The Crystal Curse

by Gin Hollan

  A sudden weariness swept Arabeth. Voices grew louder until she had to cover her ears. Pushing Sebastian's hand off her arm, she moved back into the area illuminated by the crystal and was immediately relieved.

  She glanced back at Sebastian. She'd better say something he wouldn't get excited about. "Are you doing well? Are you in Owen?"

  "Oh, well, sure. They've given me a suite at that hotel, and I come and go as I please, mostly."

  "That's good to hear. Tell me what happened back home."

  He froze, staring at her, then shook his head. "You wouldn't believe me. It looks as though an army of those automatons swept through, destroying everything from the northeast corner down."

  "They only hit the northeast side?"

  "In an expanding arc out from there."

  "Like a signal radius. A rounded edge of attack?"

  "Exactly. What are you thinking?"

  Arabeth didn't answer. Signals, radio or otherwise, needed a transmitter. Someone must have created a portable signal booth, like the one Melanie worked from but on wheels.

  "I don't know yet. I'm getting close, but there are a couple facts that don't line up."

  "Alright. I want to get back to work before someone comes in and sees me talking to a ghost."

  "Okay, I'll be in touch soon."

  Arabeth reached out and took the crystal, placing it in her pocket to sever the connection.

  "Interesting," Sebastian said.

  "Boring is more like it," Maralise yawned. "It's just a visual version of the audio transmitters."

  "Because that's what your sister wanted you to see. Open your eyes, girl." He turned to Arabeth and stared at her a moment. "What else?"

  Arabeth shrugged. "I'm no expert. I thought that was amazing as it was."

  "He could see you. If you were holding a map, or some other thing, he would be able to see it as well, right?"

  Slowly Arabeth nodded. "Well, yes."

  "Interesting," he said again, his face twitching as he thought it over. "Maralise, get me a picture of someone your sister won't know. I want to see if she can talk to strangers as well."

  Maralise handed her a picture of an older man in a box-collar suit. Arabeth examined his face closely then closed her eyes. This man was about to get the shock of his life, if this worked. Her friends were at least accustomed to that strangeness of invention. This man looked... conservative. Stoic, even. Ah well, people often posed for posterity shots.

  Pulling the crystal out of her pocket, she set it on the ground and stared at the photo. He popped into view all of a sudden. He stood in front of a younger man, head bowed like a servant, as he wrung his hands in front of him. Arabeth fought the urge to put a yellow crystal out. And a blue one.

  Sebastian stepped up and took hold of Arabeth's arm. "Mitchel. Mitchel can you hear me?" he said.

  "Who is that?" the man startled. "Ah, Sebastian." He poked the young man in the chest. "You, go. Remember what I said."

  "Mitchel, you can hear and see me?"

  "Yes, yes. Where are you?"

  "How else - I have a crystal mage." He sounded smug. Arabeth stopped herself from rolling her eyes.

  "You have a what, then? Truly?" He walked forward toward Arabeth and reached out. His hand passed across her, but didn't make contact. "This is it?"

  "Yes, she's a recent discovery."

  "Fantastic."

  "I wanted to show you something. Can you see this?" he held out a paper, facing the man. Through the paper, Arabeth saw the words New Boundaries and a map of the continent.

  He leaned forward, looking it over. "Sure can. Is this what I think it is?"

  "It is. I have phase one well under way, but I need to find that brat."

  "I'll let Harold know his turn is coming up."

  "I'll talk to him directly. I need to clarify something."

  Was she hearing right? They were taking over the various countries, one at a time? Did that mean hers was next? And she was stuck. They could find Andun like this, and they could direct others to capture him. Arabeth's nerves kicked up again. She had to stop this Lyar, or at least be more in control of it. She pictured her horse, blocking the image of Mr. Mitchel. He faded and she saw home. It looked fine from here.

  "Stop that. Get him back," Sebastian squeezed her arm.

  "I'm tired. This is exhausting. I can't focus." She played the fainting lily when in suited her. Right now it did. She looked for Sam. He was unconscious still, but lay on a rug to one side within the copse. This was going to be her home for the next while, wasn't it? She slumped down to sit on her heels. "And hungry. I'm definitely hungry."

  Sebastian's arm dropped as Arabeth sat, staring at her horse. Maybe she shouldn't use this exact horse, she thought. The mare was living with Arabeth's parents, and if they came into view, or saw her, that could be a problem. She reached out and took the crystal, placing it in Sebastian's hand so he felt like he was still somehow in control. It was, in part, a threat. If he placed the crystal, fireworks. She needed a break and he couldn't force her.

  Arabeth cleared her mind, looking instead at Sam. She stood and walked over to sit beside him, leaning back against a tree.

  Inside, her mind raced a mile a minute. Outside, she had to be weak. She needed to buy time. His next step would be to find Andun. She couldn't let that happen.

  She lifted Marble off her shoulders. She still wore her tracking collar. As Arabeth fed Marble some of the last of her dried meat, she made up her mind.

  "Marble, you need to go hide."

  The fox looked at her, head cocked to one side.

  "Hide in the trees," Arabeth repeated. She'd taught Marble what hiding meant. Would she understand trees?

  "You," Sebastian pointed Grace. "Get her some coffee. We're not stopping for a good, long time."

  Sebastian walked over to where Arabeth sat and crouched down. "You don't seem to understand your situation. We are going to fix this broken world - the world your ancestors destroyed. You are going to be written in history as the one who did penance by assisting me. This is a turning point, and I will create a brilliant new future out of this moment. No one will write that your friend there lost a leg in the process. And a hand. Maybe an ear. History is written by the victors, after all."

  He saw himself as a clear-minded, highly-educated, self-controlled man, and therefore the perfect leader. The urge to mess with all those hyphenated labels was too strong.

  Arabeth smiled and rubbed Marble behind one ear then tucked the rest of Marble's dinner behind the tree. Marble followed it. Arabeth smiled. That was almost hiding. And it was probably good enough. Hopefully she'd stay there.

  "Smiling, are we?"

  "Sorry, what did you say? I wasn't listening."

  He smirked. "Let's get you back to work." He stood and grabbed the shoulder of her jacket, yanking her to her feet.

  Coffee arrived shortly after and Sebastian held out a photograph. "I want to see this place."

  Arabeth placed the purple crystal again and focused on the details of the photo. It came into view and Sebastian clapped her on the back.

  "That's perfect. I have a series of locations we need to check. This will save days of travel."

  After a few different places, Arabeth was feeling weak and nearly fell over at one point. Someone brought her a chair. His expression grew increasingly greedy as they went.

  Soon someone wrapped a rope around her torso, tying her to the chair, holding her upright. When she couldn't keep her eyes open, Sebastian held her eyelids up.

  When she couldn't hold her head up, he finally let her rest. They cleared everyone out of the Lyar, carrying Arabeth to one of the tents.

  How could it be so exhausting to look at a photo and think about it? She really didn't understand. And every location was deserted. Why was he excited about that? Sebastian paced, excitedly outside his tent.

  Every part of her ached, but she was too tired for it to interfere with sleep. She'd have a short rest, then get up and f
ind Sam. She had an orange crystal tucked in one pocket. She'd take him and they'd jump through to somewhere else. Anywhere else. She fell asleep the instant her head hit the rough pillow they'd put down for her, but not without noticing the gentle puff of breath as Davin checked on her.

  // Chapter 39 //

  Somewhere in the haze of waking, Arabeth knew she wasn't in the Lyar anymore. She sat up and looked around. Marble, Sam, Graham, Melanie, Andun, and Maralise were with her. Maralise? Really? What made her think bringing Maralise was a good idea? And wasn't Andun in the middle of a time-sensitive mission?

  They all lay sleeping in their day clothes, on the sand of a long, smooth beach. How had this happened? It couldn't have been... she pulled her satchel open and saw a tag sticking up out between a couple pages. Opening it, she saw the same text that had taken her and Marble to an unknown desert. Had she done it again, in her sleep? Besides, it was backwards. She wanted to get rid of Sebastian and his gang, not run away, as her sister accused.

  She lay back down to think. Remember. It was still dark out, except for a sliver of light off the moon. A moment later she heard horses and wind in trees, and knew she'd been transported again. Opening her eyes, she saw she was alone in the centre of the copse.

  Shivering, she stood up and moved to the nearest trees, intending to follow the edge until she got out. A whimper near her feet stopped her. Marble! Okay, that's one. Now, where was everyone else? A dark shape on the other side of the clearing turned out to be Davin, contentedly munching on tall grass.

  She needed to find the others. The gap through the trees was missing. Surely she hadn't moved trees to fill that space? That shouldn't even be possible. A suggestion of what was going on hinted itself, but she dismissed it. It took half an hour to find her way, but as she peered outside, she stared, hating that her hunch was correct. There was no one out there. This was a different copse.

  A chill swept through her and she wrapped her arms around her middle. Turning, she started to recognize where she was. This was near the cliff with the life-like mural, near the gypsy settlement. Her hands started to sweat as she realized just how far away she was now, how much danger her friends were in. But wasn't the place she woke up Lyar?

  She circled the trees, looking for a way in. After what she was sure was three passes, she chose a thin trail, barely wide enough to lead her horse back out when the time came.

  If she was where she thought she was, the location of that first crystal field made sense now. It had seemed so random when they first encountered it.

  The trees gave way and she found herself back in the clearing where she'd woken up. Did she have her crystals? She had her satchel. What she had in there or in her pockets was it. Of course, she could go out and find the field, but she had no idea how far that was from here, and she didn't want to spend half the day traipsing about, looking.

  She'd look in on her friends, then, if they were safe, she'd get Graham. Placing the purple crystal and a yellow one, she waited for them to lift up off the ground. Nothing happened. Why? What was wrong with this one? She was certain this was a Lyar. It had all the expected indications of being one. Were they supposed to be lit?

  Arabeth looked for something to start the fire, then remembered transferring her flint to the backpack. The backpack that was still in the hotel near the other Lyar. That wouldn't help at all. She was no wilderness person. How could she start a fire?

  Desperate, she dumped the contents of the satchel on the ground. Marble came to look, picking up bits of snacks that had fractured off. pushing Marble to the side, Arabeth spotted a waxed matchstick bundle. she'd been meaning to test those in damp conditions. picking them up, she divided the bundle into three, hoping four matches would be enough.

  They lit easily against the rough stone and she set them in the center under some small dry twigs and leaves. The Lyar caught the flame, flaring up in a kind of momentary dance before settling down to the even two-inch flame she expected. Arabeth smiled and stepped back to the edge, oddly pleased with herself.

  She replaced the crystals and thought first of Sam but changed to Melanie. She was probably safe, right? As Melanie came into view, she saw Andun as well. They were sitting in a large library, and all was calm. Relieved, she was about to switch to Sam but Melanie suddenly sat up and turned around, as though she could sense someone was watching.

  "Arabeth, is that you?" she whispered. "Follow me." she stood and walked to the ladies washroom. She went into one of the stalls and waved out the door for Arabeth to follow.

  When she shut the door, Arabeth put the yellow stone in her pocket. "What's up?" she asked.

  "Good news, Andun is going to be acknowledged tonight. The key worked."

  Arabeth wished that was a good as it sounded. Now that she knew Sebastian's plan, she wanted to tell Melanie, but couldn't risk saying it out loud, even in a bathroom stall.

  "That is good, Mel. That's great news. Don't let your guard down though. Sebastian is still planning something to interfere."

  "Should we hang out with you until then?"

  "No, this technology is still too new to me. I don't entirely trust it."

  "I should go then," Melanie pushed the door open. "You be careful, too. Were you able to stop Graham?"

  "I don't know. I talked to him, but I'm not sure he understood. Thanks Mel. I'll be in touch."

  Mel's instant trepidation had her contacting Graham next.

  He was alone, so Arabeth pulled the yellow stone.

  "No, it's gone. I finished it last week. Someone else took them away to install them."

  "Where? What are they planning to use them on?"

  "Bolsway castle." he said flatly.

  "Wait, that's the current royal family."

  "And?"

  "You're going to let those people be murdered?"

  "I'm sure they'll evacuate. It's only fair, after what they did to Blastborn."

  "That wasn't them, Graham." He'd been fooled, but how could she prove it. And what did it matter - the bombs were gone. "I have to go."

  She closed her eyes a moment, then opened them, thinking to warn Melanie. She hadn't said where the coronation would be. It couldn't be in the castle, could it?

  At the last second Arabeth remembered to put the yellow crystal back in place. Something prevented her from seeing Melanie. She had to calm down. The panicked mind can't think. This was a thinking tool. Inhaling deeply, Arabeth slowed her heart rate and again imagined Melanie.

  "Mel," she whispered. "If you're in Bolsway castle, get out now. There's a bomb."

  "What?" Melanie whispered back. "It's noisy in here. The crowd is huge."

  It must be time for Andun's coronation, Arabeth realized, her breath came shallow as she prayed she wasn't too late.

  "There's a bomb. Graham already sent it. Get everyone out of there, before it's too late."

  There was a slight rumble and Arabeth saw the building shudder, just slightly. How could she stop this? She whipped around, going to Gregor's book. Maybe she could transport the bombs away. She had no idea what they even looked like. How would she find them?

  "Melanie, Graham's bombs are at the castle," she yelled this time.

  "Where?" Melanie asked.

  "I don't know. They're designed to bring the whole place down, in one even motion. Get everyone out, now. Tell them whatever you have to."

  "I can't get to Andun."

  "But you're a Seer."

  "That doesn't matter here."

  "I'll contact him myself. You get out," Arabeth said, closing her eyes and switching to Andun. This was exhausting, but she had to try. Was she still weak from Sebastian's trial by fire yesterday?

  "Andun," she said, her voice not as loud as she'd hoped.

  He smiled as he saw her. "It's time," he shook his arms out, helping with his nerves. He looked amazing in his formal clothes. "Thank you for all your help. I won't forget it."

  "You have to..." she started, but he'd turned away and started walking.
Soon he was out of sight. She couldn't follow, looking like a ghost. She'd get him dethroned all by herself, if she did.

  There had to be another way. She pulled her view back into the copse and placed the yellow stone. Returning, she ran to the exit, hoping there was space inside her reality to do this distant thing.

  As trumpets sounded and a cheer rose up, Arabeth spotted a line of metallic globes along the base of one side. They resembled the explosives they'd used in the cave to close it. That had to be Graham's work.

  She hurried over to pick them up but hit something she couldn't see. Trees. She must have reached the tree line. Now what? Maybe they were waiting for a dramatic moment, like when the crown was placed on his head. They could go off at any second now. She looked around to see if anyone was half-hidden at a distance and potentially holding a detonator. The place was deserted. Maybe there was a timer?

  Arabeth tried to work her way between trees, but they moved her farther and farther away. She needed an idea.

  If this was a week from now and she were thinking back, what periphery thing wasn't she thinking? The book... that was an odd idea. Was there something in there she could use to reach the bombs, or to move them away? Like to a deserted island, she realized. Laughing, she turned back and went to get it.

  If this worked, life would never be the same for her. This would be straight-up magic. She'd never had as secret this big.

  She couldn't think about that right now. Time was literally ticking away. Graham's devices usually had one flaw - they were susceptible to water. He liked to make fuses and other parts out of toughened sugars. They were parts designed to break, he'd told her. Sugar was perfect for that. If she used water... rain, for example. Andun's coronation would be seen as blessed because of the drought. She could wash the bombs away from the building, where they would safely explode when the sugar dissolved. She'd let lightening take the credit for that.

  It was risky. She'd have to swap the yellow crystal for an orange one, meaning if something went wrong, she'd get blown up with the building. That was fair, she decided. She was potentially risking those inside. Melanie wasn't telling people to leave the building, or if she had, she'd been ignored.