The Crystal Star

by Vonda McIntyre

  A fence closed the far end of the canyon. Jaina walked toward the fence. It might not be as hard to climb as the stone cliffs.

  She was not on Munto Codru. She was not on any world she had ever visited. It was a very small world. Past the fence, the horizon lay very close.

  And the horizon curved. The tiny hot sun moved in the sky, so fast the shadows moved.

  This isn’t a real world, Jaina thought. It’s too small. It’s a made one, a built one. Otherwise it wouldn’t have this much gravity. And it spins so fast, its day is only a couple of hours long!

  A few prickly plants struggled to grow in the dry sand. Jaina could not imagine wanting to pick their thorny leaves.

  There was nothing to play on, only the bare canyon sand surrounding the staircase pit, and the fence locking them all inside.

  Someone nudged Jaina from behind. The red-gold centaur child danced around in front of her. Her sides and back were spotted with white. Velvety knobs above her temples poked through her wild, curly hair.

  “You’re different,” the red-gold child said.

  “I’m Jaina.”

  “I’m Lusa.” Lusa looked sidelong at the wyrwulf. “Does it bite?”

  “No, it just has big teeth. Do you see my brothers?” Jaina looked around, but there were only half as many children in the play yard as there had been in the gathering room.

  Lusa took Jaina’s hand. “Every day, they mix us up. Every day, it’s different. Tomorrow your brothers are in this group, I’m not. Tomorrow, you’re in their group, I’m still here.”

  It took Jaina a little time to figure out Lusa’s way of talking.

  She tells me different things that could happen, Jaina thought. But that’s okay. At least they aren’t awful things. Except that I want to see Jacen now, not tomorrow or the next day. And I want to know if Anakin is all right.

  Hand in hand, Jaina and Lusa walked across the yard. Every few steps, Lusa hopped, springing into the air and coming down on all four feet.

  “I want to run,” she said sadly when she saw Jaina watching her curiously. “I want to gallop, and jump.”

  “Me, too,” Jaina said. She jumped up in the air, like Lusa, and came down on both feet. It was not the same as running, but it helped. The wyrwulf watched.

  The edge of the play area ended ten paces from the fence. All the other children were walking around, but no one entered the undisturbed border.

  Jaina took a step toward it.

  “Don’t!” Lusa said, keeping hold of her hand. “The dragon—it’ll eat you.”

  “I want to see the dragon,” Jaina said.

  Then she thought, Why should I even believe there’s a dragon? Hethrir told me my mama is dead. I don’t believe that. I don’t believe anything he says. I don’t believe anything mean nasty Tigris says.

  She looked around for Tigris, but he had disappeared. A few bored helpers stood together and gossiped, hardly paying any attention to the children.

  “There’s no dragon out there,” Jaina said.

  “There is,” Lusa said. “A dragon lives there. The sand hides the dragon!”

  Beyond the fence, wind had blown the sand into low rolling dunes.

  “There’s no place for a dragon to hide,” Jaina said.

  She took another step.

  A huge lizard erupted from the sand. It roared. The sound was like thunder, like wind.

  Sand showered up around it, and over the fence, and into Jaina’s hair.

  She shrieked in fear and delight. The wyrwulf yelped. The other children ran away, toward the safety of the stairwell. Jaina wanted to stay where she was, on the undisturbed ground, to see what the dragon would do. Lusa pulled her to safety. Lusa tried to run all the way to the stairwell, pulling Jaina, but Jaina pulled against her and stopped them both.

  Just beyond the undisturbed sand, they turned back to look at the dragon.

  It was like Jaina had suddenly turned invisible. The dragon crouched on all fours, lashing its heavy tail. It growled. It peered this way, that way. It was beautiful, Jaina thought, not very graceful but powerful. It had thick, muscular legs and a short heavy tail with a spiked knob on the tip. Its huge long head was mostly mouth. Big jaws and big thick drippy teeth.

  Its scales looked like shiny beads, black and tan and pink.

  “It hides in the sand,” Lusa said. “The sand looks like its scales.”

  The dragon snorted and blinked. It backed up a few steps, wiggling its tail. It dug itself a basking spot and used its big feet to flip sand up over its back. Lying between two of the low dunes, it looked like a sand dune itself.

  “It’s wonderful!” Jaina said. She wished Jacen were here. Jacen would love it.

  Maybe I’ll get a chance to tell him about it, she thought. Just a second is all I’d need, practically.

  She almost tried to think at him about the dragon. Just the idea brought her up against the hovering cold cloud of Hethrir’s power.

  She decided to wait.

  “What does it eat?” Jaina asked.

  “Children,” Lusa said, her voice gloomy. “Us when we’re bad.”

  “Oh, silly,” Jaina said. “Did you ever see it eat anybody?”

  “No, but they told—” Lusa blinked her red-gold eyes. “They told us … they made it roar. It didn’t eat us, it only roared us.”

  She switched her tail and flung back her tangled hair.

  “It only roared us!”

  Jaina grinned.

  The other children came cautiously out of the stairwell and gathered behind Jaina and Lusa.

  “It didn’t eat you!”

  “I bet it doesn’t even eat children,” Jaina said. “I bet it eats … bugs or fish or plants or something.”

  “There aren’t any fish!” Vram said in a stuck-up voice.

  “Sand fish!” Jaina retorted. “Haven’t you ever heard of sand fish? You’ve never been anywhere!”

  The other children nodded. But no one stepped onto the undisturbed ground. Jaina had to admit the dragon was pretty scary, when it jumped up out of the sand. It might not eat her. But it might knock down the fence and step on her, without even meaning to.

  Suddenly three ships screamed down out of space and streaked across the sky above the canyon.

  “Look!” Jaina cried out with excitement, knowing, just knowing, that Papa had come to save her with the Millennium Falcon, or Mama had come with Alderaan.

  The wyrwulf pointed its nose in the air and howled after them.

  Jaina did not recognize any of the ships. Two were dark, like the Falcon, and one was bright like Alderaan, but the two dark ones were shaped wrong, and the bright one was gold rather than silver.

  The other children stared after the ships. They all fell silent and scared. Jaina expected one of the helpers to come and tell her to be quiet. Maybe even send them all to bed without dinner. Jaina was so hungry now that she wished she had eaten the icky soup. She was sorry she had shouted.

  All the helpers, and the Proctor overseer, had disappeared.

  “Don’t they watch us while we’re out here?” Jaina asked.

  The other children looked around. A whisper of fear passed among them.

  “What’s the matter?”

  Without a word, the other children clustered together. Lusa pranced nervously.

  “What’s the matter, Lusa? What’s going to happen?”

  Lusa raised her head, her eyes wide with fear. Her long curly mane flew around her face.

  “They come for us, they take us—” Lusa put her hands protectively over the velvet knobs on her forehead. “They cut off your horns!”

  “You’re gonna get sent away!” Gloating, Vram pointed at Lusa; he pointed at Jaina. “You’re gonna get sent away-ay, you’re gonna get sent away-ay!” he chanted. “Whenever the ships come, Lord Hethrir sends the bad ones away!”

  Jaina thought, Where could we go that would be worse, why is Lusa so scared?

  “Good!” Jaina said. “Who wants to stay in
this rotten place?” She grabbed Lusa’s hand. “We’ll go away together, and my papa will come and rescue us!”

  “You don’t know anything!” Vram shouted. “You’ll all go away to different places! You’ll be all by yourself!”

  That scared Jaina. Lusa was trembling. They could make Lusa go away. They could make Jacen and Anakin go away!

  Vram jumped up and down with glee and pointed at Lusa.

  “I heard them say, they’re going to take you away and cut off your horns! Cut off your horns forever. Serves you right!”

  Lusa cringed away from him.

  I don’t have any horns to cut off, Jaina thought. So what would they do to me?

  She held Lusa’s hand tighter. Mr. Chamberlain’s wyrwulf leaned against her.

  Lusa edged toward the other children, till she and Jaina became part of the group. Lusa kept pushing between the other children till they reached the center.

  If I hold Lusa’s hand, Jaina thought, it will all be all right. They won’t take either of us away.

  Lusa’s fingers felt warm in Jaina’s hand. The centauriform child was trembling. She hunched down and ducked her head. She shook her hair forward. But no matter what she did she was still taller than the others. And no matter what she did, her velvety horn-knobs poked out through her curls.

  “They wouldn’t cut off your horns,” Jaina whispered. “Why would they? Your horns are pretty!”

  “They cut off your horns to make you ugly,” Lusa said, her voice shaking. “They cut off your horns to make you obey. But my horns haven’t come through the velvet yet.” She stared at Jaina, fear in her eyes. “If they cut the velvet, I’ll die!”

  Jaina hugged Lusa. She wanted to hit Vram for scaring them all, for scaring Lusa. But Mama always said not to hit. She thought that if all the children stood around Vram in a circle and glared at him, though, they could make him be quiet.

  Before she could try to get everyone to test her theory, a double line of helpers marched out of the stairwell. A Proctor overseer followed. The helpers surrounded the children, the way Jaina thought the children should surround Vram.

  “Line up,” the overseer said. “Line up, and stand up straight and tall.”

  “He said line up!” Vram pushed one of the smallest children out of the group. The little child stumbled.

  Jaina jumped forward to catch her. Lusa pulled Jaina back. Jaina slipped out of Lusa’s grasp and ran toward the little one. When Vram raised his hand to slap the little one, Jaina grabbed him. She was right behind him. She pulled his hand over his shoulder. He fell down, almost on top of her feet. She had to jump away.

  Lusa pranced beside her, and the wyrwulf growled. All together they faced the bully. Vram flinched down against the ground.

  He’s scared of us! Jaina thought.

  Then she thought, I’d be scared, too, if Mr. Chamberlain’s wyrwulf growled at me!

  Vram’s fair skin looked grayish and his spiky hair flattened against his head. He backed away. The little one scampered back to the group of children.

  Vram suddenly straightened up, swaggering. His skin flushed with satisfaction.

  “You better get in line,” he said.

  “Do line up, children.”

  Hethrir’s voice made Jaina shiver.

  Hethrir stood at the top of the stairwell. He spoke softly, but there was no mistaking his tone. Frightened, the children broke up their group and shuffled into a ragged line, scuffing their feet in the sand.

  Vram ran to Hethrir and gazed up at him. “I was getting them to line up! I was making them, Lord Hethrir!”

  “I see that you were,” Hethrir said kindly. He placed his hand on Vram’s head, ruffling his flattened hair.

  The fast-moving sun touched the canyon wall. In a minute it had set. Floodlights came on all around, so bright Jaina had to blink.

  Hethrir strode forward. The hem of his long white robe whispered against the sand.

  All the Proctors, in their clean blue uniforms, their medals polished and their epaulets glittering, marched behind him. Their lightsabers hung at their belts.

  More helpers followed, guiding the second group of children. Jacen’s group. Jaina wanted to run over to him, but she was afraid she would get everyone in trouble again.

  And finally Tigris climbed to the top of the stairwell. Anakin slept against Tigris’s shoulder!

  But it was nowhere near Anakin’s naptime.

  What’s the matter with him? Jaina wondered. Did they hurt him? I hope they just made him sleep again. Like they made us sleep in the meadow when they stole us.

  The helpers lined up Jacen’s group so they faced Jaina’s group. The Proctors lined up in front of Hethrir, and the helpers lined up behind him.

  In the center of the square, Hethrir turned to Jaina and Lusa and Mr. Chamberlain’s wyrwulf. Vram grinned nastily at them. Lusa stamped one hind foot. Vram ran behind Hethrir.

  “Get in line.” Hethrir’s voice scared Jaina.

  “No!” She wanted him to be mad at her, so he would send her and her brothers away.

  Suddenly she was in line. She felt like someone had slapped her. I won’t cry! she thought furiously. I won’t!

  From the stairwell, Anakin wailed sleepily, then fell silent. Jaina wanted to run to him, but she could not move.

  Mr. Chamberlain’s wyrwulf growled. Suddenly it yelped and flattened its ears and crouched down, staying very still.

  That left Lusa standing all alone. Hethrir froze the centaur child with his gaze.

  “Perhaps you will regret defying me,” he said. He turned his back on her.

  The centaur child fled to the line. She was shaking. The wyrwulf slunk to Jaina’s side.

  Hethrir nodded at the line of Proctors. One strode forward, strutting with pride.

  “You have proven yourself,” Hethrir said. “You are worthy to join my spearhead. You are worthy to join the Empire Youth.”

  Two Proctors marched out and held a knee-length coat for the Youth. The coat was not quite white, but the palest shade of blue. The Youth slipped into it.

  He stroked the fur lapel. His face glowed.

  “Thank you, my lord! The Empire Reborn!”

  “The Empire Reborn!” the Proctors shouted, so loud Jaina jumped.

  The Empire Reborn? Jaina thought. What’s that?

  She knew the Empire had been evil. Why would anyone ever want to bring it back?

  Hethrir beckoned to one of the helpers.

  “You merit purification.” Hethrir placed one hand on his head. “You are now a Proctor. I shall take you to be reborn in the service of the Empire.”

  Three Proctors surrounded the boy. When they stepped away, he stood proudly in a light blue Proctor’s uniform.

  Finally, Hethrir put his hand on Vram’s head.

  “Good boy,” he said. “You are now one of my helpers.”

  A helper came forward, carrying a rust-red tunic. Two other helpers pulled off Vram’s stained shirt and his ragged trousers. They lowered the tunic over his head.

  Vram preened and smiled and strutted.

  Hethrir turned to the children in Jaina’s line. He looked straight at Lusa. She cringed back from him, afraid.

  Hethrir gestured. Lusa pranced forward nervously.

  Hethrir held out a lightsaber. Except it had no lens at its end, only a small glass bulb. Jaina tried to figure out what the fake lightsaber really was.

  “Watch,” Hethrir said.

  The glass bulb lit up, then went dark again.

  “Take it,” Hethrir said to Lusa.

  The centaur child obeyed.

  “Turn it on,” Hethrir said. “As I did.”

  Lusa turned it over and around, trying to figure out how Hethrir had activated it.

  “Use your mind,” Hethrir said. “Watch, again.”

  He nodded to the new Empire Youth. The Youth drew his lightsaber. Its blade hummed into existence.

  His lightsaber was different from Uncle Luke’s. He had to turn
it on by using the Force. That was what Hethrir wanted Lusa to do with the fake lightsaber.

  And Lusa could do it! For a second, Jaina perceived that her friend could touch the Force and use it. She was untrained and inexperienced, but she had the ability. Jaina imagined herself and her friend as Jedi Knights, traveling through the galaxy and defeating evils.

  Evils like Hethrir, and his Empire Reborn.

  Hethrir’s power slipped over Lusa. It blocked her talent. The bulb of the fake lightsaber remained dark.

  “No fair!” Jaina cried.

  Hethrir’s cold wet blanket fell around her. She gasped. Lusa dropped the test machine and sprang to help Jaina. Halfway through the leap, Hethrir’s power flung her to the ground. Struggling to get up, she whimpered.

  “You have failed,” Hethrir said to Lusa.

  Two of the helpers pulled Lusa to her feet and dragged her away.

  “No.” Lusa’s voice rose. “No!”

  “Do not defy me,” Hethrir said. “I’m doing this for your own good.”

  Jaina struggled up and ran to Lusa and flung her arms around her neck. The wyrwulf ran back and forth, confused and upset and growling. Lusa hugged Jaina and pressed the warm soft knobs of her horns against the top of Jaina’s head. Hot angry tears burned Jaina’s eyes.

  Slowly, slowly, Hethrir’s force drew them apart. No matter how hard Jaina tried to stay in one place, Hethrir’s power easily overcame her. She felt like she was falling off the edge of a cliff. Jaina’s hands slid from Lusa’s neck, and down her arms. Lusa braced all four feet. Her hooves dug stripes in the sand as Hethrir pulled her away from Jaina and Jaina away from her.

  They grabbed hands and held tight.

  As long as I hold her hand, Jaina thought. It will be all right, as long—

  Their hands slipped apart.

  Lusa screamed. Jaina reached to her—and Hethrir’s power fell around her again, like a heap of wet sand. Jaina’s reach vanished, and Jaina lost her balance and fell down.

  She could not get up. She lay on the sand crying with rage and despair. Jacen cried out and ran toward her and Hethrir made him fall down, too.

  Hethrir made them stay there while he tested all the rest of the children. A few could turn on the little light. More failed. Under the pile of invisible wet sand, Jaina could not tell if Hethrir was cheating with some of them.