The Seventh Crystal (6 page)

They followed the hedge until it ended. Chris peeked around it. There was no more cover between them and the palace. Carefully he stepped past the hedge. The ground gave way, and he was falling. He landed flat on his back on a long, slick sheet of metal and started to slide. It was like riding the giant chute at the amusement park. At the end it slowed down and he jumped off. Jimmy and Shawn slid down behind him.

“That was so cool.” Jimmy jumped off. “I wouldn’t mind trying that again.”

“Maybe later.” Chris held out the necklace. It didn’t glow anymore. “We must be inside the palace.”

They went through a heavy iron door and up some stone steps. A second door led to a large hall. At the end was a set of double doors.

Chris pushed the doors open. “This must be the throne room.”

Inside, standing gracefully on some steps at the end of a red carpet, was another statue. Chris held his breath. It was the girl in the fountain back home. She was holding out her hands in a pleading gesture.

On either side of the statue were fierce stone lions. One had its mouth open as if snarling at any unwanted visitors.

“What do we do now?” Shawn asked. “I don’t see any princess.”

“
On the contrary
,” boomed a loud voice that made Chris’s ears ring. “
You’re looking at her.
”

There was a cloud of blue smoke at the front
of the throne room, and in the midst of it a giant appeared. He had two heads and long feathery wings growing from his sides. He put one of the wings around the statue. “
This
,” the giant laughed, “
is the great Princess Darvina.
”

Chris tried to turn invisible, but it didn’t work.

“
Your feeble magic is no match for Mogg. You have failed, warrior. Give me the crystal.
”

“You mean this crystal?” Chris pulled it out of his shirt. “Heads up!” He tossed it across the room to Shawn.

Both of the giant’s faces turned purple with rage. “
Give it to me!
”

Shawn tossed it to Jimmy. “Sorry, your Moggness. I don’t have it anymore.”

The giant pointed one of his clawlike fingers at Shawn. Instantly the boy turned to stone.

“Separate!” Chris shouted. “Don’t let him get the crystal.”

Jimmy hid behind one of the lions. “What should I do with it?”

Chris pulled his sword and was about to
charge the giant when he remembered the clue. “The old woman at the beginning of the game. Remember, Jimmy? She told us the only way to save the princess was in the lion’s—”

“
Nooooo
,” Mogg thundered. Jimmy watched in stunned horror as Mogg shifted his finger in Chris’s direction. Chris was turned to stone in the middle of his attack.

The giant turned to Jimmy. The small boy cowered behind the statue. He reached around the lion and put the crystal in its open mouth for safekeeping.

Mogg’s form started to change, as if he were melting, and he screamed in agony. Instead of a giant he was now a two-headed eagle. He spread his wings and flew through an open window, disappearing from sight.

Chris was the first to change back. “What happened?”

Shawn was next. Jimmy explained that Mogg had turned them both to stone and was just about to get the crystal when Jimmy had stuffed it into the lion’s mouth.

Chris grinned. “That was the clue I was
about to give you. The old woman said the lion’s mouth at the palace was the only way to save the princess. You did it, Jimmy!”

“Yes, Jimmy, you did.” A soft voice came from the steps. The statue had turned into a beautiful girl. She walked down the steps and kissed Jimmy lightly on the cheek. Then she moved to Chris, her flawless face inches from his. “I am forever in your debt, warrior. How can I repay you?”

Chris turned red and looked at the floor.

“I can’t believe this.” Shawn stepped up to the princess. “He wants to get out of this stupid game.”

The princess looked puzzled. “Game?”

“Yeah, you know, as in go home, scram, outta here.”

“I see.” The princess gently took the gold chain with the stars from Chris’s neck and placed it around her own. “Is it your wish to go home, warrior?”

Chris nodded shyly.

“Remember this, warrior. The people in the country of Gothan and the Palace of Zon are deeply grateful. We will always be here if you
need us.” She put both hands on the magic stars and closed her eyes.

Suddenly Chris felt as if he were traveling backward against the wind, spinning faster and faster—until he blacked out.

Chris’s eyes fluttered open. He had on his usual clothes, and he was lying in the grass near the fountain. He sat up and stared. The statue was gone. All that was left was the marble platform where the girl used to be.

Jimmy and Shawn were crawling to their feet.

Shawn looked around. “We’re back!” He sat on the edge of the fountain. “That was some wild trip.”

“I wonder how long we’ve been gone?”

Jimmy sat down near Shawn. “My mom is probably going nuts.”

Chris looked at his watch in disbelief. He wasn’t sure when the adventure had started, but the whole thing hadn’t lasted more than a few minutes.

“Where you been, man?” Cliff trotted up the sidewalk. “I’ve been looking everywhere. Are you ready for me to trash these dudes?” He doubled up his fist and shook it threateningly at Jimmy.

Shawn paused. He looked from Chris to Jimmy, stood up slowly, and put his face close to Cliff’s. “Get lost, dweebo.”

Cliff’s mouth fell open.

“Don’t you understand English? I said get lost.” Shawn helped Chris to his feet. “Or I’ll sic the warrior here on you.”

Chris tried to hide a smile.

“You’ve lost it, Shawn.” Cliff spat on the ground and turned to go. “Me and you are through.”

“That’s fine with me. I’m hanging with a new gang now—the Three Musketeers.”

In the Middle Ages, when a boy reached the age of seven he could become a
page
and begin training to become a knight. He would be sent to the castle of a relative to learn about weapons, tend falcons, and run errands. He would also spend part of his time with the lady of the castle, learning courtesy. A page’s main training took place in the tiltyard, where he would run, wrestle, and learn to use a blunted sword, wield a lance, and ride a horse.

At the age of fourteen a page became a
squire.
He would then be sent to serve a particular knight. During this time he would work on perfecting his fighting skills, but his main duty was to attend the knight. His duties included helping the knight to dress, carving his meat, and sleeping on the floor beside his bed. The squire accompanied the knight to tournaments, and even to war.

When he reached the age of twenty-one, if the money was available for his initiation and for the necessary equipment, a squire could become a
knight.

Several squires were usually dubbed knights during one ceremony. The initiation began with a ceremonial bath. Then the young men had their beards and heads shaved. Each candidate was clothed in a white tunic, black hose, and a red cloak.

They were now ready for the
vigil
, in which they would spend the entire night awake, standing or kneeling in a church at the altar steps.

The formal initiation took place the following morning. The candidate’s sponsor would fit him in his armor, including his golden spurs and his sword. The new knight would then kneel and receive the
dubbing
, a light tap on each shoulder with the flat part of a swordblade, which proclaimed that he was a true knight and warrior of the realm.

Read the other action-packed books in Gary Paulsen’s
WORLD OF ADVENTURE

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Deep underground, Will and Sarah uncover an old chest stuffed with a million dollars. But now armed bandits are after them. When they find a gold Apache statue hidden in a skull, it seems Red Horse is hunting them too. Then they lose their way, and each step they take in the damp, dark cavern could be their last.

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Rodomonte, an evil giant waiting to do battle within his hidden castle.

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