and the B&B was doing a brisk business. There were those who did not entirely trust that the threat was over.
But the lights were on and phones and computers were functioning. Communications with the mainland had been restored. Ferry service was scheduled to resume in the morning, conditions permitting. The proprietor of the service had promised to bring supplies, including toilet paper and groceries, on the early run.
Alice studied the two crystal slabs on the table. “So much trouble for such dumb-looking stones.”
“Not very impressive, are they?” Charlotte observed.
The crystals no longer glowed. Shortly after being removed from the pyramid they had reverted to a murky, unremarkable gray.
Rachel looked at Drake. “What are you going to do with them?”
“I’m tempted to drop them offshore into a deep-sea ravine but I’m not sure that would neutralize them,” Drake said. “It might have the opposite effect. These damn rocks have an affinity for geothermal energy. Be my luck they’d land in an undersea volcano and cause an eruption. For now they’ll be safer in a mag-steel-and-glass strongbox where the energy levels can be monitored.”
“In hindsight, it’s a wonder that the crystals were dormant for decades, sitting in a box in a cave here on the island,” Rachel mused. “Rainshadow is a nexus, a real hot spot where geothermal psi-forces intersect.”
“That’s probably why the Aliens chose it to set up their bio-research labs in the first place,” Alice said.
“According to the Old Earth records, the crystals have never caused any problem as long as they were properly stored aboveground in a strongbox,” Drake said. “But taking them underground into a hot psi environment was a hell of a mistake.”
Charlotte folded her arms on the table. “I assume you’ll store them in one of the Foundation labs?”
“Right,” Drake said. “We’ve got special vaults for the volatile specimens.”
Jasper looked thoughtful. “Think there’s any way to destroy them?”
“I don’t know,” Drake said. “It might be possible to pulverize them and scatter the bits and pieces over a large stretch of the ocean. Theoretically that would limit the resonating power of each individual shard. But I’m not even certain that would work.”
“Something else to consider here,” Fletcher said. “We humans have only been around on Harmony for a couple of hundred years. No more than a fraction of the planet and the Alien underworld has been explored. Got a hunch there are a lot of surprises waiting for us in the oceans and the catacombs and the rain forest. We might need some real firepower someday. Could be a good idea to have these stones in our hip pocket, so to speak.”
“Kind of like having spare tuned amber when you go into the tunnels,” Jasper added.
“My family has been guarding these rocks for a few hundred years, first on Earth and now here on Harmony,” Drake said. “Guess we’ll have to keep on doing that for a while. But once we get these back to the lab we can do some serious research on them. We need to know what we’ve got here.”
Drake started to say something, but a faint, muffled sound stopped him. Alice heard it, too. Chanting.
Burt came out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on his apron. “Sounds like Harry and Slade found that bunch of Glorious Dawners who went missing.”
“Not sure that’s a good thing,” Fletcher said.
“Look at it this way,” Drake said. “Tomorrow morning we can put them on the first ferry off the island and send them home.”
“Good idea,” Jasper said.
The door of the tavern opened, bringing in the fresh air of a fog-free night. Two men walked into the room. Energy whispered in the atmosphere around them. Men of talent, Alice thought. Slade Attridge and Harry Sebastian had returned.
Chairs scraped on the floorboards. Rachel and Charlotte leaped to their feet. Both women were glowing with relief and delight. They rushed forward, each hurtling into the arms of one of the men.
Three dust bunnies scurried into the tavern and began chattering enthusiastically.
A small gaggle of ragged-looking people in green robes paraded into the room. They had evidently lost their signs along the way but that had not diminished their enthusiasm.
Burt planted his hands on his hips and eyed the newcomers. “Anyone who wants to eat had better shut up and stop chanting now.”
A sudden hush descended.
The tall, dark-haired man, who had one arm wrapped around Rachel, looked at Burt.
“Thank you,” he said. “I know I speak for Slade as well when I tell you that we are forever in your debt.”
“That damn chanting was enough to make us seriously consider leaving these dudes behind in the Preserve,” Slade added.
Houdini dashed toward Alice and bounced up onto the table. He made enthusiastic greeting sounds. Alice patted him affectionately.
“So that’s where you and Darwina went tonight,” she said. “You knew they were on the way back, didn’t you? You went out to meet them.”
One of the Glorious Dawners spotted the small group at the table. He lifted a hand, palm out.
“The nightmare fog is gone,” he intoned. “It’s a sign that the return is near.”
“You know something? I’m starting to think that I’d rather see the Aliens return than these guys,” Fletcher said in low tones.
The Dawner was not deterred.
The other five took up the chant.
Back in the kitchen, Burt banged a frying pan loudly.
The Dawners hastily went silent again and sat down at the nearest tables.
Harry looked at Burt through the opening. “Feed ’em and send the bill to the Foundation.”
“Okay,” Burt said. He narrowed his eyes. “But they’re all leaving in the morning, right?”
“Oh, yeah,” Slade said. “They’re all leaving on the first available ferry.”
“What about you and Harry?” Burt looked from one man to the other. “I’ve been saving a couple of cans of tuna fish.”
“Sounds good,” Slade said. “But I think we could both use a couple of whiskeys with that tuna fish.”
Burt chuckled. “Help yourself.”
Slade went behind the bar and took down a bottle. He found two glasses and started pouring generous quantities of whiskey.
Keeping Rachel close to his side, Harry walked to the table where Alice sat with Drake, Fletcher, and Jasper. He glanced at the two crystals and smiled, looking satisfied.
“You must be Alice North,” he said.
She started to respond, but Drake spoke first.
“Alice, I’d like you to meet my brother, Harry,” he said. “Harry, this is Alice, my wife.”
“Your wife,” Harry said, perfectly neutral.
“Yes,” Drake said.
“Congratulations,” Harry said in the same very even tone.
“Thanks,” Drake said.
“Just an MC,” Alice said quickly.
“Is that right?” Harry said. He turned back to Drake, his eyes gleaming with an unholy amusement. “In our family, a marriage is a marriage. Isn’t that right, Drake?”
“Yes,” Drake said. “So, what took you so long to show up here in town?”
“We were trapped by the fog. Couldn’t get the Dawners through it. We knew when the mist lifted this
