Beneath the Dark Crystal

Chapter 4

Aughra hums, taking Kensho by the chin and examining the scar on his face. Kensho stares down at the chair Aughra sat him down in with curiosity.

"What's it do, hm? That's what you're thinking! Lenses and levers and mirrors of moonmelt! Huh!"

Aughra prepares the large chair that Kensho sits on. It is supposed to carry the Crystal's light and heal any scars or sickness a person has. As Thurma wanders around Aughra's laboratory curiously, Mavra stays by Kensho's side. "Are you sure the Crystal's light will work?" She asks. Aughra huffs and nods. "Of course! Crystal heals all! Hmph! Just have to be willing to take it."

Kensho shakes his head and starts to pull at his white braids nervously. "I-I'm sorry to say, Madam Sage, but it won't work." Aughra stares at Kensho's burned hand, glancing up at him.

"All these other scars, that what you mean, gelfling? Hm! Tried to heal them before, have you?" Aughra questions.

Thurma walks back over to the three of them, asking, "How did you get them, Kensho?"

Kensho frowns and looks away in slight shame. "I-It was the ... the blight. It came for my clan. First, the crops failed. The herds died. And then ... the shadow-fingers. The Elders thought they could burn off the fruits, stop the spread. A-And for me it worked! The fire saved me! But ... the rest?" Kensho takes in a deep breath, glancing at Mavra, then Thurma. "In the end, we came to the castle. I mean, what else could we do? But they said our offerings weren't enough. Not if we all wanted to feel the Crystal's light. S-So ... I became the Castle's indentured servant in return to save my clan. So, now I have a large debt to pay off to the Crystal."

Mavra crosses her arms and looks away, not wanting to say anything controversial. He really shouldn't need to offer the Crystal anything. It's the light of our Land. Besides, stuffing it with offerings really weighs down on it, Mavra silently thinks. Aughra frowns, staring at Kensho in sympathy. "Hmm. Those scars, they're part of you, gelfling! Why would the Crystal fix what makes you you? Hm?" Aughra says smartly.

Kensho sighs in irritation. "Y-You don't understand. The Crystal can't help my hand either! Because ... I have no offering to give," Kensho says, eyeing his hand.

Thurma's ears flattened on her head. She felt even worse for giving him that scar. Mavra grips his shoulder softly, making him look up at her. "Hey, if you really want my opinion on the whole offering ritual, I think it's a load of bogus. The Crystal shines on everyone. Good, bad, kind, cruel. Whether you have an offering or not." Kensho feels his cheeks heat up from her kind words.

Aughra smiles, her arms crossed. She nods in agreement with Mavra's wise words. "Right you are, gelfling," Aughra says turning to Kensho, "You're not in debt. Never were."

Kensho nods slowly, letting the Crystal's light from the chair work its magic on his wound. Aughra glances at Thurma. "Now. Tell me everything, Girl of Fire."

Thurma nods and keeps close to Mavra, still talking to Aughra. "There's a place. A place that was happy ... once. W-When I was tiny, I used to hear plasmii singing in the flarefall. I used to chase the schekta fry, steaming in the lava basins," Thurma reminisced, smiling sadly, but that smile doesn't stay for long. "Well. The lava's rock now. The schekta are frozen and gray. A-And the plasmii ... they scream instead of sing. The world inside Thra is dying. The Mother-Sun turns cold and dark and... and as it dies? We die."

Thurma stares down at her feet, remembering her Elders, her home. The thought of losing everyone and everything she loves scares her. Mavra's ears twist back sadly. She can't imagine all the pressure she has, especially considering how young she is. "The Ember Queens, my own mother ... they gave me almost all their strength so I could survive in this cold world. So I could blaze a trail here."