Lady Dragon, Tela Du

by Kendra E. Ardnek

  “That’s assuming we got useful, powerful gifts,” said Petra, shaking her head. “Oh, here’s the door.”

  She pushed the door open, but instead of the homey kitchen, she stared into an imposing hallway that stretched away from her as far as she could see.

  She swallowed, drawing back. “Okay, that is definitely not the kitchen.”

  Reuben pushed past her to look out into the hallway, then turned back to her with his half-grin that meant only one thing – plotting mischief. “Want to explore?”

  “But – but lunch!” Petra protested, putting a hand on his arm, though she knew she could do little to restrain him. “What if we get lost? Reuben, this is a castle. It’s as like as not to have lots of winding passageways that we could easily get lost in!”

  “As though we’re not already lost in this library?” he pointed out. “Don’t worry, we’ll leave the door open so they can figure out where we went.”

  And he was through the door, marching off through that hallway as though he owned it. Petra gave a growl under her breath and followed. There was no way she was going to let him get himself hopelessly lost without her at his side to minimize the damage.

  Chapter 7

  Dust coated everything. Petra half-expected to find spider webs clinging to the corners, but either Rizkaland didn’t have spiders, the spiders they did have weren’t the sort that spun webs, or such creepy-crawlies were somehow banished from castles. To be fair, she didn’t see any bugs at all, so she leaned towards the last theory.

  With each echoing step they took away from the library, Petra’s minimal approval of Reuben’s rash act diminished even more. But she knew from long experience that he wouldn’t listen to any protest of “you’re going the wrong way” once he set his heart on exploring. All she could do was try to draw a mental map of the place and hope she could find their way back when he grew tired of exploring.

  A door creaked as he pushed it open, a painful moan in the still air.

  “What are you doing?” she hissed.

  “Exploring,” he answered as he peered into the room. “I thought I already told you. It’s just a bedroom. Nice bedroom, though. I wonder if one of the kings or queens slept here.”

  Her curiosity piqued, she stepped forward to get her own view of the room. It was huge, at least three times the size of her bedroom back home, with a large frame bed that was at least king-sized. It was clearly built to have a canopy, though right now it was devoid of curtains, as well as sheets, pillows, blankets – everything except the frame and mattress. A long vanity table stood on one side of the room, a sheet thrown over the mirror, next to a door that probably led into a closet. On the other side of the bed was an empty desk and another door. Two closets? Dust coated everything, yet underneath it was an air of richness that made Petra agree with Reuben’s guess.

  “Well, let’s see what else there is in this castle,” Reuben announced, turning away from the door. “Rintaya mentioned an armory. Should we try to find that? I wonder what sort of cool swords we’ll find there.”

  Petra reluctantly turned away, pulling the door closed behind her, and continued to follow him, hoping that they wouldn’t find the armory while they weren’t under supervision. He peeked into more rooms, discovering mostly bedrooms, each as exquisite as the one before. No two were arranged exactly the same, and all were layered with dust.

  There were eight bedrooms, strengthening their guess that they were for the eight kings and queens. The last bedroom they peeked into still had its bedding, though there was a large soaked patch in the middle of the bed. An eerie air of wrongness filled this room, and Petra was all-too-ready to leave when Reuben shut the door.

  “You know, of all the things I’ve seen in this world so far, the thing I’ve found the most surprising have been the lights,” Reuben commented, glancing up at the ceiling. “Do you think they’re magic? They turn on every time we enter a room, and off again as soon as we leave.”

  “They could be,” said Petra, “but Rintaya said that the Eight left them behind and that they were based on the technology of their own world.”

  “Jane and Ralph were king and queen of fire and electricity,” Reuben mentioned, shoving his hands into his pockets – a good place for them.

  Petra’s step faltered. “What was that?”

  “Each of the Eight was given charge of an element – I read it in one of the Legends, Alphego’s Hill,” Reuben explained, glancing back at her. “Jane and Ralph were given charge of fire and electricity, so that may be how they did this.” He paused, then added, “You can shut your mouth.”

  “Jane and Ralph are my parents’ names,” Petra pointed out.

  “I’m quite aware of that. I’ve only lived across the street from them for eighteen years, you know.”

  “My parents are electricians.”

  “Would you like me to freak you out a bit more with the names of the other Eight? David and Michelle were given charge of rock and minerals.”

  “Your parents. Who own a jewelry shop.”

  “John and Helen were given charge of water and temperature.”

  “My mom’s brother, your dad’s sister. They run the water treatment plant.”

  “Michael and Violet were given charge of wind and season.”

  “Your mom’s brother, my dad’s sister. Neither has a job that has something to do with those things. But, granted, there aren’t many jobs available for air or seasons.”

  “The Eight belonged to four sets of siblings who married the same way that our parents, aunts, and uncles are.”

  Petra had to release a long breath of air before she was capable of answering. “Reuben, please pinch me. I know I’m dreaming now.”

  He didn’t seem to hear her request, because, at that moment, he opened a door and announced, “Hey, this isn’t a bedroom this time. It’s a staircase!”

  “A staircase?” Petra repeated, still processing the similarities between the Eight and their parents. “Wait – Reuben!”

  She spoke too late, as he had already disappeared through the doorway. She rolled her eyes and followed against her better judgment. Honestly, he was putting his nose where it didn’t belong, and they were going to regret it. Unfortunately, the possibility of talking him out of it was pretty slim.

  Besides, if there was no one in this castle, as there seemed to be, who was to stop their exploration? She just hoped that they weren’t already hopelessly lost. Some days she wondered why she even bothered trying to keep the guy out of trouble.

  It was a spiral staircase, and it wound around several times before they reached its end, giving Petra time to catch up with Reuben. The staircase ended at another door, which Reuben opened without hesitation.

  They emerged onto a stage. In front of them stood six large, ornate chairs arranged in pairs in a sort of V. A smaller chair sat before a large desk on a lower platform just to the side. In front of the stage were rows of benches arranged in four columns. The benches were well-spaced, but the room still had space for hundreds. This room had to be at least twice the size of any auditorium Petra had ever been in before. A large double door stood at the end of the center aisle, and the room was lit by tall, narrow, stained glass windows that lined the wall, and exquisite chandeliers that hung from the ceiling.

  “We found the throne room,” said Reuben. His voice echoed. Petra’s heart pounded.

  “Reuben, let’s go back. We shouldn’t be here,” Petra whispered, grabbing his arm in a moment of frantic impulse.

  He turned back around to face her. “Are you sure?” he asked, quieter this time, so the words didn’t echo nearly so much.

  “What?” She let go of his arm.

  “Are you sure we don’t belong here? Or is it that you don’t want to be here because you know that this is exactly where we’re supposed to be?”

  “Reuben, what are you talking about? We’re not supposed to be here right now. We’re supposed to be back in the Bookholder’s kitchen eating lunch. I thou
ght you were hungry.”

  Reuben didn’t outright answer, but took her hand in his and guided her around the chairs – the thrones, she supposed they were. On each seat sat a crown of gold or silver, and four of the thrones also had a necklace of a matching material, with pendants that strongly resembled tiny, ornate boxes.

  “You said that Rintaya told you about the elves’ gifts?” asked Reuben.

  Petra nodded.

  “Did she tell you about boxes?”

  Petra shook her head.

  “Well, you see – and I’m not entirely certain how it works, mind you, I was skimming where it was being discussed – their gifts are associated with tiny wooden boxes that they wear as necklaces. The same was true for the kings and queens, except that theirs are made out of metal.”

  “There were eight kings and queens. There are only six thrones. And only four of these necklaces.”

  “Your guess is as good as mine on that one,” Reuben admitted. “Maybe it’s to signify that things are changing for Rizkaland. After all, the former kings and queens are gone, but the Tela Du is the daughter of their legendary King Ralph and Queen Jane. That has to count for something.”

  “Reuben, we don’t know for certain that the Eight were our parents,” said Petra, shaking her head.

  “Your mother nearly burnt down your kitchen once while making popsicles,” Reuben pointed out. “Her excuse is that she ‘panicked.’ Wouldn’t the whole affair make much more sense if she had fire powers?”

  Petra narrowed her eyes as she considered. “I’m not sure how much more sense. I guess you could be right, but it’s not concrete evidence.” It made more sense than she wanted to admit…

  “Sometimes you don’t need concrete evidence. Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith,” said Reuben, shaking his head. “And even if I am wrong about our parents, there’s still the fact that you’re the Tela Du, and that the former kings and queens all died without heirs. There’s a line in Alphego’s Hill that I found to be fascinating. When Alphego banished the Dragon to her island and placed the guise that held her there, he foretold the Tela Du.”

  “And he said that whoever won the war would ‘reign unchallenged forevermore,’” Petra finished. “Rintaya already told me about that.”

  She frowned as she stared at the boxes. No. This world couldn’t demand anything else of her. She hadn’t even properly agreed to fight their Dragon. Staying here and becoming their queen was not anywhere in her plans for her life.

  “Oh.” Reuben interrupted her thought. “You already know. Then why are you—”

  “It doesn’t necessarily mean that I’ll rule Rizkaland!” Petra protested, whirling on him. “It could mean that I’ll never lose another battle if I defeat Amber. It might have been merely poetic.”

  “There’s a way we can be certain…”

  “Reuben, I don’t want to be the queen of this place! I’m just sixteen, haven’t even graduated high school yet, and you know my heart when it comes to having a relationship.” She wasn’t even sure why she brought that up. “What makes you think I could possibly want this?”

  “Well, we used to pretend…”

  She shook her head. “Pretend. Key word there.”

  “And we’ve spent long hours in very serious discussions of everything you’d change if you ruled the world and how we might accomplish it.”

  “Yes, but our world, when I’m older, have gained experience, and have done the work myself,” Petra pointed out. “I don’t want this thrown on me just because I look like their evil queen and my parents’ names just happen to match their legendary kings and queens. Reuben, I’m only sixteen. I’ve not even had my first job yet!”

  “You have to admit that it’d look great on a job application,” Reuben pointed out, grinning.

  Something in Petra snapped at the sight of that flippant grin.

  “No, it would not!” she declared, giving her foot a stomp before she even knew what she was doing. “And you know why? Because it would make me look like I’m absolutely crazy. There is no logical way for me to be a queen of another world, and good jobs don’t hire insane people. Simple as that.”

  “Whoa, calm down, Petra!” Reuben’s voice was suddenly stern, almost harsh as he put a hand on her shoulder, pulling up her chin with the other hand to force her to look him in the eye. Every hint of the grin was gone. “I was joking about the job application. There is no need for you to get worked up like this. This isn’t like you, so just calm down, take a deep breath, and consider things logically. Maybe this isn’t how you’ve always planned your life, but if we can get past the Dragon, will it really be so terrible? You want experience, here’s experience. Maybe this isn’t our world, but if I’m right, our parents were kings and queens here, which means that this world matters to them. They’d want us to do this.” He let go of her chin waved his hands towards the thrones. “And notice there are six thrones. You won’t have to do this alone. I promise you, you won’t have to do this alone, not even one step of the way so far as I can help it.”

  She stepped back, pulling out of his grip, frightened for a moment by his outburst. It wasn’t often that she saw him so stern, so determined. “But what if…”

  “I said so far as I can help it.” His voice was softer now, his eye distant as he seemed to be staring not at, but through the thrones. “If I can’t be with you, it’s because it’s Alphego’s Will. That’s not a bad thing, though, because this whole thing must be His plan, and it will be His victory no matter what happens. I might not always be able to be with you, but if He’s God, then I’m sure He operates the same here as He does back home. He will be with you. You just have to trust Him.”

  Petra nodded. A lump of confusion lodged in her throat, preventing her from talking. She took another deep breath to bring herself back into focus. “If I am the daughter of this King Ralph and Queen Jane, then your parents are King David and Queen Michelle.”

  “Yes, I’ve thought of that.”

  “What Marno said about you, that you resembled the Dragon’s husband, that can’t be a coincidence.”

  “No, it most definitely isn’t.”

  “I don’t have to do this alone, do I?”

  “I already told you that.”

  He turned back to her, and she could see, down in the deep depths of those gray eyes of his, he was scared too. Oh, there was excitement and curiosity there, but she knew he was no more eager to take on the full responsibility of a country than she was. If they were only here to rid the land of the Dragon, then it would be a simple matter – they could do the deed, receive the laud and glory, and go back home to their lives. But this, this was commitment.

  She glanced back to the thrones. They stood directly in front of the two center thrones, the two that stood a little further into the room. A silver crown and necklace were by Petra, he had gold.

  “The chosen heirs were always marked by who could open their parent’s box,” Reuben explained. “And, you know, maybe it won’t work. Maybe they won’t ask this of us. Just the dragon-fighting.”

  It was still a big risk, but…

  She took a deep breath. “Together?”

  He nodded. “On three?”

  “Sounds good.”

  He counted, and they both leaned down and touched their box. A shock ran up Petra’s arm as she touched the metal, and her ears filled with a roaring. The box’s lid sprang open, sliding around to the back and out of the way.

  She balled a fist around the chain and picked it up, holding it to her chest, not yet wanting to admit that this was indeed happening. Turning to Reuben, she saw that his was open as well.

  Words weren’t necessary.

  He pulled the chain over his head, and she did the same, noting how warm the metal was. Rintaya’s words at the Doormat echoed in her head, about the Tying, about the law that Rizkaland’s rulers could not reign untied. She wondered if Reuben knew, if the law had been mentioned in any of the books he’d read.

  The
air grew heavier. The roar in her ears grew louder, yet acquired a strangely musical tone. The light in the room brightened, and even what filtered through the stained-glass windows became white.

  She had the strongest urge to kneel. Turning towards the empty benches, she fell to her knees. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Reuben do the same.

  “Son of David and Daughter of Jane, you claim the powers given to the kings and queens of Rizkaland. Are you also willing to accept the responsibilities they are meant to aid?”

  A gasp caught in her throat as she looked up. Standing in the center aisle, about the size of a horse, and yet seeming to fill the whole room all at once, was the most magnificent Being she had ever beheld. He was pure white, His body that of a lion, but with the head and wings of an eagle. She wasn’t sure how she could tell from this distance, but somehow she knew with absolute certainty that the feathers on His head and wings were dove’s feathers, and His body was covered with the wool of a lamb.

  “Alphego,” Reuben whispered. Petra saw no reason to disagree.

  “We accept the responsibility,” she said aloud, realizing that Reuben wasn’t going to speak. “We will rule Rizkaland in the place of its fallen kings and queens. We will care for it and rebuild it after the Dragon’s cruel torment, even though we are scarcely more than children ourselves.”

  “Do you?” Alphego’s form didn’t seem to speak, physically, but His voice echoed through the room and in her heart. The question seemed directed towards Reuben.

  “We do,” Reuben said, firmly. “And we will rely on you to guide our steps.”

  “Great responsibility is given unto you, and great power. Your parents were given rule over fire and rock, but you, Reuben and Petra, shall be king and queen over Eliue themselves.”

  Petra had never heard the word Eliue before, and yet, as Alphego said it, she knew exactly what it meant. Literally – “soul’s breath.” On Earth, it probably would have been translated as “man” or “humanity,” but here in Rizkaland there were elves – and perhaps others – as well as men, thus they needed a larger word. Eliue.