The MirrorMasters (27 page)

"Come on!" I called to Korin and Brian. "We've got to hurry up and get down there. Whatever's going on, it isn't good." I narrowed my eyes at Caleb as I saw his expression turn guilty for a second. Then the expression was gone. Had I imagined it?

Following my suggestion, we quickened our pace. Commander Lars watched our descent, tapping his foot, expectant, one hand on hip. Then, while his attention was distracted, Prime Minister Roland withdrew his energy weapon and tossed one to First Lady Rhianna, who caught it with ease. The two of them stepped between the army and those from Earth. Now I had descended far enough down the cliff for snatches of conversation to drift up to me. Brian and I reached a ledge and stopped to listen. I desperately wanted to get down there, but my arms wouldn't work well after using muscles I'd barely used before in my life. First, I needed to rest.

"A foolish move, Roland." Commander Lars' lip curled into a sneer, and an energy sphere formed in his hand. "I don't think you want our guests harmed. Your technology can't save all of you against our magic."

Prime Minister Roland's face went red with outrage. "Not in combat against opponents who have no magic." Such a thing was forbidden by law.

Commander Lars arched an eyebrow. It was clear he considered himself above the law. "Make no mistake, we will use magic for this."

"Fine, then we will pit our finest technology against it — and win." First Lady Rhianna activated her crystal sword, and the energy beam within lit up, ready for attack. My family and friends from Earth joined in to help, activating their own weapons they'd been given to use in the previous battle.

"I don't think so." Commander Lars waved his hand and drew the weapons to him, despite everyone's efforts to hold onto them. "Much better. There's no need to fight. Now, this warrant calls for your arrest, Prime Minister and First Lady of Astoria. It also states that per the council, I retain my position, and it is my duty to select the next Prime Minister. Caleb, being the rightful magical heir, you are named in their stead."

My eyes widened in shock as I heard this. I wanted to yell out but couldn't make myself. Until now, I hadn't imagined how difficult it would be to give up being a First Daughter, even if the title — and the expectations that came with it — weren't what I wanted. Worse, this was a complete betrayal. Turning to Brian, I saw an expression of...understanding? "Brian, did you know about this?"

"No, but I suspected something. I think this was their plan all along from the time Uncle Erik showed up at our house. He convinced Dad that this is what Jantyr needs."

I fell silent, and we both watched Caleb far below. It gave me at least some small satisfaction to see a pained expression on Caleb's face when he accepted the position. He covered it well, but I saw.

"So what does this mean for Leah?" Kara asked.

Hearing my best friend ask this, at a time when her own safety was in jeopardy, warmed the chill within me. Commander Lars could react badly to being questioned, yet she'd taken the risk.

I
couldn't believe the possibility of losing my status mattered so much to me, especially since it was a moot point anyway. The genesis device would see to that. And it wasn't like I wanted to be a First Daughter, having to marry who I was supposed to, and act a certain way. So why did I care? Why was I fighting back tears, finding it difficult to swallow because of a painful lump in my throat?

Maybe it was because all of this — being from this world, belonging to these people, and being their First Daughter with everything the position involved — had become my identity. So now, I was losing a piece of myself. And it hurt.

"As she is magical, Leah still retains her title of First Daughter through Janice's lineage," Commander Lars replied, as if this should be enough consolation for us. "Erik and Aedalina wanted to ensure people with magic, people who would support them as rulers in name, would lead the various regions. Years ago, we knew Astoria would be the most challenging region to set right, so we quietly planned this transition from the beginning, when we first lobbied for centralized rule."

The old jerk was insane — or maybe just totally clueless — for worrying about who should rule Astoria when the entire planet stood on the brink of destruction. Did he actually believe things would get better, and this was nothing more than a cycle characterized by escalating disasters? Astounding how he could deny what was going on when the evidence of it lay all around him.

Prime Minister Roland and First Lady Rhianna nodded, seeming satisfied. A surge of relief welled up inside me, yet my heart ached for what was happening to my birth parents. It was awful the way they were being forced from their positions just because they lacked magic! It wasn't right. Next to me, Brian appeared deep in thought, almost hopeful.

"Well, this is unexpected," Korin said, sitting down next to me and letting his legs dangle over the ledge.

For the first time, I realized he'd joined us. "Yeah," I nodded. "We'd better get down there." My limbs had finally lost that leaden, shaky feeling, so I was ready to make the final descent.

Before we could climb down, another earthquake struck. Losing my balance, I threw myself flat, barely managing to stay on the ledge. Korin and Brian weren't so lucky. I reached out for them, but my hand missed by inches. They both slid off. A scream tore from Brian's throat as a chunk of crystal dislodged from the cliff face and struck him on the head. Screaming, too, I scrambled closer, and to my profound relief found them both clinging to the ledge by their fingertips. Blood streamed from Brian's temple, leaving a trail of red down his face.

"Oh, heavens, Brian! Are you all right? Take my hands!" I called, and hooked my foot around a sturdy rock to keep from being dragged over, too.

"Yeah, fine. Hang on!" Brian grabbed my hand tight, so tight I thought I might lose all feeling in it. He turned pale as he strained to hold on, as though he might pass out at any moment.

"I will," I promised, closing my eyes and gritting my teeth at the strain. When Korin grabbed my other hand, I fell forward, and only my foot secured by the rock kept me from going over the ledge. Agonizingly slow, the moments passed with Brian and Korin holding on, unable to pull themselves up. My arms and hands shook, having lost their strength. The truth dawned on me, a sick roiling in the pit of my stomach.

I couldn't hold onto them both. I'd have to choose who to save.

"You're going to have to let go of one of us," Korin said, still struggling to maintain his grip and work his way back up over the ledge. "I can't make that choice for you, Leah, but you're going to have to decide. It's the only way."

I glanced down at them both, terror mingled with understanding on their dirt-smudged faces. Brian nodded at what Korin said.

"No." I refused, absolutely refused, to choose. In my heart, I knew I would choose Brian, but I couldn't lose either of them. Shaking my head, I repeated, "No." And then, I saw the way out of this. "Remember the energy field we created to save Kara? We can use that to get down — together." Letting my magic flow, I felt it join with Korin's and Brian's. Everything stopped shaking, to my relief, and I could concentrate better.

A shimmering net of energy formed below us, widening as we pooled our energy, and Brian and Korin let go to stand on it. They sat down, and I let myself fall from the ledge to land beside them. All three of us kept the energy net in place, allowing ourselves to drift down to the ground.

"Brian, hang on," I implored, seeing how ashen his skin had become, how his face was slick with sweat. His breathing had become shallow and ragged. I reached out to grasp his hand as we floated downward.

Brian collapsed once we landed safely. I rushed to his side, knelt beside him and wrapped one arm around him. Placing a palm to the wound, I closed my eyes and envisioned him healing, every muscle and skin cell knitting together. My hands warmed and glowed golden as the healing magic worked.

"You saved me, Leah," Brian opened his eyes, a look of awe and wonder on his face. "I could feel myself slipping away, but your light kept me here."

A half sob, half laugh escaped my lips. "I couldn't let you go."

Korin coughed, and the two of us gave him an apologetic look and stood. I brushed dirt from my pants, keeping my gaze down. The ground beneath our feet started to shake again, and everyone braced themselves. More rubble dislodged from the crystal cliff, bearing down on us.

"Look out!" I shouted. Extending a hand, I cast the net again to protect the group — Commander Lars and his lackeys included — from being hit by a huge chunk of rock. It missed Commander Lars by inches.

"Impressive, Leah. Thank you. Now, you and your parents will need to come with me. They're under arrest, and you have duties at the castle. During this crisis, you cannot afford to be gallivanting around the world."

"Gallivanting?" My voice rang out, sharp. "
Gallivanting
? No, I'm doing what it takes to save the planet — the whole galaxy! I'm not going with you, and neither are my parents."

"I'm afraid you have no choice," Commander Lars responded with a dark stare, and he and his men aimed their weapons.

"That won't be necessary," Prime Minister Roland said, raising his hand in a quelling gesture. "We will go with you."

"You surrender? Say it."

First Lady Rhianna glared at Commander Lars. "We surrender," she spat, still managing to appear regal and elegant.

"No!" I couldn't believe it. To save everyone, my birth parents had given themselves up. Again Commander Lars demanded I return with them, but I edged away from him toward the cliffs. Brian and Korin followed suit. Kara and David began talking at once, demanding answers and providing the distraction I needed.

"Relax, everyone," Caleb said — a command, not a request. "You will be guests at the castle while Leah, Brian, and King Korin fulfill the rest of their quest. Lars, stand down. We need to go."

I faced the cliff. Maybe its shiny surface could work like a mirror, could take me, Brian, and Korin to the floating caverns — the crystal shelves of Arie. The cliffs shimmered and rippled, a sparkling white pool of light. Once we were through to the other side, I whirled around. "We'll be back. And Commander Lars? This device is our only chance. Without it, the millions who don't have time to get offworld will die."

My last glimpse as the portal sealed was my parents being led away.

W
e emerged
into a cavern the size of a football field, dim in the fading sunlight. A green glow emanated from within the rough crystal-glass rock surrounding us.

Even though Caleb had to go attend to his duties, I decided to contact him to ensure David and Kara would get back to Earth. He agreed, promising that they‘d be evacuated next.

Jaedyn pushed her way into the video, jostling Caleb aside. I couldn't help but chuckle as he frowned. "First Daughter," she said. "Will you put Korin on?"

Korin joined me, and he ignored Jaedyn's frown at seeing the two of us with our heads leaning together over the data pad. "You're still in charge."

"I know."

"I trust you."

"I know."

"Keep everyone safe. And Jaedyn? Stay safe."

"Of course. Don't die on me, Korin."

"Never." Korin made a graceful gesture with one hand, which Jaedyn returned.

"Take care." I lifted my hand in a wave.

Jaedyn mimicked the gesture awkwardly, foreign to her as it was. "You, too. Oh, your father — the one from Earth — wants to talk to you. Caleb had one of the MirrorMasters check up on how well he was progressing with tracking down the device on Earth."

"Okay." I bit my lip, sure I knew what was coming. Dad would try to talk me into going back to Earth. The determined look in his eyes as he came into view confirmed my hunch. "Dad?"

"You need to come home, Leah. It's too dangerous there. Your mom and I agree that you've gone above and beyond anyone's expectations, but it's too late to help any further."

Offscreen, my brother protested leaving.

"Any luck finding the device?" When Dad shook his head, my heart sank. "Then they'll offer you evacuation somewhere out of the galaxy. All of you should go, please, to stay safe — I don't want to lose any of you. But I can't go. You know I can't."

I had to make a heartbreaking choice, and this time there was no way around it. Despite Dad's varying efforts to get me to go with them — everything from demands, to bargaining, to guilt-tripping me — I refused to go.

"We'll be waiting for you," Mom said, wiping a tear from her eye with one finger. Next to her stood Dad, his eyes red-rimmed.

Throat tight, I couldn't answer. Taking a deep breath and steeling my courage to resist Dad's demands, I snapped off the datapad and closed the connection. My eyes stung. I drew a deep, shuddering breath and shook my head to clear it. Right now, I couldn't afford to think about Mom and Dad. If I did, the pain of leaving my family behind, and my birth parents' arrest, would overwhelm me. So, wasting no time, I read the next part of the legend:

"
The sixth warrior journeyed to the floating crystal shelves of Arie, which protect the mysterious cave of the sky-gods in a dormant island volcano below. This cave houses the treasure brought to Jantyr from the heavens, but the sky-gods harnessed the power of the shelves' Protection crystals so that none but their race may enter in. To protect our world from the turbulence of change when the device is activated, the warrior forged the Protection Crystal in the form of an unbroken circle.
"

When I searched deeper into the first of the floating crystal shelves, it became evident the crystal was stored somewhere on one of these shelves with a puzzle leading to it — a puzzle to be solved by the wielder. The puzzle came in the form of symbols glowing within the crystal walls, symbols even my ring wouldn't help me translate.

"That's weird. We should be able to read these symbols. This looks familiar, though, like maybe I learned this language when I was little. Korin, can you read this?" I didn't glance over at him. Instead, I stepped further into the room, intending to get close to the symbols and see if I could remember any of them. Before I took more than a step, Korin yelped a warning and grabbed me by the arm, spinning me to face him.

"What is it?" I noticed his suddenly tense, worried expression and glanced down where I'd been about to step, then back up to him.

"Wait! I remember reading something about this place — an assignment from one of my old tutors. It's dangerous here. We have to be careful where to step on this first set of shelves, because if you step in the wrong place, the whole floating crystal cavern shifts and turns. It could even turn upside down."

I swallowed and exchanged a nervous glance with Brian. One wrong move could throw us all off into the golden sea below. "What do we have to do?"

"I don't know."

Suddenly, the floating cave darkened, and only the symbols beneath our feet gave off an eerie silver light. I jumped, startled, and the three of us huddled together. In the darkness, I could make out faint lights marking squares in the crystal around each symbol. Seeing no sign of imminent threat, I stepped to my left. The square gave way, falling open to the ocean. I could glimpse sparkling sunlight far down, and let out a shriek. Brian pulled me back just in time, and I clung to him, heart racing.

Beside us, I saw Korin try another step, and this one held. "We have to step on the right ones! But how do we know which ones they are?" Glancing around, I tried to determine a pattern. Each of the symbols seemed to include familiar shapes — a spaceship, a strange crystalline being, what looked like a star map to another world, and weaponry. Together, we figured out the pattern: the spaceship first, then the star map, and finally the weaponry.

When Brian stepped on a square with the crystalline being, the whole cavern spun around, knocking us all perilously close to the cavern opening. I hit another crystalline being symbol as we spun, and the square beneath me flung open. With a scream, I stretched out my body across the square, making myself as long as possible to keep from falling through. That way, I could hold on long enough for Brian and Korin to pull me by my arms to safety. We soon learned to avoid the squares with the crystalline being, and this knowledge got us through to the chamber's end.

I slumped against Brian in relief when we made it to the far end of the cavern and could see the sunlight again. The lights came on just as suddenly as they'd gone out before, and the glowing symbols faded until they had disappeared. Ahead of us stood a small, round platform, with a glowing swirl pattern. It had to be a transporter; I was sure of it. Brian and Korin each wrapped an arm around me, and together we stepped onto the platform.

Glowing, swirling beams of light shot up from the floor, surrounded us, and lifted us up to the next floating cavern. In this second chamber, we discovered a video, a video of alien history. The history of the sky-gods. We got our first glimpse of them, true, fierce crystalline beings of clear blue-white crystal. We viewed an alien war on a red planet filled with a dark purple sky, orbiting a dim red dwarf sun. This war had broken their society, scattered them throughout the galaxy to dominate other civilizations. Their buildings were crystalline, like the crystals found on Jantyr. These sky-gods had introduced them here!

"I had no idea these beings had such an influence on our culture, our society," Korin remarked, leaning forward as he took it all in.

We found pictures that depicted family lineage, documents that showed images of their race mingling with the Jantyrians. The sky-gods had kept detailed genealogy records on the bloodlines for millennia, and now I could access writings on any person on the planet at practically any point in history.

"They are the ones who can use mirrors." I gasped, finding some symbols I vaguely understood.

Brian's ice-blue eyes widened. "Yes, I thought this said as much! So when the bloodlines mingled, some of their descendants inherited the ability."

I raised my eyes to his. "That's why a MirrorMaster is always chosen as the wielder, why some people from this planet can use an alien device!"

We let this revelation sink in, staring at each other in wide-eyed wonder. It explained a lot, but I wondered why nobody had ever figured this out before. Maybe we would never have made it in here if Brian and I didn't have some of the blood of the sky-gods flowing through our veins. I had no doubt the sky-gods had the technology to ward this place and keep it secluded from anyone else. Korin might only have been able to enter because he came with us.

"You two understand this language?" Korin asked, his expression shocked.

Brian and I both nodded, but it was Brian who spoke. "The genesis device is their device, meant to terraform Jantyr so they can inhabit it. Some of them may still be around, just waiting to stop Leah."

I swallowed, nervous at the thought. "Come on, then. We've learned a lot, but we've got to go before they get the chance."

"This is amazing," Korin said, soft reverence in his voice as he led the way further into the floating cavern.

"All this history is amazing, but being descended from them? It's a curse." I shook my head. "Why would they make a device that would destroy one of their own people just to terraform a planet?"

"I don't know." Brian wrapped an arm around me as we followed Korin.

At the end of the chamber, a labyrinth of clear, glowing blue crystal surrounded the transporter. On the floor were different symbols I couldn't make out yet.

"Are you sure we want to go in there? We could get trapped if we make a wrong move, or fall with no way to hold on if those crystal walls change. If there's a better way to get to the next place without getting killed, I think we should take it." Brian stepped back from the entrance, eyeing the labyrinth warily.

"We have to. Or, I have to, at least," I said, grimacing at the reminder of the dangers ahead. To save Jantyr, I had to keep going — I didn't have a choice. I would not let fear stop me. Though I didn't want to do this alone, I wouldn't ask Brian or Korin to risk their lives, too. "I'm not sure this place would let us use a mirror-portal to get to the next shelf. These beings wouldn't have made it so simple. You two could go back if you want, and I'll meet up with you later."

"I'm going," Korin insisted, leaning against the entrance and drumming his fingers against the outside crystal wall, making a show of waiting for us to make up our minds. He was the first to enter the labyrinth. "Come on. It'll be fun."

"Right." I stepped into the labyrinth after him, sparing a questioning glance back at Brian, who followed, brows knit in concern. We exchanged eye rolls and grins at Korin's thrill-seeking
,
"I-can-take-on-any-danger" attitude.

Once inside, a low humming sound thrummed through my body. It made my skin electric and woke up my senses. My hair stood on end, and I shivered. Tiny shocks prickled my palms as I rubbed my arms for warmth. Along the path in front of us were new symbols on the floor, not pictures this time, but writing.

"Any idea what the symbols mean?" Korin stared at the floor, rubbing his chin.

I shook my head. "None." Individually, the letters meant nothing to me. Seeing them in context on the computer screen had been what I needed to make sense of the writing.

We did the best we could, stepping from symbol to symbol at random, and for a while our luck held. Korin had managed to get several feet ahead. But then I tripped and stepped onto the square in front of me. The thrumming sped up, a low, jangling sound that set my nerves on edge. A crystal wall slid into place between us, leaving me and Brian trapped in one room with Korin in the other. The floor dropped from beneath Korin's feet, and I screamed, throwing myself against the glass as I watched him drop.

"No!" The scream tore from my throat. Tears burned in my eyes, and I blinked them back. I couldn't look away. He would die. He would die because of me.

Brian gripped my hand, and I met his gaze. He nodded. We turned back to watch, hands extended, as we created an energy net to catch him. I had no idea whether this would work through the glass, but to my profound relief, it did. We managed to catch him on the net, but now the floor was sliding closed. If we didn't hurry, it would leave Korin locked out with no way back in.

"Come on!" Brian encouraged, and together we pulled the net up, lifting Korin back inside just before the door closed beneath him.

I sagged against Brian, and we fell to our knees in exhaustion and relief. I placed a palm up to the glass between me and Korin, and Korin copied the gesture, placing his palm against mine on the other side of the glass. Then the cavern shelf began to turn and tumble in all directions, slamming us hard against the walls, the floors, and the ceiling. Not that I could tell any longer which was the floor and which was the ceiling. Maybe it didn't matter.

When the rolling stopped, I lay motionless on the floor — or maybe it was the ceiling now. My breaths came rapid and shallow, and I finally managed to open my eyes. "Ow," I lamented, groaning and dragging a hand to the back of my head. I'd hit it hard against one of the surfaces — I had no idea which — and now my whole head ached. There, my fingers met tender skin, and when I drew them away, crimson blood stained my fingertips. Everything still seemed to sway, so I closed my eyes again until the sensation passed. "Is everyone all right?" I asked.

"Fine. Can you sit up?" Brian knelt next to me, offering his hand.

"Yeah. I think so." Still holding one hand to my head, I managed to drag myself up to a sitting position. I bent my knees and leaned forward to rest my head against them, which helped lessen the pain to a dull throb. Shakily, I stood, grasping Brian's hand for assistance. Now the wall separating us from Korin had vanished. Running to him, I threw my arms around his neck. Both of us shook, our bodies trembling as we clutched each other like a lifeline. We rested our heads together, our breaths inches apart as we drew in the same air, and stayed like that for a long time. "You okay?" I asked after I managed to find my voice again.

Korin nodded against my forehead and rubbed my arms. "You're freezing cold! Don't worry. I'm fine." He laughed. "You're not going to lose me so easily."

"Me? It's like the arctic up here — but you almost
were
lost when you fell out." I shook my head, not wanting to think about it. Gazing up into his deep violet eyes, my own eyes lit with wonder. "How do you do that?"