Shadows of the Dark Crystal (20 page)

“I see what you mean, Chamberlain,” skekTek was saying. “Yes, now I see . . . Perhaps the essence of one-and-one Gelfling can revive . . . what we've lost since the separation . . . But how to get the other one here? The twin?”

The Chamberlain let out a giddy hum of anticipation.

“skekSo has plan, and skekSil puts it in action. skekTek just has to wait. Twin will come, yes.”

“Then we drain them both. Drink them up. Oh yes, yes.”

skekTek chortled, his footsteps echoing as he approached the back of Gurjin's chair. Roughly, he plucked Gurjin from the chair. Gurjin struggled once he was free, but there was no use fighting the unforgiving metal of skekTek's arm. The Scientist held the Drenchen soldier aloft as if he were a wild animal, casting about the crowded room until he gave a sharp chortle of success when he spotted a wood crate with a metal latch.

“Let go of me!” Gurjin shouted, kicking when skekTek's beak was almost in range. His heel bounced off the lord's snout, winning an annoyed hiss. skekTek threw his captive into the crate and as the darkness crowded in, violent panic struck Gurjin, and he fought with what life he had left in him, grabbing the mouth of the crate and screaming. The Chamberlain screamed, too, and together the two Skeksis shoved Gurjin in, slamming the top of the crate shut.

The last thing Naia heard within the dreamfast was the clink of the heavy latch, locking her brother in darkness.

W
hen the dreamfast ended, Naia felt her cheeks wet with tears. She didn't know how much time had passed, but at that moment, she didn't care. Miserably, she grabbed Gurjin's tunic front.

“I'm sorry,” she said. “I'm so sorry.”

He hugged her and kissed her cheek, though she could feel in his embrace that he was shaking, barely able to stay standing.

“Then this is the best I can do for you,” he said. “Find Rian and go to the All-Maudra. I will only slow you down. If it's my fate to fall in these woods, then I'd rather do it as a hero than a burden.”

“No,” Naia said. She shook him, then ducked within the walls of their hiding place when a huge crash exploded very near, so near that dirt and bugs fell from the ceiling of the old rotting tree trunk. They scattered when another blow destroyed the tree, all three separated in the dark of the wood and clouds of dirt and bark. Then it was quiet. skekMal had vanished.

Naia scrambled on all fours until her back was to the trunk of a tree. She searched for Gurjin, for Kylan, but she couldn't find them in the chaos of the wood. Heart racing, she inched around the tree, eyes darting back and forth, trying to find the beast that
hunted them. If she could find him, if she could stop him—or if she could at least find Gurjin and Kylan, maybe they could escape.

Naia turned, fear snuffed with numbness, when she smelled familiar breath. Behind her, close enough that she could see the pink and red veins in the whites of his eyes, was skekMal the Hunter, eyes alight from within his terrible mask of bone.

Closer than ever before, now brimming with excitement from the chase, skekMal spread his arms and gaped with his toothy maw. For an instant, the rain subsided, and as if for the first time in many days, the clouds thinned enough that two of the Sisters were nearly visible in the sky. Their light fell upon skekMal in a blanket of eerie blue, and he turned his head so the eyeholes of his mask were filled with shadows.

“Gelfling twins, all mine!” skekMal cried, and lunged, but his claws only scraped chunks of bark from the tree behind which Naia had been hiding. Naia rolled, dragging her hands through the wet muddy brush in the hopes of finding a rock or a stick—anything she could use as a weapon.

“Hey, you!”

Kylan, on the other side of skekMal, waved his arms before bolting in the other direction. His motion caught skekMal's attention, but Naia's fingers had finally found a hefty stone and she threw it, cracking it against the side of skekMal's temple. Quick as a whip, he turned his hollow mask on her, and she found another rock. She held it ready as skekMal lumbered toward her in his terrible black cloak.

“All Gelfling brought to castle supposed to be saved for
Emperor skekSo,” skekMal said. “But skekMal found ways. So gets
vliya
from Gelfling that come to castle . . . But maybe not all Gelfling
get
to castle. Hmm!
Ha!
One for Emperor? One for skekMal . . . and tonight,
one and one
.”

He grinned, sharp uneven teeth glinting in the moonlight, as if he expected Naia to commend him for his cleverness. He took a step forward and she backed away, keeping distance between them, but also leading him farther from Kylan. If only one of them escaped alive, it would be enough. Naia didn't want to die, not here in this awful forest, but she had to think beyond her own life right now. If she could buy Kylan time—and where was Gurjin?

“How many of us have you . . . have you taken?” she asked. “How long have the Skeksis been betraying us? How long have they been feeding us lies, and then . . . then feeding
on
our people?”

skekMal tilted his head, then followed the motion with a dizzying sidle as he began to circle her, rolling his neck at the shoulders and fixing her with those awful ravenous eyes.

“Crystal cracked,” he said. He shrugged, as if they were having nothing but a casual conversation. Soft-talk over dinner, more like, but one of them was intent on eating the other. “An accident. Skeksis taking care of it, taking care of Gelfling. How's Skeksis to protect little Gelfling when Crystal cracked? When growing old? Growing weak? Little sacrifices. Is payment. Is Gelfling
purpose
.”

It was a remorseless sentiment. The thought of skekMal slurping down her life essence like a goblet of banquet wine made Naia sick.

No
, she thought.
I refuse.

Summoning her courage, she let out a battle cry and charged. When he reached to snag her in a claw, she leaped, landing nimbly on his wrist and running up his outstretched arm. He shrieked and clawed at her with his three other hands, but she was already to his shoulder, and then his back, and she brought her stone down on the prickly dome of his skull with both hands. The blow transformed his piercing cries into a sudden ribbed wail, and he clutched after her as she brought the stone down a second time. The mask on his face cracked further, splintering into three jagged pieces, and she caught one shard before it fell, flipping it in her free hand like a knife. skekMal tore the remaining pieces from his face before they cut him, sharp edges slicing into the skin around his cheek—and that was the opening where Naia aimed, preparing to drive enough force through her attack that it might pierce straight through the Skeksis's hand and into his vulnerable eye.

As she brought the bone shard back and drew in a breath, a gust of wind blew the last of the thinning clouds from the sky. Vivid moonlight dawned upon them, and her eyes locked on a fresh scar that had been etched into the Hunter's tough, scaled hand. There was no mistaking it, even in the dark, even with her heart beating her blood in a feverish race to survival. In the distinct shape of an X was a mark that exactly resembled the wound urVa had suffered in breaking free of the Cradle-Tree's curse.

The sight of it confounded Naia, and it was her undoing. She had counted three arms when she'd calculated the opening, but she'd lost track of the fourth until he snagged her from behind,
little pinching fingers almost Gelfling-size as they wrapped around her neck. She pounded at the little black hand with the stone, and skekMal roared, snatching her up with one of his larger claws, this one big enough to clutch her neck as well as her shoulders and the tops of her wings. She dropped the rock and made to cut him with the shard, but he caught her wrist and held her arm immobile where she'd raised it.

“Why do you have that scar?” she asked.

“Halfies, halfsies, half and half and halfsies,” skekMal chanted, cracking his beak with a wicked
SNAP
between each word, spraying droplets of hungry saliva. She struggled against his grip, but it was like iron. She didn't know where Kylan was and could only hope he had escaped. skekMal craned his head up toward her and let out a long eager wheeze, the scent of Gelfling on his breath threatening to send her unconscious in repulsion. “When single shines the triple sun. Halfsies, halfsies, halfsies—”

“One.”

The word was so small, yet when it came through Naia's lips, it brought skekMal to a shuddering silence. Even Naia felt chills, though she didn't completely understand it—all she could think of were urVa's words:

For every one there is another . . .

“Not one,” skekMal said, angling his head away and eyeing her suspiciously. His grip tightened and he shook her. “
Not
one. skekMal, my own. Just this. Not one!”

“You're connected,” she gasped. “For every one there is another—you're connected to urVa . . . You are one . . . with
him?
”

The world heaved as skekMal screamed, throwing his hands in the air and taking Naia with them. He held her above, craning his head back, terrible jaws spread so wide in hysterical wailing that she could see down his pink and purple throat. She gripped the bone shard in her hand, trying not to lose her fight despite knowing in seconds she would be plunged into that toothy maw—she would fight until the end, she would, cutting him open from the inside if she had to.

“NOT ONE WITH NOTHING!”

A spray of spittle and a gnash of teeth exploded as something crashed into skekMal's face. He dropped Naia, and she rolled to her feet, stunned, trying to regain her balance. Before her, skekMal thrashed, clutching his face with two of his hands as his screams became frenetic gurgles. Behind him was Kylan, still frozen in post-throw position after loosing the
bola
that had struck skekMal straight between the eyes.

For a moment, Naia's body charged with fire, and she readied to attack while she had a chance—but then she thought of the scar on the Skeksis's hand, the scar he shared with urVa by whatever mysterious link connected them. What would happen to urVa if she drove the bone shard into skekMal's exposed torso? What if it reached his ugly heart and killed him? She couldn't bear the thought, and so, when she finally found Gurjin pulling himself to his feet nearby, she ran to him and helped him up.

“Run,” she said, and Kylan joined them. “Let's run. Let's get out of here.”

So they ran, Naia helping her brother, and Kylan dashing
ahead, leading the way. Naia could only hope his sense of direction was true enough to guide them to the river; after being chased by the Hunter and with the storm clouds still thick above, she had no idea where they were or which way the Black River lay. The only thing she knew was that skekMal was behind them, and they were fleeing as quickly as they were able.

skekMal's distant screams stopped, leaving a swell of silence.

“He's coming,” Gurjin said. “I told you . . . we can't outrun him. If he has prey, he will chase it.”

Naia wanted to resist the idea. She wanted to believe the Black River was just ahead, that any moment they would reach the Landstrider and ride it to safety. skekMal was fast, but surely the Landstrider's long legs were faster. But the heavy crashes of raging footsteps came from behind, growing nearer. skekMal was on their trail, and though he was disoriented and wounded, Naia had neglected the opportunity she'd had to finish him off. Now they were paying the price. She hoped it was worth it.

“If only we could distract him somehow,” Kylan panted. “It's still a ways. I don't know if we can make it!”

“We have to,” Naia said. “If we don't, there'll be no one to tell the All-Maudra—no one to warn the others!”

She nearly lost her footing when Gurjin suddenly pushed away from her. The haze that had been heavy upon him was nearly lifted, though she knew it would be many days before he was back to his old self—if ever. Even so, when he fixed her with a steady gaze, she knew what he was going to say.

“Gurjin, no—”

“I can't run. I'm slowing you down. Even if I survived, I'd never be cured. The Skeksis—they won't be able to find you, if you can just reach Stone-in-the-Wood.”

Naia grabbed her brother's hand and tugged, but he would advance no farther. Kylan stopped ahead, waiting, though she could see every muscle in his body wound tight. skekMal's labored grunts and screeches were drawing closer—even with his injury, he would find them soon enough.

“Gurjin, stop it. We're getting out of here together. Together or not at all!”

“I'll be with you,” he said. “When we dreamfasted—I showed you everything I know. More than what you saw . . . you'll see it, someday. When you need me. I'll be with you. Find Rian. He has the vial—he has the proof.”

Naia shook her head, grasped his hand and then his sleeve when he turned away, heading toward the oncoming sounds of skekMal's rampage.

“Run and live,” he said. He gave a last glance back. “For both of us now.”

The shadow that was skekMal erupted from the wood, sending a flurry of smaller trees crackling and flying every which way. Kylan grabbed Naia, and they leaped into the brush, rolling and tumbling out of sight.

“
GELFLING!
” skekMal cried.
“WHERE THE ONE WITH WINGS?”

Naia felt tears streaming down her cheeks as Kylan pressed his hand over her mouth to keep her cries from being heard.
He apologized to her, over and over, silently and in dreamfast. She heard Gurjin's voice—he coughed, then chuckled wryly. Controlling herself despite her panic and grief at what Gurjin was about to do, she peered through the nettles. Gurjin stood before skekMal, back straight, moving slowly away from where she and Kylan were hidden.

“Gone,” he said. “Gone far from here, and you'll never catch her.”

“Lies,” skekMal growled. He crouched down, following the Drenchen, leaning on his front two arms, spiny hackles on the mantle of his cloak rising like quills. “It lies. skekMal smells 'em, closer. Closer. What says Gelfling if skekMal snatches it up and eats it here? Gelfling wings comes fluttering out to save it!”

“Better not,” Gurjin muttered, shifting his stance. “Rather, Gelfling wings fly her to Ha'rar and tell the All-Maudra about all of this. See how many Gelfling skekMal smells then, eh? Without Gelfling essence? How quickly will skekMal shrivel up and die?”

skekMal let out a bloodcurdling cry and swung a claw, striking Gurjin with the force of a falling tree and knocking him into the air. He struck the hard trunk of a tower-tree and then fell, face forward into the leaves and dirt, and did not move. skekMal admired his handiwork only a moment longer before snarling an uneven laugh. Just as Naia thought Gurjin had met his end, he stirred. Climbing to his feet, he gave another laugh.

“skekMal kills this one, then it kills the others,” skekMal snarled.

“She is already gone. You can't stop her now.”

The words were loving, resolved. As much as Naia couldn't stand to leave him, she knew that if she stayed, his sacrifice would mean nothing. No one would know of the Skeksis' betrayal if their journey ended here. No one would know that the Crystal was broken, bleeding its despair into the veins that reached every part of the realm of Thra. Her heart broke with the knowing of what she had to do.