The MirrorMasters (15 page)

The king gave me a quizzical expression at my unusual turn of phrase, but he nodded in understanding. "Of course, my...I mean, First Daughter. Please, forgive me for frightening you. I would never have harmed you, but I needed them to think I would have. Just know that I am here for you and will be as patient as you need me to be. By the way, my name is Korin Aster." He offered me an irresistible smile, and I found myself smiling back.

"Thank you for being so understanding, Korin," I replied, responding to his playfulness.

Brian slowed to walk on my right, as King Korin walked on my left side. Not to be outdone, he offered me the smile he knew melted my heart. "We'll figure out a way around this without you getting hurt. I promise. I won't let anything happen to you. You know me, Leah. In your heart, you know what to believe about me."

I gazed into his eyes, searching his soul. Finally, I nodded. All along I'd known the truth inside. His feelings for me were real. "Yeah, but I also know there's a lot more going on here. Whatever plan my sister or your uncle have with your dad, one thing I'm sure of is you're caught in the middle of it."

"It's more complicated than you think," he agreed.

"And none of it matters at the moment. Right now our focus needs to be on finding the remaining crystals. After this first one, we shall journey to Astoria Province. The castle Crystonea is your home, Leah, and the surrounding city contains the world's largest library," Caleb said, again leading Brian away from me.

A short walk later, the group reached a cluster of small buildings, again of clear crystal and metal. Several of the buildings appeared to be greenhouses — I could see an endless variety of plants growing inside. King Korin led us to a building that served as a garage, as it held several hover scooters.

"Awesome," Brian commented, heading straight for one of them.

With two gold-colored seats, one behind the other, and ample width for foot space below, each vehicle resembled a jet ski. The body of the hover scooter was the color of pale gold sand, adorned in a diamond pattern of red and black. King Korin led me to one, while Caleb followed Brian to another.

"I thought technology was forbidden here," I asked, settling myself in the front seat as King Korin sat down behind me.

"An ancient and long outdated law," he said with a scoff. "I abolished it as my first act as king. These days, we import what technology we can from places like Astoria and Brisa."

Caleb scowled, appearing none too pleased with this development.

"How progressive of you," I replied. "You did a great thing for your people."

Brian frowned, watching us. The king waved his hand over the hover scooter's front panel, and a blue light fired up beneath the scooter. Engines roaring to life, the vehicle lifted to about two feet off the ground. Caleb followed suit, and the two vehicles flew out of the building.

Up ahead, several figures came running toward us from the castle. The king flew toward them, stopping as they drew close.

"My king, the prisoners have escaped. The woman knew the castle, and took us by surprise in the atrium. There's a security wall there we'd never been able to access, yet it responded to the woman like it was keyed specifically to her magic, and we couldn't follow them through," reported a tall, slender young woman. Her dark hair fell halfway down her back in loosely-tousled curls, and she had silver-violet eyes lighter in color than the king's own. Based on her uniform, she must be one of the security officers, I mused. She was beautiful, and I felt pale and plain in comparison.

The king gave a curt nod in acknowledgement. "Thank you, Jaedyn. They may yet be in the castle, but if not, they cannot have gotten far on foot. Let the castle search continue, and post scouts to search the surrounding area. Post guards here and at each point of exit as well to ensure they do not get ahold of the scooter and do not leave the grounds. You are in charge while I am away on matters concerning the safety of all of Jantyr. I am not certain when we will return."

With these plans in place, the small group set out east into the desert. About an hour later, we arrived at the cave and dismounted, parking the hover scooters inside. The king reached into a rectangular trunk at the back of the vehicle and withdrew a crystal lamp. Inside, the lamp held the soft blue-white glow of a bioluminescent flower. It provided enough light for us to see in the dim cave. Somewhere in the distance, I could hear water flowing.

"How did you find this place?" I asked, glancing around. This cave was so remote and well-hidden, I wondered how anyone could have found it at all short of sheer luck.

"I managed to obtain a copy of the legend of the Power Crystal, along with a map from a friend at the library. A local merchant from whom I acquired this crystal at market told me she'd found it in a desert cave. This cave," the king recounted. "Luckily, she didn't seem to know what this crystal was."

"So the other crystals might still be stored near where they're supposed to be used?" A thrill of hope lifted my spirits at this possibility. Maybe all we needed to do was find those locations, and the remaining crystals would be there.

"It's possible, First Daughter Leandra, but nothing is guaranteed."

I nodded, still not used to hearing my full name. "True
.
So
what did the legend say?"

King Korin pulled out his data pad to show me, and the group gathered around to read the words.

"The ringed gas giant planet and its companion world, Jantyr, are living creations. In the dawn of the age of mankind, the sky-gods came in huge ships from the heavens. They wanted Jantyr and all its beauty for themselves. It is said that a higher power, the creator of all things Himself, inspired seven young warriors assembled from diverse areas of the world to devise a way to drive off the evil, greedy sky-gods. So, the seven warriors dispersed and went in search of the device that had inspired their vision.

The first of the warriors, the current desert king, searched his lands until he came upon an enormous cave he had seen in his dreams. From the crystals he found therein, he fashioned a special sphere of red, the Power Crystal. These crystals were known to hold and store a vast amount of power, and so the Power Crystal would activate and sustain the device with enough energy to renew the world.

But he himself could not activate the sphere in the monolith he and the others later built for the crystal. Only one in each time of renewal, one with a pure intention to use the available power wisely for the renewal of the world, could do that. Once wielded, the crystal wielder becomes the source of the device's power, and only a soul of tremendous purity and energy can withstand this."

As I mulled over these words, the king led the way further into the cave in search of the place to wield the Power Crystal. Crystal structures beneath their feet and on the walls and high ceiling all around them sparkled in the lantern light. I had never imagined a cave could be so beautiful, but when we passed through an arched opening into an even grander chamber, I gasped in wonder. We had entered a cavernous, multi-story chamber, where a waterfall fell from an underground river into a round spring below. The effect of the crystals and the sparkling water in the lantern light was dazzling. Peering over the ledge, I spotted a red crystal monolith, a simple rectangular shape with a peaked top.

"Look! I think that's where the Power Crystal belongs," I exclaimed, leaning over slightly and pointing. The four travelers descended the curved steps to the level below and approached the monolith.

"This is it," King Korin declared, pulling the chain and Power Crystal over his neck. He held it up to the monolith, but nothing happened.

"Allow Leah to try," Caleb suggested.

"Wait!" Brian said, his sharp, clear voice ringing throughout the chamber. "I want to try first." He reached out for the crystal, his lips set in a hard line of grim determination.

Oh, no
. He wanted it to work for him so I wouldn't have to bear this burden? Heart overruling mind, I prayed he wouldn't have any more success with it than the king had.

When the crystal didn't respond to Brian, either, I sighed in relief. Even after everything he'd done, I didn't — couldn't — wish him to become the wielder. Not now, when we both knew the price.

Reluctantly, Brian handed me the Power Crystal, grimacing. I held it in my palm. Its strong yet subtle vibration set my skin tingling. As I approached the monolith, the Power Crystal glowed a soft red, and the top of the monolith suddenly collapsed down at least a foot, until the structure stood about as high as my shoulder. Atop this, I discovered a half-sphere insert that appeared to be the size of the Power Crystal. I inserted the crystal into this, and now the monolith began to glow red as the crystal had. A strong bass hum emitted from the device, and I knew it had worked.

"It's on," I commented, stepping back. Once I had retreated far enough, a forcefield sprang up from the floor to the ceiling, surrounding the monolith.

"Excellent. And now we travel to Crystonea," Caleb reminded us, eager to move onto the next task.

"Do we have a mirror we can use?" Brian asked.

"Not here or at the castle," the king replied, worry lines tightening around his eyes.

"No. We don't want to attract undue attention to ourselves. This is a tricky political situation here, and we can't afford to have the wrong people find out what we are doing. We travel by airship," Caleb declared.

W
e arrived
at the airship port after another hour and a half's journey east. The port consisted of a large landing pad by a desert river, which also functioned as a dock for boats and other seafaring craft. As the group drove through the village, King Korin explained the history of the place. Around the port had long ago sprung up a beautifully developed city of simple domed houses of metal framework and opaque crystal, landscaped with palm trees and a wide variety of fragrant, colorful tropical flowers and cacti. Serving as the heart of the city, the port lay directly across from a huge building King Korin pointed out as the village hall, surrounded by all sorts of shops and restaurants. Sunburned and dusty from the desert journey, we parked by the dock and dismounted.

"It's a beautiful city!" I exclaimed, watching people sit outside the various cafés enjoying a light lunch or perusing the shops. Others fished in the river by the pier or out in small boats, and still others worked in the outdoor gardens or nearby greenhouses.

"Emerald Oasis is one of the top cities in the world," King Korin boasted. "Before I left for the palace when the rule fell to me, I grew up here. My younger brothers and I helped out in the gardens, and we'd play in the river every afternoon."

"Sounds like a wonderful way to grow up." I gazed out at the rippling emerald waters, enchanted by the view.

"It was. I'd love to return when I retire."

"How long have you been king?" I asked, curious, but quickly sat back down on the hover scooter and put a hand to my head as a wave of dizziness overtook me.

"About five years now." Seeing how pale and weak I suddenly appeared, his brow furrowed in concern. "Are you all right, First Daughter?"

"I'm fine."

Brian rushed to my side and put an arm around me. I shrugged him off. "You never complain," he said, "but it's the Power Crystal. It's starting to drain you."

Meeting his gaze, I saw worry in his eyes. "It must be. I am starting to get tired and dizzy. Or maybe everything's starting to catch up to me."

"We should go eat lunch. The airship will arrive in port this evening, if the schedule is still what it used to be," Caleb suggested.

We selected the closest café and opted to sit down inside. To my relief, the interior felt at least twenty degrees cooler than the hot outdoors. I found it wonderfully refreshing after riding so long in the blazing sun beneath cloudless purple skies.

As we seated ourselves at a table overlooking the river, Brian and King Korin had a silent, intense battle over which of them would sit next to me. I had already taken a seat by the window, not sure I wanted either of them to win. Caleb ended the contest by practically dragging Brian to the other side of the table, across from the king. Shaking my head at their antics, I glanced around at the other customers. Most of them could pass for human, though some had slightly different features along with hair and skin coloring not found on Earth. One family displayed orange skin, blue hair, and dark grey eyes —
how cool!
— while another had purple skin with silver hair.

"So, Leah, tell me something about yourself," the king said after our waitress brought four waters and the menus to the table. "What has your life been like all these years since your disappearance?"

"Well, when Erik tried to use the Soul Crystal on me, I escaped to another world called Earth. It's a planet with one yellow sun and only one rocky grey moon. I was adopted and grew up there by the ocean in a town called Sea Cliff Heights. My mom, dad, and brother are wonderful, the best family anyone could ask for. It was a great childhood, like you had here. We went swimming every day practically, and my brother David and two of our best friends surf — rode the high waves on a surfboard." Here I trailed off and frowned, a painful lump in my throat.
Stop thinking of them and deal with being here now
, I told myself.
Focus on why I came.

"You must miss them all terribly. If you wish, you can contact them as soon as we find a suitable mirror," King Korin suggested, reaching out to take my hand in his.

"I'd love to, but it would be too hard for us to see each other. They'd want to come, and this mission is probably too dangerous to involve anyone else." Sighing, I glanced down and took a sip of water using my free hand. I let Korin keep my hand in his, finding comfort in this small gesture.

"They want to be there for us," Brian said. "This affects everybody, everywhere. And I miss Kevin. It would be great to have him here."

"It would," I agreed.

"It's better that they remain where they are, and Leandra has more than enough to cope with at the moment. We will have plenty of time to contact them after we take care of things here," Caleb countered. I wondered if I'd ever get used to being called by my birth name.

"Dad, this might be her last chance to..." Brian trailed off, unable to finish his sentence, and pounded the table with one fist in a fit of frustration.

"I know," Caleb said quietly, handing him a menu. "She will have that chance. Now, choose what you'd like for lunch."

I came to my senses and attempted to withdraw my hand from the king's, feeling shy because of his attention. To my surprise, he held onto my hand and examined it.

"Your ring. I have its mate, see. I was told that the one you're wearing would find its way to you."

Blinking, I replied, "It did. One of my neighbors, a shopkeeper named Madame Helena, came into possession of a box containing this ring and the prophecy. The box originally belonged to someone who left here long ago, and she gave it to me just recently." I glanced at his ring that mirrored my own, amazed that we had each somehow ended up with one. "How did you come by yours?"

"A descendant of the seer left it to me. It is said the two were betrothed, but her heart was broken when her love had to flee to another world to escape execution for using technology."

"I had no idea he'd had to leave behind his soulmate."

"Hopefully these rings will bring us greater fortune than our predecessors had." The king smiled warmly at me. Heat flushed my cheeks, and I managed a shy smile in return.

Brian coughed, deliberately attempting to derail that particular conversation. "So, Dad, King Korin, what's good here?" he asked, making a show of perusing the menu.

"The fish stew is always excellent," the king recommended, delivering an annoyed glance at being interrupted by Brian.

"We could share a large pot of stew, and they have the most delicious loaves of dark bread with it," Caleb added, nodding in agreement.

"There are no prices on the menu," I noticed.

"Prices?" The king gave me a puzzled expression, like he'd never heard of such a thing.

"There are no prices," Caleb explained. "On Jantyr, the economy is essentially resource based. So, we may compensate for meals or goods through trade or labor. We may work in the gardens after this until the airship arrives, which will compensate for our lunch and dinner."

Something inside me lit up at the idea of such an economy. Nobody would be without the basic necessities, and anyone could barter items or work for food and shelter. "What a great way to live!" I exclaimed. "There would always be a need for people to work, to provide food, and all the other tasks that a community would need done."

"Yes, and with careful resource management and replenishment of renewable resources, we first meet the needs of all in the community. After the Creator, this is top priority. This lifestyle enables people to pursue their creative interests or areas of expertise. Some jobs, especially in the field of medicine, are through apprenticeship," Caleb said.

Our waitress returned to take our order. The food arrived soon after, and we travelers enjoyed a hearty, delicious lunch.

Afterward, the four of us used the trays we'd been given at the end of the meal to clear the table and return glasses, spoons, bowls, and plates to be washed. Cleanup done, we set off to the gardens, where we helped to water plants, weed, and plant new seedlings that had been sprouted from seeds saved during meal preparations. Bread and cheese were served as snack at mid-afternoon.

For dinner, we tried a larger restaurant, one the king declared the finest in town. Again, we were seated at a table overlooking the water, this time outside. With the hottest part of the day behind us, I reveled in the cool, gentle breeze. Our meal consisted of seafood kabobs made of shrimp and squares of fish meat separated by what resembled cherry tomatoes. The kabobs were served on a bed of mixed greens, tossed with a clear, tangy dressing, a variety of vegetables, and small, spicy nuts.

Later, at dusk, we gathered by the river to wait for the arrival of the airship. I marveled at how beautiful and peaceful this city was. Living bioluminescent flowers like the one in King Korin's lantern began to give light from atop their tall pillars that served as plantstands along the riverfront boardwalk. Benches and gazebos overlooking the waters offered plenty of seating, and we chose a gazebo close to the landing pad, where we could gaze out on the waters and watch for the airship. Brian quickly claimed a seat next to me, his closeness calling my heart and every cell in my body to him. It was almost too much to take. King Korin sat on my other side, a calm, steady presence. Caleb stood by the arched entryway to the gazebo, his body straight, poised for action. He was certainly scanning the crowd as though searching for threats, or maybe just people he knew.

As we waited, the king greeted passersby, friends, and family. Clearly, many in the community knew and remembered him. I made polite conversation, hoping all the while that I wouldn't give myself away as having grown up on another world. Judging by the way people did a double-take while checking out my dress, they might already have started to wonder where such an odd garment came from. To give King Korin time to catch up with his loved ones, Brian and I excused ourselves and headed over to the outdoor market along the boardwalk.

We first came to a clothing store and stood admiring the tunics of lightweight, fine fabric and matching loose slacks, all in bold colors and all with elaborate embellishments. I scoped out the shop's assortment of leather belts, purses, scarves, and shoes that hung from various racks inside. A pair of gold sandals and a pair of shoes resembling ballet flats drew my attention.

I also found a v-neck red tunic trimmed in gold, with delicate gold beading at the neckline and sleeve trim, along with matching pants. Brian found a simple silver tunic and slacks with a black belt for the waist.

"May I trade some of my things for these?" I inquired of the shopkeeper, indicating the tunic and slacks set, a gold belt and the gold sandals.

The shopkeeper eyed my clothing and belongings appraisingly. "Your dress, your sandals, and your earrings. They're all quite unique, and I barter in rare, exotic merchandise."

I offered a polite smile. "Yes, I accept that trade." Though it meant letting go of my last remnants of Earth, I no longer needed my dress — I had to blend in.

"You may change in the booth and then return the items you're trading in to me." But as he handed me the clothing and accessories, the shopkeeper caught hold of my wrist. "This bracelet. It belonged to my sister. I'd recognize my mother's design anywhere. Where did you find it? They lost their lives in the sandstorm out in the desert near the castle."

"I'm so sorry about your family! Yes, I found it there this morning." I slipped off the bracelet and handed it to him, a painful lump in my throat. I hadn't been able to save that little girl and her parents.

When the shopkeeper offered a stiff nod and a gruff, "Thanks," I took my new items to try them on. Behind me, Brian began his negotiations. Inside the dressing room, I discarded my Earth clothes and changed into my new Jantyrian outfit. The clothes and shoes fit, and I loved the soft feel of the gauzy fabric against my skin. Strangely, this room held no mirror where I could check my appearance. Mirrors seemed to be hard to come by here. I shrugged. Maybe they were considered vanity, or an unnecessary luxury reserved only for use by MirrorMasters.

Brian had completed his purchase by the time I exited the dressing room, trading in his suit and dress shoes for his new outfit. "Wow! You look fantastic!" he said when he spotted me, his eyes lighting up. "Ready to get back?" He held out his arm to me with a flourish. All things being equal, I would have linked arms with him, but I couldn't bring myself to do so after everything that had happened today.

"Yeah," I said.

Brian's smile faltered, and he nodded, stung. I drifted behind him as he led the way back to the meeting place, sure we'd be back in plenty of time before the airship arrived. We hadn't gone far when Caleb came running up to us.

"There you two are!" he exclaimed in relief. "You both look great. Now, hurry. The airship has been spotted, and you won't want to miss this. It's an incredible sight!" Caleb ushered us to the waiting area, where we rejoined King Korin. His family and friends still lingered to see him off, and by the way they fell silent as we approached, I had a strong feeling that he'd explained our quest. They quickly said goodbye, giving me no time to find out for certain.

The crowd pressed around us, and I began to notice the stares my small group was attracting — smiles and waves for King Korin, wary but curious ones for Caleb and Brian, and outright thoughtful to hopeful glances for me. I shifted from foot to foot, uncomfortable, and wrapped my arms around myself. Obviously I didn't fit in here, with my blond hair and pale skin. The people surrounding me must figure I came from Astoria. Some of them might even, I realized with a pang of worry, begin to guess at my identity.

"Leah, you look beautiful," King Korin declared, coming to stand next to me. Taking in the sight of me, he further noted, "but something's troubling you."

"It's...well...so much is going on. It's everything. Today has been so much all at once, and I can't believe some of the things that have happened." I ran a hand through my hair and shook my head. "Everything..." This single word seemed to fit after losing my best friend, leaving behind my life on Earth, and facing an impossible task on a strange world I barely remembered.