"Not really," Werrien said casually.
"Why not?"
Werrien didn't answer. He seemed irritated.
He's probably sick of my questions. Why am I such a blabber mouth? Kristina thought.
"There isn't going to be a future queen," he suddenly said.
Kristina swallowed. There was uncomfortable silence. Then Werrien finally broke the silence. "I can't marry any girl. She has to have royal blood flowing through her veins, and there is no one like that anywhere in our three lands."
Well, then that would definitely have taken me out of the equation to begin with, Kristina thought. More uncomfortable silence followed. Then Kristina said, "I'm sorry, Werrien."
"For what?"
"I shouldn't ask so many questions."
Werrien half smiled. "Don't worry about it," he said. Then he reached inside his pocket and took out his closed fist again. He slowly opened it to reveal a necklace with a shimmering, crystal stone attached to it, exactly the same as the one that had taken Kristina home the first time she was in Bernovem. It sparkled vibrantly and reflected pastel blue, green, purple, and pink colors all around them.
Illuminated by the light of the stone, Kristina's blue eyes sparkled. "This brings back memories," she said. "How many of those do you have?"
"One," Werrien said, holding the ends of the necklace in each of his hands. "May I?" he added.
Kristina turned her back toward him, and she lifted her damp hair for him to reach the necklace around her neck. As he was fastening the clasps, she suddenly remembered that when she had arrived back home the first time after leaving Bernovem, she didn't have the necklace on. "It never left Bernovem, did it?" she said.
"It was laying on the rock the moment after you disappeared."
Kristina let her hair fall down over her shoulders. Then she took the glimmering stone in her hand and with her back still facing Werrien, she asked, "So when it turns red, is that when I will go home again?"
"I'm afraid so," Werrien said softly.
She turned around to face him. "Why don't I leave it off and see what happens?" she suggested with hopeful eyes.
"I can't let you do that."
"Why?"
"You asked me that the first time you were here—remember?"
"Kind of." Kristina sighed.
"Well, I found out from my mother that if you had taken it off, you never would have been able to go back home again."
"How does your mother know that?"
"Rupert Sorsiro and Azaril Crimson actually crafted the necklace, and when Rupert was living at the palace, he explained all there is to know about it to her."
"Why did you have to put it on me right now, then? Couldn't we have waited a little longer to start the process?"
"Unfortunately, the process has already started."
Kristina took the shimmering stone in her hand, and she stared at the pastel colors swirling inside it. "When did it start?"
"On the ship this morning. I checked it and noticed that it went from a colorless transparency to all the colors that are in it now. There is one good thing, though. My mother said that because you have worn it before, it should recognize you, and give you a little more time here than the last time you were here."
"Does the stone have a mind of its own?"
"That I don't know, but I think it's more like it has built up some resistance to you, and that's why it may give you a little more time."
"In other words, it's building up immunity to me, like I'm some kind of bad disease." Kristina looked sad. "Whatever it is, I guess it's good news."
Werrien placed his hand on her shoulder and patted her gently. "Let's just make the best of the time you still have here," he said.
"Okay," Kristina said gloomily.
They sat quietly for a few minutes. Then Werrien reached inside his pocket again and took out the Black Shard. He was just about to stare into it when suddenly, a voice from the other side of the waterfall called out his name.
"That's Elzwur," Werrien said tensely, clasping his hand shut around the Black Shard. "I guess it's time for us to leave."
"Werrien!" Elzwur called out again.
Kristina stood up and quickly jumped in the dark water. When she ascended, she turned to face Werrien and found him staring into the Black Shard again. "What are you seeing this time?" she asked him ... but he didn't answer her.
- 22 -
A Woman or a Weed?
“Werrien?" Kristina said, but he seemed mesmerized by the Black Shard and he still didn't answer her. "Werrien!" she called out more adamantly. When he didn't respond, she began swimming back to the rock. "If you don't answer me, then I'll just come back up there to see what it is you're so fascinated with."
She reached the rock and was about to climb out, but before she could even get her shoulders out of the water, something that felt like a cold, bony hand grabbed her ankle, clenching it like a vice grip.
Frightened to her core, Kristina screamed. She looked down and saw an old ghoulish-looking woman with greenish-gray skin that was so thin, her veins and bones could be seen through it. She had huge, hollow looking eyes, and her snow-white hair swirled around her head under the dark water. She opened her mouth and revealed a set of jagged teeth, like broken glass.
Desperate to get away from the hag, Kristina tried to grab onto the rock, but it was too slippery, and her hands only slid down it. She could feel fingernails as sharp as daggers pierce into the skin around her ankle.
Hearing Kristina's scream, Werrien snapped out of his stare and hurried over to the edge of the rock. He reached his arm down to try to pull her up, but the gruesome hag pulled even harder on Kristina's ankle—and Kristina's head suddenly disappeared under the dark water. As she descended, Werrien could see her struggling for her life. Without hesitation, he dove into the water and began swimming downward to rescue her. She was already about eight feet below the surface when he finally reached her. He took hold of her arm, and as he did so, Kristina felt the hag release her grip from her ankle. The hag descended into the darkness of the deep.
With his arm tightly gripped around Kristina, Werrien swam up to the surface of the water as fast as he could. Their heads exploded out of the dark pool, and Kristina immediately gagged and coughed up the water she had swallowed. Werrien swam with her back to the rock, where he leaned against it, panting.
"She was ... trying ... to kill me," Kristina said between breaths. Kristina ran her hand over her neck, checking to see if the necklace was still around it. Luckily, it was still there.
"Who was trying to kill you?" Werrien asked.
Kristina looked at Werrien, puzzled. "You've got to be kidding! You had to have seen her!"
Elzwur called out Werrien's name again, this time sounding closer than before.
Werrien ignored him again. "Seen who?" he asked Kristina, stress written all over his face.
"How could you have not seen her? She was glowing, with her ghost-white hair flowing around her ugly head."
"Are you hurt?" Werrien asked, seeming to overlook what she had just said.
Kristina nodded and fought back tears. "The hag stuck her hook-nails in my ankle."
Werrien climbed back up on the rock, and then helped Kristina back up as well. "Let's take a look at your ankle," he said.
Trembling, Kristina sat down on the cool, damp rock and stretched her legs out in front of her. Her left ankle, the one that the hag had latched onto, was very red, with tiny but deep cuts that oozed blood all around it.
As Werrien stared at Kristina's leg, a confused expression came upon his face. There was a thin, dark bluish-green weed stuck on her shin. He took it off and examined it. "Throttle vine?" he said.
"What type of vine?" Kristina said between sniffles.
"This is throttle vine, a flesh-eating water weed that latches onto its prey and then strangles it in order to eat it." He examined it more closely. "Really weird—the only place that this has ever been found growing was in the swamps on Jalmara,
and that was many years ago. It supposedly went extinct when the land became too cold."
"Werrien!" Kristina said distraughtly. "It wasn't a weed that grabbed me—it was a disgusting old hag."
Werrien hadn't seen a trace of an old hag, so he had a hard time believing Kristina, but he didn't want to upset her more. He embraced her to comfort her.
"We need to get going or Elzwur might attempt swimming over here," he said.
As they made their way to the other side of the waterfall, Werrien stayed very close to Kristina, making sure nothing bad would happen to her again. Then, once on the other side, Kristina quickly swam to the rock where they had eaten, and hastily, she climbed up on it. Werrien did the same and promptly went to the sack he had brought along. He took out a small, dark bottle and went to aid Kristina.
"I only wish that you would believe what I saw attack me," Kristina said softly.
Werrien opened the bottle and poured its light pink liquid onto her wounds. As soon as it hit her skin, the wounds disappeared.
"Thank goodness for fairy blossom," Kristina said, starting to feel a little better. But she still had a gloomy expression on her face, and Werrien could tell that she was still dwelling on what she thought had attacked her.
"Maybe she disappeared before I could see her," Werrien suggested, although he still believed that it was only the throttle vine that had wrapped itself around her ankle.
"But Werrien, she was there, as plain as day," Kristina said.
"Wer-ri-en!" Elzwur's voice could be heard calling out again.
"Over here, by the water pool," Werrien called back as he packed away the lunch utensils. He took the orchid necklace he had made earlier for Kristina and placed it around her neck.
"It still smells good," Kristina said.
"And it covers the other necklace, so no one will know about it except for you and me."
Kristina was glad, because she was in no mood to explain anything about the necklace to Hester and Davina, who she was sure would be jealous of it. "By the way, how are Hester and Davina getting back home?" she asked Werrien.
"They will be given the same stones that took them home the first time they were here."
"I guess that make sense," Kristina said. Then a curious look enveloped her face. "You know something?" she said.
"What?"
"I just realized that Graham Kepler was the only one who hasn't come back to Bernovem this time."
"Hm ... You're right. How sad," Werrien said sarcastically.
"No kidding," Kristina agreed.
Elzwur was walking on the trail that led to Werrien and Kristina. Hester and Davina were lagging along behind him. Elzwur looked sweaty and irritated—sweaty because he was dressed too warmly in a long-sleeved shirt that was buttoned high up on his neck and topped by a stiff jacket. He wore knickers that came down to the top of his shin-high black boots. "Your Highness; where have you been?" he said, seeming exasperated. "We've been searching a long time for you two." He made sure he gave Kristina his famous sourpuss frown.
Hester and Davina plopped themselves down on the rock where Werrien and Kristina had eaten lunch.
With a fairly sunburned, perturbed face, Hester looked up at Kristina and said, "So you got to go swimming, while Davina and I had to trudge through the massive jungle, looking for you?"
"It figures!" Davina bellyached. Then with a disgruntled expression, she looked up at Elzwur and said, "And don't even expect me to remember all the names of those queer plants and fruits you tried to get us to eat. I hate almost all fruit."
"That's why God made candy—it's much tastier," Hester said under her breath.
"And more practical, because it doesn't rot," Davina added.
So immature, Kristina thought.
"Thanks for the pearls of wisdom, but believe me when I say, I surely wasn't expecting you two to remember the plants' names," Elzwur said disdainfully.
"I took Kristina to see the other side of the fall," Werrien said to Elzwur.
Davina suddenly perked up. "Can you take us as well?" she asked enthusiastically.
"No!" Elzwur said adamantly, running his hand down the length of his beard. "For one thing, there are dangerous fish in that water."
Werrien winked at Kristina, and Kristina smiled, once again picturing Elzwur wrestling with a small fish caught at the end of his beard.
"And for another, we need to get back to the ship," Elzwur added.
"What are we waiting for? Let's get going," Werrien said as he and Kristina began walking back to the beach.
"Oh, there is one more thing I need to tell you," Elzwur said, his little legs moving quickly to catch up with Werrien and Kristina, who were already a few yards ahead of him. "Our rowboat hit something at the shore, and now it's no longer seaworthy. I'm afraid the three of us will have to tag along with you two back to the ship."
The mood was somber as Werrien rowed the boat back to THE KRISTINA. Davina and Hester sat quietly, still brooding over the fact that they didn't get to go swimming, and Elzwur looked worn out, probably from having to spend the day with the two of them.
The sun was setting on the horizon, casting brilliant, pastel colors over the sprawling clouds in the sky. It could have been a perfectly glorious evening, and on any other occasion, Kristina would have been totally enamored with it, but instead, her heart felt as heavy as the anchor holding THE KRISTINA stationary in the sea, and as for the beautiful pastel colored sky, it only reminded her of the necklace that would soon be sending her home.
- 23 -
The Demented Mirror
Back on the main deck of the ship the mood was anything but somber. A festive spirit lingered in the air, along with the smell of freshly baked bread entwined with the salty scent of the sea. Right after they boarded the ship, Werrien told Kristina he had something important to take care of and that he'd be back in a few minutes. Kristina watched him walk off, and then she turned toward the galley and saw a long table set up for an outdoor dinner party. Leacha was setting a large basket of fresh baked buns at the far end of the table. Kristina went to say hello to Leacha, and curious to check things out as well; Davina and Hester followed behind her. Just as they reached the galley door, Kurdy pushed through it, carrying a large black steaming caldron, and from the way he carried it—bent over slightly and with hurried short steps—it was obvious that the cauldron was very full.
"Hope you've worked up a good appetite," Kurdy said in a strained voice. He winked at Kristina. "Looks like someone got sun-kissed."
"More like bitten," Kristina said, starting to feel the effects of the sun. Her usually ivory-colored skin had turned a salmon pink, and her nose and arms were now clustered with tiny freckles. Werrien who was already on his way back to join Kristina, had only become more tanned, making his blue green eyes pop out even more, especially with his scruffy, sun-bleached hair.
Slouching near the table, Hester eyeballed the food for any signs of sweets. Then she glanced down at the clothes she was wearing. I'm not at all impressed with this island-excursion attire that Elzwur provided for me and Davina, she thought. Of all things, he would have to give us his extra pants, which fit us like long shorts, and his extra white shirts that are too short on our arms and too baggy around our waists. The clothes at least kept them from getting burned—that is, except for their faces. Hester tried to make her shirt look more fashionable by tying its ends at the side of her waist. Davina, on the other hand, could not have cared less how she looked, and let her white shirt, now wrinkled, hang out over her shorts.
Werrien noticed Kristina's burn. "Does it hurt?" he asked her.
"Not really. It's actually only a little warm," Kristina said, rubbing her arms like she was cold.
"You remind me of one of the delicate, pink orchids around your neck," he added smiling coolly.
"I'd say more like a red lobster," Hester ridiculed under her breath.
Davina went to the table and looked inside the steaming caldron. Then, with fogged
up glasses, she hollered across the table to Leacha, "You've got to be kidding! I sure as heck hope you've got more than what's in this pot to feed everyone."
Leacha scowled at Davina. "You'd best be grateful for what you get, or I won't hesitate to put you back to work in the galley, and you'll miss the festivities tonight," she said, shaking a large wooden spoon at Davina. Then Leacha headed back to the kitchen. "Ungrateful urchin," she added.
Behind Leacha's back, Davina quietly mocked her.
Hester had overheard the word "festivities" and quickly went to Davina to get the scoop on it. "So fill me in on the happenings?" she said.
"I have no idea. The old bag didn't give me a chance to ask her," Davina said as she snuck a bun off the table. She shoved half of it in her mouth and the other half in her pocket.
"I think that I'd like to get changed," Kristina said to Werrien.
"Meet you back here within the hour?" Werrien said. Kristina agreed, and they both went their separate ways.
As soon as Kristina cracked open the door to her cabin, her nostrils instantly filled with a familiar floral fragrance. The cabin was dark except for a candle burning softly on the night table to the left of her bed. Its warm light added a charming ambience to the room. On the right-side night table was a vase filled with colorful meadow flowers. She glanced at the bed; laid out for her there was a summer dress, white with a pale blue orchid pattern covering it. Filled with awe, her mouth fell open and she immediately picked up the dress—and a note fell from it to the floor. She quickly picked up the note and read:
Dear Kristina,
I hope you like the dress. I picked out the material myself and had my tailor make it especially for you. I tried to match the blue to your eyes. If I didn't get it just right, I have no doubt you'll look great in it anyway. I hope you'll wear it tonight.
Werrien
p.s. Look under the bed.
Kristina looked under the bed and found a pair of white flat shoes. She placed them on top of the bed. Then she picked up the dress again and went to the mirror and held it against her body. The pale-blue orchids matched her eyes perfectly, and the crystal necklace, still unchanged, reflecting its pastel colors, complemented the dress perfectly. Werrien has great taste. I absolutely love it, she thought. She glanced up at her face again and saw that it looked normal—not great, in her opinion, with its being so pink and covered in freckles, but at least the green tinge, bags under her eyes, and hideous wrinkles were gone. She let out a sigh of relief. Maybe the disgusting way I looked before really was only a figment of my imagination, and if it was, then it could also be possible that the gruesome old hag who tried to drown me wasn't real either, she thought—at least, it was more comforting to think of it that way.
The Black Shard Page 14