Way of No Return (Champions of the Crystal Book 8)

Chapter 25.2

But as the lake came into view, Sabrina drew in a horrified breath. No warning could have prepared her for the greenish, stagnant water barely covering the lakebed, with flocks of birds circling and diving. Farther up the banks, she could see skeletal remains of fish and other creatures, and the trees were bare and blanched for several feet around the lake. Our home. This will take years to heal, she thought, wiping at her streaming eyes.

"I've heard," Sastarn said, "that a team of specialists from the Tree Cities has volunteered to come help us with the ecological damage, as soon as transport becomes more widely available. Right now the priority is still medical transport and building supplies. And getting the evacuees from the moon into temporary homes, but that's all happening in the places that weren't so badly hit."

Sabrina swallowed hard and tried to get her voice under control. "It's strange to be so isolated. The rest of the planet is recovering?"

"I think so. It was mostly earthquakes and a few tsunamis, though a few volcanoes got riled up," Sastarn said. "People knew to expect those dangers, so there weren't many casualties, at least."

Sabrina said, "Good," absently, transfixed as the palace came into view. Laying a hand on the window, she was relieved that it looked the same from a distance, though it was strange to see it on so much dry land. As they got closer, she could see staining on the white walls, and there were tarps on parts of the roof, but structurally it looked intact.

Sastarn banked, taking them in a long, slow circle, and Sabrina let out a strangled gasp as she took in the blast craters where the formal garden had been. Rubble indicated that the rear part of the palace, at least, had been compromised. But as she blinked away tears, she could see workers methodically clearing away the debris. As the flyer passed, they stood and waved.

"Everyone's looking forward to seeing you," Sastarn said.

"I'm looking forward to seeing them, too," Sabrina replied. She knew part of Ford's hesitation about this visit was rooted in his concern about her ability to play her public role for their staff, who needed a morale boost, not a morose and weepy princess. For the first time, she wondered if he had been right. "Though I'm sure they'd rather see Lily."

"The prince brings holos to pass around every other day," Sastarn grinned. "And he's promised everyone seats at the presentation, whenever that happens."

He maneuvered the flyer to the ground in the private parking lot, which was mostly empty even though half of it was badly cracked and unusable. Sabrina wondered about the roof entrance but decided not to ask.

Sastarn was helping her to get up out of the flyer when Ford and Stecklan emerged from the side door. When he was sure she was stable on her feet, Sastarn stepped back so that Ford could give her a kiss. "Welcome home," he said.

She blinked tearfully at him. "Thanks. We have a lot of work to do, don't we?"

"Yes. But first up, the staff is assembling in the front hall. Can you manage the stairs or shall we sneak in behind them?"

"The doctor wants me to do more vigorous exercise. We can try the stairs," Sabrina said. She took his arm and walked with him toward the side door, trying to take shallow breaths so the terrible smells from the lakebed weren't as bad.

"The artwork and all the fabrics are gone, being cleaned or replaced," Ford said. "Or at least, waiting to be. There's too much for the Academy conservators to handle, so we're waiting for transport options to other facilities. So it doesn't exactly look like home."

"How many—" Sabrina broke off, swallowing. "How many staff are we missing?"

Ford grimaced. "Ten missing, sixteen dead. Out of more than 140, that's not so bad. The sixteen who died were nearly all with the militia. And there's still hope the ten missing may turn up. With the coms down, they could be in other towns and we just haven't heard. We also have about a dozen still in the infirmary, though none are in danger of dying."