Chapter Twenty

Breaking Free

The Doctor had been gone considerably longer than a few minutes when the crystals on the bed started to glow. Jason and his son stared at them in horror. "He's breaking free," the monarch said in a horrified whisper. He dashed to the door, almost colliding with the Doctor as he came back into the room. "Doctor! Ormril's breaking free!"

"That would be impossible," the Time Lord replied calmly. "Ormril has gone to his own destruction."

The Doctor's words hung like fog in the air.

Jason blinked. "What?"

"I said…"

"What are you talking about?" Jason demanded finally. "He's just suspended. Trapped be tween reality and oblivion. I've been there, remember?"

"I do recall the incident," the Time Lord replied acidly. He recalled the incident quite clearly, as it was he who had been the cause of the Alterran's brief crystallized existence. "But you haven't been across the rift, now, have you?" he challenged. He looked at the equally baffled Prince Juris. "It's very different there, isn't it, Juris? Thought becomes reality, does it not?"

Juris nodded slowly, recalling his lengthy captivity with a shudder.

"A reality controlled, not by Ormril, but by…"

"Asta!" the Prince gasped, catching on at last. "She's still free of him?"

"Of course she is," the Doctor replied in an almost condescending tone. He went on to reveal his telepathic conversation, explaining how Asta had been able to contact him from across the rift. Apparently this was made easier be cause he had been the one to send her in. "I told her what we had planned, and she did her part to get Ormril here so we could trap him."

The King was watching the glowing crystals with mounting trepidation. "That still doesn't explain what you just said about Ormril. Or how you're so sure he's not the one breaking free."

"I'll get to that," the Time Lord said infuriatingly, going on to tell of Asta's startling discovery that Ormril's universe was on the point of collapse. The energy backlash that had been triggered by his defeat at Rikeon apparently had severely weakened the boundaries. Now, instead of just a few fissures separating the dimensions, there were several thousand, all of which were extremely unstable.

"According to Asta," the Doctor informed, "the more Ormril reached into the space/time continuum, the more unstable energy he pulled into his own dimension, accelerating the rate of deterioration. If he had simply waited, the damage would've repaired itself. But Ormril is not a patient man." With a strange half-smile, he said, "So Asta came up with a plan for his return—"

"Return?" the King interrupted. "Return where? Ormril is trapped here. Suspended."

"With all that power at his command? Hardly," the Time Lord snorted. "I reopened the window and Asta made sure he discovered the escape route."

By this time the crystals had transformed themselves into a semi-globular form and Jason gave them a dubious look. "You're sure of that, are you?" he asked fearfully.

"Quite sure," the Doctor said in a level tone. "Asta set a second trap at the other end. She made sure the energy he used to return would be enough to overload the system. In short, Ormril would destroy himself."

The stunned silence that followed was broken by a soft moan from the bed. All eyes turned to see the form changing into a semi-humanoid figure.

"It's up to you now, Healer Jason," the Doctor said gently. "You're the only one here with the skills to—"

"No," Jason replied, shaking his head. "Asta already has my knowledge. And more than enough power to restore herself without any help from me."

"What!" Juris gasped in disbelief. "Father, we've just gone through all that, and now you're jumping to conclusions again."

"Not this time," his father said quietly, looking down at his hands. "This I know for a fact."

The words were scarcely out of his mouth when Asta fully returned to her human form. She opened her eyes to see Jason standing over her; his hand outstretched invitingly, an odd expression on his face. Although uncertain, she accepted the hand and sat up slowly, saying nothing as the Healer made certain the transformation had been successful.

After a minute, Jason gave a satisfied grunt and looked into his ward's face. She immediately looked away. The reason for this was so obvious it caused the King to experience more than just a twinge of guilt. "You don't have to avoid me anymore, my dear Asta," King Jason said softly, taking her by the hands. "I was wrong and I'm truly sorry."

Asta looked up sharply, her mouth falling open. "But…I don't understand…" she said, studying the King's face in bewilderment. "I feel anger and betrayal. I thought it was from you."

"Me? Why on earth would I feel betrayed?"

"Because she lied to us," Prince Juris announced bitterly. "This never would've happened if she hadn't hidden her powers."

His father's head snapped around, his face clouding with anger when he saw his son's expression. "Be silent, I command it!" he thundered, rising to his feet. His casual clothes suddenly changed to those of regal splendor as he spoke, a clear signal he was speaking strictly as King of Tel-Shye. "How dare you! You speak words of forgiveness, tolerance, understanding. And now you dare accuse her! If anyone is at fault here, I am." Throwing the Doctor a knowing look, he said, "A fine guardian I turned out to be."

"But…Father…" Juris stammered.

"But nothing!" the King snapped. Turning to the Doctor, he said in a normal tone, "I betrayed you too, Doctor, and for that I cannot apologize enough. As always, you saw everything ten times clearer than I did."

The Time Lord's eyes flickered, a ghost of a smile passing across his face. He inclined his head, saying nothing.

Uncertain as to her status, Asta rose to her feet, thinking she might as well confront the King, too. He certainly seemed in the mood for it. "How did you know?" she wanted to know.

Jason turned to her, his anger having run its course. "Know what?" he asked calmly.

"About me. My powers. I never gave any indication or admitted to anything. But you still knew. How?"

Jason smiled knowingly and held out a hand. "All I had to do was touch you. Power of that magnitude is impossible to conceal, even in human form."

"But I did conceal it. From everyone but you, apparently."

"True. And as your guardian, that's all that should've concerned me. As long as you kept them under control, it shouldn't have mattered that you're in the First Circle."

Prince Juris gave a disgusted grunt. "Oh, really, Father. The First Circle? Don't be absurd."

Asta was baffled. "The First Circle?"

"It's an ancient term," the King informed, "used to describe those rare few who can take on another form without diminishing or losing the powers of their true selves."

"There hasn't been evidence of a First Circler in millennia," Juris objected forcefully.

Jason raised an eyebrow. "And how would you know that? Those in the First Circle aren't known to advertise it, now are they?"

"Father, you don't really believe there's anyone alive today who can do that, do you?" the Prince said in a condescending tone.

Jason exchanged a knowing look with the Doctor before saying calmly, "As a matter of fact I do, Juris. I happen to be in the First Circle." The look of blank astonishment he received made him roll his eyes and moan in disbelief. "Oh, Juris, you have the same cautious spirit as your mother. You've probably never even tried, have you?"

"What makes you think I could...?"

"Because, my dear child," his father sighed, "you may've been lucky enough to've inherited more than just pig-headedness from me."