SUMMER IN IRELAND: 10th Anniversary revived!

by Spring-Heel-Jaq

A recovered story that's been lost when the first archive went down

For those who heard of this story through the visual drawings called "SUMMER IN IRELAND" done by CTW36 under deviantART or been looking for it . . . HERE IT IS! I proudly present you the long awaited ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNK tenth anniversary revived story lost in 2000 when the first fandom went down, according to Raven Child. How I obtained this story is after coming across the visuals done by CTW36 and asked him for the link to view the story. He sent me a message stating that I could view the story under dechipmunk group on yahoo. So after the MANY trials of getting a yahoo account, I sign up for this group and got rejected. So I BEGGED CTW36 to email me the story-which he did. That only lead to the next problem: the story was photocopied so I had to rewrite the whole thirty-seven pages onto a document after he permitted me to share this with others on fanfiction. While the artwork rightfully belongs to CTW36 who used both regular and colored pencils as well as little visual tweaking from his computer at the time, the author who wrote this is unknown. So, if anyone knows the woman that wrote this story, please notify me so I could give her full credit! :)

DISCLAIMER!

Alvin and the Chipmunks rightfully belongs to both Ross Bagdassarian Sr and Ross Bagdassarian Jr as well as Janice Karmen.

The drawings under deviantART rightfully belongs to CTW36.

And the story, until I get her name, rightfully belongs to a Ghost Writer.

PS: As of after the horizontal margin below this sentence until the next horizontal one (which will be added a little later) it's all the author's work! Read and Review!

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It was dark out. Shadows danced over the open meadows, swirling as the wind rose and fell. In the distance, the light of a city sparkled and blended together, but that was more than an hour's walk.

Something small ran through the tall grass, keeping low to hide in the shadows. A nearby cluster of houses called to it like a beacon, hopefully a place of sanctuary. Tinny, harsh breathing betrayed the long distance the creature had traveled and the speed it had been travelling at. Terror hung in the air like a low fog, spurring it onward.

The grass rustled somewhere far behind. The wind whispered softly, almost seeming to form voices.

"Where is it?"

"Gone."

"Toward the city."

"It is coming near morning. We must return to the King."

"What of the creature?"

"Leave it. We will return for it at midnight tomorrow."

The night seemed to howl for a brief moment, and the grass whirled round and round in its intricate dance of frenzied fury.

Then the storm blew itself out and they were gone.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"Are we there yet?"

"Theodor, we've only been driving for 10 minutes!"

"Yeah, but I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry! Just shut up for a while, will you?"

"Hey, quit it!"

"Move over!"

"That's my spot!"

"You're squishing me!"

"Would you two be quite?" David Seville turned around from the driver's seat of the rental gray van to glare at the two chipmunks in the middle seat. "None of the others are complaining."

"But Dave," Alvin protested, giving his seatmate another shove. "It's not my fault! And the only reason they can be quiet is because they don't have to sit besides an annoying, stupid—"

"I'm annoying?" Brittany shoved back fiercely. Her voice rose several octaves as she spoke. "You're practically on top of me! Get back on your own side!"

"How much space do you need to sit in?" Alvin shot back, trying to push her away. "I don't even have room to breathe!"

"So—don't—breathe!" Brittany grunted, wrestling against him.

Simon sighed, leaning over from the back seat, where he, Jeanette, Theodore and Eleanor were all squished in. "How much longer are you two going to argue? We're trying to read."

"Just ignore them, Simon," Jeanette said. Despite her words, though, there was a touch of irritation in her voice. She shifted the book that sat halfway on her lap and halfway on his. "You can turn the page now. I'm done."

"I'm not. Hold on." Simon's attention returned to the book.

Alvin gave Brittany another push. "You're still on my side!"

Brittany pushed him back. "No, I'm not!"

"How many times do I have to tell you to BE QUIET!" Dave yelled. His nerves were frazzled from just 10 minutes of driving a van full of cramped, irritable 10-year-old chipmunks. "I'm trying to drive here! Can't we even take a vacation without you two getting into a fight?"

"Oh, don't be so hard on them David," Miss Miller said tolerably from the passenger seat. "After all, they've been cooped up for hours. First the plane trip to Ireland and now a drive from Dublin up into the countryside. And it's nearly ten o'clock."

"And I'm hungry," Theodore complained.

Eleanor sighed and turned around to find her bag in the back of the van. "Here, Theodore," she said, sitting back down. "Have my candy bar. I'm not really hungry anyway."

"Thanks Eleanor!" Theodore said happily, unwrapping the chocolate.

"Would you quit it?" Brittany suddenly exploded.

"What?" Alvin said irritably.

"Quit poking me!" Brittany flared up.

"I wasn't poking you!" Alvin argued.

"Yes you were!" Brittany snatched Alvin's cap and held it out to the side farthest from him. "Now stop it!"

"Hey!" Alvin leaned over her, trying to reach the outstretched hand.

"Give that back!"

"No!" Brittany tried to push him away. Alvin grabbed her shoulder and yanked her arm down, placing the cap in his reach. He snatched it back, roughly jerking her arm around in the process.

"Ow! Miss Miller!" Brittany cried in protest.

"Well, that wouldn't have happened if you hadn't stolen my cap," Alvin growled, carefully placing the prized hat back on his head.

"Well, you shouldn't have been poking me!" Brittany retorted, nursing her wounded shoulder.

"I wasn't!"

Dave's face had reached an interesting shade of purple. "ALVIN!"

"It wasn't me! She—"

"I don't care," Dave's voice was dangerous. "All I want is for you both to be quiet!"

Alvin and Brittany settled down, arms crossed over their chests. For a brief moment, silence filled the air. Then . . .

"Are we there yet?"

Five voices answered Theodore at once. "NO!"

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

After a 20-minute drive, one that seemed more like a 48-hour journey through a swarm of shrieking banshees, the gray van finally pulled up into the driveway of a small inn in the middle of the countryside. A few other small houses and convenience stores surrounded it but not much else. It was more like one of those old fashioned, cozy sort of place.

"That's it?" Brittany said scornfully. She turned to Miss Miller in disbelief. "That's where we'll be spending two whole weeks?"

Miss Miller sighed happily. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"But, it's—it's nothing but a worn-out old barn house!" Brittany protested. "Look at this place! It's got no class, no glamour—"

"No electricity," Alvin filled in. He turned to Dave in alarm. "You've got to be kidding, Dave. Tell me you're kidding."

"It's no joke, Alvin," Dave said, lifting some of the suitcases out of the car. "Miss Miller and I have been talking about this for a while now. You kids need a break from the modern world. Time to relax for a while. No cares, no worries . . ."

"No TV," Alvin said in resigned tones.

"No computer," Simon sighed, disappointed.

"No refrigerator!" Theodore realized in horror.

"I can't believe this is happening!" Alvin wiled. "Dave, how could you do this to me?"

"You'll get over it dear," Miss Miller said comfortingly. "In a few days you'll wonder why you ever made such a fuss."

"In a few days I'll have died of boredom," Alvin muttered.

"No kidding," Brittany agreed under breath. "Two weeks without a hairdryer! I'll never survive!"

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"Miss Miller and I are going to see about a tour for tomorrow," Dave said, after he'd gotten the boys settled into their room. "I want you boys in bed before I get back." He left the room, then looked back in. "And don't go anywhere."

"'Don't go anywhere'," Alvin grumbled, pulling his pajama top on over his head. "Where would we go? There's nothing here."

"I suppose we should look on the bright side," Simon said, in a vain attempt to make Alvin feel better. "At least it's not just the three of us here."

"Right, Simon," Alvin remarked sarcastically.

"Like having the girls along is so much better. If we get bored we can just go argue with them. That's always fun."

"Why would we want to argue?" Theodore asked, puzzled.

"Exactly," Alvin said furiously. "We wouldn't."

"Not all of us have the same problems with getting along, Alvin," Simon responded irritably. "Perhaps you could use us as an example."

"Oh please, Simon." Alvin pulled back the covers on the middle cot. "If I started giving in to her all the time, she'd be unbearable. Besides," he added, with a lofty expression. "I can't let her win."

Simon sighed. "Oh brother." He took the cot on Alvin's left side. "Just promise you'll try not to ruin the trip."

"Believe me, it's already ruined," Alvin said grouchily. "No electricity! What is this, the stone age?" He waited for Theodore to get into bed before blowing out the candle on the stand beside him. "Just look at this! Candles!"

"Good night, Alvin," Simon said firmly. The candle on his side went out and silence settled over the room.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"Just look at this!" Brittany raged, in the next room. The group had taken one large room with a small hallway and two doors leading to the girls' and the boy's rooms. "Candles! This place is ancient!"

"I think it's kind of neat," Jeanette said honestly. "Almost like stepping into the past."

"'The past' is right, Jeanette," Brittany said hotly. "This room looks like something out of the eighteen hundred!"

"At least the boys are here too," Eleanor said helpfully. "If we get too bored, we can always hang around with them."

"Wonderful," Brittany remarked, rolling her eyes. "We can spend our vacation screaming at each other."

"You're just grouchy, Brittany," Jeanette said calmly. "You and Alvin don't always fight."

"Just when they're together," Eleanor said, smiling.

"Well," Brittany said, tossing her hair. "I can't let him win, can I?" She yawned, then sighed. "We might as well go to bed girls. There's nothing to do around her but sleep anyway."

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

The glowing numbers on Theodore's watch read 11:37. He sighed and tossed over again. Something was wrong.

Theodore moaned, flopping back against the pillow. "Why can't I just sleep? What's the matter with me?" He sat up and looked around the room. Alvin and Simon were sleeping peacefully.

"Maybe I'm just not used to this place," Theodore reasoned. He yawned and blinked a few times.

"But—but that's never bothering me before. After all, everyone else is here. Dave and Alvin and Simon and—" Theodore gasped. "My Teddy!"

Without another thought, Theodore jumped out of bed and padded softly across the room. His bag was up against the window, which was wide open, and leaning out precariously in the open air was . . .

"Teddy!" Theodore made a desperate grab but the stuffed bear fumbled out of his grip and fell out the window. "Oh no!"

He glanced back at Alvin and Simon, who were still asleep, then looked at the door leading to the adjoining room and gulped. As the most timid and obedient chipmunk, he had never openly disobeyed Dave before, except when Alvin tricked him into it. But in his 10-year-old mind, it would be far worse to abandon his constant companion to whatever wild animals lurked outside than it would be to go against Dave's orders. Gathering courage from that thought, Theodore quickly turned the door handle and stepped out into the small coatroom that connected the boys' room to the girls'.

SQUEEEAAAK!

Theodore froze in place, one foot still on the traitorous floorboard. Had anyone heard?

In the next room, Eleanor sat up in bed, suddenly wide-awake. What was that? She listened carefully, not even moving. Was that . . .? Yeah, that was definitely a footstep. Someone was moving around in the coatroom.

Eleanor's eyes narrowed as she looked around the room. Since Miss Miller hadn't told them they'd be 'roughing it' she'd brought a tennis racket along in case there was a court nearby. She obviously wasn't going to be playing tennis with it, though, so she might as well use it for protection in case there was some kind of robber out there. That decided, she hopped out of bed, snatched up the racket, and carefully crept toward the door.

It's probably be a good idea to check first, she told herself, and slowly opened the door a crack. "Theodore!" she whispered, with relief, dropping the racket. "What are you doing?"

Theodore jumped guiltily and looked at Eleanor with big, pleading eyes. "My Teddy fell out the window," he explained in a hushed voice. "I've got to go save him! There could be wild animals out there!"

Eleanor sighed, but immediately took pity on him. "You shouldn't go out alone, Theo," she chided. "I'll come with you."

"O.K.," Theodor agreed, secretly admitting to some relief. It was awfully dark out there, he hadn't really wanted to go alone.

It was colder outside than Eleanor had expected, and she shivered as wind blew against her skin. The thin nightgown wasn't much protection against the cold, either. She wrapped her arms around herself and tried to keep moving.

"There he is!" Theodore said suddenly, running forward. He grabbed the stuffed teddy off the ground and hugged him. "It's O.K., Teddy. I've got you now."

Eleanor smiled, watching him, then suddenly spun around. "What was that?"

Theodore looked up, wide-eyed. "What was what?" he asked, looking around nervously.

"I thought I heard something," Eleanor said softly. She's already forgotten the cold and was moving in the direction that noise had come from. "It sounded like a hurt animal. I think it came from over here."

"Oh." Theodore hurried after her. A hurt animal wasn't dangerous, he told himself. And he knew Eleanor wouldn't leave if she thought something was in trouble. Besides, he was safe as long as she was there with him. Eleanor knew how to take care of everything. Eleanor pushed aside the weeds and crouched down beside a small cluster of branches.

"Oh!" she said, delighted. Nestled in the grass was a small, shivering bundle, whimpering softly. She reached slowly toward it.

The creature flinched back, making frightened noises.

"It's all right," Eleanor said soothingly. "I'm not going to hurt you." She held out her hand, palm up. "See? It's O.K. I'm a friend."

The creature moved forward tentatively. Eleanor could vaguely make out the shape of feathers and a small beak. It looked like a baby bird and it had to have a broken wing or it would've flown away. It cocked his head at heard, eyes pitifully dim with fatigue and hunger.

"You poor thing," Eleanor said, feeling her heart melt. Why did people have to be so cruel? Hurting a baby like that!

Theodore couched down beside her. "Oh!" he exclaimed, and Eleanor was surprised to hear shock in his voice. "What is it?" he asked, in awe.

"What do you mean, Theodore?" she said, speaking quietly so it wouldn't startle the bird away. She slowly reached out and patted it, smoothing the feathers down. Her gentle touch had the baby butting his head into her hand before long. "It's just a bird. Isn't it?"

"But-but on the back it's got cat's legs," Theodore said. He looked more puzzled than frightened. "I've never heard of anything like that, have you?"

"No, but I don't care," Eleanor said stubbornly. "It's just a baby, and—and it's hurt and all alone. We have to take care of it." She tore a piece of fabric off the bottom of her nightgown and wrapped it around the little creature, gathering the whole bundle up into her arms.

"Poor little guy," Theodore said, sympathetically. "He looks frozen stiff. We should take him inside. Maybe we could find some mild or something." He stopped, looking confused again. "Do birds drink milk?"

"Let's just get him inside," Eleanor said, heading back toward the inn. Theodore hurried to keep up with her.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Something was squawking. Alvin groaned and rolled over. His watch read 11:55. Almost midnight. What was going on.

"How do we get him to be quiet?" someone said from outside. The voice sounded kind of familiar, but Alvin was too groggy to place it.

"I don't know!" someone answered. "But we've got to think of something! He'll wake up the others!"

There were a few rustling noises, and then silence. Alvin sighed and rolled over again, blinking sleepily. Thank goodness. Any more noise and they might have woken—

"Theodore?" Alvin sat up. The bed on his right side was empty. He slid out of bed and checked the covers to make sure. Yup, definitely empty.

Alvin felt a brief stirring of panic at the pit of his stomach.

"Those guys out there were talking about 'keeping him quiet'," he said speculatively, thinking out loud. His eyes grew wide. "Someone must be kidnapping Theodore!"

It was almost a reflexive action to go and wake up Simon. Alvin wouldn't even of considered letting him sleep through it all. Besides, he might need Simon's help.

"Simon." Alvin shook his brother's shoulder. "Oh Simon. Wake up."

Simon groaned, but didn't even turn around. "What is it, Alvin?" he mumbled groggily.

"Theodore's gone!" Alvin said urgently.

That got his attention. "What!" Simon sat bolt upright, fumbling for his glasses. "What do you mean 'Theodore's gone'?"

"Just what I said," Alvin said impatiently. "I heard somebody talking about 'keeping him quiet' and then I turned around and Theodore just—wasn't there anymore."

"And you think that someone out there is trying to keep him quiet?" Simon shook his head, trying to clear it.

"Well, what else could it be?" Alvin pulled at Simon's sleeve. "Come on, we've got to save him!"

"But—" Simon started to say, but Alvin had already burst through the door, ready to attack.

Eleanor let out a scream as Alvin crashed into her, knocking her to the floor. Simon slapped a hand to his forehead. Alvin looked dumbfounded. "Eleanor?"

She gave him a wry look. "You were expecting maybe the Easter Bunny?"

"'What else could it be', hmm, Alvin?" Simon straightened out his pajama top. "Maybe next time you should consider more than one possibility before you start leaping to conclusions."

"Heh heh. Sorry Eleanor," Alvin said sheepishly.

"Never mind," Eleanor said, letting Theodore help her up. "I like being body checked. Really." She sighed and brushed off the fuzzy bathrobe she'd put on earlier. "Just-save it for the ice rink next time, all right?"

The door to the girls' room clicked open and Brittany stumbled out sleepily, followed by Jeanette. "What are you guys doing out here? Having a party?" She seemed to notice how they were all dressed just at that moment. "In your pajamas?"

"You're not exactly the Queen of Fashion yourself at the moment, you know," Alvin remarked, plucking at the puffy sleeve of Brittany's pink flannel pajama top.

"Why are you guys all out here anyway?" Jeanette asked, before Brittany could respond. "It's the middle of the night."

"Ask them." Alvin gestured toward Theodore and Eleanor. "They were the ones who woke me up."

Theodore and Eleanor looked at each other and sighed. "Well, so much for keeping this a secret," Eleanor said.

"Keeping what a secret?" Brittany stepped forward. "Really, Eli, we're supposed to be sisters. How long have you had this 'secret'?"

"We just found it tonight," Theodore said helpfully. "We don't know what it is yet, but it was all alone, se we—we brought it back with us."

"You did what?" Simon looked horrified. "You have no idea what this thing is, and you brought it back with you?"

"Oh, Simon," Eleanor scoffed. She reached down to pick up the bundle of towels by her feet. "It's just a baby. See?" She held up the creature so that they all could get a good look. It had white feathers, a small, yellow-orange beak and big, liquid, golden eyes.

"I thought you said you didn't know what it was," Jeanette said, studying the creature. "It looks like an eagle to me."

"Yeah, but the rest of it doesn't look like an eagle," Theodore told her as Eleanor carefully unwrapped the blankets. "See? It's got cat's legs."

Simon blinked rapidly and adjusted his glasses. "But that's impossible!" he breathed. "There's no such animal!"

"Well, sure there is," Alvin said, as if it should have been obvious. "It's right there in plain sight."

Simon stared at the creature some more. "I see it, but—I don't believe it," he said in awe.

A strange whirring sound seemed be coming from the door that led into the inn's hallway. "What is that?" Jeanette said suddenly.

"What?" Brittany blinked.

"That." The whirring sound was getting louder. Simultaneously, everyone's watches beeped, signaling the change of hour. Midnight.

A raging gust of wind suddenly exploded out of nowhere and the door was blown clear off its hinges. Six high-pitched screams were accompanied by a bright light, which flared up in the doorway. The wind howled furiously.

Brittany screamed again, impulsively throwing her arms around Alvin's neck. Caught off guard, he flayed around for a bit before losing his balance entirely, sending both of them toppling into a heap on the ground. The other four clutched at each other for support, while the bundle in Eleanor's arms cowered against her.

"What is it, Simon?" Alvin yelled trying to get to his feet and pry Brittany loose at the same time. So far, he wasn't being too successful.

"I don't know!" Simon shouted back, without taking his eyes off the doorway. "But whatever it is, it can't be good!"

"Always the bearer of bad news," Alvin muttered. He gave up trying to break the death grip Brittany had on his neck and started to work on sitting up instead.

The light in the doorway shifted, blended and swirled into different shapes and patterns. Right in front of the five pairs of astonished eyes, a kind of specter was beginning to form. Arms legs, hands and feet were spun and molded, a ghostly form of a person made purely of light and air.

Then a blaze of colors exploded from the figure and the four in front screamed and covered their faces. Alvin fell backwards again after having finally made it to his feet.

"What's going on?" Jeanette screamed over the wind. "What is that?"

"If I knew I wouldn't be so terrified!" Simon yelled back. "I've never seen anything like it!"

"SILENCE MORTALS." The voice was like a whisper on the wind, but something about it made their insides freeze up. Brittany moaned and tightened her hold on Alvin's neck.

"WE HAVE COME FOR THE GRYPHON," the voice announced. "GIVE IT TO USE AND WE WILL LEAVE IN PEACE."

"What's a gryphon?" Theodore asked, cringing against Simon. He watched the intruder with wide, frightened eyes.

Eleanor was too angry to be frightened. "If you mean this," she said, holding her bundle ever closer. "then you can't have him! No one has the right to treat an innocent creature like—like—"

"IT WILL GO HARDER ON YOU IF YOU DO NOT COOPERATE," the light form said ominously. It seemed to swell into immensity, growing larger their minds than it did in the physical world.

"I won't!" Eleanor shouted in defiance. Breaking loose from Jeanette, she made a run for the door to her room. Quick as lightening, the strange figure moved to block her.

"YOU MORTALS WILL GO NOWHERE UNTIL WE HAVE CONCLUDED OUR BUSINESS," it hissed.

Alvin had managed to stumble to his feet. Brittany was still attached to his neck, so he had to practically carry her as he stepped forward. "Who are you calling a mortal?" He stopped, and then turned to Simon. "Um—what is a mortal anyway?"

Simon rolled his eyes. "A mortal is someone who lives but is able to die. I think you qualify, Alvin."

"ENOUGH TALK," the light form said. "GIVE ME THE GRYPHON."

Eleanor's eyes darted back toward the open doorway, then down to the bundle in her arms. "All right," she said. "You want it . . ." She leaned back and threw her blanket wrapped treasure across the room. "Go get it! Now let's get out of here!"

"Hurry!" Theodore cried, already running out the door.

Fortunately, Brittany chose that moment to come to her senses. Shoving Alvin away, she ran for the door. Needless of the noise they were making, all six kids tumbled down the stairs and ran out the front door of the inn.

"But Eli," Jeanette said, when they stopped for a breath. "I thought you didn't want to give them the gryphon. So—so why did you?"

Eleanor smiled. "I didn't. Theodore has him." She pointed to a tiny bundle in Theodore's arms. "See?"

"Then—what do they have?" Alvin asked.

Up in the room, the light figure was wrapping the blanket. When the last layer was gone, what remained in the being's hand was a mall, brown teddy bear. The specter's eyes narrowed.

"I can't believe you actually left it behind," Simon said. "You've never gone anywhere without it!"

Theodore looked upset. "I—I had to. Teddy understands." He wiped tears out of the corner of his eyes. "This is m-more imp-p-portant."

Alvin looked nervously over his shoulder. "So what happens when this thing figures out that Theodore's stuffed bear isn't a gryphon?"

Weird lights were coming from the room. "I don't think we should wait around to find out," Simon said urgently.

"Er—right." Alvin backed off, even as the lights started swirling angrily. "Let's get out of here!"

They made it to the edge of the small cluster of houses before Alvin stopped. "Wait a minute, guys. I think we should split up."

"What!" There was shock on all five faces.

"I mean it!" Alvin insisted. "I saw it in a movie once. If we're all going in different directions, there'll be less chance of them catching us."

The others looked at each other.

"I believe—" Simon started, then winced. "I can't believe I'm saying this but I believe Alvin's right. Some of you guys should take the gryphon and find a hiding place, and then the rest of us should make lots of noise so that they'll follow us instead."

"I take it you're volunteering for that job," Jeanette said, crossing her arms over her chest. Despite the wry tone though, she looked worried.

"It makes sense," Simon said reasonably. "And somebody as to do it. You've got to take Theodore, Eleanor and that—gryphon—and find somewhere to hide."

"But why me?" Jeanette protested.

Simon looked over at Alvin and Brittany and rolled his eyes to the sky. "Need you ask?" He turned serious. "You're the only one I wouldn't feel guilty about leaving them with. I'm counting on you Jeanette."

"All right," Alvin said, when Jeanette reluctantly nodded. "Me, Simon and Brittany will go that way—" he pointed. "—and try to lose them in that high grass. You guys find a hiding place up in those hills."

"And if you don't reach us by morning," Jeanette said, with a stubborn note her voice. "I'm coming looking for you. No matter what."

"Right," Simon conceded, as Alvin grabbed a couple of towels from Eleanor's bundle to make a fake gryphon. "You'd better get going. And be careful."

Jeanette melted into the shadows, with Eleanor and Theodore in tow. Simon watched for a while, then sighed and turned back to the other two.

Brittany looked around nervously. "So what do we do now?" Something bright loomed up from behind them. A shrill kind of screaming accompanied its approach. Obviously, the thing was pissed.

"I suggest we run," Simon said, voice quite but tense. His eyes wide as golf balls.

Alvin and Brittany didn't need extra encouragement. All three chipmunks plunged into the knee-high grass with exceptional speed. A short distance from them was a small grove of trees, offering what could only be called 'questionable' safety. But even questionable safety was better than none . . .

"Head for those trees!" Simon called. The mass of swirling lights was steadily gaining on them. "We might be able to hide!"

"But—Eli and Theodore—" Brittany gasped.

"Jeanette can take care of them," Simon said confidently.
"Come on!"

In front of Brittany the ground turned sharply uneven. Her foot came down lower than she's expected, and she lost her balance. Screaming, she tumbled to the ground.

"Brittany!" Without even thinking, Alvin did the same thing he would've done if it had been Simon or Theodore who had tripped. He turned around and ran back.

Simon was almost at the trees but he turned around at Brittany's scream—just in time to see Alvin running back toward the mass of swirling lights.

"No, Alvin! Don't—" He was cut off when something hard smashed into the side of his forehead. The hit was so forceful that it sent Simon crashing sideway into a tree. Darkness flooded his vision and he slumped to the ground, every muscle limp. He didn't see or hear anything after that.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Jeanette crept through the darkness, feeling her heart beating hard against her chest. She felt like every nerve in her body was on alert, expecting demons to come jumping out at her from all angles. Eleanor and Theodore pressed against her on either side, for warmth or comfort. She was suddenly glad that Simon had pressured her into going with the younger two; she wouldn't have trusted anyone else to keep them safe.

Eleanor shifted the bundle in her arms. "He's getting restless, Jeanette," she whispered. "We've got to find a place to hide soon."

"N-nothing's f-following us, are they?" Theodore stammered, looking around with frightened eyes.

Jeanette looked back. "I don't think so," she answered, hoping that something wasn't lurking in the darkness behind. It might have already finished off the others and was just waiting to— She shook her head to clear away that thought. It was Simon's job to look after others. She had to find a hiding place.

"Ohh," Theodore moaned softly. "I wish Teddy was here." He stared at the ground miserably. "I just hope he's O.K."

Another hill loomed up ahead. "You guys stay here," Jeanette said. "I'll go see if there's anything over there."

Theodore huddled in closer to Eleanor, who patted him in a comforting way while still cradling the gryphon protectively. Jeanette actually smiled, despite her worry and fear. Eleanor really was the mothering type. She'd be a great parent someday.

Jeanette was only about halfway up the hill when a call from the others stopped her. "Jeanette!" Eleanor yelled. She didn't sound urgent, but it probably wasn't a good idea to ignore her. Sighing, Jeanette turned around and started back . . .

. . . then tripped and fell, rolling over and over down the hill until she came to a stop by Eleanor's feet.

"What is it, Eli?" she asked, vainly trying to clean the mud off her pajamas.

"There's a cave over that way," Eleanor said, pointing. "Theodore spotted it after you started up over the hill. It could make a good hiding spot, couldn't it?"

"Let's see it," Jeanette said. She rubbed a bruise on her arm. It was probably a good thing that she hadn't gone with Simon. She would more than likely have done something klutzy and put them all in danger.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Brittany screamed again as the monstrous lights loomed over her. She sat paralyzed with terror, unable to think of moving. White, shining arms reached out to grab her.

Alvin grabbed her arm from behind. "Come on, Brittany!" His voice was panicky, and he tugged urgently at her arm, trying to get her to move. "Get up!"

Brittany tried to scramble to her feet, but it was already too late. Strong hands grabbed her waist, practically able to circle it with just their fingers. Alvin's grip on her arm was torn away.

Anger rushed through her, rivaling the terror she'd felt before. How dare they! "Let me go, you creep!" she raged, struggling with all her strength. It was like trying to bend a steel bar with her bare hands.

It was impossible. Where was Alvin? Brittany's anger took on a new target. Why wasn't he rescuing her? "Alvin, help me!" she cried furiously, kicking and squirming as best she could.

Another hand emerged from the swirling lights, grabbing Alvin by one arm. "Hey!" He dug his heels into the ground, pulling back against it."Mmph—let go! That's not fair!"

Something shook him roughly, and Alvin closed his eyes. "WHERE IS THE GRYPHON?" the voice demanded.

Brittany was glowering up over her head. "We don't know," she said haughtily.

"And we wouldn't tell you even if we did!"Alvin added, imitating Brittan's glare.

Another voice, sounding like the same type as the first, spoke. "TAKE THEM TO THE KING," it said.

"The King?" Alvin felt more irritated than afraid, now that the threat of death wasn't lurking overhead. "And I thought I was behind the times. Elvis is dead, guys."

"THE MORTALS WILL KEEP SILENT!" the first voice ordered. However it seemed to have lost its threatening nature.

"You must have been dead yourself, Alvin!" Brittany said angrily, ignoring the voice. "Where were you when I needed help?"

"Oh excu-use me!" Alvin shot back, glaring. "I was so busy getting yanked around—because of you—that I must have forgotten. If this is the kind of gratitude I get for trying to save your life—"

"TAKE US TO THE CITY," the second voice said, as if they hadn't been interrupted. "WE WILL DEAL WITH THESE—MORTALS—LATER."

"Gratitude!" Brittany had a feeling she was being irrational, but she chose to ignore it. "Just look at what you've gotten us into!"

"Me! Alvin was incredulous. "But it was your—"

The wind was jolted out of the pair very suddenly, as the world seemed to lurch. It was like the ground dropped out from underneath them and they were falling right down to the center. All that passed in front of their eyes was a rapidly changing whirlwind of colors.

Brittany's hair blew straight up behind her, and both she and Alvin shut their eyes tight and screamed as if their lives depended on on it.

The rushing stopped as quickly as it had begun, and Brittany and Alvin were jerked to a stop. They were still being held, now both by the arms, but what held them wasn't a mass of light anymore. It was two strangely dressed people with green eyes, light brown hair, and sharply pointed ears.

Their surroundings were different, too. They were on a cobblestone street and all around them was what appeared to be a city—made entirely of old-fashioned houses. And directly in front of them was a gigantic stone castle. About the only thing that kept the whole scene from being something out of a medieval fairy-tale was the fact that there was not horizon. The city was surrounded entirely by swirling colors and lights.

Alvin groaned. "This is some kind of old-fashioned, fairy-tale nightmare, isn't it?"

"If it is, somebody wake me up—quickly," Brittany moaned, as the two chipmunks were carried off toward the castle.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

The cave was small, with one large entrance and a narrow tunnel in the back that led out another way. Jeanette considered that their escape route, just in case anything went wrong. She let Eleanor and Theodore take the spot closest to that exit to sleep in.

Jeanette had slept badly. She'd made a pile of grass and bushes right by the cave entrance to sleep on, so she would be more likely to notice if Simon, Alvin, and Brittany came looking for them. Since she was trying to sleep and be alert at the same time, every little noise had thrown her into full wakefulness. And the others still hadn't come.

Eleanor and Theodore were curled up together at the back of the cave, with the towel-wrapped bundle at Eli's feet. Jeanette watched them enviously. Apparently, they had gotten plenty of sleep. They even looked peaceful. Jeanette, on the other hand, was so worried she couldn't even imagine sleeping.

"That does it!" she said, when the first few rays of sunlight started peeking over the horizon. "I've waited long enough! I'm going looking for them."

Eleanor stirred, then sat up, blinking sleepily. "What are you shouting about, Jeanette? Are the others back yet?"

"No," Jeanette said, in worried tones. She stood up, stretching out her arms and legs. "I'm going to look for them. You guys stay here and don't come after me."

Eleanor looked like was about to protest, but then she glanced down at the gryphon and over at Theodore. "O.K.," she agreed, finally.

"And if I'm not back by the time it gets dark, just go back and find Dave and Miss miller," Jeanette added, more bravely than she felt. If something horrible had happened to the others . . . "O.K.?"

Eleanor blinked rapidly, her face displaying the fear that Jeanette was trying not to show. "Oh, be careful, Jeanette."

"I will," Jeanette promised, hurrying out of the cave. In another minute, she wouldn't have been able to leave at all. But she had to try and find the others.

It was still dim out, but it was a lot clearer than it had been the night before, so Jeanette managed to make her way back to the cluster of buildings with a minimum of accidents.

There was no activity around the inn, but it seemed almost like a calm period after a storm. More than likely, there had been a big uproar about all the noise and strange lights. Miss Miller and Dave were probably really worried.

Jeanette felt a stab of guilt at that thought, but quickly pushed it aside. At that point, finding Alvin, Simon, and Brittany was definitely more important than letting their guardians in on everything. Besides, they'd probably think she'd been hit on the head or something.

"What way did Alvin say they were going?" Jeanette searched back through her memory. "Right, wasn't it? Well," she sighed. "It's worth a try." She cupped her hands to her mouth and shouted, "Alvin! Simon! Brittany! Where are you guys?"

Across the field, Simon moaned and stirred, but didn't sit up. His head felt like it was splitting apart. Worse, he was trapped in some kind of dark nightmare. A monster, made entirely out of light and energy, was going to catch hold of Brittany, and Alvin was running back toward it—then the explosion of pain and feeling inky black darkness slipping in through the cracked in his consciousness. He could feel things—terror, pain, worry—but somehow was cut off, unable to see or hear. It was like being trapped inside your own head.

Then the voice. The first thing he'd heard since Brittany's scream. Jeanette. What was going on?

"Brittany!" Jeanette looked around anxiously. "Simon! Ohhh! Where could they be? Alvin!" She headed right, the same way the others had gone.

Every single one of Simon's muscles felt limp, but a tingling feeling told him that he'd be able to move again in a while. The biggest problem was his head, which felt like it would break in half if he tried to move it. A throbbing pain laced through the dense fog settled around his mind, making him groan. Tree bark was pressed into his face. Where was he?

Jeanette stumbled, falling down to her hands and knees. "That's kind of dangerous," she noted, looking at where the ground dipped off. There were scuff marks on the ground nearby.

It looked like there's been a struggle. Jeanette's heart leapt. Did that mean the others were prisoners? Or worse even worse, that they were—

A groan interrupted Jeanette's thoughts. Hastily, she scrambled to her feet. "What was that?" She hurried forward. It sounded like it was coming from just in front of her.

"Simon!" Jeanette was at his side in seconds, unsure whether she ought to be horrified or thankful. There was a lump on the side of his head, but he was definitely still breathing. Just unconscious.

Thankful, then. Jeanette, breathed a sigh of relief. And it looked like he was starting to come around. His hands and feet were twitching and he was moaning a bit.

Simon's eyelids felt like they weighed about ten pounds each. He struggled with them anyway, anxious to get back to reality. From what he'd seen, Alvin was probably going to need rescuing, and Brittany wasn't exactly in a position to help him . . .

His vision blurred. For a moment, it looked like three Jeanettes were kneeling beside him. He tried blinking. His eyelids weren't as heavy this time. The scene came into focus.

It was morning—barely—and the mass of swirling lights was gone, along with Alvin and Brittany. In their place was Jeanette, peering anxiously down at him.

"What happened?" he mumbled, raising a shaking hand to make sure his skull was still in one peace.

Jeanette shook her head. "I was hoping you could tell me," she said, helping him to sit up.

There was a dull ache at the side of Simon's head. The huge lump his fingers found explained it. "From what I remember, it doesn't look good," he admitting ruefully. "We were running away from that—thing—and then Brittany tripped and fell. All I remember is Alvin running back to help her, and then—" He gingerly fingered the lump. "—something hit me."
"So Alvin and Brittany are probably prisoners," Jeanette said dully. "Or worse. What are we going to do?"

Simon rubbed his head. "What I want to know is—what hit me? That big, uh—mass of energy, or whatever it was—was concentrating on Alvin and Brittany. Something came at me from the side."

"That was me."

Jeanette looked up quickly, and Simon's head jerked up involuntarily, making his groan. Standing in front of them was a tall girl in brown trousers, a forest-green shirt, and black hiking boots.

"You were about to make an even bigger mess of things," she commented. Her voice was strangely sharp. "I had to do something to stop you. After all, if you want to save your friends, you'll need to be alive.

"Who are you?" Simon asked, struggling to sit up straighter.

"A friend." She shrugged. "Do you want me to help or not? It might be amusing to watch you try to struggle through without even knowing what you're doing."

Jeanette blinked. "What sort of help are you talking about?"

"Advice." The girl smiled. "Unfortunately, once I've told you what you need to do, you're on your own. I'm willing to help, but I'm not that generous. After all, they're your friends."

"My brother, actually," Simon corrected. "And her sister. And we'll listen to anything that might help." Jeanette nodded in agreement.

"You're going to be reasonable, I see. Good." She looked at them seriously. "Now listen very carefully, and try to believe everything I'm telling you." Something in her voice and her face didn't invite disbelief. "That collage of light you saw was actually the form that these being take outside of their own world. Normally, they don't look too different from myself. With me so far?"

Simon and Jeanette looked at each other, then shrugged. "I guess so," Jeanette conceded.

"Hold that thought. This will only get more difficult to believe. But if you value your brother and your sister's lives you'll pay attention anyway." She studied them intently. "You can't go after these creatures to take back your own. For one thing, they're immortal and you're not, so you'll be badly mismatched. And there is no hidden doorway or magic portal that you can go through to get to their realm. They'd have to take you with them."

"Then how—" Simon started to say, but she cut him off.

"Somewhere inside the earth is a crystal called the Azure Gem," the girl said matter-of-factly. "Only a female can bear its touch, and only and male can talk to it. But once you have it, you can ask it to take you anywhere, and it will—instantly."

Simon mulled this over. "Since you asked us to believe you, I'm going to assume that this Gem you're talking about actually exists. But how do we find it, if it's inside the earth?"

She smiled. "By way of apology for injuring you last night, I prepared a map." She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. "There should be another page inside—with instructions." Her smile turned mysterious. "Good luck, mortals."

She slipped behind the tree nearest her, and vanished completely. When Jeanette went to thank her, there was nothing but empty air.

"So, what do you think, Simon?" Jeanette asked, coming back to sit beside him.

He sighed. "I don't know what to think." The map that the girl had given him was still clutched in one hand, unopened. "But we don't really have much choice. Alvin and Brittany aren't just going to fall into our laps."

"So we're going to try and find the Azure Gem?" Jeanette said, trying to let him see how pleased she was. Something about that girl had made sense, in a way; it felt like they should be listening to her.

"Well if you think we should," Simon said with a note of hesitancy.

"I do," Jeanette said firmly. "I don't think that girl was lying. This is our only chance to save Alvin and Brittany. And we've got to hurry. Who knows what terrible things might be happening to them.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Brittany woke to the kind of hushed silence that could only mean morning. She smiled a little, remembering that dream from last night—elves, gryphons, old-fashioned castles . . . What had she been thinking? Sighing, she pulled the blanket up under her chin and snuggled into her pillow. It felt nice and warm, if a little strange, and very—

—alive! Brittany pulled back a little, startled. The "pillow" was Alvin. He was still asleep, his breathing deep and rhythmic.

"Ohh," Brittany groaned. Now she remembered. She was in some kind of dungeon, in that fairy-tale castle. And the weird "elves"—or whatever they were—had only given them one blanket. She and Alvin had spent the better part of an hour arguing over how much "half" was on each side. How Brittany had wound up winning the right to use Alvin as a pillow she couldn't remember, but she did remember that they'd both given up at the same time, flopping down in exhaustion and falling asleep almost immediately. Lucky there were both so tired or they might've spent the whole night fighting.

Brittany felt grimy all over; her pajamas were disgustingly dirty from the previous night's activity. She put a hand to her hair: horrible. It was sweaty. Where were the showers in this place?

"Maybe if I go back to sleep this will all turn into a bad dream," she moaned, pulling most of the blanket around her. She hesitated for a moment, than rested her head on Alvin's chest again. As long as he wasn't awake, she might as well take advantage of it and be comfortable.

Alvin woke up not much later. His left arm was asleep and he was freezing because he hardly had any of the blanket. He frowned and looked around, then his eyes focused on Brittany, by that time sleeping again.

The frown turned into a scowl. Alvin pulled the blanket away, then pushed Brittany's head off his left side and onto the floor. Then he wrapped the blanket around himself and lay down to try and get some more sleep.

A few minutes later, Brittany woke up, took back the blanket, and turned Alvin back into her pillow.

A few minutes later, Alvin woke up, stole away the blanket, and pushed her away.

Brittany woke up again and did the same thing.

Alvin woke up again and undid it.

Things went rapidly downhill from there.

When the immortals came into the cell to get their prisoners, they found them screaming at each other while tugging the blanket back and forth between them. The two chipmunks had to be lifted by the arms and carried out of the cell, two guards to each.

"Brat!" Alvin muttered, under his breath.

"Jerk!" Brittany responded fiercely.

They were taken into a large room, with ornate wall hangings and rich red carpets. As the far side of the room was a dais with three elaborate thrones. On the center throne sat another of the weird people, dressed in royal purple robes. To the right sat a woman in blue, and to the left was a girl, maybe about 8 years old, in green. All three wore small golden crowns on their brown-haired heads.

The guard holding Alvin cleared his throat. "The prisoners, Your Majesty," he said respectfully.

The man on the center throne—the king, obviously—nodded. "Bring them before me," he ordered.

Alvin and Brittany were carried forward. The King stared at each of them in turn, eyebrows raised. "These are the ones who refused to return my gryphon?"

Brittany couldn't stay silent. "Eli said it hadn't been treated right!" she told him defensively.

The King smiled coldly. "To get obedience, you must first break the gryphon's wild spirit. The animals are highly prized here, because of how untamable they are. You have to start training them when they are young. Of course," he added, eyes glinting. "They are not easy to obtain. They have their own world, you realize."
"Oh, of course," Alvin said sarcastically. "We should have known."

"Mortals are too tender-hearted," the King commented. "I doubt these ones will be of much help. You may return them to their call while I decide what to do with them."

"Wait!" The little girl on the left throne jumped to her feet. "Daddy, may I have mortal? Just one?"

The King chuckled. "My dear, what would you want with a mortal? They're horrible bother."

"Oh please, Daddy," the girl begged. "Please, can't I have that one?" She pointed at Alvin. "I think he's so cute! Oh please, please, please can't I keep him, Daddy?"

"'Can I keep him?'" Alvin said indignantly. "What do you think I am—a dog?"He was ignored.

The King smiled fondly at his daughter. "Keep them both, Beoine. I don't have any use for them. Just remember—they're your responsibility, not mine."

"Oh tank you, Daddy!" Beoine threw her arms around her father's neck. Then she straightened and came toward the guards. "That one is mine," she announced imperiously, pointing at Alvin again. "Have him properly attired and prepare the proper quarters. And that one," she said, moving her finger to Brittany, "will share the quarters as my mortal's slave."

"WHAT!" Brittany shrieked. "Me? Be a slave to him? Never!"

Beoine ignored her. "You have your orders, guards," she said, in that same commanding tone. "You may go now."

The guards left the room, carrying the now-simmering prisoners with them. Neither Brittany nor Alvin said a word the whole time.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"We can't go anywhere like this." Jeanette plucked at the front of her pajamas. "One of us is going to have sneak back into the inn and get some clothes."
"I'll go," Simon volunteered. He stood up, then fell back against the tree, blinking rapidly.

Jeanette crossed her arms over her chest. "Like that? Simon, you could walk into a wall in that condition! You stay here and rest. I'll get the clothes."

"Er-good idea," Simon conceded, sitting down again. "I think I might need another hour or two before I can start feeling normal again."

The inn was still quiet when Jeanette got there; it was probably too early for most people to be up. She crept in the front door and hurried up the stairs.

The door leading into the room they'd been staying in was still where it had been the previous night: blown completely off the hinges. The rest of the room hasn't been cleaned up yet.

A thought occurred to Jeanette, and she looked around the room to see Theodore's Teddy had been left behind. However, there wasn't a trace of him.

Jeanette went into her and her sisters' room first, opening the door slowly, just in case. The beds they'd been using were still rumpled and slept-in. Miss Miller's bed hasn't even been touched. She hadn't slept there at all.

Pushing aside a pang of guilt, Jeanette found her bag and rummaged through it until she had her usual outfit. Grabbing a pair of hiking boots to go with it, she hurried across into the boys' room. Like Miss Miller's, Dave's bed hadn't been touched.

It felt weird going through Simon's things, even if she did have his permission. His clothes were all neatly folded, which was how she'd recognized his bag in the first place. He'd even brought along his hiking boots, just like she had. She put those aside.

About to grab one of Simon's usual shirts, Jeanette hesitated. They were going to be mucking around underground, after all, and something like what Simon usually wore would probably be annoying as a full-length dress. She rummaged around some more until she found a normal-sized blue sweatshirt and a pair of jeans. Obviously, he'd come prepared for anything.

With everything clutched in her arms—including a flashlight from her bag and a coil of rope she'd found in Simon's—Jeanette crept back out of the inn. She felt like a thief, running away from some place she shouldn't have been with the loot in her arms. But it was for a good cause, and Jeanette would've done a lot more to save her sister.

"Did you run into any trouble?" Simon asked, when she got back.

Jeanette shook her head. "Not even a little bit. Dave and Miss Miller didn't even used the room last night."

Simon frowned. "That's odd. Well," he added, somewhat guiltily. "I'd imagine they're very worried about us."

"Well, we can't help that," Jeanette said, partly to convince herself. "Eli and Theodore can't go back because they'll attract the immortals' attention. And we have to find that Azure Gem."

"If it even exists," Simon sighed.

"I'm sure it does," Jeanette replied, the confidence in her voice matched by the confidence she felt. "We just have to find it."

"Then we'd better hurry," Simon said, getting to his feet. He seemed steadier. "If we move quickly enough, we can probably leave by noon."

"Noon?" Jeanette was startled. "But it's barely even seven o'clock now!"

"True," Simon agreed, in a practical tone of voice. "But we've still got to tell Eleanor and Theo that we're leaving and they're staying behind."

Jeanette sighed, and put a hand to her face. "Then I think that leaving at noon is wishful thinking, Simon. We'll be here until tomorrow morning—at least!"

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Alvin felt like he was drifting in and out of some kind of hazy dream. He had vague memories f being held down, struggling violently, while a vile-tasting liquid was forced down his throat. Then his head started spinning and Brittany was screaming about something, and then everything sort of blended together into one big giant blur.

At some point he was dunked into a pit of what looked like water. But it couldn't have been water, because he wasn't even wet when he came out—just a whole lot cleaner. Instant shower, he mused, too fog-brained to be amazed. Everything after that was just an endless round of people staring at him, testing his reflexes, poking at his sides, and just plain being annoying.

Then someone was lying him down on what felt almost like—a cloud? No, just really soft pillow. A hand brushed his cheek and he caught a glimpse of wide blue eyes staring anxiously down at him. Alvin felt some kind of warmth settle through him. Definitely a friend—sort of. He could feel a mixture of irritation and affection. All right, all right, so he's miss her if she wasn't around. Life would get dull without someone to argue with. Nothing confusing there, but there was something . . . something he might understand later in life but that he wasn't really ready to face at 10 years old. The concept was too deep and the range of his thinking was too shallow. Alvin's mind sank into unconsciousness.

It seemed like only a few seconds before he opened his eyes again, but that time it was already early afternoon, and Brittany wasn't beside him any more. He was completely alone.

Alvin took in his surroundings. He was in a huge, lavishly arranged room, with shining marble walls and a titled floor. It even had an adjoining bathroom with all the modern luxuries he was used to—and more. The bathtub was big enough to fit five of him, and it even had a Jacuzzi switch. A set of red swim trunks for him and a pink bikini—probably for Brittany—had been set out beside it.

"Now that's living," Alvin said, staring around with wide eyes. Here was a TV with a wide screen, a CD player with stacks of CDs, and a virtual reality game machine with a programmer that could put you in any situation possible. And on Alvin's side of the room was a heap of cushions ranging in size from being about the size of Alvin's head to about twice as big as his entire body. Hanging against the wall beside him was a selection of blankets to make a bed with.

"Wow!" Alvin breathed, awed. "I've died and gone to heaven!"

"I wish!" Brittany said wryly. Alvin turned around to find her behind him, staring out a small window. Her hair had been braided, with some kind of gold cord threaded in, and she had on a simple white dress with now sleeves. The same kind of gold cord criss-crossed over her chest and circled her waist. "Life would be so much simpler without you in it."

Alvin felt irritation creeping up on him. "You're not always the most fun person to be around yourself," he said grouchily. "Now what's going on?"

"Oh nothing." Brittany yawned with exaggerated indifference. "They just drugged you, put you in a new outfit, did a whole bunch of tests and then dumped you in here. That's all."
Alvin looked down at himself. He wore a loose red shirt and jeans. Thankfully, however, his cap was still on his head. "So what are we supposed to do? Just wait?"

"Well, we're allowed to leave the room," Brittany said. "We just can't leave the castle. That's probably what the guards are for. To keep us in." She stood up.

Alvin did a double-take. The skirt of her dress was slit on both sides, practically all the way up her legs. "I think someone forgot to finish sewing your dress," he commented, teasing.

She gave him a withering look. "Cute, Alvin. I didn't exactly choose this outfit. It was that—that Beoine." She said her name like it was a curse. "I knew she had bad taste."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Alvin said smugly. "After all, she recognized right away who was the better looking out of the two of us." He smiled infuriatingly.

Brittany glared. "If you ask me, I think she must be blind or something. And she's got some nerve, making a—a slave!"

"Better you than me." Alvin shrugged. Then suddenly his eyes came alight. "Wait a second. I just realized something." He smiled wickedly. "She didn't just make you any slave. She made MY slave."

"Don't even think about it, Alvin!" Brittany threatened. "Or I'll—I'll—"

"You'll what?" Alvin smirked. "Remember, whenever those guards are around, you have to do everything I say."

"Ohh!" Brittany stamped her foot, more furious than she'd ever been. "I'll get you for this, Alvin Seville! Even if it takes me my whole life!" She stormed out of the room.

Alvin watched the door slam behind her, then grinned and turned to the window. It was so satisfying to win an argument with Brittany. She could be such a pain in the neck at times.

The window opened smoothly, and Alvin peered out. The air was cool and crisp. A few feet beneath him, a couple of guards were talking.

"So what are we supposed to do when the King sends us to the mortal world tonight?" one asked.

"We find the mortals who have the King's gryphon and take it back—by force, if necessary," the other answered.

"By force!" the first guard snorted. "I say we take those new weapons with us. We can kill the mortals and snatch away that gryphon. Less trouble that way.

"You said it!" The guars moved on.

Alvin leaned back, unable to do anything for the moment besides sit there. They just said . . . Eli and Theo . . . kill them! His hands were shaking and he had to grab hold of the windowsill to stop them.

Those guys were going to kill Theodore! Alvin couldn't think of any thought more horrible than that one. He couldn't just let little brother get murdered! He had to do something!

Alvin looked toward the door where Brittany had stormed out. He was to have to make peace with her for this adventure. After all, this was a lot deeper than their petty squabbling. This was Eleanor and Theo's lives. Alvin turned away from the window and sat down on one of the cushions. Brittany would have to come back sooner or later. What they really needed was a plan.

He just hoped he could think of one.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

It was just after noon when Simon and Jeanette left the cave. Simon carried the flashlight in his pocket, and Jeanette had the rope slung over one shoulder. Out and unfolded in Simon's hand was the map, and he was trying to read it and walk at the same time. Jeanette carried the sheet of instructions. There had been one more page, on caring for gryphons, but that had been left with Eli and Theo. Everything was set.

"I believe this says that we're supposed to head east towards Dublin," Simon said, without looking up. "There should be a river that we have to follow, and then a lake."

"According to this, we might have to do some diving," Jeanette responded, looking up from the instructions sheet. "I say there's an element down there that we'll need to 'unlock the gate.'" She stopped and adjusted her glasses. "But I don't think that's meant to be taken literally."

"We'll have to worry about that when we get there," Simon sighed. He refolded the map. "Right now, let's find that river."

It was actually more of a stream than a river. Clear and quick, the water swam around rocks and over the muddy banks. It made a pretty picture, actually.

"Does it say how far it is from here to the lake?" Jeanette asked, looking over Simon's shoulder as he checked the map.

He scratched his head. "I don't think so—unless there's some cryptic message in here somewhere. You know, this whole business is a bit strange to me. I'm not quite sure what to expect."

"I'm sure we'll survive." She patted his arm sympathetically. "We have to, after all."

"That's right," Simon conceded. He moved his finger along the river on the map. "If we just keep following this river, it'll eventually take us to the lake. From the map, I'd say it was, oh, about a 20-minute walk—give or take a few minutes."

"Good," Jeanette said evenly. "The less time this takes, the better. I don't like leaving Eli and Theodore alone."

"I don't like it myself," Simon agreed. "But just think of what Alvin and Brittany might be going through right now. Knowing them, they've probably managed to land themselves in a whole pile of trouble."

"I know," Jeanette sighed, looking anxiously. "And I'm really worried about Brittany. I hope she isn't suffering."

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Brittany was suffering. She staggered under the weight of a tray that seemed to be twice as heavy as she was. Her legs were cramping up and her back felt like a pretzel. She'd never worked so hard at one stupid task in her life. But that wasn't the worst part.

'I want my mortal well-fed,' Beoine had said, when she'd found Brittany wandering around the hallway. 'Take him this, slave.' Then she'd dumped the tray on Brittany and made her take it all by herself, without any help at all.

It wasn't fair. Brittany could feel her face burning with anger and frustration. She was practically breaking her back working away like a slave, and who was going to benefit from it? Alvin! It just wasn't fair!

She kicked open the door to the elaborate, comfortable room that Beoine given 'her' mortal and stumbled inside. "Your food," she announced sarcastically.

"Never mind food," Alvin said impatiently, struggling to rise off an extra-soft cushion. "Put that down and get over here. I need to talk to you."

Now he was giving her orders? "That does it!" Brittany dropped the tray with a loud clatter, causing Alvin to yelp and cover his ears. "I've had just about enough of you Mr. High-and-Mighty! If you think for one minute—"

Alvin was at her side with a hand over her mouth before she could say another word. "Would you cut it out!" he said crossly. "They'll hear you!"

Brittany's eyes blazed dangerously.

"Look, Brittany," Alvin said, trying to be reasonable. "I know we don't always get along all that well." He stopped to rethink that statement. "OK, so we almost never get along that well. But there is one thing we almost always agree on: we have to keep Eleanor and Theodore safe. Am I right?"

The fire went out of Brittany's eyes. She looked at him seriously—obviously ready to listen, and nodded slightly in agreement.

Encouraged by this, Alvin continued. "So we'll just have to stop fighting and start working together. OK?"

Brittany nodded again, face still serious. Her eyes slid down the hand covering her mouth, then back up to Alvin's face.

"Sorry about that." He took his hand away. "I couldn't think of any other way to shu—I mean, to get you to stop talking. But, you know, we can't afford to fight anymore. Theo and Eleanor's lives are depending on that."

"All right," Brittany agreed solemnly, locking eyes with him. "What do we do?"

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"He's getting bigger."

"I know." Eleanor held out a handful of berries she'd collected earlier. The gryphon gobbled them up eagerly. "The instructions that Jeanette left us said that gryphons grow really fast. It'll only take him a few hours to reach his full size."

"How big is he going to get?" Theodore asked, petting the gryphon. It was already more than half his size, and it had only grown that much since they'd started feeding it.

"Really big." Eleanor smiled, watching the creature nip at Theodore's fingers affectionately. "From what I've just read, they were supposed to have carried whole groups of people around."

"I think he needs a name," Theodore said, thinking. He brightened. "How about we call him 'Griff'."

"Well, that's not very original," Eleanor laughed. "But I like it."

"I like it took," Theodore said happily. "How about you, Griff?"

The gryphon nipped his fingers.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

The lake turned out to be a 25-minute walk, but the sight of it alone was worth twice that. The surface was a clear as a mirror, echoing the bright green and brown from its surroundings—as if to put them on display. The vivid blue of the sky outlined everything, above and in the rippling picture below. There was no beach on their side; the river entered the lake from a small trench, leaving the turf at the same distance from the lake as it had been from the river. This wasn't much more than a single step for the two chipmunks, but the fathomless blue of the lake refused to reveal its actual depth.

"I can't see the bottom," Jeanette said, kneeling down beside it. "It could be right close or 20 feet down for all I know. But the instructions say we're going to have to find something down there, just by this area, where the river comes into the lake."

"Well, only one of us needs to go down there," Simon pointed out reasonably. "You went last time, so now it's my turn."

"Fair enough," Jeanette agreed.

"However, we wouldn't want to have to wait while my clothes dry." Simon frowned. "I could just wear my–" He blushed suddenly. "Do you think you could—turn around?"

Jeanette felt her own face getting hot. "Yeah." She spun around, staring at the field behind her, until she heard a splash.

Apparently the water was fairly deep. Simon's head broke through the surface in a moment, coughing and sputtering. He had to squint up at her; obviously he couldn't see very well without his glasses.

"So what am I looking for?" he asked, treading water.

Jeanette checked the instructions sheet. "A rock."

"A rock!" Simon had to be surprised, because he took hold of the edge of the land, pulling himself up on his elbows, and reached for the sheet. "Here, let me see that."

"You'll just get it wet." Jeanette moved it out of reach. "You're just going to have to trust me, Simon—it says 'a rock'." She checked it more closely. "Oh, wait! Just under that it says, 'Yes, a rock, mortals. You'll know it when you find it. Happy hunting'."

"Cryptic." Simon sighed. "That's typical. Well, I'll give it a try. At lease I can find out how deep the water is here." He dove out of sight, leaving Jeanette still staring at the paper.

It was pretty clear under the water, but Simon's vision was so blurred it felt like he was swimming in mud. He never could see well without his glasses. About the only thing he could tell for sure was that he was moving downwards—and he only knew that because of the pressure building up around him.

It wasn't too long before he hit the ground. The lake wasn't deeper than average, then. But he couldn't pick out individual rocks. His fingers moved randomly over the ground, brushing over the rocks and gravel. So far, nothing felt special, and he was going to have to go back for air . . .

Something snagged his and he looked down. Even with his limited vision, he could see what was special this rock. It was throbbing lightly against his hand, almost as if it had a pulse, and the outside had a dull glow to it. This was what he was looking for, then. 'The rock.' Simon's hand closed around it.

Up above, Jeanette was anxiously staring down at the water. She couldn't see down to where Simon was, so she watched the surface for when he came back up. He'd been down for quite a while; what could be taking so long?

The wind picked up suddenly, bringing a voice to her ears. "THE GUARDIAN," it said urgently. "BEWARE THE GUARDIAN. YOUR FRIEND IS IN DANGER!"

Jeanette looked around the water surface, and gasped. Something dark and inky slid along the lake, getting gradually nearer to where Simon was diving. It slipped the surface, heading rapidly downward.

"Simon!" Jeanette cried in horror.

The rock came loose without too much trouble, which was a relief. Simon's lungs felt like they were going to burst. He swung his legs around and pushed off the ground, expecting to break through the surface before too long.

Something came at him from behind, icy cold hands closing around his throat. It must have been something like an octopus; another arm latched around his midsection, pinning his arms to his sides. The rock dug into his skin, but he couldn't to let go.

Simon's eyes opened as wide as they could go; he felt like his heart would pound right through his chest. He needed to breathe! Struggling, even as violently as he could, didn't help.

Darkness was starting to spread across Simon's vision; his lungs felt ready to explode. He couldn't struggle as much any more. It wouldn't be too long before . . .

Suddenly, his assailant jerked around and let go of him. There was an explosion of activity nearby, and then someone hooked a hand around under his arms and pulled his upwards.

Simon gasped when he broke through the surface, drawing in air in huge breaths that sounded more like sobs. He had a massive head rush and his arms and legs were tingling, but of top of it all he had a great sense of relief. He could breathe! He was still alive!

Jeanette pulled Simon back onto dry land. He was almost like a rag doll, weak from holding his breath, but it would pass. Lucky thing she'd spotted that 'guardian' before too much damage had been done. She tucked the swiss army knife back into her pocket, trying vainly to ring most of the water out of her soggy clothes. Simon was wearing boxers, so he could afford to leave his clothes behind. She would never have able to do the same, even she'd the time.

Simon lay flat on the ground for a minute more, before pushing himself—with some effort—into a sitting position. "I got it," he said weakly, holding out the rock.

"Good." Jeanette took it from him. "We wouldn't want to have to go back down there." She looked at him carefully. "Maybe we need to wait for a few minutes before doing anything else."

"That might be a good idea," Simon agreed ruefully, recovering his glasses. He avoided her gaze. "Uh—thanks for-back there. I thought I'd had it."

"Oh, you don't have to thank me, Simon." She smiled, sitting down beside him. "You would've done the same thing for me."

"Yeah." Simon looked up, and returned her smile. "But you have my gratitude, for what it's worth. You managed to act at exactly the right moment."

For a moment, Jeanette couldn't think of anything to say. She appreciated the compliment, but how should she respond to it? "I—I'll just check and see what we're doing next," she said, changing the subject.

Simon sat up entirely and reached for his sweatshirt and jeans. "Good idea. We're not really certain how much time there is."

He was right. Jeanette wiped her hand dry and reached for the instructions. They would have to move quickly, just in case. She wasn't ready yet to think about the question "in case of what?" Her sisters would be OK. They had to be.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Alvin glanced furtively behind him, then crouched down beside the doorway leading out to the castle courtyard. The guards who'd been chosen to track down Eleanor and Theodore were out there, practicing with some kind of laser gun. Beyond them was an open gateway, leading—supposedly—to freedom. After some study of the area, Alvin had figured that there were too many guards around for him to escape that way—but the two practicing in the courtyard wouldn't want him to get past them anyway; as far as he could tell, their pride was too important for that.

The guards moved near Alvin's doorway, to get a clear shot at a new set of targets. They were talking and laughing loudly. Alvin turned around and whistled.

Brittany slipped over to the other side of the doorway, crouching beside it in a pose very like his. She held a pair of pliers and a screwdriver in her hands—taken from Alvin's well-stocked room.

"OK," Alvin said, in an undertone. "This is it. You know the plan."

She nodded. "You pretend to make a run for it, and while they're chasing you, I unload they guns and fix them so they look full."

"Right." Alvin watched the guards. "I think they're supposed to leave soon. So by the time they catch me, it'll be too late to practice any more. But when they try to fire those guns at Theo and Eli–"

"Nothing!" Brittany finished. She grinned savagely. "Too bad."

"Yeah." Alvin returned the grin, just as evilly. "Too bad. For them." He turned back to watching the guards. "As soon as they start chasing me, you run out and 'fix' those weapons."

"You got it!" Brittany gripped the tools tighter.

Well, now or never. With a nod to Brittany, Alvin sprang up and sprinted forward. Before the guards could react, he crashed into one's legs, shoving him over into the other. "Have a nice trip?" he taunted—hey old jokes were the best.

The look on the face of the guards was enough to wipe the smile off of his face. Alvin took off, real fear fueling him this time. To his relief—sort of—both guards were angry enough to start chasing him.

"It's her Highness's pet!" one of them shouted. "Don't let him get away!"

"Leave your weapon!" the other yelled back. "We can't kill him; we'd lose our positions."

Alvin glanced behind him. Boy, for guys who looked so big and awkward, they sure could move fast. At the rate they were gaining, they'd have him in no time. But Brittany hadn't had enough time to mess up those guns yet.

Thinking fast, Alvin decided on a trick he'd discovered by accident when he was little. As soon as the guards drew really close to him, he came to a sudden halt and crouched down sideways. Unable to stop in time, the first guy caught his foot on Alvin's side and fell forward. The second guy was close enough to him to crash and fall on top of his comrade. Enemies felled for the time being, Alvin got up and ducked off in another direction. A quick backward glance caught a glimpse of Brittany at work. As long as he kept those guys running away from where she was, everything would work out.

Brittany hadn't actually seen the weapons before she got her hand on one, but Alvin had been watching the guards use them and he'd described them OK. The red button opened the loading panel, and she just had to snap it closed when she'd gotten all the fuel packs out. The pliers were enough to pry those loose.

Jamming the gauge so that it still showed the weapons to be full was going to be harder. Of course, the guards hadn't jammed up their own weapons, so there was no way Alvin could've seen how it was done. 'Stuff one of your hair things in there' was his advice. So Brittany had a couple of hair pins clipped to her belt.

There was another panel just beside the fuel loader—for repairs. Brittany had to open this one with the screwdriver. Inside, a mass of wires and metal tubing met her eyes.

Under the gauge display was some kind of mechanism that moved the arrow from 'full' to 'empty'. At the moment, it still read 'full' because she hasn't closed the loading panel just yet. Brittany didn't know a thing about mechanics, but anything was worth a try . . . She pushed a hairpin in under some metal junk, so that it leaned against the arrow. Hopefully, that would keep it from moving—without causing the whole thing to explode or something.

She closed the repair panel and replaced the screws, then shut the loading panel. The weapon didn't immediately fall apart, which was a good sign. She turned it over and breathed a sigh of relief. Nothing appeared to be wrong with the gun at all, and the fuel gauge still read 'full'. Brittany moved on to the next weapon.

"Getting tired, fellows?" Alvin asked mockingly, swiftly ducking away from their grasping hands. Actually, he was the one getting tired, but he'd never let them know that. Didn't they ever quit?

"Cease this foolishness, mortal!" one guard said imperiously. "You cannot escape this fortress! We will be easier on you if you give yourself up now!"

"Well, I never could take the easy way out," Alvin muttered, sprinting a short distance away. He tried to glance over at Brittany again without drawing the guards' attention that way, and just managed to see her running back toward the doorway. She'd finished.

"Thinking to steal our weapons, mortal?" the guard snarled. He must have noticed Alvin looking that way. "You'll have to be taught a lesson for this act of disobedience." He took hold of his captive's arms in a grip that was painful, and shook him harshly.

In all his thinking about the chase and keeping the guards away from Brittany, Alvin hadn't really considered what might happen if he was caught. That had probably been a big mistake, he realized, staring at the angry guards in wide-eyed horror. And Simon wasn't around to fix it. He held still, immobilized by sheer terror, as the big men loomed over him. The one holding him freed one hand to strike and Alvin shut his eyes tight, breathing hard, raising an arm in feeble defense . . .

"Forget it!" the other guard snapped. "We can't mark up the Princess's pet mortal. It'd be our necks in the guillotine next."

"Just scaring a little." The first guard lowered his hand. "We can't just let him off too easy, you know."

Alvin gasped in huge, relieved breaths. It was suddenly hard to breathe, and his skin felt cold and prickly with released tension. That was an experience he never wanted to go through again!

"Come on, little mortal." The guard yanked him up by his arms, jolting Alvin's sore shoulder. "We'll return you to your quarters. This exercise is too strenuous for the Princess's pet." They laughed, as if the whole thing was a great joke.

We'll see who's laughing after you try those weapons out, Alvin thought angrily, as he was carried out of the courtyard. Just you wait!

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"I'm still hungry," Theodore complained. He could feel his stomach rumbling. He'd already missed breakfast; it would be time for lunch right about then. "I don't think those berries helped very much, Eli."

"I know." Eleanor sighed. "I'm hungry, too. I wish I could go out and hunt like Griff. He's probably got lots of food."

"Yeah." Theodore tried to ignore his stomach. It wasn't fair complaining to Eleanor; she was just as hungry as he was, and if there was anything she could do, she would've done it already.

A squawk from the cave entrance told them that Griff was returning. The gryphon, now at least twice as large as Theodore, if not bigger, bounded into the cave with the excitement of a year-old puppy. Across his back was a large hunk of raw meat, which he dropped at their feed: an offering to his new friends.

Eleanor tried not to grimace, even though she felt like she was going to throw up. The thing was dripping blood all over the floor.

"That's—uh—great, Griff!" she praised, not wanted to hurt his feelings.

Theodore was too hungry to be disgusted. "If we could cook this, it might be good to eat," he said hopefully.

"Maybe." Eleanor didn't look too thrilled with the idea.

Theodore was about to reply, but a loud clattering noise from the cave entrance stopped him. Two men in helmets and strange leather clothing blundered inside. "Give us the gryphon, mortals!" one demanded. Both had weird guns belted at their waists.

Eleanor acted first, pushing Griff out of the exit ahead of her. Theodore hurried after her, before the men could get their guns out. Fear made them move faster.

Theodore looked back over his shoulder when he'd gotten out of the cave. The two men were already behind them, pointing their guns at him and Eli. They set them, pulled the trigger . . . Theodore closed his eyes, expecting a blast.

Nothing happened. When Theodor risked opening his eyes again, the men had thrown down their weapons in disgust and were now coming after them.

Theodore took off after Eleanor and the gryphon. For all that they looked big and intimidating, the men weren't very good at climbing. The two chipmunks—and gryphon—were soon able to duck into the shelter of a large boulder, affectively hidden from view.

"Who were those guys?" Theodore asked, when things quieted down.

Eleanor looked anxious. "They're probably the guys who caught Brittany and Alvin. And they're still after the gryphon."

"They were going to shoot us!" Theodore remembered, feeling a bit shocked. "But I guess their guns didn't work. I saw them aiming at us, but nothing happened."

"Well, that's a good thing for us," Eleanor answered. She looked over at the gryphon, and her eyes caught on something. Griff had that bloody hunk of meat hung over his back again. "Oh!"

"Maybe we can cook it for lunch," Theodore said, after coming over to see what she was so surprised about.

"I guess I could try—if we can get a fire going," Eleanor agreed. Her hunger was starting to get to her; maybe if she just didn't look at it . . .

"Come one."

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"The circle of shamrocks." Simon frowned, repeating Jeanette's last statement. "Is that all we need? A rock and a circle of plants?"

"Apparently, we're supposed to stand in the center of the circle, face to face," Jeanette said, reading off the instructions. "We each have to have both of our hands on the stone."

"I understand that much, Simon said. "Then what?"

"I don't know." She looked mystified. "It says that if we want or need it badly enough, something will happen. So we just have to stand in the circle with our hands on the stone and think about how much we need to find Alvin and Brittany."

Simon had his doubts about the whole thing, but he nodded anyway. "Well, the first thing we need to worry about is finding that circle of shamrocks."

"I think I saw it back there." Jeanette was really getting into this, Simon could see. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes shone. "Come on!" She bounded off.

The circle was, fortunately, fairly large. It would easily fit both of them; in fact, it probably would have fit three of them—each. Obviously, it was designed for group traveling.

Simon winced at that thought. This was the first time he'd thought of a ring of leaves as being a mode of transportation. He was still having a lot of trouble with the idea. But Jeanette was so set on this, he wasn't about to complain.

"OK," Jeanette said, stepping into the circle. Simon followed, then turned to face her, putting his hands on the stone she already held. "I hope this works."

Closing his eyes, Simon tried to will something to happen. He thought of Alvin and the irritating nuisance who always seemed to get everyone around him into trouble—that was really the way to remember him best. But no matter how ridiculous, willful and incredibly stubborn he was, Alvin always seemed to find a way to Simon's weak spots, making him a large fixture in the older brother's life. Like it or not, Simon actually did care about Alvin, and he had to save him now—no matter what the cost.

Still, nothing was happening. Simon opened his eyes and looked at Jeanette, who was staring in frustration at the stone. "This had to work!" she cried, in desperation. "We can't be stuck now! I've got to find my sister! Oh, please, work!"

An explosion of light blew out from somewhere inside the rock they held. Simon saw blackness; he wanted to shout and fall back, but he was locked in place. The world rocked and spun. He and Jeanette were on a single, small plate, whirling around and around, caught in a rushing maelstrom that brought Simon's heart-rate up to a virtual blur and sent his adrenaline racing to keep up with the pace. And for some unexplained reason, he'd never felt more alive in his life.

Then the whirling stopped and the ground dropped out from underneath them. Simon's hands broke away from the stone, and he was falling fast, unable to scream, filled to the brim with a weird mixture of terror and excitement.

He hit the ground, and darkness descended.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"You won't try to escape again, will you?" Beoine smiled, petting Alvin's cheek. That was what she did when she came in to see him; sit in there and pet his face and fuss over him. "Now that you know there's no escape, you'll probably give up trying."

Alvin gave her an evil look, glowering resentfully. He was still in his own room, on one of the cushions again, arms crossed sullenly over his chest. This was stupid! He felt like he should say 'arf' and then sit up and beg or something.

"Well, those guards who chased you were defective at any rate," Beoine continued. She sniffed. "They even failed to bring back my father's gryphon—their excuse was that the weapons didn't fire." She flipped back her bangs. "They couldn't even handle two little mortals. What kind of warriors are they supposed to be, anyway?"

Alvin was smoldering. "You'll never catch Eli and Theo," he said defiantly.

"Oh no?" Beoine ran a hand down the side of his face again, looking smug. "Well it just so happened that my father is, at this very minute, talking to a professional poisons expert. She's going to pretend to be their friend—and then poison them!"

Alvin stiffened, feeling panic clutch him. He looked wildly around the room for Brittany, but she was already hurrying out the door. He relaxed. She's have to take care of this one herself; he couldn't do a thing with Princess Putrid around. "How stupid do you think they are?" he said, in answer to Beoin's statement. "No one would fall for that!"

If Beoine replied to that—and she probably did—Brittany didn't get a chance to hear it. She was already on her way to the throne room, with her own yellow scarf clutched in one hand and a black felt marker in the other.

It wasn't like Brittany to mark up her own clothing, but she printed her three-letter message onto the scarf anyway, in huge, bold writing. Of course she had to do this to save Eli and Theodore, but Brittany would've done it anyway, just to wipe that smug look of Beoine's face. She was so insufferable! And the way she kept patting Alvin's face! Really! Brittany's hands clenched around her 'weapon'.

The whole thing was getting out of hand. She shouldn't really care what Beoine did. Brittany frowned. It was just that whole "getting along" business. She was going crazy, not being able to fight with Alvin. She was actually starting to like him—or maybe she had all along and was just starting to realize it. Whichever; she didn't like it either way.

The throne room doors loomed up ahead, and Brittany ducked down to the side, watching through the space between the door and its hinges.

"You have the proper poison?" the King was saying. The person he was speaking to, an average-sized woman in lose jeans and a sweatshirt, nodded.

"They will not taste it," she said briskly. "The poison does not mark the food in any way. It's only flaw is a bitter aftertaste—but these mortals will not have the antidote. Once consumed, it will be sure to kill them."

Brittany's eyes narrowed at that, and her lips set in a determined line. Not my sister! She thought furiously.

"I see you have attired yourself in the clothing of a native from their world," the King noted. "This will make it easier. I assume you have a plan to gain their rust."

"Of course, your Majesty." She smiled. "I will be the overnight hiker, enjoying the splendors of the countryside. Being both friendly and generous, I will offer my own rare and exotic herbs o add flavor to their simple wares. The food will be delicious, of course, but after . . ." She shrugged. "They will find there is a price to be paid for their trust."

"Excellent, my Lady," the King praise. "But, if you don't mind my asking, how will they die? Will they have time to realize their folly?"

"Convulsions." The woman's smile turned malicious. "They will choke to death. The poison will see to it that their throats close up."

Shuddering, Brittany closed her eyes to block out the woman's smile. To hear her sister's fate announced like that . . . She leaned against the wall to stop shaking. She was looking at a mental picture of Eleanor, blond hair and warm brown eyes, always there with a kind word or a friendly smile. Then the image in her mind blurred and shifted, and Eleanor was choking, eyes no longer warm as they bulged out, gasping, suffering . . .

"No!" Brittany whispered fiercely, shaking her head to clear away the vision. "Oh no, not Eli!"

"With your Majesty's permission," the woman was saying. "I will journey immediately to where I can search for the mortals."

Brittany moved away from the wall, ready for action.

"Yes, yes, of course." The King waved his hand negligently. "You may go, my Lady, and when you return, bring my gryphon to me."

The woman bowed and started moving toward the door. Brittany tensed, waiting. When the woman was just outside the doors, she darted forward, as if she'd been running along the hallway, and crashed right into her. "Oops!"

"Clumsy mortal!" the woman hissed.

Brittany straightened, dusting herself off. "Sor-ry," she said in a self-righteous voice. "Boy, what a grouch!" She slunk off in the direction she'd supposedly been going.

The woman stalked off in the opposite direction, muttering to herself. Brittany smiled. The yellow scarf had been firmly tucked into the back pocket of the poisoner's jeans, so just the end of it stuck out. Sentimental as Eleanor was, she was sure to recognize it as being one that looked like Brittany's.

Come on Eli! Brittany thought desperately. You've got to notice it! Don't let me down now! She crossed her fingers and hurried back to find Alvin.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Griff's offering, by then cleaned as well as it could be under the circumstances, was cooking on a roughly-made spit over Eleanor's low flame—which had been surrounded by a circle of rocks that kept its contained. Despite her misgivings, Eleanor had to admit that the meat smelled pretty good.

Theodore apparently thought so too; he was hovering her shoulder whenever it wasn't his turn to move the spit. "Is it ready yet?" he asked eagerly.

"I think so," she answered, moving the roasting stick off the fire. The meat was well-toasted and it steamed nicely. "Just wait until it cools."

The meal turned out to be delicious. Eleanor was about to reach for seconds, but a voice suddenly called out, stopping her.

"Hello there camp!" the woman shouted, from somewhere beyond the small grove of trees that they had chosen as a resting place. "I can see your smoke! Can I join you?"

Eleanor turned toward Griff, alarmed, but the gryphon seemed to understand well enough. He hid in some of the bushes at the side. It was a close fit, though; Griff was so big now that he could easily have carried Eleanor and Theodore both on his back.

"Sure!" Theodore called to the woman, in a friendly tone. Theodore was pretty good with people, Eleanor had to admit. "You can have some meat if you want."

"Thank you." The woman stepped in through the trees. She was about average height, with plain brown hair, and she wore a sweatshirt and loose jeans. A large camping bag was strapped on her back, but she put it down with a sigh. "I was on an overnight hiking tip, traveling around the country. I just saw your fire and thought I'd see who else was out here."

"Oh—Theodore and I were just—" Eleanor searched for a good story. "Well, we wanted to spend the night out in the countryside."

"I see. Well, it is very beautiful." The woman looked at their 'lunch'. "This looks kind of bland, kids. I have some herbs, if you would like . . ."

Eleanor wasn't listening. "Where is that scarf in your back pocket?" she asked, pointing. It was a familiar bright yellow color; she took hold of it carefully.

The woman looked puzzled. "Scarf?"

"Yes this." Eleanor turned the scarf around in her hands. "You know, this looks exactly like a scarf that one of my sisters—" She stopped suddenly.

"That one of your sisters . . .?" the woman prompted.

Eleanor stood frozen, staring at the scarf. Printed on it in bold black letter was a singer word: RUN. She snatched the scarf away and started to back up.

"What is the matter?" The woman turned to face her.

Eleanor found her voice. "Theodore, run!" she cried, dodging around the woman. "Hurry! It's a trap!"

Theodore didn't argue. He turned and ran. Griff leapt out of the bushes to follow, and they were crashing through the underbrush in to time, with Eleanor not far behind. All three did their best to keep low, out of the woman's sight.

"You won't escape!" the woman called after them. "The King will find you!" Despite her words, though, she was too far behind to catch them. "You have won another round, mortals but we will not cease! There is no escape!"

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Jeanette sat up, groaning. She still felt dizzy from that bit of 'traveling". A glance in Simon's direction told her he was in a similar condition. Blinking rapidly to clear her head, Jeanette looked around to get a sense of where she was.

It was a large, dark, chamber, with about 14 or 15 tunnels leading out. The walls were circular and the tunnels were all evenly spaced, so it was impossible to fix on a beginning or ending point. In the space between the tunnels hung lit torches, casting shadows across the room.

"This can't be right," Simon said, fixing he glasses. "The instructions told us that the spell would take us to where that Azure Gem was, didn't they?"

"Well-sort of." Jeanette pulled out the page. "They said that the spell would take us 'beneath the earth, to find the Gem'. They didn't say 'to the Gem' directly."

"I should have known." Simon groaned. "Well, does it say where we go from here?"

Jeanette checked. "'One tunnel takes you to the next chamber'," she read. "'The other fourteen lead on to—certain death." She swallowed nervously.

"These people sure take this Gem seriously," Simon commented, glancing around him as if he suspected to be attacked suddenly. "What else does it say?"

"'There are three chambers connected by tunnels'," she continued, setting aside her uneasiness for the minute. "'Find the proper tunnel in each that will lead to the next. For in each chamber lied one of the keys. Only all three together will unlock the Gem Chamber's entrance'." She stopped at that.

"A key, hmm?" Simon looked around at the walls, then his eyes lit up. "You mean this one?" He walked over to a hollowed-out portion of the wall and took hold of a large, old fashioned brass key.

"Good work!" Jeanette complimented, feeling excitement building up inside her. Everything was falling into place. She looked back down at the instructions. "There's a clue for each chamber apparently, so we can find the right tunnel. This one says, 'take the branch related to ill luck and you can't go wrong.' Any idea what that might mean?"

For a moment, Simon looked baffled. "'The branch related to ill luck'," he repeated slowly, looking intensely thoughtful. "What sorts of things do we relate to ill luck?"

"You mean like walking under a ladder?" Jeanette thought for a minute. "How about spilling some alt? Or having a black cat walk across your path."

"Those are along the correct thought path," Simon admitted, still looking thoughtful. "But they don't relate to our current situation."

Jeanette shook her head. "I can't think of anything that would. But I don't know them all. There's a pretty large number of things that people connect with bad luck."

"Number!" Simon snapped his fingers. "That must be it!" He turned to her, looking more confident. "What's the number that has been most commonly associated with misfortune?"

"Thirteen," Jeanette said automatically. "But what-?"

"So maybe," Simon interrupted, on a roll, "the tunnel to take is the thirteenth one from this starting point." He put his hand on the hollowed out groove where the key had been.

"But which side do we start counting at?" Jeanette asked sensibly.

"I'm not sure," Simon admitted. "But I think there must be a clue here somewhere . . ." He brushed some of the dust from the stone wall. "Hmm." After staring intently at the left side of the rove, Simon straightened. "I think I've found it."

Jeanette moved forward to look. Something had been deliberately carved into the smooth stone. "What is that?

"The Japanese symbol for the number for," Simon explained. "Considered the 'death' number. It was occasionally pronounced 'shi', which was the word for death. I think that would relate it to ill luck, don't you?"

"So we count from this side," Jeanette reasoned, feeling a deep appreciation for Simon's logic. It was a relief to have him along; he was better at puzzles than she was. High on that relief and some excitement to go along with it, she threw her arms around her neck. "You're a genius, Simon!"

His face reddened. "Just plain logic," he said modestly, when she let go. "But I can't be sure it's right. At the moment, it's only a theory." He counted out the thirteen. "And since I came up with it, it's also my job to test it." With that, he walked directly into the tunnel he'd just ended up at.

Panic had sprung up uninvited at the that unexpected action, but to Jeanette's relief, nothing had happened. Simon's logic had produced he correct result.

"Don't you ever do that to me again!" Jeanette scolded fiercely, advancing on him. Anger was displayed in her every motion. "I almost had a heart attack! What if this was the wrong tunnel, Mr. I'm-always-right? What then?"

"How else could we have tested it?" Simon said defensively. He met her furious glare with his own level one. "It was my theory; if I'd let you test it and it turned out to be wrong, I'd never have forgiven myself."

That was true. Jeanette softened. "Well," she muttered grudgingly, not willing to forgive him so easily for scaring her, "you shouldn't have shocked me like that."

"Sorry," Simon conceded sheepishly, with a lopsided grin that reminded her of Alvin. Jeanette had to laugh. She'd never realized that Simon had a touch of that one Alvin-quality: softening people's tempers by being naturally charming. It hadn't come up before, but it did make them seem more like brothers and less like genetic opposites.

"Let's find that other chamber," she suggested, moving forward. Behind her, Simon clicked on the flashlight and they made their way through the tunnel in silence.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Alvin sipped his root beer, then sank back into the hot, frothy water with a sigh. It felt nice, soaking up a little luxury—and in his own private Jacuzzi, at that. "So Theo and Eleanor are still safe."

"That's right." Brittany sat across from him, with her own glass of root beer. She was wearing the pink suit that had been left for her, and seemed rather attached to it. "The poisoner couldn't fool them. She had to come back—without hurting Eleanor and Theodore."

"Congratulations," Alvin said, lifting his glass.

"Thank you." Brittany took a sip of hers. "But, you know, this isn't going to stop them. They're just going to keep trying until they win."

"Hmm." Alvin frowned thoughtfully. "Then maybe it's about time we tried a little scheme of our own."

Brittany finished off the last of her root beer. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Alvin said, putting his glass down. "Supposing you and I come up with a bit of a twist—a plot, you might say—that'll throw them off Eli and Theo's tracks."

"Oh!" A smiled inched across Brittany's face. "That sounds like a VERY good idea to me. As long as it keeps them away from my sister." She sat up. "Just let me get another glass of root beer."

She got up out of the tub, leaving Alvin to his thoughts. Something had been bothering him lately, just for the past few hours. He and Brittany had always fought; it seemed to come naturally for some reason. But now—well, it seemed like ever since they'd agreed to get along, he he'd been starting to almost—like her. It was driving him crazy!

Brittany, during this time, was frowning to herself and not really paying much attention to the root beer spilling all over the floor. Alvin had always been so irritating and smug, she'd never had to worry about any kind of complication. But now that he was actually being agreeable, it was hard not to like him. The fact that she'd admitted to being his friend before weren't important. She liked arguing with him; this new relationship was too confusing.

Neither of them was really ready for his this. Brittany sank back into the tub, drink in hand. "Much better," she sighed, for his benefit.

Alvin closed his eyes, leaning back against the wall. He looked tired. Understandable, since this was the first bit of time he'd gotten to relax in since the guards had chased him around the courtyard. A bruise on his left shoulder was the lasting reminder of that. It was pretty big too, a nasty, purplish thing, and Brittany winced in sympathy whenever she looked at it.

"If we could give Eleanor and Theodore a running start," Alvin said suddenly, opening his eyes to meet her gaze, "we might get a chance to sneak out of here. Then we could figure out a way of getting back home."

Brittany's eyes widened. "You're right! If Eli and Theodore are safe, we wouldn't need to stay around. Of course," she added quickly, fluffing out her hair. "I would have though of that myself sooner or later."

It felt good, she had to admit, lounging idly in a spacious hot tub wither annoying—yet dangerously charming—partner, all the while coming up with a devious scheme. She smiled again, with a hint of satisfaction. "So what's your plan?"

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Eleanor was still holding the scarf when she, Theodore, and Griff stopped by the same river that Simon and Jeanette had been following. Some nearby shrubs offered a bit of cover.

"Brittany," Eleanor said, staring at the scarf. She looked relieved and anxious at the same time.

"Huh?" Theodore didn't understand. "How did you know that woman was trying to trap us, Eleanor? She seemed all right to me."

Eleanor held up the scarf. "This is Brittany's, Theodore. She knew I would recognize it. See?" Beneath her fingers was the one-word message.

"Oh." Theodore blinked. "But—then—that means she must be all right!" He felt suddenly like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "And if she's all right, Alvin must be all right too!"

"They're helping us," Eleanor said, clutching the scarf. "That must have been why those guns wouldn't work before. Alvin and Brittany are trying to save us!"

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"That one." Simon pointed. The tunnel he'd chosen was almost exactly opposite the one they'd come in. "I'm sure of it."

"How did you figure it out?" Jeanette asked curiously. Simon was glad she wanted him to explain; if there was a flaw in his reasoning, she might catch it before he made a huge mistake.

"Well, we found the key here," Simon said, gesturing toward the wall space where the groove with the new key—made of iron—had been found. "And the clue reads 'half and decade's doom on either side' at the start. Well, half a decade is five years. So I counted five tunnels here,"—He pointed to one side of the grooved wall—"and five here." He pointed to the other side. "Since it said 'doom', I assumed that those ten were the 'death' tunnels. So I only had four left to choose from."

"But how did you figure out which one of those four it was?" Jeanette wanted to know. "I didn't get that part of the clue. 'The hall across from the broken wall spells peril, as do the paths on either side'."

"They're directions," Simon explained. "The first riddle worked by telling us which tunnel we could go through. This one works in the opposite way, telling us which tunnels we can't take. Through process of elimination, we only have one left that won't kill us."

"All right," Jeanette said. "I understand that. So how do we eliminate three of these last four?"

Simon smiled. "'The hall cross from the broken wall' is the tunnel directly across from the wall with the carved-out groove for the key."

"Oh!" A glimmer of understanding lit Jeanette's eyes."And since it spells peril, we can't take it."

"Right." Simon was in his element, enjoying being helpful in some way. Up until then, Jeanette had been doing most of the work. He was glad he could be of some use. "And if we can't take the tunnels on either side of it, out of the four we originally had, that leave only—"

"That one," Jeanette finished, indicating toward the tunnel that Simon first chosen. "You're right. It all fits."

"I'll test it," he said, moving toward the tunnel. "But I'm fairly sure, this is the right one."

It was. Jeanette and Simon made it to the third chamber before too much time had passed. In a notch by their entrance was the final key. The one was made of quartz.

"Now," Simon said, taking the key from its previous home. "How do we get to this Gem Chamber?"

"The torches aren't giving off enough light in this room," Jeanette said, squinting. "Shine the flashlight over here."

Simon obeyed, looking around. It was true that the torches didn't seem to light the room very well. Their flames appeared to be dying out. He and Jeanette were probably running out of air. They were underground, after all, and fire needed oxygen to live, just like them. There wasn't much time left, before . . . He shivered.

"Here it is," Jeanette said suddenly. She read from the instructions again.

"'In each of the chambers, the gate to the Gem Chambers lies hidden beneath your feet'."

Simon looked down. There was a sort of outline there that he hadn't noticed before, like a large metal door. It took up a small amount of space at the very center of the room, mostly hidden under the dirt. He knelt down beside it and brushed the surface clean.

"Everything's working so far," Jeanette said, crouching down beside him. "We're so close now, Simon. I know we're going to make it."

Simon nodded in agreement, She was right; he could feel an almost blinding hope, and anticipation. But he had to keep his head on straight. "Here's where the keys fit," he told her. There were three locks, one of brass, one of iron, and one of quartz. He set each of the keys into the corresponding lock.

Jeanette turned the brass key at the same time as Simon turned the iron and quartz keys, with a rusty-sounding creak, the door slid up an inch, just enough for them to get their hands under the edge and lift it all the way open. It gave a final-sounding click when it was opened as far as it could be, standing on its massive hinges like a dog begging for a treat.

Simon looked down, shining he flashlight to see in the darkness. There was a pretty long drop, then a tunnel leading forward. The rest of the way he couldn't see.

Jeanette was already uncoiling the rope from around her shoulder. "I had a feeling we'd need this," she said, looping the end around the door's hinges and knotting it tightly. Then, probably to repay him for scaring her with the first tunnel, she took the rope in both hands and dropped quite suddenly off the edge of the doorway, into the darkness below.

A glance after told Simon she was safe. The rope was holding, easily. She climbed down nearly to the ground level, let go of the rope and landed neatly on her feet. She'd made it.

Simon took a deep breath and plunged into the darkness after her.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Alvin lay half on his back at the center of one of the cushions, propped on his elbows. "You know," he said, watching the girl next to him closely. "I've been wondering: why do you guys keep attacking Eleanor and Theodore?"

Beoine sighed. "I've been wondering that myself," she said petulantly, brushing his forehead. "My father seems to have whole hoards of useless subjects. The warriors couldn't take the gryphon and now our poisons expert has failed as well. My father may even have to lend out his Summoner."

Alvin forgot what he was trying to do for a minute. " Summoner?"

"An instrument whose tones hypnotize gryphons, bringing them to he who plays it," Beoine explained pompously. "My father doesn't wish to lend it out because of its value. That's how he captures gryphons, after all, and I'm sure you understand how much grphons are worth here."

Brittany was tapping her foot impatiently. Alvin waved a hand in her direction, feeling irritated. "Why bother? You're not going to catch my brother by force, anyway."

Now Beoine looked interested. "Oh?"

"Eleanor and Theodore are experts at getting themselves out of a sticky situation," Alvin boasted. "After all, as long as you keep attacking them, they know exactly what they're up against."

"So what are you saying, pet?" She cupped his chin, moving his face next to hers. "As long as we continue to attack them, it will be difficult, but if we stop, they will come undone?"

Alvin tried not to gag. "Are you kidding?" He put on an expression of superiority. "Theodore can't stand been ignored! He'd go running back to Dave in a day—or even less!"

Beoine smiled, releasing him. "That's all for today, mortal," she said, in a satisfied voice. "I have duties to attend to." She moved away from him, toward the exit.

When the door closed behind her, Alvin jumped up off the cushions. "Well?" he asked smugly, grinning at Brittany.

She nodded. "Good. I think she bought it."

"Well, let's go!" Alvin said. They opened the door and peered out. Beoine was hurrying down the hallway, not bothering to look behind her. The two chipmunks slunk after her, keeping quiet.

As they'd expected, Beoine went immediately to the throne room. She burst right through the doors, heedless of what she might be interrupting, and ran straight toward her father. Brittany and Alvin crouched on either side of the doors, listening.

"Father!" Beoine cried, flinging herself into her father's lap. "Daddy, I have information for you. It's about the mortals with your gryphon."

"Indeed?" The King looked at the retainers he'd been speaking to before his daughter had burst in on them. "Remain, all of you. I'll finish with you very soon. Continue, daughter."

Obviously excited at being able to help her father with a matter so important to him, Beoine repeated what Alvin had told her. The King smiled when she'd finished.

"Very well done, my dear," he praised, and Beoine positively glowed. "We will try this method for a time. The mortals will have two days' peace. If they don't return to their guardian during this time, we will commence aggressive activity."

Alvin looked at Brittany. Two days! If they spend every minute of it in just the right way, they could be back with the others before the immortals had even realized what was happening!

They moved away from the throne room, not daring to speak until they'd made it back to Alvin's room. However, once Brittany had shut the door behind them, they couldn't help a few shouts of excitement and quite a hit of self-congratulating.

"I hope Beoine doesn't come back," Alvin said, when they had managed to settle down. "We've got some plans to make."

"I know." Brittany laughed and spun around. "But I can't help feeling so excited! We're going home!"

Alvin whooped and hugged her. He was so caught up with his own excitement, he didn't even care that he was pressed up next to a girl he'd been screaming at the day before.

And he definitely didn't care how nice if felt. Much.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"Look at how big he's getting!" Eleanor brushed Griff's feathers admiringly with her hands. "He could easily carry us both if he wanted to."

"I'll bet he could carry the others too!" Theodore piped up. "With us, I mean. All of us together."

"Yeah." Eleanor sighed. "Too bad we don't know where they are. Then maybe Griff could take us to them and we could all get away."

Griff's ears pricked up, and he suddenly sat bolt upright. Quick as a thought, he lumbered to his feet and hurried off, not even sparing a second to look back.

"Where is he going?" Theodore asked, puzzled.

"I don't know." Eleanor was equally confused. "Was it something I said?"

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

The tunnel started to slant upwards when they were about halfway through it. Jeanette had noticed that it twisted and turned about when it didn't really need to; she felt like they'd been traveling in circles. Simon had the flashlight, so he walked ahead of her, but she was ready for anything. The guardian in the lake hadn't been pushed completely out of her mind just yet, and if there had been something like that guarding a simple stone, she didn't want to think about what might be guarding the Gem itself.

Simon motioned for her to stop, and she crept up beside him. "You hear that?" he asked, in a hushed tone. Around the corner, a weird blue light seemed to be shining, and a harsh gurgling sound, accompanied by some rustling noises, could be heard.

"I'll take a look," Jeanette suggested. Without waiting for an answer, she moved past him and peered around the corner.

Beyond her, the tunnel expanded into a large, circular room. The wall was domed, and three other tunnels led out of it. There were no torches on the wall, but the entire room was alight with a brilliant, sky-blue glow. And in the center of it all was a huge, wriggling monster, something like a giant tree with no leaves. It gurgled strangely, a sound like a drowning growl, waving its branches wildly. On one of the upper-most peak was a luminous, triangular-shaped gem, its crystalline color an achingly perfect blue, just like a summer sky.

Jeanette tore her eyes from the sight, turning back to Simon. "It's there all right," she reported, fighting to keep her voice steady. "But that's not the only thing. I think we're going to have to fight for it."

Simon moved forward to get a look for himself. "That's humungous!" he breathed, awed. He looked up at her. "I think that if we wish to succeed, one of us will have to distract that thing while the other grabs the Gem."

Jeanette used the flashlight to read some more from the instructions. "And once one of us does grab it, that monster will disappear."

"Good news at last." Simon sighed. "But first we have to actually get the Gem. I'll have to act as the diversion, since only a female can touch it."

"Right." Jeanette nodded solemnly.

It wasn't really much of a fight. In fact, it wasn't even a fight at all. Simon didn't even have to worry about thinking up things to keep the monster's attention. He had to spend all of his energy trying to doge branches that kept coming at him with surprisingly deadly accuracy and speed. The only advantage he had was being able to move around freely; the tree was apparently fixed onto one spot on the ground. But this was countered by the large number of branches his adversary's disposal. Simon was already tired after only a short while.

Jeanette kept to the shadows, waiting for her chance. She didn't have time to worry about Simon, not and watch the branches at the same time. The monster's attention had to be fully focused on her friend, so that it couldn't even see anything else.

"Jeanette . . . now . . . !" Simon panted, ducking a blow aimed between his eyes. He pointed desperately, struggling to keep up his pace.

She darted forward—then lurched to a halt, staring above her in dismay. The Gem was too far up over her head; even jumping as high as she possibly could, she'd never reach it.

"Get back!" she called to Simon, retreating around the corner. He joined her after a moment, leaning wearily against the wall.

"It's too high," she said, feeling deflated. "I could never reach it, not in a million years." Her shoulders dropped, and she looked at the ground. They had come so close! How could it and like this?

Simon was staring at her. "We have to get it somehow," he said steadily. "Think about what's at stake right now."

Jeanette met his gaze, and knew he was right. The Gem held her sister's life. She couldn't give up until she either had it or had died trying to get it.

A wild, half-formed plan was taking shape in Jeanette's mind. It was a long shot at best, but it was still something . . . She couldn't tell Simon, or he'd stop her. Jeanette watched her friend, as he leaned back against the wall again, closing his eyes.

That was when she acted. She didn't think or speak or hesitated. There was only one thing she could do, one option left. She rounded the corner and sprinted directly at the giant monster.

Simon realized it a second too late. "No! Wait!" he shouted, but by that time she wasn't listening. He followed after, trying to get there first. "Jeanette! Don't—"

A branch caught him across the chest. He'd been so focused on Jeanette that he hadn't even seen it coming. Simon hit a wall, just hard enough to knock the wind out of him, then slumped to the ground, dazed.

Jeanette used the branch that had hit Simon as her first step. A single leap brought her up twice as much as it should have, when the branch lifted. She took another jump without even hesitating, and felt herself soaring, hands outstretched.

. . . and then, miraculously, closing around something smooth and cool to the touch.

Jeanette fell with a loud THUMP to the ground, rolling over and over with her arms crossed over her chest, cradling something tightly against her midsection. Her eyes were shut tight and she didn't move for a while after she fell, except to gulp in air in quick, harsh breaths.

"Jeanette!" Simon hurried over, across the spot where the tree-monster had been, to crouch beside his fallen friend. The instructions had fallen from her pocket and he absently picked them up, studying her face anxiously. "Are you all right?"

She opened her eyes. "I'm fine." There was not small amount of triumph in her voice as she slowly climbed to her feet. "I've got it Simon. The Azure Gem. We've done it; we're finished. Everything." Her face shone almost as brightly as the crystal in her hands as she looked down at it, and for a moment Simon couldn't tear his eyes away from her.

The ground started to shake, and Jeanette looked up in alarm. "What's that?"

"I don't know!" Simon braced himself, as the shaking grew more violent. "Do you think it's an earthquake? Or something to do with that Gem?"

He didn't have time to say more, because the ground beneath them suddenly exploded up into the air above, so fast that it pressed the two chipmunks down against it. They screamed helplessly as the Chamber floor shot up through the earth and high above the land. Then it stopped, and went totally still.

Simon climbed warily to his feet. "We're trapped," he said, looking grimly over the edge. Smooth, flawless cliff faces surrounded them on all sides, and the ground was distend. Jumping would be suicide.

"Can't we use the Gem?" Jeanette asked, holding her prize out in front of her. "It's supposed to take us anywhere, isn't it?"

"Of course!" Simon snapped his fingers. Then he hesitated. "Just let me make sure of any 'catches' there might be." He looked at the instructions. "'To use the Azure Gem, a male must ask it to deliver all parties in physical contact with one holding the Gem or with one who is already in the previously mentioned contact'." He stopped to think about that for a moment. "So, in other words, anyone who's touching it either you or someone else you're already in contact with will be coming with us. That's handy."

"Are there any catches?" Jeanette said, reminding him of his initial question.

He turned back to the sheet. "Restrictions, yes. Right here. 'The Gem can only be used for one mission per party. When that has been completed in its entirety, the Gem will be instantaneously returned to its original Chamber, ready for use by another.' Well, that's convenient. We won't have to return it ourselves, at least."

"Anything else?" Jeanette pressed.

"Yes." Simon skimmed over it, then gulped. "Uh-oh."

"What is it?" Jeanette leaned over his shoulder. "'The Gem cannot be used when still in its original Chamber'. Oh," she gulped, looking around. "We're still in that Chamber, aren't we?"

"With no way of getting out," Simon pointed out despondently. "I think we're stuck."

Jeanette didn't answer, but she had a sinking feeling he was right.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Brittany crept down the hallway, being careful not to make a sound. No one was around at the moment, but you never knew when a guard might come by. She turned and gestured to Alvin, who slunk along behind her with the classic rope of knotted sheets coiled around his shoulder. Since it was Brittany's plan, she had been given the privilege of leadership.

She moved ahead a ways, then turned again. Alvin was not with her. "Alvin!" she hissed, more than a little frightened that someone had caught them.

"Coming!" he hurried out of one of the rooms on the side. In his hand was a familiar brown teddy bear. "I saw it when I was walking by," he explained. "Theodore probably wants him back. So I grabbed him."

Brittany shrugged. It was hard to fault him for that. "Let's go."

The two huddled next to a window at the far end of the hall. "Is this the right one?" Alvin asked, referring to the window.

Brittany looked out. Below her was the huge drawbridge, kept lowered for ceremony's sake. The palace gates were built some ways into the wall, and the two guards set to watching them stood just inside, blocking any and all who wished to enter. Beyond the drawbridge was the cobblestone road leading into the city. A dark forest lined this path on either side. The forest was where they had planned to hide.

"This is it all right," Brittany said, in answer to Alvin's question. She felt a shiver of excitement. "We'd better hurry."

"Right." Alvin tied the rope securely to one of the bars that lined the window. "Go ahead. I'll be right behind you."

"OK." Brittany knew her voice quavered; she was pretty nervous. This time, she was going to be the diversion, and she was also going to be almost entirely dependent on Alvin for keeping the guards away. If it had been just a few hours earlier, she might not have agreed.

However, getting her own way had always been important. Brittany swung closing her eyes, she pushed away from the wall and jumped. It was only a few seconds before she landed in a crouch, just a couple of feet away from the castle wall. Hastily, she spun around.

"Hey!" one of the guards exclaimed. They both stepped forward, advancing menacingly on her. However, they didn't have time to continue.

As soon as the guards were outside of the sheltered area containing the palace gates, Alvin let go of the rope and fell right on top of them, partly on each one's shoulder. He yanked their helmets down in front of their eyes, before either could react. Then he dodged away from their grasping hands and joined Brittany in a desperate sprint across the drawbridge.

"The mortals!" one of the guards shouted. "Guards, to the front gate! They're escaping!"

Off to the side the forest took over, and Alvin and Brittany hurried into it. Running was harder in there, as they had to dart around trees and duck under branches frequently, but there was definitely a better chance of hiding, too, and that was important. The guards were in pursuit; a short while after the two chipmunks had reached the forest, they heard the sounds of people shouting and blundering around behind them.

After the first initial burst of speed, Brittany felt that she was running out of wind. She'd never been overly athletic; the exercise she got was mostly walking around the mall. And so much running really got to her. She was slowing down already.

Alvin noticed Brittany falling behind and grabbed her wrist to pull her along. He'd seen firsthand how fast the guards were, and wasn't about to let her slow down. I'll get us both out of this if it kills me, he thought fiercely, determination fueling him. He ducked under a low branch, giving Brittany's arm a tug to get her under it.

The trees suddenly spread into a large clearing. Alvin cut straight across, trying to focus on more speed. He was concentrating so hard, in fact, that he didn't even see the rocks that were scattered all over that side of the field. At least, not until he tripped over one.

More surprised than afraid, Alvin tumbled to the ground, pulling Brittany down after him. She shrieked, falling somewhere off to the side. Alvin came to a halt in front of an enormous old tree, with massive roots.

Alvin didn't even stop to think. Grabbing a dazed Brittany, he shoved her down into the opening, quickly following after.

And not a moment too soon. The first two guards came stumbling into the clearing just seconds after Alvin had made it through. The stopped and looked around. A second group of guards jointed them, and then they all scattered in different directions—searching, probably.

Letting out the breath he'd been holding, Alvin relaxed. The "cave" wasn't all that big, but he was sure that they could stand to be in it, for a little while anyway. Hopefully until the guards left.

"You don't think they'd do anything if they caught us," Brittany asked. Her voice sounded a touch uncertain. "Do you?"

"I'm not all that eager to find!" Alvin answered tensely.

"But they didn't hurt you before!" Brittany protested. She was obviously thinking of how dark and muddy it was under the tree, and how clean and comfortable their room had been at the palace.

"That's because I'm Beoine's"—He winced at the word—"pet. They still might hurt you. After all, you're just a slave."

Her eyes narrowed. "We're allowed to argue now, aren't' we?" There was an edge to her voice. "After all, we're not trying to save Eli and Theodore right now."

"Well, we are trying to save ourselves!" he snapped. She was starting to get on his nerves. "I don't know about you, but I'm pretty attached to my own skin!"

She clenched her teeth and settled into a sullen silence.

A few of the guards returned after a moment, and Alvin pulled Brittany down lower, beneath the covering tree roots.

"Any sign of them?" one asked sharply.

"Not a trace," another replied. "But we'll set guards to searching here every minute. Someone will have to find them eventually."

Alvin turned toward Brittany, and they exchanged anxious looks. If the guards were going to be there all the time, they'd never get a chance to look for a way home.

"Oh!" Brittany moaned, almost in tears. "What do we do?"

Alvin wished he had an answer.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"I hope Griff is all right." Theodore looked around nervously. "Those guys who were chasing us haven't tried anything for a long time. What if they caught him?"

"Maybe it's just Alvin and Brittany helping us again," Eleanor said reassuringly. However, her voice sounded a bit worried.

"I hope that's it." Theodore stared up at the sky, which was rapidly darkening. "It's getting late. I wish he'd hurry."

His eyes caught on a small, dark shape, highlighted by the sun. It seemed to be getting bigger, as if it were coming closer to them. Theodore squinted at it, a bit wary, and it started to form into a shape . . .

Theodore gasped. "Look!" he said, pointing.

Eleanor looked up, and her eyes widened. "Oh!" she exclaimed, not frightened or even particularly nervous. Just awed.

Griff flew towards them, held smoothly in the air currents by his large powerful wings. He was huge and shockingly majestic, his eagle's profile fierce and wild, the other half of him strong and imposing. He landed next to them, the very picture of a perfect, fairy-tale creature.

"Wow!" Theodore and Eleanor breathed together.

Griff bent down in a low crouch, looking at them. His tail lashed impatiently, and his head inclined toward his back.

"He wants us to ride him," Eleanor realized out loud. As Theodore watched, she walked over to the gryphon and quickly mounted. With only a moment's hesitation. Theodore did the same.

Then Griff took off, and the world dropped away beneath them.

For Eleanor, the ride was the greatest thing she'd ever experienced. The wind blew back her hair as they soared above the clouds, so wild and free. Theodore laughed behind her, and she had to join in, raising her arms up above her head. It was such a jolt, unrestricted by things like gravity and adults with their view on the "impossible". Speed built up, exciting and frightening at the same time. What a thrill!

"Oh, this is wonderful!" Eleanor cried, laughing again. She looked down at the landscape spread out beneath her. "It's all so far away!"

"That part isn't!" Theodore pointed. "Look at that!"

'That' was a chunk of land that evidently had been thrust up into the air. The sides were perfectly smooth all around. And, for some reason, Griff was headed straight for it.

On the platform, Jeanette was the first to notice. "Simon, look!" she called, scrambling to her feet and peering up at the sky.

Simon followed her gaze. "I don't believe it!" he gasped. "That looks like a—a—" Breaking off, he adjusted his glasses and stared. "But—it can't be!"

"It is!" Jeanette waves one hand over her head, the other still holding the Gem. "It's a gryphon! We're being rescued!"

She needn't have bother with waving; Griff already seemed to know where to land. Eleanor and Theodore hopped off his back and ran over to hug their own sibling.

"How did you find us?" Simon asked, still shocking by how fast everything had happened. He was staring in awe at the gryphon.

"We didn't. Griff did." Theodore moved to pat him.

"But how—?" Simon was so full of questions he didn't even know where to begin. At any rate, he didn't get a chance.

"You found it!" Eleanor exclaimed, noticing the Gem that Jeanette was holding. She clapped her hands, almost too excited to think. "Now we can save Alvin and Brittany!"

"We've got to get off this platform first," Jeanette told her. "Can your gryphon carry all of us?"

"Of course!" Eleanor laughed.

"I'll bet we can fit Alvin and Brittany on there too," Theodore said proudly.

"Well let's go!" Jeanette said. Eleanor managed to beat her onto the gryphon's back, and Theodore climbed up after. Simon was the last one on. When he was seated, Griff lifted off the platform, into the air.

"Ask it, Simon," Jeanette said, holding up the Gem.

This time he didn't hesitate. "Take us to Alvin and Brittany, Gem!"

For a moment the blue glow of the Gem seemed to intensify, to a light so brilliant it left them dazzled. Then the world seemed to fade away, and there was only an empty spot left where they had been flying.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Alvin still held Theodore's stuffed bear, even though it didn't really matter any more since he probably wouldn't get to see Theodore any time soon. It didn't seem likely that he and Brittany would get past the guards, who were rapidly gathering in the clearing.

"Is the search progressing?"

At that voice, Alvin's head shot up. Sure enough, the King himself was walking grandly into the clearing, surrounded by his retainers. "My daughter wants to have her mortals back"

Alvin scowled. "Now I'd rather die in this tree," he muttered, under his breath.

"Alvin!" Brittany grabbed his arm. "Look!" Her voice sounded excited—in a good way—so he followed the line of her finger to where a dark shape was floating somewhere above them.

"It's Eleanor!" Brittany cried happily. "She's come to get us! Alvin, we're saved! Come on!" She pulled herself out of the cave, then stood up and waved her arms over her head. "Eleanor! Eli, over here! Here I am!"

"Brittany, no!" Alvin shouted, panicked—but he didn't need to worry. The guards were all too busy watching the gryphon descent to think about recapturing Brittany.

Eleanor and Jeanette both jumped off the gryphon's back to barrel into their sister, each of them hugging the others so tightly that they could hardly breathe. Hastily, Alvin scrambled out of his hiding place and was almost knocked over by Theodore, followed by a more dignified Simon. For a moment, they could just about forget that they were surrounded by enemies.

However, the enemy had not forgotten them. "This will be your last mistake, mortals!" the King announced triumphantly. He pulled a small instrument out of his robes. "For my Summoner will now reclaim my property for me!" He put the instrument to his mouth and began to play.

Griff's eyes were suddenly vacant and he stiffened up, as if hypnotized by the strange music. He swayed a little, unsteady.

"What's happening to him?" Theodore cried, alarmed.

Alvin looked at the King. "That's what Beoine was talking about!" he said, understanding. "That 'Summoner' thing!"

Simon gave him an irritated look. "I don't suppose you could be more specific, Alvin. We're not all mind readers, you know."

"No time for that!" The gryphon was already moving forward. Alvin hurried over in front of it, grabbed up one of the rocks that had tripped him before, and threw it as hard as he could. It flew straight forward, and smashed into the Summoner, breaking it into a dozen pieces.

The King was furious. "Seize him!"

Before Alvin could move away, guards had him by the arms, holding him high above the ground. He struggled helplessly, but it was not use. "You," the King said menacingly, "will be put to death at once! My daughter is not around to save you this time, mortal!"

Brittany's lips set in a determined line. "Get on the gryphon!" she told the others. "I'll have to save Alvin myself."

"But Brittany—" Jeanette stated to protest.

"No 'buts', Jeanette," Brittany said, in final tones. She grabbed the rope that they'd used to climb into the pathway to the Chamber. "You guys get on the gryphon and hold on to the other end. Fly over those guards. And don't drop me."

"We won't," Eleanor promised. She already had a firm grip on the rope. "Go, Griff!"

The gryphon took off, and Brittany though her heart would stop. Dangling from a flying animal on a rope was not her idea of 'fun'. But she had to do it at least this once.

The guards got rapidly nearer. Brittany could see the surprise on their faces. She reached out with one arm and locked it around and under Alvin's arms, yanking him out of their grasp.

Alvin gasped. "B-B-Brittany!" he stuttered, eyes wide and incredulous. He was breathing hard, obviously not over the shock.

"Well, I guess I owed you one," she admitted ruefully. "After all, you came back to save me when I tripped."

Alvin was spared from having to answer; they both gasped as laser bots shot through the air, barely missing the gryphon.

"Pull them up!" Jeanette shouted. "They have to be touching us before we can go!" Working together, the four of them managed to haul their two friends up over Girff's back.

"Let's get out of here!" Alvin yelled.

Before Simon could speak, Theodore addressed the Azure Gem. "Take us to Griff's world!" he said, surprising them all.

There was a flash, and then the scenery deteriorated and faded around them. When it finally cleared up again, they were in a barren, rocky sort of place. More gryphons soared through the air around them.

Griff landed quickly, squawking in a happy sort of way. Obviously, he was glad to be home, though none of the others could understand why.

"Why would anyone want to live here?" Brittany asked, staring around her with distaste. "There's nothing but dirt and more dirt. And it goes on for miles!"

"It depends on who lives there, Brittany," Eleanor said. "After all, Griff can fly really fast, so distances probably don't mean that much to him. And neither would dirt, since he'll be in the air."

"I guess you're right, Eli." Brittany looked around again. "Still . . ."

"It looks pretty bad when you compare it to that room of mine," Alvin agreed. "Now that was living! Wide-screen TV, video games, even a Jacuzzi! And," he added, with a smug look at Brittany, "my own personal slave!"

She glared at him. "Well, I'd rather be a slave than a pet!"

He scowled. "Maybe I should've made you polish my shoes after all!"

"And then you'd sit up and beg so Beoine would give you a treat!" she shot back. "Good thing I was there to keep them from hurting Eli and Theodore."

"You?" Alvin's eyes narrowed. "I deserve the credit!"

"You must be kidding!" Brittany scoffed. "I was the one who took apart those weapons and stopped that poisoner! And I thought of our escape plan!"

"Well, you wouldn't have gotten a chance to wreck those weapons if I hadn't distracted the guards!" Alvin reminded her. By this point, they were nose-to-nose, glaring fiercely at each other. "And how would you have found out about the poisoner in the first place if it wasn't for me? Plus, I did all the work for our escape plan!"

They glowered at each other for a moment longer, then suddenly burst laughing. The others looked at each other, confused.

"Boy, it sure is great to have things back to normal!" Alvin said, contentedly.

Brittany sighed, smiling. "You said it!"

Simon and Jeanette looked at each other, then sighed. "I give up," Simon said, throwing his hands in the air. Those two are impossible!"

"Oh, yeah!" Alvin suddenly remembered something. "I found this while we were sneaking out of the castle." He held up Theodore's teddy bear. "I think this is yours, Theodore."

"My Teddy!" Theodore hugged him. "Oh, it's so good to have you back! Thanks, Alvin."

"Well, I guess this is good-bye, Griff," Eleanor said sadly. "You've got to stay here in your world, and we've got to go back to ours."

The gryphon hung his head, looking at them with sorrowful eyes. Eleanor and Theodore hugged him, then moved away.

"B-bye, Griff!" Theodore called, a little tearfully.

"Take us to Dave, Gem," Simon said, and then the flash of light surrounded them again. This time, Jeanette felt the Azure Gem slipping from her fingers. The scenery shifted and blended into one, and then started to clear . . .

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"There haven't been any ransom notes or anything, officer," a distressed, weary-looking Dave was telling the police. He was sitting in the room that had been shared by the Chipmunks and the Chipettes, on a piece of a broken couch. The place seemed to have been left in the same condition as it had been the previous night. "And nothing's been stolen, either. But my boys have been missing since we came back and found the room like this last night."

"Oh!" Miss Miller moaned, dabbing at her eyes. "I can't believe they girls have been kidnapped! Oh, I'll never forgive myself for leaving!" She blew her nose.

"Mr. Seville, can you tell us how long—?"

The officer never got to finish the question, because at that moment, all six kids came running into the room at once.

"Dave!" The Chipmunks flew into his arms.

"Miss Miller!" The Chipettes, like their counterparts, ran straight to their guardian. For a moment, that was enough.

Then the questions started. To Simon and Jeanette: "How on earth did you get covered with all that mud?" To Theodore and Eleanor: "Why are you still in your pajamas?" And to Alvin and Brittany: "And where did you two get those clothes?"

Silence descended. "Dave?" Theodore said finally, unable to be patient. "Could we have something to eat? I'm starving!"

"Why am I not surprised?" Simon said, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling.

"In a minute, Theodore," Dave promised. "But first, I want you to answer just one question: What in the world have you been doing all this time?"

The kids looked at each other. "You wouldn't believe us if we told you," Brittany answered wearily.

"I think we've had just about enough of 'roughing it'," Alvin said pointedly. "I don't know how much more 'rest and relaxation' I can take."

"Well, maybe you guys do deserve a break," Dave conceded. "How about a nice, long vacation?"

Everyone groaned.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

THE END (for now)

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