The Black Shard

by Victoria Simcox

  Werrien waved his hand in front of her face. "Are you okay?" he asked, his lively eyes looking concerned.

  Kristina snapped out of her daze. "Yeah, I'm fine. So, what should I do now?" she asked, trying to be enthusiastic.

  "Just give the horses a light tap with the reins, and they'll take it from there."

  Her tap was not quite as light as Werrien must have meant, because after feeling the stinging snap on her back, Taysha turned her head and said, "Hey, lighten up on the reins a little, would you?"

  "Sorry," Kristina said, now feeling even worse than she had before.

  It was a beautiful day, and the warm sunbeams streaming downward set the forest ahead of them aglow. They traveled through the palace gardens and then crossed over the moat. Ugan, who was busy trimming a shrub, waved farewell to them, and they waved back to him. Then Kristina stared ahead of the horses with a somber expression on her face.

  Werrien looked puzzled at her. "You're pretty quiet. Did you not sleep well last night?" he asked.

  "I slept well," Kristina answered, even though she hadn't.

  "Hmm ... I know what it is; you're just overly full from eating too many of Leacha's famous pancakes." Werrien was trying to lighten her mood.

  Kristina managed a slight smile. "Actually, now that you mention those pancakes, I seemed to have had a slight reaction to Leacha's syrup this morning."

  "Really?" Werrien said surprised. "That's odd. I've never heard of that happening before."

  "I guess I'm just special," Kristina said frivolously.

  With a strangely serious expression on his face, Werrien looked at her and said, "Wow! So ... you really think of yourself as something special?"

  Kristina suddenly felt her cheeks flush. "No!" she said. "I was being sarcastic."

  "You were? Because I think you're special, and I'm not being sarcastic." He smiled coolly.

  Kristina turned and glanced at his handsome face. Though it was a compliment in a roundabout way, Werrien still had a way of annoying her. Even so, she couldn't help realizing that she was starting to like him more than just as a friend, and she wondered if he felt the same about her. "So, what is the purpose of the trip to Tezerel?" she asked, trying not to show her awkward feelings.

  "Well, besides being the king of Bernovem, my father is also the king of Tezerel, so for him, this will be a work-related trip, but for me, it will be to show you around Tezerel."

  Kristina smiled at Werrien. She was really looking forward to visiting Tezerel. "Your father must be very busy, ruling over two lands," she said.

  "Yes, he is, but he enjoys it." Werrien stared ahead of them. "We're just about out of the forest," he said.

  The trees surrounding them swayed gently in a cool breeze. Through them they could see an open meadow dotted with fairy blossoms, as well as many other colorful wild flowers.

  As they continued on the trail through the meadow, the cool breeze blew toward them, carrying with it the scent of the Citnalta Sea, mingled together with the scent of the meadow flowers.

  "Look," Werrien said, pointing west. "Does anything seem familiar to you?"

  The sun was in Kristina's eyes, so she shielded them with her hand. She could see a large rock in the distance. "Isn't that the rock where I left Bernovem the first time I was here?"

  "Yes, it is, and you know, I didn't catch the last thing you had said to me that day—you disappeared so suddenly." Werrien tried to look into her shielded eyes.

  "Uh ..." Kristina said, nervously wrinkling her brow and swallowing apprehensively. She thought quickly of what to say. "I think ... I said ... 'good-bye.'"

  "Oh, so, that's what it was," Werrien said with a curious expression on his face. "I could have sworn that you said something different. Anyhow, you had me wondering about that the whole time you were away."

  Kristina stared out at the meadow, feeling awkward, not knowing what to say. Why did I lie? I know darn well that I said, 'You're my best friend,' she thought.

  Soon the trail began to slope downward, and it wound from east to west, snaking toward the sea.

  "There she is," Werrien said looking south at the sea.

  "Wow! It's just like the kind I once saw in a pirate movie." Kristina sat up straight, excitement welling up inside her. They were still too far away from the ship to see its details, but even so, she could tell it was a grand sea vessel. She'd only been on her dad's small power boat on a lake—nothing in comparison to a ship on a vast sea.

  Nearing the long dock, the breeze suddenly turned into a strong wind, causing the hull of the ship to teeter-totter on the blue-green sea. They passed by Sepel, who was busy winding up some heavy ropes near the edge of the dock. At that moment, Davina just happened to peek out of the carriage window, and Sepel caught sight of her. He waved to her, and she shrank down in her seat, out of his view.

  "Dang it!" Davina said, rolling her eyes behind her glasses. "It figures, Sepel would have to be here, too."

  "How are things coming along?" Werrien asked Sepel.

  "She's ready to set sail, Your Highness," Sepel said cheerfully as they slowly passed by him.

  The wind blew Kristina's long flaxen hair about her face, making it hard for her to see—that is, until they were in the shadow of the ship's stern.

  "Stop the horses," Werrien said to her. Kristina tugged gently on the reins. "Now look up," he added eagerly.

  Kristina looked up and as soon as she read the large golden letters sprawled across the stern, she felt her stomach twist in a knot.

  - 9 -

  Five Portraits

  The golden letters sprawled across the stern of the ship read THE KRISTINA.

  Without thinking, Kristina blurted out to Werrien, "Did you actually name the ship after me?"

  Werrien's eyebrows lifted and he looked slyly at her. "Whatever gave you that idea? Do you really think that you're the only girl named Kristina?"

  "No," Kristina said, shrinking down in her seat and feeling extremely stupid for instantly assuming it was her the ship was named after.

  After a long pause, Werrien said, "Come to think of it, you may be the only girl I know named Kristina. Though it was actually my father's and mother's idea to name the ship after you."

  "Oh," Kristina said, wishing she knew better not to speak so quickly without thinking first.

  Werrien sighed. "And I gave it my approval, as well," he added.

  Phew! Kristina thought, smiling timidly at him through her wind-blowing hair.

  Werrien, briefly returned the smile and then jumped down from the carriage onto the dock. Then while he was helping Kristina down, the door to the carriage swung open. Elzwur was the first to step out onto the dock; his pale, stern face gave away that he must have experienced a torturous journey. He held the door open for Leacha, and seeing Leacha's stubby legs poke out, Werrien quickly went to help her to climb down from the carriage as well.

  Once Leacha stood on the wide, wood-plank dock, she adjusted the scarf on her head and drew in a deep breath. "If I had to ride another minute with the likes of those two,"—meaning Hester and Davina—"I know for sure that I'd lose my mind and end up doing something to them I might regret," she said exasperatedly. With a perturbed look, Elzwur agreed with her.

  Next, Hester stepped down onto the dock, looking bored and miserable, and last to come out was Davina. Seeming in a better mood than the rest, she placed her hands on her hips, and looked out at the sea like she was ready to conquer it.

  Hester was the first to notice the golden letters sprawled across the stern, and she promptly elbowed Davina, who was now busy smoothing the wrinkles out of her new outfit."What the heck was that for?" Davina grumbled loudly.

  "Would you get a load of this," Hester said.

  "I have eyes, you know! I can see that it's a large ship," Davina said, not noticing what Hester was trying to show her.

  Hester grabbed Davina by her arm, pulled her close to her, and pointed to the back of the stern. "I meant what's written on the b
ack of it."

  Davina looked up at the back of the ship, and she read the golden letters spelling out THE KRISTINA. She crossed her arms defensively and gave Hester a cunning look. "You know what?" she said.

  "What?" Hester said hotly.

  "I'm really sick of her getting all the attention."

  "Yeah! I definitely know what you mean."

  Footsteps could be heard coming from the south end of the dock. "Hey, you made it," an enthusiastic Heerzek said to them. He was wearing a brown, knit beanie cap, and his shoulder-length black hair hung down under it. Seeing him, Hester suddenly perked up, and instead of acting spiteful and jealous, she became giddy, pretending to act like Davina and she were having a marvelous time.

  "This is going to be totally awesome," Hester said, boisterously to Davina, just before letting out an annoying giggle.

  "Okay," Davina said, giving Hester an odd look. Then Davina finally realized why Hester had changed her mood so suddenly—it was because Heerzek was approaching. "Get a grip, would ya!" she said sternly to her.

  The wind blew Heerzek's hair about, revealing silver, hoop earrings in each of his pointy ears. Seeing them, Hester got even more animated, though Heerzek didn't seem to take notice of her or Davina; instead, he walked straight up to Werrien and Kristina. "How do you like the ship—and, might I add, her name?" he asked Kristina.

  "It's really beautiful!" Kristina said.

  "Yes, she certainly is," Werrien said.

  Kristina gave Werrien a fleeting smile.

  "I'll see you on board, soon then," Heerzek said. Then he turned and began walking up the dock. Due to his not noticing her, Hester's mood instantly soured again.

  "I've got something else to show you," Werrien said to Kristina. They began walking briskly up the dock and though reluctant, Hester and Davina toddled along behind them.

  Along the upper part of the ship's hull ran a decorative vine with leaves and fairy blossom, twisting and swirling from the bow to the stern of the ship. Werrien took Kristina to the very front of the vessel to show her the golden figurehead, a replica of Kristina holding the Magic Warble. When she laid eyes on it, she stopped walking and froze. The vibrant smile that she had had on her face was replaced with a pale worrisome look.

  His brow creasing, Werrien looked puzzled at her. "What's the matter? Don't you like it?" he asked.

  "It looks great!" Kristina said nervously, crossing her arms across her chest. "Everything is just great!" She swallowed uneasily and then lowered her voice an octave and went on. "It's just that at home..." She paused to look up at Werrien's handsome face behind his wind-tousled hair and became too embarrassed to finish her thought. Instead, she quickly looked away and stared out at the rippling, blue sea dancing below the whitecaps.

  "It's just that at home ... what?" Werrien asked, his mood now serious as well.

  She turned quickly to face him and confessed, "Werrien, at home, I'm a nobody, and I have hardly any friends." Her cornflower blue eyes became glassy, and she glanced quickly along the side of the ship to see if Hester and Davina were nearby. Luckily, they were already boarding the ship with Sepel. Kristina looked up at Werrien again. "There you have it," she said softly. "You're making a spectacle out of a nobody." A tear trickled down her cheek, and Werrien reached out with his finger and caught it. His eyes narrowed, and his mouth curved up slightly on one side in a half-smile.

  "I can hardly believe what you're saying, but I'll tell you what I think. If your so-called peers at home are anything like Hester and Davina, then believe me, you definitely have nothing to worry about."

  Embarrassed for showing her emotions, Kristina kept her gaze toward the dock and sniffled.

  "Hey, look at me," Werrien said, gently lifting her chin.

  Hesitantly, Kristina looked up into his eyes.

  "I don't ever want to hear you put yourself down like that again. Do you hear me?" Werrien said trying to act stern, and at the same time not being able to stop a smile from creeping up on his lips.

  Kristina smirked at him. "Whatever," she said softly before a weak grin.

  Werrien looked up to the ship's deck and saw his father, King Warren, the captain of the ship, looking down at them. "It's time for us to board."

  Werrien and Kristina reached the main deck of THE KRISTINA, where a dozen or so gnomes and dwarfs were busy getting her ship­shape for the journey to Tezerel. Some of the crew stopped to greet the teens, and one elderly gnome man, wearing an eye patch, stood out in particular. "Ahoy, my dear Kristina. What a pleasure it is to finally meet you," he said in a gruff yet friendly voice, his good-natured red face beaming as he went down on one knee and bowed to her.

  "The name's Kurdeen, and if there's anything you need, you can find me in the galley. And if you don't need anything, well, I hope you'll visit anyway." He winked at Kristina with his good eye.

  Kristina smiled warmly at the gnome. "Thanks for the welcome, Mr. Kurdeen," she said.

  Kurdeen shook his head and chuckled. "No, no, none of that formality stuff. You call me Kurdeen, or Kurdy for short, if that's easier for ya."

  "All right, then—Kurdy," Kristina said, feeling a little more chipper than a few minutes earlier.

  Davina and Hester were standing by the foremast, watching Heerzek and Sepel do a final check on the sails. Hester eyed Kristina on the deck being greeted by the crew and she shook her head, disapprovingly. Then she whispered something to Davina, and the both of them turned their backs toward Kristina.

  "Want to see where you'll be staying?" Werrien said to Kristina.

  "Sure," Kristina said. She followed Werrien toward the bow of the ship where there was an opening in the deck floor. They climbed down a ladder to the next lower deck, and then continued down a narrow wood-paneled hall until they came to the end, where there were four doors, each labeled with a golden name plate, except for the one directly ahead of them. The first door on the left read King Warren & Queen Lafinia. Across the hall, on the left-hand side, the first door read Guest, and beside it, another door read Prince Werrien.

  The ship rolled over a wave, and Kristina fell forward toward Werrien. He quickly steadied her.

  "Okay ... I can see that you're falling for me, but do you have to do it so abruptly?" he said facetiously. He noticed Kristina's cheeks flooding red and he smiled at her. "Don't worry; you'll get your sea legs soon enough," he added.

  "I hope so," Kristina said, feeling embarrassed for being so clumsy.

  Werrien opened the unlabeled door, and they stepped inside a cabin. "Sorry it's so small, but it's at least a little bigger than mine. And the plaque for the door, is still in the process of being made," he said.

  Kristina's stomach suddenly warmed. The cabin was so cozy and inviting, with curved walls made of dark cherry wood, and with portholes, one on each side, to look out at the sea. On the right-hand side was a vanity made out of the same cherry wood, and with a beautiful, gold-framed mirror. Straight ahead of Kristina was a bed covered with a ruby-red silk comforter. Underneath the comforter were ivory-colored silk sheets, and on top of the comforter were ivory silk pillows with ruby-red fringe around them. In the center of the two pillows was a smaller, round, ruby-red pillow with the name Kristina embroidered in ivory thread across it. Kristina grabbed this pillow and hugged it. Then she turned to face Werrien, who was leaning against the wall, taking in her bewilderment.

  "This cabin was made up especially for me?" she asked, looking delighted and uncertain at the same time.

  "Now how would you come up with an idea like that?" Werrien said with an austere expression on his face.

  Kristina's face paled. "Come on Werrien—be serious," she said.

  "I thought I was acting serious. At least I gave it my best shot."

  Kristina smiled and shook her head. "I said be serious not act serious."

  "Oh ... okay. Of course it was made up just for you," Werrien said. "The ship is named after you. I think it would only make sense that you had your own cabin on it."
>
  "This is really great!" Kristina said excitedly. She sat on the edge of the bed and ran her hands over the ever-so-smooth comforter. Then she lay down on the bed and for a moment stared up at the ceiling, thinking how lucky she was. She sat back up and stared at the wall ahead of her, where there hung five small painted portraits, three men and two women, encased in gold frames.

  The women's portraits were each paired, side-by-side, with one of the men, leaving the third man's portrait on the wall by itself. Kristina recognized one pair to be King Warren and Queen Lafinia, but she didn't recognize the other pair and the solitary man. "Who are these three portraits of?" she asked, pointing to them.

  "The couple beside my parents is King Sirus and Queen Navesa, and the other man is Prince Raspue," Werrien said.

  King Sirus had medium-brown, wavy hair, gray-blue eyes, and a slender face with high cheekbones. He looked to be in his early thirties, and the expression on his face was serious. Queen Navesa's portrait was not in very good condition; the paint was faded and chipping in certain areas, making it hard to see exactly what she looked like, but from what Kristina could tell, she had ash-blonde hair and green eyes. Her expression was also serious and somewhat sad. Prince Raspue looked to be in his forties, with olive-toned skin and dark brown, sunken eyes.

  "Where do King Sirus and Queen Navesa rule?" Kristina asked.

  "Nowhere," Werrien said.

  "So ... then what are they king and queen of?"

  "They're not anymore. Queen Navesa disappeared, and no one knows where. Then soon after she went missing, King Sirus was found dead in his bed."

  Kristina turned to face Werrien. "Are you joking, because if you are it's not funny?" she said.

  "It's no joke," Werrien said.

  Hearing this caused a shiver to run down Kristina's spine.

  - 10 -

  Some History

  “How did King Sirus die?" Kristina asked.

  "Poison," Werrien said quickly, and he sat down on the edge of the bed beside her.