The Carnelian Legacy

by Cheryl Koevoet

  “No,” she lied.

  “I shall not be able to sleep tonight if I know you’re angry.”

  “I’m not angry. Just a little frustrated maybe.”

  “Sleep well, milady.”

  “Night.”

  So close, and yet so far.

  CHAPTER 22

  CELINO

  ARRIE HAD PROMISED TO take Marisa to see Celino the sorcerer after breakfast, and she was surprised to find she was actually looking forward to it. When Arrie came to get her, she grabbed her cape and draped it over her dress. The weather was getting chillier with each passing day.

  Since Celino’s house was only a few hundred yards from the palace gates, they set out on foot, passing the heavily-armored guards at the citadel’s main entrance. Once they were outside the castle walls and had entered the narrow, cobblestone streets, she breathed a sigh of relief.

  Marisa was amazed by all the fascinating paradoxes she saw in Carnelia. As they walked through the streets and observed various aspects of the city, it struck her that things were not crude and unsophisticated but functional, well thought out, and elegant. The clothing styles, the hair styles, and the tools and wares being sold were familiar and yet so different too. Carnelia was a fascinating world, and Crocetta was a beautiful sort of retro-futuristic city.

  They moved at a snail’s pace as she stopped to examine each interesting object that caught her eye. She laughed at the row of strange hats in a shop window and admired the women’s beaded slippers on display. Arrie just chuckled and patiently stopped to wait each time she wanted to take a closer look at something.

  “Marisa, wait—you’ve got to try something here,” he said as they passed a small shop.

  “What is it?”

  Arrie grinned. “Come inside,” he said.

  They entered the store and her eyes widened as she spied a variety of candy and delectable treats in a rainbow of colors. There was a shopkeeper behind the bar helping a woman with two young boys who were fighting over the biggest lollipop. The little old man behind the bar raised a hand in greeting and flashed Arrie a kind smile. The young boys were still arguing about something as their mother herded them out of the shop. The shopkeeper just rolled his eyes and chuckled.

  Arrie whispered something to the white-haired man who wore an apron and a funny-looking hat. The man disappeared into the back and quickly reappeared with two round, brown balls on sticks. He handed one to Arrie and then gave one to Marisa. Arrie took a bite and urged her to do the same.

  She smiled and took a bite. As the familiar taste spread through her mouth, she exclaimed with delight, “It’s a caramel apple!”

  “My favorite!”

  “How did you know I love caramel apples?”

  “Doesn’t everybody? I discovered caramel apples in a candy store in Paris. I had never tasted anything like them, and when I came back to Carnelia, I showed him how to make them. They’ve been a hit ever since,” he said, taking another bite.

  “Oh, this tastes so good,” she moaned with delight.

  “He can’t even keep them on the shelves, but I have a special deal with him. If he’s sold all the ones in the shop, he always keeps a couple in the back should I happen to stop by.” Arrie laughed and winked at the shopkeeper.

  “How wonderful!”

  “Come, let’s go. Celino is expecting us.”

  They left the shop and strode through an open-air market where vendors sold fruit, vegetables, fabrics, jewelry, hats, and other items. She hurried to follow Arrie but stopped abruptly when she saw a necklace in a shop window.

  “Oh, Arrie, look at that. Isn’t it beautiful?”

  The necklace was made of rose gold and it showcased several teardrop-shaped amethysts. The larger, central stone was darker than the others and its facets sparkled in the morning sunlight.

  “Why don’t you try it on?” Arrie asked.

  “Really?”

  “Well, go on!”

  They stepped inside the shop and Marisa’s eyes popped. There were so many unusual but beautiful pieces of jewelry out on display. Most of the pieces looked antique, but a few of them almost seemed to have a distinctly modern flair.

  Arrie pointed to the rose gold set in the window, and the jeweler unclasped the necklace for her. She carefully draped it around her neck as the shopkeeper offered her a mirror. She inserted the earrings and gazed at her reflection.

  “It’s so beautiful! It must cost a fortune, though.”

  Arrie looked at the price tag. “Too much for either you or me to afford,” he said, chuckling.

  She frowned. “Oh—Arrie, my ring. We’ve just got to find it. It’s the only piece of jewelry I have that belonged to my mother.”

  “Don’t worry—Darian is doing all he can to find it. Come, we really must be going now,” he urged.

  “Oh, yeah, I’m sorry, Arrie. It’s just that it’s been a long time since I’ve been shopping.”

  “We’ll come back another time.”

  Marisa removed the necklace and earrings and handed them back to the shopkeeper. They stepped outside, and Arrie led her down the main street. He stopped when they came to a modest stone house with a blue front door and rang the bell.

  The door opened only a few inches as the face of an old, unsmiling woman with wild eyes and frizzy hair peered out at them. She eyed Marisa with intense suspicion.

  “Good morning, we’re here to see Celino,” Arrie said.

  The woman muttered something under her breath as she motioned them inside and down a dark, cramped hallway. Marisa stared in wonder at the hundreds of diagrams, models, and intriguing objects covering the tables, walls and corners.

  In every room, there were plans, drawings, schematics, and prototypes of all manners of contraptions and curious inventions. They reminded Marisa of the Leonardo da Vinci drawings she’d seen in her European history textbook.

  At the end of the hallway, there was a door leading outside to a postage-stamp courtyard. The woman pointed to two wooden chairs and disappeared inside. Arrie dusted off one of the chairs with his cloak and offered it to Marisa.

  A few minutes later, the woman returned with a pot of tea and poured them each a cup. She mumbled something unintelligible and sauntered back into the house.

  “What did she say?” Marisa asked. “I didn’t quite catch that.”

  “She said Celino would return in a few minutes,” he said. “He went out to get something, but she expects him at any moment.”

  She took a sip of tea and winced, nearly burning her lips.

  Arrie set his teacup on the table. “Be careful, it’s hot.”

  “Yeah, I already found that out.”

  A graying, fifty-something man stepped into the garden and stuck his hand out to Arrie. “Lord Arrigo! It’s good to see you again!”

  “Celino! How have you been?” Arrie said, smiling.

  “When Prince Darian came by yesterday, he mentioned that you’d found quite a gem on the way to Abbadon, but he neglected to describe how incredibly beautiful she was,” Celino said playfully, winking and grinning at Marisa.

  She stared at him in surprise. Darian had visited him? She thought he had been sequestered in the Crimson Court all day. Why hadn’t Darian mentioned his visit to Celino?

  “Celino, please allow me to introduce Marisa MacCallum. She is a citizen of your native country and is particularly keen to meet you.”

  “Well, my, my. If I’d met a girl as charming as you in America, I never would have left home.” He grinned at her.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Celino sir.”

  “Oh, please, just call me Celino. My name is actually Cecil Weingarten, but I changed it to fit in around here. The locals have given me the rather dubious distinction of being some sort of sorcerer,” he said, chuckling.

  “A sorcerer?”

  “I’m not really, you know. Actually, I’m a physicist, a PhD from Caltech in physics and astronomy, but everyone around here seems to think I’m some sort
of magician.” He poured a cup of tea. “Everyone except Arrie here, of course.”

  “Yes, I’ve promised Celino not to ruin his reputation around here,” Arrie said, grinning. “Might spoil his livelihood.”

  “What Arrie means is that I’ve been able to make a decent living by developing all kinds of devices and contraptions and selling them. Every now and then someone asks me to develop a specific, complex mechanism for them.”

  “What kinds of mechanisms?” she asked.

  “Mostly just practical, basic things you and I take for granted. Last week I helped a farmer complete a waterwheel that pumps water to his crops,” Celino said proudly. “And the palace pays me a monthly stipend to keep me on retainer,” he said, winking at Arrie as he took a sip of tea.

  Marisa leaned forward. “Celino, I think I understand the concept of a parallel dimension, but one thing I don’t get is why this civilization is so far behind ours.”

  Celino cocked his head at her. “Say again?”

  “Well, I guess people have probably roamed Carnelia just as long as people have been on Earth, so why are we so much further advanced in science and other stuff?”

  “Don’t let them fool you, Marisa. Although this world may seem as if it’s a couple of centuries behind ours, it doesn’t mean they aren’t an advanced society.”

  “Advanced society?”

  “Yes. This isn’t the Dark Ages. In fact, our world could learn a lot from them, especially when it comes to infrastructure and society. Women became fully emancipated far earlier here than they did on Earth.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I’ve been told.” Marisa looked at Arrie.

  “It’s true that the civilizations in Carnelia have been slow in making technological advances. Gunpowder has not yet been invented, and this has halted the so-called ‘march of armaments.’ Battles are still fought hand-to-hand with swords, longbow and arrows, and other crude weaponry,” Celino said.

  “But how does that affect technology?” she asked.

  “More than you can imagine. The arms race has always fueled the technology race. If somebody from Crocetta were to discover gun powder, this kingdom would become a fearsome force to be reckoned with. Another rival kingdom would rush to discover the secret of gunpowder as well as create a better gun with which to retaliate.

  “In the process, mechanical processes are discovered which can be used for peaceful purposes. Before you know it, someone invents the steam engine and Carnelia has an industrial revolution on its hands.”

  “Oh.”

  “More of that another time. Now, let’s get down to brass tacks,” Celino said, gulping down the last of his tea. “Since you’re sitting here with us, you’ve obviously made a leap through a vortex.” He looked at her expectantly.

  “I guess so.”

  “You probably witnessed the whole deal—three bright flashes of light, a tornado-like force sucking you in, etcetera?”

  “Yeah, it was pretty scary.”

  “First tell me a little bit about yourself and how you got here. I don’t know anyone else in Crocetta who’s been to earth, except Arrie here. You and I’ll have loads to talk about.”

  “Well, I’m from Jacksonville, Oregon. I graduated from South Medford High last June.” Marisa paused. “My dad died almost two weeks ago—”

  “Aw, I’m so sorry to hear that,” he said, interrupting.

  Her eyes were moist. “Thanks,” she said.

  “How did he die?”

  “Prostate cancer.”

  Celino shook his head soberly. “Somebody’s just got to discover the cure for cancer. That would be the most important scientific discovery of our generation.”

  She nodded.

  “But you were telling me how you got here…”

  “Anyhow,” she began, “after the funeral, I went out riding in the woods. There were all these weird lightning strikes and a freaky tornado came down on top of us. I blacked out after that and Arrie and Darian found me along the side of the road, so I tagged along and came back here with them.”

  “That’s the short version, I assume. Tell me, were you by any chance up in the woods north of Gold Hill when you encountered the vortex?”

  Marisa’s eyes widened. “How did you know that?”

  “That area is known for its vortex activity,” Celino said. “In fact, members of the Latgawa tribe have refused to enter the area for years now.”

  “Yeah, my dad always warned us not to go up there. I’ve always heard those woods were cursed, but I just thought it was superstitious nonsense.”

  “You’re not the only skeptic. For the longest time, I’ve been trying to prove my theory that there is a higher frequency of vortices occurring between the fortieth and forty-fifth parallel.”

  “Why is that?” asked Arrie.

  “It all has to do with the gravitational pull of the earth and the fact that it is halfway between the equator and the North Pole. Of course, altitude must always be taken into account as well.”

  “Oh.”

  “I’ve had a hunch, though, that the largest concentration of vortices in the world is located inside the Bermuda triangle. It would explain why most of the boats, planes, and people that have gotten sucked in over the years have never been found.”

  “Celino, Marisa is curious to know if there’s any chance of her returning to Earth,” Arrie said.

  “Hmm. That’s a difficult question.” he answered. “And you’re not the first one to ask it.”

  “How did you travel through a vortex, sir?” Marisa asked.

  “First of all, none of that sir stuff. Call me Cecil or Celino, but no sir. I’m no knight. Second, in answer to your question, I arrived here through a vortex that I predicted myself,” he said proudly.

  Arrie’s jaw dropped.

  “But how?” she asked. “I thought you just said it was a difficult question?”

  “I said it was a difficult question—but with an easy answer. And the answer is, yes, it can be done because I have done it.”

  “But how can you predict a vortex?” Arrie asked. “It’s my understanding that there is no way of knowing when and where one will open.”

  “Without giving away too many trade secrets, I can tell you with reasonable certainty that it is possible to predict when and where a vortex will occur using my own algorithmic method of statistics and probability. Of course, it only has a 96.7 percent standard of accuracy, but in my book, I’d call that pretty accurate.”

  “So you can predict when another vortex will open,” she said.

  “Oh, most definitely. However, the tricky part is predicting when the right vortex you need will open.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I’m sure Arrie has already explained to you that there are at least four other existing worlds. And those are just the ones we know of. When a vortex opens, you only have a one-in-four chance that it will lead toward Earth and not one of the other three worlds.”

  “So, how are you supposed to know which is which?”

  “Yes, that’s the difficult question, now, isn’t it?” Celino smiled.

  She threw up her hands. “So basically we’re back to square one, aren’t we?”

  “Not necessarily. After years of studying the paths and predictability of vortices, I just recently made a significant breakthrough. I need to test my theory just one more time, and if it works, I can officially label myself a genius.”

  “So there’s still hope for me yet?” she asked.

  “Oh, I think you could safely say that, yes,” Celino answered smugly.

  Marisa suddenly brightened.

  “However,” he warned, “you must never share this information with anybody in Carnelia. The power to predict a vortex would be a tremendous leap, scientifically speaking. But it could negatively impact Carnelia and alter its course forever.”

  “In what way?”

  He shrugged. “Someone could introduce a Howitzer. Or they might bring across some dangerous
biological agent such as smallpox that could wipe out the entire population.”

  “I never thought of that,” she said.

  “There are countless ways in which one civilization can negatively impact the other. We’re just fortunate that nobody from our world has yet been able to tap into this incredible power source. Can you imagine what would happen if they did?”

  Marisa shook her head.

  “Well, I wouldn’t worry about it. Back on Earth, the vortex wormhole theory is still in its infancy. Scientists are still trying to prove that there’s more than one universe out there and yet, here we are, sitting in Carnelia and proving that theory as fact.”

  Celino paused for a moment as he scratched his head and reached for his reading glasses on the table.

  “Scientists cannot completely disprove the possibility of time travel through the wormhole. But most of them scoff whenever anyone suggests utilizing a vortex as the quantum event to transport a person or object to another universe.”

  “Hasn’t anyone ever tried to prove it?” she asked.

  “Some have tried. I’ve devoted a substantial part of my life to researching and understanding this virtually unknown phenomenon. In fact, my thesis at Cal Tech was on something I call the vortex leap theory. It is real, my friends, as you both discovered for yourselves.”

  “How long will it take to finish the testing phase?” she asked.

  Celino smiled at her. “In other words, you want to know how much longer you’re stuck here.”

  Marisa nodded sheepishly.

  “Well, I can’t say for certain, but I should know pretty quickly here once I’m able to test it.” Celino slapped his hands on his thighs, signaling the discussion was over. “End of the science lesson for today. Who wants more tea?”

  “No thanks, I’ve had enough,” she said.

  “I think we should probably be getting back now,” Arrie replied.

  “Well then, I guess I’ll be seeing you two at the masquerade ball in a couple of days?” Celino asked.

  “Oh,” said Marisa, “I didn’t realize the invitations had already gone out. So you’re coming, right?”