It was worth a shot. He reached out to feel around, but the wall faded away. His hand destroyed the magic as it pa.s.sed through the illusion, and a pathway was revealed.

But of course, he thought. Why wouldn't a wall disappear around here? Just another messed up thing. Without wasting another moment, he stepped into a long, narrow corridor that stretched in front of him without a visible end.

He would have taken another step, but he heard something that made his heart sink. His daughter's voice filled the darkness. "Daddy, help! Stop it! You're hurting me!"

Fear seized George's mind.

Again, Abbie's voice echoed, "Don't touch me! Aahhhhhh! Daaaaaddy!"

George called out, "I'm coming, baby! Daddy's here! Whoever you are, get your d.a.m.n hands off her!"

George's hand trembled as he lifted the torch and started to run toward his daughter's cries. The walls and the floor in this part of the cave were different. They were not smooth like before. Instead, they were rough. Footing was much easier to find, but the end of the corridor remained untouched by the light of his torch.

With each step, his daughter's screams echoed. "Daddy, make him stop! It hurts!"

His heart raced as his pace quickened. "I'm coming, baby! I'm coming!"

Over 900 panic-filled footsteps pounded against the floor before the light of his torch found a door at the end of the corridor. The door was solid, made of a thick wood, maybe some sort of oak, and it was painted red. A small, half-arch window rested eye-level at its center. Beyond the door, no light was visible through it.

George slowed his pace and approached with caution. He held the torch near the window. Suddenly, his daughter's face appeared on the other side and screamed, "Daddy, help me!" Then Abbie's face vanished, and the window went black.

George freaked out. He s.n.a.t.c.hed the doork.n.o.b and twisted. It was locked. Again, he twisted and pulled with all his might, shouting, "I'm here, baby! I'm here! Get your d.a.m.n hands off of her! I'll kill you! I'll break every bone in your body!"

George reared back, ensured his footing was solid and then kicked the door with all his might, but the barrier held firm.

He continued to call to Abbie to let her know he was coming as he kicked the door over and over, pounding until he was exhausted and unable to lift his leg.

George fell against the wall, his chest heaving. His daughter's voice continued to scream, "Daaaaaaaddy! Make him stop!"

George's face was covered with tears as he pushed himself off the wall and prepared for another a.s.sault. He was about to kick the door when a light appeared on the other side, illuminating the window.

Again, he held his torch up, but now he noticed a heavy, iron door knocker that was not there previously. It was hanging at its center, just below the window.

George lifted the heavy, metal hoop and bashed it against the wood. He waited, removing his pistol from beneath his pant leg. He pointed the gun and whispered, "Answer it, you son of a b.i.t.c.h." He lifted his voice and shouted, "I'm coming, baby! Daddy's here!"

The lock on the other side of the door released. As it opened, a set of familiar faces appeared. They were George's worst nightmares. His ex-wife, Catherine-wench, her mother, Cynthia-ho, and the b.a.s.t.a.r.d responsible for trying to take his daughter away from him, a.s.sface, were all standing in a row with his ex motioning for him to come inside.

The room beyond was a kitchen, elegant and with many expensive appliances. He touched the walls. They felt real. Somehow, he was no longer in a cave. Nothing made sense. He scanned the rest of the room. Abbie was sitting at a large table by herself. Her face was red, and her eyes were blood-shot. Her fear was evident as tears streamed down her face.

George dropped his torch, holstered his gun, and then darted across the room. He lifted Abbie from her seat and tried to hold her tight, but her form faded into nothingness. "What the h.e.l.l?" he shouted as he turned to face his ex-wife.

Catherine only smiled as a.s.sface reached out and handed her a doc.u.ment that George was familiar with. It was the court summons for the custody hearing over Abbie. He taunted George with a wink and then leaned down to give Catherine a kiss. A moment later, he vanished in a blue cloud of smoke.

"Somebody better explain what's going on!" George demanded.

Catherine lifted her hand and pointed at her mother. As she did, she chuckled hauntingly and then slowly dematerialized while responding, "Ask her."

George took a defensive posture and faced his ex-mother-in-law. She now had a large wooden spoon in her hand, and she was stirring a sizable bowl of macaroni and cheese. She glared at George, and a calamitous grin appeared on her face.

"What's so d.a.m.n funny?" George sneered.

Instead of responding, his mother-in-law burped up chunks of meat and spit them into the bowl. After giving it a quick stir, she lifted the delicacy and tilted it toward George.

Taking a few steps forward to peek in, George saw the partially digested pieces of meat turn into miniature pigs. He became sick to his stomach as the tiny swine devoured the macaroni.

George was now more unnerved than ever. "What the h.e.l.l is going on here? Don't make me ask you again! You better start talking!"

The woman dropped the container to the floor. As it hit the tile, the bowl shattered. What was left of the macaroni took form and added to the number of pigs.

George tried to avoid the tiny swine as they swarmed between his legs and attacked the soles of his boots. Many chunks were torn away from the leather and an equal number of swine were crushed beneath his feet before the rest darted across the room like mice and disappeared through a hole in the wall.

Finding his ex-mother-in-law's eyes, he watched her laugh as she lifted her hand and pointed toward the table where Abbie had been sitting. She hissed, "Your daughter is in danger, George! She's in danger!"

George's heart sank as he watched an image of Abbie appear, only to vanish again. A chill ran through his body as every hair on his arms stood on end. Before he could utter another word, the image of Abbie's grandmother also faded. The kitchen melted away, leaving behind the darkness of the cave, lit only by the torch he had dropped on the floor.

He moved to pick it up. He shoved the flame forward in order to light the way ahead. "h.e.l.lo!" he shouted. He took a few steps, moving the torch from side-to-side and circling to see if he was alone. "Abbie, where are you?"

George felt lost, helpless, and terrified. "Abbie! Daddy's here, baby! I need you to call to me! I'll find you!"

He took a few more steps, continuing to move the flame from side to side. The light from the torch found the edges of what appeared to be an altar, similar to the ones Sam and Shalee woke up on back at the temple. The glow of the altar intensified, shedding light throughout the cavernous room. He could see everything, and laying on top of the altar was the staff he was after.

As he approached, his mind went wild. He stopped and took note, realizing the only way out of the room was through the red door he had entered, which now sat more than 30 paces away. As if triggered by his attention, the door dissolved and revealed the way back to the rest of the cave.

George rushed to the opening and shoved the torch through it. Beyond, there was nothing but the long corridor. He shouted again, "Abbie! Abbie! Answer me, baby!"

He stood still for many long moments and waited for a response. Nothing. As he turned around to face the altar, the room went dark. The only thing that remained lit was the staff resting at the center of the altar and his torch.

George fought to clear his mind, his blinding love for his daughter was making it hard to focus. The sight of the staff, and the way it was lit, toyed with his mind.

His thoughts raced. Am I sane?

He lowered the torch to check out the soles of his boots. As the flame lit their surface, nothing was out of the ordinary. It was as if he had never been attacked.

He moved to where his weight had crushed the pigs. There were no remains. I'm losing it.

After many long moments of turmoil, George convinced himself it was all an illusion. He turned his attention back to the staff. I hope you're real.

He boldly walked over and reached out. As his hand made contact with the object, he quickly pulled it away. c.r.a.p ... it is real! He took a few steps back. Now his mind was racing in a whole new direction. If the staff is so powerful, it's got to be b.o.o.by-trapped. I could die if I take it. That's it. It's rigged. The staff is a trigger.

Sweat built up on George's forehead as he scanned the altar and checked the walls, ceiling, and the floor for anything out of the ordinary. All he could see was a few, small cracks. Nothing seemed alarming.

Returning to the altar, he stopped beside it. All he had to do was reach out and take it, but he could not make himself do it. He just knew it was rigged, and his life was in danger.

He scanned the room again, his heart pounding. If he did not take it, he would live, for now, but he would not be able to defend himself once Kepler learned he was powerless. Either way, he was screwed. He was in a bad spot and now, more than ever, he wanted to go home.

After what seemed like hours, he finally gathered the courage. Reaching out, he took a deep breath, let it out, and then breathed in again. Counting in his mind, ONE ... TWO ... THREE, he lifted the staff from the dais and ducked.

From his balled position, he opened his left eye. "Hmm, I'm still here."

He opened his other eye and without moving, he scanned the room. "I guess there aren't any poison arrows on this trip, eh, guys?"

Looking around for someone to answer, George realized his insanity and started to laugh. He backed out of the room. As he did, he called for Abbie once more and waited to hear her voice-a voice that never answered.

CHAPTER 18.

A Big Stone Statue BEFORE EXITING THE CAVE, George decided he would stop to drill a hole in the b.u.t.t end of the staff. He wanted to drink the liquid at its center and ingest the power Jason said was inside. The wood was hard. Even with the sharp point of his knife, it was taking forever to make the hole.

He looked at his watch. He had been at it for over two hours before the staff gave way and revealed the liquid inside. As he stared at the opening, he shook his head. "Welcome to Wonderland, Georgie boy. Bottoms up."

Holding the hole near the back of his throat, he directed the flow past his tongue to avoid the taste as much as possible. He thought the draining would never stop. It was difficult to drink this much without tasting it no matter how hard he tried. It was like Spam and sour yogurt combined, but the liquid went down without triggering a gag reflex, and he managed to swallow it all without missing a drop.

Lowering the staff to the ground, he waited for something wonderful to happen. He thought of the movies he had seen and pictured how the receiving of a power might look. Nothing-not a single tingle or quiver was felt. No white light, lightning, or loud noises. He only experienced an upset stomach, and to top it all off, he now had bad breath.

Maybe Jason was wrong. Maybe the liquid doesn't give the power to turn things to stone, he thought. Shouldn't I feel different?

He looked at the cave wall. He started to extend his hand and then stopped. It's already stone, dumb a.s.s. What the h.e.l.l are you thinking? Pull your head out of your b.u.t.t.

Redirecting his gaze, he focused on the staff. After a moment, he reached down and s.n.a.t.c.hed it off the floor. Try as he might, the wood would not turn. He had to be doing something wrong, or Jason was misinformed. He hoped with everything in him that it was just a matter of moments before he would figure it out.

When he finally exited the cave, the sun had gone down. Everyone was sitting back from a Kroger-sized fire, and the light was flickering off the walls of the pa.s.s as it penetrated the blackness of night.

Kroger was sitting next to Kepler, and Maldwin was rummaging through Kroger's cavernous backpack. While they waited, the ogre was flicking the end of Kepler's tail. In response, the demon was swatting the ogre's hand away as hard as he could, but the ogre clearly believed they were playing some sort of game. The beast-man's booming laugh overshadowed the threat of Kepler's growls.

Maldwin stuck his head out of the pack after hearing the cat's snarls. The rodent's nose twitched as he looked up at Kepler. "A say mona yo!" which meant, "You should bite him!"

The jaguar would have responded, but he was the first to notice George. He pulled his tail back and moved away from Kroger. "I thought you were never going to come out. Slick in there, isn't it? I thought you might have fallen and hit your head. It's hard to prowl from your haunches, wouldn't you agree?" Kepler further thought to himself, He survived the cave. Fear must not control his instincts. Perhaps territorial dominance can be accomplished with this human after all.

"It's definitely slick in there," George responded. "It took forever to find what I was after." He threw the staff on the ground. "There it is."

Kroger became excited when he saw the staff. "Oh, George got pretty stick to play with. Kroger like play with stick. Let him have."

The giant reached down to pick it up. The staff bent and broke under the weight of his finger, leaving a sharp point on one end that wedged beneath one of Kroger's huge fingernails. The beast-man cried out in pain and flopped onto the ground as big tears began to flow.

Kepler tried to console the gentle giant, but nothing seemed to work. The demon could not get him to lie still long enough to remove the splinter.

"It hurted Kroger!" the giant screamed amidst his sobs. "Stick mean to Kroger. Make stick stop give pain to Kroger. I no like stick no more, George." He rolled around as he clutched his finger with his good hand.

Kepler was lost as to how to handle the situation.

Kroger's foot slammed down in his fit, nearly smashing Maldwin. "George, make stick no hurt Kroger. You give Kroger mean stick. I no like stick no more, George."

This carried on for far too many moments. At one point, Kroger's toe caught a few pieces of wood in the fire and sent the trunks flying. Everyone was forced to scurry to avoid being squashed.

George had seen enough. His breaking point had been reached. He exploded with all his energy. "Shut up, idiot! If you don't, I'll leave you here by yourself!"

Everyone became quiet, even Kroger. Babysitting the giant was going to be a pain in the rear, and George knew it.

"Kroger, listen to me!" George shouted. "Sit up! Right now!"

The giant did as he was told.

"Don't make another noise. I want you to stop whining. I'm going to fix your finger, and you're going to stay still. If you don't, George will be mad at Kroger. Do you understand me?"

The giant nodded as another tear fell to the ground and splashed next to George's foot. He sighed and stuck out his hand.

As George walked toward Kroger's finger, the giant turned his head, shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and held it as he prepared for the pain.

George snapped out a few more comments before removing the splinter. "I've never seen a bigger baby in my life. You would think someone was going to kill you, Kroger. I'm sick of listening to you whine. I want you to stay still."

George reached out and grabbed the sliver. He sized up the situation and leaned in and laid his free hand on the end of the giant's finger. To his surprise, the ogre's skin around his hand turned gray. The grayness moved past Kroger's knuckles and into the giant's hand.

George moved back and watched in horror. Nothing could be done to stop it. He knew this was going to look bad to the others. He looked at Kepler.

"What's happening?" Kepler growled, his eyes burning bright garnet-red, while he took a defensive posture. "What are you doing to him? This isn't necessary! Stop it!"

Kroger watched as the change moved up his arm. "What happen me? Kroger no feel my arm. It sleeps, yes?" The beast-man was confused and could not understand. He continued to speak. "Kroger make sleep stop. Arm wake. Kroger wake arm. You'll see, George."

The ogre's arm was heavy as he struggled to lift it into the air. The collision it made when it slammed into the ground shook the area around them, adjusting the fire and allowing it to rekindle itself.

As his forearm crumbled into rubble, Kroger now understood it was George's fault. "Kroger arm rock, George. Why you do me this? You hurt arm more. Why? Is George not friend to Kroger? You no like Kroger no more? Kroger like George. Kroger be good. George to fix Kroger. Please, George, no make Kroger die!"

Kepler backed away from his human travel companion, but his voice remained harsh and cold. "His whining wasn't that bad! Stop it before he meets his end!"

George had no idea what to do. He looked at the ogre. "I didn't mean to do this, Kroger. George likes you. I'm so sorry, big guy. You're my friend. I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

The grayness was growing faster now, pa.s.sing through the giant's shoulder. Soon it would reach his heart, and there was nothing George could do to stop it. All he could do was stand there and watch.

Before the last beat could be finished, the ogre's heart solidified, and the giant knew it was over. Kroger's eyes filled with confusion as he looked down at George.

George could feel his own heart breaking as Kroger's speech grew softer.

Kroger's voice was but a whisper. "It okay, George. Kroger like George. Kroger still his friend." That was the last thing the 50 foot tall, gentle, giant moron would say.

Kepler circled the backside of the statue. He did not know what to think. He felt George had done it intentionally, but the human's demeanor, standing with his head lowered, said something different. The demon-cat thought, He did apologize. It seemed sincere. Was it an act, or is he truly remorseful? Could he not stop the change? If so, how could he not understand how to control his power?

The rat asked the jaguar what to do. Kepler responded by telling Maldwin to stay put. The demon needed the moments necessary to sniff out the situation. Why would George turn Kroger to stone? He would've simply left if he'd been told. The ogre could've been an ally.

"George, I don't want to upset you, but this doesn't seem to be something a human with your intelligence would do," the demon said. "Despite his whining, Kroger could've been a valued member of our pride. Please, explain your logic? I would hate to think you're this irrational. Temper or no, this seems unbecoming of a man seeking power."

"I know. I know. I can't explain it," George replied. "I didn't mean to do it. I didn't want to hurt him. I have no idea how to control the power I received from the staff. I didn't think it worked. I need to figure out how to control it, or I'll turn everything to stone."

"What are you talking about?" Kepler snarled. "Are you saying you have no understanding of a power you possess? Is this what you went into the cave for?" The jaguar looked down at the sliver. "The staff is broken. Don't you need the staff to control the magic?"