Free Mythborn by V. Lakshman Page B

flashes of rainbow colors. “While lenses can still be found in Arcadia and Edyn, they’re rare, and this one is exceedingly so.”
    “Why?” he asked, more than a little intrigued. He’d heard of some ancient tomes entitled lenses, but had always imagined they had been books made from parchment. Now it was clear lenses were crystals, but how did they convey information? He supposed he could search the stored memories of the ancient lore fathers now that he knew what to look for.
    Clearly his interest showed. “This particular lens deals with locations,” Lilyth explained. Her eyes left the crystal, wandering back to meet his own. She leaned forward, extending her hand, offering it to him.
    Duncan rose and took a step closer, still cautious, and asked, “How does it work?”
    The demonlord smiled and said, “It is simpler if I show you.”
    Her hand remained extended, and Duncan realized if she’d wanted to kill him, she could have done so without trickery. No, she wanted something else. At her nod, he took the crystal and held it warily. It felt smooth and warm to the touch. It described a circle and a convex surface that fitted perfectly into the cup of his palm. He placed it flat on his hand and looked at Lilyth.
    “Turn it like this,” she said using her forefinger and thumb.
    Duncan did so, rotating the lens in his palm. At the half turn mark, the lens adhered to his skin and burst with light. All around him floated islands—hundreds, perhaps thousands! They filled a sphere in which he was the center. He looked around at the spectacle, sure each island was a miniature version of one he would find floating outside Lilyth’s open arched windows.
    Islands orbited his position, each irregular and misshapen. One gargantuan island had a bright star on it, which he quickly surmised was their location. “We are here,” he said.
    Lilyth looked at him, her features calm and measured. Then she smiled and said, “You are intuitive, Duncan Illrys. Yes, this is us.” She made a pinching motion with her fingers. “Trace this motion on the surface of the lens and you will see more around you. Reverse it—” she pulled her fingers apart—“and the view will move closer to the object you are looking at.”
    Duncan tried it, and could immediately see how to zoom his view in or out on the map. He looked back at her.
    Lilyth smiled and said, “There are other ways to manipulate the map. I leave discovering them to you.” She directed his attention to a small island not far from their bright star and said, “Now, touch this island.”
    Duncan reached out and touched the island she had indicated. The world shrank and then expanded in his vision, and he no longer stood inside Lilyth’s castle. Instead, he had been deposited on a plateau overlooking open air. Below him spread the sky, with islands floating serenely beside him. The transportation had felt instantaneous, not cold like the transition from Edyn to here. He looked up over his shoulder and saw Lilyth’s domain, an immense island floating majestically in the distance.
    He could leave now, a part of him knew, just continue his search for Sonya and abandon a son he’d never met. The thought flitted by but could find no purchase on the smooth wall of his now level-headed detachment. Oh, he’d not given up by any means, but a cold logical reasoning had taken over. He needed more information in order to formulate any strategy, and that required he return to the demon-queen’s spire. She must’ve known this or she would never have let him leave. His brows knitted as he looked back down at the crystal disk, then he traced the half circle again.
    Once again the map showed itself, springing into being around him. He could easily see Lilyth’s castle and touched it. The world collapsed and expanded, and he stood again in her throne room.
    “You are a quick learner.” Her comment was delivered as if he were a child and she acting the part of his proud mother. She