by Gin Hollan
"Wait, what is going on?" Arabeth asked.
"Nothing nefarious. The boy used to escape his keepers and head this way. I put him to work, as befitting his cover story of being an orphan in need of an occupation."
Seeing their confused expressions, he laughed again. "I’m the blacksmith for this town. It's not uncommon in smaller places. I'm also the mayor. When there are only two thousand people, you tend to take on more than one role."
Sam extended his hand in greeting. "It's good to meet someone we can trust."
The man's usually jovial expression shifted. "We owe his parents a debt. This whole town does."
"Sir, if you would loan us a horse, we will bring it back. Right now we have urgent business that prevents us from taking advantage of your company longer," Arabeth said with what she hoped was the right mix of respect and urgency.
"Half of my horses are here because this boy would escape on one, then be taken away on the back of someone else's, but I have a better idea—one that won't leave you looking for a stable at the other end. There is a train that goes past here. If we put the flag up, it stops. Where are you headed? I'll take good care of your horses, but promise me you'll come back for them."
"Yes, sir," Arabeth said, at a loss.
She wished they had time to pick this man's brain for any and all information related to recent history. She had questions that she couldn't ask Andun. He was too close to the situation, and some of the questions might be sensitive.
As they waited, the man pressed a crystal into Arabeth's hand. "What are you doing?" she asked as he held tight.
"Wait," he said.
As Arabeth watched, the crystal slowly changed from clear to blue, then shifted into a radiant turquoise. His smile grew as it did. "I hope you won't mind me calling you, should the need arise."
Arabeth was still trying to understand what had just happened. She felt a little lightheaded. "Um, no. Anytime ... you can contact me anytime."
In the back of her mind, Arabeth wondered how she would even start to explain this to her parents or anyone outside the trees, really. There were too many things about it that seemed like magic. Her family hated magic. They didn't deny its existence, but they, as well as the rest of Blastborn, had a significant hatred when it came to even the mention of the word.
Looking out across the horizon, Arabeth imagined she could see the entrance to Owen, even at this distance. She knew it was her imagination, but the land was flat and lifeless, with only the occasional small grouping of trees, as if to break the monotony. Soon they'd have to get off and finish the distance on foot. They could sneak in, find Graham, and devise a plan.
Thoughts of this being Sebastian's trap crossed her mind, but she couldn't imagine why he would care enough to go to the trouble. Not over a small box of crystals, surely.
This had to be the advisor’s doing. He must have found out about Graham's connection to her, and her connection to Andun.
"You know ... I think we should take the horses. We'll be back, but there's something about being trapped inside a high-speed projectile that can go wrong in so many ways."
"You don't seem to have a problem with the shuttles," Sam leaned close to whisper.
"They're concealed and a highly guarded secret," she whispered back.
He stared at her a moment, then nodded. "All right, let's go by horse."
* * *
Arabeth sat with one hand on the red crystal as they rode out, praying Melanie would send more information. Graham must have had a reason for coming back. It itched at the side of her mind—why was he back? He'd been so desperate to leave.
It struck her then—she'd abandoned any thoughts of going home. Maybe because she had Marble, Melanie couldn't go back, and Sam was here with her. She had no real reason to go home, except to be there. That did have its appeal, but there was no rush. Now that her family knew she was safe, she'd stopped worrying. With the right questions, this adventure had become quite interesting.
Still, why was Melanie being so quiet when their friend was in trouble?
Grumbling to herself about this bizarre habit of constantly checking for messages that weren't due or coming, she pulled the crystal out of her pocket and dropped it with the others.
Looking out over the horizon, there was endless dry land where even tumbleweeds struggled to survive. They were to travel northwest until they hit a patch of trees, then veer southwest.
Marble had decided to stretch her legs, jogging alongside them.
"Wait, I have to go back," Sam said. "I forgot something."
"We'll ride ahead," Arabeth said. They were already losing enough time by riding instead of taking a train.
"I don't think that's wise," he protested.
"Andun, ride ahead. I'll catch up," Arabeth said.
As Andun rode away, Arabeth turned to hear Sam's explanation. "Why don't you want us to go yet?"
"Seriously, I forgot my coat. The weather's been pleasant. I don't think it's rained once."
"Alright. Why do we have to come too?"
Sam fidgeted with his glasses, adjusting them, then taking them off to wipe them and put them back on. It was trying Arabeth's patience.
"I know I’m all gadgets. I can't sneak to save my own life. I can't lie without giving it away and you're worried about saving Graham too. I'm not going to get better if I don't try."
"Is that really something you need to get better at?"
Arabeth smiled and rode her horse over to stand beside his, facing the opposite way. Lifting her nearest hand, she cupped the side of his face a moment. "It's nice that you care so deeply. Thank you."
"And what about the kid? How are we going to keep him safe?"
Arabeth didn't have that answer. "Maybe we should swing by Melanie's."
Sam coughed. "You want to get him killed?"
"No, of course not, but...."
"If we're going, we need to go direct."
"Fine. You're right." She turned to catch up with Andun, wondering why she felt compelled to check in with Melanie. She was safe, right?
Andun slowed, turning to see her ride up.
"Why are you in danger before assembling the key?"
"I don't think I am, but you would be," he said.
"They're not after me."
"We don't know that. I've had some time to think over what you've told me of your travels through Vensay. Between Sebastian, the friars, your cousin from Owen, your friend with the crystal affinity, and meeting me, you have information that no one else does. That specific information gives a temporary yet powerful advantage to those holding it."
"Be that as it may, why would anyone care?" Arabeth asked.
"Your lack of affiliation until you started helping me puts a target on your back. Now that you are affiliated, all opposing are nervous," Andun said.
"Again, why?"
He snorted. "Well, if nothing else, you have an uncanny instinct for coming between the powerful and their goals."
Arabeth had to laugh at that. She'd never heard it put quite that way, but it was true.
"And I think you may be my lucky rabbit's foot. Everything has gone forward reasonably smoothly, thanks to you."
"You're the one who said this was all too easy."
"I think that has more to do with you than with fate or enemies laying a trap."
"Lucky rabbit's foot." He grinned and shrugged. "Your friends are unique as well, and in interesting positions of influence…." He frowned, looking at her backpack. "Your bag is glowing."
Stopping, she pulled it off and opened it. "Whoa ... the crystals are all bright." They looked almost normal again, as though the one active crystal had influenced them. She wondered what was the key was. "Resonance or time?" she wondered, pulling out two of them. They weren't as clear as the red one, but if she had more of the good ones, would they react to them as well?
Andun slowed to see what had caught her attention.
"Hey, where did you get so many shards? Those ar
e a controlled item."
"Sebastian was disposing of them. He'd irradiated them and said they'd become useless."
"The friars refused?"
"You knew about that?" She raised her eyebrows. "I doubt they knew this could happen."
The colour change could mean they're regenerating, or it could mean nothing, making them shiny, decorative objects," he said.
"Or decoys," she thought aloud.
"I need to assemble the key." Andun laughed. "We need to speed up, but our destination is over there." He pointed to an uneven line across the horizon.
"There doesn't seem to be anyone after us, at least," she said, looking around.
"They have a limited range."
"Who do?" Arabeth asked, frowning.
"Automatons. They can only go for about an hour before they have to recharge."
"We're being chased by automatons?" She couldn't believe her ears. Surely they weren't being that obvious about their course of travel.
"They're guided remotely and powered by crystals. They can't work at night because the crystals drain so fast, and they need sun to recharge."
Batteries. She'd heard that was a use for the crystals. Maybe that was why the one in Blastborn had been so easy to subdue.
"They wouldn't hurt Sam, right? I mean, they're after you...." Arabeth's breath caught in her throat.
"As long as he doesn't try to interfere with them."
As they neared a large stand of trees, Andun slowed his horse to almost a standstill.
"What is it?" Arabeth asked.
He wavered in his saddle a moment. "Dizzy. I'm dizzy."
Arabeth reached out to steady him. "What's wrong?"
"I can't stay awake...." He turned and saw she had three crystals out. His eyes went wide a moment before closing again. "Put those away."
Arabeth quickly stuffed them in the saddlebag, feeling a sharp pain as she did. She barely turned in time to grab Andun’s arm as he leaned heavily the other way.
He sat up, rubbing his temples. "I wish I wasn't so sensitive to those things. It's annoying."
"I had no idea that was a thing. Crystals are new to me." She checked her hand and saw it was bleeding, badly. She opened her satchel and pulled out a stretch of cotton to bind it. "On that topic, do you know what a memory clone is?"
He gave a bit of a shudder. "It's where someone else's memories are implanted on a layer more accessible than your own, as though they became permanent short-term memories. The only way to break it is to talk with people you only knew during the time of the overlap. Apparently it's quite traumatic. I'm a little ashamed to say, my parents sponsored that research."
Andun’s explanation was a little different than what Sam had said. Either way, the ramifications were startling.
"How do you know...? Is there a way to detect it?" Arabeth asked.
"That's just about the only good part of this whole thing. Every now and then they'll speak a sentence completely backwards. That's why this tactic hasn't been implemented," Andun said.
"What would you do if you found out you were a memory clone?"
"Seriously, as a royal? I'd grab a journal and start writing down every memory I have of the past year or so. That would be pure gold. When the memories finally decayed, who knows what would be in that journal? It could be worth money or a commutation of sentence, if I handed it in without divulging the contents to others."
"Or an assassin's next paycheque."
"That's always a risk." He laughed.
Again, Arabeth’s mind went back to Sam. Was she really all right with breaking off their engagement? Was he being as obtuse as she thought he was? If so, why?
"I think we should take another detour," Andun said.
"Why is that?" Arabeth asked.
"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 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 snacks. 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 restabilize her life. "And he’s 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 out loud.
"We haven't figured that out," Adnan replied.
"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 here 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," she mused.
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 Arabeth’s 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 WOUND didn't make you hallucinate, did it? Arabeth rubbed her eyes. This had to be an illusion. She checked her injury and saw it was dripping blood, slowly, and 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’s said. A jolt of adrenaline hit her and she jumped back up on Davin, nudging the horse 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 farther they got from whatever that was, the better. She passed Sam on horseback 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. Sam’s 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 Sam returned 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 rationa
l for a moment?"
"It’s no less irrational then your suggestion that Andun is a fake."
"I am here, not in the trees."
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," Sam said.
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 saddlebag full of defective stones is what's doing it," Sam suggested.
"No, they seem to be fully recharged and I'm not seeing extra people out here," she said. But how did these ones charge in the dark of the saddlebag?
"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," Arabeth said firmly.
"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 all right. 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 asked as she dismounted, careful to not unseat Marble.