Crystal Fire (12 page)

He eyed Brace closely. "Trust me. The healing will come. It took a time for me to make peace with my feelings for Uncle Falkan, but I finally understandand forgive. But we can talk about that later." Teran cuffed Brace affectionately, on the side of the head. "For now, little brother, it's enough we're together."

Brace gave a shaky laugh, the tension ebbing in a great, body-draining rush. He returned the playful gesture.

The depth of emotion and shared history behind their actions reminded Marissa of the special relationship she'd once had with Candra. She turned away, once more feeling the outcast.

"Marissa."

She hesitated, schooling her features to impassivity, then turned to face him. The two men had parted and Brace stood there, his hand outstretched. Deep in his dark brown eyes burned a gentle understanding.

Marissa raised her hand and accepted his. He smiled and pulled her to stand before his brother.

"Teran, this is Marissa Laomede, my rescuer and one of my partners." Brace turned to Marissa. "And this is my brother, Lord Teran Ardane, of the Royal House Ardane of the planet Bellator." Marissa inclined her head. "I am honored to meet you, my lord."

Teran glanced from one to the other, and a dark brow quirked in amusement. "I am honored, and grateful as well, Domina, for what you have done for my brother."

His gaze moved to the Simian who stood nearby, waiting patiently. "And who is this?"

"My other partner. He is Rodac, from the planet Arbor." Brace chuckled. "He, too, was instrumental in my escape from prison, though Marissa might have other thoughts as to his true usefulness."

"I am honored and grateful as well to you then, Rodac," Teran said, offering his hand.

The alien eyed the bearded Bellatorian for a brief moment, then moved closer to clasp arm to arm in the traditional Imperial greeting. Teran's nostrils flared at the rank scent that engulfed him, but his smile never wavered. Releasing his grip, he motioned for them all to sit at the table while he brought a flask and cups from a nearby sideboard.

"Here, let us drink to your two friends and your safe return," he said, pouring out four cups of uva wine. "And then we'll talk, for I sense there's more to your visit than filial affection." Teran raised his cup. "To the Knowing Crystal and its safe return. And to the Imperium, that has yet to fully comprehend the Crystal's true power."

Brace frowned, then emptied the contents of his cup. Marissa eyed the two men, then quickly swallowed her own wine. A frisson of uneasiness shivered through her. More and more of late she kept hearing of that mythical Knowing Crystal. And she didn't like how it seemed to be insinuating itself into her quest. It complicated things.

"What happened here?" Brace demanded as he set down his cup. "I've heard tales you found the Knowing Crystal and now Ferox has it once more. And your Queen looks like she's been through a terrible battle."

"You've seen Alia then, eh? And when was that?"

Brace flushed. "We first thought to find you with herin her sleeping chamber."

Teran smiled. "Normally that would be true, but I couldn't seem to get to sleep this nocte. The events of the past sols have been eating at me." He chuckled grimly. "It's true enough, the tales of Alia's and my rescue of the Knowing Crystal. We were painfully na?ve, though, imagining that our only problems lay in restoring the Crystal's reign over the Imperium."

Anger tightened his features. "I was gone on a mission to Agrica when Ferox returned. He destroyed the Crystal's pedestal of power in an attempt to steal the stone. Alia must have sensed the danger to the Crystal, for she arrived just as the pedestal exploded. The impact nearly killed her.

"Ferox left her lying there, hurt and bleed- ing," Teran muttered, "and escaped with the stone."

"But Queen Alia lives," Brace said.

"Yes, but Ferox still has the Knowing Crystal. And I cannot leave Alia until I'm certain she's fully recovered. She carries our child."

"She is your mate, then?"

"In all but ceremony. We were to be life-mated a few sols ago." Teran paused to eye Brace intently. "But enough of Alia's and my personal problems. You spoke of Marissa and Rodac as your partners. Partners in what?"

Brace glanced at Marissa. "Tell him."

She met Teran's scrutiny. "Ferox abducted my sister."

Gray eyes narrowed. "And what is so special about your sister for Ferox to seek her out?"

"We've yet to fathom that ourselves," Brace interjected, "save for the fact she's a Traveler."

"A Traveler?" Teran frowned. "So, Ferox has the Knowing Crystal and a Traveler. A most unsettling combination. I don't like it. Don't like it at all."

He gestured toward the ancient volume still lying open on the table. "In the sols since Alia's injury I've had time to explore this library. There are some very old, and disturbing, books here. Books long unread, books that speak of the Crystal's originsand more of its powers."

Teran rose and strode over to gaze down at the hearth fire, his shoulders tense with some strong emotion. "The Knowing Crystal has always been revered for its benign aid to the Imperium, for fostering peace and prosperity. And the chaos into which all planets of the Imperium were cast when the Crystal was first stolen those hundreds of cycles ago was blamed solely upon its loss."

He wheeled around to face them, his eyes tormented and bright. "But I'm not so sure the Crystal was ever benign, not after what I've discovered in those books, not after thinking things through. If what I suspect is true, everything we've believed all these cycles was nothing more than a cruel hoax!"

"It's time we spoke of your own special Crystal powers," Teran began later that sol after his brother had taken several horas of sleep.

Brace shot him a sharp glance as they walked through the autumn-colored palace gardens. "Crystal powers? What, by the five moons, are you talking about?"

Teran paused to wave at Alia, recuperating in the fresh air and sunshine up on her bed-chamber balcony, before replying. "In the sols of the Knowing Crystal's creation, certain bloodlines were genetically manipulated to commune with and control the stone. Alia's family has always been known for those powersthe Certares were the original Crystal Masters on Aranea. And much later House Ardane's bloodlines, thanks to a rebellious great-grand-aunt of Alia's who followed her heart rather than the law, were also imbued with those same powers."

Brace frowned. "Then why, if all our family are Crystal Masters, haven't I ever heard of it?"

"I'm not so certain all are Crystal Masters. It seems that only some of the more inbred Ardanes possess the intensity of powers to commune." Teran paused. "And, in answer to why you haven't heard of the powers before, apparently the knowledge of the gift was buried all these past cycles of chaos after the Knowing Crystal's lossand not discovered again until I joined Alia to rescue the stone. The Crystal and its Crystal Masters have a longer and more complex history than we ever imagined."

"I'd always thought its origins were relatively simple," Brace said. "Wasn't it commissioned by an ancient Aranean king, to serve the Imperium as a resource unit in the development of judicial codes? What's so complex about that?"

"Nothing. The problem is how complex and dangerous the Knowing Crystal has become after all these cycles, worming its way into our lives until most are now all but incapable of thinking on their own."

Teran halted, turning to face his brother. Deep concern furrowed his brow. "And the danger only grows worse. I've discovered the Crystal gains its power from sentient beingsfeeding on their emotions."

Brace's gaze narrowed. "Go on."

"When our emotions are calm and passive," Teran explained, "the Knowing Crystal functions in a benign and helpful way. But when the feelings fueling it are intensely strongwhether negative or positivethe stone can become quite aggressive and even go awry. Strong emotions also seem to speed up its evolutionary process. Over the cycles, in the battle for its possession, the Crystal has gradually developed self-awareness, an ability which ultimately led to the need to protect itself by further expanding its powers."

Brace pondered that for a few secundae. "It all falls into place now," he said, "In the process of expanding its powers, the Knowing Crystal encouraged the Imperium to abdicate its moral judgments and decision-making abilities. After that, the weakening of society was inevitable."

His mouth tightened into a grim line. "And it's a lot easier to control weakness than strength."

Teran nodded. "Exactly. Man, once the master, is now becoming the slave. Yet perhaps the greatest threat is that the Knowing Crystal is still evolving and no one knows exactly where that process will lead."

"Well, it seems obvious to me where the process will lead," Brace muttered. "The Crystal intends to gain total controlby taking over our minds. It's a simple matter of self-preservation, with a limitless source of powerhuman emotionsas the prize."

"Perhaps, little brother. Just perhaps." Teran indicated they should resume their walk. "One way or another, I'm convinced we're gradually losing control of the Knowing Crystal."

"Your research appears depressingly thor- ough," Brace observed. "Has it also revealed how we're to combat this growing menace?"

His brother sighed. "From all I've read, only a Crystal Master has any chance against the Knowing Crystal."

"At the rate the stone is evolving, how long will that ability last?"

"I don't know."

"Teran, this doesn't bode well." Brace paused, then inhaled a resolute breath. "You're going to need all the help you can get in the battle to come. Teach me to be a Crystal Master."

A sense of relief filled Teran. He motioned to a stone bench warmed by the slowly fading sun. In the horas while Brace had slept, Teran had thought long and hard about what part his brother would play in the drama unfolding before themand how to get him to commit to such a monumental and dangerous task. After what Brace had suffered in the past two cycles, Teran wouldn't have blamed him if he'd turned his back and walked away from what lay ahead.

But Brace was as much an Ardane as he, his fierce, familial pride tempered by the deep sense of honor imbued by their old teacher, Vates. In times such as these, the combination of such attributes allowed for few options. No, Teran thought with a grim sense of foreboding, he needn't fear that Brace would run from what lay ahead. He could depend upon his brotherto the very forfeiture of his life. ''The main talent of a Crystal Master is the ability to attune one's mental wavelength to the Knowing Crystal," Teran began as he sat down beside Brace, "and influence it to do one's bidding."

"No small talent, if the stone's powers have become even half what the tales would have them be," Brace muttered.

"Yes," his brother agreed, "and what better reason for Ferox to so avidly covet the Crystal?"

"The man is a scourge upon the Imperium! It's time he's permanently removed."

"I had the chance to kill him once," Teran said, a faraway look in eyes.

"But you didn't."

"No, I didn't. It would have negated my Crystal powers." Teran turned to Brace. "Once your powers come to fruition, you can never kill again without destroying forever your ability to commune with the Knowing Crystal. The intense emotional effort required to take a life severs the psychic link between a Crystal Master and the stone. Remember that, little brother."

Brace gave a wry laugh. "Ah, that certainly simplifies things! I can't kill without losing my powers, yet I'm committed to a quest that requires Ferox's death."

"And do you imagine your Crystal powers aren't tied to the rescue of Marissa's sister?" Teran inquired calmly. "Think about it, Brace. There's a sinister sequence to everything Ferox has done of late. First, he regains possession of the Crystal, then abducts Marissa's sister. Next, Marissa seeks you out, of all the men in the entire Imperium, to enlist your aid. You, who have Crystal powersunrecognized, but powers nonetheless. What Ferox wouldn't give to get his hands on an untutored Crystal Master and bend him to his will! Think of ittotal control of the Imperium through the minds of the people!"

A muscle jumped in Brace's jaw. The unvoiced doubts that had plagued him since he'd first realized Marissa's unique need for his services formed in his throat. But to put words to his worst fears . . .

He forced the question through gritted teeth. "Are you implying Marissa is in league with Ferox?"

Teran saw the pain flare in his brother's eyes. They're already bound by more than a quest, he thought. Just as he and Alia had been . . .

He shrugged. "She may unwittingly be in league with him, but I'm certain that, one way or another, your participation fulfills Ferox's ultimate goalto possess not only the Knowing Crystal but a Crystal Master as well."

"And Candra?"

"She may be just a pawn to lure you to him, or her own skills may also be integral to his master plan."

"Then we must beat him at his own game!"

Teran smiled grimly. "I don't have all the answers, little brother. For the time being, I fear there's little we can do except teach you of the Crystal. The rest will depend upon Ferox."

"Gods!" Brace leaped to his feet to pace restlessly, his fists clenched at his side. "After two cycles in prison, do you know how sick to death I am of being at another's beck and call? Isn't it enough I've got my hands full with a femina who may intend to betray me, not to mention a Simian who's constantly at odds with her? Curse it! Why did I allow myself to be drawn into this insane quest?"

"Somehow I doubt there's ever been any choice," Teran replied. "Besides, it's past time we discovered the real truths behind the Knowing Crystal and its ultimate purpose in the Imperium. We dare not tarry much longer if we're to have any hope of stopping it."

Brace gave a rueful laugh. "Do you realize what you're saying? It's not enough to take on Ferox, but we must also battle some indestructible, omnipotent computer unit as well!"

"Nothing created by man can be indestructible or omnipotent," his brother pointed out, a thoughtful expression darkening his face. "There has to be a way to destroy it, if need be. Besides, now that Alia's recovering, I plan to accompany you on your quest." He grinned. "With two of us against it, the Knowing Crystal won't have a chance."