Benotripia- The Complete Trilogy

by McKenzie Wagner

  CHAPTER 13

  Maze of Danger

  WOW,” WAS ALL ASTRO COULD UTTER. “WE’RE SUPPOSED to go through there?” Jessicana asked, her voice strained.

  “How?” Roseabelle groaned.

  She was about to take a step forward when Astro shouted, “Stop!”

  “Astro,” Roseabelle hissed, “the castle isn’t deserted. There’s probably someone here. Now we’ll be discovered.”

  He put a finger on the maze floor. It shuddered, and then a huge chunk of it fell into a deep, dark abyss. Roseabelle looked at Astro.

  “Well, it’s good you came along. That was one cruel trap.”

  Astro shrugged. “Darvonians are full of those kinds of things.”

  Roseabelle tried to think of a solution. She reached inside her robe and pulled out the folder she had taken from the building where the passage had been found. Nothing that could help them there. She plunged her hands in her robes, twisting and grabbing for something. Her hands then closed around a small vial full of black creamy paste.

  “I got this from that building,” she exclaimed.

  She turned to Jessicana. “Do you know what this is?” she asked. Jessicana eyed it quizzically and then pulled a heavy book out of her pack. She flipped pages through the book and then motioned for them to listen.

  “Here,” she announced, “listen up.” Then Jessicana began to read. “This substance, scientifically called Aphrotykkiedle, or otherwise known as Lypith, is very dangerous. It is a black, thick liquid/paste that can be used to heal or wound. For healing, spread it over the wound and wait. To cause damage, toss it in cold water and it will solidify. Touch it with a small bar of gold and throw it. It will soon explode. If you pour it on latick, it becomes as heavy as a full-grown man. The full powers of Lypith are yet to be uncovered.” Jessicana looked up. “Does that help?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Astro said. He turned to Roseabelle. “Jessicana can fly over the gap. She can fly but not land. Jessicana, you can have a squirt of this Lypith. Let it fall on the latick floor. If it breaks the floor, it means the floor won’t support our weight, so fly back over here to help us. If it doesn’t, land and help us get across the abyss,” Astro ordered, taking charge.

  “How?” Jessicana asked.

  “Well, you could perhaps drag us along.”

  “Yeah, and drop you along the way,” Jessicana said.

  “Oh, so you got a better plan?” Astro asked. Jessicana was silent. “That’s what I thought,” Astro said.

  He poured a little Lypith onto Jessicana’s hand, and Jessicana transformed. She flew to the other side and let the black liquid drip from her wing onto the stone. It didn’t break and Roseabelle breathed a sigh of relief.

  Jessicana flew to Astro and turned back into a girl. She grabbed his shirt and turned into a parrot. Her claws were grasping his shirt. Roseabelle watched with her fingers parted over her eyes. Jessicana flew out onto the trench of blackness.

  Roseabelle saw that Astro was weighing her down. She watched in horror as her friends started to slip down. This wasn’t going to work. She turned to her backpack and rummaged through it, trying to find something that could help them.

  Her hands closed around thick rope. Roseabelle slapped her hand against her forehead. Rope! How could they have forgotten?

  She tied it around her waist and flung one end of it to Astro. He caught it and looped it around his wrist. Roseabelle reeled him in like a fisherman reeling in a fish.

  When he was safely in the room, she said, holding up the rope, “Forget this?”

  Astro’s face turned red.

  “Sorry,” he mumbled.

  Roseabelle sighed and removed the rope from Astro’s wrist. She flung it to the maze and it caught on a patch of stone. Roseabelle dropped and was going down into the trench. Then she stopped in midair. The rope was working. She climbed up it and reached the other side of the maze. She held it out to her friends several feet away.

  Jessicana got the message and flew to her. She clutched the rope in her beak and brought it to Astro. Roseabelle watched as Astro tied it around his waist and swung to her. Jessicana flew over. Roseabelle was holding the jar of Lypith.

  “Good thinking, Roseabelle!” Jessicana cheered.

  “Totally,” Astro approved. They turned to the maze. There was a large tunnel leading forward. Roseabelle took the jar and opened it. She took a splotch of Lypith on her fingertip and hurled it forward. The stone didn’t break.

  They advanced forward. Once through the tunnel, Astro pointed out a fork in the maze. Eleven passages led forward. Roseabelle took a bit more of the Lypith and flung it at a passage on the far right. The stone staggered and then crumbled.

  Roseabelle tried the passage next to that. It broke too. Each tried passage crumbled into dust. The last passage was yet to be tried. Roseabelle let the Lypith touch the stone. It stayed. They raced forward.

  There were many other drop-offs, and stone breaking echoed throughout the maze. Twice they reached dead ends and had to retrace their steps.

  Finally they came to the end: a heavy oak door. When Astro touched the door, it felt ice cold. It surprised him, and he withdrew his hand.

  When Jessicana leapt forward, the door was scorching hot.

  When Roseabelle touched it, the wood was warning her. It seemed perfectly normal except for the ugly gargoyles on the door, which were staring at her with piercing red eyes. There was a sense of forbiddance in the air. She pushed it open quietly.

  Below her was a set of stairs. With each step she took, a faint echo reached her ears.

  At the bottom of the steps was a door with metal bars and standing in front of it were—

  “Hide!” Roseabelle hissed.

  CHAPTER 14

  Danette

  SHE DRAGGED ASTRO TO THE SIDE, AND JESSICANA HID behind them. Three Darvonians wielding trapitas and Thepgiles were guarding the door.

  Now that Roseabelle listened, she could hear a sorrowful humming from inside. Roseabelle’s heart took a leap. She knew that tone. Tears began to gather in her eyes. It was her mother. After all that searching, she had finally found her. More than ever she wanted to embrace Danette and hear her mother’s gentle soothing words that they were going to be okay.

  She touched the stone arrows that she had bought and stroked the hilt of her dagger. She handed her spear to Jessicana.

  “You’ll need it,” she whispered. Jessicana nodded gratefully. Roseabelle readied her crossbow with an arrow and watched as Astro pulled on silk gloves and drew his ray. Jessicana set a determined face and swung her spear for practice.

  Roseabelle looked at her friends. “On the count of three,” she mouthed. She held up one finger, then two, then three, and they burst into action.

  Astro tackled a beefy cloaksman on the right. The cloaksman swung his Trapita at Astro, but the lightning boy threw down his ray and shot an enormous lightning bolt out of his fingers. The guard was distracted because he had clearly thought that Astro would use his ray. The bolt hit the guard’s armor and left a hole in the metal.

  The Darvonian slumped to the floor. Astro turned to help the girls.

  When Jessicana jumped out, she hoped that she could help. She wasn’t much of a fighter. Luckily she was taking down a tall, wiry guard who seemed like a bit of a non-warrior too. Pretty fair, she thought.

  She thrust her spear at him, but it just clanged harmlessly against his armor. With a quick flick of his wrist, the guard sent his Thepgile hurling at Jessicana. The bird girl hesitated, then dropped her weapon and turned into a parrot.

  The Thepgile lodged itself in a block of heavy, gray stone. Jessicana flew up, pecking him. It did nothing really, but it was just enough to buy herself some time as Astro picked up and swung his Dragocone Ray at him. The cloaked guard was knocked back and he hit the wall behind him. He was unconscious immediately.

  “Nice work!” cried Jessicana to Astro.

  Roseabelle sent an arrow at her opponent. It bounced from
his armor and flew back at her. She could have sworn that the guard was wearing two layers of metal armor. He was bulky and covered in sweat. Roseabelle watched as the arrow fell to the floor.

  She pretended like she was going to shoot another arrow. Roseabelle dropped her crossbow and stared at a rock on the floor. It rose behind the guard’s head.

  He began to run to her, winding up his Trapita. Roseabelle stared even harder at the stone and it slammed into his helmet. The guard felt it and swatted it. She stared at his helmet. It began to lift higher and then it was levitating above his head.

  She fixed her eyes on the stone and it hit the guard’s head. He froze and fell down.

  Astro and Jessicana rushed over to her. “We got all of them!” Astro cried. “I can’t believe it!”

  “Let’s go get your mom, Roseabelle,” Jessicana said.

  They rushed to the door. Astro shot a bolt at it, but it bounced back at him. He ducked, and it burned the back wall.

  “We need the keys,” Roseabelle said urgently. They searched the cloaksmen and found the keys on the belt of the cloaksman Roseabelle had attacked. Roseabelle unlocked it and pushed the door open. Inside was Danette sitting on a hard bed, tapping her foot against the stone.

  “Roseabelle!” she cried, her eyes sad and alert. “Go! Get out of here. Get out of the cell. You have to. Listen. Do it. I’ll find a way to get out. Just go.”

  “I d-don’t understand,” Roseabelle stammered. There was a squeal behind her. Danette’s face was pale. “Go, Roseabelle,” she said.

  Roseabelle took a step backward, confused. What did her mother mean? They had knocked out the Darvonians back there. There was no danger. The faint sound of a click of a lock sounded.

  “Well, well. Come to take a little visit at last?” a cold voice asked. Roseabelle turned around slowly.

  CHAPTER 15

  Sheklyth

  WHEN SHE SAW THE SPEAKER, ROSEABELLE COULD have fainted. How could this be? It was traumatizing, but Roseabelle knew somehow that it was her. This was the horrible truth.

  It was Shelby.

  “A little surprised to see me, Roseabelle? Yes, of course. I’ve been waiting for you. Oh yes, waiting for so long to have this little talk.”

  “B-but you’re a Benotripian,” Roseabelle stammered, not believing her eyes. Shelby smirked.

  “Being an IB is so useful at times. Benotripians can never tell the difference.”

  “You’re an IB,” Roseabelle cried. “But I don’t get it. You taught me at the academy. How did you get in if you’re a Darvonian?”

  Shelby laughed. “Easy. I made sure no one could suspect me by giving them no reason to. I didn’t bring any weapons. Or Darvonian marks. IB’s look perfectly like Benotripians. Too simple.”

  Roseabelle was still trying to figure out everything. She realized that Astro and Jessicana weren’t in the room with her. They were outside the door, fighting a whole army of Darvonians. She had to get out of here with her mother and her friends. Maybe if she kept talking, she could figure a way out to fight the so-called “Benotripian.”

  “Why did you come to Benotripia?” Roseabelle asked.

  “We had planned to capture your mother long before. I was supposed to keep an eye on you, so you would stay out of the way until it was time. See, if we captured your mother, we knew you would come after her. We could get you and your friends. Benotripians would be frantic for their leader and her daughter. They had already lost Magford. We could make a trade: Benotripia for you. Then at last Benotripia would belong to Darvonia. Carefully devised plan, yes?”

  Roseabelle tried to conceal her anger. Keep talking, she thought as one hand went to her dagger.

  “The feather that Jessicana picked up. What was up with that?” Roseabelle asked, stalling.

  “I believe your parrot friend was right about the dream world. You see, you could say Asteran is in some sort of league with us. He was simply communicating with us. When you felt the feather, you entered too. You also met my impossible, mad twin, Ugagush,” Shelby explained.

  Roseabelle remembered Ugagush saying that he was Kinetle’s son. Her mouth opened in horror. “Don’t tell me you’re Kinetle’s daughter,” she squeaked.

  Shelby smiled slyly. “Not only that, but I’m also Darvonia’s second-in-command. If something happens to Kinetle, I’m the leader.”

  Roseabelle was in pure shock. How could she have trusted and learned from the heir of Darvonia? How could someone be so cruel? She remembered the letter. S stood for Shelby. The book in the tower room. It had said, “There is a rumor that one of these children is an IB.” Roseabelle’s stomach lurched.

  “The pouch,” she said. “Why is it so important?”

  Shelby sighed. “Honestly, Roseabelle, you’re smarter than that. Think, why is the trutan so important to us?”

  Roseabelle’s heart sank. Shelby knew what was inside. “So you could build large sea vessels,” she suggested.

  Shelby shrugged. “Something like that.”

  “When you were teaching, you wouldn’t allow me to feel the emotions of that nasty creature. Why was that?”

  “Because,” Shelby said, “it was from Darvonia. If you felt its emotions, it would’ve felt a strong affection toward me. You would probably figure that it was Darvonian, connect two and two, and you know the rest.”

  “Were you one of the Darvonians that came to get the pouch?” Roseabelle asked, secretly pulling her dagger from inside her robes.

  “Nope, that was my sister, Heltonine. She is only seventeen. She’s not as brave as perceived. She doesn’t always meet expectations. Heltonine has always looked up to her elder sister, Sheklyth.”

  “Who’s that?” Roseabelle wondered aloud.

  Shelby shook her head. “You disappoint me, Roseabelle. My real name is not Shelby. Haven’t you realized? I am Sheklyth, daughter of Leader Kinetle, second-in-command of Darvonia.

  Roseabelle, still trying to piece it all together, was silent.

  Sheklyth looked closely at Roseabelle. “Any more questions before I leave you and your friends in this grimy cell with your mother?”

  “Yeah, I have one,” Roseabelle said coolly. “How come you were so clueless to let us keep our weapons?” She drew her dagger.

  Sheklyth’s eyes widened. Roseabelle advanced forward.

  “Roseabelle, listen. I don’t really see what you can accomplish with that. You can’t really harm me,” Sheklyth said calmly. She brushed aside her sweeping black robes to reveal a sensible fitting suit of armor to prove her point.

  Roseabelle stopped and said, “Darvonians are hopeless. Not only are they mean and spiteful, but they have only cruelty and weapons. Nothing else.”

  Sheklyth’s eyes narrowed. “Who said we only have weapons?” she asked.

  “You lack the powers that you trained me on. What else do you have?” Roseabelle asked.

  Sheklyth looked pleased. “Something you don’t have,” she said slyly. She took a deep breath, and then Roseabelle felt an overpowering emotion.

  It was fear. Fear like Roseabelle had never imagined before, fear that told her she would never get out of this place. It was penetrating. A blue fog shone from Sheklyth’s body, and then it stopped. Roseabelle felt normal.

  “That’s what we have,” Sheklyth said proudly. Roseabelle was stunned. There was a moment of silence. Roseabelle took an arrow and loaded it onto her crossbow.

  She lifted it and shot. Sheklyth averted the shot. She smiled in a pleased way and made the penetrating emotion happen again. Roseabelle dropped her weapon.

  Fear flooded through her body. She looked at the bars on the door. Astro was still struggling with the Darvonians.

  Roseabelle caught his eye. She pantomimed him sending a bolt flying through the room. Astro cocked his head, showing that he wanted her to repeat the message. Roseabelle showed him again. This time he nodded, showing that he understood.

  If the bolt that Astro shot earlier bounced against the door, it will
bounce against the walls, she thought. Sheklyth was howling with laughter. Astro stretched forth his finger, and then a streak of sliver and blue came hurling out.

  The mass of crackling silver light bounced against the back wall. Roseabelle dived at Sheklyth and wrestled the keys from her. The Darvonian spit in rage and tried to seize the keys. She quickly stopped her pursuit as Astro’s stray lightning bolt barely grazed her face and singed off the bottom of her hair. Roseabelle rushed to Danette and pulled her up. She took her mother’s hand, and Roseabelle unlocked the door.

  “Mom, after being locked up, do you think you can still fly?” she shouted over the sound of fighting. Flying was one of Danette’s powers. The other was turning invisible. Danette nodded in response to her daughter’s question.

  Roseabelle and Danette raced out and locked Sheklyth in. Meanwhile, Astro and Jessicana were dealing with the Darvonians.

  Only two were unconscious, but twenty-two fierce Darvonian warriors remained in the fight. Roseabelle’s heart sank. The battle seemed to be tipping in the Darvonian’s favor. Roseabelle turned to her mother. “Fly up on the ceiling. You’re too weak to fight.”

  Hugging her mother one last time, she gripped her crossbow and loaded it, sneaking from behind a wall of Darvonians and firing. The arrow made its mark and the Darvonian crashed to the dungeon floor. But Roseabelle’s victory was short lived, as his two companions whirled around and sent their Thepgiles spinning at her. Roseabelle quickly dodged one, but as the other was aimed at her feet, the blade grazed her shoe, tearing the top part of the leather sandal. Roseabelle wasted no time nocking an arrow on her bow and shooting it at the Darvonians. They deflected it with their Thepgiles, and Roseabelle took off at a run before they could aim again at her.

  As Roseabelle secretly crouched between the rows of Darvonians, she realized that Jessicana and Astro were cornered. They were still battling the Darvonians and Roseabelle knew that they were about to tire. Reacting quickly, she fired three arrows at a small group of Darvonians, who collapsed as the deadly missiles penetrated their armor. Astro and Jessicana quickly squeezed through the mass of enemies, Jessicana blocking a warrior’s sword strikes while Astro used his ray to burn through a Darvonian’s helmet. Roseabelle looked up and saw Danette hovering above them, her tired eyes staring sadly down at them. As the Darvonians closed in on them again, Roseabelle shouted, “Astro, drop your weapon!”