Midnight Crystal

by Jayne Castle

  She opened her senses and took another look at his dreamlight.

  He was amused. “Don’t worry, I’m not hallucinating.”

  “No, I can see that.”

  She shut down her senses and walked toward him. “I’ve never heard of anyone being able to work full-spectrum stone.”

  “Probably because there aren’t a lot of us who can do it.”

  “What’s the downside you mentioned?”

  “I have to push a lot of energy through rainbow stone to control a vortex hellhole. It’s the equivalent of melting amber. After we get through the vortex, I’ll be good for about forty-five minutes, and then I’m going to need to sleep for a couple of hours.”

  “What’s it like?” she asked.

  “Going into a vortex? It’s like walking into a nightmare. It won’t kill you, but it isn’t an outing in the park.”

  She followed him down the eerie green staircase, careful to watch her footing. The quartz steps were wide enough to allow ample room for her feet, but like everything else in the underworld, the proportions seemed slightly skewed to the human eye and sense of balance.

  There was no problem seeing where she was going, though. The tunnels were fashioned of the same green quartz that the aliens had used to construct almost everything they had built above- and belowground. And every object made of the mysterious quartz from the smallest tomb mirror to the towering walls of the Dead Cities gave off an eerie, acid green light after dark and underground. Down in the catacombs, the lights were always on.

  Like so many things related to the long-vanished aliens, the experts could not explain the luminescence. The working theory was that it was a side effect of the odd paranormal energy given off by the stone.

  According to the theory, the energy had been vital to the survival of the aliens. It had become clear to researchers, that, while humans were able to thrive on Harmony, something in the environment had been poisonous to the ancient race that had arrived eons earlier. At some point they had abandoned the attempt to live aboveground. They had gone down below the planet’s surface, constructing an endless maze of green quartz tunnels. They had also bioengineered an entire ecosystem, an underground rain forest, to sustain them.

  But in the end, they had failed and disappeared.

  Gibson bounded down the staircase and vanished into the welling green night. Marlowe wasn’t worried about him. He loved to go underground. Unlike humans, dust bunnies did not need amber to navigate in the catacombs or the rain forest.

  Marlow followed Adam around another twist in the staircase. “Why didn’t you mention earlier that you could handle a vortex?”

  “Because it’s classified information,” Adam said.

  “Classified by whom?”

  “By me, mostly. But also by the Chamber.”

  “You worked for the Chamber?”

  Chamber was short for the unwieldy Chamber of the Joint Council of Dissonance Energy Para-resonator Guilds, the powerful, overarching governing organization of the Ghost Hunter Guilds.

  “I was a Bureau agent for most of my career until I got this cool gig in the Frequency Guild,” Adam said over his shoulder.

  “I know a little about the Bureau. It’s the Chamber’s secret black ops agency.”

  “Sort of like Jones & Jones.”

  “J&J is not a secret black ops agency,” she said coldly. “We just like to keep a low profile.”

  “So does the Bureau.” He stopped on the next to the last step and waited for her. “Careful, the vortex energy starts right about here.”

  “I remember,” she said. “This was as far as I got when I tried to explore these ruins a few months ago. Had to stop and turn back.”

  The first whispers of vortex energy were drifting around her now, setting all her senses on edge. The ominous sensation of creeping panic would only get worse. There was a reason why Guild men and others who worked in the underworld referred to vortex sites as hellholes.

  “You’ll probably see things,” Adam warned. “Just keep reminding yourself that they aren’t real.”

  “But that’s not the worst part, right?”

  “No. The real danger in a vortex is that people panic and start running. The energy storm zaps standard amber and locators immediately. When you do finally stumble out of a hellhole, you’re lost. There is very little chance that anyone will find you, because your amber is shot.”

  “But that won’t happen to us, because you know what you’re doing.”

  “Right.”

  “Let’s get it over with,” she said.

  Adam wrapped his fingers around her wrist. “I’m starting to understand why they made you the head of J&J. Here we go. Remember, when you’re in the eye of a vortex, you won’t be able to trust your vision or your sense of balance. Whatever you do, don’t let go of my hand.”

  “Okay.” Not that she had much of an option, she thought. His fingers were clamped around her wrist like a mag-steel manacle.

  He went down the last step of the alien staircase, drawing her down with him. She followed him into a slice of hell.

  Chapter 3

  BETWEEN ONE GLOWING STEP AND THE NEXT, THE staircase and the illuminated quartz walls of the catacombs vanished, only to be immediately replaced by the featureless landscape of a nightmare. Her brain struggled to make sense of the wild energy and produced hallucinations instead. Primordial creatures from the deepest recesses of her unconscious mind rushed at her out of nowhere. They screamed silently.

  It’s just a dream, she thought. Only a dream. You can handle this kind of thing. You’re a dreamlight talent.

  She summoned her will, and the visions receded. The devastating sense of disorientation did not, however. It was as if she was moving through a psi green thunderstorm. She could not tell up from down, could not even feel the hard quartz under her feet. Ghost lightning crackled around her.

  She had expected the vortex winds to grow stronger gradually, allowing time for her senses to adjust to the unnerving effects. Instead, she was instantly swept into the whirling tornado.

  A rainbow of energy encircled her wrist, dragging her deeper into the storm. She fought the urge to try to free herself.

  “I’ve got you. You’re safe with me.”

  Adam’s voice echoed from somewhere in the stormscape. She focused on it. She realized that she could also see the seething currents of his dreamprints. They should have been invisible in this wild energy field. The fact that she could make them out meant that he was even more powerful than she had thought.

  A small monster fluttered toward her through the swirling mists. The creature’s fur stood on end. It had four eyes and six paws and it made an anxious, chortling sound.

  “Gibson,” she whispered.

  He stroked through the green storm until he reached her shoulder. He perched there, murmuring in her ear. The fierceness of the storm receded somewhat. She could make out Adam’s dark shadow now.

  After what seemed an eternity but what was probably no more than a minute or two, she stepped out of the stormscape as suddenly as she had walked into it. The normal world settled into place around her, at least what passed for normal down in the catacombs.

  They were standing in a seemingly endless green quartz hallway. A dizzying maze of identical passageways intersected the corridor at various points. The entrances to an uncountable number of chambers and rooms of various sizes and dimensions were visible as far as the eye could see.

  And all of it glowed with the mysterious light that was characteristic of alien quartz.

  Gibson chortled on her shoulder. No longer concerned about her, he bounded back down onto the floor and fluttered into a nearby chamber to do a little exploring.

  Adam’s alchemist eyes were still hot with the remnants of energy he had used to get them through the vortex. He did not release her wrist. She glanced down and saw that the manacle of rainbow psi that he had used to bring her safely through the storm was rapidly fading.

  “Ho
w are you doing?” he asked. “That was a bad one.”

  “I’m okay.” She took a deep breath and realized that was more or less the truth. “I see what you mean about the disorienting effect, though. No wonder vortices are considered such a hazard down here.”

  She realized that he was watching her with a thoughtful expression.

  “You didn’t panic when the hallucinations hit,” he said. “I’ve had some experience taking people through hellholes. No one I’ve accompanied has ever handled the visual effects as well as you just did.”

  “Probably a side effect of my talent. I have an affinity for dreamlight, remember?”

  “You’re strong. You were fully cranked. I could sense your energy field.”

  His intense, watchful expression was a little unnerving. She did not need any more unnerving stuff. She tugged a little at the wrist he held captive.

  He glanced down as though surprised to discover that he was still chaining her.

  “Are you sure you’re back in the here and now?” he asked.

  “I’m sure.”

  He released her with obvious reluctance and looked down at his watch. The rainbow had disappeared. The stone was once again dark gray. She studied his dreamprints on the quartz floor. The signs of exhaustion were obvious.

  “You burned a lot of energy getting us through that thing,” she said. “You’re right. You are going to need to rest soon.”

  “Do I look that bad?”

  “I can see it in your prints.”

  He gave her a very unamused smile. “You really are good.”

  “Hey, they didn’t make me the head of J&J because I was only average on the Jones scale. I may not be a chaos-theory talent, but when it comes to reading dreamlight, I’m off the charts.” She frowned. “No offense, but you are close to the end of your physical as well as psychical reserves. Are you sure that just a couple of hours of sleep will be enough?”

  “I’ve been living on two hours of sleep at a time for the past month. I can handle it. But like I said earlier, I’ve only got about forty-five minutes before I crash.” He glanced down at his watch. The stone heated a little. “Looks like we’ve got a four-hour walk to the nearest exit plus an additional two hours for my nap. Let’s get moving.”

  She glanced into the chamber where Gibson had disappeared. “We’re leaving, pal.”

  He chortled, dropped the small quartz tomb mirror he had discovered, and dashed out of the room to join her.

  They started along a corridor that curved away into the distance. Marlowe did some calculations in her head. “Six hours before we get out of here. That should put us back in Frequency around six o’clock tonight.”

  “If we’re lucky.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “No telling what we’re going to find in the way of civilization when we finally do get back to the surface. These mountains are sparsely populated and traffic is minimal, especially at night. No cell phone service, either. We’re going to have to hitchhike back to the city, which means that we won’t get home until we find a ride.”

  “What about your car?”

  “I told you, the guy with the rifle probably made sure it’s nonfunctional, like your bike.”

  She groaned. “I need to get back by the time the office opens or at least call my assistant to let him know I’m okay. If he calls my mother and it turns out no one knows where I am, the whole family is going to panic. Uncle Zeke, being a conspiracy theorist of the first order, will assume the worst. The next thing you know, every member of my family and every J&J agent will be out looking for me. I’ve only been on the job for two months. It will be humiliating.”

  “Not a good move for a Guild boss to disappear, either. If I don’t show up back in my office pretty damn quick, the rumors will start flying.”

  “What rumors?”

  “That I’m either dead or looking for a wife.”

  “A wife?”

  “It’s a Guild boss thing.” His watch brightened. “We’re in luck.”

  “What?” she said.

  “This indicates that there’s a jungle gate not far from here. That means we’ve got access to all the comforts of the rain forest. You won’t have to sit here on the hard quartz floor while I nap.”

  “What good will that do? It’s a heck of a lot harder to trek through the rain forest than it is to walk the catacombs.”

  “It will make a good rest stop. I’ll be able to sleep off the burn, and there will be water. When we leave we’ll take some with us. It’s never a good idea to get dehydrated in the tunnels. It has a disturbing effect on the senses.”

  “How do you plan to collect the water?”

  He tapped the small black pouch attached to his belt. “Collapsible canteen.”

  She smiled. “A Guild boss is always prepared?”

  “That’s the rule.”

  Chapter 4

  HE COULD FEEL THE EXHAUSTION CREEPING THROUGH him like a virus, making it tough to stay alert and aware. It was never a good idea to relax in the catacombs. Illusion traps and the small energy storms known as ghosts were constant threats. The only defense was complete vigilance. If you triggered a trap or blundered into a ghost, it was game over.

  The last thing he wanted to do was sleep, especially now. But there was no choice. He had pulled heavily on his already depleted stores of energy when he had taken Marlowe through the vortex. Now he had to use small doses of what little remained to get as far as the jungle gate. By the time he opened it, he would be finished. He had to make certain Marlowe was in a safe place before he went out like a de-rezzed lightbulb.

  The slice of full-spectrum on the face of his watch abruptly darkened to a shade of violet that was almost black. He stopped, unpleasantly aware that it had become a major effort just to stay on his feet, and looked at the featureless green quartz wall. It resembled every other green wall in the tunnel, but the energy that emanated from it was different in some subtle fashion.

  “This is it,” he said. “The gate.”

  Sensing a new adventure, Gibson rumbled excitedly and bobbed down from Marlowe’s shoulder. He stood on his hind legs in front of the wall for a few seconds. A small opening appeared. He darted through it and disappeared. The dust bunny–sized hole in the wall closed.

  “Well, damn,” Adam said. “Didn’t know the little critters could open gates.”

  “I think he comes down here to hunt at night with his buddies sometimes,” Marlowe said.

  “How do you know?”

  “He’s forever bringing me little presents that could only have come from the rain forest. Flowers, some odd berries and fruit, a shiny pebble. The gifts are always that strange green that exists only in the jungle.”

  “Psi green.”

  “Yes.” Marlowe studied him with growing concern. “Are you sure you have enough energy left to open a gate?”

  “I can handle it.”

  “I’d offer to do it, but as we know, my amber is shot because of that vortex.”

  He looked at her, surprised. “You can open gates?”

  “I didn’t know how until I met Gibson. He taught me.”

  “How the hell did he do that?”

  “I can’t describe the process. I just watched him do it a few times with my other vision, and I could see how to manipulate the currents. It’s not all that different from handling dreamlight. When you get right down to it, energy is energy. Turns out a lot of alien psi comes from the ultradark end of the spectrum.”

  “The dreamlight end.”

  He pulled on his remaining reserves and focused through the spectrum amber of his watch, probing for the pattern of the gate currents.

  The quartz wall glowed a hotter shade of green. An opening just large enough for a person to squeeze through took shape, providing a narrow window into the bizarre underground jungle.

  Gibson appeared in the gate and chortled a greeting. He had a small stick in one paw.

  “I’ll go first,” Adam said. He
moved toward the gate. “Make sure there are no surprises on the other side.”

  Marlowe followed. “I’m sure there won’t be. Gibson would have sounded the alarm if there was anything dangerous waiting for us in there.”

  “Probably, but, see, in the Guild we have these rules,” Adam said.

  He squeezed sideways through the opening and moved into the fantastic world of the rain forest. A heavy wave of heat and humidity hit him. In his exhausted condition it was too much. He grabbed a drooping vine cloaked with eerie green orchids to steady himself.

  Damn. This is nothing short of embarrassing. Hell of a way to impress a woman, Winters.

  Marlowe slipped easily through the gate behind him. When she was clear, he used his last ounce of energy to close the opening. He did a quick survey of the surroundings.

  The rain forest grew right up to the walls of the tunnels. The trees, covered in trailing vines, rose toward an artificial green sky lit by artificial green-tinged sunlight. The leaves of the trees formed a thick canopy. Green birds flitted in the branches, and small green creatures rustled in the undergrowth. Nearby, water splashed from a waterfall into a grotto pool. There were several small caves in the rocks at the base of the waterfall.

  “This will work,” Adam said. “I’ll use one of those caves. The water is safe to drink, and the fruit hanging from those trees is edible. There are predators down here, but so far the experts haven’t found any that seem inclined to snack on humans.”

  “Yes, I know,” she said.

  “Sorry for the lecture. Routine. Whatever you do, don’t wander off on your own. Remember, your amber is no good. You’d get lost as soon as you got out of sight.”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t be going anywhere without you,” she said. “Gibson will warn me if anything dangerous comes along.”

  “Wake me in two hours if I don’t wake up on my own. That should be long enough for me to recover.”

  “I’m not so sure. You are beyond exhausted.”