Heartlight (12 page)

“This place is like Shangri-La.”

“I don’t know that place,” replied Ariella, who was leaning against a small drift nearby. “But I do like the sound of the name.”

Her voice lifted into a sparkling, musical laughter, the sweetest laughter Kate had ever heard. It sounded like the chiming of distant church bells.

Focusing on the snow crystal, Kate looked deeply into the eyes that resembled bottomless pools of light. “I owe you my life,” she said quietly.

“You looked very peaceful there,” replied Ariella. “But I felt you wanted to live some more.”

“How could you tell?”

“That song you sang,” answered the snow crystal. “It sounded so full of faith and love . . . like the music our star Trethoniel used to make.”

“Used to make?”

“Before the Great Trouble began,” replied Ariella, suddenly somber. Then, just as abruptly, she bubbled up with a playful thought: “How would you like to go sledding with me? It’s the quickest way home, and the most fun, too.”

“What do you mean by
the Great Trouble
?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“But it might help—”

“Let’s go sledding.”

With those words, Ariella instantly cartwheeled to Kate’s side, then slid herself like a large dinner plate under her feet. “Now, sit down,” she commanded. “Then push! You’re heavier than what I’m used to.”

Awkwardly, Kate sat upon the crystalline creature. She grudgingly gave a push against the cold snow, then grabbed two of Ariella’s outstretched arms for balance.

Suddenly she realized that they were starting to slide down the same slope that had nearly buried her alive not long ago. “Not too fast!” she yelled as wet snow began to spray in her face.

“Don’t worry!” called Ariella. “I never get caught in avalanches, except for fun.”

“Fun!” Kate almost fell over sideways.

“Don’t worry!” called Ariella. “I know all the safe routes.”

They gathered speed like a bobsled on its run. Ariella did indeed seem to know her way as she glided along ice walls, careened away from snowy overhangs, and slid past towering outcroppings of rock.

As they sailed down the slope, Kate noticed row after row of rainbows in the spraying snow. Towering above them were the glistening ridges of mountains more than twice as high as any on Earth.

“Hold on!”

At that instant, she saw an enormous wall of ice looming directly ahead. They were heading straight for it, at terrifying speed, with no time to make any turns. Kate gripped Ariella’s arms tightly and closed her eyes.

Without warning, they dropped into a hole in the snow. Darkness instantly surrounded them, as they slid down a chute of ice. After taking several rapid turns, the tunnel began to angle gradually upward, and Kate could see a hole of light fast approaching.

Like the cork of a champagne bottle, they shot out of the tunnel and into daylight. For an instant they were airborne and Kate felt sure they were about to crash.

But Ariella landed smoothly, skidding across the snow in a wide curve to slow herself down. So much snow was spraying that Kate could see nothing else. Finally, they came to a halt.

Her head was spinning, but she rolled off Ariella with a laugh. “Wow! What a ride! That was amazing!”

“Not bad, if I do say so myself,” declared the snow crystal as she brushed the snow off her back with two of her arms. “I especially liked that finish.”

“I thought it was
our
finish,” replied Kate. “That wall came up so fast I was sure we’d be flattened.”

“Not a chance,” answered Ariella proudly. “I’ve had lots of practice entering the City at top speed.”

“The City?”

“You have just entered the outermost boundary of Nel Sauria City. It’s the capital of the planet Nel Sauria.”

“And that ice wall—”

“Is a barrier, of course. In ancient times, before all the families of snow crystals gathered together as one People, it was used for defense. Now it just protects the City against avalanches. Since Nel Sauria is a planet at peace, we don’t have any enemies to worry about.” She looked suddenly grave. “At least none who live on Nel Sauria.”

A chill wind passed through Kate, but not from the snows surrounding them. She shook herself, as one waking from a nightmare, but she couldn’t completely banish the empty coldness that had suddenly touched her.

Ariella spun over to her and lightly touched her hand. “So you too know the terror of The Darkness? I am sorry.”

“Is that what you call it? It was horrible! It tried to kill me! I only escaped because of my friend Morpheus.”

“Your friend is very brave,” said the snow crystal. “And you must be brave as well. Few have ever escaped from The Darkness, and none without a great battle.”

“Our battle ended only because of the avalanche. I may have escaped, but in the process I lost my ring and Morpheus and my only hope of finding Grandfather. Now I’ll never find him!” She shook her head despondently. “What is The Darkness, anyway? What kind of thing is it? Where did it come from?”

Ariella’s eyes brimmed with tears. “It came only recently to the realm of Trethoniel. And with it came the Great Trouble. That is all I know, but my mother knows more.”

Kate sensed that Ariella was not telling her something. “Why does she know more?”

A large tear rolled down the crystalline face. “Because The Darkness destroyed my father.”

Kate knelt down to face the snow crystal. “I’m sorry,” she said, placing her cheek against Ariella’s smooth face.

At length, they separated.

“I have a gift for you,” said Ariella quietly. Using three arms, she swiftly dug a shallow cavity in the snow, then patted the interior until it was shaped like a smooth bowl.

Holding two of her cup-shaped hands over the bowl, she clapped them together loudly. Instantly, a clear liquid began to pour from them, sparkling brightly as it cascaded down to form a glistening pool.

“For you who have entered The Darkness and survived, I give you a few drops of the most cleansing substance in the universe. It is the pure essence of Trethoniel’s liquid crystals. On your planet, you might call it
mountain spring water.
But unlike water, it will not freeze. You may wash yourself with it if you choose . . . but remember, a little will go a long way.”

Without hesitation, Kate thrust her hands and face into the cleansing liquid. It was cold and fresh and bracing, like the tarns of Scotland where she had gone swimming with Grandfather—but better. Instantly, she felt cleaner. And something more: As her body drank deeply of the essence, she felt somehow stronger, somehow fortified. She untied her braid and scrubbed her hair vigorously. Then she pulled off her sweatshirt and jeans and rinsed herself thoroughly. From top to bottom she rubbed in the sparkling liquid, including behind her ears and under her fingernails and toenails. Her entire self tingled, as though she had just stepped out of an old and withered layer of skin. Finally, she wrung out her clothes and rinsed them in the crystal essence.

“It feels so good to be clean!” she exclaimed as she dressed herself again. “I’ve never needed a bath so badly in my life.”

“It must have been horrible inside The Darkness,” said Ariella.

Kate shook her loose hair like a wet dog and began to braid it. “I don’t even want to think about it again. It was . . . the worst.”

“We’d better keep moving,” warned Ariella. “If The Darkness missed you once, it will be searching to find you again.”

“Are you sure?”

“That is its way,” answered the snow crystal gravely. “But there is one place where you will be safe, one place even The Darkness cannot enter.”

“Where is that?”

Ariella looked toward the far horizon and Kate’s eyes followed hers. There, in the center of a large plain, were the structures of Nel Sauria City: several mounds of snow forming a series of concentric circles. In the center of the innermost circle gleamed a gigantic dome of solid crystal, itself large enough to house a small city. The dome radiated a rich green color, much like the eye of Morpheus but even deeper.

“What is that?”

“That is the heart of the City—indeed, the heart of Nel Sauria—the ancient crystal dome we call Broé San Sauria. The secret of how it was made has been forgotten with time, and even the true meaning of its name was lost long ago. It is the most sacred spot on all of Nel Sauria. Most of the residents of the City live in the mounds you can see surrounding the dome, except for the Triangles, who prefer their nests upon the high ridges.”

“And what happens in the green dome—Broé whatever-you-call-it?”

Ariella’s eyes gleamed proudly. “Broé San Sauria is where the Nurse Crystals do their healing work, and where our young crystals are born. That is where we will find my mother.”

Turning to Ariella, Kate asked: “Are you a Nurse Crystal?”

The snow crystal laughed like the pealing of bells. “No,” she said, “although someday I hope to be one. My training has barely begun. A true Nurse Crystal has powers beyond anything you could imagine.”

Kate studied the dome, glistening brightly in the distance. Broé San Sauria seemed totally protected and Peaceful, a place where she could be truly safe, at last.

Then her eyes fell to her hand, to the empty spot on her finger where the butterfly ring had once rested. Where was it now? Where was Morpheus? And, most importantly, where was Grandfather?

“Let’s go,” said Ariella.

Kate hesitated. “If I go with you, I’m sure I’ll be safe and warm . . .”

“That’s right. But if you don’t come soon, The Darkness is sure to reappear.”

Kate still didn’t budge.

“What’s wrong, Kate? Are you afraid of something?”

Her eyes lifted to the glistening white ridge rising in the distance. “If I go with you, I know I’ll be safe, but unless I find my ring soon . . . I know Grandfather’s out there someplace—trying to find a way to save the Sun—our star. He could be in serious trouble. The Darkness might attack him! I’ve got to warn him. I’ve got to find him. And the only way to do that is to find my ring first.”

Ariella gave her a puzzled look. “I don’t understand. What’s wrong with taking a little time to rest before you go out searching for your ring? You’ve been through a lot.”

“My ring has barely half its time left, that’s what’s wrong! I don’t know whether it keeps losing PCL—that’s its source of energy—even when it’s not on my hand . . . but I
do
know that Grandfather’s ring has even less time left. He might be out of PCL already, for all I know.” She touched one of Ariella’s arms. “I know The Darkness is out there someplace, but so is Grandfather. I can feel it.”

“But you might never find your ring under all that snow!”

Kate’s eyes roamed across the fields of white that seemed to stretch endlessly in all directions, then returned to Ariella. “I’ve got to try.”

Ariella spun still closer. “Are you really determined to do this? Broé San Sauria is so near.”

“I wish I could be sure what’s the right thing to do. I’ve never been any good at making decisions. But I am sure of one thing. If Grandfather gets into trouble and I’m not there to help him, I’d never forgive myself.”

“So you’re going to do this crazy thing?”

“I guess so.”

Ariella’s eyes narrowed in concern. “Then I’m coming with you.”

“No,” declared Kate. “This is my problem.”

“It’s mine, too. After all I went through to save you, do you think I’m about to let you go back out there alone and get yourself killed? And what success do you think you’ll have without a guide? You’ll probably walk right into another avalanche.”

“What about The Darkness? I don’t want you to risk that.”

“I guess I’ll just hope for the best.”

Kate gazed into Ariella’s round eyes. “I may have lost everything else, but I think I’ve found a friend.”

VIII: Nimba’s Flight

Scanning the enormity of the snowfields above them, Kate inhaled a deep breath of Nel Sauria’s frosty air. “Whewww,” she sighed, blowing a puff of mist.

Suddenly, she realized the folly of her decision. “I forgot how far we came down! It’ll take so long just to get back up there. How can we possibly find my ring before Grandfather runs out of time?”

“We could spin ourselves up there in no time,” suggested Ariella. She cartwheeled a short distance across the snow with amazing speed.

“Are you kidding? That only works if you have six arms! For me, that’s as impossible as flying.”

“You can’t fly either?” asked Ariella, her eyes open to their widest. “I’ve never met anyone who can’t either spin or fly. How do you get around on your home planet when you need to go someplace fast?”

“Rings,” answered Kate grimly.

“Oh, I see,” replied the snow crystal. Then she brightened and leaped high into the air above Kate. For a moment, she held herself aloft, twirling slowly, before floating back down. “If you can’t fly, maybe you can leap like this. It’s almost as good.”

“I’m afraid not. My body’s just not built for it. I guess I’ll have to go one step at a time.”

Kate glanced at the ridge of peaks rising high above the ice wall, swallowed hard, then started to stride off with determination. Without warning, she sunk to her thighs in the snow.

“Hey! Oh, Ariella. This is terrible!” She tried to extract herself, but the more she struggled, the more deeply she found herself swallowed by soft snow. “Help me, Ariella!”

The snow crystal spun to the edge of the expanding pit, stretched out four of her long arms, and tried to pull Kate free. The snow was now nearly up to her shoulders. Several times Ariella came close to retrieving her, only to have the soft snow break through again.

A wave of fear shot through Kate, and her hands felt suddenly chilled.
Am I going to be buried again?

“Small steps!” commanded Ariella. “Move slowly and take small steps!”

Kate forced herself to stay calm and to move in small, deliberate steps. Ariella was right; violent Movement only made the situation worse. At last, with the crystal’s help, she reached a patch of denser snow. She crawled slowly out of the pit and collapsed, breathing heavily.

“That’s worse than quicksand.”