Crystal Keepers (3 page)

“They're pretty far off,” Skye said. “I think they're real.”

“Red Guard or more Enforcers?” Dalton asked.

“It's hard to recognize color in the moonlight,” Skye replied. “They seem to be coming from Trillian's prison.”

Joe came swooping back from the direction of the Lost Palace. “Red Guard!” he called. “Twelve of them.”

“Think they're here to help?” Dalton asked.

“If not, it's their funeral,” Jace said.

“Leave the road when they get near,” Skye said. “If they ride past us, we'll know they're after our foes.”

Cole had heard that the Red Guard were dangerous, though on his previous visit to the Lost Palace he had only seen a few people besides Trillian. But that proved nothing. Other members of the Red Guard could have been out on assignment, or they could have been hiding.

Running at top speed, Cole watched as the galloping riders rapidly drew closer. Still charging hard, Skye led Cole and the others off the road as the riders came near. With hardly a glance to the side, the riders raced by them, except for a woman who slowed her chestnut stallion to a stop.
Coldly beautiful, she gazed down at Cole and his friends as they also came to a standstill.

Cole recognized her. It was Hina, the woman who had escorted him around the Lost Palace.

“What are your intentions?” Skye asked.

Hina turned and looked down the Red Road, where her fellow guardsmen were about to engage the Enforcers. She waved a hand, and the number of guardsmen suddenly tripled.

“Are any of them real?” Cole asked.

“Eleven,” Hina said, her voice calm and rich.

“Should we go help?” Jace asked.

“Not necessary,” Hina assured him.

Just before the clusters of horsemen collided, Hina made a curt gesture, and for a moment the Red Road beneath the oncoming Enforcers flapped like a towel in the wind. All but one of the Enforcers went down in a calamitous tumble as the Red Guard reached them.

Cole watched as the Red Guard cut down the single Enforcer who remained mounted and wheeled to engage the fallen ones. It was hard to catch many details. The skirmish ended quickly.

“You know why I'm here?” Skye asked Hina.

“Naturally,” the silver-haired enchanter responded. “My master welcomes you. He laments the passing of Callista, but believes you have the potential to surpass her in many ways.”

“The others in my party have business elsewhere,” Skye said.

“We know,” Hina said. “He'll allow it. He would like the other heiresses to come out of hiding. I will accompany your friends to the edge of Elloweer, where Zeropolis begins.”

“You?” Mira challenged.

“The masks will enable you to elude your pursuers and get to Zeropolis,” Hina said. “But someone must bring the masks back. They are too valuable to leave Elloweer.”

Nine of the Red Guard came trotting back down the Red Road. One pair of riders held a dark-armored captive between them by his arms. The injured Enforcer jogged alongside the horses, struggling to keep up. A second pair held another prisoner. First one of the Enforcers stopped jogging and let them drag him, then the other.

“We lost two men,” Hina said. “But we gained two captives. My master is studying their minds. Upon finding you, they sent three of their number back to report. The messengers split up and rode hard. This was one of many search parties. They did not expect to find you here. Had they known, they would have sent more men.”

“Seemed like a lot,” Cole said.

“The Hunter has learned respect for you,” Hina said. “As has the High King. Many resources are now bent on finding Mira and bringing her in. This was a relatively minor show of force.”

“You can hear Trillian from out here?” Dalton asked.

“As long as I remain on the Red Road,” Hina said.

“What of my mother?” Skye asked. “Have they information about her?”

“She lives, so far as these men know,” Hina replied. “Trillian suggests that the best thing you can do to help her would be to let your companions take the chase to another kingdom. The farther away Mira goes, the less relevant your mother becomes.”

“I wish I could see her,” Skye said. “Get a message to her.”

“You will,” Hina said. “All in good time.”

“Does Trillian really want us to find the other princesses?” Jace wondered. “Or does he just want the masks?”

“Both,” Hina replied. “The masks are the greatest legacy left behind by Callista. Those in her home must be protected as well. And my master wishes you well on your journey. With the masks, crossing Elloweer should be quick.”

“You want us to wear the masks until we reach Zeropolis?” Cole asked.

“My master insists upon it,” Hina said. “Reinforcements will come searching for you. The speed afforded by the masks will baffle them. They are your best chance of shaking the Hunter off your trail for a time.”

“Does Trillian know much about the Hunter?” Cole asked.

“Not directly, but he knows of him,” Hina replied. “The Hunter is among the most competent Enforcers. He now has knowledge of your whereabouts, which would normally be enough for him to ensnare you. But he doesn't know about the masks.”

Joe landed on a nearby limb. “The Enforcers sent some riders back,” he reported. “I tried to chase them and got shot in the wing. I took the mask off and put it back on, and they gained a lot of ground on me, splitting up. I don't think I can stop them alone.”

“No matter,” Hina said. “The information they bring to the Hunter will mislead him. Using your masks, we'll reach Zeropolis inside of four days.”

“We?” Joe asked.

“We'll fill you in,” Mira said. “Looks like Hina is coming with us.”

“We should make haste,” Hina said. “Skye? Do you mind if I borrow your bear?”

C
HAPTER

3

BORDER

T
he next days passed in a trance of constant motion. Having assumed the form of a bear, Hina led the way. Cole lost all desire to speak, focusing instead on the terrain beneath his paws, the smells and sounds of the wilderness, and the rapture of tireless running.

The sun rose. The sun set. Moons traversed the sky as the stars reeled. Cole dashed over boulders, splashed through rivers, knifed through forests, and raced across plains. Diverse landscapes came and went.

Joe scouted above them, ranging far and wide on his inexhaustible wings. But Cole wasn't sure the eagle's vigilance was necessary. Hina seemed to have a sense for avoiding danger. She knew which passes would take them through the mountains, what routes among the reeds would avoid the mires, and where the rivers could be safely forded. Maybe it was sharp instincts, but Cole suspected she had roamed Elloweer extensively and knew the most remote paths.

From start to finish they never saw or smelled a human,
let alone a human settlement. No threatening predators crossed their way. Of course, Cole suspected there weren't many predators who would be in a hurry to tangle with a huge mountain lion, wolf, bear, ram, and bull racing along at unreal speed.

At first Cole felt urges to eat or drink out of habit, particularly when they crossed a clear brook or he smelled a tasty deer. But as he denied those urges to keep running, he realized they were remembered needs, not current ones.

And then they stopped.

It was a grassy glade sheltered by surrounding trees. The sun shined high overhead. Hina pulled off her mask, transforming from a bear back into a beautiful woman.

“We have reached the edge of Elloweer, not far from Post 121,” Hina reported. “This is the destination Joe requested shortly before we departed. Please remove your masks.”

Cole paced instead. It was strange to stop running. Off-putting. It was even stranger to think of reverting to human form. What was the hurry? He sensed no people or human settlements nearby. Couldn't they proceed as animals a little longer?

Dalton was not a bull anymore. Joe landed and removed his eagle mask. Mira became a person instead of a bighorn sheep.

They all looked so small and vulnerable. Defenseless. And strangely appetizing.

“Come on, Cole,” Mira said. “Take it off.”

Cole thought about speaking, but it seemed burdensome. His mouth felt too lazy to form words. Instead he yawned.
Then he inhaled the scents of the surrounding forest: old wood decaying, a family of possums, the dung of an elk, leaves and brush and dirt and stone.

His eyes strayed to distant peaks. Why stop here? He could keep running. His many problems felt distant while running.

“Lose the mask, Cole,” Jace said. “Don't let it beat you.”

When had Jace removed his mask? Cole remembered not wanting to take his mask off before. Long ago. He had given in and removed it. Should he again? Or had that been a mistake?

If he removed the mask, Hina would take it away. How he would miss being a mountain lion! The strength, the speed, the alertness. He could spend his whole life like this. Perhaps this was his destiny.

“Don't forget Jenna,” Dalton said. “Don't forget our friends. We have to find them and get home.”

Cole blinked.

Jenna!

Of course, she was lost, a slave. He had to help her! That was why he had run through the wilderness—to get to Zeropolis in the hope of finding her. And to help Mira find her sister Constance.

Why was he waiting? He couldn't remain a mountain lion. People needed him. He had a greater purpose.

Not without some regret, Cole reached up and pulled off the mask. He reared back, giddily whirled, and abruptly stood on two feet with the mask in his hand.

As the leonine instincts lost their grip, he realized how
close he had been to losing himself in the mask. Even now, restored to his true form, he felt tempted to put it back on.

The rest of the group stood in a semicircle, staring at him.

“You okay?” Dalton asked.

Cole swallowed. It was good to focus on his best friend. His mind felt clearer. He really had been at the brink of running away for a moment. He held out the mask toward Hina. “I'm better now.”

Hina came to him and accepted his mask. In the sunlight, her silvery hair looked almost metallic. Her beauty was so flawless that it looked crafted. Maybe it was, Cole realized. Changings? Seemings? Who knew?

“This is where I leave you,” Hina said. “We're at the border near your desired outpost.”

“I saw Post 121 from the air,” Joe confirmed. “When I tried to fly that way, I bumped against a barrier. Felt hard as stone.”

“You can't leave Elloweer with these masks on,” Hina said.

Staring at the stacked masks in her hands, Cole frowned slightly. He had used his power to make the Jumping Sword and Jace's golden rope work here in Elloweer. Did his power have the potential to make the masks work elsewhere? There might be an unseen boundary, but what if he took off the mask, crossed the border, recharged it, and put it back on? Cole felt for his power, even just a hint of it, but came up empty. Since he couldn't access his ability, there was no way to experiment with the masks.

Cole considered the hold the mask had started to have on
him. He had felt so content as a mountain lion that he hadn't wanted to return to his real life. It seemed sort of silly now, but just a few moments ago, he had been ready to run off into the wilderness. Callista had warned that the more they used the masks, the greater power the animal forms would exert over the wearers. Maybe not having the masks anymore was a good thing.

“I ranged widely across this area and saw no enemy activity on the Elloweer side,” Joe said. “We seem to have given the Enforcers the slip for now. I'm sure the Zeropolis side will have the standard patrolmen to deal with.”

“Would you like me to wait here a day with the masks?” Hina asked. “In case you need to retreat?”

“I don't know how much longer I can wear the mask without staying a wolf forever,” Jace said. “I can tell Cole was feeling the pull too.”

“We all were,” Mira said. “But if it's between getting caught and using the masks again, I'd find a way to fight off my sheep instincts.”

“We'd appreciate knowing you were here for a day,” Joe told Hina. “I have no plans to come back this way, but if we get discovered, retreat might become our only lifeline.”

“This time tomorrow?” Hina asked.

Shading his eyes, Joe squinted at the sky. “Could we say sundown tomorrow? By then I should know if we can get transportation into the city.”

“I will wait until sundown tomorrow,” Hina affirmed. “If I do not hear from you by then, I will assume you've gotten safe passage into the city.”

“Post 121 isn't the city?” Cole asked.

“It's an outpost of the city,” Joe said. “There are currently one hundred thirty-eight outposts in operation, connected to the city via monorail. Sometimes the outposts grant access to resources like mines or forests. Sometimes they serve as a way station when traveling to other kingdoms.”

“What does this outpost do?” Cole asked.

“It isn't far from a salt pan where minerals are harvested,” Joe said. “It's also near Elloweer, obviously, and the small town of Eastmont. I suggested this outpost to Hina because it's farther north than necessary. From the Lost Palace, the nearest outpost would have been 93. We could have strayed a little to the south to Post 88, or north to 76. Or even farther north to 84. Keep going northeast after 84 and you end up here—Post 121. Not the most likely destination.”

“Is there any sense to the numbers?” Jace wondered.

“It's the order the outposts were added,” Joe replied.

“I don't get something,” Dalton said. “Is Zeropolis the city or the kingdom?”

“Both,” Joe said. “The city is the kingdom. The outposts are extensions of the city. When people in Zeropolis talk about the city, they mean the huge cluster of buildings in the center of the kingdom where most people live. I think the intent is for the city to one day fill the kingdom. The city is huge, but nowhere near that goal. Maybe someday. For now, using the monorails can get you to most areas of the kingdom.”

“When you say monorails . . . ,” Cole said.

“I mean monorails like we have back home,” Joe said. “But more advanced than any I know about. More like bullet
trains. Zeropolites do amazing things with magnetics. And they can store energy in crystals. It's so efficient. No fossil fuels required. They energize the crystals with shaping, and create many of their materials using shaping as well, so the majority of their technologies aren't transferable to other kingdoms, or back to Earth, either.”

“I'm not from Outside,” Jace reminded everyone. “What's a monorail? What do you mean by magnetics?”

“Have you seen a magnet?” Joe asked. “It sticks to certain metals?”

“I've fiddled with magnets,” Jace said. “They had some at Skyport.”

“So you know they can attract or repel each other,” Joe said.

“Right. Sometimes they snap together. But when you face them a certain way, there's a spongy invisible force that keeps them apart. You can push them around.”

“Exactly,” Joe said. “Now imagine a vehicle like the autocoach, except much longer, suspended on a magnetic cushion, and propelled by magnetic forces as well. It rides on a long, elevated track. That's a monorail.”

“Sounds slick,” Jace said. “Is it fast?”

“Like you've never seen,” Joe assured him.

“What now?” Cole asked. “Do we just walk over to the outpost? You said something about patrolmen. What's Zeropolis like?”

“Yeah,” Jace agreed. “Give us the lowdown. I knew some stuff about Elloweer. But I don't know much about Zeropolis.”

“I still have my slavemark,” Dalton reminded everyone. “Will that cause trouble?”

“We'll all need identification cards,” Joe said. “The government in Zeropolis loves IDs. None of you have been to Zeropolis before, am I right?”

Everyone but Mira shook their heads.

“I went once as a kid,” Mira said. “I might have been five. I remember riding the monorail. And the tall buildings.”

“Were you issued an ID card?” Joe asked.

“I don't think so,” Mira said. “I was with Mom and Dad.”

“Not letting your identity leak is essential,” Joe said. “If you were issued an ID, the checkpoints have access to it, but they need to know where to look. They don't have biometrics to help them.”

“Biometrics?” Cole asked.

“You know, fingerprints, iris scanners, facial-recognition software,” Joe explained. “Those advancements might be coming, but they hadn't hit when I left. All a troublemaker would have to go on is a seventy-year-old picture of a five-year-old. Miracle Pemberton is supposed to be dead. We'll make up fake names for all of you, just in case word of us has spread. Considering you're all minors, and outsiders coming to Zeropolis for the first time, I should be able to get fresh IDs for all of you.”

“What about my mark?” Dalton reminded him.

“You'll play the role of our slave,” Joe said. “Technically we should have papers to prove ownership, but that sort of detail gets missed all the time. If it comes to it, we'll try a bribe.”

“Do you have an ID?” Jace asked.

“I've got three,” Joe said. “A luxury of having friends in the Unseen.”

“Fake IDs?” Cole checked.

“One is authentic,” Joe said. “Two are false. Top quality. The real one is no good to me anymore. As long as nobody has combed through the millions of other ID photos on record to find the duplicate faces and flag the false names, I should be fine. Wanted members of the Unseen get away with it all the time.”

“What should my name be?” Jace mused.

“Something you'll remember,” Joe said. “Something that'll roll off your tongue.”