The Crystal Curse

by Gin Hollan

  "I think we should take another detour," Andun said.

  "Why is that?"

  "I'd like to play with assembling the parts first."

  "Feeling nervous?"

  He shrugged.

  "That's fine. What's closer than the city you wanted?" Perhaps she oughtn't to have mentioned assassins.

  "The potential automaton army tromping after us will have trouble with forest. Let's head east."

  She nodded and turned. It was still a fair distance into the trees, but they still had plenty of daylight. Arabeth pulled out some dried chicken for Marble, wondering if all the riding was making her fat.

  The smell of food set her stomach to rumbling, but she'd forgotten to buy nuts and other travelling food. She missed having access to a kitchen, where she could make cereal bars and other portable food. Even a boiled egg would be welcome right now.

  Rushing from here to there wasn't doing her any favours, she thought. The frustration of failing to get back home, of finding out home was in danger if she did go back, and of her friend's odd behaviour changes were wearing her down.

  Andun was the only way she saw to re-stabilize her life. "And he is taking the long way there," she grumbled to herself.

  As they neared the trees, the grass became greener. Taller. Healthier.

  "I don't see a water source. Why is the grass doing well so near the trees? They should be competing for resources." she wondered.

  "We haven't figured that out."

  "Why not plant more trees?"

  "We tried. They died off."

  "And it's got nothing to do with water sources, does it?"

  He shook his head. "I suggested it had to do with the crystal fields that were plowed under at the end of the war, but the experts say it’s unrelated."

  "The King is attached to the land. I've read that a hundred times, but I thought it meant ownership. I wonder if it's bigger than that."

  Andun scowled. "That would be... interesting, but unlikely."

  A low fire-glow came into view as they rode into the bush. They dismounted and eased forward cautiously to get a look. Once her eyes had adjusted, she found herself staring at Sam, Melanie, and the prince's little sister. A fourth shape came out of the darkness around the fire. Graham? What he doing here? He joined the others around a campfire, casually sitting as though they'd been waiting for her and Andun all along. They didn't seem... solid, somehow. Instead, they looked... ghostly, as though they were spirits.

  // Chapter 32 //

  A crystal cut didn't make you hallucinate, did it? Arabeth rubbed her eyes. This had to be an illusion. She checked her cut and saw it was dripping, slowly, but she needed to do something about it. She turned and hurried out of the trees. Besides, she was seeing things in there. Things she shouldn't be.

  "Hey, wait," Andun called out.

  "Arabeth, wait," a voice sounding like Melanie said. A jolt of adrenaline hit her and she jumped back up on Davin, nudging her to hurry.

  Davin felt her tension and took off at an easy trot. A moment later she heard a horse in pursuit. She squeezed Davin, urging her to go faster. It must be Andun, she thought. Good. The further they got from whatever that was, the better. She passed Sam on the road, but didn't slow down. This Sam looked normal. The other one was ghostly.

  "Arabeth, what's wrong," Sam yelled as he turned to follow her.

  She blocked his existence from her mind, confused and adjusted her balance to help Davin run well. His horse was taller and faster and he soon overtook them, crowding in to make them slow down. Stopping, Arabeth looked at him, heart pounding in her chest.

  "What is your problem?" Sam reached down and took the nearest of Davin's reins out of her hands.

  "Are you kidding me? I see you sitting there with Melanie, Graham, and Andun's little sister, and I'm not supposed to freak out?"

  "What are you talking about? I only just caught up to you two."

  She reached out and tried to take the reins back, being careful not to jerk Davin's head. Failing, she climbed off and took the reins.

  "Arabeth," his tone softened. "You said Melanie has cut off communication and you left me on the open road. You're running from people that couldn't possibly be there. Can we be rational for a moment?"

  "No less normal then your suggestion that Andun is a fake."

  "I am here, not in the copse."

  Arabeth had to stop. Her senses had to have deceived her. Still, she needed this to make sense.

  "There are technologies and powers here that I don't understand," Sam said. "I'm pretty sure we are not immune, and you trust Andun. Let's go ask him."

  "I don't want to go back into those woods. Not to that spot." A chill twitched down her spine.

  "I understand. We can wait outside the edge, but we can't abandon the kid to his own devices."

  "He said he needs to assemble the key in there." Her pulse settled as her adrenaline eased up, and her mind cleared. In a way, she couldn't believe her own ears. When had she ever been a coward? Sam must've been thinking the same thing, from the expression on his face.

  "You can trust me. Don't run again."

  Arabeth knew she couldn't make that promise but she forced herself to swallow her fear and remember how many years Sam had stood by her. Slowly, she nodded. "I don't want to go into the trees."

  "Maybe travelling next to a saddle bag full of defective stones is what's doing it."

  "No, they seem to be fully recharged and I'm not seeing extra people out here." How did these ones charge in the dark of the saddlebag, she wondered.

  "You only see them in the dark?"

  "Just in there. Nowhere else, whether it's dark or light."

  He frowned. "Your exposure is probably at a level that lets you see your hallucinations in dim light, but not brighter light."

  She rolled her eyes. How could he be so obtuse?

  "I will agree that I need sleep, but I am not going back into the woods."

  "Fine. Let's get you to the edge. I'll go in and fetch Andun." He dismounted and handed Arabeth his reins.

  She nodded once. As long as he didn't push, she'd be alright. He could explain to Andun and they'd go a different way.

  Andun met them part way, shaking his head. "The fire won't go out. It was a risk, but the key is built now."

  "That place has a purpose? Is it witchcraft?" Arabeth wondered as she dismounted, careful to not unseat Marble.

  Andun paused, his expression shifting from satisfied to sad. "It is a Lyar grave."

  "A what?" Sam and Arabeth said at the same time.

  "From the war, when you were sent in to exile, there were people that used the crystals to impair the mind, repair the body, or change reality. They were used to do terrible things in the war and when it ended, they were hunted down. When found, whatever building they were in was burned and buried, usually with them inside. The areas were cleared and trees planted, to keep them from being used as farm land, or other things."

  Arabeth's face blanched.

  "And nothing grows in those spots?" Sam asked.

  "Right. We don't know why it burns, though. I would have let it rest, but it took Lyar fire to put this together." He held his hand out close to his chest. On it sat a five inch solid black sextant. Well, it was mostly a sextant. Frowning, Arabeth leaned forward to look closer. There were with three separate clockwork mechanisms inside three copper circles between the place where the index mirror sat and the graduated arc below. There were a series of four movable glass filters along the front, as though it was part microscope. The curious part was the crystal inside a clear tube acting as the drum. The entire thing seemed to shimmer with the same blue of the crystal.

  "So, it's done. This is your key?" she asked.

  "It is."

  "What does it open?"

  "I'm not sure. I take this to the Governing Council to prove my claim." He sat down on his heels and spread out a small cloth on the ground. Taking the sextant in both hands, he pulled a small pin from the
rear brace. The entire thing fell apart. Drawing the corners of the cloth together, he bundled it and tucked it inside his coat. "It was taken apart and scattered around Vensay at the end of the war."

  "The war was 150 years ago." Sam said, only mildly interested in Andun's device.

  Arabeth reached out and took the device, holding it up to sight, moving the lenses, then gave it back. "Impressive. I understand basic sextant use, but what are the clockwork parts about? I presume they're not decorative."

  "No, every part has a role to play," he said. "I think they work like a combination lock."

  "Fascinating. You used something in the copse to put it together?"

  "I assembled it as we went, but the shard had to be lit with that fire." He said, softly.

  An image of her friends around that fire jumped to the fore of her mind. "Did you know they were here?" she asked.

  "Who?"

  "Melanie and Graham are in there, right?" They looked like ghosts, but it was definitely them. "And your little sister. They looked like ghosts, so I panicked, I'm afraid."

  "You saw someone in there?" He stared, eyes squinting at her. "Your friend, Melanie... can we trust her?"

  "Yes, but why do you ask? I thought Seers were automatically loyal to the crown."

  "She wasn't raised in our culture. I'm not taking anything for granted."

  On one level Arabeth was relieved to see her friends. On another completely separate level she wanted to sneak away and pretend she hadn't.

  He smiled. "This is good. I'm sure that you feel as though you've stepped onto the moon, but all these things are understood to us, and have been part of the world since it began. Behind the mountain, this knowledge was kept from you. For everyone's safety."

  "I thought I was going crazy," she whispered.

  He laughed.

  "Now, wait a minute." Sam turned. "You're saying they burned people alive in their homes over these crystals - over what they could do?"

  Andun held up his hands and backed up a few steps. "I wasn't there, obviously. I'm relaying history, that's all."

  Sam looked at the opening in the copse then walked past him, pushing his reins into Andun's hand as he went.

  Andun watched him go then turned back. "I didn't want to say this in front of him, but with the right crystal, you could talk to your friends. If you saw them, then you can talk."

  "I'm starting to hate this question, but how does it work?"

  "Crystals are all about resonance and a stack of others things I didn't pay attention to when my tutor explained it. That there are people alive who are more powerful than Seers... that's exciting, but it puts you in a lot of danger if anyone finds out."

  The Lyar didn't terrify her now. It actually seemed practical, and that was something she could work with. "At least I'm not hallucinating."

  "I wouldn't tell anyone about this, if I were you," he said, hesitantly.

  "You're kidding me? There is no way I'm telling anyone."

  // Chapter 33 //

  How Marble had managed to stay with her was easily attributed to the claw marks on her shoulder now, and the tear in the collar of her shirt. Lifting her down, she set Marble on the ground and pulled out more treats.

  Marble was not simply irritated. She seemed angry, if a fox could get angry. Arabeth sat cross-legged and stroked her, determined to not move from that spot until Marble was calm again.

  "Are you sure you won't go back in? This may be a good chance to talk with people that can help," Andun said.

  Arabeth shook her head and continued to focus on assuaging Marble.

  "I'm not sure what good it would do. If I tell them what we're doing, they'll worry more than they may already be."

  "I can't put that fire out," Sam grumbled. "No amount of dirt stops the burning. What is in that soil?"

  Arabeth shrugged.

  "Can I choose other people to talk to?" she wondered. "Those folks may have been at the fore of my mind, and therefore, I could talk to them."

  "They're the ones least likely to fall over from a heart attack at seeing a ghost," Sam said.

  "I should let my mother know trouble is sniffing around our borders is something exceptional and odd, and we are not ready for it" Arabeth kept her voice soft, soothing as she continued to pet Marble. She'd settled down onto Arabeth's lap and was cleaning herself. "She'll think I've invented an odd visual communication device, so it won't be a problem reaching out to her."

  "But what would you say?" Sam shook his head. "I think you would only confuse her."

  Sam didn't know her mother ran a spy network on both sides of the mountain? That surprised Arabeth. The prospect of suddenly becoming her mother's most valuable spy pleased her.

  The prospect of beating her arrogant little sister at her own game had its appeal, too. Now, not only did she have first-hand information about what was going on out here, but she had the future king with her.

  Had her mother's spy network made it out this far? They'd never directly talked about it. Arabeth was too... provincial, or something. Too happy in her bubble, is how her sister phrased it. Unsuited to the world of information gathering and subterfuge was the other phrase.

  If she hadn't stumbled into one of their planning meetings, she still wouldn't know.

  She uncoiled her fists, shocked that she cared as much as she did. When had she ever cared about spy work? This was probably just the comfort of familiar old grudges. She needed to let them go.

  "You're awfully quiet," Sam said.

  "I'm trying to talk myself out of doing something stupid and childish, and failing."

  Sam chuckled.

  "Andun, can I try to reach people I can't see in there? What makes it work? And why hasn't someone rebuilt the Lyar? It seems terribly useful."

  "There's no reason to rebuild." He shook his head. "What you're doing is supposed to be impossible."

  "When you kill off everyone with even a slight pre-disposition, that definitely narrows the odds," Sam said. "But it seems you missed one."

  "I didn't kill anyone off," Andun said.

  "So, communicating like Seers is allowed, but this isn't?" Arabeth asked.

  "It's too dangerous," Sam guessed.

  "Technically, the minute we get to the city, I should have you arrested," Andun shrugged.

  "But you won't."

  "Not when you're on my side," he laughed. "Strategy and tactics." He tapped the side of his head.

  Arabeth smiled, hoping he wouldn't want to talk about it. So much for fitting into that world. She was a tinker, and something of a horsewoman, but that was where it ended. That's where her interests lay.

  "Tell me what you saw, exactly," Andun said.

  "It was like they were ghosts. Faded, with white and grey edges." Arabeth shuddered.

  "Do you think they can help?"

  "I had a thought. It's kind of obvious, though, so I doubt it will work."

  "What is it?" Sam asked.

  "If we can convince people that Andun is a decoy, they'll divide their resources attempting to confirm or refute. It would increase the odds in our favour."

  "You mean, you want to try implanting thoughts, like a Lyar?" Andun frowned.

  "Actually, I was thinking of asking Melanie to relay it as a message," she said. "I don't know how to do that other thing."

  "That's a better idea," he seemed relieved.

  Arabeth went to Davin's saddle bag and tried to figure out which was the crystal Melanie had given her. She'd need to be desperate to try a direct mental connection, by the sound of it, especially when she was exhausted. The other crystals had all reacted well to the red one she'd put in there and were all looking healthy again, in a variety of colours. She filtered through them, realizing for the first time that there had to be more than a hundred of them in there, each one ranging in length between her largest and smallest fingers.

  Her hand brushed one and she realized she'd found it. Pulling it out, she really didn't know what to do to start communic
ation. Melanie used it to send her information. Could it work in reverse? She looked at Andun. As the King, he should be the most highly educated person in his age group. She needed to think of him as a resource, not as a kid nearing adulthood.

  "Andun, how self-directed were your studies?" That was too ambiguous, she thought. "I mean, do you know how, at least in theory, to send a message using one of these?"

  Andun cleared his throat and walked over. "It was all theory. As you know, royals are sensitive to these so I can't actually touch them." The look on his face was of longing, as though he really wanted to try it.

  Sam looked sceptical. "Have you tested that? It could be those in power have been trying to limit your access to information, or communication."

  "Yes," both Andun and Arabeth said. Sam's eyebrows lifted.

  "I had a few out while we were riding and he nearly fainted."

  "I wasn't fainting," Andun grumbled. "I'm susceptible."

  "Sorry, I was trying to be delicate." Arabeth pulled a few more out of the bag.

  His hand shot up to his forehead almost immediately.

  "Suffice it to say, we will be going around any crystal fields we find."

  "But you were alright near the Lyar?" Arabeth suddenly realized he was fine there. He even waited for them near the fire.

  Andun frowned. "Yes... I was... good."

  "Did you see anyone there?" They both knew what she meant.

  "No, but I wasn't looking either."

  "Trust me, I wasn't looking," Arabeth said.

  "Maybe they were looking for you," Sam suggested.

  "How does it work? Were the Lyar operators psychic?"

  "Mentalist abilities are charlatan acts. This is different. You're familiar with radio. It's like that, except that crystal are always active," Andun said. "They can also, according to legend, open doorways to places." He looked a little haunted at the thought.

  "Melanie has what she needs to broadcast, to continue your metaphor. What about Graham?"

  "If he took any of the crystals with him, it's possible. They have always been highly regulated, and normal people know better than to tinker with them."