by Gin Hollan
“Maybe another day,” she said.
“I'll take that as a promise. I know where to find you, if you forget.”
Arabeth laughed. Something had changed in the past few months. Penny was a false friend in school and became a stranger after that. She didn’t have two minutes she'd knit together for Arabeth, but today she wanted to meet for coffee. Everyone wanted something from her these days.
Back home, she looked around for Marble out of habit, knowing she was probably in the workshop nest with her kits. When Marble pushed her little door open, she stopped to stretch and yawn, then looked up at Arabeth.
“Hello sweetie,” Arabeth went over to her, sitting down on her heels to pet her. “How are youngsters doing? I hear them playing a little, but they’re still too tiny to let out. I’ve been thinking about names for them—what do you think about Doxie for the little girl, and Slate for the boy, since his colouring is more marbled than yours?”
The fox gave herself a shake then jumped up on Arabeth's knees. Standing, she carried her like a baby, rubbing under her chin and behind her ears until Marble turned and jumped down.
“Did you want to play?” Arabeth asked as she retrieved one of Marble's favourite toys. Laughing as Marble chased a small, stuffed toy around the kitchen, batting and tossing it around, Arabeth felt her mood improve.
She picked her up again and rubbed the soft fur of her belly. “I guess you've missed our playtime a little.” Setting her down, she sighed. “I'd better get busy. If I'm getting company this afternoon, there's a few things I need to get done first.”
Arabeth watched as Marble went back into the workshop, presumably over to the large box on a far, bottom shelf that Arabeth had set up as a nest for the trio.
Bringing her mind back to the task at hand, she headed out to check the condition of the crystals she'd planted out in the back yard. She left the door open just in case Marble needed her.
An unexpected guest lay lengthwise on the walkway, facing the crystals.
“Graham - what are you doing?” she asked, scowling.
Hearing her, he stood quickly, brushing the dirt off his clothes. “They're doing well, it seems. I guess the soil here suits them.”
“What are you doing here?” she scowled.
He down looked at his hands clasped in front of him. “I … uh … I know I'm not welcome. I'm sorry. I can't apologize enough, but if I talk to anyone else, they'll lock me in an asylum.”
“And how is that my problem?”
He looked stunned for a moment. “You don't want me to make it a problem for both of us, do you?” He looked pointedly at her little crystal garden. “How would others see this? It’s not an odd art project. It looks like you’re summoning aliens.”
“People won't think anything out of the ordinary. I submitted a study on crystal refraction last month, stating that my ongoing research could be viewed by permission and with an escort.”
He huffed. “Look, I just need someone to talk with.”
“So, I should sit across a teapot and not think about your betrayal?”
“Be fair. You learnt about the King after we parted. So did I. I trusted the wrong person. You can’t tell me you’ve never done that.”
She had to grant him that. The most glaring example was her deceased husband.
“Sebastian told me your mind had been influenced, ‘touched' or something. He blamed the crystals.” He slowly turned his eyes on the field. “They are beyond my comprehension. You know that makes me nervous.”
“Does that mean you've decided a little experimentation in this area is warranted?” she asked, a little impressed that he'd decided to face his fear. It wouldn't restore his reputation to her, but it was something.
He nodded.
“Well, stay out here if you like, but lock the gate behind you when you go. Without the silver in your bloodstream, I'm not sure it'll work on you, but there are other uses for the crystals. I have work waiting, so be careful,” she said, going to the nearest crystal. It had grown an inch taller and at least that in width in the past week. “They really do like the soil here.”
Pulling out a match, she lit it and held it behind the crystal. The colour had also intensified. She'd worried that size would diminish power, but these were growing well, as far as she understood. She shook the match out.
As she waved her hands over them and her shadow moved away, they seemed to shimmer as the light hit again. She could play with them all day, she giggled. They were so beautiful. At times, she could almost hear a voice from them, like they were humming. Each had a tone, a timber. It almost seemed like they waited for someone to give them full voice. That had to be her imagination.
“Hey!” Graham bumped her arm. “Snap out of it. You've been 'communing' with those crystals for a half hour now.”
“How long?” Arabeth stood, frowning.
“And you were … glowing. Can I say that about a single woman?”
Arabeth's expression broke into a grin. “Define glowing.”
“As a scientific observation, I would say that the mist from the crystals infused you and you radiated colour as light through a prism. When observing you with my lenses, there was a distinct shift and pattern in the colours that changed according to the combination of lenses I used.” He tapped his goggles, now an ever-present accessory, even about town. “I would suggest you don't interact with them alone, or at least tend to your potential biological needs first. For example, eat. Your stomach raised quite a ruckus, with it's growling and gurgling.”
Arabeth felt her cheeks heat up with the level of his inspection. “I'll take that as a friendly tip and thank you to not observe me quite so closely.”
“I was sitting over there when I heard it.” He pointed to a set of wooden crates near the stairs into the house twenty feet away.
“Well, they're interesting. That's all there is to it.”
He shook his head. “Now and then you'd mutter something. When I walked over, you acknowledged me, but immediately dismissed me when a shimmer hit you, like you were in conversation with someone.”
“No one was sending messages, if that's what you mean.” She held her hands out in front of her, examining her skin colour. “I seem normal.”
“Now you are, but look - they're also dormant.” He nodded toward the field. “I must confess … these things healed Melanie's injury … would they help me get rid of the fake memories? I still see the city as rubble … and worse.”
Arabeth's eyebrows lifted. “Your perception is altered?”
“I can't explain how, just that Sebastian did something to me using crystals and since that day, I see the world as destroyed or decaying.”
That explained why he'd become a recluse. Arabeth looked out over the field. It couldn't hurt to try, right?
“Tell you what. Come inside and eat. When we're done breakfast, we can come out and try a few different things. You're sure you haven't got an implant, or similar item stuck inside you somewhere?”
He shook his head. “I have no scars.”
“Alright, let's go inside. I'm guessing you're in need of sustenance yourself. Let's shore up your reserves, just in case you wind up napping for days.” He was looking thin, anyway. A startling change from the pudgy, self-content gadgeteer she'd known.
“So, this is different from the implanted memory technique I've heard about,” Arabeth said as she stirred a pot of beef stew the maid had prepared the day before.
“Yes, it's active, not memory, as though a filter has been placed over my eyes.”
“And there's no chance this is precognitive.”
“Do I look like I have visions, like a priest? We both know that couldn't happen.”
She shrugged. He was just Graham - quirky but certainly not insane or priestly. Well, maybe a little crazy. “I'm having Nate put together one of those communication booths. Maybe a Seer can find a solution for you.”
They fell into an awkward silence and Arabeth stared at the stew as
she stirred. She supposed the things they’d learned and experienced in Vensay gave him his first true exposure to fear. How could Graham be healed of that?
“I feel normal. That's the nasty part of this. You'd think that the false veneer overlapping my reality would give a displaced sensation. It doesn't.”
“No signs at all?”
“Only the disparity between what I see and what others tell me.”
Arabeth shook her head slowly. She couldn't imagine how helpless he must feel. She served the soup and they ate in silence for a moment.
“Do you remember the distant clusters of trees we passed as we went through the plains areas?” She had no one else to talk about Vensay either, and he'd at least been over there. Maybe that would be common footing, a basis for trust returning.
“Yes, it's where farmers put boulders when they cleared their land for use.”
“Here, sure, but there … they have a completely different purpose. In the center of some clusters, there is a clearing, and in the centre of that clearing is a T-shaped terminal holding a crystal powered device. If you put different crystals in the control area, you could see different places and interact with the people in those places.”
He frowned. “Don't tell me about it. Your field is as much as I ever want to know about crystals.”
Stopped by his expression more than his words, she went back to eating, feeling her loneliness increase again.
“Wait, there is a place … I haven't been there since I was a kid, but there's a clearing,” he said, looking up at her. “It's a clearing among the trees, but I saw the thing you mentioned. A t-shaped pedestal with the emblem of Vensay on the side.”
“Really?” If there was a lyar here, she'd have to find it, as soon as possible. Her body started to tingle with anticipation.
“It's in the mountains, out near the ocean. A short gap in the mountain's edge like a roofless cave leads to an open grove.”
“How long do you think it would take to get there?” She didn't mind that he was repeating himself. That's how memory worked.
“You'll want to ride. It's a day's hike, otherwise.”
Any opportunity to ride was welcome. She'd take Kate, and leave Devin retired in the field. She thought of Devin as Sam's horse, anyway. He'd named her.
“Are you going to stay around? Penny threatened to stop by for coffee sometime today,” Arabeth said, pushing her now finished bowl to the side. Graham did the same.
“I will hide in the backyard; there are a few things I want to try before we move on to your ideas. I recommend you put up a note and get out while you can.”
“Thank you for understanding,” she said, slinging her satchel over her head and one shoulder to cross her body.
Arabeth stepped out, sticking a note in the corner of the window, explaining her imminent absence to Penny.
“Making a run for it, I see.” Penny's voice came from behind her, causing her to wince.
“Now who's being rude? I told you isn't good day for meetings of any sort. It's probably a bad week.” She crumpled the note into her satchel and pushed past Penny on the narrow step. “Do you still start your lunch break at 11 am? We can talk then, if things settle down for me.” Her excitement over the potential lyar coloured her decision, but she didn't care. “I'll check with you next week to see if we can line up some time.”
Penny's expression as Arabeth walked past gave her a chill. She'd forgotten that look. When Penny was denied something she wanted, she gave a cold smile but said nothing.
“We're adults now, Penny. Let's act like it,” she said in a voice she hoped was clear and loud as she walked away. Penny could plot all she wanted … but wait … everything was different now, in ways no one but Arabeth understood. She felt laughter rising up and fought to contain it. If she found a lyar here, she could easily dodge Penny's scheming.
// Chapter 3 //
KATE SEEMED EAGER to get out into the countryside and stretch her legs. As they ground flew beneath them, Arabeth hoped this worked out. If she found a lyar, she would activate it.
She wanted to see how Andun's changes were going and spend some time with her friends. She might even be able to pull one of them over to the Blastborn side for a while. Probably not - she'd heard it was dangerous to move living creatures that way, although she'd been successful at it before when she rescued Melanie and Gregor.
The salt air from the nearing ocean told Arabeth she must be close now. Graham had said it was hard to find, requiring a bit of a hike up into the thick of trees. On the plains, she spotted the unusually large maple tree standing out at least 50 metres from the forest of pine trees. There, she veered sharply into the other trees. The footing of the steep mountain's edge soon convinced her to dismount and lead Kate in.
It wasn't long before she started to think they were in the wrong spot. Nothing in the area opened up to a grove, and more than once she found herself navigating a small rock slide area. Maybe she hadn't gone high enough. She veered up, further into the bush. When she checked her pocket watch, she couldn't believe the time. It was nearing supper. Surely she ought to have found it by now. Hesitating, she started to turn around. She'd have to get better directions from Graham.
Her steps became slower as they walked down, taking a more direct route than she would have normally. She had to talk to Graham. This time they'd use a map. She'd mark this as the wrong spot, too. As they walked out onto the plains, Arabeth started to feel weak. Her legs and arms trembled and she felt on the verge of tears. Why? This was a simple hike, no harder than what they'd been doing in Vensay.
Sitting on her heels, she opened her satchel and pulled out her water bladder. It was empty. And her snacks were gone too, so it wasn't hunger. Admit it, she thought. You needed this to be real. To be true. Go talk to Graham.
There was a distant rustling and the sound of cracking branches behind them. It was brown bear country, she knew. Brown bears were small but still bears. Arabeth mounted and let Kate pick their pace.
Looking back, Arabeth looked for any gap or clearing that hinted there'd be a grove within. The tree line did not vary and she wondered if Graham had been seeing things. She fidgeted as she rode, causing Kate to swish her tail and twitch her ears as she became increasingly bothered. She moved into a trot, jarring Arabeth, forcing her to think about her riding and balance. It helped. Arabeth calmed and eased Kate back to a walk. Graham should be back at his house by now. The sun was getting low as sunset approached.
With Kate untacked and turned out, Arabeth looked over at the now sparkling crystal field across the fence between pasture and back yard. A moment later she was calm and turned to ensure the gate was closed before deciding to watch the shards as they started to fade. Teal were her favourite. They'd stay lit longer than the others.
A shape in the twilight caught her eye. “Graham? Good. Come inside. We need to look at a map.”
“You didn't find it, judging by your tone.”
“No, but I don't doubt your memory of it. I'm going to set up a grid and search for it properly.”
“Ah, good plan. I hope you don't mind, but I raided your pantry while waiting.”
“Of course not.” At least he had been eating. It had seemed a struggle to get him to eat the stew earlier. “Does Daisy know you're here? She must be worried about you.”
“Daisy? I'm sure she's fine. I left her work to do but she's gone home by now.”
Arabeth frowned. Weren't they close? Why push her away when she was the only human immune to his abrasive personality?
“Alright, I need you to point out again where you saw the lyar. I missed it somehow.” As they walked in, Arabeth heard the rapid scurry of little paws and looked for Marble. She spotted her running out her little swing door then back inside to the soundproofed side room to the left.
Arabeth made a mental note to check on her later and brought out a map, spreading it across the kitchen table. “Show me where you were. I went to the tree you mentioned, close to
the ocean, near the end of the mountain range.”
“Odd. You should have found it if you went directly left into the mountains from there.” He pointed at the lone Maple on the map.
Marble came back in and walked to Arabeth, circling her and rubbing her legs, asking for attention.
“But what about this tree?” She spotted another lone tree further along, then a third, noting they were spaced out equal distances apart. Someone had intentionally planted them, it seemed.
“Ah, wait, yes. I'm sorry, but it could be any of them.”
“I'll try again tomorrow.” She bent down and lifted Marble up, holding her in her arms a moment.
“Good, good,” he said. “So, about your crystals … can I try them?”
She frowned. “Try them? How do you mean?”
“Well, I've never actually walked into an active field. I think we both remember my reaction when Melanie fainted. I'm curious though—will they heal me, like the healed her? She had memory problems and other side effects of her … surgery. Yes, she became a Seer, but even if someone doesn't get changed, will it heal them? I'd like to find out. Maybe they can clear my head.”
“I doubt it could harm you.”
“Do they think … I mean, they wouldn't resent me for the way I behaved, right?”
Arabeth laughed. “They're not sentient. It's a resonance that makes them what they are and gives them special traits we can use.”
“Oh. Oh, I see. Well, that's good then.” He seemed to breathe a little easier after her explanation.
“But it'll have to wait until I get back from the mountains,” she said, cautious. “You will want me here, in case you go into a long sleep. I don't mean to put the Lyar ahead of you, but you're doing alright, aside from seeing things a bit funny, right?”
His pause made her look at his face. He seemed to be struggling to accept her decision. “Are you sure? It won't take long, right? We'll try first thing in the morning, as you walk to saddle Kate. If I pass out, you can quickly drag me inside and toss me on your chesterfield.” He paused and looked away. “Please.”