The Erlonan Tales

by D. L. Jordan

  King Salim smiled, patted Dean on the shoulder, and stepped backwards towards the others. Dean softly chuckled at Salim’s ‘courteous’ gifts and gave his wife Queen Anarkali a hug.

  Pharaoh Amenhotep finally stepped forward, his hands behind his back. “My dear child,” he began. “You have definitely been of great service to our island. This is my gift to you.”

  Amenhotep pulled out his hands from behind his back and revealed something that Dean had never seen before. An object made of five golden rings that hung on the end of a silver chain whose center was a levitating glowing circle. Visible rays were exuding from it. Amenhotep turned the object around. It was then that Dean saw that a drowsy-looking face was on the circle.

  “This is an artifact that has been passed down from the first of my family. It is said that my ancestor was given a bit of the sun and placed it in the middle of this object that was originally a compass. The sun was so impressed by what my ancestor had done that it offered to

  give a part of itself to him whenever he needed guidance. It is called a WisComp.” Dean placed his fingers on the object suspecting that it would burn him, but it didn’t.

  Dean noticed that a chain was forged onto it, so it could be worn around the neck.

  Amenhotep placed the WisComp around his neck and shook Dean’s hand goodbye. Queen Lila, Queen Clotilda, and Empress Ix Chel’s eyes were welling with tears. Emperor Yang blew his nose on a handkerchief that he retrieved from his wife’s pocket. Dean placed his gifts into a bag the Rulers had given him.

  He took the Tassidain in his hand and concentrated on the living room of the Sabulra home. He’d been away from home for so long that he had almost forgotten what it looked like. A refreshing sensation overcame him. He caught a final glimpse of the Rulers together and waved. Dean closed his eyes and felt his feet lift from the ground. Soon, he found himself inside his destination, and was in the living room of the Sabulra home once more.

  A VACATION ENDING, A JOURNEY BEGINNING

  Dean Richardson was happy to once again be inside the Sabulra home after his adventures in The Marble Palace. A few weeks ago, he had just been named the Prince of the island of Avesia until he was ready to become Pharaoh of the Pulchran throne. Now he was once again inside the loving and humble home of his adopted family-- the Sabulras. He’d been staying there for three weeks already, and he was enjoying every minute of it.

  “We’re so happy you’ve come back to us, Dean!” said Adila Sabulra, his mother, as she clung to his neck in a tight embrace. It was one of the many hugs he had gotten from her since he had returned back home. Lebe Sabulra, his father, and Nommo, his brother, sat at the table as Mrs. Sabulra was making breakfast in the kitchen.

  After breakfast, Mrs. Sabulra urgently called Dean into the kitchen.

  “Dean could you take Mr. Nemute’s dog for a walk, please? He’s been asking your father to do it for days now, but you know what happens when your father is asked to do something.

  Nemute’s an old man, Dean, go ahead and do this favor for him!” It was after breakfast and she was washing dishes in the sink below the kitchen window. Dean glanced over at his adopted

  father who was filling in the holes that Mr. Nemute’s dog had dug up in the garden. He then walked out the front door before making his way across the street to Mr. Nemute’s house.

  When Dean finally arrived to Mr. Nemute’s house, he couldn’t help but gaze at his surroundings. The house seemed picturesque. A healthy garden was set in front of the house, while a straw roof was placed above it. He was kindly greeted by Mrs. Nemute as she handed him the dog. She told him that it was nice to see him again before he told her to have a nice day. After the walk, Dean went back to the Nemutes’s home only this time the door was opened by Mr. Nemute himself. He thanked Dean and generously gave him seven pieces of silver for his troubles. Dean thanked him before leaving.

  ***

  Dean was pacing in his room. A peculiar thought continued to plague him. He couldn’t help but think about The Marble Palace and the Rulers. He thought about Tekiao, the shimmering and clear surface of the Ice Waters, and the breathtaking pink leaves of the Candle Forest. He thought until his yearning became unbearable. Dean grabbed his hanging royal garments and bag of gifts from his closet, retrieved the crown from the drawer of his dresser, and put on his white linen garment that resembled those of the kings of ancient Pulchra.

  Dean stood in front of the mirror, pausing for a slight moment to remember what he was leaving behind. He thought Can I really leave the Sabulras after the kindness they have shown me? Can I really leave so abruptly without saying goodbye to the people who love me more than anyone on the island?

  Dean left his place in front of the mirror and made his way to the living room where the Sabulras were sitting on the couch near the doorway, enjoying what was left of the pie Mrs.

  Sabulra had made for dinner the previous night.

  Dean recalled the time when he, his little brother Nommo, and Mrs. Sabulra hid behind that very couch when a stranger came knocking on their door in the middle of the night after the blood had turned up in the Ice Waters. They had found it to be Queen Lila who had come to tell them that he was the sole heir to the Pulchran throne.

  Mr. and Mrs. Sabulra and Nommo looked up at Dean with anticipation as he went to confess to them. To hide his nervousness, Dean coiled his fingers around the bag of gifts he was holding.

  “Yes, son, what is it?” asked Mr. Sabulra as Nommo took a forkful of pie and shoved it into his mouth. The uneasiness that Dean was feeling quickly spread though his body. Can I really tell them that I am leaving so abruptly? He thought. I mean really, I just got here! The looks of anticipation on their faces began to sharpen.

  “Well, what is it, Dean?” asked Mrs. Sabulra as she got up from the couch and placed her empty, crumb covered plate onto the table.

  “I think I might want to go back to The Marble Palace,” he began, “I mean, I just miss it so much. Everything about Avesia that I never realized before has finally opened up to me since I became an official part of the palace. I think I might be finally realizing my destiny!” Mr.

  Sabulra’s face was suddenly drained of all its anticipation and was replaced by a vibrant and proud smile. He got up from his place on the couch and grabbed Dean by the blades of his shoulders.

  “I knew this day would come! I knew that one day you would discover who you really are. I just hope that since you’re leaving, you won’t let anyone persuade you otherwise!” Mr. Sabulra gave Dean a smile and wrapped him in an embrace before letting him go. Dean gave him a reassuring smile.

  “You’re leaving us again…Already? But you just got here and all my friends are so excited about finally meeting you. For once I was at the top of the school’s popularity list,” said Nommo. Dean walked closer to him and looked into his eyes.

  “I’ll be right back, and you know I have to do what I have to do.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah! Lately, it seems as if that’s been you’re motto the whole time.” He shook hands with Nommo before wrapping him in an embrace and wishing him luck as he started the new term at school. Finally, Dean came to Mrs. Sabulra, whose eyes looked as if they were about to overflow with tears. She didn’t say a word, quickly wrapping him in a tight hug.

  “I know you have to go. You are the one who’s going to be protecting us from all the evils out there.” she said. “Just be careful!”

  Dean gave her a reassuring nod before she kissed his forehead. Dean backed away from them all and stepped below the knife that hung above the mantelpiece of the living room. He took the baton-shaped Tassidain from the bottom of his bag.

  Closing his eyes and focusing on his destination in his mind, the familiar refreshing sensation swept over Dean like waves splashing against the rocks of a sandy beach. He opened his eyes to gain a look at the Sabulras as they stood together-- Mr. and Mrs. Sabulra behind Nommo. They were waving as they watched him disappear before their very eyes. He felt his feet lift f
rom the ground as the image of the Sabulras vanished from sight. He soon felt his feet place themselves on the surface of a soft ground.

  Dean looked around to completely take in his surroundings. A shock of disappointment appeared as he saw that he was not at his desired destination. The day had turned gloomy with a hint of sunshine gleaming in the distance. He was on the white, sandy shores of the Ice Waters. Dean looked up and saw the elegant Marble Palace in all its majesty sitting at the top of the hill,

  surrounded by its heavily guarded sanded wall. He tried to focus on the inside of The Marble Palace, but felt nothing. He looked down at the Tassidain and tried again, and again, and again. The Tassidain still didn’t work. Finally giving up, he decided to stay and enjoy where he was for the moment. He had dreamed for so long about getting out of the Sabulra home and being on his own once again, living and learning while giving each day his best.

  To take in a deep breath and feel the happiness of being on his own arise within him was spectacular. Dean was now sixteen and out on his own. He looked out towards the sea and was once again reminded of its mesmerizing beauty. He took off his shoes and laid the bag of gifts on the shore, his white linen garment still on his back.

  Dean ran towards the Ice Waters and dived clumsily into the shimmering surface, confident in his ability to swim and hold his breath. The cold rejuvenation and numbing power of the water swept over him as it did the last time he was under the sea, struggling for his life, but this time he was immersed in its gentleness. He had become immune to the feel of the water thanks to his last close, almost deadly, encounter.

  He swam further out to sea, bobbing his head in and out of the water to gasp for breath before diving below the surface. All around him, as he was below the surface, were beautifully colored fish and aquatic scenery. All of this reminded Dean of his first arrival to Avesia. He was startled when a Bluban Blangot swam close to his right ear. Dean’s heart started to pound as he started to feel that something was following the fish.

  A familiar low-pitched call came from behind him. Dean felt the familiar heavy presence fill his surroundings as he swam and immediately knew what it was. The mighty, majestic plesiosaur, Tekiao, swam through the water and did not notice him whatsoever. He gazed at the

  plesiosaur as the creature swam past him, admiring the great beast’s splendor and size. Dean recounted how the creature had saved his life as he nearly sank to the bottom of the Ice Waters.

  Growing tired of using his arms and legs for swimming, Dean swam back to the shore. When he walked out of the water he was thankful to see that his belongings were where he had left them. He dried himself off with one of the dry royal garments before placing his shoes back on his feet and grabbing the bag of gifts. Knowing that he couldn’t use the Morph-belt that was around his waist to transform into anything that could fly and, at the same time carry a bag and garments, Dean made his way from the beach, and into the city of Yailon.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Dominique Langston. Jordan is the author of Teen Help and Information: A Guide to Conquering Pre-Adulthood for Teens and Parents and The Erlonan Tales series.

  He has always loved the craft of writing! Knowing that lives can be greatly impacted by a few carefully chosen words, in a book, article, etc., is truly a wonderful thing!

  You can find out more about Dominique Langston Jordan at www.DLJordanbooks.com.