The Crystal Star (8 page)

pulled back inside herself. She pretended she had never touched Jacen with her mind.

"If I had landed, if the earthquake had not happened, your mama and papa would have introduced you to

me. They would have told me your pass^w. We would have had a party, and we would have been

friends!" He stretched both his hands toward Jaina and Jacen.

"Your dear family is gone, my children. The Republic asked me to take you, to keep you, to protect you

and teach you. I am so sorry. that your mama and papa are dead." Jaina huddled together with her

brothers. How could it be true? But why would anyone lie about it?

"We--we're supposed to go with Winter," Jaina said. Her voice trembled. "If anything hap--" "Winter?

Who is Winter?" "She's our nanny," Jaina said.

"She went on a trip," Jacen said.

"Are you keeping us till she comes home?" "Can we call her?" Jacen said hopefully.

"She'd come right back," Jaina said.

"Her services are no longer necessary," Hold-father Hethrir said. "Children, children! You are important!

Your abilities are precious!

You cannot be raised, you cannot be taught, by a servant." "She isn't! She's our friend!" "She has her

own life to live, she cannot raise you properly with no one to pay for you." "We wouldn't eat much,"

Jacen said hopefully.

Jaina wanted to say Hold-father Hethrir was a liar!--and run away. But she had nowhere to run. And

maybe Papa and Uncle Luke had come home, while she and her brothers were in the meadow, and

maybe the earthquake had come before Papa came out to greet them, and maybe Hold-father Hethrir

really had rescued them.

And maybe Winter really wouldn't come back.

Not ever.

Or maybe Hold-father Hethrir did not know that Papa and Uncle Luke and Mr.

Threepio had gone on a secret mission. No one was supposed to know about the secret mission, except

Chewbacca and Mama--but Jaina did!

And she had told Jacen, of course, because he was her twin. Maybe no one could tell Hold-father

Hethrir because then Papa and Uncle Luke would be in danger. That meant Papa and Uncle Luke might

be all right. But she could not say so, because then she would put Papa and Uncle Luke in danger.

Anakin huddled against her, sniffling. He was trying not to cry, but his tears left a cold wet spot on her

shirt. Mr. Chamberlain's wyrwulf had edged closer to Jaina, too, and leaned unhappily against her side.

Or maybe, Jaina thought, Hold-father Hethrir isn't who he says he is. Maybe he's making it all up, about

the earthquake.

Maybe he stole us.

Maybe Mama and Papa and Uncle Luke and Chewbacca are all right.

Jaina looked at Hold-father Hethrir. His huge dark eyes gleamed with tears. He gazed at her, his hands

outstretched.

A second set of eyelids swept across his eyes. Jaina could see through the second eyelids. They looked

like smoke. They pushed away the tears. Then they disappeared again.

Without meaning to, without wanting to, Jaina started to cry.

Don't cry, she said furiously to herself.

Don't cry. If you don't cry it means Mama is alive!

She made herself stop crying.

"Jacen," Jaina said, "y have to say whether we believe him. Because you're the oldest." "I'm oldest,"

Jacen said. "I'm oldest, Hold-father Hethrirffwas "I remember," Hold-father Hethrir said.

"I remember when you both were born, your mama and papa were so happy, they said to me, "Here is

Jacen, our fstborn son, and here is Jaina, our beautiful daughter."'" He's a liar! Jaina thought. A liar!

"We believe you, Hold-father Hethrir," Jacen said.

For just a second, Jaina thought maybe Jacen really meant it. But then she thought, No, that's stupid. She

was afraid to touch him for reassurance, because Hold-father Hethrir would know.

She started to cry again.

It's all right to cry now, she thought. Because I'm just pretending, because I have to, and Mama and

Papa and Uncle Luke and Chewbacca are all alive!

She and Jacen and Anakin huddled together, all of them crying, Anakin wailing, "Papa!

Papaffwas Hold-father Hethrir took Jaina's hand.

He took Jacen's hand. He squeezed gently. His skin was very cold. He pulled on Jaina's hand. She had

to move nearer to him. She wanted to move away from him.

I don't believe he's really my hold-father! Jaina thought. I'm not going to call him that anymore.

Hethrir put his arms around her and her brothers. Jaina shivered.

"Poor children," he said. "Poor little children.

I'm so sorry your mama and papa are dead." Anakin cried harder.

Jaina and Jacen cuddled him. He sniffled.

He started to hiccup. He fell asleep with his cheek pillowed on Jaina's shoulder. He hiccupped again.

"There, there, poor children," Hethrir said.

"You've had such a hard day. Come along, it's time for bed." Jaina stood up. She picked up Anakin.

He was heavy.

"We always have our supper before we go to bed," she said.

Hethrir stood up. He was very tall. He smiled down at her.

"But you live with me now," he said. "And at my house, it's time for bed." He urged them toward the

doorway. Jaina saw another person standing in the darkness. Scared, she stopped.

"Come forward, Tigris," Hethrir said.

"Don't stand there hiding in the shadows." Tigris took a step forward. He was not scary at all. He was

not even grown up, only twelve or thirteen. He wore a brown robe. Jaina thought it was ugly. It needed

to be washed, and the hem had come down.

He had striped hair like Hethrir's, but his was silver and black. It needed to be washed, too.

And combed. Her mama would never let her go outside looking like that. He had pale skin and big black

eyes, also like Hethrir's.

"Don't make our new sister carry the child," Hethrir said. "Show your manners." Are they brothers? Jaina

wondered. How could they be, Hethrir is so old. And Hethrir doesn't act like Tigris's brother. I'd never

talk to Anakin in such a mean way.

Tigris tried to take Anakin from Jaina.

She stepped back. Jacen jumped in front of her to help protect their little brother. Together, they created

the barrier Uncle Luke had taught them to make. No one would be able to get through it. They would not

let Tigris take Anakin!

The barrier shimmered around Jaina.

And then it fell apart like a sand castle in the tide.

"Now, now," Hethrir said. "None of that!

Didn't your uncle ever tell you not to behave like that? You're being very, very bad." He knelt down in

front of them again.

"I'll teach you to use your abilities. The same as your Uncle Luke. But you must only use them under my

supervision, until you're grown up." Jaina hugged Anakin tighter.

"Do you understand?" Jaina knew what was going to happen. She knew she could not stop it.

"Do you understand?" Hethrir demanded.

Jacen had backed up right against Anakin. Their brother was protected between them. The wyrwulf

growled.

Suddenly the wyrwulf slid across the deck and crashed against the wall. Jaina cried out. The wyrwulf

yelped and lay still.

"Woof!" Anakin cried.

Hethrir took Jacen's shoulders and pulled him forward, away from Anakin. He pulled him aside. He did

not even bother to move Jacen with the Force powers he had revealed. He did not need to. He was a

grown-up. Jacen tried to wriggle free, but Hethrir would not let him go.

"Do you understand?" Tigris took Anakin from Jaina's arms.

His eyes were sad and hopeful. Jaina could not stop him. She could not move. She 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 said.

Hethrir shook his sleeve. Her tooth fell on the ground. Tigris would not let her go get it.

Hethrir picked Anakin up. Jaina's little brother did not resist. He could not resist.

"Please let him stay with us," Jaina said.

"He's only three--" She stopped for a second. Anakin would say, "Three and a half!" But he said nothing.

"We'll all be good if you let him stay with us," Jaina said desperately.

Hethrir gazed down at her. Now she knew the kindly look in his eyes was all a lie, and so was everything

else he had said.

"If you're good," he said, "I might let you visit with your brother. In a few days. Or a week." He turned,

his long white robe swirling at his heels, and carried Anakin into the darkness. The last thing Jaina saw of

her little brother was his wide, scared eyes.

Tigris pushed Jaina and Jacen along the hallway, then around a turn. The wet cold blanket of Hethrir's

power still surrounded Jaina.

"It's freezing," she whispered.

"Nonsense, it's perfectly warm," Tigris said.

Jaina felt hurt and embarrassed, scared and mad. Even when she was little, no one had ever treated her

like this. She always tried to use her abilities properly. To be responsible. As soon as she had understood

what the ^w meant, she had known it would be important in her life.

She wished she had Mama to talk to. She was never, never, never allowed to use her abilities to hurt

someone. But what about if she had to, what if it was to keep somebody from hurting her or Jacen, what

if it was to defend her little brother?

She was as responsible for Anakin as she was for the right use of what she could do.

She was supposed to use the barrier for defense. But she already knew that would not work.

Hethrir can stop the barrier, Jaina thought.

He wouldn't do that, if he was really our hold-father. I don't believe he knows Papa and I don't believe