Beneath the Dark Crystal

Chapter 5

Mavra's eyes slowly open, looking around desperately at the blur of colors and smoke. A sharp ringing in her ear broke the cries of her people running around the mist. She suddenly sees a large, warm light in front of her, a Crystal shard in the light's hand. Her vision finally focuses, realizing that warm light is Thurma.

Thurma sighs in relief and gestures for Mavra to stand up. "Mavra, are you okay?!" She asked worriedly.

Mavra winces as she forces her body to sit up. She leans on the castle's wall while taking in a couple of deep breaths, trying to bring back her strength. "Y ... Yes. I'm f-fine ... ah ... just a little ... d-dizzy," She slurs out, rubbing her head tenderly.

Thurma frowns and looks behind her, catching sight of the skeksis. "We need to go. Now! Can you walk?" Thurma asks urgently.

Mavra eyes Thurma and nods. "Yes, I think so. Why? Thurma--" Her sentence is cut short by the Commander's yell from across the room. "Stop gawping! Protect the great ones!"

Mavra perks up, looking over at her parents' pedestal, seeing how the soldiers ran to them. Her mother looked very weak. "Mother?" Mavra asks aloud, stumbling forward a bit. Thurma almost goes in to help her stand, but stops herself, not wanting to burn her.

Jen looks up at the soldiers coming to their aid, quickly saying, "Get the shard and find our daughter, please! Hurry! Restore the Crystal! Kira ... Kira and Mavra need the light!"

Suddenly, a booming and shrivel voice resounds from one side of the Crystal.

"Yes ... yes! Free! Ahahahah!" skekUng--the Garthim master--declared, his fellow skeksis also rejoicing.

Jen and Kira shiver, leaning closer to one another. "Oh no ..." Jen mumbles.

Mavra's eyes widen in complete fear. "Skeksis ..." She says.

skekSil--the Chamberlain--growls under his beak, smacking away his urRu counterpart. "Get off me, Spithead!" He shouts. "Fools! Imprisoned for a century. All mystics do is meditate. Beh!" skekUng says, pulling away from his counterpart as well, giving the urRu a death stare.

skekZok--the ritual master--comes up next to skekUng, saying, "But we know! Skeksis know what to do!"

skekSa chuckles bitterly, nodding in agreement. "YYYes! We return! We rule! But first! ... we blame!" He announces, looking over at the other Skeksis as they bicker with one another on who to accuse of their fall of rule.

skekUng shakes his head at everyone's claims, pointing at the Chamberlain. "Him! Whimpering chamberlain!"

skekSil stutters, "Wh-Wha--"

All the Skeksis agree and start throwing insults at him, encouraging the idea of punishing him.

Jen looks around the Chamber, trying to see if he can spot Mavra, hoping she's safe in her room. He leans close to the Commander at his side, whispering, "Quickly, while they squabble. Find the shard." Kira nods, her ears twisted back and her face contorted in pain. "We can stop the horror before it begins ..."

Jen nods and stares at the Commander sternly. "And make sure Mavra is safe," He adds, Kira looking up in surprise. "Mavra? Where is she?" She asks, worry evident in her voice.

Jen grasps Kira's hand tightly, trying to soothe her and calm her nerves, even though he was just as anxious. "We'll find her, my love. And the shard. We won't have our world be torn apart again," Jen reassures her.

~

Kensho lays in the catacombs, sighing tiredly and sitting down next to his shovel. His ears raise up when he hears a ruckus from the castle. "Wh-What happened?" He peers his head upwards, his ears down low, thinking about Mavra being hurt. His eyebrows furrow and he uses the shovel to help lift himself up. "I shouldn't have left them," He says to himself. "I've got to go back." He then starts to make his way around the catacombs.