The Crystal Clipper

by B. Roman

  At once alarmed and elated, Saliana moves toward David. “My father sent you? Is he - is he all right? Nothing's happened?”

  “No, no. He's fine,” David assures her. He wonders why he can't stop staring at her. Then he notices the rose crystal pendant she wears around her neck, and it hits him.

  “You look so much like Sally. Just like Sally.”

  Fourteen

  Saliana's puzzled expression asks, “Who is Sally?” But she voices a more personally pressing question. “Did you come to take me home?” David reawakens to the mission at hand, which is rescuing the frightened young damsel in distress who stands before him.

  “Your father seems to think I can. I'm not sure how.”

  “It will be impossible.” All hope seems drained from her, perhaps long ago. “Even Father could not rescue me from him.”

  Remembering her song lyrics, David shifts the subject again. “How do you know about the Moon Singer?”

  A thoughtful expression crosses Saliana's face. She considers this question a moment. “I don't know, really. I began singing the song when I was first imprisoned here. It just came to me one night. I feel it has a special meaning, so I continue to sing it. Do you know the song?”

  “No. I don't know. There's something familiar about it. But I know the Moon Singer itself. That's the name of the clipper ship that brought me here.”

  “You sailed here?” She is at once bemused and contemptuous. “Why would you want to come to our island? It's such a terrible place.” Her tone then becomes wistful.

  “But it wasn't always. Once there was a lot of music and singing. Everyone was so happy, so alive. But now…

  “Who is Sally?” she asks, focusing back on David's earlier comment.

  “It's a long story. I'll tell you after I get you out of here.”

  “But how?”

  “The same way I came in. The rope hanging down the Tower wall. Come on, quick.”

  David takes Saliana's hand and leads her out of her chamber to the hallway, then to the window he entered from. He steps out onto the ledge, ready to assist her over and down to freedom, but he stops short.

  “Holy cow - wait!” David pulls up the rope and it's only a few feet long. It's been cleanly cut. “I thought it was too good to be true.”

  “So did I.”

  “There must be some other way out,” David surmises, hoping there truly is, “or your Father would never have sent me here.”

  Suddenly, the monstrous roar is heard and a thunderous thud and rattle looms close to Saliana's chamber.

  “Holy cow! What's that?” Fear pulses through David's body and he blanches white, then flushes red with an adrenaline rush.

  “The Glass Snake! He's coming. Quickly. You must hide!”

  David scans the hall quickly and sees no hiding place. “Hide where?”

  “We must go back to my chamber,” Saliana urges him. “If I'm gone he'll suspect something.” As they rush to Saliana's chamber, the roar of the Snake is deafening.

  “Oh, my God. He's right next door. Here! Under the portal.” Saliana nudges David toward the wall and pushes on his shoulders till he slides to the floor. “Stay tight to the wall. He won't be able to see you there.”

  Quickly, Saliana snatches up her harp, sits on her chair and begins to sing, her voice quivering with terror. The Snake's blood red eyes peer through the portal at her, and it bellows with pleasure at the sound of her music. David anchors himself firmly against the wall, afraid to even imagine what this Thing looks like.

  After what seems an eternity, the Snake calms down, then thuds and rumbles away. David exhales loudly with relief. Sweat trickles down his brow. He tries to stand up, but his legs are jelly.

  “He'll be gone for awhile,” Saliana says, helping David to his feet. “The rituals are going on in the temple and they last for hours.”

  Blood starts to circulate back in David's legs and he shakes them back to full strength. “Good. That'll give me time to scout around for a way out of the Palace.”

  “Be careful of Jaycina,” Saliana warns him, not unlike her father. “Don't let her catch you.”

  “Your father warned me, too. But he gave me some special crystals to protect me.”

  “Please, please come back,” she pleads. “I so want to go home.”

  “So do I, Saliana. So do I.”

  Fifteen

  Exploring deeper into the Palace, David finds himself engulfed in a labyrinth of mirrored corridors. He turns this way and that, unable to find an opening or a way out. The complex maze, the hundreds of multi-colored illusory images, confuse his brain and the vertigo begins again. David struggles to keep his balance and swallows hard on the bile that works its way up his throat.

  Focus, he tells himself. Focus on the floor, on the seams along the floor where it meets the walls. But there aren't any discernible walls. Just row after row of his own distorted reflection bouncing back at him. He places his hand over the Moldavite.

  “Ishtar. Ishtar, are you there? I can't find my way through these corridors.”

  “David!” Ishtar responds sharply. “Where in the world have you been? Why haven't you contacted me? And how in the world did you get caught in the maze?”

  “Well, when I left the Tower, I turned to the left - Oh, great.” Filled with recrimination for not communicating with Ishtar, he chastises himself. “How could I forget? I saw Saliana. She's fine, or at least as fine as she can be.”

  “Thank heaven! Thank heaven.” Ishtar's voice is a litany of emotions: relief, gratitude, guilt, then determination, authority. “You must get her out of there, David. Listen carefully. If you are in the maze of mirrors you are in the East wing of the Palace near the Temple. Follow the blue mirrors until you come to the hidden staircase. I will direct you from there.”

  David squints hard to locate the blue mirrors among the kaleidoscopic shimmer of all the others. Finally, he isolates them. “There they are, Ishtar. I see them.”

  David follows their pattern with his hands, feeling for an opening where the staircase might be located. A strange, muffled throbbing sound catches his attention and he stops for a moment to listen. He can't quite discern what the sound is, but it is rhythmical and pulsating. It becomes louder, more intriguing, and beckons to him. David slips behind one of the mirrors and into the shadows just as another message comes from Ishtar, strangely premonitory.

  “David, if you should hear the sounds of chanting, do not let them entice you. Stay away from the Temple.”

  “Too late. I think I'm there.”

  In a loft above the Altar of Initiation, David views the Temple interior below him. Jaycina is once again officiating over some bizarre ceremony. Seeing her this closely, David can feel her captivating power. No wonder Ishtar was bedazzled by her. The temple, with its sleek white walls and modernistic architecture, are a confusing contrast to the Gothic ambience of Ishtar's cave and the eccentric clothes he and Dorinda wear. Even more contradictory is the crystal chamber's futuristic holographic console, juxtaposed with the primitive beliefs that such a ritual represents.

  Jaycina gestures dramatically with her crystal scepter, then turns to the image of the Serpent Ruler high above the Altar. Hundreds of subjects kneel on the crystalline steps and, at Jaycina's prompting, they chant their mantra, “Hail! Hail! Ruler of All. King of all. Hail!” The Temple musicians play a spirited tribute, while the Temple dancers whirl about the Altar and lay flowers and gifts beneath the Serpent's image.

  “Holy cow,” David says, audibly. But the din drowns out his remark. “This is unreal. They'll never believe me back home.”

  “David! David, get out of there, now!” Ishtar's command bellows in David's ear and he is shaken out of his enraptured state. Reluctantly, he leaves the loft and returns to the Palace corridor.

  “Ishtar,” David calls softly. “I'm just outside the Temple. I have to look around some more. I want to know what's going on. I have to know if Sally's here.”

  “I m
ust warn you against it,” Ishtar says forcefully. “It's too dangerous. The longer you are there the more distorted your perception will become. Once you know the way to freedom, you must go back for Saliana and get out as fast as you can.”

  But David is a brother determined to find his sister. “I'll be careful, I promise.” He presses his hand on the Moldavite as though to secure it even more snugly in place in his tunic. “As long as I can keep in touch with you, I'll be fine.”

  Further on, David comes to a chamber door. Feeling adventuresome, he enters, not as cautious as he should be at this juncture. The chamber is a mini-maze of illusion, with mirrored panels of every color reflecting everything in the room dozens of times, including David himself. He looks around the chamber, squinting out the prismatic glare, and discovers what appears to be the door to a closet. Feeling for an edge, and finding it, David opens the door. The closet is filled with ceremonial gowns, jewels and headdresses eerily set on mannequin forms, which look like faceless Jaycinas.

  “This must be Jaycina's chamber. What luck.”

  He closes the closet door. Startled to see the reflection of someone beside him, he spins on his heels and faces Jaycina square on.

  “What luck, indeed,” she says, wearing her Cheshire cat grin.

  David's stomach churns wildly. Fear burns a hole in his chest. But he attempts to be cavalier.

  “Uh - oh - Hi, there. Guess I'm in the wrong room. Well, I'll be leaving now.”

  “So soon?” Jaycina slinks toward him. David shrinks back. “Why, you've just arrived. Please stay and let me demonstrate my hospitality.”

  David clears his throat, but the words squeak out in an adolescent tenor. “Uh - yeah. Well, that's a very tempting offer, but I'm late for an appointment.”

  “What could be more important than being here with me? I promise you it will be an experience you will long remember.”

  “I'll bet,” David remarks under his breath.

  “David! Get out. Now.” Ishtar's alarmed plea bellows in David's ear. David's hand goes up instinctively to shroud the sound.

  Jaycina circles David slowly, as though examining him from head to toe. The room begins to move in quivering waves. David begins to see double and he shakes his head to refocus. Jaycina dissolves into a prismatic light, then reverts back to human form. This transformation occurs several times until David stumbles, stupefied, about the room. Dizzy from the combination of Ishtar's frantic orders in his hearing aid and Jaycina's mesmerizing tricks, David flops down on Jaycina's chaise lounge, unable to stand up any longer.

  She seats herself so close to him that her breath tickles his face. Her kohl black eyes and gilded lids are garish but strangely attractive, David thinks, and he can hardly believe he thinks so.

  “What a handsome vest,” Jaycina croons. “But it must be very warm. Why not take it off for awhile and be comfortable.” She toys with the laces that keep the vest closed to hide the magic tunic beneath.

  David draws back to avoid her touch. “No! I mean, I'm fine. Cold, in fact.”

  “Such a sweet boy. So handsome, so innocent.” With one swift tug, Jaycina unlaces David's vest to reveal the tunic. The crystals glitter, their reflections dancing in the light of the mirrored room.

  “Exquisite,” Jaycina comments, in a Marilyn Monroe sort of breathiness. “The most beautiful tunic I have ever seen.”

  “Oh, this old thing? You should see my Sunday tunic.” David makes a feeble attempt at humor, at the same time wiping beads of sweat that bubble up on his forehead.

  “Such an unusual design.” Jaycina reaches over and runs her hand along the Star of David gridwork pattern. David quickly places his hand over his heart to protect the Moldavite stone. But Jaycina is too cunning. With a rapid flick of her talon-like fingernails, she cuts David's hand, drawing blood. Instinctively, he puts his hand up to his mouth and sucks on it to stop the blood. In a deft move, Jaycina plucks the Moldavite from its hiding place.

  “What a lovely gift,” Jaycina says coyly, her eyes relishing the rare and valuable black stone. “Thank you, David. I've always wanted one.”

  “Don't mention it.”

  When Jaycina rises from the chaise lounge, David blows out a big breath of defeat and murmurs, “Damn. I've just been disconnected.”

  Sixteen

  Huddling behind a rock formation on the beach, a distressed Ishtar and Dorinda watch as a crew of men rowing several large boats tow the Moon Singer away from what they thought was a secure hiding place.

  Anger, confusion, and disbelief flush Ishtar's face. “I can't understand it. How did they discover the Moon Singer?”

  Dorinda's anger matches Ishtar's, but she is far more certain of the reason. “There is no other explanation, Ishtar. David was detected entering the Palace. This enabled Jaycina to ensnare him.”

  “But how? She has no crystal imprint on David to detect him. And Judiah had the guard's schedule timed perfectly.”

  Dorinda's mouth is tight, her eyes hard as steel. “Perhaps Judiah had more than the guard's schedule timed perfectly.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Look closely.” Dorinda motions toward a group of men now congregating on the shore, and one in particular whose face is lighted by the lantern he carries.

  Ishtar's body becomes rigid, his voice leaden with contempt. “Judiah. Judiah, the traitor.” He moves to confront the man he once called his friend.

  “No.” Dorinda restrains him with a firm hand. “Wait. He mustn't know we've discovered him. Not yet. Our time will come to expose him for the turncoat that he is. First, we must know where they will hide the Moon Singer.”

  Ishtar clenches his hand into a fist, and presses it hard against his mouth, as though to hold back a tirade of acrimony from escaping his lips. Silently, he nods in agreement and he and Dorinda move quietly in the shadows to follow the men.

  * * *

  David sits awkwardly on plush satin pillows while Jaycina reclines next to him. Slave girls fan them with large peacock feathers and serve them food and wine. Jaycina toys with David, kittenishly, plopping grapes in his mouth and giving him sips of wine from a gold chalice.

  This is like a scene out of a bad movie, David thinks. He has been playing the bumpkin, the ignoramus, hoping that Jaycina will believe he is not worth detaining. Certainly not capable of outsmarting her and rescuing Saliana.

  “So, Jaycina. You're a high priestess. That must be a very important job. Don't you have to go to the Altar or something now?”

  “How quaint you are.” Jaycina's merry laugh is nonetheless chilling. “No. There will be no more rituals tonight. I have found something more interesting to amuse me.”

  “Uh - yeah, well, what about this Serpent Ruler. The Glass Snake or whatever. Isn't he going to need you for something?”

  One of the slave girls takes Jaycina's outstretched hand and helps her rise to her feet. “The Great Serpent Ruler needs me for everything.” Her onyx eyes narrow to slits as she speaks softly, but menacingly. “Without me, he would crumble to ashes and die.”

  “Not as long as he has Saliana,” David ventures a stab at her. “Not as long as she sings for him.”

  The High Priestess sits patiently in her imperial chair while a slave girl adjusts her gown carefully around her feet. She is kittenish again, almost indifferent in her expression. “Oh, yes. The little child in the Tower.” She smirks cynically. “He thinks she has the power of immortality in her song.”

  Relieved to be free of Jaycina's cloying advances, David rises to his feet. “Doesn't she?”

  Jaycina studies David a moment, considering her response, which is then cryptic. “Only if he thinks she does.”

  David's reaction is a blank stare, revealing nothing of what he truly feels. “Are you telling me that Saliana's music has no power? Then why is she being held captive and made to sing for him?”

  “Oh, her music has power, no doubt. But immortality comes from a far greater source than Saliana's little song
.”

  “You mean God?”

  Jaycina dismisses “God” with an arrogant sniff. “God. The term is an abstraction. The power, the force that gives and sustains life is real. It exists. And whoever finds it and claims it for his - for her - own, will be the immortal one.”

  “How can you find it? If it isn't in Saliana's song, then where is it? What is it?”

  “Of that, my sly boy, I'm not sure. So, for now, Saliana must sing. Perhaps somewhere in her song is a clue.” She scrutinizes David's face for any sign that she has

  touched a nerve. His face remains impassive. “Besides,” she adds offhandedly, “it pleases the Glass Snake to hear her.”

  “You mean you're deceiving him until you figure out the power thing for yourself?”

  Jaycina's nostrils flare slightly at the insinuation, but once again she manipulates the conversation her way and baits David. “Given the chance, isn't everyone capable of deceiving others? Haven't you been deceived by Ishtar and Dorinda about why you are here, in the Palace?”

  Finally, David's body responds, stiffening with apprehension. “What do you mean? Why would they deceive me?”

  Jaycina purses her lips, registering pleasure that she has at last pricked his emotional armor. “So that you will rescue Saliana, thinking that in doing so you will find your sister.”

  David is unnerved. How could she know about Sally? His nonchalant facade begins to crack. “What do you know about my sister?”

  “All I need to know.” Jaycina rises to stand close to him. “She is the most important person in your life, so important that you sailed that immense clipper ship all alone to this island. That was very brave of you, David, very brave and unselfish.” She runs a fuchsia-colored fingernail seductively along his cheek. David's skin quivers, but he stands still as a stone. “I could use someone like you in the Palace. You are brave and you are loyal, among other things. Together we could control the infinite power of the Glass Volcano, rule the City, share the wealth. Perhaps even have your Sally here with you.”