by Gin Hollan
"Marble, you need to go hide," Arabeth said quietly.
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 at 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 the fox’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 onto the Lyar 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. Sebastian’s expression grew increasingly greedy as they went.
Soon someone wrapped a rope around Arabeth’s 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 Arabeth was too tired for it to interfere with sleep. She'd have a short rest, then get up and find 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 craned her neck down to check 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? No. 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. To 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 was 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, and how much danger her friends were in. But wasn't the place she woke up in a 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 was in there or in her pockets was all she had. 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, searching.
She'd look in on her friends. Then, if they were safe, she'd get Graham. Placing the purple crystal and a yellow one into the Lyar, 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 centre 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," Melanie said.
Arabeth wished that was as 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?" Melanie asked.
"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, Me
l. I'll be in touch."
Mel's instant trepidation had her contacting Graham next.
He was alone, so Arabeth pulled the yellow stone away from the flame.
"No, it's gone. I finished it last week. Someone else took them away to install them," Graham said in response to her questioning.
"Where? What are they planning to use them on?" Arabeth asked.
"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," Graham said.
"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, but something prevented her from seeing Melanie. She had to calm down. The panicked mind can't think, she chided herself. And 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? Speak up," 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," she said.
"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 over the center of the Lyar. 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 that had been used in the cave to close it. They 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 Andun’s head. The bombs 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 remembering? 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 a 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 lightning 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.
Every time she'd used the book, she'd been dreaming. If Sam and Andun hadn't noticed odd things happening, she would hardly believe it was usable.
What if it was different in reality? What if it was like the pistol or the Lyar, needing a specific item or place to work? Her already nervous system nearly went into overdrive at the thought. She was a tinker, sure, but she was no Gyver. She couldn't just pull out four random items and make a crystal device.
She couldn't do this on her own, and she hated the idea. Still, she had to stop the bombs somehow. Arabeth turned and ran back in the building, not caring who saw her.
"Melanie, help. I found them," she called out. A few people nearby gasped but didn't get a chance to point as Arabeth ran back out with Melanie right behind her.
"The bombs—can you see them? They're small."
"Yes, what do you want me to do?"
"The book Gregor gave me—hold it open so I can read it while directing the rain."
"Oh." She sounded relieved. She took the book from Arabeth. "Which page?"
Arabeth's mind went blank. "I— I'm not sure. Look for these symbols: a herd of bison, rain drops, and a lightning bolt." She needed to close the circuits on that page, and start whatever process brought rain.
Melanie flipped to a page and held the book up. "This one?"
It looked right. "Let's give it a try. Stay still."
With one hand, Arabeth ran her fingers along the words, repeatedly glancing from there to the sky and back. She used her other hand to stay steady. She imagined the rain they needed, coming in a fast, hard sheet and hitting the wall in a wave, washing the bombs away.
As she did, Melanie gasped. "It's working. I see clouds starting."
Suddenly someone snatched the book away.
"What are we up to, then," Sebastian said.
Melanie screamed and grabbed for the book. "Give that back."
"Thank you for the heads-up, Arabeth. That little ghost act inside was perfect."
Arabeth didn't let him distract her. She had the rain started but she still had to focus. The book wasn't full of chants and repetition. It was a recipe book and now she had to stir the pot. She pulled out one of the crystals she kept in her pocket and held it up, looking through it.
Melanie screamed again but was quickly muffled. Arabeth looked. Sebastian held her with one of his hands over her mouth and a gun pointed at her head.
All of a sudden, Sebastian started to twitch. Letting Melanie go, he collapsed to his side, convulsing. Andun stood behind him, his expression fierce as he held a pistol not unlike Arabeth's.
Arabeth turned away. She couldn't let this distract her. "Melanie, get inside." It was time to bring the lightning. The bombs now sat a hundred feet away. Not knowing how powerful these were, Arabeth hoped that was enough.
"Arabeth, move them farther away. There are tunnels there. The castle will still collapse!" Andun yelled over the storm that was now in full force.
How coul
d she do that? There was nothing to rush the water against to cause a wave. She was about to start the lightning when she saw Andun and Melanie both running out through the storm to the bombs. Picking one up, Andun threw it as far away as he could, then ran to the next one past Melanie. Melanie did the same. Arabeth couldn't move; she couldn't get there. Her mind was here, but her body was trapped in the Lyar.
As the last bomb lobbed away, it exploded. Who had thrown that one? Were they far enough away? Would the heavy rain have protected them?
"Someone help!" Melanie yelled. "Arabeth, get help. Andun is hurt."
She was a ghost running for help. Once people stopped fainting, running, and screaming, hopefully someone would listen. The advisor. He'd help. He had to. He had been inside. Wait, he'd been sitting with Sebastian. Arabeth hadn't registered that thought until just now. She'd seen them as she ran out. Still, someone would have to help.
Looking across the crowd, she spotted Gregor. He was here? Of course he was here. Arabeth ran over, having to dodge the startled people who saw her coming.
"Gregor, get help. Andun is outside, and he's hurt."
Gregor jumped to his feet. "Show me where."
Moments later Andun was lying on the floor of the main hall’s antechamber with a medic working as fast as he could. Gregor stood at his side, acting as a nurse.
Arabeth backed into a dark corner and took the moment to sit down on her heels, waiting and praying his wounds weren't life-threatening.
"Wait, Sebastian is still out there," Melanie said, grabbing a guard by the arm. "Get some men. The one who attacked him is outside. Arrest him."
As Melanie led them out, Arabeth stayed. She should pull the orange stone but if the medic needed another hand, she wanted to help. The room was empty except for Andun, the medic, Gregor, and her.
Already, the story of Andun's heroic act was spreading among attendees, and was met with varying degrees of surprise and pride. He would be a good king … if he lived.
// Chapter 40 //
SAM RAN INTO the room and went to Arabeth when he spotted her against the wall, not really looking at anyone. As he sat, she rested her head on his shoulder. His arrival gave her the sense of peace she'd been waiting for.