For anyone who read part 18 before the 6th, I went back and added a little more, so you might want to read the last part of chapter 18 before you go on to part 19.
The Crystal Demon: 19/?
by Nancy Smith and Linda Garrick
XX
Julia Austell was worried. Four days had passed since Alan and Jeel had departed in search of the Lemke, and Miki had eaten the last of his hoarded supply that noon. Already, the light was beginning to fade, and the wind blew fiercely. Julia hoped desperately that the rain would hold off until Alan and Jeel got back.
The stunted trees swayed in the wind. Mark was out somewhere, hunting. Lyn had departed in search of firewood, and Julia had been fishing. She had caught two small, eel-like creatures and her fishing rod was again propped between two rocks with the baited hairpin dangling invitingly in the water. Miki was asleep, his small body curled into a tight ball beneath the cliff overhang. He looked pale, and his closed eyes were dark smudges against his face. During the last two days he had slept far more than usual. Julia sighed. If Alan and Jeel didn't come back soon, it would be too late.
There was a footstep behind her and Julia turned to see Lyn Parnell slide down the rocky embankment, a load of brushwood and dry cones in her arms.
"Hi," Julia said, reservedly.
"Hi." The other girl's voice also sounded reserved. "Catch anything?"
"Two. They don't seem to be biting as well as usual."
"Maybe they're getting wise to us." Lyn looked down at the creatures. "Yuk! Creepy looking things. You're sure they're all right to eat?"
"The taster says so." Julia sighed and glanced toward her motionless fishing pole. "I hope Mark brings something or it's going to be a slim meal tonight."
Lyn dropped the wood and patted her hips experimentally. "If nothing else, this trip has been good for my figure. My pants are getting looser by the day."
Julia glanced at the smaller girl's short but very attractive form. Lyn was not as slender as she, but her figure was one that was certain to bring admiring glances from the male of the species. She'd seen Mark watching Lyn several times with a glint in his eye that she recognized.
"What's the matter?" she inquired a little acidly. "Didn't the places you and your father were stationed have any health and figure spas?"
Lyn's expression froze. She turned quickly back toward the underbrush. "I'll go find some more firewood."
Julia felt a stab of remorse. "Lyn --"
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry."
Lyn turned back with a philosophical shrug. "You're right, of course. I was a pampered brat. I admit it."
Julia found herself smiling. "So was I."
Her eyes widened. "Pampered! But you're an Undergrounder!"
"My mom and dad were Undergrounders, but I didn't know anything about it until the Viceroy ordered my family executed."
"But I thought -- the newscasts said --"
"That the whole family was involved. I know. That's what the Jils wanted everyone to think."
"How did you get away, though, and how did you manage to kill *two* Jilectans?"
"I wasn't at the Embassy when it happened. I was out on a date with Alan."
"Alan asked you out?" Lyn looked surprised.
"Yes, but I didn't know who he was at the time. He was on a mission for the Underground, and he was disguised. He had a premonition that I was in danger and asked me to go out with him. He saved my life when he did that, although I didn't realize it until much later."
"And the Jilectans?"
"That happened while I was trying to get away. Alan brought me home by a side entrance, or I would have been caught and captured anyway. I found out what had happened and ran for my life. The Jils were tracking me, and I ran into them while I was trying to get away from the Embassy."
"But Jilectans are so fast --"
"I saw them before they saw me. That's the only way I could do it."
"Oh." Lyn was silent, bending down to arrange the wood neatly on the rocks. Julia watched her, trying to recall her anger of four days ago. Lyn had changed, she thought. She had been surprisingly helpful and quick to learn, in spite of her pampered upbringing. Mark obviously enjoyed her company and had been instructing her in the use of a blaster and once or twice in the rudiments of self-defense. Clearly, he found her attractive. Julia's lips tightened. Mark liked women, and without doubt Lyn would fall prey to his charms as easily as all the other women on the Lavirra base.
Lyn looked up at her, a half-smile on her lips. "Mark likes me because he thinks I'm cute, Julia. It has nothing to do with the way he feels about you."
Julia felt her face burning. "What *do* you mean?"
Lyn looked suddenly confused. "Nothing. I thought, maybe -- I'm sorry if I --" Her voice trailed off and Julia saw that she, too, had turned red. Quickly, she turned away, patting nervously at her hair. "What do you suppose is keeping Alan so long?"
"I don't know." Julia did a quick check of her mind shields, finding them up tight. How had Lyn read her mind so easily? Had she let her shields relax, or was it just that, like Alan, she was a strong empath who could sometimes pick up strong emotions unconsciously, even through shielding?
Lyn sneaked a glance at her, looking worried. "I'm sorry. I've insulted you, and I didn't mean to. I -- well -- I was under the impression that you and Mark cared for each other, and --"
"That's ridiculous!" Julia snapped. "To tell you the truth, I can hardly stand the man!"
Lyn didn't reply, but Julia caught the expression on her face. Lyn was an empath all right, and she could sense a lie without half-trying. Again Julia felt herself reddening. "All right, maybe there was something between us once, but that's all over now."
"Oh," Lyn said. She smiled. "I'm sorry. He's very handsome, isn't he? I can understand your feelings. Is he seeing someone else, now?"
"No one in particular," Julia said woodenly. "Mark plays the field a lot."
Lyn's lips twitched. "I thought that might be the way it was."
Lightning flashed and there was a deafening crash of thunder. Lyn glanced quickly at Miki and Julia followed her glance, but the little alien slept on, undisturbed. I began to rain, the drops pattering lightly on the rocks outside their shelter. Another flash came, and another peal of thunder. The rain came down harder.
Lyn was peering out into the storm. "I wish Mark would come back. He's been gone an awfully long time, hasn't he?"
"Not really." Julia felt a little pang of fear. When psychics became worried, their non-psychic friends also became worried if they had any sense. "Why? You know what a terrible hunter he is. Why should he come back early today when he hasn't for the last three?"
Lyn shifted from one foot to the other. "I just wish he'd come back."
"Is something bothering you?" she asked, taking a step toward the other girl. "Are you having a premonition?"
"What? Oh, no, nothing like that. I'm not trained, remember?"
"That doesn't matter. Psychics use their abilities even if they're not trained. Alan did it for years before he even realized he was a psychic."
"Oh," Lyn said. She swallowed. "I don't know. I feel a little funny, but --"
"Terrific." Julia bit her lip. "Have you ever felt this way before?"
"Once or twice. I --- I felt this way a few days ago, when Mark was bringing me to Kasal, to be exchanged for that globe thing."
Julia stared at the knapsack lying on the ground beside them where the object was concealed. "How long before you arrived were you feeling that way?"
"From the time we started."
"Hmm. That's a long trip, too -- about twelve hours."
"So?"
"That means you could be a long-range precog. Alan's short range. He usually gets a warning a few seconds up to a few minutes before something happens, although he gets occasional flashes far in advance. It's not something he has conscious control over, though." She surveyed Lyn thoughtfully. "I know a couple of psychics who have long-range precognition. It's the rarest kind. They can sense things hours, even days, before they happen."
"And you think I --" Lyn stopped.
"Maybe. When was the other time you mentioned?"
"Oh, that was years ago, right before my mother had the accident that killed her." Lyn hesitated. "I knew she shouldn't have gone shopping that day. It was raining, and --" Again she stopped, meeting Julia's eyes squarely. "How did I get my abilities, Julia? They're inherited, aren't they?"
"Yes. One of your parents was certainly a psychic, and since it couldn't have been your father, it must have been your mother."
Lyn was silent, her brow furrowed in thought. At last she spoke. "Is it possible that they were both psychics?"
"Your father's a Patrol Base Commander. He's much too big. Psychics are all small. Besides, the Jils would have sensed him when he enlisted. They do a mind probe on all new recruits."
"They didn't spot me."
"You taught yourself shielding. Besides, Jils normally have to be looking for a psychic before they can spot him. If you never did anything to draw yourself to their attention, they probably wouldn't have noticed."
"I suppose so." Lyn's voice trailed off.
"How well do you remember your mother?" Julia asked.
"Pretty well. I was seven when she died."
"How big was she? Do you remember?"
Lyn shook her head. "All grownups seem big to their children, but Mother must have been very small. I've looked at her clothes and they're all size ones, the same as mine."
"You mean your dad kept some of your mother's clothes?"
"He kept all of them," Lyn said. "In fact, he kept everything of hers -- all her jewelry and her collection of souvenir dolls -- everything. He kept them in his quarters when they were aboard ships, too. He couldn't bear to part with them." Lyn smiled sadly. "He took some ribbing from his fellow officers about it, but he didn't care. He loved her an awful lot. He went into a terrible depression after she was killed. I think that if it hadn't been for me, he would have killed himself. He stayed with me almost constantly, for months, not talking, but just sitting, holding me in his lap and staring at the wall. And late at night, when he thought I was asleep, I'd hear him crying. It would go on for hours." Lyn looked away. "Those were terrible years. I got over her death eventually, but I don't think he ever did -- not completely, anyway."
A suspicion was growing in Julia's mind. Parnell's reaction to his wife's death was too similar to the reaction of a psychic who had lost a partner. "Lyn, why did you ask me before if it was possible that your father was a psychic?"
Lyn hesitated. "I was with him when Mother had the accident. He screamed -- really screamed, apparently right at the second it occurred. He knew something had happened."
"Oh." Julia's suspicion was confirmed.
"He shouted her name," Lyn continued. "Then he turned us around and headed straight for the accident scene, even though he hadn't even known Mom had gone out. How the dickens could he have known if she hadn't called him telepathically?"
"Your mother -- was she killed immediately?"
"No." Lyn was watching her, obviously sensing something. "She was in a coma for three days. She never woke up. Dad stayed with her the whole time." A pause. "Do you know what happened, Julia? You do, don't you? *Was* my father a psychic?"
Julia shook her head. "No, but I think he was probably a very special person in a different sort of way."
"What do you mean?"
Julia considered, then shook her head. "I can't tell you more until we're safe. It's a guarded secret of the Underground, and if the Jils learned of it, our advantage would be lost. Your shielding just isn't good enough yet to hold out under a direct mind probe. You can't tell what you don't know."
"And you're afraid I might tell to save my life," Lyn said.
Julia opened her mouth to protest, then stopped. Lyn sighed. "It's okay. You don't trust me; why should you? I've hardly done anything yet to merit your confidence. But I want to join the Underground. Will they take me?"
Julia scowled at the rock floor beside her, angry with both herself and Lyn. "They'll take you. They take all psychics."
Mark crashed through the encircling foliage, skidded down the embankment and ducked beneath their shelter, spluttering and soaked to the skin. Miki sat up with a start, saw who it was and relaxed, rubbing his eyes.
Mark wiped his face and cussed. "Man, what a downpour!" He stomped over to the women and dropped his prizes at their feet. Two animals -- very small animals, Julia thought disgustedly.
Mark scowled at her. "What th'devil's wrong with you? Maybe you'd like to go out yourself next time, sweetheart. It ain't all that easy t'find game on this planet, y'know."
"Try falling into another bramble bush!" Julia snapped in return.
Miki stifled a laugh and Mark turned to glower at him. "What th'hell are you laughin' at, peewee? You don't even know what she's talkin' about!"
"Sorry, Mark." Miki's voice quivered with his attempt to restrain his laughter.
Suddenly Julia understood. "He knows, all right, Major. He must have seen!" She began to laugh, too. "The whole bunch of them must have seen the whole thing!"
Mark continued to glower at the little alien. "*Did* you?"
"Sorry, Mark," the Shirva repeated. He dissolved suddenly into mirth. "It was awful damn funny!" he choked out.
Mark cussed.
"It was a good thing, though," Miki continued, between giggles. "My tribe was wantin' awful bad to kill you, even though I'm tellin' them you's not 'trols. But then you finds them dead guys, an' Alan runs into you, an you falls in the bushes ..." He nearly choked as he struggled to control himself. "An' after that my folks decided you couldn't be too dangerous."
Julia giggled, not looking at Mark but enjoying his discomfiture. "I guess you decided that anyone that clumsy couldn't be much of a threat, huh?"
"Damn right," Miki said. He grinned at Mark.
"What on Earth are you talking about?" Lyn asked.
"Nothin'," Mark said. He winked at her. "I like your hair. Whatcha done to it?"
Lyn's lips twitched. "I just brushed it well."
Julia turned away, feeling sheer jealousy well up and trying not to mind. Lyn had gone pink, obviously enjoying Mark's admiration. Damn him! Damn both of them!
She heard Mark rub his hands briskly. "Damn, but it's getting' cold. Can't we light a fire?"
"Sure," Lyn said, glancing worriedly at Julia. She began to arrange the assembled wood on the rocks. As she drew her hands back, Miki knelt beside her, concentrating on the wood. The wood began to smoke after a moment, but no flame rewarded his efforts. Julia saw Lyn look at the native sharply. Ten more seconds went by and still the wood smoked without flame.
"Miki, stop!" Lyn said sharply.
Miki didn't obey. He continued to concentrate, his face pale in the dim light. Lyn grabbed his shoulders, shaking him a little. "I said stop!"
"Knock it off, Mik!" Mark snapped.
Miki obeyed abruptly, slumping forward and resting his forehead on his knees. Lyn looked up at the two non-psychics, her face white. Her lips formed the words "He's sick."
Julia subdued a stab of fear. Lyn was afraid for the Shirva. Miki must be in danger. Lyn was an empath, and must be sensing his deteriorating condition. She knelt beside him, wrapping an arm around his bowed shoulders. "Miki, is there anything we can do?"
Miki shook his head and heaved a deep sigh. "I'm okay." The words were muffled. "Sorry about the fire."
"T'hell with the fire!" Mark snapped. "You take it easy from now on, Mik. Got it?"
"Yes," the Shirva muttered. He lifted his face and produced a smile. "I have got it."
Linley drew his blaster, adjusted it and pressed the trigger. A dull beam emerged and an instant later the damp wood burst into flame.
They ate dinner, huddled around the tiny blaze. The rain pelted down, but otherwise the woods were silent. Julia pulled her blanket around her and closed her eyes.
**********
tbc
