Beyond the Sapphire Gate: Epic Fantasy-Some Magic Should Remain Untouched (The Flow of Power Book 1)

by R. V. Johnson

  Jade’s face paled, her deep, green eyes widening as she stared at something beyond Crystalyn’s shoulder. Crystalyn glanced where Jade looked, but nothing new stood out with the artifacts shelved there.

  Jade continued on, her voice sounding frail. “What’s worse, when I look at you yours is chaotic—how should I put it? There’s a shadowy mist rotating around you in constant flux. Images flash by as it rotates. Right now, there are three repeating. I can halt the rotation on whichever one it lands on... if I concentrate…it’s so hard, willing it to slow, but I’ll try. You’re running toward something unclear. It reset. Now you’re running, again. There’s a gray shape looming out of the mist. It reset. You’re running, the shape has broken free from the mist, it’s... oh, no! I can’t…hold it. It reset. But I’ve... I’ve, seen it.”

  Crystalyn was alarmed. “What? What did you see?”

  Jade hesitated, her lower lip quivering, as if she wanted to pull it inside her mouth, but thought better of it. “I don’t know what it is, only that it’s a creature. Somewhat like the dog at the Farm, yet much different, and far larger. You seemed worried, or frightened…the whole viewing frightens me. Your rotation is dark. It’s not gray, like Dad’s…” Jade trailed off, her voice becoming small at the end.

  “Why is mine dark?” Crystalyn asked.

  Jade shrugged. “Dad has a shining sword, an empty glass vial stoppered with a black cowl, and a beating heart rotating around him.”

  Crystalyn struggled to grasp Jade’s words. What did it all mean?

  Her sister’s soft voice descended to a whisper. “But yours leaves me with a foreboding, a strange creature stalks on one side, a pool of blood spreads toward a darkness pacing you on the other, a planet unknown to me spins around both. Something is happening. To you, to us, to our family, I’m not at all positive it’s a good thing.”

  Crystalyn swallowed, anxiety hammering her. Perhaps, she wasn’t the only one spiraling toward madness. It could run in the family. Reaching for her pack with the med cylinder, she hesitated. Her ability to think would definitely be required to dot map the shipment. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but let’s finish this project. We’ll discuss it at home, okay?”

  Relief flitted across her younger sister’s face. Jade had over-emphasized her wide eyes with too much makeup, something else they’d also have to discuss later. Her fine, brown eyebrows rose. “What did you want to tell me?”

  “Never mind, we’ll go over it on the way home.” Kneeling, Crystalyn melted the heads from the old iron nails securing the wood lid in place, using a focused beam to avoid starting a fire with the laser cutter. Even so, the wood still charred slightly around each one. She found the smell of the burnt wood pungent but pleasant.

  Removing the wooden lid released the sharp scent of tree bark, filled to the top. Again, she was in awe of the cost involved in the shipping. Someone had spared no expense. Scooping a pile of the bark onto the lid, Crystalyn exposed an unadorned, black-stained wooden chest. Lifting the chest from its fragrant bed, she flipped it open.

  A small cry escaped her. Two artifacts beckoned from a layer of blue velvet. She grabbed the first one her eyes fell upon. Throughout her seasons handling Ruena’s collections, nothing compared to what she held now.

  Gleaming with polished ebony, an exquisite, black crystal candle—light for its size—had white symbols etched around the base and shaft. At the candles top, a black crystal ball resided, murky and opaque. Thorn-covered vines, made from the same black crystal, snaked around the top of the orb like a spiky garland. A current of energy thrummed through her hand as if the candle drew power from somewhere inside.

  “What have you got there?” Jade asked reaching inside the chest. “Oh! I love it!”

  Pulling her eyes from the black candle, Crystalyn gazed at the second piece: a white crystal candle blazed with a multicolored light. Like the black candle, the white candle had many symbols covering the base with less on the main upright. Unlike the black, every symbol set in the white candle was fashioned from multifaceted jewels, possibly diamonds. Two crystal wings protruded from a clear crystal ball mounted on the upright.

  Something flickered inside the ball. Crystalyn leaned closer and froze. A white mist raged throughout the wings and sphere, endlessly moving back and forth as if searching for an escape.

  “What’s in there?” Jade asked lifting the candle close to her face, her green eyes hugely magnified. “Why is it moving?

  “Who knows what Ruena purchases or why? Let’s get going, I don’t want to spend my one free day hanging around here.” Crystalyn stood, taking a final glance around. The allure of the room was strong. She’d spent many hours inside the Mausoleum without a thought to the passage of time. Today was shaping up to be no different, over half of it was already gone. “I’ll have to map them both separately before we can go. Let’s use Ruena’s office, something I rarely do, but I want to get it done.”

  Leaving the chest—she planned to use it to store the candles in the room upon her return—Crystalyn elbowed an unobtrusive panel in the vault wall. The door whisked open.

  Setting a brisk pace, she led the way into what she’d come to think of as the Path of Gloom. Created a long time ago, perhaps soon after the building was first constructed, the path led to a dreary storage area. Ruena had told her once it had its beginning as temporary storing until the Mausoleum’s completion. Thankfully, the woman hadn’t ever asked her to clean it up, for thrown against the walls, and stacked ten high in places, dozens of discarded cryocrates teetered. Thermo containers turning green took up space beside filled and empty sarcophagi, even big transport bins loomed in the way, creating a narrow walkway. As usual, Crystalyn’s nose wrinkled, assaulted by mildew clinging to artifacts. She hurried to Ruena’s office door.

  As soon as she punched the code into the keypad, the smoky glass door sighed with release and fell inward.

  Opulence sprang into view. Poured into the plasicrete floor and providing an impractical traction, hundreds of steel masks from dozens of different cultures showed a part of Ruena’s ostentatious way that Crystalyn disliked. She waved an arm at the expansive room cluttered with shelved artifacts and expensive furniture. “Welcome to the Big Ugly, sister.” Striding atop the masks, Crystalyn went to a massive desk supporting two side extensions. Made from the same dark glass material as the windows and door, the desk was too big and bulky.

  Dropping into Ruena’s chair, she touched the smoky glass surface of the desk. The desktop powered on with holo views of the three administration buildings showing varying imagery of the monstrous structures. At the same time, three-dimensional holograms flickered into view around the room on the walls of dark windows facing away from the Mausoleum, some displaying other key warehouse areas. One wall displayed archeological sites. Current news events flicked to life on another without sound, showing the riots surrounding the palace grounds. Crystalyn felt sorry for the palace administration’s security but supposed they had it coming after they’d booted her dad. A third, fourth and fifth panel showed panoramic views of the vast mountain. Several panels showed the ever-present pollution cloud permeating the lower level, even though she could only make out dark shapes through it.

  Jade shook her head with disbelief. “Oh, it hurts to look at it all. Hasn’t she ever heard of media overload?”

  “You think so too? I always feel like I’m caged in some weird hi-tech cave while the whole world outside riots. I should be out there helping them, like Dad used to do.

  Jade smiled. “I don’t think you’d make it as an admin security guard, you’d get too mad with all those people shouting in your face.”

  Crystalyn smiled too. What would she have done these past few years without Jade?

  Jade’s smile faded, her young face turning solemn. “What can I do to help? I’m ready to go home. I’m sorry Crys, but this place gives me the creeps.”

  “Don’t apologize. This place has a way of doing that. We should be going any
way, before Ruena discovers I brought you with me. Let’s start with the white candle. Hold it steady at the base. I need to get a laser scan of each symbol one at a time before I can map the candle’s dimensions…hey!”

  “What?”

  “I’ve seen this symbol before. In the book of symbols, just before Ruena took it from me…wait, she didn’t stop at her desk. She went past it.”

  “You’ve lost me,” Jade said.

  Crystalyn’s eyes fell on some cubed, old-style shelves filled with small figurines near Jade. She pointed. “Hand me that dragon on the top shelf, please.”

  Grabbing the dragon, Jade placed it on her palm. Manufactured from a softer metal, the red dragon seemed solid enough. Flipping it over, her thumb brushed against a fine crack on the stomach. Grasping the dragon’s head, she pulled downward. The dragon’s upper torso folded back on its tail with an audible clink. A silver key gleamed inside.

  Jade patted the desk. “Nice, I suppose that will unlock this monstrosity.”

  Crystalyn grinned. “It’s low-tech but definitely her style.” Fitting the key in the center drawer, a twist retracted a bar mechanism. A gentle pull revealed two books lay next to each other. Both had the same title: The Tiered Tome of Symbols, but there were notable differences. One had white lettering on a black background, while the other had black letters with a white background. The one with white lettering had Tier One gold embossed in small letters in the upper right while the black lettering had Tier Three imprinted the same way.

  Jade inhaled sharply. “For love of the One, are they real?”

  Crystalyn removed the white-lettered tome from the drawer. “I’ve already read this one.” Placing it on the desk, she gazed at a symbol on the cover. As before, the symbol began to churn. “Tell me you see it, do you?” she asked, pointing with her free hand.

  Jade’s strangled gasp provided an answer. “Aren’t you the least bit afraid of it moving like that?”

  “As long as you can see it is moving, I’m not. For a while, I thought I was slipping again.”

  Crystalyn opened the book, and began thumbing through the headings.

  “But what if they’re dangerous? How can you know they’re not going to hurt you?”

  Crystalyn looked up. Did Jade still see images in her aura? She wasn’t certain she wanted to know. Jade’s newfound ability was unnerving, worse than her spiraling symbols. “The symbols haven’t hurt me so far, though according to the notations inside, some of them are used for aggression which is odd. I don’t know how a symbol could be aggressive. It’s something I have to figure out.”

  “Then don’t touch them, put the book back,” Jade said her voice taking on a pleading tone. Flipping a stray clump of reddish-brown hair from her round eyes, she pulled her lower lip into her mouth, gaping at the tome as if expecting it to hurl a magic bolt from between its gold-edged pages.

  Crystalyn felt an irrational spurt of irritation, which she quelled. The book couldn’t possibly do that, could it? “Stop chewing your lip, Jade. Why don’t you look around? There’s a lot to see in the Big Ugly. I’m going to search for the candle’s symbol inside here. If I know what it represents I may add it into the white candle’s inventory holo, the same with the black candle when I get to it. Knowing what the symbols on the artifacts represent, changes everything. Ruena has to appreciate it, I hope.”

  “Okay, but be careful. There’s something about those…” Jade said, moving away.

  Crystalyn turned the book’s pages with extreme care. Ruena would notice the slightest crinkle and rage throughout the warehouse like a radioactive squall ravishing Low Realm, as she sought the person responsible. Crystalyn found the symbol she’d recalled in chapter four under the heading: Enhanced Healing. Why healing?

  “Speaking of symbols, what are these?” Jade asked, setting two blue objects in front of the desk.

  Crafted from sapphire crystal, a pair of trim obelisks rose to door height, tapering smaller from base to top. Engraved a third of the way down, two intricate symbols with many curved lines, like links of a chain without end, stood out. Crystalyn was delighted. “Whoever carved these was very good, wouldn’t you say, sister? They’re identical. I don’t remember them in this book, I’ll check inside the other one.” Setting the black-lettered volume next to the white one, she opened it slowly. Penned with dark ink, the matching lines of the links without end symbol stretched across half the first page under the heading: Travel. Underneath, black spidery handwriting went on for two paragraphs written in an unfamiliar language, unlike the white-lettered book.

  Why travel? The symbol might represent a past agency, no one traveled anymore. There was nowhere safe left to go, except the Mountain. But she had doubts, it was too complex. Which meant it probably represented something else, for there was something going on with it…A power resided within the symbols pattern. Subtle, yet strong, chained to something vast. Reaching out to the symbol, she tugged the chain, not too hard, yet with the firmness of knowing it was right for her to do so. The chain gave way, creating an opening, inviting her to step through…a gateway. Her head reeled as the power she’d sensed thrummed through her. Or was it already within her?

  Churning faster and faster, the symbol lifted from the page and slowed, growing in size. Suddenly, a beautiful sapphire color raced along the symbol’s pattern, swallowing the black lines, glowing brighter.

  “Crystalyn!”

  The symbol floated across the desktop toward the obelisks. Both symbols on it spun in place. Black, translucent spidery extensions of their patterns raced up and down each one as the symbol from the black-lettered book soared between them. Locking in place, the symbol’s translucence brightened. Jagged, azure bolts pulsed within the symbols radiance in alternating directions, above and below. A dark blue mist drifted out of the symbol and scrolled to the floor, drawing a misty, clockwise swirl as it went. Deep within it, darkness stormed with a constant flux.

  Stepping close, Jade stared at the spiraling, dark curtain. “What is it?”

  “I’m not sure. It’s almost like there’s a storm brewing inside.”

  Jade inched closer. “You’re right, it is a storm, and it’s getting worse. There’s blue lightning flashing above a dark, swelling sea behind the mist. Where is it? What is it?” Raising her hand, she reached for the alien landscape beyond the swirling symbol.

  A sudden feeling of disquiet hammered Crystalyn. “Get away from there!”

  Reality slowed.

  Jade raised a single, deliberate fingertip to the dark curtain, and vanished.

  The symbol faded, the mist dissipated.

  From a great distance, Crystalyn heard a voice scream. “NO! Don’t touch it! Don’t touch the symbol!”

  After a time, she clamped her mouth closed, putting an end to the screams. Motionless, the obelisks mocked her with their solemnity. Why had she brought Jade here? Anger darkened her mind. Her vision blurred. Anxiety rose in the pit of her stomach. All were emotions involving her afflicted mind swings, she knew, but cared not. Jade, her sister, her lifelong friend, the very person who’d helped her through the black times by putting up with her confrontational tongue and manipulative mind, the one who tolerated her illness for what it was, was gone!

  Her eyes sought the symbol, lying chained and inert, in the book. A power still awaited there. She focused on it, got it floating between the obelisks.

  The symbol spun translucent between the obelisks, the mist darkened behind it, azure lightning flashed.

  Her anxiety rose, stronger this time.

  The dark curtain began to recede.

  Gathering her will, she concentrated on the symbols pattern, visualizing the intricate, interlocking lines and complex curves, the gateway hidden inside.

  Once again, the doorway of spiraling darkness dropped to the floor.

  Stowing the books in her pack, she picked up the black candle, and climbed onto the desk. Taking a deep breath, she jumped into the swirl.

  THE WHITE-
LETTERED BOOK

  Resting against rough stone in a narrow alley, Crystalyn found herself looking at two stout men facing a petite girl. The girl gripped a dagger outstretched in one hand. One man leered at the girl, his stance relaxed. His cautious partner glanced toward the mouth of the alley, then at the girl. Both men held short, hook-tipped swords.

  Gazing the length of the alley, Crystalyn didn’t find Jade, though her sister must be close. They had both come through the same…gateway. Where was she?

  Her gaze returned to the swordsmen. Both sets of brown eyes stared at her, scowls fixed upon their faces.

  Suddenly, the girl spun, moving with blurring speed.

  A flash of metal brought white-hot pain lancing through her midsection. Her head banged the wall. A second, lesser pain rang through her skull. Strength fled from her legs.

  Time slowed. She slid slowly downward. Vague images of the girl and the alley floated in and out of her vision. Abruptly, she found herself half sitting, half slumped over. Confused, she tried to stand, but her limbs wouldn’t accept commands.

  Darkness draped her mind.

  Why was it dark?

  Her eyes had closed. Forcing them open required a great effort. Distorted images flitted by. Blinking, she focused on her waist.

  Her mind finally registered what her body understood. The hilt of a jeweled dagger protruded from her stomach.

  Fatigue descended heavily upon her then, funneling her vision to a vortex. Closing one eye to focus, she fixed on the dagger, which seemed so far away, like gazing through the wrong end of a sight glass. The small hand of the girl encircled the dagger and pulled, releasing an appalling sucking sound. Her blood fountained.

  Crystalyn plastered both hands over the spouting hole, despairing at the blood spraying from between her fingers. A cavernous cold leached into her bones then, adding to the weariness. Thoughts of sweet, dreamless, sleep slipped into her mind. She may heal with sleep…

  A majestic white and silver image flitted into her mind. Lovely in its simplicity, the symbol was a perfect pentagram in shape, outlined in white, the fine silver lines inside matched a spider’s webbed design. Where had she seen it before? Oh, yes, in the white-lettered book.