Crystal Enchantment

by Unknown

  "Thank you," she said, taking it from him. She'd completely forgotten his promise to get her one.

  His wide mouth twisted wryly. "Giving it to you is an admission of my failure to protect you, Jalissa, but I will do my best to see that you don't need it."

  He hesitated, and even someone less observant than she would have seen his discomfort. She wondered if he was about to apologize for what had happenedand wondered what she would say if he did.

  "It troubles me to think that you might believe I deliberately put you in danger. In fact, that troubles me as much as my own carelessness does."

  She stared at him. "I hadn't thought of you as being careless, Miklos. In fact, I remember thinking how very brave you were when you got out of the vehicle to face those Daks and their hatred."

  But even as she spoke, what she was really remembering was the sight of him bound and helpless. She should have enjoyed that, she thought.

  "Besides," she rushed on, "I could scarcely accuse you of trying to get yourself killed just to put me in danger."

  He laughed. "There is that." "Still, it wouldn't do for your superiors to find out that I rescued you," she went on, thinking that surely he must be concerned for his career.

  "Or that your portrayal of a Witch was so convincing," he added, his light tone belying his words.

  She continued to stroll along the path. "It isn't so difficult to convince primitive people who want to believe."

  "I am neither primitive, nor do I want to believeand yet I too was almost convinced."

  She fought down her rising panic. "I'm Tevingian, Miklos, and my people know the Coven better than any others. Besides, I've been trained to do what is necessary to calm a dangerous situation."

  He said nothing for a long time as they continued to walk deeper into the gardens. The voices of the Vantran officers were fading away, and ahead of them loomed the dark forest that ringed the base. Jalissa waited fearfully for him to make his accusation. But when he finally spoke, it was to ask if she felt ready to leave tomorrow.

  "It's possible, even likely, that the man we seek could be on Dradar. I checked the spaceport records, and I think he may be traveling on an old SA-. If so, his range without re-fueling is very limited, and given the difficulty he would have in navigating the asteroid belt with that old craft, my guess is that he would head for Dradar."

  Greatly relieved at the change of topic, Jalissa asked him how the man had been managing to elude capture by the spaceport authorities. On all the worlds she'd ever visited, comings and goings were strictly controlled by the Federation's Inter-Planetary Command.

  ''The controls out here are very lax," he explained. "There's so much small-craft traffic, and any attempts we've made to control it have met with resistance from the natives. The most we can do is to prevent any large fleets that might signal an inter-planetary war.

  "Furthermore, the SA- is small enough to land just about anywhere, and all of the Outer Ring worlds have vast open spaces. I'm quite curious about where he could have gotten hold of oneespecially one that's space-worthy."

  She could have easily answered that question. The SA- was the only craft owned by the Coven, and since they hadn't used them in a century, they remained in excellent condition, preserved by the dry desert air of their present home.

  He went on. "I've sent orders to all the Outer Ring worlds to be on the lookout for an SA-, and to hold the pilot regardless of the sensibilities of the natives. But if he doesn't land at a spaceport, they could easily miss him."

  Jalissa hoped fervently that Kavnor would find another landing place. If he was captured before she could get to him, she had no idea what he might do or say. Once again, Miklos lapsed into silence. They had reached the end of the gardens, which were lighted at regular intervals by low, round glow-lamps. The path continued into the woods, but she stopped and said that she was growing tired and wanted to turn back. He nodded, and they turned onto the perimeter path, where they encountered a young Vantran couple, both of them officers, locked in an embrace. They sprang apart quickly, and both looked devastated when they saw Miklos. They snapped to attention quickly and said in unison: "Good evening, sir."

  Miklos merely nodded and moved past them. Jalissa smiled. "I'm afraid you've ruined their evening."

  "They should consider themselves fortunate that it was me, and not their commander," he replied, smiling. "As far as I'm concerned, life on these outposts is difficult enough without the military's rules."

  "If you dislike such rules, why did you join the military?"

  "Because I don't dislike most of themand because I believe in the Federation. The man we seek is a Warlock, isn't he?"

  Jalissa was caught unprepared, even though she had earlier anticipated this question. They had yet to discuss what she'd learned from the Daks.

  "Not necessarily," she replied. "After all, I was able to convince them that I'm a Witch." "Yes, but you've had training, as you saidand you also had the bracelets to imitate the fire."

  "If he's Tevingian, he would know what I know about the Coven, and he could have acquired the bracelets as well."

  "Possibly, but they're not easy to find and they're expensive." He paused and lifted his head to the night sky, where the planet's small twin moons shone brightly.

  "He is a Warlock, Jalissa, and we both know it. The Coven still exists out there somewhere." He continued to scan the heavens as though seeking the Coven now.

  "There are more than two hundred barren worlds in the Outer Ring," he said. "All of them have been scanned for possible resources, but few of them have been thoroughly explored. I spent several hours this afternoon studying the photographs of them, hoping to find something that could point to one of them being the Coven's present home."

  "And?" she asked, feigning nothing more than curiosity.

  "And nothing," he said disgustedly. "I think it's possible that they could be living underground on one of them. If their magic is as powerful as your people believe, they could have created a home for themselves.

  "What I don't think they could create is an atmosphereso that narrows it down. Plus I have to assume that it couldn't be too far from their old home. And that leaves me with about ten planets."

  Jalissa was horrified. She'd never expected that their search could take this turn. Furthermore, she wouldn't know if her home world were among the ten, because she had no idea where it was.

  "What does Agency Headquarters think?" she asked.

  "I haven't told them."

  "You haven't?" She was shocked.

  "If I tell them that I'm convinced this man is a Warlock, and also tell them my theory that the Coven must be on one of those planets, they'll have troops crawling all over them in no time."

  She was confused. "I don't understand, Miklos. We're supposed to be searching for this man because he could be a Warlock, and yet you don't want the military to find the Coven?"

  "Not yet. I've sent a coded message to my father, asking him to inform those members of the Federation Council he feels can be trusted. I want them to start thinking about what to do if I'm right."

  "You're afraid that the military might act without the Council's approval?"

  He nodded. "They could. All they have to do is to declare the situation a threat to the security of the Federation, and then they can ignore the Council. If that happens, I think they may use the anti-grav bomb again." "And you don't want that? But you're part of the military, Miklos."

  "I am, but that doesn't mean I agree with all its policies. I'd like to know just what the Coven has in mind. And I'd like to be sure that this Warlock is acting on their authority."

  So would I, she thought, then wondered if all this was a ruse to get her to admit that she had secret knowledge. She wanted desperately to believe what he was saying, but she couldn't afford to take that chance.

  "So are you saying that we should give up our search for this man and check those worlds you mentioned for the Coven itself?"

  "No, we'll c
ontinue our search because it's important to capture him before he stirs up too much trouble. When I made my report earlier, I included a suggestion that the troop strength in the Outer Ring be doubled, just in case."

  "Tell me about Dradar," she asked. It was their next destination, and she knew nothing about it.

  "It's a cold, watery world. Nearly two thirds of the planet's surface is covered by seas that are frequently stormy at this time of year. The population is quite small, and many of them live out their entire lives on their boats. They're every bit as primitive as the Daks, and deeply religious. They worship the old gods with even greater faithfulness than the Daks, which would make them very receptive to this Warlock.

  "Still, unlike the Daks, they're not a hostile people. They tolerate the Federation presence there. But right now, there are some very delicate negotiations going on regarding the mining of trinium. They have huge deposits beneath their seas and we need it. Knowing that, if I were this Warlock, that's exactly where I'd be headed."

  Jalissa knew that trinium was essential to the construction of spacecraft, but she hadn't thought it was in short supply. "But what about the mines on Galessa?"

  "They're nearly played out, and we haven't found any in large quantities elsewhere."

  "I didn't realize that."

  "It isn't public knowledge."

  "But then this Warlockif he is onecouldn't know that either."

  "He could." Miklos stopped suddenly, and she stopped too.

  "If the Coven still exists, Jalissa, the Tevingians know about itand probably visit them. Danto Kendor has a network of agents and spies that nearly rivals the Special Agency. I'm sure he knows about the trinium situation."

  "I know nothing about it," she said, forcing herself to return his stare.

  "Trust is a very fragile thing, Jalissa," he said softly. "And for us, it may be impossible. But I wish it could be otherwise."

  He raised his hand, as though to touch her, then abruptly dropped it and walked away quickly, leaving her alone in the garden with his words echoing in the night.

  Chapter Seven

  Jalissa shivered beneath her heavy cloak, trying not to think about her queasy stomach as the Federation boat made its way slowly out of the harbor. The water in this protected bay was calm, but far out at sea, beyond the narrow fingers of land that protected the harbor, she could see its restless anger.

  She had been to sea only once, with some friends on Vantra. But the ocean there was calm and blue, disturbed only by gentle swells. The world of the Coven was barren, with no seas at all, and Tevingi had nothing more than large lakes.

  Dradar was the most unpleasant world she'd ever set foot on: cold, damp and dreary. The sea was an ugly green-brown color, overhung with gray clouds. It made her wonder how some people could be so unfortunate to be born into such ugliness, and yet, since the Dradars were not a space-faring people, she supposed they didn't realize just how unlucky they were.

  At the base, she'd learned that Dradar was one of the worst of the "hardship postings" that meant extra pay for military personnel willing to come here. The Vantran base commander had told her that even with that added inducement, it was difficult to persuade soldiers to sign up for the standard year's tour of duty.

  Because the majority of the native population lived out their lives on their boats, contact between them and the base was minimal. The damp, forested interior was almost completely uninhabited, and only a few small towns dotted the rugged coastline, existing as trading centers and gathering places for this sea-faring people. Roads were non-existent on this strange world, and like the Daks, the Dradars did not approve of hovercraft. So Jalissa and Miklos were forced to use this boat to journey up the coast to the largest of the towns.

  No reports had reached the base of any appearance by the Warlock, but the base commander told them that if he did put in an appearance, it would most likely be in the town of Dra-Kenth, where a large festival was about to commence. Jalissa, who hadn't celebrated the Coven's holidays since childhood, had had to be reminded that the High Summer festival was nearly upon them. Here as elsewhere in the world once dominated by her people, such festivals continued to be kept, adapted to the local calendar.

  She turned from the chest-high rail along the deck and hurried back to the warmth of the big, glass-walled lounge. The Federation boat was large and luxuriously appointed, and she was grateful to have a comfortable cabin to herself. The journey from Dakton had been very difficultfor them both, she thought.

  The lounge was empty when she entered, but a few moments later, Miklos appeared, shedding his long blue cape as he headed for the refreshment bar.

  "The weather report is fineor as good as it gets here," he told her with a wry smile. "Have you been to sea before?"

  "Only on Vantrathe South Coast." She wondered if he found these casual conversations between them as difficult as she did.

  "Even the North Coast is calm by comparison with the seas of Dradar. Perhaps you should consider taking a motion-sickness drug."

  She shook her head. "Only if it becomes absolutely necessary. I checked their side effects, and I don't want to be groggy."

  He poured himself a steaming mug of tea, then offered to pour one for her. They took seats on sofas that faced each other across a long, low table. Jalissa thought that the silences between them were even worse than the conversation.

  "I've decided that we should go into the town alone," Miklos said just as the silence had become unbearable. "The Dradars aren't hostile, but the presence of soldiers might make them uneasy. And if our Warlock is there, he's more likely to find out about our presence if we bring in too many people."

  "But surely he'll see the boat?"

  "We won't go into the harbor. The captain knows of a small cove only a few hours' walk from the town, and they'll put us ashore there. According to him, the town will be filled with people who've come ashore for the festival. I had some appropriate clothing made up for us. You should have no problem blending in with the local population. They're small and fair-skinned and generally dark-haired."

  "What about you?"

  He chuckled. "That's a problem. I can dye my hair and lighten my skin a bit, but there's not much I can do about my height. We'll just have to hope for the best."

  "Miklos," she said carefully, "just what do you plan to do if we find him?"

  "I'm not sure at this point," he admitted, seeming unconcerned. Then, when he saw her consternation, he went on.

  "As a Special Agent, I've learned not to make too many plans and to just go with my instincts. But before there's any approach at all, I'd like to be certain that he is what he says he is.''

  "So you still have doubts?"

  "Rationally, no. I think he is a Warlock. But a part of me just isn't yet willing to accept that."

  "Because you can't accept that Coven magic might have escaped even your most powerful weapon," she stated, unable to hide her anger.

  "No, Jalissa, it's not that. I'm not proud of what we didor tried to doeven though there was no other way." He paused, obviously searching for words, and Jalissa had the strong sense that it was very important to him to make her understand.

  "You've lived on Vantra for long enough to have some understanding of my people," he finally said. "If, as a Tevingian, you come from a tradition of worshipping supernatural gods, we Vantrans come from a tradition of worshipping scienceour own minds. We're very uncomfortable with the idea that anything exists in this universe that cannot be understood in the context of science."

  "But the Coven wasor isreal, Miklos. You can't deny that."

  "As I said, rationally I do know that. But they don't fit in with our understanding of this universe."

  "And that's why you would destroy them," she said bitterly. "That's why some among my people would destroy them," he amended. "I've received a message from my father. He's spoken to several Council members, to alert them to the possibility that this man is a Warlock. But they cannot act on that informati
on without putting me at risk as being their source. What I would like you to do is send a message back to Trans/Med. That way, they can go to the Council as well."

  "But the Special Agency will intercept the message," she protested. "We know they can break our code."

  "We won't use your code. I'll send it the same way I sent the message to my father, and he'll see that it gets to Trans/Med. All you need to do is to include something that guarantees its authenticitysomething that will assure the person at Trans/Med that it comes from you."

  Jalissa considered that. What he said certainly made sense, and might well be the only way to prevent the military from making war on the Coven. But could she trust him? Did he have some other purpose in mind? Could this be part of a scheme to discredit heror to get her to admit that she herself was a Witch?

  "Jalissa," he said, "whatever our differences, we have the same goal here: to prevent war and the possible breakup of the Federation."

  "Let me think about it. I think I can come up with something that will prove the message is coming from me."

  «»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»«»

  Back in her cabin, Jalissa continued to think about the risk she was taking. Through her mind kept echoing Miklos's earlier statement about wishing they could trust each other. How she wished that!

  There was only one thing she did trust about Miklos Panera, and that was his total devotion to the Federation. But perhaps in this case, it was enough, especially since she couldn't see how the message could be used against her.

  He could change it, whispered the dark voice of her mind. He could take from it whatever you use to identify yourself and change the rest to build a case against you.

  She paced around the cabin, thinking. Miklos was right: It was essential that Trans/Med and the Council know that the Coven still existed. That knowledge could be their only salvation. But if she was going to be forced to trust Miklos, then it was time that he returned that trust.

  She went to find him. He was no longer in the lounge, and as she looked out the windows, she saw that the boat was nearly out of the harbor. Already, the floor beneath her was shifting constantly as they moved into heavier seas. The captain had told her that this boat was specially built to handle the rough seas of Dradar, but that did little to calm her.