Crystal Keepers by Brandon Mull Read Free Book Online Page A

Destiny,” Cole reminded her.
    â€œI know,” Mira said. “It’s important to find Tessa. Honor is doing what she always does—her duty. And I’m glad she’s doing it. It just would have been nice to see her for a while. Imagine if right after you found Dalton he had to take off.”
    â€œI get it,” Cole said. “That stinks. I’m sorry.”
    â€œIt’s not your fault,” Mira said. “I get it too. Sometimes you do what you must. I just miss my sisters.”
    â€œWe’ll find Costa,” Cole said. “That’s something you can look forward to. Maybe this time you won’t have to split up right away.”
    â€œWouldn’t that be nice?” Mira said wistfully. “What if we weren’t the mascots for a revolution? What if we were just a normal family?”
    â€œYou might never know,” Cole said.
    Mira gave him a sharp glance. “Too true.”
    They began to pass some of the buildings at the fringe of the outpost. The people they saw didn’t pay them any mind. Cole was surprised to see a guy wearing blue jeans and a denim jacket.
    â€œIs that guy in jeans?” Cole asked Joe.
    â€œYeah,” he replied. “They make synthetic denim in the city. It’s everywhere. They do plenty of things their own way here, but they borrow a lot of ideas from Earth.”
    â€œAre there many Outsiders?” Dalton asked.
    â€œThat could be part of it,” Joe answered. “I’ve met several. But they also have ways of keeping tabs on our world. Some people in Zeropolis can connect to our Internet.”
    â€œThe Internet back home?” Cole asked in astonishment.
    â€œThey call them thruports,” Joe said. “Technically they’re illegal. But I know some of the government people use them. And so do some of the Unseen.”
    â€œI could e-mail my family?” Dalton asked.
    â€œYou could,” Joe said. “But they won’t open it.”
    â€œHow can you be sure?” Dalton countered.
    â€œI’ve tried,” Joe said wearily. “I tried and tried. It never worked.”
    â€œWho were you trying to reach?” Cole asked.
    Joe bit his lower lip. “You remember I told you I left Zeropolis for a reason? I volunteered to go warn Mira?”
    â€œYeah,” Cole said.
    â€œThe person I e-mailed most ties into that,” Joe said. “You deserve the whole story. What happened could make this more dangerous for all of us. And I learned some things you ought to hear. But not here. Later. For now, let me go change some money to credits. I’ll buy us some clothes that won’t stand out so much in the city. You guys go check out Gizmo Row.”
    â€œWhat’s that?” Jace asked.
    â€œEvery outpost has one,” Joe said. “They’re named afterthe big one in the city. Gizmo Row is where the tinkers peddle their inventions. Some of the stuff can be useful, and in an outpost near the border, some of the tinkers might be willing to trade in ringers. It should help you kill some time and start to get a feel for Zeropolis. It’s also a place where strangers fit in just fine. Just don’t buy anything too expensive. And don’t let them take you into a back room. We don’t want black-market gear. Not now at least. All we need is to get arrested for buying restricted tech before we even reach the city.”
    â€œOkay,” Dalton said. “Where do we find it?”
    Joe pointed over some of the nearby rooftops. “See the sign on that pole sticking up over there? Blue circle with a sun in the center? That marks Gizmo Row. Head that way. I’ll go over to the monorail station and see if I can find a place to turn some ringers into credits. It’ll also give me a chance to make sure my fake ID works.”
    â€œWhat if you get nabbed?” Dalton asked.
    â€œIt should be fine,” Joe said. “I’ve used Walt