"Get away from me!" Henry shouted. His fear was so palpable that Valerie could swear it was her own. Without meaning to, he had pulled her into his mind, as he had done many times before when Sanguina had frightened him over the years. But now, she knew that this connection and the magic that sustained it were draining her life.

"Henry, it's okay. Let me go and I'll come find you," she tried to send her thoughts to him, but her words weren't penetrating.

He ran blindly through the woods, and she saw the flickering light of the campfire through his eyes. But before he was close, he tripped over a tree root and landed on the ground. A shadow loomed over him.

"Not again, please. You can't touch me, you can't hurt me," Henry chanted to himself.

In the light of the moon, she saw the face of the man near him and relief washed over her. It was Chisisi.

"All you all right, young sir? Allow me to help you up."

"He's safe; he's a friend," she tried to communicate to her brother. Something of her relief or words must have come through, because abruptly his mind let hers go, and she was back in her own body.

Thai was cradling her, his eyes dilated with fear. "Come back, please, come back!"

"It's okay, I'm okay," she whispered. But it wasn't totally true. It was like she'd been hit by a truck, and she wasn't even sure if she could stand.

"Thank God," he said, hugging her close.

Henry and Chisisi stepped into the firelight. Behind them, a tall, dark stranger a few years older than Chisisi joined them as well. Henry raced to her side, panic-stricken. "I'm sorry! I didn't even know I did it until I calmed down. I could have killed you!"

"You didn't even come close. A little rest and I'll be fine."

"Ah, young ones. I am sorry to bring trouble with us. We had hoped to relieve you of it, not add to it," Chisisi said.

Thai and Chisisi clasped hands. "Can you help her?" Thai asked.

"I can," the strange man said. His eyes were serious, but Valerie saw the deep laugh lines in his cheeks and sensed that he was usually more lighthearted.

"This is Zaki, your benefactor when you visited Mena House in Egypt. He is here to assist us," Chisisi said.

Zaki knelt beside her and pulled out a greenish powder from a pouch at his side. "Put a bit on your tongue. Fair warning—it tastes like rotten eggs. I usually sprinkle it in Chisisi's food when he's being naughty, but in this case, I think it will give you back your strength," he said with a twinkle in his eye.

Chisisi smiled at his friend's joke, but it didn't reach his eyes. He patted Valerie's hand. It warmed her heart to see how much he cared. He nodded encouragingly as Zaki poured a bit of powder in her hand, and she quickly tossed it in her mouth. It tasted awful, but adrenaline coursed through her body. Her limbs were under her control again, and she was able to sit up.

"Is it magic?" she asked.

"No, just herbs," Zaki replied. "If I had magic, you can bet it'd taste a lot better."

"It will help you regain your energy more quickly, but it is not a cure," Chisisi added.

She nodded. Her limbs were still heavy from the physical and mental toll that the magic had taken on her. It was both frustrating and frightening to be so weak and dependent.

"I'm so sorry," Henry said. "I just went for a walk—I wanted to prove to myself that there was nothing to be afraid of out there anymore. But instead, I did just the opposite. I was stupid."

"You weren't stupid—that was brave. And you don't have to worry. I'll be fine after a good night's sleep."

"I wish we could stay here longer for you to fully recover, but unfortunately time is of the essence. At dawn, we must depart," Chisisi said firmly.

"What's the rush?" Thai asked.

"It's rather exciting. We have some villains chasing us," Zaki said, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Usually this would make me feel like that Hollywood hero—James Bond—but in this case, it has been a bit inconvenient."

"That is why it took so long for us to come to you. We had to be sure that we had escaped," Chisisi added. "Things are changing here, young friends. The Fractus are marshaling their forces on Earth. They are trying to track down those who know the secrets of traveling between worlds, like Zaki. In order for the Fractus to travel freely back and forth between Earth and the Globe, many pieces must fall into place in both worlds."

"Chisisi can be a worrywart, but I admit that it is rather important to make sure that the seal stays closed on our side," Zaki added, smacking Chisisi affectionately on the back. "I am very lucky he is here to remind me not to get distracted."

"We must use utmost caution in getting you back to the Globe," Chisisi said. "When you leave, the seal will be vulnerable, and we must make sure no one takes advantage of that time."

"Where are we going?" she asked, hoping for another adventure. "Rome? Paris? Back to the Great Pyramid?"

"Alas, the Great Pyramid portal is no longer functional. In fact, no portal is fully functional. But there is one I believe we can fix. And it is close, within this country."

"Don't leave us hanging, where are we going?" Thai asked impatiently.

"Colorado."

The next day, Valerie was weaker than usual, but well enough to hide it. She could see from the way that Henry was watching her that he didn't buy it. She tried to keep the connection between them fully closed, but she knew that some of her exhaustion must be leaking through.

As much as she knew that she needed to return to the Globe to regain her strength, after kissing Thai, she wanted to stay on Earth more than ever. What if he needed her when it was time for him to split with Tan? Surely, once Henry was safely on the Globe, she would be okay to stay for another year or so.

"How are you?" Chisisi asked her softly, so that the others wouldn't hear.

"I'm a little weak, but I'm fine," she said. He gave her a searching look.

"I have heard of your powers. Much will be expected of you when you return to the Globe."

"That's a mistake. It's the mystery of my disappearance that's making everyone overthink things."

"I do not think so. You must prepare yourself."

"Thank you for coming, Chisisi," she said, changing the subject. "I can't believe you and Zaki traveled so far for us."

"It is an honor to help you," he said in his formal way, and she gave him a quick hug.

"Will Henry and I have to pass some kind of test before we can travel to the Globe?" Valerie asked. For her first trip, she'd had to travel to Stonehenge in order to prove her worth before she was allowed to travel through the Great Pyramid portal.

Chisisi shook his head. "This portal is much simpler. Henry's and your power will activate it and send you straight to the Globe."

Valerie hid her breath of relief. She wasn't sure she was up for much more adventure in her current state.

"The fastest way to travel to Colorado would be by a magic wind tunnel, of course," Zaki said, his eyes dancing. "But since there are none available, we'll have to settle for a plain old airplane."

"I suggest we split up for safety's sake," Chisisi said. "Valerie and Thai can travel with Zaki, and Henry will go with me. We can meet again at the airport after making sure that neither of us is followed."

"I'll be with ya the whole time, too," Kanti said, appearing beside Henry with Cyrus at her side.

"What the heck, I'll join you dorks, too," Cyrus added casually. But Valerie sensed that he and Kanti had talked beforehand about joining Henry together. It made her worried that Kanti clearly thought Henry needed a lot of support.

"Take the car, since young miss needs to rest," Chisisi insisted. "Henry and I will take the bus and train."

After all the gear was packed, Valerie climbed into the back of a black SUV with heavily tinted windows. Inside, the seats were smooth leather, and she rested with a quiet sigh of relief. Tan appeared beside her and grinned.

"So you and the alter ego got a thing now, huh?" he asked, nudging her.

She couldn't repress a smile. "I'm sure you'd know better than I would."

"I only know that he doesn't think he's good enough for you—mostly because of me," he said, his face suddenly darkening.

"Of course he doesn't think that!" she said, shocked.

"He does. He's wanted to kiss you forever, but he kept holding back, thinking that he's not stable or something."

She turned the idea over in her mind with amazement until Zaki got into the car.

"Are you ready for an adventure?" Zaki exclaimed, revving the engine playfully. Valerie let out a surprised laugh.

"Let's get outta here," Tan said.

They left the campsite and had just merged onto the freeway when she caught sight of a white convertible with the top down. The driver was wearing dark sunglasses and her hair was tucked under a baseball cap. Next to her was a woman with short hair and green eyes that stood out in sharp contrast to her dark skin. The dark-haired woman locked eyes with Valerie. Goosebumps broke out on her arms.

"Zaki, let's get out of here. Something's wrong," she said.

Without questioning her, he hit the accelerator hard, zooming past several cars. He cut over into the left hand lane and sped up even faster. She gripped the seat so hard her knuckles turned white. She hoped she hadn't overreacted. Next to her, Tan was pale, but his eyes were steely.

Two lanes over, the white convertible was keeping pace with them. Zaki was hemmed in by cars on all sides, so he couldn't speed up. The white convertible changed lanes so that again they drove side by side.

The dark-haired woman unbuckled her seatbelt and stood. Valerie gasped in horror when the woman leaped from the convertible with catlike grace. A soft thud on the top of the SUV made the car tremble.

People rolled down their windows to stare and leaned on their horns. The shock factor alone was enough to cause an accident.

"Zaki, you have to slow down! She could get hurt."

"Are you crazy? Let's teach this psycho a lesson and sideswipe the median so she's knocked off. That'll teach her," Tan said.

"She could be killed!"

"So?"

"Enough!" Zaki commanded, his usual teasing tone absent. Tan fell silent. "Valerie is right."

Cyrus appeared beside her. "Henry said something's wrong."

"Someone's after us. It sounds crazy, but she's on the roof." She quickly filled him in.

Zaki slowed the car and pulled onto the shoulder of the road. To her relief, she saw Tan shudder, and when he blinked, Thai was back in control.

"Thank God," she couldn't help saying, and he squeezed her hand.

The car rolled to a stop, and Zaki turned around. "Stay inside."

He got out of the car without another word, slamming the door. Cyrus appeared next to him. Thai rolled down the window.

"She's gone," Zaki said, shading his eyes and peering down the highway.

"No she's still here, Thai, quick—" Valerie said, but she was too late. A hand holding a rag clamped over Zaki's nose and mouth, and he collapsed. Thai leaped out of the car with Valerie on his heels. The woman was fast, but the rest of the world fell away as Valerie entered the zone in her mind that touched her magic.

"Val, no!" Cyrus cried. But his voice was far away.

In one swift move, she shoved Thai behind her while blocking a blow from the woman's fist with her upper arm. The woman moved supernaturally fast, springing to the hood of the car. A swift kick caught Valerie's shoulder and sent her reeling. She would have been pushed into traffic if Thai hadn't caught her arm.

She used the momentum of the pull and kicked against the side of the car, jumping in the air to sweep her foot in an arc that hit her attacker's ankles. The woman fell, crashing onto the hood and then to the ground.

A screech of tires broke Valerie's focus, and she saw that the white convertible had pulled in front of their car. Thai raced toward the driver, but the woman on the ground leaped up and into the car, and they sped back into traffic, several drivers honking angrily as they nearly caused an accident getting away.

With her burst of power ebbing, Valerie's vision shrank to a tiny point. Cyrus's blue eyes stared anxiously into hers as her knees buckled beneath her and the world went black.