The Carnelian Legacy (30 page)

“That’s the short version, I assume. Tell me, were you by any chance up in the woods north of Gold Hill when you encountered the vortex?”

Marisa’s eyes widened. “How did you know that?”

“That area is known for its vortex activity,” Celino said. “In fact, members of the Latgawa tribe have refused to enter the area for years now.”

“Yeah, my dad always warned us not to go up there. I’ve always heard those woods were cursed, but I just thought it was superstitious nonsense.”

“You’re not the only skeptic. For the longest time, I’ve been trying to prove my theory that there is a higher frequency of vortices occurring between the fortieth and forty-fifth parallel.”

“Why is that?” asked Arrie.

“It all has to do with the gravitational pull of the earth and the fact that it is halfway between the equator and the North Pole. Of course, altitude must always be taken into account as well.”

“Oh.”

“I’ve had a hunch, though, that the largest concentration of vortices in the world is located inside the Bermuda triangle. It would explain why most of the boats, planes, and people that have gotten sucked in over the years have never been found.”

“Celino, Marisa is curious to know if there’s any chance of her returning to Earth,” Arrie said.

“Hmm. That’s a difficult question.” he answered. “And you’re not the first one to ask it.”

“How did you travel through a vortex, sir?” Marisa asked.

“First of all, none of that
sir
stuff. Call me Cecil or Celino, but no sir. I’m no knight. Second, in answer to your question, I arrived here through a vortex that I predicted myself,” he said proudly.

Arrie’s jaw dropped.

“But how?” she asked. “I thought you just said it was a difficult question?”

“I said it was a difficult question—but with an easy answer. And the answer is, yes, it can be done because I have done it.”

“But how can you predict a vortex?” Arrie asked. “It’s my understanding that there is no way of knowing when and where one will open.”

“Without giving away too many trade secrets, I can tell you with reasonable certainty that it is possible to predict when and where a vortex will occur using my own algorithmic method of statistics and probability. Of course, it only has a 96.7 percent standard of accuracy, but in my book, I’d call that pretty accurate.”

“So you
can
predict when another vortex will open,” she said.

“Oh, most definitely. However, the tricky part is predicting when the right vortex you need will open.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I’m sure Arrie has already explained to you that there are at least four other existing worlds. And those are just the ones we know of. When a vortex opens, you only have a one-in-four chance that it will lead toward Earth and not one of the other three worlds.”

“So, how are you supposed to know which is which?”

“Yes, that’s the difficult question, now, isn’t it?” Celino smiled.

She threw up her hands. “So basically we’re back to square one, aren’t we?”

“Not necessarily. After years of studying the paths and predictability of vortices, I just recently made a significant breakthrough. I need to test my theory just one more time, and if it works, I can officially label myself a genius.”

“So there’s still hope for me yet?” she asked.

“Oh, I think you could safely say that, yes,” Celino answered smugly.

Marisa suddenly brightened.

“However,” he warned, “you must never share this information with anybody in Carnelia. The power to predict a vortex would be a tremendous leap, scientifically speaking. But it could negatively impact Carnelia and alter its course forever.”

“In what way?”

He shrugged. “Someone could introduce a Howitzer. Or they might bring across some dangerous biological agent such as smallpox that could wipe out the entire population.”

“I never thought of that,” she said.

“There are countless ways in which one civilization can negatively impact the other. We’re just fortunate that nobody from our world has yet been able to tap into this incredible power source. Can you imagine what would happen if they did?”

Marisa shook her head.

“Well, I wouldn’t worry about it. Back on Earth, the vortex wormhole theory is still in its infancy. Scientists are still trying to prove that there’s more than one universe out there and yet, here we are, sitting in Carnelia and proving that theory as fact.”

Celino paused for a moment as he scratched his head and reached for his reading glasses on the table.

“Scientists cannot completely disprove the possibility of time travel through the wormhole. But most of them scoff whenever anyone suggests utilizing a vortex as the quantum event to transport a person or object to another universe.”

“Hasn’t anyone ever tried to prove it?” she asked.

“Some have tried. I’ve devoted a substantial part of my life to researching and understanding this virtually unknown phenomenon. In fact, my thesis at Cal Tech was on something I call the vortex leap theory. It is real, my friends, as you both discovered for yourselves.”

“How long will it take to finish the testing phase?” she asked.

Celino smiled at her. “In other words, you want to know how much longer you’re stuck here.”

Marisa nodded sheepishly.

“Well, I can’t say for certain, but I should know pretty quickly here once I’m able to test it.” Celino slapped his hands on his thighs, signaling the discussion was over. “End of the science lesson for today. Who wants more tea?”

“No thanks, I’ve had enough,” she said.

“I think we should probably be getting back now,” Arrie replied.

“Well then, I guess I’ll be seeing you two at the masquerade ball in a couple of days?” Celino asked.

“Oh,” said Marisa, “I didn’t realize the invitations had already gone out. So you’re coming, right?”

“I sure hope so, if my research doesn’t interfere. I’ll look forward to having a dance with you, my dear,” Celino said, kissing her hand.

“Thanks again, Celino. We’ll be back again soon,” Arrie said.

CHAPTER 23

RESIGNATION

ARRIE
AND
MARISA
HURRIED
up toward the castle just as it was beginning to pour. The heavy rain soaked through their clothes within a couple of minutes. Laughing, they ran into the Green Room and stood with their backs to the fire.

“That was an interesting morning,” Marisa said. She removed her cape, hung it over a chair next to the fire. “Thanks for taking me.”

“You’re welcome. Celino is quite an intriguing man. One of these days, we’ll go back for another visit and he can tell you one of his crazy adventures.”

“Arrie, can you please find out if anyone has found my ring?” she asked. “Every time I think about it, I get sick to my stomach.”

“Yes, I will,” Arrie promised. He removed his cloak and shook his wet hair like a dog. Marisa laughed at him as she wrung her hair out on the marble floor.

All of a sudden, Tino burst into the room.

“Ah, Lord Arrigo, there you are. I’ve been searching all over the palace for you for the past hour. Please forgive my intrusion, milady, but I must speak with Lord Arrigo immediately.”

“Of course,” she said with a nod. Marisa watched curiously as they whispered in the corner. Tino said something she couldn’t hear and Arrie nodded with a grim look on his face. Tino left the room and hurried down the corridor.

“What’s going on?”

“Bad news, I’m afraid. Tino has just informed me that Gregario passed on this morning.”

“Savino’s father?”

Arrie nodded. “This is the news we’ve been dreading, though none of us expected it to happen so soon. I must go to Darian right away. Will you please forgive me?”

“Yes of course—go, go.”

Arrie rushed out of the room.

Marisa went upstairs to change her clothes. She opened the door and was surprised to see her nearly finished ball gown hanging from a wooden peg.

Anna curtseyed. “There you are, milady. Your dress is almost completed, but we need a final fitting. I will go fetch Leonora. Would you please be so kind as to put it on?” she asked.

As the young woman ran off, Marisa moved closer to examine the dress. The fabric had an almost reflective sheen on its surface and the intricate beadwork curled and twisted across the bodice. She ran her fingers ran along the small, ivory pearls sewn onto the edges of the neck, shoulders and sleeves. The gown was a work of art.

She slipped off her clothes and lifted the purple, ivory, and lavender gown over her head just as Anna returned with Leonora. After Anna had fastened the dress in back, Leonora carefully took in small folds of fabric, sticking pins around the waist and bust area.

The gown was hemmed to the perfect length, and Leonora made sure the sleeves flared out from the elbow at exactly the right length. Finally Leonora nodded in approval, apparently satisfied that everything was correct. Marisa removed the dress and handed it to Leonora who scurried off to complete her work.

Marisa’s thoughts turned to Savino. Wondering if he even knew that his father was dead, she quickly did the math in her head. It had taken them three days to travel back to Crocetta from Abbadon. If Savino had left for Crocetta two days ago, there was no way he could know about Gregario’s death yet.

Both Arrie and Darian had said it would be disastrous if Savino became king. She thought about her own unique position in the country’s politics. The fact that Savino’s father was now dead had undoubtedly kicked things up a notch or two. It was highly likely that she would be forced to decide much sooner on whether to marry him.

Marriage?

How could she even consider it? She was only eighteen and not ready for that kind of commitment. She hadn’t even dated that much, but in this strange world, people were engaged from birth.

Could she marry Savino to save the land from war? And how was it possible that the fate of an entire country could rest on whether an eighteen-year-old girl would accept an ordinary marriage proposal?

It blew her mind.

Savino, Lady Matilda, Talvan, and his entourage of thirty-something warriors were less than a day from Crocetta when they were met by a royal courier sent to convey the sad news of Count Gregario’s death.

Raising his sword victoriously, Savino shouted, “Hail the new king of Crocetta! You shall be witnesses at my coronation in less than a fortnight! The king is dead! Hail to your king!”

“Hail, King Savino! The king is dead! Long live the king,” the men shouted in unison.

“Show you no remorse for our father’s death, Savino?” Matilda asked, tears in her bright blue eyes. “Have you forgotten about Prince Darian? It’s still possible that he shall ascend the throne instead of you.”

“The only way for that coward to ascend the throne, dear sister, would be if, by some miracle, you should agree to marry him,” Savino replied with a wicked smile.

He turned to the royal courier and motioned to dismiss him.

“Go back and report to Prince Darian. He is commanded to prepare for the king’s arrival in Crocetta tomorrow. Tell him that I am coming to claim my throne.”