The Way Back (Champions of the Crystal Book 4)

Chapter 1.2

Scotty's comments about Ford's ship closely resembled Sabrina's, and it was Sabrina who supplied the answers as Ford pointedly busied himself with the controls.

"So, what's all this about?" Scotty asked, getting down to business.

"I don't know, but I've got our orders," Sabrina replied. She picked up and opened her briefcase, pulling out the disk Ford had given her. After a moment's hesitation, she inserted it into a secondary console. Rassir's image appeared on one of the wallscreens, dignified as ever, hardly different at all from her last memory of him.

"Lady Sabrina, Captain Devon, I give you greetings on behalf of the Council of Ministers, and my personal greetings as well. I hope that your memories of us are as fond as ours of you." He tried to smile, but it didn't reach his worried eyes. "The government of Praxatillus needs your help. Queen Maratobia has vanished without trace, as have the Tirqwin and Wayship Khediva. Our own efforts to locate and retrieve them have been in vain, and therefore we are asking you to attempt the task. The two of you have unique knowledge of the perils a Wayship can encounter, combined with firsthand knowledge of the Guardian's powers and limitations as well as tactical training and experience. It is our desperate hope that you can succeed where we have failed. I have appended all relevant information, and you may consider the Prince of Bathir and his ship at your disposal until this crisis is finished." He paused, then added, "May the hand of Miah guide you on a safe and successful journey."

The message ended, and Sabrina stared at the screen for a few moments. Hearing Rassir's voice and seeing the anxiety in his eyes had brought back a rush of memory and a strange homesickness. She really had missed them all more than she realized. With a sigh, she asked Ford, "Do you have a recent picture of Mara? Maybe a family portrait?"

Ford looked at her curiously, then shrugged. He touched a control, and the wallscreen displayed a picture of Mara, hardly aged at all from how Sabrina remembered her. The Queen was seated on a plush, comfortable chair, with Tirqwin standing behind her. They were smiling contentedly, surrounded by children ranging from the plump toddler on Mara's lap to a group of adults off to one side, among whom Sabrina recognized Ford. I missed it all, she thought in amazement and chagrin, counting. "Fifteen?" she exclaimed in amazement. "There are fifteen of you?"

Ford couldn't help grinning at her tone. "A pretty poor showing by Miahn standards, I grant you, but poor Mother's so busy, and the Wayfarer clans aren't known for their prolific tendencies."

"Fifteen!" Sabrina said again.

"In fact," Ford continued, enjoying himself, "there's a noticeable decrease in the fertility of most races as they get older and more technologically advanced, so you'd expect the Wayfarers and Lthosyennes and Deltarrans to produce fewer children than the Miahns do. Why, in comparison, Prince Zav and Princess Rndara were married shortly after I was born, and they have some thirty children. I believe the Rischlovs have nearly forty. They're relatives of yours, aren't they? Miosh nar Löar zu Rischlov was my uncle Rayland's blood heir, I believe."

"Yes—forty—but—how long has it been?" Sabrina gasped.

"Well, I'm ninety-two—"

"Ninety-two!" Sabrina's jaw dropped as she looked at him. She would have guessed him to be her own age at most.

"—and you left about three months before I was born," Ford told her, his bright blue eyes sparkling with his amusement at her shock.

"Ninety-two years?" Her voice was nearly a whisper. She suddenly felt an urge to sit down but was too stunned to move. Instead she reached for the console to steady herself. Tassan, my God, I'm so sorry....