Free The Black Shard by Victoria Simcox Page B

Navesa's portrait was not in very good condition; the paint was faded and chipping in certain areas, making it hard to see exactly what she looked like, but from what Kristina could tell, she had ash-blonde hair and green eyes. Her expression was also serious and somewhat sad. Prince Raspue looked to be in his forties, with olive-toned skin and dark brown, sunken eyes.

    "Where do King Sirus and Queen Navesa rule?" Kristina asked.
    "Nowhere," Werrien said.
    "So ... then what are they king and queen of?"
    "They're not anymore. Queen Navesa disappeared, and no one knows where. Then soon after she went missing, King Sirus was found dead in his bed."
    Kristina turned to face Werrien. "Are you joking, because if you are it's not funny?" she said.
    "It's no joke," Werrien said.
    Hearing this caused a shiver to run down Kristina's spine.

- 10 -
Some History
    “H ow did King Sirus die?" Kristina asked.
    "Poison," Werrien said quickly, and he sat down on the edge of the bed beside her.
    "Who poisoned him?"
    "My parents are pretty certain that he did it to himself."
    "Did it have something to do with his wife's disappearing?"
    "Yes. I think it was all to do with her." Werrien sighed. "It was said that he loved her more than life itself."
    Kristina couldn't help but stare into Werrien's eyes, entranced by his words:
'He loved her more than life itself.'
    Feeling slightly awkward, Werrien broke eye contact and stood up. "I should go check on the crew," he said, starting for the door. But Kristina reached out and touched his hand.
    "Please, tell me a little more about the kings and queens, and what happened in the past," she said, taking her hand back again.
    For a moment Werrien didn't answer but stood still. Then slowly, he turned around and said, "I suppose that I have a little time to spare." He sat down again and went on. "Like I said before, the man in the portrait—the one not paired with a woman—is Prince Raspue. He was Sentiz's husband."
    Kristina looked surprised. "Really?"
    "Yeah, really," Werrien said. "Many years ago, the two of them ruled Jalmara—a faraway land northeast of Bernovem. At that time, my parents were the rulers of Tezerel, which is west of Bernovem, and Sirus and Navesa were the rulers of Bernovem." Werrien cracked an uncertain smile. "You may find this hard to believe, but back then, my parents, along with Sirus and Navesa, were very good friends with Sentiz and Raspue."
    "That is hard to believe, at least that they were friends with Sentiz."
    "Three times a year, all of them would get together in Bernovem to discuss their kingdoms, as well as celebrate special occasions. All the royals loved Bernovem because of its lush green forests, tall mountains, and rugged coastline. Bernovem was also the only land to have the Rainbow Tree. Whenever it was time for my parents and Sentiz and Raspue go back home to their lands, Sentiz would always try to coax Raspue into staying longer in Bernovem."
    "Why?" Kristina asked curiously.
    "I assume it was because she loved how the people of Bernovem treated her—with great honor and respect."
    "I'm guessing that they didn't know her very well."
    "You guessed right—she was never in Bernovem long enough for them to get to know her very well. The short time that she did spend here, she made sure that she was on her best behavior, especially when she was in the public eye."
    Kristina's eyebrows rose. "She must've been quite the charmer."
    "You could say that, but I think 'bewitcher' suits her better. Anyhow, Raspue and Sentiz would have great arguments because she always wanted to stay longer in Bernovem, but Raspue, being loyal to his own land, knew his people needed him, and for that reason he didn't want to be away too long. He would always end up convincing his reluctant queen that they needed to go back home to rule their own land."
    "Didn't Sentiz like her own land?"
    "No, apparently she couldn't stand it."
    "Do you know why?"
    "It became too cold, and her people