Avoiding eye contact with the king, Kristina looked toward the table, vividly remembering Werrien's words in the dark, upper room of the palace the night before. "This is our secret," he had said, and though she would have loved to help the king, there was no way that she was going to give away the one and only thing that was exclusively theirs alone—even if it was only a secret.
- 17 -
Something Fishy
Back on the main deck, the rain had tapered off, and the wind had turned back into a light, warm breeze again. Werrien didn't speak—his mood was serious as he walked briskly with Kristina at his side, walking her fasted to keep up with him. He took her back to the opening in the deck that led to her cabin. As they descended the ladder, they caught sight of Davina standing at the next lower deck, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and a very disgruntled look on her face.
"Hester is on the main deck looking for you," Werrien said to her.
That's funny! How come I didn't see Hester? Kristina instantly thought.
"It's about time she came looking for me. All that girl wants to do is spend time with that weird Heerzek character," Davina said haughtily. Then on her way to the ladder, she purposely bumped into Kristina as she passed by her.
Werrien sighed. "It's getting late, and I'm quite tired, so if you don't mind, I'd like to turn in early tonight," he said to Kristina.
Kristina had so many questions to ask Werrien about the Black Shard, but she sensed he wasn't up for it. "I guess that I could use a good night sleep as well," she said.
Werrien smiled warmly at her. "I'll see you in the morning then. Sleep well," he said, giving her a gentle pat on her shoulder. Then he turned and began to leave.
As he was climbing back up the ladder, Kristina asked, "Did you really see Hester on the main deck?"
"Yes, just before we collided with Heerzek, I saw her entering the galley."
After Werrien was gone, Kristina entered her cabin and sighed heavily. Even though it was a place where she would usually love to spend hours, perhaps reading a good book, or drawing, or even just daydreaming, she would have traded it in an instant to spend more time with Werrien.
She shut the door and leaned her back against it, trying to soak in all her newfound feelings. I'm fifteen—definitely old enough to be feeling this way, even if my parents, especially my dad, wouldn't think so. He's so overly protective of me.
She went to the bed and threw herself face-down on it and dug her face into her silk pillow. Her feelings for Werrien were starting to consume her mind. I must think of other things as well. She turned over onto her back to stare up at the ceiling. Then she twirled a strand of her hair around her finger. I wonder who it was that took the Black Shard. Maybe it was Queen Lafinia, she thought. She could have taken it when she took the golden goblet, or, now that I come to think of it, it could have been Elzwur. He could have been the one that opened the door when we were in the meeting room last night. Then after he took me to my sleeping quarters, he may have gone back to the room and taken it.
A knock came at her door. Kristina quickly sat up. "Who is it?" she called out.
"Just open the darn door, would ya?" an annoyed voice hollered.
Kristina was all too familiar with the voice. She got out of bed and went to the door and just as she cracked it open, a horrible smell, like the inside of a fish-processing plant, came at full force toward her nostrils.What she saw next reminded her of a scary scene straight out of a horror movie. Standing in the hall, sopping wet, her long, black hair hanging down like a spaghetti mop in front of her glasses, was Davina.
"What happened to you?" Kristina asked.
"If you'd be so kind as to let me in, I could explain," Davina said in a calm yet ill-tempered manner.
Kristina stepped aside and Davina tromped into her cabin and plopped her wet bottom down on the bed. She wiped her nose with the back of her hand, and then threw her wet back down on to the bedspread.
Wow Davina! Really? Kristina thought.
"So what's going on?" Kristina asked. "Why are you so upset and wet?"
"Well, I finally found Hester," Davina said, making an effort to stay calm.
"That's good—I'm glad Werrien was able to help you out with that."
Davina flung herself back up. "It was no help from him!" she said bitterly. "After searching the main deck in the rain, then slipping and falling and scraping my knee ..." she rubbed her sore knee, "I just happened to walk by a certain door out on the main deck, and from the other side of it, I heard Hester's obnoxious giggle. I reached for the latch to open the door, but someone on the inside beat me to it. They opened the door and threw a bucket of fishy-smelling water in my face."
Kristina's eyes grew wide. It was hard for her not to burst out laughing, but she somehow managed to contain herself by clearing her throat instead. "Who did it?" she asked calmly.
"Heerzek!" Davina snapped, her bottom lip quivering as she tried not to cry.
"You don't think he did it deliberately, do you?"
Davina's eyes turned into slits. "Oh, I wouldn't put it past him, or I should say them. The brat, Hester, was standing right beside him when he did it."
Kristina took a tissue off the vanity and handed it to Davina. Davina honked her stuffed-up nose loudly. The wetness from her clothes was penetrating into the silk bedspread about three inches around her bottom.
"Weren't you all going to play cards?" Kristina asked.
"That's what I thought, but when Heerzek came to get Hester and me from the kitchen, the crabby, old woman had me take some garbage out the back door. When I returned, Heerzek and Hester were gone. I searched for them on the deck, but they were nowhere to be found. Then I went to see if Hester might be in our cabin, but she wasn't, and that's when I met up with you guys at the bottom of the ladder near our cabins. Then when Werrien said that he saw Hester looking for me on the main deck, I went searching for her again, and that's when I heard her giggle behind the door, and right after, I got the bucket of water hurled in my face!"
"What did Heerzek say to you after he did it?"
"He apologized up and down and insisted that he was just in the process of removing the excess water from the bilge."
"That does sound like a logical explanation. I have seen seawater spray up onto the deck."
Davina wrinkled her nose, and she half smirked. "I already figured you'd stick up for them." She crossed her arms defensively. "Well, I'll have you know that I totally disagree. I guess it's too much for me to expect you to remember that I just told you that I heard Hester giggling."
Kristina drew in a tense breath, trying her hardest to be patient with Davina. "Yes, but I also remember that you told me that you heard her giggle before the door opened. If that was the case, how was Hester to know that you would be on the other side? Think about it, Davina—she could have been giggling at something entirely different."
Davina couldn't stand the fact that Kristina would analyze things more closely than she would. She really wanted to continue arguing, but she had to admit that Kristina was right. With her damp arms still tightly crossed, and her lips pursed, Davina stared at the wall ahead of her, soaking in what Kristina had just said. Soon after, her eyes, shielded behind her Coke-bottle glasses, shifted to meet Kristina's, and then, like a balloon that had been punctured, she sighed heavily, letting out her angry tension. "Okay, I see your point," she said, uncrossing her arms and throwing her wet body back down on the bed. "But there's something else that's ..." She didn't finish her sentence; instead, she slammed her fists down at her sides. "Oh, never mind—you wouldn't understand."
Kristina rolled her eyes. "Why don't you try me?"
Davina sat up again. "Okay—I suppose you are my only resort."
"I'm all ears," Kristina said flatly.
"It's about Sepel," Davina muttered, not loud enough for Kristina to hear.
"What?" Kristina said. Davina was really starting to get under her skin, and Kristina really wanted he
r to get off her bed.
"I said—it's about SEPEL!" Davina yelled.
"WHAT ABOUT HIM?" Kristina yelled back.
Davina glared at Kristina, thinking she was a complete idiot. "See? This is a prime example of how clueless you are," she said, rolling her eyes. "Don't tell me that you haven't noticed how crazy about me he is?"
CRAZY? Yes, he must be, for liking you, Kristina thought. Even though it was hard to admit, she had noticed that Sepel seemed to like Davina. "I have noticed that he's been nice to you."
"Yeah, well I think that I might like him as well," Davina said defensively.
"Okay ..." Kristina looked oddly at Davina. "I hope you don't think I have a problem with that."
Davina stood up quickly and went to the porthole to stare out at the sea. "I don't know what to do," she said in a desperate tone.
Now that Davina was off the bed, Kristina brought the vanity chair close to the bed in case Davina wanted to sit down again.
"Why do you have to do anything?" Kristina said. "Just be yourself—that's what he already seems to like about you."
Davina turned around. "You really think he likes me just as I am?" she said, her face beaming.
I had a feeling it would come to this, me having to butter up Davina so she'll feel good about herself. "That's what I'm assuming," Kristina answered.
Davina went to sit back down on the bed, but Kristina promptly offered her the chair. Davina plopped down on it, stared at Kristina intently, and then went on, "This is going to probably shock you. Are you ready for what I'm about to tell you?"
"Probably as ready as I'll ever be," Kristina said, hardly enthralled.
"I've never had a boy like me before, at least not to my knowledge," Davina said, looking very serious.
Truly a big shocker, Kristina thought. "Well, there's a first for everything," she said.
Davina became giddy, and she reached out and punched Kristina in her arm. "Isn't it great?" she said.
"What?" Kristina asked, rubbing her arm, which now felt like a bee had stung it.
"All three of us have guys who like us!" Davina said excitedly.
Wow! Davina thinks that Werrien likes me—she'd have been the last person I would have suspected to assume that. I guess I'll take that as a compliment, Kristina thought. "Yeah—it's okay," she said.
Davina went on and on, telling Kristina all the things she adored about Sepel, from his pointy ears (which she originally said she couldn't stand) to the way he said her name (which she swore he pronounced in a French accent—whatever that would sound like). Kristina became so tired of listening that she just kept agreeing with Davina, hoping to fast-forward their conversation. Then finally, after what seemed to be an hour—or even longer—of spilling her feelings about Sepel, Davina showed signs of slowing down. She yawned heavily, then stood up and stretched her arms in the air. Kristina did the same.
"I'm so glad we could share our feelings with each other," Davina said.
Actually, I haven't shared anything with you. "Well, it is getting late, and I am quite tired," Kristina said, as she went to look out the porthole. It was very dark out, and the sea was placid, allowing THE KRISTINA to sail smoothly over it. Hoping to get a decent sleep so she would feel well enough to spend time with Werrien the next day, Kristina had to think of a way to get Davina out of her cabin. She remembered the card game and turned to face Davina. "Hey, I bet they're still playing cards," she said enthusiastically.
Thinking about it, Davina's mouth twisted from side to side. "Ah! What the heck! I can't hold a grudge forever—I guess I'll go look for them again," she said, and grinned happily. Then, just as she opened the door to leave, she turned to Kristina and said, "By the way, whatever kind of makeup you used on your face, looks amazing!"
Wow! Another compliment from Davina. "Thanks," Kristina said.
As soon as Davina was gone, Kristina went to look in the vanity mirror, but when she viewed her reflection in it, she gasped. What did Davina mean? The liar! I look revolting! Her skin had a green tinge to it, and dark circles bulged under her eyes. She cringed. "I'm turning into an old hag!"
- 18 -
The Rowboat
Kristina rolled from one side of her bed to the other, and if it hadn't been for being well tucked in her bedding, she would have definitely tumbled off the bed. At first when she opened her eyes, she couldn't tell where she was, but then she viewed the bright beam of sunlight streaming down through the porthole—and she remembered. Smiling, she stretched her arms in the air. Then she turned on her side and caught sight of something moving on the outside of the porthole. She quickly got out of bed and went to see what it was. "Looper," she said while yawning. Once again the fairy was standing on the outer rim of the porthole window. The ship wobbled over a large swell, and at that moment Kristina realized that THE KRISTINA was no longer sailing but stationary. She could also see that the sea's color was different again. Instead of dark indigo, it was now a clear aqua-blue.
Looper pointed his finger to his right, where there was a rowboat teetering in the waves. Sitting in it was Werrien, wearing only a pair of shorts. His tanned, muscular chest looked like bronzed copper in the sunlight. He waved to Kristina, and then Looper gestured to her to go to her cabin door. A few minutes later, Looper arrived at her door.
"Werrien would like you go to the main deck," Looper said.
"All right! I'll just change and be right up," Kristina said happily.
"Oh, and Werrien said that there's something for you in the built-in drawers, on the left side of your cabin, third drawer down."
Kristina quickly went to the drawer and opened it. Folded neatly inside it was a pair of jean shorts and a light green tank top. "How cool is this!" she said to Looper, who was hovering over her shoulder, looking in the drawer as well. "Where did these come from?" she asked with an inquisitive smile on her face.
"Apparently, Queen Lafinia had them put in here for you."
"But these clothes look too modern for this world?" She looked curiously at Looper for an answer.
Looper shrugged his little shoulders. "Sorry, but that's all I know." Puzzled, Kristina stood looking in the drawer at the clothes. "Take them out," Looper said, enthusiastically.
She did so and laid them out on the bed. "This is exactly what I would have picked for myself to wear on a nice day like today," she said.
"Well then, hurry up and get dressed and come on up to the main deck," Looper said. Then he did a few loops in the air and headed out the door.
After Kristina dressed and brushed her hair, she hurried out of her cabin. When she stepped out onto the main deck, she was surprised to find that the sun was already blazing hot. She quickly went to look over the edge of the ship, where she eyed the rowboat. It was sitting in the shade the ship provided, rocking gently to and fro over the sea's large swells. Werrien looked very comfortable. He was lying on the bench with his eyes closed and his bare feet crossed and up over the edge of the rowboat. Kristina put her thumb and index finger in her mouth and whistled loudly to get his attention. The shrill sound didn't seem to faze him. It was like he already knew she was there. Calmly, he opened his eyes. "Took you long enough," he said, yawning.
"Sorry," Kristina said. "Anyhow, what's up?"
"Looks like you're up there, and I'm down here, so you should come down here."
"Oh, I should, should I?" Kristina teased. She leaned cautiously over the edge of the ship, trying to get a look at the outside of the hull to see if there was some sort of ladder attached to it that she could climb down.
Knowing exactly what she was up to, Werrien smiled and shook his head. "Sorry, but there's no ladder," he said, casually crossing his arms across his chest.
"So, then how am I supposed to get down there?"
"How about the same way I did—dive in." Werrien closed his eyes again.
Bothered by his calmness, Kristina swallowed nervously. The distance from where she stood to the surface of the dancing sea below looked
to her to be about ten feet. But I'm a bad diver and knowing me, I'll probably end up doing a belly flop and kill myself.
She heard voices coming from the stern end of the ship, and she quickly turned to see Elzwur walking in her direction. Behind him were Hester and Davina.
If I'm going to do this, I'd better do it before they see me, Kristina thought. She glanced down at Werrien, still lying peacefully in the rowboat. Then promptly, she climbed up onto the edge of the ship, counted to three in her head, closed her eyes, and jumped. About halfway to the water, she pulled her knees up into a cannon ball and then landed in the clear, aqua sea, right next to the rowboat, causing the water to spring up high in the air, and then splash all over Werrien. The rowboat wobbled to and fro, and Werrien sat up abruptly—this time startled. He swung his wet hair out of his eyes and glanced around the water surrounding him, but he couldn't see anything. Then a moment later, Kristina emerged from the water in front of the rowboat. She took in a breath of air. "I'm sorry," she said, "but seeing you lying in your boat, so peacefully, like a baby sleeping soundly in his cradle, I just couldn't help myself." She pushed her shimmering wet hair out of her face. "Did I startle you?" she added, smiling.
"Like a baby sleeping in his cradle!" Werrien repeated. He stuck his hand in the water and began vigorously splashing her.
Kristina laughed and then ducked back down under the water and swam under the rowboat to the other side of it. Just as she was emerging, she swallowed a mouthful of the salty seawater and came up coughing strenuously.
Werrien had been ready to splash her again, but instead, he held out his hand for her to grab onto. He felt sorry for her, though he couldn't help chuckling while he pulled her up into the boat.
Kristina sat down on the bench, the saltwater still stinging in her nose and throat.
Werrien patted her gently on the back. "So, I guess it's obvious now who the real baby is," he said under his breath.
The Black Shard Page 11