‘Well, he was the first to discover what the sand did,’ Grandpa Smedry said. ‘We’d known that the sand had Oculatory distortions; we didn’t know what it did. Your father spent a number of years researching it and discovered that this new sand could teleport things. But it only worked if two sets of Transporter’s Glass were exposed to brightsand at the same time, and if they were transporting two items that were exactly the same size.’
Brightsand. It was the fuel of silimatic technology. When you expose other sands to brightsand’s glowing light, they do interesting things. Some, for instance, start to float. Others grow very heavy.
I could see enormous canisters in the corners of the room, likely filled with brightsand. The sides of the containers could be pulled back, letting the light shine on the Transporter’s Glass.
‘So,’ I said. ‘You had to send ahead to Crystallia and tell them what time we were coming so that they could activate their Transporter’s Glass at the same time.’
‘Precisely!’
‘What if someone else activated their brightsand at exactly the same time that we do? Could we get teleported there by accident?’
‘I suppose,’ Grandpa Smedry said. ‘But they’d have to be sending a box exactly the same size as this one. Don’t worry, lad. It would be virtually impossible for that kind of error to happen!’
Virtually impossible. The moment you read that, you probably assumed that the error would – of course – happen by the end of this book. You assumed this because you’ve read far too many novels. You make it very difficult for us writers to spring proper surprises on you because—
LOOK OVER THERE!
See, didn’t work, did it?
‘All right,’ one of the black-robed people said. ‘Step into the box and we’ll begin!’
Still a little worried about a disaster that was ‘virtually’ impossible, I followed Grandpa Smedry into the box. It felt a little like stepping into a large elevator. The doors shut, then immediately opened again.
‘Is something wrong?’ I asked.
‘Wrong?’ Grandpa Smedry said. ‘Why if something had gone wrong, we’d have been shredded to little pieces and turned into piles of sludge!’
‘What?’
‘Oh, did I forget to mention that part?’ Grandpa Smedry said. ‘Like I said, virtually impossible. Come on, my boy, we have to keep moving! We’re late!’
He scuttled out of the box, and I followed more cautiously. We had, indeed, been teleported somewhere else. It had been so quick I hadn’t even felt the change.
This new room we entered was made completely of glass. In fact, the entire building around me seemed to be made of glass. I remembered the enormous glass mushroom I’d seen when flying into the city, with the crystalline castle built atop of it. It was a safe bet I was in Crystallia. Of course, there was also a pair of knights holding massive swords made entirely from crystal standing at the doorway. They were kind of a clue too.
The knights nodded to Grandpa Smedry, and he bustled out of the room, and I followed hastily. ‘We’re really there?’ I asked. ‘Atop the mushroom?’
‘Yes indeed,’ Grandpa Smedry said. ‘It’s a rare privilege to be allowed into these halls. Crystallia is forbidden to outsiders.’
‘Really?’
Grandpa Smedry nodded. ‘Like Smedrious, Crystallia used to be a sovereign kingdom. During the early days of Nalhalla, Crystallia’s queen married their king and swore her knights as protectors of their noble line. It’s actually a rather romantic and dramatic story – one I would eagerly tell you, except for the fact that I recently forgot it based on its being far too long and having not enough decapitations.’
‘A just reason for forgetting any story.’
‘I know,’ Grandpa Smedry said. ‘Anyway, the treaty that merged Nalhalla and Crystallia stipulated that the land atop the mushroom become home to the knights, and is off-limits to common citizens. The order of knights also retained the right to discipline and train its members, once recruited, without interference from the outside.’
‘But aren’t we here to interfere?’
‘Of course we are!’ Grandpa Smedry said, raising a hand. ‘That’s the Smedry way! We interfere with all kinds of stuff! But we’re also Nalhallan nobility, which the knights are sworn to protect and – most important – not kill for trespassing.’
‘That’s not a very comforting rationale for why we might be safe here.’
‘Don’t worry,’ Grandpa Smedry said happily. ‘I’ve tested this. Just enjoy the view!’
It was tough. Not that the view wasn’t spectacular – we were walking down a hallway constructed entirely from glass blocks. It was late afternoon outside, and the translucent walls refracted the light of the sun, making the floor sparkle. I could see shadows of people moving through distant hallways, distorting the light further. It was as if the castle were alive, and I could see the pulsing of its organs within the walls around me.
It was quite breathtaking. However, I was still dealing with the fact that I’d betrayed Bastille, that I’d just risked being turned into a pile of goo, and that the only thing keeping me from being cut apart by a bunch of territorial knights was my last name.