Free Dormia by Jake Halpern Page B

to do. I
feel
it."
    "Did something happen during the night?" Judy asked.
    "No," Alfonso lied. He didn't want to tell her about the encounter with Kiril and the ring that sat in his pocket. "I have to do this," he repeated.
    Judy stared into Alfonso's face for a full minute. She sighed. "Oh boy," she said. "Your father said that this would happen someday. I just didn't think it would happen so soon."
    "What do you mean?" asked Alfonso in disbelief. "I don't understand."
    Judy threw her arms around Alfonso and hugged him tightly.
    "Your father always wanted to return to his homeland," she explained. "Of course, he never did. But he told me ... he said, 'One day Alfonso will want to return as well and I'm afraid you'll have to let him.'"
    Alfonso swallowed hard, but said nothing.
    "Is this what you really want?" she asked.
    Alfonso nodded.
    "You know that I can't go with you," said Judy. "I have to look after Pappy. We'll have to stay here in Fort Krasnik until his leg heals."
    "I'll meet you back here," said Alfonso. "I promise."
    Judy nodded and then offered a rather sad smile.
    "It shouldn't take too long," said Alfonso.
    They sat there for a few minutes, just looking at each other.
    "Well, if you're going to go, you should probably have this," said Judy. She reached around her neck and took off the chain with the wooden medallion that Leif had whittled for her. It was a strange piece of jewelry. Carved into the wood was a hand with five fingers extended and a + symbol etched into the palm. The words
YOU ARE
were written across the top. And, at the bottom, was a series of numbers. It looked a little like this:

    Judy never knew what any of these carvings meant, but she treasured the medallion. She said it was her good luck charm. "Your father wanted me to give this to you when you grew
up," she whispered. "I figure now is as good a time as any. He said he whittled it while asleep."
    Alfonso hugged his mother as tears rolled down their cheeks. At that moment, Hill's alarm clock went off.
    ***
    About a half-hour later, Alfonso, Hill, and Bilblox were standing on a darkened Fort Krasnik street, outside a sorry-looking pub known as the Missing Limb. The pub was just a giant, windowless box made of stone. Outside the entrance, the muddy ground was littered with empty beer bottles, cigar butts, and piles of discarded chicken bones.
    "This place is the roughest pub on the island," explained Bilblox. "Stick close to me." This was, in fact, precisely why Bilblox was here. Dusty had asked him to tag along to offer his protection. "Don't worry," added Bilblox. "I won't let nothin' bad happen to ya."
    "Thanks for coming along," said Hill. "We appreciate it."
    "Well, before yer done thankin' me, I have somethin' else to tell ya," said Bilblox. "Somethin'
important.
"
    "What is it?" inquired Hill.
    "I'm comin' with ya," declared Bilblox.
    "You mean, into the pub?"
    "Nope," said Bilblox. "I mean I'm comin' with ya to the Urals. I guess, after a lifetime of workin' on the docks, I've always wanted to see a bit of the world. Besides, in a place like the Urals, you'll need a bit of muscle."
    "That's a mighty generous offer, but—" began Hill.
    "It's not an offer," interrupted Bilblox. "It's my decision."
    "Does Dusty know about this?" asked Hill.
    "Yup," said Bilblox. "It was his idea, especially after Alfonso said he was goin' along with ya. Dusty doesn't want anythin' bad happenin' to Alfonso. Neither do I. In fact, neither do any of the Magrewskis. We feel like Alfonso is one of us now. And we always look out for our own."
    Alfonso grinned and looked embarrassed.
    "Well, we probably could use a bit of muscle," admitted Hill. "All right then—let's go inside and meet the vice admiral."
    "I'll lead the way," said Bilblox. He headed for the pub's door and soon came upon a bouncer who was almost his size. Bilblox gave the bouncer a careful smile and walked past him toward the entrance. The bouncer immediately grabbed him by his shirt.