The Queen Of All Strange Things

13

The point that I was alive_ although I was wet_ was pure evidence that I was a Horse Enchantress.
Thor hammered the entrance down and I crawled out. Kelpie gave a neigh.
‘Get me out! You promised! I’ll pretend!’
I flinched. This horse was stupid. I studied Mr. Carsson’s face.
‘The Horse seems to miss you,’ said Mr. Hill.
I stared at him, shocked.
‘Um,’ I said. ‘He wants to come out too….’
Everyone’s eyes bulged.
‘Er... Amethyst,’ said Zeus, rubbing his forehead. ‘It’s the kelpie you are talking about here.’
‘Please,’ I said. ‘I know… but he promised not to drown anyone.’
‘Promised?’
‘Swore on River Styx…’
Even Zeus looked baffled. ‘You… talked to it?’
‘Er…. Yes….’
‘GET ME OUT YOU DOUBLE CROSSING_’
I turned to it. No one can understand him.
‘Swore on river Styx!’ blurted Mr. Carsson.
‘It can talk,’ I said. And I was very sure that Mr. Carsson purposely dropped the lever. ‘I will assure you that it will never drown anyone….’
Mr. Carsson narrowed his eyes. ‘If you say so.’
I looked at Zeus. He gave a sigh. ‘Thor?’
Then he gave me a “we-will-talk-it-later” look. Thor widened the entrance and the kelpie slowly crawled through, his hooves tapping the floor with a flip-flop.
‘I thought you were going to abandon me,’ he said.
‘I said I’ll free you if you help me. Well, you saved me but you still drowned me and I think I don’t need your help.’
‘I swore anyway,’ he mumbled. But I was doubtful. ‘Don’t worry, I will play pet horse in front of you.’
It was nice to breathe fresh air again. Andrew bolted right up as we squeezed through the hole.
‘You’re alright!’ he said, all aghast.
‘So sorry I didn’t drown,’ I said.
Salzar was waiting too. ‘The young prince was worried.’
But then the kelpie came out finally, Andrew drew out his sword.
‘He’s fine,’ I said. ‘We won’t… cause any trouble.’
Andrew just stared at me, his eyes bulging. ‘You really… enchanted him?’
‘Ah!’ said the kelpie, talking a deep breath. ‘Fresh air! It was five centuries years ago that I was bolted up in that place!’
Salzar gave a tilted his head. ‘So… this is the Kelpie.’
The kelpie neighed, looked straight into Salzar. I cleared my throat. The Kelpie relaxed. ‘It’s ugly.’
Salzar flared his nostrils.
Zeus patted me on the back. ‘Now that you are alive! It’s back to the council!’

I forgot about the I-have-to-be-Queen-if-I-succeed fact. Zeus dragged everyone back into the Palace. Once we entered the Council room the quarrel which was going inside, settled down within five seconds.  No one asked what happened. No one cared that I was almost drowned to my death. No one even suspected anything going on.
They simply went on about how I tamed the kelpie. The kelpie wasn’t too pleased about the standing in the middle of a room filled with deities and humans, but he kept his cool.
‘This place is making me queasy,’ he said.
‘Just stand there like a good horsey… Kelpie...’  
‘It’s Slitzer.’
‘Huh?’
‘My name, it’s Slitzer. Kelpie is the name everyone calls me.’
He didn’t say anything after that.
‘Here by,’ announced a Seer on the judge table, ‘It is declared that Amethyst Stone is to be known as a Horse Enchantress.’
Then me, Andrew, Slitzer and Salzar crept out of the Council room letting the old men and ladies decide my fate.
Once we were out, Andrew turned to me.
‘How did you do it?’
‘Do what?’
He pointed at Slitzer. ‘I saw you drag you in!’
I gave a grin. ‘He didn’t want my corpse to litter his cell and we negotiated.’
‘Negotiated? You actually talked to him?’
‘Freedom for co-operation,’ I said. ‘And the promise not to kill anyone...’
Andrew blinked. Salzar flew around me. ‘Well… my prince. She can understand me. It’s no wonder she can understand a horse based creature. I gave to admit, her gift of extraordinary.’
In front of us, the Nile glittered as a river of diamonds.
‘I did my part,’ said Slitzer. ‘Now it’s yours.’
I opened my mouth to protest. Didn’t I get him out? I looked back to the Nile. He’s a water horse. He needs water.
I looked at Andrew. He simply shrugged.  I then looked at the horse and nodded, ‘Remember your promise. I might not be a Queen or a Hose Enchantress, but fairies can make your life a living hell.’
Slitzer was rather taken aback. He nodded and walked into the water, until only his head was seen. Then he ducked and disappeared. What was left of him was a large shadow of a serpent like creature that squirmed through the water.
‘Salzar,’ said Andrew.
‘Yes my prince.’
‘Keep an eye on him.’
Salzar sighed.
The nest few hours, I wondered why I even let the kelpie free. Did I really want to become the Queen, or did I feel sorry to leave him in that crappy cell with its boggy pool. But I knew I was not so compassionate. I tried to be, but it usually never came from the heart.
‘Andrew,’ I asked.
‘Uh-em.’
‘Did I do the right thing?’
‘I don’t know.’
I sighed.
The next few hours were like a blur.
‘Don’t shift long distances,’ Enof warned. ‘Too much and you’ll exhaust yourself. And remember that you can only shift from one side to the next.’
And yada, yada, yada… 
Instead of shifting home, in which I was told to be not prepared yet, so we took the Salzar Airways. Along the journey, we stopped by Greece in front of the Parthenon and in Paris in the view of the Eifel tower (they did not allow me to go sightseeing).
‘Shift to these locations, and once you do, shift to the invisible side_’
‘I get it!’ I snapped. ‘Don’t shift too far, no intra-world shifting, if you do you get lost, kaboom!’
‘Then familiarize,’ said Zeus.
Andrew was so lucky. He even climbed halfway up the tower. I wasn’t allowed to. Just in case I sift in top of the Eifel tower. I had to sit at the bottom to “familiarize” myself with the surrounding, it was boring. Luckily, at about three in the afternoon we set off. I didn’t know how exhausted I was till we reached the ancient oak tree behind our school. I was wearing a “calm down and love physics” shirt. A duffel bag materialized on Zeus’s hand and he gave it to me.
‘What is this for?’
‘You are back from a cross country tour,’ said Zeus.
I forgot the lie Zeus told to mom. And… I forgot to call her! Zeus read my mind.
‘You spoke to her. Just agree on whatever she says. And by the way, you lost the quiz. Farewell!’
Zeus got on Salzar (oddly) Andrew didn’t even get down. Salzar gave a little bow before he took off. Andrew gave a little wave and the three of them disappeared leaving me under an oak tree.
With a sigh, I shifted back to the real world. In fifteen minutes, I was home.
‘Oh! Honey,’ exclaimed Mom. ‘How was your competition?’
I can’t believe I lied to her. I was so exhausted. I get angry when I’m frustrated.  When I get too frustrated, I cry. So I cried.
‘Oh, honey,’ said Mom hugging me. ‘There is always next year. Next year I’m sure Flinton Academy will win the championship.’
I sniffed. I didn’t go for a quiz. I went on a trial to be Queen of all strange things and almost got killed.