“Yep,” said Lissa happily. “Let’s run back along it, and then we can free the river!”
They all climbed up. The logs had spun so easily that it should have wobbled when they walked, but it didn’t, probably because of magic. It did make a great thumping sound as they ran back to the lake though.
“Everybody off!” said Lissa and shoved at the rock. It was a lot smaller than the giant stone dam but it was still really heavy. “Kari, help me.”
Kari came over and leaned on the rock, too. It didn’t move, even when Lissa whispered to it and Kari treated it like a stuck door.
“I guess it takes all three of us,” said Eli, and squeezed in between them. He grabbed hold of the rock and said, “One, two, three, pull!”
Chapter 6
They all pulled together. The rock came out with a pop, they fell to the side, and the lake gushed into the path Lissa had made. All three of them were soaked by the spray.
“It looks like a water slide,” said Kari wistfully, standing up again. “Do you think we could…?”
“Look!” said Lissa. The lake was draining like a bathtub, and something had been hidden under the water. At first it looked like a tree but then—
“Oh wow!” said Eli. “It’s a sunken pirate ship!” He slid down the wet rocks to the shrinking edge of the lake. “No wonder the owl didn’t lead us anywhere.”
As soon as the deck of the ship appeared above the water, Eli set out wading across the remains of the lake. Kari and Lissa went after him.
“Should we let him go first?” Kari asked.
“He knows where he’s going, and it’s his grandpa,” pointed out Lissa.
“I guess,” said Kari.
Meanwhile, Eli jumped up and caught a ladder dangling from the deck. He went up. “We have to find the treasure chest. There’s always a treasure chest.”
“Are there any skeletons?” asked Lissa hopefully.
“No skeletons!” said Kari, in her best Marley voice. She didn’t like skeletons the way Lissa did.
“I don’t see any,” Eli said. Lissa sighed, and the twins followed him up.
The ship was old and wet but not slimy or covered with seaweed. “Because the lake was sick, so nothing grew,” explained Lissa. “Where’s the chest?”
“Down here!” Eli called. His voice echoed from the darkness under the top deck. “But it’s locked. And the wand isn’t opening it.”
Lissa smiled at Kari and Kari grinned back before running down the stairs. “I can do this part.” The chest was big and old and bound with metal straps and a giant lock. Kari gave it a stern look, then touched the lock.
It sprang apart, and she flung the lid open. “There you go!”
A watery blue ball floated out of chest and into Eli’s hand. “Yay!”
“Everybody, we have to get out of here!” Lissa shouted from above. “Hurry!”
The other two kids scrambled up the ladder as the ship started shaking around them.
“Without the lake the ship is falling apart!” gasped Lissa. “We need to run!”
The planks cracked apart beneath them. They hurried over to the ladder and scrambled down and back across the lake bed to their tire boat. Eli and Lissa started shoving the tire into the new path of the river while Kari watched the ship sadly. “I hoped we could sail it.”
“We still have this. And you did want to go on a water slide,” Eli said as the tire splashed down. “Quick, get on!”
Once everybody was on board, the tire started spinning its way down the river path. It wasn’t as fast as a slide and it was a whole lot bumpier, but it was still kind of fun. Once they slid into the river, the journey got faster and faster until they were shooting along. Then, without warning, they shot out into the air as the river went over a little waterfall. Before they quite realized they were flying, they thumped into the water again. And this time they weren’t on a little lake. This was the sea.
“Where do we go now?” Lissa twisted her hands together. “We have one more orb and not a lot of time.”
“The owl will show us,” said Eli confidently. He waved the wand and the wings burst from the end, bigger and stronger than ever. They flapped hard, propelling the tire forward, faster than they could paddle or Kari could kick.
“Is that a cloud?” Kari asked, shielding her eyes from the afternoon sun. “We’re headed straight for it.”
“It looks like smoke,” said Lissa, biting her lip.
“It’s a volcano,” said Eli. “That’s where we’re going next.”
Kari brightened. “Oh, okay.” Eli gave her a funny look, but she ignored him. She wasn’t supposed to play with fire but if they had to, she was looking forward to it.
The volcano was a black mountain on a black island with spots of green around the edges: big bushes and brightly colored flowers. Once the tire crunched against the shore, they could see that the ground was as hard and shiny as glass.
“But where do we go now?” said Eli nervously. “I don’t want to get burned.”
Lissa cocked her head, listening. “It’s not in the fire,” she said. “It’s in the ashes.”
Kari looked around. “Right! This way!” She led them over to the slope of the volcano. “Sometimes they burn through the side. See? Here’s a little box.” She reached into a square hole the size of a TV. “We just have to dig through the ashes.”
“Kari Thorne, what in the world are you doing?” Marley’s voice cracked like thunder from only a few feet away. Too close. Too real.
Chapter 7
Kari froze, afraid to look around, afraid to ruin it. She took a deep breath and fumbled in the ashes.
“Oh no,” muttered Lissa. “Marley, listen—”
“How did the two of you manage to get so filthy, and while I was watching? And now you’re playing in the barbecue?” Marley shook her head, her eyes flashing. “And getting your new friend involved?” Her voice gentled as she addressed Eli. “Kari and Lissa have to go home now. Do you want me to take you to your mom?”
Eli shook his head frantically, clutching his owl wand. Kari plunged both hands into the ash box and fumbled around desperately. She could have told Eli the wand wouldn’t work on Marley, but she didn’t want Marley to know what they were doing because then it would be ruined.
“Marley, we can’t go yet,” said Lissa. “We’re not done playing. We have to finish.”
Marley frowned, then looked at Kari again. “Come on, Kari. I’m going to have to give you a bath before dinner as it is.”
“I can’t find it,” Kari whispered, on the edge of tears.
Lissa whispered back, “You talk to her,” and bumped Kari aside with her hip. As soon as Kari pulled her hands from the box and moved between Lissa and Marley, Lissa started digging in the box herself.
“Lissa?” Marley looked confused. “What’s going on?”
Kari took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. A little smile flickered across Marley’s face and Kari tried to smile back. “We’re playing a game, and we’re almost done, Marley. We just need to do a couple more things and then we’ll take Eli back to his mom. Please?” She opened herself up, trying to show Marley there was nothing to worry about. “Honest, we’ll be done soon.”
Marley softened. She glanced at her phone. Then she muttered, “All right, but I’m going to take a picture of you for next time I ask for a raise.”
Kari didn’t quite understand, but she obediently gave Marley a big smile for the camera on her phone.
When Marley was done taking the picture, she said, “You have ten minutes. Then no arguing.”
Lissa caught Kari’s eye and nodded. So Kari nodded at Marley. Then Eli said, “Thank you, Miss. They’re being good friends.”
Sometimes, Marley was like an ice cream cone on a hot day. When Eli thanked her, she melted. “I’m happy to hear that. Have fun, okay?” Then, slowly, looking at her phone and shaking her head, she went back to the edge of the world.
Lissa pulled her hands out of
the ashes, whispering, “I found it.” In her hand was a small, black rock.
Eli poked it. When nothing happened he asked, “Are you sure?”
“Yes. But you have to clean it somehow.” Lissa gave Eli an expectant look. He banged it on the pavement, but nothing happened. Then he shrugged helplessly.
Kari said, “Let’s take it to the castle and see if it will open the gate as it is.”
They went back to the great castle in the center of the world, where the knight had first sent them on their mission. Once again, she emerged from the gate. “I’m sorry, children….”
“We found the orbs!” interrupted Kari. “Show her, Eli!”
Eli held out his hands, with the marbles piled in them. The black rock was hidden on the bottom. “See?”
The knight hesitated, then said, “Follow me.” She led them under the big wooden gate, down a hall, and up some stairs to a high tower sealed by a big door. In the door were four depressions just the right size for marbles.
Kari nodded at Eli. He took a deep breath and stepped forward, putting the orbs in place.
Three of them fit perfectly, sticking in the depressions like they’d been glued in. But the black rock just fell onto the floor.
Chapter 8
Slowly, Eli picked the black stone up. “I don’t know what to do.”
Kari realized something. “It’s all burned out. You have to light it again.”
Lissa nodded. “Set it on fire.”
“Give it some of your fire,” corrected Kari.
Eli looked between the two of them, tears swimming in his eyes. Then he held the black chunk to his chest, hugging it like it was a doll. “Please, Grandpa. You don’t know me anymore, you called me a brat and you threw your book at me. But I still love you. I want to see you again. I want you to see me.”
His tears spilled over, leaving burning tracks in his dirty face, dripping onto the rock. When the tears touched the stone, it lit up, like somebody had struck a match in a dark room. The black crust around the rock fell away, leaving a brilliant, glowing orb.
Wiping his nose with the back of his hand, Eli put the final marble in place. The knight reached over their heads, and pushed the door open.
Inside, on a jewel-encrusted throne, an ancient king was sleeping. When they piled into the room, he jerked awake. He smiled when he saw Eli. “My boy. It’s been a while. Come here and give me a hug.”
Eli ran over and squeezed the old man. “Grandpa, we’ve saved you!”
The old man looked over at Kari and Lissa. “Oh, kids. Thank you for this chance. This dream. It can’t last, but….” He stroked Eli’s hair. “At least it makes parting easier. A proper farewell.”
“Grandpa?” said Eli, lifting his head. “No!”
“Eli, this happens,” said the old man gently. “I’ll always be with you in your heart. You have to remember me like this, not the other way.”
Irritated, Kari said, “Stop saying goodbye. We did save you. We did all the work to rescue a prince, and now you’re saved.”
The old man smiled sadly, looking at the two of them with clear, blue eyes. “Little ladies, I don’t know what you are, but you’ve done a good thing, letting me be myself again for a few moments. Remember that.”
“Stop it!” said Kari again.
“He is dying,” said Lissa, subdued. “I can hear it.” She glanced up at the stones of the tower and took Kari’s hands. “But he doesn’t have to.”
The old man’s eyes widened. “I’m ready to go, children. It’s all right.”
“No, it’s not!” said Eli. “Stay!”
“Yeah,” said Kari. “We saved you, so you stay with Eli.”
She and Lissa squeezed each other’s hands tightly. Then Kari reached out for Eli’s hand, and Lissa reached back for the orbs on the door. Light rose around them, dazzling and wonderful and binding.
When it faded, they were standing on top of the big play structure in the middle of the playground. Marley was calling Kari and Lissa. Eli was holding his owl wand.
Lissa looked around. “You’d better go to your mom now.” She pointed. Eli’s mom was standing over his grandpa’s wheelchair, her head down. The grandpa looked like he was sleeping still. The sisters knew better.
Eli blinked at them warily, then looked around at a world once again normal. But the wand in his hand flapped its wings, and he looked down at it. “You did something…? I can hear him. In the wand.”
“Give your mom lots of hugs,” urged Kari. “She’ll be sad. You have to hug them all you can.”
Eli’s fingers tightened on the wand. “Thanks.” He slid down the slide and ran toward his mom, holding the wand above him. The wings flapped once more, then folded away.
Lissa and Kari went down the slide too. “That was nice,” said Kari.
“He’ll have his grandpa forever now. Not just a remembory,” Lissa said.
“We had fun, Marley!” Kari added, as they got to their babysitter.
“Time for dinner!” said Marley. “But baths first. Let’s go home.”
Branwyn and the Stone
The black gemstone in the clamp on her worktable worried Branwyn, although she’d never admit it, even to her friends. It was none of their business.
The previous owner would have sensed her concern, though. That was part of what worried her. He would have laughed and used it against her.
It looked like the sort of black diamond that was so large it had to be artificial. And it was. At least, it wasn’t just a diamond. There was a nearly microscopic assemblage of bars and discs within the stone, and it had a will of its own. It was, in fact, a fragment of a celestial Machine, stolen from Heaven so that a monster could use it as a weapon.
She’d worked with Machine fragments before, even worked one into a weapon. Machine fragments always liked her, and they were always eager to find a way to be of use. This one was different, though.
Once again, Branwyn touched the stone with one finger. It whispered to her in the language of promises. Part of her understood: the part of her that had stood at a crossroads and said not this, not now and would have died to hold that line.
All things considered, she’d rather not die over this stone. But she couldn’t easily translate the language of promises into anything as complicated and verbal as English, nor translate her will into something the stone would understand. Unlike all the other fragments she’d worked with, which had been kept as decoration or artifacts, this one had a purpose already. And it was not her friend, no, not that, although it was as glad to interact with her as any of the previous fragments had been.
She kept one finger on the stone and put her other hand on the long hammer she’d made. There was a socket that fit the stone perfectly, but she wanted to do more than set the stone. She wanted to merge the two: granting the stone’s awareness and hyper-real strength to the whole hammer. That was a hard task, a new task, and she was still feeling her way along how possible it really was.
The energy of the stone ran through her and met the smooth lines of the hammer in the forge of her soul. In that metaphysical workplace, she could do amazing things with the help of a fragment like the stone.
At the very least, she could wake up the hammer, as she’d woken up other mundane objects before. The stone would be happy to help by lending the divine spark required. But it wanted a say in what the hammer would become. It wanted the hammer to be like itself: a weapon, not just a tool.
Branwyn broke the connection between the stone and the hammer, scowling, and touched the stone with both hands. Maybe this time—
No.
The promise that the monster’s rage had embedded deep within the stone rose to the surface, sweeping over her once again. She’d been angry in her life, oh yes, sometimes so angry that there was nothing else left of her. It exhilarated her, purified her, gave her unshakeable focus.
This rage wasn’t like that.
It was the tainted, hurting rage of a soul betrayed and determ
ined to lash out. It was ugly and twisted and jagged, a rage that tore ravines into her heart. And it was beyond old, so ancient that it had been transmuted from tar to diamond. The pain had become comfortable, the rage normal, and the savage pleasure of violent victory the only source of joy.
The stone promised her that she too would be a weapon. It promised her she would enjoy it. Were there not many in the world who needed to be punished? Those who hurt the weak and twisted the innocent? Those who used their strength for nothing other than destruction? The heartlessly greedy? The thoughtlessly cruel? Those who thought they were monarchs of the world, who had forgotten their original role as servants?
The promises changed, becoming stranger, and then all at once, Branwyn was swept into one of her own memories: her little brother Howl, nine years old at the time, being pushed and taunted on a playground by kids both older and younger than him. She’d climbed the fence and flung herself into the crowd: stomping, kicking, pulling hair, and shoving. One of the biggest boys had tried to catch her and hold her until she’d calmed down, and she’d bitten him so hard he’d needed stitches.
That had been the first time she’d been taken into police custody.
And it hadn’t mattered. Howl had to go school with some of those kids, and they only became more subtle in their cruelty. He hid it from her and the rest of the family, but she knew and there was nothing she could do about it.
You didn’t punish them enough, whispered the stone, in a voice too familiar, and she knew she was too deep in, if she could understand its sentiments as words. We have to find their weakness, and squeeze it until they become different people to escape the pain. Smarter people. Better people. People who know not to make you angry.
Gasping, Branwyn pushed the stone in its swivel clamp out of her reach, rolling her chair away from the worktable. Sweat beaded her forehead and she could taste blood, just like she had when she’d bitten that boy.
Etiquette of Exiles (Senyaza Series Book 4) Page 7
