Crystal Cache (Crow Hill Book 2)

by Tom Larcombe

  “Caw!”

  The image of the tree flashed back into Michael's mind again.

  “Oh no,” he said. “I think I've seen those lights at night and attributed them to the little Fae. I thought they were up on the cliff all the time.”

  The image flashed into his mind again, but this time it contained him standing at the bottom of the tree.

  “So you want me to go right now?” he asked.

  Calvin turned and caught his eye. Then the crow slowly nodded his head, once, twice, three times. Anguis burst out laughing and Michael spun toward him.

  “What's so funny about Calvin?”

  “He's a fast learner is all,” Anguis said. “I just suggested using human mannerisms to communicate better a couple of minutes ago, and now he's doing it.”

  Michael's world was already currently off-balance from the catastrophe, the attacks, and everything else that was happening. Now he could speak to his friend Calvin in some fashion, and a dragon was lecturing him. He shook his head, trying to clear it, but it didn't work. He still felt dazed and carried along on the events occurring around him. Finally, he gave in to the inevitable.

  “Calvin, show me which tree. We'll go right now.”

  The crow launched himself from Michael's arm and flew towards the top of the cliff.

  Of course it would be on the highest part. Although that makes sense for an area of effect ward like this I suppose. Better range up there probably.

  He followed the crow, who kept circling to accommodate his slower human friend. Getting up the cliff was almost painful, he was that stiff and sore from the past few days. But once he made it up, there was a trail leading to the tree that Calvin landed on. It looked as though it were infrequently used, but it was much easier than walking through the undergrowth.

  Once he reached that base of the tree, he cast his senses out, sending them upwards.

  Oh those bastards! he thought. Here I thought they were Luddites, but they adapted current technology to conceal the ward. Just like cell phone companies do when they don't want their towers to stand out.

  The top ten feet of the tree was artificial and the disguise was augmented by an illusion that covered the entire tree so it meshed perfectly. The nightlights Calvin had placed clashed with the static illusion and made it easier to see what it concealed. There were spikes in the tree, placed to make it easy to climb. The spikes would've been concealed beneath the illusion, except Calvin had placed nightlights on several of them and now they were no longer concealed.

  Michael hauled himself up the spikes until he reached the artificial portion of the tree. There was a plastic door built into the base of it, about half the size of his torso. When he opened the door, inside sat a glowing crystal, one he would've thought was quite large until just recently. Even so it was still big enough for him to have to do some quick thinking on how to get it down. It was secured in a clamp that he easily loosened, but carrying it down was another story.

  If Rynn had come, she could've levitated it down. I might be able to do something like that, but I'm tired and if my concentration slips, that would be bad. So...

  Michael balanced himself on the spikes and stripped of his shirt. He used the arms to tie off the neck hole and the arms themselves, then placed the crystal in it. It was slightly harder to go down the tree with only three limbs, but he made it with only a single slip.

  He put his shirt back on and carried the crystal down to the house in his hands.

  “Rynn, Calvin was right. Here it is,” he called out as he approached.

  “So, you wanted to, what was it you said? Hack the spell on it?”

  “It's a computer term, I wouldn't expect you to know it. How about circumvent the current spell so it's no longer functional and replace it with one of our choosing.”

  “I know what hack means and that isn't it,” she said.

  Michael shook his head.

  “Close enough for government work though,” he said. “If I can manage this, then we'll have an early warning system for the area.”

  “What kind of warning though and where will the warning appear?” she asked.

  “Details, details, I can figure all that out after I find out if I can subvert the spell that's already here. Plus, I'll probably want to ask Dan...”

  He trailed off, remembering that he wouldn't be asking Dan anything anymore.

  “I mean, I'll want to ask whoever is in charge of the police now where they'd like a warning that raiders were coming,” he continued.

  “Now that sound like a good plan. Let me know if you need my help. I'm going to go talk to Anguis for a bit. I haven't seen him in a long time.”

  * * *

  * * *

  Chapter 20

  Rynn walked over to Anguis as Michael carried the ward crystal that kept him trapped in the area into the house.

  “I'll be in my workshop if anyone needs me,” Michael called before the door closed behind him.

  Rynn snickered to herself.

  If he could, I bet he'd spent twenty hours a day in there.

  “Anguis, want to help me with something?”

  The dragon cocked his head and looked at her.

  “With what?” he asked, in a wary tone.

  The tone reminded her of how she'd used to rope Anguis into doing things that she was supposed to be doing, or at least into helping her do them.

  “Still don't trust me?” she asked.

  “I trust you with my life. But...”

  “Well, don't worry. I'm not trying to get out of work this time. There was a big fight here recently and I want to clean up all the bullet casings. I'm sure they're all over the place and I don't need Eugene getting the bright idea that he could use them for something. Between him and Michael? They're as bad about tinkering and making things they shouldn't as dad is.”

  “Eugene?” Anguis asked.

  “Yes, he's one of my students. He's a teenager, so I don't know how well you'll get along with him. There are five of them all told. Eugene, Cindy, and Andi are all teens, but Randall and Sean are much younger. They're just about the age you like to play with the most.”

  “Five kids?” Anguis asked, an excited look in his eyes.

  Rynn chuckled at his eagerness.

  “Seven actually. Michael made friends with a pair of younger children from this area also. One of them comes up here to garden and the little Fae took a liking to his younger sister.”

  “Is that the magic I smell around here? It didn't smell familiar, but I thought it might be Michael's.”

  “If you're talking about the gardens,” Rynn replied. “Then yes, Michael said they'd been doing something to the plants.”

  “Smells different than they did up at our place. But they never did anything to the plants up there, at least not that I noticed,” Anguis said.

  “There's more of them too, Michael said something about them moving to this area because there are ley lines under the mine, that the little Fae can travel in them.”

  “Thank you Rynn, children and the fae? All of my favorite playmates are here. I'm so glad you brought me here. It was lonely up on top of the mountain. And there were hardly any lights to see at night any more.”

  “Yes, well, we have some lights here, but we keep the windows closed and heavily curtained after dark. All the electricity is out, everywhere as far as I know. Michael has a way to make his own combining magic and modern technology.”

  She shook her head.

  “Like I said, he tinkers as much as dad used to.”

  Anguis rolled his shoulders in his version of a human shrug.

  “It was always fun when Merlin did that,” he said. “You never knew what was going to happen when he tried them out.”

  As much as I love Anguis, I really do need to remember that while he's the size of a pony, he only has the maturity of a young human, and a young human boy at that. Maybe he will get along with Eugene, but I'd better keep an eye on the two of them if he does.


  “Anyway, did you want to help me clean up the empty casings from the bullets? I thought you might like a snack and there's liable to be brass or steel in them.”

  “Beats the aluminum I had earlier. Were they fired, not just emptied? If they were fired they'll have that smokey hint of gunpowder taste that I like so much.”

  “Yes, they were all fired. I think all the stuff that wasn't already fired was cleaned up.”

  “Shoot, I was hoping to find some with a little gunpowder left in them. I need to stoke the furnace, you know?”

  She knew what he was talking about. From what Anguis and her dad told her, each dragon had something different that would allow them to breath flame. For Anguis, it was gunpowder.

  “If you don't, just tell me. I'll give you a few live rounds and you can eat those, or pull them apart and just eat the gunpowder.”

  “Pull them apart, then eat them. Did I ever tell you about the time I set off a bullet by chomping on it? It scared Merlin half to pieces, he thought someone was shooting at him.”

  “Yes, Anguis, I've heard that story before. But maybe we'll get some new stories for you to tell while you're down here. Things are definitely not quiet, and who knows what might happen.”

  Anguis sniffed, pretending that his feelings were hurt. Rynn knew better though, she'd grown up with him and knew that he just wanted her attention. So she compromised.

  “I'll walk with you and show you where the firing was heaviest.”

  She knew he could sniff the metals out, especially with the hint of gunpowder on them, but this would keep him close to her. She was worried about how her students might take their first sight of him and wanted to be there for it.

  * * *

  “I can't smell any more of them,” Anguis said, almost an hour later.

  “That's probably all of them then. Would you like me to introduce you to the children?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “Come on over to the porch and I'll go get them while you wait outside. I think you're too big to move around in the house easily.”

  “Did you know I learned how to change my size by shifting my shape?” he asked.

  That she hadn't known. She hadn't seen him in more than a year since she'd been spending her off time at the school.

  “No, I didn't. Good job.”

  “Well, not really. I still weigh the same even if I'm smaller, so it still might not be a good idea for me to go in the house. Depends on how well built it is.”

  “I'd have to ask Michael, but I bet you can at least go in the basement. We can make one of the windows into a kind of door for you if he likes that idea.”

  “Where are the children staying?” Anguis asked.

  “In the basement,” she replied, realizing that her latest idea might not have been as good as she'd thought.

  “Let's try that then, okay?”

  “Only if Michael okays it.”

  Rynn went inside and called down the stairs. A minute or two later a stream of children came tromping up. Eugene and Andi brought up the end of the line, looking worn out and in pain.

  “Alright, all of you, listen to me closely. I have someone I want to introduce you to, but he's not exactly... Well, not what you might expect. He'll be friendly to you as long as you don't try to hurt him and he'll protect you if he can.”

  Do I tell them that he's a dragon? Or at least as close to one as they'll meet anytime soon? No, I think just letting them see him will be better.

  Eugene and Andi had a distracted look on their faces. Cindy looked as though she were reserving judgment and the two younger boys actually looked excited.

  “Okay, follow me onto the back porch. Don't go down the steps right away though, I'll bring you down one at a time to meet him.”

  She walked onto the back porch and stepped to the side. Eugene was the first one through the door behind her and he stopped dead in place, blocking the others from getting outside.

  “That's... that's...Is that a dragon?” he said.

  “Step to the side so the others can come out Eugene.”

  Rynn grabbed his arm and drew him to the side. Andi was next in line and the reaction was similar. Rynn just grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side also. Cindy stopped for a moment, squeezed her eyes shut several times, then moved to the opposite side without saying a word.

  Randall came out and his eyes widened. He started to take a step towards the stairs before Rynn cleared her throat. With that reminder he stepped over next to Cindy.

  When Sean got a look at Anguis, he started to rush down the stairs towards him. Rynn grabbed his arm to stop him.

  “I thought you said he's a friend,” Sean said when Rynn pulled him back.

  “He is, but let me introduce you first.”

  Rynn looked around and cleared her throat again. She had at least part of everyone's attention, although most of it was on Anguis.

  Anguis was preening under the attention, standing up as tall as he could with his body stretched out as far as it could in his current shape.

  “Everyone, this is Anguis. He's been my friend my entire life so I know he's safe to be around. Anguis, I'll bring them down one at a time and introduce you.”

  “Thank you Rynn,” Anguis said.

  “He talks!” Sean cried, pulling against Rynn's grip.

  “Yes he does, come here Sean.”

  Rynn walked out to Anguis, leading the young boy. Once he was closer to Anguis and realized how big he was, Sean seemed a little less eager to charge over to him.

  “Sean, this is Anguis. Anguis, this is one of my youngest students, Sean.”

  “It's a pleasure to meet you Sean,” Anguis said. “What kinds of games do you like to play?”

  Sean stammered out a reply.

  “There's no need to worry about me Sean. I won't hurt you,” Anguis said.

  Rynn took Sean's hand and guided it to Anguis' flank.

  “It feels like metal,” Sean said.

  “That's because Anguis is made from metal,” Rynn replied.

  Sean was more comfortable near Anguis now, so Rynn turned and brought Randall down next. She introduced each of the children from youngest to oldest and Anguis seemed to have something to say to each of them that soothed most of the reservations that might have regarding him.

  Eugene almost lost it when Anguis mentioned that he'd watched Merlin tinker with things in the same manner that Eugene did.

  “Merlin?” Eugene said. “As in, the wizard from centuries ago?”

  Anguis nodded.

  “Yes, Merlin rescued me from the Nazis back in World War II. I know him well.”

  Uh oh, Rynn thought. I better get him out of this conversation. He doesn't know that I never told my students that Merlin's my father.

  “Alright Anguis,” Rynn interrupted, “those are my current students. The other two children aren't here right now, but I'll introduce you the next time they come by.”

  Anguis, nothing about Merlin being my father. They don't know and I want to keep it that way, Rynn thought at him.

  Okay Rynn, sorry, I didn't know or I wouldn't have mentioned that, he thought back at her.

  “Anguis,” Rynn said, “why don't you and the younger children go play.”

  Eugene turned pleading eyes towards Rynn.

  “You can talk to Anguis later Eugene. Right now Michael's working on something important in his workshop. I thought he might need an extra hand or two.”

  He was obviously torn between the two options, but tinkering won out.

  “Anguis, I'll see you later, okay?” Eugene said.

  The dragon nodded at him and Eugene turned and went back in the house. He entirely missed Andi glaring at his back.

  “Are you going to find something to distract me too?” Cindy said softly enough for only Rynn to hear.

  Rynn shook her head at Cindy.

  “No, but I need to find something to keep Andi's interest. I hate not having things for all of you to keep occupied with. It leave
s too much time for random thought, which isn't a good thing in these circumstances.”

  She wasn't interested in learning cooking from Anne, Rynn thought. But I wonder if she might be interested in trying out something new with Earth Magic?

  “Andi?” Rynn said.

  Andi spun back to look at her, still looking angry about Eugene just leaving.

  “I've got something new for you to learn, if you can. I want to show you the basics of it, then let you experiment with it, okay?”

  The anger faded from Andi's face, at least a little.

  “Okay,” she said. “What is it?”

  “I want you to see how far away from your body you can send your awareness underground. Then I want you to see if you can do anything about manipulating the earth with your awareness that far out. If not, then pull your awareness in closer and try again until you can.”

  Andi looked confused.

  “Why?” she asked.

  Rynn sighed.

  “Take the battle for example. If you'd been able to send your awareness under the wizard who attacked you, and been able to turn the dirt beneath him into quicksand, would you have had the problems you did?”

  Understanding dawned on Andi's face.

  “Oh, I get it,” she said.

  “Now, is that something you'll need help with or can you start trying it on your own?”

  “I can do that, but I probably ought to move away from everyone. I still get distracted too easily when my awareness is out of my body.”

  “Head down towards the lake some then, but stay where I can see you and you can hear me if I yell, alright?”

  Andi nodded and started off down towards the lake. Rynn finally got a chance to turn to Cindy.

  “No, I don't need to distract you. I don't think you're the type to go all funny on me if Anguis says something wrong.”

  “Like what?” Cindy asked.

  “Like some things I'd rather not have known, or at least not yet. Okay?”

  “Oh, okay.”

  Anguis interrupted.

  “Rynn? Sean and Randall and I want to go find some of the little Fae, can we?”

  “Go ahead Anguis, keep an eye on the boys for me though, okay? And don't go in the mine.”