Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Chapter 7: The Crossing (Part One)
The explorers had spent most of the day shopping and doing things that had to be done before they finally left South America.
George had posted a telegram at a little post office, which contained the most important information about their whereabouts.
The others had gone to buy clothes and the tickets for the ferry. They had agreed to meet at the harbour in the afternoon.
"Did you get everything you wanted?" George asked, when he saw Marguerite, John and Alasdair coming up to him. John nodded.
"Yes, we're ready to leave." Alasdair pointed his finger at something. That caught John's attention.
"Yes, look! That's a ship, a big one." The boy stared at his father in surprise. He had seen so many things that were new to him today, but this was definitely the strangest.
"Ship!" he repeated. George smiled at the boy and turned from John, who was still occupied with his son, to Marguerite.
"Do you know what's keeping the others?" Marguerite shrugged.
"No idea."
"We're here. Sorry that we kept you waiting," Ned said, "but the women needed something to dress, that attracts not so much attention." The others gaped at Veronica and Finn when they saw them. They were wearing dresses. Veronica's was dark blue and shimmering in the sun, Finn's was red and she looked a bit clumsy in it.
"You should see the expressions on your faces! You look like the people, who were staring at us, before we wore these dresses." Veronica laughed. You didn't get the opportunity to see your friends with such a look of puzzlement on the faces very often, so you had to make the most of it.
"Oh man, this is so horrible. I hope I don't have to wear this every day. Could we please go now? I feel like I'm on show." Finn moaned.
**********
The St. Monessa wasn't a very big ship. It was designed to take about 200 people, but it was quite comfortable. Roxton, Marguerite and their son were sharing their accommodation just as Veronica, Ned and David were. Finn and Challenger each had their own room.
They met on deck after they had brought their luggage into their rooms.
"The ship casts off!" Malone said. These words caused a strange feeling in Veronica. It seemed so final, but another voice told her that this wasn't the end. Just the beginning of something new.
**********
"Come on, Marguerite. It's just dinner. You don't have to win a beauty contest." Marguerite came out of the little bathroom they had in their accommodation. She had put up her hair except for two curly strands, which hung loosely on each side of her head. Her body was covered by a long, black dress that shimmered and almost touched the ground. John looked at her holding his breath.
"Although I'm sure you would." He added.
"Thanks. I just wanted to take this as a last opportunity to wear such clothes, before my condition becomes too obvious." John lifted Alasdair up into his arms. The little boy was wearing a black pair of dungarees and a white shirt.
"Are you ready then?" he asked.
"Yes." She slipped her arm through his.
**********
When they entered the dining room the soft sound of Strauss' Blue Danube Waltz greeted them. Marguerite sighed.
"That is something I really missed." The dining room wasn't very big so it wasn't difficult to find the others. They were sitting at a round table next to one of the windows. There were two people sitting next to Challenger, who Marguerite didn't know. She sat down next to the woman and took her son from John. He sat down next to her and Malone. The woman looked at Marguerite.
"And you must be Miss Krux or is it Mrs. Roxton now?" Marguerite looked at her suspiciously. The woman was smiling at her, waiting for an answer. She was about 60 years old, extremely tarted up, had a puggy face and it seemed as if she had put on every single piece of jewellery that she possessed. But she didn't look unpleasant.
"No, it's still Miss Krux." She finally answered. The woman nodded.
"And who is that?" She asked while she was looking at Alasdair.
"That's Alasdair, our son." John cut in, knowing into which direction this conversation was heading. But the woman just nodded again. There was no sign of disapproval to be seen on her face. She gave Marguerite her hand instead.
"I'm sorry I forgot to introduce myself. Call it a nasty habit, but I'm just so curious sometimes, that I just forget it. My name is Marilyn Walsingham and this is my husband Robert. We're from Hunstanton in Norfolk."
"A pleasure to meet you." Marguerite forced a smile.
"Norfolk, oh it's very nice there." George said trying to get the woman's attention. Marguerite was very grateful for that.
**********
"If you'd excuse me, please. I think I need some fresh air." Marguerite said after dinner. She stood up and handed Alasdair over to Roxton. Then she left the room as fast as she could. She couldn't stand to stay there a minute longer. She didn't know why, but it felt like suffocating. When she was on deck she felt a little better. She took a deep breath and sat down on one of the chairs standing there. She starred at the nightsky for a moment and then she saw it again. It was the woman she had seen before on the surface of the river. She was wearing a white dress that almost looked like a nightgown. Her hair was blonde and she seemed to be dancing. Her body was shrouded in some strange white light, it was almost as if she was glowing. Strange words were leaving her mouth, but Marguerite couldn't understand them. She followed the woman, but her figure started to fade until she finally disappeared.
"Wait!" she called after her, but nothing happened.
"Who are you talking to?" A voice from behind her asked. It gave Marguerite a start.
"Oh bloody hell! John, what are you doing out here?" She turned.
"I could ask the same question. Why did you leave all of a sudden?" She didn't know why, but she felt as if he had caught her doing something she should not have done.
"I don't know. I just had to." She sat down on the chair again.
"Marguerite," John kneeled down to look her eye-to-eye, "We're worried about you. Even Alasdair noticed that there is something wrong with you."
"There is nothing wrong with me." She snapped and buried her face in her hands. She hated it when he knew her so well. But she didn't want to tell him what she felt just now. She feared that it sounded too weird. John looked down to the ground, disappointment showing on his face.
"Well, I can't force you to tell me, I can just ask you to do so." Marguerite sighed.
"Look, I'm pregnant, I have a lot of things to think about before we get back to England, I'm haunted by nightmares every night, a strange woman with a white dress appears every now and then and sometimes I feel like losing control over my body, but apart from that I feel fine." He said nothing and just stared at her. It seemed as if he could read her mind by simply looking at her and that made her feel vulnerable.
"I don't expect you to understand it, but something is going on here and I'm right in the middle of it." She said.
**********
She found herself in a dark cave. Her clothes were damp and sticking to her. It was a most uncomfortable sensation. She could see some men preparing something, but she couldn't see what exactly it was. The only thing she knew was, that it would be the end of peace and harmony.
"Bring them in!" One of the men said. He was wearing a black robe and a hood covered his head. On the left side of his face there was a long scar.
"As you wish, my Lord!" Another man said and rushed to the entrance of the cave. He returned with a woman and her two daughters.
'No, he can't do this.' she whispered, but she knew he couldn't hear her... not yet.
The mother was looking desperate.
"Please, they are only children. They are my children. Leave them alone. Please!" Tears were streaming down the woman's face.
She felt the urgent need to help this woman. So she chose to give up the only advantage she had: Her invisibility.
"Tuathal, you should know that this is a big mistake." The man with the scar turned. He didn't seem to be surprised that she was there.
"Rhianne! It's nice to see you again. I expected Avalon to send somebody to snoop around. But I have to admit I didn't expect them to send their most beautiful snooper." She gave a snort of contempt.
"This isn't funny, Tuathal. The older girl, she is not chosen. If you perform this ritual she will die." The man with the scar laughed.
"Oh Rhianne, you and your people are fooling yourselves. You know as well as I do, that there is nobody, who's interested in this girl. It's necessary to separate Morrigan and Dierdre. And if you want to save these girls, you are on your own." She didn't know, what to say. He was right. Her people couldn't do anything to save these girls, because they didn't really want it. There would be too many advantages, when Morrigan had her own body. Tuathal turned away from her. Rhianne just stood there watching a tragedy taking its course...
End Chapter Seven...