Waymakers (Champions of the Crystal Book 9)

Chapter 1: Surprises

Sabrina Devon zu Tassan, the Earth-born Princess of Bathir, and Seuréa nar Miahn, Inheritor of the Great Crystal of Miah, sat in their favorite corner of the sunken garden behind the Palace at Bathir, sheltered from the sun by a trellis covered in climbing roses. It was so beautiful that sometimes Sabrina forgot the secluded garden had been made from the blast crater created during the Kyan invasion five years ago. It was now a beautiful showcase for her Earth roses and drew crowds of curious visitors on days the grounds were open to the public.

Today was not one of those days, so Sabrina had chosen it for her tutoring session with Seuréa, her sister-in-law by marriage, cousin through Sabrina's adoption by Seuréa's great-uncle Rayland, and foster daughter after the disappearance of her parents during the invasion. Nearby, they could hear the flock of children living with them playing a game involving a lot of running and shrieking: Sabrina's daughter Lily; her brother Scotty's children Ray, Ryan, and Annamarie; and her assistant Ranja Cadolar's children Corbin and Neralla, royal wards since their father's death and mother's coma, the result of injuries during the invasion. Though there was a fairly wide age range in the group, of which Lily was the youngest at five, Sabrina wasn't concerned. Nurse Asdis was keeping watch.

Niavar, Prince of Bathir, familiarly known as Ford, often joked they were running a youth hostel, but Sabrina enjoyed having the children with them. She'd hoped for more children herself, but Ford was not past his fear that Lily's traumatic birth would repeat itself. So she settled for having her brother's children part time while their mother Aurora, Chief Attendant to the missing Guardian, divided her time between Bathir and her home at Tythir, and taking care of Lily, Seuréa, Corbin, and Neralla full-time.

"What do you see?" Sabrina murmured, focusing on Seuréa and their mutual connection to the Great Crystal. Seuréa had been born to it, but Sabrina was still finding her way, having stumbled into a role Miah herself had left programmed into the Crystal in case their ancient enemies ever returned. Why that plan had activated and why it was changing her genetic code was still being debated, though the most accepted theory was that the Kyan were somehow related to the Trsai Miah had defeated millennia ago and Sabrina was being designed to help repel them.

They were working on Seuréa's awareness of Praxatillus' solar system. Their earliest exercises had been devoted to nudging the debris in orbit into chunks large enough to be retrieved by the cleanup drones, since repairing and replacing the satellite networks and making it safe for ships to enter orbit had been a priority. Now they were able to precisely manipulate things as far out as Deltarr, the next planet out from the star Praxera. Seuréa had tried reaching farther, seeking her mother, when they began, despite Sabrina explaining that Mara was likely much too far away to reliably get a fix on. As time passed, she became more disciplined and focused on what they were supposed to be doing.

"I want to focus inward, not outward," Seuréa said suddenly. "There's so much life here in this garden. Not just the children and Nurse Asdis, but all the insects. Even the plants. The fish and eels in the lake. The trees. So much life everywhere. Space is boring."

Sabrina stifled a sigh. Seuréa had shown a determined interest in healing, finding ways to mine Sabrina's childhood friend Dr. Cynthia Grayson's medical knowledge despite that not being part of her approved curriculum. After her attempt to help with Lily's birth had nearly killed Sabrina, no one was anxious for her to try more in that area.

"I have to learn," Seuréa said. "It's part of the Guardian's work. How many times did Mother heal your injuries? And I'm getting better. I fixed Snowball's paw the other day, and Cynthia said I did it perfectly."

There were so many people hurt in the invasion still waiting for a miracle, Sabrina reflected, Ranja among them. They knew Maratobia, the Guardian of the Great Crystal of Miah, was alive, but there was no guarantee she would ever be able to return from wherever the Homeworld/Praxatillus fleet had been thrown by the enormous Way the Kyan had unleashed to swallow the planet whole. Maybe it was time to let Seuréa learn enough to try, Sabrina thought.