James shook his head, hoping to shake some sense back into his brain. Okay, so he had gotten through to Crystaline. He had befriended her, gotten her to open up to him. But did she feel the same? As him? James placed his palm over his heavily beating heart. How did he feel? That was the problem; the way that his heart felt now - it wasn’t normal, his heart had never ever felt like this before - ever!
Crystaline’s eyes continued to desperately, and strenuously flit between the Earthship, the chuggas and James. Something was definitely troubling her.
“What now?” Zach’s voice called out, causing Crystaline’s eyes to pause on him.
“What do you mean?” She whispered, trapped inside a bubble of her own anguish.
“What are we gonna do?” Zach pointed to the chuggas, “what about them?”
Crystaline’s eyes slowly shifted towards the five chuggas, and then her expression softened, her heart heavily impacted by her love for her five creature friends.
“Chuggas,” Crystaline whispered, “Chugga-chugga, Yullom, all of you, I can’t even begin to thank you enough. What you’ve done for me and my people, for us all, it means so much.”
“But you’ll come to the city, right?” James had taken a step to Crystaline’s side. “You’ll look after Crystaline and Crystos for me, won’t you?”
Chugga-chugga took several steps towards James, until he was close enough to rest his large rubbery head inside the young space warrior’s open hand.
“Because, lil buddy,” James continued, “I have to go away for a while. Not forever, but for a while. Me, Zach and Phil do. We’re not from here, you see. We’re from a planet...” James grinned a little smile, “a blue planet, funnily enough, called Earth. You see, us three, we have to go to Nebowska, and then we have to go home, to Earth, and I need you, I need you guys to all look out for Crystaline and Crystos, just until I come back, okay?”
Chugga-chugga’s watery eyes stared straight back into James’ soft, blue eyes. Then the little blue fella gulped, swallowing down its need to cry.
“It’ll be okay, little fella,” James assured the chugga. “I will be back, I promise. This isn’t goodbye.”
Crystaline turned her strained face in James’ direction,
“Isn’t it?” She whispered, “what makes you want to return?”
James’ breath hitched, just as his heart stopped beating. The princess’ golden irises, they were the most stunning, the most beautiful irises he had ever seen.
“I just...I need to come back.” James whispered, unable to break his eyes away from Crystaline’s.
“You can’t be sure, James. You might never see any of us again.”
For a while, a speechless young space warrior just stared into the torn eyes of the Urashan princess, until at last, she broke eye contact with him, composing herself to watch the chuggas fly away.
Chugga-chugga slowly backed away from James, rejoining his four creature friends. Without breaking eye contact with the young space warrior, the baby blue chugga began to flap his marvellous wings, allowing them to carry him up into the air.
James and Crystaline both took a simultaneous step towards the flying chuggas, watching with sadness and awe as the five animals rose higher and higher into the air. Then, with one final graaoouul, the five chuggas shot through the air, disappearing from view. That was it, they were gone.
James turned his head back towards the Urashan princess, watching as her face revealed her inner turmoil once again.
“You three...” a troubled Crystaline began, “your ship is fixed. There is no need for you to enter the city.”
“Er, I think there is,” Phil disagreed, “we need to get the others before we can leave, remember?”
“The others…” Crystaline whispered, as if remembering for the first time that Lottie, Lisa and Karl were on her planet, too. “The others!” she said more audibly this time, “you don’t need to return for them. Crystos and I will send them over. Just get to your ship, please?”
As James watched Crystaline’s pleading eyes piercing right through his, he saw her gaze shift upwards, just as her mouth gaped open in horror.
James’ ears soon caught up with his eyes, registering the heavy deep sound of the wall opening up behind him. When he turned around, he spotted the king, with Crystanaphy and six Urashan guards by his side.
“You have returned at last!” Cryston beamed, cupping his hands together, and twisting his mouth into his usual conceited smile. “A guard of mine spotted those chuggas flying in. It was then, that I knew you had returned to me.” The king paused momentarily, as if counting and calculating the numbers. Who should be back, and how many were.
“No Morcees or Borcees?”
Crystaline shook her head, her face still torn.
“Well now,” The king went on, sauntering towards his troubled daughter, “that is a shame. I mean don’t get me wrong, there is no love lost between those two and I, but it is a shame that they never made it back. They clearly don’t share your skill, my precious daughter.” The king reached out his pale bony hand to Crystaline’s delicate little face. With his thumb, he stroked one of her cheeks, displaying a controlling affection. “You know, chuggas are such remarkable creatures, aren’t they? I should have known, I should have known you’d find them. You’re a relative of the mighty Crysteich after all. And he, he never gave up, did he? He always brought home the prize. Do you have it, Crystaline? Do you have the healing stone?”
As Cryston released his cold hand from her cheek, Crystaline took a step back from her father, turning her head sullenly to her equally grave brother. Crystos removed the supply bag from his broad shoulders, unfastening it, as his eyes stared hollowly into his father’s.
The king took several bitter steps towards his son, proffering his hand out expectantly.
“Now, now, Crystos, hand it over.”
With reluctancy, Crystos handed over the cloth-wrapped stone, and with eager hands, his father unraveled the cloth, unveiling the sparking blue gem.
“Oh my!” The king’s awe-stricken voice sounded, “it is...it is quite something....who? Who may I ask was the first to behold this stone?”
Feeling suddenly dragged into this conversation, James took a single step forwards.
“It was I, your majesty. I found it in the carving just outside the cave.”
“Oh really?” The king beamed, eyes alight with something not quite right. “Well I must thank you...young...young...?”
“James.”
“Yes, young James. Joyce, if I remember correctly? You, young man, I can’t even begin to articulate what you have done for me and my people, the good that will come from this. Guards!”
Before he could even react, James felt the intimidating sensation of Urashan bodies surrounding him and his friends. He could hear the muffled yells of Phil and Zach, yet what got to James was not the horrified cries of his human companions. It was the look on Crystaline’s face. The one of complete anguish, agony and turmoil. The one of guilt. Then with a heavy blow to the back of his head, James was gone, knocked out cold.
Chapter 26
For some strange reason, Crystaline always found herself retreating to her mother’s old room. It was the one place, the one place where she could think, where she could even feel the remotest, tiniest hint of solace. This room contained so much pain, so many memories of the woman she missed with all her heart. But this room was also filled with reminders, feelings of warmth from a time when life was very different. From a time when her father was a completely different man to the cold callous man, which consumes him today.
Crystaline’s body ached, it ached so much! This past week had been relentless - physically and emotionally, and today, today was the toughest day yet. Crystaline was a fit, healthy young woman. Her body could handle whatever physical obstacles were thrown at her. But her mind and her body, it struggled to cope with her mental anxieties.
As the princess sat on her mother’s old bed, her eyes searched
around the room for her mother’s old drawings, desperately trying to take what comfort she could from the images her mother had so lovingly drawn.
As her eyes flitted between the wall mounted drawings, Crystaline could feel her heart racing, and her lungs closing. She felt as if she were being smothered. Her lungs were so desperate for oxygen, yet she could hardly breathe. In order to try and flee from the suffocating sensations in her body, Crystaline turned to her favourite picture, that one of her mother, her beautiful stunning mother. How would she feel? If she knew what was going on? Crystaline shuddered, the guilt hitting her like an avalanche. Things were different now, Crystaline’s heart didn’t beat in the same way anymore, because before, before she had set off on this journey her heart did not beat at all, yet now, now that she had returned here, her heart would beat with the wildest passion she had ever felt in her entire life. It would beat a name, the name of the kindest man she had ever met in her entire life, and now, now he was in danger and there was nothing she could do about it. Crystaline looked out of the bedroom’s window. It was dark now, not a sign of sunlight was left in this day. This darkness reminded Crystaline of her thoughts, because her thoughts were the darkest they’d ever been.
Crystaline’s body jolted suddenly, reacting to the heavy crash of the door opening up behind her. With reluctance, the Urashan princess slowly turned to face her angry brother, who was stood at the doorway.
“What have you done?” The man whispered.
Feeling as if her heart was about to rip straight out of her chest, Crystaline stood free from her mother’s old bed, leaning her back on the wall to keep herself from collapsing to her knees.
“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?” Crystos shouted this time, too overcome by his anger as he stormed towards his sister. “I mean I knew! I knew something wasn’t right! That look in your eyes when he took the stone, I knew! But you, you just let this happen, didn’t you? They’re our friends, Crystaline! James is our friend, and you, you’ve practically killed him yourself, his blood is on your hands!”
“Crystos, please!” Crystaline shrieked, her heart pummelled by her brother’s words.
“Crystos please? CRYSTOS PLEASE? Please what? What have I done? I’ve done nothing! But you! You!” Crystos looked into his sister’s watering eyes, his expression immediately softening. “It’s not too late, Crystaline. We can still help them.”
“Help them?” Crystaline whispered, her tears beginning to stream, “help them how? I can’t...I can’t betray him.”
“WHO?”
“Our father! I can’t...”
“OUR FATHER?” Crystos spat, “Our father? That vile excuse for a creature! You can’t betray him? Yet you could betray them? James? A man...a man who cares about you?”
“Crystos, stop! I beg you!”
“NO!” Crystos snapped, pushing himself onto Crystaline, as he took her delicate little face in his huge hand. He felt like...he felt like he wanted to crush some sense into her pretty little face, to make her realise what she had done. But the truth was, he couldn’t. Crystos just couldn’t. He would never ever hurt a single little hair on his sister’s head. That didn’t calm his anger though, and it certainly didn’t rid him from his disgust. With his hands angrily trembling, Crystos moved his lips to Crystaline’s ears,
“All those years growing up, I saw you slowly morphing into our father. But despite your terrible ways, I thought there was something worth saving. I thought there was still good left in you.” Crystos took a moment to collect his words, feeling his sister shaking underneath his imposing grip, “But I was wrong,” he continued, “there is nothing left to save. You’re just as vile, just as deceitful and just as disgusting as him!” The prince rested his head on his sister’s ear, sniffing her hair in disgust, “Sister?” He whispered, “You are not my sister. You have no right to call me your brother. I never want to see or speak to you ever again!” Unable to continue being anywhere near Crystaline, Crystos let go of her, storming towards the room’s exit.
“Brother! Please!” Crystaline shrieked after him.
Crystos halted his movements, turning to face his sister as he stood at the doorway.
“Don’t you ever call me that again,” he choked, turning his back on Crystaline for good this time.
As he stomped his way through the palace corridors, Crystos could feel the previously rigid tension in his body transforming into painful tremors. He knew that no matter where he went, and no matter how fast he ran, Cryston would be there, ready and waiting with his guards to seize him.
As he turned another corner, his throat just needing him to cough up that tear jerking lump, Crystos spotted his father, surrounded and waiting, just as expected.
“Crystos!” The king called out to his son. Showing concern rather than his usual smugness. “I gather you have spoken to Crystaline? You must understand that this is for the best...for what happened...”
“NO!” Crystos disagreed, trying to barge his way through his father and the group of guards, instead of trying to flee from them.
“Crystos!” The king continued, trying to reason with his son, not taking in the fact that his child was being held and restrained by the guards. “I know that you and I haven’t always seen eye to eye, but surely you must understand...?”
“Understand what?” Crystos grunted, his arms being held to his back by two guards, “that you’re evil? That you’ve poisoned Crystaline?”
At that point, the king’s mouth dropped, whilst his eyes found Crystaline. She had gone after her brother.
“I...I have not. This is for her Crystos! It’s for us all, for our whole family! Don’t you see that? Because if you can’t see that then you leave me no choice, son.”
“And what is that?” Crystos snarled.
“We’ll be forced to hold you - just until tomorrow is over with.”
Crystos tilted his head back, growling out a laugh.
“Then imprison me. I know it’s what you’ve always wanted, what you’ve always dreamed of. To keep me from making Crystaline see what you really are.”
“Oh believe me...” The king began, unable to continue his words due to his daughter interrupting him.
“Father! What is this? Let him go!”
“He leaves us no choice, Crystaline. I don’t want to have him held, but we must. We’ve worked too hard on this for too long to just let it all go to ruin. Guards, take him now!”
“No!” Crystaline protested, being held back by her own father as she helplessly watched her brother being taken away from her.
“Let it go,” The king told her, “your brother will be fine once we have killed the boy.”
Chapter 27
Every time that her heart beat, Lottie could feel the surges of blood, throbbing and pulsating its way into her frightened little ears. She could hear noise, loud choruses of crowds of people all gathering together outside this shabby little room. What was this room? It was about the same size as the Earthship’s communal area. Yet it was dark, muddy and damp smelling. The furnishings were all carved into the simplest, most basic of shapes.
Lottie felt the cold black bar of the cage which captured her. She looked over to Lisa and Karl, her two friends trapped in this very cage with her. They both looked scared, although they both appeared to be trying to stay as calm as they could. This frustrated Lottie. It was natural to be scared in this situation, surely? First of all, the king had been found out. Lottie and Lisa had overheard the vile little man discussing his plan of ‘revenge’ with his bitch of a relative, Crystanaphy. No one likes to be caught. No one likes to be found out, and locking everyone away in this cage was his first stage of punishment. What would be the second stage? That was where Lottie really began to feel frightened. It was clear that there was an audience outside, ready and waiting, for what? The king’s original plan of revenge? Or his new one? What was this cage even for anyway? It was large, had wheels, and Lottie hoped against hope that she would not be going out there, to that violent crowd.
Lottie felt her heartbeat racing, so she placed her palm over her chest to try and calm it. Her hand did not find her heart, instead it found the green jewel of James’ necklace. Where was he? Where were the others? These two very questions tipped Lottie over the edge. She could handle something terrible happening to her. She could handle being fed to, and then eaten alive by some Urashan monster out there in front of all those people. But something happening to James, something bad. Lottie could not bare it.
Interrupting her thoughts, Lottie heard commotion sounding from the little corridor which led to this awful room. Then, only moments later, Phil and Zach emerged, each of them being manhandled by several strong looking Urashan guards. Oh no! Lottie thought to herself, where was James?
With futile attempts, both Zach and Phil fought against the guards, fruitlessly failing to escape from their mean menacing grasp, until eventually, the two humans were both thrown into the cage to join their companions.
“Phil! Zach!” Lisa exclaimed, relieved to see two of her loyal comrades at least. “Where’s James?”
“I don’t know,” Phil croaked, “the bastards had us surrounded. Then they just...they just knocked James out, me and Zach, too.”
“James is definitely alive?” Lottie asked.
Phil turned to Lottie, noticing the panic etched all over her face.
“Yeah. He’s alive, or he’d bloody better be anyway...”
“He came back to the city with us,” Zach added, “but then we all got knocked out and separated. Maybe they’re bringing James in now.”
Lisa shook her head doubtfully.
“I don’t know about that,” she said.
“What do you mean?” Asked Phil, the concern stretching out all over his sweating face.
“They’re up to something.”
Diversion To Urasha (Space Era Book 1) Page 28