Crystal Doors #3: Sky Realm (No. 3) (26 page)

Lyssandra raised her hands toward the Air Spirits. “We are honored to accept your friendship and to offer you ours in return.”

Vic gave a satisfied sigh. “I hope we’ve seen the last of Azric.”

“We cannot be certain of that,” Lyssandra said.

“He
is
immortal,” Jabir reminded them.

“So are those generals who hate him,” Tiaret pointed out.

Gwen sighed with satisfaction. “I think all in all we made a good bargain.”

Vic grinned. “Azric didn’t.”

Drawing a deep breath, Sharif looked across the sweeping vista of the flying city of Irrakesh and out at the Air Spirits hovering around it. “The battle may be over, but our hard work is just beginning.” Piri twirled over his head, shedding a warm yellow glow.

34

THE VEN SAGES’ LABORATORY chambers were quiet the next morning. All of the sages and students from the citadel who had been working feverishly on defense projects for Sages Rubicas, Polup, and Pierce were now as signed to restoration crews wherever Azric and his armies had done the most damage. The Air Spirits were helping Jabir in Irrakesh.

Vic wasn’t sure what he had expected in the wake of the great battles, but it wasn’t this. Standing with his father, cousin, and friends in the peaceful alcove to which his mother’s tank had been moved, he struggled against a painful tightness in his chest. A ray of sunlight touched the ice coral that encased his mother, giving it a faint ethereal radiance. Gwen gave his shoulder a light punch of sympathy before letting Sharif take her hand to comfort her. Vic glanced up when his father put an arm around his shoulders, but the look of anguished yearning on his face was too difficult to bear.

Vic forced words past the knot in his throat. “I guess I hoped that once Azric was defeated and gone, all the spells he had cast would disappear with him.”

Lyssandra moved to stand beside Vic and placed a hand on his arm. “Our enchantments do not work thus.” She slid her hand down to his, and he clasped it, letting himself draw strength from her.

“No offense, but we don’t really know
how
this enchantment works, do we?”

Tiaret gave the marble floor a faint tap with her teaching staff. “Azric’s power has grown for thousands of years, fueled by his greed for glory and power. What can match that?”

“Hmm. Yes, precisely,” Ven Rubicas said, entering the alcove. “And yet you five, the Ring of Might, succeeded in thwarting him and trapping him in another world. How is it that you managed to do that?”

Sharif put his arm around Gwen’s waist. “We share a bond.” Hovering above his shoulder, the feminine energy ball that was Piri glowed a rich, earnest blue.

“We are willing to sacrifice our lives for one another,” Tiaret said.

“Understanding,” Lyssandra offered.

“Friendship,” Vic added.

“Love,”
Gwen said firmly.

“That’s a sort of magic, isn’t it?” Vic’s father said.

Glowing turquoise with excitement, Piri did a pirouette above Kyara’s tank, bathing it in a brightness that mere sunlight could not match. “Yes,” Piri said aloud for all to hear. “Magic.”

Sharif’s fellow apprentices gasped with delighted surprise as Piri continued.

“Bonds. Sacrifice. Understanding. Friendship. Love.” She twirled again.
“Magic.”

“Our Air Spirit friend is quite correct,” Rubicas said, tugging on his beard. “Together you all drew on powers that more than matched those that the dark sage brought to bear. I believe you already possess all the power you need.”

“But
how
?” Gwen said.

With his free hand Vic touched the xyridium pendant that hung at his throat. “Just like we did when we forged the Ring, and when we kept Irrakesh from falling.”

Dr. Pierce nodded. “You drew on the magic and let it guide you.”

“In other words,” Gwen said, “we didn’t know how, but we did what had to be done, anyway.”

“Yup,” Vic said. “So let’s get started.”

With a smile, the Ven Sage murmured,
“S’ibah
.
”

His father plunged one hand into the water, as if to pull Kyara out the moment it became possible.

Even before the members of the Ring all joined hands, the designs on Vic’s and Gwen’s pendants began to glow, and the disks of xyridium rose into the air to hover parallel to the floor. As the Ring of Might concentrated, lightning bolts of power flashed back and forth among them. A faint answering glow emanated from the xyridium pendant worn by Kyara Pierce.

“Yes,” Vic heard his father whisper. “It’s working.”

“S’ibah
,
”
Rubicas murmured again.

Hovering above the tank, Piri shone with a powerful white light.

The random bolts of energy in the Ring became coherent, focusing into a single thick beam, and shot down into the tank, obscuring the ice coral in a light so bright they all instinctively squeezed their eyes shut. The flow of energy built and built until, with a roar like a mountain collapsing, it was suddenly gone.

Vic blinked his eyes open. Multicolored sparkles rained down through the air like a haze of rainbow static. When it cleared a moment later, the tank was gone — the crystal walls, the sea water, the ice coral. Only Vic’s mother remained, lying peacefully on the floor of the alcove.

Cap Pierce dropped to his knees beside his wife’s motionless form and kissed her lips. Color began to seep back into her pale cheeks, and her eyelids fluttered.

Elation cascaded through Vic in a dizzying torrent as his father helped his mother sit up. She raised a hand to touch her husband’s cheek. “My love . . .”

Vic couldn’t wait any longer. “Mom!”

He threw himself down on the floor beside his parents and threw his arms around them. Seconds later, Gwen was on the floor with them, too, and they were all talking and laughing and crying, their words overlapping in a happy tumult.

Vic felt something press into his hand. He looked at the object: Lyssandra’s magical vial of greenstepe. With a rush of gratitude, he offered the restorative to his mother, who drank deeply of it. When Vic glanced up to thank Lyssandra, he saw that Ven Rubicas, Tiaret, Sharif, and Lyssandra were withdrawing from the alcove to give the reunited family some time alone. But he could tell from the expression on the telepathic girl’s face that she had already read his gratitude when she touched his hand.

Looking again at his father, mother, and cousin, Vic knew he had a great deal to be thankful for. He hugged them all again.

35

THE NEXT DAY, THE throne room in the Palace of Irrakesh overflowed with friends, dignitaries, and other well-wishers. Crowds filled the square outside below the balcony.

At Sharif’s request, Ven Rubicas read a spell that projected images of the throne room into the sky above Irrakesh and over the island of Elantya, so that all could share in the festivities.

On the dais, scarred but much recovered, Jabir stood to the right of the throne, while Piri, radiating a glow of pride, hovered to the left of it.

From the steps at the base of the dais, Sharif surveyed the room. The prince had dressed simply yet elegantly for the occasion. Today he had chosen not to wear his customary billowy shirt. Instead, he had opted for an ivory satin vest embroidered with gold thread, a pair of cream silk pantaloons, and a gold sash. The open vest left his arms bare so that the brand he had received in merlon captivity was visible.

For him, the brand had become a symbol of how he had come to value hard work, sacrifice, friendship, and privilege. He no longer took his position in Irrakesh for granted. His job was not to be pampered and adored by his people. His job was to protect them from enemies and to serve them. As a token of his understanding that he must serve as well as lead, he had left his feet bare.

On the dais behind him, his closest friends honored Sharif with their support at this momentous event. Vic, Gwen, Lyssandra, and Tiaret were arranged near Jabir to the right of the throne, and Sharif had allowed Tiaret to carry her teaching staff. To the left of the throne with Piri were Ven Rubicas, the three remaining Virs, and Ulbar. The front row in the audience chamber was filled with sages, including Snigmythya, Abakas, Groxas and Kaisa, Polup, and Cap and Kyara Pierce.

A band of the finest minstrels from Irrakesh played joyous music. Sharif raised a hand of greeting to his guests, and the trumpeters played a fanfare as his valiant purple carpet, resplendent with new gold tassels, sailed into the room through the balcony entrance. Fluttering with pride, the flying carpet circled the chamber three times, swooped toward the dais, and settled itself neatly on the final few steps leading up to the throne.

At another fanfare from the trumpets, Sharif bowed, then turned and climbed the stairs to the seat his father had once occupied. To the cheers of the gathered crowd, he sat on the throne.

Jabir stepped forward and said, “I present to you, His Majesty Ali el Sharif, Sultan of Irrakesh.”

Sharif found himself uncomfortable with all the applause, and after a few moments he held up his hands for silence. “Thank you for your good wishes. I only hope to prove myself worthy of your trust. And now, there is even more to celebrate.” He motioned for Virs Etherya, Questas, and Pecunyas to come forward. “The people of this world, both Elantya” — he gestured to the Virs — “and Szishh” — he indicated Ulbar — “have invited Irrakesh to stay here and become part of an alliance of sea, land, and air. No payments have exchanged hands. This is an alliance of equals, all of whom have sworn to uphold their duty to protect the worlds of the crystal doors. I have accepted both the invitation and the alliance.”

A murmur of surprise and approval rippled through the crowd. Someone shouted, “But what of the Air Spirits?”

In answer, Piri twirled and announced in a musical voice that seemed to carry throughout the city, “We approve.”

Sharif said, “The Air Spirits agree that the cause of protecting the worlds is noble. They say they can visit us in this sky as easily as another. And my dear friend Piri has consented to stay with me as their ambassador.” The cheers grew deafening. The new sultan waited until they died down again. “The Virs of Elantya have good news to share, as well.”

Now Etherya raised her voice and spoke to the crowd. “The people of Irrakesh, Szishh, and Elantya suffered many losses at the hands of Azric and his followers.” The listeners became quiet and solemn. “Not the least of these was the death of Vir Helassa and Vir Parsimanias. But today is a day of joy, and it is with great pleasure that we tell you that Sage Polup has agreed to become our Vir of Resources, and Admiral Bradsinoreus will be our Vir of Protection.”

The admiral, dressed in a red robe, and the anemonite sage in his clanking walker, came forward to join the other Virs on the dais. The crowd shouted its approval to see the Pentumvirate whole again.

“In addition,” Etherya said, “Ulbar will represent the merlons as ambassador to the alliance. Ven Rubicas will lead the Council of Allies. Piri speaks for the Air Spirits, Jabir will represent Irrakesh, and the Sages Pierce have agreed to speak for the interests of outside worlds. Lastly, we owe much gratitude to the Ring of Might for their help in conquering the dark sage Azric.” Everyone listening, whether from sea, land, or air cheered. “The Ring, along with the Pentumvirate and Council of Allies will dedicate themselves to preserving peace for us all.”

Etherya stepped back, and Sharif stood from his throne. “And now,” he said, sweeping his gaze around the room, “we have more to celebrate than we can possibly name. Let us begin.” With that, he turned to his friends and, without ceremony, gave each of them a hug while the excited crowds began to disperse.

The festivities lasted far into the night. Sage Kaisa had organized feasts for all members of the alliance, and Sage Groxas and Vir Polup put on a show of pyrotechnic magic. The display alternated from land to sea to air and was unprecedented in its complexity and beauty.

Watching the fireworks from the balcony of the palace with his friends, Sharif caught glimpses of the Air Spirits dancing in the sky around Irrakesh.

36

THE FOLLOWING AFTERNOON, GWEN, Vic, and their friends slipped away together to the seclusion of a quiet cove, where they swam. Piri splashed and played in the water with them.

Afterward they sat on the beach, looking out to sea, enjoying the time just to be themselves. Here, where no one was watching them, they were not powerful members of the Ring of Might, an Air Spirit, or a sultan. Here they were just friends.

Sharif and Gwen held hands.

Putting one arm around Lyssandra, Vic asked, “Do you suppose that’s it? The end of the prophecies?”

Lyssandra looked happier and more relaxed than Gwen could ever remember seeing her. “No. I still have dreams,” the petite girl said. “And there are other prophecies here in Elantya.”

“Oh, did we mention that we’re going home?” Vic said.

Piri flashed orange with alarm, and at the look of dismay on their friends’ faces, Gwen said, “Just for a visit. Uncle Cap and Aunt Kyara thought it would be a good idea. First,” she put up her index finger, “we need to reassure the people who think we just disappeared. Second, we have to tie up some loose ends, like selling the house. Our neighbor Dr. Alami will probably take care of that for us. And third” — she held up three fingers — “we want to say goodbye to our friends and let them know that we’re moving.”