The Vanishing Stone (11 page)

18

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ikoleta tried to open the door but it wouldn't budge. The girl must have locked it. Then, suddenly, Nikoleta smelled something burning. She turned around and saw that a small flame from the corner of the shack was burning and was spreading quickly. As small, old and dusty as the place was it was bound to be up in flames in five minutes. Nikoleta started pounding on the door. "HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!" She kept pounding and pounding. She tried to kick down the door but it was no use. Then, she tried putting her whole body weight into it. She pounded her shoulder into the door over and over and it was also no use.

There were no windows to break, it was all wooden walls. She went around in random spots and kicked the walls as hard as she could,
hoping and praying that something would give. She was beginning to panic. There was no way that she was going to die at the hand of a little girl in a burning shack. The sad thing was that as brittle and ragged as it looked it was actually very strongly built. She kept kicking and slamming her body into the walls with out success. She started coughing with all the smoke filling her lungs. The fire was burning three of the walls and started to burn the floor. She needed to figure out how do get out or she was going to be ashes right alongside the shack.

   
              Then, she heard voices outside. She yelled again, "HELP!" Suddenly, the door came ripping open. It was Bosh and Day. "Nikki, oh my, are you alright?" "I will be once we get away from here. I can't breathe." They all started running in the opposite direction of the shack; meanwhile, Nikoleta was still coughing from all the smoke.

  
              When they got a good distance away, they stopped. "Nikoleta, here, have some water," Bosh handed her his canteen. "Thank you."

 
              "My gosh, Nikki, what happened back there?" Day asked. Nikoleta was finishing a gulp of water, "A little girl told me my parents were there so we went, and then a ghost of Kibbie was there and then it went away then the shack caught fire."

 
              "Wait, what?" Bosh asked. "You have to elaborate a little more on all that. We have no idea what you are talking about."

   
              Nikoleta took a deep breath and began again, "When I woke up this morning, there was a little girl and she told me she knew where my parents were so she took me to the shack. Inside, Kibbie was tied to a chair. The little girl left and, I'm assuming, locked me in. When I went to untie Kibbie, my hands went right through her as if she were a ghost. After that, the shack caught fire."

  
              "I wonder who the little girl was," Day said, baffled, "that's very odd." No one knew what to say. There were too many unexplainable events. "What do we do now? Nikoleta asked.

 
              "We should go talk to Karina so we can end this nonsense," Bosh said. "We need to let her know that we aren't afraid and we need to find Kibbie and your parents. We need to show her that nothing can bring us down," Bosh finished, boldly.

  
              Suddenly, the decision of what to do was made for them. Men came riding horses and before they knew it, they were wrapped it chains. "Finally, this will all be over." They heard one of the guards say. The goblins were there, as well, holding their chains again. “Good thing Raphael said there would be smoke, otherwise we wouldn’t have found this place,” another man said.

The short journey to the castle was quite unpleasant. The goblin holding Nikoleta was gawking at her as if he hadn't eaten in weeks.

                 When they arrived at the castle, they were taken to the stage area again. There was yet another large crowd waiting for them:  men, women, and children--all waiting to see who was getting sacrificed next.

  
              The goblin took Bosh and Day over to the chairs that were lined up across the stage, facing the posts. After a few moments, Raphael came out with his bow and arrow, a woman and the little from the woods. They sit down on chairs that were against the castle wall, facing the crowd. Raphael walked over to Nikoleta, who was still in chains being held by a guard, "Meet my wife and clever, clever daughter."

19

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ikoleta was completely appalled. She couldn't believe that he would have his young daughter lead her into such a horrible trap. And he has a wife, too? She felt ashamed and embarrassed, but perhaps his wife was in on the schemes too.

 
              "Kill her! Kill her!" The crowd began to chant. Raphael raised his hand, "Wait, wait. It is not that simple. Nikoleta Soter's life is a debt to this castle and today that debt will be paid. But first, I will tell you the story. You see, Nikoleta's father did not want to follow direct orders. He was ordered to go and kill all the dragons he came across and he wouldn't do it. His punishment for his insubordination was to publicly kill his daughter, Nikoleta Soter. That, he couldn't do either. So now, Nikoleta must make her choice; will she sacrifice herself or everyone she loves?

                "No! Please don't hurt them!!" Nikoleta pleaded. Raphael walked back over to Nikoleta, "Oh, what's wrong, Nikki? Don't want to lose your friends? Or is it your own life you're worried about?" He let out a chuckle, "I guess you aren't so brave without your little necklace now, are you? You're no longer a hero, Nikoleta Soter.

  Just then, a g
uard brought out Kibbie and sat her next to Day in an empty chair. There were still two empty chairs. Raphael starts shouting to the crowd, "The ultimate debt will be paid today on this stage. Nikoleta, her friends and her family have all rebelled against this castle.

              "Raphael, what do I have to do?" She was trying very hard to hold herself together. She needed to be strong. "That's easy, sacrifice yourself or watch everyone you love die. Choose."

  
              Nikoleta was devastated. She couldn't choose! She wasn't ready to die, she was too young. She couldn't bear to see her friends die, either. "Fine, I'll do it. I'll sacrifice myself," she said, barely audible.

 
              "Wonderful!" Raphael clapped. The goblin holding Nikoleta guided her over to the post and ties her to it. Nikoleta's heart was pounding in her chest and she felt like she would vomit. As much as she wanted to remain calm and strong, she couldn't. Tears began rolling down her face and she began to feel that this whole journey was for nothing.

  
              She looked over at the little girl, sitting next to Raphael's wife. She was looking at Nikoleta with the coldest expression she had ever seen. This girl was not the same girl she met in the woods. She wondered what went on in that girl's life that made her switch so drastically from happy to emotionless.

  
              "Bring them out!" Raphael shouted. A few moments later, a guard brought out a man and a woman. They were thin, dirty and wearing ripped clothing. They were sat in the chairs beside her friends. She recognized them from the pictures she saw. They were almost incomparable to the pictures because of their condition. They were her parents.

20

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ikoleta cried harder. She never wanted to see her parents like that or vice versa. As awful as their lives had been already, they didn't deserve this as well.

 
              "No! Take them away!" Nikoleta screamed, "I don't want them to see this."

   "Sorry, Nikoleta,
I can't do that," Raphael replied. Then Karina stood up, "Aren't you happy you finally get to see your parents? This is such a sweet family reunion."

  
              "You're sick! All of you!" Day yelled.

 
              "Be quiet, you!" Raphael commanded.

  
              "I'd like to say something before this ceremony is ended," Karina said, "I would like to say that my father ruled a strong kingdom and he understood that weak links need to be removed. No one defies us, belittles us, no slanders us and certainly no one makes a fool of us. Do you have any last words, Miss Soter?"

 
              Raphael stood in his usual shooting spot on stage and aimed his arrow. Nikoleta couldn't breathe. Death was staring her in the face, along with the desperate faces of her mother and father and three best friends. Of course, this would be her luck to die now that people now cherished her, now that she had a real family. She could hardly speak and she started crying but she got out what she could:

        "I love you all. I know there are tears in my ey
es right now but just know I'm dying a happy girl because I've had you all in my life. Even if it was for a very

        
short time."

                She couldn't say anymore. She knew her last breath of life would be happening shortly. She said what she needed to say.

 
              "Well then, let's get on with it, already!" Akonni sneered.

   
              Raphael was still aiming his arrow at Nikoleta. He planted his feet firmly on the stage floor, pulled the arrow back and let it go.

    
              Nikoleta, yet again, vanished.

21

R
aphael was furious. He had been made a fool of, yet again. He roared in anger on the stage. Day and Bosh looked at each other and smiled but even they were still surprised. Nikoleta was still being protected by the stone even though she was no longer wearing the necklace.

  
              Karina approached Raphael and said in a low voice, "How does this keep happening? We look like idiots!"

 
              "I don't know your highness; it's something I cannot explain," He replied.

 
              "Well, you had better figure it out because now you will need to face council. This is complete incompetence." With that, she stormed back into the castle. "Karina, wait, she wasn't even wearing the necklace."

 
              "I'm sure she knows that, Raphael, she destroyed it, you jack ass," spat Akonni.

 
              The crowd was angry and began to throw tomatoes towards the stage. Akonni, Raphael and his wife and daughter went back in the castle. The guards took Bosh, Day, Kibbie and Nikoleta's parents back inside, as well.

Once everyone was gathered in the corridor, Karina said, "Take them to the nastiest dungeon you can find, where they will never see the light of day. All Bosh could do was smile. "What are you smiling about?" Karina asked. Bosh didn't answer. Karina snapped at the guards, "Take them, now!"

***

                 Utterly shocked that a strangely dressed girl just magically appeared before him, King Lenny McGrowan could only ask, "Who in the world are you?"

  
              Nikoleta was afraid to answer. Sitting before her were a king and queen sitting on their thrones. They were both wearing long, golden robes. The King was a chunky man with a greying beard and the Queen looked no older than thirty-five with wavy, blonde hair. The room that they were in had marble walls and floors with a red carpet up the middle. On the walls, there were tall, long windows and the sun was shining brightly inside. On each side of her, there were pews with people sitting in them.

 
              "I'm Nikoleta Soter, sir," she said, hesitantly.

The Queen (Sophia McGrowan) asked, "Where did you come from?"

Nikoleta's face was still blotchy and tears were still in her eyes, "I came from Princess Karina's castle. Raphael was trying to kill me and they have my friends and my parents."

 
              "But how did you get here so suddenly? Are you a witch?"

              "No, I'm not a witch. It was the vanishing stone, probably."

              "Oh, yes I've heard of those," the Queen replied. "Why were you going to be killed, dear?"

              "Because seventeen years ago, my father didn't want to kill dragons or me so they've been keeping them all these years. My friends and I were trying to save them," Nikoleta replied. She heard the people in the pews gasp.

 
              "How barbaric! I knew she was running her kingdom without any morals at all!" exclaimed the King. "Well, Nikoleta, you are safe with us, now. We will devise a plan for your friends and family. Tonight, you will stay here with us. I assure you this castle is heavily guarded. Tonight at dinner you will be my guest of honor.

***

The guest chamber was the fanciest room that Nikoleta had ever seen in her life. There were blue, silk bedsheets on the bed with a golden canopy above it. There was a lit fire place, a shiny stone floor and a bench by the window upholstered with blue velvet. Nikoleta wondered if blue was the castle’s main colors.

  
              "Milady, we've prepared a warm bath for you," the servant bowed. "Thank you," was all she could muster. She was definitely not used to being served this way. She felt like a princess. The servant girl led Nikoleta down the hall to a room that she assumed was the bathroom. There was hay all over the floor and a big wooden tub in the middle. She could see the steam rising from it. "I'll leave you to your bath Milady. I'll have a gown in your chambers." Nikoleta said
thank you
, once again.

  
              Removing her clothing, she stepped into the bath tub. It felt good when she stepped in and she lay back and relaxed. Her mind couldn't relax, though. She prayed that everyone was alright back at Karina's castle.

 
              She began to think of her parents. She wished the circumstances were very different. It had been a horrible experience for everyone. She felt hatred in her heart for how Karina and her father had treated her parents. They were in terrible shape and definitely malnourished. She vowed that soon,
very soon
, Karina and her people would regret it.

 
              After washing up, Nikoleta dried off and wrapped the towel around her and she creeped back to her assigned chambers. Inside was a beautiful gown laid out on the bed for her. It was lavender with on the sleeves and trim and it was made of silk. She wasn't the dress-wearing type but she was excited about this one.

  
              There was a knock on the door, "Come in." In walked the servant girl carrying a somewhat large box. It was made of mahogany. The servant opened it and inside there were brushes, hair pins and jewelry.

  
              After quite a while, the servant managed to comb out the knots in Nikoleta's hair and styled it into a fashionable bun and then she helped her into her dress.

  
              "Milady, you look amazing! Just like a queen. You'll be the most beautiful girl at dinner tonight." Nikoleta couldn't say much except thank you, again, with a smile. "Dinner will be in twenty minutes. Someone will be coming to escort you." The servant girl then left the room.

  
              Nikoleta thought that the last twenty minutes were the longest in her life. She paced her room and kept looking out of her window. She was high above the ground and each time she looked out of the window she was hoping she would see her friends and her parents would come running across the court yard below. Of course, that wasn't happening, but she kept hoping that they were all alright. Her nerves were getting the best of her; she knew she needed to come up with a plan and soon.