The Way Back (Champions of the Crystal Book 4)

Chapter 9: Victory's Sacrifice

"Father," Ford said, running over to Tirqwin and helping him to his feet. "Come on, let's get clear and let Mother work."

"She is back," Tirqwin said, with a groggy smile.

"With a vengeance," Sabrina assured him.

"Varla is very strong," Tirqwin said, after a moment. "We should help Mara somehow."

"Do you have the link back?" Sabrina asked.

"Yes, but she has it blocked at her end. Just a normal block. I could override it if I needed to, but it might distract her. She did it to protect me."

Sabrina smiled, then gasped.

"What?" Tirqwin and Ford demanded in perfect unison.

"The phase shift machine! We have to destroy it before Varla can take us back out of phase! Come on!"

Tirqwin hesitated. "Niavar, you stay here in case your mother needs assistance. I'll go with Sabrina."

"Father, you don't understand, I know where—"

"Stay here!" Tirqwin repeated, following Sabrina from the room. Ford hesitated, then ran after them.

"Father, wait!" he shouted.

"Niavar!" Tirqwin said angrily. "Go back!"

"Father, no. The machine is down with the creature, I've seen it. Aurora's down there."

"How do you know that?" Sabrina asked.

"I felt her in the creature's mind. She's there, with Scotty. She used him as her anchor. Father, you need to stay here with Mother. You can do more for her than I can. Let me go. I know the way."

"So do I!" Sabrina protested.

Ford gave her a skeptical look. "As you knew your way around that town where we met Scotty?"

Sabrina drew breath for a hot retort, then realized that he was right. She probably didn't accurately remember the way. "Well, I'm going with you, anyway!"

Tirqwin looked at both of them and reluctantly nodded. "Very well. But be careful!"

"Don't worry!" Sabrina called over her shoulder as she ran after Ford.

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Scotty looked at the complicated machine dubiously. He'd already discovered that Ilyanan's blaster was drained and useless, and he didn't know how he could possibly destroy the thing. But it had to be done, somehow.

He looked in the direction Aurora had gone. She was moving so slowly. He wanted her safely away before he tried anything, but he didn't know how long they had before the creature recovered enough to power another phase shift.

In his various training and survival courses, he'd learned to use whatever was at hand. He looked around the cavern. "Rocks. More rocks. And even more rocks," he said wryly. "And crystal, but I'm not touchin' that with a ten foot pole! So, rocks, then."

He began looking for a suitably sized one.

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"What did you mean when you said Aurora used Scotty as her anchor?" Sabrina asked as she pelted after Ford. They were down in the tunnels already; he obviously knew his way around the palace far better than she did.

"Aurora and Lndor and I were all in the creature's mind, to varying degrees. Lndor was nearly swallowed up by it. Aurora was last in, and she had Scotty with her to keep her self-aware. It was when she joined in that we were at last able to achieve something. Poor Lndor didn't have enough of himself left to be much help to me."