The Uzan Crystal

by Lisa S. Buchholz

  "I'm sure he knew," Angelina added as she opened her eyes and looked at the roof. "I'm so sorry for you. I know that everyone knows the risks but I guess I thought we would all make it through. I never thought about anyone getting hurt." She looked over at Elise who had pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. She had her head bowed and resting on her knees. "I keep thinking that we shouldn't have gone on this journey."

  Elise lifted her head and looked sharply at her, "We were right in going on this journey and we were right in asking for help. How far would we have gotten on our own? Do you think we would have gotten this far? I mean, look at me. I blast someone without thinking about it and I don't even know how I did it and when I really need it I can't even muster a hint of magic to help Dax and Merk. And there's no way we could take on more than two or three people at one time. We might have some skill but we are way far off when it comes to a real battle." She sighed and the anger left her face. "We did what we did and we're here where we are now. We can't turn the clock back. We're just going to have to be more careful and continue to do our best."

  "I know. But I still can't help feeling guilty." Angelina grabbed the soap and began to scrub her hair. "I wanted to ask you before about what happened on the bridge but I never had the chance. Did you want to talk about it?"

  "There isn't much to say, I guess," responded Elise as she took her bar of soap and began to scrub as well. "I saw this man coming up behind Koren and knew he would kill him for sure and I felt this anger or helplessness or something, I can't describe it. Well, it was such a powerful feeling and the next thing I know I'm tossing this ball of white fire at him." She stopped what she was doing and looked off in the distance as she tried to remember. "It exploded out of me and then I felt as weak as a baby and that's when you grabbed me. I don't know how I did it, it just happened. I've thought about it again and again." She glanced over at Angelina. "Maybe that's why I can't remember the feeling, because I'm thinking too hard about it. I don't know. Airic didn't have the time to teach me a lot of things and what he did was only the easier ones. And since he isn't around I can't ask and I'm afraid to try to repeat what I did because we are getting closer and I don't want her to find out where we are."

  Angelina replied with sarcasm, "I have a feeling that she knows exactly where we are and what we're doing. How else could the sinking sand and the blue flames just happen. It certainly wasn't coincidence." She leaned against the side of her tub and whispered to Elise, "I know that I shouldn't think this but I think that maybe someone in our party is not on our side."

  "Who?" Elise returned the whisper. "Who do you think would be so evil to help you know who. I certainly hope you don't think it's someone from our Kingdom."

  "I'm not saying for sure that someone is against us but it seems that way. And the hard part is even guessing who that person would be." She leaned back in the tub. "I want to trust everyone and I do trust my life with most of them. I don't want to not think about the possibility and then it presents itself. Do you think that I'm being paranoid?"

  "At this point, I don't think checking any and every possibility makes you paranoid. I think it makes you smart. And besides, I've wondered the same thing. And if we are wondering the same thing then I'm sure we're not the only ones. However, it might be her plan to make us suspicious of each other."

  "True. If we become suspicious of each other that's a sure way to divide us. What do you think? Should we approach the matter and bring it out in the open or do we keep to ourselves?" Angelina sighed as she closed her eyes. "Or maybe we're thinking too much. I say we trust everyone and give them the benefit of the doubt. If something does happen then at least it won't surprise us."

  "You know what I think?" Elise asked and Angelina looked over at her. "I think that we should stop thinking and enjoy our baths. We'll have plenty of time to think during the rest of the journey."

  The women finished their baths and were feeling refreshed. They donned their new clothes and boots and headed back into the inn to get something to eat.

  Angelina felt better now that she and Elise had the opportunity to talk and it seemed that everyone was in better spirits. It was nice to have a hot meal of delicious stew and fresh bread. They took their time eating and made general conversation. It was late when they turned in.

  The next day brought gray skies and heavy rain. It dampened their moods slightly but a hearty breakfast seemed to make things better. After everyone had finished eating, they put on their cloaks and headed to the stables to get their horses. At least the rain was coming straight down and not blowing. They got on their horses, said their final farewells to Lorac and headed off in the direction of Wickerbey. They would be aboard their ships this evening and heading out to sea by nightfall.

  Chapter 34

  An Ocean Voyage

  The rain was steady most of the morning and into the afternoon before it began to let up. It was close to dinner time when they arrived at the gates of Wickerbey.

  Thaddious was waiting in a pub near the entrance so he could see them as they entered. He came out to greet them after telling the barmaid to get dinner ready for the lot of them. They went inside and hung their cloaks near the fire to dry. They were served hot spiced ale and fresh baked loaves of bread. Wedges of cheese were brought out along with a platter filled with steaming thin slices of pork. Apple pie was also brought out for after dinner. Everything looked and smelled wonderful and they all helped themselves. During dinner, Thaddious told them of the two ships he booked passage on. One was called the Jade Dragon and the other one was the Cobalt Maiden. Both were well known ships in the area and could be relied upon for safe passage across the ocean. It was decided that Princess Angelina, Lady Elise, Sir Taz, Lord Farley, Sir Asen, Bishoff and Sir Matthew would go on the Jade Dragon and Pendrake, Lord Ackbar, Koren, Corbin and Thaddious would sail on the Cobalt Maiden.

  After everyone had finished eating they gathered their belongings and headed to the docks. Both ships were moored beside each other. The cool salt air was refreshing. Angelina had never actually crossed the ocean before so this was a new and exciting adventure for her. Farewells were said and each party boarded their ship. Cabins were assigned and as Angelina and Elise were putting their things away in their room, they heard a woman talking out in the hall.

  "Sir Taz, it certainly is an unexpected pleasure. How is everything at Talenvar?" the woman asked.

  "Fine thank you, and how is everything at Pennington?" she replied.

  At that remark both Angelina and Elise stepped out into the hall to greet Lady Kathleen. They all exchanged hugs.

  "Well ladies it's quite a pleasure to see you both. It will be wonderful to have you to talk to on the voyage."

  "It's wonderful to see you as well. We are on our way to visit Amberlynn," Angelina responded.

  "Oh, that's wonderful. I am on my way to meet Heather and to sail with her back home," she smiled and leaned closer as to let the women in on a secret, "she can't stand to be on a ship and the only way she sails is if I'm with her. Sometimes I find it to be quite a bother having to sail back and forth but it's only once in awhile. You know, I can't figure her out. She always talks about going on adventures and how exciting it would be to go new places and meet new people but when it comes to traveling she is sometimes intolerable. We'll have just begun the journey somewhere and she starts with are we getting close, do I have to ride this horse, do we have to walk so far." She stopped and looked at the women. "I'm sorry, there I go again rambling on about Heather. Anyway, to make the story short, she wants to go places but getting there is the hard part."

  "Believe me, I know what you mean," agreed Elise. "Well I guess I mean that sometimes you get delayed by various things."

  "Well I'll let you girls get settled in and I'll see you tomorrow."

  Elise and Angelina bid Lady Kathleen good-night and went back into their room. It was a smaller cabin with two beds, one above the other with a small ladder to climb into the top bed.
There was a small writing table and one chair against the wall across the few small steps it took to get from the bed. There was a stand with a small wash basin and pitcher and another small table with two chairs. There was a privacy screen in one corner which held a chamber pot. Both women looked at each other with a grimace.

  They had just gotten settled in when they felt the lurch of the ship leaving the dock. It would be almost two weeks journey by boat.

  The next morning they got up and freshened up before heading up on deck to meet up with the rest of their group. The girls had changed into heavier, long sleeved dresses because of the cool salt air and mist from the waves.

  The men were already up on deck. When the girls got there and looked around, they couldn't see land in any direction. Angelina was beginning to notice the swaying of the ship.

  "Are you alright miss," asked one of the attendants upon seeing the paleness of Angelina's face.

  "I guess I'm not used to the motion of the boat. I better sit down," replied Angelina.

  Bishoff came over to where Angelina was sitting and pulled out a pouch from under his cloak. "Here, chew on these roots for a bit and it will help ease the motion sickness." He handed her red dried roots.

  She hesitated but figured that if she didn't do something soon she was probably going to be stuck in her cabin the entire trip. She began to chew on the tough roots. The taste was a little bitter but as she began to swallow some of the tiny bits she could feel her stomach settle.

  "Now, finish those and I'll give you a supply to keep with you," he instructed. "The effects of the root will last for a few days at a time. When you begin to feel queasy again, just chew a few more roots." He handed her a small bundle of roots that she put in the pocket of her dress. The roots were only a few inches long and hardly wider than a piece of string.

  "Thank you. I'm beginning to feel better already."

  "Do you think you can eat breakfast?" asked Sir Matthew. "I don't know about the rest of you but I'm ready to eat."

  Angelina said she thought she would be able to so the group headed below deck to the galley. There they found Lady Kathleen sipping on some hot ale. She was busy sewing something.

  She looked up as they came in and asked them to come sit with her. They made their way to her table and another one nearby. Once they had been seated they were served breakfast. The meal consisted of bowls of hot apple and cinnamon porridge, bread, jam and hot ale.

  Since they were confined to the ship there wasn't much to do to keep busy. The men mostly played gambling games with the crew or talked about weapons, etc.

  Angelina, Elise and Lady Kathleen spent most of their time together. The talked, read books, wrote letters or sat and enjoyed the view while Lady Kathleen worked on the dress she was making for Heather. She told the ladies that she liked to keep busy and one way was to sew.

  Things went pretty smoothly until the eighth day of their journey. They didn't realize that the boat had stopped until they woke that morning. When they had quickly gotten dressed and came out of their cabin, Lord Farley was waiting. He ushered the women back into their room.

  "What's wrong," questioned Elise.

  "Last night the ships stopped moving," he kept his voice to a whisper. "Now most of the crew men are very superstitious about the ocean. When they came on deck, they saw that the water was as still as glass and no wind blew. They then went below to row away from this place and found that all the oars had been smashed. When they saw that, they panicked. Before anyone knew exactly what was going on, most of those men loaded up on water and provisions and took flight in the only spare boat that was available."

  "What about the Cobalt Maiden?" asked Angelina in a hushed whisper.

  "The same thing happened with that ship also. When the men from our ship were seen leaving, the men from their ship left also. They were able to row away from the ships without any problem."

  There came a soft knock at the door.

  Lord Farley opened it to find Lady Kathleen standing there with Bishoff.

  "May I come in Lord Farley?" she asked even as Lord Farley stepped aside for them to enter.

  "Do you know what's happening?" she asked. She had heard the commotion of the crew a little while ago and didn't want to leave her quarters until some of the men came by.

  Lord Farley quickly explained the situation to Lady Kathleen and then added, "When the captain and some of the other men went below to see if they could get the ship moving by rowing, they found the smashed oars. This made all of the crew very nervous and since there are only a few other passengers besides ourselves, it would only be natural for the captain and crew to suspect one of us. That means that we had better not give them anything to worry about. You three ladies are well known and of royal lineage, that will be a plus for you; however, some of the men we travel with will come under suspicion."

  "Well, if we vouch for them wouldn't that be good enough?" Angelina said hopefully. She knew that bad omens did not sit well with seamen and if they had any indication that it was because of them, they would be tied up and tossed overboard.

  Lady Kathleen had been listening to their conversation. "Would I be presumptuous in suspecting that what has just occurred and your being on these ships is more than just coincidence?" she whispered.

  Angelina glanced at Elise and Bishoff and then at Lord Farley before answering. "You would not," she began as she put her hand on Lady Kathleen's shoulder and pulled her closer so that she could lower her voice even more. "We are on a secret journey to retrieve an item from a powerful sorceress. Unfortunately, things have not been going very smoothly since we set out and we suspect that the sorceress has had her hand in it."

  Lady Kathleen stepped back and looked at the four of them. "Well," she began, "it certainly makes things interesting," she responded with a bit of sarcasm and a tight smile. She turned toward the princess, "Your secret is safe with me. Lord Farley, do you have any idea of how we can get out of this mess?"

  "At the moment I'm at a loss. But I'm sure we'll be able to figure something out."

  "What do we do in the meantime?" questioned Elise. "We aren't expected to stay cooped up in our cabins the whole time, are we?"

  "Actually, the best thing would be to remain calm and continue on as if what is happening is something out of the ordinary. We don't want to give the captain and crew any additional stress and this should help to alleviate some of the tension between the crew and the passengers," explained Bishoff.

  So the women and their companions tried to continue on as if it wasn't a big deal. The men had no idea of what to do to get things moving. They had tried to help the crew repair some of the oars but without much success. They had been broken into too many pieces and were unstable when they put them in the water and tried to row. So they gave up on that option.

  The days began to drag on. It was six days since the ships stopped moving. The fresh water supply and food rations were slowly being depleted and no other ship had been sighted. Since the majority of ships passed this way it was very unusual not to see at least one or two.

  The passengers began to notice the shifty glances of the crew members.

  One afternoon, Lady Elise had gone below to grab her book and when she was coming up the steps to the upper deck she brushed passed a deckhand as he descended.

  "Hey," he yelled as he grabbed her arm, stopping her from advancing up the steps. He stuck his face in front of her, "I think you should apologize for running into me," he seethed.

  She could smell the liquor on his breath. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize that I was so close to you." She couldn't pull her arm free and was beginning to panic.

  "That's not good enough," he slurred his words as his grip tightened. "Maybe you should come below and show me how sorry you are." He pushed closer and now had her backed up against the wall.

  Elise was just about to call for help when the drunkard was pulled away from her and shoved down the last couple of steps to the wooden floor. Sir Matthew turned
back toward Elise to ask if she was okay.

  "Yes, thank you," she said unsteadily, "I'm fine."

  "I think maybe you ladies should spend the rest of the evening in your cabins. The men haven't had much to do except drink and I don't want to see anyone get hurt." He was about to help her up the stairs so that she could get Princess Angelina and Lady Kathleen to go below with her when he was interrupted.

  "What do you think you're doing," yelled the now enraged deckhand as he pulled himself up off of the floor. "I was having myself a nice conversation here with the lady and you had to come along and make a mess of things." He pulled a long dagger from his waist. "Maybe you need someone to teach you a lesson in manners."

  Sir Matthew told Elise to get the other women and he turned to face the drunken man. "Look pal, calm down," he began, "we don't want any trouble. I'm sure if you'll just..."

  That was as far as he got before the man lunged at him with the dagger. Sir Matthew grabbed the arm which held the dagger and slammed his fist into the drunken man's face. The sailor staggered backwards a few steps before sprawling out on the floor. Sir Matthew had knocked him out cold.