by Lora Palmer
"Tomorrow," Dad said again firmly, his glare promising the wrath of Heaven if the police chief dared to disturb me before then.
"We have to go. Now. We don’t have time to wait," Jenny said, pulling me away from the door and steering me toward the mirror. Caleb locked the door to keep anyone else from coming in.
I had prepared for this moment. Brian and I had trained with Caleb in Jantyr’s customs, in history and culture, in the use of our magic. We were ready, except — nothing could have prepared me emotionally for leaving Earth, for leaving the people I loved.
"Wait, where’s my sister?" I asked. "We can’t leave her behind. Erik, wasn’t she supposed to come with you?"
"Don’t worry," Jenny assured me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder, appearing touched that I would think of my sister, no matter what Aedalina had done.
A glance passed between Caleb and Erik, one I didn’t like, but I had no time to dwell on it. Persistent pounding on the door made us all jump. The voices calling for us to open up weren’t David, or Kara, or anyone we knew.
"Hurry up with the mirror, will you?" Erik exclaimed. He stretched out his arm, creating a web of silver-blue energy that emanated from his palm and expanded to surround the bathroom door like a shield. "I’m good, but if they break through, I can’t hold them off forever, you know."
I nodded at Caleb. "We can do this." Together, Brian and I lifted our hands. I could feel the energy flowing between us, could feel it calling to the smooth glass.
"Okay, okay, we’ve got it," Brian shot back, scowling.
My attention still on the mirror, I put a hand on his upper arm. Focus, Brian. I need you.
I had never tried to open a mirror-portal to somewhere so great a distance away, and I didn’t know if I could do this. But I could feel his energy joining with mine again, and together we pictured our homeworld. "The castle by the sea," I said, to give us a common place on which to focus. This was where we should start, where I could meet my birth parents and begin the search for the legends of old. To my relief, the glass began to ripple and shimmer, becoming liquid.
"No!" came a sharp voice from behind us.
"Jenny, what is it?" I asked, my brow furrowing. My first thought had been to wonder if the shield had broken, but it hadn’t. Then, another image burst into my mind, one of the red castle in the desert, surrounded by a wall crumbling now in the wake of the ravaging sandstorm. I saw Jenny nod to Erik as the liquid glass parted to reveal the desert on the other side. Wind whipped sand into the bathroom, and I had to shield my face from the sand stinging my cheeks.
"Go!" Caleb commanded, going through first, followed by Jenny, then Erik. I took one last, regretful look at my parents, then followed Brian through the mirror. My last glimpse of Earth as the portal faded showed the police chief bursting into the room, freezing in shock at the sight of the portal. With a jolt, I realized that I had to let the portal go, now, before he could come through. Sighing, I watched as the portal became smaller and smaller until it was gone. For a moment afterward, I stared at the place where the portal had been.
Chapter 17
"We’ll bring the others here later," Brian promised, whispering in my ear as he leaned his head against mine. I nodded as I took in the new world around me, with its sky of purple in the early morning sunlight and its multicolored sands. Only a few palm trees grew as far as I could see, but I figured there must be some oasis around and perhaps a garden at the castle.
Something shiny sparkled in the sunlight on the golden sand beneath my feet. I bent down and picked up a child’s bracelet, all elegant glass beads of varying colors and shapes in a beautiful pattern. Sniffling, I slid the bracelet onto my slender wrist. "This bracelet — it belonged to a little girl," I said in a choked whisper. Brian's expression of horror and sadness mirrored my own. "She died in that sandstorm. It was probably happening when we saw it."
"Well planned, Aeda," I heard Erik say behind us. "Now take her. As you said, we have little time."
"What?" I exclaimed, whirling to face him. Brian’s father stepped toward me, as did Erik. Where was Aedalina, I wondered, backing away. I didn’t get far. Brian suddenly gripped my arms, holding me tight against him. "Brian, what are you doing? Let go!"
But he didn’t.
As I struggled, I shifted my neck to study him for a moment. He and his father had engaged in a sort of staring match, and I glanced between them, frightened by the expressionless mask Brian’s face had suddenly become. It was like he wasn’t there anymore. A shiver ran down my spine.
Standing in front of me, Jenny gazed at me with an inscrutable expression.
"Jenny, run!" I cried out, only belatedly realizing how neither Erik nor Caleb made any move toward her.
Brian’s grip on me tightened, but I forgot my struggles entirely when Jenny reached up to her own neck, withdrawing a pendant. Then, in a flash of light, Jenny’s form vanished, leaving Aedalina standing in her place.
Eyes wide with shock, I stared at my sister. "So, where is the real Jenny?" I had an awful feeling there was more to this than my sister impersonating Jenny.
Aedalina took another step toward me, standing within reach of me now. She smirked, a glint of triumph in her eyes as she toyed with a strand of my hair. "I’m sorry to tell you this, dear sister," she said, not sounding sorry at all, "but Jenny has been dead since the night at the cemetery." Pausing for a moment for effect, she allowed me to absorb the news.
"This whole time, you’ve been pretending to be her." A statement, not a question. It all clicked in my head now, the differences in Jenny we’d attributed to the trauma of that night, the things Jenny — the real Jenny — had told me in the dream of the cemetery.
"Yes, and using her soul, I could pretend so well you never suspected. She was part of the ritual, and she became the hundredth soul buried in the cemetery. I suppose we owe her our gratitude, as she was the final one we needed to get our bodies back."
"And now she’s tied to the Soul Crystal." At the thought, muscles in my hands and jaw clenched. "She’s all her mom had left, and you murdered her and stole her from us!" My voice rang as sharp as a stinging slap, and even Aedalina and Erik seemed taken aback by the sheer power and depth of my raw fury.
Erik and Caleb made no comment, though a glint in Caleb’s eyes showed a secret he wanted to tell but couldn’t. Meanwhile, as Aedalina faced me, for a moment I could read some internal battle on my sister’s face as her vicious façade faded. Too enraged to have any sympathy for it, I again fought to pull away from Brian to no avail. His grip held strong.
"It was necessary. She became a regrettable...casualty of this war. You see, we believed she was you. And we needed her powers — your powers — to stop what we’ve unleashed once our rule has been established and the traitors are overthrown." Aedalina's expression became thoughtful, almost regretful, as she stepped toward me, a necklace which held two crystals with space for seven on an ornate silver pendant in her hand.
"No!" Brian cried out, his eyebrows knitting together and mouth tensing, no longer slack, like he was fighting to regain control. He pulled me away. Erik glowered at him, and he reached out for me. Heart racing, I pulled back further.
"That wasn’t part of the plan!" Caleb protested stepping between us.
"Plans change, brother. Now step aside."
"Stay away from me!" I screamed as my sister raised her hand to press the necklace against my chest, just below the collarbone.
I had only one chance. With all my might, I stomped on Brian’s foot, causing him to release his grip and cry out. His expressionless mask slipped completely then, and I could read confusion and pain in his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but I shook my head. Whatever he might say, I didn’t want to hear it. To my relief, he said nothing. Snatching the necklace from my sister, I sensed the magic within my crystal of Protection keep me safe even as the Soul Crystal began to glow white. When I added my own energy, a powerful wave of light and wind blasted from me in all directi
ons, knocking the others unconscious.
Sliding the necklace around my neck, I fled toward the red castle. It was my best chance of finding a mirror around here — anything to get away. Brian’s betrayal and the loss of Jenny left me with an agony that might never heal. All I could do was run away from it as fast and as far as I could, but with every step I took, the multicolored sands at my feet hummed a high, ethereal harmony.
"No, no, no, please stop! They’ll hear and wake up."
The hauntingly beautiful music didn’t stop. If anything, it only grew louder and sped up as I raced across the desert. My heart pounded in my chest. I risked one last glance at the others, who were just beginning to stir. Oh, no! Not good. Not good. Now what?
The only choice I had was to run flat out and hope the sounds of the singing sands wouldn’t carry beyond the wall surrounding the castle. Once past the wall, I soon came to a large lake. I hadn’t noticed the lake before in my dream, but the awful sandstorm may have distracted me. The only way to get across to the castle would be to swim. At the edge of the clear green water, I stopped and peered in to see if I could spot any potentially dangerous creatures within its depths.
At first, I saw nothing, but decided to test the waters to make certain they were safe. I found a nearby rock and tossed it into the lake. Almost immediately, what seemed like at least twenty crystalline animals surfaced, thrashing their spindly legs and churning the waters. I gasped and jumped back. As I watched, these strange lake dwellers began to hunt. Silvery bioluminescent fish had also, perhaps out of curiosity, swam near the surface. Bright white shocks of electric current lit up the waters from the spiderlike creatures, electrocuting the fish as an eel might do on Earth to its prey.
"Looks like I’m not making it to the castle." I frowned, glancing behind me to check whether my would-be captors had begun their pursuit. Nobody appeared in the distance, but I knew I didn’t have much time left before they’d be searching for me. A high, vibrating hum emanated from my pendant. To my astonishment, there came from the lake an answering lower hum joining the first note. My eyes widened as a silver crystal bridge, wide enough for two people to walk across together, rose from the lake. It stopped in place just above the surface of the lake, causing a cascade of water like a shimmering waterfall from either side of the bridge.
"Did you make that happen?" I asked, managing a small smile of gratitude.
"Of course, First Daughter," the key replied. I recognized its voice from the lab. "Now go, quickly, before we’re seen. But be careful. I don’t much like the looks of this palace, and I’ve heard awful things about what goes on inside."
"Great. Good to know," I replied with a sigh, hesitantly stepping onto the bridge. "Now I hope none of those creatures can jump." Taking a deep breath, I mentally counted to three and ran for the other side of the lake. It seemed to take forever to cross the bridge. Once on the other side, I turned back again. Still nobody in sight, I saw to my relief.
The castle’s interior proved far more simply crafted than I would have expected. I entered into a long, wide corridor with a tiled marble floor in the same golden color as the sands outside, with veins of other colors throughout. Someone had once decided to have the floor mimic the desert, it seemed. A high, arched ceiling of crystal supported by a metal framework created an atrium in the glow of the rising sun. Not elaborate, but breathtaking.
My footsteps echoed in the stillness of the cavernous hall. As I moved farther in, I began to hear the hushed sounds of whispers. I froze in place and listened, hearing the sound once more. It seemed to come from all around me. A flash of light caught my eye. Whirling, I faced the source. From within the depths of one wall, a pale, ghostly figure approached. Astonished, I drew back.
"Don’t be afraid," the soft, melodious voice said. I peered in closer and could make out the delicate features of a woman with long, flowing hair that seemed to ripple as though she were underwater. "Come free us from our entrapment."
Another figure, this time of a young girl, joined her. "Come inside and play with us." She smiled sweetly, holding out a hand to me. In that moment, I wanted to join them. It would be so wonderful to find a way to either free them, or to stay with them and forget everything — the losses of Jenny and Melinda, the pain of Brian’s betrayal, and the daunting task ahead of me I couldn’t possibly complete anyway.
I watched, entranced, as more and more figures joined the first two, all of them encouraging me to touch the wall so I would become one of them. Hardly aware of what I was doing, I lifted my right hand and reached toward the wall. The first woman copied my gesture.
"No, First Daughter!" The key’s voice echoed in my mind, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t, even if I’d wanted to. Just as my hand almost touched the wall, a sharp zap of electric current stung me, and I pulled back with a gasp.
"Ouch!" I exclaimed, cradling my hand. My mind cleared, and the spell no longer held sway over me. "Hey, how is it you can do that, anyway — communicate with me, warn me about dangers? The Protection Crystal hasn’t spoken a word to me."
"Not everything is sentient as we are, my dear. The crystals are not, at least not individually, so you won’t find yourself carrying on a conversation with one."
“Too bad. I’m sure the crystals would have had some great advice on how to proceed —“
"Leah, you’ve found a place where we can be safe," Jenny’s voice said in no more than a whisper. The Soul Crystal glowed, and soon other voices joined Jenny’s, urging me to hold the Soul Crystal to the wall.
"But what if you can’t get out?" I asked, uncertain about this idea.
"We’ll be fine here. It can’t hold us in any more than the Soul Crystal can. Already more of us have escaped, just not as many as I’d hoped," Jenny said. "We’re getting closer each day to freeing ourselves, and here we won’t be drained like we are in the crystal. It’s the only chance we have, Leah. We won’t make it if we stay in the crystal. And we can help the ones trapped here. They barely even know that they’re trapped, much less how to get out, but we can show them."
Convinced, I nodded. Though I hated to leave Jenny and the others here, keeping them in the Soul Crystal would destroy them as Jenny had said. "Okay. Free yourself and the others. Don’t wait for me." A sob caught in my throat. This could be our final goodbye. "I don’t know when or even if I’ll make it back here."
"Whatever happens, I’ll be looking out for you. Be careful out there."
"Yeah, I will. Oh, I miss you so much already!" I exclaimed.
"I miss you, too!"
If we could have hugged, we would have in that moment. As it was, we each were trying to hold back tears. "Anyway, don’t worry. I’ll take care of things here," Jenny promised.
"Okay." Slowly, I approached the wall once more and held up the Soul Crystal to it. Right away, the crystal glowed, a bright white light that illuminated the dim hallway. Then, the spirits, about seventy left by my reckoning, flowed in a tall stream from the crystal into the wall. Once the light faded, I could make out the figures of some of the spirits who lingered close to me. Jenny remained closest. "I don’t know if I can do this."
"You’re stronger than you know, Leah. You can do this."
"And I know you’ve got this. You’re a natural leader, and look how many of the spirits have already been freed with your help."
"You were the one with the idea of how to do it. I just encouraged everybody and helped them carry it out," Jenny said with a grin.
"What about you, Jen? What’s still holding you here?"
"I just want to make sure everyone else is freed first. Speaking of which, it’s time to go help the natives. Don’t forget, you can do this, and you’ll do great. I’ll be watching out for you as soon as we’re done here."
We each raised a hand in farewell, and I watched with tears again shimmering in my eyes as Jenny retreated with the other spirits. A light like the sun shone from inside the depths of the wall, welcoming them. One by one, the spirits merged into it u
ntil only Jenny remained. She gave me one final wave before disappearing into the light. When I could no longer see her, I drew a ragged breath and stepped away from the wall.
"Who are you and what are you doing in my castle?" a sharp, angry voice reverberated throughout the corridor. Now the light faded, leaving the hall dim.
Eyes wide, I whirled to face the speaker. Striding toward me came a tall, trim figure clad in white, loose garments threaded with gold and golden robes fastened at the neck with a chain and a broach that appeared to bear a royal seal. A circlet rested lightly atop his head. His long caramel-colored hair hung in waves to his shoulders. Clearly this young man with the fierce expression on his tanned face and fiery violet eyes was the king. Flustered, I backed away toward the door. Here, especially, it would be a good idea to keep my identity a secret. Otherwise, those who opposed my mother and father, the Prime Minister and First Lady, might try to harm me to get to them. I would have to be careful in dealing with this situation.
"Forgive me," I began, inclining my head in a slight nod of respect as Caleb had taught me was the custom. "I was being chased by those who would do me harm. There was nowhere else around, so I sought refuge here…"
"Silence!" the king thundered, his violet eyes flashing as he advanced on me. "You...you are the one responsible for what’s happening here! The deaths of many people are on your head, most recently my people just outside the palace! And you have the audacity to trespass and try to reclaim your former palace? It is mine now. You are younger than I realized, but you shall not escape justice this time." He withdrew a gleaming sword with a jeweled hilt from its sheath, aiming it at my heart.
Belatedly, I realized that he had confused me with Aedalina. "I was two years old when that began," I protested. "This had nothing to do with me."
He cut me off before I could continue. "You have the crystals. Give them to me now." The command carried with such force, I had no doubt he would kill me to achieve it.