“But don’t touch nothing,” he said. Then he closed and locked the door behind them.

  Chapter 13

  “Why are we here?” June asked. “Is he holding you hostage?”

  “They want to know what these stones can do. And so far, we learned how to restore the water,” Senna pointed to the stone with to the farmer tilling the soil. “When he touched this one, the thunder started outside.” Kai nodded.

  “I remember too,” June said. “But, you know, I forgot everything here …” she shrugged. “I kept expecting to have a community, but it always seemed out of reach. So many people moved away...” She bit her lip wondering how so much time had passed. She looked sad.

  “I understand,” Kai said. “Things happen, and sometimes, it’s too much.” He remembered how hard it was to start again when his own village was torn apart. “You can start fresh, just like we did today.” She met his eyes and slowly nodded.

  “What do you love to do already, June?” Senna asked. “I mean, you must have other skills you stopped using too.” June was thoughtful for a moment, then looked up with a smile.

  “I used to make clothing for people, when there were people who wanted them,” she said. “I loved making people look their best, and they felt proud.”

  “If you could find a community where you felt welcome, would you leave?” June looked at her children and Lissa who was sitting on the floor ignoring them.

  “Only if they came with me,” she said referring her friend. Slowly, the other woman looked up. “Would you come with me if we could find a better place to be?” Very slowly, the woman met her eyes and nodded. But there was no smile on her face. Kai saw she was filled with pain.

  “Aren’t these stones unusual?” Senna asked, pointing June to the rack of stones in the room. “I think they each have lessons. They give us fortunes in a way.” June walked around the shelves, looking at all the beautiful colored crystals and the images inside each one. The entire display had an energy that was powerful.

  “What are they?” she asked.

  “We don’t know exactly. We think they’re called Dynasty Crystals, and that they’re intended to keep the lands of Kalendra strong,” Kai said. “We’re still learning about them.” Outside the window, there was a bright flash of lightning in the alley, as if it had struck the wall of the building. An explosive rumble of thunder rattled the building hard. The rack of crystals shook and one of the stones fell off the top shelf. June saw it and quickly reached out, barely catching it in time. It would have hit the stone floor. Her heart raced and her mind filled with warmth. She stood rooted to the spot.

  The stone was a teardrop shape, golden in color, with a beautiful Talisman inside. It filled June’s mind with images and words, and she stood in awe. Brutus was walking down the alley to check on his hostages when the thunder shook the building. Looking through the window he saw June standing with the stone in her hands. He stormed inside to grab it from her. When she saw him coming through the door, she quickly put it back. But it was too late, and he came toward her with rage.

  “All of you. Out of here now,” he said dangerously. “You’re going to use my stones against me and there’ll be none of that.” Everyone walked outside into the rain. “You all belong in a prison cell without windows as far as I’m concerned … June, I’ll punish you later for touching things that don’t belong to you.”

  In the commotion and chaos of his bad temper, Brutus grabbed June’s arm, and everyone ran outside. Senna grabbed the freedom crystal and slipped it into her robe. She knew it would get them out of there. Once outside, Brutus and Joe focused on the two apprentices. June walked down the alley holding her children’s hands. Senna saw her quickly glance back over her shoulder and smile ever so slightly. Senna knew she’d received a message from the stone.

  Joe grabbed Kai’s arm hard and beckoned for Senna to follow. Then he led them into the tall two-story building at the end of the alley. When they went inside, he gestured to two separate rooms.

  “You had your chance, and you blew it. What were you trying to do with them stones?” Joe accused.

  “Nothing. We were just looking at them when that lightning hit and shook the room,” Senna explained.

  “We restored your water,” Kai reminded him, pointing to the rain still falling outside. Not my problem if you don’t understand how magical food works in Kalendra. But I thought people around here deserved to survive.”

  “We aren’t using anything against you, just helping,” Senna said directly to Joe. “Are the women and children safe? I’m worried about them.”

  “You should be worried about yourself,” Joe said with a dark and dangerous look in his eyes.

  “I can worry about more than myself,” Senna replied. “It’s my responsibility. That’s what I was taught. What about you?” Joe was trying to decide which rooms to put them in. The building was dilapidated.

  As he hesitated, Kai and Senna looked at each other, and she reminded him of her Freedom Stone. They grabbed their Talismans and stepped together. They felt the strength of the Ancient Kingdom and the power Riya had infused into their Talismans during their performance. Senna took Kai’s hand and placed her other one inside her robe. She touched the Freedom Stone, and in a flash, the two apprentices disappeared. When Joe turned around, they were gone.

  “Where are they?” Brutus yelled running in the building. Only Joe was there. Joe looked at where they’d just been standing a second before. He looked at Brutus with wide eyes.

  “I … I don’t know. They were right here. I was just locking em up.” Brutus ran back to the room of crystals to see what they’d taken. He didn’t notice anything missing. Then he ran back to Joe with anger in his eyes. Joe was searching the other rooms to see where they were hiding but he found no one.

  “Keep looking. They’ve got to be around here somewhere.” Brutus had a look of rage in his eyes. Joe stepped back in fear.

  ***

  Sitting in the library of the Ancient Kingdom, Kai and his friends were accompanied by Riya, Quintin, and Gavin. Riya stood and walked across the room.

  “There’s something I’d like you to understand,” she said as she reached up with her crystal and in a flash created a map of Kalendra. It showed the original twelve ancient kingdoms, and a few smaller settlements, scattered across the countryside. Kai had never seen some of these cities before. Others he’d always known. He saw the Kinezad Plateau and the Land of the Midnight Sun in the far northeast, the location he and Senna read about earlier.

  “King Clod,” Riya began, “the former ruler, insisted people follow him without question. He used coercion and punishment to destroy individuality. While he and his cronies took and devoured whatever they wanted, the world slowly fell apart. But the people believed whatever he said, no matter how often he changed his story. That kept them out of trouble. The consequence was that they lost their ability to solve problems. They looked to authorities for solutions and were ready to believe anything.

  “The more power he acquired, the more precarious their lives became. By the time chaos reigned everywhere, they woke up to the realization that King Clod didn’t have a single solution. The world descended into drought, war, and famine. Kalendra was on the verge of total collapse.

  “The King and his cronies were desperate to acquire more. Elegant surroundings didn’t satisfy them. They insisted on making others suffer, but that couldn’t improve their lives. They lived in a form of poverty within their own minds.

  People searched for new leadership. That was when the Kalendrian Dynasty came into being.

  “The Great Empress Shawnee created an ancient agreement by designing these stones. Each land of Kalendra had its own sustainable lifestyle and magical sensibility. Shawnee wanted to repair the devastation the King had caused. She traveled through the lands and learned the unique spirit of each region. The magic of the forests, the desert, seas, mountains, and Upper Realms. She discovered that each community held different wisdom.

  “She wanted each person’s creativity, and skillset to be developed so they could find meaning in their lives. Education, she knew represented the great equalizer. From the standpoint of individual life satisfaction, enthusiasm for learning granted equal opportunity for all. The people could thrive and be happy with internal wealth.

  “Shawnee and her followers fought hard to break away from the former systems of prejudice, and control that had nearly destroyed their world.

  “‘Respect For All’ was her slogan. It was the foundation of her magical influence.

  “The Dynasty Crystals were intended to give people a sustainable life that reversed the damage.

  “The Talismans’ images were developed one community at a time to reflect their needs and wisdom. That’s why each of these Dynasty Crystals is worth its weight in gold. They were designed to elude any future King Clod-style leaders – like Kai’s King Okid.

  “If we get those stones back to the communities, will their power return?” Kai asked. “Wesley and Brutus experimented. Did that cause the bad karma? Senna and I reversed some of the damage because the crystals showed us how.”

  “Can you describe what happened,” Quintin asked. Kai and Senna recounted their experiences.

  “Your good karma overrode Wesley’s bad,” Quintin said.

  “I think so,” Kai said.

  “I’m glad you’re here.” Quintin smiled with pride. “I’m glad Sohm contacted you. It’s significant for that land.” Kai nodded, and Senna looked at him.

  “I’m still worried about the women and children,” Senna said. “Brutus could hurt them. I saw bruises on June’s arm and cheek.

  “But she had a vision,” Kai added enthusiastically. “A stone fell when lightning struck the building and June caught it. I know she got a message because of how she looked at us.”

  “I hope it gave her the strength to get away from those men.” Senna said, “She’s been through hard times. I think she was depressed, and planting broke her out of that. Brought her back to life.”

  “If it was a Dynasty Crystal, when she touched it, the goddess within her rose,” Riya said, her eyes wide as she considered the implications of the event.

  “I had this freedom crystal in my pocket, and when I touched it, we transported here,” Senna said as she took the stone out of her pocket and laid on the table. Riya leaned forward to look at it, then gave it to Quintin.

  “What do you make of that?” she asked.

  Quintin looked deeply into the stone. “What happened when you touched this?” Senna told them how the stone helped them.

  “June’s going to be okay,” Riya said. “I’m sure her the stone is protecting her.” Senna met Riya’s confident eyes.

  “I still want to check on her.” Riya nodded her agreement. “We have to be sure they’re okay.”

  Chapter 14

  Brutus shoved June against the wall. “What were you doing with that crystal, woman?”

  “It fell off the display and I caught it. If it hit the floor, it might have chipped or broken. I protected it.” Brutus looked at her in disbelief, sure she was working against him with his magical stones. He spit on the cobblestones in the alley then grabbed her hair and pulled it hard until he could see the pain on her face. When she screamed, he stopped pulling but didn’t let her go. He got in her face to let her know how furious he was.

  “I don’t trust those two apprentices. They’re nothing but trouble if you ask me,” he said in a low, dangerous voice. “Why did they want you to see them crystals anyway?” He met her eyes while he held her shoulders tight so she couldn’t look away. He would not tolerate any lies.

  “Because we planted and brought new life to the field. We got the water back, Brutus,” June explained calmly, pointing to the rain. “The boy remembered how to revive the land after he looked through one of the stones and he wanted to show it to me. You said it was okay. Remember? It’s a good omen.” Brutus spat again, then slapped her across the face with his large, burly hand. He wanted something different, not some … dumb … explanation.

  “Don’t make it okay,” he yelled, his rage growing. “We’ve got our system here. You do what I say, you understand?” He had fury in his eyes and threatened her again, but June stood tall and did not flinch. Brutus pushed her into the wall hard. “Your friend here gets it,” he said, pointing to Lissa who was standing quietly in the alley, trying to be unnoticed. “Kept her eyes averted the whole time just like I wanted. She didn’t go touching my things neither.” He pushed June into the wall. “But you, you handled something that didn’t belong to you. I decide what you can touch.” He looked hard at her once again to emphasize the point, but June averted her eyes, and stood just as Brutus had praised Lissa for doing. She didn’t react. Instead, she allowed her mind to swim in the message she’d received from the magical stone she caught.

  June felt a powerful shift deep inside herself. A pure white glowing spirit was expanding in her core. She felt the warmth flowing through her veins. She had not experienced this since … she’d never witnessed this feeling before. Even as he slapped her face, she knew Brutus could not dim this glimmering radiance and warmth that grew inside her now.

  Through her crystal-clear vision, she saw that each member of her community had been silenced by Wesley and Brutus. No one was protected because they all lived in fear. Sometimes, those two men mixed the magic together, and caused the sun to dim in the middle of the day, then laughed at the power they possessed. June was terrified by their lack of concern, and grateful Kai and Senna arrived.

  Brutus and Wesley acted like they were long-standing victims of circumstance, June realized. Had they acquired power over others by insisting life was uniquely unjust to them? She remembered the day she met Brutus. He told her stories of woe. She was sad for what he endured, and that sensitivity was the foundation of their friendship. She had suffered too and felt desperate to be needed. And boy, did he have needs. In her clarity she realized that trying to make things better left her vulnerable. He took advantage while she worked herself to the bone. Suddenly, she saw how dangerous it was to feel sorry for him. After all, he made his own decisions. His behavior was never her fault.

  “Standing there won’t get you nothing, woman,” Brutus warned dangerously. He pushed her hard into the stone wall again. She faced him and stood tall.

  “Are you disappointed we have water again?” June asked quietly. “Abundance is life, even for you.” He shot her an accusing glance, but she had turned away. He wondered what happened to her, and why she was behaving so strangely.

  “I can plant more tomorrow,” she offered. “The community will be well fed and strong.”

  The magical stone she’d caught was clear and smooth. It was a golden color the shape of a large teardrop. Deep in the center, it held the image of a solitary woman with her arms outstretched above her, standing beneath three moons. When June touched it, a vision filled her mind and she heard words inside her head, you are the guardian between generations. That is your sacred vow. You have our trust and love. The crystal showed her that her former desperation to be needed had been a choice. She could change. She realized some beliefs were contagions, as if germs had infected her mind. The crystal had cleansed her spirit and she saw her life and choices differently.

  Brutus stared at June. Why didn’t she react when he slapped her? The least she could do was apologize. This was all her fault. She was responsible for the rage in his chest and the flush he felt in his cheeks. But the woman he knew was no longer standing before him. He stared, bewildered.

  For two years, June’s sensitive and caring demeanor had provided Brutus a way to channel his feelings of anger, grief, and loss. Somehow, she expressed the sadness and hurt that he could not. And when he became angry and mean, she took responsibility for his outbursts, repaired whatever damage he caused, and apologized for his unkind words.

  That was how their dance began. Neither knew sorrow could be transferred between people like this. It had happened naturally, beyond their awareness. June absorbed the feelings of guilt, shame, and frustration. She believed he needed her care and empathy to feel better. It was their unspoken agreement.

  Over time the dance had twisted into a brutalizing jig. All grace was gone. Brutus blamed June for causing his own internal strife and believed she deserved to suffer. But June had seen the truth and simply stopped dancing. She remembered the sacred vow she’d taken long ago in her dreams.

  Touching that crystal changed everything. Brutus knew those magic stones were dangerous. But maybe, if one crystal had caused the change, another could turn her back. He thought about his trove of stolen treasure and wondered what to do.

  ***

  Manni brought Wesley back into a room. Kelne and Koryn were waiting.

  “Empty your pockets,” Koryn said. “Your crimes now include damaging the building. Wesley sat with a look of defiance on his face. He didn’t like where this was heading. His beasts had failed him and Joe had too. He hoped Brutus would provide backup soon. He turned out his pockets and this time there was nothing inside.

  “Explain,” Koryn said, his truth crystal out as a threat. He looked in Wesley’s eyes with disgust and the crystal flashed. Wesley couldn’t hide.

  “We were having problems, you know. Acquiring what needed to keep going. So, I decided to find something and add value to it. Contribute. Isn’t that what you want the people to do? Make the world better?” He looked at Koryn with defiance in his eyes. His expression held a stare of pure resentment.

  “Theft is a problem, don’t you think?” Kelne raised his eyebrows to emphasize the point. “You were having trouble. Tell me more.”

  “Nobody would listen,” Wesley said melodramatically. “I don’t know how I ended up with that group of losers. They needed leadership and clearly, I’m a leader. I decided that If we had something truly compelling, we could make more important things happen. I learned about the stones, those power crystals.”

 

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