"Turn away Justin. Do not look," said Ramya.

But Justin could not look away. They stood only several yards inside the green carpeted hallway in front of the first of many stone alcoves they could see illuminated by fake LED torch lights. Their eyes were glued to the horror in the alcove, to the dead and stuffed creature hanging in it like a piece of art.

It looked like a beta fish with multicolored scales and a long, flowing red fin and tail. Intertwined into the tail were long, thin legs and feet covered in scales. A very distinct human mouth and nose stood out on the creature's face. The creature hung just so in the alcove that it appeared to be swimming.

"There is a monster hiding in this place," said Vendari, his voice low, almost a growl.

Ramya placed a hand on Justin's back and pushed them forward. "Don't look, it won't help anything."

At the next alcove, Ramya tried to hurry them along, but Justin got a glimpse of a beautiful white horse frozen in a gallop with thick, long black hair that had a very human quality to it.

Justin allowed himself to be pushed along by Ramya without peering into another alcove. But they did count them. There were thirty alcoves in all. They felt like they were going to barf all over the green carpet.

They stopped at an arched wooden door. The hallway continued to the left for several feet before ending at the metal doors of an elevator. As Justin gazed at the wooden door, they felt a faint tug against their wrists.

"My son," said Vendari, "I can feel him calling me to that elevator."

Justin pointed at the wooden door. "Nitara is in there."

Nodding at Vendari, Ramya said, "Go, I hope we see you after."

Vendari returned the nod and looked Justin in the eyes. "Mari would not let just any ordinary wizard ride upon her back."

"How did you..."

"I found her alive. She told me about your adventure together in the jungle before she died." He placed one bloodstained hand on Justin's shoulder. "Do not let her death be for nothing."

A knot twisted inside Justin's stomach, but they ignored it and nodded. "I won't. I promise."

Vendari walked away to the elevators.

Ramya stepped closer to the wooden door, examining the large metal hoop handle.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Justin squared their shoulders and nodded. In one swift movement, Ramya grabbed the metal hoop and yanked the wooden door open. As Justin stepped through the door after Ramya, intense heat hit them in the face. The room itself, Justin did not take in. They were too mesmerized by the massive heart taking up most of the space. Thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of tiny crystal veins wound together, creating the shape of a human heart. The crystal heart hung from two large metal hooks fastened to the ceiling. A boulder-sized unpolished black gem sparkling with flecks of gold sat underneath the heart. In the center of the heart, a fire raged so hot it heated Justin's cheeks from twenty feet away. The crystal veins danced with the colors of the rainbow from the light of the fire.

The fire went out as if it had been sucked into a black hole. Ramya, followed by Justin, stepped closer to the heart. The inside of the heart was hollow as if it was a cage, and on a small table within the heart sat the Jack-in-the-box, unburnt and fully intact.

"Mūrkha!" exclaimed a voice from behind the crystal. Both Justin and Ramya flinched.

From around the crystal heart stepped Darshan, his slick black hair stuck out at odd angles, and his white suit jacket hung open, covered in black scorch marks. Several buttons were missing from his shirt and his white suit pants were ripped up the left inner seam. He looked as if he had been in a fight with a dragon. He didn't seem to notice Justin and Ramya standing there as he gazed into the cage at the Jack-in-the-box.

Justin glanced at Ramya, hoping for some direction.

"Ramya?" asked a soft voice from behind them. Startled, Ramya and Justin whirled around. A woman sat in a chair next to a low table. Her eyes were puffy and red and she kept one arm resting on a pile of blankets on the table.

Justin's wrists twitched as they noticed the tiny figure under the blankets.

"Anouka," said Ramya, his voice cracking. He stepped closer to the table. "Is she..." He trailed off and Justin knew he meant to say dead.

"Not dead," said Darshan, his eyes never leaving the Jack-in-the-box. "Nitara is still in the forever sleep you put her in, Justin."

Clenching their fists tightly, Justin shook their head. "You did this!" they shouted. "It was your ghost man that took her magic away and caused her to hit her head on a rock."

There was a loud screech as Anouka pushed her chair back and stood. "Darshan, you told me that village magician did this."

"He put her in the forever sleep," said Justin, "but only to save her. She would have died without his help."

Walking up to Justin, Darshan casually wiped his hair out of his eyes and gave Justin a dazzling smile. Ramya stepped protectively between Justin and Darshan. Darshan's smile vanished.

"Please tell me you know how to open this thing," he said, pointing to the Jack-in-the-box within the crystal heart. "I have tried a sledgehammer, fire, magical fire, and a crystal sword which is supposed to break through anything. But that Jack-in-the-box won't pop open." He leaned close to Ramya and placed a hand next to his mouth and whispered, "I even tried singing pop goes the weasel to it."

"You are a devil," said Ramya, and he swung his fist into his cousin's jaw. Darshan grunted and fell to the ground.

"Ramya!" Anouka exclaimed. "Stop it, he is our only hope of saving Nitara."

Taking advantage of the moment, Justin ran to the crystal heart, searching for a way in. They touched one of the crystal veins. They could feel a steady pulse of energy within it. The vein slithered like a snake under their fingertips and they quickly retracted their hand. The veins retreated up, revealing an arched opening in the heart. At the bottom of the opening, the veins slithered out towards Justin, intertwining around one another until they formed a set of stairs.

Justin bounded up the stairs, grabbed the Jack-in-the-box, plunged it into their right robe pocket, and jumped back out of the heart, skipping the stairs altogether. Ramya scooped Nitara into his arms.

"Ramya, ēnu māḍuttiddīyā?" asked Anouka, grabbing onto Nitara's hand.

"We are getting out of this forsaken place," he replied as he followed Justin to the door. "Darshan sucks the magic out of children like Nitara and Niraj and they turn into magical beasts."

"Where in the building is Niraj?" asked Justin.

Dropping Nitara's hand, Anouka froze. "What do you mean? Niraj is still in the beast, in that box you have."

Justin stopped in front of the door and looked back at Anouka.

"No, Simon..." they trailed off as they noticed Darshan step out from behind the crystal heart, carrying an unconscious Niraj.

"Give me back the Jack-in-the-box, Justin," ordered Darshan in a deadpan voice.

"Darshan," Anounka whispered as if talking to a wild animal, "can I have my son, please?"

Ramya stepped towards Darshan, and like a spooked deer, Darshan darted up the stairs of the crystal heart, tossed Niraj onto the floor, and jumped back out. He caressed the heart, and the veins slithered back over the opening.

"Of course, you can have Niraj back, only once Justin gives me back the Jack-in-the-box."

"Don't do it," said Ramya, "he is lying. He won't give Niraj back."

A grin spread across Darshan's face as he looked his cousin over.

"My, my, Ramya, you sure have changed. Not the scared little nurse you once were. I do think you broke my nose." He raised his fist and crystal veins from the heart floated through the air, intertwining around his wrist. The whole crystal heart pulsated.

Niraj's eyes flew open and he let out an ear-splitting scream.

"You can't do this," cried Anouka, "it's your nephew."

"Then give me the beast," said Darshan, and he grinned at Justin.

Justin nodded and walked toward Darshan. They reached into their right coat pocket and brought an image to their mind. In the heart, Niraj screamed so loud, it reminded Justin of Simon's growl. The room even shook. Everyone turned to look at Niraj. One second he was writhing on the floor, the next second he exploded into a thousand tiny water droplets that hung suspended in the air within the crystal. Justin dropped the jade knife back into their pocket.

"No!" both Darshan and Anouka screamed at the same time.

Justin watched as the water droplets came together into one large droplet the size of a boy. This water droplet formed a head, a face, arms, and legs. It looked like Niraj. Justin raced to the heart and pounded on the crystal.

"You're still Niraj," they yelled at the watery figure. "You can still turn back into Niraj!"

The watery figure turned to them. Stepping up to the crystal vein, it reached a watery hand out. Water flowed from the hand through the tiny gaps in the crystal veins. Justin took a step back. Water flowed down the crystal and pooled on the floor, turning back into the watery figure.

"Niraj?" Darshan asked hesitantly.

The figure turned toward Darshan.

"I didn't mean to turn you," said Darshan. "I had been bluffing to get the box. You're my nephew. I would never hurt you."

The watery figure ran at Darshan and collided with the man. Darshan tried to scream, but he was cut off as his head became enveloped in water. He tried to grab at the water, but his hand went right through it. He opened and closed his mouth, trying to breathe. His eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed onto the floor.

The water pooled away from Darshan's head and formed into a body again, but this time with skin and hair. A dripping wet and naked Niraj smiled up at Justin, and Justin smiled back.

Anouka rushed forward and grabbed Niraj in a big hug.

"I thought you had changed into a magical creature," she cried.

Niraj shook his head. "It's one of my tricks, like breathing underwater."

Kneeling at Darshan's side, Ramya said, "He is still alive, only unconscious."

There was a knock at the door, and it swung open to reveal Vendari.

"Did you find Simon?" he asked, scanning the room. His eyes landed on the unconscious Darshan, and a brief smile flicked across his face.

Patting their right robe pocket, Justin nodded. "Did you find your son?"

"No," said Vendari and he held up a piece of paper, "but I know who they sold him to. He is in Mexico. I did find some friends." He stepped to the side to reveal a small group of children. Justin counted five in all. They slowly stepped into the room, eyes wide and uncertain. The oldest, a boy, had to be a few years older than Justin and he carried the youngest, a boy of no more than five years of age.

Niraj let out a yelp, tried to cover himself with his hands, and dashed behind the crystal heart.

Stepping towards the group of children, Anounka placed a hand to her mouth. "Have you all been taken from your homes?"

The oldest boy nodded. "Yes. I am Bastian from Chile. This," he said, looking at the boy in his arms, "is Itai and we figured out he is from Zimbabwe, but he doesn't speak English. He is only four years old." The boy in his arms smiled and then wrapped his arms around Bastian's neck, hiding his face.

"I am Erla," said a girl around Niraj's age with a strange accent, "I am from Iceland."

"Li Jing, China," said another girl around Justin's age.

A boy stepped forward who had to be the same height as Niraj, but looked around Justin's age. He grinned and waved at everyone in the room. "Aloha. I'm Eleu and I'm from Maui, Hawaii."

Justin's eyes widened. That was way cooler than Cambria, California.

"More slimy magicians will ambush this place at any minute," informed Vendari. "We need to leave now."

Backing away to where Nitara still lay asleep, Anouka shook her head. "I can't go. The key to waking Nitara has to be in here somewhere."

Vendari made eye contact with Justin as he said, "I think only a great wizard can wake her. She is not safe here."

Squaring their shoulders, Justin stepped up to Anouka. Not believing their own words, they said, "I think I can help her, but first we need to get far away from here."

Suddenly, arms enveloped Justin in a tight hug.

"I know you can help her," said Ramya, and he pulled away, looking Justin in the eyes. "You are an amazing person. Anounka and I will stay here and try to clean up the mess that my cousin and grandfather made. Take care of my family and when it's safe for them to return I will hang this," from his leather jacket pocket, he pulled a blue and silver sparkly scarf, "up in the bedroom."

Justin reached out, touched the scarf, and laughed. "You are really cool, Ramya."

Red seeped across Ramya's cheeks. "Ah! You are making me blush. You are cool too, for an American, that is."