Free Crystal Fire by Kathleen Morgan Page B

thing of the past.
    The third floor consisted of ceremonial weaponry acquired from virtually every royal house in the Imperium. Jewels encrusted the ancient shields, helmets, and swords wrought of precious aureum and argentum metals, all glittering with seductive brilliance in the flickering light of perpetual torches. Marissa paused to pry some of the larger stones free, then added them to the growing stash in her bag. In a room of gems on the second floor, on a miscellaneous pile on a back table, a narrow, ornately gilded box caught Marissa's eye. On its cover was engraved the form of Aranea's famed mutant weaving spider. Marissa picked up the container and flipped open its lid.
    Inside lay an ancient scroll, yellowed and brittle with age. More secrets of the ancients, Marissa thought wryly, and closed the box. She made a move to return it to the table when a sound behind her drew her up sharply.
    Another guardbot! She wheeled about, her hand moving to her blasterand froze.
    An old man, gray-bearded and dressed in long white robes, shimmered before her. He smiled, his expression gentle and kind. Marissa's throat constricted.
    Either she was having a hallucination or the Repository was haunted. She clamped her eyes shut for a brief moment, then snapped them open. The old man remained.
    ''Take the box, child," he murmured softly. "You'll need it laterfor the quest. Take it, child."
    "Wh-who are you?" Marissa choked out the words. "What's your?"
    He began to disappear even as she spoke, fading away as quickly as he'd appeared. Marissa blinked. Had she really seen the old man? She glanced down at the box in her hand.
    Though made of precious aureum and inlaid with several fine stones, it was not overly impressive when compared to the fabulous wealth scattered about the room. Still, old man or no, there was something about it . . . With a shrug, Marissa tossed it into her bag.
    Three horas and a platoon of destroyed guardbots later, they departed the Repository through the same air duct, their booty bags suitably laden. Olena was soon left behind, after a brief detour to acquire a supply of fresh food from the various shops. The-trip into town had been surprisingly successful, and the trio celebrated with a lavish banquet of stolen victuals.
    Afterwards, Marissa spent the last few horas before sleep sifting happily through the contents of her bag. She came upon the box with the embossed Aranean spider and once again flipped open its lid. She unrolled the scroll carefully. The writing was unintelligible though vaguely familiar.
    With a frustrated sigh, Marissa rerolled the ancient vellum and returned it to its case. Need it indeed, she thought in irritation, harking back to the words of the strange old man. The only thing she needed was the money the aureum box would sell for. The scroll itself was of little value, save perhaps for tinder.
    Marissa tossed the box back into her bag and resumed her intent rifling through the rest of her booty. Brace, meanwhile, stared gloomily into the fire, planning for the moment he'd reveal his plan to leave herand battling the mixed emotions that that contemplation stirred. And, high in a tree above them, Rodac snored away, his own bag of riches clutched to his hairy chest.
     
    They reached Tutela in another sol, arriving in the early afternoon. After taking a room over a tavern, the trio went their separate ways to comb the city for any word of Ferox, not meeting again until sol set. Marissa was the last to return. She was not pleased with the news.
    "Nothing?" she demanded. "You found nothing about Ferox?"
    "He seems to have disappeared for the time being," Brace called from behind the room's dressing screen, where he was changing into the new clothes he'd bought with some of his stash. "Until he decides to resurface, there's not a lot we can do about it."
    "But I haven't the time"
    "There's little choice," Brace interjected. "Now I suggest"
    Marissa rounded on Rodac. "And you? Are you