Liquid Diamond (3 page)

“
Seems there’s a lot of that going around these days,” replied Natalia, thinking of the boys from school.

“
Now I have to be on my way and so should the two of you. Don’t worry, I will find you later.” And just like that, Anastasia stepped outside her front door and disappeared into the sky.

“
I’ll grab my fitsall and be right back,” said Catalyst running up the stairs. He got his bag and returned a little faster than Natalia ever could.

“
What’s a fitsall?” asked Natalia laughing as she compared his bag to her backpack.

“
It’s simply that, it fitsall, see?” Catalyst held it up to show her.

“
Yes I see, an over-the-shoulder bag,” replied Natalia with a smile that showed how unimpressed she was.

“
It’s much more than that. Here, hand me those two pillows and two blankets from that chest,” said Catalyst.

She handed them to Catalyst and he shoved them in the bag, which should never have had enough room for both sets. He smiled at Natalia. Catalyst walked into the kitchen and brought back all sorts of food and put that into the fitsall as well, followed by two cloaks, two pairs of boots coated with waterproof something or other and just for good measure, Anastasia’s homemade candy.

Baffled by what she had just seen, Natalia just shook her head.

“
I don’t want to know how, but I do want to know why you put all that stuff in there,” asked Natalia.

“
Well, we have a two-day walk before we reach the home village of the Basajaunak,” replied catalyst.

“
Good thing I wore my runners when I left my place,”
said Natalia to herself.

“
Think I forgot anything?” asked Catalyst as he threw the bag over his shoulder.

“
Only the kitchen sink,” replied Natalia under her breath, frustrated with the thought of having to walk for two days and having to sleep outside.

“
Not much of an outdoors person, are you Natalia?” asked Catalyst.

She looked at Catalyst, huffed and walked out of the door.

“
Catalyst, you may as well tell me about these Basajaunak people, so there will be no surprises. I think I’ve had about enough of those over the last few days,” said Natalia in a tone of voice that suggested she was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“
The Basajaunak…you’re going to like them. They’re friendly, kind and very skilled workers. They are the best blacksmiths you’ll ever meet and a lot of them are great herdsmen,” replied Catalyst.

“
Blacksmiths and herdsmen,” said Natalia, laughing as she pictured the old Wild West movies she’d seen.

“
They’re big and tough, and they average about seven and a half feet tall,” said Catalyst as he tried to figure out why Natalia would laugh at their craft.

“
It’s said they make the very best swords and the sharpest knives. Their arrows are second to none, and it has to be true because the Elves have been buying them from the Basajaunak by the wagonload for a long time now. At least that’s what I hear,” continued Catalyst, bragging about these people.

“
Well if these people are so great, why not send them after your locking crystals? I mean a seven-foot tall man
–
a ten-year-old girl...” asked Natalia with her mouth slightly open and the deliberate look of confusion on her face as she mocked the King’s decision.

“
Well you’re new here, so let me tell you, when the King gives you an order, you follow it. If you don’t…well let’s just say no one has ever
not
followed an order, not in my time anyway,” replied Catalyst.

After walking all day and having very little left to say to one another, Catalyst saw a spot he thought would be a good place to rest for the night.

“
Natalia, see that riverbank over there?” asked Catalyst as he pointed to it.

“
Yes,” replied Natalia, thinking about the riverbank she loved to follow and feeling a calm come over her.

“
Well, let’s stop there for the night,” said Catalyst, seeing the relief wash over Natalia’s face.

After starting a fire and setting out their blankets for the night, Catalyst started cooking their meal.

“
So, Natalia, tell me more about yourself,” said Catalyst, handing her a plate of what looked like roasted beef and something that resembled twigs.

“
Like what? What do you want to know?” asked Natalia, knowing it’s never polite to answer a question with a question.

“
Well I know you’re ten years old, I know you’re from a land called Yekaterinburg, and that’s all I really know,” replied Catalyst.

“
First of all I’m from Russia. Yekaterinburg is the city in which I live. It’s an industrial city and there’s a lot of work there, but there are also a lot of people, so the trick is to find work. My Dad’s a doctor and so is my Mom, but the pay is low for that work, so they both found jobs in sales. They make just enough money to pay for our food but that’s it. They say sales pay more and living’s not free. I go to school and I am training in gymnastics and I like candy, so why not give me some from your fitsall?” replied Natalia.

“
Oh yeah, I forgot I had that,” replied Catalyst.

“
Now why not tell me…more…about…you, Catalyst?” asked Natalia with a mouthful of sugary something or other. “Like how you could be two hundred and fourteen years old and still be just a boy?” mumbled Natalia with another mouthful.

“
Well, as my Mom was telling you, time just works differently here. Somehow it affects our aging and I am half Krusnik. So who knows really? Like my Mom, I just might live forever, and while I’m not exactly sure, I don’t think you’re going to age while you’re here either. If I understood what I’ve learned from my mother, you’re going to age very quickly when you step back through the portal and merge with yourself,” replied Catalyst.

“
What do you mean, merge with myself?” demanded Natalia, looking at Catalyst suspiciously.

“
First of all you need to understand that what was once one became two and will return to one,” replied Catalyst.

“
What? What are you talking about?” demanded Natalia once again.

“
Look at it like this, Natalia – when you touched the liquid diamond or the portal, whatever you want to call it, you separated from yourself and became two separate people, with one of you here in this world and one of you in your world. When you go back through, you should meet yourself and merge into one person again,” replied Catalyst.

“
Should merge with myself? I hardly believe anything you just told me,” stated Natalia pointing her finger at him.

“
Well my Mom told me about this a long time ago. She was there when they sealed the portal and just to make that if it was ever opened again, it was cursed so that it would seem as though the one trying to come through never came through at all. So with no reason to try again, people from your world would just stop. For the half that did show up, they were never allowed to leave. They just wanted the warring between our worlds to end. Just ask my Mom – she’ll tell you the same thing,” replied Catalyst.

“
Well if they wouldn’t let the other people go back, then why would they let me?” asked Natalia with fear in her voice.

“
Not to worry Natalia, my Mom will make sure you get home. Remember she was sent to Earth to watch out for your safety and I don’t believe she ever agreed with what they did in the first place. You’ll get home,” said Catalyst smugly at the thought of anyone from this world telling her no when yes is what she would demand.

“
You know what’s funny though, Natalia? Right now you’re living your life back where you came from and at this very moment you could be in so much trouble!” laughed Catalyst.

“
That’s not funny!” replied Natalia in a stern voice, trying to hide the grin on her face. “Ohh, I hope I’m being good,” she whimpered as she and Catalyst burst into laughter.

“
What...else...should...I...know?” asked Natalia in-between laughs.

“
I’m not sure,” said Catalyst as his laughter slowed.

“
Explain the phase that your Mom was trying to tell me about,” said Natalia.

“
Ah, the four Kingdoms share control of this world, but only one rules it all at one time. Right now the Kingdom of Kyopelivuori is in charge and all the other Kingdoms are out of phase by 0.2 seconds. At its simplest, they’re behind us in time by less than a second,” replied Catalyst.

“
That doesn’t seem like much,” said Natalia, wanting to believe him but only because Anastasia had spoken about it first.

“
0.2 seconds out of phase means they are still able to speak with us and us with them, and we can still see each other, but we can’t touch them or anything in their realms. In this way any threat of war between the Kingdoms was stopped and a new trust and peace was born,” said Catalyst.

“
Well why open the portal then? What’s a doorway to my world have to do with your war and peace?” asked Natalia.

I don’t know, but there are those who feel that their Kings and Queens have betrayed them by not grabbing power for their Kingdoms and ruling over all of this world forever. Even the King of Svartalfheim said in public just the other day that he believes some of his own subjects are part of this group. And if the Elves are involved in the crystals being removed, you are I are in real trouble,” replied Catalyst.

“
Why is it, Catalyst, that since I’ve met you all I seem to find is trouble?” asked Natalia with a deep sigh.

“
I don’t know Natalia, but none the less here we are and it’s fun, isn’t it?” asked Catalyst.
“You know something, Natalia?

“
No, what?” asked Natalia.

“
My Mom named me Catalyst because I was the beginning of her trouble as well,” said Catalyst.

Looking at Catalyst as though he were nuts, Natalia just burst out laughing and so did Catalyst.

“
So no one really knows who they are,” continued Catalyst.

“
No one knows who what is?” asked Natalia.

“
The group I was just telling you about. They’re all very cloak and dagger. I’ve only ever heard rumours, know what I mean?” asked Catalyst.

“
Yes, unfortunately, I do. Earth has so many men at war with one another. My Mom says a woman would do a much better job at running the world than a man, ever since Eve. Now war is still very much a part of everyday life in my world,” replied Natalia.

“
You know, if the people you’re telling me about are involved then maybe that’s why they opened the portal. If they could get mankind here, then your world would be at war again and with mankind as well and, Catalyst, I can promise you, man has become a lot meaner these days,” said Natalia.

“
Now tell me, when do the others get to rule here?” asked Natalia, trying to change the subject.

“
Well every sixth cycle the transition begins and power is passed from one Kingdom to the next one in line to rule. Catice’s turn is next,” replied Catalyst.

“
What’s a cycle?” asked Natalia, finding it hard to believe that she had to ask.

“
A cycle is a period of time from one moon phase to the next. It works like this – December and January share a thirty-day moon phase, that’s the Transitional Moon Phase when the ruling power is handed over. During the cycle all the peoples are free to trade, buy and sell to one another as everyone comes back into time.

“
Now the full cycle takes place throughout the year. There is a moon in March, May, July and October, but those only last for one week and nothing happens, like you can’t touch anyone from the other Kingdoms or anything like that.

“
When the new cycle begins, which is the Transitional Moon Phase, then power changes hands once again, and what’s really good is at the end of the December and January moon phase, a wave of light that I can only describe as an energy blast slips across this whole world and pushes the other three Kingdoms into the 0.2 second time lapse…yep that’s the cycle,” replied Catalyst, as though he understood it any better than Natalia.

“
Catalyst that’s so much to know I don’t even want to think about it, but I do have just one more question for you and then I want to go to sleep. Tell me, where’s your Father? After all, I’ve met your Mother,” asked Natalia.

“
I don’t know, no one’s seen him for the last one hundred and fifty years. He’s just gone. One night he went out to check on our sheep and never came back. The next day all my Mom and I could find was his vest and one shoe. There was no sign of a fight, no blood, no note
–
he was just gone. Mom and I looked for a long time, but never found anything that could tell us what had happened. I know Mom still misses him. Sometimes I can hear her weeping through the night. We still have hope he’ll come home one day and I hold on to that hope for her sake,” replied Catalyst, looking at the ground.