Page 35 of Sanctuary and Spices
“That was just... crystal resonance testing.”
“Is that what they’re calling it these days?” Mai asked innocently.
“Who’s calling what these days?” Barou entered, her scaled hide gleaming in the early light.
“Nothing!” I said quickly.
“Ah.” She nodded sagely. “The station choosing its own again.”
“What does that mean?” I turned to face her, but she just smiled mysteriously and poured herself coffee.
The kitchen filled gradually as other residents woke. Ven’ra settled in her usual corner with tea and toast, dispensing cryptic wisdom between bites. Dex zipped through delivering messages, stealing bites of bread between deliveries.
I tried to focus on the familiar morning routine, but my mind kept drifting to the café. To Ronhar. To the way the station’s background hum seemed to shift when we touched...
A knock at the back door saved me from my thoughts. Erynn stood there, holding an ornate teapot.
“Special delivery!” She swept in, purple hair bright in the morning light. “Festival blend, just for you.”
“You didn’t have to?—”
“Of course I did.” She set up her equipment with practiced grace. “Besides, I wanted to hear all about yesterday’s garden adventures.”
“Does everyone know about that?”
“Honey, the whole Commons was talking about it.” She measured leaves carefully. “Do you know how rare it is for someone to affect the station’s crystals like that?”
I watched her work, trying to ignore the knowing looks from around the kitchen. “I didn’t affect anything. It was just... resonance testing.”
“Mhmm.” She added hot water, the scent of spice and flowers filling the air. “You know, there are old stories about the station responding to certain pairs. Choosing them, some say.”
“That’s what Barou said - about the station choosing its own.”
“Indeed.” Ven’ra’s voice drifted from her corner. “The old songs tell of crystal gardens blooming out of season, hidden passages opening, the very walls singing...”
“I don’t—” I broke off as something tugged at my awareness. A whisper just below hearing, drawing me toward the service corridors.
“Go on.” Erynn pressed a cup into my hands. “The tea will keep.”
I hesitated. “I should head to work...”
“Take the corridor past the old maintenance hub,” Barou suggested. “Shorter route.”
The others exchanged meaningful looks that I chose to ignore. I gathered my things and slipped out, the station’s hum pulling me forward.
The maintenance section was older, less trafficked. Crystal formations studded the walls in complex patterns I’d never noticed before. They felt... different. Ancient. Aware.
My fingers lifted without conscious thought, drawn to a particularly intricate growth. The instant I touched it, energy surged through me. The crystal chimed, a pure note that resonated in my bones. Others answered, harmony building until the whole corridor sang.
The station’s background hum shifted, aligning with the crystal song. Something inside me shifted too, clicking into place like a key in a lock. This felt right. This felt like...
“Home,” Ronhar’s voice finished my thought.
I spun to face him. He stood at the corridor’s end, markings already beginning to glow.
“How did you find me?”
“I felt the energy change.” He moved closer, drawn like gravity. “Felt you.”
