The Changeling Princess (42 page)

CHAPTER 72

I was still snuggled in Wade’s arms when I awoke to the sound of children laughing. I could see children chasing each other in what appeared to be a game of tag. I couldn’t help smiling as I watched the adults join in. It was a beautiful sight to see so much happiness on this island.

Wade opened his eyes and looked at me.
“You’re wearing a big smile this morning.”

“
I’ve been watching the islanders play tag. It warms my heart to watch them having so much fun.”

“
I know what you mean. What’s in these baskets being brought onto the beach?”

“
We’ll find out soon enough. There’s a young man with a basket headed our way.”

“
Breakfast fruit?” the young man asked as he lowered the basket. I sat up and helped myself to an orange colored fruit. Wade paused, and then decided on a yellow colored fruit. The young man smiled and then walked away.

“
Nothing like breakfast in bed,” Wade joked.

“
It sure beats crawling out of bed and raiding the refrigerator. I don’t have the slightest idea what kind of fruit this is.”

Wade took a bit of his fruit.
“Mine has a banana taste and it’s delicious. Yours is probably going to taste like an orange.”

I took a bite and savored the taste.
“It does have an orange flavor and it’s delicious. I should have taken two of them.”

We finished our fruit and watched as a group of islanders walked into the ocean. It wasn
’t long before half of the islanders had disappeared below the surface of the ocean.

“
I wonder if the kids have to go to school?” Wade asked.

“
I’m sure they have some kind of schooling. They’d have a hard time getting by if they didn’t know the basics. You have to know how to count.”

“
Math was my worst subject.”

“
I was always good at math,” I said with confidence.

“
That’s good, Janis because I have a simple math question for you.”

“
I know this is going to be a trick question, but ask me anyway.”

“
Okay. I’m holding two United States coins that total fifteen cents and one of them is not a nickel. What are the two coins?”

I frowned.
“That’s impossible. One of them has to be a nickel.” I paused. “Okay, I’ll bite, what are the two coins?”

Wade grinned.
“A dime and a nickel.”

“
But you said that one of them is not a nickel.”

“
That’s right. The dime is not a nickel.”

I frowned again because I knew I
’d been had. “Do you have any more cute little things like that?”

“
Sure, how far can a dog run into the woods?”

I put my hands over my eyes, whispering to myself that I should have kept my mouth shut.
“Okay I give up, how far can a dog run into the woods?”

Wade grinned again.
“Halfway. If he runs any farther, he’s running out of the woods.”

I giggled because I couldn
’t help myself. Wade was downright corny, but the dog joke was really cute. I decided to change the subject. “I was thinking Wade, when we go back into the water, you should consider morphing into an ocean creature.”

“
I thought about that, but it kind of scares me. What if I have trouble morphing back?”

“
I don’t think it’ll be a problem, but I can understand why you might be afraid. Why don’t we morph into the form of the islanders? We’d have webbed hands and feet and it would make swimming a lot more fun.”

I heard a high pitched
“Weeeeee” and looked up to see an islander flying straight out of the water. He did a flip at the height of his ascent and dove back into the water.

“
I think that guy was trying to mimic a dolphin,” said Wade.

Before I could answer, several more of the islanders flew out of the water.
“That looks like a great game. Come on, Wade let’s join the fun.”

We quickly morphed, adding webbing to our hands and feet and a small set of gills. We were both laughing as we raced to the water and dove in. The water was about twelve feet deep when we found the islanders playing the dolphin game.

The technique they used was quite simple. They swam as fast as they could near the ocean bottom and then they’d thrust themselves upward toward the surface. They were such fast swimmers that they could leap ten to fifteen feet out of the water. I looked at Wade.
You go first
, I said.

Wade got a running start and then flew up toward the surface. When he came back down, h
e looked pleased with himself
. I only got about six feet out of the water, but it was great fun. You’re next.

I did the best I could, but I was only able to get far enough out of the water to do a belly flop. Wade was grinning as I swam up to him.

I guess I need more practice
, I said.

You could use your super powers and fly a mile high if you wanted to.

Yeah, but that would be cheating. Let’s go for a swim.

We were still in shallow water when we came upon a large kelp forest. The abundance of kelp and the large schools of fish were a sure sign that the islanders would never run out of food.

I hid in the kelp patch and waited for Wade to come looking for me. I decided to be really cute and morphed into a mermaid with long auburn hair. Wade grinned when I showed myself.
Are you here to rescue me, handsome? I’m lost and I don’t know how to get home.

Wade didn
’t answer. He took me in his arms and kissed me. It was strange being kissed underwater, but I liked it.

I really like this game
, said Wade.

I was smil
ing as I slipped out of Wade’s arms and swam into the kelp forest. Wade was right behind me but he couldn’t keep up. I was hiding in the kelp when Wade grabbed me around the waist. I was surprised to see that he had morphed into a merman.

You make a handsome merman, Wade. Would you like to go for a swim with me?

Wade took my hand and we swam into deeper water. It was like taking a walk in the park as we swam side by side, taking in the sights of the ocean.

Unlike the ocean outside of the dome, the water surrounding the island never got deeper than five hundred feet. We encountered large schools of fish, but nothing that would be threatening to the islanders.

The light from the dome allowed us to view the ocean creatures swimming outside of the dome. We saw many strange creatures, but the scariest of them all were the fifty foot sharks with massive jaws. I watched as one of the sharks swam straight at us and rammed the dome. I became concerned because I detected a minuscule crack in the dome that couldn’t be seen with the human eye. I was positive the crack was there before the shark rammed the dome.

This dome has a crack in it
, I told Wade.
I think we should check out the rest of the dome. The islanders might be in danger.

Good idea, Janis. After we
’ve inspected the dome, we can let Ishba know what we’ve found.

We spent several hours examining the interior of the dome. There were several small cracks in the area above the island, but the most severe cracks were below the water. If my suspicions were correct, the dome below the ocean
’s surface would collapse within the next one hundred thousand years. I decided it was time to talk to Ishba.

* * *

Ishba was drinking from the well when we approached him. “Good day,” said Ishba. “I hope you are enjoying your stay.”

“
Very much so,” I replied. “Crystal Island is truly a paradise.”

“
I sense concern in your voice,” said Ishba. “Is there something you wish to discuss?”

“
Are you aware that your dome has cracks in it? The cracks are very small, but they will widen with time.”

Ishba nodded his head.
“Your concern is shared by every islander that lives here. We know of the cracks, but we have no way of repairing them. It is sad, but nothing lasts forever. All things must eventually come to an end.”

“
That is true, but the Angel of Deliverance has the power to renew the strength of your crystal. She can’t restore it to its full power, but she might be able to give it a powerful boost.”

“
How is that possible?”

“
The Angel of Deliverance has been dismantling crystals since she arrived on your planet. She does this by tapping into the crystal and drawing out its power. I’m positive she can transfer the power she’d stored directly into your crystal.”

Ishba didn
’t even have to think about it. “The Angel of Deliverance is granted permission to penetrate our crystal. For the future of all who live on this island, we hope she will be successful.”

Wade and I accompanied Ishba to the crystal. It was difficult for me to imagine how powerful this crystal must have been when it first crashed onto this planet several millions years ago. It was even more difficult to imagine how powerful the original crystal must have been before it broke into pieces.

Wade gave me the thumbs up as I morphed into the Changeling Princess and increased my height to forty feet. If it was needed, I’d morph to eighty feet tall, my maximum height.

I analyzed the crystal to determine the best place to bore into the crystal
’s energy source. When I found the spot I was looking for, I reduced my energy beam to a tiny laser and began boring into the crystal. It took me ten minutes before I finally broke into the pocket that would allow me to boost the crystal’s energy. I gathered all my strength and forced my stored up energy directly into the crystal. The crystal absorbed the energy like a thirsty sponge.

I felt light headed and paused until my head cleared. I morphed back to my normal height and spoke to Ishba.
“The transfusion was successful. The power in your crystal should be much stronger than it was before. Wade and I will take a survey of the dome to see if has been strengthened.”

After inspecting the dome, Wade and I were thrilled to find all of the cracks had disappeared.
“How much time do you think you’ve added to the life of this dome?” Wade asked.

“
It’s hard to say. Maybe a million years, maybe more. I’m sure the islanders will be pleased.

“
Ishba was overwhelmed with the good news. “We are in your debt. I have nothing to offer you but gratitude.”

“
That is payment enough.”

* * *

The islanders were in a festive mood at dinner later that evening. Word had gotten around that we had repaired the dome and added many years to its life span.

“
It’s a great feeling isn’t it?” asked Wade. “There’s no greater gift than to be able to help someone in distress.”

“
Yes, it is a great feeling. I believe the ability to help others is a blessing.”

Wade and I returned to the beach when the dome dimmed. We stretched out on the warm sand and curled up in each other arms.

“I’m going to hate to leave tomorrow,” said Wade. “Crystal Island is as close as I’m ever going to get to paradise.”

I sighed. “I feel the same way. When this ordeal if finally over, we’ll make our own paradise.”

Wade kissed me goodnight and I snuggled up closer. As far as I was concerned, anyplace with Wade was a paradise for me.

We were up the next morning before the light from the dome woke the other islanders. We left the same way we came in and headed toward the surface. When we were out of the water, I picked up the scent of another crystal. As we climbed higher into the sky, I felt a twinge of sadness because I knew I would never find another paradise like Crystal Island.

CHAPTER 73

The scent of the crystal is unmistakable
, I told Wade as we traveled as Mists across the ocean.
I think we’re coming to the end of the line.

The scent is so strong that I
’m picking it up, too.

There
’s no telling what to expect if the size of the crystal is as large as I think it is.

I have faith in the Changeling Princess to handle anything
, Wade replied.

We traveled another thousand miles before we came to a land mass. The scent of the crystal was so overwhelming, I was positive we were approaching the Kingdom of Vadraza.

We flew inland for ten miles before we came to the largest city we’d encountered on the planet. This city is huge, said Wade.

Judging from the structure of the buildings, it looks like we
’re entering ancient Rome.

We landed on the outskirts of the city and morphed into our human forms.
“First things first,” I said. “We need a cloaking spell.”

Wade stood back and chanted the spell.
“Wa-sume, ba-mento-la-zonda-da-tinka-da-inta-el-razasda.”

“
Let’s turn invisible and see what the natives are wearing,” I said. “If the clothing is Roman, the Changeling Princess will fit right in. You’ll need some new clothes though.”

“
Aw, but you look so cute in your Tropical Island getup, Janis. Think of all the admirers you’d have walking through town in your skimpy clothes.”

“
Yeah, I’d probably be arrested. Let’s get going.”

* * *

I knew my intuition was right when we saw that everyone was dressed in ancient Roman clothing. “The people of this city have the same color skin as ours,” I said. “They’re the closest thing we’ve seen to humans since we set foot on this planet.”

Wade agreed.
“I bet it has something to do with the crystal. Queen Subaza probably changed the physical shape of her citizens to resemble humans. She’s probable been doing it for thousands of years and the citizens aren’t even aware of it.”

“
Let’s go shopping, Wade. You’ll need something authentic so you’ll blend in with the citizens. 

We came upon a small shop selling clothes and went inside. The man running the store flinched when he turned around and saw us standing there. I had morphed into the Changeling Princess, but Wade was dressed in his skimpy island garb.

“I did not hear you come in,” the man said, looking confused.

“
We just walked in,” I said. “My husband needs new clothes.”

“
I will fix you up, young man. I have the finest clothes in Vadraza and the best prices.”

We purchased a fashionable looking toga for Wade and we were back out on the street. We had only walked for a short distance when we came across a pub that advertised beef.

“How much money do we have left, Wade?”

Wade reached into his pouch.
“We’ve got twelve ohms. That’s plenty of money for a couple of steaks.”

“
How did you know I wanted a steak?”

“
I guess you forgot that I can read your mind.”

The pub was crowded and noisy. A barmaid walked to our table with a disgruntled look on her face. As we would find out, she had a personality to match.

“Show me your money,” she said sarcastically.

Wade laid a hand full of ohms on the table.

“What do you want to eat?”

“
Two beef steaks and two ales,” said Wade. “Cook the steaks medium please.”

“
We only cook steaks one way. If you don’t like our food, take your curly-haired girlfriend and find someplace else to eat.” The barmaid picked up four ohms and walked away. Wade was ticked off.

“
The sign on the wall says the price of a steak and ale is one ohm,” said Wade. “That snotty barmaid stole two ohms from us.”

“
That’s probable not unusual in Vadraza. Let’s hope our steaks aren’t burned to a crisp.”

We were served our ale and I did my cute little trick of chilling it with my energy beam. We only had to wait five minutes before our steaks arrived. I could tell that the meat was barely cooked.

“Yuck,” said Wade after taking his first bite. “This meat is almost raw.”

“
I’ll take care of that for you, Wade.” I used my energy beam to finish cooking his steak. He could have used his own power beam, but I knew he loved to be waited on. Wade took another bite and smiled.

“
I don’t know what I’d do without you, Janis. You’re my Knightress in shining armor.”

“
Knightress? I think you just made up a new word.”

“
Yes, and I think it’s a fitting description.”

“
Nardo will win the match today,” I heard someone say sitting at a table close to us. “Nardo has never lost.”

“
He might lose today,” said the man sitting with him. “Java is the strongest warrior in Basa Province and he has never been beaten. The odds are 5 to 1 against Java. I think I’m going to bet on Java.”

“
I guess there’s a fight today,” I whispered to Wade. “This city probably has a coliseum, just like in ancient Rome.”

“
Now we know what we’re going to be doing later today. I’m sure the Queen and her brother will be presiding over the fight.”

I nodded by head and pushed my plate away from me.
“I’m stuffed.”

Wade reached across the table with his fork and stabbed the small piece of steak I
’d left on my plate.

“
You can’t let good food go to waste,” Wade commented with a chuckle. “When you were little, didn’t your mother tell you to eat all the food on your plate because there are poor starving children in China?”

“
I remember that line, but times have changed. Now all the Americans are overweight and they want to look like the Chinese.”

Wade was laughing as we left the pub and went for a walk. I couldn
’t help noticing how ill-tempered many of the citizens were. We witnessed several brawls and no one seemed to pay any attention.

“
I think the people in this city are affected by the crystal,” I said. “The crystal seems to bring out the worst in everyone.”

“
I noticed that, too. I wonder why the people on Crystal Island weren’t affected that way.”

“
Maybe it has something to do with the Crystal Island dome. The Wizard who programmed the dome probably did everything in his power to protect his people from the ill effects of the crystal.”

“
They could use some of the Wizard’s insight in this place. The people here are a bunch of sore heads.”

The street became crowded as we approached a massive coliseum. Judging from its size, it was larger than Earth
’s ancient Roman Coliseum that had once seated 50,000 spectators.

“
This is a huge structure,” said Wade. I bet the Bobbsey Twins stole the design from ancient Rome.”

“
I love your sense of humor, Wade, but they can’t be twins. Queen Subaza is three years older than Nardo.”

“
I was just trying to be funny. Are we going to make ourselves invisible and find some good seats for the show?”

I took Wade
’s hand and lead him out of the crowd. We both turned invisible and then we flew into the coliseum. I estimated that the tiered seating inside could hold at least 70,000 spectators.

The seats close to the royal siblings were reserved for the higher ups, but we got as close as we could. We tuned visible and blended in with the crowd.

“Did you bet on the main event?” I heard a woman ask her husband.”

“
Of course, Thera, I’m not going to pass up easy money. No one can beat Nardo in his own arena.”

We waited for an hour and watched the coliseum fill to capacity. The last to arrive was the Queen and her brother.
Everyone rose to their feet and cheered as they entered the coliseum on a flying carpet.

“
Look, Wade, they are throwing coins to the spectators as they circle the coliseum.”

“
Now that’s what I call an entrance.”

“
That’s probably why everyone is cheering. The royal couple sure does know how to get the crowd worked up.”

“
Can you feel the power of the crystal flowing from their bodies?” I asked. “These two are going to be the most power creatures we’ve ever come up against.”

“
Yeah, I figured it wasn’t going to be easy. Look at it on the bright side. Subaza and Nardo have never come across anyone like us. I’m betting on the Changeling Princess and her amazing sidekick.”

“
That was cute, Wade, but I loved it.”

We watched as Subaza and her brother landed in the royal box. They waved to the cheering crowd and then seated themselves on adjoining thrones. I had to admit that the siblings didn
’t look anything like I thought they would. The Queen was a ravishing beauty and her brother was downright handsome. “I bet they used the power of the crystal to acquire their good looks,” I said.

“
No doubt about it. Without the power of the crystal, I bet they’d look like ten thousand year old tree stumps.”

“
Wade, I’ve always said you have a way with words.”

The first competition was a
“Last Man Standing” contest, consisting of twenty Demon gladiators. I noticed a distinct similarity between all the Demons we’d encountered on this planet. They were all seven feet tall, very muscular and extremely violent. It reminded me of the saying, “If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.”

The competition was simple in structure. It was a fight to the death and the last man standing was the winner. The winner received a large bag of gold ohms and a position in the royal guard.

I didn’t care for the bloodshed, but the spectators were eating it up. They rose to their feet and cheered every time a gladiator received a death blow.

This was the type of competition that drained the strength out of the contestants very quickly. When the competition was down to the last two Demons, they were so tired that they could barely hold their swords up. When the fight was over, the Queen threw the winner a bag of gold ohms and saluted him. The crowd cheered the injured Demon as he limped out of the arena.

The gladiator competition had been between Demons, but I still couldn’t get over how bloodthirsty the spectators were. If a Demon was on his back, the winning Demon always looked to the spectators for a sign. Similar to the ancient Roman games, thumbs up indicated life and thumbs down meant death. Just like clockwork, the spectators rose to their feet and gave the thumbs down sign. In the hours that passed, we never saw one gladiator that was spared by the spectators. The crystal had influenced the citizens of Vadraza to the point that they had no compassion left. I thought it was sad.

There were several competitions pitting gladiators against fierce animals. The animals were strange looking because the crystal had altered them into Demon beasts. The gladiators were really at a disadvantage because all they had for defense was their swords and shields. If the combat was one on one, the Demon rarely won.

We had been at the games for most of the day when the main event finally arrived. A gate at the far end of the arena opened and in walked Java, a twelve foot giant carrying a sword and shield. Judging from his body mass, I estimated his weight to be between six to seven hundred pounds.

“
This guy is a gross combination of mean and ugly,” said Wade. “I wonder what his parents looked like.”

“
Only you would come up with a question like that.”

Java walked to the center of the arena and faced the royal box. He raised his sword over his head and roared.
“I challenge Nardo to a fight to the death. If I win, I will be rewarded with all the gold ohms that I can carry.”

“
Java has no chance of winning,” I told Wade. “Nardo has absorbed so much power from the crystal that he’s ten times stronger than Java.”

I watched as Nardo jumped into the arena. The chant from the crowd was so loud that it could be heard ten miles away.
“Nardo, Nardo, Nardo, Nardo.”

Nardo increased his size to twelve feet tall before picking up his sword and shield. He was now as tall as Java and just as heavy.

Both fighters were extremely cautious as they circled each other. Java made the first offensive move, but was caught off guard and knocked to his knees. Java was quickly on his feet and went on offense again. Java used his sword and made a slicing motion across Nardo’s stomach. Nardo’s stomach turned dark green and there wasn’t even a scratch on his skin.

“
Nardo has absorbed the power of the crystal to protect his body,” said Wade. “Java can’t compete against that.”