The Inner Kingdom: Quest One (Dragon Quest Book 1) (5 page)

The Celebration

Location: The Castle

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Apri
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Once outside we were in what I assumed was the main hall, since it was as wide as a freeway. The walk down the hall felt like it was to an execution, not a celebration; no one talked, smiled, or even looked excited.

“Should we be scared?” Angie whispered as we continued down the long corridor that seemed to have no end.

“I’m thinking the same thing,” Ashley chipped in. “Why can’t don't I hear anything? We should at least be able to hear music.”

“You hear nothing because everyone is waiting for the guests of honor,” Mina stated, obviously eavesdropping on our conversation.

The hall was dimly lit by small globes filled with a swirling white light, which was the same as the giant one I saw in the ceiling of the room with the silver floor.

I wonder what is inside them.
Before I could ask anyone, Mina and Pearl stopped, all of a sudden, in front of a giant gold door with a picture of a dragon intricately carved in it.

“We have finally arrived,” Mina announced as she turned to us with a serious expression on her face. “No matter what happens, never let your guard down, and most importantly, let no one see your weak side.”

We heard her message loud and clear, as I resisted the urge to go back and lock myself in the room with the giant bed.

Pearl gently knocked on the door once, causing it to open up to show a long staircase.

“I give you the dragon warriors!” a giant man announced from inside the room. He was twice the size of me and looked like a wrestler.

The applause following the announcement was deafening and made me forget all about the intimidating announcer.

Peering down from the top of the staircase, I saw what had to be thousands of people, crowding around the bottom step.

The hordes of people weren’t the reason why my sisters and I couldn’t move from the threshold; down below us, the entire room floor was completely made out of glass, offering us a beautiful, yet frightening, view of the valley and hillside below. It was as if everyone was standing in midair.

“It’s okay, remember what I said,” Mina encouraged as she motioned for us to descend the stairs. “No fear.”

“What is the weight limit for that floor?” Ashley asked, her voice trembling a little.

“I’m sure it will not crack under our added weight,” Angie whispered, trying to lighten to the mood. “Well, I pray I’m not wrong.”

Grasping my sisters’ hands in mine, we braced ourselves for what was to come, as we moved forward together.

After reaching the bottom steps, I could see everything clearer, causing me to look up at the light source only to find a giant chandelier that took up most of the ceiling, and instead of light bulbs, I saw the same swirling balls of light I saw before; they were burning brighter than the ones that were in the hallway.

Some of the same royal guard members who threatened our lives earlier were now making a path for us through the massive crowds.

Life can be very funny sometimes.

All around, people whispered and pointed at us. Many faces in the crowd showed doubt and condescension, but we did not falter from what Mina told us and kept a calm mask on.

Our destination became clear, as I saw Nolin up ahead, standing on an enormous four-step circular podium, which appeared to be made out of diamonds; he was dressed in a long white and gold tunic with a matching round hat. He stood with a serious expression on his wrinkled face.

Standing behind Nolin, I could see Prince Leev and Leo posed like two British foot guards; with their faces void of any emotion, they greeted us with a simple nod of their head as we made our way toward them.

Still dressed in the same clothes as earlier, they gave off the impression they did not want to be here. 

That makes five of us.

By the time we made it to the bottom of the podium, I nervously looked up and saw Prince Leev sitting on a gold and silver throne with Leo right beside him.

Mina and Pearl both bowed at the waist at the bottom of the steps, and with a single wave from Prince Leev’s hand, they both moved to the side, and from the look she shot our way, we knew we had to do the same.

Please don’t rip, please don’t rip,
I silently chanted, knowing they were expecting me to bend in this tight dress.

Copying the way Mina and Pearl bowed at their waist, we waited for Prince Leev to tell us when to stop. With a twist of his wrist, he released us from the torture of the curtsy. The dresses by themselves left our bodies starved for air, without making any unnecessary movements.

Nolin slightly nodded his head in approval as he called us up on the podium to stand beside him.

“These young ladies are the Dragon Warriors we have been waiting so long for,” Nolin bellowed. With no assistance from a mic, his voice carried throughout the entire room. “They have been away for most of their lives, and now it is time to welcome them back home.”

Many applauded, but there were a few I could see that looked as doubtful as we were.

“Let’s welcome them with open arms. Tonight is a night for celebrating the present and the future to come.”

“You want us to trust our lives, and the lives of our families, to these girls?” a man blurted out from the crowd.

Nolin’s face became tense as the crowd parted to show a man in his mid-thirties with a full goatee. He looked like a villain out of a Saturday morning cartoon.

I knew he must be a part of the royal family since he was wearing the same outfit as the Prince; the only difference was that this guy’s outfit was a lot flashier.

“How do we know that they are the chosen ones?” the man said, moving closer to where we were. “Throughout history there has never been a female rider. You want us to accept these little girls?”

“That is enough, Zarf,” Prince Leev said without raising his voice, but it was already too late.

Many people started to complain and demand proof that we were the dragon warriors.

“That is Uncle Zarf to you.”

Uncle! They looked nothing alike. In comparison his uncle was a little on the plump side, with dark brown hair and brown eyes. I was not seeing the family resemblance.

“If they are who you say they are, they should easily be able to prove it,” said a woman beside Zarf.

The woman had milky white skin, with long, straight, jet black hair; her light blue eyes were accentuated by her heavy dark eyeliner; her lips were painted a deep red, which was a major contrast to her skin tone. The long red toga she was wearing was also a deep red that hung on her slender frame. It was like watching a TV soap opera star on the red carpet.

A few people began chanting, “Prove it!” as an uncomfortable feeling started in my lower stomach. The crowds were relentless with their demand, for us to prove who we really were. At this point, I wasn’t sure if I really knew myself.

“Silence!” Nolin thundered quieting the entire room. “Raven is right, it will be best to test them now.”

My heartbeat began to beat faster as I looked out into the hordes of people; my eyes locked onto Mina, and it was as if I could hear her in my head, saying to stay calm and don’t let them intimidate me.

I tried to loosen up and not let my appearance reflect how I felt inside. I wanted to look toward Angie and Ashley, but I did not want to show any weakness to them, especially that Zarf guy.

“If we test them now in front of everyone, will that please you, Duchess?” Nolin asked, speaking to the woman with the milky-white skin.

With a nod of her head, she agreed to put us through a test. I finally ignored my fear and looked toward Angie and Ashley. Angie’s hands were clutching the side of her dress so hard that I was afraid that she might tear it; and Ashley’s face was so ashen it was like she had just seen a ghost.

The air around Ashley was making me nervous because I can only recall one time that I have seen this pale blank look on her face; it was about seven years ago when Angie fell out of a tree and we thought she wasn’t going to make it.

“Yes, do as my wife says. Let’s test them now,” Zarf demanded.

Nolin looked at us then back at Prince Leev, who was now standing tensely beside Leo.

“How would you suggest we test them Raven? I mean, Duchess of the Inner Kingdom,” Prince Leev asked reluctantly.

“Why nephew, I seemed to have misplaced my brooch. The value of it is quite high in monetary and sentimental aspects. The last time I had it on was earlier today when I was getting things ready for the celebration” Raven dramatically spoke, while eyeing Prince Leev with a poisonous smile.

“Get to the point.” The prince hissed through clenched teeth.

“My, looks like someone needs to relax,” she commented playfully. “It is well known in the text that dragon warriors can manipulate time.” Looking at us briefly, she finally focused her attention on Nolin. “Elder Nolin can confirm the truth of what I am saying.”

“Is that correct, Nolin?”

“Yes, it is something only the most skillful dragon warriors can pull off,” Nolin answered, avoiding direct eye contact with us as he locked eyes with Prince Leev. “It can be done with the combined forces of two or more warriors”

“I don’t see the problem; we have three healthy and fully-trained dragon warriors standing right before us,” Raven stated with an uneasy light shining in her eyes. “Unless they are not fully-trained, or you have brought us the wrong people. Which one is it, Elder?”

“What does it look like?” Angie spoke up shocking everyone. “Your brooch?”

“Like I said, it is very dear to me. It is a gold encrusted ruby of the sun. If you can find it and bring it back in five minutes, you can prove to everyone here that you are not imposters.”

“And what if we refuse?” Angie questioned, causing a collective gasp from the crowds.

“Then you will sentence yourself to banishment into the ravenous snakes’ pin.”

“Then we will do it,” Angie agreed, after a brief moment of silence.

“Angie,” Ashley hissed as she grabbed her and me to huddle in a circle, “why would you accept? We don’t know how to go back in time?”

“I'd rather try than die. What about you?” Ashley did not respond because she was at a bigger loss for words than I was.

“We have no other choice,” I said, feeling deflated.

“Time is ticking ladies,” Raven taunted with that annoying smile still plastered on her face.

“She is really getting on my nerves,” Angie whispered. “How are we supposed to find out where she lost a brooch from earlier today?”

“Don’t let her get to you,” Nolin whispered from beside us. “I did not make a mistake; you girls are the Dragon Warriors.”

“I just wished someone would have told me this before I was transported to your crazy world.”

“Even without training, you should have experienced something.

“Dodgeball,” I blurted out a lot louder than I wanted to. “You remember this morning, when the ball was heading toward me?”

“You think we did that?” Ashley skeptically questioned.

“The only ones that were affected were us.”

“We need to find a way to recreate it, if that was really us,” Angie stated with her eyes on Zarf who looked as if he had won a million dollars. “There’s not much time left.”

The crowd was beginning to get anxious and started whispering things like, “They are imposters,” and placing bets on whether or not we could do it.

“Nolin, what’s going on? Why are they still here?” Leo asked joining our circle. “If they are not imposters, this should be a simple task. They have been training since birth, right?”

Nolin’s silence was answer enough for him.

“Nolin, explain yourself!” Prince Leev ordered, apparently overhearing Leo’s question.

“Your Highness, things did not go as we had planned. They were not properly prepared as they should have been.”

“What do you mean, 'not properly prepared?'”

“They were raised hidden from the truth; their guardians abandoned the original plan.”

            
 
“What do they know?” Leo asked, sighing as if he really did not want to know the answer.

“That we are supposed to be the dragon warriors. That pretty much sums up everything we know,” Angie whispered, trying to keep her voice low. “What were we thinking before, when we stopped the ball in P.E?”

“Ball? P.E? This is not the time for games, if you can’t do it, just prepare to die,” Prince Leev said, walking off, taking Leo and Nolin with him.

“Why is it taking them so long?” Raven criticized. “We can cut this short now and just sentence them.”

I could hear Nolin trying to silence the noise from the crowds that was steadily growing in volume.

“Come on! We need to think and think fast,” I announced feeling a little panicky.

“I’m trying. I really wasn’t thinking of anything,” Angie said frantically. “I was just trying to save you.”