The Poisoned Emerald

By Sarena Nanua and Sasha Nanua

I wrapped myself in the portals embrace and felt my feet land on a new surface. I stood on a sandy beach that was wet and damp, causing the ground to stick to my shoes. The portal snapped shut, and I felt misty rain dance on my shoulders.
Thunder sounded from overhead, and before I could comprehend the impending storm, a gash of lightning hit the hill just to the right of the river. The ground quaked below me before an explosion of sand burst from the ground.

AS WINTER ARRIVES Arica Miller is back to regular school life at Hill Valley. After resolving the disappearance of the Kings Jewel and returning it safely, Arica doesnt expect anything else to go wrong. Too soon does Arica learn that a great evila poisonhas spread through the Sorcerers Underworld, threatening to take away all magic. And worse, the only person who can save the magical world has been kidnapped: the king.
In order to find the king, Arica and her friends must follow an ancient prophecy in which they must defeat vicious creatures, travel through mysterious forests, and restore peace to the poisoned landno matter how dangerous it could be
In this final installment of The Pendant Trilogy, Arica learns of dark pasts, unknowable futures, and the truth of the pendants origin. Arica doesnt have much time leftand if she fails, the mortal and the magical worlds are both at stake.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Oct 16, 2014
• ISBN: 9781491746646

Sarena Nanua

Sarena Nanua & Sasha Nanua are twin sisters living in Ontario, Canada. Born on Diwali ten minutes apart from each other, they grew up loving stories about twins and magic, and began writing books together when they were nine years old. They are graduates of the English and professional writing programs at the University of Toronto and are also the authors of the Pendant trilogy. You can visit them online at www.sarenasashabooks.com.

Book preview

Prologue

The Sorcerers Underworld

1910

Terrence Emberd’s sweaty palms tightly gripped the King’s Jewel as the evening commenced. A cool breeze blew in from the west, causing the hairs on his arms to stiffen. His ashen-black hair on his head crowded his eyes, making it hard to see. Although he was only just becoming a man, his sixteenth birthday in a mere two days, he felt like a little boy who was about to be severely punished by his parents. Tonight was the Tradition, the official date in which a new king would be crowned, and Terrence himself was chosen to present the crown to King Seamus before it would be placed atop the king’s head for generations to come.

Terrence, known as Terry to his friends, should have been proud. His parents certainly were, by the way they were beaming at him. But something within Terrence did not feel right. He was holding the Jewel of the King—the king’s crown—in his hands, but now it felt heavier than before, as if the burden of the king’s power was entrenched in the gold.

Are you okay? Andrea asked. She was Terrence’s very young neighbour, a quirky girl with golden-blond hair, who would be moving to Germany in a few years.

Terrence thought for a moment, but then decided a hesitant answer would not look good. I’m great, Terrence said. Listen, we’re going to be starting soon. You should go back to the crowd.

Well, okay, Terry, Andrea said, her cheeks rosy, and she trotted off happily. Terrence’s gaze ripped away from her to the Jewel, and he swallowed roughly. Somewhere in the distance, a horn blared. It was to signal the beginning of the coronation—the time for Terrence to present the crown.

Terrence had been waiting for this moment anxiously, but now he felt almost frozen. It was the loving gaze of his proud mother and father that finally got him to move. Here I go, he said, and then he carefully walked down the blood-red carpet.

*         *         *

Five hours earlier, Terrence had been assigned another task. Since he was chosen to be the crown bearer, he would also have to carry on another tradition. The crown bearer would also have to place a new gemstone on the crown, which was a task commonly designated each time a new king had his coronation.

Terrence was eager about this part. He had chosen a precious emerald, and presently he was furiously carving the perfect slot for the gem to be embedded within the Jewel. He was sure his workmanship would impress the king. He was also infatuated with chemistry, which was noticeable by the state of his bedroom. Beakers and test tubes were scattered all around his desk, and with hair sticking out in all directions, he looked like a true mad scientist.

Terry, lunch time! his father called from floor below.

Coming, Papa! Terrence replied. He was looking over the details of the carved slot—it had to be just right so the emerald could fit on the crown properly. When he was done with the carving, he decided to insert the emerald in the crown. He held the smooth gem on his rough palm, gave it a quick glance, and then placed it on the Jewel with ease. The emerald was held by a few latches—every crown bearer followed this procedure—Terrance had created while carving the slot. Seeing the emerald shining proudly on the King’s Jewel, he couldn’t help but feel proud of what he had done. All he had to do was present the Jewel to the king and his work would be complete.

He slammed his door shut, exited his room, and ran downstairs. His table shook because of the slamming door, and a few of his chemical-filled tubes fell onto his desk. The greenish substance from one tube slid across the table toward the Jewel. The liquid looked as if it wanted to move—as if it were alive.

In a place full of magic, this was surely no normal chemical. Terrence’s test tube was filled with something much worse than he had anticipated—not just a chemical, but a poison.

The poisonous green substance latched on to the emerald Terry had just placed on the crown. The gem seemed to be absorbing the green liquid like a sponge. Soon the poison had completely locked itself in the emerald.

Terrence came up after he’d eaten, quivering with excitement. He hadn’t noticed the spill of chemicals in his rush. He held the Jewel to his face, his reflection cast in the gems. For once in his life, he felt that he had done something important. Something special.

Now, five hours later, he felt the exact opposite. Shaking from his knees up, he made his way forward and tried to keep the Jewel steady in his hands. A thunderous roar of claps came from the audience. King Seamus sat patiently on the throne, his eyes as green as the emerald which had earlier been poisoned.

Terrence stood before the king, heart pounding faster than he thought possible, and slowly but gently placed the Jewel on the king’s head.

Days later, after playing with his chemistry set, Terrence noticed that in one of his test tubes, what he first believed to be a regular mix of chemicals was in fact a poisonous concoction. He knew the chemicals might have gone into the emerald—that it had been poisoned itself. Should he tell someone? No—Terrence couldn’t afford anyone finding out. Something bad could happen to him … or worse, his family. He wouldn’t tell a soul.

And then, three years later, after the guilt had eaten him alive, he told King Seamus of his faults. At first the king didn’t believe him. Later, however, when the king found out Terrence was telling the truth, King Seamus sent Terrence to the Dungeons. Terrence rotted and died at the mere age of twenty-five.

From that point on, everyone knew about the poisoned emerald. It became legendary.

It was said that if the emerald was somehow detached from the Jewel, all magic would be poisoned. All magic would be gone.

Terrence’s dying wish—that the emerald would never be detached from the Jewel—had not come true. From that moment on, with the crown placed on the king’s head, a poison was ready to spread across the world. A poison that would wipe out all magic—all powers—from the place where magic itself had begun.

ONE: A LETTER

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British Columbia

Present day

It was on the first snowfall of December that I received a letter from Raven. At the top of the letter was my name, Arica Miller, written in a rough, messy scrawl, as if she had been rushing. The letter was placed in a very thick envelope that smelled exactly like the Water Train—the magical train for sorcerers and sorceresses.

In many ways, you could sum up who I am pretty quickly: girl. Fifteen. Sorceress. The Prophetic Child…

To put it bluntly, I’m far from normal. Ever since I got my gemstone necklace, I’ve had access to levitation, and even a lot of other special powers. I began attending this school, Hill Valley, in September, not knowing that the headmistress was actually a sorceress keen on stealing my gemstone. Yes, the gem had once belonged to her many years ago, but she was going to use them for an evil purpose. I had to keep my gemstone safe.

Ironically, after finding the King’s Jewel last month, I returned back to the same school. Yes, we had a new headmistress, and things had been relatively safe this past month. Above all the magic and my new powers, I wanted to return to school and feel like a regular kid again.

Even though I’m the Prophetic Child, the most powerful sorceress in existence, I definitely did not feel that way. I was just Arica Miller.

I examined Raven’s letter, smoothing the rough paper with my fingers. She mentioned Newt and Musky, her pets, and how she was working her way up the chain at her workplace, The Kite. Raven was a Kite Collector, responsible for collecting magical kites that had already sent their mail, though she had bigger aspirations. She wanted to travel the mortal world; experience life from a new lens.

When Raven’s kite showed up at my dorm window, I had been reading over my roommate’s essay. Monika was determined to make sure it was perfect, but to be honest, my mind was on other things. When I returned home from the Sorcerer Palace last month, I had gotten more of a surprise than I’d anticipated. The blood relation that the man in the blinding-white suit had spoken about on the Water Train was true. Pedro was my father’s brother, my—and this was more than difficult to swallow—uncle.

When I first met Pedro, he was working as the Jail Guard of the Sorcerers Underworld Dungeons. Little did I know that this man was my uncle and, more importantly, the thief of the King’s Jewel. Pedro was also a Shadower—a person who can transform into a shadow at will, though the effects wore off quickly—and wanted the Jewel because he required a special ruby found on the crown. This ruby supposedly held an ingredient that helped one become an immortal Shadower. The catch was, to remove a gem from the crown, you had to use the Wishing Knife (a magical dagger that could grant most wishes and open portals, passed down from King Thoven to Prince Adam). Something strange had happened to the Wishing Knife that evening: Adam had handed me the Wishing Knife before he disappeared with Ash, and the Knife had transformed from metallic silver to shimmering gold. Engraved on the hilt was a golden sparrow, meaning the Knife could take that form.

During the battle, the sparrow had emitted some kind of sonic chirp. Just after, a flood had broken through the Palace doors and swallowed everything inside, sending my cousins and me back home with the Jewel and the Wishing Knife.

Mom had been completely calm about Pedro’s being my uncle, but she certainly didn’t know he was the thief of the Jewel. My mom wanted nothing to do with magic or the Sorcerers Underworld… but now evil had basically penetrated my family. There was no way I could tell her anything about what had happened on the Water Train or about Pedro, which was probably why I was so reluctant to stay home. Janine, Jess, and Joseph had safely returned to their dorms at Hill Valley, and so had I. Pedro, however, was nowhere to be found after the battle at the Sorcerer Palace—he’d become a recluse.

Ever since we came home, I’ve tried to erase Pedro from my mind. I couldn’t afford to think about him or where he might have been. Besides, a lot of my time had been occupied with helping our new roommate—Kila—move in. We were required another roommate, since rumour had it that Ash and the other Sapphires had gone on a very long vacation.

This place is awesome! said our new roommate, Kila, who was a foreign exchange student from Iceland. Or Norway—I couldn’t exactly remember which. She had curly, blond hair that looked almost white under the sun shining through the window.

Yeah, I repeated monotonously, for perhaps the fifth time that day. Kila seemed extremely fascinated by everything I would consider mundane. I couldn’t blame her: she was completely new to the country and its cultures.

Done with my essay, Arica? Monika asked from the bed ladder, her silky black hair draping around her face. The sling that had once been around her arm had come off, and she had fully recovered about a week after her arrival. Monika seemed even cheerier now that Ash was gone—but she didn’t even know the half of Ash’s real story.

Luckily, when the blue kite arrived, Monika had taken Kila on a quick tour. When I took the note from the kite, it magically sailed back into the air and off to Raven. She was a Kite Collector and Healer for animals, like her pets Newt and Muskig, and she could somewhat heal humans, too.

The letter described her life on the Water Train; she was still collecting kites, and she talked about the so-called adventures she’d had while searching for kites with her pets. She also invited me down to a coffee shop only a block away from the school.

I carefully folded the note, slid it into my pocket, and told Monika and Kila that I had to run a quick errand. The two were already in conversation about ballpoint pens, anyway, so they didn’t mind my departure.

Watching the snow from inside the school was completely different from actually being in the snowfall. I was used to harsh blizzards, but this felt more like a calm flurry of cotton falling from the sky. It sparked my inner joy of winter and Christmas, and better yet, winter break—my first official holiday away from Hill Valley.

Strangely enough, not much had changed since Halloween night. The school may have been a figment of Lembrose’s imagination, but it was certainly still palpable. And though I knew this Sorcerer Field couldn’t last forever, I could still make life at school work. The only thing that had really changed was the fact that Jake Macdonald now knew about his twin brother, Drake, after they’d met last month. Jake, the once young but disturbed freshman, was a much more confident and content person now that he knew of his brother and possible powers.

The coffee shop was perched on a small hill by the school, covered in blankets of snow and ice that made it look like an icy castle. I pushed the door open—I had to use quite a bit of strength since it was almost frozen shut—and then took off my hood once I was in the warm landing. Waiters and waitresses bustled about while locals were drinking hot tea and coffee, looking at today’s newspaper with grim faces. I tried to read the headline, but the title just looked like blurred lines.

Arica, a voice softly said. I swiftly turned, finding Raven sitting at a coffee table for two. She gestured to the empty seat in front of her as a waiter in a green apron wound around tiny tables and began to take Raven’s order.

Coffee would be great, please, Raven requested. Two coffees, actually, she added when I took my seat. I quickly shook some snow off my scarf and then realized what she’d said.

Oh, no—no coffee for me. I wrinkled my nose. That kindergarten graduation disaster still hadn’t left my head. I’d prefer green tea.

No problem, the waiter said. Anything else? Raven shook her head and the man left. I shivered, more snow falling from my scarf and coat. My brown hair fell in curls over my shoulder. I normally didn’t curl my hair, but today Kila insisted. (She had a thing with doing hair and makeup.) Then I took in Raven: She was wearing a bundle of scarves and earmuffs—she probably wasn’t as used to the cold weather as I was—and had a large bulge in her left pocket. Newt, Raven’s Weather Lizard (a lizard that could change colour based on the weather), carefully poked his marble eyes out from the opening.

Stay in there, Newt! Raven said. She carefully prodded Newt back inside before anyone could see, and then raked the snow out from her hair. I noted that her purple highlights had just faded into blond, and the tips of her hair were almost straw-like. The sharpness and intelligence from her gray eyes had not faded in the slightest.

Long time, eh? Raven said, tapping her fingers on the table and looking down. It had been over a month since I’d seen her, and she seemed uncomforted by the presence of so many mortals.

"Just because we’re in Canada now doesn’t mean you have to add eh to everything, you know," I said playfully, trying to get her to look up.

"But that’s what I read in the Welcome to Canada guide."

I stared at her for a few seconds before noting the sarcasm in her voice. She gave a slight smirk, and then reached into her thick jacket. I guess you’re wondering why I’m here, she said. No—Newt, stay inside! she added in a hasty whisper.

Yeah, I am. How’d you get here?

Her attention snapped back to me. I was able to contact Prince Adam… he helped me out, using one of his father’s old books. It’s a really long story. Anyway, I brought you something.

"Brought me something? Why?" I asked.

Don’t you celebrate Christmas? Raven huffed, and then continued searching the contents of her jacket before pulling out a small red box topped with a white bow and curly ribbons.

Here, she said, pushing it across the table. I eyed her for a moment, about to reject the present, but her warm, gray irises forced me to look down at the box. I carefully unraveled the ribbon and, with a sort of nervous excitement, opened the box.

Inside was a beautiful, hand-carved, wooden model of the Water Train that could fit in my palm. A hodge-podge of cylinders, squares and rectangles were used to represent the shape of the large Train. A small wisp of smoke magically trailed out of the fog horn, and inside you could actually see tiny wooden sorcerers walking around.

Wow, I said, noticing a tiny, frizzy-haired woman handing out drinks by the juice bar on the upper deck. The details were immaculate.

I hope you like it. I got it hand-made by the prince himself, she said.

Oh, I said. That’s so nice of Adam. I thought back to the last time I’d seen him: just after the battle in the Sorcerers Underworld. I’d left the house as soon as my mom mentioned that Pedro was my uncle in order to collect my thoughts. I had spoken to Adam and, later, my cousins. At first they hadn’t believed me, but then it all clicked into place. Pedro was undeniably my father’s and Uncle Raymond’s brother, although my mom never mentioned that my father actually had another brother before that day. She didn’t like speaking about my father’s death at all, clearly.

My mind flooded to the night Mom had revealed Pedro’s being my uncle. Oh, I’d said, which was a word I’d been using a lot since then. I think I need to use the bathroom.

No problem, sweetheart, Mom had said. She’d poured the tea without removing her eyes from the portrait of my father above Pedro’s head. I’d glared at him in shock as I’d walked away, but he had still been facing my mother, resting his hand on her shoulder. I miss him, too, Claire, he’d said. I’d wanted to strangle him.

I had kept the Wishing Knife with me during that conversation, and pulled it out when I was alone in the bathroom. Within a second I’d made a wish. The next thing I knew, I’d landed in the Sorcerers Underworld, face-to-face with Queen Magestaria, King Thoven, and Adam Collins. Seeing the king in real life almost froze me in place, but I’d somehow managed to speak. After telling the entire story of why Pedro had stolen the Jewel, the queen and king had commended my bravery.

I cannot thank you enough, Arica, the king had said. Deep half-moon eye bags darkened the skin below his bright-blue irises. I could tell he was tired. No—more than tired. He looked as if every ounce of energy he had was slowly seeping out of him… .

The Jewel is safe with your cousins now, the king had said. We must restore it to its rightful place. By that, he’d likely meant his head.

We’d talked a bit more, but then another topic had come up.

. . . Something happened to the Jewel, I found myself saying to the queen. An emerald gem…

It wasn’t hard to see the panic on their faces. The queen had said she needed time alone, and Adam had somehow zapped me to the twins’ house. Janine, Jess, and Joseph had happily handed the Jewel over to me. After having a quick bite of Aunt Liz’s veggie pie (one word—ew), I’d opened a portal with the Knife and had gone back to Adam.

In a few minutes, I had found myself back at Head Quarters. Adam had marvelled at the sight of the Jewel, despite the number of times he’d seen it before. The Jewel, for every sorcerer and sorceress in existence, symbolized the restoration of peace in his land. I’d also brought him the Wishing Knife. It was now able to turn into a golden sparrow, unlike the spider that used to be etched on the handle.

A smile had lit Adam’s face. Arica… the Knife has officially changed form. He’d looked up at me as if I would know what that meant.

I didn’t know what that meant.

What I’m saying is, the Knife is no longer mine. I officially handed it to you in the battle, before I disappeared with Ash.

He’d handed the Knife to me. I’d examined it, sure of what he meant but not necessarily confirming it. I can’t take it, I’d finally blurted. I’d nearly thrust the Knife at him—being sure not to hurt him in any way.

"It’s yours, Arica. I can’t think of any better person to give it to, honestly. You deserve it."

It took some convincing, but I’d finally left with the Knife. Adam’s trust in me was more than fulfilling—it was a trust that couldn’t ever be broken.

The memory dissipated, and I found myself back in the small coffee shop.

Yes, it was nice of him, Raven said now, staring out the window. I have another surprise for you, Arica, she told me.

What is it?

She gave a curt laugh. Look inside your cup.

I know you want to pay for the tea and all—

"No, not at the tea, in the tea."

She looked inside her own cup, head down, and I did the same.

The tea began to gurgle, and tiny bubbles floated on the top. The bubbles created a giant tent-like shape in my teacup, and a gasp escaped my throat.

What is that? I asked.

Keep looking, Raven said mysteriously.

I turned my eyes back to the cup. The tent-like shape had now reached the top of my cup and I wondered what it was meant to be. I could almost make out the tiny inscription floating above the words, almost as if a hologram had been placed there.

A carnival, I heard myself say once I saw the inscription.

Yes, Raven replied. There’s a carnival going on right now in the Sorcerers Underworld—the annual Winter Carnival. And I was wondering if you wanted to come with me. You know, since it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other.

I continued staring down into the cup, lost in thought. It looks fantastic, I said. The bubbles had begun to clear up, causing the tea to ripple as though a shark were hunting below. This time the image of a grand carousel appeared. Two red heads were on the carousel, laughing, their cherry-red hair flying.

Janine! Jess! I cried. Unfortunately I didn’t realize how loud I was—or the fact that I probably looked completely crazy in front of everyone in the coffee shop since I was yelling into my green tea.

I’ve already invited them. Joseph came along, too, only with his book of course. She lightly smirked. If you’re ready to go…

Oh, I replied quickly. I took in my surroundings. But how do we get there?

Through the cup, of course! Raven replied. You can do that sort of thing when you’re a Kite Collector. Transporting through cups—it was an essential component of training on my first day at work. You never know where kites might end up.

A cool breeze slid through the open doorway. Flurries of cotton-ball snow danced around us. "But won’t people see us going through?"

Raven pressed her lips, and then her eyes widened as if she’d gotten an idea. "You are the Prophetic Child… I wouldn’t think that’s a problem," she said, almost jokingly.

Well, yeah, I answered. But— I wanted to object, but I knew my powers would be strong enough to enchant these people. I could possibly stop them from seeing us enter the cup, but I hadn’t practiced any sort of magic like that before. In fact, I hadn’t conjured Thoven’s Bow in a very long time. There was no use for a magical bow and arrow at Hill Valley anymore—especially since the headmistress was gone and all was safe. Every day at Hill Valley seemed more mundane now, besides the fact that Jake was constantly mesmerized by his being an animal shape-shifter like his twin brother, Drake. Mrs. Dovinsky had taken over as acting headmistress—or ackteeng headmeestress, as she said—and was also the new school music teacher. According to music students in Australian Sapphire, she would count the beats in German: eins, zwei, drei, vier . . .

So? I found myself saying. Did she expect me to hang on to my gemstone and enchant all these people? I didn’t really want to delve into the moral implications, but they invaded my thoughts nonetheless.

I felt as if she could read my mind. She gave me a prodding look, and I knew it was the only way. My hands were enveloped in scratchy mittens, but the fabric would not inhibit my ability to perform my powers. I touched my gemstone necklace, hidden just below my jacket collar, and closed my eyes. Colours swarmed beneath my eyelids, reminding me of the fireflies hovering on the Water Train. This thought, unfortunately, led me back to the moment Violet had approached me with her cellphone-turned-machete that night. I still didn’t have a clue what had happened to her, but I knew that it wasn’t good. And Ash would probably want payback for it.

I shuddered involuntarily, and I knew it wasn’t from the cold. But, before I knew it, my eyes flew open and the world seemed to have frozen. People had coffee cups frozen to their lips; spoons hovered over now-frozen