"May I see it?"
Jake smiled. "Of course." He fished in his pockets for the precious shard, his hand closing on it gently. Even to him, a non-telepath, it felt powerful. Warm and smooth in his hand, it seemed to have a vibration that was not physical, that one sensed with the soul rather than the body. He knew from experience that the sensation, now pleasant, would increase to the point of discomfort, and he let it drop into Zeratul's outstretched hand. Zeratul's eyes widened the instant it touched his palm. Two thumbs and two fingers closed over the precious item.
"Powerful indeed," he said softly. "I have never felt the like. Not even in the Alys'aril, not even in the Uraj and Khalis crystals. Truly, this is special—I will not say unique, for as you have said, many more crystals exist in those chambers. What a powerful force for good or ill they would be." He peered at the gem, cupping it carefully, reverently. "I am even more distressed to learn that Ulrezaj has commandeered the chambers now that I can sense for myself the power he controls."
Reluctantly, he extended his hand to Jake. "You are the best custodian of this for the moment, Jacob. You would not be tempted to use it, as I would. Save this for yourself—for Zamara."
Jake nodded and slipped the crystal back into his vest.
Zeratul hesitated. "Zamara.. .Jacob. Surely you must be aware that what you ask has never been attempted. We are able to capture memories of ordinary dark templar. A preserver is something else entirely. And to retrieve those memories from a human brain.. .could prove to be impossible. One or the other, or both of you, could die."
"We know," Jake said before Zamara could speak. "But honestly—is there even an option? If I don't get Zamara out of my head, I'm definitely going to die, and if I die, all her memories die with me. There might be a chance to transfer Zamara's memories to another preserver, but it'd be even harder to find one of those than get to Ehlna, especially now that we know Ulrezaj has been trying to kill them all. We've got this," and he patted the crystal in his pocket. "And we've got you. If anyone can convince the Keepers of Wisdom that this is an important task, it's you, Zeratul. I'm willing to take the risk because, hell.. .it beats sitting here and dying on a pink planet."
Zeratul half closed his eyes and hunched his shoulders, laughing.
"Then let us go to Ehlna, where the Keepers of Wisdom will do all they can to preserve a preserver, and save a human life."
Jake had, for some reason, gotten the impression that this was going to be a long journey. But as he rose to join Zeratul and said, "We should probably lay in some supplies—I'm going to need food and water for however long it takes," Zeratul only chuckled.
"If you are hungry, eat now. Otherwise, I am certain food will be found at the Alys'aril for you. Ehlna is not the most congenial of worlds, but it has clean water, and there is life upon it."
"Oh...1 thought this place was pretty far from here."
"Not via warp gate," Zeratul replied. Jake followed him into his small atmospheric craft and settled in, blushing a little. "Remember, Jacob, the gates are not protoss technology. They are creations of the xel'naga. And there is one on Ehlna. It is why we are still able to return, most of us, on pilgrimage, to haveour memories recorded for future generations."
"Those on Aiur could have found you any time they wanted to then."
"Not if they did not know the gate's coordinates. But if they did, yes, they certainly could. And if they ever had, I think my people would have looked on it as an act of destiny."
It was a short trip to the warp gate, and Jake looked out the window at the pink sky and purple-hued landscape. He would miss it. Zeratul had been right—it was a soothing and calming place. Even his headaches had seemed less frequent here. Absently he rubbed his temple, where he realized another monster of a headache was waiting, like a coiled serpent. He bit his lip and willed it back.
Soon, Jacob, this will be over, Zamara said, offering comfort.
One way or another, right?
She chuckled, sadly. One way or another.
And three minutes later, right as the small dark templar vessel sped through the gate, the pain hit. And this time, Jake blacked out.
Jake came to to discover himself lying on his back on something cool and hard and looking up at a dark, polished ceiling. It was inlaid with a dazzling display of glowing, singing crystals. They were beautiful, but blurry and wavy. He blinked hard, and then suddenly panicked.
Powerful, nonhuman hands grasped him to steady him, and he flailed, staring wildly at the purple-skinned protoss. Who was this person? Where the hell was he? The caverns beneath Aiur, with Savassan— or in the temple where that dead protoss was—
Jacob. Listen to me. Remember.
The voice in his head terrified him for half a second, and then he remembered. Zamara. He was probably in the ancient library Zeratul had spoken of on...Ehlna. The Alys'aril. The protoss sitting over him, keeping vigil while he slept, was Zeratul.
"Are you all right now?" Zeratul asked. Jake nodded shakily. Zeratul released him and sank back on his haunches. Jake closed his eyes for a moment, breathing deeply, and when he opened them again his vision had cleared.
More symptoms, he thought to Zamara. First headaches, then seizures, and now blurred vision and memory loss.
Yes. But we are here now. At the end of our long journey together. "Are you well enough to speak with the alysaar'vah?"
Jake guessed that was the supervisor of the library and nodded again. "Yeah. I'm not going to get any better just sitting here. How long was I out for?"
"We had barely laid you down when you awoke. I explained a little to the alysaar about our situation."
"Yeah, I'm sure he was wondering what you were doing bringing me here." The ice pick in his brain had been removed, leaving behind only dull pain. He got to his feet, taking his time, realizing that his legs felt weak. Yet another symptom. Zeratul watched him closely, ready to aid him if it was needed, letting him keep his dignity if it wasn't.
Damn, Jake liked the protoss.
"Indeed, some information was necessary. But I also felt much needed to be explained by you and Zamara, and she was unreachable while you were unconscious. Krythkal has been here for several centuries," Zeratul continued. "He is now the alysaar'vah, the head of the alysaar. He oversees the work done here and sees to it that the traditions and the level of care are kept."
Jake followed Zeratul out of what he assumed was the sleeping quarters and into a cavernous hall. He stopped dead in his tracks.
He'd thought the crystals in the temple were impressive, but compared to the sight that greeted him in this room, they were a candle next to a sun. Obsidian walls arched far, far above his head, pocked every foot or so by a small alcove that held a crystal. Some were larger than others, some less radiant, some were more beautifully prismed, but to his eye, they were all glorious. They seemed to him to have a slightly different hue than the ones he'd seen on Aiur and in the temple where he'd encountered Zamara. He rubbed the palms of his hands on his eyes and looked again.
"So is it the brain tumors or are these crystals different from others?" he asked Zeratul, his eyes rovingover the countless crystals nestled in their alcoves, each one a unique little star.
"You are quite observant for a non-protoss," came a pleasant mental voice. Jake turned to behold a protoss so old that he made Zeratul look like a capering youngster. So they, too, showed physical signs of aging, though subtler than a human's white hair or wrinkled skin. A slightly brittle fragility to this dark templar's skin and build indicated that he had been around for a long, long time.