Crystal Keepers by Brandon Mull Read Free Book Online

can get pretty creative.”
    Cole glanced back at the woods, where Hina waited unseen. He wondered if he would ever make it back to Elloweer. Not for some time, he decided, since he knewJenna wasn’t there, and he had already rescued Dalton. He might have to go back one day to free Jill. And if he got totally stuck finding a way home, it might be worth risking another conversation with Trillian.
    â€œWe’ll have to change our money,” Joe said. “Some of the outposts will do business with ringers, but once we hit the city, it’s all credits.”
    â€œLike credit cards?” Dalton asked.
    â€œKind of,” Joe said. “Your credits are linked to your ID card. It’s one of the instances where the Grand Shaper allows computerized communication. I think he does it so he can freeze anyone’s money whenever he wants. It’s a powerful control tactic.”
    â€œThen we should keep some ringers just in case,” Jace said. “We can always transfer more to credits later.”
    â€œYou’re thinking like a survivor,” Joe complimented
    â€œDon’t jinx me,” Jace said.
    Cole patted his chest, where he had tied his ringers. They jangled softly. It was a convenient way to store the little rings that served as coins in the Outskirts. As a group, they had a lot of money. Before parting with the Rogue Knight, he had restored all of the ringers he had taken from them when he robbed the wagon train. It meant they should be able to afford some comforts in the city.
    â€œI want to get a spider car,” Dalton said. “That thing is cool.”
    â€œToo wobbly,” Jace said. “I’ll take one of the big ones with the treads. What powers them?”
    â€œThe same source that powers most of Zeropolis,” Joesaid. “Harmonic crystals. Also called dynamos, juiced crystals, energy crystals—whatever the name, they’re crystals that can store and share vast amounts of energy.”
    â€œElectricity?” Cole asked.
    â€œThat’s one way to picture it,” Joe said. “I sometimes think of it that way to help me relate. Like electricity, the energy from the crystals can be used to generate heat, motion, light—all sorts of effects. It could be converted into electricity, but that’s not usually useful, because it’s already in a purer state. Less volatile. And it doesn’t need wires.”
    â€œWireless electricity?” Dalton exclaimed.
    â€œThat’s the idea,” Joe said. “Once harmonic crystals are linked, they can share power with one another across great distances. Most of the crystals in Post 121 are linked to the power facility, where sparkers keep a central crystal juiced.”
    â€œSparkers?” Jace asked.
    â€œTinkers who specialize in generating energy,” Joe clarified. “It’s a form of shaping.”
    â€œThis place is weird,” Jace said.
    â€œYou’ll like some of the conveniences,” Joe promised.
    Cole fell into step beside Mira. “You seem quiet.”
    â€œHuh?” she replied. “Oh, I was thinking about Costa. My only memories of Zeropolis are as a kid. Everything seemed so big and fancy. Foreign. It’s intimidating to think of finding Costa there. The city is enormous.”
    â€œThe outpost is bigger than I expected,” Cole said.
    â€œMaybe. But just wait. The city is by far the biggest in all the Outskirts.”
    Cole thought about that. Even compared to the citiesback home, Carthage had been impressive. So had Merriston. He wondered how Zeropolis would compare against major cities like Phoenix or Los Angeles.
    â€œI wish Honor were here,” Mira murmured.
    â€œShe’d be a big help,” Cole said.
    â€œNot just that,” Mira said. “I’ve waited sixty years to see her, then once we finally find each other, we hardly get to spend any time together.”
    â€œShe’s looking for