by M. Gregg Roe
Spending her final night in Glasston had been Audrey’s idea. She could afford it now, and she had already visited there once without incident. In the future, she would just teleport home after a visit, not stay in that musty bedroom. Marilee had made Audrey laugh when she chastised the crystalloids for neglecting their guest accommodations.
Not surprisingly, Glasston was known for the quality of its glass products, which included jewelry that featured colored glass instead of actual gems. (Audrey had never been keen on wearing jewelry, but she did enjoy browsing stores that sold it.) Her primary interest was clothing, and she was surprised by both the quality and variety that was available locally. Apparently Millton, located not far to the east of Glasston, produced not only grain but also quality cloth woven from cotton and flax.
Returning to one of the first clothing stores that she had visited, Audrey began to make her selections. She had left all but the clothes she was wearing behind, which meant that she had plenty of room in her backpack for new clothes. The clerk showed surprise when Audrey paid for her purchases with a gold coin, but he quickly made change. That was probably because she didn’t look like someone wealthy.
Clutching her bundle of new clothing, Audrey stepped out of the store and found herself face to face with Hankin. He had a dour look that went well with his all black clothing. “Good afternoon,” she said, wondering what she could possibly tell him.
“This is where you ended up?” he asked, sounding tired. “I spotted you through the window.”
“Eventually. Some things … happened.”
The two of them had to step aside to allow an older man to enter the store. Hankin took several more steps off to the side, and Audrey followed. That would give them some privacy from eavesdroppers.
Hankin’s frown deepened. “We all remember what happened, but we can’t talk about it. Not even to each other. It’s frustrating.”
“The rocks that sank into the water?” prompted Audrey, hoping that might help. “The island with the pine trees and the weird rocks? The valley filled with flowers?”
“I remember,” he said, visibly in pain. “But I still can’t describe it.”
“I’m not supposed to talk about some of what happened to me, but there are things I’m going to eventually tell some people.” She glanced at the busy street. “But not here or now. Why are you here in Glasston, Hankin?”
After taking a deep breath, his expression softened. “I decided to see how our trade with the local towns is progressing, and to see if there’s anything new that might be of interest to Novox.”
That made sense. “I’m staying at the Crystal Inn tonight and then meeting the caravan tomorrow at Fisherton.” And now she really would have to make the two-hour walk to Fisherton, instead of just teleporting to a spot nearby.
“I’m staying somewhere seedier,” he said, half smiling. “That’s better for picking up rumors. I’m heading to Millton tomorrow. From there I’ll fly to Rohoville.”
She hadn’t realized that he could fly that far now. It made her wonder if Saxloc could.
“I need to take these back to my room,” she said, nodding to indicate her purchases. “Do you want to meet for dinner?” She felt she had to offer.
“Thank you, but no. I already have plans. Take care, Audrey.”
“Take care, Hankin.”
She watched him walk off in the opposite direction from where she needed to go. As she headed back to the inn, she wondered what kind of plans he had. Business dealings? A woman? Hankin rarely talked about his personal life.
Audrey dined alone that evening, but that was fine. She had so much to think about. Staying longer with the crystalloids had given her more time to spend not only with her mother, but with Karin, the grandmother that she had never known. They had talked for hours, with Audrey describing incidents in her life and Karin telling stories about Marilee and Berna when they were girls. Audrey’s mother had apparently been quite the flirt in her younger days.
After dinner, Audrey went for a walk on the beach. Despite everything that had happened, she felt at peace, as if her life was on track. But then she remembered the teaching duties she had been neglecting. Explaining her absence without revealing secrets was going to be a challenge.
After returning to her room, Audrey was up until almost midnight making a chart of who needed to be told what.
Saxloc watched as Gabriel peered out the narrow window on his side. It was too early to stop for lunch, but maybe there was an issue with the wagon. Sometimes wheels broke, which is why each wagon had a spare wheel strapped underneath. Or maybe it was an issue with mud. It had begun to rain right after they departed the temple.
Gabriel was frowning slightly when he resumed his seat on the bench across from Saxloc in the enclosed back portion of the wagon. “We are near Fisherton, but no stop was scheduled. Perhaps there is an unexpected passenger.”
Saxloc had just opened his mouth to reply when he heard a familiar voice thanking the guards for stopping. Was it possible? Gabriel seemed to think so because he now looked both relieved and happy.
Before he could reach the door at the back, it was pulled open by a Novox guard. “Here,” said Audrey, as she thrust her staff inside. Gabriel promptly took it from her and slid it under the bench on his side. After she climbed in, Saxloc helped her to remove her backpack and then stowed it. She seated herself next to him still wearing her light cloak, which was beaded with drops of water. Audrey had returned, and he had never felt so relieved.
“So,” she said will a silly smile, “what’s new with you two?” That gave them all a good laugh.
“We were just heading home after visiting the temple,” said Saxloc casually. “What’s new with you?”
Audrey shrugged, but her smile remained. “The usual. I met a bunch of big crystal spiders that used to serve Andoran, and I agreed to work for them. My mother and her mother are spiders now too. Actually, I’m related to all of them because we’re all descended from Andoran.”
“I look forward to a detailed explanation,” said an amused Gabriel.
Audrey’s smile faded. “That’s next, but you can’t tell anyone else without my permission. My cover story is that I remember what happened until we were separated, but that I’m unable to talk about it. Then I found myself in Glasston days later with no memory of what happened. But in reality, I remember it all. And I can talk about all of it.”
Gabriel was frowning now, and he suddenly realized that he was too. “How did you know we couldn’t talk about that?”
“I was told to expect it.” She hesitated briefly. “And I ran into Hankin in Glasston. It’s really bothering him.”
“It bothers us as well,” stated Gabriel. “Priestess Alessandra was unable to find a solution.”
“There may not be one,” she said, now also frowning. “And I’m not going to tell you everything. I agreed to keep some things secret. That was part of the agreement.”
Saxloc didn’t like the sound of that, but he simply gestured for her to continue. He needed to hear what had happened to her first.
Audrey’s story took well over an hour, during which it began to rain even harder, causing the wagon to slow noticeably. He found much of her tale surprising, but the final part was unbelievable. “You can teleport?” he asked, staring at the ring on her right hand.
“Yes, but we’re going home the old-fashioned way.” She shook her head. “It’s mainly so I can travel to where the crystalloids live. They said that it’s deep underground, somewhere under the lake.”
Gabriel leaned forward. “Was there no mention of where Andoran dwelled?”
“I did ask,” she admitted. “They said that he had referred to what sounded like several different places, but he never said where any of them were located.”
“We may never know,” said Saxloc. “They’re probably only accessible via teleportation.” That really did make the most sense.
“I concur,” said Gabriel, rubbing his beard. “T
hat would afford both privacy and security. But it is also disappointing.”
Saxloc understood his friend’s feelings. All adventurers in Andoran’s Realm aspired to one day uncover Andoran’s secret lair and acquire whatever wealth or treasures he had amassed. But now, unless someone stumbled onto something while digging a mine or something, there was no hope. Some of Andoran’s secrets had simply died with him.
After eating lunch, they wiled away the remainder of that day’s journey talking about a variety of things. It was late when they finally reached Merryton, but the villagers still provided a hot meal and a dry place to sleep. For the first night since Audrey had vanished, Saxloc slept soundly.
Siljan grinned at the unexpected visitor who had just opened the door without knocking. “Why are you back here? Did you miss me?”
After glaring briefly, Hankin stepped inside and closed the door. “I’m back because I encountered Audrey in Glasston.”
That was not what she had expected to hear, but it sounded like good news. She motioned for him to sit on the bed and then turned her desk chair around to face him. Hankin had looked tired the last time she saw him, and he still looked that way.
“Did Audrey happen to mention how she got there?”
“She wouldn’t say, but she implied that she might eventually tell us.” Hankin shook his head. “I think that she was lying about some things. She said that she was going to stay the night and then go to Fisherton to meet the caravan, but I don’t know how she could have known the schedule that precisely.”
Siljan shrugged. “Maybe she asked someone there. I’m just glad that she’s safe.”
He slowly shook his head. “She seemed fine, happy even. And she can talk about what she saw. She described some of it, but it didn’t make a difference.”
“I hate to tell you this,” she said, “but we may never be able to tell anyone about it. Magic caused the issue, but it’s not like a charm spell that eventually wears off. The magic altered our brains. Those memories are still there, but they’ve been somehow separated from our regular ones. We can recall them, but they won’t convert into speech or writing.”
“I wish that our memories had just been erased.” After sighing deeply, he added, “This is torture.”
Siljan turned to her desk and retrieved a piece of paper from the top drawer. Then she held it up facing him. “Describe what I drew.”
Hankin’s entire demeanor changed as he stared at the drawing. “I see pine trees. On the ground are rocks, and they’re all shaped like cubes. How did you … ?”
Siljan couldn’t help laughing at his astonished expression. “Rosalind is the one that suggested it; she’s incredibly intuitive. We discovered that those memories aren’t separated from the part of our brain that allows us to draw. It should work for painting or sculpting too.”
“That’s amazing, but I’m a worse artist than you are.”
She thought that the drawing was pretty good. “When you get back home, ask Gabriel. He used to make these incredibly realistic drawings when we were kids. Mostly of warriors and weapons, of course.”
Hankin laughed. “What else? I’ll ask him. With enough drawings, we can probably write out what happened in words. Or maybe have someone else do it.”
“I think so too. Send it to me when it’s done.”
“There’s something else,” he said, serious again. “Three days before I met her in Glasston, Audrey was seen having dinner with someone at the Crystal Inn. Her dinner companion was described as a gorgeous young woman with long black hair, large breasts, and a sexy voice. Sound familiar?”
It was obviously Aliva. She would have heard from Stanley about the four of them heading north. Maybe she decided to follow but then, after not being able to find them, decided to go to Glasston to shop. She explained her theory, concluding with, “Aliva did buy jewelry when we were all in Glasston that time.”
Hankin rubbed his neck as he thought about it. “I’m sure that Aliva can fly that far,” he said at last, “but she would have needed to stay the night. From what I could ascertain, neither one of them stayed the night there. Aliva entered Glasston through the east gate, but no one saw her leave. And no one saw Audrey arrive or leave. I can’t think of any reason why they would appear so publicly and then sneak out of town.”
Siljan was impressed by the thoroughness of Hankin’s investigation, but that was kind of his speciality. “Aliva could have made the two of them invisible,” she mused. “But why would she? Why not just spend the night at the inn and leave the next morning? Could they have left by boat?”
“Not that I could ascertain. But they were seen heading toward the beach after dinner. Then they just disappeared.”
Siljan rocked her chair back slightly. “Maybe that’s just what happened. What if there’s an Eye of Andoran guarding Andoran’s castle or whatever? She could have teleported them.”
After yawning, Hankin rose to his feet. “I say we just ask the two of them about it the next time we see them. I’m staying the night here, then flying to Rohoville tomorrow.”
“Then I’ll see you at dinner.” She pointed at the door. “Begone! I have work to do.” He left without saying another word.
After some thought, Siljan decided to try making another drawing. This one would depict Hankin being attacked by the malevolent flower. That should annoy him.
38
‡ Communication ‡
It was the first time Audrey had ever seen Grasapa lose her composure. Sitting across from her, the woman had her face buried in both her hands, and she was actually muttering under her breath. It was so unexpected that it was disconcerting.
After arriving at Rohoville, Audrey had asked directions and then gone straight to the small house that Grasapa and her husband now lived it, although it was quite a walk. It was the logical thing to do because her teacher was obviously one of those who needed to know what had happened.
Grasapa’s eyes were closed when she finally pulled her hands away and rested them in her lap. She began to take slow, deep breaths. When she finally opened her eyes, her calm demeanor had returned.
“Audrey, do you not understand that you are now the most powerful person in Andoran’s Realm?”
“Because I can teleport?” She just thought of it as a convenient way to travel.
“Because you are the only one who can teleport,” explained Grasapa. “That is what made Eyes of Andoran so powerful, and so feared.”
Audrey thought it over. “It would be handy if I got into a desperate situation.”
“Your are thinking too small,” lectured Grasapa. “You can teleport not only to places that you have previously been, but to anywhere that you can see, even if it’s just a glimpse through a window or opening.”
“I’m not planning to use it to break into places,” Audrey protested.
Grasapa raised an eyebrow. “But sometimes there is a need for something like that. There might be villains to be punished, or hostages who need rescue. Does the ring allow you to teleport others?”
“I can take up to six human-sized creatures with me.”
“I see.” She broke into a smile. “If someone had to be given such a power, then I think that you were an excellent choice. You will not abuse it.”
Audrey shook her head. “I’m only going to use it when I really need to. I’m going back to the Witch’s City by ship.”
“Tonight?”
“Yes. It’s an overnight ship.”
“Then why don’t you stay for dinner?” suggested Grasapa.
The food wasn’t anything exceptional, but Audrey ended up really enjoying herself. Dulls, Grasapa’s normally quiet husband, had begun writing about the old days when the two of them had lived on Kaldir. Having now been there herself, Audrey asked them all kinds of detailed questions. They all seemed to be gone now, but back then horses had been common. (Audrey had never seen one, but she had seen drawings.) That had allowed both for faster travel and made it easier to transport goods be
tween cities. It really had been a different world in many respects. They spent so much time talking that she nearly missed her ship.
Almera was going to need to apologize to her father.
She had been absolutely convinced that the mansion’s magical system was malfunctioning. It had repeatedly reported a threat from above, but without providing specific information. That should have been impossible. The system was supposedly capable of seeing through any type of deception or camouflage, even magical ones. After returning with her and examining everything, Daragrim had sworn that there was nothing wrong.
Now, after hearing Audrey’s bizarre tale, it all made sense. The mansion had somehow sensed the crystalloid’s close observation of the grounds. That was remarkable.
Almera gave her husband a sidelong glance. Like her, he had refrained from asking questions while Audrey spoke. The three of them were in the sitting room that was part of the master suite on the top floor. That assured privacy. The girls weren’t going to be told any of this.
“So,” said Audrey, “do you think the crystalloids could communicate with us this way?”
“I believe so,” replied Almera, inclining her head. “But it will need to be automated in some fashion so that we don’t miss a message because we happen to be out dancing.” She paused as her husband chuckled. “And ideally, the message needs to go directly to you, although I have no idea how. I will speak with my father about the matter. I assume that he will also be let in on your secret.”
“Of course,” said Audrey. “But don’t tell anyone else for now, not even Ermizad.”
The change in Audrey was startling. Ever since the news about Farmerton’s destruction, there had been a certain tension about her. Even the arrival of Romee and the twins hadn’t completely erased it. But the return of her mother, albeit in an odd form, had finally returned Audrey to her old self.