"Oh, really? Let me refresh your memory, my dear. First off, you tried to kill Werrien by pushing him off the rowboat into the sea." The hag grinned wickedly. "Actually, it was quite clever of you, pretending that you were playing around."
"I was only playing around," Kristina insisted, though she did remember the guilt she had felt when Werrien didn't surface.
"Don't you remember? You thought that he might have hit his head on something and drowned. And then you thought if he had drowned, it would be entirely your fault."
"That's not how it was. You're twisting the story." Kristina's stomach wrenched with pain.
The hag had a look of disgust on her gaunt face. "Soon after, you became so pathetically jealous of a small, innocent child who was being abused by her mother."
"At first, I had no idea that Werrien was talking about a small child," Kristina insisted, "and later, when I did find out, I felt horrible and I apologized."
The hag ignored what Kristina said and went on, "Then at the Three Seas Hideaway, restaurant, your heart again flooded with jealousy when Werrien only spoke with another girl." Kristina had nothing to say at this point, for she was well aware of her insecurity. "And lastly, and may I add, the best of all," the hag chuckled, "you have sent Werrien away to face his doom. Now do you see how we are alike?"
Kristina's heart felt like it plunged into her stomach. "How have I sent Werrien to his doom?" she asked, not looking forward to the answer.
"That, my dear is a surprise for a little later."
Kristina was having a hard time breathing—the hag's breath was so putrid, like a decaying creature. "Who... are you?" she whispered, her voice strained.
"I am whoever I want to be," the hag said, rising in the air. She began circling around Kristina, and while doing so, she changed into the serpent, lashing out at Kristina with a thin, whip-like tongue and sharp fangs. Then the serpent turned into the evil old man that Kristina had seen in the mirror in her cabin on the ship. He stared down at her with vicious eyes. "My name is Lust," he said, laughing in a demented way. Then he changed into the most horrid creature Kristina had ever seen in her life. It had a reddish-brown head of a man but with two, thin, swirling horns coming out of its forehead. Its eyes were red and glowing, like two hot coals, and its body was that of a lizard, with a tail that lashed back and forth, nearly striking Kristina. "I am Resucca," the creature hissed. Its words came at Kristina in a blast of hot wind that smelled of death. The creature turned back into the hag. "I guess that I forgot to mention, my name is Revenge," the old hag said. She flew back to the dark silhouette of the tall, slender woman and entered her body. Then the silhouetted woman stepped into the lantern's light, and she dropped her cloak to the ground. She was draped in a scarlet gown, and upon her head she wore an ebony crown with one sharp spike in its center. She was none other than the evil Sentiz.
Sentiz looked up to the sky and lifted her arms in the air. "Come now, my followers," she called out. Then she brought her arms back down, and as she did so, a bat the size of a vulture flew down from the sky and landed on the ground to her right. Then a loud buzzing noise filled the air, so ear-piercing that it made Kristina's head feel like it might explode. It came from an insect, resembling a mosquito, but this was no ordinary mosquito; this one was the size of a crow. It flew down from the sky and landed on Kristina's chest. It went as close as it could to her face, almost sticking its sharp, red needle-nose in her eye. Yellow goat-like eyes with rectangular pupils protruded out of its face and with them, it stared into Kristina's eyes. Then it looked at the bloody sore on her forehead, and it stuck its needle-nose into it. It felt to Kristina like a knife drilling down into her wound. Then she felt the needle sucking her blood. She tried to scream, but no sound came out of her mouth. She tried to lift her arms and legs, but they wouldn't move. Her body felt heavy, like petrified wood. Finally, the strange insect removed its needle from her wound and it lifted off of her chest. For a moment, it hovered above her. Then it flew over to Sentiz and landed on the ground to her left.
"Reveal yourselves," Sentiz said in a loud, commanding voice to the bat and the insect.
The bat and the insect began to flap their wings in unison.
They slowly lifted off the ground, bringing their wings together above their heads. They spun in the air like two small cyclones. Faster and faster they went, until they were no longer visible. When they became visible again, they grew larger and larger, spinning slower and slower, lowering themselves back down to the ground, one on each side of Sentiz, as they had been before.
Kristina gasped at what she saw next. The insect had turned into the dwarf, Rumalock, and the bat into Ramon, Sentiz's son. Both of these malicious characters were Sentiz's servants who had tried to steal the Magic Warble from Kristina and Werrien when they were on their journey, delivering it to its resting place, the first time Kristina had come to Bernovem.
Rumalock and Ramon wore arrogant expressions on their faces, for they saw themselves as young and attractive, as well as highly honored dukes, only slightly lower in rank than Sentiz, a queen. In reality, she really wasn't a queen—at least, not since the Magic Warble was placed in its resting place. They also saw themselves as wearing magnificent outfits made of shimmering, purple taffeta, embellished with gold trim on the sleeves and neckline;—outfits worn only by a king's or queen's most honored subjects. Kristina, on the other hand, saw them quite differently. To her, they both looked much older and thinner, and their clothes were dirty and ragged, as if they hadn't been changed in years. Each of them had a shackle clamped around one ankle and attached to the shackle was a heavy chain. The ends of these chains were held by Sentiz, one in each of her hands.
Rumalock and Ramon heard Sentiz say, "Now, my honorable dukes, you may proceed to do what you have been desiring to do for such a long time." But Kristina heard her words very differently. To Kristina's ears, Sentiz said, "Now, you worthless scoundrels, do what I have ordered you to do, or be assured that I will send you to roast in an eternal fire!"
Rumalock and Ramon walked toward Kristina, seeing themselves moving with ease toward her. Kristina, saw them as struggling to lug their heavy chains along with them. When they reached her, they stared down at her with wicked expressions on their faces. Kristina stared up at them, and because she was feeling physically and mentally drained, she saw double of them, their sinister, grinning mugs bobbing up and down above her.
Sentiz stood behind Kristina's head. "Because I am so generous, I will extend Resucca's offer to you one last time—to come with us and help us to rule this world," she said as she leered down at Kristina with a frigid look on her gaunt face.
Kristina stared up at Sentiz. "Why? So I can join these two deceived fools. Never!" she said.
Sentiz's face contorted with rage. "Then so be your pathetic fate," she sneered.
The Black Shard lay on the grass, very close to Kristina. It shimmered in the lantern's light and caught Sentiz's eye. She knelt down and picked it up with her long, red, hook-like nails. An eerie smirk lingered on her face as she gazed into it. She walked back to Kristina and knelt down beside her, laying the stone in the grass very close to her head. "It was actually to my benefit that this Black Shard from the original Seeing Crystal was left in the palace," she said. "When I leave you now, you will at least have it to entertain you." She stood and walked away up the hillside. When she reached the top of the hill, she turned around and shouted, "Faithful followers! You shall begin!"
Ramon and Rumalock had looks of satisfaction as they stared at Kristina, anticipating what they were going to do to her. They reached inside their pockets and each brought out a small pouch, no bigger than an average-sized men's wallet.
"What are you going to do?" Kristina asked them.
"Something that is long overdue," Rumalock said in a calm voice.
"You should have taken my proposal of marriage the first time you were here. Then things would have turned out very differently for you," Ramon said conte
ntiously.
"I'll welcome death rather than have to be with either of you," Kristina said angrily.
Ramon looked at Rumalock, and the two of them snickered.
Rumalock drummed his grimy fingers on his unkempt bearded chin. "Death would actually be quite refreshing in comparison to what will happen to you," he said.
What could possibly be worse than death? Kristina thought. If she had any feeling at all left in her body, she was certain that she would have been trembling like a leaf.
"Death would be rather peaceful compared to ..." Ramon paused for a moment to relish his thoughts, "to being trapped, with no hope of escape, and, might I add, with no hope of being rescued by your handsome prince." Ramon looked at Rumalock and nodded his head. They both dumped some of the contents from their pouches into their palms, then took a pinch of what looked like black soot between their fingers and sprinkled it around Kristina.
Only having mobility from the neck up, Kristina turned her head and saw the surface of the ground around her begin to move like the waves in the sea. The ground began to crack open where the powder had landed, and through the blades of green grass, set aglow in the light of the lantern, thick black vines began to twist their way out of the ground. They spiraled toward Kristina, and she had a dreadful feeling of what was going to happen next.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked Ramon.
"Why am I doing this?" Ramon repeated. "You can't be that stupid." He smiled sinfully at her. "Or can you?" His face twisted up as he thought. Then he went on, "We are doing this for Sentiz, because she has looked after us so well. You see Kristina, a prime example of her ladyship's care for us are these expensive, elegant clothes." He ran his hand over the top of his grimy, tattered shirt. "These fine threads never fade and never need pressing or washing." As he spoke, one of the black vines began to twist itself around Kristina's foot. She could feel it, but she still couldn't move. "Not only has my mother provided us with these clothes but also a beautiful palace high up in the cliffs of Bernovem." In reality, this was the damp, dark, dismal cave they had previously been in. "And to top off her undying affection for us, Queen Sentiz has given Rumalock and me the ability to change into divine, winged beings."
What a couple of idiots, Kristina thought. "The clothes you and Rumalock have on are in no way elegant. They are dirty, filthy rags, and as far as calling an ugly insect and a mangy bat 'divine winged creatures,' all I can say about that is you both are totally deceived by Resucca and his puppet, your mother, Sentiz."
"You ungrateful, foolish wench!" Ramon spat at Kristina. "You think that you're so superior to us." His expression was hateful. "We'll just see how far your wisdom gets you now." He blew the last of the black powder from his palm onto the ground next to her sore-infested, paralyzed body. Then he walked over to Rumalock, and the two of them slowly lifted off the ground, turning as they ascended. They began to spin, faster and faster, until they changed back into the insect and the bat. Then they flew off into the pitch-black darkness of the night.
The vines had now wound themselves around Kristina's legs and arms and new vines were breaking forth out of the ground. In a spiral motion, they made their way toward her torso. Afraid to look at them, Kristina turned her head the other way—and she saw the Black Shard lying in the grass beside her. The stone was again glowing a deep, dark red.
- 38 -
Decisions, Decisions
A scene suddenly appeared inside the Black Shard. It was of one of the hills where Werrien and Kristina had ridden earlier that day. Kristina could see Lisheng coming up the hill, with Werrien and Jabela riding on him. Even though she had told Werrien to go back with Jabela to the ship and leave Tezerel, Kristina couldn't help but be glad that he was returning to her. Hopefully, Werrien can get here soon, to free me from these horrible vines. No sooner did she have this thought than two of the vines began crossing over her midsection, making their way under her back. She refused to look at them, keeping her eyes on the stone.
Werrien stopped Lisheng, dismounted, and then helped Jabela down from the horse. He took a canteen from the saddlebag, unscrewed its lid, and handed it to Jabela. While the little girl was drinking, Werrien readjusted Lisheng's saddle.
The next thing that Kristina witnessed was so frightful and unexpected. While Werrien was busy adjusting the saddle, the child, Jabela, suddenly metamorphosed into Sentiz.
No! Please! This can't be, Kristina thought. Sentiz began walking toward Lisheng.
"Lisheng!" Kristina cried out. "You've got to stop her!" But of course, Lisheng couldn't hear Kristina, and regardless, the horse was peacefully dozing off.
Sentiz wasn't going to take any more chances of this horse attacking her, as Taysha had attacked the old hag, so she held out to Lisheng a treat laced with a sleeping potion. Lisheng thought it was Werrien who had offered it to him, and the horse happily ate the treat—and then right away fell into a deep slumber.
Werrien had his back to Sentiz when she approached him. Then with her long red nail, she tapped him on his shoulder. Werrien instantly knew something wasn't right; Jabela was too short to reach his shoulder. He sensed an evil presence, one he knew he had encountered before. As quick as a flash, he drew his knife from its sheath and swung around. Before Sentiz could react, he already had his arm around her neck, and with his other hand, he held the knife's sharp blade at her throat.
"Jabela?" Werrien said in a calm voice, but there was no response. "Jabela!" he said louder. When she wouldn't answer he put pressure on the knife, cutting a little into Sentiz's skin.
"There's no need to be hostile," Sentiz said calmly. "Give the child a little time to come to you."
"If you've laid a finger on her, I swear, I'll slit your gullet right here and now, and drain all the poisonous blood from your pathetic body," Werrien said through clenched teeth. He heard footsteps coming up behind him. "Jabela?" he said. "Come around to this side of me, where I can see you." The footsteps came closer to Werrien— but it was not Jabela. "Heerzek?" Werrien said surprised, yet relieved to see his shamel shipmate.
"What's going on, Werrien?" Heerzek said, looking very concerned.
"As you can see, I'm a little preoccupied. Have you seen a small girl, about seven years old, near here?"
"No, I haven't," Heerzek said, his eyes shifting from Sentiz to Werrien.
"She was with me a few minutes ago, but when I called her, she didn't answer. I think that Sentiz has done something to her." Werrien tightened his grip on Sentiz's neck, causing her to make a choking noise.
"I'll look for her," Heerzek said. As he walked by Werrien, he did something disgraceful—he thrust a small knife into the prince's stomach. He did it so quickly that Werrien hardly felt it as it pierced through him. "There is no Jabela, you fool!" Heerzek hissed. "Sentiz knew you were a pushover for children. With a little help from black magic, it was the perfect disguise for her."
Shocked, Werrien's eyes grew wide. He could feel his warm blood seeping out of his abdomen. He stared at Heerzek, hardly believing what had just taken place. He knew he couldn't hold Sentiz much longer, so he made a quick yet accurate slice across her throat and then pushed her to the ground. He placed his hands on his blood-soaked shirt where the knife had pierced him. Disheartened and confused, Werrien fell to his knees, asking, "Why, Heerzek?"
Heerzek stood next to him. "Everything you have has been handed to you on a golden platter," he said with a loathsome expression on his face.
"But haven't I always treated you well, and given you everything you've needed and more?"
"You have not given me everything I've needed," Heerzek said bitterly. "What I need"—he clenched his fists at his sides—"what I crave, is to rule over this world, and what Sentiz has offered me, your meager provisions could never compare with."
"Then it's too bad that I just killed Sentiz," Werrien said, his voice strained.
Behind his scraggly, black hair, Heerzek revealed a smug grin. "Oh, Werrien boy, you are so naive. What's r
eally too bad is that you don't realize how powerful Sentiz is. You can't kill her. Resucca has granted her immortality." Heerzek looked over at Sentiz, who was now sitting up, smiling, and wiping the blood off of her unmarked throat. She stood up and walked over to Heerzek, and the two of them stared down at Werrien. With her foot, Sentiz pushed Werrien, and he fell to the ground on his side.
"You ungrateful boy," Sentiz said in a dry, throaty voice. "How dishonorable of you to sneak into my meeting room and take the Black Shard without your father's consent."
Even though in extreme pain, Werrien couldn't help but chuckle at Sentiz. "You care nothing for my father, so don't bring him into this. That palace and everything in it has never been yours, you filthy thief."
Sentiz chuckled as well. "Your stealing the Black Shard makes you a filthy thief as well."
"I never stole it; I borrowed it."
"Call it what you want, but regardless you will pay the consequence," she sneered. "And another thing, your being able to slit my throat was only because I allowed you to do so. It was just for fun on my part." Her dark eyes grew wide and a crazed smile formed on her face. "I actually enjoyed it, knowing that I can't be killed."
Heerzek and Sentiz snickered at each other.
"You and your pretty little girlfriend were so pathetic, gallivanting around the ship like two lovesick pups," Heerzek said with a disgusted look on his face. Then he looked at Sentiz. "Though I did try my hardest to ruin their fun," he said to her.
Werrien frowned at Heerzek. "Really, Heerzek?" he said. "How so?"
"Oh! That's right!" Heerzek said to Werrien. "How could you have had a clue? Sentiz gave me a sickness potion, and all I had to do was put an itty-bitty drop of it on a tiny piece of cloth. Then I cupped the cloth in the palm of my hand, and each time I touched Kristina with it, it made her feel ill, the same way food poisoning or sea sickness would." Heerzek chuckled. "It was really fun for me when I bribed your slave fairy; they're such suckers for sweets. Anyhow, at the palace, the morning after your birthday celebration, I put some of the sickness potion on the fairy's hand, and then I had her touch Kristina's face with it. Poor bitty thing died from it, but at least she made Kristina feel ill," Heerzek snickered. "And Kristina thought it was Leacha's syrup that made her sick."
The Black Shard Page 24