The Black Shard (35 page)

Kristina opened her eyes, but because it was so very dark, she couldn't see anything.
I'm dead,
she thought.
I'm really, truly dead this time.
Suddenly, letters spelling "Elyon" flashed across her mind— bright-white and glowing. Kristina had seen this name before, but she was too exhausted to remember where. Then, like they had been hit by a bomb, they exploded apart, pieces flying in all directions. The particles from the letters came rushing back together and rearranged themselves to spell "Yolen." They were a shimmering pearl-white and blindingly bright. They brought about a feeling of warmth, security, and love but at the same time, there was a sense of power so great, Kristina was sure she was trembling before them. They were extremely painful to look at, but she kept her gaze upon them, her eyes tearing due to their intensity. At the same time, the vines began to squeeze her so very tight. She felt liquid trickle out of her nose, eyes, and ears and was sure it was her blood. She had one last breath left inside her, and she used it to scream out,
"Save me, Yolen!"

Confused and not remembering where she was, Kristina opened her eyes. A cool breeze blew through the cracks of the vines, which now covered her entire body, including her head. All she could see was a light gray color through them, and she felt cramped and claustrophobic, like she was encased in a coffin or a cocoon.
Is this the afterlife?
she wondered. Then she heard voices—familiar voices.
Are the voices of spirits?
She suddenly became aware of the thumping of her heart in her chest.
I'm alive!
she rejoiced.

"Look!" one voice said.

"What is it?" the other voice replied.

Kristina heard rustling in the grass. Someone was approaching her. Through the tiny spaces between the tangled vines, she thought she saw someone standing on one side of her, and then she saw someone else approach her on her other side.

"There she is!" one of the voices said. "She's buried under this mass of vines."

The mysterious fellows went down on their knees, and with small knives they began to cut into the vines and pull them apart. A tanned, muscular arm reached inside the opening. Kristina recognized a tattoo on the wrist. It was the fairy blossom tattoo she had seen the day before. The blossom part was intact, but the stem was eaten away by a sore.

"Tor!" she cried happily, grabbing onto the hand.
I'm not paralyzed anymore,
she realized. The hand gripped hers tightly and pulled her up and out of the vine casing. She was right—it was the rickshaw shamel.

He smiled warmly at her. "My name is actually Hector," he said. "Hector Mysteria."

"Are you the wizard of Tezerel who's been missing for many years?"

"Yes, I am," Hector said.

Kristina realized that she had heard two voices, and she turned to greet the other person—but he was no longer there. Her eyes trailed up the sloping hillside, and she caught sight of him, just as he reached the top of it. He turned around and waved to her.

"Mr.
Macgregor?"
she said in amazement. He was dressed in all white and had a golden aura surrounding him.

Hector came to stand by Kristina's side. "His real name is Reuel," he said.

"Reu ... what?" Kristina said confused.

"Re-u-el
is how you pronounce it."

"That's an odd name for a Scotsman."

"It means friend of Yolen." Hector smiled. "He chose the disguise of Mr. Macgregor, your bus driver, so that he could keep a watchful eye on you. He said that it especially came in handy when you were younger, when Hester and Graham bullied you on the bus."

"Wow! Now that you mention it," Kristina said, "there were many times on the bus that he did intervene and protect me from them."

Hector looked intently at Kristina. "Do you have any idea how we were able to find you?" he said.

Still staring at the top of the hill, where Reuel was no longer visible, Kristina shook her head.

"It was our maker, Yolen, who heard your cry. He not only healed your sores, but he sent Reuel, your guardian, to me, so that together we could rescue you."

Surprised, Kristina looked at Hector and then at her arms. They were again pale, smooth skin with no trace of sores. She knelt down and pulled up her pant legs. Her legs were smooth and clear of sores as well.

"Is Mr. Macgregor—I mean, Reuel—is he my guardian angel?" Kristina asked.

A smile formed on Hector's weathered face. "I know that he's not your typical-looking angel, but to answer your question, yes, he is."

"Is he going to rescue Werrien as well?"

The warm smile left Hector's face, and his dark brown eyes grew serious. "I'm afraid that there's no word on whether Werrien is alive."

A lump filled Kristina's throat, and she felt her eyes well up with tears. She walked over to the spot where the Black Shard lay on the grass beside the crystal necklace, and Hector followed. The Black Shard was no longer black but transparent.

"I wonder what happened to it," Kristina said.

"It was cursed," Hector said, "but now the curse has been lifted."

"What was the curse?"

"Whoever was the first to become captivated by the Black Shard would be captured by Sentiz. The curse was actually meant for King Warren, but no doubt, Sentiz is pleased with having it come upon her second choice, his son, Werrien."

Kristina shuddered. "It gave me the creeps; now I know why. I wish Werrien would have felt the same about it." Her eyes trailed from the shard to the necklace. It was transparent as well. "Did you know that I also brought about a curse. When Hester ripped the necklace from my neck, I—as well as the people of this land— developed sores, the same sores that you still have."

"It was definitely an unfortunate mishap, especially when it was Hester, or I should say
Strolin,
who tore the necklace from you. Though it really doesn't matter anymore; Yolen heard you cry out to him, and he lifted the curse."

Once again, Kristina stared at the crystal necklace and the shard. "What should I do with them?" she asked softly.

"They have no power anymore, so I suppose you can do anything you like with them."

"Since the necklace's power is gone, does this mean I'm not going home?"

"As far as I know, no, you aren't—at least not in the near future."

Kristina knelt down and picked up the necklace and the shard. Then she turned to look up at Hector. "Why hasn't Yolen healed you?"

"I asked Reuel the same question. He said that even though the curse has been lifted, it may take longer for me and the inhabitants of the land to heal."

"But why, then, are my sores gone?"

"Apparently, Yolen was especially pleased with you."

Kristina sighed. "I really have no idea why he would be. The whole time that I've been in your world, I've been so insecure and sickly."

Staring out at the Sicapif Sea, Hector smiled and shook his head. "What you have just said proves to me that you do not yet know the ways of Yolen."

Gazing at the dormant stones, Kristina said, "You're right, I don't think that I do know the ways of Yolen."

"Let me ask you a question," Hector said.

"Sure," Kristina said.

"What do you see in a mirror?"

"That's quite obvious. I see myself." She suddenly thought of the old hag she had seen in the vanity mirror. "Well...usually I would see myself, unless I was looking into a possessed mirror," she corrected herself.

"But you do agree that in a normal mirror, you see yourself?"

"Yes, of course."

"As you can tell, my hair is quite long." Hector held his braid in his hand for Kristina to see. "Possibly even longer than your hair."

"I think that may be true," Kristina agreed.

"Have you ever tried to braid your hair while looking in a mirror?"

"Yes, I remember the very first time I tried. I thought that it would be obviously easy, but it was very difficult, because the reflection of my hands moved in an opposite direction from what my hands actually were doing."

"Exactly my point!"

"What do you mean? I don't get it."

"What may look so obvious to you, like the way you see yourself as weak, is actually the opposite of how Yolen sees you. He sees, what you perceive as your weakness, combined with your humility, as your strength." Hector again looked very seriously at her. "When you were at your life's lowest moment and you faced total depravity, you did not become bitter or try to reason away the things that were happening to you. Instead, you faced your dismal situation and then, best of all, you cried out to Yolen. For this reason, he was pleased with you."

"Is that the reason Yolen saved me?"

"Partially. It's complicated to understand, but let me try to explain it as simply as I can. Yolen knew you even before the world of Bernovem and your world, Earth were created. It was Yolen that placed the seed of faith inside of you when you were born. Your crying out to him to save you was the germination of that seed."

Mixed feelings flooded Kristina's mind. She was so very grateful to Yolen for saving her and healing her, but at the same time, her heart was burdened with sorrow for Werrien. "If Werrien is still alive, I wonder what is to happen to him, now that Sentiz and her followers have him," she said.

Hector sighed heavily. "Werrien was tempted by the Black Shard, and he gave into his temptation by taking it and coveting it. Reuel said that this saddened Yolen as well as angered him. Reuel has not told me anything about what has, or what will happen to Werrien, but what Reuel
has
told me is that right now, as I speak, Resucca is making final preparations to take over our lands—for good, this time. There are already great changes in the city."

"How can Resucca be stopped?"

"The only way to stop him now, is to find Azaril. He has the front section of Bernovem's Book of Prophecy, and it contains the instructions on how to destroy Resucca and his followers once and for all."

"Where is Azaril?"

"Reuel thinks he is in the forsaken land of Jalmara." Hector's eyes narrowed. "Would you be willing to journey to Jalmara and search for Azaril with me?"

Thinking of the forsaken land, Kristina suddenly looked uncertain.

"It's our only hope of saving our three lands and, hopefully, rescuing Werrien as well."

Hearing that she could possibly rescue Werrien, the uncertainty left Kristina's face, and she smiled. "Most definitely," she replied.

Hector smiled warmly at her. "Then we must leave at once," he said.

They both started walking up the hillside, but about a third of the way up, Kristina stopped. "Wait one minute," she said and turned around and went back to where the shard and the crystal necklace lay on the grass. She picked up the broken necklace and tied it around her wrist. Then she picked up the shard and, with all her strength, she hurled it over the bluff. Then she turned to face Hector and said, "Now we can leave."

Victoria Simcox lives with her husband and three children in Western Washington. Besides being a writer, she is an elementary school art teacher.