The Black Shard Read online

  Werrien began heading to the palace, and everyone followed—everyone, that is, except for Mr. Macgregor, who, without saying a word, walked off in the opposite direction.

  Kristina was the first to notice the vibrant, red fairy blossoms growing in patches throughout the forest, and the closer they got to the palace, the more they could be seen growing everywhere.

  "Wow! It's so nice to see that there's no more shortage of the fairy blossom," Kristina said to Werrien.

  "And you know what's even nicer? There hasn't been a single trace of Sentiz or her zelbock servants since the Magic Warble was placed in its resting place," Werrien said.

  Kristina lifted her eyebrows, amazed. "That's good to know," she said. "Those zelbock creatures were such nasty creeps."

  Davina stopped suddenly. "Wait a minute," she said, looking suspicious. "Where have I seen those flowers before?" She began walking again. "It's right on the tip of my tongue?"

  Hester turned around and sighed at Davina. "Wow, big revelation!" she said, rolling her eyes. "They're the same as the ones growing in the pots in front of my ranch's front office."

  "Oh yeah! Of course—that's where I've seen them before," Davina agreed as she ran to catch up with Hester. Kristina smiled at Werrien, knowing that both girls were very wrong.

  When they reached the palace wall, they crossed over a large drawbridge straddling a moat, and then continued on through some breathtaking gardens filled with beautifully sculptured shrubs, tall fountains, spouting water, and many different varieties of plants and flowers. Werrien took the girls to a golden statue, and when Kristina laid eyes on it, she suddenly felt light-headed.

  Hester stood with her arms crossed, her narrowing eyes examining the statue. "I know what you're thinking—this is really weird—but that statue looks just like you," she said to Kristina. Then Hester turned to Werrien. "I suppose that you have a sister or some other relative that looks just like her."

  "You must," Kristina agreed, looking at Werrien, and trying not to laugh.

  Werrien winked at Kristina. "She's a little older now than when the statue was sculpted," he said to Hester.

  Kristina felt the blood rush to her cheeks, for she knew the statue was a replica of her.

  "Come on—I'll show you around the gardens," Werrien said to Kristina.

  Kristina went with Werrien, but Hester and Davina stayed by the statue, discussing something between themselves.

  Werrien took Kristina to a another magnificent fountain, a replica of King Warren with a raven on his shoulder.

  "It's your father, and the raven on his shoulder is Roage—who he was when he was under Sentiz's spell."

  Werrien smiled. "Very good," he said.

  They heard a horse whiney, and Kristina turned to see two horses coming toward her and Werrien, through the garden pathway.

  Kristina recognized the horses right away and her face beamed.

  "Taysha! Lisheng!" she called to them. The horses came to her, and she wrapped her arms around the white one's neck and hugged her. "It's so good to see you, Taysha. I've missed you so much."

  Taysha nuzzled Kristina with her soft white head. "We've missed you as well," Taysha said.

  Hearing Taysha's voice, Kristina felt the hair raise up on her arms, for she hadn't heard an animal speak in about two and a half years, since the last time she was in the magical land.

  Suddenly, they heard footsteps coming from behind them, followed by an angry voice, saying, "Let go of my arm!"

  A dwarf appeared from around a sculptured shrub, with Hester's arm tightly gripped in one of his hands and Davina's in his other. "Oh, there you are, Your Highness. I caught these two suspicious characters snooping around in the garden," the dwarf said, just before he noticed Kristina. Then his elderly face lit up. "Leaping lily lizards! Look who's standing before my very own eyes!" He let go of Davina and Hester and went down on one knee before Kristina.

  "Ugan! How nice to see you," Kristina said.

  Ugan, a dwarf that had traveled with Kristina to deliver the Magic Warble the first time she was in Bernovem, took her hands in his and looked up into her eyes. "My, oh, my, how you've grown," he said. "At least your growth is vertical, where mine seems to be only horizontal." He winked at Kristina. "I must say that there's no lack of good cooking around here."

  Kristina had grown at least a head taller since the last time she was in Bernovem, and she was developing into a very attractive young woman. But though the time span since she had last been in Bernovem was two years and five months for her, it had only been one and a half Bernovem years for Werrien.

  "Speaking of food, why don't we head on in for some dinner?" Werrien said.

  "Finally!" Davina moaned. "I'm so hungry; I can feel my ribs sticking together."

  Hester frowned at Davina. "You must have worms," she said under her breath.

  Inside the palace, all three girls were amazed at the spectacular scenery surrounding them. Werrien led them through a great corridor lined with tall arched windows, which the early evening sun shone through. At the left side of each window's base were golden statues of dwarf and gnome warriors, and the high ceilings above them were covered in elegantly painted art work. In one section there was a scene of the battle that had taken place between the gnomes and dwarfs, fighting against the zelbocks. In another section there was a picture of Werrien and Kristina, fighting the zelbocks on the treacherous slopes of Mount Bernovem, and beside that picture was a picture of Kristina and Werrien sitting at the elegant table, at the feast, after the Magic Warble was delivered to its resting place.

  Many other pictures decorated the ceiling, but it was the ceiling's center that really caught the girls' eyes—a huge, sparkling crystal chandelier hung down from it, and above it, painted on the ceiling, was the Rainbow Tree, with its many branches sprawling outward in all directions.

  While the girls stood in awe, examining the ceiling, a dwarf dressed in a fine royal-blue outfit with gold trim on the cuffs of his sleeves as well as on his collar, suddenly appeared at the very south end of the long corridor. He walked briskly up to Werrien, bowed, and then said, "Your Highness, the evening meal is about to be served on the terrace above the east garden."

  Werrien looked puzzled at the dwarf. "Oh? I was told it would be in the dining room. Why the sudden change of plans, Elzwur?" he asked.

  Elzwur drew in a tense breath and, seeming slightly flustered, he looked oddly at Kristina. Then his eyes met Werrien's again. "Dear boy, I don't make the rules around here. I only give them out," he said, just before bowing. Then promptly, he turned and walked stiffly away.

  Werrien took the girls to the great doors that led out to the east garden, and when they stepped outside onto the terrace, the twilight sky lit up with fireworks, crackling and popping wherever their eyes could see. Hester shrieked and clung on to Davina. Kristina and Werrien jumped as well.

  Surrounding the terrace was a large crowd, filled with gnomes and dwarfs, and flying among them were fairies, set aglow like twinkling balls of light.

  Kristina's eyes slowly scanned the lit-up sky. "Wow! What's the occasion?" she asked Werrien.

  "It's my birthday, but I definitely wasn't expecting all this."

  "Your birthday? How old are you?" Kristina asked.

  "Seventeen," Werrien said. "How old are you?"

  "Fifteen."

  A firework plummeted down from the sky and hit Davina on the top of her head. Hastily, she pushed Hester away from herself and began hopping around in circles, yelling, "Somebody help! My hair is on fire!"

  Werrien and Kristina couldn't help laughing at the sight of her. Hester, on the other hand, had a look of terror on her face.

  Davina brought her hands up to her head to try and douse the flames, but instead she only felt moisture with a fragrance that smelled like lily of the valley. Breathing heavily, she glared at Kristina and Werrien, who were still laughing. They made her so furious that she began stomping toward them, but at about three stomps into i
t, a servant gnome, holding a tray of butter tarts topped with spiced whipped cream, suddenly stepped in front of her. Davina made an abrupt stop, almost knocking the tray out of the servant gnome's hand, and ended up with her face right over the delectable goodies.

  "Would you care for an appetizer?" the distinguished looking servant gnome asked her.

  "Yes, I would," Davina huffed. "As a matter of fact, if I don't eat something very soon, I'll probably faint from hunger."

  "Well, in that case, you'd better take a few," the gnome said, looking quite concerned, probably because he didn't want her to faint and fall on him.

  Seeing the desserts, Hester timidly walked up to the servant gnome, and he served her as well.

  A short distance away stood two unusual-looking teenage boys, holding croquet mallets—unusual-looking, because they kind of looked human but on the other hand, kind of gnomish. It was hard to say which of the two races they resembled more.

  The servant gnome glanced over at the boys and then he grinned at Davina and Hester. "I think Sepel and Heerzek Brinewine would like you two lovely ladies to join them in a game of moonlight croquet."

  With her mouth stuffed full, Davina's eyes grew wide, as she looked at the boys and then back at Hester to see what her reaction was. Hester looked at the boys as well, and one of them, who had shoulder-length, shaggy black hair, waved to her. At school, Hester had a secret crush on a particular boy, who dyed his hair black and wore earrings, one in each ear—a bad influence type of boy is how Hester's mother put it; definitely not up to their family's prim and proper standards—and so, of course, he was just the type of boy Hester was attracted to. This black-haired boy with the croquet mallet reminded Hester of the boy at her school. She turned to the servant gnome and enthusiastically nodded her head.

  Davina, nowhere near enthused as Hester, shrugged her shoulders. "I guess we'll go for it—that is, if they don't mind getting creamed by us," she said arrogantly.

  As they made their way to the boys, Hester whispered to Davina, "What do you mean 'creamed by us'? I've never played a game of croquet in my entire life."

  "Leave it up to the expert. I'll give you pointers as we play," Davina whispered confidently. "Croquet is my forte. I play it at my family reunion every three years, and I've never lost a game yet." She blew on her knuckles and then rubbed them on her shirt.

  As Werrien and Kristina watched Davina and Hester make their way to the brothers, a dwarf carrying a tray of bubbling fairy blossom punch approached them. Werrien took two tall glasses from the tray and gave one to Kristina. Then he lifted his in a toast. "To having you at my birthday celebration," he said, his intense blue-green eyes staring into hers.

  Looking into Werrien's eyes, Kristina suddenly felt goose bumps form on her arms. "And, to the birthday boy," she said, as they clinked their glasses together. Then they sipped their drinks and gazed upon the party below the tiered terrace where they stood.

  Many events were simultaneously taking place, such as lawn games, card games, archery competitions, and acrobatic and fire-breathing performances. There were jesters as well as magicians entertaining and much more.

  "You mean this spectacular event was a surprise for you?" Kristina asked Werrien.

  "Actually, yes, it was. I was told by my mother that I would be having a quiet birthday dinner in the dining hall."

  "I feel honored to be at your party, but could you explain to me how I was able to come back to Bernovem?"

  Werrien thought for a moment and then said, "I'm not sure how you were able to come back."

  "But you were near the slope when I entered Bernovem. How did you know to be there?"

  "Look," Werrien said, pointing just below the terrace, where Hester and Davina were playing croquet with the Brinewine brothers. The brother with the black hair was standing behind Hester and had his arms around her, helping her to hit the wooden ball with the mallet through the wicket. By the look on Hester's radish-red cheeks, it was quite obvious she was enjoying it immensely.

  "Another thing that I was wondering—how was Mr. Macgregor, my school bus driver, able to be at the bottom of the ravine?" Kristina asked. "He died of a heart attack last year."

  "Do you mean the old man that was there when I first met up with you?"

  "Yeah."

  "I was wondering about him myself. I'm not sure why he was there."

  "Do you even know him?"

  "You know, it's funny that you ask. Now that you mention it, I think that I met him once, when I was about three years old. It was just before my mother was taken as a prisoner, away from the palace. She told me to run as far away as possible from the palace, so that Sentiz's zelbocks wouldn't capture me. I did as she said, but unfortunately, I got lost in the deep woods. When nightfall came, I couldn't see in the dark, and I became very scared. I huddled down by a tree, and that's when he came to me. He picked me up and carried me to Leacha's house."

  Kristina looked curiously at Werrien. "Did he tell you who he was?"

  "No, after Leacha opened her door, I turned to thank him, but he was gone. I just figured he was a kind man, out late in the woods."

  "So, how was it that you were at the ravine when I entered Bernovem?"

  Before Werrien had a chance to respond, a loud BOOM suddenly filled the air, shaking the buffet tables to the point where two servant dwarfs had to run to their aid, so that the food wouldn't fall from them.

  - 5 -

  Recalling

  Werrien's parents, King Warren and Queen Lafinia, casually strode up the terrace staircase. Kristina felt a cold sweat on her forehead when she caught sight of the king and his beautiful queen coming her way. King Warren looked like an older version of Werrien, also very handsome with striking blue eyes. Queen Lafinia looked very lovely; she was tall and slender, with teal-green eyes and long, flowing, flaxen hair that hung down to the middle of her back. She wore an elegant, backless, ruby-red dress; a dainty tiara sat atop her head, sparkling vibrantly.

  "Oh, there you are," King Warren said to Werrien from across the terrace. "We've been looking for you." He linked arms with Lafinia, and the two of them made their way over to Werrien and Kristina. "How was that for a birthday blast?" he asked Werrien, proudly.

  "Put it this way—it was loud enough to just about knock the food tables over," Werrien said, smiling slyly, "and it almost did just that."

  "Well, then, I'd say a little better than the last blast, when the most it did was vibrate the tables," King Warren joked.

  "My dad has a thing for cannon blasts," Werrien said to Kristina out of the corner of his mouth when the king wasn't looking.

  King Warren turned his attention to Kristina. "And who may this lovely young lady be?" he said.

  "Do you remember Kristina?" Werrien asked his father.

  King Warren was taken back. "I'm sorry that I didn't recognize you.You've grown—and into such a beautiful young lady," he said.

  Kristina smiled timidly at the king and queen. "I feel honored to be at Werrien's birthday party," she said, "but I would have brought a gift for him, if I'd been more prepared."

  "Having you here is a great gift in itself," Queen Lafinia said, smiling radiantly.

  Kristina couldn't help but blush. "Thanks," she said.

  While she was speaking, Kristina suddenly felt a tug on her pant leg. She looked down, and flabbergasted, her mouth dropped open.

  "Did I surprise you?" a familiar voice said.

  "Oh, my gosh! Raymond!" Kristina said, full of surprise. Her eyes filled with warm tears as she bent down and scooped her former pet rat into her arms. After a long, heart-filled hug, Kristina placed Raymond down again. She noticed that Raymond had grown a little larger, mostly in his belly area. "Wow, Raymond, somebody must be feeding you very well."

  "Yes, I must say, maybe a tad bit too well," Raymond said, standing on his hind legs and patting his full belly.

  Kristina looked behind Raymond and saw another rat, patiently waiting for him. "Are you going to int
roduce your friend to me?" she asked Raymond.

  Raymond turned to look at the other rat. "Come a little closer," he whispered nervously.

  Timidly, the other rat went to stand beside him.

  "Kristina, this is my girlfriend, Lilly," Raymond said.

  Kristina's eyebrows rose and the first thought that popped into her mind was, your girlfriend? Uh ... You didn't ask my permission to have a girlfriend.

  Lilly lowered her head in a humble bow and then held out her little pink paw toward Kristina. Kristina crouched down and shook it.

  "Pleased to meet you, Kristina," Lilly said. "Raymond has told me wonderful stories about you and him."

  Kristina eyed Raymond. "Oh, he has, has he?" she said, slightly flustered but trying not to show it.

  "Yes, he told me how he used to live in your room, and how you would take him places in his special pouch." Lilly grew more excited as she continued. "He also told me a story of how he bravely road on a horse while escaping his enemies, and of how he saved three children from a cave that was crumbling in."

  To change the exaggerated subject, Raymond cleared his throat. "Yes, well, anyhow, enough about me. Tell me how you've been keeping," he said to Kristina.

  Kristina wanted to tell Raymond how she longed for him to come back home with her, but seeing how happy he was, with his girlfriend, she just resorted to saying, "I've been real good, mostly keeping busy with school."

  Lilly's eyes scanned underneath the buffet table for any traces of scrap food. She spotted some pasta and fruit that had fallen from one of the guest's plates. "Shall we get something to eat, dear?" she said enthusiastically to Raymond.

  "I guess that I am getting a little hungry," Raymond said while rubbing his full-figured belly. "Would you like to join us?" he asked Kristina and Werrien.