 
### Children Of The Amulet

Book 1 – Fight For Chrystalina

By

L.M. Quinpool

First published in Paperback in 2004 by Baico Publishing

E-Published by Quinpool Books at Smashwords

Copyright 2012 Laura Regan http://www.quinpool.ca

Discover more Quinpool Books at http://www.smashwords.com

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

In other words help this author put these digital books into paperback too by purchasing it and encouraging your family and friends to purchase it rather than just lending it out and in return I'll try to keep the prices low and the books coming!

Thanks and Enjoy

LMQ

This book is dedicated

To My Family and the "Children of the Amulet"

Chris, Alex, Steph, Sarah, Nick, Ryan, Bridget, Kaitlyn, Warner and Brad

As you grow may you find the power inside to change the world.

### Love

**LMQ**

Far out in space, in another galaxy, is a planet called Chrystalina. This peaceful planet is much like Earth. It has trees, flowers and food producing plants. Its animals include relatives of our dogs, cats and birds. Its people live in houses, mostly one story dwellings, and move around their planet in wheeled vehicles, resembling our cars and buses which run on solar power.

But here the technological thirst ends. For this planet hearkens back to the earlier days of Earth, before people became too dependent on technology to run their lives. Simplicity and hard work are looked upon as virtues worth preserving.

Also in this star system is a planet called Jerico. This planet is the most advanced in this system, giving them a great advantage over the other planets. Unfortunately, the novelty of their ever advancing technology has ceased to be enough for the people of this planet. Now Jerico has become a very aggressive and power hungry planet, with only one wish...TO RULE THE GALAXY. And it has been decided that their first conquest will be the least likely to rebel against them...CHRYSTALINA.

All is not lost for there is a power on Chrystalina which could serve as a ray of hope for this planet of peaceful existence. The power comes from an emerald Amulet which has been handed down from generation to generation. Each group of chosen ones has its own specific destiny. So it has fallen to the chosen ones who now hold the Amulet to use its power and succeed in saving the planet from Jerico's clutches. This, admittedly, is a lot to believe in, for there are only eight in this small group. And the title which all guardians of the Amulet are christened with is fitting, for they are only...

Children of the Amulet

Chrystal Bradford

Co-Founder of Chystalina

###  Chapter 1

Mary Bradford Sr. had been a "Child of the Amulet" in her generation. With the Amulet came great powers, one of which was to see into the future. As she grew older she used this power and made this prediction.

The birth of her eldest great grandchild would be the first in eight of a new generation to set in motion a series of events that would reunite three branches of a long forgotten family name. These eight would be vital to Chrystalina's future and well-being. If the chosen ones fail or their secrets are discovered, Chrystalina will fall at the mercy of more aggressive and powerful planets.

This prediction was confusing to the Bradford family, and Mary Bradford had a habit of not explaining her visions. But just before she died, Mrs. Bradford called her grandson and his wife to her side.

"You must make me a promise," she said. "My visions of the future have become more detailed. Soon you will have a son. On the day of his birth you must go out into the middle of the backyard and bury this."

She handed her grandson the emerald Amulet.

"The night of your son's first birthday, the comet that has always been in orbit around this planet, will once again come very close to our atmosphere, causing a lunar eclipse."

"That's not hard to predict," Joseph said. "It always happens that way."

"But this eclipse will set powers in motion that Chrystalina will need for its survival," Mary Bradford said. "Your son's birth will set the date for each future eclipse for many years to come. He must witness the eclipse on his first birthday on the spot where you bury the Amulet."

"I don't understand, Gramma. What powers will this event set in motion?" her grandson asked.

"I will answer that question in a minute, Joseph, but I have more to tell you. Within the first three years of your son's life you will meet two more couples who are astronomers like yourselves. A daughter will also have been born to you by that time and the two couples will each be blessed with a son. On your son's fourth birthday these three children must witness the eclipse as your son did."

"I'm still confused, Gramma," Joseph's wife, Emily, said.

"You must do this for your children's welfare," Mary Bradford said. "The powers of the Amulet combined with the power of the eclipse will bring your children great fortune and strength which will be needed in future events. Within the span of eleven years, starting after the birth of your second child, first one of the couples will be graced with a son. Then, Emily my dear, you will also give birth to a daughter. By your oldest son's thirteenth birthday you and the second couple will each be blessed with a daughter. Each of your children and the children of the other two couples must witness the eclipse, on that same spot, before the child's first birthday."

She smiling lovingly at the two confused faces.

"I beg you to promise that you see these events through."

"We will, Gramma," Emily promised.

"Joseph, my dear, I have another promise to ask of you. Please ensure that this house never leaves the possession of our family. It has great spiritual value and there are only three families that have a right to possess it: ours and those of the two couples you will meet. For their ancestors and ours were once strongly connected."

"I promise, Gramma," Joseph replied solemnly.

"When the last child is born and has witnessed the eclipse you must dig up the stone once again and give it to your oldest son. Tell him the Amulet must always be in the possession of one of the chosen ones. When they come of age they will know why and what to do with it."

"We will do our best," Emily said.

"Thank you, Child. I have confidence in you," Mary said. "Now I will answer some of your questions as best I can. The Amulet holds great powers, but has no material value. Only the chosen ones will have the strength to possess it. In the wrong hands, its powers could be abused. Now one last warning. By the time of your boy's 16th birthday, you will have discovered the secret around these eight children. This secret must be kept or this planet will suffer. For in that same year our planet will be attacked by another planet in our star system. These children are the key to Chrystalina's survival,"

"I'm not sure I want to believe your final predictions, but I will," Joseph said. "Emily and I will follow your wishes."

"Then I can sleep peacefully now I have your promise."

"One last question," Emily began.

"I know, you want to know which planet will threaten us. I don't know. But if you do as I have asked you'll find out in time. Now I must sleep. Good night children and good luck. "

The next morning the doctor said that Mary Bradford had died peacefully in her sleep and probably without pain.

* * * * * *

All of Mary Bradford's predictions eventually came true. The next year Emily gave birth to a son whom they named Justin. On the night of his birth, the stone was buried and on his first birthday he witnessed the eclipse.

That same year the Bradfords met the Williams and the Mackensies. By the day of Justin's third birthday his sister Mary, Luke Williams and Jeremy Mackensie had been born.

As it had been described to them, Emily and Joseph explained the ritual and as predicted the Williams and the Mackensies were willing to participate.

On Justin's 14th birthday, the youngest children witnessed the lunar eclipse. There were now eight children, as Mary Bradford Sr. had predicted; Justin Bradford, age 14; Mary Bradford, age 11; Luke Williams, age 11; Jeremy Mackensie, age 11; Jason Mackensie, age 7; Amanda Bradford, age 4; Leslie Williams, age 1; and Emily Bradford, age 1.

###  Chapter 2

"It's amazing how those children have grown," Joseph said to his wife as they watched Justin and Mary set up the chairs for the party. "It seems like only yesterday Justin was born and the stone was buried and now we're about to go through the last ritual for Leslie and Emma."

"And tomorrow you will have to dig up the Amulet and give it to Justin," Emily sighed. "It sort of frightens me. All but one of your grandmother's predictions have come true. What if she is right about the other planet?"

"I loved my grandmother and trusted her in her predictions, but I hope she's wrong this time too. And yet, that Amulet is more powerful than she let on. Our children have developed abilities that she never mentioned," Joseph said.

Emily Bradford was silent for a moment, then shook her head and turned her attention back to the children.

"Now where did Amanda go to?" she said, looking around her. "Mary, Justin, have you seen Mandy?"

"I think she's in the house, mom," Mary replied.

"Do you want me to go get her?" Justin asked.

"Yes please, Justin," Emily said.

Justin closed his eyes and began to disappear, but his mother stopped him.

"No, no, I didn't mean like that. I want you to walk upstairs and get her. We talked about that vanishing."

"Sorry, mom. I forgot. It's just that the teachers insist on it at school ," Justin said.

"I'll get her," Mary spoke up. "I have to get something from my room anyway."

Emily shook her head again as Mary ran inside.

"I wish we didn't have to keep them so isolated," she said to her husband. "It's not healthy for the children. They don't get to interact with any other children apart from each other. The isolation allows them to depend too much on those powers. I swear, if they hadn't learned to walk before they developed the powers they would have never walked at all."

"I know, dear, but they aren't normal children and from what grandmother told us I don't think they should be treated like normal children. If all grandmother's predictions turn out to be accurate, their abilities could be useful. They have to develop them," Joseph said.

"Deep down I know they couldn't really go to a normal school. It could be dangerous if too many people know about their abilities. But it does single them out even more if they're so isolated. They must start to interact with others more frequently," Emily said.

"It's a risk, but if you think they can be trusted not to show off, maybe we can see what we can do about putting them into public school," Joseph said, pulling Emily closer to him.

"Thank you," Emily said and kissed him.

"AGGGGG! Too much kissing," said a voice in front of them.

Emily and Joseph looked around just as Jayson appeared.

"Jayson, I thought I told you not to do that," April Mackensie said as she and her husband, Alan, walked into the back of the house.

"Where's Jeremy?" Emily asked.

"He and Luke went in to find Mary," Steven Williams said as he also entered the backyard, followed by his wife Jennifer, who was carrying their daughter Leslie.

Emily took Leslie from Jennifer.

"I know someone who'll be glad to see you," she said to Leslie. "Come on in, guys. Joseph, Honey, will you take drink orders?" Emily added. Then she walked away with Leslie. "Hey Emma, look who's here?" she said to her youngest daughter as she put Leslie on the ground.

Immediately both babies gurgled and began to babble away as if they were having a real conversation.

All were present as the eclipse began and the last of the eight children witnessed it. And so it came to be all eight children fulfilled the first part of the prediction. Little did they know that in two years their ability to fulfill the second part of the prediction would determine the fate of Chrystalina.

The next day the Amulet was given to Justin.

"I wish Great Grandma Bradford had been able to predict which planet was coming," Mary said when Justin was showing the Amulet to her, Luke and Jeremy.

"Me too. I don't like the unknown," Luke agreed.

"But you've gotta admit it is sort of exciting to think that we might be able to help fight against it," Jeremy said.

"It would be a lot more exciting too if we knew who we were dealing with," Mary said.

"We could try and figure it out ourselves," Luke suggested. "All we have to do is find out which planet around here has the motive and the means."

"It's a big galaxy," Jeremy said. "We don't know enough about the planets outside of our system."

"It's Jerico," Justin said as if to himself.

"Could be. Jerico has the means, that's for sure," Jeremy agreed.

"No, I mean it. Jerico is the one," Justin said.

"How can you be sure?" Mary asked.

"I don't know, I just am. As soon as you guys started talking about the other planets, the first name that came into my mind was Jerico. The more I kept trying to think of other possible planets, the more Jerico flashed in my mind," Justin said.

"If Justin's right, we're in for a big fight. Jerico is the most technologically advanced planet in this star system," Luke said. "Chrystalina has nothing that would even remotely match their defence system."

"And we're supposed to make up for that?" Mary said. "Somehow, I don't think so."

"According to Old Mrs. Bradford, we still have two years to prepare," Jeremy said. "I'm sure Chrystalina's government forces can come up with something."

"We may have two years, but it'll probably take us that long to convince the government that we're right," Justin said. "We may have special abilities, but they still look on us as only kids."

"Then what do we do?" Jeremy asked.

"We can try to convince someone Justin's right," Luke said. "And if that doesn't work..."

"We get to work on mastering our powers and hope we're ready for whatever comes our way," Mary finished.

"We have to do that whether we get help or not," Justin added. "According to Great Grandma Bradford we're Chrystalina's only hope."

From age three, the chosen children began to show their powers. The Amulet powers came in stages. Each stage concentrated on one power and lasted three years during which time the children had a chance to master that power. Once each stage was completed, the power grew weaker, yet was still available, until all the stages were completed. The following breaks down the power stages.

Ages 3 - 5 ; the exploration of telekinesis - the ability to move small objects with the mind.

Ages 6 - 8; the exploration of invisibility - the ability to make one's self invisible.

Ages 9 - 11; the exploration of mind control - the ability to listen to and manipulate others' thoughts and the ability to communicate one's thoughts to someone else.

Ages 12 - 14; the exploration of teleportation - the ability to move one's self from one place to another with one's mind.

Ages 15 - 17; the exploration of higher telekinesis - the ability to unlock doors and move larger objects or people from one location to another.

Ages 18 + ; the exploration of full powers - learning to control the combined powers properly.

###  Chapter 3

For the rest of that year and into the next the children continued to develop their powers. After a certain amount of grave conversation and promising on the children's part not to show off their powers, the children ceased their home schooling and started in a regular public school.

As the end of the year drew closer a certain fear began to spark in each of the members of the three families. All but one of the predictions had come true. That last prediction was due in the upcoming year, which could mean the destruction of Chrystalina.

The day of Jerico's first attack came two days into the new year and along with it came the first of many trials the chosen ones would face.

It started out as a bright and cheerful day. The eight children had agreed to go on with each day as if nothing was going to happen so that the feeling of anxiety wouldn't get to them.

Justin had agreed, unwillingly, to stay home and baby-sit little Emily and Leslie for a couple of hours while his parents went out. Amanda and Jayson had decided to go play at the park, and Mary, Luke and Jeremy had gone on a picnic.

Unknown to the children, hundreds of miles above them, three large ships entered orbit around Chrystalina. These ships were filled with troops to make "first contact".

A young Ensign leapt to attention from his post, at the communications centre, as two older officers approached.

"Status report," the younger of the two men commanded.

"The other two ships are in position and awaiting orders, Sir."

"Very good," the second man said. "Does the planet know we're here?" he asked the ensign.

"No sir. They don't have the capabilities to scan for us," the Ensign replied.

"Do you know much about the planet, Ensign...?" the second man asked, pausing to let the ensign identify himself.

"Drewson, sir. Yes sir, this is a proud day for us all, sir," The Ensign replied.

"It is indeed, Ensign Drewson," the man replied. "I commend you on this crew, Captain Brinerson. You should be proud."

"Thank you, Admiral Jaimson," the Captain said.

"Tell the ships to beam all the troops down and stand by," the Admiral told Ensign Drewson.

"Yes sir," Drewson replied and turned back to communications to relay the message.

"Keep up the good work, Ensign," Jaimson said, and then turned to the Captain. "Carry on, Captain. I'll be in my quarters. Alert me when the troops are in position."

Captain Brinerson nodded and Admiral Jaimson left the bridge.

* * * * * *

"I wonder. Do you think Jerico is ever going to come?" Jeremy asked.

"Are you worried you won't be able to help save our planet?" Luke asked.

"No I mean it. The year started out quiet enough. I wonder if Old Mrs. Bradford made a mistake," Jeremy said.

"I don't think so, Jem," Mary said. "Great Grandma Bradford was pretty accurate in all the other predictions."

"It has only been two days. Besides, I've had this strange feeling that something is going to happen soon," Luke said.

* * * * * *

"All the troops are in position, Admiral," Captain Brinerson said over the intercom.

"Good," Admiral Jaimson answered. "Now listen carefully to the next step...."

* * * * * *

"I guess it's just wishful thinking," Jeremy said, getting up. "I'll be right back. I promised Mom I'd keep an eye on Jay. He and Mandy just disappeared into that bunch of trees. I'd better go check it out."

* * * * * *

".....They are to gather all the people on the planet. Inform all those in homes that they are to stay there. Others are to be gathered till such time as we have the means to return them to their residences. Use only means that will have the least resistance, provided those means are not harmful. No one is to be harmed. The Governor insists on this point."

"May I ask what the Governor has in store for the planet?" the Captain asked.

"This is between you and me, Captain. Somewhere Chrystalina holds a very powerful secret. Someone down there knows what the secret is and where it lies. No one is to be harmed till the secret is discovered. Is that clear?" Jaimson finished.

"Yes sir. Orders and all sir," Brinerson said.

"Alert me when the next step is done," Jaimson said.

"Yes sir, Brinerson out."

* * * * * *

"I wish there was a possibility Jem could be right. I don't want Jerico to come," Mary said.

"None of us do. Don't worry though, Mare. Even If Jerico does come, we've got a few surprises for them," Luke said taking her hand and giving a little squeeze.

Mary looked up at him and smiled.

"I just hope one of my younger siblings remembers to keep the secrets. Mandy has taken to disappearing whenever she feels like it."

"I wonder if Jem found Jay and Mandy," Luke said.

* * * * * *

Jeremy had found Jayson and Amanda. They were kneeling behind a couple of trees watching Luke and Mary.

"What are you two up to?" Jeremy asked.

"Why didn't they come with you?" Jayson asked.

"Why should they? I just came to see where you went," Jeremy said.

"You have to get their attention, Jem," Amanda said. "They have to get out of sight."

"Why? Planning on a sudden storm," Jeremy asked.

"No. They're here, Jem," Jayson said urgently.

"Who?...You mean..."

"JERICO! Those two men over there. They aren't from Chrystalina," Jayson said.

"Are you sure?" Jeremy asked.

"Positive. I can read their thoughts remember?" Jayson said.

"Why did you read them? They look like they're from Chrystalina."

"Never mind about that. You have to warn... Where'd they go?" Amanda said.

Jeremy spun about. The picnic things were still there, but Mary and Luke were gone.

"The men are gone too," Jayson said. He shut his eyes and as if concentrating. "And I can't seem to reach Mary and Luke," he added.

"What about the two men?" Jeremy asked.

Jayson closed his eyes again.

"They seem pleased with themselves. As if they'd done something good," Jayson opened his eyes. "They've taken Luke and Mary prisoner."

"We've got to warn Justin."

"I could try to send him a message, but I haven't quite perfected my direction," Jayson said. "Anyone in the way could get the message."

"I'd teleport, but I don't want to leave you two," Jeremy said. "I think our only hope is for Jay to send a message to him. Tell him where we are. He can transport you two himself."

As Jayson had reported, the two men had taken Luke and Mary prisoner and brought them to an old abandoned hotel a piece out of town. The Governor of Jerico had ordered all children to be taken there for safekeeping till the adults were dealt with. So seeing the two children out in the open, the two men saw fit to drug them to avoid struggles and take them away.

When Luke and Mary awoke they found themselves surrounded by darkness.

"Oh, my head," Luke groaned as he tried to sit up. "Mare? Mare, are you here?"

"Yes, I'm right beside you," Mary said softly. "No need to shout."

"Where are we?" Luke asked.

"I don't know," Mary replied. "Last thing I remember we had gotten up to stretch our legs and..."

"I know, everything blanks out from there on for me too," Luke said.

"I can't see a thing. Can you?" Mary asked.

"No, but I think we're alone," Luke said. "I'm going to try and find the door. I think it's time we got out of here."

They both got up and began to feel along the wall.

"I think I found a light switch," Mary said finally. She flipped the switch and the room filled with light.

As soon as their eyes got used to the light they looked around. The room was virtually empty. There were a table and a couple of chairs, a small closet at one end and the door at the other. The windows had been boarded shut.

Luke went and tried the door.

"It's locked," he reported. "I guess Jerico did come after all."

"Fine heroes we'll be," Mary said gloomily. "We're supposed to help our planet and instead we get captured."

"And the worst part is we can't teleport without making anyone suspicious."

At that moment the door opened. A young girl came in with two plates of food and drinks.

"Anyone hungry?" she asked cheerfully.

"Who are you?" Mary demanded. "Why have we been brought here?"

"Relax, you are safe," the girl replied.

"I'm not interested in safe," Mary replied. "I want to know what's going on."

"The food is great," the girl continued.

"That doesn't answer the question," Luke said.

The girl sighed.

"The Governor of Jerico wants the children to be safe in case your elders resist. We have come with an offer they won't likely refuse," she explained. "No harm will come to you, I promise."

"I'd say it's a bit late for that," Luke said.

The girl sighed again.

"Eat something. Trust me, it's good food," she said. "I'll be back later."

Then she turned and left, locking the door behind her.

"We've got to get out and warn the others," Mary said.

"How? The door's locked and we can't use our powers," Luke said.

"I know. I didn't say I knew how," Mary said.

"Wait a minute! Maybe we can use our powers," Luke said thoughtfully.

"We can't. They'll get suspicious," Mary said.

"Not if they think one of us is already gone," Luke said smiling.

###  Chapter 4

"We shouldn't have separated!" Justin exclaimed. "I knew something like this would happen!"

"What if we had stayed together. We wouldn't have found out Jerico was here," Jeremy said.

"But now they've got Luke and Mary," Justin said. "And we're powerless to help them."

"Why can't you teleport them like you teleported me and Jay?" Amanda asked.

"We don't know where they are," Justin told his sister. "Besides, if they could have, they would have teleported themselves."

"Oh, right," Amanda agreed.

"Wait a minute you guys," Jayson interrupted. "I've found them, or, at least, I can read their minds again."

"Do you know where they are?" Justin asked.

"They don't know exactly where they are, but they're all right," Jayson replied.

"That's a relief," Jeremy sighed.

"Luke seems to have a plan of how to escape," Jayson continued.

"I hope it works," Amanda said.

"They're planning to teleport here," Jayson reported.

"I hope they do it soon and without suspicion," Justin said. "We can't stay here much longer. We can't afford to be caught too."

* * * * * *

"Help! We need a doctor in here!" Luke yelled, banging on the door. "Hey out there! My friend is really sick! I don't know what to do!"

At that moment the door opened and the same girl who had brought them the food came in.

"What's going on in here?" she asked.

"It's my friend. She was fine a minute ago, and then all of a sudden, she collapsed," Luke explained, leading the girl over to where Mary was lying holding her stomach as if in pain.

"Where does it hurt?" the girl asked.

"My head and my stomach," Mary groaned.

The girl knelt down and felt Mary's forehead.

"Have you eaten anything today?" the girl asked.

"I don't remember. Luke, Luke where are you?" Mary called, pretending to try and sit up. "Luke! Run Luke Run!"

"You tricky little monster. You aren't really sick. Well, I hope your friend doesn't plan on getting very far," the girl said.

"He's very good at hiding. You won't catch him and when you least expect it he'll be back for me. The adults aren't the only ones who are going to resist Jerico," Mary said.

"Your friend might be good at hiding, but our troops are good at seeking. We'll find him," the girl said.

After she had left and the door was locked again, Mary looked over at the closet and smiled.

"Tricky little monsters, are we," Luke said coming out and helping Mary up.

"She ain't seen nothing yet," Mary said. "Race you home."

* * * * * *

"Come on, come on. Hurry up and get here," Justin said nervously.

"They'll be here soon," Jayson said.

"Shouldn't we get some supplies ready for when they do come back?" Jeremy suggested. "We're going to have to find a place to hide."

"True," Justin agreed. "Mandy and Jay, go upstairs and pack the diaper bag. We'll need a few changes of clothes for each of us and I suppose we should take a few toys for Emma. Jem, you'd better transport home and get a few things for you and Jay. Not too much. We'll need to travel as light as possible. I'll get some food from the kitchen."

"Planning to leave without us?" Mary asked.

"Am I glad to see you," Justin said, hugging his sister.

"Where's Luke?" Jeremy asked, after giving Mary a hug too.

"We figured you'd be preparing to leave. He went home to get a few things for himself and Leslie," Mary explained.

"We have to hurry," Justin said.

"I'll give you a hand with the food," Mary offered.

An hour and a half later they were finally ready to go.

"Do you have the Amulet?" Mary asked.

"Of course and the box and letters," Justin said. "Did you two leave the notes for your parents?" he asked Luke and Jeremy.

"Exactly like we agreed," Luke replied.

"And I just finished ours," Mary said and read aloud...

"Dear Mom and dad,

Jeri C. is coming to dinner tonight. We've gone shopping. We'll call you later.

Love

Mary, Justin, Mandy and Emma"

"Good enough. Now let's try to keep together and out of sight. And if we're seen, NO disappearing," Justin said. "No matter how scared you are, got it?"

The others nodded and the eight children left the house through the backyard and into the forest at the very end.

The day went on and so did the children, with no certainty of where they were going. After they had been walking for a long time, Justin called a halt.

"It's going to be dark soon. We'd better set up camp here for the night," he said.

"We'd better take turns standing guard," Luke said.

"Good idea," Justin agreed. "And if there are no objections, I'll take the first watch."

"Where Momma, May?" Emily asked Mary, just after the children had made camp.

"Momma's at home, Em," Mary replied kneeling down to Emily's level.

"Go home find?" Emily asked.

"We can't go home, Emma," Mary said.

"Why?" Emily asked.

Mary looked up at the others helplessly. How could she explain without scaring her youngest sister?

"Mommy and Daddy have some things they need to do when we aren't home. So we need to find a new place to stay till they're done. Tonight we're going to stay here."

"Mom and Dad come find when done?" Emily asked.

"Something like that," Mary said.

"Soon?" Emily asked.

"I hope so, Sweetie," Mary replied.

"Luke, why we have to go?" Leslie asked.

"For the same reason Mary explained. Mom and Dad need us not to be around for a while," Luke explained.

"Why?" Leslie asked.

"Because it could be dangerous for us kids," Luke replied.

"Could be bad for Mom an' Dad?" Leslie asked.

"No, only for kids," Luke said.

"Sure?" Leslie asked skeptically.

"I'm sure they're safe," Luke told her.

"Mom and Dad come later?" Leslie asked.

"When they're finished," Luke replied.

"Go pay now?" Leslie asked.

"I guess you can, if you stay in sight," Luke replied.

"Come Em. Go pay," Leslie said.

"Mandy, would you mind watching them," Mary asked as the two girls ran off.

"I suppose," Amanda said following them.

"I'll keep you company," Jayson offered.

Mary collapsed against a tree.

"That was a tough one," she said. "I wasn't sure how to explain."

"I didn't want to worry them, but all I could come up with was the fact that it wasn't safe for us," Luke said.

"You both handled the situation very well," Justin said.

"That's for sure. I'm glad my brother isn't that young. I wouldn't know what to say either," Jeremy added.

* * * * * *

"Reports are coming in now, Sir," Ensign Drewson told the Captain. "The resistance is minimal. Our surprise arrival has so far caught them off guard. Thus far only two children have been able to escape from one of the posts."

"Can you give me names?" Brinerson asked.

"Not yet sir. But it's being dealt with," Drewson replied.

"Good. Carry on."

###  Chapter 5

Andrew and Andriana Mackensie stood side by side at the door of their grandfather's room.

Andrew knocked.

"Enter," a voice called from inside.

The room was filled with computer equipment and other electronics. At the far end sat a desk in front of a large window. Behind the desk sat an elderly man.

"Ah there you are," he greeted the children with a smile.

"You wanted to see us, Grandfather?" Andriana asked.

"Yes. Please sit down, my dears. I have a question to ask both of you," he said.

The children sat down and straightened to attention.

"What can we do for you, Governor?" Andrew asked.

* * * * * *

For the next few days the children continued through the forest, walking by day and setting up camp at night. By the fifth day the older children were beginning to worry. The food was getting low and they still hadn't found a permanent place to hide.

One afternoon, when they had just stopped for lunch, they heard a rustling of leaves nearby.

"What was that?" Justin asked in alarm.

The rustling came again, followed by a soft whimper.

Mary, who had gotten up to get something from the food basket, followed the sound with her ears and tried to uncover the source of the noise.

"It's coming from the bush," she whispered.

"Mary, be careful," Justin warned.

Stubbornly Mary approached the bushes and pulled back the leaves.

"Oh you poor thing!" she exclaimed, looking down at the small huddled animal.

"What is it?" Luke asked getting up to look.

"It's a baby fox and she's hurt," Mary replied, kneeling down and looking at the fox's injuries.

"Poor thing," Luke said. "Looks like she's been in a few losing battles."

The fox had cuts and missing patches of fur all over.

"She looks hungry too. Aren't you baby?" Mary said softly.

The fox looked up and gave a weak, nervous growl. Just then Jeremy walked over to see the fox who gave another growl.

"Hey, there's no need for that," Jeremy told the fox. "We're here to help," he added getting closer.

"Jem, don't get too close," Justin said joining the crowd around the bush. "She's wild and could be dangerous."

"She's nervous, but I think she knows we won't hurt her," Jeremy said. "All we want to do is help."

The fox stopped growling and began to whimper and tried to get up.

"She's hurt badly. That back leg looks awful," Mary said. "I wish she'd let me touch her so I could take a closer look," she added.

"She won't bite as long as you're careful. She's in great pain," Jeremy said. "And, by the way, her name is Vicky."

"I can see she's in pain, but how do you know she won't bite and her name?" Jayson asked.

"This is going to sound strange, but she told me," Jeremy said.

"Told you?" Amanda asked.

"Are you sure she won't bite me?" Mary asked.

"She promises as long as you're as gentle as you can be," Jeremy replied.

"I promise," Mary said. Then she slowly reached over and stroked the fox's head.

"Let her smell your hand," Jeremy instructed.

Mary put her hand out. The fox examined it, sniffing vigorously for several minutes, after which, as if to show her approval, she licked it.

"It's nice to meet you too, Vicky," Mary said to the fox. "And I'll try my best not to hurt you. I just need to get you out of this bush."

"Here, I'll hold the branches back for you," Luke said.

Once she had the fox in her arms, Mary sat down and began to examine the injuries.

"It's no wonder she's in pain. Her leg looks like it has been caught in some wire and there's still some left."

Mary carefully untangled Vicky's leg.

"The wire was so tight it must have been cutting off her circulation," Mary said.

"Rap it up in this face cloth for a few minutes to clean the wounds," Justin said, handing Mary a damp face cloth. "Then we can wrap it up in a bandage while it heals."

"Here's some water and cold meat for her too," Amanda said, putting a plate and a bowl beside Mary.

Vicky ate and drank gratefully while her wounds were cleaned. When she was finished, she snuggled up to Mary.

"She's very grateful," Jeremy said.

"I wish I could do something for the pain," Mary said, holding a cloth against the bleeding wounds.

"She says she isn't in pain any more and she's beginning to get the feeling back in her leg."

"She must be a quick healer," Amanda commented.

Mary removed the cloth and looked down at the small fox, who was now asleep.

"Not that quick, look."

The cuts which had been bleeding moments earlier had now crusted over and begun to get smaller and the patches of missing fur were also showing light hair.

"Either she's a magical fox or..," Mary began

"Or we haven't discovered all the secrets of the Amulet," Justin finished.

* * * * * *

"We have reports from the surface, Admiral. At the last report there are eight children missing from their homes," Captain Brinerson reported. "It's as if they had just disappeared."

"Nonsense, Captain. Children don't just disappear. They must be hiding," Admiral Jaimson said.

"We have a continual search going, Sir. So far there is no trace of them," the Captain told his superior.

"Have you got a fix on the names of these children?" Jaimson asked.

"Yes Sir..."

The Captain then proceeded to give the Admiral the names and ages of the eight missing children.

"Keep working on it, Captain. At those ages they can't have gotten far yet. And when you do find them, bring them to me. Their names intrigue me. I would like to meet these children who seem to have the ability to disappear," The Admiral said thoughtfully. "We may have found the key to unlock the secret we've been searching for," He added "Oh and Captain, tell your men to be extremely careful with these children. Do not frighten or harm them in any way. We don't want them to get the wrong idea."

"Understood, Sir. Brinerson out."

"So your secret may be easier to find than we thought, Chrystalina," the Admiral said, looking out the window down to the planet below. "The Governor will be pleased and if you cooperate maybe no one will get hurt. Maybe."

* * * * * *

"Imagine. Grandfather asking us to go with him to the Chrystalina takeover," Andrew said as he and his twin sister packed for the journey.

"We are his heirs. I guess he just wants us to see the newest part of our inheritance," Andriana said.

"It's not just the inheritance that excites me," Andrew said. "Jerico was colonized because of Chrystalina. We'll get to see how inferior they are to us."

"Is that all you can think of? Who out powers whom?" Andriana asked.

"Come on, An. You can't mean to say that you aren't the least bit excited to see the place where the colonists lived before our planet was born?" Andrew said.

"I admit it's exciting, but remember we're going with the Governor on official business. He expects us to show that we're worthy of taking over the Empire. So we have to control our emotions about this trip," Andriana said decidedly.

Andrew walked over to his sister and put an arm around her.

"But just think of it," he said. "If we play our cards right, we could have control of all the little people and planets. You and me, sitting on thrones and everyone catering to our every need. It's all waiting for you and me, Sis. And this trip is just the tip of the iceberg."

"Oh brother," Andriana said pulling away from him.

"What?" Andrew asked sitting down.

"Will you just finish packing?" Andriana asked. "If we cause the Governor's ship to be late in its departure, that iceberg will melt before you can blink."

"You have a point, Your Highness," Andrew agreed.

* * * * * *

That night the children spent the night where they had found Vicky. In the morning they continued the journey with their new companion who still needed to regain her strength.

Over the next few days each of the children took turns caring for Vicky. Day by day she got stronger, till in about a week she walked along side the group.

One night, while on guard, Luke started to drift off. He didn't sleep for more that a few minutes, but in that few minutes he had a dream.

He was searching for something or someone in the woods. As he searched he came across a cave. He entered it slowly. It only went in a few feet, but it gave him the feeling that there was something behind the back wall.

The dream ended at the moment he entered the cave, as Luke managed to wake himself up.

"That was a stupid move," he told himself. Then he began to think about the dream. "I wonder what I was looking for," he thought. "Well, I can't find out now. Justin would kill me if he found me sleeping."

Luke looked around. The fire had died down. All he could see were shadows of his sleeping friends. He managed to stay alert for the rest of his shift, at the end of which Jeremy took over the watch. Luke crawled over to his sleeping bag and quickly fell asleep.

###  Chapter 6

Early the next morning, just as the sun began to creep up over the horizon, Luke woke with a start. He had had the dream again, only this time it left him with the feeling that the cave was where they needed to get to.

Luke sat up and looked around.

"Something wrong?" Jeremy asked.

"I just had the strangest dream," Luke said. "It just disoriented me a bit,"

He lay back down and looked over to where his sister had been sleeping, but she wasn't there. "Is Leslie up already?" he asked.

"No. Isn't she beside you?" Jeremy asked.

"No," Luke replied sitting up again. He looked around, but couldn't see Leslie anywhere.

"I've gotta find her. She must have wandered off during the night," he added getting up.

"Someone would have seen her," Jeremy said.

"I was on duty before you. I think I dozed off for a few minutes," Luke confessed.

"What's going on?" Mary asked sleepily.

"Leslie's gone," Luke explained. "And it's all my fault," he added packing up his sleeping bag.

Mary sat up.

"Well she can't be far," she said.

"Still, I've got to find her," Luke said. He picked up the rest of his gear and walked off.

"Why does he think..," Mary began but she was stopped when she looked over to where Emily had been sleeping. "Luke, wait up," she called. "Jem, wake the others. Emma and Vicky are gone too."

By the time the sun had risen the group had packed up the rest of the gear and were looking for the missing toddlers and fox.

As the search went on, Luke found himself wandering through the woods as if he was in his dream again.

"Could it be? Could my dream have been trying to tell me something?" he thought. Then impulsively he yelled to the others, "I think they went this way," Then he continued to walk in the direction he had been wandering to.

They walked for half an hour or so, every so often calling to the toddlers.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Jeremy asked finally.

"Not completely, but I've got this feeling we're being led to Em and Les," Luke replied.

"How do you know?" Mary asked.

"If I told you the real reason, you'd think I was losin' it. Just trust me," Luke replied.

"He's right, I can feel it too," Amanda said.

"But this is leading us out of the woods," Justin said.

"You see that cave over there? That's where we need to get," Luke said.

As they walked they saw two small figures and a little red animal disappearing inside.

As it was in Luke's dream, the cave only went in a few feet. As the others entered it, they found the girls sitting in one corner, smiling and giggling as if nothing had happened.

"I don't know whether you should be praised for finding shelter or scolded for walking off like that," Luke said to his sister.

"I thought we told you two to stay close," Justin said.

"The fox left," Emily said.

Mary picked up the fox and began to stroke her fur.

"You shouldn't have followed her," Mary said to Emily. "She's not a pet."

"Fox tell Em to come," Leslie said. "Want to help, Luke."

"I know you want to help, but..," Luke began.

"She means Vicky wanted to help," Jeremy said.

Leslie nodded.

"Maybe Em can understand her too," Jayson asked.

"Fox sorry," Em said.

"Vicky says she's sorry for the confusion. She's very grateful for our help. She wanted to return the favour. She says she tried to tell me; then she found Emily could understand so she showed her," Jeremy explained.

"There's more than meets the eye to these powers," Jayson commented. "I wonder what else is in store for us."

"I wish Great Grandma Bradford had left more information about the Amulet," Mary said. "Do you think we're safe here?"

"For now," Justin said. "We shouldn't stay too long, but we can stay for a couple of days."

"I just wish we could get word to our parents," Mary said.

"We all do," Jeremy agreed.

The children settled themselves in the cave. For the first day since Jerico came they felt able to relax, a little.

That night Luke's dreams were filled with images of the cave. He dreamed that he was on guard, all the others were sleeping. He was about to get up and stir up the fire when there came a low rumbling sound from the back wall. Then the wall began to crack and open.

Luke awoke with a start and looked around. Everything seemed fine. Justin was on guard, all the others were asleep, save Vicky who was lying in the corner playing with a stone.

"It was just a dream," Luke thought as he closed his eyes again.

He was just drifting off when he heard a low rumbling sound. Once again he awoke, but didn't panic thinking he was still dreaming. But when the sound continued, he sat up and looked around. The sun was rising, and the others were waking as well.

"What's going on?" Mary asked.

"I don't know, but I don't like it," Justin said.

"Look!" Luke exclaimed in a low voice.

As had happened in the dream, a crack had formed in the back wall. As they watched it grew into an opening. Once again Luke's dream had came true.

The children stared in silent wonder at the opening in the back of the cave.

"It's just like my dream," Luke said slowly.

"You knew this was going to happen?" Justin asked.

Luke moved closer to the doorway.

"Luke, I don't think we should go in there," Mary warned. "It may be a trap set by Jerico."

"I don't think it is," Luke told her. "It doesn't 'feel' wrong."

"Mary's right," Justin said. "We have to be careful."

"But Justin," Luke began

He was interrupted as Emily let out an anguished cry.

"Vicky, No," she cried.

The fox scampered through the doorway and disappeared into the dark interior.

Mary grabbed Emily just as the child moved to follow their pet.

"Help Vicky," Emily pleaded.

"It may be too dangerous for us in there, Em," Mary tried to explain. "We'll have to wait for Vicky to come out."

"Vicky hurt?" Leslie asked.

"I hope not, sweetie," Mary replied.

"Vicky's fine," Jeremy declared.

The others turned to stare at him.

"She coming back," He added.

In a minute, Vicky appeared in the opening.

"Follow Vicky," Emily demanded.

"I told you we have to stay here," Mary reminded her.

"Emily's right," Jeremy said. "Vicky's found something that she thinks will help us. She wants us to follow her into the tunnel."

"It's one thing to follow a fox through the woods, but it's quite another to let her lead us into a dark tunnel," Justin said.

"I'm with Justin," Jayson said. "Let Vicky bring out what she's found. I'm staying right here.

Suddenly they became aware of a new noise. This one came from the woods near the cave. Justin hurried to the cave entrance and peeked out. He put his finger to his lips to silence the others, then peeked out again. He looked and listened for several seconds before returning to where the others were.

"Jerico troops," he said in a whisper. "They're very close. I don't think we can get out of here without being seen."

"Then we have no choice," Luke said triumphantly. "We have to follow Vicky."

"Looks like it," Justin agreed.

"Everyone grab your gear," Mary said. "We may not be able to get back to this spot."

Luke looked down at Vicky, who was sitting with her head cocked to one side.

"Lead on, Vicky," he smiled.

The group entered the dark doorway which began to close as soon as they were all in.

"I can't see a thing," Amanda said when the door had closed and all the light was blocked out.

Justin found his flashlight and turned it on.

Ahead of them they could see a long dark staircase. Vicky was already trotting ahead.

"There's no going back now," Luke said as he picked up Leslie and began to go after Vicky.

"He's right, down is the only way to go," Amanda agreed.

###  Chapter 7

The staircase went down for some time. It ended in a big dark room. Justin shone the flashlight around. All they could see were dark shapes. Finally, the beam flashed across a light switch. Jeremy walked over and flipped it on.

The lights flickered and stayed dim for a few minutes, then turned to their full brightness. Computer hardware, the likes of which they had never seen before, gleamed in the light.

"This must be a Jerico hideout," Justin said. "They must have been here longer than we thought."

"We'd better get out of here," Mary said nervously. "If it is a Jerico hideout, then those troops may be here any second."

"We can't leave," Luke said. "We'd be caught for sure."

"Then what do we do?" Mary asked.

Just then Emily ran over to a part of the terminal.

"Press buttons," she said and was about to when all of a sudden...

Lights began to flash all over and humming noises came from massive machinery. For a few moments the children were too frightened to breathe. Finally, the lights stopped flashing and the noises stopped. The room fell silent for only a moment, though. Then the screen flashed and a face appeared.

The face was of a lady of about thirty, with black hair and a warm, friendly smile.

"Children of the Amulet. You were chosen to help defend Chrystalina. By your presence I assume the moment has come. Please speak, ask questions, reveal to me who you are and the details of your quest."

There was more silence as the children considered what to do. Finally, Justin spoke.

"Who are you and how do you know about our quest?" he asked.

"My name is, or was, Chrystal Bradford. I witnessed Chrystalina's birth. I brought the Amulet to this planet. The Amulet was given to me by my grandmother who told me its powers would one day mean the salvation of the planet. Who are you and what is the danger?"

"I am Justin Bradford. The planet called Jerico has come to conquer Chrystalina," Justin explained.

"Welcome, Justin Bradford," Chrystal said. "Please identify your companions?"

Justin introduced the others.

"I am glad the Amulet has been given to the rightful heirs. I expect you'll have many questions."

"There are a lot of blanks to be filled in," Mary agreed.

"Then ask."

"First, there were Jerico troops outside," Justin said. "Is there any way they will be able to get in?"

"Only the one who holds the Amulet can open the door. Though the fact that Jerico is the conqueror worries me a little."

"Why?" Jayson asked.

"There will be time for that information later," Chrystal replied. "It is enough that you are here safely."

"Where is here?" Mary asked. "How did you know we would find our way in?"

"You are in a very secure complex, far below the surface of Chrystalina. We built it when we arrived, to house the advanced technical equipment and knowledge we brought with us. Even in my day, we had the premonitions that one day this equipment would be needed. As to how you found this place, you must thank whichever creature led you to shelter in the cave. Some of you have the power to speak to the creatures of the planet. It was foreseen that one of these creatures would feel your need for safety and lead you here."

Suddenly part of the back and one of the side walls of the room disappeared. The side opening revealed a long hallway with many doorways on either side. The opening at the back revealed a living room type space and a kitchen area.

"The back room is made mainly for your comforts and nourishment. The kitchen area is equipped with a food replicator that can provide you with any type of food or drink you desire. The hall at the side leads to bathroom and bedroom facilities. In the bedrooms you will find a computer panel. This will give you a link to this main computer," Chrystal explained. "There is much work to do and much to talk about, but for now go and refresh yourselves. I realize you aren't familiar with such technology, but the computer will help you as you go. Just tell the replicators what you want and the computer will fix it."

"We'll figure it out," Jayson said. "We're fast learners."

"That's why you are all here," Chrystal replied.

* * * * * *

After the children had eaten, the four younger children went to bed of their own accord. The older children stayed up, to relax and talk to Chrystal.

"I am glad you elected to stay up," Chrystal said. "There is much to discuss, some of which it might be best if the younger children didn't hear. It may confuse or upset them even more. You four are the oldest and will be called upon to confront most of the danger that lies ahead."

"What kind of danger?" Mary asked.

"There are many dangers," Chrystal replied. "I will explain it all and let you four choose what to tell your younger companions.

"As you know your powers are the key to the salvation of the planet and the Amulet is the key to your powers. If ever it is lost, the planet will be at the mercy of the invaders and your advantage will be lost."

"Would we lose our powers?" Jeremy asked.

"Not necessarily, though I'm not sure what effect it would have on your actual powers," Chrystal replied. "But there is a slim chance the powers could be given to your opponent. In this instance, any risk is too high."

"What exactly worries you about Jerico's presence?" Justin wanted to know.

"From the updated data I have received, I know that Jerico is stronger than the forces of Chrystalina, for they are more technologically advanced."

"Who left this technology here then?" Mary asked. "Were you involved with the founding of Chrystalina?"

"It all started when my husband and I left Earth along with three ships full of families who wanted to colonize a planet. Earth's technology was taking over. We needed to find a place to start again, without the ever-growing technology. Just after we settled, a small portion of our group decided that they could not live with the little technology that we had agreed to use. Those people left to form Jerico. When Jerico left we anticipated that in the future, humankind's tendencies to build tools would lead unquestionably to a further development of technology on their planet. In fear that the technology would lead Jerico to become a second Earth, we took what little technology there was from the remaining spaceships to build this system."

"You said you were worried for two reasons. What was the second?" Luke asked.

"The second reason has to do with the Amulet itself. Before we left Earth, my grandmother gave me the Amulet and gave me the instructions which have been handed down with it. She also told me that it was not whole," Chrystal told them.

She paused for a moment. One of the side screens turned dark, and then an image of a bigger Amulet appeared. Just as she was about to continue, Amanda and Jayson walked into the room.

"I thought you guys were asleep," Mary said.

"Sleep? After the day we've had? Come on," Amanda replied.

"We just thought we'd come out and see what you guys were up to," Jayson added.

"You have arrived in time," Chrystal replied. "I was just about to tell the others about the breaking of the Amulet."

"The Amulet's broken?" Amanda asked.

"I didn't do it," Jayson said.

"Just sit down and listen," Jeremy told his brother.

Chrystal seemed to smile and then continued. As she spoke images, flowed across the screen.

"The Amulet was originally owned by the Jaimson family and was only thought of as a good luck charm. No one knew then the depths of its powers.

"When the twins, Bridget and Briana Jaimson, were born, the Amulet was hung in their rooms as a symbol of luck for they were the oldest children of Kevin and Lucy Jaimson. On the eve of their first birthday, the Amulet broke into two even pieces. The twins each received one piece as a birthday present. The pieces were again hung over each bed as good luck charms, until their sixteenth birthday.

"As the children grew, they began to develop the same powers you are discovering now. And so on the eve of the departure of the colonists, my grandmother, Bridget Jaimson-Williams, called me to her and passed on her half of the Amulet. While her twin sister, Briana Jaimson-Mackensie, handed her half to her grandson, my third cousin, Jerold. Jerold became the leader of the group that went to colonize Jerico.

"Each part of the Amulet holds great powers in itself. If both parts were reunited and fell into the wrong hands...Well, I don't need to express the severity of the situation."

"Does that mean whoever has the other half of the Amulet can get in here?" Mary asked.

"Can someone fill us in first?" Jayson demanded. "Remember, we only came in halfway through the conversation."

Justin quickly summarized what Chrystal had told them, then Mary repeated her question.

"While all eight of you are present, no one can get in," Chrystal replied.

"But what if one of us leaves?" Luke asked.

"In the immediate future, if the Amulet is not present, the other half of the Amulet will be recognized as the Amulet," Chrystal replied.

###  Chapter 8

"So we can't go out and if one of us does leave with the Amulet, the others aren't any safer than we were in the forest," Jayson stated.

"And no one can get in here without the Amulet," Amanda added.

"I do not mean to frighten you. No one can detect you here," Chrystal said.

"There's obviously going to come a time when one or more of us will have to leave. I mean, we can't just hide out here for the rest of our lives. " Justin said. "Isn't there any way to protect those left behind?"

"Not currently. There is a lot to do before you can leave safely," Chrystal said.

"Is there any way we can see outside without going outside?" Mary asked, thinking about her parents' safety.

"Through any of the screens you can see anywhere on the planet that you desire, provided that it is not shielded with the same shielding that protects this cave," Chrystal replied.

Mary was about to ask to see her parents, but Justin spoke up first.

"Is there any way we could shut down the sensors that detect the Amulet and operate the door manually?" he asked.

"We could use one of the screens as a surveillance camera," Jeremy continued.

"No one could get in without our consent, with or without a piece of the Amulet," Luke added.

"It will take a few electronic adjustments, but it could work," Chrystal said. "For now, it is late and you must all get your rest."

"But I'm not tired," Amanda whined.

"She's right, Mandy. We've got a lot of work to do tomorrow," Justin said.

"Come on, Mand. We'll play cards in my room," Jayson said.

"Just don't stay up too late," Jeremy said.

"Yeah yeah," Amanda called back as she followed Jayson down the hall.

"Mandy," Mary called after her sister. "It's time for bed," she said sternly.

"Okay, Okay, I get the point!" Amanda grumbled "Ten minutes."

"No more," Mary warned.

"Yes, Master!" Amanda growled and closed the door to Jayson's room.

"Watch out world. Mary Bradford's takin' over," Jeremy commented.

"You certainly showed her who's boss," Luke added.

Mary smiled and began to walk towards her room.

"Hey Mare," Justin called after her, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired," Mary replied. "Night, guys."

In her room, Mary changed and lay on her bed, deep in thought. She had wanted very much to see her parents, but she hadn't said anything because Amanda had been there. They knew little about what was going on outside. If their parents were in trouble, she didn't want Amanda to get upset.

Mary shook her head and tried to get the thought of her parents in trouble out of her mind. A few minutes later there was a scratching noise at the door. Mary opened it to find Vicky looking up at her.

"Come in, Vicky," Mary said, smiling at the little fox.

Vicky scooted into the room and hopped onto the bed.

Mary left the door slightly ajar, lay down beside the fox and began to stroke the soft, reddish-brown fur.

"I wish I could understand you like Jem and Emma do," Mary said.

Vicky lay down and closed her eyes.

"Comfy?" Mary asked.

Vicky raised her head and gave a little yip. Then she looked up at Mary as if to ask if it was okay.

"Go ahead, relax. I don't mind," Mary reassured her.

Vicky put her head down again and made a sound as if she were sighing.

Mary crawled under the covers, attempting not to disturb Vicky. Once Mary seemed to get comfy, Vicky got up and curled up closer to Mary, who smiled again and continued stroking the little fox.

"It's as if you knew I needed company. Or maybe you're the one who needed the company," Mary said.

Vicky gave another yip.

"Or maybe a little of both," Mary added.

Mary fell into a peaceful sleep. She began to dream of the past, before Jerico came. And then of the days after Jerico had come: the picnic, the capture, the escape and, finally, the discovery of the cave outside. But the door didn't open as it had and the Jerico troops kept coming.

Suddenly Mary woke up with a start. She looked around. In the darkness she could see the huddled form of Vicky who was still sleeping peacefully. Mary sighed with relief and lay down again. Just as she was about to drift off again, she heard Emily crying.

Emily was sitting up in bed sobbing, her arms outstretched.

"What's the matter, Em?" Mary asked, picking up her sister and cuddling her.

"Want Momma," Emily replied.

"I know you do. So do I," Mary replied softly.

"Want go home, May," Em said.

"We can't," Mary told her.

"Go home now!" Emily insisted and began to cry louder.

"Shhh," Mary soothed. "You'll wake Leslie," she added rocking her sister, gently, in her arms. "It'll be all right, Em. I know it's hard to understand, but it will be all right."

"What's up?" Justin asked sleepily, as he entered the room.

"She's homesick, Just," Mary replied.

Emily stretched out her arms towards her brother. Justin took her and sat down on the bed.

"Want to go home, Jus," Emily repeated between sobs.

"I know you do, but we can't just yet," Justin said. "Mom and Dad need us to stay here for a while longer."

Emily looked up at her brother questioningly.

"Mom, Dad, Okay?" she asked.

"I'm sure they're fine and we'll try and see them as soon as possible," Justin replied. "Right, Mare?"

"See Mom, Dad soon?" Emily asked Mary.

"As soon as possible," Mary replied.

Emily yawned and rubbed her eyes sleepily. Obviously that was enough for her for now.

"Is it time to go back to sleep?" Justin asked her.

Emily nodded. Justin lay her back down on the bed, covered her up and kissed her. Then Mary bent over to kiss her as well and followed Justin out.

"It's amazing Leslie didn't wake up," Mary commented distantly.

"You okay?" Justin asked.

"I hate lying to her," Mary said.

"We aren't really lying to her," Justin said.

"We aren't exactly telling her the truth," Mary retorted. "Whenever she or Leslie ask if Mom and Dad are okay we say 'of course. They just need us out of the way for a while'. Actually, we haven't the faintest idea what's going on outside. I know it'll be hard to explain, but both of them have the power too and they aren't going to be of much use fighting if they don't know what they're fighting for. Besides the fact that they're smart kids. Sooner or later they'll figure out everything isn't all rosy pink as we keep telling them."

"They're only three years old. We can't tell them what's going on. They wouldn't understand," Justin said.

"I didn't say it would be easy, but eventually we'll have to make them understand," Mary persisted. "It's hard enough to accept, without the added strain of protecting the two youngest children from the truth."

Mary walked into her room and shut the door. Justin followed her anyway.

Mary was sitting on her bed, stroking Vicky and crying softly.

"Hey, Mare. We all want to see our parents. And it might be easier for us if we tell Em and Les the truth, but it might make them more scared," Justin said.

"I'm sorry. It's only that I hate this so much and it frustrates me," Mary said. "I suppose it would scare and confuse them, but I don't see what use they're suppose to serve if they don't know the truth."

"I don't know either, Mare," Justin said putting an arm around her. "We can talk it over with the others tomorrow."

Mary wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled.

"I guess it's just that I'm the oldest girl and I feel obligated to take mom's place. I'm only 14 years old. I don't want to grow up that fast, yet I feel responsible."

"We're all responsible, not just you. We're a team and, therefore, we have to share the responsibility. You need to relax a little. Just because you're the oldest girl, doesn't mean you have to grow up and be the superior," Justin told her.

Mary sighed.

"You go back to bed," Mary said. "Vicky and I will be fine."

"Everything will be fine," Justin said. "Good night, Mare."

"Good night, Big Brother and thanks," Mary said as Justin left.

Mary made sure the door was ajar, in case Vicky wanted to leave. Then she turned off the light and crawled back into bed.

"Good night again, Vicky," she said as she continued to stroke the little fox.

Vicky made another sound as if she were sighing and in a few minutes both Mary and the fox were sleeping peacefully again.

###  Chapter 9

Mary, despite her late night talk with Justin and Emily, was the first to wake the next morning. She had been dreaming she was back at home with her parents. They were laughing and talking merrily and the scene started out to be quite comforting.

The comfort soon vanished when Mary asked her parents if they were okay. The question caused the laughter to halt. Her parents suddenly looked sad. After a moment, her parents rose, hugged her and vanished, all the while Mary kept calling to them. Her calls became louder and louder, flooding her mind with fearful thoughts till finally....

Mary sat up in bed with a start. She took a few minutes to catch her breath. Then, without another thought, she got up and dressed and went out into the control room.

"Chrystal, I need to talk to you," she whispered.

At first there was no answer. Then lights started to flash on the control board and, moments later, Chrystal Bradford's face appeared.

"Yes, Mary. What can I do for you?" Chrystal asked.

"I need to see my parents. Can you show them to me?" Mary asked.

"I will try. It will take a few minutes to locate them and determine if they are in range of one of the operational scanners," Chrystal replied.

The screens went blank for a few minutes. Lights flashed again and the machinery hummed. Finally, a picture of her parents' room appeared. A few minutes more, the picture zoomed in on two figures sitting on the edge of the bed in each other's arms.

"Can I hear what they're saying?" Mary asked.

Soon she could hear her mother sobbing.

"Oh Joseph, I'm so scared," her mother was saying. "Jerico is everywhere. We're trapped in our own house and what's worse we don't even know if our children are safe."

"I know, Sweetie. I miss them too," Joseph said, sounding on the verge of tears himself. "But we have to be brave for them, Emily. For them, for us, and for Chrystalina. We just have to hope that they're safe. We have to trust in their abilities and not only their magical ones."

"They are only children. What can they do against Jerico?" Emily asked.

"I don't know, Dear, but they're smart. They'll think of something. They must or we are all doomed," he added this last part as if he was talking to himself.

"We're trying, Daddy," Mary whispered with tears in her eyes.

"I just wish we could have stayed together. The separation is breaking my heart," Emily said.

"Mine too, Momma," Mary whispered. "Okay, that's enough," she added turning to walk away. Then she turned back thoughtfully.

"Is there something else?" Chrystal asked.

"Yeah, can you just scan for Mr. and Mrs. Williams and Mr. and Mrs. Mackensie?" Mary asked.

"Do you want a visual?" Chrystal asked.

"NO, I just want to know if they're okay," Mary said.

The screen blanked for a few minutes, lights flashed and machinery hummed. Finally, Chrystal reappeared.

"Both couples are in their residences and the vital signs are strong," Chrystal reported.

"Good. Thanks," Mary said and turned towards the kitchen.

A few minutes later, Luke came in followed by Leslie and Emily.

"Good Morning, Early Bird," Luke said cheerily.

"Hi," Mary replied sullenly.

"I hear you were up late with Em last night," Luke said. "Why didn't you sleep in?"

"I wasn't up for long. Em just needed a cuddle and a little reassurance," Mary replied.

"You look like you could use the same treatment. What's wrong?" Luke asked.

"Ask me what isn't wrong," Mary began. "We're stuck in some underground place with no way to communicate with the outside world. Not that we would want to because we would risk being found by the people who are trying to conquer our planet, whom we, eight children between the ages of sixteen and three, are supposed to rebel against and save our planet from. And to make matters worse, the two three year olds haven't got a clue as to the enormity of the danger the whole planet is in. So we've lied to them to avoid confusion which is liable to blow up in our faces if they find out the truth at the wrong moment because it would scare them out of their wits..."

When Mary stopped to take a breath, she suddenly realized who was listening. In her absentminded mood she hadn't registered that the two three year olds she was trying to protect were now sitting at the table across from her. She looked around to find the others looking at her. In another moment she ran to her room and locked the door, refusing to let anyone in.

She felt embarrassed and angry at herself for getting carried away. She could have forgiven herself if it had happened in front of most of the group. What she couldn't forgive herself for was the frightened looks on the two small faces of the toddlers. Though they hadn't understood all that Mary had said, the main point remained apparent to them. They had been lied to and everything about this journey wasn't as okay as the others had explained. The big word was danger and the world was in it. The situation was more serious than they had understood or could understand. The confusion was what had produced a large part of their fear which they now showed and which Mary kicked herself for causing.

Silence filled the room for a few minutes after Mary left. Finally, Leslie hopped down from her chair and walked over to Luke.

"Mom and Dad not okay," she commented, reaching out her arms towards her brother.

Luke silently picked her up and cuddled her.

Emily remained quiet for a few minutes and then began to cry.

"I want Momma," she said.

Justin went over and picked Emily up and rocked her gently.

"I was afraid this might happen," Justin said. "Mary went on about telling truth last night. I thought I had convinced her it was best not to."

"I don't think she did it on purpose," Luke said. "She seemed distracted when I walked in. I don't think she knew I wasn't the only one in the room."

"Why didn't you stop her when you realized what she was saying?" Justin asked.

"I didn't know the girls were in the room either until they sat down," Luke replied. "She obviously had something on her mind. I asked her what was wrong so she could talk it out. The damage had been done when I noticed Emily and Leslie."

Justin looked down at his youngest sister's tear-stained face.

"Mom, Dad not come," she said decidedly. "Gone, not come ever," Then she and Leslie began to cry again.

"She should have known better anyway," Justin said, with a touch of anger in his voice. "She should have known they could be nearby."

He passed Emily to Jeremy. "I'm going to talk to her."

"Don't be too hard on her, Just," Jeremy said "She's probably mad at herself as it is."

Justin ignored the remark and continued towards Mary's room.

"Mare, let me in. I want to talk to you," Justin said.

"Leave me alone. I don't want to talk and I bet I can guess what you want to say to me. So save yourself the trouble," Mary replied.

"Come on, Mare. Let me in," Justin persisted.

"I mean it, Justin. GO AWAY. All you want to do is tell me how careless it was of me to fly off the handle like that and I just don't want to hear it," Mary told him.

At that moment Jeremy and Luke approached the door.

"Let us handle this," Jeremy said. "You go back and look after the girls."

"She's my sister. I'll handle it," Justin protested.

"But all you want to do is tell her off," Luke pointed out, "and that'll make things worse."

"What makes you think she'll let you in?" Justin asked.

"She doesn't have to," Luke replied and in a flash he and Jeremy disappeared.

###  Chapter 10

Mary was lying face down on her bed. She didn't notice the boys appearing in the room and jumped in surprise when Luke tapped her on the shoulder.

"How'd you guys get in here?" she asked, wiping the tears from her eyes. "On second thought, never mind," she added realizing the answer. "Just go back out the way you came. I want to be left alone."

"Come on, Mare. What happened wasn't you fault," Jeremy told her.

"Neither of us realized the girls were in the room till it was too late," Luke added.

"We're all stressed out about this situation" Jeremy continued. "It could have happened to any of us."

"I should have thought before I spoke. I know the girls like to play hide and seek. I should have made sure we were alone," Mary said, shaking her head.

"I think it's better that they know the truth," Luke confessed. "It was better to lie to them when we were in the woods so they wouldn't go off looking for our parents, but now, they'd be no use to our cause if they didn't know the truth."

"Luke's right," Jeremy agreed. "Granted, the way they were told wasn't the best choice, but since they were told that way we just need to work with it. In time they'll understand."

"What happened, happened," Luke added. "Now we need to work together to explain and help them understand.

"Still," Mary said decidedly, "being one of the oldest, I should have watched what I said. Especially since I'm the oldest girl."

"What does that have to do with it?" Jeremy asked.

"I'm the oldest girl. I feel responsible for the welfare of the younger children. Since their mothers aren't here, they look at me as a 'mother figure'," Mary replied.

"We're all responsible to look after each other," Jeremy told her. "There are no mother or father figures. No one has extra responsibilities."

"That's what Justin said," Mary murmured.

"He's right," Luke continued. "We need to work together, as a team. We need to share our responsibilities equally."

"I guess it's just instinctive," Mary said. "We do have to work together. I know that. Justin told me that last night. Guess I just needed to know he wasn't the only one who felt that way. Though at this moment, I'm glad I ended up talking to you rather than him. I know all he wanted to do was yell at me."

"We figured you needed to be comforted, not yelled at," Jeremy said.

"Well, you were right," Mary said, getting up and unlocking the door. "Thanks, guys."

"That's what friends are for," Luke told her.

"Now I guess we'd better do a little damage control," Mary said with a sigh. "And start on our plan of attack."

"Right behind you," Jeremy said as Mary opened the door.

"Here goes nothin'," Mary added to herself as they left the room.

Later that day, Mary followed Luke out of Emily's and Leslie's room and softly closed the door behind her. The two little girls had tried so hard to understand what was going on that they had tired themselves out. And now, after an attempt to fight off the tiredness, the little girls were sleeping peacefully.

"They still can't even begin to understand," Mary announced as she and Luke rejoined the group in the control room.

"It will take time," Chrystal said. "For now, we must get to work on the new defense systems."

At that moment one of the screens flashed. A small, flat, gray, rectangular object appeared. It was about the size of an audio cassette cover and about as thick (give or take a few inches). The picture enlarged a few minutes after appearing and slowly began to turn.

"This is a communicator," Chrystal began. "From the outside it looks like a plain, gray box."

As she spoke, the box opened. On the top half were a small speaker and view screen and on the bottom half was a keyboard and a few lights and switches.

"The communicators are linked directly to the computer and to each other. This means that anyone with the proper access code has access to the computer information banks. The screen and speaker serve as a 2-way television/telephone. It will enable you to see and talk to one another over the communicator or to someone here. The keyboard enables you to make silent transmissions or to input data and so on."

"Can we talk to more than one person at a time over the communicator?" Jeremy asked.

"Transmissions to the communicators can only be received one at a time, but the main computer can take all eight at once. This way you can speak to more than one person at the same time. There is one problem, however," Chrystal continued. "We couldn't be sure how many children there would be. We only made four communicators. Currently that might not be a problem, but in the future you'll need more."

"Given the right equipment and diagrams, I bet we could make more," Justin said. "How difficult can it be?"

"That in itself is not the problem. I can direct you in the building of the units," Chrystal replied. "It is the precious time that will be needed to replicate them; time that we don't have. You'll have to learn this technology quickly so we can get the whole system functioning properly and plan and proceed with our counter attack against Jerico before they do too much damage and are able to settle in as the new rulers."

"Learning quickly isn't a problem," Mary said. "Chrystalina has the knowledge of technological wonders locked away in the historical books at the library. Several of us have taken to studying them."

"As for time, we can split up into two teams," Luke continued. "One team can work on replicating the communicators and the other team can start the computer adjustments."

"I must warn you that some of the adjustments that must be made will be to units outside this site," Chrystal said.

"Whoever goes out can use two of the communicators that you left us," Amanda said.

"They will need to be adjusted slightly," Chrystal said. "They will need to be programmed to respond to you."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Jayson said. "Just tell us how to do it."

"Of course," Chrystal agreed, as four of the gray boxes appeared on a counter.

Jeremy picked up one of the communicators.

"Is there any way to run a check on the communicators' systems and functions?" Jeremy asked.

"Working," Chrystal replied.

The machinery hummed again.

"Well, the power may need to be boosted," Chrystal reported. "But beyond that the programming is all that needs to be done,"

"Question is, how long will it take to fix them?" Luke said.

"And do we have the time to wait?" Mary added.

"The communicators will function without the added programming," Chrystal said. "But in order for them to be secure, you will have to get it done soon. As for time, the sooner we get Jerico away from the planet the better."

"Meaning we don't have time to fix them properly," Jeremy said.

"The only suggestion I can make is to perform a power transfer from the main computer to two of the communicators," Chrystal said, "while you use the other two to make the adjustments on the surface."

"And hope the two being used hold out till the other communicators are ready," Jayson added. "Isn't that a bit risky? If one of the old communicators breaks down, we won't be able to keep tabs on whomever is outside."

"There are no other options," Chrystal said. "A power transfer is the quickest thing to do."

"We're running out of time as it is," Justin said. "We'll have to go through with the transfer and start working on the new communicators fast."

"I'd like to take a crack at the new communicators," Jeremy volunteered.

"So would I," Justin agreed.

"Count me in too," Jayson added.

"I guess that leaves me, Mary and Mandy to work on the outside adjustments," Luke said.

"It's all settled then," Mary said. "Luke and I will go out and make the necessary adjustments. Mand, you can stay here and monitor communications from here."

Amanda opened her mouth to object, but Chrystal cut her off by explaining how to attach the communicators to the main computer for the transfer.

"Okay, we all have our assignments," Justin said when the connections were complete. "Let's all keep in mind we're running on a tight schedule. All right, let's get to work."

###  Chapter 11

"Admiral, we are getting a priority one message from the Emerald Star," Captain Brinerson said.

"Put it through," Admiral Jaimson replied.

A few minutes later a young, fair-haired girl appeared on the screen in front of Jaimson.

"Greetings from the Governor and The Emerald Star," she said.

"Greetings, Young One," the Admiral said calmly.

"I am calling to inform you that we will be arriving at Chrystalina in a few hours. What is the status of the plan?"

"It is running on schedule. We are taking attendance now to ensure we have everyone," the elder replied.

"Very good, Admiral. The Governor will be pleased. We will stay in contact. Emerald Star out."

The Admiral shuddered. He knew the young girl well. All in all he liked her, but what he didn't like was the thought of her and her brother taking the Governor's place. They were only fifteen and the Governor was old. He couldn't imagine the twin heirs ever being ready to rule the Empire.

Admiral Jaimson turned back to the intercom.

"Captain Brinerson. Alert the troops that the Governor will be here in two hours," he said.

"Yes, Sir. The planet will be secure for the Governor's arrival," the Captain responded.

"What is the status of the missing children?" Jaimson asked.

"We're still looking, Sir."

"I want them found, Captain. Do whatever you have to, even if it means going down and leading the search yourself. Just find them, preferably before the Governor arrives. Understood?"

"Understood, Sir. I'll relay the message."

"Good. Keep me informed. Jaimson out."

* * * * * *

The twins stood side by side at the door to their grandfather's quarters. Andrew rang the bell.

"Enter," a voice called from inside.

"You wanted to see us?" Andriana asked as they stepped into the room.

"Ah yes. Come in, Children. Sit down," the Governor said. "I summoned you here because there are a few things I should tell you before we reach Chrystalina."

He reached over to a metal box, on the table in front of him, and drew out an emerald Amulet hung on a golden chain.

"This," he said, "is your key to all the power and might you will ever need. This is your key to the Empire.

* * * * * *

"Come on, Mary. I want in on the action too," Amanda whined.

"What action?" Mary said. "It's not like we're going into battle. We just have a few adjustments to make."

"Outside!" Amanda continued. "I want to go too."

"We're not going out to play," Luke said. "We need you to stay here and monitor what's going on while we're gone."

"That's boring," Amanda said glumly.

"It's important, Mandy," Mary said. "The others are busy working on the other project. If all three of us left, there would be no one to man the computer."

"Not to mention, I'll get the job of baby-sitting, if Em and Les wake up," Amanda grumbled.

"Come on, Mand. Don't be like that," Luke said. "We're a team and each of us has a job to do. Your job right now is to stay here and monitor communications."

Amanda sighed. She was obviously fighting a losing battle.

"Okay, okay, I'll stay here," she relented after a few minutes of pouting.

"Good," Mary said. "Chrystal, we'll need a map of where the adjustments need to be made."

"And what exactly needs to be done," Luke added.

"Coming up," Chrystal replied. "There are twenty different locations that need to be attended to," she began as the printer produced two maps of the area. "I have pinpointed eight different locations on each map. You may either make all sixteen of them together or each take eight to do."

"The second choice will be faster," Luke said.

"Just remember to watch your backs," Justin said, looking up from the schematic diagrams that he, Jeremy and Jayson had been examining at a table in one corner of the room.

"We'll be careful, Big Brother," Mary assured him. "What exactly needs to be done?" she asked Chrystal.

"At most points, it will merely involve reactivating the unit which has been deactivated by an animal or the weather," Chrystal replied.

"Wait a minute," Amanda interrupted. "Am I the only one who can count? Chrystal said there were twenty adjustments, but there were only sixteen pinpointed on each map. What happened to the other points?"

"I was getting to that," Chrystal said. "The other four adjustments are right outside on the doorstep. The Amulet scanner must be turned off and the viewers must be turned on."

"But that's only two adjustments," Amanda said.

"Yes, but there are two scanners and two viewers," Chrystal said. "The two scanners are on opposite sides of the cave about half way up on each wall on the entrance to the cave. One of the viewers is placed on the inside of the cave, just over the door that you passed through to get in here. The second is on the outside of the cave, just around the corner to the left of the cave entrance."

"How do we turn them on and off?" Luke asked.

"Instead of going into deep explanations, the printouts coming off the printer will tell you exactly what to do at each point and where each point is," Chrystal said.

Luke took four papers off the printer and handed two to Mary. They examined them carefully for a few minutes.

"I suggest we take care of the points at the door first and then split up," Mary said.

"Good idea," Luke agreed. "How much longer will the power transfer take?"

"I've tried to boost the power in your communicators, but I'm not sure how much power will hold and for how long," Chrystal replied.

"We'll be fine," Mary said.

At the mention of the departure, Jeremy and Justin got up and joined Luke and Mary.

"You two be very careful," Justin said. "If you have to use your powers, make sure there's no one around to see you."

"Like he said, watch your backs," Jeremy agreed. "Jerico is all over the place and they've already caught you two once."

"We'll be fine," Mary said hugging first her brother and then Jeremy.

"They may have caught us once, but they couldn't keep us locked up for very long," Luke added.

Amanda and Jayson joined the group at that moment.

"I don't think the adjustments should take that long," Jayson said, handing communicators to Mary and Luke.

"Jay says it's almost as easy as programming a VCR," Amanda added. "Even I can do that."

"We'll contact you after each adjustment," Mary promised.

"We'd better get going," Luke said. "Sooner we get started, the sooner we'll be back."

"Good luck," Chrystal said.

Then Luke and Mary turned and walked up the stairs towards the outside world.

###  Chapter 12

The twins gazed at the Amulet.

"Now, you may be wondering what this Amulet holds that is so important," the Governor continued. "This Amulet is simply one part of your inheritance which was brought by the head of the Jerico colonists. It's your crown, so to speak. I give it to you now because it also has good luck powers in it and you will need that good luck for your quest."

The children stared at their Grandfather in surprise.

"What quest, Grandfather?" Andriana asked.

"When we reach the planet I will take command of the takeover from up here," Governor Mackensie began. "You two will go down to the planet and, once down there, begin a search for the other half of this Amulet. The Amulet was broken many years before our planet was colonized and the two pieces separated. You must now take it upon yourselves to reunite these pieces."

"Why is the other piece so important?" Andrew asked.

"Because it is part of your heritage," the Governor replied. "When you find the other piece, bring both halves to me and I will store them till you come of age or I die, whichever comes first. Then you will each receive a piece as a symbol of your authority."

"We accept your challenge, Grandfather," Andriana said, taking the chain and placing it around her neck.

"We will not fail," Andrew added.

"Good," Governor Mackensie said. "You may go now," he added grinning. "You'd better NOT fail, My Darlings," he continued after the children had left. "When the Amulet is completed, I will once again be all powerful and no one will be able to stop me," he laughed evilly.

* * * * * *

"Control, this is Luke. Come in," Luke spoke into his communicator.

In a few seconds, Mandy's face appeared on the screen.

"How's it goin', Luke?" Amanda asked.

"I'm just leavin' my third point now," Luke replied. "Any word from Mary?"

"She called in a few minutes ago," Amanda replied. "She was just leaving her third point too."

"I guess I'd better get goin'," Luke said. "I'll keep in touch. Luke out."

* * * * * *

Mary appeared near her next point and looked around for the unit. Suddenly she heard footsteps. She ducked behind a tree and hoped whoever it was would go away.

Cautiously, she peaked around the tree. Two armed Jerico troops appeared through the trees. Mary was too scared to breathe as they came closer and closer to her hiding spot.

"I guess I was wrong," one man said.

"We've been searching for them so much we're starting to see things," the other said.

Mary stiffened. Had they seen her, she wondered.

"Come on. Let's go back to camp," the first man said.

Mary held her breath till the footsteps sounded farther away.

"I'll come back to this one later," she said to herself.

She was about to transport herself when a certain curiosity hit her.

"I wonder if I should see where their camp is," she said. "It might be a useful thing to know. I won't follow them far. Just enough to make sure they won't see me working on the unit."

This was enough justification for Mary to follow through on her curiosity-provoked impulses. So quickly and quietly, she followed the two men.

* * * * * *

"Sensors are detecting an incoming ship, Admiral," Captain Brinerson reported.

"Any word on the children?" Admiral Jaimson asked.

"No, Sir."

"Well, no matter. Keep up the search, Captain, but until further notice the matter isn't so urgent."

"Yes, Sir," the Captain said. "We are getting a message from the incoming ship. It is the Emerald Star."

"Put it through," the admiral said.

A young fair-haired boy appeared on the screen.

"Greetings, Admiral," the boy said.

"Greetings," the Admiral replied.

"The Governor greets you also and invites you to beam over."

"I am honoured and I accept," the Admiral said. "I look forward to seeing you and your sister again."

"We are scheduled to beam down to the planet within the next two hours," the boy said. "The Governor will explain."

"I see. Tell the Governor I will beam over within the hour," the Admiral said.

"Very well. We will await your arrival. Emerald Star out."

* * * * * *

"No, I haven't heard from her," Luke told Amanda. "Have you tried calling her?"

"She's not answering," Amanda replied. "I'm scared, Luke. What if she's been taken prisoner?"

"Calm down, Mandy. She probably got wrapped up in fixing one of the units and forgot to check in," Luke said, though he knew Mary would never stay out of contact for a long time. "When did she last call in?"

"After she had finished with her third unit," Amanda said.

"Just before I called in," Luke said thoughtfully. "And that was two hours ago."

"Exactly," Amanda said.

"Okay, I'm just finishing my seventh spot now. I'll go to the last point and check it out and then I'll look for her," Luke promised.

"Thanks, Luke," Amanda said. "Just be careful."

"I will," Luke vowed. "Have you alerted the others?" he asked.

"Yeah, Justin and Jem wanted to go out as soon as I mentioned it, but Chrystal told them to wait till we talked to you," Amanda replied.

"Well, tell them to stay put till I call you back," Luke said.

"Jay and I might have to lock them up, but we'll keep them here," Amanda said.

"How about the new communicators?"

"They're still workin' on them."

"Tell them to keep on it," Luke said. "I'll call you back shortly."

"Right. Thanks again."

"No problem. Luke out."

* * * * * *

Mary peeked out from behind a tree. In front of her was a large clearing in the woods. There were tents surrounding a fire and Jerico troops scattered everywhere. She had lost track of time and was oblivious of the alarm she had caused.

Originally, Mary had followed the Jerico troops simply to see where their camp was. Now she was lying in excited anticipation watching for the exact moment to sneak into the camp and steal a few supplies.

"Wouldn't that be a surprise," she said to herself. "They won't expect us to be armed."

She was so engrossed in watching for her chance that she didn't notice the dark figure approaching from behind. She had just decided to take the chance and transport herself when a hand clamped over her mouth and she was pulled into the thick of the trees.

###  Chapter 13

"Greetings, Admiral. Welcome to the Emerald Star," Governor Mackensie said to Admiral Jaimson as the Admiral stepped off the transporter pad.

"Greetings, Governor," Admiral Jaimson replied as he and the Governor walked to the Governor's quarters.

"I trust everything is under control on the planet," the Governor said.

"Almost, but there is one little matter that may interest you and your heirs. I hear they are going to the planet. Have they departed yet?"

"No. They are still preparing."

"I suggest you delay their departure till I explain."

"What is this little matter?" the Governor asked as they entered his quarters and sat down.

"It has to do with the Gem," Admiral Jaimson said. "Down on the planet there are eight persons still unaccounted for."

"Who are these people? What do they have to do with the Gem?" the Governor asked.

"I have reason to believe that they are the possessors of the Gem," Admiral Jaimson replied. "And they will be easy to manipulate once found."

"What are your reasons?" Governor Mackensie asked.

"They are descendants of the Bradford, Williams and Mackensie families, which, as you know, are direct descendants of the Jaimson family itself."

"And why do you say they will be easy to manipulate?"

"Why they are merely children, Governor, ages 3 to 16."

"I see your point, Admiral."

* * * * * *

Mary struggled in the darkness, trying to free herself from her captor.

"Do you want to get us both killed?" a familiar voice asked.

Mary stopped struggling and her captor set her free. She turned to face him.

"Luke? What are you doing here?" she asked.

"That's a question I should be asking you," Luke said. "Why were you watching the Jerico camp?"

"I was going to steal some of their weapons," Mary explained.

"Did you realize you've been gone for two hours," Luke asked.

"No. I was afraid to check in for fear someone would hear me," Mary said.

"You've caused quite a stir at the cave," Luke scolded.

"How about you? Do you realize you scared me half to death?" Mary told him. "Grabbing me like that."

"I didn't want you to scream," Luke explained. "I was afraid you might if I tapped you on the shoulder."

"You're probably right. I would have," Mary agreed.

"Come on, let's get out of here before we're seen," Luke suggested.

"What about the weapons?" Mary protested.

"If I don't get you back, your brother will send out a search party and then we might as well turn ourselves in to the Jerico forces immediately," Luke said.

"I see your point," Mary relented. "Let's get farther away and we can call them. Then I'll finish my original mission."

"Not by yourself," Luke said. "I can almost guarantee Justin will insist on us staying together."

"Point taken," Mary agreed. "Let's go."

By the time Mary and Luke got back to the cave, Emily and Leslie had awoken and started to ask questions again. The girls ran over to Mary and Luke as they entered the control room.

"See. I told you they were coming back," Justin told the two little girls.

"Where'd you go, Luke?" Leslie asked.

"I had some work to do," Luke replied.

"You see Mom and Dad?" Emily asked.

"No, Sweetie," Mary said. "We already talked about that, remember?"

"Scared, May," Emily said.

"I know it's scary," Mary said.

"Scared you no come back," Leslie added.

Mary and Luke looked at their sisters sympathetically.

Finally, Mary took the girls over to the couch in the living room area.

"Now I want you to listen to me carefully," she began. "There's a lot of confusing and scary stuff going on here, but there are some things you must realize. We all have a certain power or magic that we will need to defend our planet. We are a team and sometimes members of a team have to separate to do their jobs. I know it's scary being separated from someone, especially now, but there is one thing we each must remember when it gets scary. We can protect ourselves because of that power, that magic, that we have."

"Magic makes us safe?" Leslie asked.

"That's right. We can use the magic to protect ourselves," Mary said. "We must each remember that when we get scared."

"You gonna leave again?" Emily asked.

"Not at the moment," Mary replied. "But there may be some times ahead when one or more of us will have to leave. When that time comes and it gets too scary, remember you'll always have one of us near by to comfort you."

"Have magic too," Leslie added.

"I think you're getting the idea," Mary said.

"Love you, May," Emily said as she and Leslie both gave Mary a hug.

"I love you too," Mary said. "Do you feel any better?"

The girls nodded.

"Not scared no more," Leslie said.

"Got magic," Emily added "Go pay magic?"

"Good idea," Mary said. "You go and try out your magic."

Mary collapsed on the couch as the girls ran off.

"Nice goin', Mare," Luke commented sitting beside her.

"Almost makes up for disappearing and scaring us like that," Justin said. "Almost."

"You definitely made up for your outburst this morning," Jeremy said.

"What can I say?" Mary said. "It just came to me like magic."

* * * * * *

"Analysis complete. This communication unit is functioning within established parameters," Chrystal reported.

"That's the last one," Jeremy announced.

"Nice work, guys," Mary said.

"It's amazing what you can get done under pressure," Luke said, picking up one of the new communicators.

"We're not quite done," Justin said. "There's still a bit of programming to do."

"True," Jayson agreed. "Thus far anyone can use the communicators," he explained. "But when they're programmed properly, we'll be the only ones even able to open them."

"How?" Amanda asked.

"Quite simple," Jeremy replied. "On the bottom of the box there is a small square panel, which can scan anything it's told to scan. We're gonna let it scan our thumb prints and identify whose print is whose. Then we'll program the communicators to restrict access to only the specified prints."

"Sort of like an access code," Mary commented. "Cool."

"That's not all," Justin said. "After the thumb prints are entered and identified, we'll program the communicators to keep a life monitor on each of us. Each communicator has eight lights over the screen. Eventually each light will represent one of us and will be able to give the health status of that person by the brightness of the light. A bright light means a person is healthy and awake and a dim light means the person is either asleep or unconscious. Or is not able to use the communicator to communicate because it is out of his or her reach or possession."

###  Chapter 14

Later that night, Luke, Jeremy and Mary sat in the living room talking. Justin had agreed to put Leslie and Emily to bed and Jayson and Amanda had also gone to bed.

As the night grew late, Mary grew quieter and unresponsive. Soon after the others had gone to bed, Luke and Jeremy decided it was time to turn in also. Mary remained behind, but her quiet manner concerned both Luke and Jeremy. So they decided that sleep was not as important as finding out what was bugging Mary.

"You okay, Mare?" Luke asked as he and Jeremy returned to the living room area and sat down beside her.

"What? Oh yeah. I'm fine," Mary replied.

"That's convincing," Jeremy said. "You've denied it. Now talk."

"I'm fine," Mary insisted. "What makes you think..," she began.

"You're distracted and quiet and obviously tired and yet you refuse to go to sleep," Luke replied.

"I'm not tired," Mary denied. "There's a lot going on. I was just collecting my thoughts."

"Come on, Mare" Jeremy said. "You know you can talk to us. What's wrong?"

Mary got up and walked over to the replicator.

"Do you guys want some hot chocolate?" she asked.

"Does that mean you want to talk about it?" Luke asked.

Mary sighed and order three hot chocolates from the replicator. She handed a cup to each of the boys, then took her own to the dining room table and sat down. The boys followed and, after a long silence, Mary spoke again.

"The truth is I haven't slept very well in a few days. I keep having this dream. I wake up at the end and stay awake for most of the night."

"What's the dream about?" Jeremy asked.

"Well, I'm talking with my parents. At first, everything seems fine. Then I ask them if they're okay. Every time I ask, they get up and leave and I'm left alone with the sound of my voice asking the same question over and over again. I just can't bear to have the dream again. I worry about my parents enough,"

"You've got to realize that sleep deprivation isn't the answer, though," Luke said. "You need your sleep."

"Luke's right," Jeremy agreed. "It won't do anyone any good if you're falling asleep all the time."

"It doesn't matter. Like I said, once I have the dream I start to worry about my parents and then I can't get back to sleep. Sometimes it helps to check on them and other times it wakes me up even more."

"Sounds to me like you've got the answer right there," Luke said. "Actually, I think we could all use a visit home. That way we could actually talk to them, make sure they are okay and let them know we're okay too."

"The problem is will we want to leave and come back here after," Jeremy said. "It may also be especially hard for the two youngest, who are having trouble accepting the separation, to understand why they have to leave their parents again."

"Maybe just the three of us should go," Mary said. "It breaks my heart to see Mom and Dad in so much despair, but it would be even more heartbreaking having to insist to the little ones that we have to leave again."

"I say we go for it," Luke agreed. "We'll go early tomorrow, just the three of us."

"We'd better keep it quiet, though," Jeremy said. "Justin won't take kindly to the risk we're planning to take."

"Agreed," Mary said. "We'll take a communicator each and meet back in front of the cave about half an hour from the departure time."

"We'd also better leave a message with Chrystal before we leave," Jeremy suggested. "Leaving the cave without consulting Justin will be one thing; disappearing without telling anyone where we're going would be quite another."

"We'd better get to bed, if we're going to get up before the others," Luke said.

The three friends rose and the boys walked Mary to her door.

"Thanks for being so persistent, guys," Mary said to Luke and Jeremy as she hugged them.

"That's what friends are for," Luke said.

"See, I told ya you could talk to us," Jeremy said.

Mary smiled.

"Yes you did," she agreed.

"Good night again, Mare," Jeremy said.

"Sweet dreams, Mare," Luke said.

"Night, guys," Mary said.

Mary entered her room to find Vicky curled up on her bed, but not asleep.

"You must be able to read minds," Mary said to her.

Vicky gave a small yip.

Mary smiled. She changed and opened the door a crack before crawling into bed beside the little fox. Vicky waited till Mary was comfortable and then crawled under the covers and at once curled up again, with only her head poking out from under the blankets.

Mary stroked the little fox gently.

"Good night, Vicky," she said.

Vicky sighed in response. A few minutes later both were asleep. That night, the prospect of the upcoming visit seemed to help Mary forget her fears and she got some much needed rest with no dreams.

Early the next morning, Mary, Luke and Jeremy met in the computer room. Quickly and quietly they picked up a communicator each, left a message with Chrystal, viewed each of the destination points and left the cave. On the doorstep, the three friends separated, after agreeing again to meet back there in half an hour. They also agreed to wait till they all returned to face whatever consequences there were to face.

Needless to say, the children's parents were overjoyed to see the children and concerned for their safety.

All in all the journey was successful and fulfilling. Mary was the first to return, at which point one of the consequences became apparent.

Mary had thought the time limit much too short, though, she knew the purpose. Finally, she found the courage to say good-bye to her parents, promising once more that she and the others were safe and there was nothing to worry about.

She then teleported herself to the cave doorstep. She was not there for longer than a minute when she heard a sound of rustling leaves. Though she tried to ignore it, her curiosity finally got the better of her and she left the doorstep to investigate.

Cautiously she peeked around the corner. There was no one in sight so Mary decided to venture farther. She rounded the corner, following the sound to the back of the rocky hill.

"It was probably just an animal," she said as she stopped and looked around. "I'd better get back."

Mary took a few steps and then froze in fear. Two Jerico troopers had just exited the woods across from where Mary was standing. They didn't seem to notice her so Mary tried to be as quiet as possible with every step she took.

Unfortunately, one of the troopers spotted her and raised his gun. Mary tried to run, but the trooper fired as soon as she moved and Mary's world went dark.

"Away team 6 to Emerald Star," the second trooper spoke into his communicator as he and his companion approached Mary's motionless figure. "We have a prisoner. Three to beam up."

* * * * * *

Jeremy and Luke arrive back at the cave a few minutes later.

"Mary's late as usual," Luke commented.

"She probably got caught up talking with her mother," Jeremy said.

"Should we wait?" Luke asked.

"We shouldn't stay out in the open for long," Jeremy replied. "We'll keep an eye out for her in the computer room."

"Good idea," Luke agreed. "Let's just hope the others aren't up yet."

Jeremy nodded as he opened his communicator to contact Chrystal and ask her to open the door.

###  Chapter 15

Mary woke in very strange surroundings. She was lying on a ledge, obviously some type of a bed, at one side of the room. The rest of the room was fairly plain with no other furniture. There was a doorway at one side of the room which seemed to be merely an archway.

Mary slowly sat up. She still felt groggy and her head pounded fiercely. For a moment she sat on the ledge and let her head clear and tried to remember what happened.

'I arrived back from my visit with Mom and dad...and I was waiting for Jem and Luke.' she thought to herself. 'I heard a sound and went to check it out and...then what happened?...Why didn't I meet the guys and how did I get here...Wherever here is."

Finally, Mary got up and tried to pass through the archway. But the arch was blocked by a force-field. She was trapped.

Mary sat on the ledge once again.

"Where am I?" she wondered out loud.

"You are aboard the Emerald Star," a voice replied.

Mary looked up to see that a fair-haired girl of about fifteen years had entered the adjoining room.

"force-field off," the girl commanded. "And before you even think of trying anything, I'll warn you there are guards outside."

The force-field flashed off at the command and the girl stepped into the room.

Mary stood up.

"Who are you and why am I here?" Mary demanded.

"I should think why you are here would be obvious, or at least it will be in a moment," the girl commented. "I am Andriana Mackensie, granddaughter of Governor Mackensie and heir to the Jerico Empire. You are one of the fugitives we have been searching for."

"Fugitives?" Mary questioned. "I was simply trying to live a free life, alone," she added hoping that the girl would believe her and let her go.

"We know that you and seven others had eluded our forces," Andriana told her. "Lies will get you nowhere, Amulet holder."

Mary tried to hide her surprise at this last remark.

"Yes. We know you are one of the 'Children of the Amulet'," Andriana continued confidently. "You will take us to it."

"And if I refuse?" Mary asked.

"There is no use in refusing," Andriana assured her. "You'll comply eventually. For now, I want information."

"Like what?"

"For starters, your name," Andriana replied.

"You're the future Empress. Don't you know all there is to know?" Mary retorted.

Andriana sighed.

"I grow tired of your hostility," she began. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. The easy way being you tell me what I want to know without anymore stalling."

"And the hard way would be?"

"I let my twin brother talk to you," Andriana replied. "He is not a fun person to be with when he doesn't get what he wants."

"Not that I feel threatened by that, but I will answer your questions on one condition," Mary said.

"I hardly think you should be making demands in your present situation, but name your condition," Andriana said.

"I had a little gray block with me when I was taken prisoner. I want it back."

"We did find this block. What is its significance?" Andriana asked.

"It's a good luck charm. I always carry it with me," Mary replied. "Return it to me and I will answer your questions."

Andriana remained silent for a few moments and considered the bargain.

"Very well," she said finally. She went over to a table in the next room and took the block out of a drawer. "You are a wise girl, though not many people in your situation would be brave enough to put conditions on giving information," Andriana said, handing the block back to Mary. "Having said that, however, I warn you, don't push your luck. I may not be as impatient as my brother, but even my patience only lasts so long."

"I understand," Mary said. "My name is Mary Bradford."

* * * * * *

"Mary should have been back by now," Luke said.

When the boys had entered the computer room they found the others had woken up and they had to explain where they had been. But contrary to what they and Mary had feared, Justin understood why they had gone.

In any event it was about an hour from the time the three had left the cave that morning. Which meant Mary was a half hour late.

"She probably got nosy again," Amanda said.

"Chrystal, can you contact her on her communicator?" Justin asked.

"The communicator has been deactivated," Chrystal reported after a few minutes.

"Jay, can you contact her?" Jeremy asked turning to his brother.

Jayson closed his eyes in order to concentrate.

"I can't even find her," he reported.

"I don't like this," Luke said.

"The last time Jay tried and failed to contact someone it was because Luke and Mary had been..," Amanda began.

"Captured by Jerico," Justin finished.

"Let's not panic," Jayson said. "I was only unable to contact them temporarily last time."

"What does the life light on the communicators show?" Amanda asked.

Luke picked up one of the communicators and turned it on. All eight life lights were shining brightly.

"Her light is as bright as the rest," he reported.

"That means she's conscious," Jeremy said. "Try to contact her again, Jay."

Jayson closed his eyes again.

"It's no use, I can't...Wait! I've found her," he exclaimed.

"Where is she?" Justin asked.

"Some place called the Emerald Star," Jayson replied. "It's strange. It's as if the only reason I can reach her is because she's trying to reach me. It's almost as if she's so far away that we have to both make an effort to connect."

Finally, Jayson opened his eyes.

"I've lost contact. She seems to be too far away, almost off the planet."

* * * * * *

"So you see, I really can't help you out much. I don't know anything about any special powers other than the power of good luck," Mary said, hoping Andriana believed her.

Sometimes Mary was able to go as far as almost convincing herself that a lie was true, but she didn't know how much power, if any, her captors had.

Andriana gazed skeptically at Mary. There was no sign of deception, as far as she could tell, and yet, if the Gem were merely a good luck charm, what significance did it have to her Grandfatherto make him want it so much? She would have to confer with Andrew about this later.

"How do I know you are telling the truth?" Andriana asked.

"You don't," Mary replied. "But I swear on the Gem itself, there is no deception," she added solemnly.

"Very well, I'll assume that you are telling the truth," Andriana said thoughtfully. "For now."

"Then you have no reason to keep me here," Mary said hopefully.

"You have yet to tell me where the others are," Andriana reminded her.

Mary didn't respond. After a short silence Andriana spoke again.

"Very well, but we will find the others. You will help, willingly or not."

"And you'll have to learn to accept that we don't always get what we want," Mary retorted.

"We have achieved our goal of conquering your planet and we have captured you," Andriana said. "As you see, WE DO get what we want."

"The final battle hasn't begun yet," Mary said defiantly, "and I am only here for the moment."

"We shall see," Andriana said. "You refuse to co-operate now, but you will eventually."

"And what will you do? I doubt you are willing to hurt my people if you're looking for followers."

"It is true we are not prepared to threaten anyone, but my brother can be very persuasive without using actual physical violence."

Andriana turned and walked into the adjoining room and commanded the force-field to reinstate.

"Think about it," she said. "The less trouble you cause, the less you and your planet will have to deal with in the long run."

"I wouldn't get too comfortable with your power and status. Over-confidence can lead to trouble..," Mary retorted. "in the long run."

Andriana made no reply. Finally she turned and left.

Mary sat down and closed her eyes. She knew the rules of the power stages. But she had to try her mind control. She had to contact one of the others. They would be worried by now and, more than likely, Jayson would be pressured to use his powers to contact her. She had had a faint impression he had been trying to contact her when she was talking to Andriana. Since the impression was not clear, she thought she'd better try to contact him herself.

"Come on, Jay," she called out silently. "Help me out here,"

She had to struggle to keep her focus. Just when she was about to give up she heard it, faintly at first, as if she were in a dream. Mary concentrated harder on Jayson's name, calling it over and over in her mind. Finally she heard it again, louder and clearer than before...

"Mary?" Jayson's voice called to her, filling her thoughts.

"I'm here, Jay," Mary replied.

"Where are you?" Jayson asked.

"I've been taken prisoner," Mary explained. "I'm aboard a Jerico Starship."

"Are you all right? Why haven't you used your communicator?"

"I didn't want to risk anyone intercepting the signal. They're still searching for you and the others."

"What do they want?" Jayson asked.

"Our galaxy on a silver platter and our Amulet on the side."

###  Chapter 16

Andriana returned to her quarters where Andrew was waiting for her.

"Well?" Andrew watched as his sister sat down.

"Well what?" Andriana asked.

"What did you find out?" Andrew asked.

"Oh the girl," Andriana said unenthusiastically. "Her name is Mary Bradford. She is an Amulet child, but she refuses to divulge the whereabouts of her companions or the Amulet and she claims to know nothing about the Amulet other than it has good luck powers."

"So it's my turn now?" Andrew asked.

"I think you should give her a day to consider what I've said to her," Andriana said. "Then you can talk to her."

"Fair enough," Andrew agreed.

"In the meantime I want to go to the planet," Andriana said. "I have this inkling there's something down there that will prove to be interesting."

"What do you mean, An?" Andrew asked.

"I don't know how to explain it. It's as if something is pulling me towards the planet," Andriana replied.

"If you think it's important we shall leave at once," Andrew said.

Within the next few minutes the twins transported down to the planet.

The sky was dark. The starships overhead looked like stars themselves and the full moon shone brightly among them. Night creatures rustled leaves and made low sounds as a form of speech to one another. Aside from that, the night was fairly peaceful.

"Why are we here again?" Andrew asked after a few minutes of silence.

Andriana had always enjoyed nature such as this, so as soon as they beamed down she took a moment to drink in the beauty of the night. Jerico had very few real plants and trees, but Andriana had spent a great deal of time in the simulators with her nature programs. Andrew, unlike his sister, didn't appreciate nature and its sights, sounds and smells very much.

"I told you. It's as if something is pulling me. I'm glad it did, though. Isn't it beauti..," Andriana stopped short as the moonlight vanished.

The twins looked around. It was as if someone had turned off the moonlight. The stars continued to twinkle and the night creatures only fell silent for a second and then went about their work as if nothing had happened.

Andriana grasped the Amulet as if she feared it might get lost.

"Come on, An," Andrew said uncomfortably, as he put a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Why don't we go back to the ship and come back in the morning? Whatever is calling will be there..."

Andrew stopped short as the moonlight rays slowly began to return. The light itself, however, was not what had stopped him.

As the light returned a ray struck down on them. The Amulet in Andriana's hand seemed to glow bright green. Soon the green light surrounded them both.

In this moment the world fell completely silent.

As the moonlight grew, the Amulet, which was normally cold, grew hotter in Andriana's hand. Until finally she had to let go. As she did so the moonlight returned in full force, the Emerald stopped glowing and the nightly murmurs and rustling of the night creatures returned.

The twins stood in silence, unsure of what had happened or how to react. Andriana looked at her hand. The pain of the heat of the Amulet was gone. The skin on her palm was red at first, but the redness soon faded.

"We'd better get back to the ship," Andrew said finally.

Andriana nodded in agreement.

"We must talk to the girl again," she said. "Perhaps she knows about what happened."

* * * * * *

"Just be careful," Mary warned Jayson. "Don't take any unnecessary chances to rescue me."

"Take your own advice," Jayson said. "We need you back, preferably in one piece."

"I'll be fine," Mary assured him. "They won't hurt me yet. Not when I'm the only connection to you guys they've got."

"Don't underestimate them, Mare," Jayson warned. "They do mean business."

"I'll be careful," Mary promised. "Uh oh, gotta go, I've got company. I'll try and contact you as soon as possible. Say Hi to the others. Oh and tell Justin I said Happy Birthday."

"I will," Jayson promised. "Take it easy, Mare."

Mary opened her eyes and faced her visitors. She recognized one as Andriana. The boy that stood beside her was the same age and about the same height. With one look it was obvious that this was Andriana's brother.

"So. You're back to drill me again," Mary said to Andriana. "I assume this is your brother?"

"Your lack of respect will one day get you into trouble," Andrew said coldly. "You should be more polite with your future Emperor and Empress."

"Oh I beg your pardon, my Lord and Lady," Mary said mockingly. "I'm not accustomed to cowering before my peers."

"You will regret your impertinence," Andrew warned.

"Enough," Andriana interrupted. "Tell us about the Amulet."

"I told you I don't know anything about it," Mary insisted.

"I am no longer convinced," Andriana said.

"So what do you THINK I know?" Mary asked.

"We are wasting time," Andrew said impatiently.

"What makes you think I lied?" Mary asked, ignoring Andrew.

"We visited your planet," Andriana replied.

"So?" Mary said. Then she remembered, Justin's Birthday, the eclipse.

"You do know what happened," Andrew said. "Don't you?"

"Okay, you want the truth? I don't know where the others are. We got separated. I don't know whether they are together or separated. As for the Amulet, I'm not even sure where it is now," Mary explained. "The last time I saw it, one of the younger children was playing with it. I haven't seen it since and then we got separated."

Mary hoped they were going to believe her. She wasn't exactly lying. She did separate from Luke and Jeremy when they had gone to visit their parents and the last time she had seen the Amulet, Amanda had insisted on keeping it in her room for the night. These half truths were the reason she was able to sound so confident, but the question was, was it enough.

"IF you're telling the truth, why didn't you explain that to my sister when she asked you earlier?" Andrew asked.

Mary shrugged.

"I'd just been taken prisoner. I didn't see any reason to co-operate, no matter how little information I had to give," she replied.

"And now you do?" Andriana asked.

"I figured, what the heck. I mean, it's not like I can be of any help," Mary explained.

"We shall see," Andrew said. "From your reaction to our visit to the planet I assume you know what happened."

"Not really," Mary said. "I do know it's the day of the annual eclipse. That event is said to provoke strange occurrences."

"Like what?" Andriana asked.

"Don't know," Mary replied casually. "Never really experienced anything myself. Apart from hearing a few dogs howling."

For a moment the twins fell silent. Was what happened on the planet significant or had they imagined it?

"So what strange occurrences happened to you?" Mary asked.

Andrew glanced at his sister and shook his head, trying to convince her not to talk about their experience. But Andriana seemed to disregard the signal and explained what had happened.

"That is strange, but I wouldn't worry about it. The eclipse is said to create some optical illusions at times," Mary commented.

"You have been most helpful," Andriana said. "Come, Andrew. We have duties to complete."

Andrew followed his sister into the adjoining room and commanded the force-field to reinstate.

"Belay that order," Andriana commanded.

"AN!" Andrew exclaimed in disbelief.

"We have no time to wait on the prisoner. She must have access to the food replicators," Andriana explained.

Andrew sighed.

"Whatever," he relented.

"There are guards outside," Andriana said to Mary. "We shall return."

###  Chapter 17

"I can't help wishing we could help Mary out," Amanda commented.

"Same here," Jeremy agreed.

"If only we could think of a way to rescue her," Justin said.

"I told her that her nosy tendencies would get her into trouble," Luke said.

"Mary made me promise we wouldn't take any unnecessary risks," Jayson said. "Besides, she's up there and we're down here. For now, there's really nothing we can do."

"Excuse me, children," Chrystal interrupted. "I am getting an encoded message from Mary's communicator."

ESCAPE SOON TO PLAN A

NO PROBLEM, STAY HOME,

CALL JAY

MAY

"What is that supposed to mean?" Amanda asked.

"It means she has a plan," Jeremy explained.

"Let's hope it works," Luke said.

"We'll soon see," Jayson said closing his eyes and once again reaching out to Mary with his mind.

In the stillness of her prison Mary sat in quiet meditation. With eyes closed, she sat motionless, searching and waiting for Jayson to respond to the message. Silent anticipation surrounded her as she wondered if they had gotten her message at all or if it had been intercepted by Jerico's communications systems.

Finally, Jay's voice once again filled her thoughts.

"Mary? Are you there?"

"Right here, Jay."

"We got your message. What's up?"

"I have an escape plan," Mary said. "But I may need some help."

"We'll do what we can," Jayson said. "What do you need?"

"A diversion," Mary replied. "I'm going to get them to take me to the surface. Once down there, I'll need some kind of hologram to distract their attention long enough for me to teleport away."

"Do you have anything special in mind?" Jayson asked.

"Not really. Just as long as it distracts them enough to look away from me. All I need is a minute, tops."

"You've got it," Jayson said. "Anything else?"

"One last thing; NO unnecessary risks are to be taken to set up or activate the diversion," Mary said.

"We'll do our best," Jayson promised.

"Just be careful," Mary said.

"You too," Jayson replied.

* * * * * *

"I don't know whether to believe her or not ," Andriana told her brother.

"I don't trust her," Andrew said. "And what possessed you to tell her that she had been a great help?"

"If she was lying, she might have shown some sign of contentment thinking she had succeeded in convincing us," Andriana said. "I don't really trust her either and I thought it was worth a shot."

"I think she's lying," Andrew said. "Why would the enemy speak the truth to us?"

"So should we talk to her again?" Andriana asked.

"I will," Andrew said. "She has no fear of me when you are present because she seems to have no fear of you."

"That's because she thinks I'll protect her from you," Andriana said.

"Protect her?" Andrew questioned.

"Never mind," Andriana replied. "You go question her as you suggested. If you can succeed in instilling fear into her, maybe she'll be more co-operative."

"I'll be back," Andrew said almost as if he was looking forward to the meeting.

"Now?" Andriana asked. "What about dinner?"

"I eat better when I'm a happy person," Andrew said. "I intend to return as one," he added and left.

Having nothing else to do, Mary had decided to lie down for a while. The extra effort she had to use to connect with Jayson had exhausted her.

She had just gotten comfortable when Andrew entered.

"You will rise," Andrew commanded.

Mary groaned and sat up.

"You will treat me with respect," Andrew continued. "I, unlike my sister, do not put up with foolish, disregard of authority. Is that understood?"

Mary nodded.

"Where are your companions?" Andrew asked.

"I don't know," Mary replied.

"Unacceptable," Andrew said.

"It may be, but I still don't know," Mary replied.

"But I don't believe that."

"That's really too bad."

"I grow weary of your disrespect," Andrew said angrily. "You will change your attitude or face the consequences."

"My apologies, your grace," Mary said.

This time there was no sarcasm in her voice. Not that she feared him, but all the better for her plan of escape if he thought she did.

"You are a quick learner," Andrew commented, feeling more confident in his abilities of persuasion. "Now, do you still persist with the fantasy that you have no idea where the others are?"

"Yes I do," Mary said sullenly.

"You do realize a lie will result in painful punishments," Andrew said.

Mary nodded.

"And?"

"And I still can't tell you any more than I have," Mary said. "I hope you believe me. I don't take pain well."

"With the truth there is no reason to fear pain," Andrew told her.

"But I am telling the truth," Mary insisted, letting her temper flair.

"Watch your tone of voice," Andrew warned.

"Why should I? You have no wish to listen to anything other than what you want or what you think you want to hear."

Andrew's face darkened and he raised his hand as if to strike her.

Mary cowered before him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Please don't hurt me," Mary pleaded. "I'll do what I can to help you. I'll show you where I got separated from the others. They shouldn't be far. The last time I saw them they had planned to rest for a few days. I'll do anything. Just please, don't hurt me."

Andrew lowered his hand.

"Just tell me the location," he said.

"It would be too complicated," Mary said. "I don't know computers or co-ordinates. The only way is to show you personally."

"I see you aren't all that foolish after all," Andrew said. "I will consider your proposal."

Andrew left the room with a confident air. He seemed proud of himself.

Mary waited till the door closed after Andrew. She smiled thoughtfully as she once again lay down to rest.

"Be careful, MY LORD. Your over-confidence will be your undoing," she thought to herself as she drifted into a light sleep.

###  Chapter 18

Mary woke with a start as a voice commanded her to get up.

Andrew stood in front of her, holding a fazer.

"Let's go," he commanded, motioning towards the door with the weapon.

As she had done before, Mary presented herself as cowardly, as if the brave, unafraid attitude she had shown at first had been a protective wall which had fallen to Andrew's authoritative manner.

Mary obeyed the command and stood up, hesitating momentarily to surreptitiously ensure that her communicator was in her pocket. Then she allowed herself to be led to the transporter room.

Andriana was already waiting on the transporter pad. Andrew motioned for Mary to step beside his sister, then he stepped on it himself. The guards, who had been guarding the door to Mary's room and who had followed Andrew and Mary to the transporter room, moved to step on the transporter pad as well, but Andrew waved them away.

"We will not need an escort," he told them.

"But, My Lord..," one of the guards protested.

"Stay here and stand by," Andriana commanded. "His Lordship has proven he can control the prisoner."

"We do not doubt his Lordship's power over the prisoner, but she does have friends on the planet," the second guard said.

"We will inform you if we need your services," Andrew replied.

"Yes, My Lord," the guards relented.

"Your concern for our safety is admirable and does not go unnoticed," Andriana told the guards. "Begin the transporter cycle."

Mary, never having used a transporter before, felt her knees go momentarily weak as the transporter set the three children on the planet behind the hill of rocks where she had been captured.

"You were found at this location," Andriana said.

"I must have fallen and hit my head," Mary said thoughtfully. "I'm having trouble remembering."

She stood silently, for a moment, as if in thought.

"I left camp to check out a noise I heard and..," she began.

"Where was your camp?" Andrew demanded impatiently.

"Over that way," Mary replied sullenly as she pointed over to the woods where she had seen the Jerico troopers who had found her.

Mary lead the twins a little way into the woods, then stopped and looked around. Suddenly, they heard someone calling Mary's name.

"Justin?" Mary said quietly.

"Mary!" called a different voice.

"Jeremy?"

One by one Mary recognized seven different voices. She began to wonder what they had planned as a distraction.

'Justin wouldn't let them leave the cave, especially not the younger ones.' she thought to herself.

"Respond to them," Andrew commanded.

"I'm here," Mary called.

From behind them came a sound of rustling leaves and footsteps.

Mary, Andrew and Andriana turned around. A shadowy form appeared in the trees.

"Freeze!" Andrew commanded, pointing the fazer towards the shadow.

This was Mary's chance. Quietly she took a step back and vanished.

"I told you Jerico would..," Andriana began, turning back to Mary. "Where'd she go?"

"Who..," Andrew asked, glancing momentarily over his shoulder. When he looked back, the shadow was gone as well and the forest was silent.

* * * * * *

Mary hurried down the stairs to the control room.

"MAY!!!" Emily cried as she threw herself into Mary's arms.

"I'm okay, Emma," Mary told her youngest sister.

The others greeted Mary with equal enthusiasm. Hugs were exchanged and many questions were asked about what had happened and about Mary's health and state of mind.

"Really, I'm all right. I'll explain later," Mary replied. "First, I want to watch the reaction on the surface."

The group turned to the screen. The twins were looking around them, searching for Mary.

"Those two are Andriana and Andrew Mackensie, twin heirs to the Jerico Empire and grandchildren of the Governor himself," Mary explained. "And unless I miss my guess, they're going to be more trouble than the Governor and his army combined."

* * * * * *

"She can't have just disappeared," Andrew said.

"I know, but how else do you explain the fact that she's not here?" Andriana asked.

"She must be very fast and quiet," Andrew said.

"Is that what we're going to tell grandfather?" Andriana asked.

"I'd rather be held as a prisoner," Andrew replied. "Why did I insist on going alone."

"She's a good actress," Andriana said. "She had us both fooled into believing she wouldn't cause us any trouble."

"That's no excuse," Andrew said determinedly. "I didn't take the proper precautions. I must be prepared to face the consequences."

"We both must face the consequences," Andriana told her brother. "We were both at fault."

"We'd better get back to the ship," Andrew said.

"Later. It'll make things worse if Grandfatherfinds out we made no attempt to find her or her friends again," Andriana pointed out.

"It'll prolong our punishment, but all right," Andrew agreed. "She can't have gotten far."

* * * * * *

"No, I'm not far at all," Mary said turning away from the screen.

"So besides the fact that these two are heirs to the empire, is there any other reason why they'll be a problem?" Luke asked.

"Two reasons," Mary replied. "One; they have the other part of the Amulet and two; from what I can gather, they were down on the planet during the eclipse."

"Do you think they could have..," Jeremy began.

"Gotten the power from the Amulet?" Mary finished. "I don't know. They only told me a vague outline of what happened. I just sort of put the pieces of information together."

"We definitely have a problem," Justin said. "If the eclipse activated their half of the Amulet as it activated ours, we're in for an even bigger fight than we thought."

* * * * * *

"We might as well face it," Andrew said, sitting at the base of a tree. "The girl is gone and we aren't going to find her anytime soon."

"I still don't understand how she got away," Andriana said, sitting on a fallen log. "Either she's a magician or she's really good at hiding."

"I can't believe I was stupid enough to turn my back to her," Andrew said.

Andriana put her fazer beside her on the log and it slid off. She stared at it for a moment, trying to decide whether it was worth the bother of picking it up at that moment.

"Andrew, look," she muttered as the fazer suddenly began to rise from the ground.

"What the...how'd you do that?" Andrew asked.

Andriana shook her head and looked at her brother and the fazer fell to the ground once again.

"Try it again," Andrew said, getting up and sitting beside his sister.

"Try what?" Andriana asked.

"Whatever you were doing just before the fazer began to float," Andrew said.

"What makes you think I made it float? I wasn't doing anything, but sitting here and...," Andriana stopped as the fazer rose into the air once again. "Now I know I'm not doing that."

The fazer floated over to her and settled into her hand.

"I know you didn't," Andrew said. "I did."

"How?" Andriana asked.

"I pictured myself picking it up in my mind," Andrew replied.

Suddenly the fazer leapt out of Andriana's hand and floated back to the ground.

The twins stared at it in amazement as the fazer periodically moved and jumped about. After a minute, Andriana finally pounced on it.

"I think it's time we beamed back to the ship," she said.

Andrew nodded and they returned to the beam down co-ordinates.

* * * * * *

The children below cheered and laughed as they watched Emily and Leslie practice their "magic" with Andriana's fazer.

"That should confuse them for the moment," Justin said as the twins ran off. "Good work, girls."

"Hopefully we've confused them enough to forget that they were able to make the fazer float first," Jayson said.

"They may for a while," Amanda said.

"But they're bound to rediscover the power," Mary added.

"They can't cause much trouble with the first power stage," Luke said. "We all know the telekinesis is very limited and each stage lasts 3 years."

"If they did witness the ritual just recently, the rule which we have learned about the Amulet's power stages may be different," Jeremy said.

"It is quite possible that the length of the power stages may be shortened until they have reached the stage that has been designated for their age group," Chrystal agreed.

###  Chapter 19

"I say we don't tell the Governor about the fazer incident," Andriana said as she and Andrew walked to the Governor's quarters.

"Why not?" Andrew said. "It may be a clue to the other Amulet."

"But he may take us off the assignment and take the Amulet away," Andriana said. "There's something mysterious about it. We need more time to discover what it is. Then we can tell him."

"Okay, we'll keep it to ourselves for a while," Andrew agreed as they reached the Governor's door. "Although, he may take the Jewel and the assignment away anyway when he finds out what else happened on the planet," he added.

"We'll see," Andriana said. "Let's just try to think positive."

"I'm positive he'll be upset," Andrew said.

Andriana rang the buzzer and led the way into the room.

"Report," Governor Mackensie commanded.

Andriana looked at her brother and took a deep breath.

"The prisoner would tell us nothing," Andriana said finally.

"Maybe you need to toughen your approach," the Governor said. "Bring her to me."

"I'm afraid that is impossible," Andrew said. "Our trip to the planet resulted in her...escape."

"WHAT?!!!" the Governor thundered. "You let her escape?! Where was your security team? How could she have gotten away?"

"Due to a slight judgment error, we left the security team on the ship," Andriana explained nervously.

"I take full responsibility," Andrew spoke up. "She had led me to believe that I was in control."

"We were both at fault," Andriana said. "And there are no excuses."

The Governor looked pleased at these last remarks.

"I am glad to see you admit your mistakes," he told them. "It shows the strength of good leaders. We will let this incident pass and you will continue with your assignment."

"Thank you, Governor," Andrew said.

"We will not let it happened again," Andriana promised.

"I trust not. Dismissed."

"That was easier than I thought," Andrew whispered, as the door closed behind them.

"The assignment has proven difficult," Andriana said as they returned to their quarters. "I wouldn't take it as a reward."

"True, but it isn't exactly a punishment," Andrew said.

"Punishment, no," Andriana agreed. "But I think the Governor may use it as a test of our worth. We are his heirs, but if we fail our assignment that position may be in question."

"Ah, but that is why we will not fail," Andrew said. "Don't worry, Sis. Our inheritance will never be in question."

"I hope you're right," Andriana said, sounding unconvinced as they entered their quarters.

"Trust me," Andrew said. "We can handle this."

* * * * * *

That night Andriana's dreams were filled with strange and somehow unsettling images. At first, she dreamed of the day's happenings: of the Bradford girl and her escape and the fazer which seemed to gain a life of its own as it danced around in the forest of Chrystalina.

Suddenly, the scene changed. She was still in the forest, but Andrew was not around. She tried calling out for him, but there was no answer. Suddenly, she heard voices coming from the edge of the forest. Then the shadowy figure, which had distracted them and aided in the prisoner's escape, appeared. Andriana walked towards the shadow, but it didn't move.

"It's an illusion," a voice said behind her.

Andriana turned. Mary Bradford stepped out of the shadows.

"What's an illusion?" Andriana asked.

"The shadow," Mary responded. "It's an illusion of your dream of power. It's there in front of you, almost within your grasp and yet, you can't touch it. And all because of your Amulet."

"The Amulet is my power," Andriana said.

"The Amulet makes it an illusion," Mary explained. "It can be the source of your power or it can take your power away."

"How?" Andriana asked.

"The secrets that are locked inside it will influence the outcome," Mary replied. "How you treat those secrets and how you use them to your advantage will determine your destiny."

"But how do I unlock the secrets?" Andriana asked.

"The eclipse already did," Mary replied. "It is now up to you and your brother to discover them."

"I still don't understand," Andriana said.

"You will. In time," Mary said, stepping back into the shadows. "And remember, choose wisely."

Andriana woke with a start. For a moment she couldn't remember her dream, but it soon came back to her. For a short time, she sat in silent thought, wondering what the dream meant. Finally, she decided to get a drink of water and go back to bed. Then she had an idea.

Closing her eyes, she pictured herself getting some water and bringing it back to her room. Being careful not to break her concentration, she slowly opened her eyes. There was the glass of water, floating in front of her. She reached out and grasped it out of mid-air.

As she sipped the water, she realized what the dream was telling her. The eclipse she and her brother had witnessed had unlocked some kind of power in the Amulet. If their Grandfather found out about this, he might take the Amulet away. The bottom line was the decision to reveal the secrets of the Amulet would decide their destiny and status of power in the Empire.

The next morning Andriana told Andrew about the dream and about her experience with the glass of water.

"We can't tell grandfather," she finished decidedly. "I have this feeling he'll take our Gem away if he finds out."

"Why would he?" Andrew asked. "I mean, we are his heirs. What good will it do him to take the Gem away from us only to have us get it back as part of our inheritance?"

"I don't know, but I'm telling you it will happen," Andriana insisted.

"Boy, that must have been some dream," Andrew commented. "Okay, we'll play it your way for now. We'll keep this to ourselves, at least until we learn more about the secrets of the Gem."

"Thanks, Andy," Andriana said.

"So tell me. How did you summon that glass of water?" Andrew asked.

"I pictured myself getting it and, when I opened my eyes, it was right there in front of me," Andriana explained.

"I guess what happened on the planet really did mean something," Andrew said.

"If that's true and the Amulet did give us certain abilities, do you think it's possible..."

"That the other half has the same effect," Andrew finished. "It's possible."

"It would explain how the girl escaped," Andriana said.

"It doesn't explain how she disappeared," Andrew said. "Unless..."

"Unless there are more abilities yet to show themselves," Andriana finished.

"Which means this job IS going to prove to be harder than we thought," Andrew added thoughtfully.

* * * * * *

While Andriana dreamed of her conversation with Mary, Justin also had a dream.

He was at home in his room reading. He looked up as someone entered. An elderly, silver-haired lady stood in the doorway. Justin noticed that she seemed to have a ghostly glow around her.

Startled at this shimmering figure, Justin put down his book and started to his feet, but the woman raised a hand as if to tell him to stay seated. Then she walked farther into the room and spoke.

"I must speak quickly for I have much to say and little time to say it in," she began. "You do not know me, for I died years before you were born, but I know you. You are the first of the eight children whose births I predicted. You are my eldest great-grandchild, Justin, and the leader of the Amulet holders. I have come to warn you that the battles draw near."

Justin opened his mouth to speak, but then changed his mind as, the woman, who he now realized was his great-grandmother, went on.

"First, let me say that I am extremely proud of you and your group. I am relieved to see I made the correct choice when I passed down the Amulet. I am confident your strength will lead you far. Having said that, however, I am concerned about what lies ahead.

"As I said the battles are drawing near. You will face many challenges and choices that must be made. Some will be difficult and some not so difficult, but all are essential to your future.

"And so I have come to give you some advice which will be essential to help you make those choices."

Mary Bradford Sr. sat down on the bed beside Justin and took his hand in hers.

"The performance success of the power of the Amulet depends, above all else, on one's concentration ability, but there is another factor that lets one make the decision to use the power: one's conscience. It helps one decide when to use the power and when to use one's own natural strengths. You must use this factor in the choices you will face. You must follow your conscience and your heart and, at the same time, use your knowledge and combine your natural talents with the abilities from the Amulet to make your choices. Never confuse wants with needs, for they lead you astray.

"Trust in yourself and in your companions, for there will be times in which you will need to work together and times where each of you will work alone.

"Now I must leave you. Take the advice I have given you. Remember, don't let your feelings cloud your judgment and yet do not ignore those feelings, for as I said you must follow your heart and your conscience.

"Farewell for now, Justin. May the Powers of the Amulet serve to protect and aid you and your companions in your battles. May my words help you in making future choices and, finally, may you and your companions be victorious in your quest."

At these words, Mary Bradford Sr. vanished and the dream faded. Justin remained in a deep, dreamless and restful sleep for the rest of the night.

In the morning he discussed his dream with the others.

"What I can't figure out is what, if anything, is this dream supposed to mean," Justin said. "I mean, we all know there are battles ahead and choices to be made."

"She did give you advice on how to make those choices," Mary said.

"I think it's more than that," Justin said. "Basically she said she had confidence in us, but she was still concerned about what lies ahead."

"Possibly indicating that we may not be able to handle it," Luke suggested.

"Exactly," Justin agreed. "There's something coming that will prove more difficult to handle."

"That's just what I needed to hear," Jeremy said sarcastically.

"She also told me to follow my heart and my conscience, but not to let my feelings cloud my judgment and yet not to ignore my feelings all together."

"And the translation to that would be?" Amanda asked.

"Beats me," Justin replied.

"How are we supposed to follow her advice if we can't even understand it?" Jayson asked.

"I guess we'll find out when the time comes," Justin concluded.

###  Chapter 20

Three weeks passed. The children on Chrystalina remained undetected, as they waited for some sign of the next move.

Jerico continued to loom over the planet and the search for the children went on. The battle was at a standstill.

The reason for this was simple. Since Jerico had already temporarily succeeded in securing the planet the only thing left to do was to sit and wait for the missing children to be found.

This standstill gave the twins the time they needed to work on their newly discovered power of telekinesis.

As time passed, however, the twins discovered that time was of the essence in mastering each of the powers. As the first two weeks after their discovery passed, the telekinesis power seemed to get easier and easier to control. But as the third week began, the twins found the power became difficult once more and at the beginning of the fourth week, it was almost impossible to control. At this time, they found a new power begin to overtake them.

It all began when Andriana was in her grandfather's quarters.

Governor Mackensie had gone to inspect a new group of troopers which had just arrived from Jerico. Andrew had gone with him, but Andriana had elected to remain behind, saying that she had an assignment to finish for one of her studies.

In reality Andriana wanted to search the Governor's quarters for anything that might explain the powers of the Amulet. She and Andrew had discussed this operation and concluded that if the Governor didn't know anything about the Amulet, he wouldn't want it so much.

Nervously, Andriana waited till her Grandfatherand her brother had left. Then she quietly snuck into the room. She got to work quickly, and looked all over, being careful to put everything back when she was finished.

Her efforts reached a dead end. Obviously, if the Governor knew anything about the Amulet, he had no evidence of the fact. Andriana was about to leave when she heard voices coming to the door. Andriana wished she could turn herself invisible, but figured she would have to face her Grandfatherand explain her presence.

In nervous anticipation, Andriana stood ready to explain herself, but her answers were not necessary for the Governor and Andrew didn't notice her. They passed by her as if she wasn't there.

In wonder, Andriana remained silent and waited for them to notice her, but to no avail. They talked for a few minutes about the inspection, and then Andrew got up to leave.

Andriana followed him out, still wondering what was going on. As the door closed behind them, however, Andrew turned and finally noticed her.

"Oh hi, An," he said as if she had just walked up to him. "How did your assignment go?"

"I didn't find anything," Andriana replied as they walked back to their quarters. "Did you just notice me now?"

"Of course," Andrew said. "You walked up to me as I left Grandfather's quarters."

"Ah, Andy," Andriana said. "We need to talk," She began to walk quicker.

"An, wait! What's going on?" Andrew called after her.

Andriana refused to answer till they were in the safety of their quarters.

"Okay, now can you tell me what that was all about?" Andrew asked as they entered their room.

"First, let me say that I'm glad to hear that the inspection went well," Andriana said. "Grandfather seemed very pleased."

"He was, but...Wait a minute! How did you know all that?" Andrew asked.

"I was there," Andriana explained.

"No you weren't," Andrew contradicted.

"Yes I was," Andriana insisted.

"How did you get out without being seen?" Andrew asked.

"I don't know," Andriana replied. Then she proceeded to explain the events before and after Andrew and their Grandfather had arrived. "The only way I can figure it is that, when I wished to be invisible it happened."

"Looks like we've discovered another power of the Amulet," Andrew said.

"Maybe this is why we can't move things anymore. Maybe we have three weeks to master each power and when we master a certain number of them, we'll be able to use them all together."

"Assuming that you're right, this could work to our advantage, depending on how many powers there are to master," Andrew said.

"We have to keep in mind, though, that if we have these powers, the others on Chrystalina may have them too," Andriana pointed out.

"True. They might," Andrew agreed. "But then again, they might not."

"Let's just stick to my theory," Andriana suggested. "If they do and we're not prepared, they could turn it to their advantage."

"Agreed. So how exactly did you turn invisible?"

###  Chapter 21

"I still don't like this," Justin complained. "It's been too quiet."

"I know what you mean," Jeremy agreed. "It makes you wonder what kind if trouble is coming."

"We should enjoy this quiet while it lasts," Mary said.

"I'm afraid to," Luke said. "I might get too comfortable with it."

Just then Emily and Leslie ran into the kitchen area, where the four oldest children were talking.

"Go out play, May?" Emily asked.

"No, sweetie. We have to stay inside," Mary replied.

Over the last three weeks, the two youngest girls had been after the others to let them go outside.

"No stay in, May," Emily argued. "Go out!"

"We can't, Emma. It's not safe," Mary said.

"Magic potect us," Leslie said.

"That's true the magic does protect us," Luke agreed. "But we still can't go outside."

"Why?" Leslie asked.

"We've been over this hundreds of times, Les," Luke said. "It isn't safe to play outside."

"You go out," Emily pointed out.

"That's different," Jeremy said. "We don't go out to play."

"I wanna go out NOW!" Emily insisted, stamping her foot.

"We can't," Mary said calmly.

"Don't care. Go NOW!" Leslie added following Emily's lead.

"There is no use in getting upset," Justin told them. "You can't go out."

"NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW!!!" Emily and Leslie cried.

"Do you remember what happened last time you started that?" Luke interrupted.

The girls fell silent.

"What happened?" Mary asked.

"No play outside," Emily replied sulkily.

"And..," Luke coaxed.

"Go sit in room," Leslie added.

"So does having a tantrum do any good?" Jeremy asked.

"No," the girls replied sullenly.

"Go out play? Please?" Emily pleaded desperately.

"What do you think?" Justin asked.

"Go play in room," Leslie concluded.

"Why don't you practice your magic?" Jeremy suggested.

Leslie shook her head.

"Magic no good," she said. "Can't go out and play with."

The girls walked off dolefully. Silence fell on the room for a moment. Luke, Mary, Jeremy and Justin looked at one another.

"I think we have another problem," Justin said finally.

The others nodded in agreement.

"Jay may have come up with a solution," Amanda said, having heard the few remarks as she and Jayson entered the room.

"What have you got?" Mary asked.

"Well, I've been thinking. We use our technology to communicate and to replicate food and we used it to help Mary escape from Jerico," Jayson began. "So why can't we use our technology to create a room that simulates the outside?"

"It might satisfy Emily and Leslie's need to go out," Amanda added.

"A simulated outside world," Justin said thoughtfully. "Not bad."

"It's worth a try anyway," Luke agreed. "If, by some chance, those two do get out of the cave, we'll have an even bigger problem than we have now."

"It should be possible to work it out," Jeremy said. "Good thinking, you two."

"It was all Jay's idea," Amanda said.

"Then Jay should be in charge of the project," Justin said.

"Nice going, little brother," Jeremy commented.

"I learned from the best," Jayson said.

"Ah, Brotherly Bonding," Mary sighed.

Jeremy and Jayson looked a little embarrassed and Jeremy shot a glare at Mary.

"Let's go run this by Chrystal," Jeremy suggested finally.

###  Chapter 22

The simulator was a great success and not only with the young children. Mary felt her youth had returned to her. Somehow, she had lost it during the past months. Now she felt able to be 13 going on 14, instead of 13 going on 25.

The simulator had been programmed to represent a warm summer day. All the children were present and enjoying the sights, sounds and smells created by the simulator to set the scene for a picnic-perfect day.

Mary, Justin, Luke and Jeremy were playing Frisbee. Amanda and Jayson were playing tag with Emily and Leslie. Vicky was sunning herself on the picnic blanket. It was as if Jerico had never come and the past months had been a nightmare they had awakened from. Suddenly, the nightmare gave a flicker to remind them that it was a part of their reality.

Mary was taking a break from the Frisbee game and gently stroking Vicky's reddish fur when she felt a strange sensation.

"Hey Jay, did you just probe my mind?" she called.

"No," Jayson replied.

"Is there something wrong, Mare?" Justin asked.

"No. It must have been my imagination," Mary replied.

Mary settled down again. A few minutes later she once again felt the sensation. It was almost like a glimmer of a presence, like the one she had felt aboard the Emerald Star when Jayson was trying to contact her. Then she heard a voice calling her name.

The voice was of a young girl, that much was obvious. It was very far away, but it still sounded familiar. A sudden curiosity fell over Mary. She got up and left, telling the others that she had to get something. That something was the Amulet. She took it out of its box and hung it around her neck. Then silently sat and cleared her mind and waited for the presence to return.

Finally, after about five minutes, she heard the voice again.

* * * * * *

Back in the simulator Jayson also heard the voice, much clearer than Mary did. He alerted the others and opened his mind to hear the conversation.

* * * * * *

"Mary? Mary Bradford?" the voice called. "Can you hear me?"

Mary was about to answer, but hesitated when she realized to whom the voice belonged to. It was Andriana Mackensie calling to her. Quickly and calmly Mary cleared her mind of all betraying thoughts. Andriana must not be able to pinpoint where she was. Then the call came again and Mary answered it.

"We speak again, Lady Mackensie," Mary said coldly.

"So you do have more knowledge than you let on," Andriana responded.

"What of it? You didn't really expect me to help the enemy," Mary said.

"My brother and I send our congratulations on your little performance. You did have us fooled," Andriana said.

"It's a talent I have learned without magic," Mary replied.

"Your escape was also well performed," Andriana said. "I hadn't expected a Chrystalinian to be so innovative."

"Did you call to me just to compliment me?" Mary asked.

"No," Andriana said. "For reasons I am not at liberty to discuss, I have contacted you to warn you that the Governor is beginning to get impatient. He wants the Amulet and he is almost prepared to kill for it."

"Are you trying to scare me out of hiding?" Mary asked.

"No," Andriana replied. "It is merely food for thought. You can do what you want with the information. I must go. I may contact you later."

Mary returned to the simulator. The others were crowded around the blanket.

"You won't believe who I just spoke with," Mary said.

"We know," Luke responded. "Jay intercepted the message as well."

"We have to stay alert, guys," Mary said. "Governor Mackensie is getting crankier. He's going to keep us on our toes till he gets what he wants."

* * * * * *

About a week later, Andriana opened her mind once again to Mary. This time the act was in desperation. The Governor had gone too far this time. She was a Jerico leader, but she was not prepared to let people die in the name of a takeover because her Grandfather was obsessed with the Chrystalina Amulet.

"Mary! Mary! Mary, come in please!" Andriana called out.

"I'm right here," Mary responded finally.

"Oh thank goodness," Andriana said in relief. "You've got to help me."

"Help you?" Mary repeated. "That'll be the day."

"I mean it," Andriana insisted. "The Governor has ordered the troops to begin executions in two days if the Amulet is not found."

Fear washed over Mary at these words causing her concentration to falter and almost severing the connection.

"What does this have to do with you?" she asked.

"The Governor's threats frighten me," Andriana said. "I now feel that both of our planets are in danger."

Mary sat in silence. She could hear the fear throughout Andriana's words. It was sincere.

"I'll get back to you," Mary said finally.

"Wait! My mind control powers will only last for the rest of this day," Andriana said. "It's all that I can do to connect with you now."

Mary had to decide. It would take too long to discuss it with the others.

"I hear the fear in your words," Mary said. "My only alternative is to trust that you are sincere. Meet me in the clearing, where I escaped, in two hours."

"We must trust each other" Andriana said, "for both our sakes. I will meet you there. No weapons and no tricks."

They signed off. Mary went to talk to the others, though she would rather have rested first. It was difficult to keep the connection with another person whose powers of mind control were as weak as hers were.

Andriana sat back and closed her eyes to rest. She too had found the conversation hard to continue because of the distance and the strength of her power stage.

Andrew stepped away from his sister's door. Unknown to Andriana he had also been exercising his mind control powers. He now knew why Andriana had taken up meditation; she had been contacting the enemy...But why? She wanted her inheritance as much as he did. She knew the other half of the Amulet was a part of that, but why had she contacted Mary Bradford of all people? And what was all that stuff about the Governor's orders to kill people on the surface?

"I have to follow her," he thought to himself. "If she doesn't turn them in, I will. The Chrystalina rebellion must not be allowed to continue. Jerico must gain the second Amulet and be victorious."

* * * * * *

"NO WAY!" Justin said when Mary had explained the situation. "Not a chance."

"But Justin, I promised," Mary said.

"NO! You are not going to walk into her trap and that's final!" Justin insisted.

"It is pretty risky, Mare," Luke agreed. "She is the enemy, after all."

"She may be the enemy, but she's just as scared as we are," Mary said.

"Why can't she and her brother overthrow the Governor?" Jeremy suggested.

"I don't think her brother agrees the Governor is that dangerous," Mary said. "She needs our help. I don't care what you say, I'm going."

"Not alone," Luke said.

"If I have someone with me she may think I've tricked her," Mary said.

"But what if it's a trap?" Jeremy asked.

"I know how they work. I'll be fine," Mary said.

"I'm not letting you go alone," Justin said. "If she trusts you she'll understand why you didn't go alone."

"You guys are sweet to worry about me, but I can take care of myself," Mary said.

"This is not an option," Justin said. "I'm telling you I'm going with you."

"Really Justin, I'll be..," Mary protested.

"I don't care. Luke and Jeremy can take of things here," Justin said. "I'm coming with you."

"But..," Mary protested again.

"I mean it, Mare! This time I'm pulling rank. I'm the oldest and I'm not going to let you go alone. End of story."

Mary sighed. It was obvious fighting would do no good.

"Okay. I told her I'd meet her in two hours," she relented.

Five minutes before the designated time Mary and Justin hid in the bushes by the meeting place. If Andriana was alone they would show themselves. If not, they would teleport back to the cave.

Andriana beamed down on time and looked around.

"She's alone," Mary whispered.

"Wait. Give her a minute," Justin whispered back.

"The quicker we confront her the better," Mary said and stood up.

Andriana spun around at the sound of rustling leaves behind her.

"It's just me," Mary said, stepping out of the bushes.

"Are you alone?" Andriana asked.

"No," Mary admitted. "My brother Justin followed me."

Hesitantly, Justin stepped out of the shadows. Justin had seen Andriana once on the screen in the cave, but now as her blond hair shone in the sun beams through the trees, she looked like she was shining herself.

Mary had told him to let her do all the talking, but he was too awestruck with the beauty of the Jerico girl to think of anything to say anyway.

"As I told you, the Governor has ordered executions of your people," Andriana told them. "I am not willing to let our government take responsibility for murder."

"Are you suggesting I give you our Amulet?" Mary asked.

"I wouldn't expect you would be willing to make it that simple," Andriana said.

"Very good. You're getting the idea," Mary replied. "Do you have any other ideas?"

"I suggest we stick with your first suggestion," Andrew said, stepping from the shadows with a fazer in his hand. "I wish you had told me what you were up to earlier."

"I was going to, but I got sidetracked with a new plan," Andriana lied. "Andriana to Emerald Star. We have two prisoners. Lock on to the their life signs and beam them directly to a holding cell."

Mary and Justin had no time to react.

"I see I was mistaken, Sister Dear," Andrew said proudly. "I shouldn't have doubted your loyalties."

"Remember that, Brother," Andriana said. "Loyalties are what it's all about in the end."

* * * * * *

"It was a trick!" Luke said. "Can you try to jam the ships sensors?"

"I'm trying," Jeremy said furiously, working on the keyboard.

"It's too late," Amanda said. "They're gone."

"So much for Andriana's sincerity," Jayson said.

###  Chapter 23

"I can't believe she turned on us!" Mary said angrily.

"This is why I wouldn't let you go alone," Justin said.

"Oh, yeah, you were a heck of a lot of help," Mary snapped; then she sighed and her tone softened. "I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at myself for trusting her."

"Don't blame yourself," Justin said, hugging Mary. "Be mad at her."

"I can understand your feelings," Andriana said, entering the cell.

"You set me up!" Mary snapped.

"Really, I didn't mean to..," Andriana stammered. "I mean, I haven't had time to talk to my brother yet. I needed to buy some time."

"And why, may I ask, should we believe you?" Mary demanded.

"You have no reason," Andriana said. "We are supposed to be enemies, but my concerns are for both our planets. We must work together, once I convince my brother."

"And if you don't convince your brother?" Mary asked.

"I'll get to that later," Andriana said.

"We can't make any deals without consulting our group," Mary said.

"We can figure all of the rest out once I talk to Andrew," Andriana said. "We don't have to report to the Governor till tomorrow morning. With a little luck, you'll be gone before then."

"Concentrate on your brother for now," Justin said. "We'll work on the other part later."

"Oh and don't try to escape," Andriana said as the cell door opened. "There is no way off the ship, even if you did get past the guards."

"I still don't trust her," Mary said as the door closed.

"Neither do I, but you've got to admit she's a beautiful actress either way," Justin said.

* * * * * *

Andriana quickly returned to her quarters and locked herself in her room. She did have to talk to Andrew, but he wasn't there and she couldn't face him while her heart was fluttering a mile a minute. She didn't want to let him in on the thought that was almost filling her with fear. It was a feeling that she had never felt before. And it would have to happen now. Love at first sight, love or attraction towards Justin Bradford of all people!

* * * * * *

Mary looked at her brother, in shock, at his mention of Andriana's beauty.

"Justin Bradford! You're attracted to her!" Mary said.

"I merely said..," Justin began.

"There's no need to deny anything. My brother is in love with the enemy."

* * * * * *

Andriana sat and contemplated her feelings while she waited for her brother. Finally, she heard the door open and her brother called to her.

"Hi," she said cheerfully as she left the safety of her room. "How did your observation on the bridge go?"

"Oh you know, I watched the crew work, nothing different," Andrew replied casually.

"You're supposed to be learning the operations," Andriana reminded him. "You're not there to make fun of everyone who has to work to get a promotion, just because you don't."

"I guess my mind was elsewhere today," Andrew said. "Normally, I'm fascinated by the technical stuff. So how'd it go with the prisoners? You know, you really had me going earlier. I thought you were serious about Grandfatherbeing crazy."

"I need to talk to you about that," Andriana said. "But first, tell me how much of my conversation with Mary Bradford did you hear?"

"Most of the stuff about the Governor getting impatient and ordering the executions of the Chrystalinians. That was a good plan," Andrew replied.

Andriana bit her lower lip nervously.

"I hate to be the one to tell you this, but all that 'stuff' is true," she said finally. "I heard Grandfather telling Admiral Jaimson at dinner the other night. If he doesn't get the Amulet in two days, the people of Chrystalina will suffer."

Andrew sat in shocked silence.

"I'm worried, Andy," Andriana continued. "I'm not willing to risk the lives of any people from either planet. It's murder, Andy, and the Jerico Empire should not be responsible for it. That's why I contacted Mary. We're not yet strong enough in our powers, but I feel that they are. Grandfather must be stopped before he turns on the people of Jerico as well."

Andrew looked up at his sister. The fear in her eyes told him she was right, but...

"You want to join forces with them?" he questioned. "But they're the enemy!"

"They are the enemy when we're fighting for the planet, but they could be allies when we're fighting for our lives," Andriana told him.

* * * * * *

"I still don't know, An," Andrew said. "I still can't believe that Grandfather is willing to kill."

"There's only one way to find out," Andriana said.

Andrew picked up his communicator.

"Lord Andrew to Governor," he said.

"Yes," Governor Mackensie responded.

"May we speak with you?" Andrew asked.

"Of course," the Governor replied. "I will be in my quarters for the next half hour."

"We'll be right there," Andrew said.

* * * * * *

"How is the search going?" Governor Mackensie asked the twins.

"We believe we are getting close to them, Governor," Andriana spoke up.

"Good," Governor Mackensie said. "Now what did you want to talk about?"

"There is a rumour that you ordered the troops to begin executions if the Amulet isn't found soon," Andrew explained.

"It is no rumour. There will be deaths if the Amulet is not surrendered in two days," the Governor told them. "We have been lenient enough. It is time to show the Chrystalinians that we will not tolerate any more resistance. I admit that I regret this action, but we must get what is ours: the Amulet and then the galaxy."

"Thank you for clearing this matter up, Governor," Andrew said. "We will not take up any more of your time."

"I appreciate that. I trust you have not forgotten our meeting tomorrow," the Governor said.

"No, sir. We will be there," Andriana replied.

* * * * * *

"Well?" Andriana asked as they walked away from the Governor's quarters.

"I hate to admit it, but you were right," Andrew said. "Our quest is to become known as powerful rulers, not murderers."

"We must talk to the others," Andriana said as they quickened their pace.

* * * * * *

Mary sat on the ledge at one side of the cell, with her knees pulled up to her chest. Justin sat on the other end of the ledge. Both stood up as the twins entered the room.

"My sister has informed me of the situation. I agree that we must call a temporary truce," Andrew said.

"Before we agree to anything there is one thing we need to get straight," Mary spoke up.

"Don't start making demands now, Mare," Justin murmured to his sister.

"I don't care who you are. I will not be told what to do," Mary continued. "We are temporary allies. We are equals, none of this kneeling at your feet. Got it."

"Agreed," Andriana replied "We must work together. The Governor has confirmed that if the Amulet doesn't show up in two days, people will die."

"We've been thinking about that," Justin said "We have a plan to get around it."

###  Chapter 24

"I don't think I'll ever get used to transporters," Mary said when she and Andrew had beamed down to the planet.

"You get use to them after a while," Andrew told her.

"My friends should have the Amulet ready by now," Mary said. "I'll be right back."

"I should come with you," Andrew said.

"No way," Mary said. "A truce is one thing; the location of our headquarters, that's sacred. I'll be back in a moment," At that, Mary vanished.

* * * * * *

"Is everything ready?" Mary asked Luke and Jeremy as she entered the control room.

"All set," Luke replied, handing her a small green jewel.

"Great," Mary said. "Now if we can find a way off the ship again without arousing the suspicions of their highnesses, we'll be set."

"We've got that covered too," Jeremy said.

"How?" Mary asked.

"By manipulating their own technology to create a bit of confusion," Luke said.

"The problem is we need to be up there with you to pull it off," Jeremy added.

"No problem," Mary said. "Come back with me. We can simply tell his highness we work better as a team."

"There doesn't seem to be any other choice," Luke said. "We need to be on the ship and there's no way to get to it other than the transporter."

"We'd better not waste any time," Jeremy said.

Mary, Luke and Jeremy took a few minutes to make last minute arrangements with the four younger children. During the confusion, Mary made a stop in her room and took a gold chain from its box and placed it around her neck, hiding it under her clothes.

"Just for luck," she said to herself as she quickly wrote a note and put it in the box in the chain's place. Then she rejoined the others, and she and the boys left the cave.

* * * * * *

Aboard the Emerald Star, Justin and Andriana sat, in silence, on opposite sides of the ledge in the cell, as they waited for Andrew and Mary to return.

Finally, Justin spoke.

"So what's your planet like?" he asked.

"It's nothing like your planet," Andriana said. "We have very little wildlife. Oh, we have animals, but none of them are wild. All the plants and animals are houseplants and pets."

"Our planet must seem pretty primitive," Justin said.

"A bit, but our world is still beautiful," Andriana said. "Our world is made up of built structures reaching to the sky, which is a gray-blue colour. It's like one big jumble of large computers all put together to form a city."

"Do you like it there?" Justin asked.

"It's my home," Andriana replied.

"That doesn't answer my question," Justin said.

"I admit I would be lost on a planet like yours without the technology Jerico has," Andriana said. "Your planet is very beautiful though, Justin. Even though there is little wildlife on my planet, I have spent a great deal of time admiring such wonders in our simulator. But to experience the real thing is something I would never have missed."

"I have experienced that feeling myself," Justin said.

"What do you mean?" Andriana asked.

"When you arrived to meet Mary earlier, we were watching from the bushes," Justin told her. "I didn't realize how beautiful you were till we approached you."

Andriana blushed a little and looked away for a moment.

"Tell me, are there any girls on your planet that compare with your beauty?" Justin went on, moving closer to her.

"You are very suave, Mr. Bradford. I can see, through your words, that you are not only very handsome on the outside."

"Would it be too forward of me to ask for a kiss Miss...I mean, Empress?" Justin asked. "I've never kissed an Empress before."

"We have something in common," Andriana said. "I've never kissed a boy from Chrystalina before, but I've always been open to new experiences," she added as they leaned closer to each other.

* * * * * *

"What's this?" Andrew asked suspiciously as Mary appeared with her two new companions.

"My colleagues are surrendering," Mary replied. "This is Luke Williams and Jeremy Mackensie. It will be an added bonus to you in the Governor's eyes to have apprehended four of the Amulet holders as well as the Amulet."

"Agreed," Andrew said. "Where is it?"

Mary took the jewel from her pocket and handed it to Andrew.

"The Governor will be pleased," Andrew said. "If he believes this is the real Gem."

"It's no different from ours," Mary said.

"We'd better get back to the ship," Andrew said. "Lord Andrew to Emerald Star. Four to beam directly to cell 51."

* * * * * *

"Well, well. This is a cozy scene," Andrew commented as the transporter set them down in the holding cell in time to see Justin and Andriana kissing. They sprang apart at once.

"Andrew!" Andriana exclaimed. "It's not what you think!"

"We'll discuss it later," Andrew said. "We have an appointment with the Governor."

With that Andrew walked out and Andriana followed, with the attitude of a child who was about to be or had just been scolded.

"You just couldn't help yourself, could you?" Mary said.

"Don't start," Justin told her. "Why aren't you two on the planet?" he added, turning to Luke and Jeremy.

"Mary said you didn't have an escape plan," Jeremy said. "We do."

"If we can get into the computer system we might be able to create a diversion that will last long enough to get us off the ship," Luke explained.

"But how will we get off the ship?" Mary asked. "We can't just walk into a transporter room and say we're escaping, please transport us to the surface."

"One thing at a time" Jeremy said. "Once we tap into the computer we'll figure our the second part of the plan."

"Good work, guys," Justin said. "One question though, how do you plan to break into the computer?"

"We have to work on the plan a bit," Luke admitted.

###  Chapter 25

The twins walked in silence to the Governors quarters. As they stopped in front of the door, Andriana finally spoke.

"You aren't going to tell Grandfather about what you saw in the cell, are you?" she asked.

"I should," Andrew said. "But considering our position in this, I'm not going to. It would consequently lead to uncovering our plan."

Andriana sighed with relief.

"Don't think I'm going to forget about it, though," Andrew added. "We will talk about it later," he said as he rang the buzzer.

"Come," the Governor called.

The twins entered.

"Ah come in, come in, my dears," the Governor said gently. "I trust you have something to report."

"Yes, Governor," Andrew replied.

"Good. Sit down, relax and tell me what you have found," Governor Mackensie said.

"We have good news, Governor," Andriana told him. "We have captured the four oldest children of the Amulet."

"Very good indeed," the Governor murmured.

"There is more, Governor," Andrew continued. "One of them was carrying this," he said as he produced the Amulet Mary had given him.

The Governor's eyes sparkled with delight as he took the Gem Andrew held out to him.

"Finally, it's mine," he said. "The Amulet is whole once more. Let me see the first half. I must see them together."

Reluctantly, Andriana handed over her half.

"It's mine, all mine!" the Governor exclaimed with an evil laugh. "At last, the Amulet is mine."

Andriana reached out nervously for Andrew's hand. The Governor's attitude was beginning to frighten her. Andrew took his sister's hand and gave it a little squeeze, trying to hide the fear that now sparked inside him. The Governor no longer seemed to be the gentle man he had portrayed himself to be. The man that now stood before them had an evil air, a dark and powerful man, who had no intention of sharing that power.

"Tell me, did they tell you anything about the powers of the Amulet?" the Governor asked.

"No, sir," Andrew said. "They still hold the claim that it is only a good luck charm."

"Nonsense," the Governor said. "I see they need more persuasion. Go to them. Tell them unless they give me the secrets of the Amulet, the planet will suffer."

"Suffer?" Andriana repeated.

"The people will die," the Governor replied. "I will have the secrets of the Amulet and when I do, no one will stop me!!!" he cackled. "Tell them they have 48 hours. Dismissed."

* * * * * *

"I'm scared, Andy," Andriana whispered as they left the room where their Grandfather was still cackling evily to himself.

"I know, An," Andrew said. "Grandfather is getting out of control."

"We must do something," Andriana said as they walked back to the holding cell. "Before it's too late."

* * * * * *

The Governor admired the two dark green Gems greedily as the twins left him.

"Is it my imagination or are you becoming soft, my darlings," the Governor said softy. "We mustn't let that happen. The next in command must be strong and unconcerned for the rebels. Then again we must spare those who hold the secrets of my power."

The Governor walked over to his computer console.

"Governor Mackensie to Security Chief. I want a meeting with you immediately."

"Yes sir," the security chief replied. "I'm on my way."

"We mustn't give the rebels time to soften the twins up. We must ensure the twins haven't misplaced their loyalties," the Governor added to himself.

* * * * * *

"So you see, Commander, I need your security teams to monitor my heirs," the Governor explained.

"Understood, sir," Commander Roberts responded.

"Oh and while you're at it, separate the Chrystalinian children," the Governor added. "We must not give them any opportunities to escape."

"It will be done, sir," the Commander promised.

"Good. Notify me if you notice anything out of the ordinary during your investigation of the twins and I leave it to you to detain them if necessary."

"Understood, sir."

"Good. Dismissed."

Commander Roberts got up to leave, then she turned back to the Governor.

"Permission to speak freely, sir," she said.

"Granted."

"Sir, is it possible that your heirs are merely trying to persuade the rebels to trust them to get information?"

"It is possible," the Governor admitted. "But I think that we should proceed as planned, as a precaution."

"Yes, sir."

"Thank your for your concern, Commander. Dismissed."

Commander Roberts left and the Governor once again picked up the Emeralds.

"Now we shall see where your loyalties lie, my dears," he said, looking out the window at the space full of stars and planets. "Not that it matters much. I am still in power and once the secrets of the Amulet are unlocked I will be powerful forever."

He chuckled greedily, but the chuckle soon became an evil laugh as he contemplated the future.

###  Chapter 26

The twins returned to the cell and explained what had happened at the meeting.

"We've got to get out of here," Mary said. "Our people must be warned."

"There's no time for that," Andrew said. "You have to come up with something to tell the Governor."

"We can't tell him the truth," Justin said.

"It wouldn't do him any good anyway," Luke put in. "Unless he also witnessed the eclipse at some point, but then he would have figured it out by himself."

"You've got to come up with something quickly," Andriana said. "In the meantime, we'll work on contacting our government. Hopefully they won't let anything happen."

"We must go," Andrew said. "We have duties to perform. Good luck to you."

"And to you," Jeremy said. "May the power protect us all."

* * * * * *

Andriana returned to her quarters to wait for her brother. She had finished her duties early and was anxious to contact the home world.

"Computer, I need to communicate with the Jerico home world, on a secure channel," she said as she sat down at her computer console.

"Jerico home world, this is Lady Andriana Mackensie on the Emerald Star. Please come in."

Within a few minutes, the call was responded to.

"Emerald Star, this is Commander Lauren Anderson. What is your situation?"

"I need to speak with the Imperial Senate about an urgent matter," Andriana replied.

"The Senate is to convene within an hour," Commander Anderson replied. "I can inform them of your request to talk to them then."

"Very well. I will call back in an hour," Andriana agreed. "Oh and no one but the Senate members on the home world is to know about this transmission."

"Understood. Home world out."

"Who were you talking to?" Andrew asked as Andriana switched off the console.

"I contacted the home world. We have a meeting with the Senate in an hour," Andriana explained.

"Good. Now we just wait," Andrew said.

"Wait and worry," Andriana added.

* * * * * *

"The Jerico government is, as you say, not prepared to kill for Imperial control," Admiral James Warner said when the twins had explained the urgency of the situation. "But I don't see what we can do."

"We want to take command, but we need governmental enforcement," Andrew said.

"I think we are all in agreement," Commander Anderson replied. "We will back you."

"With the exception of Admiral Jaimson," Admiral Warner added.

"Admiral Jaimson is also on the Senate, though," Senator Christopher Jaworski pointed out. "He should be given the opportunity to speak before we impose our authority."

"We realize that, Senator," Andrew said "but under the circumstances, I suggest you consider this an extreme emergency situation, requiring an immediate vote."

"That will allow the Senate to vote or act on a plan without all Senate members present," Andriana added.

"Isn't that stretching things a bit?" Senator Ryan Miles asked.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Andriana responded. "I can see you are not convinced that this is an emergency."

"We do not doubt your assessment, My Lady," Senator Miles said quickly. "It's just hard to accept that the Governor has become this dangerous over a territorial expansion mission."

"That's just the problem," Andriana said. "The Governor has turned this mission into a top secret and personal quest for some kind of a jewel which my brother and I believe has no value."

"It must have some value if the Governor is willing to threaten the inhabitants of Chrystalina," Senator Jaworski commented. "I am not, however, personally willing to endorse any plan which might lead to the Empire being branded as murderers."

"Let us have a show of hands from those who support Lord and Lady Mackensie's request," Admiral Warner said.

The twenty-two Senate members present raised their hands.

"Very well," Admiral Warner nodded. "Even if the other members were present, the vote would be in your favour. You have the support of the Senate to take command of the expansion force."

"Thank you, Admiral. We appreciate it," Andriana said.

"We will keep you informed of our progress," Andrew said.

"Please inform us if there is anything more we can do," Senator Jaworski said.

"We will. Thank you, Senator," Andriana said.

"Good luck to you both," Senator Miles added.

"Thank you, all of you, once again for your support," Andrew said. "Emerald Star out."

Andriana slumped back in her chair.

"You okay?" Andrew asked.

"To tell you the truth I don't feel any better about this," Andriana confessed.

"We've only gotten past the first stage," Andrew said. "We still have a long way to go, not to mention dealing with Jaimson."

"I'm going for a walk," Andriana announced. "I want to see how the others are doing with their escape plan."

"I wouldn't spend too much time with them," Andrew said. "It might arouse suspicions."

"We are suppose to be finding out information," Andriana said. "I'm just doing my duty."

"Be careful, An. Grandfather is desperate to succeed. Our relationship to him may not mean much any more," Andrew warned.

"I'll be back soon," Andriana promised.

As she made her way to the holding cell, Andriana began to suspect that Andrew was right. Since leaving their quarters, she had had the feeling of being followed. When she arrived at the holding cell, she knew something was up. The force-field was in place again and when she entered she found only the oldest of the four children.

"Where have you taken the others?" Justin demanded.

"What do you mean?" Andriana asked.

"How are we suppose to escape if you separate us?" Justin continued.

"Justin, wait. You've got to believe me. I had no idea you had been separated from the others," Andriana said. "Andrew and I are working with you, remember."

"Then where are the others?" Justin demanded.

"I don't know," Andriana said. "Please, just calm down and tell me what happened."

"We were working on our escape plan when four security guards came in. They must have used their fazers to knock us out because the next thing I knew, I woke up, lying on the floor, with a pounding headache. Mary, Luke and Jeremy were gone and the force-field was up again," Justin explained.

"The Governor must have done it to prevent you from escaping," Andriana said thoughtfully.

Relief momentarily washed over Justin at the thought that the beautiful young Jerico girl hadn't betrayed them. Then the relief once again turned to worry.

"I'll do my best to find out what happened and where the others are," Andriana added.

"I'm sorry I doubted you," Justin said, taking her hand in his.

"It's understandable," Andriana said, looking into Justin's eyes.

Once again their attraction for each other distracted them as they kissed. As their lips parted, Andriana pulled her hands away.

"We must concentrate on our objectives," she said. "I must go."

"Good luck, My Lady," Justin said.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Andriana said and left.

###  Chapter 27

Andriana turned to the guards posted outside the cell.

"Who ordered the separation of the Chrystalina prisoners?" she asked.

"Commander Roberts did," one guard replied.

"Under whose authority?" Andriana asked.

"Hers, I presume, My Lady," the second guard replied. "She mentioned no one else."

"Did she give a reason for her order?" Andriana asked.

"No, ma'am," the first guard replied. "She just ordered us to move them."

"Well, I don't see the need," Andriana said. "I want them back here now."

"I'm afraid we cannot do that," the second guard said. "Commander Roberts told us that her orders were not to be reversed by anyone, not even you."

"And under whose authority did she presume to make that ruling?" Andriana demanded.

"She didn't say, My Lady," the first guard replied.

"I see. Thank you," Andriana said. She turned to go, but then turned back. "Where were the others taken?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am. We can't tell you that either," the second guard.

"Why not...no, let me guess. Roberts ordered it," Andriana turned and stormed off.

"We'll see about that," she muttered.

"Lieutenant Duncan to Commander Roberts," another guard said into his communicator. "Lady Mackensie was just at Cell 51, asking questions about the prisoners and insisting that the guards reverse your orders. She was not pleased with our refusal."

"Good work, Lieutenant," Roberts replied. "Where is she now?"

"She returned to her quarters. I am presently in Corridor 7 with a view of her door."

"What about Lord Mackensie?" Roberts asked.

"Lieutenant Campbell is following him."

"Roberts to Campbell."

"Lord Mackensie has not left his quarters since he returned from his duty shift," Campbell reported. "I am in Corridor 5 near his door. Ah, Lady Mackensie has just arrived."

"Keep me informed," Roberts said.

* * * * * *

"Grandfather must have ordered it," Andrew said. "Roberts has no authority to restrict us from security information."

"But why did he move them?" Andriana asked.

"Security precautions," Andrew suggested.

"He must think that they hold a very powerful secret to feel the need to segregate them from each other," Andriana said. "I have a bad feeling about this whole situation, Andy."

"Me too, An," Andrew said, putting an arm around his sister. "We've got to keep going and work with whatever curves Grandfather throws at us."

"First we've got to find the others," Andriana said, pulling away from her brother. "Computer, locate the Chrystalina prisoners."

She sat down at the computer console.

"That information is now restricted to top security personnel only."

"By whose authority?" Andrew asked.

"By order of Governor Mackensie."

"Great!" Andriana exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air in exasperation. "How do we find them now?"

"Computer, display a diagram of the holding cells area," Andrew said.

The computer complied.

"Now show me which cells are occupied."

The computer highlighted 9 cells.

"How did you do that?" Andriana asked.

"You just have to know how to phrase the question," Andrew replied. "Now we know Justin Bradford is here."

He pointed to the cell marked 51.

"Those two cells are under repair," Andriana said. "They're occupied by workers."

"And cells 10,12, and 14 are being used as jail cells for the guards who got drunk the other night. That means the Chrystalina children must be in cells 49, 53 and 55," Andrew concluded.

"I wonder why they haven't teleported back to cell 51," Andriana said.

"Could have something to do with the force-fields," Andrew said.

"Can you check on the others?" Andriana asked. "I want to go and talk to Grandfather."

"Be careful," Andrew warned. "Grandfather isn't all that reliable."

"I know. That's what scares me," Andriana replied. "Oh and watch your step. We're being followed."

"I know," Andrew said. "I'll find a way to get to the others without my shadow finding out. Then I'll meet you in cell 51."

* * * * * *

Andriana nervously pressed the buzzer at the Governor's quarters.

"Enter," the Governor called. "Ah, Andriana, my dear. Come in."

"Am I disturbing you?" Andriana asked.

"Not at all. Please sit," the Governor said. "What can I do for you?"

"I visited the prisoners earlier," Andriana said, "only to find that they had been moved."

"I was aware of their separation," Governor Mackensie said.

"When I tried to locate the others, so that I might continue my questioning of them, first the guards and then the computer, refused to give me the information," Andriana said. "I thought it might be a mistake."

"It is no mistake, my dear," Governor Mackensie said smiling. "You and your brother have done so much already that I saw no need for you to continue the investigation. From now on I will oversee the progress of the interrogations personally."

"But, Governor, Andrew and I were making such progress," Andriana exclaimed. "Please give us more time."

"Your eagerness is admirable, but I'm afraid time has run out for you. You and your brother are officially off this quest."

Fear overwhelmed Andriana's heart.

"I beg you to reconsider," Andriana pleaded. "We can get through to them."

"Relax, Child. It is no longer your concern," the Governor said calmly. "I think you've been working too hard. From this moment on you and your brother are off duty as well. You need some time off, I think."

"But Governor," Andriana protested.

"Dismissed," the Governor cut her off.

###  Chapter 28

Andriana left the Governor's quarters and swiftly walked to cell 51.

"We have a big problem," she told Justin.

Justin, seeing that Andriana was upset, took the shaken girl in his arms and held her for a few minutes before asking what was wrong.

"The Governor has taken Andrew and me off this assignment," Andriana explained. "He's even gone so far as to relieve us of duty. He suspects something. I know it."

"Calm down," Justin soothed. "Did you find the others?"

Andriana nodded.

"Andrew is looking into that now," she replied. "We figured out that the reason the others haven't come back here is that the force-fields are interfering with their powers."

At that moment, Mary appeared. Not long after, Luke and Jeremy also appeared. A few seconds later, Andrew walked into the room.

Andriana explained to the new arrivals what had happened at the Governor's quarters and they agreed that the stakes had risen significantly higher.

"We must move quickly," Andrew said when Andriana had finished. "It won't be long before the Governor restricts our access to other things."

"Can your computer be made to produce holograms in the other holding cells?" Luke asked. "In case someone comes in while we're gone, we need them to think we're asleep."

Andrew nodded.

"I'll also need your access codes," Jeremy said.

"They won't do you much good without a computer console," Andriana said.

"Let me handle that. Jeremy said.

"As you said, there is no time for hesitation," Mary said. "We need access to your computer and its records before the Governor reduces your authority further."

Andrew was still very hesitant, but he finally relented.

"Now what?" Andriana asked.

"Leave it to us," Justin said. "Your part is to keep your Grandfather busy."

"We'll check in on you in a couple of hours," Andrew agreed.

"Jeremy to Chrystal. Come in," he said, after the twins had left.

Chrystal's face appeared on the screen.

"Yes, Jeremy. I was beginning to worry. What can I do for you?"

"I need to tap into the computer banks of the Emerald Star," Jeremy explained.

"That would require access codes," Chrystal said.

"I have them," Jeremy replied, typing in the codes.

Chrystal's face disappeared for a moment, then reappeared.

"The codes have been accepted," Chrystal reported.

"Thanks, Chrystal. I'll take it from here. Jeremy out."

"Now what?" Mary asked.

"Now we need an escape route," Jeremy said. "Let's hope this works. Computer, show me a diagram of the ship with this location pinpointed."

The computer complied.

"Computer, enhance the area of Cell 51," Luke said. AAssume the door is blocked. Is there another way to get into the cell?"

"There are no other entrances to cell 51 other than the door," the computer responded.

"Okay, so there are no other doors, but..," Jeremy began. "Computer, show all passageways surrounding cell 51."

The computer highlighted the passageway outside the door and a smaller passageway that ran along behind the cell block.

"There's still no way of getting there," Mary said.

"Why not?" Luke said. "We're children of the Amulet. We can teleport ourselves there."

"Once we get passed the force-field," Mary said.

"No problem. I tell the computer to deactivate the force-field and set up a hologram which makes it seem as if the force-field is still in effect," Jeremy said.

"If we are going to use our powers, we could, in theory, teleport off the ship," Mary said.

Justin shook his head.

"Not necessarily. Our powers are limited by distance. It may be too far from the ship to the planet."

"Justin's right. We're gonna have to find another way off this ship," Jeremy said. "Computer, where is the nearest shuttle bay?"

"Deck 10," the computer replied.

"And which deck are we on?" Mary asked.

"Deck 5," the computer responded.

"Show the quickest route using the passage way behind cell 51," Luke said.

"That passage way does not connect with the shuttle bay on Deck 10," the computer stated.

"One could get very frustrated with a computer like this," Jeremy commented.

"I think we're gonna need help from Andrew and Andriana," Justin said. "After all, they know all the secrets of this ship."

"I hate to say it, but it looks like it's the only way we're going to get out of here," Jeremy agreed.

"Computer, where are Andrew and Andriana Mackensie," Luke asked.

"Lord and Lady Mackensie are in the common room, between their joint quarters, on deck 16," the computer replied.

* * * * * *

The computer console in the common room beeped. Andriana got up and turned on the screen. To her surprise, Jeremy's face appeared.

"We need your help," Jeremy said. "Come down to the cell and we'll explain."

"We're on our way," Andriana replied. Then she turned to Andrew who had already risen from his chair.

"I don't think we should let anyone know we're gone and where," Andriana said.

"Should we try to teleport?" Andrew asked.

Andriana nodded. "We need the practice. Besides, it would be a lot less hassle than trying to lose the guards who are tailing us. And it would be too suspicious if we both visited Justin again."

Andrew turned to the console.

"Just let me set up a little holographic scene in case the guards outside decide to check inside our quarters.

He typed for several minutes on the keyboard, then stepped back. Images of himself and Andriana appeared; one asleep on the couch, one curled up asleep in a chair.

A few minutes later, the twins appeared in cell 51. The other children were each looking at what appeared to be small boxes such as the one Mary had asked to be returned to her when they had first encountered her. They all looked up as the twins appeared.

"What's wrong?" Andriana asked, seeing their frowning faces.

"We need you to help us get out of this cell and to a shuttle bay or transporter room," Justin explained.

"Your computer isn't cooperating with us," Jeremy said.

"How can you have access to our computer without a console?" Andrew asked.

"Through this," Luke said, showing them his communicator.

"But how did you get these?" Andriana asked.

"We built them," Mary replied. "We're not quite as primitive as you think we are."

"Actually, only the rightful Amulet holders have access to technology like this," Justin said. "The rest of our planet is pretty primitive, as you thought."

"That's how you contacted us in our quarters," Andriana said.

"We've been trying to find another way out of here without alerting the guards," Jeremy explained. "So far all we've gotten is frustrated. We thought you might know a way that the computer wouldn't tell us."

"There's a crawl space behind this wall," Andrew said. "If we can make it as far as the emergency access tunnels, you can get to a shuttle bay."

"But it may not do you much good," Andriana said. "As soon as you try to launch a shuttle craft, security will be alerted."

"Got any better suggestions?" Mary asked.

"First, we need to convince the Governor that we are worthy of the quest," Andriana said.

"But, An, he already suspects us of..," Andrew began.

"Just listen to me," Andriana interrupted. "We have to convince him that we've succeeded in getting information out of one of you. He'll insist that person be brought to him. The guards will escort one of you to his quarters..."

"Leaving the room unguarded so the rest of us can sneak out," Justin concluded.

"That still doesn't get us off the ship," Mary pointed out.

"If we can regain command status, we can take a shuttlecraft back to the planet. You will be hidden on the craft," Andrew said.

"Seeing as how it's the only plan that seems doable," Jeremy said, "I say we give it a try."

"I'm not sure about the sense of running around an unfamiliar ship in the open," Luke said. "But since it's all we've got, we should give it a shot."

"We must act fast," Andriana said. "We have to convince him that there's no need to kill anyone. The 48 hours is almost up."

"Good luck," Justin said.

He longed to kiss her, but figured there wasn't time. Andriana didn't seem to care. She walked over to him and kissed him on the lips.

Andrew and Mary looked annoyed at this gesture, but didn't comment as Andriana and Justin parted.

"We should return to our quarters and start from there. That way our shadows won't suspect that we've been in contact with you," Andriana suggested.

Andrew simply nodded and disappeared. Andriana followed.

###  Chapter 29

Once back in their quarters, Andrew deactivated the hologram. They exited the room and walked to the Governor's quarters.

Andrew pressed the buzzer and they entered when bidden to do so.

"Hello, children," Governor Mackensie said. "What a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you this evening?"

"We bring good news, Governor," Andrew said. "One of the prisoners has finally agreed to tell you the truth about the Gem."

"That is good news," the Governor replied, "but I thought I took you off that assignment."

"You did, Sir," Andriana responded. "We felt, however, that we were too close to the truth to discontinue our work. We decided to pursue the interrogation for a little bit longer."

"That was a daring move," the Governor said. "Was there any special reason that you chose to disobey me?"

"We felt you had lost faith in us," Andriana said. "We did not want you to think your heirs had let you down."

"I see," the Governor said thoughtfully. "Well answered, Andriana. You two are cleverer than I thought."

"Do you doubt our loyalty?" Andrew questioned in a rather hostile voice.

The Governor smiled.

"Only momentarily," he lied. "You have just proven that I was wrong in taking you off duty. Bring the prisoner to me tomorrow morning. If he or she tells me what I want to hear, I will rescind my promised punishment."

"Does this mean we can return to duty?" Andriana asked.

"Your command status will be returned immediately, but you do not have to return to duty until tomorrow, as a reward for your perseverance."

"Thank you, Governor," Andrew said stiffly. "We will not fail you."

"I trust not," Governor Mackensie said. "Now, if you will excuse me, I am tired."

"Yes, Governor," Andriana said. "Good night," she added as she followed Andrew out.

The Governor pressed the communications button on his computer console.

"Bridge. This is Governor Mackensie. Inform the surface forces to hold on the execution order till further notice."

"Yes, Sir."

"We will see how much information we get before we kill," he told himself. "If we get the secrets of the Amulets, dying will be the least of Chrystalina's worries. And I will be all powerful!" he cackled evily, caressing the two Amulets greedily.

* * * * * *

"Are you sure about this?" Mary asked the next morning.

"I'll be fine," Justin reassured his sister.

"But are you sure you can get rid of those cuffs and get away?" Mary asked.

"You just worry about getting yourselves out of the cell undetected," Justin told her.

"Odds are that the Governor will have the handcuffs taken off as soon as we enter the room," Andriana added.

"We can't take the chance of reaffirming his suspicions by not taking proper security precautions," Andrew explained.

Luke put an arm on Mary's shoulders.

"It'll be okay, Mare," he assured her.

"Take good care of her," Justin said.

"We will," Jeremy promised.

"We'd better go," Andrew said.

"Wait in here for at least two minutes before you go," Andriana suggested. "Good luck."

"Same to you," Jeremy said.

"May the power protect us," Luke added.

The twins led Justin to the Governor's quarters, walking at a swift pace. As they reached the door, a feeling of dread fell over them. The feeling strengthened when there was no response to the buzzer.

"Security override at Governor Mackensie's quarters," Andriana blurted out.

As they entered the room their dread turned to horror. Governor Mackensie lay on the floor, the two Amulets just out of reach of his fingertips. One of the guards rushed to the Governor's side.

"He's dead," the guard announced when he found no pulse.

###  Chapter 30

Though she had gone through rigorous training in crisis situations, Andriana could not control the need for comfort. She turned and buried her face in her brother's shoulder. Andrew put an arm around her in comfort.

Justin longed to be the one holding her, but fought the urge to rush to her side. Instead he took the opportunity given him by the distraction to slip the handcuffs off, using his telekinesis to open them, and then snuck out of the Governor's quarters.

It didn't take Mary, Luke and Jeremy long to find their way to the turbo lift that Andrew had suggested they use.

"Deck 10," Jeremy commanded.

The lift started with a jerk. A few minutes later an alarm sounded.

"Attention all decks! A prisoner has escaped!" a disembodied voice announced. "Red Alert!"

"Sounds like Justin got away a little earlier than planned," Luke said.

"Which means the next stop will have to be ours. The shuttle bays will be on alert. We need to get under cover," Jeremy said.

"You're right. We'll have to find a place to hide until we can meet up with Justin," Mary said. "Computer, stop at the next deck."

Just then her communicator beeped.

"Computer stop lift," Luke commanded immediately as Mary activated her communicator.

Justin's face appeared on the screen.

"What's going on?" Mary asked.

"The Governor is dead," Justin replied. "I had to make a break for it."

"Where are you?" Luke asked.

"Deck 16. The whole ship is on alert. I haven't been able to get to a turbo lift yet," Justin said.

"Try to get to turbo lift A," Jeremy said "We'll be there in a few minutes."

"Okay, but..," Justin began, but he was cut off by a new voice.

"Andriana to Justin."

"Justin here."

"Nice disappearing act. The guards are completely baffled," Andriana said.

"Illusions are my specialty," Justin replied.

"Well, unless you can fool our sensors with your illusions, our security will be able to detect you and the others," Andriana said.

"Don't worry about us, Miss Mackensie," Mary spoke up. "You just concern yourself with getting your people off our planet."

"That's easier said than done," Andriana said. "But you'll be happy to know that the execution threat has been lifted."

"I won't be happy till I'm off this ship and your people are off my planet," Mary said.

"You know it's people like you who warrant hostile takeovers," Andriana said in an annoyed tone. "Watch you're back, Miss Bradford."

"Is that a threat?" Mary challenged.

"It's a warning," Andriana said. "You haven't escaped yet."

"What's going on in here?" Admiral Jaimson asked, entering the Governor's quarters.

Andriana shut off the computer console and stood up. She shoved her half of the Amulet, which she had picked up off the floor, into her pocket.

"The Governor is dead," Andrew informed Jaimson gravely.

"I see," Jaimson said thoughtfully. "My condolences. You haven't wasted any time in taking command."

"There's been a prison break," Andrew said. "What else do you expect the heirs to the Empire to do?"

"Heirs to the Empire indeed," Jaimson laughed. "You are inexperienced children."

"How dare you..," Andriana began, then she noticed Jaimson was holding a fazer.

"That's right, My lady, don't move," Jaimson said.

"You can't do anything to us," Andrew challenged. "We outrank you."

"We outrank you!" Jaimson mocked. "You may hold higher rank, but who do you think the senate will vote for ... A couple of children? Guards!" Just then the doors opened and the guards entered.

"Take the young Lord and Lady to their quarters and keep them there till further notice."

"You're going to regret this," Andrew said as the guards led them away.

"I don't imagine I will anytime soon," Jaimson said grinning.

###  Chapter 31

"I can't believe he did that!" Andrew stormed. "How could Jaimson turn on us like that?"

"Calm down, Andy," Andriana said sitting at her computer console. "We'll deal with him later."

"Calm down? An, we've just been taken prisoner by one of our own associates."

Andriana turned to the console.

"Andriana to Justin," she said.

"We're all here. What's going on?" Justin asked.

"I'll explain later. Where are you?" Andriana said.

"Deck 16 by turbo lift A," Justin replied.

"Okay. You're just around the corner from us," Andriana said.

"We need you to make your way to our quarters," Andrew continued.

"I've got the position on my screen now," Jeremy said.

"Watch out, though," Andrew warned. "There are two guards at the door."

"So we'll teleport," Mary said.

"No good," Andrew told her. "There's a force-field on the door."

"You're gonna have to perform a few more illusions, Justin," Andriana added.

"Okay, how do we get the force-field down then?" Justin asked.

"Tell the computer to turn it off," Andriana replied. "You've seen me do it before."

"If it's voice-activated why can't you disengage it?" Luke asked.

"Jaimson would know if the command came from inside our quarters," Andrew explained. "We need to make him think that he's in power."

"We'll explain everything once you get here," Andriana said. "Please hurry."

"We're on our way," Justin said.

* * * * * *

"Computer, give me a secure channel to Jerico. Priority 1," Andriana said.

"Acknowledged. Processing," the computer responded.

Soon Admiral Warner's face appeared on the screen.

"Greetings, Admiral," Andriana said.

"Greetings, My Lady," Admiral Warner said with a smile. "How may I be of service to you?"

"We have news," Andriana said swiftly. "The Governor is dead. His quest has ended."

"My condolences to you and your brother," Admiral Warner said. "Has the cause of death been determined yet?"

"Not yet," Andrew said. "But the doctors are under the impression he died of natural causes."

"I see. I assume you have taken command," Warner said.

"No, Admiral, we haven't. That's the other reason we are calling," Andriana explained. "We had unofficially taken command, but Admiral Jaimson overpowered us. He is now in control and we have been confined to our quarters."

"That's mutiny," Admiral Warner said.

"Unfortunately, we can't do anything about it," Andrew said. "The crew hasn't been told yet and I think Admiral Jaimson is planning to use that to his advantage."

"The Admiral's actions are warrant for arrest," Warner said. "I'll work on it."

"I have one last request" Andriana said. "I would ask that you present the Imperial Senate with a motion to have our ships return home, under the current circumstances."

"Do you want to abandon the mission?" Admiral Warner asked.

"Yes," Andriana said. "We have done some research and found that Chrystalina has no value to us."

"I'll do what I can, My Lady. I'll send the final orders directly to the Captain of the Emerald Star, but the final order to retreat will be yours."

"Thank you, Admiral," Andriana said gratefully. "Emerald Star out."

Andriana turned off the console and looked up at her brother as she fiddled with the Amulet she had placed around her neck.

"Now we wait some more," Andrew commented.

* * * * * *

Cautiously, Justin peeked around the corner. Two guards stood in front of a door.

"This is too easy," he muttered.

"So what are you going to do?" Mary asked.

"First, I'll disarm them," Justin said as he concentrated on the side arms which soon appeared in his hand. "Then we just send them for a walk.

Justin levitated the fazers and sent them floating towards and past the startled and bewildered guards, who reluctantly followed the bewitched fazers.

Justin followed them cautiously while the others got the force-field down. Then he entered the room and the fazers fell to the floor.

"Nice going, big brother," Mary said.

"No problem," Justin said. "It was child's play."

"Our situation is more serious," Andrew said. Then he and Andriana explained the current situation.

###  Chapter 32

"If you've already contacted your government and they've agreed Jaimson was out of line, what's the problem?" Luke asked.

"Admiral Warner agreed Jaimson was out of line," Andriana corrected. "It's the rest of the senate we have to worry about. Some of the senate members may see Jaimson's actions as fitting, given that the proper heirs are only fifteen years old."

"So what do we do till the Senate makes a decision?" Jeremy asked.

"That's what we have to figure out," Andrew said.

"Once we regain control, we can go back home and leave your people in peace," Andriana said. "But with the Admiral in charge..."

"Peace is a long way off," Mary concluded. "There must be some way to speed things up. I want to get off this ship and get my life back to normal as soon as possible."

"The sooner you get off my ship, the better as far as I'm concerned," Andriana said to Mary.

"We wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't double- crossed us when I agreed to meet you," Mary countered.

"I didn't double-cross you..," Andriana began defensively.

"Girls. Please," Justin interrupted. "You're not helping the situation any. We have to work together."

The girls muttered half-hearted apologies and fell silent.

"The main goal is to get you four off the ship," Andrew said. "An and I will have to deal with Admiral Jaimson."

"Why can't we deal with Jaimson while we escape?" Luke asked.

"What do you mean?" Jeremy asked.

"There are two choices of escape; the transporter and the shuttle crafts," Luke began. "If Jaimson believes that we'll take one route over another, he'll guard it better. We can escape through the second route and you can call him on negligence."

"Negligence would call for us to return home and start an investigation," Andrew said.

"All you need to do is promote the idea that we're going to take the shuttlecraft and he should put the shuttle bays under heavier guard. We'll beam down when he's not looking," Luke said.

"But how do we convince him to let the transporters go unguarded?" Andriana asked. "Especially since he obviously doesn't think we know what we're doing?"

"If we tell him to guard the shuttle bays, he'll probably do the opposite," Andrew agreed.

"So tell him to guard the transporter rooms. If he's so sure of himself, he'll play right into our hands," Mary said.

"As long as there's light security on the transporters, under Jaimson's command, it'll work," Justin said.

"We can teleport past the guards outside and into a transporter room if we need to," Jeremy said.

"It's worth a try," Andrew said. "There's no time to waste," he added, sitting at the computer console.

"You'd better get out of sight," Andriana said, standing behind her brother. "You can hear what's said from the bedrooms in there,"

Andrew waited till the others were safely hidden, then turned on the console.

"Lord Mackensie to Admiral Jaimson," he said.

"Jaimson here," the Admiral responded. "What can I do for you?"

"First, let me commend you on your takeover," Andrew began. "You caught us by surprise, but after more thought on the matter, we have come to the conclusion that, for the time being, you would make a much better leader."

"I'm glad you've succumbed to my way of thinking," Admiral Jaimson said.

"We would like to offer some suggestions to aid in the capture of the Chrystalina prisoners," Andriana spoke up.

"Of course, my dear girl," Jaimson said.

"We believe that the prisoners will attempt to get to the transporters as quickly as they can," Andrew said.

"And why is that?" Jaimson asked.

"They will determine it to be the least detectable," Andriana said.

"But their planet is so primitive to our technology," Jaimson argued. "They might consider stealing a shuttlecraft for their own cultural upgrades as well as escape."

"I tend to disagree, Admiral," Andrew said. "Their planet wants to avoid upgrades such as this."

"They must know that the transporters are linked to the computer and codes can be changed at anytime," Jaimson pointed out. "No, I think our best bet is to secure the shuttle bays. They will not dare use the transporter."

"I suppose you know best, Admiral," Andriana relented. "Please let us know if we can help at all."

"I think you're best suited there, but thank you for the offer," Jaimson said. "Now, if you will excuse me, I must talk with the security chief about extra security in the shuttle bays. Jaimson out."

The other children came out of hiding as the screen flashed off.

"We've done our best," Andriana said.

"You handled him very well," Justin told her as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Would you two mind not publicizing your feelings for each other so much?" Mary asked. "It's making me queasy."

"At least try to be a little more subtle," Andrew said. "We aren't actually supposed to be on the same side."

"We need to concentrate on the next step," Jeremy said.

"We should wait for a while before we make our move," Luke said. "We'll let Jaimson get settled first and then make a break for it."

* * * * * *

"I want every available guard on those bays," Jaimson told Commander Roberts. "The prisoners must not escape."

"What about the transporters, Sir?" Roberts asked.

"Don't bother with them. They won't go there," Jaimson said. "Concentrate on the shuttle bays."

"Understood, sir," Roberts said.

"Good. Dismissed," Jaimson said with confidence. "We'll see who knows better, children," he added to himself.

###  Chapter 33

Two hours passed.

"I think we should get going," Mary said "before we all lose our nerve."

"Agreed," Andrew said. "I'm going stir crazy anyway."

"Everybody knows where to teleport to?" Andriana asked.

The others nodded. A few minutes later they had teleported themselves around the corner from the quarters. Quietly and cautiously, they crept along the corridors, rushing out of sight whenever someone came along. Finally, they reached the transporter room.

"Something's not right here," Andriana said when they entered the unguarded and unoccupied room.

"Let's not get jumpy now," Andrew responded. "Get on to the transporter pad.

Jeremy, Luke and Mary complied, but Justin lingered for a moment.

"I wish you would come with us," he said to Andriana.

"I wish you didn't have to leave," Andriana said.

"I've never met a girl quite like you, Andriana," Justin said. "I'll never forget you."

"I'll never forget you, Justin," Andriana said. "We may live on different worlds, but we'll always have one special link," She let the Amulet slide through her fingers.

"I never thought I'd fall in love with a girl from Jerico," Justin said "but I have."

"I love you too, Justin," Andriana said. "Good-bye."

Andriana gave Justin a kiss on the cheek and then pulled away to join her brother. Justin stepped onto the transporter pad.

Andrew set the co-ordinates and began the cycle, but nothing happened.

"We have a problem," he said. "Admiral Jaimson has locked out all transporter functions."

"Can you override?" Jeremy asked, pulling out his communicator.

"I'm trying," Andrew said.

Just then approaching voices were heard outside.

With split second thinking, Luke jumped off the transporter pad.

"Quick! Get on the pad," he said to Andriana. "Justin, take her weapon," Luke took Andrew's fazer and pointed it at him, positioning himself so that Andrew was between him and the door.

"Drop your weapons or your precious Lord and Lady die," Luke said.

Reluctantly, the guards complied. Luke led his prisoner onto the pad.

"Beam us down to the planet," Luke commanded.

"Do as he says," Andriana said in a pleading tone.

The guards hesitated, but once again complied.

"Quick thinking, Luke," Mary said once they were on the planet.

"I figured it would throw suspicion off Andriana and Andrew" Luke admitted "if it looked like we had taken them hostage."

"Thank you," Andriana said gratefully.

"Wait a few minutes, then you can call up and return to the ship," Luke said.

"We will always be very grateful for your assistance in this matter," Andrew said. "Thanks to you, we will be able to take our inheritance back and Jaimson will never know what hit him."

"We'd better get back to the others," Jeremy said. "Good luck for the future."

"We wish you the same," Andrew said. "Perhaps we will meet again."

"Perhaps," Mary said.

"We will meet again," Justin said, looking into Andriana's eyes. "I know we will."

"Me too. It's our destiny," Andriana agreed. "Good-bye and good luck to you and your families until our paths cross again."

"And may the power protect us all," Andrew added.

The twins turned to walk away, but after taking a few steps, Andriana turned back and flung her arms around Justin, giving him a long, passionate kiss. Then, reluctantly, she turned back to her brother and they disappeared into the nearby forest.

Justin watched them for a moment, then slowly followed the other Chrystalinian children to the cave.

###  Chapter 34

When the older children appeared in the cave, the four younger children pounced on them. It was a long time before the youngest girls calmed down and let their older siblings go anywhere out of sight.

Once aboard the Emerald Star the twins found that Jaimson had already been taken into custody, by order of the Imperial Senate. Andrew and Andriana were reinstated into power and immediately ordered the takeover to be stopped, and the troops and other personnel to prepare to return home. Within three days the Jerico ships left Chrystalina's orbit and the eight children returned to their families.

Upon their return, Andriana and Andrew were at once recognized, by the Imperial Senate and then presented to the Jerico world as the new Emperor and Empress and leaders of the Empire.

Only a select few of Chrystalina's Government knew about what the children had succeeded at and even then the powers of the Amulet and the headquarters of the chosen ones were kept secret.

Admiral Jaimson was charged and found guilty of neglecting security procedure, wrongful imprisonment of and disobeying superior officers. He was reprimanded and reduced in rank to Commander.

Chrystalina's and Jerico's chosen ones would eventually meet and fight together again. Though it would be a different situation, it would also be similar to the fight that first brought them together...

The Fight For Chrystalina.

### Author's Note:

Hi there,

This is L. M. Quinpool, author of the Children Of The Amulet Series and Calendrial Series. I hope you enjoyed the book you just read and you'll continue to read and enjoy more. There are lots of them and more to come!

To find out more about me, my cover designer and, of course what's going on with my books (in print and in digital) go to http://www.quinpool.ca or if you just want to keep e- reading you can also go back to **http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/quinpoolbooks** and buy more of my e-books.

I'd also love to hear from you and find out what you thought of my stories at book@amulet.quinpool.ca or on facebook at: ** http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Children-of-the-Amulet-Series-By-L-M-Quinpool/158853350798288**

What ever you do I hope you keep reading and enjoying. Happy Reading and thanks for your business.

### LMQ

**See** Quinpool.ca **or** Smashwords.com **for more L. M. Quinpool books like:**

### The Children of the Amulet Series

Volume 1: Fight For Chrystalina

Volume 2: Battle Of The Empire

Volume 3: Hope and Victory

Volume 4: Final Scene

&

### The Calendrial Series

The Lost Ones

Between Worlds

Behind The Door

The Unknowns

Enemy Within

Lost Army

Power Within

Lost Time

Final Play
Epilogue
