Beyond the Sapphire Gate: Epic Fantasy-Some Magic Should Remain Untouched (The Flow of Power Book 1) (48 page)

She was homesick. Many days had passed. Dad had to be beside himself with worry, and the credit debts piling up there probably required a thrust cycle to reach the top now. Perhaps they could go back and get him. Why couldn’t they plan for a return? They could carry a gate through with them if a second set was located. The debts wouldn’t mean much if the three of them went to another world.

“I want to go home,” Jade said, breaking the stillness abruptly.

Crystalyn hesitated, but not for long, making up her mind. “I think I do too, Jade. But I don’t know how I’m going to accomplish it.”

Jade’s relief was evident by her wide smile. “I was hoping you’d say that. The truth is, I’ve been hoping for a while. Follow me. I may be able to help with this.” Jade’s eyes shone as her stride lengthened into a fast walk, then a trot. Crystalyn was quick to match her pace. A couple of brown robes conversing in the middle of the east wing hall halted their conversation to gawk as they passed by. Crystalyn ignored them. Jade never slowed.

Keeping up with her younger sister was difficult yet exhilarating. They leapt down short staircases, flung themselves around corners to careen off walls, and sprinted at top speed down long hallways. It was like they were children again, racing around the big house to the consternation of their parents.

Crystalyn reveled in the familiarity of it. Gathering a second wind, she pumped her legs, sprinting down yet another stretch of narrow hallway, closing the distance Jade had put between them. Whipping out into the great hallway, she was only a dozen or so steps behind as they raced past a servant carrying a tray. Crystalyn caught a flash of Deonna’s usual scowl, and then they were past, zipping at full speed from pillar to pillar. As they flashed by, a stitch began to develop in her side, and her heart beat wildly.

Suddenly, Jade slowed, winding down to a semi-trot. Gulping for air, Crystalyn matched her pace.

“Over there,” Jade gasped, glancing up and down the hallway, and then nodding toward a dimly lit portion. Changing direction, she darted into the shadows.

Crystalyn found her sister leaning against a wall haphazardly covered with half a dozen frayed rugs, catching her breath. Not caring if she dirtied her dress, Crystalyn sat beside her, putting her back to the wall. Jade slid down beside her. She enjoyed the run immensely, but was honest enough to admit that she was out of shape. They weren’t in their early teens running around the Farm. The world was carefree then, right up until the Hartwig kid arrived to join his father, a prominent scientist. Crystalyn missed those worry-free days more and more, but at least, she’d been able to find Jade on this world.

Now all she had to do was get them back home.

Glancing around the shadowy area, her breathing slowed. “How did you find this place, Jade? It’s so peaceful here. With the bend in the hall so close, I’ll bet most who pass by don’t even know this little area exists. I know Darwin and I have passed this way many times, and I never noticed it.”

“To be honest, I didn’t really think about how secluded this is. That’s not the reason I brought you here.” Jade spoke softly, her tone crisp but neutral. Something bothered her.

“What is it?”

“I know you…care for Darwin. He seems attentive enough, he’s always checking on our needs. He’s the only one in this whole place who has shown any kind of respect for Broth. Though with Atoi, he ignores her as if she doesn’t exist, just as everyone else does. Don’t you find that odd? And Darwin has never asked about Burl, even though I have noticed his gaze lingering on him now and then. Again, just like everyone else here, Deonna included. You’d think she, at least, would ask about them. She’s pestered us enough about our past.”

Crystalyn stared at her sister but the shadows hid her face from scrutiny. Jade had obviously been thinking about this for some time, going over some of the same things she herself had, and coming to the same conclusions. But she doubted Jade was finished. “There’s something else on your mind besides Deonna, however right you are. The woman is a pompous busybody. What is it?”

Jade sighed. “The whole time we’ve been here you’ve spent it with Darwin—”

“That’s not true. I’ve eaten nearly every dinner with you, with our companions.”

“Let me finish. I’ve gotten to know your friends well. Though Atoi doesn’t say it and Broth can’t, they miss you a lot. No one is at all certain what your intentions with Darwin are, which includes me. What are you doing, Crystalyn? Do you plan to marry him? If so, what happens to us, to my friends? I don’t even know if Camoe and Caven are still out there waiting for us at the beginning of Fetid Fume swamps. We agreed on two weeks only and not to try a Contacting, it too dangerous here, which I’m glad they considered after hearing about your Valen friend. We’re way beyond that allotted meeting, they have likely moved on to the escape vent of the Brooding Mountain just outside the Citadel.”

Crystalyn swallowed a harsh retort. Hadn’t she just been thinking about what she was going to do about Darwin? What
was
she going to do? She couldn’t stay here, nor could she leave Darwin behind, she couldn’t! Yet Jade was right, it was something that needed to be discussed soon. “We’ve never talked about marriage, Jade. I don’t know if he wishes it, but you are right to question. It is something I may bring up soon. I don’t think we can stay here. I wouldn’t without you anyway.”

“I know you wouldn’t. It’s just that I miss Dad and Camoe. I don’t like it here, but I didn’t like Brown Recluse much either. I suppose I should show you what I found,” Jade said morosely, shuffling to her feet. Her tone had lost its previous excitement.

“This wasn’t it?” Crystalyn asked, climbing to her feet with reluctance. It was good to relax with her sister for a change, something she hadn’t been able to do for ages, it seemed. She wasn’t about to complain, though. The time spent with Darwin
had
been worthwhile.

“We’re going to have to be quiet. I’m not sure what we’ll find this time.”

Before Crystalyn could ask what she meant, Jade’s shadowy form pulled the center rug to the side, holding it open for her. “You go first, Crystalyn. It’s not far, and I’ll be right behind you,” Jade explained, her voice hushed. Feeling suddenly wary, Crystalyn stepped from deep shadows into darkness.

MIX THE FLOW

The passage seemed darker this time around. Jade groped until she found Crystalyn’s hand. Several minutes of shuffling forward revealed the reason. The lights at the end had dimmed. Jade slowed to nearly an infant’s crawl as she crept up to the slits of dim light. Permitting her eyes a moment to adjust, she looked into the storage room.

Crystalyn shifted carefully into position beside her. The room beyond was darker than before, but otherwise unchanged. Of the two amber crystals in the room, the one closest to the shelving shined with its normal brilliance, the other next to the inside doorway had some dark cloth hung over it.

A movement by the door caught her eye: a figure squatted there.

Jade raised a finger to her lips. Crystalyn nodded slowly. How had the shadowy figure not heard them arrive? She thought it a stroke of blind luck, but was it? What would they do if the figure advanced toward them? Now that she thought of it, she realized it was a real probability. The figure had to vacate through some exit, likely where they stood. Jade prepared to run if that happened, keeping her grip on Crystalyn’s hand firm.

For what seemed like ages, they stood gazing through the cracks, afraid to fidget lest someone heard. Every compulsory breath Jade drew roared like the engine of a thrust cycle in her ears. Finally, the figure shifted, standing abruptly and reaching for the covered light. The light bloomed, forcing her to squeeze her eyes closed.
We have to run!
Jade wrenched her eyes open. The figure vanished through the doorway beyond, a flash of red silk fading from her vision. She released a silent sigh of relief.

A small catch halfway up the wooden shelves glistened, smelling of fresh oil. Thumbing the latch, the shelf swung inward on quiet hinges. For a long moment, they both stood there, gazing into the room. Nothing moved. No one appeared at the inner door. Releasing her sister’s hand, Jade bent over and entered the room in a crouch, staying close to the wall as she worked her way to the door the figure had vanished through. A glance behind showed Crystalyn followed, shadowing her movements. Comforted she wasn’t alone, Jade halted inside the doorway and peered out, shying back from the bright light of a large, well-lit room. Crystalyn crept to the opposite side of the door, staying in the shadows.

The flash of red she’d seen stood nearby. The dark red robe of a hooded, medium-sized man stood in front of someone that leaned on a glossy, black table, circular in design. That person, whoever it may be, wore gauntlets of black armor.

Crystalyn shifted position, her foot scraping against stone. Jade froze. Thankfully, neither person in the room glanced toward them. Instead, they focused on the arrival of a third person. A broad-shouldered man, wearing a deep cowl over his head and shoulders that left his beefy arms bare, strolled across the lengthy room. Two gold bands encircled his massive biceps.

Beyond him, a man with a shaven head, taller than the black-hooded man, halted in a sentry posture near a doorway at the room’s far end. The man seemed vaguely familiar to her, but he was too far away and the lighting too poor for her to see clearly.

The man wearing the dark hood’s mouth was moving, yet Jade couldn’t hear anything. Surprised, she strained harder. All three should’ve been well within hearing range. Still hearing nothing, Jade focused on reading his aura instead. Oddly, jagged lines, a paler shade of ruby, stretched along the doorway vertically. Jade pushed through, concentrating on the hooded man’s aura. Sound exploded from the room. “There had better be good reason for me to return so soon after our last meeting,” the hooded one was saying.  His voice was silky and masculine, but held a promise of steel. “A course of action has been chosen by the Obsidian Table. You heard it. What do you wish of me? My time is much too valuable to spend it all at your Citadel.”

“You know well I would not have asked for your return without careful consideration, but the need for a private conversation has arisen,” Darwin Darkwind said, coming into view as the red robe moved closer to his side.

Jade shot a quick glance at her sister. Crystalyn’s blue eyes had widened, mirroring Jade’s surprise.
Should we be eavesdropping on him?
Jade wondered. Darwin catching them would ruin things for her big sister. He was the type of man who wouldn’t forgive. She wanted to sneak away while they still could, but her legs refused to move.

“First, I have finally located a pair of sapphire obelisks. The cost for them was beyond what I could garner here without arousing suspicion, so I had to resort to other…much baser ways to attain them,” Darwin said with a grimace.

“They are here? Is that wise?” the man with the hood asked.

“They are safe in my chambers until the exchange can be arranged. There is a second bit of knowledge I must impart, which you will find far less satisfactory. My…associate has arrived from the Vale. The situation has become dire there. Unfortunately, the Valen Naturists are proving to be more resilient than we believed.” Darwin moved to the table’s head. Halting behind two high-backed chairs, he flicked a gesture at them. “Will you be seated?”

“I have no time to lounge. Have your man give me a full summary. Tell him to keep it brief, but thorough,” the hooded man commanded.

Darwin looked to the red robe. “You heard him, Malkor. Speak to him as you would me. Hold nothing back.”

A squeak from Crystalyn went unnoticed. Jade shot her a glare anyway, but she was staring into the room, her mouth hanging open.

“I will endeavor to hold to the relevant details, as you wish,” Malkor said. His voice screeched, nearly as high as an aerial predator would if such a thing could speak. Or like someone afflicted with enormous pain.
On this world, who knows what’s possible?
Jade thought, as an image of Broth came to mind. “Our attempt at stealth has failed. A fledgling earthen Naturist detected your flow worms draining the Flow from underneath their precious Vale. I know not how. The Vale has switched from attacking our Creations in full force to holding them at bay, while they concentrate on the infestation. I believe it’s only a matter of time before they discover the simplicity of shielding the queens from the source of power. Our one advantage now is they have to remove every single worm unless the weakness of the queen is discovered.”

The hooded man raised a palm, and Malkor bit off whatever he was opening his mouth to say. “I shall develop a way to bypass the queen’s limitation, but that is another matter. Do not speak of it aloud again. How the enemy discovered the ploy concerns me. They should not have sensed any alteration to the Flow until it was far too late…unless someone alerted them to it.” The man’s black cowl swung toward Darwin. “How well do you trust this information?”

Darwin started. “Malkor is loyal. The information is sound.”

“Then I suggest you search for a Vale agent hidden among your commanders. Bring all of them to me for questioning, including yourself, and this one,” the man in the dark hood said, stretching a muscled arm toward Malkor. “I have potions which will weed out the traitor soon enough. As for the battle, if it’s as bad as you say, I shall remove the worms rather than risk their capture. You are to scale back your attack. Bring your men here until I remedy the limitation.”

“As you wish, Great One,” Darwin said, executing a small bow.

The man in the hood regarded Darwin for several seconds. “Have you made progress with the prophesied vessel? We can still salvage your ineptness…providing you have had success.”

Darwin and Malkor exchanged a look from the corner of their eyes. “I am ready to broach the subject. It is a delicate matter for her, yet I am confident I can persuade her to join with us.”

“You no longer believe you can convince her to trade one life for many?” the hooded man inquired, his silky voice predatory.

“No, that path of persuasion will chase her away, I am now certain. She questions fanaticism in any form, a worthy trait for one so young,” Darwin said.

“Proceed with caution, Darwin Darkwind. You sound like you have developed an attachment. Do not forget who installed you in your position and whose potions ensure you stay there.” The dark hooded man’s soft voice held the promise of violence.

“Your threats are premature,” Darwin growled. “Due to the failures at the front lines, I must move ahead faster than I’d planned. But, as I said, I am confident she will supply aid at the appropriate time in the areas with the most pressure.”

“Supply aid? Do you not realize the end result? With the potion enhancements, I gave you to slip in her food and drink, her power has grown exponentially. The vessel now has the potential to destroy half the White Lands, certainly the Circle of Light if you place her where I ordered. She may destroy a larger area, if she’s in contact with one of the great artifacts I’ve been searching after. How are you going to get her to commit to genocide of that magnitude, knowing she will not survive it?” The hooded man’s voice held a passionate fervor Jade had heard only at the Farm before.

“I won’t have to convince her,” Darwin said, his voice both sad and smug at the same time, giving it an odd student quality. “She will believe she’s merely there to intercede in a small part of the battle. Once she attempts to Interrupt the Flow and mingles it with her own symbols, she won’t be able to sever the resulting influx. She will detonate. The explosion will lay waste
to half our world,
not just half the White Lands. Though I have not viewed it personally, I now believe she holds one of the greater artifacts, which she acquired somewhere on her own. She has the potential for so much power, so much destruction, it almost inconceivable! Great One, their capital city of Surbo, with all its arrogance, will become a barren pit for centuries. The destruction may very well reach as far as the Vibrant Vale, making our efforts there all for naught.”

A strangled noise rose from Crystalyn.

Suddenly terribly afraid, Jade wrenched her attention away from the conversation in the room and looked at her sister. Crystalyn was on her feet, a diamond shaped, black-and-white symbol hovered before her.

“Leave this to
me,
Crystalyn,” a new voice boomed.

Lord Charn stalked past her and Crystalyn, his brutish hammer in his hand. Dark flames raced around its huge double head, making no sound and giving off no heat.

Crystalyn kept her symbol out, but stayed silent, unmoving. She seemed to be on the verge of another violent breakdown, ready to lash out in anger. Jade had seen her sister’s symbols during training sessions, but they seemed so surreal to her. Up close, they dried her mouth, Jade forced down the stark taste of fear.

Darwin’s betrayal had revealed just how much power her sister wielded. He’d been teaching her to mix the Flow with her symbols for the sole purpose of creating a weapon of almost unimaginable destruction. A weapon detonated from within the woman he professed to love. Jade grappled with the callousness of the whole design, biting back her disgust. Her sister needed her now.

Lord Charn advanced cautiously into the room, his backbone rigid. “Your betrayal, while disheartening, is not wholly unexpected, Darkwind. I have watched you beat down many challengers, proud as any vain lord and instructor could be, so foolishly unaware that you had been enhanced with Flow saturation potions. I should have expected those, any intelligent instructor should realize his best student would eventually repay his teaching with an attack for supremacy. I had never expected you to be such a worm as to betray your entire race, however.”

The red robe, Malkor, had spun at the sound of Lord Charn’s voice. Jade caught a glance at his face as he shuffled behind Darwin. A hawk nose and brown goatee marked his most prominent features. His dull brown eyes seemed afraid and angry.

The ring of steel echoed faintly through the room as Darwin unsheathed his sword, gleaming in his steady grip. “So you heard everything. Quite foolish of Malkor to not include his usual eavesdropping entrance when setting his privacy wards.”

Malkor made a choking sound. “I am certain I set the entire room—”

“It makes little difference now. Yet you should be aware, Lord Charn, I have no desire to challenge you. You have my utmost respect as my master and our Great Lord,” Darwin went on a deep sadness in his brown eyes. He kept his sword raised.

“Is this what you call respect? Attacking the Vale without a direct command from me while working with this one and using his foul potions?” Lord Charn said, implicating the Hooded Man with a thrust of his hammer.

The man in the dark hood hopped backward, throwing his arms out. “I am only here to provide a service. Don’t take your aggressions out on me.”

Darwin’s gaze swung upon the hooded man. “You are not going to stand beside me?”

“It is your internal affair, Darkwind, not mine.” Spinning on his heel, the dark hooded man stomped away. The big man by the door fell in behind him.

Jade watched him go; trying hard to shake the feeling she should know who he was.