Crusade Across Worlds by C.G. Coppola

reminds
him.
    “Yeah. Here.”
    “How many you need?”
    Jace shrugs. “I get lonely.”
    “I think one will suffice,” Clarence
appears. “Alright, first stop on the tour is seeing our quarters.
We’ll dress, then meet Queen Ravan for breakfast and see if we
can’t… persuade her.”
    Mae frowns. “Isn’t breakfast a little
informal?”
    “I believe that’s her point,” Sampson
approaches, Reid by his side. “The less important the setting, the
less important the reason. If she were to take our request
seriously, we would be meeting without food and as soon as we
arrived. I think she’s treating our arrival as another friendly
visit.”
    “But she knows why we’re coming?” I ask.
    “Oh she knows. She’ll probably brush it off
very quickly but still, we must give it one last attempt. If we
don’t get her to reveal the location…” he places his hands on his
hips and sighs. “I’m not sure what we’re going to do. So,” he
glances around, spying Reid and Walker, “everyone on their best
behavior. We’ll have a little while to get ready before we meet in
the dining hall. And when we do, please leave the conversation
solely to Blovid, Clarence and myself. Fallon,” he turns to me,
“she may wish to question you as well. With your departure to
Arosin these past three months, the queen has grown curious.
Disclose what you can, especially anything that may help sway her
opinion on the matter.”
    What could I say to help our situation?
There’s got to be something that might convince her that the Shadow
Bag is safest in our hands, even though I don’t believe it is. But
Sampson does, and I trust him instinctively. Quickly reviewing any
tidbits of the future, I realize I wasn’t given any, except that
I’m supposed to kill Reuzkimpart, and that’s for my knowledge
only.
    Sampson gestures for us to break into groups
for our departure. Jace, Tucker, Werzo, Booker and Walker form the
first group while Able, Mae, Pratt, Reid and I form the second.
Clarence enters our circle and takes my right hand. Reid clutches
my left, slyly rubbing his thumb down my ring finger. I look at him
and he winks.
    I can’t wait to make you my wife.
    “We shall see you on the north shore,” Vix
says and then shoots up, disappearing into the early morning sky.
Blovid, Qippert and Jothkore follow as a solid mass of air forms
under my feet. The lush Nerwolix green fades until it’s replaced by
billowing purple wind that whips and sways around us. Like
yesterday, it’s a short trip. A few seconds in, the lavender winds
dissipate to reveal a stark blue sky as gobs of cushiony sand hit
our feet.
    Mybyncia.
    Able and Mae nearly topple over, but Pratt
and Reid keep them standing. I look from the fumbling pair to the
vast abyss ahead.
    I almost forgot how blue the water was.
    Endless, it stretches for miles into the
clear, crisp sky, the surface still and pristine like a sheet of
smooth glass. No bubbles. No ripples. It’s hard to believe an
entire civilization dwells miles below the surface and somewhere,
hidden deep in its depths, lies one of the Three Gifts. The last
time I was here, Princess Ariana was missing. Qippert was still
recovering from their attempt to secure Dilly on Harrizel, and we’d
just returned from our first visit to Nerwolix. So much has changed
since then.
    “Maris will be meeting us here with the
suits shortly,” Qippert makes his way over as Sampson and the rest
of his group follow.
    “Are we taking the slide thing to the
holding station?” Pratt asks hopefully.
    “Not this time. That way is reserved
primarily for first-time visitors. As Walker is the only one who
has not been acquainted with traveling on Mybyncia, it will be up
to us to help guide him.”
    “Sure I can manage.”
    “You say that now,” Able laughs.
    “What could be so—”
    Bubbles ripple, shattering the water’s
smooth surface as ten purplish-blue reptilian heads emerge all at
once. Their long, giraffe-like necks reach