Melissa runs past me and splashes Jamie with some water from the stream. The two enter a water fight that has me backing up.
Finally, the fight ends when the young girl launches herself at Melissa and the two tumble onto the moss exhausted. Melissa eyes me as the little girl determinedly clings about her waist. “You’re filthy. Go wash up before this food is ready.”
I roll my eyes. “Yes, mum.”
Melissa sends me a smile and a wink. “Follow the river, it winds into the ferns. You will find more cover there.” She indicates the fish and the unlit fire. “This is probably about an hour away.”
I nod and turn around when Tash calls out. “Don’t get your hair wet!”
Oh yeah, I had forgotten about that. I lift my hand to my hairline, and my fingertips return smudged in black. I sigh. I will probably sweat out the charcoal before the day is over anyway.
I walk further down the small stream and follow it into the trees. After securing a private place, I strip down to my bindings and give my clothing a scrub before laying them across ferns to dry. Small clouds rise from my attire as the heat of the nearby lava fields seeps into them.
I eye the slowly flowing water and try to gauge how deep it is, my inability to swim ever present in my mind. It doesn’t seem to be any more than waist deep, and the water appears to be content with its lazy pace.
I climb into the cold water. A sigh escapes me as my body temperature lowers, I pull off my chest bindings, scrub them and lay them out on a nearby rock. Using a handful of sand, I undertake the extensive task of removing all the lingering dirt and grime from my body. I even scrub the mud from my face. It’s not like it was working anyway; Arnita figured me out pretty quickly.
I lift my hand to the small cut on my neck where her dagger bit into my skin. I shake my head, and with hygiene taken care of, I relax against the bank as the unhurried current swirls around me.
Light footsteps wake me from my doze, and Lexa walks into the clearing. She starts when she spots me laying naked on the riverbank and quickly lifts her eyes to study the ferns around us.
My stomach twists and my heart hammers in my chest as Lexa's cheeks take on an ever so slight tinge of red.
Lexa clears her throat. “Claire, I did not realize you were here, or I would have announced myself.”
Lexa politely turns her back to me, and I push off from the rock and climb out of the water. I slip on my almost dry clothes and run my hands through my braids.
“I am clothed now.”
Lexa slowly turns around, as if she is hesitant to catch me naked once more. “I apologize. Melissa sent me here to bathe. However, providing me with the information that you were here and currently in use of this area appears to have slipped her mind.”
The corner of my mouth quirks. “You know how Melissa is. I swear her middle name is trouble.”
Lexa nods. “Nevertheless, I apologize for intruding. You seemed…” Lexa's cheeks redden further. “Rather relaxed.”
“No need to be sorry. I was nearly asleep. You probably saved me from drowning.” I smile and wave my hand at the shallow stream. “I’ll leave you to it then.”
Lexa nods and begins removing her weapons and laying them by the water.
With a burst of courage, I didn’t know I had, I ask Lexa, “Do you want me to come back later to make sure you haven’t drowned?”
My heart hammers in my chest. Did I really just ask that?
Lexa freezes and visibly swallows then with great effort she finally replies, “That will not be necessary.”
Something inside me deflates as Lexa turns her back to me, and for some reason, I am reminded of Arnita. I turn to leave the clearing.
Lexa's voice follows my footsteps, “Perhaps another time.”
###
Large blue eyes sneak glances at the roasted fish in my lap. I peek over and find hers picked clean. Jamie quickly looks away and stares at her feet, her long blonde hair falling over her face.
I pass what is left of my fish to the small child beside me. The young girl looks at me, her eyes impossibly wide. “Thank you.”
I smile at her. “You can thank me by growing into a big strong woman.”
The little girl smiles, revealing a missing front tooth. “I already grew this much this year,” she divulges as she holds her thumb and forefinger apart to visually demonstrate her growth.
I ruffle her hair. “You will be bigger than me in no time.”
Jarmile smiles at me and mouths, “Thank you.” as she pulls her daughter in for a tight hug.
Lexa enters the clearing. Her wet hair hangs free as she determinedly avoids my gaze.
Miss Q rushes towards us in a blur of black. When she stops, I feel a little dizzy, and my stomach is unsettled from following her rapid movements.
The Quelton holds up a knapsack. “This is…” a pause. “Was Arnita’s. Inside the bag, I found these.” A furry paw dives inside the backpack and returns holding three small white crystals, which flash slowly in her palm.
Lexa frowns. “They look like the crystals we use for light.”
The Quelton shakes her head slowly. “I forget how little you know. Of course, it is not your fault the knowledge was stolen from you.”
Nathanial kicks out his feet. “Well, don’t grumble about what we don’t know. Just tell us already.”
Miss Q flashes him a look that reminds me of an adult reprimanding a child who has spoken out of place. Nathanial retreats a little but holds his ground.
The Quelton flexes her empty paw, and I swear I hear a deep rumble from her throat. She takes a moment to compose herself, and she begins her explanation, “These crystals, when correctly used, can transmit messages across long distances to other receptive gems.”
I inch forward on my rock and look up at Miss Q. “How does it work?”
Miss Q smiles at me and glances at Nathanial. “This is how a young Kit should ask questions.”
Nathanial grunts. “You behave as if you are decades older than us.”
Miss Q narrows her eyes. “I have seen ninety-three summers.”
Nathanial sneers, and Lexa steps in, her voice oozing with deep authority, “Nathanial, go see to the fishing lines.”
Nathanial opens his mouth and shuts it. “Yes, Alexandra.” He rises to his feet.
Lexa's beautiful face hardens, as she once more becomes the leader. “I will inspect the lines myself when you are finished.”
Nathanial nods, probably realizing his little rebellion in using Lexa's full name will cost him in the near future.
I glance at Lexa. Sometimes it feels like there is two of her. The Lexa who is a leader, and the Lexa I have grown to care for.
Nathanial stomps off, and the Quelton watches him go. She returns her gaze to me with a kind smile. “Now, you asked how these work.” I nod. “When these crystals are arranged in a triangle they can be used to transmit and receive messages.”
Miss Q arranges the gems as she speaks. The crystals flare into life, and miniature beams shoot out of them towards a point in the center.
I jerk back in surprise, and the Quelton takes hold of my wrist. “It’s okay, this is how the gems are supposed to behave when they are about to relay a message.”
I nod and watch as the beams all come together to form a vibrant image of a cloaked figure with a black empty space where its face should be.
“We have sent a unit to collect 1408.” The faceless figure rumbles. “If she is there, you will collect your due reward.”
The image suddenly disappears, and the crystals are dormant once more.
The Quelton scoops them up and hands them to Lexa. “This is how Arnita betrayed us.”
“Do the crystals send messages to all crystals or just specific ones?” Lucas asks timidly.
Miss Q rummages through the knapsack and pulls out a piece of paper. “Very few crystals are capable of transmitting messages to all gemstone clusters like the ones we have here.” She indicates the stones in Lexa'
s hands. “But crystals can connect to just about any other crystal cluster if you have the right connection code.”
“Connection code?” Melissa questions.
Miss Q nods. “If you arrange the cluster in a triangle like we did before and say a certain phrase or number, it will transmit a magical message to a particular cluster.”
Lucas rubs his face. “How could Arnita know the code for the cluster that sent the guards after us?”
Miss Q holds out the paper. “Because she took this from my belongings.”
Lexa takes the page, and I catch a glimpse of my face and my brand number in large print. Lexa reads aloud, “Report your sighting’s to ‘Enforcer One.’”
Lexa's eyebrows knit together. “These messages can be transmitted as long as three of these crystals form a triangle, and the correct words are said?”
Miss Q nods.
“Are all crystals like this capable of sending messages? Even ones that have been imbued to give only light?”
Miss Q takes a moment to ponder the question. “No, they would have to be imbued with the magic for messages in order to send a message.”
Lexa visibly relaxes.
I feel tension spread through my shoulders. “Can they be imbued with enough magic to do more than one thing?”
“Certainly,” Miss Q replies. “As long as the gifted individual possesses enough power to imbue the crystal with both.”
Lexa's eyes lock with mine. “The rebel compound was filled with these. We gathered them over time.”
“And some of them were packed set in triangles,” Lucas states. Lexa nods and folds her arms over her chest.
“When does the message end?” I ask Miss Q.
Miss Q raises an eyebrow. “When you move the crystals out of alignment.”
Something heavy drops into the pit of my stomach. “Once the crystals were running it would have been a continuous transmission to whatever cluster they had been linked to.” I turn to Lexa. “Were you aware of all the gifted in the compound, were any of them on the teams that put those crystals up?”
Lexa shakes her head. “Only those who had come forward on their own. With their lives constantly at risk, I would not have forced anyone to reveal such a secret.” Lexa rubs her head. “I have been a fool.”
“What are you two talking about?” Tash cuts in.
“Nathanial was right,” I state.
Lexa looks at the group. “We were betrayed.”
Chapter Twelve
Magic goes both ways
“You’re saying that when the guards found us in the compound and attacked with a well-trained army that someone told them where we were, and that Claire was there?” Melissa recaps.
Lexa perches on the rock next to me. “It is the only explanation for how they disabled our defense systems and attacked at one of the few times we were unprepared.”
Tash gapes at us. “It would only take a few well-placed crystals to send a continuous stream of everything important that took place within the rebel camp to Darkmor.”
Lucas shakes his head. “But how did he find us? Most rebels don’t ever leave the compound and they are brought there in secrecy. Very few could find their way back to it.”
I shake my head slowly. “The missing Chimera.”
“What about it?” Melissa asks.
“They are used for tracking,” I say. “It could have led the army right to us.”
Silence settles over us and I look at Lexa as my heart thumps in my chest. I finger the necklace hidden in my pocket and say, “The cave in with the Chimera, our meeting with the elders, our late evening in the mess hall.”
Lexa rubs her face. “Darkmor could very well know we have two of the gems already.”
The Quelton nods. “Darkmor may be aware of the gems, but there is a good chance he doesn’t understand their significance.” She dumps Arnita’s bag on the ground, and a small tin rolls out. “From what my ancestors recall, he wasn’t a good student, and this drove his master into blind rages.”
Lexa gives the Quelton a small smile. “That adds a small spark of hope, but we cannot run off it. We have to assume he knows. To underestimate him could lead to our doom.”
I lean forward and pick up the tin that rolled out of Arnita’s old bag. Slowly I unscrew the lid, and a skin-colored cream fills about half of the small tin. I poke at it experimentally, and it sticks to my skin.
I rub the cream between my fingers, and it blends in with my skin covering a small scar on my wrist.
“Keep it. It will cover the scar on your face well,” Miss Q announces. I jump, not realizing my explorations had been closely watched, and I mumble a thank you as I slide the small tin into my pocket beside the healing paste that now lives there.
A whistle sounds in the distance, and my stomach twists. I glance at the smothered fire and relief surges through me. It is good that the rest of my group cooked earlier.
“They have expanded their search,” Lexa comments.
Lucas chews his nail as he too peeks into the dim cavern. “I think they really want Claire.”
Miss Q looks up at the cavern roof above us. “We should sleep amongst the ferns. I doubt they will find us here, but there is no sense in risking it.”
I climb to my feet and stretch. Lexa smiles at the group. “Get comfortable under the ferns by the bathing pool. I will join you presently,” She sighs. “I have some fishing lines to inspect.”
I move with the rest of the group but stop when Miss Q calls out, “Claire, could you please help me carry these?”
I turn to eye the small pile of belongings piled at the base of a tree. I nod and begin stacking items inside a half-filled crate.
“How did you get all this stuff up here?” I ask.
Miss Q raises her eye brow. “Why do you think I was stopped at that particular spot on the road? I have been using this place to store supplies for a while now.”
Miss Q set about stuffing items into the now ownerless backpack. I am about to lift the crate when a soft furry paw touches my arm.
“Claire. Do you know what Darkmor wants you for?” Miss Q asks.
I shake my head. “I have no idea. I assume it is because I escaped.” I pause and eye the Quelton. “He took my mother just before I left, something about an investigation regarding her lineage. And the goblins who captured us said something about Darkmor needing me.”
Miss Q nods. “I suspected as much.” A pause. “I am so sorry about your mother. “My blank face seems to prompt the Queltons into an explanation. “My theory is that you are part of the bloodline that defeated the sorcerer and used magic to banish him down here.”
“My family has no magic,” I mutter.
Miss Q raises an eyebrow. “And how do you suppose you have been activating that magical crystal of yours?”
I swallow. “We don’t know.”
The Quelton hoists the bag onto her back. “Whether or not you are part of that particular bloodline, it is evident magic once existed in your family. It is possible it has been dormant until you.”
I silently lift the crate. My family magical? It doesn’t seem possible. Suddenly, I am reminded of my mother’s claim that she is clairvoyant. Maybe it wasn’t just intuition?
“Darkmor, like everything the sorcerer created is trapped down here by a powerful spell,” Miss Q says as she leads me through the ferns and into a low overhanging cave. “When a powerful spell is cast,” she continues. “Especially one that persists through the death of a caster, means there is a blood bond. If Darkmor were to break this spell, he would be able to leave Shadowsoul and his magic would spread like a plague throughout the world.”
I nod and place the crate down beside her backpack before we head back to the clearing to collect the rest of her stuff.
Miss Q twists her hands. “The only thing that can break a blood bond is the same blood that began it. This blood must come from a living being.”
I stop short. “You’re saying Darkmor wants me for my
blood?” I shake my head and keep going. “But he has my mother, so if living blood is all he wants, then why would he try so hard to get me… unless...”The blood runs from my face, and I sit down hard. “No,” I murmur.
Miss Q crouches beside me and gently rubs her paw in circles on my back. “I am so sorry,” she repeats again.
“No,” I beg. It can’t be true.
I look up at Miss Q and her solemn face. A terrible pain flows through my chest and tears sting my eyes. Gone. Just like that, no more conversations. I will never see her warm smile again. I conjure an image of my mother’s face in my mind and my pain spills out in a wave of tears. I do my best to memorize her face, her blue eyes, brown hair and everything about her.
I put my face in my hands and tears flow unchecked. It cannot be possible, not my strong, wilful mother. What did they do to her?
I force air into my lungs and attempt some composure, but anger replaces my grief as the reason for my loss burns through me. They killed my mother. All for a twisted being’s grab for more power. I wipe my eyes furiously. I will kill anyone who put their hands on her. I swear it.
Miss Q presses a small thumbnail sized tube into my hand. “I know you are going through a lot right now, but I need you to listen to me.”
I wipe my face, but the silent tears keep coming. My heart aches like someone has stepped on it and misery flows around me like water in the stream. I take a deep breath and look up at the Quelton.
Her eyes are filled with tears too. “I am sorry I must ask this of you, especially now.” She pauses. “In this tube is an extremely potent powder. It is quick and relatively painless. If you are ever captured by Darkmor and there is no hope for escape...”
“You want me to kill myself.” I cut in with a dead voice.
Miss Q looks at the ground. “If there is no other option. Yes.”
I look at the small tube in my hand. My death in a tiny pocket-sized capsule. How convenient.
“Ideally, I want you to survive, to vanquish Darkmor completely. After connecting with you, you’re one of the few humans I actually like. But Darkmor's magic cannot be allowed to spread.”
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