Crystal Enchantment

by Unknown

  She rode the thermals until she felt Bel beginning to tire, then returned to the stables. After giving the Madri a rubdown and an extra ration of oats, she 'ported home. It wasn't far. The land given to the Coven was formerly part of the Kendor land, high in the mountains.

  She spent a busy day with her students, then wrote the reports that Malvina would want. After that, she returned to her cottage to spend the evening alone, as she did most days.

  Jalissa was uncomfortable with the attentions of her fellow Witches and Warlocks, who remained in awe of her return from the dead. They seemed to believe that she regularly received special communications from the gods, though she told them again and again quite honestly that she didn't.

  So she lived a strange sort of lifepart of the Coven and yet not part of them. And sometimes she had the sense that she was waiting for something, though she had no idea what that "something" might be. Perhaps it was nothing more than a response to the others' belief that the gods would communicate directly with her.

  Her cottage, like the others in the Coven's new home, was patterned after the cottages in their long-destroyed world: rough stone with thatched roofs. This new home on Tevingi had been created for them quite literally overnight, through the magic of the gods, who had previously moved them from one asteroid to another to protect them.

  The other Coven members continued to live in a primitive fashion in their new home, but Jalissa had all the modern conveniences, provided by Danto. And as time passed, the rest of the Covenespecially its younger memberswere also showing an interest in such conveniences, to the dismay of the priests. It seemed that Jalissa was still a problem to the Coven.

  Danto had also provided her with a comm unit, but for many months Jalissa had ignored it because she had no desire to inform herself about the rest of the galaxy. More recently, however, she had begun to pay sporadic attention to galactic news, and when she came home this day, she switched it on.

  The Tevingian newscast was just beginning, and Jalissa settled down with a cup of tea to watch it. The lead story was about the changes at the Federation base on Tevingi. For the first time, the base was to have a Tevingian commander, and native troops would be permitted as well. It was hailed as a breakthrough in Tevingi's often stormy relationship with the Vantran-controlled military.

  Jalissa had already known of this change, but the second item in the news surprised herespecially in view of the fact that she'd just seen Danto that very day. It seemed that he was entering into a joint venture with Ralus Panera in the Outer Ring, where they were hoping to develop some native industries.

  "Panera," she murmured to herself. The first name was different, but she'd seen that last name before.

  A strange feeling came over Jalissaand it wasn't the first time. Ever since she had begun to watch the galactic news, she had from time to time seen the name "Miklos Panera," and for a reason she couldn't understand, she would find herself repeating that name, as though the very sound of it were somehow pleasurable to her.

  His name had appeared fairly often in the galactic news, always in connection with some crisis on distant worlds. It seemed that wherever there was trouble, Miklos Panera was present.

  As the rest of the Tevingian news scrolled past, Jalissa thought about that name. She didn't remember the man, and yet, since he was a Special Agent, it was possible that she'd met him at some point.

  The Tevingian newscast ended and the galactic news began while she was still wondering why that name seemed to strike a chord in her. And there it was again!

  "Special Agent Miklos Panera has been named the new Director of the Special Agency. Panera stated that he intends to focus more on cooperation between the Special Agency and the Translation/Mediation Service. This announcement was hailed by the President of the Federation Council, who"

  Jalissa ignored the rest of it. "Miklos Panera." She murmured the name over and over as a very strange feeling came over her. She must have known him. It felt like the memory was therebut just beyond her reach for some reason.

  She leaned forward and began to press keys, trying to recall how to summon biographical information on well-known figures. And then she was suddenly staring at the face of Miklos Panera!

  "Miklos," she whispered again. For one brief instant, he seemed so familiar, though as she continued to stare at his image, that sense began to fade.

  She sat back and peered at the screen more objectively. He was a strikingly handsome man. Surely if she'd met him at some point, she would have remembered him.

  The information slid past slowly. She scanned it, but with little interest. It was detailing his long career with the Special Agency.

  Then she gasped and reached out with a trembling finger to halt the words. Miklos Panera had been involved in the incident on Ker! He had even received the same award she herself had been given. Her name was mentioned with his in the recounting of the incident.

  She switched off the comm. Obviously, they had worked together. How could she not remem- ber himor remember him so little?

  She got up and fixed herself some dinner, but ate very little. Then she went for a walk in the soft twilight. Confronting that time was still very difficult for her. Every time she thought about it, she felt as though she were reaching out into some unimaginably dark place: her own death.

  But tonight, she felt a need to pierce that darkness, to stare it in the face and demand that it yield up its secrets. If she was challenging the gods themselves, then so be it. She could no longer live with that black abyss.

  She returned to the comm, torn between calling up information on the incident itself and summoning her own bio. Finally, she decided on the latter. It seemed somehow less threatening, though she couldn't have said why.

  Her own face appeared on the screen, but she never got beyond the initial information: her date of birthand death!

  Jalissa was stunned! For several minutes, she stared at the screen, willing it to correct itself. But there it was. According to the galactic archives, she had died on Ker. She had, of course, but why was there no mention of her return?

  With trembling but determined fingers, Jalissa called up the public report on the incident on Ker. It was all as she remembered itbut with one very important exception. She had believed herself to have traveled to Ker alone. She'd 'ported there after being unable to discover the whereabouts of the Coven.

  Now she saw that she had not been aloneeither on Ker or in her earlier attempts to track down the Warlock, Kavnor. Miklos Panera had been with her all the time!

  Jalissa switched off the comm once again and sat there for a long time. That awful darkness remained, but now she thought she saw a way to end it.

  "Danto, could you arrange a cottage on Mafriti for meright away?"

  Danto Kendor couldn't hide his shock. "Of course, Jalissa. I'll be happy to arrange transport for you as well. But"

  "Thank you. I'll expect to hear from you soon."

  Her image faded from the screen, but it lingered in his mind. What was going on here? There was something in her voiceand in her face as well. The Jalissa he'd seen for these past two years had been content; he couldn't deny that. But the woman whose face had just appeared on the vidscreen was radiantand excited.

  Mafriti, he thought. Interesting. He wondered if the gods had finally admitted their mistake and were about to rectify it. He'd argued with Joeb and Neesa many times over the past two yearsbut mostly with Neesa, whose belief in the infallibility of the gods was absolute.

  She'd argued that if the gods wanted Jalissa to forget about Miklos, they must have a reason, and he'd been forced to admit that could be the case. Certainly Jalissa's presence among the Coven had eased her people's transition back into the world, and her work with the children was essential. Not only did she determine which of them showed an affinity for working with the crystals, but she also prepared them for their emergence into a world that was surpassingly strange to them.

  Maybe, he thought as he set about fulfilling
her request, the gods have decided that she's repaid them for the life they gave back to her. There was a certain symmetry to that.

  After making the arrangements for her and sending her a message to confirm it, Danto couldn't quite resist making another call.

  ''Ralus, how are you?" he asked when his soon-to-be partner appeared on the screen.

  "Just fine, thank you, Danto. I was about to call you to discuss the contracts. Have you received them?"

  "My legal people are looking them over now, but I don't see any problems. I called to congratulate you on Miklos' appointment, now that it's official. You must be very proud."

  "I am indeedand in more ways than one. His acceptance of the offer tells me that he's finally decided to stop trying to get himself killed." A faint cloud passed over Ralus's face. "But to tell you the truth, I do still have some concern." "Oh?" Danto prompted.

  "We were planning a family celebration for this weekend, but he's suddenly decided to take off for Mafriti. It seems a bit strange."

  "Didn't he offer any explanation?" Danto asked, trying to restrain a smile.

  "No. He called me this morning and apologized about the celebration, saying that he had to go to Mafriti, and that he might be gone for a week or so."

  Danto saw his new friend's concern, and took a deep breath. "Ralus, I hope you're not going to be angry with me for withholding this information all this time, but . . ."

  Jalissa walked out onto the deck that overlooked the ocean. Now that she was actually here, she felt rather uncertain. That hadn't been the case when she'd awakened yesterday morning. Then, she'd known that she had to go to Mafriti, even though the reason still eluded her.

  She didn't really know why she was here. After reading the report on the incident on Ker, and realizing that her memories had somehow been changed, she'd decided that this man, Miklos Panera, was the key to recovering that lost part of her life. There had to be a reason why he'd been deleted from her memoryor nearly so.

  She'd gone to bed after deciding that she would go to Vantra and find himand had then awakened with this compulsion to come to Mafriti instead.

  It had been years since she'd been hereor had it? Whispers of memories taunted her. She was sure that she'd never stayed in one of the cottagesand yet it seemed somehow familiar.

  She walked slowly down the steps that led to the deserted beach. The sun was sinking slowly into the sea, dappling it with a red-gold glow. Jalissa knew herself to be in the grip of something. She felt a strange sort of peacebut also an eagerness. For all that the gods had bestowed upon her, she still didn't quite trust them. What did they have in store for her now?

  As she walked slowly along the edge of the water, she became absolutely certain that something was about to happen. And she was so lost in her thoughts that she failed to notice the small sign that warned she was encroaching upon someone else's private beach.

  Miklos swam through waters that glowed like liquid fire. The exercise kept him from getting too lost in his confused thoughtsor so he'd hoped. But it wasn't working at the moment.

  Why had he suddenly decided to come here, even when he knew that his family had planned to celebrate his appointment? He didn't know the answer to that any more than he'd understood his acceptance of the Directorship. All he knew was that something had changed in him. But why Mafriti? He'd intended never to set foot on this world again, so that his memory of this perfect place would be forever connected to a perfect love.

  As he moved through the water with long, powerful strokes, he thought about herand realized that for the first time in two years, he could do so without pain. Perplexed by yet another indication of change, he struck out for shore.

  He was wading through the surf when he first saw her. The sun was almost down and shadows flowed across the white sand. She was walking along slowly, her pale, gauzy dress billowing in the sea breeze. As he squinted to see her better, she stopped and then bent to pick up something, probably a seashell. Her long, dark hair fell forward, and she reached up with one hand to hold it back.

  Miklos stood there transfixed, even though he was aware at some level that he should cover his nakedness. For one brief, heart-rending moment, he let himself hopethen pushed that hope roughly away before it could bring back the pain.

  For months after her death, he'd kept expecting her to materialize in front of his eyes. It was the curse of her magic, which had allowed that to happen before. But he'd finally accepted that both she and her magic were gone forever.

  He still couldn't see the woman clearly in the gathering dusk, but it was obvious that she'd now spotted him because she stopped suddenly. He thought again about covering himself, but he didn't move. He was still caught on the sharp, painful edge of hope.

  Jalissa pocketed the delicate seashell and continued her walk. But she'd taken only a few steps when she saw him. He was walking naked from the sea in the last faint, red rays of the setting sun. In that strange light, his wet hair glowed and his body shone a burnished bronze.

  And then she knew! The memories that had been stolen from her flowed through her, flooding all her senses as she stood there staring at him. She felt both weak with the weight of them, and yet as insubstantial as a feather.

  "Miklos," she whisperedand now it was more than just a name. Now it meant her lifeher future.

  They started toward each other, neither of them moving hurriedly. Jalissa wanted to savor the moment, and Miklos still could not quite believe.

  But as the last of the sun's rays faded from the darkening waters, he finally did believe, and Jalissa was looking into the green eyes of her future and seeing the light of love that forever banished the darkness.