Crystal Core Read online

  “Okay, what’s the issue here? Everyone is welcome. It isn’t that fun of a day, but they are. Some lectures about family and a big meal. Maybe some party games later. If anyone wants to come, they can though. At least the version at my house.”

  There was a shrug then and a guilty look.

  “I kind of told everyone that we had a limit. I can’t get everyone here on time. Um, Director Turner and some of the others are busy though, so sort of sent me to represent us, on the official side? That…”

  He nodded. She was a line walker now, and had already learned Standard, so she could communicate with people there.

  “Right. So you need clothing, other than a uniform. I have that actually, for everyone. Let me… I should go and help. Come on!”

  The whole thing took running to get done in time. As people kept coming too soon, since eight o’clock was more or less a guess for some of them. Not everyone used clocks all the time, so showing up early was the better plan for most.

  Which showed that they were going to have a lot more than a hundred people, by the time they were to sit down. There were no servants, even though Will’s pals from the IPB all volunteered to do it. Really, none of them even seemed to feel embarrassed or put out by the idea. That wasn’t the tradition though. The food went on the table and they had to hop up to get the desserts, when the time came. No one acted like that was a huge shame. Not even Princess Karina, or the other nobles there.

  There had been a traditional lecture at the beginning of the meal, reminding them all of the importance of family and being together. The man that did that for him wasn’t all that familiar, but did a pretty good job of it. Douglas Baker. Willum knew that one, because the man introduced himself. In standard, but everyone seemed to have at least a bit of that language already.

  Which was an impressive effort. Only a handful of their people knew English and so far no one had managed good Ysidril, other than him. Even at that, he needed to work on it.

  There was one exception to that, being Elsa. She’d changed, as requested. What she did with that was different than he would have figured on, to be honest. It wasn’t into a busty brunette at all. She was, instead, rather more blue and had four arms and orange eyes. Even at that, the blue scales were the clothing amulet, not her bare skin. The eye color were lenses as well.

  She was speaking Ysidril perfectly. Including slang and a few different dialects.

  Which was pretty different. Almost as if she might be one of them, instead of a human being. Which was, he knew, possible. Then, he wasn’t planning to marry her or anything.

  Clearly, if anyone was paying attention, the person he was with that day was Cindy Mableton. She’d come in with the Thomsons, Samantha and Eva. Then, almost instantly, she’d moved to sit directly next to Willum, as if they were a real couple.

  The woman had mentioned that being her plan for him, so he made a point of touching her, every few minutes. Just little things though, instead of openly groping her at the table. They were at the top, so everyone could see them. Worse, his parents were in the room, so that would be embarrassing. Near the far end, there were seven children, all dressed in matching brown clothing. It would seem like he was stinting them, except that Karina, Dareg Canton and Tamu were all sitting near them. Ancient Sam was at the palace for the evening celebration.

  Standing, he worked out his personal version of the Postern speech.

  “Please stand and take the hand of the person next to you.” They couldn’t ring the table, but everyone did it, with only a little awkwardness at the far end.

  Then he smiled, holding it.

  “Thank you all for being here on this most sacred day. A day for family, and friends. I know that I feel truly blessed by how large my personal family has grown! I just wanted you all to know that you are always welcome in my home.” Then he repeated the whole thing in several languages.

  Queen Bumie had come to his meal, instead of that at the palace, which was nice of her. Then, more people spoke Afrak in the room they were in at the moment, so it really worked out for her. At this meal she had Will’s sister Diana on one side of her and Cousin Clemance on the other. On the far side sat Neesa and her people. Neesa’s little brother Erath spoke all the Earth languages already, as well as being a full builder. Then, apparently, so was Diana.

  That news had caught him slightly off guard, since no one had mentioned it to him. That was his fault, for not being around enough to learn what was going on that way. She even looked older, having been at school for nearly three years already.

  At the end of the meal, the host was supposed to give everyone coming a simple gift. Something generic was fine, however. Noram day was different, needing a hand made personal gift. Postern mainly had trinkets or folded paper being given for things like that. Which he totally wasn’t ready for. Still, he had a plan, and a lot of magic left from his practices, so simply got a chest from his room, and passed things to everyone. Most of it was magical clothing.

  Diana, Neesa and Elsa all got houses though. Good ones. Neesa hugged him, but looked at the blue Ysidril, and shook her head.

  “I’m not familiar with you. Is it well that you came? I didn’t know any other of our people were asked…” She didn’t sound angry or upset. Ysidril didn’t really allow for that being expressed clearly. They also didn’t understand violence. At least the ones from the fleet didn’t.

  “Ah. You probably know me though, at least a little. Your fleets were given a warning of danger to come, a few hundred years ago. With instructions as to how to find Earth and a warning of the darkness? That was from me. This is my sector to protect.” She stopped then, her mouth hanging open a little. “By, you understand, undoing the fabric of all that is. If we can ever come up with a real way to do that. The idea was to get you all to come here, at the right time. Not you, personally, of course. The fleet as a whole.”

  That got an odd reaction.

  “I understand. You seek to unmake… Why, if I may ask?”

  The others sitting there, at least the Ysidril, all paid very close attention to the new woman. She covered things carefully, if academically, ending on the eternal torment of a mind turned to energy, floating alone in a dissipated void. Going insane, over millions of years.

  It made for happy dinner conversation, if nothing else.

  Willum shook his head. His Ysidril was awkward on his lips, but he only had to ask about every twentieth word or so.

  Then he said it again, in both Standard, English and Afrak.

  “I don’t think that holds at all. I mean, some will end up doing that, true. I can do it, sitting in the void between worlds, but the thing is, if we don’t hold ourselves together there, then we’ll fade away. Almost instantly dissipating into nothingness. The same is probably true of the physical universe. If people don’t wish to survive, then they won’t. Some will, and from the stories, have, but that’s a choice, I think. It needs to be tested, but I’m decently certain it works that way.”

  Neesa nodded at him, as did Cindy, who took his hand.

  Elsa however, just spread all her hands. It was a bit like a flower opening. Folding out from four sources, then ending with three fingers on each hand, extending toward the walls.

  “That’s one theory. There are others. Can we prove it though? How? Create a suicidal energy being and put them in a void? That’s not ethical. We can’t just get a volunteer to do it either. It’s not a new idea. Just the best-case scenario. It’s equally likely that the being will fill the reality they are in, being unable to die or find peace inside. We, my people, have had contact with some of them, at the end of time… They are truly insane and frightening. It isn’t some small thing, or saying they are slightly odd or anything along those lines. We know, for a fact, that they exist. Not that anyone ever escapes that fate. It seems likely to us that it’s the end point for most, if not all, beings that ever exist.”

  Willum took a deep breath then. Then blew half of it out, his cheeks puffing out wi
th the action.

  “Well. Darn. That was my best argument, too. I’d kind of been hoping that it would sway your people into not trying to kill us all… So, no going forward on that one? My brilliance isn’t enough to stop that from taking place?”

  Instead of seeming upset, the blue looking Ysidril, shook her head a little. Then she spoke in fluid Standard.

  “I’m afraid not. Not for that one, anyway. Then, it isn’t like we have a real plan to destroy everything. Not at the top of things where I work. Every few thousand years, some different group thinks they have a new idea, but other than making a mess, it doesn’t do anything. It never does. I mean, if dropping the end of reality on the beginning fixed the problem, then we’d just do that and it would be done already.” The voice sounded as if that might just be easy for her kind of person.

  Cindy, holding his hand still, smiled wickedly.

  “I see what you’re getting at. To you and your people this isn’t actually real, is it? I mean, you have what, seven people in your organization? The people on the other side, the ones that attacked here… That was all of them, wasn’t it? The people trying to kill Willum… It’s what, six or seven people? Really powerful as individuals, but it’s a gang, not an empire. Just a small group, that barely even cares to be bothered with the whole thing… I don’t suppose you have a way to stop the attacks then? You and yours aren’t really in control of that, are you?”

  If the other woman did, Cin Mableton would know about it. Probably before asking the question.

  “Not really. The truth is that not all of the people who are technically on our side are all that mentally stable. Just killing them won’t work, before anyone suggests it. It will leave things pretty much as they are. Changing minds is much the same. Really… Well, there are some tricks that might work. It won’t be easy to pull off. I suppose I can pass those ideas along, just in case it helps anything.”

  From down the table, Tor Baker, who was sitting next to his pretty blonde wife, Alyssa, spoke up then.

  “I’d rather thought it was a larger collection of people. Billions, if not more.”

  The words got the blue Ysidril girl to look down the table, her mouth falling open just a bit. In happiness for some reason.

  “Not really. There are… Oh, a few million realities that have people who are actively working on the project at any given time. Most of them only have one person that’s doing anything toward fixing the issue. Of those… Well, half are truly insane, delusional and so on. Then there are religious cults and that type of thing… I’d say, as a real threat to you and yours? Call it ten thousand people. Led by about, oh, a few hundred, at most.”

  Which, Willum knew, they couldn’t fix by simply changing their minds, or killing them. Doing either would create a split in reality, leaving them with a threat each time. Unless they managed to just protect themselves, by…

  He didn’t quite have it yet.

  “Can we kill enough of them to create a barrier between our worlds? That doesn’t help the other versions that are created, but if we move it far enough away from all of our realities… Well, I can’t see how that would work.”

  The words got four reactions, all at one time.

  From the far end of the table, Tavy, the Dirt Child, spoke in a conversational tone.

  “Why not just ask them to stop? Tell them that if they have a real trick or whatever, we can try it, but not to kill anyone otherwise?” It was a bit stilted, and lisping, since she was young, kind of shy and had almost no education. Her idea would take trust, that they probably didn’t have going on yet.

  Tor cleared his throat.

  “I don’t love the idea of thrusting our problems on others, but… I can’t see how we have a lot of choice on this one. I’ll aid you, Willum, if you have anything.” That came out sounding sincere, but also subdued, as if he didn’t think it would work.

  Cindy laughed. Then she pointed at Elsa.

  “This could work. Not exactly what Willum is thinking, but if we combine it with what the Vereg did, before the reconciliation?” The words made no sense to Will, but Elsa bounced slightly, in her seat. It was raised a bit, so she was at eye level with everyone else. All the Ysidril were doing that. Bouncing to show they were thinking about the issue of the moment.

  The last person to speak was Hess, the High Leader of Mars.

  “We should be able to spread enough information to do the task. It will take much, from those who can go between worlds.” He looked down the table at Dareg Canton, who was sitting next to Karina.

  The man was good looking, in a sturdy and tall kind of way. He was physically three years younger than Willum, but was taller by nearly a foot already. It matched with his red headed wife nicely, since she was rather tall, herself.

  After a moment everyone looked that way, as if drawn to focus on Dareg like moths with a flame. For his part, there was a slow blink. Nothing else was presented to give away his thoughts. Not even a twitch or tension at the edge of his mouth.

  When he spoke, it was clear he’d dropped into a trance.

  “We need to remove the hostages and the agents that have been deployed then. Is that… There could be thousands of them or more. We don’t have the manpower for that.”

  That one was true. It wasn’t about having fighters to go in, either. They could manage that portion of things. It was all down to the line walkers. Their only way to get from one world to another. Even if they all helped, and got everyone who could do it trained up properly through the new program, it would only be about… Twenty or so.

  If that.

  Willum grinned anyway.

  “One world at a time. We’ll have to do it… Oh, tens of times each. At least I think so.” He looked at Elsa, who didn’t respond.

  Next to him, Cindy gave his fingers a squeeze. It wasn’t gentle, but he barely felt it. They were well matched that way, having very similar powers.

  “That’s war for you. Still, a hundred small missions that are similar, can be easier than a hundred novel ones. We should set this up. Where do we start?”

  That one left the table silent. He was about to announce that it should start with him collecting the aid of the line walkers, as a group. All of them who would aid them, regardless of reality of origin.

  Aunt Taman though, she simply smiled and shook her head.

  “With a vacation?”

  That got an awkward laugh at first, since there was tension to be released. Cindy nodded, making the move large and a bit eager seeming.

  “Exactly. We know that they aren’t coming for us en-mass any time soon, if ever. We aren’t going to help anything by rushing in headlong in this. We need to sit back for a bit. Plan and make sure we’re all ready to move at the same time. We’re agreed on the plan for now? Kidnapping innocent victims from their masters, and using talking points and pamphlets to dissuade the others until they’re so far away from us that we’re left safe for a good long time?”

  Willum nodded, a bit slowly. Down the table, Alyssa Baker, sounding sweet, tilted her head.

  “If it’s not rude… What’s a pamphlet?”

  Willum actually didn’t know that one either, having never heard the word before, but had figured it meant some kind of information device. Like a computer, or text message.

  Next to him, Cin smiled back at the busty blonde.

  “It’s a tiny book, with a soft cover, that we can fill with political or scientific information. That, or we can ask people to join our club, like Tavy mentioned. That isn’t a horrible idea. It should work for distancing just as well as killing would. Not that I don’t enjoy a nice string of random seeming murders…”

  Everyone else probably thought she was joking, but that wasn’t the case. The woman, in her own world, had killed many people, just for fun. That had been given up, of course, when she’d joined the IPB. They weren’t big on random murder, preferring their people get sanction for it first.

  Down the table, the Wizard Tor took a deep breath.<
br />
  “I think I get it. I might need a chart though. Lessons on the idea?”

  Queen Tiera, who was next to Sara, from the IPB world, being her mentor, lifted her right hand.

  “I could use that as well, frankly.” She seemed almost magical, sitting in her rather plain clothing. Plain for a Queen, that was. A simple skirt, in gray, with a tunic style top that had brightly braided ribbons all over it. It was cheery seeming, but like what many women in the city would be wearing that night.

  Her face was almost unearthly. A vision that would have distracted him, in a different circumstance. The ideas of the moment, if they could work at all, were too exciting. Not that it wouldn’t fade, soon. Probably in about forty minutes. It was just how things went now that he’d been altered. A thing to think about having changed, as soon as the war, or petty inter reality squabble, was finished.

  That suddenly sounded a lot more real to him.

  The information had been there the whole time as well. Not that he could blame himself for thinking that the whole matter was bigger than it was, or that they were going to have to fight. Just because they might actually stand a chance at protecting themselves, well that didn’t mean they weren’t all going to die still.

  Dare raised his pale right hand. Not in a regal way, but like a school student might do to gain attention. He was looking at Cindy, for some reason. Truly, the man was focused on her intently enough that it seemed pointed, rather than merely admiring.

  “A few years ago, I encountered one of their agents… A truly deadly being.” That got several people to go wide eyed, though Willum didn’t know why. He couldn’t even guess.

  Down the table a bit, Elsa nodded.

  “Yes. I know that one. That event killed tens of thousands of people. Removing them from existence. Really, it made it so that they never existed at all.” There was a wave at Willum then. “One of you. He was thrown into the Sun, so the options were reduced to only one. Even better, he was one of your core line. No one saw that happening at all. Not on my team, at any rate.” She didn’t wait, or make people ask her to explain. “Let me… You all know how there are many of you, in many, many realities, correct?” About half the people arrayed down the table gave a nod.