Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal Author Quest (5 page)

“There is cold in his soul,” said Alethi quietly. “That's why the fire couldn't reach it to warm him.”

“What can we do, then?”

“I'll sing for him,” she answered simply. She lifted her chin and sang in a light, warm voice.

My feet belong on Skarith grass, where Gelfling children play

My ears still hear the rustling breeze in orchestras of hay

My heart will always beat with yours, however far we roam

O, Crystal bright, shine freedom's light forever on my home

The simple lullaby seemed to cast a spell on the little shop. As Alethi sang, the fire slowed to a gentle crackle, and its heat became less oppressive. The wind outside still howled, but it seemed playful now instead of threatening. I looked at her in wonder. Tears were trickling down her cheeks.

“What's the matter?” I asked. “Didn't it work?”

“It's not that.” Alethi shook her head slowly. “He'll be better when he wakes, I think.”

“Then what's wrong?”

She closed her eyes and said nothing for a moment. “Everything is changing now. The plains are turning brown. Skarith is dying.”

I couldn't say anything. I knew it was true; all the Gelfling did. The Skeksis insisted that all was well, that nothing could ever spoil the perfect balance of Thra, and we believed them because we wanted to believe them. But the evidence was hard to ignore. The once bright colors of the trees and flowers turned a little grayer with each passing trine. The crops grew a little smaller, and a few more animals left the plains for better pastures.

“There's always the Crystal,” I said hopefully. “As long as the Crystal still shines, Skarith can't die.”

Alethi hesitated. “I don't know,” she said. “I want to believe you're right. But the more I see what Thra is becoming, the harder it is to believe that the Crystal still exists. Maybe it never existed. Maybe it's just a lie the Skeksis told to give us hope.”

“Or maybe,” said Rian, opening his eyes slowly, “it is the Skeksis who are to blame for the growing darkness.”

Rian's Tale

Alethi and I both started at the sound of Rian's voice. “You're awake,” Alethi exclaimed, jumping to her feet and rushing over to tend to him again. “How do you feel?”

“Warmer, thank you.” Rian smiled, but the smile didn't last. He turned suddenly serious, as if remembering something he had forgotten. “Kaelan, Alethi—we're in danger. The Harath clan, and maybe the whole Gelfling race—we're all in danger. The Skeksis can't be trusted.” He went to the door and pushed back the soot-festooned curtains to look outside.

“I know,” I said. “I saw it in the dreamfast. I felt you touch the vial.”

Rian bolted the door. “You didn't see everything in the dreamfast. Touching the vial was just the beginning. The moment my fingers brushed the glass, I felt a strange burst of cold in my blood, and I knew that something evil was afoot.”

I nodded. “I felt it, too. The fear was so strong that when you cried out in the dreamfast, I cried out as well, here in the blacksmith's shop.”

“I never cried out,” he said gently. “The dreamfast must have affected you even more powerfully than it did me.”

“But the vial!” I protested. “The horror! Isn't that what brought you here so cold?”

He shook his head. “That was only the beginning. It got worse. Much, much worse.”

I flushed with shame. Rian hadn't been crying out in the dreamfast—only me, so overwhelmed by a fraction of my friend's fear that I screamed like a Gelfling child waking up from a nightmare. Even the memory of Rian's adventures was too much for me.

“Don't be ashamed,” said Alethi, seeing the embarrassment on my face. “A soft heart is a sign of great wisdom.”

“Thanks,” I said, turning away, wishing I could trade away all my wisdom and sensitivity for just a bit of Rian's boldness.

“Tell us what happened in the laboratory, Rian,” Alethi urged.

Rian wiped thick beads of sweat from his brow, leaned back, and began to speak:

I was sure the parchments beside the vial held the key to explaining the blue liquid and the strange horror I felt when I touched it. I began looking through the documents, but they were all written in a script I couldn't understand. Only the pictures made sense to me: Gelfling from different clans, Skeksis, Podlings, and machines built from shards of crystal. I was on the verge of giving up and returning to my post when I heard voices in the hallway. High, thin Skeksis voices.

“I didn't know what I had discovered, but I knew skekTek wouldn't be pleased to find me inside his laboratory. There was no other door besides the one I had come from, no avenue of escape, not even a window. So I hid underneath the desk, hoping the burgundy cloth would hang low enough to cover my trembling body. I hid not a second too soon. The cloth was still swaying when the Skeksis entered.

“Door wide open?” said an incredulous voice.

“Mmmm,” whimpered a second voice. “All the better for us, General.”

“A vial of essence,” said the General eagerly, stomping toward my hiding place and bringing the smell of rotting meat with him. “It's mine.” There was a thud on the desk and a clink of crystal.

“No!” the other voice shrieked. “Patience. Why take one vial when you could have them all?”

The General growled, “Another one of your games, Chamberlain?”

Humming from his throat, the Chamberlain took a step nearer. “Drink the vial, and skekTek will never trust you. But leave it be, let me tell Scientist a story, and he will give all the essence we need. Then
we
will overthrow the Emperor.”

“You speak treason, Chamberlain.”

“But of course, my General. Or should I say, my Emperor, mmmm?”

“Mmmm,” agreed the General. “But why would I trust you?”

“Because when skekSo is dead, you will put make me second in power. I have no wish to hold scepter. But to rule Gelfling . . . mmmm. Chamberlain can help General, and General can help Chamberlain. Quick, skekTek is coming! The feather!”

A bright purple whirlijay feather floated onto the floor near my feet. Moments later, I saw a new set of clawed feet in the doorway and heard a new voice cry out, “Treason! Treachery!”

“Yes!” the Chamberlain shouted. “Treason! Call the guards! Scientist, thank the Emperor you're here.”

The Scientist hesitated. “Caught in the act,” he said with a bit less conviction. “Chamberlain and General stealing the emperor's essence.”

“Not stealing,” said the Chamberlain innocently. “Protecting from the traitor skekEkt. We followed him here and saw him try to steal essence. Gelfling guard wasn't here to stop him. When skekEkt saw us, he ran. We stayed to protect essence from thieves. If we were traitors, why not just drink essence ourselves?”

“You lie,” spat the Scientist. “SkekEkt is loyal.”

“What's this? Did loyal skekEkt leave one of the feathers of his plume behind in Scientist's laboratory?”

A leathery hand picked up the purple feather. “It's his!” the Scientist screeched. “Traitor! False friend!”

“Mmmm, yes,” gargled the Chamberlain. “SkekEkt must be made to pay. And Gelfling guard, of course.”

SkekTek walked dangerously close to my hiding spot and pounded his table against the desk. “I'll deal with the Gelfling myself. I have just the punishment for him. As for skekEkt, Emperor skekSo will hear of his treachery.”

“No, Scientist,” the Chamberlain simpered. “SkekEkt is too close to the throne. Emperor will not believe us. We must save the Emperor from himself. General skekVar must accuse skekEkt in court tomorrow and challenge him to trial by rope. When General wins, skekEkt will be banished.”

“Good, good,” said skekTek.

The Chamberlain hummed appreciatively and then paused. “But what if General loses?”

“SkekVar does not lose,” the General growled.

“General was just telling me,” said the Chamberlain slowly, “that he feels weaker than usual . . . drained. If only we could be sure General feels young and strong tomorrow.”

“Mmmm,” said the General. “Yes, drained.”

“Chamberlain would never ask for essence for himself,” croaked the Chamberlain sweetly. “But for General . . . for the Emperor . . .”

“Essence belongs to the Emperor.” The Scientist dropped his voice. “You speak treason.”

“. . . save the Emperor from himself . . . ,” the Chamberlain whispered.

There was a long pause. “You're right,” said the Scientist at last. “But not this vial. I'm still testing it. Come underground for a fresh one.”

I heard a grinding sound, and the whole room began to rattle. The table above my head shook so violently that I was afraid the cloth would slide off and expose me to the Skeksis. When it finished, the Scientist said, “Follow me,” and I saw their feet move away from the desk.

For a fleeting moment, I thought they would leave the vial on the desk behind. I could steal it and bring it to the clan elders, who would discover what vile thing was inside. But the Skeksis had barely walked three paces before the Chamberlain said, “You aren't leaving this vial behind?”

“No, right you are,” said the Scientist. “Traitors on the loose.” His stench came close once more, then faded. The sound of the Skeksis's footsteps floated away and out of earshot.

I lay under the desk for a minute or two after they left, trying to quiet my racing breath. At first, I had every intention of escaping the castle right then, while the Skeksis were busy in skekTek's workshop. But there was one unanswered question that bothered me. What was this essence that the Skeksis were arguing over? I thought of the strange coldness that had run through me when I touched the vial of blue liquid. I looked along the west wall of the laboratory, where a whole shelf of parchments had slid to one side to reveal an eerie, lantern-lit tunnel. I knew that the answer to the mystery of essence lay within it. If I didn't find an answer now, I never would.

I took a deep breath, gripped my spear tightly—I wished I had your broadsword with me, Kaelan—and followed them.

Jagged rocks lined the pathway of the tunnel, and I was careful not to trip over them as I entered. Trickling water and wet mud sloshed against my bare feet. The shadowy walls were covered with crude, sinister-looking drawings. My hands tingled when I touched the walls; I think they had been cut by magic. Ahead of me, I could still hear the murmur of the Skeksis's voices. The tunnel grew thinner as it went, then took a sharp left turn and opened into a huge, dank cavern.

The first thing I saw was a cage along the nearest edge of the cavern built of rusted iron bars. There were dozens of prisoners trapped inside it; I was so close that I could hear them breathing, but they didn't notice me. Most of them were Podlings—their short stature, green skin, and bulbous noses made it obvious. The others were Gelfling from each of the clans—some I recognized only because I'd heard stories about them. One had a huge belly and was totally covered with hair, head to toe—a Drenchen, I think. Another was a Grottan with pale skin, a thick beard, and eyes of solid black. Spriton, Vapra, Sifa, Dousan—they were all there, standing side by side, as different as it's possible for Gelfling to be.

But for all their differences, they seemed strangely alike. Even the Podlings and the Gelfling were alike, in a way. Each one looked unnaturally old and thin, though their bodies still appeared young. They stood silently against the cage bars, staring out past the bars without seeming to care what they saw. They looked hollow, like shells abandoned on the sand. It was as if they were plants instead of living creatures.

The Skeksis stood in the middle of the cavern near what I assumed was one of skekTek's inventions. It was a twisted hunk of stone and metal like an overgrown altar, with four shards of crystal hovering above its four horned points. Jagged beams of pink light bounced from one crystal to another, making the device seem alive.

“It is ready,” said skekTek. “Stand back.”

The other two Skeksis shuffled away, revealing a metal chair shaped like a throne. Chains, ropes, and manacles of every size dangled from it. Inside the chair, bound hand and foot and with a clamp around his neck to hold his head in place, was a Gelfling. His mouth was stuffed with a dirty gag to keep him from crying out, but I could see his muscles straining against the chains. Scars covered his arms and chest; his left ear had been torn off, a gnarled stump in its place. The shadows made it hard to see his face well, but I thought there was something familiar about him.

SkekTek pulled a small lever. Beams shot out of the four crystals and met in the center of the machine. Their glow grew more intense as the machine whirred and coughed. Then a single glaring beam shot out and stretched across the cavern to the trapped Gelfling, illuminating his face.

It was Aedan.

Alethi gasped. I gripped my crutch more tightly, biting my lip to stay silent. Rian, knowing the sensation he had caused, said nothing.

“Aedan?” I said finally, trying to keep my voice calm. “The same Aedan who disappeared two moons ago? The matriarch's son?”

Rian closed his eyes and dropped his head in assent.

“But he's dead,” Alethi objected. “The whole village was at his Ceremony of Passing. He was killed and eaten by the Hunter. The search party found what was left of his body.”

“The search party found what they were supposed to find,” said Rian heavily. “His shredded cloak and tunic. Blood. Bones. His severed ear. We believed what the Skeksis wanted us to believe.”

“But why?” I asked, my face turning hot with fury. “What do they want with him?”

Rian walked to the window, turning his back on Alethi and me. “I don't think it had to be Aedan. I think it could have been anyone. He was probably just convenient.” Rian spat out the last word as if it tasted bitter.

“Convenient for what?” Even as the question left my lips, I was beginning to realize the answer. The image of the blue vial, with all its accompanying horror, burst into my mind like an unwelcome guest. I shuddered.

Still staring out the window, Rian continued his story to the howling wind.

“When the light reached Aedan, the muscles in his face pulled forward. His eyes widened, as if he was fascinated by what he saw. And then—I don't know how to explain it—his body started to deflate. His cheeks pulled inward, his eyes sank back, and the muscles in his arms and legs shriveled away until his body was little more than a skeleton with skin stretched over it.

“‘Mmmm,' said the General. His tongue writhed hungrily across his beak.

“It wasn't until I saw the vial underneath Aedan's arm, until I heard the gentle trickle of bright blue liquid filling it, that everything finally became clear. This was essence—liquid life—and the Skeksis were stealing and drinking it to keep themselves youthful. The creatures in the cage were still living, but they were gone. Aedan—he was gone, too.

“Darkness washed over me and crushed me like a waterfall. I wanted to stop watching, but I couldn't; my eyes were glued to Aedan's empty ones. He stared right through me without ever seeing me. SkekVar swooped down and snatched the vial in one claw, emptying it into his beak. His scabrous black skin began to stretch as his muscles bulged. He was changing, gaining everything Aedan had lost, but the difference was less for him than it had been for Aedan. To the Skeksis, what had been a Gelfling's whole lifeblood was just the youth of a few trine. He roared with new strength—Aedan's strength.

“Before the Skeksis had even turned around, while they were still ogling skekTek's diabolical machine, somehow I found the strength to make it out of the tunnel, out of skekTek's laboratory, out of the castle. I stumbled to the nearest copse of trees at the edge of the Dark Wood, and as soon as I got there, I started weeping. I was safe.”