The Changeling Princess (41 page)

CHAPTER 70

The following morning Wade and I raided the castle’s kitchen and found some tasty fruit. After breakfast, we picked up the remains of the four brothers and flew out to the sea. We were about twenty miles out to seas when the water reached a depth of three miles. I placed the force field containing the crushed skeletons on the water’s surface and watched it sink slowly into the sea.”

“
I know why you didn’t drop the force field from the sky,” said Wade. “You didn’t want to hit anything swimming close to the surface.”

“
It seemed like the right thing to do.”

“
Where do we go from here?” Wade asked

“
We’re going to continue our search across the ocean. If the crystal is under water, we’ll be going for another swim.”

We flew close to two thousand miles before we came to a stop.
“This is the right area,” I said, “but the water is extremely deep. My senses tell me that the crystal is approximately twelve miles below us.”

Wade looked concerned.
“That’s pretty deep. The Mariana Trench in Earth’s western Pacific Ocean is only about seven miles deep.”

“
We’ll have to triple our height for added protection. You can morph in a Mist and I’ll morph into the Changeling Princess. It’s going to be pitch-black down there and the Princess can use her energy beam for a flood light.”

Wade increased his height to eighteen feet and morphed into a Mist.
“I’m ready when you are.”

I increased my height and morphed into the Changeling Princess before we dove into the water. I wasn
’t crazy about exploring oceans, but I had to admit that the experience was never boring.

I didn
’t see a lot of fish as we descended toward the ocean floor. The water got dark very quickly, so I turned on my flood light. Wade was right beside me and I could hear his thoughts.

Traveling under water sucks. I
’m not afraid anymore, but I’ll never get used to it.

Cheer up Wade. You might run into a pretty mermaid who
’ll change your mind.

Wade didn
’t answer, so I figured he didn’t think my mermaid remark was funny.

We were close to the ocean floor when I saw a bright light below us. It was as if a portion of the ocean floor was one big beam of light. The closer we got, the brighter the light became. I saw a high mountain range and the light seemed to be coming from a valley at the foot of the mountains.

What do you think that light is? Wade asked.

I
’m not sure, but we’ll find out soon enough.

I was surprised when I saw a huge transparent dome resting on the ocean floor. The dome was large enough a house a large city, but all I could see was an isla
nd about ten miles in diameter.

The island under the dome is about the same size as Catalina Island, the island off the coast of California near Los Angeles,
I said to Wade.

I
’d rather be in California.

The dome was actually a force field that extended approximately three miles beyond the island
’s shore. At sixteen miles in diameter, it was a gigantic force field.

Let
’s dive down deeper
, I said.
I want to see how the dome is attached to the ocean floor.
 

The island was resting on the ocean floor and the dome was sealed beneath the island. This meant that the island was completely sealed. It was as if someone had taken a bowl, placed a lid over it, and then turned it upside down. It would have taken a great deal of power to construct a dome this large and secure.

How are we going to get inside without springing a leak?
Wade asked.

Follow me, I
’ve got an idea.

We came to rest about a hundred feet above the beach. We had a clear view of the island
’s shore line and the trees that extended beyond the beach.

I went to work building a
force field that was just large enough to provide cover for Wade and myself. After I removed the ocean water, I attached the force field to the outside of the dome. Then I narrowed my energy beam and bored a tiny hole through the dome.

You first
, I said to Wade.
As soon as you’re inside, Morph into your human form. And don’t forget to turn invisible and reduce your height to normal. The dome will protect you from the underwater pressure.

Wade slithered through the small hole and waited for me on the inside. I morph into a Mist and followed right behind him. As soon as I was inside the dome, I morphed into Janis French and turned invisible. The last thing I did was seal the tiny hole I
’d drilled into the dome.

“
This place is really something,” I said after we landed on the beach. “I feel like we just stepped foot on a tropical island.”

“
My feelings exactly. The trees are similar to palm trees and we have a white sandy beach. There’s even a nice breeze blowing in off the ocean.”

“
Yeah, this place is fantastic. The ocean inside this dome extends a good three miles from the shoreline, so we actually have an ocean within an ocean.”

“
How is that possible?”

“
I’m detecting several crystals, so that may have something to do with it.”

The natives of the island were humanoid in shape. They had webbed feet, webbed hands and a tiny set of gills for breathing under water. They had tanned skin and they were rather nice looking. I thought the island and its inhabitants were fascinating.

The islanders were everywhere, up and down the beach as far as we could see. Laughter filled the air
and that told us they were part of a happy non-violent society. I estimated the current population was in the thousands.

“
These are peace loving people,” said Wade. “I don’t sense any angry thoughts or aggression.”

“
Neither do I. I think it’s beautiful.”

“
So what do we do?” Approach them in our human form or morph into a form that resembles theirs?”

“
I’m not sure. I’m detecting a large crystal in the middle of the island and a series of smaller crystals coming from the dome itself. Let’s check out the crystals in the dome before we contact anyone.”

We discovered a small crystal that had been pressed into the dome. There was a warm air current wind flowing from the crystal which was an ingenious method of heating the air.

“
Now we know where the wind is coming from,” I said. “Let’s circle the dome. I bet there are more crystals pressed into the dome.”

We discovered several crystals paced evenly around the entire island. This meant that there was a continuous breeze coming in from all directions.

“Whoever built this dome really knew what they were doing,” said Wade.

“
Don’t be surprised if we run into a lot of surprises on this island.”

CHAPTER 71

“I think it’s time to make contact with the islanders,” I said. “I can make some clothes to blend in with the islanders, but I think we should keep our human form.”

“
It should be interesting. At a depth of twelve miles below the ocean’s surface, I doubt that they’ve ever seen a stranger before, especially someone with light skin.”

Dressed in our island clothes, we became visible and walked toward a group of islanders frolicking on the beach. When we got closer, they stopped playing and stared at us.

“I bet they think we just walked out of the ocean,” said Wade. “I think they’re intrigued by your auburn hair.”

“
I agree, but I don’t sense any fear.”

“
Who are you?” one of the women asked. “Do you come from the ocean?”

I detected a high pitched squeal, but the woman
’s words were crystal clear and her English was perfect. The woman was very intelligent and extremely cautious.

“
We are travelers,” I said “We do not come from the ocean. We live on the land above the surface of the ocean.”

“
The woman paused and then turned to a man standing next to her. “What do you think, Jaba?”

“
I’m not sure. We all know there are creatures that still live on the surface. If these youngsters were dangerous, I would have sensed it.”

We were drawing a crowd as more and more islanders walked our way.
“We should seek advice from the Keeper of the Records,” said the woman.

Everyone was in agreement, so we were escorted off the beach and taken inland. We walked about a half a mile until we reached a large hut. I assumed that this was the hut of the Keeper of the Records. An elderly islander wearing a lightweight robe walked out of the hut. He had a pleasant smile that told us he was extremely friendly. He addressed the islanders.

“Go about your ways. There is no danger and you will be informed about the strangers after I talk to them.”

“
You are from the surface,” said the Keeper of the Records. “My name is Ishba and I welcome you to Crystal Island.”

Ishba invited us into his hut. I detected the scent of a large crystal close by, but I decided to be patient.

I was impressed to see that the hut had shelves and shelves of books. I assumed the books contained the history of their culture. “We are honored to be in your presence and we come in peace,” I said.

Ishba replied.
“How did you get here?”

“
We swam down from the surface of your ocean. We are capable of traveling on land and in the water.”

“
Who are you and why have you come here?”

“
My name is Janis and my companion is named Wade. We are travelers from another universe. We have come to your world in search of the crystals that landed here millions of years ago.”

“
Why are you searching for the crystals?”

“
There are evil people who control the crystals and force others to live in slavery. Our mission is to locate the crystals and destroy the evil people.”

“
There is no evil on Crystal Island,” Ishba explained. “Please wait here because I have something very interesting to show you.”

Ishba returned with a large book and placed it on the table in front of us. He thumbed through the pages until he found what he was looking for.
“This is a sketch that was drawn by a Seer who lived here many lifetimes ago. The woman in the sketch is the Angel of Deliverance. It has been foretold that she will rid the surface world of evil. “The Angel of Deliverance looks like you and she has the same color hair. Can you explain this?”

“
The Angel of Deliverance is the warrior part of my personality that I use in battle. I will show you.” I morphed into the Changeling Princess and Ishba smiled.

“
We are honored that the Angel of Deliverance has decided to visit us. If you have any questions please feel free to ask.”

“
Will you tell us the story behind the dome that protects your island from the ocean?” asked Wade. “It is a marvelous creation.”

Ishba nodded his head and spoke.
“Before the crystals appeared, we lived in a peaceful valley ruled by a kind and powerful Wizard named Tybalt. When the crystals fell into our valley, Tybalt tapped into their power and used the energy for the good of the people. Everything was perfect until the rains came. Our valley is surrounded by mountains and there was nowhere for the rain to go.”

“
So Tybalt built the dome to protect the valley from the rain?” I asked.

“
That is correct. The valley eventually became an island and we have lived here since then.”

“
That’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever heard,” I said. “Using our method of counting time, your race has been living here for millions of years. You’ve even evolved to the point where you can breathe under water.”

“
That is true,” said Ishba, “and we have never had any evil.” “The spirit of Crystal Island is bred into every islander at the time of birth. We will always live in peace.”

“
May we see the crystal that controls this island?” I asked.

“
It is permitted,” said Ishba. “Please follow me.”

We followed Ishba to the crystal that was resting between two large palm trees. A short distance from the crystal was a well with clear drinking water. I detected a tiny crystal at the bottom of the well when we stopped for a drink.

“The crystal purifies the salt water,” I said to Wade. “I’ll bet all the wells on Crystal Island are joined together.”

Nestled inside the hut was a large crystal, forty feet in length and four foot thick. The power from the crystal was enormous.

“This is the largest crystal we’ve come across since we came to your world,” I said. “I am pleased the power has been used for good.”

“
And it always will be,” said Ishba. “When the crystal eventually loses its power, the ocean will rush in and we will be no more.”

“
I sense that the crystal has already lost some of its power. I doubt that the dome will be able to hold back the ocean for more than a couple of hundred thousand years.”

“
I have sensed the same thing. We will accept our fate without fear or regret. Come, it is time to eat and you will join us.”

* * *

We were treated to an island banquet. The food consisted of fresh fish, lobsters, steamed oysters, an assortment of fresh fruit and a tasty kelp salad.

“
Great food,” said Wade.

“
The word great doesn’t do it justice. This is one of the most delicious meals I’ve ever had.”

“
Don’t you find it amazing that we’ve come across another Seer who predicted the Angel of Deliverance?” Wade asked.

“It’s incredible and it’s a good thing. Ishba trusts us now.”

We had no sooner finished the meal when the dancing began. Several islanders were playing homemade percussion instruments that had us tapping our feet.

“I think this is a version of a South Seas rock band,” Wade said.

“
You’re a drummer, why don’t you want to get in there and mix it up?”

“
Maybe latter.”

“
They sure do have a great beat. Do you want to dance?”

Wade stood up and took my hand.
“I thought you’d never ask.”

We spent the rest of the evening dancing and drinking fruit juice. When no one was looking, I cheated by using my energy beam to chill our drinks. When the light faded, several of the islanders began walking to their huts.

“This is unbelievable,” I said. “The dome is telling the islanders that it’s time to sleep.”

“
I’m in complete agreement. It’s been a long day and I’m ready to turn in.”

“
I think we should sleep on the beach. A lot of the islanders are headed that way.”

Wade agreed, so we walked down to the beach. We found a cozy spot and stretched out on the warm sand.

“The dimmed light is almost like a full Moon,” said Wade. “It’s kind of romantic.”

I turned on my side and propped myself up on my elbow.
“This island is a paradise. The air is purified and I doubt that anyone ever gets sick.

“
I could learn to love this place if we could live her together,” Wade said.

I snuggled into Wade
’s arms and cuddled up close. “I feel the same way. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Wade kissed me on the cheek.
“And that’s exactly what we’re going to do after we’ve completed our task.”

Wade kissed me goodnight and I snuggled up closer. I was still wearing a smile when I drifted off to sleep.