by Jacob Whaler
The entity withdraws its hand from Ryzaard’s head. The sea of pinpricks vanishes. The floor of his office comes back into view.
“You still haven’t answered my question. There must be many Stones. Tell me about the Stone Holders.”
Many worlds. Many Stones. Many Holders.
More riddles.
Ryzaard thinks for a minute. Perhaps the best way to get answers out of the entity is to ask specific questions.
“Does each world have Stones?”
The Others have made it so.
“The Others place Stones on all the worlds they create?”
Like seeds.
“How many Stones per world?”
We do not know. Some more. Some less.
“Is it possible to collect Stones from multiple worlds?” Ryzaard thinks again of the woman he met on the field of the freedom camp outside of Vancouver, the one with dozens of Stones in a belt on her waist. “Has it been done before?”
The entity hesitates, as if it is about to divulge a great secret.
You have seen her, and you already know.
“I’ll take that as a yes. But tell me, are there Stone Holders out there in the universe, this universe, possessing Stones from dozens, or even hundreds, of worlds?”
The entity freezes.
“Tell me.” Ryzaard’s voice is low, barely a whisper. “Tell me now, or I swear upon my mother’s grave, you will never see the power of the Stones. Do you want to be stuck in this universe for all eternity?”
He expects the entity to fly into a fit of blind rage. He’s not sure if it has the power to kill him, but killing Ryzaard will cut off its access to the Stones in his possession. It will have to wait until others take up the Stones and are willing to share the power.
Ryzaard gambles that the Lethonen won’t take that path.
And he is right.
As if in recognition of defeat at the hands of a mere human, the creature bows its head.
Many Holders with many Stones from many worlds.
“I thought so. The woman I met with an entire belt of Stones is just the tip of the iceberg, isn’t she? Others with even more Stones fill the universe. You know this, don’t you?”
We know.
Ryzaard bows his head in response. “One last thing.” He leans forward, moving closer to the entity. “It’s possible for me to obtain all the Stones of a massive Stone Holder, isn’t it? All I have to do is kill them.”
It is possible, if you have the power.
The entity fades to nothing.
Ryzaard is left staring out at the night sky. An infinity of Universes, each with its multitude of Stones. What if he were to obtain all the Stones in this Universe, and then move on to others, conquering each in turn?
The thought almost overwhelms him.
Limitless power.
CHAPTER 42
Plunging deeper into the darkness of the tunnel.
Jessica’s foot catches on an exposed root. She stumbles forward and crashes into the back of Eva, dumping them both on the hard, moist floor. Reaching back, Jessica cradles the pulse rifle, doing her best to protect it from impact and an accidental firing.
“Sorry.” Jessica’s heavy breathing makes it difficult to talk. “Hard to keep up.” She looks and sees nothing. It’s a mystery how Eva is able to navigate in such a complete lack of light.
Vibrations shake the ground above them, raining dirt and rocks on their heads. In the darkness far to their back, they hear the echo of running feet.
“They’ve found an entrance.” Eva jumps up. “We’ve got to go.”
The rope jerks Jessica to her feet.
“Lead the way,” she says. “I’m right behind you.”
As they fly through the black void, Eva suddenly stops without a word. Jessica slams into her back again, and it’s like hitting a brick wall. For such a small woman, Eva is strong and hard as rock.
“This way,” Eva says.
They move off sharply to the right, leaving the main tunnel. Warm air mixes with the faint smell of seawater. Jessica reaches her free hand out to the side and touches the cold wall of dirt only a foot away. The farther they go, the wetter the air becomes.
The scent of decaying algae hangs heavy.
“We must be getting close to the ocean.” Jessica stumbles, trying to keep up with Eva’s smooth running.
“Just past the next corner,” Eva says.
The odor of the ocean is overpowering.
The rope pulls Jessica sharply to the left. Out of the blackness ahead, a glowing circle appears.
“Almost there.” Eva slows and Jessica walks behind her.
As they get closer to the circle of light, a dirt wall appears straight ahead. The light is coming from the right.
Without a word, Eva stops and unties the rope on Jessica’s wrist. Deep welt marks rise on her skin where the rope has rubbed her raw.
“Sorry about that,” Eva says.
They turn the corner. Blue ocean is visible through a large opening to the outside twenty meters away. They both jog in its direction.
“Looks like we made it,” Jessica says.
The next instant, a white flash blinds them as a loud explosion rocks the tunnel. The ground trembles, knocking them both to the floor. In front of them, the tunnel collapses and drops shut, like a giant mouth clamping down, plunging them into total darkness. Choking dust fills the air.
Eva pushes a damp cloth against Jessica’s lips. “Breathe through this.”
A long silence is broken by the sound of running feet. Bright light dances in the darkness behind them, just around the corner. The voices of running men comes closer. Lying face on the ground, Jessica’s heart pounds against the dirt floor of the tunnel.
She reaches behind and grabs the pulse rifle. Slowly rolling on her back, one hand finds the grip on the lower barrel. The other hand runs along the cold steel until fingers slip into the trigger. The stock slides into place against her shoulder.
Something touches her arm.
“Are you a good shot?” Eva says.
“No problem.”
“Good. Wait for my signal.”
The voices grow louder until Jessica understands every word. The footsteps stop.
They both listen.
“Understood, sir. All exits are sealed from the outside? Thank you, sir. No sight of them yet, but we’ll find them.”
The footsteps come around the bend in the tunnel, and the light of a rifle slowly swings until it shines in Jessica’s eyes.
“We have them, sir.”
CHAPTER 43
Yarah looks up with sleepy eyes.
“You had quite a nap, little one.” Jhata’s spine tingles. She curses herself again for being so negligent in jumping into the child’s mind on a whim. Such carelessness almost got her killed. She was lucky this time, and can’t afford to make such a mistake again.
One question gnaws at her.
Does Yarah remember the dream?
If she does, nothing on her angelic face betrays such knowledge.
Jhata makes a mental note to do her best to erase the memory later.
She bends to Yarah’s level. “Remember the Emerald City you saw in the valley? Let’s go visit it. There’s so much I want to show you.”
“We get to go to the city?” Yarah claps her hands and jumps up and down, running over to Leo and slapping him on the back. “Wake up!”
Leo’s head is still on the table, his chest rising and falling.
Jhata reaches across. “Let me see if I can help.” Her fingers slide on Leo’s neck. Chemical secretions form and pass through her skin into his bloodstream.
His eyes flutter open.
“What happened,” he says.
Jhata laughs. “You enjoyed a long nap after lunch.”
“Leo!” Yarah puts her arms on him and tries to pull him to his feet. “We’re going to the Emerald City.”
Leo pushes off the table and stands up. “How long have we been
here?” His balance wavers and his hands go down to steady himself. “Isn’t it time to get back to the castle? We don’t want to miss Matt and Jessica.”
“Don’t worry,” Jhata says. “They haven’t gotten back yet.”
Leo looks up. “How do you know?”
A twinge of fear wells up in Leo’s mind. Sensing it, Jhata reaches out to push it back and makes a mental note to keep a careful eye on him.
“Trust me.” Jhata walks past the table, through the open door and into the cathedral.
Yarah runs behind her. “Come on, Leo!”
With Jhata in the lead, they walk through the cathedral, past the massive jade columns and out the large wooden door into the courtyard. The same birds peck at the cobblestones. The flock scatters in all directions as they walk to the rail overlooking the valley.
The sun has dropped to the horizon and casts a golden glow on the city below. The glass buildings catch the light and look like they’re on fire.
“Let’s go, children.” Jhata reaches out her arms, taking Yarah and Leo on each side. “Time to fly.”
The three of them vanish, leaving a white flash in their wake.
The next instant, they are standing in a round room of emerald glass. Warm light floods the translucent walls. A delicate network of white lines runs through the walls, like the veins in a leaf. Every few meters, narrow windows of clear crystal are set in the walls and extend from floor to ceiling.
Yarah breaks free and sprints to a window. “It’s so beautiful, just as I imagined.” She presses her forehead and palms against the glass and gazes out.
Leo follows her to a window and looks down.
They stand above the center of the city, higher than any other structure, commanding a view of the whole metropolis. Wide streets flare out from the base of the building like rays of light from a central sun. The entire city is constructed of the same translucent emerald material. From above, most of the buildings are asymmetrical and resemble huge segmented crystals jutting out of the ground and bending at sharp angles. Scattered among them are round spherical structures of varied sizes, each a different color of the rainbow. One in particular catches their eye. It’s a deep blue lapis, half a kilometer in diameter.
No one moves in the streets far below.
“Where are the people and the cars?” Leo says.
Jhata stands behind him. “The people are all inside. They have no need to go outside, and no need for cars.”
“No cars?” Yarah stares up into Jhata’s face. “That’s strange. We have tons of cars back home in the Forbidden City.”
“What good would cars be?” Jhata says.
Leo looks back out the window. “The city is so huge. How do they get from one place to another if they don’t go outside?”
“I’ll show you. I think you’ll find it interesting. Come with me.”
Leo and Yarah turn away from the windows and follow Jhata to the middle of the room to a large circle on the floor made of thousands of grains of purple glass put together in a tapestry.
Leo bends and runs his hand along the surface. “It’s warm.”
“Where in the city would you like to go?” Jhata says.
“To that big blue globe on the street.” Yarah’s eyes dance.
“Yarah,” Leo says. “Lots of big blue globes dot the city. You have to tell us which one.”
“No problem,” Jhata says. “Just walk into the circle.”
Without waiting for a further explanation, Yarah runs into the middle of the circle.
She vanishes in a flash of light.
Leo jumps to his feet. “Where did she go?”
“Why don’t you follow her and see,” Jhata says.
Slowly shaking his head, Leo backs away. “What is this? Some kind of—”
“Portal? Yes.” Jhata walks to the edge of the circle. “We’ll be waiting for you at the blue dome.” She moves further in and disappears without a sound.
Leo runs back to a window and stares. Far below, he can see the faint outline of two humans standing outside the dome, waving their arms up at him.
A shiver of cold runs through his body as he turns from the window and walks into the circle to be engulfed in light.
The next instant, a warm breeze blows in his face, bringing the warmth and moisture of the ocean.
“Isn’t this beautiful?” Yarah’s large eyes stare up at him. “It’s the Emerald City, just like in the book.”
Leo scans the city from ground level.
They are standing on one of the golden streets that flares straight out from the tower in the middle of the city. Its base is a hundred meters away, and it rises like a glass tube into the sky, higher than any building Leo has ever seen. He recognizes the round bubble at the top of the tube where he had been standing only seconds before.
Most of the buildings in the city are only four or five stories high. Leo walks a few meters to the nearest wall and peers closely at it, running his hands along its surface and admiring the delicate patterns running through the semi-translucent material.
“It’s exactly what you think it is,” Jhata said.
“Crystal?”
“Yes. All grown in place right here on this plain.”
“Cool.” Leo nods his head. “An entire city made out of crystal. How long did it take you to make it?”
“A few hours. It’s easy once you’ve done it a few times.” Jhata turns away and starts walking in the direction of the immense blue dome that appears to spring up right up out of the ground. “But that’s nothing. Just basic science. I have something even better to show you.”
Yarah falls in behind her. “Where are we going?”
“Just follow me. I want it to be a surprise.”
Leo is motionless, transfixed by the beauty of the city.
“Come on, Leo!” Yarah sprints back and grabs his hand, pulling him in the direction Jhata is walking.
As Jhata comes close to the blue dome, she keeps walking, never breaking her stride.
A hole opens up in its side, and she passes through. It closes behind her, leaving Yarah and Leo alone on the street.
“Where’d she go?” Leo says.
Yarah laughs and runs to the same spot where Jhata walked through the wall seconds before. It opens up.
She and Leo walk through. Jhata faces them with her hands in the air, palms up.
“What do you think?” she says.
Leo stares into the interior of the dome.
It’s full of stars.
CHAPTER 44
“She’s armed,” one of the soldiers says.
The other soldier nods. “Don’t worry, it’s just a light weapon. Nothing our armor can’t handle.”
Both of them walk forward a few paces, keeping their light on Jessica and Eva. The one in front lowers the tip of his shoulder cannon until it points directly at the two women huddled on the floor.
“Now,” Eva says.
Jessica slowly squeezes the trigger. In the darkness, fire jumps out of the barrel of her pulse rifle. A string of projectiles hit the ceiling of the tunnel just over the head of the first soldier.
He looks up in time to see the roof fall in upon him, knocking him and his companion to the floor.
Dirt and sand pour on them out of a large hole, filling the tunnel from top to bottom.
“What now?” Jessica pulls the cloth away from her mouth long enough to speak, and then quickly reapplies it. Choking dust hangs in the air.
Eva pulls on Jessica’s shirt. “This way.”
Random shots burst from the pile where the soldiers are buried, whizzing past Jessica and Eva. They drop to the floor of the tunnel, pressing their cheeks close to the ground. Jessica counts twenty shots over her head and into the wall before they stop.
A deafening silence follows.
Eva switches on her light and points it at the pile of dirt. “Looks like they stopped. Follow me.” She jumps up and sprints ten paces to the blocked entrance of the tunnel, and t
hen stops, pointing her light at the wall. “Should be here somewhere.” Her hand runs along the smooth dirt surface. “Right here.”
Jessica catches up. “What is it?”
Eva takes two steps back. “No time to explain. Just blast a hole.” She draws a line in the dirt wall with her hand. “Start here.”
Raising the barrel of the pulse rifle, Jessica hesitates. “You’re sure the whole ceiling won’t come down on us?”
“No, but it’s our only chance.”
Holding the tip at point blank range, Jessica squeezes off the trigger and holds it for a count of five, spraying across the wall, dropping on a diagonal and back across, tracing a large “Z”. Fire jumps out of the tip of the barrel. Small projectiles bite into the wall, opening a hole large enough to jump through.
“Can you swim?” Eva says.
Jessica grins. “Like a fish.”
“Good.” Eva twists her lips to the side. “Next question. Can you freefall?”
“Freefall? What do you mean?”
Eva takes a step closer. “Exactly what I said.”
Jessica stares at her.
“Listen to me.” Eva dims the light and holds it in one hand between them so they can see each other’s eyes. Her hand reaches out and pulls Jessica’s face close. “Strap the rifle across your back so your arms are free. Count to thirty. Get a run and jump through the hole. Hold your breath before your feet leave the ground.” Eva stares into Jessica’s eyes. “Most important thing. Don’t let your arms float up away from your body. Don’t swing them. Just keep them stiff, at your sides. Think of floating in space. Arch your back. Chin up. Don’t look down. Got it?”
Jessica swallows. “Got it.”
Eva backs up, bends into a sprinter’s posture and runs through the opening, disappearing into the void beyond.
Jessica listens intently for several seconds, but there’s no sound.
A sudden movement in the tunnel jerks her attention to the left. She hears the sound of crumbling dirt.
A light pierces through the black pile of debris. One of the soldiers breaks out.
“You OK, Frank?”
Jessica slings the pulse rifle over her shoulder, tightens the strap, backs up a half dozen paces, bends her elbows and knees like a sprinter and blasts through the black opening, holding her breath at the same time.