Crystal Doors #1 (5 page)

Gwen glanced at the graceful arched doorways. “Uncle Cap was doing something with crystals and mirrors, then there was a flash of light.”

“And that is how you came through a crystal door to us?”

Vic muttered, “Yep, a transporter accident. Didn’t see that one coming.”

“But where was the Key?” Orpheon prodded. “You couldn’t open a crystal door by yourselves.”

Vic dug in his pocket and pulled out his keychain medallion. “A key? You mean this?”

Rubicas reached for it in astonishment. “Hmm. Where did you get this?”

Vic handed it to him. “On my thirteenth birthday Dad said I was old enough to have a key to the house. Or do you mean the little flashlight?”

Orpheon pointed to the small five-sided medallion.
“This”

“It belonged to my mom. Gwen has one just like it.”

She pulled the pendant on its leather cord out from under her sweatshirt.

“It is made from xyridium, a valuable metal — that much is certain. And I have seen the symbol before,” Rubicas admitted. “Hmm. I must think further on this. Lyssandra, would you be so kind as to show our guests the city and answer their questions? It will give me time to consult my scrolls and confer with Orpheon.” He gave the key chain back to Vic, who put it in his pocket again.

As if she were asked to do this sort of thing all the time, the girl blinked her cobalt-blue eyes. “I would be honored, Sage Rubicas.”

Lyssandra led Gwen and Vic to the spiral stone staircase at the far end of the oval room. Climbing up, leaving the smell of colored smoke behind, the copper-haired girl explained, “Elantya is a gathering place for scholars from far-flung worlds. Sages and students come here to learn mathematics, alchemy, magic, agriculture, metallurgy, philosophy, astronomy.”

The three of them emerged onto an observation deck at the top of a sunwashed white tower. A fresh salty tang filled the
air. The elfin girl spread her hands to indicate the island realm all around them. “This is my favorite view. Is it not beautiful?”

Below lay the most spectacular and
foreign
cityscape Gwen had ever seen. Terraced gardens, vineyards, and orchards climbed the steep and rocky hills. Streets zigzagged up the slopes, which were crowded with whitewashed buildings. A perfect turquoise sea deepened to sapphire as it stretched to the edge of the world, and the cerulean sky held a few cottony clouds. Colorful ships plied the island’s harbor, sailing from the sheltered water to the open ocean. Gwen turned a full three hundred sixty degrees to take in the panorama.

Beside her, Vic said, “Hey Dorothy, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.”

“That’s for sure.” She gave a shaky laugh. “I’m not sure this place even has a Kansas.”

WHILE THEY ABSORBED THE view of Elantya, Vic wondered if Gwen was trying to concoct some rational explanation. Vic wasn’t usually so overloaded with amazement, but his own mind was whirling so fast the thoughts didn’t have time to form words, much less sentences.

This island was the coolest place he’d ever seen. He only wished his father could be there with them. Vic was fairly certain Dr. Pierce was all right — after all,
the two cousins
had been the ones sucked into a strange new world! — but by now his dad must be awfully worried.

His thoughts ricocheted to another question. Had his father
expected
this to happen? He was always talking about his important experiments, and he’d set up a crystal array very similar to the one here in Rubicas’s lab. Just before the solarium flooded with retina-searing light, his dad had called out,
“Kyara.” Had he been
trying
to do something with the crystals, an experiment that had sent Vic and Gwen here?

Though concentrating in school was difficult for him, Vic had a sharp mind and could synthesize bits and pieces of what he had learned — snippets from speeches, phrases from textbooks, remembered experiences — to create plausible explanations. A self-proclaimed “gadgetologist,” Vic used his uncanny intuition to figure out how things worked. He flew by the seat of his pants and often saw connections before anyone else did. When a subject truly interested him, he could teach himself things, too. He had even learned to play the guitar without taking lessons.

Of course, his unorthodox approach landed him in trouble when he leapt before he looked, trusting his instincts. Many teachers despaired of helping him, or even getting him to sit still. In math class he often lost points because he couldn’t show in writing the exact steps by which he reached the correct answer. He just “knew” it.

Gwen teased him about the way his mind bounced from one thing to another, but Vic did not see his supposed “attention deficit disorder” as a weakness. He had read a college-level psychology textbook in which the author theorized that hyperfocus and distractibility were survival traits for hunters in the wild. And both Cap and Rip Pierce had assured Vic that he was endowed with “untamed genius,” much like Albert Einstein, who had himself flunked math. Not a bad comparison, he supposed.

If he and Gwen had somehow managed to land themselves next door to Oz, then Vic would have to gather as much information
as he could. Maybe his mind could fit the puzzle pieces together and find a way home … or bring his father here to Elantya.

When they descended the spiral staircase and returned to the chamber, bearded Rubicas and his apprentice were crouched beside a blackened crystal, studying it, rearranging the fragments. The once-glittering gems now looked like lumps of charcoal.

Vic gestured with his chin to the two men. “So, uh, are these guys mad scientists, or what?”

“They are certainly not mad,” Lyssandra said. “Master Rubicas is one of the wisest sages in all of Elantya.”

Overhearing them, Orpheon flashed the elfin girl a wolfish grin. “And how would you describe me?”

Lyssandra blushed, turning away from him. “Orpheon, apprentice to Sage Rubicas, is beginning his fourth level apprenticeship at the Citadel.”

Sage Rubicas bobbed his head absently. “Mmm. He is one of the most brilliant sages in training that we have. Orpheon achieved the highest level of apprenticeship in less than two years, and I may soon promote him to journeysage. I do not know what I would do without him.”

The younger man gave the sage a nod of thanks, and Vic could tell by Orpheon’s smug expression that he had no doubt as to his status in the fourth level… whatever that was.

“What’s the Citadel?” Gwen asked. “Some sort of training program?”

Rubicas answered, “It is a place of learning, a center of knowledge and enlightenment.”

Vic grimaced. “Oh. You mean a school?”

Lyssandra brushed her fingertips along his forearm, tasting his knowledge and memories. She laughed. “Oh, no! Schools like those are for little children. The Citadel is entirely voluntary, a place of growth and enrichment.”

“More like a university, then?” Gwen asked.

Lyssandra touched her fingertips to Gwen’s hand and read the thought in her mind. “Closer… but not precisely. Those who study at the Citadel stay as long as they choose in order to reach their desired level of knowledge. A novice may work to attain the rank of apprentice, journeysage, neosage, sage, or master sage. I am a second-level apprentice in Translation and Diplomacy. Perhaps you do not have a similar concept for —”

“Surely that can wait,” Rubicas interrupted, still fixated on the problem they posed. “We wish to clarify the method by which Gwenya and Viccus came to be here at all. How did the crystal door open? We cannot be certain what allowed you to pass through.”

“Um, what door?” Vic looked around.

“The crystal door that Orpheon and I were hoping to create. We were using the rarest and most potent type of aja crystal, brought here from Afirik in hopes of establishing a new crystal door in the center of Elantya. If all had gone as planned, we would have brought a Key sage directly from Chian. Regrettably, the crystals all caught fire at once and poured out multicolored smoke, so we were unable to open a door after all. But you two appeared. Hmm, so something did go right, did it not?”

“And something went wrong, too.” Orpheon pointed to the scorch marks on the marble floor. “Those were very valuable crystals.”

“Yes,” Rubicas mused. “Still, there must be a Key. What was it that allowed these children to pass through? Hmm. Something on the other side?”

Vic was about to point out that at fourteen they weren’t exactly
children,
when Gwen said, “Maybe my uncle’s crystals and mirrors tapped into your complex array here and leapfrogged us into the middle of your experiment.”

Orpheon gave Gwen a slow smile. “Or perhaps it was your xyridium medallions?”

Rubicas nodded. “It may also be related to the star aja crystals, which we had never tried for this purpose before.”

“In other words, it could have been a thousand things,” Vic said.

Gwen’s shoulders slumped. “You
can
send us back home, can’t you?”

“Perhaps,” Rubicas said. “
If
we could recreate the conditions. Hmm.”

Orpheon shook his head. “These were the only star crystals we had, and now they are ruined. Few other sages around the city have star aja, but we have been anticipating a new shipment for some time. The trading vessel has not yet arrived. It was due to bring both the star aja and a new instructor from Afirik four days ago.”

“Can’t we use some other kind of crystal?” Gwen persisted.

Rubicas blinked his inscrutable gray eyes. “If the door opened only because of the star aja…”

“Then we must wait until our shipment arrives,” Orpheon finished.

“If, however, the power surge came from the crystals arranged by your own sage —”

“My father,” Vic corrected.

Rubicas continued as if he hadn’t heard him, “If he linked with the crystals in this world to open a new and unexpected door, then we must re-create the experiment. Do you think he will try again on his side?”

“He won’t give up on us,” Vic said stubbornly.

IN AN OBVIOUS EFFORT to get the unexpected visitors out of the way while the sage and his apprentice contemplated the problem, Lyssandra glided to the door. “Let me show you more of our island.”

Trying not to let anxiety and uncertainty get the best of her, Gwen met Vic’s gaze, violet sparring with aquamarine. Unconsciously, at least, both of them had realized at a young age what a powerful effect their unusual stares could produce, and people often remarked on what extraordinary eyes the “twin cousins” had. She knew without asking that Vic was ready to jump into any adventure, but she hesitated. Someone had to keep a level head here.

Gwen glanced around the damaged laboratory, not really wanting to leave. Unpredictable situations made her worry. “What if the crystal door unexpectedly opens up again when
we aren’t here? What if we miss our only chance to get back home?”

Vic was enjoying the moment without worrying about future problems — as usual. “Come on, Doc! You know you’ll regret it forever if you don’t see everything that’s here. That would be like going to the Grand Canyon on vacation and staying in the car.”

It irritated Gwen that her cousin didn’t seem concerned. So much was still unexplained. On the one hand, she wanted to analyze the evidence in the chamber — mirrors, burned crystals, and so on — to see if she could logically deduce what had happened. On the other, she probably ought to learn about this strange world in order to better take stock of their situation.

“All right, let’s see. Number one, we’re stuck here anyway for the moment.” Gwen ticked off the list on her fingers. “Two, our medallions are made of xyridium, a metal that seems well known here, but we never found anything quite like it on Earth… so maybe our moms have some connection to Elantya. Maybe there’s a clue here somewhere. Three, we have no idea what might help us get back home, so we’d better learn all we can. Four —”

“Four, this place is cool,” Vic interrupted, taking her by the arm and propelling her into the corridor toward Lyssandra. “Explore now, make lists later.”

Although she saw no imminent danger in looking around, Gwen didn’t like knowing that she couldn’t return to her familiar Earth whenever she wished. What if she and Vic were stranded here for the rest of their lives? Maybe she worried
too much. At least Lyssandra, Rubicas, and Orpheon seemed friendly enough.

Outside, the air was fresh, scoured by pleasant breezes. The sky was the perfect color of a robin’s egg, and the temperature was warm but not oppressive. A soft wind stole away droplets of sweat as soon as they formed.

Lyssandra led them along flagstoned streets, some wide and some narrow, down the hill on which Sage Rubicas’s tower laboratory stood. Gwen quickly forgot her immediate concerns and stared in fascination. At first, she tried to keep the delight from her face because she preferred to present a calm, sensible image. But with the wonders of Elantya all around her, it was hard to be aloof.

At primary intersections, a profusion of colorful flowers attracted butterflies and sluggish bees. Aqueducts flowed with swift silvery water alongside the avenues. Tiny canals crisscrossed the streets, flowing downhill or uphill with the aid of pumps. Floating containers bobbed along the narrow channels, carrying scrolls, crystals, and occasional flowers or food.