by Lora Palmer
"Leah, have you eaten anything yet?" Korin eyed the garland in my hand.
I shook my head and offered the garland to Jaedyn, who warily placed it on her head, if only to avoid seeming rude in front of the future queen and her companions.
"Not yet, but I feel strong this time. It’s different than the other crystals," I explained. I glanced up at the sky and noticed something else odd. "Hey, look, there’s a rainbow. There hasn’t been any rain at all, though." Something about the sight, especially in a cloudless sky turning an angry red, unsettled me.
Brian frowned, noticing the same thing. "I’ve never seen anything like it. We should have some lunch — and fast — before heading back," he said, reaching into his travel sack. "It’s a long way down the mountain."
Korin nodded, and I shrugged. "Good point." We all shared food — spicy dark meat, fruits, nuts, and warm fresh breads.
"Have they managed to get everyone out of the tundra zone yet, do you think?” I had been itching all day to check my data pad for a news update, but the journey up the mountain had been too treacherous to consider such a distraction.
"I believe everyone there has been relocated as of this morning, save for a few casualties." Korin stretched out his legs in front of him and leaned back on his hands. "The MirrorMasters are working as quickly as they can."
Brian nodded, but heaved a sigh. "We know, and that’s the good news. The bad news is there isn’t enough time to get everyone to safety." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
David clapped him on the back. "Don’t worry about it, man. We’re going to stop this thing before it comes to that, right?"
Brian and I both glanced down, our expressions solemn. Korin averted his gaze from the rest of the group.
"What?" Kara asked sharply, sensing the tension brought on by David’s question.
I shook my head, giving Korin and Brian warning glances not to say anything, because I wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. "It’s just... a bit vague as to what the genesis device, or whatever it’s called, does to the wielder," I said, being deliberately vague myself. After all, I wasn’t ready to say, this device will likely kill me, and destroy my soul in the process. "We don’t know for sure that it’ll work, but all signs point to it being able to heal the whole planet, even the solar system."
Jaedyn sat in silence, focusing on her food while the others talked, a thoughtful expression on her face. "First Daughter," she finally said, "I get the distinct feeling there’s more to this than you’re letting on. I, myself, have little knowledge of the old lore. Until now, I thought it nothing more than myth and legend, but you’ve learned all about the genesis device, haven’t you?"
Kara glared at Jaedyn and put a comforting hand on my shoulder. She had no idea what I and the others had learned about how the crystals worked. What they would do to me. "It will work. From what I hear, we have all the crystals now but one, and we know where to find it. We know the locations we need to go to next. So we’ve got this covered."
I nodded, my brow furrowed with determination. "We’ll finish this before anything else can happen."
The conversation turned to lighter topics, like sports and entertainment. Even Jaedyn, after being nudged by Korin, started comparing notes on the differences between our two worlds. "You ride the ocean waves on a...surfboard, you call it? Sounds interesting enough. But do you have hoverjet sea racing?"
"What’s that?" David leaned forward, his eyes lighting up.
"Only the most extreme sport on Jantyr." Now Jaedyn actually smiled, a genuine smile.
"You use water hoverjets to race through a dangerous obstacle-filled course while trying to collect water crystals at each checkpoint," Korin added. "There are only a few of the crystals at each checkpoint, but your time and the number of crystals you manage to get both factor into your score. Fire hoops, cave walls so narrow that only one hoverjet can pass at a time — with a tiny hoop at the end that you have to navigate perfectly so you don’t crash into the hard rock above or below, waterfalls that will try to knock you off if you’re not careful, checkpoints that close in on themselves and will try to squeeze you off the hoverjet if your timing isn’t right…."
"It can be a brutal sport. Brutal. If the obstacles don’t unseat you, the other racers will try to. And if you fall into the water, you’re out. Done." Jaedyn grinned. "I’ve never yet been unseated. Though Korin here has…once."
"I was flying high up to make a grab for the most valuable crystal, one for 100 points in the top hoop of a checkpoint. Just as I was about to grab it, a rival competitor took advantage of my lapse in concentration on anything else to knock me off my hoverjet. Luckily, Jaedyn was close enough to come swooping in just in time to catch me. We flew the rest of the way together, won the race, and shared in the victory."
Korin and Jaedyn laughed together as they told the story.
"I have to try it!" David exclaimed, a glint of wild eagerness in his eyes. Brian smirked but didn’t seem interested in doing more than watching a race, a sentiment I could relate to.
"Shall we head back down?" Everyone turned to look up at Prime Minister Roland. "The elders of the mountain region have requested a joint council meeting this evening. We are all invited to attend."
* * *
We arrived at sunset. The journey back down the mountain peak had been without incident, thankfully, and I felt a surge of relief at reaching the end of the walk down the other side. I wondered how long the meeting would last, because I was starting to tire after the long, eventful day. Now that the sun no longer blazed high in the sky, the air had turned cool. Shivering, I wrapped my arms around myself. Korin offered me his cape, and I nodded.
"Thank you." I huddled underneath the cloak, giving Korin a soft smile before shifting my gaze to the ten elders of the mountain region. They stood in a line a short distance ahead, holding baskets of meats, breads, and vegetables.
"Greetings to the Royal Court of Astoria, and of the Desert, as well as their honored guests," the man in the center, their chief, stepped forward and bowed in greeting, which was returned by my group. "Please, join us around the fire. We have much to discuss."
"So, it is true the wielder is still alive? This news is quite a relief! We had heard otherwise." The man to his right, the second in command, had found me straight away and walked to me, reaching out to shake my hand. "I understand that this is how you greet others where you grew up. My name is Ryk."
I smiled and shook his hand, charmed by the man’s friendliness. "I’m Leah. The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated — probably spread by my sister Aedalina and Brian’s uncle Erik."
"Indeed." He laughed and clapped me on the shoulder.
The group passed a small village of domed houses covered with a flowering vine whose purple blossoms filled the air with sweet fragrance, then reached a circular meeting area around a fire pit. As we settled ourselves around the fire, the chief tapped his walking stick against the ground, calling the meeting to order.
"Aedalina Florian and Erik Drake were here. They came to us after fleeing the jungle, but they left this morning."
Caleb furrowed his brow in irritation. Running a hand through his hair, he fixed the chief with a frosty glare that seemed to plummet the temperature at least ten degrees. His words were careful, precise, biting. "Do you know where they were going?"
"I’m afraid not." The chief remained calm, composed, meeting Caleb’s gaze. "You see, we did not inquire too deeply about their future whereabouts. The council believes they are correct in saying that Jantyr needs a centralized rule. In all fairness, they did attempt to bring it about through legal means but were shut down at every turn."
First Lady Rhianna lifted an eyebrow at this. "You are not in support of them?" She shook her head in disbelief.
"Yes, fully. A great many of us are, and have been from the time all this began." Ryk stretched his legs out in front of him as he sat, seeming casual. Yet every one of his muscles appeared tense, ready fo
r confrontation. "Their actions have proven that they will do what you cannot to guarantee the safety of this planet, despite their...unorthodox methods." His gaze flicked to me, and in his eyes I saw compassion mingled with unflinching belief in the actions taken by the two outlaws.
Bile rose in my throat at the thought of what my sister and Erik had done to me, and the council’s support of it. Lifting my chin in defiance, I met the eyes of each person in the group to convey the weight of my words. "What they did, if they’d been successful, would have destroyed you all. Not just me. Aedalina would have only been able to use my soul for its power by trapping me in the Soul Crystal. To stop the disasters, she would have had to sacrifice herself, too, and do so willingly. It doesn’t work any other way. She wouldn’t have managed it." I did my best to keep my voice controlled as I spoke, but I couldn’t keep an edge of ire from lacing my words.
David and Kara stood in outrage. There were cries of dismay from the group at my revelation, and everyone started talking at once.
David grabbed me by my shoulders. "If this is what they expect you to do, forget it."
I cringed, wishing the subject had not been brought up as I saw my loved ones’ reactions. Still, seeing that I had driven my point home to the council gave me a thrill of satisfaction. I crossed my arms in front of me and held David’s gaze, refusing to back down. "No, I can’t condemn an entire planet full of people to die, David! Whatever the genesis device does, I have to see this through."
"Leah, you can’t be saying that this...this is going to kill you!" Kara stood, too, shaking her head and glaring hard at me through blue eyes blurred with tears. "No. You can’t go through with it, then. You can’t!"
David pulled me back down and enfolded me in his arms, unable to speak. Kara and Brian joined us in a small group hug, and we all clung together.
The chief elder stood and banged his walking stick hard against the ground, three sharp raps that garnered everyone’s attention. "Silence! You will all control your outbursts at Council! Now, First Daughter Leandra, your point is well taken, and we are all grateful that you survived your ordeal. We also wish you all the best with whatever awaits you in the genesis device. That said, the fact remains that Jantyr needs a centralized rule. A rule of magic. Prime Minister Roland and First Lady Rhianna, you have seen the evidence that the sky-gods are on their way back and will arrive within the next several years. It’s been a pattern throughout history that they leave and then they return 10,000 years later. It is time again for their return, and you well know that our observatories have spotted unusual objects in the night sky, far beyond our planetary system but almost exactly matching the ancients’ description of the sky-gods’ ships."
Prime Minister Roland shook his head. "How can you even be sure what you’re seeing? The resolution provided by the observatory could hardly be strong enough to verify you are seeing alien ships, much less those particular ones. Your argument for centralized rule holds little merit."
"It is based on myth and superstition, and more than a little propaganda," First Lady Rhianna added. "None of which provide adequate basis for making such a huge change in rulership. You know well from our own history how easily a single dictator can abuse rule in a province, let alone an entire planet! This is why each region must have a ruling council. For a change like the one you propose to occur, you have to have safeguards in place."
"Are any safeguards in place — a framework for a ruling council, a process in place for swift decisions so as to offer no sign of weakness to these sky-gods should they return? Have you thought this through?" Prime Minister Roland rubbed his chin, scrutinizing the elders. Some appeared outraged, while others shook their heads dismissively.
Glowering, the chief aimed his walking stick at Prime Minister Roland and took a step closer toward him. "You — who have no magic — dare question me in my own court!" His voice was low and sharp, like wood cracking into splinters.
The tension in the group became suffocating. I stood, facing my birth parents and the elder council. "Let us not argue," I said, my own voice strong, authoritative, "There’s clearly much to be resolved, and I only wish I were in more of a position to help. One step at a time, though. We can’t worry about any of this until the disasters are stopped…"
As soon as the words left my lips, a sound like the roaring of a freight train filled the air.
"What is that?" Brian asked, glancing around for the source of the noise.
My heart plummeted, and every muscle in my body tensed. I shared a glance with David and Kara. "It sounds like an earthquake is coming. A major one!"
Soon, the sound got so loud we all had to cover our ears.
Expressions wary, the council elders tensed. The council chief, however, raised his eyebrows, dubious. "We have never had such a thing here," he scoffed.
"Then this appears to be a first," King Korin replied, displaying his trust in me. "Everyone, back away from the edge of the cliff! If First Daughter Leandra is right, we are too close here, and we won’t easily manage to move to safety once it starts."
By now, the sun had set, and the angry red sky had darkened to a deep purple. The first stars glimmered above, and the crystals beneath my feet, coated in a phosphorescent substance, had begun to give off a muted, shimmery glow. Bioluminescent flowers all around us gave their light in glowing pinks, blues, and purples. I could now see the reason this mountain range had been named the Starlit Mountains.
Moments later, the ground began to shake so violently I was thrown down. Everyone else had fallen, too, and I heard Caleb shouting, "Move!" I crawled and rolled, stopping only to glance behind me to check on Brian, Korin, and Jaedyn. Jaedyn had been the closest to the ledge, and as soon as the shaking started, part of the mountain gave way, causing the ground to drop beneath her. She cried out, a sharp cry, as she clung to what was left of the ledge with her fingertips.
"Hang on!" Korin reached out to grip her arms, pulling her up toward safety. Though he was strong, the process was painstakingly, slow.
"Korin! Don’t let me fall!" Jaedyn clung to him as tightly as she could, using her feet as leverage against the mountain to hoist herself back up. With the tremendous shaking, it wasn’t an easy task, and she had little time before more ground might fall away from beneath her.
"Never." His eyes met and held hers, and his voice was low and soft. He used one last, strong pull to bring Jaedyn up to safety, and together they rolled away from the edge just in time as another huge chunk of mountain collapsed right where they’d been seconds before.
I started toward them to help, but Brian caught my arm to stop me. "Go!" he urged, dragging me with him as we crawled to safety. The sounds of the earthquake grew even louder around us, and once we had all reached the safest spot possible — away from the ledge and away from any rocks that might fall from the peak above — I struggled to sit up and watch what was happening. To my horror, I watched other areas of the mountain ridge collapse, one by one, slowly coming closer to us.
Chapter 23
The mountains crumbled until ours was the last part of the ridge standing. I knew beyond a doubt that I was going to die here without saving the planet. All those lives, lost. Worse yet, my family and best friends were now going to die, too, when they should be safe on Earth. Not here, risking their lives for my sake. Brian should be safe on Earth, too, away from this.
I’d failed them all, just like I’d failed Melinda, the social worker who died in the fire. How many had died already since the mega-quake began?
Tears stung my eyes. I wanted to weep, but couldn’t. Dry heaves wracked my body as I watched the last mountain ridge fall before me. The one we were on was next. Brian held me tight against him, and I clung to him, burying my face against his shoulder.
As suddenly as the shaking had begun, it stopped. At least half of the mountain ridge had collapsed into nothing by then. All those people dwelling there, lost. My heart constricted, and my eyes stung with tears thinking about it. For a moment, I
still didn’t move, even though I now could. The others remained still, too, unsure that it was over.
"Move!" Caleb commanded, urging Brian back. "Before the ledge collapses beneath us."
We all backed away from the edge of the abyss, clustering together. Shivering, I checked the others for signs of injury. Brian appeared a bit battered, with cuts on his arms and a gash on his forehead. David was limping, while Jaedyn shook out her fingers before clutching her bruised and bloody left arm. She wouldn’t have been able to hold on much longer if the earthquake continued. My parents held each other, bruised and shaken but otherwise unharmed. Kara seemed to have been spared the worst of it, shielded by David. Caleb experimentally rotated a sore shoulder and grimaced. I had cuts and scrapes all along my arms and legs, stinging everywhere, and my right cheek burned with pain. All in all, we’d been lucky.
"Is everyone all right?" I said, needing to hear it for myself.
Before anyone had time to do more than nod, that eerie freight train sound started again. The ground began to tremble, and a wave of nausea overcame me. I tried to move farther back from the ledge and away from trees but couldn’t stay on my feet. All around me, the others collapsed to the ground as the shaking intensified. This time it was worse. Side to side and up and down, the ground moved in huge waves, tossing us around like rag dolls, and I was sure that what was left of the mountain would collapse any second. I wished David and Kara had gone back to Earth along with the others, that I’d come on this journey to the mountains alone — I wanted them all safely away from here.
A thud and a pained scream drew my gaze. Over by the ledge, Kara lay slumped and bleeding in David’s arms. She’d landed hard, smacking her head against a large boulder. How had they gotten so close to the ledge again? Then I knew, and my heart sank. More of the mountain had dropped away. One tree fell right toward them, making everyone roll out of the way and driving David and Kara right to the ledge.
