The MirrorMasters (21 page)

Several of the men frowned in response and narrowed their eyes, clearly suspicious. One glanced at me skeptically, doubtful that a slip of a girl had been chosen as the wielder until I revealed the necklace. A majority of the others nodded.

"I hear you, King Korin." The leader spoke after accounting what his men had to say in their silent vote. "We have known the time was at hand for at least a year now and have been keeping close tabs on the disasters striking all over the planet. We'll take you there." He made a sharp about-face and led the way deeper into the rainforest.

The leader's second in command scrutinized the new arrivals, his gaze lingering on me. "So this is the wielder. Quite young. You have quite a challenge ahead of you. I hope you are up to the task." With that, he followed his commander.

My body relaxed as the threat passed, and only then did I let out the breath I'd been holding.

"So do I," I muttered.

We trekked several hours through the jungle. A heavy mist fell as we got deeper into the jungle, keeping Brian and me from ever drying out during the journey. Our clothes, once cool after playing in the river, now clung steamy and damp to us.

Along the way, we could hear chirping and calls overhead from birds and other animals. The heady scent of tropical flowers filled the air, and between the stifling humidity, the oppressive heat, and the shifting interplay of light and shadow, I found myself becoming drowsy. Eventually, a new sound reached our ears, the sound of rushing water. The river must wind its way through the jungle, and we'd gotten close to it again. I perked up at this.

"We'll stop to rest and have a drink at the river. We should be able to gather lunch there," the chief warrior said. He led us through a path to a sunlit clearing surrounding the river, where we sat on large rocks and cooled our feet. The water remained as icy-cool and refreshing as the place just outside the jungle. Glancing around, I noticed signs of destruction that must have been from the hailstorm I'd dreamed — downed trees, severed branches, dead birds of all sizes on the ground with skulls smashed in, and large patches of missing grass. Here, near the clearing, the devastation was so much worse than anywhere else in the jungle.

The men began to use their spears to fish, using the vines to catch large, brightly colored fish. I helped Korin gather fruits, nuts, and berries that grew on nearby trees and bushes. When we'd finished, we carried our bounty back to the group in large woven baskets the warriors had given us for the task.

"So, Korin, you're familiar with this land?" I asked, balancing my bundle on one arm as I eased onto a rock that stood hip-high. The basket tilted and would have tumbled to the ground if Korin hadn't reached out to steady it.

He smirked at me as if he found my lack of coordination endearing. I narrowed my gaze at him, heat warming my cheeks.

He made a show of sitting beside me much more gracefully than I'd managed, chuckling. "Of course. I travel pretty often to discuss matters of state. Though admittedly it has been many years since I came here last, with my parents."

Between the gathered food and the meals packed in our travel bags, we had quite a feast. The group engaged in amiable chatter, even those of the warriors who were wary of us at first. Eventually, we moved on after finishing the meal and refilling our canteens. We had been warned to be careful near the water; dangerous river-eels or deadly snapperserpents lurked in the waters. Fortunately, we came across none of these creatures.

We didn't come across anything dangerous until about an hour later. Three wide, squat crystalline creatures with beautiful but diamond-hard iridescent scales resembling body armor, leaped out of the bushes and onto the path about fifty feet in front of us. They pawed the ground and snorted, fixing the group with hungry, predatory stares. Their mouths opened wide, revealing teeth as large and sharp as a spearhead. Single horns in the centers of their foreheads looked equally sharp and deadly.

"Stay back!" The chief warrior's sharp command echoed in the air, and my group obeyed.

The warriors lined up between us and the beasts. They activated the vine-weapons, causing an electronic thrumming to fill the air.

Korin frowned, not pleased at being treated like a child. He formed an energy ball, a shimmering mass of ice blue and silver, in his hands. I held a shimmering forest green ball a split second later, while Brian had created a wildly flashing silver one.

"We can help." My assured voice allowed no disagreement from the warriors. I glanced at Korin and Brian, who nodded, ready to release their energy spheres as well.

"Careful. These thunderbeasts may become wild." The chief held up a hand to his warriors. "Men, hold. Be prepared to restrain if the first attack does not drive them off." At his signal, our trio released the energy balls, each toward a different beast.

My thunderbeast immediately calmed and began to graze. Korin's became frozen solid for a second before the effect faded, and the beast reared up with a mournful cry before leaping away. Brian's beast became so crazed that it lumbered around in furious circles, its tail thrashing and narrowly missing people. It charged at Korin and might have gored him with its horn if Brian hadn't yanked him out of the way just when the horn was a hairs breadth from a deadly strike. Those closest had to jump out of range, and the beast continued its rampage until it could be stopped.

The men's vine-weapons barely restrained the beast, but finally it stopped struggling. At that point, the men let it go, and it lumbered off after the other one.

Though outwardly calm, inside I had been utterly terrified. My heart pounded a furious rhythm, and my palms were sweaty. I marveled at the fact that I hadn't started shaking.

"Well, that was quite an adventure. Shall we continue on to the monolith, then?"

Brian and I stared at Korin, openmouthed, before shaking our heads and chuckling. How could he be so blasé about the whole thing? "Sure," we chorused.

It's just like him, I mused. He needs someone who can keep up with him.

"First Daughter Leandra, how did you do that? No one has tamed a thunderbeast before."

Facing the young warrior who had spoken, I replied, "I guess I created something peaceful and relaxing. That's what I was going for, anyway."

Brian gave an impressed whistle. "That was awesome!" He glanced toward where the other two beasts had fled. "Do you think you can try it on the other two? We might all be able to ride the rest of the way if this works."

It did work. About an hour and a half later, we arrived by thunderbeast at a waterfall in the heart of the jungle. Through the water, I could make out the opening to a cave high above.

"How do we get up there? There aren't any steps!" I drew closer, scanning the rocks for any footholds or makeshift steps that might let us climb up to the cave entrance.

As my right palm touched the rock, I jumped back, startled at the sudden sound of a high note humming through the air. The crystal rock glowed a faint iridescent shimmer as steps formed into place from out of the rock. I led the way up into the cave, until the chief warrior naturally assumed the lead.

Inside, a bioluminsecent substance in pale blue and silver lit up the cave ceiling and walls, resembling a starry night sky. It gave enough light so we could see in the cool, dim cave beyond where the sunlight from outside faded away.

"This way." The warrior chief led us into a large chamber off to the left. "When we were certain the time of renewal was approaching, we searched the heart of the jungle for the monolith. We came upon this cave about a month ago and had to use climbing equipment to get up there," he said.

"Between the crystals and the monoliths, there is so much to track down. I'm grateful the people have taken the search into their own hands. It gives us a real chance at making sure the renewal device — I believe it's called the genesis device — is activated in time," I replied.

The warrior chief nodded and gave me a speculative, almost pitying glance.

"Don't look at her like that! She's not going to — not like the others. She'll be all right."

I whirled to face Brian, breath caught in my throat at his quiet, yet passionate declaration. The sight of him standing there with his fists balled and such raw grief in his eyes nearly brought tears to my eyes. "I'll do my best to make it through this, too, but we can't worry about that now." Impulsively, I threw my arms around him.

We clung to each other for a moment, until Korin coughed. I glanced down, and Brian shifted uncomfortably. Withdrawing my data pad from my travel bag, I brought up a news report I'd read earlier that morning and showed it to them. "The blue flames hit the planet in the northern region and took out the power grid there. Millions are going to freeze to death in their homes unless we fix things in time. First the climate shift to tundra they're not even remotely prepared for, and now this! We need to fix this for them, and for anyone else affected by any other disasters — we can't worry about anything else right now."

Korin put a hand on my shoulder and gave a solemn nod, along with Brian. "We will."

"Yeah." I drew a shaky breath and hugged Korin, too. "Let's go take care of the next step."

The warriors watched us with fascination and curiosity. I caught them staring, heard their whispers afterward. This wielder was unlike any before her, they said, and the chief warrior had acted scandalized that I'd hugged my chief advisor so passionately instead of my betrothed. The men discussed this quietly among themselves as we all journeyed deeper into the caves, coming to the conclusion that I had been raised differently — after all, I could have grown up anywhere, had any sort of upbringing. Finally, the chief warrior voiced the question, and listened as Brian and I shared the story of our lives on a distant world called Earth.

By the time our story was complete, the group had reached an enormous cavern with high ceilings of clear crystal that allowed the strong midday sunlight to filter through. I blinked and squinted at the sudden brightness.

"The monolith is down here on the lower level of this crystal atrium. We attempted to get some response from it, but nothing seemed to work." At this admission, the chief warrior appeared worried the monolith would no longer work.

"It only seems to respond to the wielder," Korin replied, falling into step with the warrior chief on their way down the steep steps.

A rushing sound greeted me as I followed, and I leaned over to glimpse sparkling water flow past rocks and stones. Sure enough, I could spot a monolith of iridescent crystal on a tiny island in the middle of the river. "I wonder how deep this river is and whether there's a boat if we need one."

"No boat," one of the warriors informed me, "but it's not a bad swim across."

It did not take us long to swim to the island, and the icy waters were refreshing. When we reached the monolith, I wasted no time removing the Illusion Crystal from my necklace and placing it in its rightful spot in the monolith. The warriors watched in amazement as the top part of the monolith melted away at my touch, revealing the insert matching the shape of the Illusion crystal. Once activated, a strong, rippling wave of power blasted me to the ground. Feeding off my energy, it surrounded me, consumed me, and left me dizzy and drained. I staggered back to the others, where Korin just managed to catch me in his arms before I collapsed. Then, the shimmering forcefield surrounding the monolith hummed as it slid into place.

"Two down," I managed to say weakly, grinning.

Korin grinned back, but he clearly looked worried for my health. "Five to go."

Brian reached into my travel bag and handed me a sandwich. "Here. Eat something."

To regain my strength, I ate at regular intervals and sipped energizing juice — the same juice I'd had at Emerald Oasis — during the trek to the jungle village. After a long but uneventful walk, we reached our destination.

W
ord quickly spread
about us newcomers, and many villagers came out of their huts and shops to hear the good news of how the wielder had returned and how a second monolith of the genesis device had been activated.

To my delight, I discovered the entire village was situated high up among the trees just as I'd seen in my dream. Bridges linking the various trees formed wide walkways, populated with shops and cafes. The warrior chief showed us to our rooms. I found my small guest room charming, with its canopy bed, an exquisitely crafted nightstand holding a bioluminescent flower for lighting, and a matching dresser on the opposite wall. A tall palm plant stood near a long, open window.

I set my bag down on the bed and dressed for dinner. Afterward, as I opened the window, a bird chirped, a crystalline trill, high in the branch of a tree outside. Said bird took flight and soared right through the window into my room. What a beautiful bird it was, slightly larger than a parrot, and all blue crystal with varying colors — greens, yellows, and purples — at the tips of its open wings. It circled overhead, expertly avoiding the ceiling fan, and its melodic cry seemed to exude joy as it came to rest on my shoulder.

"Hey, boy." I blinked as I studied the bird. My eyes widened. "Wait — I know you, don't I? You were my bird, the one that flew away when I was little!" As if the bird understood me and was pleased to be remembered, he chirped and gave my hair an affectionate nip.

"
I
see
you've found a friend." Korin chuckled as I met the others out on the walkway, the bird still perched on my shoulder.

The warrior chief led us through the bustling main walk lit with bioluminescent flowers on tall, hanging plant stands, down to the largest building in the village. One side of the building, the closest to us, was a large open pavilion with a thatched roof. Nearing sundown, the evening air had turned surprisingly cool, and we settled ourselves at a low bench table around a large, circular rock fire pit in the center of the room. We sat on pillows. After a feast of roasted junglefowl braised with berry sauce, then mixed vegetables from the hut-top gardens, dark breadsticks with jam and nutmilk, the villagers made their way to the other side of the building for evening worship.