Read Online The Crystal Star by Vonda McIntyre - Free Book Online Page A

But
    I couldn't save friend Chewbacca, and..." He glanced down, and wiped a tear from his cheek, and
    looked up again. "I'm so sorry, children, we could not rescue your mama or your papa or your uncle."
    Anakin started to wail. "Papa! Mama!
    Uncle Lukeffwas Jaina clutched his hand and pulled him close.
    "Don't cry," she whispered. Anakin stopped wailing, but he still sniffled and sobbed.
    "But Papa and Uncle Luke--" Jacen's voice was trembly, but suspicious.
    Jaina nudged him. He shut up.
    "None of that, now." Hold-father Hethrir smiled.
    Somehow, he knew what she had done. And it made him angry, though he was smiling. Scared, Jaina
    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