by Kate Kelley
“Oh!” She pulled it out, and held it up before Oriel.
“Poppi left this for me, and I couldn’t find a picture like it in the crystal book I borrowed from the library. I haven’t seen it before but I knew you would know.”
Oriel had stopped moving. His eyes were fixed on the pendant, as if in a trance.
“Oriel?” Lyra ventured.
He let out a shaky breath and walked forward slowly. “This isn’t possible,” he murmured, bending down to inspect the stone. He didn’t dare touch it.
A shiver ran through Lyra. “What? What is it?”
“May I?” Oriel gestured toward the stone with both hands, and took it reverently. Lyra felt a slight pain at giving it away.
That was odd.
Oriel held it by the chain with one hand, the gemstone sitting in the palm of the other. He moved his hand slightly, inspecting the flashes of color that shone at the movement. Finally, he handed it back to Lyra. She pocketed it quickly, patting it with care. Oriel was quiet, looking deep in thought.
“Oriel. Please. You’re frightening me now.” He looked up as if just noticing she was still there.
“It must be a fake. You said Poppi--your lady’s maid-- gave it to you?” He asked, baffled. He ran a hand over his smooth face, staring at a distant tree. He glanced back at the lump in her pocket, nestled inside her leather pants. Lyra shifted, unease crawling up her spine.
“Oriel. Words. Now.”
Oriel shook his head, swallowing. “Sorry, it’s just...that’s the crystal all the mages tell stories about around the fire. In ancient scrolls, it’s a legend. It’s described as the one true gemstone, the most powerful of all, and able to give even non-magical people powers. It’s….I mean, it can’t be real. But I’ve never seen a more realistic rendition. The artist who made that is phenomenal. Must be worth a fortune.”
“Poppi said she carried it all her life. It was her most prized possession.”
“Then why would she give it to you?” Oriel asked, puzzled.
“Poppi is the one who intercepted Edwin’s letters.” Oriel’s eyes widened. Lyra nodded.
“She gave them all back to me tonight along with an apology letter, and the gemstone. I have a feeling Princess Navi is behind it. She’s a real witch, that one. I caught her giving Poppi a vicious tongue lashing this evening. I think she was her former mistress. Something about Poppi insulting her father..it just seemed like they knew each other well. Poppi seemed really afraid of her, and she...she prevented me from helping her.”
“How did she prevent you?”
“She shook her head when I was about to use my aura on Navi.”
Oriel frowned at her, stroking his chin. “How would she have known that unless she is a mage and can sense your aura?”
“She must have been able to tell my emotions from my body language.” And yet…
“I don’t know, there’s always something inexplicable about Poppi. Something mysterious. I can’t put my finger on it. But I know that I need to find out what’s going on with that witch’s hold on her.”
“Perhaps she uses the stone to use magic,” Oriel said quietly.
Lyra shifted uncomfortably. “Well, you just said it’s a fake.”
Oriel licked his lips, a faraway look in his eye. “Put the necklace on,” he said suddenly, “That’s the only way we can test if it is real.”
Lyra gaped. “Are you sure? Are there any...adverse affects of using it?”
Oriel shrugged. “I can put it on then,” he said impatiently, his hand outstretched.
Lyra reared back. No way was she letting him wear it. She felt a strange protectiveness over the stone.
It’s only because it’s Poppi’s prized possession and I want to keep it safe.
Procuring the necklace from her snug pocket, Lyra opened the chain and prepared to put it around her neck.
“Wait!” Oriel shouted, his hand up. “Think of a memory. A happy one, from your past. Try to control the vision. If the stone is real, the memory will play like a vision, like a dream, as if it is real.”
Lyra nodded and closed her eyes, calling up a memory she thought of often, in times of grief. Her fifth birthday. Her mother was wearing a burgundy gown, her brown hair tumbling around her shoulders, her smile lighting up the room for Lyra.
She held a cake--maple and walnut cake, her favorite. Her father stood smiling at her over her mother’s shoulder. The two kissed, and then sang to her, their voices crooning in harmony in celebration of her.
Lyra slipped the necklace on and waited, thinking of her mother’s radiant face, her father’s joyful expression.
Nothing happened.
She thought harder, remembering the sweetness of the cake, the warmth from the fire that day, the brightness of her mother’s gown. The particular way her mother’s face lit up when she laughed.
Suddenly the picture in her mind began to churn, distorting like a ripple in a reflection. Her mother’s face turned from one of happiness to one of fear. Lyra lay on the floor, hiding. She looked around and realized she was under the bed, inhaling dust from the smooth wooden floor with each frenzied breath.
She was afraid--afraid for her parents. Her father lay unmoving on their bedroom floor, facing away from her. If not for the unnatural way his chest lay still she would have thought he was napping as he often did on lazy afternoons.
Her mother lay on the ground, looking up in pure terror at someone she couldn’t see. From this angle Lyra was only able to see the bottom of their black robes as they stood over her mother. A strange red glow shot out of the mage’s hand toward her mother. She almost shouted but her fear trapped her voice. The red glow, like a snake intent to kill, struck her mother’s chest. The sound of shrill, crazed screams erupted from her mother as she convulsed on the floor, her eyes rolling back, her head banging the ground over and over again, blood pouring from her nose, mouth, and eyes until at last she lay still, her head hanging limp to the side, her unseeing eyes staring straight through her.
A silver-chained pendant the size of her thumb slid out of her mother’s dress to the side of her neck, the gemstone swirling with greens and blues with flashes of reds, oranges, and golds.
Lyra blacked out.
✽✽✽
Tight arms encircled her as she struggled to free herself. She struck back with her head hard until she felt a crack and knew she had connected with flesh. The arms loosened and she was free. She crawled away, her vision opening up and widening from a tunnel of sight to normal. She was kneeling on the cold forest floor, dead leaves crunching under her as she rocked back and forth. Sobs racked her body as she hugged herself tightly, trying to erase what she just saw. Arms came around her again, this time gentle, a solid wall at her back for which to lean into. The world faded again. She slept.
Chapter 20
Lyra woke in a bed that was not her own. Her head was sluggish, her throat dry. She sat up quickly, the memory of her vision crashing down on her and she closed her eyes again.
“Easy,” she heard Oriel say. A large hand rubbed her back. It didn’t feel like Oriel’s. She snapped her eyes open, turning slightly to see Terrin, his expression closed down, his hand on her back. He searched her eyes.
“How are you feeling?” He asked softly, continuing the slow circles on her back. She swallowed.
“I’m alive. The same can’t be said of my parents.”
Oriel scowled. “Is that what you saw? Your parent’s drowning?” He asked.
Shock punched Lyra’s gut again and she let grabbed her pounding head. “They didn’t drown. They were murdered. By a mage.”
“Who?” Terrin snapped.
Lyra shook her head. “I couldn’t see. I was under my bed. I was younger.”
“It was a memory,” she heard Oriel say softly, “Either someone wiped that memory from your head, or you repressed it.”
“She must have repressed it. A mage that evil would have killed her too had he found her,” Terrin said dark
ly.
Lyra lifted her head, breathing deeply. “All this time, I thought they drowned. That’s what my aunt told me. Did she know, or was she told a lie? And who had told her?” The questions kept coming, buzzing around in Lyra’s head like a swarm of angry wasps.
“And the pendant!” she gasped, “the pendant was on my mother’s neck.”
Oriel gave her a sharp look. “Are you sure?” He asked carefully.
“Yes! Unmistakable. Now tell me how Poppi got ahold of my mother’s necklace.”
“Maybe there was more than one?” Terrin suggested. His hand still rubbing her back, and it was sending goosebumps up her neck. Oriel shook his head.
“No. There’s a connection. If Poppi is from Ursa, then there’s a possibility that the killer is also from Ursa and sold the pendant to the royal family. Possibly Poppi stole it from them.”
“I need to get back to ask Poppi what is going on,” Lyra said as she swing her legs to the side of the bed and attempted to stand.
“Not yet,” Terrin warned, pushing her gently back to the bed, “You need to rest.”
“I feel fine!” Lyra sighed and stood up anyway, swaying on her feet. Terrin caught her and pushed her back to the bed again with a stern look. She glared up at him.
“Poppi needs my help. Your beloved betrothed is a real witch, Terrin. She threatened harm to Poppi if she didn’t do as she said.”
Terrin crossed his arms, staring down at her. “I didn’t choose Navi for her cuddly nature,” he said flatly, “Besides, they are no longer here. Navi reclaimed Poppi as her waiting maid and they left yesterday.”
Lyra stared, incredulous.“I just saw her today! She left me all of Edwin’s letters she took--”
“That was yesterday, dear. You’ve been sleeping for a day,” Oriel said, pity in his voice.
Lyra clenched her fists. “No!” she yelled, standing again, her anger strengthening her, “I need to know how she got my mother’s necklace. I have a feeling your lover--” she pointed harshly at Terrin--“has something to do with it and I’m not letting that bitch get away with it.”
“We will find out more about that, but right now we need to talk about the pendant,” Oriel said seriously, “The gemstone is real, that much is clear. When you went into your vision, you collapsed and wouldn’t wake up for an hour no matter what I tried. My aura wasn’t enough to bring you out. At that point I had to go back through the portal to get Terrin to help. His energy alone is what drew you out of your trance.” He glanced quickly at Terrin who sat stony faced, staring at her.
That’s who was holding me. Who’s solid chest I leaned into. Who’s nose I probably broke.
Lyra glanced at Terrin’s nose, nothing looking amiss. His face was as perfect and handsome as ever.
“Sorry about your nose...again,” she said to him, her face flushing. She swore there was a faint smile playing on his lips.
Oriel continued, “We brought you here to rest and you’ve been sleeping for about 24 hours. In that time, Terrin and I have discussed some things about Persimmon and Abner, and our plan going forward.”
Lyra stopped pacing. “And?” she asked expectantly.
“In the past couple weeks, Persimmon has been opening up to me--don’t look at me like that Terrin. That’s not what I meant.” Terrin smirked as Oriel glowered at him. “As I was saying, Persimmon revealed a few things to me. She told me that Abner has been attempting to have you followed. As a scholar, he’s obsessed with information. He has compiled a basic list of facts about you that he wrung from various servants in the castle--physical attributes, food preferences, schedule, who you keep company with-- but he hasn’t seemed to found anything of substance. She said he isn’t himself. He seems frustrated, crazed even. He even demanded that Persimmon follow you personally, and when she refused, he fired her as library keeper and kicked her out of his school. She seems to have had a change of heart--his obsessive behavior has alarmed her and she refuses to help him any longer.”
“What about those scrolls she withheld from you? And , wait a minute! Why can't you just read her mind?” Lyra asked, skeptically.
“She said she doesn’t know where they are, only that Abner refused to release them to her. And I can't read her mind. She's a dormant with a permanently shielded mind. And there’s something else,” Oriel added, looking down at the ground.
“What?” Lyra asked warily, the information churning in her mind.
“Persimmon said that Abner had been traveling back and forth a lot to Terra’s Mainland. And that...well, Persimmon often saw a man with him in his meetings here in Gem. Blue eyes, blonde hair. Tall, boyishly handsome. She didn’t catch his name, but she thinks she heard Abner call him Edward.” Oriel pinned Lyra with a pitying stare.
Lyra frowned. “What is the significance of that?” she asked, confused.
“Edwin has been meeting with him for weeks, probably staying at Abner’s home,” Terrin said. Lyra shook her head with a laugh.
Edwin. Edward. Names and description are similar.
“No. He--he wrote me thirty letters. I think he would have told me if he had been in Gem for that long. He would have come to see me.” Terrin rolled his eyes, scoffing. Oriel looked uncomfortable. Lyra waved her hand as if swatting a fly.
“I’ll hear no more of this nonsense. It’s besides the point. What is the next step?” She began pacing again. She answered her own question.
“We need to go get Poppi. I must speak with her. They shouldn’t be far from the castle in only a day’s ride. How quickly can we get horse’s ready? Or is there a portal we can use?” She asked Terrin, hopeful.
“Navi is a strong mage. She has hidden portals that I can’t use, being that she’s Ursa royalty. She may already be in Ursa.”
Lyra gaped. To travel that quickly, that was impossible.
“The best thing we can do right now is train with the pendant, and hone your skills,” Terrin said roughly. Lyra’s hand flew to her throat. “Where is it?” She asked, panicking. Terrin held it up slowly, one eyebrow quirked in her direction.
“It was my mother’s,” Lyra said defensively as she took the pendant and pocketed it.
“We must go slow, but I believe we can use it to our advantage. The nature of this gemstone...it’s unprecedented. The power it allows the wearer to wield is far more than legends claim. It may even lead us to Alec and Iris. This may be the key we’ve been waiting for,” Oriel said, a light in his eyes.
“In two weeks time, we travel to Thane Mountains, you and I alone,” Terrin told Lyra, the same determined light in his eyes, “Oriel will track Abner to find out what he knows and to locate the scrolls he withheld. And we will all join up in Ursa to confront Poppi.”
Lyra nodded and added, “And Navi.”
The plan seemed solid, and Lyra felt a drive run through her. She would find the portal. She would open it, and she would get her brother and Iris back. She would get Poppi and find out what she knew about her mother and the pendant. Things were finally falling into place.
Chapter 21
It’s called Spectrolite. According to ancient lore, the gemstone was created during a war between two powerful fae kings, Aurora and Borealis, who were fighting over the original fae kingdom, Ursa. When their auras collided, the blast caused an explosion so powerful, hundreds of fae melted to death instantly, including the two kings, and the ground where they stood erupted and morphed, creating a new mineral infused with their powers, and some say, even their souls.
Distant fae relatives living in southern villages traveled painstakingly to the macabre land and destroyed the new mineral, but not before testing its powers and painting it’s likeness to record mystical element.
Upon finding the crystal exceedingly powerful, able to transport them to hidden realms, put them into month-long visions, and even allow the non-magical to use magic, the fae deemed it too powerful, too dangerous to keep, so they destroyed every last piece of it. It should have been impossible for any to exist.
It is also said that the king’s souls battle in the skies nightly in the northern country, and what is called the Northern Lights or the Aurora Borealis. It is said that the shimmering flashes of light the spectrolite emits are the remnants of the northern lights, and that the lights themselves separate earth from unseen realms.
At least, that’s what Oriel had claimed.
Of course, fae were a myth, so the tale couldn’t be true. Maybe the gemstone wasn’t Spectrolite anyway. Maybe it was something else that resembled it. But the power, the pull the gemstone had on Lyra was hard to deny. She knew it was a powerful stone. She had been using it for a week to call on visions. It had helped her relive happy times with her parents, and with Alec. Those memories sustained her, and protected her mind from the trauma of the first vision the stone brought on.
She had grown used to it’s power, choosing to wear it at all times now. When out in public and while training with Terrin, she pocketed it securely. Training with Terrin was going well, too. It was as if the gemstone gave her physical abilities as well. Oriel had said if her aura was perfectly balanced and strengthened, her body would follow. It seemed to be true. While she hadn’t bested Terrin in a spar yet, she was almost able to match his speed, and she was getting better at fine tuning her control of blasting her aura for strikes.
She spent her afternoons with Oriel, her evenings with Terrin, and instead of feeling exhausted, the sessions now energized her, her body healing faster than ever before.
Tonight she sat in bed, candles burning low, fire waning, one of Edwin’s letters in hand. This was how she wound down each night for the past two weeks, reading two of Edwin’s letters. She was on the last one now.
Dearest Lyra,