Free The Black Shard by Victoria Simcox

to take notice of her or Davina; instead, he walked straight up to Werrien and Kristina. "How do you like the ship—and, might I add, her name?" he asked Kristina.
    "It's really beautiful!" Kristina said.
    "Yes,
she
certainly is," Werrien said.
    Kristina gave Werrien a fleeting smile.
    "I'll see you on board, soon then," Heerzek said. Then he turned and began walking up the dock. Due to his not noticing her, Hester's mood instantly soured again.
    "I've got something else to show you," Werrien said to Kristina. They began walking briskly up the dock and though reluctant, Hester and Davina toddled along behind them.
    Along the upper part of the ship's hull ran a decorative vine with leaves and fairy blossom, twisting and swirling from the bow to the stern of the ship. Werrien took Kristina to the very front of the vessel to show her the golden figurehead, a replica of Kristina holding the Magic Warble. When she laid eyes on it, she stopped walking and froze. The vibrant smile that she had had on her face was replaced with a pale worrisome look.
    His brow creasing, Werrien looked puzzled at her. "What's the matter? Don't you like it?" he asked.
    "It looks great!" Kristina said nervously, crossing her arms across her chest. "Everything is just great!" She swallowed uneasily and then lowered her voice an octave and went on. "It's just that at home..." She paused to look up at Werrien's handsome face behind his wind-tousled hair and became too embarrassed to finish her thought. Instead, she quickly looked away and stared out at the rippling, blue sea dancing below the whitecaps.
    "It's just that at home ... what?" Werrien asked, his mood now serious as well.
    She turned quickly to face him and confessed, "Werrien, at home, I'm a nobody, and I have hardly any friends." Her cornflower blue eyes became glassy, and she glanced quickly along the side of the ship to see if Hester and Davina were nearby. Luckily, they were already boarding the ship with Sepel. Kristina looked up at Werrien again. "There you have it," she said softly. "You're making a spectacle out of a nobody." A tear trickled down her cheek, and Werrien reached out with his finger and caught it. His eyes narrowed, and his mouth curved up slightly on one side in a half-smile.
    "I can hardly believe what you're saying, but I'll tell you what I think. If your so-called peers at home are anything like Hester and Davina, then believe me, you definitely have nothing to worry about."
    Embarrassed for showing her emotions, Kristina kept her gaze toward the dock and sniffled.
    "Hey, look at me," Werrien said, gently lifting her chin.
    Hesitantly, Kristina looked up into his eyes.
    "I don't ever want to hear you put yourself down like that again. Do you hear me?" Werrien said trying to act stern, and at the same time not being able to stop a smile from creeping up on his lips.
    Kristina smirked at him. "Whatever," she said softly before a weak grin.
    Werrien looked up to the ship's deck and saw his father, King Warren, the captain of the ship, looking down at them. "It's time for us to board."
    Werrien and Kristina reached the main deck of
THE KRISTINA,
where a dozen or so gnomes and dwarfs were busy getting her ship­shape for the journey to Tezerel. Some of the crew stopped to greet the teens, and one elderly gnome man, wearing an eye patch, stood out in particular. "Ahoy, my dear Kristina. What a pleasure it is to finally meet you," he said in a gruff yet friendly voice, his good-natured red face beaming as he went down on one knee and bowed to her.

    "The name's Kurdeen, and if there's anything you need, you can find me in the galley. And if you don't need anything, well, I hope you'll visit anyway." He winked at Kristina with his good eye.
    Kristina smiled warmly at the gnome. "Thanks for the welcome, Mr. Kurdeen," she said.
    Kurdeen shook his head and chuckled. "No, no, none of that formality stuff. You call me Kurdeen, or Kurdy for short, if that's easier for ya."
    "All