Cry For Tomorrow (33 page)

I’d turned my attention to the Source and her Chancellor, studying their faces while Ben was speaking, and realized that they must both be totally ignorant of the possible talents psis such as they’d been seeking were likely to possess. Both of their auras radiated uncontrolled glows of deceit and deception.

“Now, perhaps I’ve been misinformed,” Ben went on, “but I was led to believe that releasing the amount of energy contained within a crystal of that size, all at one time, would cause a rupture in the curtain.”

When he stopped speaking, all eyes returned to Selena and Harris, waiting for their reply, but when none seemed forthcoming Rainor moved from his sister’s side, aligning himself with his traveling companions. “I also would like a good explanation for this change in your plans, Selena,” he demanded. “What happened to the psis you already had?”

The Source visibly puffed up, her face suffusing with deep green as her rage built. “
You will address me as Her Excellency from now on!”
she rumbled into his face. “I do not owe you or anyone else an explanation for my actions! The fate of those miscreants falls upon their own heads!” As her rage built, the hair on Selena’s head came alive. Like a nest of tiny serpents, the thick green strands rose from her head, sparking with electricity. “These
freaks
, as you call them, were all weak. Many fell prey to the ghouls before ever reaching the palace. And of the survivors, not even
one
of those we had so graciously been sheltering possessed enough energy to trigger the jewel! It is my opinion that the over-world has not delivered on their bargain and has failed to meet its obligations.”

“Now, now, My Lady,” purred Harris. “It is not to our advantage to lose our tempers.” His eyes shifted to the shocked faces of the over-worlders. “After all, we do still require the aid of this young lady.” He bowed to me. “Please do not allow all this talk to confuse the issues. We have discussed this with the best scientists both worlds have to offer, and they are all in agreement that this plan will result in the least damage to the curtain and bring about the merging with little or no loss of life on either world.”

The Source threw herself into the throne chair and leaned back, visibly trying to compose herself. “Enough talk! I have tired myself and wish to be left alone. Rainor, I shall send for you when I wish to speak with you again. You and your guests will be housed in the east guest wing while the final preparations are made.”

“Guards!” she waved a hand that brought two of the silent soldiers from the shadows to escort us from the room.

“But what if we don’t want to do this?” Kelly insisted as she resisted being taken from the room. “I think we need to just go home and let somebody else deal with this whole mess!”

“We really
do
need to leave
right now
,” Rainor hissed as he put a hand under the girl’s arm and hurried her toward the doorway and the pair of guards waiting for them.

When Jake would have added his protest to Kelly’s, Ben shook his head at him, cautioning discretion.

Our exit woke Ralph from his nap and he happily ambled after us as we were led away from the throne room.

We were taken only a short distance down the hallway and around a sharp bend into an adjoining wing. One of the guards thrust a door open, exposing a large suite of rooms beyond.

“These will be your quarters until you are sent for,” he told us in a gruff voice as he stepped to one side to let us pass.

Jennie exchanged glances with me and dropped back in the procession. A moment later there was a commotion as Kelly and Jake tangled feet with Ralph, all tumbling to the floor. Dusty gleefully jumped into the middle of the melee, barking and leaping from one person to the other and between the feet of the confused guards. Not to be outdone or ignored, Ralph croaked and thrashed, stomping and kicking his big feet into guts and on the heads and backs of any and all.

“Stop that noise, you lice-riddled toads!” shouted one of the frustrated guards as he tried to silence the dog and frogg.

It was several minutes before peace reigned again and the travelers were ensconced in the suite of rooms.

I heard the door slam as I dropped into the nearest chair.

“Whew! Let’s not do that again!” I groaned.

“That was fun,” laughed Kelly. “Hey! Where’s
—
”

“Shush!” I shook my head to warn my sister. “We need to find out what those two are really about. Jennie will be back in a while.”

Before we were even settled in the chairs and lounges scattered about the room, Ben accosted Rainor. “Okay,
Prince
Rainor, how about if you start by telling us what you already know about this whole business,” he demanded.

“I don’t know much of anything about this new plan,” Rainor shook his head and paced across the room to stare out one of the tall windows lining the outer wall of the room. “I did know that Selena’s people had found a new crystal, but she hasn’t let me near her for the last two months. I was ordered by your friend Harris to locate and acquire a psi, or two, if possible, of the sort able to project an electrical charge.” Rainor’s brow was creased in a deep frown of concern.

“This new plan diverges significantly from the one I was originally briefed on. I was told that one of the two casks of the energy crystals would be sent through a designated rift. Our agents were to deliver it to a panel of over-world scientists that are waiting for it. They believe that they have found a way to use the telekinetic power emanating from the minds of the so-called
freaks
to activate the crystals at the same time as those in our care activated theirs. I was assured that this energy was meant to draw the two worlds together at a controlled pace rather than allowing them to collide with uncontrolled force.” Rainor stopped in front of one of the big windows and glared angrily at the landscape below.

“That’s pretty much what I’ve been told,” Ben acknowledged. “But the SIA, the agency I am employed by, has been suspecting that something else is going on for several months now.” He looked around at the rest of us. “That’s why I was sent into the old city to infiltrate the freaks and see what I could learn.”

“Wait a minute,” Jake stepped between the two older men. “Let me see if I understand things correctly. If this giant crystal is activated by just one psi, then there is a very serious risk of the curtain tearing, which will release the ghouls, in full aggression mode, into the over-world.”

“Yes,” Ben answered him, “and this would be a very serious disaster for all.” He locked his gaze on Rainor’s
anxious face. “Why would Selena want to do this?”

“For the power.” Rainor’s face looked sick. “The ghouls would create total havoc and the people of both worlds would be forced to turn to her for help in controlling them.”

“But I thought you said Selena was dying and, well, she
looks
pretty bad with all those radiation sores and all. Will she live long enough to make it worth her while?” I was carefully watching his face, trying to determine if he was telling us the truth, for, after all was said and done, wasn’t I speaking to the man next in line to inherit the throne?

“Yes, and
can
she actually control them?” Jake asked.

“Selena is much more powerful than you realize, and she is convinced that she will be cured when she passes through the curtain into the over-world,” Rainor told us. “And, if anyone can control the ghouls, it
is
Selena.”

Before anyone else could question him there was a soft tapping on the door.

Rainor put a finger to his lips to warn us to silence before going to open it.

“Guard!” he called. “I would like some refreshments brought for my companions.”

“Yes, Sire, I’ll have something brought immediately.”

Rainor closed the door and turned to face the center of the room, where Jennie’s hazy figure was beginning to solidify.

“We have
got
to get out of here
now
!”
she told us before anyone could get a question out of their mouths. “The Source is planning on having us all killed just like she had the other psis executed. She’s going to use threats against us to force Halie to activate the crystal for her. She believes that if she holds onto Halie when she initiates the energy cascade in the crystal, that her own latent psi ability will also be activated.” She stared wide-eyed at us. “She intends to tear a large rift in the curtain and allow an army of ghouls to overwhelm the over-world in the aftermath of the massive earthquakes this will initiate.” She turned to me and added, “Oh yes, she also needs
you
to absorb the energy recoil that will be the result of activating such a large crystal
—
it will kill you.”

“Damn her!” Rainor started for the door with his hand already on the hilt of his weapon. “I’ve got to stop her before she does any more harm!”

“No, wait,” Ben grabbed his arm and stopped him from opening the door. “Even if you can get to her, you’ll never get a shot off before they kill you.”

“You’re right,” Rainor agreed. “We need a better plan.” He wandered over to stare out the window as he finished thinking out his plan. “Fact is, we do need that crystal to slow down the merging, or we are all going to die. We have to get back into the throne room and we need to do it without being seen.”

Rainor looked around us, as if taking stock of our weapons and baggage. “I think it might be a good idea if we all get redressed and a little better prepared for what we’re going to be doing.”

We all nodded in agreement. No one had wanted to admit it, but the scanty clothing had left all of us feeling a little too vulnerable and exposed, and the flimsy sandals slowed us down.

Jennie, Kelly and I were just emerging from the adjoining room when there was a sharp rap on the outer door.

“Be right there!” Rainor grabbed Jennie’s hand. “I’ve seen you do it before—you have to make us all disappear so they will think we’ve escaped.”

Jennie nodded as her friends gathered close, even drawing the frogg and Dusty into our circle.

“Enter!” Rainor shouted when the next rap came.

Irritable at being kept waiting, the guard threw the door back so that it slammed against the wall. Stepping to one side of the entry, he allowed the servant and serving cart to pass. “This is all the chef had available on such short notice
—
” Stunned, the guard stared around the empty room in disbelief for several moments before shouting the alarm.

“Guards, Guards! Intruders are loose in the palace! Guards!” Slamming one hand against the door jam in anger, he ran into the hall to join his comrades in the search for their lost
guests
. He did not see several of the sandwiches disappear from the abandoned food tray.

“Kelly!”

“What? I’m starving!”

The halls were filled with running guards for several minutes before the search moved onto other floors. Even the guards from the throne room were drafted for the search, except for the two that were left on duty at the outer doors. Clearly annoyed at being left out of the excitement, they kept their posts at each side of the door.

“
SSppittzzz!! Over here!”

Exchanging glances, the guards drew tasers and moved toward the adjoining hallway where the call had come from. Ben and Rainor stepped from the field of camouflage simultaneously and had arms across the throats of the guards before they could react. Dragging them into the cover of a large, flowing drape, they left the unconscious men and rejoined the others as the concealing haze faded.

“We won’t have much time,” Rainor whispered as they hurried into the throne room.

Reaching the pedestal first, I ripped the cloth from the top of the cabinet and let it fall to the floor, and stared hopelessly at the lock.

“I don’t suppose that you have a key to this thing do you?” I ran my hands along the nearly invisible edges of the upper cabinet in hopes of getting a finger-nail under it. “Maybe a knife blade?”

“Here, maybe I can wedge the tip of this blade into the seam -”

“Or, maybe, you could use this key,” Kelly wiggled in between the bodies surrounding the cabinet.

“Key?” I looked down at Kelly and the shiny gold object resting in the palm of her out-stretched hand.

“Yeah, sorry, couldn’t help myself.”

I wrapped my arms around my little sister and hugged her even as Jake snatched the key from her hand.

“Good going, kid,” he said as he fitted the key into the lock.

The lock clicked and released the lid. Jake had the sides down in seconds.

“Maybe we should cover it up or something,” whispered Jennie when the glowing jewel was exposed.

“Okay, any ideas on how we’re going to transport something this heavy? It must weigh more than two hundred pounds,” Ben groaned when he tried to lift it. He let his eyes wander around the room in search of some practical way to move the gem.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do,” Rainor announced. “Ralph, come here!”

The frogg croaked complacently and hopped to him.

Taking the fallen drape from the floor, Rainor quickly tucked it over the top of the crystal. Wrapping both arms around it, he tried to roll it toward his chest to balance the weight, but the stone barely budged.

“Damn! Guess this is going to take a little more muscle than I thought,” he groaned as he looked back over his shoulder at Ben. But before Ben could reach him, Jake had a hand on his shoulder.

“Here, let me have it.”

Rainor looked at the boy as if he’d lost his mind but, out of the corner of his eye, he saw me nod. “Jake is much stronger than he appears,” I assured him with a secretive grin.

“Okay.” Rainor took a step back to give the smaller, slight-built young man room to maneuver.

With his arms wrapped around the gem, Jake bent his knees and rolled it toward his chest for support. “Where do you want it?”

“Open up, Ralph.” The frogg obediently popped his huge mouth open and
gulped.
The wrapped crystal disappeared and Ralph blinked.
Rriippitt