The Crystal Tower, Page 3

  As the light dimmed, Jane slowly lowered her arm, though she had not moved back, knowing she had nothing to fear. The light began to fade more. Jane listened to the crunching sound as she tried to see the object taking shape amid the dimming beams of light. As the crunching stopped, the light disappeared along with it, getting sucked back rapidly toward Max’s palm with a swishing sound. In the center of his hand Max now held an extremely elaborate, beautiful butterfly. It appeared to be composed almost entirely of glass, with hints of blue and shades of gold throughout. It was about two inches high, and the wingspan was three inches. As Max once again rose to his feet, he kept his arm level and in the same position.

  Jane stared at the glass creature in awe. It was far more complex than the one she had once constructed with Max under the dim winter sky and the conifers of Wexford. She was moving her hand to reach out for it when a strange feeling overcame her. Her hand stopped and her eyes narrowed as she thought she detected something more in the ornament—movement. She quickly realized the object in his palm was no precious piece of glass. The wings flickered for a second and stopped. Then it came to life completely; its legs moved, crossing an inch across Max’s palm. It stopped there for a moment, as though surveying the world into which it had just been born. Then, after another few seconds, it took flight. Jane made no sound as she watched it fly upward and away from them, though she heard her friends gasp in awe.

  As she watched it go, Jane saw it reach the shoreline and begin to fly along it, dancing up and down amid the upward flush of white foam from the waves below. It appeared as a blue and gold fleck in the rising sun, and after a few moments, it was a mere dot on the horizon. Then it all but disappeared.

  Jane turned to Max first, seeing that her friends had moved and were close behind her, having fanned out to follow the butterfly’s trajectory. Max was watching the newly animated created as it diminished to a farther, distant point on the horizon. After a moment, he met her gaze again. Max shot her a trace of a smile, but in his eyes she thought she saw a hint of trepidation. Ciara had moved out farther to follow the butterfly; she was standing on Jane’s right side, looking toward the shore in the distance. Jane glanced back in that direction and saw that now, only once and again, a small fleck of gold appeared against the glow of the sun.

  Jane peered back at Max and saw that his eyes were still on hers. She frowned slightly. “So, then, what would having access to this object—this Nexus of reality—actually mean to him?” she asked.

  Max looked back toward the ocean and sighed. “That is the most pertinent question. Like I have just demonstrated, it would entail the power to make the inanimate, animate. What I have shown you here is just a glimpse, though—a mere shadow of the power he would possess.”

  Max fell silent again, and in that brief interlude, Jane glanced at the escape vehicle her friends had used to evacuate the drowning vessel the previous night. A ray of new sunlight struck its surface, and to her, it looked like an abandoned object from another world.

  “To elaborate on my answer, I would have to say that I’m not totally certain. But I can imagine that he would have control of space and time itself, to an extent not thought of—or even understood—by my kind.” Max paused and his eyes grew distant, as though scanning some far-off, unknown place. “His power over the physical world would reach the farthest corners of this universe—and beyond.”

  “So we have to stop him,” Morris said in a calm, clear voice from behind Jane. She didn’t need to turn around to see him; in her mind’s eye, she saw his face clearly illuminated by the rising sun as he continued searching for the magnificent butterfly far away on the shoreline. It was probably long gone by now.

  Max nodded in response. “I think he’s already recruiting.”

  Morris turned around. He met Jane’s eyes first, and then glanced at Max.

  “I may have to leave soon,” Max continued as he looked at the dunes to his left, where higher waves crashed against the rocks. “I can see them—leaving in numbers of hundreds and more. I see this…edifice, as I’ve referred to it, moving across the ocean, connecting to the land.

  Jane frowned and took a step toward him. “This is what’s happening now?”

  “No,” Max replied firmly. “But soon.” He looked at her.

  For a moment, she drank in all the energy in his gaze. “You’re seeing the future?” she asked.

  “No. Just fragments: pieces, shards—not a complete picture.”

  To Jane, Max seemed nervous, though he didn’t show it. It was like a minute trembling beneath his skin that was, in truth, invisible. Still, she sensed it, and it troubled her.

  Max turned to Ciara and stared into her eyes with intent. The light on the beach was now bright, and the sand sparkled in the morning haze. He began walking toward the shoreline once again. To Jane’s surprise, Ciara let out a small, shocked breath, then followed him. Jane knew that he had called Ciara telepathically, and she watched as Ciara walked after him to the shore, then passed behind him and stood on his left. She looked at both Mike and Morris, and then the three followed them down to the shore, with Jane minutely afraid she was intruding on their conversation.

  She reached out telepathically and listened. As Mike and Morris filed in beside her, she was sure they were doing the same. After a moment, the conversation became an open telepathic link between the group, though the three remained silent as Max addressed Ciara.

  I can already feel his influence spreading around the world. Searching desperately.

  Jane stood at Max’s right with her arms folded. She watched Ciara’s troubled eyes.

  Searching for what? Ciara asked.

  The strongest—truly powerful Ethereals. Max glanced out at the water again.

  Jane saw that the waves seemed to have grown higher; they now crashed against the shore just five feet away. It was as though the sea itself was reacting with fear to the new, pensive tone of their conversation.

  I believe he’s already chosen one of them. Max looked back toward Ciara, and as he did, Jane saw her eyes narrow with fear. She squinted, trying to understand the exchange.

  What? Jane asked, intruding on their conversation, unable to help herself.

  It’s Daniel, isn’t it? Ciara responded finally, grimacing.

  Max nodded almost imperceptibly. There’s a strong possibility, yes.

  Ciara raised her hands to her temples and yelled out in frustration. “Dammit. Dammit! NO!” she said aloud as she turned her back to them, first leaning forward and lowering her face into her hands, then taking a deep breath. After a moment, she stood up and took her hands from her face, though she did not turn immediately to face them. Can you help him?

  I’m going to try. He was already extremely powerful to begin with, wasn’t he?

  Yes. Extremely. I doubt the Committee would ever have been able to apprehend him the way they did us. He would have ripped his family home right out of its foundations and dropped it on them before he let them lay a finger on him.

  Well, I know the disturbance is beginning on the West Coast.

  Is this connected to one of the possible futures you saw? Jane asked, once again feeling as though she was intruding on a conversation that was primarily between Ciara and Max.

  Max turned to her and nodded. But I can’t be absolutely certain it’s Daniel yet. But if it is him, he said, glancing back at Ciara, take what you knew about his immense psionic ability to begin with, and add to that the fact that Zatera—the entity that is now occupying Trey Rousseau’s body—will imbue him with even greater power. If it is indeed Daniel, that is why he was chosen in the first place.

  So he’s going to amplify his power—by a factor of…? Jane asked.

  Max turned to her. By a factor of forty, at minimum, he replied. If we’re looking at mathematical specifics, which are very difficult to quantify in this case. He paused and glanced out at the water again just as the blaze of new sun hit the white crest of a large,
incoming wave and then vanished as it peaked. The factor would be thirty-nine point six. I rounded up. The wave crashed against the shore. This time, it came all the way up to where they stood. The three stepped back to avoid it; however, Max did not move. He merely looked down as the water sloshed around his ankles, soaking his shiny, slick black shoes.

  Jane saw a smile appear at the corners of his lips, and she stepped forward as the water dissipated. Moving around in front of him, she could see that he was, indeed, smiling as he looked down at the remaining water that flowed back toward the ocean. Now his smile had become a full grin and he looked back out to the sea. Jane followed his gaze. “You like the feel of that?” she asked.

  He laughed, and Jane smiled. Despite what he had just revealed to them, she snickered; to her, for some reason, the sound of his laughter had the same effect as hearing a beautiful orchestra. As beautiful as the sound was, though, and as much as Max seemed to be enjoying this moment of re-experiencing a basic human memory, a feeling, Ciara had fallen into a frightful state. As she stepped farther in front of him, Jane’s smile faded, and the orchestra was muted.

  You’re telling me that if Zatera ensnares Daniel with his psychic influence, he’ll be almost forty times more powerful than he was previously? Ciara asked.

  Max turned back toward her, and his smile faded immediately. Yes. The power that Zatera channels through him will be his own, combined with psychic energies he draws from other, darker places in the cosmos. Max paused. Places that have been largely untouched and unexplored—except in a theoretical setting—by myself or my kin.

  Ciara’s eyes were distant and filled with fear. Her gaze drifted over the surface of the water as she appeared to have difficulty absorbing the information. How can we help him?

  Max raised his right eyebrow. We can’t help. If Zatera has chosen him, it is I who must try to help him. There is one other whom he has also singled out.

  Max, if he’s that powerful, how has he not found us? Jane asked.

  I’ve shielded us telepathically. He may be very strong, but I am equally so…for now.

  You’re lying, Mike interjected. You have the edge, don’t you, Max?

  Max frowned ever so slightly. Then his lip curled into the trace of a smile, and he nodded at Mike.

  And what about when he draws the other Ethereals to him? Will you be able to fight him then? When he builds this “edifice”? Jane asked. She felt as though she had anchored the conversation by mentioning the object that Max had previously discussed. For some reason, she knew it was the focal point of everything, though as of yet, it was still unseen and unknown to her. Still, somehow, in the distance—perhaps in the future—she could feel it coming. It was the same feeling she got when she let her telepathic senses fall upon the oncoming waves; she could feel them in her mind, drifting in and then pulling back out. She knew this intuition about the future was mere keen psychic ability—the faculties of a powerful Ethereal such as herself. What Max did when he thought about the future was entirely different; he was scanning vast amounts of information in his mind, and at the same time, his thoughts intersected the various planes of existence, running through scenarios at a speed no ordinary human—or Ethereal—could hope to match.

  Max looked at her. I don’t know, Jane. But I know that I must go west. His brow furrowed as a serious expression stole over his otherwise calm features. Based on what I saw from my telepathic scans, something is going to happen there. He frowned. Like I said, I’m not sure if it’s Daniel he’s going to try taking, or if it will be in San Francisco. But I know it’s on the coastline, in one of the large cities, and people will be in danger. There are as many as ten other Ethereals on the West Coast with powers similar to Daniel’s. Max sighed. His eyes had drifted out to the ocean as he spoke, and now they met Jane’s once again.

  She felt his telepathic influence wash over her, and he beamed an image straight into her mind. She saw a large van lifted off a road on a village square littered with fire and destruction. The van was thrown straight into the second story of a building and it exploded, causing the corner of that part of the structure to collapse.

  Jane’s breath caught in her throat. She blinked hard, placing a hand on her chest as the image faded. It took her only a few seconds to regain her composure; it seemed she would forever be in pursuit of perfection when she was within his view. I saw it, she said. I see what you mean.

  If it is Daniel, I may be able to avert what is about to become of him. But Ciara, I must draw on your strength this time.

  Ciara flinched. Me? she questioned, surprised.

  Yes. You saw a golden river of light back on the ship, didn’t you? When Zatera attacked you, just before he entered the vortex that the Machine opened.

  Ciara hesitated. She looked to her friends for assurance and then nodded at him. Yes. I saw it.

  You were able to draw power from it, weren’t you?

  Yes.

  You may not have realized it, but you were tapping into an extremely potent source of energy—one from which we ourselves draw. Do you think if you concentrated, you could draw from it again?

  Ciara frowned as she thought about this. Then, after a moment, she nodded. Yes, I think so. It came to me suddenly before. It was just there—I just saw it. But if I actually focus, I think I could find it.

  Max smiled and then turned further toward her. You can still feel it, can’t you? He had folded his arms and was looking at her with what seemed like a trace of pride. Once you’ve contacted it, it calls to you like a radiant song.

  Ciara hesitated and glanced at Jane, as though afraid to reveal her connection to this new source of power. Yes, she said as she turned back to Max. I think I can. Her gaze turned toward the sea as her eyes grew distant. I can hear it. I didn’t want to listen before. It’s not because I was afraid of it…well, I guess I was on some level, because I knew instinctively just how powerful it was. She closed her eyes. But I can hear it now.

  I can feel it too, Jane said.

  Max turned to her and smiled fully now. He held her gaze for a second longer than she thought necessary. Then his eyes drifted behind her to Morris and Mike, who both confirmed telepathically that they could feel it too.

  Jane was surprised to hear herself answer the question, one that hadn’t even been directed at her, but the moment Max began talking about it, she had known what he was referring to. In the dreams of her youth, she had sometimes seen a golden river of light. In one of those dreams, she had been standing a short distance from the foot of a mountain. The golden river was flowing from the right, coming around over the side just under the peak. It then moved across the upper front section of the bluff and slid back over the other side, swerving up and down with a gentle motion. It had not appeared like water, but some thick, molten liquid. It glowed, and dim flashes of light erupted off the surface. In the dream, she had felt powerful—looking at the river had given her a surge of energy she had never felt before. Without her asking or wishing for it, a sliver of the golden substance had risen out of the flowing tide and moved toward her. She had watched, unafraid, as it flowed into her body, straight through her chest. She had felt even greater power at that moment and she glanced down at her hands, which were pulsating with the same iridescent glow.

  She had glanced at the mountain again. Knowing she was now possessed with new power, she raised her arms and pointed her fingers at the rocky formation straight ahead. She felt the energy surge through her, flowing down her arms with what felt like the force of collapsing buildings and erupting from her hands. An explosion of power had come from her at that moment—beams of thick energy, which opened as though from some great prism—and impacted the mountain. The ground shook beneath her, as though she herself was causing an earthquake, but she didn’t care; the energy from the strange, glowing river had been too electrifying to stop. Within moments, the mountain was a pile of rubble, and she had fallen to the ground in a faint. The last things she saw as she f
ell were arcs of electricity that sparked up and down her arms. The crackling sound the energy made still resounded in her ears as she woke up.

  She had been fourteen years old, and things had been different from that point on. She frowned now as she made the connection. Although she had faced many other obstacles—the constant threat that the Committee would find her—she had never looked at the world the same way after that dream, and she knew why.

  An incredible, almost frightening power was out there somewhere, and she knew it could be within her reach if she merely had the courage to search for it.

  You’ve all had dreams about it, haven’t you? Max asked.

  Jane had glanced at the sand as she recalled the memory. Now his voice drew her gaze back to him. She watched as he waited for confirmation from the others. Then he looked at her.

  Destroyed any mountains lately, Jane?

  Her jaw dropped. You saw that?

  I am psychic.

  So am I, but—

  Does it matter?

  She snickered. No, but, it’s…uh, Max…do you see everything?

  Mostly.

  Great, Morris said. There are some things I’d rather keep hidden…