Beneath the Dark Crystal

Chapter 16

The Commander hurries his landstrider over to the broken ledge in the ruins, yelling, "Elder Jen! The missing scouts!"

Jen gasps and quickly gets off of the garthim, wanting to know if his daughter was there and safe with them.

"Where are they? Is Mavra--"

Jen and the Commander gasp when they find their two scouts tied together and squirming around in their bonds. Jen sighs in relief while holding Fizzgig close to him. "They're alive."

The Commander's eyebrows scrunch and he steps up to them. "What happened here? Where are the villains?!" He asks, letting his soldiers untie the scouts.

"They ... They got away, Lord Commander," The scout answers, standing up without a scratch along with her partner.

"But ... you don't look badly wounded. Did they treat you?"

The scout nods, saying, "Yes. They did. P-Princess Mavra healed it us with ... with magic."

"Yes! Then, the acolyte bounded our burns along with the Fireling."

Jen smiles and hums quietly, looking up at the Commander. "Of course they did. These 'villains' grow less villainous at every turn."

The Commander's jaw drops as Jen hops back onto the garthim, ordering everyone to keep moving forward, unaware of the scheming Skeksis tracking his tail.

~

skekShod laughs manically, carrying the beautiful jewels all around him. "So much treasure!"

skekUng snickers, picking up a large sword from the many offerings near the Crystal. "The Crystal is ours!"

skekZok sniffs the jewels and cringes from the smell. "Bah! All stinks of gelfling."

skekShod stops sorting through the treasures when he spots a podling hiding under all of the offerings, shaking a little in fear.

skekAyuk wobbles over and sneers. "A podling! Hiding under filthy gelfling treasure!"

"Looks frightened," skekShod adds.

skekNa grins wickedly and picks the podling up by his arm, making him scream and squirm in his grip, yelling out curses in podling tongue. "Don't be frightened, little podling. Pretty, pretty podling. We love pretty podlings," skekNa coos, taking the podling down the stairs to the old and dusty lab.

He locks the podling into the draining chair and leans down to his face in intimidation.

"Sweet, pretty, fat little podlings ... and their essence." He snickers as he starts up the power of the Dark Crystal using skekTek's old machine.

~

After healing those two scouts, Mavra's energy had gone down fast. It was almost like she was taking away their pain and receiving it. She holds onto Kensho's hand tightly, trying to keep herself steady. Thurma leads the two gelfling around the volcano carefully with Tumby tucked under her arms.

Kensho sighs, saying, "We'll make it. We're close."

Thurma's frown deepens as she continues to look around her home in confusion, which Mavra catches onto quickly. "W-We are close, right, Thurma?"

Thurma tenses while wandering around a bit more. "I ... I think so but ... I don't remember that well," She says sheepishly. She sighs and rubs her head, feeling a little dizzy. "My fire is almost out ..."

Mavra frowns in worry and lets go of Kensho to walk next to her. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah. Just ... tired ..."