Anders turned to see the dark-eyed Rollo warrior Captain standing with her arms crossed and a stern look on her face. 

“I hope you won’t be distracting my crew for too long? Or have you come to aid us in our work?” she asked. 

“Distraction is not my intention, Captain,” Anders assured her. “I have come to seek some help, and it could be something that you’d be interested in. Having a strong warrior like yourself trained could make a difference in our future.”  

Britt looked to Max and Kirsten, then asked, “You have my attention, Anders. What help are you seeking?” 

Anders realized he had closed his fist around the crystal when Evans appeared from behind. Opening his hand, he exposed the light blue crystal, “I want these to be put to good use and into the hands of those they were intended for. Will you come with us? I can show you how to use their power.” 

Britt took a small step back when she saw the crystal. Her stern expression moved first to Kirsten, lingered, then shifted to Anders. Shaking her head, she said, “I can’t. I must stay here and oversee the task you’ve given me.”  

“Really? You’re going to pass up this opportunity?” Kirsten asked.  

Anders eyed his cousin as she, too, put her hands on her hips, shifting and looking as though she was trying to look through Britt.  

Britt tensed, appearing to have been caught telling a lie, then said, pointing to the crystal in Anders’ hand, “Those things, they don’t work for me.” 

“That’s what Bo said, too. How do you know they don’t work if you only tried to use them once and that was in a panic?” Anders asked. 

Britt shifted uncomfortably and Max said, “She’s tried to use it more than once.” 

“When did you try to use it?” Kirsten asked. 

“When you were seizing after the goblin bite. I tried to use it then, with all my willpower I tried to heal you, but it didn’t do anything. Then when you gave me the crystal at Solomon’s, I tried to use it on the guards who attacked Max and me. It never worked; no matter how hard I tried, it didn’t do anything.”  

“Why didn’t you say something?” Kirsten asked, placing her hand on Britt’s shoulder.  

“I tried,” Britt said sheepishly. 

“You never mentioned that it didn’t work for you. After you came back safely, I just assumed it had been of use to you,” Kirsten said.  

“I had other things on my mind then and I didn’t want you or Bo to think that I couldn’t be counted on,” Britt said, glancing awkwardly at Evans, who remained next to Anders. 

Kirsten didn’t reply and Anders scratched at the back of his head before saying, “Nobody doubts your abilities here, Captain.” His words seemed to bring back her normal stern demeanor and she straightened with some pride intact. 

“I would offer two members of my crew as recruits,” Britt said.  

Anders nodded, “Who should I expect?” 

“Sanka has been with me since the beginning. He’s a better warrior than I am and he is best suited for training with the crystal,” Britt paused. She focused on Max, “And I’ll volunteer Max as well.”  

Anders raised his eyebrows and Max said “Britt?” 

“That’s an order,” Britt swiftly silenced him. “Kirsten was right in thinking I wanted this assignment for myself, but after learning that I am not suited to use its power, I want you to be there in my place.”  

Max nodded respectfully.  

“Alright then,” Anders said, stuffing the crystal back into his pocket. “Tell Sanka to meet us outside the Brookside Inn in half an hour. Do you know where that is?” 

Britt nodded and again looked at Max as she responded, “Oh, I know where it is. I know all too well.” 

 “Great,” Anders replied. He nodded to Britt and said, “Kirsten, Max and Evans, follow me.”  

As he led them off the ship and onto the dock, he heard Max say to Evans, “I hope you know what you’re getting into. If Tony finds out…” 

“He won’t find out,” Evans responded. 

Anders led them through the crowd, hoping what he was doing would be for the betterment of their army and would not further divide it. Working their way through the street where people bustled purposefully, he stopped in front of the Brookside Inn. “You three wait for Sanka. I’ll be right back.”  

“Where are you going?” Kirsten called to him.  

Dashing away, he called over his shoulder, “I’ll be right back.”  

Anders jogged to the home where Thomas had been staying. Once on the stoop, he opened the door. To his surprise, Thomas was asleep on the couch.  

At the sound of Anders’ entry, Thomas sat up holding the poudrettite crystal out in front of him. Still half asleep, he shouted, “Back! Get back!”  

“Thomas, wake up!” Anders said. 

“What?! Why are you here? Is something wrong?” Thomas asked, looking beyond Anders out the open door. 

“No, Thomas. I need you to come with me.”  

Thomas stretched and rubbed a fist into his eye, “What time is it?” 

“Nearly noon,” Anders said.  

Thomas’ eyes widened, “I didn’t think I would get that much rest, after...” he trailed off. 

“Great, you are rested, as am I. Now come with me. I have to show you something,” Anders said, handing Thomas his wool jacket.  

Thomas grabbed the coat and put it on as he followed Anders out the door, “Where are we going?” 

“To teach you how to fight,” Anders responded as he stepped out into the street.  

*** 

Anders placed two of the crystals on the grove’s forested floor. He glanced to Zahara, who lay with her neck stretched out on the ground in front of her, her eyes droopy and closing. Looking over his small gathering of recruits, he spoke clearly, “Now, I’m aware you all know why you’re here, but I’ll just state it again for formality’s sake. A powerful sorcerer is leading an army of evil and magical creatures toward us and I want you to know how to use magic to defend yourselves. Most of you have seen crystals similar to those I have here. These crystals are special because they allow a non-bonded person to tap the energy stored inside them if the people know how. It’s not a direct use of magic, per se, but it offers you a tool for its use. I have seen one of you tap into a crystal’s energy stores and release them, but my goal is to instruct you to use this tool as well as any other weapon you might gain access to.” Anders noticed that Kirsten was grinning, so he decided to call her out, “Kirsten, can you describe to the others how you were able to use the magic inside the inhabitance crystal?” 

 Kirsten’s smile shrank. She stood in silence thinking for several moments, then answered, “It, kind of just happened. It’s hard to explain because when I used it last, I kind of blacked out.”  

Thinking of how others described her actions in the battle and how she had fought with so much vigor, Anders felt a tinge of worry, I hope she isn’t like me and has trouble controlling her urges to use power.  

“Why wouldn’t it work for some of us who’ve tried?” Max asked, looking at the crystal on the ground before them.  

“I don’t know?” Anders answered truthfully. “In your case, it could be that because goblins have some access to primitive forms of magic, they require a higher level or purer form of power to be affected.” 

“In my case maybe, but what about Britt’s?” Max asked. “She tried to use the crystal in the same way Kirsten had used it, but nothing happened.”