Free The Crystal Star by Vonda McIntyre

could not extend her
    mind to her brother's. She did not know what Jacen was thinking. He looked back at her, scared. She
    did know one thing. He did not know what she was thinking either.
    "Jacen!" she said. "Anakin!" She could talk! But she did not talk to Hethrir.
    "I see that you understand," Hethrir said.
    He grabbed Jaina's hand and Jacen's hand.
    He pulled them along after him.
    "What about Mr. Chamberlain's wyrwulf?" Jacen shouted.
    "You're too old to keep a pet," Hethrir said.
    The door closed. Behind them, the wyrwulf howled.
    Hethrir was so tall and he walked so fast that Jaina had to run to keep up. Tigris strode along after them.
    Jaina could hardly see anything. She tripped. Hethrir jerked her to her feet and kept going.
    "Stop!" Jaina shouted. "Stop! No!
    Helpffwas She screamed.
    "Help!" Jacen shouted along with her.
    "Help, leave us alone!" "Jaya, Jasaffwas Anakin cried.
    Jaina dragged back on Hethrir's hand.
    She struggled to look over her shoulder. Anakin wriggled to escape Tigris's arms. Tigris held him tighter.
    Tight enough to hurt. Anakin's dark eyes were bright with tears.
    "You leave my brother alone!" Jacen shouted.
    He too fought to get away from Hethrir.
    Anakin pushed at Tigris.
    Tigris yelped with pain. He nearly dropped Anakin. He held on to him till Anakin's feet touched the
    ground. Then Tigris grabbed his own hands together. He shook them and rubbed them against his grubby
    robe.
    Hethrir stopped. He dropped Jaina's hand, and Jacen's.
    Jaina ran to Anakin. She hugged her little brother. He burrowed against her shoulder. Jacen knelt on the
    floor beside them, hugging them both.
    Jaina knew his determined look.
    Hethrir loomed over them. He looked angry. He stared, intent, at Anakin.
    Then he smiled.
    He crouched beside them. He stared hard at Anakin.
    "As I hoped," he said softly. "As I expected, from the Skywalker line." He reached past Jaina and
    stroked Anakin's hair. The tangles smoothed out under Hethrir's touch. Suddenly he grabbed a lock of
    Anakin's hair and yanked it hard. Anakin screamed in surprise and pain and outrage.
    Furious, Jaina bit Hethrir, right through his robe. Jacen pummeled Hethrir's arm with both his fists.
    Hethrir did not even flinch. And Jaina had bitten him hard.
    Anakin's abilities erupted around them all. The dark hallway lighted up. Light shone through Hethrir's
    fingers. Jaina gasped.
    Hethrir's hand looked like a skeleton's.
    Anakin's light went out.
    Jaina felt as if a wet cold blanket had fallen around her.
    Tigris pulled Jaina and Jacen away from Hethrir. Jaina's loose tooth fell out and stuck to Hethrir's sleeve.
    Jaina was so surprised she stopped biting. Anakin stared at Hethrir, his eyes wide.
    "Be quiet!" Hethrir said softly before Anakin could say a single thing. Hethrir's voice was scary.
    Jacen grabbed Jaina's hand. She could hardly feel his fingers.
    Staring up at Hethrir, scared, really scared, Anakin shivered. Jaina tried to go to him, she was
    responsible, she was oldest. But Tigris took her by the shoulder and stopped her.
    "Do what you're told," he said. "Then nobody will hurt you, nobody will hurt your brothers." No one had
    ever treated her this way before.
    Jaina could not understand why anyone was treating her this way now.
    Uncle Luke could affect her abilities, and Jacen's, and even Anakin's. A good thing, too! Anakin was too
    little to always know what he was doing. But Uncle Luke never made Anakin's light go away. He never
    smothered Jaina and Jacen with a horrible wet cold blanket that Jaina could not even see, or grab, or pull
    off and throw on the floor. Uncle Luke helped guide her abilities so she used them properly and learned
    more about them. Sometimes he even added to her power to help her, to show her how to do what she
    was trying to do.
    Not like this!
    "Take these two to their rooms," Hethrir said to Tigris. "Then return to me." "I will obey, Hethrir," Tigris
    said. His voice was full of admiration.
    "I want my tooth," Jaina