Shawna was mystified by her surroundings. At first, only tiny crystals glistened and winked in the sand as they climbed down into the valley, then the sloping hills gave way to majestic trees that soon looked like shrubs against the colossal towers of crystal. Mira’s shining hooves deftly stepped through the maze of crystal walls, their reflections sliding with them like watery nymphs. Lula clung between Mira’s ears, trying to take in everything at once. Shawna wondered if Lula’s revolving head would eventually screw itself loose. There was the occasional bird song, but no sound other than rhythmic hoof-beats disturbed their wonder.
“What's a Kryos?” Shawna asked Mira after awhile.
“He is lord of the soleons.”
“And what are ‘soleons?’”
This time Lula answered. “They’re like, like…um.” She looked back at Shawna. “I don’t really know actually. No one’s seen them in two hundred years. My Grandiad and Grandiam said they were like death surrounded by fire and light.”
“Really? How adorable.”
“Keep your voices down,” said Mira.
“Why?” Lula said rather loudly before clapping a hand over her mouth.
“Because they’re waiting for us.” She pointed her nose forward. “In there.”
Shawna inhaled sharply as an enormous crystal castle shimmered before them. In its grandeur she wanted to see it as a castle with turrets, but really it was one giant crystal monolith leaning upon another. Its jagged tops shot skyward while its walls created a deep cavernous hall. The clip-clop of hooves upon crystal echoed like falling stones as they advanced further into the cave of towers.
Lula had left her post on Mira’s head and was fluttering alongside silently for once. She looked deep in thought, giving off little puffs of pinkish glitter every now and then. Shawna was starting to feel another kind of shiver in her body, like an electric charge.
“So.” Shawna tried to make her voice sound casual. “Who is this Lesath? He must be pretty powerful.”
“He is a lord as well. He holds much power over this world.”
“Go on,” she said, unable to keep the annoyance out of her tone.
“What he is now and what he was are two very different things, so it is hard to explain it all quickly.” Shawna was about ready to smack Mira before she finally said, “He was the unicorn lord. My lord. He was magnificent before the betrayal and downfall of your race.”
“What betrayal?”
She suddenly felt like defending all of humanity, even though she had no idea what Mira was talking about.
“It is a complicated matter, and a long history that has led to your being here. The Betrayal is a long sad story best left for our meeting with Sirrush.”
“Why can’t you tell me right now?”
“Dragons have far longer memories and are much better story tellers than unicorns.”
“You just don’t want to tell me,” Shawna mumbled under her breath.
“How surprisingly astute of you.” Mira tossed her head in amusement. “There is also a time and place for that knowledge, and it is not now, not here. You will know everything soon enough. Besides, we are very close to this realm’s Guardian. It will be best to remain silent.”
Her heart started beating faster. Lula sneezed, then giggled hysterically when Mira balked from the loud cannon of echoes.
Shawna whipped her head around at Lula. “If your nose gets us killed, I’ll kill you.”
Mira suddenly tensed and stopped with her ears alert. She stared off into the gloom, nostrils flaring.
“What?!” said Lula with a little squeak.
“You have awoken him. They are coming for us.”
Lula shot off back the way they had come, leaving only a trail of gold dust behind.
Mira relaxed, snorted, and started walking again.
“I thought you said he’s coming for us?” Shawna almost squeaked like Lula.
She saw a glinting violet eye look back at her.
“Hey!” They heard from the darkness behind them. “That wasn’t funny!”
It was becoming ever gloomier as they walked further and further in. The cavern’s top was completely lost in darkness. The crystal floor varied from thin pathways, where Shawna’s boots scuffed the sides, to spacious arenas. Scant sunlight cast a dim glow like tears cascading through the walls in streaks of light and dark. She imagined Kryos as a large immortal God resembling a Viking, malice in his eyes, meat flecked in his bushy beard, and holding a giant mace with a necklace of skulls.
Her legs were starting to cramp from riding for so long, not to mention other places that were growing numb. Even though Shawna knew they were surrounded by crystal, it still surprised her how solid the nearly transparent surface was when she dismounted. She kept thinking it would crack like glass when her feet touched it.
Although, a unicorn the size of a draft horse has been walking on it the entire time.
“Stay close,” was all Mira said before she began striding forward again.
The walls began to glow just ahead. They all saw it at the same time, a blossom of warmth after all the cold, echoing, nothingness. There was illumination, flickering like white flame, beckoning them from another cavern. Mira halted. Shawna walked up to her, looking towards the hopeful light.
“Are we going in there?”
“He'll be awaiting us there.”
She suddenly wanted to say, “never mind,” and turn right back around. Mira, showing no sign of fear or hesitation, stepped forward. Shawna trembled at the Viking image in her head, wondering what would happen. Would he kill them all? Would he capture them in this labyrinthine fortress ? Or worse?
Their footsteps brought them closer and closer to these unanswered questions, which Shawna thought were best left unanswered. Lula was so agitated that she was speckling Shawna's hair pink with fairy-dust as she floated above them, trying to see ahead, or look for a quick escape route.
“Lula,” Shawna said, waving a hand, unaware of her Easter egg hair that now matched her dirty Easter bunny boots.
“Oh sorry,” Lula said as she tried to change Shawna's hair back.
It didn’t work. Little flecks of pink remained in Shawna’s hair, and Lula fluttered away humming innocently. They reached the narrow pathway leading into the immense cavern beyond. It was a space larger than any they had yet traveled through. They could barely see the solid stone walls surrounding the glittering smooth ocean stretching ahead of them. The crystal sea was skewered with huge stalagmites, and the light seemed to be radiating from them, reflecting off every surface.
Before any of them could speak, or run, there was a roll of thunder that deafened them all, followed by the sound of splintering glass so loud Shawna thought her eardrums would splinter as well. She waited for the ceiling to collapse, for crystal spears to shower down, but it was not the sound of shattering crystal. It was the crackle and spark of white lightning leaping between three large spires. Light was climbing up them like pythons, curving into the air, then sliding back down like a serpent devouring itself.
Lula dove into the backpack. Mira backed away, throwing her head high, horn burning like a ray of sunlight. Kryos slowly emerged from the web of lightning. His enormous form was unlike anything Shawna would have ever imagined. She screamed in horror.