Crystal (Silver Hills #2)

by Gardner, Jacqueline

  I stared at my pocket knife in awe, facing the crowd and running for the burst of light in the doorway. The spectators let out blood-curdling cries while they parted, letting me run past with the metal knife in front of me. My gown fluttered and made it look as if I was running on air. My heart raced as the beaming light hit my face with a ray of warmth. I covered my eyes and lifted my silk gown. I sprinted into the first place I spotted - leafy treetops. I raced to the quiet grove, gulping down air as my lungs burned.

  I staggered to a heart-dropping halt. The forest floor was lit with the same swirling fire. It engulfed the woods as if holding the trees and wild shrubs in place. I hesitated to step any farther but the distant marching of feet forced me to leap forward.

  I cringed as my feet landed in a cloud of swirling red. I jumped, anticipating the fire might climb up my calves but that wasn't the case. I looked down at the bottom of my gown. I was standing in fire but I wasn't burning. My muscles tensed and my brain told me to RUN. I continued moving deeper into the trees - wildly shocked with every step. I felt nothing.

  I ran for what felt like hours and finally stopped when the sounds of bells and marching left my ears. I leaned over, catching my breath. My burning lungs finally relaxed as closed my eyes. Where was I? The pain was real. The screaming was real. The shock was real. This wasn't a dream. No matter how many times I slapped and pinched myself, I knew in my gut I wasn't going to wake up in bedroom. Heck, I'd settle for the hospital.

  A hand gripped my shoulder. I yelled, swirling around with my pocket knife at the ready. A surprised face with bronze hair jumped back with his hands in the air. My eyes shifted around the forest as I lowered my knife.

  "What are you doing?" I asked, out of breath. Zircon took off his shining jacket, revealing a set of muscular biceps and tan skin that almost matched the brown in his hair. His eyes were fixated on mine. "You shouldn't be here."

  "Oh come one," Zircon replied. "I can't let you have all the fun."

  Chapter Six

  Sard

  "What are you doing here?" I asked, pacing across the fiery forest floor. The rip in my gown stretched along the side of my torso. Zircon's eyes darted to the patch of pale skin underneath. When my eyes met his, he blushed. "I ruined our wedding. You can't possibly want to help me." Zircon chuckled as I finally continued walking deeper into the forest. The emerald treetops stood still as the swirling fire beneath held each trunk in place.

  "Our wedding?" he chuckled. "Well first of all, you're not Dotti." His grin grew wide as he followed, hands in his pockets as I zigzagged from tree to tree. Zircon walked in a straight line.

  "What makes you think that?" I questioned.

  "Your eyes -"

  "Right," I interrupted. "My eyes. Because you're eyes are perfectly normal and mine are just strange and outlandish. Maybe you're just seeing things. Ever thought of that?"

  "Hmm," he replied. "You bicker like Dotti."

  "It's called sarcasm," I muttered. And it was usually Alexa's area of expertise.

  "Why are you angry with me?" he sincerely inquired. I stopped, resting my arm on the bark of a tree. My thoughts buzzed and my heart refused to slow down. I just wanted to go home. I finally collapsed, burying my head in my hands as tears stained the silk of my dress.

  "Stupid game," I murmured. "What on earth did Brett do?" I let out a few sobs as my head pounded. My sore throat throbbed as I cried. My expanding lungs made the throbbing bruises along my arms sting.

  A tight set of arms wrapped my shoulders and heat radiated into my skin. I could feel Zircon's soothing breaths as he lowered himself beside me, gently rubbing the side of my shoulder with his thumb. I sniffed, forcing myself to stop crying. I probably looked ridiculous - pathetic to a guy like Zircon.

  "You know how I know you're not Dotti?" he whispered. I sniffed again, letting his arms squeeze tighter around my trembling torso. "When you looked at me . . . you didn't look as if a bitter bluebug had been dropped in your tea. Your face . . . it's . . . soft and welcoming." I wiped the tears from my face and briefly smiled.

  "I take it you and her didn't get along?" I sniffled as I attempted to make my swollen cheeks presentable.

  "Not a bit," he replied. "You know, she did everything possible to stop this wedding from happening? And I guess she succeeded. She found a look alike." I looked up and stared at the black in his eyes as his white pupils lit up. "Well . . . an almost look alike."

  "I'm not exactly from around here," I responded.

  "That's for certain," he chuckled. "What is your name? Your real name?"

  "Crystal."

  "Crystal," he repeated. I could feel the steam of his breath against my neck as his hand continued to massage the tip of my shoulder.

  "Zircon," I said, feeling a bit better. I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear.

  "Yes," he breathed.

  "What kind of name is that?" I joked. I cupped my hand over my mouth. Zircon smiled, showing teeth as white as his pupils.

  "They do not have that name where you're from?"

  "Not exactly," I answered.

  "Then call me something to your liking," he suggested.

  "Zirc?" I watched as his face looked like he'd tasted something sour.

  "A girl at school used to call me that," he commented. "She smelled like a cloud of perfume mixed with old cabbage."

  "Okay Zirc is out," I replied. "What's your middle name?"

  "Obsidian."

  "I'll just call you Z," I giggled.

  "You do not like my middle name either?" He grinned, playfully pretending to be hurt by my comments. "This offends me." I took a few calming breaths, still not used to the fact that sitting in swirling fire was normal.

  "Z," I said quietly, rubbing the handle of my pocket knife. "Will you help me get home?" He stared down at the knife - his chest rising quicker as the metal blade shined. His shoulders stiffened and he clenched his jaw. I switched the knife closed. "You don't have stuff like this here, do you?"

  "That shiny material," Z responded. "It's poisonous. We cannot use it to fashion . . . well, anything."

  "So instead you use rock?"

  "That animal on the handle," he continued, almost entranced by it. "What is it?"

  "An eagle," I replied. "A bird?"

  "Oh." He looked down at his charcoal shoes.

  "You can have it," I said, offering him the handle. He eyed me suspiciously.

  "An item like that is priceless and very powerful," he responded. "I can't accept." I nodded.

  "Then accept it as payment when you help me get home," I stated. I stood up, embarrassed as the torso of my dress ripped further.

  "Rip the bottom," Z suggested.

  "Huh?" The idea of ruining the most gorgeous gown I'd ever laid eyes on seemed absurd. But it was slowly falling apart anyway.

  "Trust me," he insisted. "Rip the bottom." I hesitated as I leaned down and timidly tried to tear the silky fabric. "Like this, Crystal." Zircon knelt down and let his beefy hands split my gown down the middle. My heart froze as the sound of tearing filled my eardrums. I let out a quiet yelp as a draft blew between my thighs. My face went rosy but the fabric of my dress curled around each leg. It hugged my skin, reforming into a sleek, white jumpsuit that covered my legs and torso.

  "It's still cool the second time," I mumbled to myself.

  "Now," he said, looking pleased with himself. "How far is the journey?"

  "Journey?"

  "Yes," he nodded. "The journey to your land." I wasn't sure my home could be traveled to from where we stood. I stared down at the painless fire the danced around my ankles. A spell. Nuum had said something about a spell.

  "First I think we need a few answers," I replied. "There's a place I think we should go. Oh . . . what did he call it?" I wracked my brain trying to remember the name.

  "Clo
se your eyes," Z suggest. "And try to remember every detail of how you got here." I closed my eyes, forcing my brain to slow down as I thought about my strange conversation with Nuum.

  "I got it!" My eyes shot open as the name of the city entered my head.

  "Excellent."

  "The place we need to go," I excitedly continued. "It's called Sard." Zircon's face went pale like he'd seen a ghostly image of Dotti behind me. His black eyes widened and his shoulders sank.

  "Crystal," he said in almost a whisper. "We CAN'T go there."

  * * *

  The sunstone (that's what Z called it) went down, leaving the forest in a vast grove of black. The blazing ground acted as a night light as animals chirped. I tried to sleep, but the cold draft made it difficult. I scooted closer to Z, letting the warmth from his sleeping body warm me up. I could hear his shallow breathing as I moved close enough to touch the edges of his suit coat.

  Convincing him to lead me to Sard had consumed all my energy. It was a place forbidden to outsiders - a place of running poison and lava rivers. Zircon had argued until his face was ruby red, but Sard was the only lead I had. If he couldn't take me there, I'd have to go there myself. I finally took a deep breath and closed my eyes. A subtle SNAP jump-started my heart.

  I opened an eye, listening to see if Zircon had woken up. His continued shallow breaths told me he was still asleep - in a deep, peaceful sleep by the looks of it. Both my eyes opened as another snap sounded closer. I listened intently, hearing slow footsteps coming closer. I reached for my pocket knife, forcing a hard swallow. After another snap, my stomach churned. My brain told my arms to reach back and wake up Z but I was frozen.

  The footsteps advanced, ringing through my ears until an anxious face came into view. A hand waved at me to follow and I slowly stood up. I curiously followed Nuum through the trees, hoping he might have answers for me. He walked quickly as his jacket moved back and forth.

  "Nuum," I whispered. "Nuum." He walked even quicker, leading my farther away from Zircon. He crossed a clearing and finally stopped. He turned around and waved again but as my feet hit the soft fire that was the forest floor, I could feel a sudden drop beneath me.

  The forest floor caved in and my stomach churned as my body dropped into a deep hole. My heart pounded as I clawed at the edges of the hole, desperate to find something to hold onto. My fingers caught on a sideways rock. I gripped it with both hands as my feet dangled beneath. Nuum's faced appeared over the edge.

  "Help!" I shouted, unsure how long I could hang on. With a worried face, Nuum reached out a hand.

  "Why didn't you tell me?" he shouted down the hole. My frozen chest felt like an anvil as my body swung beneath me.

  "Tell you what?" I frantically replied. "Help me up!"

  "Why didn't you tell me you weren't Dotti?" He reached his hand farther down, nearly brushing the side of my hands.

  "What does it matter," I responded, out of breath. My face cringed as the darkness below played tricks on my eyes. Sweat dripped from my forehead as I pleaded. "Please! Pull me up!"

  "I'm trying," Nuum answered. "But I can't without the ring." I glanced at Grandma Nettie's ring.

  "Nuum!"

  "The engagement ring," he shouted. "I must have it."

  "Help me and you can have it," I replied. My heart was beating so fast that my limbs were beginning to feel tingly. My damp palms started slipping.

  "I need it now," he yelled. My chest heaved as I used every ounce of energy I had left to slip the ring from my finger and throw it up. A wave of relief crossed my forehead as Nuum grabbed it.

  "Now help me up!" I waited for his hand to reach deeper but it didn't. I saw him stand up - a smirk on his face.

  "Thanks," he said in a low voice, showing me the stone in his gloved hands. I screamed as the sound of his footsteps drifted away. I was stuck and I was about to lose my grip.

  I could hear my heart pounding in my ears as I screamed again; hoping that Z might suddenly wake up and realize I was gone. A drop of sweat trickled across my eyebrow. I screamed one more time as my hands slowly slid so that the tips of my fingers were the only things holding me up.

  The darkness below sent shivers through my core. This was it. I'd hoped to wake up in Silver Hills but I wasn't sure that would ever happen. I was going to die. . . I was going to die in a dark hole and in a strange place where no one would ever find me. A tear ran down my face as I gulped.

  "Crystal!" A yell pierced the night sky. I looked up and screamed again, letting my cries blast through my swollen throat.

  "Z!" I screamed. His footsteps came closer as I coughed, holding on with everything I had. Zircon's face appeared above me. He dropped to the ground and inched as close as he could get without falling. His hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me up with ease.

  I fell against his chest as I tried to catch my breath. My limbs continued to tingle as my breathing quickened and my hands throbbed. A panic surrounded me as I tried to brush off what had just happened. I wasn't doing a very good job.

  "It's okay," Z said calmly as he clutched my shoulders. "You're okay." I rested my head on his rising chest, letting the warmth from his skin sooth my clammy face.

  "Zircon," I muttered. "He took the ring."

  Chapter Seven

  Lava Face

  "Why would Nuum want your engagement ring?" Zircon asked as he stroked a strand of my hair. I shivered, counting each breath as inhaled. My heart was slowing down and was finally able to think clearly. I glimpsed back at the giant hole that had collapsed beneath my feet. Dangling from that rock had felt worse than the time I had to get an enormous shot at the doctor's office. At least there I knew I'd be able to walk out the door breathing. "It's an animal trap," Z hastily explained. "For catching wild boars."

  "I can't believe I gave him Grandma Nettie's ring," I sighed. I hit my forehead with the palm of my hand. "I'm such an idiot."

  "You had no choice," Z added. His fists clenched as he glanced around the clearing. "How were you supposed to know he wouldn't help you?"

  "He's a weirdo," I muttered. "I should have known. I guess I'm stuck here." I held back tears as I imagined the look on my parents face when they woke up to an empty bedroom. And my little sister Jade - she would be an only child. I wouldn't be there to see her grow up, and I wouldn't be there when she needed boy advice. Not that I was an expert at it. Alexa had been right all along. I should've moved on - left this Brett thing behind. What kind of guy suddenly stops talking to you after being best friends for years? I should have told him what I thought a long time ago. Zircon studied my face. His white pupils softened as his hand reached for mine. My chest drummed at the sight of our intertwined fingers. Why didn't guys with bronze hair and fancy speech exist in Silver Hills?

  "You are not stuck," he said in a low voice. "I will take you to Sard."

  "What about your kingdom?" I asked. "Your parents will be looking for you."

  "Ah, let my father look." He shook his head. "I doubt he's looking very hard."

  "And what about your mom?" I continued. "Won't she be worried sick?" Zircon looked down at the bright forest floor of swirling fire. The light glowed against his head of shiny hair.

  "She knows I'm okay," he solemnly sighed. "I apologize for opposing this earlier. You were right. To return to Dotti's kingdom would mean your end. You can never go back."

  "How far is Sard from here?"

  "There's a tele-tree not too far," he replied, eyeing every tree around us. "We should go now. The pathways will all be monitored by morning." He pulled me up. I automatically brushed the white fabric of my outfit, surprised when I looked down to see that it was spotless. I still expected dirt to form stains all around my backside, but there was none. "Here." Z handed me my pocket knife. A weapon that could have come in handy earlier if I hadn't so foolishly left to follow a man I barely knew.

  "T
hanks." As I looked around for a pocket, the fabric reformed. A tiny pocket was created at the side of my hip. It was the perfect size for my knife.

  "This way," Zircon directed. Our hands were still locked together. We jogged back into the cover of trees. Our footsteps were almost nonexistent as we took giant strides across the faded orange floor. "And keep your head down. If we pass anyone on the way, they cannot see your eyes."

  "I'll be better at that this time," I promised.

  I could feel bruises forming underneath my clothes as we ran. My fingers felt like they were locked in place and my palms still hadn't stopped sweating. Zircon suddenly stopped in front of a tree with enormous branches that hung so heavily, they almost touched the ground. The light brown curls of bark reminded me of an oak tree but who knew what they called it here. Zircon placed his hand on a knot and stood back as a rounded door formed.

  My mouth dropped open as the trunk of the tree formed into a door, much like the secret door in Dotti's closet. My eyes widened so much they started to water.

  "Come on," he whispered, unimpressed by what we'd just witnessed. He peered inside, pulling me by the hand behind him. We entered a dark foyer that felt much like a cave. The air was moist and the walls were carved out of rock. An empty desk sat in the center of the room surrounded by rows of dark tunnels behind. The tunnels even ran up the walls in stacks.

  Zircon quietly walked towards the empty desk. Our footsteps echoed, making the foyer seem as if it were busy with customers. I gulped as Z opened the antique book on the desk and flipped through its pages.

  "Sabu," he muttered under his breath. "Safi . . . There it is. Sard." He stared at the page for a few seconds closing his eyes and repeating a few sayings to himself. "Over here." He pulled me towards a rectangular platform that looked like it was part of the stone floor. "Stand here and don't move."