by Lora Palmer
"Refreshing, isn’t it?"
I laughed and ran to the river, wasting no time in splashing him back. "Chilly. How does this water stay so cold?"
Brian gazed off into the distance, toward a mountain stream. "The river comes from the mountains over there."
"That explains it. Now can we move along?" King Korin nodded toward the jungle entrance.
Brian and I shared a mischievous grin and splashed him, laughing again. I had no idea how he could stay so cool and composed when I’d been practically wilting in the heat before Brian splashed me. An epic splash fight ensued, and King Korin turned out to be a fierce competitor. Brian and I aligned naturally against him, and the two of us just managed to keep up. When our little battle ended, Brian gave him a stunned look, probably as surprised at Korin's prowess as I was.
"What? I have four brothers, and we did this all the time growing up. But that was in my childhood." Emphasis on the childhood. The corners of Korin’s mouth curved upwards slightly.
I stifled a snort. As mature as he always attempted to be, he’d still allowed us to draw him into a childish game.
King Korin dunked me, and I came up spluttering and laughing. The three of us horsed around for a bit longer until the king said, "We should get started. We have no idea how long it will take us to find the monolith."
"Yeah." I sighed, reluctant to emerge from the water. Brian and I lingered in the river as Korin stepped out onto the grass. Incredibly, his light travel robes were already dry.
Brian followed my gaze. "How did he do that?"
I shrugged, my eyes wide with curiosity and admiration. "It is a nifty trick, but I don’t think I want to know how to do that. We’ll feel cooler longer if we keep our clothes wet." Glancing down at the water, I wondered if it was safe to drink.
Brian must have been thinking along the same lines. "We should fill up the extra canteen while we're here, if the water is potable."
Korin blinked at him in sheer confusion. "Why in the name of Hylia wouldn’t it be?" His gaze shifted heavenward to the ringed gas giant planet at the mention of its name.
"You mean, all the water on this planet is pure?" I asked. My mouth dropped open in awe as I considered the idea. Was it possible that polluted waters were a foreign concept to this world? "Back on Earth, some of the water isn’t safe to drink, because of pollution or because of toxic stuff growing in it."
"Do you mean that people there poison their waters?" He arched an eyebrow, as if stunned at the sheer lunacy of this. "There must be something sick in the environment for it to happen naturally, but for it to be done deliberately..." His voice trailed off, and he shook his head.
"Yeah." Brian nodded in agreement. What more was there to say? "Anyway, we should fill up the extra canteens before we go."
Once we’d done so, Brian and I followed Korin into the jungle.
We had not gone far along the path when I thought I might have heard rustling in the branches high overhead. "What was that?" Were we about to be attacked?
Brian and I searched for whatever might have caused the sound, squinting our eyes against the sunlight that filtered through the trees swaying in the breeze.
"Shh!" Korin searched the shadows around us, broken only by the sunlit patterns on the ground shifting and changing with the breeze above. Instead of lifting his gaze, Korin's concern remained closer to the ground.
We didn’t have long to wait. I no sooner heard the sound of a footfall crunching against a dried leaf and the snapping of a fallen twig, then we were surrounded. At least fifteen imposing figures emerged from the bushes lining the path on both sides. How had they moved so silently, with only a single misstep betraying their presence?
The men surrounding us appeared to be warriors, I surmised by a fierce-looking tattoo on each of their foreheads, a uniform of green-and-brown shirt and cargo pants in a pattern that blended into the jungle leaves, and the tall spear-like branches they carried. These were obviously weapons, and now the men pointed them at us. From the tip emerged a long, thin line of green crystal that moved fluidly, like a vine. Heavens — I had no doubt this could rope us in and cut us to pieces in the process. I swallowed, my mouth going dry. Brian edged closer to me, moving me in between himself and Korin for protection.
Korin calmly faced the leader, the tallest of the men and the only one of the warriors wearing a leather band around his bicep. The king took action, gracefully sweeping his right arm wide in front of him. "Greetings, friends. Today we have come on a matter of utmost urgency. The time of renewal is now, and a lost MirrorMaster-First Daughter, Leandra of Astoria, has returned just as foretold in the prophecy. We have the Crystal of Illusion, if you would allow us safe passage through the jungle to the place where Leah must wield it."
Several of the men frowned in response and narrowed their eyes, clearly suspicious. One glanced at me skeptically, doubtful that a slip of a girl had been chosen as the wielder until I revealed the necklace. A majority of the others nodded.
"I hear you, King Korin." The leader spoke after accounting what his men had to say in their silent vote. "We have known the time was at hand for at least a year now and have been keeping close tabs on the disasters striking all over the planet. We’ll take you there." He made a sharp about-face and led the way deeper into the rainforest.
The leader’s second in command scrutinized the new arrivals, his gaze lingering on me. "So this is the wielder. Quite young. You have quite a challenge ahead of you. I hope you are up to the task." With that, he followed his commander.
My body relaxed as the threat passed, and only then did I let out the breath I’d been holding.
"So do I," I muttered.
We trekked several hours through the jungle. A heavy mist fell as we got deeper into the jungle, keeping Brian and me from ever drying out during the journey. Our clothes, once cool after playing in the river, now clung steamy and damp to us.
Along the way, we could hear chirping and calls overhead from birds and other animals. The heady scent of tropical flowers filled the air, and between the stifling humidity, the oppressive heat, and the shifting interplay of light and shadow, I found myself becoming drowsy. Eventually, a new sound reached our ears, the sound of rushing water. The river must wind its way through the jungle, and we’d gotten close to it again. I perked up at this.
"We’ll stop to rest and have a drink at the river. We should be able to gather lunch there," the chief warrior said. He led us through a path to a sunlit clearing surrounding the river, where we sat on large rocks and cooled our feet. The water remained as icy-cool and refreshing as the place just outside the jungle. Glancing around, I noticed signs of destruction that must have been from the hailstorm I’d dreamed — downed trees, severed branches, dead birds of all sizes on the ground with skulls smashed in, and large patches of missing grass. Here, near the clearing, the devastation was so much worse than anywhere else in the jungle.
The men began to use their spears to fish, using the vines to catch large, brightly colored fish. I helped Korin gather fruits, nuts, and berries that grew on nearby trees and bushes. When we’d finished, we carried our bounty back to the group in large woven baskets the warriors had given us for the task.
"So, Korin, you’re familiar with this land?" I asked, balancing my bundle on one arm as I eased onto a rock that stood hip-high. The basket tilted and would have tumbled to the ground if Korin hadn’t reached out to steady it.
He smirked at me as if he found my lack of coordination endearing. I narrowed my gaze at him, heat warming my cheeks.
He made a show of sitting beside me much more gracefully than I’d managed, chuckling. "Of course. I travel pretty often to discuss matters of state. Though admittedly it has been many years since I came here last, with my parents."
Between the gathered food and the meals packed in our travel bags, we had quite a feast. The group engaged in amiable chatter, even those of the warriors who were wary of us at first. Eventually, we moved on after finishin
g the meal and refilling our canteens. We had been warned to be careful near the water; dangerous river-eels or deadly snapperserpents lurked in the waters. Fortunately, we came across none of these creatures.
We didn’t come across anything dangerous until about an hour later. Three wide, squat crystalline creatures with beautiful but diamond-hard iridescent scales resembling body armor, leaped out of the bushes and onto the path about fifty feet in front of us. They pawed the ground and snorted, fixing the group with hungry, predatory stares. Their mouths opened wide, revealing teeth as large and sharp as a spearhead. Single horns in the centers of their foreheads looked equally sharp and deadly.
"Stay back!" The chief warrior’s sharp command echoed in the air, and my group obeyed.
The warriors lined up between us and the beasts. They activated the vine-weapons, causing an electronic thrumming to fill the air.
Korin frowned, not pleased at being treated like a child. He formed an energy ball, a shimmering mass of ice blue and silver, in his hands. I held a shimmering forest green ball a split second later, while Brian had created a wildly flashing silver one.
"We can help." My assured voice allowed no disagreement from the warriors. I glanced at Korin and Brian, who nodded, ready to release their energy spheres as well.
"Careful. These thunderbeasts may become wild." The chief held up a hand to his warriors. "Men, hold. Be prepared to restrain if the first attack does not drive them off." At his signal, our trio released the energy balls, each toward a different beast.
My thunderbeast immediately calmed and began to graze. Korin’s became frozen solid for a second before the effect faded, and the beast reared up with a mournful cry before leaping away. Brian’s beast became so crazed that it lumbered around in furious circles, its tail thrashing and narrowly missing people. It charged at Korin and might have gored him with its horn if Brian hadn’t yanked him out of the way just when the horn was a hairs breadth from a deadly strike. Those closest had to jump out of range, and the beast continued its rampage until it could be stopped.
The men’s vine-weapons barely restrained the beast, but finally it stopped struggling. At that point, the men let it go, and it lumbered off after the other one.
Though outwardly calm, inside I had been utterly terrified. My heart pounded a furious rhythm, and my palms were sweaty. I marveled at the fact that I hadn’t started shaking.
"Well, that was quite an adventure. Shall we continue on to the monolith, then?"
Brian and I stared at Korin, openmouthed, before shaking our heads and chuckling. How could he be so blasé about the whole thing? "Sure," we chorused.
It’s just like him, I mused. He needs someone who can keep up with him.
"First Daughter Leandra, how did you do that? No one has tamed a thunderbeast before."
Facing the young warrior who had spoken, I replied, "I guess I created something peaceful and relaxing. That’s what I was going for, anyway."
Brian gave an impressed whistle. "That was awesome!" He glanced toward where the other two beasts had fled. "Do you think you can try it on the other two? We might all be able to ride the rest of the way if this works."
It did work. About an hour and a half later, we arrived by thunderbeast at a waterfall in the heart of the jungle. Through the water, I could make out the opening to a cave high above.
"How do we get up there? There aren’t any steps!" I drew closer, scanning the rocks for any footholds or makeshift steps that might let us climb up to the cave entrance.
As my right palm touched the rock, I jumped back, startled at the sudden sound of a high note humming through the air. The crystal rock glowed a faint iridescent shimmer as steps formed into place from out of the rock. I led the way up into the cave, until the chief warrior naturally assumed the lead.
Inside, a bioluminsecent substance in pale blue and silver lit up the cave ceiling and walls, resembling a starry night sky. It gave enough light so we could see in the cool, dim cave beyond where the sunlight from outside faded away.
"This way." The warrior chief led us into a large chamber off to the left. "When we were certain the time of renewal was approaching, we searched the heart of the jungle for the monolith. We came upon this cave about a month ago and had to use climbing equipment to get up there," he said.
"Between the crystals and the monoliths, there is so much to track down. I’m grateful the people have taken the search into their own hands. It gives us a real chance at making sure the renewal device — I believe it’s called the genesis device — is activated in time," I replied.
The warrior chief nodded and gave me a speculative, almost pitying glance.
"Don’t look at her like that! She’s not going to — not like the others. She’ll be all right."
I whirled to face Brian, breath caught in my throat at his quiet, yet passionate declaration. The sight of him standing there with his fists balled and such raw grief in his eyes nearly brought tears to my eyes. "I’ll do my best to make it through this, too, but we can’t worry about that now." Impulsively, I threw my arms around him.
We clung to each other for a moment, until Korin coughed. I glanced down, and Brian shifted uncomfortably. Withdrawing my data pad from my travel bag, I brought up a news report I’d read earlier that morning and showed it to them. "The blue flames hit the planet in the northern region and took out the power grid there. Millions are going to freeze to death in their homes unless we fix things in time. First the climate shift to tundra they’re not even remotely prepared for, and now this! We need to fix this for them, and for anyone else affected by any other disasters — we can’t worry about anything else right now."
Korin put a hand on my shoulder and gave a solemn nod, along with Brian. "We will."
"Yeah." I drew a shaky breath and hugged Korin, too. "Let’s go take care of the next step."
The warriors watched us with fascination and curiosity. I caught them staring, heard their whispers afterward. This wielder was unlike any before her, they said, and the chief warrior had acted scandalized that I’d hugged my chief advisor so passionately instead of my betrothed. The men discussed this quietly among themselves as we all journeyed deeper into the caves, coming to the conclusion that I had been raised differently — after all, I could have grown up anywhere, had any sort of upbringing. Finally, the chief warrior voiced the question, and listened as Brian and I shared the story of our lives on a distant world called Earth.
By the time our story was complete, the group had reached an enormous cavern with high ceilings of clear crystal that allowed the strong midday sunlight to filter through. I blinked and squinted at the sudden brightness.
"The monolith is down here on the lower level of this crystal atrium. We attempted to get some response from it, but nothing seemed to work." At this admission, the chief warrior appeared worried the monolith would no longer work.
"It only seems to respond to the wielder," Korin replied, falling into step with the warrior chief on their way down the steep steps.
A rushing sound greeted me as I followed, and I leaned over to glimpse sparkling water flow past rocks and stones. Sure enough, I could spot a monolith of iridescent crystal on a tiny island in the middle of the river. "I wonder how deep this river is and whether there’s a boat if we need one."
"No boat," one of the warriors informed me, "but it’s not a bad swim across."
It did not take us long to swim to the island, and the icy waters were refreshing. When we reached the monolith, I wasted no time removing the Illusion Crystal from my necklace and placing it in its rightful spot in the monolith. The warriors watched in amazement as the top part of the monolith melted away at my touch, revealing the insert matching the shape of the Illusion crystal. Once activated, a strong, rippling wave of power blasted me to the ground. Feeding off my energy, it surrounded me, consumed me, and left me dizzy and drained. I staggered back to the others, where Korin just managed to catch me in his arms before I collapsed. Then, the shimmer
ing forcefield surrounding the monolith hummed as it slid into place.
"Two down," I managed to say weakly, grinning.
Korin grinned back, but he clearly looked worried for my health. "Five to go."
Brian reached into my travel bag and handed me a sandwich. "Here. Eat something."
To regain my strength, I ate at regular intervals and sipped energizing juice — the same juice I’d had at Emerald Oasis — during the trek to the jungle village. After a long but uneventful walk, we reached our destination.
* * *
Word quickly spread about us newcomers, and many villagers came out of their huts and shops to hear the good news of how the wielder had returned and how a second monolith of the genesis device had been activated.
To my delight, I discovered the entire village was situated high up among the trees just as I’d seen in my dream. Bridges linking the various trees formed wide walkways, populated with shops and cafes. The warrior chief showed us to our rooms. I found my small guest room charming, with its canopy bed, an exquisitely crafted nightstand holding a bioluminescent flower for lighting, and a matching dresser on the opposite wall. A tall palm plant stood near a long, open window.
I set my bag down on the bed and dressed for dinner. Afterward, as I opened the window, a bird chirped, a crystalline trill, high in the branch of a tree outside. Said bird took flight and soared right through the window into my room. What a beautiful bird it was, slightly larger than a parrot, and all blue crystal with varying colors — greens, yellows, and purples — at the tips of its open wings. It circled overhead, expertly avoiding the ceiling fan, and its melodic cry seemed to exude joy as it came to rest on my shoulder.
"Hey, boy." I blinked as I studied the bird. My eyes widened. "Wait — I know you, don’t I? You were my bird, the one that flew away when I was little!" As if the bird understood me and was pleased to be remembered, he chirped and gave my hair an affectionate nip.