The Inner Kingdom: Quest One (Dragon Quest Book 1) (8 page)

The Complication

Location: The Bedroom

◑
Apri
l
◐

On the long walk back to the room with the silver floor, better known as our bedroom for tonight, no one was more disappointed as I was, knowing that I couldn’t return home to my mom and dad, also famous for being the guardians who failed their mission.

Leo bowed in front of the room door as we walked in, as the reality of the situation finally hit us.

“You may retire from your duties now, Leo,” I could hear Mina whisper at the doorway
.
“Rest easy. I will be on guard only until I am replaced by two of my most trusted men.”

“It’s just that you seem to agitate one of the young ones.”

I already knew who she was referring to, as I glanced back into the room to see Angie pacing beside the huge canopy bed.

“I have noticed.” Chuckling, Leo closed the door behind Mina.

The sound of the door closing must have alerted Ashley and Angie to the fact that we were no longer alone as they turned to glare at Mina.

“Before you begin to vent your gall, let me explain,” Mina nervously said.

“Vent what?” I asked

“Meaning to display your anger at me. Just listen to what I have to say.” Brushing back her hair with a shaking hand, she continued. “I am not at liberty to tell you many things yet, but what I can tell you is that you are very important to this kingdom and all of Eupai. You are much needed here.”

“That does not change the fact that you lied to us,” Angie interjected marching closer to Mina from across the room.

Surprising everyone in the room, including myself, I rushed in between Mina and Angie.

“What are you doing? Why are you protecting someone who lied to us?” Ashley probed sounding confused.

“This is not the answer. Yelling at Mina is not going to get us home any sooner,” I said, trying to reason with my sisters.

“This makes twice today that you have been the cool one,” Angie teased, as she smiled.

I moved to the side to let Mina finish speaking, after making sure that Angie wouldn’t try to attack her again.

“You didn’t have to do that. I wasn’t going to maul her,” Angie muttered with her hands on her hips.

“It’s not you that I am afraid of; it’s the new abilities that we have developed. Earlier I don’t think Ashley really wanted to harm Prince Leev, or anyone else for that matter,” I responded, reminding them about how dangerous things have become.

“That is what I have to talk to you about.” Mina walked to the bed, motioning for us to sit. “Always remember that the powers you have been experiencing are normal. You just need proper training; also, we have already figured out where you come from based on your abilities. Soon, you will be able to meet your parents.”

“Our real parents?” I asked, dumbfounded at the idea of getting to meet my biological mom and dad, since our adopted parents told us when we were older that our parents were no longer alive.

“You are lying again. That’s impossible. The orphanage told our adopted parents that all of our real parents are gone.”

“I thought this would make you happy, but I underestimated the devastation that your guardians have caused.”

“They wouldn’t do that to us,” Ashley murmured, her voice cracking from the overwhelming emotions.

Ashley has always been very close to our adopted parents. They always pushed us to make more friends and to be normal; and Ashley would do anything to make them proud, even turn her back on her sisters.

“Hypothetically speaking, let’s just say I believe what you are telling us,” Angie said while rubbing Ashley’s back. “Where do we come from?”

This question caused Mina to smile as she stopped pacing the length of the bed, to stand in front of us.

“Currently, you are in the Inner Kingdom. It is a realm created as a safe haven for individuals who no longer wants to be under the leadership of their own Kingdom. There are four original kingdoms; Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby, and Diamond.” The conversation was suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door.

I wondered who was wanting to talk to us this late at night. I didn’t have a watch, but I knew it had to be well past ten o’clock. 

A little hopeful that Nolin had changed his mind about sending us back home, I watched Mina open the door to four women standing in the hall carrying platters full of food, teapots, plates, and glasses

“What is this all for?” Mina stared at the food, removing all doubt in my mind that she was responsible for them being here.

“Captain Leo asked us to prepare some of the food from the celebration for the dragon warriors, since they were unable to eat earlier,” a young woman a little older than me, with long brown hair and freckles answered.

“I would have the food tested to make sure he didn’t poison it,” Angie muttered glaring at the platters of food suspiciously.

The ladies gasped loudly. “No ma’am, the captain is a good man and wouldn’t harm a fly, let alone harm the dragon warriors,” the girl adamantly protested, as well as the other young ladies with her.

“Captain Leo is very popular with the females here; he has a knack for always appearing out of nowhere when one is in need” Mina explained as she let the now blushing ladies into the room.

“Where are they going to put all that food?” Clutching her stomach, Ashley tried to hide the fact that she was hungry.

Smiling that smile, I have learned to mean she knew something we didn’t; Mina went to the empty big corner beside the bed and pressed her hand against a tiny drawing of a tree, I never realized was engraved on the wall.

While removing her hand, I noticed that the drawing was no longer on the wall. As she walked back toward us, I was a little disappointed, since I have been surprised over and over with the architecture and with the mirror trick from earlier. I guess I was expecting a little bit more than a disappearing act.

Before any of us could voice what we were thinking, the ground where she was just standing, begin to twirl and stretch upward until the silver floor began to mold itself into the shape of a large circular table, complete with four chairs. 

“That was amazing. Do you have special abilities, too?” Stepping up to the table, I rubbed the cool silver surface.

Looking shocked, “Good heavens, no. Your rooms are equipped with all the amenities that you may need. I will show you how everything works later,” Mina stated already sitting at the table with a tea cup in her hand. “But first, let’s enjoy this feast.”

“Has anyone on this planet ever heard of the saying, 'never
put off
till
tomorrow what you can do today’?” Angie asked, not budging from where she was sitting.

“No, I have never heard that before,” Mina replied as she picked her tea up to drink, only to put it back down. “We do believe there is a right time for everything, and now is the time to feast."

“Wait a minute; you were in the middle of telling us about where we come from,” Angie reminded everyone, snapping our attention away from the food.

“Hypothetically speaking, correct?” Mina countered sarcastically.

“Of course.”

Mina sat down her cup of tea and motioned for us to take a seat at the empty chairs surrounding the table.

“I think we'd rather stay right here and listen to what you have to say, without the distraction of the food,” I explained.

“If you insist. After observing the powers that each of you have begun to manifest, we know that you, Angie, are a member of the Ruby Kingdom. Ashley, you belong to the Sapphire Kingdom, and you, April, are part of the Emerald Kingdom.”

“What about our parents?” I found myself greedy for information like, "Do they ever think about me? And are they alive and well?"

A flicker of an emotion I couldn’t decipher passed over Mina’s face as she looked up from her cup of tea at me; it instantly disappeared when our eyes met, making me wonder if I had imagined it.

“That part, I do not know,” she stated sadly, picking up her cup of tea, only to put it down for a third time without taking a single sip. "I only know where you come from, not who your parents are."

“I believe that we are not going to get much else out of her. Isn’t that right?” Angie inquired with her arms crossed.

“Quite so. Come eat and you can discuss the rest with my father.”

“I’ve heard that before,” Ashley muttered as we made our way toward the table.

I could not deny the fact that I was starving, since I was too nervous to eat while some of the guests followed and stared at me. Judging by the way Ashley and Angie gazed at the table of food, I am sure that they felt the same way.

In sitting down at the table, I noticed that the four women were still in the room, standing so silent against the wall it was as if they were trying to become one with it.

“I hate to eat in front of people who are not doing the same,” I muttered, looking back at the four women.

Catching the meaning of my comment, Mina offered food to the women who all turned it down.

“Do not let them bother you. All of the helpers of the castle will aid you without complaint. Just let them know what you want.”

“Helpers?” Ashley questioned, trying to refrain from stuffing her face, unlike Angie, who was already starting on her second sandwich.

“Yes, the castle doesn’t usually have this many people here. Many volunteered to come to help prepare the castle for your arrival.” Pausing for a moment, she took a sip from her cup while shifting in her seat. “The Inner Kingdom does not condone the use of the word servant. All helpers in the castle are volunteers. The people outside the castle are not taxed, and everyone has their own land filled with gardens and livestock.”

“Then how do you make money?” Angie asked, pushing herself away from the table to lie back in her chair.

Mina chuckled softly. “Most of the Inner Kingdom’s businesses run off of the barter system, but each kingdom has their own set of customs and currencies. We accept payments from all of the kingdoms.” Trying to hide a yawn by sipping from her first cup of tea, she said, “I’m sorry girls; I believe it is about time for me to retire.”

Angie cleared her throat loudly. “Are we expected to sleep in these dresses?”

“Thanks for reminding me. Let me show you how to enter your wash area.” Standing up, Mina led us to the space between the bed and the wall that turns into a mirror. “There are markings all around the room. We call them celtas and we use them to conceal things that would normally take up a great amount of space."

As she pressed the drawing of the tree, I watched a section of the wall lift up, revealing a huge walk-in bathroom with a gold toilet, sink, and the most gorgeous garden tub I had ever seen.

Ashley looked truly happy for the first time since we were brought here. “I call dibs first. I am dying to have a bath. Where I can relax and wash myself.”

“We need some boundary rules because the next person who tries to bathe me, will be needing someone to help them wash for the rest of their lives,” Angie warned, her face given away no sign that she was joking.

“I will inform all of the helpers that you value your privacy. If it will please you more, I will also have them leave the room while you are changing.”

Looking pleased with Mina’s words, Angie actually said something I wasn’t expecting. “Thank you.”

“It is my pleasure; I have been waiting for the dragon warriors' return for a long time.”

After leaving the hidden bathroom, we returned to a room that was empty. The four women had left, taking the leftovers, and the space where the table was standing was now back to a smooth silver floor.

Mina then showed us that there was a celta that operated almost everything in the room, the lights, fireplace, and hidden windows, but using them required energy, which she was rapidly draining.

Opening the door to leave, Mina turned around, and while trying to open her mouth to say something, another yawn escaped. “This is where we part till the morrow. Your sleeping gowns will be found on your bed. Sleep well, dragon warriors.”

“Wait, how do you know I am comfortable with sharing a bed?” Angie called after Mina.

“Would you rather have separate rooms after coming to a new world where you know no one?”

“This is great. Good night, Mina,” Ashley and I spoke out in unison before closing the door behind her.

“This is not good. We are now stuck here until tomorrow.” An exasperated Ashley flopped on the bed on top of the long sleeping gowns.

“It could be worst,” I muttered releasing my curls from their restraints.

“Do not say that. I’ve seen the movies, and in in all the ones I have watched, when someone says ‘it can’t get worse,’ guess what? It got worse.”

Getting off of the bed, Ashley began to undue her hair as well. “I am too tired to discuss this right now, I feel like all my energy has been sucked out of me."

“You have changed since coming here,” Angie said, walking toward me. “Ever since we arrived, you have been slowly changing. You haven’t been as adamant about returning home like you were before."