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Mock scraped on rock and thein a ball beside Jenny near the bottom of the slope Dee had been shoved in backward and was sprawled at the very bottoher than her head In those first moments Jenny didn’t stop to wonder how she could still see either of theht?" to Dee and then wrapped her ar Making littlesounds

"I’

her

"It’s not your fault" Dee was picking herself up, her fine-boned face contemptuous "What’s her problem, anyway?"

Jenny twisted her head to snap at Dee, but the words never got out She could now see the reason they weren’t in pitch darkness There was a semi -

circle of lanterns around the botto the lanterns were people

Dee had fallen silent The lantern light reflected off faces that were disturbing to say the least

The elves were very pale, very beautiful but very strange Their eyes were slanted in a way that reminded Jenny of the Visitors’ Their cheekbones were alh and sharp And they stood oddly

They didn’t look as if they had any sy Jenny thought it was the sa men outside had used, but the elf’s voice wasthe girls up

Jenny didn’t want to obey She was irrationally frightened by these pale beautiful people Then she saw that maybe her fear wasn’t so irrational

They were like animals-or parts of them were They were deformed

The elf who had spoken had one normal hand and one hand like a cow’s split hoof It was black and shiny like patent leather Jenny was afraid she was going to be sick

Another of the, pink naked tail like a rat’s It swished A third had two little horn-buds swelling on his forehead A fourth had glossy dark hair growing on his neck

Every one of them had soether monstrosities Jenny had seen in the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! exhibit

"Audrey, you’ve got to get up," she whispered, sing the bile that had risen in her throat "Audrey, if you don’t I think they’ll make you" Then, with desperate inspiration: "Do you want the here like this? I bet your mascara’s smeared halfway down your face"

The appeal to Audrey’s pride worked where nothing elseat her cheeks

"It’s waterproof," she said defiantly Her fingers went automatically to adjust the combs in her French twist, and then she saw the elves

Her chestnut eyes widened until they shohite all around She was staring at the cow’s-hoof hand Jenny gripped her arht they were?"

Audrey pressed her lips together and nodded

The elf spoke again, sharply, stepping forward Audrey cringed back Slowly and carefully Jenny urged her to stand

"Audrey, we’ve got to go with them," she whispered She was afraid that if Audrey balked, the elves were going to touch the touched by that shiny hoof or by the flipper she saw one of the others had-was more than Jenny could bear "Please, Audrey," she whispered

It was easy for the elves to lead them All they had to do was close in froirls would move in the other

They walked like that, surrounded by a circle of lanterns, down a passage that sloped on and on Other passages branched away Clearly the place was big-and they were going deeper and deeper into it

Walking calmed Jenny a little The rocks around

the antlers, others like windblown grass There were lacy falls of angel hair, and huge coluills of mushrooms

The air sly warrip on Audrey’s arested "Ask the"

In her oay Audrey was as brave as Dee Her spiky eyelashes were starred together fro, and she didn’t look at the elf beside her But she spoke to hi us to the Erlking," she said after acontrol in her voice "That , I think I re now He’s a kind of evil spirit who haunts the Black Forest He’s supposed to-take people Especially young girls and children"

Dee pounced "Why girls?"

Audrey spoke between clenched teeth "You guess But all the dark elves are that way Well, look at them They’re all men It’s a male race"

With a shock, Jenny realized that it was true The delicacy of their features had fooled her Every one of their captors was beautiful-and rin was bloodthirsty "Tiht"

"No," Jenny said tensely Her heart was pounding, but she tried to quiet it "There are too many of them; ouldn’t have a chance And anye’re supposed to face our night is what Audrey’s most afraid of, he must be e have to face"

"It’s a stupid night as if an ice cube were going down her back

"Believe ly, "I wish you weren’t in it with nored each other as they walked on through subterranean caverns of cathedral spaciousness Glittering white gypsuht Coarse rock dust crunched underneath Jenny’s feet

"I don’t understand," Audrey whispered "This can’t have co like it"

"I have," Dee said, and even her voice was subdued "Spelunking in New Mexico But it wasn’t so-est cavern of all

They passed giant red pillars like coral reefs which gave Jenny the disconcerting feeling of being underwater

They were heading straight for an enormous wall of fla up and up like an inverted Niagara Falls At floor level there was an irregularly shaped gap in the wall-like an entrance

"The castle," Audrey translated quietly

They passed through the gap in the red walls

Inside, the elves roups It happened so fast that Jenny didn’t have ti herded away, and when she twisted her head frantically she saw Dee and Audrey being borne in the opposite direction She saw Audrey’s copper head bobbing and heard Dee’s voice raised in fury Then Dee’s voice faded, and Jenny was led through a gap into a large roo with "Erlkodnig," and they all walked out When Jenny looked through the gap, she found they were standing sentry on either side

Nohat?

She looked around The rock fore sand castles, half old Jenny realized she was seeing by s in it like skylights or chimneys in the rock She studied the to do but wait-and worry What was happening to Toht now? she wondered

Think about the riddle, she told herself firht be useful

I am just two and two I am hot I am cold I’ift beyond measure, a matter of course, And I’m yielded with pleasure-when taken by force

Suddenly she had it Yes! So that could be hot and passionate or cold and i that could be the "parent" of untold nu how

that was just two and to lips touching two lips

A kiss

Jenny set one of the others free

There was no question, of course, about who it would be Much as she loved her friends, Tom would always co solved the riddle was that she now had nothing to think about-except whatever was going to happen to her The elf who’d left had said "Erlkodnig" The Erlking? Was that who she aiting for?

What kind of defor have? she wondered Hooves? Horns?

If he’s king, he probably has soht, and her heart chilled

Soap in the stone, and Jenny braced herself The next minute she realized how dense she’d been

He earing a white tunic and breeches and soft white boots They showed off how lithe and sht his hair was silver as a

"Julian"

"Welco’s castle"

The last time they had spoken, Jenny had been furious with him It was hard to keep that into hiuy who looked at you with eyes like a starving tiger’s All at once Jenny felt disconcerted Toood in ordinary clothes-but he was very conservative, never would dress up even at Halloween Julian, by contrast, obviously got off on outrageous

His broad leather belt showed how flat his stomach was, emphasized his narrow hips It was modestly encrusted with sapphires Jenny wished she had one like it

"The Erlking, huh? Enjoying the part?"

"Iravely

"At least you’re talking to htmare Not like the UFO one, I ht"

"Thank you, but there’s a time limit, and I’d rather have my friends back"

"Say the word"

Jenny looked at him, startled, and then realized ord he meant "No," she said "I’ll do it the hard way We’re going to get through all the night to win the Game"

"I admire your confidence"

"You can ad now I’ve solved your riddle, and you’re a iven with pleasure when taken by force"

"What isn’t?"

"A kiss" She turned to face him fully "That’s the answer, isn’t it? And you told o"

"Wrong" He waited for her reaction, eyes glinting in a wicked save o But you haven’t given it to ered on her lips "Would you like to now?"

Fury sparked in Jenny "You-!" She turned away

so he wouldn’t have the satisfaction of seeing her angry

"I’ve upset you You’re offended," he said He sounded genuinely penitent Jenny couldn’t keep up with theseto ain He was holding a rose-a white rose Or ht it was hard to tell It was theshe’d ever seen

As she took it, Jenny realized it wasn’t real but was exquisitely wrought, perfect down to the tiniest detail Half opened, the blossom shimmered in her hands The petals were cool but soft

"Made fro out by black elves in the deepest mines of the earth," Julian said Jenny shook her head at hi you’re really the Erlking? Do you want me to believe in Hansel and Gretel, too?"