Now it’s more like Nabal’s whip hitting me on the ankle about a thousand times.”
Sapphira lifted her hand. The goop had turned pink, but a small white spot stood out in the mixture. She plucked out a tough, yet flexible bead about the size of a baby’s tooth. Tiny red stripes encircled the bead three times.
“The fruit had a seed in the middle,” Sapphira said, stuffing it into her pocket. “I’ll save it for later.”
“So what are we going to do now? We don’t have any food to give Shiloh.”
“I guess I’ll tell her I’ll come back once I create a safe portal.”
“Okay.” Acacia folded her hands over her waist. “I’ll wait here for you.”
“No. If Morgan doesn’t find you, that dog probably will.”
Acacia pushed up to a sitting position. “Then I’ll go with you.”
Sapphira touched Acacia’s leg just above her wound. “You have to drop through a hole and land pretty hard. I don’t think your leg could handle it.”
“Okay,” Acacia said. “Do you have a plan?”
“I thought of a way you might be able to go home without fighting those snakes again.”
“Go on. I’m listening.”
Sapphira nodded toward Morgan’s castle at the top of the hill. “Remember the three doors I told you about in the dungeon up there? Usually one of them opens to a dimension I’ve been to before. Elam, Gabriel, and I went through a portal we found there and ended up at Patrick’s mansion.”
“So you think I can find the exit portal?”
“It’s easy. A skeleton marks the spot.”
“A skeleton?” Acacia rolled her eyes. “Wonderful. Sounds like a safe place.”
“Don’t worry. It seemed safe while we were there, and I’ll help you.” Sapphira stood and held out her hand for Acacia. “Think you can walk?”
Acacia pulled up on Sapphira’s hand and tested her ankle. “Maybe. We’ll see.”
Sapphira helped Acacia sneak up to Morgan’s house. Sapphira had to climb into the window by herself, but since no one seemed to be home, she unlocked the door from the inside, and the two of them took their time descending the dungeon’s staircase.
As darkness flooded their surroundings, Sapphira reignited the cross. When they arrived at the lantern gateway, she illuminated and extinguished the lanterns in the usual numbered sequence, and the gate creaked open. Acacia leaned heavily against Sapphira as they passed through. Every few seconds, she breathed a muffled groan.
“Are you going to make it?” Sapphira asked.
Acacia sat down in front of the trio of doors and extended her sore ankle. “I’ll rest while you open the doors.”
When Sapphira swung open the first door, the endless field of grass appeared. Stepping over to the second, she turned the handle and opened it more slowly. Behind this one, she found the hole that led to the sixth circle. “Here’s my door,” she said.
As she crept toward the third door, her hand trembled. This had to be the forest! It just had to be! She reached for the knob and slung the door open. Tropical trees arched over a winding dirt path that slipped under dozens of low-hanging vines. She spun around and dramatically swept her arms toward the doorway. “Acacia, I give you the path home.”
Acacia rose slowly to her feet and hobbled toward Sapphira. “Well, it’s not the wardrobe to Narnia, but it’ll do.”
Sapphira helped Acacia limp along the path until she got her bearings. Running ahead, she located the portal and searched through the ferns until she found an extra long bone. She plunged it into the earth next to the skeleton and hustled back to Acacia.
“Okay,” Sapphira said, catching her breath. “When you pass the fifth tree on the right, turn ninety degrees and you’ll see a grassy mound. The portal is about fifty paces on the other side. I stuck a bone in the ground to make it easy to find. Just open the portal and you’ll fall into Patrick’s house. You can take your time, but I want to hurry back and find Shiloh.”
Acacia embraced Sapphira, then pulled away and pressed her finger into her sister’s chest. “Don’t take any chances. If I don’t see you by tomorrow, I’m coming to find you.”
“Fair enough,” Sapphira replied. “Did you bring your sunglasses?”
“No. I don’t have a hat, either.”
“I guess you’ll have to go anyway.” Sapphira combed her fingers through Acacia’s white locks. “With the styles I’ve seen in Glastonbury lately, no one’s going to say anything about your hair. If you keep your head down, maybe no one will notice your eyes. Just walk slowly.”