommy held her breath. After a long agonizing moment there was creaking and groaning, and the branches pulled back, making an entrance. Rommy gestured to the others, and they hurried over. The opening only allowed one person at a time, and Rommy was the first to step into the grove. As soon as both her feet were inside the circle, the trees snapped shut behind her.

  “Hey!” Alice shouted from the other side. “Let us in, you stupid trees!”

  The branches didn’t move. Uneasiness made a cold trail up Rommy’s spine. Little Owl had said nothing about having to do this alone.

  Rommy pushed away her unease and looked around. Inside the ring of trees was a small clearing. Green grass dotted with a rainbow of wildflowers carpeted the ground. The blossoms nodded in an invisible breeze and let out the soft tinkle of tiny bells. Butterflies of every color shimmered through the air.

  She caught her breath as a brilliant turquoise butterfly the size of a bird alighted on her shoulder. It fanned its delicate wings a few times before flitting off.

  In the center of the clearing stood a large tree, its trunk bigger than anything Rommy had ever seen. The roots at its base were visible, hunched up and gnarled, before disappearing into the ground. Its branches spread so wide and leafy that they almost capped the entire clearing. The tree gave off its own glow, and the sun filtered through the leaves, making each one shimmer like silver charms.

  Rommy stood gaping for a moment and then remembered what she needed to do. She gently gripped the little leaf cup with the blossoms and walked toward the tree. Each step she took stirred up butterflies and made the wildflowers chime madly.

  As she drew closer, she found it harder and harder to move forward. The air around the great tree seemed thick and pulsing. She felt her mind going fuzzy at the edges, and she had to wrench her thoughts to what she needed to do next.

  She placed the cup with its blossoms at the heart of a big root. Then she went down on one knee, placing her fist against her shoulder and bowing her head, as Little Owl had instructed her.

  And then she waited.

  And waited.

  The butterflies continued to flit over the flowers, some alighting on her hair and shoulders. The wildflowers swayed and tinkled.

  And still she waited.

  Just when she wondered if she should try to leave, a great heaving sigh breathed out of the tree, and the leaves rustled and clinked. She felt the pulsing thickness press on her head, and then it lessened.

  There came a deep sigh. “Ah, another day, another pilgrim comes to get answers. Stand up and tell me why you are here.” The voice was raspy and impatient.

  Rommy scrambled to her feet, blinking in surprise. Where gnarled tree bark had been, she could see a face, like an ancient grandmother.

  Rommy swallowed. “I have come to you for answers, Unilisi.”

  The eyes in the tree bark seemed to roll. “Well, I didn’t think you came to have a picnic. You’ll have to be more specific. What answers do you need?

  “Oh, well, I...” said Rommy, startled by the tree’s abrupt tone.

  “Speak up, speak up,” said the tree. “What? Do you think I have all the time in the world?” It paused and then cackled, a sound like dry leaves being crushed. “Well, as to that, I guess I do, don’t I?” After several moments, it sputtered to a stop and spoke again. “Regardless, I certainly don’t have all the time in the world for you. The clock is ticking, Child, so I suggest you spit out that question before I lose my patience all together.”

  Rommy cleared her throat and gathered her thoughts. This was not going the way she had imagined. “I need to know how to close the passage from Neverland to the outside world.”

  “Humph! And why do you need to know that? That passage has been open a long time, and there’s been no problem. Why do you want to close it now?”

  “Peter Pan is kidnapping children,” said Rommy. “He is taking them from their beds against their will.”

  “You do not have to describe what kidnapping is,” the tree said. “I’ve been around long enough to know what that means. And how does this concern me, exactly?”

  Rommy was starting to feel exasperated. She took another deep breath to calm herself. “If we can close that passageway, then Peter Pan can no longer take anyone.” Again, she felt a pressure in her head like the tree was rummaging around in her mind.

  “Is that really the reason you want to close off the passageway?” Unilisi said, one gnarled eyebrow rising.

  “Isn’t that enough of a reason?” Rommy asked.

  The other eyebrow joined its mate.

  Rommy sighed and kicked at the dirt. Her words came in a rush. “I want my father back. Pan took my brother, and he died here. My father wants revenge so much, it’s making him into someone I don’t know, and...sometimes, I don’t like, either.”

  The tree rustled and creaked. “Ah, now we get to the heart of the matter. Everyone wants to act as if they are about some noble cause, but usually, at the root of it all is a heart’s desire. You want your father to be your father.”

  Rommy wrinkled her nose.

  Again, the tree sighed. “Must I explain everything to you? You want your father to do his job, to be your father, not your brother’s father. After all, your brother doesn’t need your father anymore, and you do.”

  Rommy’s eyes opened wide and then narrowed. “That’s exactly how I feel. How did you know that?”

  The tree made a tsking sound. “You traveled all this way to visit an ancient, wise being, and now you are asking me why I know things? I thought if you were smart enough to get here, you would catch onto things more quickly.”

  Heat crawled up Rommy’s neck, and she wished she could suck back her words.

  “Oh, don’t look like that,” Unilisi said and sighed again. “I’m sure you are a bright enough girl. I will tell you what you want to know, but first, you must understand, if the passage is closed, it can never be opened again.”

  “That’s not a problem,” said Rommy. “Once it’s closed with Pan here, there is no reason to open it again.”

  “Once you start the process, you will only have from sunrise to sunrise before the passageway is sealed,” said Unilisi. “Anyone who is still on this island will stay here. Forever. Once the locking is set into motion, it cannot be stopped, not even by me. Are you willing to take that chance?”

  Rommy swallowed and then nodded.

  The tree paused and then rustled its branches. Several small black berries dropped at Rommy’s feet. “There is another way,” said the tree. “Those berries at your feet are poisonous. One bite and they kill instantly.”

  Rommy looked into the ancient bark face, unwilling to say aloud what she thought the tree was trying to tell her. Unilisi rustled her branches again and let out a huff.

  “Don’t give me that innocent look,” she said. “You know I’m referring to Peter Pan. Those berries would get rid of him and be safer for you and your friends. No danger of being sealed forever on Neverland, and no need to worry about Pan anymore. Your father would have his reve
nge, and you’d have your father. It’s a simple solution.”

  Rommy sucked in a breath and quickly stepped back from the berries. “I...I couldn’t do that,” she said. “What Pan is doing is wrong, and I want nothing more for my father to leave this place. But...I could never...kill Pan. That would be just as wrong as what he’s been doing.”

  The tree cackled again, and a shower of silvery leaves fell on Rommy’s head. “I knew you had some nobleness in there, even if it is mixed up with your longings,” Unilisi said. “Besides, I haven’t had any visitors in a long time. It will be interesting to help you and see what happens. Step closer.”

  Rommy let out a long breath. She moved closer to the ancient tree, and a wave of power washed over her. A picture of what looked like a glowing dark green stick formed in Rommy’s mind. It was nestled in a tangled bird’s nest. Unilisi’s voice echoed inside her head.

  “You must find the key to Neverland in the home of the fairy who opened the gate, but beware. Her anchor of hope has come unmoored.” The picture wavered and changed to an underwater cave, where a tall stone door stood between two stone pillars. In the center of the door was a round opening. “Then you must go to the Cave of Sighs that is guarded by the mermaid princesses and put the key into the lock. Turn it three times, and the passageway will start to close. Everyone who wants to leave must do so between the next two sunrises. Anyone still on the island when the rays of the second sunrise touch the rock in the center of Mermaid Lagoon will be sealed here forever. Do you understand?”

  Rommy nodded. “But where is the key?” she asked. “Who was the fairy who opened the gate?”

  But Unilisi had gone silent. The trunk was only bark once more. Rommy heard rustling, and several silvery leaves fluttered down to her feet.

  “Each of these leaves are wishes for you, but use them wisely,” Unilisi’s voice echoed. “Now go while the Guardians will let you.”

  Rommy put her hand on the trunk of the tree. “Thank you,” she said.

  The tree rustled again. The voice floated into her head. “Enough of that. Now go. Shoo, I say.”