The Uzan Crystal

by Lisa S. Buchholz

  A crowd of crew members and passengers had crowded around as soon as they had seen Lady Elise rush up on deck and heard the yelling of the crew member.

  Two of the crew members dragged the unconscious man below deck and the captain broke up the crowd.

  The three women were escorted below deck by Sir Taz and Sir Matthew. They were told to stay in one cabin so Lady Kathleen moved her personal belongings over to Angelina and Elise's room. It was a tight fit with all three ladies in there, but they all felt a lot safer. Sir Matthew gave each of the women a small dagger to conceal and then Sir Taz told Angelina to bolt the door.

  Bishoff offered to take first watch and pulled up a stool near their cabin door. The men decided that until they got themselves out of this mess it would be a good idea to keep a close eye on the women.

  Chapter 35

  Time for A Little Magic

  "Are you sure you're okay," asked Angelina with concern.

  "Yes, a little shaken up though," she replied as she sat down on the edge of the bed. Lady Kathleen sat next to her and Angelina took the chair from the writing desk and sat directly in front of them. "I always thought that I could handle things but I guess I'm not as tough as I thought," she said as she sipped the hot ale that Sir Asen brought for them. She leaned a little closer to Lady Kathleen and Princess Angelina, "I think that it's about time that I try something to get us out of this. Obviously that person knows we're here and is doing this so what would it matter if I tried a few things."

  "In this circumstance I guess we have no choice," agreed Angelina.

  Lady Kathleen looked at them in puzzlement. "What do you mean try something?"

  "Let's just say that Elise might be able to help get us out of this situation in a different way," responded Angelina with sly smile. "The same way that Tolmac would help us."

  "Oh," replied Lady Kathleen, as she finally figured out what they were meaning. "But how can you do it?"

  "I think the best way is to just lay back and meditate," she explained as Lady Kathleen moved so Lady Elise could lie back on the bed. "I'm not sure if it will work or not but I have to try something." She looked at the women one last time before closing her eyes, "Well, here it goes."

  Elise closed her eyes and began to concentrate. She was trying to envision herself pushing the ships from behind. It didn't seem to be working. She continued to try but the ships wouldn't budge. She was about to give up when she felt someone tap her shoulder. She turned around to see the most beautiful man she had ever encountered. His hair was long and golden and his eyes as blue as the sky. He had a smile on his tan face and he was dripping wet. She glanced down to notice that he didn't have a shirt on and when she looked even closer through the water she saw that from his waist down he had a tail, a tail shimmering with the colors of the rainbow. He was absolutely beautiful.

  "Do not fear," he said. "I have come to offer my help."

  Elise realized that when he talked his mouth didn't move, she just heard the words in her head. She was astonished by what she saw and heard.

  He noticed the look of wonder and amazement. "My name is Kell and I am a merman, half man and half fish. Certainly you've heard of us."

  "Yes, I have but I guess I only thought that you were folklore and tall tales. I've never met anyone that actually saw one of your kind before."

  "Many have seen us, but we ask all that we help not to divulge the secret of our existence to anyone else. That is also what I ask of you." He turned and dived back under the water and surfaced again.

  "My name is Elise. Are you sure you can help us?" she asked in excitement.

  "Yes, we can move your ships out of this magical aura and back to the flowing sea. All I ask is that you tell no one of us and that you toss overboard a few treasures in payment once we have freed you."

  "I will accept your help and promise that your secret shall remain safe with me," she responded. "But why would you help us and what treasures can I give you?" she asked.

  "Our kind have fought evil for thousands of years. Your plight certainly has been caused by magical means and we can feel the evil taint to it. So by helping you, we are in turn fighting evil," he explained. "As for what treasure to give us, that I will leave up to you. I must go now, but know that we will push your ships after darkness falls tonight."

  As he turned and dove once more under the water, Elise only had enough time to say thank you before his tail was out of sight. She slowly opened her eyes to find Angelina and Lady Kathleen staring intently at her.

  "Well," inquired Angelina. "Did anything happen?"

  "Yes," she responded as she sat up on the bed. "All I can tell you is that the ships will be moved back into flowing waters after nightfall tonight." She noticed the look Angelina gave her. "If I could tell you more, I would. Please trust me on this."

  Angelina smiled, "I'm sorry, of course I trust you. It's just that I'm overly curious about what happened. But I won't ask you to tell me anything that you can't. I'm glad that after tonight we'll be on our way again and the sooner I get off this ship, the better I'll feel."

  The other women agreed with her. They told their companions of what had transpired.

  Elise asked each of them to give her a trinket. She told them that she couldn't explain, she just needed something from them. Each of the men handed over an item. Sir Matthew gave her a dagger, Lord Farley handed over two of his throwing stars, Sir Asen took off a small silver ring with a single diamond, Bishoff gave her his cloak clasp which was of the finest gold and had been engraved in great detail showing two rams locking horns in a fight to the death. Elise put those items in a pouch. To that she added her favorite hair clip which was sliver with small opals. Angelina gave her a gold ring inset with a ruby. Lady Kathleen tossed in a broach of gold and pearls. Sir Taz removed one of his bronze arm bands which was inlaid with gold and silver and added that to the bag. Elise tied it shut. They were all anxious and the few hours to nightfall seem to drag.

  The women settled in for the night. Angelina and Elise shared the bottom bunk and Lady Kathleen slept on the top bunk. It was a little cramped but they were hoping that it would be the last night that they had to be cooped up in their cabin.

  When they woke that morning, the ship was back to its usual tossing motion and Angelina had to grab some roots to chew on. It had been so long since the water had stilled that she had forgotten the swaying motion.

  They hastily got up and Angelina and Elise added one of their money bags to Elise's gift pouch. They figured this would make up for the other ship since they weren't able to communicate with them to tell them what was happening. They hurried onto the upper deck and casually walked toward the rear of the ship. Elise had brought her cloak with her and had it folded over her arm. This concealed the pouch. When they reached the far end of the ship, the women looked to be sure no one was watching them and Elise quickly tossed the pouch overboard.

  They watched the pouch slowly begin to sink. In a few seconds there was a quick flash of a brightly colored fish tail and the pouch disappeared. Angelina gasped in surprise and shot a glance toward Elise.

  Elise just smiled and they turned around to head below to get something to eat for breakfast.

  The captain and the crew members eyed all of the passengers suspiciously and pretended not to notice that the ships were moving and no one was rowing. They just went about their business and stayed as far away as they could from the passengers. Angelina and Elise thought that this actually was a blessing. If they were afraid of them, then they certainly wouldn't want to harm them.

  Chapter 36

  Arrival at Incaught

  It was only a few days before they pulled into the port of the city of Incaught.

  When they were docked and leaving the ship, Angelina heard the captain talking to a few of the dock workers about his spare boat and the rest of the crew. He told them that there had been some problems and a few men had jumped ship. He wanted to know if they came to Incaught and if his boat was her
e. The dock workers hadn't seen anyone, but if the men took off then they probably wouldn't have come directly into port.

  Elise had also heard the workers and looked over at Angelina. They walked up the pier to the main dock area to wait as their companions unloaded their things from the ship.

  "Well, I can tell you this is one of my more memorable trips," Lady Kathleen said with slight sarcasm as she smiled at the women. "I guess things should be back to normal on the return trip; however, I feel a little uneasy at the thought of getting on another ship so soon." She adjusted her shawl to cover her shoulders. The wind off of the ocean was brisk and it was a chilly day to begin with. "Maybe I can convince Heather to stay in town for a few more days."

  "Mother, thank the stars that you're alright!" cried Heather as she came dashing toward her mother and upon reaching her, threw her arms around her, hugging her tightly.

  "Now, now dear. It's alright." she responded as she returned her daughter's tight embrace.

  Heather let go of her mother enough to step back a bit and look into her face. "You're almost three weeks late!" she scolded. "I imagined all kinds of horrible things. I was about to set off myself but realized that if I left to find you, you would show up wondering where I was. And then Captain Hodges assured me that many a time ships get delayed and it's best to wait and see first." She now noticed the two women standing off to the side. She released her mother to give each of them a hug and to exchange greetings. "Oh, it's so wonderful to see you both." She turned back toward her mother, "Why don't we all go back to the Grabell Inn where I'm staying and you can get hot baths, eat something and tell me about your journey."

  The women's eyes lit up at the mention of hot baths. Angelina quickly agreed and excused herself to go find one of their companions to let them know where they were going. The first person she came upon was Lord Ackbar.

  "Lord Ackbar," called Angelina to get his attention. Once he had turned around she proceeded to tell him where they were going.

  "That's fine, you ladies deserve to relax a bit," he responded as he tossed a sack of belongings onto the pier. "Lord Farley, why don't you escort the women and I'll make sure everything is taken care of on this end?"

  So off went the four women and Lord Farley. Once they were clear of the docks, Heather led them over to a waiting coach. It was a tight fit with all of the women since the coach was made for only two passengers, but they managed. Lord Farley stepped onto the back of the coach and held onto the top railing and they were off.

  It was a long ride and since it was close to midday, most of the local people were out running errands, selling their wares by the roadside and hurrying here and there. The Grabell Inn was located toward the far end of town and well away from the ocean. As the carriage brought them closer toward the inn, the sounds of the ocean faded. When the carriage pulled up in front of the inn, Lord Farley hopped down from the step and helped the women from the carriage.

  "You ladies go on and get a room, freshen up and eat and I will take care of the accommodations for the rest of our group," offered Lord Farley. "I want to talk to the carriage driver for a minute and then I'll see how many rooms are available for the rest of us."

  "Thank you uncle," replied Angelina with a grateful smile. She wanted nothing more than to climb into a hot tub and soak for a few hours and it was a relief that Lord Farley would be taking care of the men.

  When they entered the Inn, Heather headed directly over to a door on the left and entered. Within moments, an older man with short, pure white hair and round rimmed glasses emerged from the room with Heather following. His skin was wrinkled and seemed to hang on his tall thin frame. His bright green eyes sparkled as he bowed toward the women. "You highness, welcome to my humble abode. I shall have hot baths drawn and when you are ready, a hot meal as well." He turned and bellowed, "Daughter Lera, attend me at once!" He turned back to the women and smiled.

  Angelina had been startled at his yelling for his daughter. He came out and spoke so softly at first that she was having a hard time hearing him and then in an instant he was hollering as loud as any father for their child.

  He had noticed her look and the ones given him by Lady Elise and Lady Kathleen and found it quite humorous. "I'm sorry," he explained now talking softly again, "If I don't yell for my daughters they somehow fail to hear me."

  A young woman appeared and hurried up to the innkeeper. She was tall and thin with dark skin, straight long black hair and the same sparkling green eyes. "Yes father?" she inquired as she reached his side.

  He instructed her to get the bath chamber ready and about what she should prepare for the guests to eat as soon as they finished. When he was done explaining, she curtsied toward the women and hurried off.

  "Now let me have someone show you to your rooms." He again turned and hollered, "Daughter Sara!"

  Out came a petite young girl with fair skin, long blond hair and pale blue eyes.

  Angelina could hear Elise stifling her giggles at the Innkeepers change of voice. She looked over to find Heather smiling at them. She had that look in her eye that she was waiting for their reactions since she had been a guest at the inn for some time and was familiar with the innkeeper's personality.

  Sara showed the women to their rooms. Heather had a room next to her mother and Lady Elise and Princess Angelina were given rooms across the hall. The rooms were small but plenty big enough for one person. The decorations in the rooms were much nicer than she had seen in a long time and the rooms were spotless. Angelina had never seen a room at an inn in town so clean. She hurried over to the bed and pulled down the top cover and sheet to find a large soft goose filled mattress. She sighed at the thought of sleeping there. She glanced around the room to find it as spotless as the rest of the inn, not even a cobweb in sight. The room even had the fresh scent of lemon from having been cleaned recently.

  "Hey," softly called Elise.

  Angelina turned toward the door to find Elise standing there.

  "The baths are ready," she informed the princess. "Let's go soak." Elise noticed the bed. "Maybe we'll even be clean enough to sleep in these rooms," she said with a smile.

  Angelina returned the smile and the women went back out into the hall to find Lady Kathleen and Heather waiting for them. They followed Sara down the back stairs and along the hall to a door at the far end. "If you want," informed Sara, "I will have your clothes cleaned. There are bathrobes for each of you and I'll make sure you'll have your items back tomorrow morning, first thing."

  After the women had the opportunity to soak in the hot water and scrub clean, they were feeling relaxed and were ready to eat and go to bed. A young woman named Raltra attended them when they were done with their baths. She explained that a hot meal was waiting for each of them in their own room and that if they needed anything, she would be standing by in the hall. Raltra looked like Sara with the light complexion and fair hair but had the bright green eyes of her father. Angelina was wondering just how many daughters he had. They dried off and slipped into the long, plush, white robes and slippers and followed Raltra back to their rooms and the women said goodnight to each other.

  Angelina found a covered tray on the small table. She sat down and removed the cover. The aroma was fabulous. She hadn't had much to eat except fish and rice on the ship, and that was pretty bland. What was in front of her made her mouth water. She set the cover aside and began to eat. There was a bowl of hot stew, loaded with chunks of meat, potatoes, carrots, onions, beans and mushrooms and two thick slices of freshly baked bread and a small cup of soft butter. For dessert there was a hot apple tart with caramel dressing. When she opened the top of the pitcher to see what she had to drink, she was delighted. It was a pitcher of hot tea with honey and milk. It was delicious. She knew everyone would be enjoying a wonderful meal. After she finished eating every bite, she put the cover on the tray and took it over to the door. As soon as she opened the door, Raltra was there to take the tray. Angelina thanked her for the wonderful meal
. Raltra smiled. She informed Angelina that some of her companions that were staying at the inn had arrived, were settled in and were now eating dinner in the dining room with the rest of the group. Angelina thanked her for the information and stepped back into her room and shut the door. She noticed that there was a neatly folded nightgown on the bed. She quickly changed, blew out the lamp and climbed into the soft bed. She was glad that their food had been sent up to their rooms. She wasn't in the mood for conversation, only for snuggling under some warm covers and going to sleep. She pulled the covers up tight and was slumbering in no time.

  When morning came, Angelina was reluctant to get out of bed. She turned on her side and curled up. She was warm and comfortable. She dozed off and was awakened by the opening of her door. Yet another young woman was coming in, her arms full of clothes. She placed them on the chair, smiled at Angelina and left. Angelina looked at the pile and realized after a few seconds that it wasn't only the clothes she had on last night but all of her clothes that she had been traveling with. All were clean and folded. Angelina smiled. She couldn't believe the wonderful service the inn provided. She would be sure to tip heavily. She lay in bed for another hour or so before she decided it was time to get up and get dressed. She slipped out from underneath her blanket and noticed that the air wasn't chilly at all, in fact it seemed warm. She was curious because there wasn't a fireplace in her room. She looked around and found that the warm air was coming through a vent in the floor on the other side of the room. She walked over and examined it. She could feel a soft steady stream of warm air. She would definitely have to ask about it. She dressed in a heavier pair of leggings and tunic and headed over next door to see Elise. She knocked and when Elise told her to enter, she went in. Elise was wearing a wool dress and was sitting on the edge of her bed as if waiting.